042018 - San Francisco edition

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

w w w. a s i a n Volume 17 - No. 16 • 3 Sections – 20 Pages

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DATELINE USA FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

US Court deems deportation law ‘vague’ in decision involving Filipino THE U.S. Supreme Court said Tuesday, April 17, that the part of a federal law that allows easier deportation of immigrants was too vague, impeding the Trump administration’s efforts in deporting non-citizens.

Bringing in the decision was Justice Neil Gorsuch — President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court appointee — who sided with the court’s four liberal justices in a tie-breaking decision involving a legal U.S. resident from the Philippines.

The Tuesday decision in Sessions v. Dimaya involved James Dimaya, a Filipino who came to the U.S. as a legal permanent

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Trump quietly orders major crackdown on public assistance programs

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

Palace: Duterte tirades vs Sereno not an attack to judiciary

by PATRICIA LOURDES Philstar.com

VIRAY

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte’s attacks against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno should not be interpreted as an attack to the co-equal judiciary branch, Malacañang said on Wednesday, April 18.

“The President’s rebuke of the Chief Justice must therefore be taken as a dislike of the Chief Justice and not an attack to the Members of the Coalition for Justice, some of them senior citizens judiciary or an affront to judifrom various parts of the country, picketed the summer compound of the Supreme Court as they urged the court to dismiss a quo warranto cial independence,” presidenpetition that would unseat Chief Justice-on-leave Ma. Lourdes Sereno tial spokesperson Harry Roque without undergoing impeachment.

Inquirer.net photo by EV Espiritu said.

This statement was made in response to a lawyers groups’ report to the United Nations special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers narrating how the Duterte government attacks the judiciary.

Several lawyers’ groups, headed by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, urged UN special rapporteur Diego Garcia-Sayan to take action on Duterte’s attacks against Sereno.

“The recent tirades of the president against the chief justice do not sound at all foreboding.

They rather expectedly punctu-

ate the long-winded attacks on judicial independence that began almost two years ago, when the chief justice dared resist an apparent intrusion into judicial power,” the groups said.

Roque, on the other hand, stressed that some justices of the Supreme Court have testified against Sereno during House impeachment hearings.

“The Chief Justice was made to go on indefinite leave by her colleagues to protect the integrity and reputation of the court after it became clear that the CJ

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DOJ on deportation of EU party official: ‘Partisan political activity illegal’ in PH

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

AMID the shocking news of airstrikes on Syria and President Donald Trump’s ongoing personal scandals, the president last week ordered for the major overhaul of the nation’s public assistance net.

Though the news largely went under the radar, Trump on Tuesday, April 10 signed an executive order called Reducing Poverty in America By Promoting Opportunity and Economic Mobility which calls for departments across the government to review their safety net programs and propose new regulations.

Some of the affected programs in this

THE Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday, April 16, justified the detention and deportation of a European politician, explaining that it is illegal for a tourist to engage in any “partisan political activity.”

Giacomo Filibeck, the deputy secretary general of the Party of European Socialist (PES) and a native of Italy, was detained at the Cebu International Airport and immediately deported last Sunday, April 15.

In a message to reporters, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra explained that it is “unlawful for aliens staying in our country to engage in partisan political activities.”

Guevarra also noted that the government “has the right to refuse entry to those who have committed these illegal acts in the past.”

Filibeck was supposed to join the Akbayan Partylist Congress as a guest of honor on Monday. Akbay-

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Trump administration establishes stricter requirements for Medicaid, TANF, and food stamps

APRIL 20-26, 2018

CHANGE OF COMMAND. President Rodrigo Duterte troops the line with outgoing Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief-of-Staff Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero (left) during the change of command ceremonies at the Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Wednesday, April 18.

Western Mindanao Command head, Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez had officially assumed as the 50th AFP chief-of-staff.

PNA photo by Joey Razon

VP Robredo’s lead narrows in recount FORMER Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has narrowed the lead of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo in the ongoing recount of the 2016 vice-presidential election.

Sources at the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) told The Manila Times that after the recount of 210 clustered precincts

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (second from left) and U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Y. Kim (third from left) lead the groundbreaking ceremony for a multipurpose Humanitarian Defense Response Warehouse at Basa Air Base in Pampanga. Inquirer.net photo

US, PH officials lead groundbreaking of first major EDCA project

by AJPRESS THE construction of a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) storage facility in Basa Air Base in Pampanga began on Tuesday, April 17.

Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and United States Ambassador to Manila Sung Kim led the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the warehouse, which is

one of five projects under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the two countries.

The facility will be used to store equipment and other supplies critical to responding efficiently and effectively to “evolving security challenges and promote peace” in the Asian region, according to Lorenzana.

In his speech, Lorenzana also

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in Camarines Sur province, Robredo’s tally was reduced by some 5,000 votes.

Robredo won the vice presidency with a lead of 263,473 votes over Marcos. In the official tally, Robredo obtained 14,418,817 votes while Marcos had 14,155,344.

Sources said the recount of 210 clustered precincts narrowed the lead down to about

Duterte maintains stance against divorce bill

dissolution of marriage in the country.

Duterte said he could not supPHILIPPINE President Rodrigo port House Speaker Pantaleon AlDuterte on Wednesday, April varez’s bill because his daughter, 18, reiterated that he is against Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, the legalization of divorce and u PAGE A3

by AJPRESS

258,000.

“It’s still a long way to go but the figures as they are coming out, may already be considered substantial recovery or change in the results of the elections. It is definitely favorable to former Senator Marcos,” a PET insider said.

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From the Front Page

VP Robredo’s lead narrows...

PAGE A1 t The high tribunal is set to revise more than 5,800 clustered precincts from Marcos’ pilot provinces of Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental.

It will be recalled that at the start of the recount early this month, the camp of Marcos claimed to have discovered irregularities in a number of ballot boxes, such as wet and distorted ballots.

It was also discovered that some of the ballot boxes did not have an “audit log” or the logbook indicating the time of opening of precincts, the time of transmittal of results and the times the voting started and ended.

Marcos, son and namesake the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, is contesting the election results in some 39,000 clustered precincts from 30 provinces and cities all over the country.

He paid for a recount in 36,465 clustered precincts, and wants the results annulled in

A Supreme Court officer walks past ballot boxes and desks during an inspection of the venue for the recount of votes in the 2016 vice presidential race.

Philstar.com photo

2,756 precincts. Based on Commission on Elections data, the total 39,221 clustered precincts being questioned by Marcos are composed of 132,446 precincts.

Marcos accuses Robredo of benefiting from “massive elec-

toral fraud, anomalies and irregularities” such as pre-shading of ballots, pre-loaded Secure Digital cards, misreading of ballots, malfunctioning vote-counting machines, and an “abnormally high” unaccounted votes or undervotes. (ManilaTimes.net)

DENGVAXIA ISSUE. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian shares his belief that former President Benigno Aquino III is not criminally liable for the government’s controversial dengue vaccination program to Senate reporters during the Kapihan sa Senado media forum on Wednesday, April 18. Gatchalian said that it was former Health Secretary Janette Garin, and not Aquino, who was the “prime mover” of the P3.5 billion Dengvaxia program administered to public school students nationwide. Also in photo is journalist and Kapihan host Cely Bueno.

Senate photo by Lord Cielo Estojero

Palace: Duterte tirades vs Sereno...

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failed to file some of her annual SALN,” Roque said.

He added that Duterte’s remarks against the chief justice, head of a co-equal branch, were

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“enemy” during a speech on April 9.

The president had also asked the Congress to fast track the impeachment proceeding against Sereno. n

DOJ on deportation of EU party official...

an is a sister party of PES. The Bureau of Immigration, however, ordered his deportation because he supposedly “violated the conditions of his stay when he came to the Philippines last year.”

Filibeck was part of a human rights delegation that visited Manila in October 2017 and denounced the killings under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs.

“He (Filibeck) was not supposed to do that because being a tourist he does not enjoy the rights and privileges of a Philippine citizen, particularly the exercise of political rights which are exclusively reserved to Filipinos,” said BI Commissioner Jaime Morente.

Morente also stressed that the Philippine government “cannot allow the entry of foreigners who have shown disrespect to our duly-constituted authorities by meddling and interfering in our internal affairs as a sovereign nation.”

In a statement on Tuesday, April 17, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said foreigners who visit the Philippines should not feel “superior” and must abide by the country’s law.

“When I visit other countries, I am very careful not to interfere with their domestic political is-

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only “reaction to these accusations.”

In the report submitted to the UN special rapporteur, the lawyers’ groups narrated how Duterte declared Sereno as an

Giacomo Filibeck, deputy secretary general of the Party of European Socialist (PES), was detained at the Cebu International Airport and immediately deported last Sunday, April 15.

Philstar.com photo

sues because I know their law and I am a law-abiding citizen.

These foreigners who come here should not feel that they are ‘superior’ to us and hence above our laws! All should follow the law!”

Pimentel remarked.

He went on to say, “If we want Filipinos to follow our laws then we should show our own people that foreigners are not above our laws!”

Akbayan, meanwhile, called Filibeck’s deportation a “deplorable act of silencing the strong voices for human rights.”

The party also urged the House of Representatives to probe the PES official’s deportation, adding that the “unfortunate incident only shows how paranoid

this government is in keeping the rest of the world blind from the damage President Duterte has done to our country.”

PES president Sergei Stanishev, for his part, condemned how Filibeck was “treated as a criminal on the orders of the government and forcibly deported from the country.”

“Clearly, the president intends to silence criticism of his deadly policies both at home and abroad,” Stanishev said.

He continued: “As a united political family, we refuse to be silenced. We will continue to express our solidarity with the democratic opposition to Mr. Duterte’s increasingly authoritarian rule in the Philippines.” n

US, PH officials lead groundbreaking...

applauded the alliance between the Philippines and U.S. “built on a strong foundation of shared values, sacrifices, and history.”

“I know that EDCA is one of the sure ways to enhance our alliance and help promote peace and security in the region as it provides a framework through which both the Philippines and the United States will approach the evolving security challenges,” he added.

The Defense chief also said EDCA allows the increase in training opportunities for the U.S. and the Philippine forces, increasing the interoperability of both militaries.

EDCA trainings, likewise, allow both forces to respond to humanitarian crises affecting the Philippines.

“Hence, it is the Filipino community that will ultimately benefit from this project which is not only a testament to our countries’ commitment to having a stronger alliance, but also to our desire to help one another grow capabilities together,” Lorenzana said.

Kim, meanwhile, described EDCA as a testament to the “continued dedication and commitment to our partnership and friendship” and an “agreement between two sovereign nations, a pact between equals.”

“As we break ground at the

very first major EDCA project, we look forward to continuing to work closely with Philippine government for future EDCA projects at the five agreed locations,” the U.S. ambassador said.

“The Philippines, of course, will maintain full control of facilities,” Kim added.

Signed in 2014, EDCA is an agreement that allows the U.S. military to construct facilities and pre-position defense assets inside Philippine military bases: Basa Airbase in Pampanga, Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro, and Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu. n

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Assemblymember Chiu announces bill to protect identities of immigrants, crime victims in court proceedings Measure would create a standard process for applying for “Doe status”

SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) on Tuesday, April 17, proposed legislation to protect the identities of immigrants and crime victims in California courts. The bill, Assembly Bill 2185, would create a standardized process for receiving anonymous status in court proceedings and require courts to consider relevant factors, including fear of deportation, when determining the need for anonymity. The proposal passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee on the same day.

“We are better served when our entire community feels safe participating in our court system,” said Assemblymember Chiu. “In the context of Donald Trump and an emboldened deportation force, many law-abiding immigrants are wary of reporting crimes or serving as witnesses. Allowing our immigrant neighbors and others to receive anonymous status can encourage more people to participate in the judicial system and keep all of our communities safer.”

Many immigrants experience hate crimes or are victims of labor violations, such as labor trafficking, sexual violence,

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or harassment. Yet, they are unwilling to take part in a suit or court proceeding for fear of being deported. This dynamic presents a particular challenge for minors with undocumented parents, which represent 12 percent of children grades K-12 in California. Minors are required to petition the court to obtain approval for guardian ad litem appointments before a summons in a case can be issued. Protecting the identity of the parents of these children is necessary to ensure these young people have access to justice.

This measure also seeks to provide protections for all those who bring suit in the judicial system who are involved in sensitive or controversial cases. Victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or discrimination would benefit from the proactive anonymous status that AB 2185 will allow for. Currently, plaintiffs can petition to use a pseudonym only after they have begun proceedings and have already been identified.

AB 2185 lays out a number of criteria that the court would consider when determining if anonymous status is necessary, including whether the request is

intended merely to avoid annoyance and criticism or is to preserve privacy in a sensitive and highly personal matter, whether identification could create the risk of retaliatory physical or mental harm, or whether the party legitimately fears being removed from the country, if identified.

Other states have formalized processes for allowing plaintiffs to use pseudonyms, but California currently has no such process. The bill allows parties to a case to challenge the anonymous status within 60 days of being served. Should the court order that an anonymous litigant be identified, the anonymous litigant could dismiss their claims without prejudice.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund is sponsoring AB 2185. The bill will now continue on to the Assembly Floor for a full vote of the body. *** Assemblymember David Chiu (D–San Francisco) is the Chair of the Housing & Community Development Committee of the California State Assembly. He represents the 17th Assembly District, which encompasses eastern San Francisco. Learn more at: https://a17. asmdc.org/ n

Pres. Rodrigo Duterte said he is against the legalization of divorce and dissolution of marriage in the Philippines.

Inquirer.net photo

Duterte maintains stance...

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is “not happy” with his proposed law.

“I’m sorry but I cannot follow you. My daughter is not happy with that, really,” the president said during his speech at the Change of Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Quezon City.

Duterte teased Alvarez, “Magusap na lang kayo ni Sara (Just talk with Sara).”

The Davao City mayor and House speaker earlier engaged in a word war after Alvarez reportedly called Sara a part of the opposition when she formed a separate regional political party.

Alvarez is one of the authors of the House Bill 7303 or “An Act

Trump quietly orders major crackdown...

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potentially significant move include Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid and housing assistance. The executive order directs agencies — including the departments of Commerce, Labor and Housing and Urban Development — to enforce current requirements as well as propose more stringent work Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justices Anthony Kennedy, Clar- requirements and give some Stephen G. Breyer, and Sonia ence Thomas and Samuel Alito. flexibility to states to issue their own modifications.

(Rae Ann Varona / AJPress) Sotomayor.

While Gorsuch did not join all of Kagan’s opinion, he agreed with the decision.

“Vague laws invite arbitrary power,” wrote Gorsuch. “Today’s vague laws may not be as invidious, but they can invite the exercise of arbitrary power all the same — by leaving the people in the dark about what the law demands and allowing prosecutors and courts to make it up.”

The court’s 5-4 decision was a setback for the Trump administration which has long called for tighter immigration laws and has favored deportation.

Following the decision, Trump was quick to voice his displeasure in a two part tweet.

“Today’s Court decision means that Congress must close loopholes that block the removal of dangerous criminal aliens, including aggravated felons,” tweeted Trump.

He continued, “This is a public safety crisis that can only be fixed

by Congress — House and Senate must quickly pass a legislative fix to ensure violent criminal aliens can be removed from our society. Keep America Safe!”

Immigration and Customs enforcement (ICE) Deputy Director Tom Homan said he too was disappointed in the Supreme Court’s decision.

“As a law enforcement agency, ICE will certainly abide by this decision; however, it will have an adverse impact on our ability to establish that aliens convicted of certain violent crimes — such as sexual offenses, kidnapping, and burglary — are removable from the United States and ineligible for certain immigration benefits,” said Homan.

“It is yet another example of the need for Congress to urgently close the loopholes that allow criminal aliens to avoid removal and remain in the United States,” he added.

Dissenters of the decision were Chief Justice John Roberts, and

US Court deems deportation law...

resident in 1992 when he was 13 years old. Dimaya was convicted of two residential burglary charges in California in 2007 and 2009, and was sentenced to four years in prison in total.

The case was first argued in January 2017 but was deadlocked 4-4 following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. It was argued again in October with Gorsuch.

The government sought Dimaya’s deportation through a clause in the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows the detention and deportation of non-citizens convicted of an “aggravated felony.” Such felonies include “crime of violence” or any felony that “by its nature, involves a substantial risk that physical force against the person or property of another may be used in the course of committing the offense.”

But the federal appeals court in San Francisco said that the provision was unconstitutionally vague — an opinion affirmed by the Tuesday Supreme Court ruling.

In her opinion, Justice Elena Kagan cited the 2015 Johnson v.

United States ruling written by Scalia that said a similar criminal statute was unconstitutionally vague.

“We can as well repeat here what we asked in Johnson,” said Kagan. “How does one go about divining the conduct entailed in a crime’s ordinary case? Statistical analyses? Surveys? Experts?

Google? Gut instinct?”

Commenting on the lower courts’ inability to be consistent with immigration law, Kagan asked if car burglary would qualify as a violent felony.

“Some courts say yes, another says no,” said Kagan.

She added, “What of statutory rape? Once again, the Circuit parts ways. How about evading arrest? The decisions point in different directions. Residential trespass? The same is true.”

Kagan’s opinion was joined by

SWIMMING GOLD. National Capital Region (NCR) representative Althea Michel Baluyot wins a gold medal in the 200 LC meter butterfly event during the 2018 Palarong Pambansa at the Quirino Stadium Poolside in Ilocos Sur on Tuesday, April 17. The Palarong Pambansa, which is organized by the Education Department since 1948, has been the premier sports event for both public and private student-athletes coming from the 18 regions of the country.

PNA photo by Jess Escaros Jr.

Instituting Absolute Divorce and Dissolution of Marriage in the Philippines.”

Malacañang earlier confirmed that the president is against the bill.

“He doesn’t want to comment but since there was voting already in Congress, the president is against divorce,” Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque said last month.

Duterte, according to Roque, thinks divorce should not be made legal as “children would be pitiful if there will be divorce.”

On March 19, the House of Representatives approved the proposed law on its third and final reading with a vote of 134-51-2.

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Specifically, the order is directed at all agencies with “any program that provides meanstested assistance or other assistance that provides benefits to people, households or families that have low-income.”

“Since its inception, the welfare system has grown into a large bureaucracy that might be susceptible to measuring success by how many people are enrolled in a program rather than by how many have moved from poverty to financial inde-

pendence,” reads the executive order.

The executive order also encourages these agencies to make cuts to these programs in order to save money.

The executive order has not put forth official policy, but experts say the notion of tougher requirements for these programs could have a drastic impact on low-income Americans.

In the case of Medicaid — the

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Board of Supervisors’ unanimously approve resolution to make protecting biodiversity a priority SAN FRANCISCO – On Tuesday, April 17, just in time for Earth Day celebrations, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution sponsored by Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer that would make protecting biodiversity a priority for City agencies and establish a framework for interagency collaboration for nature-based initiatives. While San Francisco has a long history of cherishing its natural heritage and managing its parks and green spaces for biodiversity, the impacts of climate change pose significant threat to local plant and animal life.

“We are in the midst of not only a global climate crisis, but a global biodiversity crisis,” said Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer. “We must protect our local ecosystems from harm, restore habitats where possible, and ensure our land management practices preserve our natural environment. I am proud to sponsor this resolution to foster greater collaboration from City departments in the stewardship of our natural areas, parks, and green spaces across San Francisco.”

San Francisco is located within one of the world’s 35 global biodiversity hotspots – the state of California. Despite the city being 95% developed,

San Francisco is home to hundreds of different native plants and animal species, including ten federally listed endangered species. However, these species and their habitats are under constant threat from a changing climate and ecosystem collapse.

Supervisor Fewer’s resolution builds upon the City’s existing biodiversity policies, which include managing natural areas for wildlife and rare plant habitat; leading bio-blitzes in neighborhoods to find and document local species; educating the public about how to live with coyotes in the city; and integrating habitatfriendly greening into the built environment.

“From Ocean Beach to Treasure Island, we are gifted with a unique natural environment worth protecting,” said Debbie Raphael, Director of the San Francisco Department of Environment. “As San Francisco continues to grow and change, we want to make sure it remains a sustainable and healthy city where all of its inhabitants can thrive: human, animal, and plant. Our fellow City agencies share this commitment, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with them to ensure the success of this policy.”

The goal of the resolution is to provide a framework for City agencies to collaborate, share best practices, and ensure their strategic operations and capital plans promote the conservation of local plants and animals and better connect San Franciscans to nature where they live.

The resolution was the result of a series of convenings of City agencies led by the San Francisco Department of Environment and the Planning Department over the past year.

The resolution names 15 City agencies including the San Francisco Airport, Animal Care and Control, Children Youth and Families, Municipal Transportation Agency, Planning Department, the Port, Public Health Department, Public Library, Public Utilities Commission, Public Works Department, Real Estate Department, Recreation and Park Department, Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure, and Treasure Island Development Authority.

The resolution was supported by the Sab Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, Livable Cities, and the Golden Gate Audubon Society. The Department of Environment is the lead agency charged with implementation of the resolution. n

Trump quietly orders major crackdown...

PAGE A1 t nation’s public health insurance program for low earners — the executive order calls for all applicants to provide proof of employment, which could stunt many Americans.

By tightening up the requirements for Medicaid, which is the last health care resort for many low-income Americans who do not qualify for programs like the Affordable Care Act, the options for the nation’s most vulnerable could be severely limited, according to Executive Vice President of the Kaiser Family Foundation Diane Rowland.

“What we’re talking about in Medicaid is saying that someone who doesn’t meet these requirements than can be locked out and not be able to get medical coverage for a certain number of months or maybe even up to a year,” Rowland told Michel Martin of NPR’s All Things

Considered. “And they do say that there’ll be exceptions, but the president’s directive wants to narrow those exceptions. So really, some of the purposes of this is to get people off the rolls.

And we know that for the people already working on Medicaid, the reason they need Medicaid is their job doesn’t come with health insurance that’s either available or affordable.”

Other programs that could see a dramatic shift include various housing programs, the and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which provides poor families with financial aid.

Experts and lawmakers alike have deemed the executive order as a reflection of the overall conservative agenda to slashing these programs and shrinking the federal safety net, programs which Democrats argue strengthen low-earning Americans.

“Attacks on successful programs like Medicaid, nutrition and housing assistance are attacks on millions of vulnerable Americans. No one can argue our nation is made stronger by cutting these priorities,” Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) said in a tweet on Tuesday, April 17.

Moreover, the White House has been accused of attempting to expand the definition of “welfare” — a term that has garnered a negative connotation since the Reagan administration — to include public programs like Medicaid and SNAP (aka food stamps) as a way to vilify them.

“This executive order perpetuates false and racist stereotypes about certain groups supposedly taking advantage of government assistance,” Reps.

Steny Hoyer of Maryland and Barbara Lee of California said in a joint statement. (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

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STILL AT IT. Supporters of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, bearing photos of five associate justices of the Supreme Court, hold a rally in front of the Supreme Court building. Sereno had asked the five justices — Teresita de Castro, Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Francis Jardeleza and Noel Tijam – to inhibit themselves from the quo warranto case filed against her by Solicitor General Jose Calida. The justices rejected the chief justice’s motion for inhibition.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Bob Dungo Jr.

Jinggoy faces contempt over ‘fake’ US invite

by ElizabEth

MarcElo Philstar.com

STATE prosecutors from the Office of the Ombudsman have asked the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan to order former Sen. Jinggoy Estrada to explain why he should not be cited in contempt for allegedly making false claims just to secure the court’s permission to travel to the United States later this month.

In a motion for reconsideration filed before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on April 13, the ombudsman’s prosecution panel asked the court to reconsider its earlier ruling allowing Estrada to stay in the US from April 30 to May 30.

Furthermore, the prosecution also prayed to the court to order Estrada to explain why he should not be cited in contempt for allegedly using a falsified invitation letter in support of his travel motion.

“The prosecution respectfully submits that the falsity of the invitation letter attached by accused Estrada to his Motion to Travel Abroad makes the motion misleading and deceiving, warranting the reconsideration of the Order granting the same,” the prosecution’s appeal read.

“The exposure of the scheme employed, in effect, has dismantled the propriety of granting the travel,” it added.

It can be remembered that the Fifth Division had earlier granted Estrada’s motion to travel despite the vehement objections of the prosecution.

In his motion filed on March 16, Estrada asked the court’s permission for a one-month stay

in the US for a vacation with his family, a medical check-up in connection with his “recurring” shoulder pains and to attend the event of the Filipino-American group US Pinoys for Good Governance (USPGG).

Estrada said he was invited by USPGG to be a guest speaker in its annual general membership meeting to be held in Sterling Heights, Michigan on May 20, 2018.

Estrada attached in his motion an invitation letter signed

by USPGG-Michigan chapter head William Dechavez, asking the senator to be a speaker on current issues in the Philippines such as on extrajudicial killings, Dengvaxia mess and the administration’s federalism plan.

The letter bears the official logo of USPGG. However, in a press statement posted on its website a day after Estrada’s travel request was granted by the court, USPGG chairperson Filipino-American philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis and USPGG President Rodel Rodis denied issuing an invitation to the former senator.

“USPGG Willie Dechavez did not invite Jinggoy Estrada to speak in Michigan under USPGG nor is any program being planned

by USPGG Michigan since Willie Dechavez is on vacation in the Philippines,” the group’s statement read.

The prosecution said allowing Estrada to still push through with the travel despite his alleged use of a falsified invitation letter “may constitute a travesty of justice.”

“The settled rule is that in the absence of satisfactory explana-

tion, one found in possession of, and who used a forged document is a forger. If a person had in his possession a falsified document and he made use of it (uttered it), taking advantage of it and profiting thereby—the clear presumption is that he is the material author of the falsification,” the prosecution said.

In a hearing on Monday, April 16, Fifth Division Chairman Associate Justice Rafael Lagos directed Estrada’s legal team to submit its comment on the prosecution’s motion for reconsideration within three days, after which, the motion is deemed submitted for resolution.

In a phone interview, Estrada maintained that the invitation letter he received from De Chavez was not forged.

“I never used any fake letter, I never misrepresented anyone,” Estrada said.

“These prosecutors are crazy to think that I would forge a letter just to be able to travel. Why would I fool the court, when I know that they can revoke my bail anytime?” he added.

Estrada is facing plunder and graft cases before the Fifth Division in connection with his alleged involvement in the multibillion-peso pork barrel fund scam.

He has been detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City since the filing of the cases in June 2014. But on Sept. 15, 2017, the Fifth Division allowed him to post bail on the ground of the supposed lack of evidence from the prosecution showing that he is the “main plunderer” in the case. n

US vows freedom of navigation, freedom from fear, coercion

by MichaEl

Punongbayan Philstar.com

THROUGH the presence and more frequent visits of powerful aircraft carriers in in the Philippines and other parts of the South China Sea, the U.S. is sending a loud and clear message that America’s military forces are ready to defend and protect its allies in the Indo-Pacific region.

Speaking at a reception onboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the waters of Manila Bay on Friday, April 13, U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim said the U.S. will continue to ensure “freedom of navigation, freedom of commerce and freedom from fear and coercion.”

Kim said the aircraft carrier, carrying a handful of F-18 Hornet fighter jets, helicopters and some 5,000 sailors and marines, is named after the 26th president of the United States.

Roosevelt, a soldier, a visionary president and a Nobel Prize winner, is famous for the saying “Speak softly but carry a big stick.”

Hence the carrier is nicknamed “the Big Stick.”

“But I might take exception to the first part of the Teddy Roosevelt saying about speaking softly.

I think there are times when we should speak loudly and clearly,” Kim told an audience of that included Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, Presidential Political Adviser Francis Tolentino, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Philippine Navy Flag Officer in Command Rear Admiral

Speaking at a reception onboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the waters of Manila Bay on Friday, April 13, U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim said the U.S. will continue to ensure “freedom of navigation, freedom of commerce and freedom from fear and coercion.”

Philstar.com photo by KJ Rosales

Robert Empedrad, Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, Pangasinan Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil and business leaders Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Tessie Sy-Coson, Ricky Razon, Alfred Ty. “The presence of the Theodore Roosevelt here in Manila Bay sends a very clear message to everyone in the region, especially to our friends in the Philippines, because our commitment to the U.S.Philippines alliance is unbreakable and will remain so indefinitely,” Kim said.

“Our friendship has never been stronger and we have been and remain an Indo-Pacific nation. And our commitment to this region and its well-being is enduring,” he said.

Kim said the U.S. clearly showed its commitment to the alliance with the Philippines when it came to the assistance of the brave men and women of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as they defeated the terrorists in Marawi

Duterte maintains stance...

PAGE A3 t

The bill, however, has no counterpart in the Senate.

The bill aims to give “the opportunity to spouses in irremediably failed marriages to secure an absolute divorce decree under limited grounds and well-defined judicial procedures to terminate a continuing dysfunction of a long

broken marriage.”

It likewise aims to grant the divorced spouses the “right to marry again for another chance to achieve marital bliss.”

Among the grounds of divorce include existing grounds for legal separation under Article 55 of the Family Code, and annulment under Article 45 of the same code,

City last year.

He said the U.S. also shows its clear commitment when it welcomes every year tens of thousands of Filipinos to the U.S., to study, to visit loved ones – and sometimes to shop.

“Our commitment is also clear on the number of U.S. companies investing in Philippines’ thriving economy, providing jobs to talented Filipino workers and also when we welcome Filipino products to U.S. markets,” he added.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt is a fourth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier launched in 1984. She saw her first action during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 that is now under the command of Rear Admiral Stephen Koehler of Carrier Strike Group 9 whose crew include some 400 Filipino-Americans.

“At well over a thousand feet long and weighing in at well over a hundred thousand tons, sticks don’t come any bigger than the Theodore Roosevelt,” he said. n which include physical violence, homosexuality, marital infidelity, and affliction of sexually transmissible infection, among others.

Grounds also include separation in fact for at least five years, legal separation by judicial decree for at least two years, psychological incapacity, gender reassignment surgery, irreconcilable differences, and joint petition of spouses. n

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A5

Duterte denies tapping Cambridge Analytica

by EDITH

REGALADO Philstar.com

HE may be technologically challenged, but President Duterte says he does not need political consulting firms such as Cambridge Analytica to win an election.

Duterte maintained he engaged in traditional campaigning that led to his eventual landslide victory.

“I have no Cambridge-Cambridge, Oxford… just went into the traditional campaigning, that’s simple,” Duterte told a gathering after his arrival from China and Hong Kong Friday, April 13.

Duterte recalled that he had appealed to Filipinos to vote for him if they want him as a leader or just reject him if they don’t want somebody like him to become president.

That was the message of his last campaign at Rizal Park in Manila, Duterte said.

Repeating his pitches during the 2016 campaign, Duterte said he told his audience to choose between a strong personality like him or a God-fearing candidate, who would hesitate to launch an honest-to-goodness drug war.

Duterte said he was candid and up front about his strategy during the campaign – with no pretensions –which apparently was the reason he won the presidency.

Pres. Rodrigo Duterte

Duterte denied tapping online political strategists for his campaign in the May 2016 presidential polls.

Earlier, photos showing two of Duterte’s campaign advisers dining with Cambridge Analytica official Alexander Nix surfaced, raising suspicions that the consultancy firm influenced the outcome of the 2016 elections.

Pompee La Viña, one of the campaign advisers in the photo, has denied tapping the services of Cambridge Analytica and insisted that Nix just sat down with his group during a 2015 event in Manila.

Malacañang has denied the Duterte campaign team had transacted with the consultancy firm and has insisted that the Presi-

Malacañang photo

dent won the election “fair and square.”

The government is investigating social media giant Facebook over reports of a massive data breach involving Cambridge Analytica.

A whistle-blower earlier claimed Cambridge Analytica illegally harvested data which were subsequently used in the campaign of U.S. President Donald Trump in 2016.

Reports also surfaced that Cambridge Analytica’s parent company SCL (Strategic Communications Laboratories) was involved in the Philippine presidential elections in 2016, although it was unclear if the illegally harvested data were used.

In fact, one of its officers had visited the country. (With Christina Mendez)

Pacquiao on splitting with Roach: No final decision on trainer yet

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

FILIPINO boxing champion Manny Pacquiao clarified that he has not made any decisions on who will be his trainer for his upcoming fight against WBA welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse yet.

Pacquiao made the clarification in a social media post on Monday, April 16, amid reports that he has cut ties with Freddie Roach, who’s been his trainer since 2001.

“Contrary to statements which I personally did not make that are circulating in the media, I have not made my final decision who will be my head trainer for my July 14 (U.S. time) fight with (Lucas) Matthysse,” Pacquiao said.

“My advisor Mike Koncz has been in contact with Freddie’s people to keep them informed. I will make a final decision within the week,” he added.

In earlier interviews, Koncz told media that Pacquiao has replaced Roach with Buboy Fernandez, the Filipino boxer’s lifelong friend and the career-long assistant trainer.

According to Koncz, Pacquiao “wasn’t very pleased” with some of Roach’s statements to the media during Pacquiao’s fight against Jeff Horn in July last year in Brisbane, Australia.

Roach, in response, said he did not hear personally from Pacquiao about the split up, and was hurt by the news.

“Manny and I had a great run

for 16 years—longer than most marriages and certainly a rarity for boxing,” Roach said in a statement last week.

“I wouldn’t trade any of it. Inside the boxing ring and the political ring, I wish Manny nothing but the best,” he added. “I would be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t hurt that he didn’t contact me personally about his decision, but the great times we enjoyed together far outweigh that.”

But Pacquiao on Monday clarified that he has not made a final decision on who will be his trainer yet.

“When that decision is made, Freddie will be the first one to be informed, and then I will advise the media,” the Filipino boxer added. ■

‘ALAB NG PUSO’ UNVEILING. Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president and chief executive Officer (CEO) Vivencio Dizon (right): Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Salvador Melchor Mison Jr. (left) and Taguig City Second District Representative Pilar Juliana Cayetano (2nd from left), lead the unveiling ceremony of the “Alab ng Puso” (Fire in the Heart) sculpture in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig on Monday, April 16. The sculpture aims to recognize the heroism and sacrifices made by Filipino soldiers in defending the nation.

PNA photo by Joey Razon

‘I take full responsibility’: VP Robredo sorry for Holocaust Memorial photo MANILA — Vice President Leni Robredo on Tuesday, April 17, apologized for the controversial photo of her and some opposition party mates at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, Germany.

Acknowledging the point of critics who found their photo inappropriate, Robredo said there was no excuse for it. She is also sorry if it has offended anyone.

“While there was no malice in it, I take full responsibility, so I would like to apologize for whatever offense to the sensitivities of the people it caused,” she added.

Robredo and a number of lawmakers of the Liberal Party were called out by netizens for being “insensitive,” “disrespectful” and “stupid” by posing and smiling in the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe also known as the Holocaust Memorial. The vice president is the chairperson of the LP. Other Philippine officials seen in the photo were Sen. Francis Pangilinan, Rep. Jose Christopher Belmonte (Quezon City, 6th District), Rep. Teddy Baguilat Jr. (Ifu-

Vice Pres. Leni Robredo

gao) Rep. Miro Quimbo (Marikina City), Rep. Jorge Banal (Quezon City, 3rd District), Rep. Kaka Bagao (Dinagat) and former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad.

Baguilat, who posted the photo on social media and eventually deleted it had apologized for the slip-up. He said he and his companions did not intend to demean the memorial.

“We, as human rights advocates, fully understand the plight

Philstar.com photo

experienced by Jews under the Nazis and we would be the last to disrespect their memory in the same way that we condemn injustice anywhere in the world, including our own country,” the solon said on Twitter.

Despite the backlash, the memorial’s Rules of Conduct for the Field of Stelae do not prohibit taking pictures at the site. The memorial “[honors and PAGE A7

A6

APRIL 20-26, 2018 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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OPINION

Humane treatment

FEATURES

THE situation has improved since the height of Oplan Tokhang.

Back then the typical jail left no room even for a decent sleep.

Inmates had to take turns to be able to sleep lying down in cells that were packed nearly all the way to the ceiling.

The number of persons arrested or who surrendered in the drug war swelled the inmate population nationwide, overwhelming jails that were already filled to capacity even before the start of Tokhang.

While being in jail is better than ending up in a ditch with your head wrapped in packing tape, with your wrists bound behind your back and a bullethole in your head, even crime suspects have a right to a modicum of humane treatment. And inmates can die a slow death in a congested jail.

This week an inmate died at the crowded Pasay City Jail, reportedly from the heat. Jail custodians admitted that congestion worsened the poor ventilation in the facility. Video footage of the jail showed inmates half naked and still

looking like they needed air.

The jail congestion can be horrific particularly for the innocent who are wrongly accused, whether in the drug war or other cases. But even the guilty and convicts deserve humane treatment. They are wards of the state, whose duty at the very least is to keep them alive and, as much as possible, away from abuse and harm in detention.

Lawmakers must work with the executive to correct this sorry situation, by providing additional resources to the jail and corrections agencies. These are intrinsic elements of the criminal justice system. The public generally supports any campaign against criminality. The ongoing one must be backed by the needed detention facilities. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

New US Supreme Court ruling saves Filipino immigrant from deportation DEPORTATION. This is perhaps The Fil-Am among the top stress- Perspective ors of kababayans in the United States, especially those who have already established new lives in GEL SANTOS-RELOS this adoptive country. The fear is real, not only among undocumented immigrants, but even among those who have already been granted green cards, also known as Permanent Resident Status.

Green card holders are technically NOT citizens of the United States of America, and therefore do NOT enjoy the same protections from deportation as those who have already

naturalized. This is especially true under the Trump administration’s goal to deport undocumented immigrants and even limit legal immigration. Such policy is translated to how arrests are conducted and deportation cases are heard in immigration courts.

We have heard heartbreaking stories of immigrants being deported, despite the fact that they have not committed any serious violent crimes, or do not pose any threat to the security of the United States of America. With the new ruling of the

Government of national unity AFTER most of our Godcentered thoughts during the Peacelast Holy Week, we felt there Maker is need today for new initiatives for peace, renewal, and development in our country, and what immediately comes FORMER SPEAKER to mind is to revive our old JOSE C. DE VENECIA, JR. proposal for a “Government of National Unity.”

The other choice of other more extreme advisers is for President Duterte to declare a “Revolutionary Government.”

A revolutionary government has its strategic uses but after a time, after goals are achieved at great cost, it is usually difficult for the Revolutionary Leader to disengage from authoritarian rule and return the nation to normalcy.

Perhaps without seriously aiming to, in meandering thoughts, when he spoke on the eve of Holy Week, of re-establishing in effect diplomatic ties with the Liberal Party of Vice-President Leni Robredo, Mar Roxas, Frank Drilon, and Francis Pangilinan, former Vice-President Jojo Binay and his group, and other friends, the Villars, and other foes in the Nacionalista Party, etc., he was perhaps really thinking, why not be friends with everyone, with charity for all and malice towards none in the whole nation, which the Filipino people can only applaud and support.

Anyway, the president has declared publicly he will stay only for one complete six-year Constitutional term.

Under a largely conflict-free government of national unity, the president can then and should address the following: Finalize and implement a peace agreement in Mindanao with the MILF, while keeping the existing pact with the MNLF, start and complete the full-scale rebuilding of the devastated Marawi City, and finish off the diminished Abu Sayaf in Sulu and Basilan or to allow the least guilty to return to the fold of the law; Advance to the final stage the surrender of firearms and full demobilization by the New People’s Army and integrate some of their units into the Armed Forces and appointment of one or two of their leaders in the Cabinet; Complete the Constitutional process for the adoption of the Federal system of government nationwide; Negotiate and finalize an agreement with China and Vietnam for joint-exploration and development in the South China Sea to be followed by similar arrangements with Malaysia, and Brunei; Full-scale infrastructure building, mass-housing and agriculture development; and, Full-scale rehabilitation of the nation’s drug addicts.

Obviously all these cannot be completed during President Duterte’s term.

But full-scale development and industrialization with strategic economic dispersal in a decentralized system can begin and continued in earnest, accompanied by Constitutional reform as hopefully the various insurgencies come to an end and join the fold.

We believe Items 1 to 6 are definitely achievable, not impossible and a Government of National Unity with everyone pitching in, is the key and we should all support it. ■

Supreme Court on one kababayan’s case, it may provide hope to many other immigrants fearing deportation.

As we reported on The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast “Balitang America” on Tuesday, April 17, the U.S. Supreme Court (SC) justices’ decision struck down a provision in federal immigration law that they consider “unconstitutionally vague,” and has spared Filipino James Garcia Dimaya from deportation. The surprising twist — the deciding vote was casted by Trump’s SC appointee Justice Neil Gorsuch.

Dimaya legally immigrated from the Philippines to the United States and have lived in Northern Califor-

nia since 1992. He was set to be deported because he pleaded guilty twice to residential burglary, and an immigration judge decided this to be a crime of violence.

The Supreme Court ruled on April 17 that home burglary was clearly NOT the kind of crime of violence that would justify deportation, effectively eliminating a federal immigration law that calls for mandatory deportation for non-citizens, including long-time permanent lawful residents, who are convicted of “aggravated felony.”

Legal analysts say that this SC ruling could limit the Trump administration’s deportation enforcement efforts.

An attorney for Dimaya said in a statement to the media, “The Supreme Court delivered a resounding message today: You can’t banish a person from his home and family without clear lines, announcing up front.”

The rule of law is still working in the United States. Kudos to Justice Gorsuch for his judicial independence in this ruling. *** 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

It was Aquino, not Duterte, whom Cambridge Analytica ‘helped’ become president AN article published recently in the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) that claimed that a sister company of the controversial Cambridge Analytica helped President Duterte win the 2016 elections by advising him to adopt a tough crime-fighter branding turns out to be the perfect example of fake news, maliciously and deliberately contrived.

Rappler.com delighted in the fake news, and echoed it by posting an article that claimed that for this task, Cambridge Analytica used “Facebook data of 1.1 million Filipinos.”

The SCMP article had a sarcastic title: “How Cambridge Analytica’s parent company helped ‘man of action’ Rodrigo Duterte win the 2016 Philippine election.”

The truth is the exact opposite: It was former President Benigno S. Aquino 3rd whom the Cambridge Analytica’s affiliate Strategic Communications Laboratories (SCL) advised to adopt a tough crime-fighter branding.

SCMP should apologize for publishing the article contributed by one Raissa Robles, whom it should ban from ever writing for the newspaper for deliberately writing falsehoods to feed her Yellow, anti-Duterte obsession, not just in this case but in several articles there in the past.

(Jack Ma of the online shopping behemoth Alibaba Group who bought SCMP two years ago should fire its editors, imbued for so long with outlooks servile to the West.)

In her article, Robles, a unpaid blogger most of her working time, claimed that SCL “boasted in its website that it helped get Duterte elected in 2016 by rebranding him as a tough crime fighter.”

The SCL didn’t even identify Duterte, and the blogger’s sole basis for this was a post in its website, with its image in her ar-

presidential ticle: candidate; “ F a c i n g Commentary this included national elecmanaging tions, the all aspects of incumbent the campaign client was including rewidely persearch, stratceived as kind egy and output and honorable RIGOBERTO TIGLAO over a seven— qualities his campaign team thought were month period. SCL Elections potentially election-winning. By successfully won the election for contrast, SCL’s research showed their candidate.”

After 2013 and through 2016, that many groups within the electorate were more likely to SCL no longer reported the Philbe swayed by qualities such as ippines as a client. Only Kenya, ‘tough” and ‘decisive. Using the South Africa, India, Thailand and cross-cutting issue of crime, SCL Indonesia were its international rebranded the client as a strong, clients.

Either Robles was stupendousnon-nonsense man of action.’

To hint that SCL even tried to ly stupid, or deliberately ignored hide its help for Duterte, the blog- the time stamps on the SCL’s ger claimed that SCL removed posts which showed that it was the “website content about the impossible that Duterte was its 2016 election, although archived client. She even wove a web of versions are still visible in the in- lies by claiming that former SCL executive Alexander Nix had met ternet.”

Even as the “strong, non-sense with now PCOO undersecretary man of action” would seem to be Joel Egco, whom she hinted was Duterte, the SCL wasn’t referring Duterte’s link with the firm.

That is so totally absurd, but to the 2016 but to the 2010 elections, when he was still Davao so typical of this travesty of a mayor and not in his wildest journalist. Egco was president of dreams had he thought he’d be the National Press Club, and he met Nix when the latter gave a president.

The indisputable proof that the talk on the role of mobile phone SCL was referring to the 2010 texting in elections.

Egco, who was a senior reelections is the brochure that was posted was dated 2013. The porter of this newspaper, got to Wayback Machine where the join the government only in the blogger got the brochure also course of the NPC’s lobbying for had a time-stamp that showed the government to include the that it was posted on November press organization’s representa15, 2013. (The nonprofit Way- tives in its efforts to prevent more back Machine, since 2001, has killings of journalists. I met Egco been preserving and making hen I was also Manila Times ediavailable to the public web con- torial consultant, and my imprestent, even if these are deleted by sion then was he was even critical of Duterte. How could he be its producers.)

That there is absolutely no such an insider that he would be doubt that SCL was referring to the liaison with SCL? My sources in the Aquino camp the 2010 elections is proven in another SCL web content posted alleged that it was his cousin Rapa Lopa, formerly president of September 26, 2010 that read: “SCL Elections [the name of polling firm Pulse Asia who conthe SCL unit]was asked to run tracted the SCL’s services, which the election campaign for a cost P50 million, paid in dollars,

shouldered allegedly by another cousin, they tycoon Antonio Cojuangco, Jr. Lopa asked Yolanda Ong of Campaigns and Grey, to implement the SCL’s recommendations for Aquino’s campaign strategy.

The Aquinos have been big believers of foreign political consulting groups, as it was a pioneer in this field, the U.S.-based Sawyer Miller that engineered Cory’s extremely successful PR in the fight against Marcos that led to the EDSA revolt. I was told that it was the firm’s close-in adviser to Cory for this, the British Malloch Brown (also Smartmatic chairman) who recommended SCL, owned by his countrymen, to Aquino.

Despite SCL’s boast that it won the presidency for Aquino, the “branding” it recommended for him as a tough crime-fighter wasn’t adopted by his campaign camp. Obviously, it was inane advice, as it would have been like rebranding a Forest Gump into a Dirty Harry.

The Yellow Cult adopted a more effective branding strategy: Ninoy as the son of Saint Cory.

The Yellows ridiculed SCL’s advice so that no party in the 2016 elections thought of contracting it.

Ironically, it was Duterte who for decades had that Dirty Harry branding, which he exploited to the hilt in the 2016 elections.

For that blogger to claim that a British, U.S.-based firm recommended that kind of image is the height of colonial mentality. Or depths of inanity.

This episode though is as hilarious as in a comedy where a sycophantic servant strives to please his master, only to end up shooting him in the foot. With this fake SCL article, Aquino and the Yellow Cult are again revealed to have stupidly spent huge amounts of money to buy vapid advice from foreigners.

(ManilaTimes.net)

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A

ConCom wants CHR elevated to a constitutional body

by Bernadette

e. tamayo

ManilaTimes.net

VOTING 16-1-1, the Consultative Committee (ConCom) tasked to review the 1987 Constitution on Monday voted to elevate the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to a constitutional body.

However, the ConCom clarified that it was not inclined to give it prosecutorial powers.

The ConCom chairman, former chief justice Reynato Puno, said the elevation of the CHR to the level of constitutional body was “consistent with our desire to expand its coverage to include the socioeconomic and environmental rights which are to be enshrined in the Bill of Rights, and to include non-state (private) actors, as well in its jurisdiction.”

“With the expansion of its coverage, there is also a need to expand its membership to include, among others, the suggestion of Senator Nene Pimentel to have a representative of the indigenous peoples, whose environmental and socio-cultural rights are an issue in many cases,” he said.

“The inclusion of a representative of the marginalized sector is also necessary because the socioeconomic rights are for the benefit of the poor and marginalized sector of society,” Puno said.

In an earlier radio interview, Puno said the change in the mandate of the CHR was intended also to “correct the misconception that only State (government) actors

violate human rights.”

“The mandate of the CHR will be changed. First, our fellowmen believe that the CHR only runs after government forces who violate human rights. But that is wrong—even civil and political rights should be covered,” he said in a mix of Filipino and English.

It is indeed true that at first its objective is to run after the government because the intention is to protect the people against government interference,” Puno said.

“But if you will see the evolution of rights, even political and civil rights, it is not only the government commits violations— even non-State actors.”

When it comes to the protection of socioeconomic rights and environmental rights, it is clear that the violators are non-state actors, the former Supreme Court chief said.

ConCom spokesman Ding Generoso said the body’s proposal to transform the CHR into a constitutional body was “intended to enhance the CHR’s fiscal autonomy.”

“It does not, however, include the grant of prosecutorial powers. The elevation of the CHR to the level of a constitutional body would also involve strengthening its investigative powers and expanding membership to include representatives from, among others, the marginalized sector, indigenous peoples and environ-

mental advocates,” he said.

During his presentation of CHR’s mandate before ConCom on April 3, CHR Chairman Jose Luis Martin Gascon said that “human rights institutions “are supposed to be either constitutional or legislatively mandated bodies with the goal of protecting and promoting human rights; they are part of the State apparatus and are necessarily funded by the State.”

“They should be pluralist in composition. There should be diverse representation from all sectors of society as well as reflective of its staff,” Gascon said.

Those who voted in favor of converting the CHR into a constitutional body were Puno, retired justices Antonio Eduardo Nachura and Bienvenido Reyes; lawyers Arthur Aguilar, Antonio Arellano, Ali Pangalian Balindong, Roan Libarios, Martin Loon, Susan Ubalde-Ordinario, Randolf Parcasio, Rodolfo Robles, Lawrence Wacnang; professors Eddie Alih and Edmund Tayao; Dr. Virglio Bautista; and former dean Julio Teehankee.

Former Senate president Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. inhibited himself from voting because his daughter, Gwendolyn PimentelGana, is a CHR commissioner.

Lawyer Ferdinand Bocobo was the only one who voted “no.” Absent during the voting were lawyers Victor de la Serna and Reuben Canoy as well as Fr. Ranhilio Aquino. n

House panel approves Duterte-backed BBL version by delon

Porcalla Philstar.com

MANILA — While Muslim groups were holding a vigil, a joint committee of the House of Representatives approved the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) that President Duterte wants to implement for a lasting peace in Mindanao.

In an executive session held by the House committees on local government, Muslim affairs and special panel on peace, reconciliation and unity, BBL proponents pushed for the retention of the central government’s power and control over defense and external security.

Members of the three panels voted 2-1 that carried the omnibus motion of House Deputy Speaker Bai Sandra Sema of Maguindanao, which sought to approve House Bill 6475 that was authored by Speaker Pantaleon

Alvarez.

The joint panel will resume its hearings on May 15, when Congress resumes sessions.

Lawmakers from the committee on Muslim affairs and peace and reconciliation carried Sema’s motion while the local government panel rejected it.

Former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also has her version of the BBL. Rep. Amihilda Sangcopan of the party-list Anak Mindanao said it is “high time to uphold and pay respect to the previous peace negotiations and signed peace agreements. The Bangsamoro Transition Commission-drafted BBL is the conglomeration of all these peace agreements.”

“We reiterate and call on the legislature to: respect all peace agreements, adopt the BTC version of the BBL, justly address the concern and welfare of the

bona fide, qualified and permanent workers in the ARMM, and finally, to maintain the stance of peace as the only option to address just and lasting peace in Mindanao and the entire country,” she said.

The House committee on local government was the lead committee tasked to deliberate on the proposed BBL, in cooperation with the committees on peace and reconciliation and Muslim affairs.

The BBL was supposed to be the legal framework of the peace deal signed between the Aquino administration and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The proposal failed to get the approval of Congress amid concerns of unconstitutional provisions and the furor over the January 2015 Mamasapano clash that resulted in the death of 44 members of the elite Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police. n

DRY SEASON. A farmer walks on a dry rice field in Baliaug, Bulacan. The weather bureau has advised government agencies to take action to mitigate the effects of the weakening La Niña phenomenon of above-average rainfall, noting that most climate models predict a transition to El Niño, in which below-average rainfall could lead to prolonged drought and lower farm output.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Rene Dilan

‘I take full responsibility’...

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remembers] the up to six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust.”

The LP legislators visited the memorial following a study tour for poverty alleviation in Berlin.

Robredo last Sunday also denied the accusations that she spent taxpayers’ money for her

trip to Germany last week. She clarified that the trip was “fully financed” by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.

The vice president said the foundation hosts study visits for leaders in developing countries to give them the opportunity to dialogue with officials and key

figures.

In 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte also drew flak when he compared his anti-drug campaign to the Holocaust. “[Adolf] Hitler massacred three million Jews... There’s three million drug addicts. I’d be happy to slaughter them,” he said. The Nazi leader actually massacred around six million Jews, as well as other minorities. (Philstar.com)

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APRIL 20-26, 2018 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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BUSINESSJ& COMMUNITY ournal Will TPS help get a green card?

FOR several countries affected by armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary conditions, the program which allows foreign nationals to stay and work in the United States legally, Temporary Protected Status (“TPS”), will soon be coming to an end. For nationals of Sudan, their program will terminate on November 2, 2018; for nationals of Nicaragua, TPS will end on January 5, 2019; for Haiti, TPS will terminate on July 22, 2019; and for El Salvador, TPS will come to an end on September 9, 2019. So, for a national of one of these countries, is there anything someone who is currently in valid TPS status can do to facilitate immigration into the United States before their TPS status terminates?

Recently, United States Circuit Courts of Appeal in the Ninth and the Sixth Circuits have held that a grant of TPS qualifies as an admission under the Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”), thus satisfying the “inspected and admitted or paroled” requirement for adjustment of status purposes, meaning that they qualify to complete the processing of their lawful permanent resident status (“green card”) without having to leave the United States. In both the 9th and 6th Circuit cases, the immigrants involved were married to U.S. citizens, and the bars preventing adjustment of status, relating to failure to maintain lawful status and unauthorized work were not applicable in each case. This benefit would also apply to parent of a United States citizen who is over 21 years old and is petitioning them.

Following the Ninth Circuit’s precedent decision, a United States District Court in California, held that a grant of TPS status by USCIS, constituted an “entry” (and, thus, entitlement to relief) in relation to a prohibition to adjustment of status under a different code section. This bar states that a person, “must maintain continuous lawful status since entry to the United States.”

The U.S. District Court held that the grant of TPS status is the

Your Immigration Solution NaNcy Miller date of entry to the country, and as long as the person maintains lawful TPS status continuously since their initial grant, they shall be deemed as “being in and maintaining” lawful immigrant status. Importantly, the plaintiff in the District Court case, was a

Another possible avenue, although it hasn’t been addressed by a court in this context, is to have an employer file an Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, on behalf the person currently in TPS status, if they qualify under an employment-based immigrant visa category. However, this avenue also requires the additional step of obtaining a labor certification from the Department of Labor. Once the labor certification and the immigrant visa petition are approved and provided a visa is available for that category, the person can file an adjustment of status application under an applicable section of the INA. It is important to note that each person in the above referenced Court Decisions, was still in lawful TPS status when they filed to adjust their status and obtain their Green Card. That is why it is important to get the ball rolling on this process as soon as possible, so that an adjustment of status application can be filed before TPS status terminates.

If you believe that you or a family-member may be eligible for adjustment of status because of TPS or you are concerned because your TPS status is going to expire and you don’t know what to do, consult an experienced and knowledgeable immigration lawyer immediately. You might be able to benefit in ways you never thought possible.

“It is imperative that this petition be filed as soon as possible, as it normally takes USCIS many months to process.” national of El Salvador, who initially entered the U.S. without inspection, but was granted TPS in 2001 and continuously reapplied and received renewal to his TPS status. Also, notable, is that the petitioner for his relative petition, was his U.S. citizen mother.

In California, at least, this latest decision paves a pathway for those who have entered the U.S. unlawfully, but who have since obtained and maintained lawful TPS status. For a person in this position, who knows that their TPS status will terminate on a specific date, there are steps they can take right away to facilitate at possible transition to lawful immigration status. If they have a qualifying relative, that is a Legal Permanent Resident or U.S. Citizen spouse, parent, or child over 21-years-old, that relative can file a Petition for Alien Relative. It is imperative that this petition be filed as soon as possible, as it normally takes USCIS many months to process. Once the petition is approved, and provided a visa is available for that category, a person then can file an adjustment of status application.

***

ADB lending $920M to Philippines in 2018 In a report distributed to participants in its annual meeting here, the ADB identified the projects to be funded by the loans being readied for approval this year.

Philstar file photo

by IAn

nIcolAs cIgArAl Philstar.com

THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Friday, April 13, that its sovereign loan to the Philippines is expected to reach $920 million this year and “a new record high” of about $1.4 billion in 2019.

In a report distributed to participants in its annual meeting here, the ADB identified the projects to be funded by the loans

being readied for approval this year.

Of the amount, $300 million would be for “expanding private participation in infrastructure program, sub-program 2.”

The program “will support the implementation of publicprivate partnership regulations and procedures, including those arising from eventual adoption of amendments to the Build-Operate-Transfer law,” the report said.

Another $300 million would be for “inclusive development programs” to “support government efforts to bring more poor families into the financial system. It will support the implementation of new and innovative ways for the delivery and increase usage of non-credit financial products and services, access to housing finance, and financial literacy for the poor.”

The report also said $100 mil-

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Competition commission orders explanation on Uber’s shutdown despite order

Reeves Miller Zhang & Diza is one of the oldest, largest and most experienced immigration firms in the United States

by Audrey MorAllo with offices in Pasadena, San Francisco, Philstar.com Las Vegas, Manila and China.

Telephone: (800) 795-8009 THE Philippines’ anti-trust E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com agency on Monday, April 16 orwebsite: www.rreeves.com dered two ride-hailing service *** companies to explain why they The analysis and suggestions offered failed to continue operating in this column do not create a Uber’s platform as it reviewed lawyer-client relationship and are the deal that would see its Southnot a substitute for the personalized east Asian business gobbled up representation that is essential to by rival Grab.

Uber announced that its app every case. would not be available in the (Advertising Supplement) Philippines starting Monday and

advised its clients to download Grab’s app to book their rides.

This announcement came despite the order of the Philippine Competition Commission for Uber to continue its operations while it reviewed Grab’s acquisition of its rival.

Uber’s Philippine operations Philstar.com file photo were supposed to shut down on terim Measures Order,” the PhilApril 8.

“The parties are given until ippine anti-trust office said in a April 17 to explain why they have statement.

PCC said that it would continue failed to continue operating the platform, as required in the Inu PAGE CJ2

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APRIL 20-26, 2018 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

The CTV Files Atty. LiLLi B. BAcuLi NEW Year, new resolutions, new life. For some of you, the New Year is a time for reflection, and to realize that changes are needed to be able to lead and live the life you’ve always wanted to lead. Sometimes, divorce happens.

The following seeks to address or clarify some common misconceptions about divorce.

“What if my husband/wife does not want to sign the divorce?” or “My husband/wife

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette ADevA MAgLAyA SPRING is here and the earth beckons. The rains came this year, sometimes with the intensity of a freight train, sometimes rain so fine and gentle, it feels like a caress on your face, a silent benediction from the heavens. Either way, we got a really good dousing. Thank God for this tender mercy.

Spring is a time of favor. The gardener at heart tunes out all dire predictions of doom and gloom we get in spades from our immediate environment or from

Community Journal

California divorce 101 does not want to sign the divorce papers, what can I do.”

California is a no-fault divorce state. A party filing for divorce does not need the consent of the other in order to file a Petition for Dissolution (Divorce) or, in some instances, to get a judgment of divorce.

Perhaps the confusion lies in the part where the other party (your soon-to-be ex-spouse) needs to be served with process.

In proceeding in an action for divorce, there are procedural requirements dictated by law that must be followed to ensure that the other party has notice of the action (that is, that s/he is being brought to court for an action of

divorce) and that s/he is given time to respond. However, there is no requirement for the other party to respond. There is no requirement that s/he sign any document at all. All that needs to happen is that s/he is properly served with process according to the rules.

“What? I have to share my retirement earnings? This is mine, I worked hard for it!!”

Generally, all of your assets prior the marriage is just your own separate property. However, California is a community property state and so once you get married, all property acquired during marriage is community property.

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Garden lessons

nasty agenda-driven mass media.

So cut the cable. Turn off the remote or SIMPLY UNPLUG. You might be surprised at the positive effects of reclaiming your life back from social media.

The realist in us thinks there is reason to be anxious with just about everything under the sun.

But the true gardener at heart remains unfazed. Cool, calm and collected, he chooses to live in that rare state of grace called equanimity.

It must come from the zen-like peace one gets when one gardens, even if it is simply tending a single potted plant on an office desk.

Doing what must be done in the garden is his small way of keeping the delicate balance of nature

in his own sphere of influence.

In many ways, gardening is like praying. It keeps fears and anxieties at bay and keeps one centered in the belief that all things in the cosmos work together for good.

I was and still am a reluctant gardener. I was thrust into it by circumstances since I have a thing about not wanting anything dying on my shift. I had to seek books and advice despite the frenetic schedule of a workaday world as I multitasked my way through the day. Nothing I did seemed right at the time. I tended to over water not knowing about the dangers of root rot.

My track record at growing things was dismal, yet I have of-

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Health@Heart PhiLiP S. chuA, MD, FAcS, FPcS IS DEET safe?

The ingredient DEET ((N,Ndiethyl-m-toluamide) in insect repellents is safe when used according to directions on the container, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). For approval, the EPA requires manufacturers seeking registration of a product to present laboratory data showing safety and efficacy supported by extensive testing on both the short-term and the long-term health effects of the chemical.

DEET passed this stringent test, and has been extensively used all over the world. Very few incidents of toxicity have been reported over its long history.

Why use insect repellent?

Insect repellents greatly minimize people’s exposure to tick bites and mosquito bites which may transmit potentially serious illnesses, such as West Nile viral infection, dengue fever, malaria, etc. The use of such repellent also allows individuals to indulge in outdoor activities, recreational or labor-related.

When should the repellent be applied?

It should be used before going outdoors, especially in known endemic areas for mosquito-borne illnesses. While the West Nile virus-carrying mosquitoes usually bite around dusk and dawn,

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Insect repellents some have been reported to bite during the day. The prudent thing to do is to use insect repellent whenever going outdoors, where mosquitoes abound.

Should it be reapplied?

Since perspiration, washing or rain may render the first application useless, the repellent should be reapplied accordingly, following the instructions on the container. Those preparations with higher concentration of DEET are not any superior or more effective, but will provide longer lasting protection.

How about indoors?

Not really, unless you see or feel mosquitoes indoors. In this situation, the use of repellent is necessary. More importantly, check on all window and screen doors which may have holes in them, and making sure the doors and windows are always properly shut. Getting rid of stagnant waters (in potholes and containers) near the house also helps eliminate mosquito breeding places.

How does DEET work?

The reason why female mosquitoes bite people and animals is to suck the blood that contains the protein to help develop their eggs. The skin odors (even perfume, cologne or skin lotion) and carbon dioxide from our breath attract mosquitoes.

Like other mosquito repellents, DEET repels mosquitoes, making the wearer unattractive for feeding. It makes mosquitoes unable to “find” the person. If you wear DEET and you are not being bitten my mosquitoes flying around, you know the repellent is working. If you still get a bite, then you have to reapply the chemical.

Which one works best?

The repellent that contains DEET has been proven to be the most effective. The higher the concentration (up to 50 percent only) of DEET, the longer the action is. Studies done in 2002 have shown that at 23.8 percent DEET, it provides almost 5 hours of protection; at 20 percent, 4 hours; at 6.65 percent, 2 hours; and, at 4.75 percent and 2 percent soybean oil were both (each) about 1 ½ hours. The rule of thumb is: choose the concentration that you could use for the various lengths of time you will be outdoors, since you can always reapply if needed for a longer period.

Are non-DEET repellents equally effective?

Plant-based repellents that are applied to the skin also provide some protection, but DEET appears to provide longer lasting protection. Product labels usually states on them the duration

of protection. Individuals concerned about using DEET should consult their physician. You could also access the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) over the Internet at www. npic.orst.edu. Those repellents with DEET are labeled accordingly.

How should repellent be used?

(1) Read and follow the instructions on the label of the container; (2) Apply repellent on the skin that is exposed, not the skin under the clothing; (3) Do not over-apply; (4) Do not apply to wounds, irritated skin or cuts and bruises; (5) Upon return indoor, was the treated skin with soap and water; (6) Apply the spray aerosol or pump outdoors and not in an enclosed area or room; (7) Do not spray directly to the face, spray the hands and then rub them gently to the face, avoiding the eyes and mouth; and (8) The adult should apply the repellent on young children, excluding the children’s hands to prevent eye or mouth contamination.

Is DEET safe for children?

There are no specific studies done on the use of DEET in children. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Environmental Health has this report: “Insect repellents containing DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide, also known as N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide), with a concentration of 10% appear to be as safe as products with a concentration of 30% when used according to the directions on the product labels.” The AAP and other experts say it is acceptable to apply repellent with low concentrations of DEET to infants over 2 months old. Other guidelines cite that it is acceptable to use repellents containing DEET on children over 2 years of age.

Check with your pediatrician for more details.

Is allergy to DEET possible?

Yes. As a matter of facts, there are occasional reports of skin allergy to some DEET preparations. If this happens, wash the areas with soap and water and consult your physician. As far as conclusive studies on pregnant women or data on its effects on the fetus, we are unable to find any, so we recommend against its use by them.

Can DEET be used with sunscreen lotion?

Yes, this is recommended during daytime. Apply sunscreen first and then DEET containing repellent. Some preparations have both, but the use of these

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ADB lending $920 million...

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lion would be for project to “reinforce recent ADB initiatives in the South-Central Mindanao Development Corridor that support medium to long-term capacity development of local government units.”

Another $100 million would be for easing Metro Manila’s “chronic traffic congestion problems,” by upgrading system management and addressing new infrastructure requirements.

ADB also said $70 million would be for the development of “a modern, efficient, and affordable public transport system” in Davao City.

“The urban public transport system will have a broader network coverage, more suitable vehicle types, simplified and integrated route networks, unified operating systems, enhanced planning and regulatory environment and improved physical infrastructure,” ADB said in its report.

Some $50 million would be for “long-term capacity building project to foster a culture of competition in government,” it added.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of

the ADB meeting, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said there would be no more special tax privilege for investors in the country’s special economic zones and free ports under Package 2 of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law.

Taxes paid by investors at eco-zones currently represent only five percent of their gross income. Under Package 2 of TRAIN, investors – regardless of whether they are at eco-zones – would be required to pay 25 percent of net taxable income instead of the current 30 percent.

“We have to modernize and make incentives more relevant to attract new industries. The work atmosphere is changing with new industries such as robotics and data analytics. Artificial intelligence is poised to take over lower end outsourcing services,” Dominguez later told The STAR. Asked what would happen to free ports and economic zones after the implementation of Package 2, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said, “I don’t know.” Tugade had served as chief executive officer of Clark Development Corp. n

Competition commission...

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its review of the potential effects on competition of the merger of Grab and Uber which was expected to lead to the former’s dominance of 93 percent of the ride-hailing market.

“When a big player buys out its competitor, there will be many economic and legal factors that need to be scrutinized. PCC intends to expedite the completion of the review ahead of the allowed timeframe given how it is imbued with public interest,” PCC said.

PCC said that although the factors that led to Uber’s decision to leave the Philippine and the Southeast Asia markets rendered the review “less than ideal” this would not derail its oversight function.

Although the entry of new players to the local market was welcome, PCC said that these new firms would have only seven percent of the market as established

companies had the advantage of an existing user base.

“This means that when you buy a firm, in effect, you also get its customer base. This is an advantage that a newcomer does not have. PCC’s review will take into consideration these factors to level the playing field in this market,” it said.

Uber’s decision to leave the Southeast Asian market faced hurdles after several anti-trust agencies moved to delay the transaction pending their reviews.

The Philippines has put a cap of 65,000 on the number of ridesharing vehicles, and this is periodically reviewed every three months.

If the PCC raises a concern over the Grab-Uber acquisition deal, the two firms may propose changes. The commission may file a case to block the deal if they will not voluntarily modify the arrangement. n

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May 2018 priority dates

Immigration Corner

The Priority dates for the Philippines are as follows: FAMILY CATEGORY:

ATTY. MICHAEL GURFINKEL, ESQ EACH month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed below.

If your priority date was “current,” but later retrogressed (or “moved backwards” and became unavailable) before your immigrant visa was issued (or before you adjusted status in the U.S.), you would have to wait until it becomes current again.

Beginning last October 2015, the format of the Visa Bulletin changed, in that a new column was added, called the “Application Filing Date.” If a person’s priority date is earlier than the Application Filing Date, they can already file for adjustment of status and work authorization (provided they are otherwise eligible and USCIS indicates on its website it will use the Application Filing Date for that month).

This could allow people to obtain work authorization much sooner than before, where they had to wait for the priority date to be current (in the Visa Issuance Date column) in order to both file for adjustment and be eligible for a green card. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney

First Preference

Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens (over 21 years of age)

(2A) Spouse and Second Preference minor children (below 21 years old) of green card holder

Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

October 8, 2007

January 22, 2006

September 22, 2017

June 1, 2016

(2B) Unmarried sons and daughters (21 years old or older) of green card holder

September 8, 2007

December 15, 2006

Third Preference

Married sons and daughters of US Citizens.

July 22, 1995

April 1, 1995

Fourth Preference

Brothers and sisters of US Citizens.

October 15, 1995

February 1, 1995

Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

LABOR CERTIFICATION:

Second Preference

Advanced Degree (Masters)

Current

Current

Third Preference

Professional/ Skilled Workers

July 1, 2017

January 1, 2017

Other Workers

Non-Skilled Workers

July 1, 2017

January 1, 2017

for over 35 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bar 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. The information contained herein including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and re-enactments) is of a general nature, and is not intended to apply to any particular case, and does not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or

AFTER ENTERING THE US IN THE BACKSEAT OF A MINIVAN, PINA’S NEXT HURDLE WAS HOW TO LEGALIZE HER STATUS. Pina (center) entered the U.S. in 2001 through the Canadian border, while seated in the back seat of a minivan. Border patrol asked the driver a few questions, but never spoke with Pina, and let them pass through.

Pina was petitioned by an employer, and eventually married her U.S. citizen husband, John (left), who also petitioned her. Both cases were denied based on the way she entered the U.S. Although she consulted with Attorney Gurfinkel several times, she retained other attorneys, and her case was denied.

She finally retained Attorney Gurfinkel, who was able to obtain her green card through “provisional waiver.” Watch how Attorney Gurfinkel came to the rescue, and help Pina achieve her American dream, on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” – on Sunday at 6:15 p.m. (PST) on TFC. (Advertising Supplement)

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: (866)—GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

Business News Economic managers see PH’s sustained growth

by LAWRENCE

AGCAOILI Philstar.com

MONETARY and fiscal authorities are optimistic about the sustained growth and development of the Philippines in the next six years.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. told participants of the second leg of the Philippine Economic Briefing the country is seen booking strong gross domestic product (GDP) growth over the next few years despite the challenges and risks in the horizon.

Espenilla cited the country’s broadening growth drivers, higher potential growth of the economy, bullish investor and consumer sentiment, favorable inflation environment as well as ample liquidity and strong credit dynamics.

“The domestic economy has experienced sustained uninterrupted expansion for the past 76 consecutive quarters. This growth has been increasingly broadbased, thereby creating more

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opportunities across all segments of society,” he said.

The country’s GDP expanded at a slower pace of 6.5 percent in the fourth quarter from seven percent in the third quarter, bringing the full year growth at “The domestic economy has experienced 6.7 percent in 2017. sustained uninterrupted expansion for the past Economic managers 76 consecutive quarters. This growth has been penned a GDP growth of be- increasingly broad-based, thereby creating more tween seven and eight per- opportunities across all segments of society,” cent over the medium term. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor Philstar file photo On the other hand, infla- Espenilla Jr. said. tion picked up to 3.2 percent ation. Amid the pick-up in inflalast year from 1.8 percent due to tion, we stand ready to act, if higher global oil and food prices, needed, to firmly anchor inflabut remained well within the tion expectations so that inflation BSP’s two to four percent target. targets will continue to be met In the first three months, in- in 2018-2019,” Espenilla said.

The BSP chief said the Monflation averaged 3.8 percent despite kicking up to 4.5 percent in etary Board would carefully March from 3.8 percent in Feb- evaluate the appropriateness of ruary primarily due to the tem- a measured policy response to porary impact of Republic Act firmly anchor inflation expecta10963 or the Tax Reform for Ac- tions in line with the forecast that celeration and Inclusion (TRAIN) inflation targets would be met in 2018 and 2019.

Law. The next rate-setting meeting “We see these inflation drivers as transitory. However, we of the Monetary Board is schedare closely monitoring the situ- uled on May 10. ■

Garden lessons

ten wondered what it would be like to watch something grow. I marveled at my mother’s green thumb. She can stick a seemingly lifeless stump at a clump of earth and grow a new beautiful plant nearly every time.

I wasn’t one to give up easily though. Tenaciously, doggedly I hung on to an image of me as a confident gardener. My education on the art and science of growing things had begun. I took baby steps and stumbled countless times. I still do.

I became quieter within as I began to observe and seek to understand the process of growth, the seasons and the cycle of life. I read voraciously volumes upon volumes about plants and watched public television that featured gardening.

Nurseries and gardens have become my favorite haunts where I could ask those who knew better.

I boned up on my rusty, halting Spanish quizzing the gardener as best I could. Finally, I slammed on the brakes fearing I had become boringly, compulsively obsessive. But I found that unless I got down on the ground myself, nothing happened.

I have discovered gardening to be a quiet, solitary pursuit somewhat fit for hermits and loners — unglamorous, unexciting, backbreaking, time consuming, manual, icky, down in the dirt labor that was certainly not meant for immediate gratification.

So, why do it at all? I don’t really know. Must be borderline idiocy. Of course, I speak only for myself. For one thing, it teaches you the patience of Job and the virtue of humility. I have failed more than succeeded and am still working on it. But as time passed, I have been encouraged by modest results. I became synchronized with the seasons and their gentle nuances. I took baby steps and was off and running at one point

I could call most plants by name these days and seem to instinctively know what to do when a problem arises. If things don’t work on my own accord, I seek help. I still am a failure with azaleas. Azaleas have been dying on my shift so I am staying away from them. I suspect it has something to do with the amount of light and too much water that has drenched the soil because of an unusually wetter, longer winter season. I said goodbye too to a beautiful sago palm that must

noting the droop of the leaves; or the merits of clay pots and plastic pots; of when to re-pot or top dress; even how to propagate.

The most important lesson perhaps is learning when to leave well enough alone and letting go; of accepting death as part of life. I make it a point to take pictures when the flowers are in full bloom, knowing that no matter how pretty they are, their beauty is fleeting. I am left with images and memories.

These days, I have no time to spare for the garden. My circumstances have become more demanding and certain mandated human activities just suck the life out of me like a giant vacuum cleaner.

Sigh…

The irony of it all is that the more I know, the more I realize how little I know. I guess that is the paradox of all lifelong learning. I now appreciate more clearly the delicate balance on which our planet depends for it to sustain life — of how vastly critical it is for everyone to do their part to ensure that life continues, specially that of human life.

One can see life’s longing for itself in the perennial grass that grows. There is great wisdom in gardening. If you dig in the garden long enough, you will find an infinite variety of the parallel laws that govern all life with unsurpassed clarity. Gardening, if you stick with it long enough, is a metaphor for human life itself.

Gardening has taught me a zen-like passive skill of enjoying quiet solitude, of observing what works and what won’t, of doing what needs to get done with very little struggle and ultimately, of accepting and of simply letting go when all I have done is all I can do. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette. maglaya@asianjournalinc.com

“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.”

–Claude Monet, speaking of his garden at Giverny in France

have suffered root rot. Farewell too to a French lavender bush that gave me so much fragrance.

The garden gets a lot of shade being in a Northwest orientation so I am quite alright with the fact that I will never have roses which I would love to have but can’t. Believe me, I tried. So I just admire them in my neighbors’ gardens with a southeast orientation.

My journey to self-discovery has been made easier by understanding the process of nature, the seasons and the nature of things: of why a seed no matter how good cannot grow in a certain type of soil; or how a young tree cannot grow in the shadow of a mighty oak; or of how much light a plant needs to burst with flowers, of the impeccable timing and the cycle of the seasons that are in God’s perfect divine order like a well rehearsed dance or a Beethoven symphony; of why you must resist moving a plant from a place where it is growing so well to another place simply to satisfy a whim or a feng shui decorating principle; when and where to prune, of knowing when to water by sticking a finger in the soil or

Calendar of Events across

America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS APRIL 21

Family reunion in Las Vegas A surprise family reunion to coincide with the celebration of Rex & Nenita’s 60th wedding anniversary will be held at Texas Station Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 21. The couple wed on the bride’s birthday on April 12, 1958 celebrating her 84th year, making this three reasons to celebrate. Rex first immigrated to the U.S. 51 years ago after serving with the U.S. Army Philippine Scouts and one year thereafter he was joined with his wife and their four young children. Joining the celebration are children Evelyn, Evangeline, Elizabeth, Enrico and their families, grandchildren, great grandchildren and close friends.

A P R I L 29

Pilita Corrales concert in New York Pilita Corrales, “Asia’s Queen of Songs,” will headline a dinner and show entitled “A Million Thanks to You” on Sunday, April 29. The dinner will be buffet and comes with a ticket.

Show begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel (135-20 39th Ave, Flushing, NY 11354). For tickets, please contact: Baby Lantin at (917) 916-6770 / (718) 608-7771, Ching (917) 294-6783, Nel (347) 738-3025, Joji (908) 783-2680, Tessa (732) 492-4170, or Bong (646) 289-0917.

APRIL 30

East West Players’ 52nd Visionary Awards & Silent Auction in Los Angeles East West Players celebrates its 52nd Anniversary at the Annual Visionary Awards Dinner & Silent Auction. The Visionary Awards laud the achievements of individuals who have raised the visibility of the Asian Pacific American (APA) community through their craft. Proceeds from the gala will benefit East West Players’ educational and artistic programs. It will be held at the Hilton Universal City (555 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City, CA 91608) on Monday, April 30. At 5:30 p.m., VIP Reception*, silent auction, and registration begin.

Dinner and awards show begin at 7:00 p.m. For more information, please visit: http://www. eastwestplayers.org/news/east-west-players-52nd-anniversary-visionary-awards-dinner-andsilent-auction/.

M AY 3 -1 2

34th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival The 34th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival will be presented May 3 - May 12, 2018 at select cinemas in the Los Angeles area. A key highlight of the annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month activities, the Festival is produced by Visual Communications, the nation’s premier Asian Pacific American media arts center, and enjoys broad support from cinema artists and audiences alike. Since 1983, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival has presented over 4,000 films, videos, and digital mediaworks by Asian international and Asian Pacific American artists, and additionally features seminars and panels, in-person guest appearances, and filmmaker awards. The Film Festival continues to be the largest festival of its kind in Southern California and is the premier showcase for the best and brightest of Asian Pacific American and international cinema. To learn about Visual Communications, visit www. vconline.org.

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

CJ4

APRIL 20-26, 2018 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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

People & Events

California native plant sale on April 21

Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Regional Park hosts Spring Sale THE Regional Parks Botanic Garden spring plant sale is a rare opportunity to select from an unmatched diversity of California native plants propagated by volunteers from the Garden’s collection, including trees, shrubs, groundcovers, perennials, grasses, bulbs, ferns, and annuals, as well as native plant seeds. Many of the plants offered are not available in commercial nurseries.

Look for plenty of native flowering irises (Iris), coral bells (Heuchera), lilies (Lilium), trillium (Trillium), and monkeyflowers (Mimulus) along with a diversity of manzanitas (Arcto-

Insect repellents PAGE CJ2 t

combination products is discourstaphylos) and ceanothus (Cean- provide advice and gardening When: Saturday, April 21, 10 aged, because sunscreen may othus). We will also be offering a tips. Visitors may explore the a.m.-3:00 p.m. Rain or shine! need to be applied more often limited number of shooting stars Garden and benefit from hor- Friends members-only sale 9- than DEET repellent. Applying (Primula clevelandii). ticultural advice. Please bring 10 a.m.; Friends memberships DEET preparation to clothing also helps.

Among the drought tolerant your own boxes to cart home can be purchased at the door.

How about non-chemical plants which will be available for your purchases. The terrific and Where: The Garden is located sale: tireless Regional Parks Botanic at the intersection of Wildcat strategies?

The less chemicals or drugs • Native sages (Salvia spp.) Garden volunteers organize the Canyon Road and Anza View – We will have many including: event, and all proceeds directly Road near the Brazil Building at we use, the better, and the lesser ‘Bee’s Bliss’, ‘Allen Chickering’, benefit the Garden. Bring the Tilden Regional Park in Berke- expensive, as long as we have and ‘Whirly Blue’. family! First 100 kids will re- ley. For directions to the garden, equally effective and safer alter• Island bush poppy (Dendro- ceive a free plant (native annuals see www.nativeplants.org/direc- natives. If wearing long sleeve shirts, head nets and gloves (or, mecon harfordii). grown and donated by Friends tions.html mosquito tent or net) will not • Santa Cruz Island ironwood board member Bob Case).

Entry: Admission is free.

(Lyonothamnus floribundus subParking: As you approach the interfere with the outdoor activiWe accept cash, checks, and sp. aspleniifolius).

Garden, volunteers will direct ties, and is effective, this is the credit cards. best choice. However, realistiThe sale features plants to What: Regional Parks Botanic you to parking spots. fit conditions in every Bay Area Garden California Native Plant Public information: (510) 544- cally and logistically, this strategarden, with experts on hand to Spring Sale 3169 or www.nativeplants.org ■ gy may be cumbersome and impractical. In this situation, insect repellent may be resorted to. Al-

It’s National Social Security Month

NATIONAL Social Security Month is celebrated in April and is dedicated to educating you about Social Security programs and services. From programs that help support you through life’s journey, to services that help put you in control, to systems that help protect what’s important to you, Social Security is committed to helping secure today and tomorrow for you and your family.

During National Social Security Month, we encourage people to take control of their future with my Social Security at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount. Create a my Social Security account to check your earnings history, confirm you have enough credits to retire, see an estimate of future benefits while still working, or manage your monthly benefits once you begin receiving them. You can also check the status of your claim or appeal, request a replacement Social Security card, and get an instant benefit verification letter.

Our Retirement Estimator is another great tool that provides you with immediate and personalized benefit estimates based on your

own earnings record. This allows you to receive the most accurate estimate of your future retirement benefits. Estimate your benefits now at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator.

After you have viewed your earnings history for accuracy, confirmed you have enough work credits to retire, and determined the best age to retire, you can get started on the next phase of your life right away by retiring online! It’s fast and easy at www.socialsecurity.gov/ retireonline.

For more than 80 years, Social Security has changed to meet the needs of our customers. During National Social Security Month, and throughout the year, Social Security puts you in control with secure access to your information anytime, anywhere. From estimating or managing your benefits, requesting a replacement Social Security card, to retiring online, visit SocialSecurity.gov today, and see what you can do online at www. socialsecurity.gov/onlineservices. (By Eric Phillips/Social Security Public Affairs Specialist in Sacramento, CA) ■

PAGE CJ2 t

‘Malayo man narating, pusong UPSE pa rin!’

First grand reunion of the UP School of Economics

EMPLOYMENT

*** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. For more data, visit philipSchua.com; Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com (Advertising Supplement)

California divorce...

is used towards separate property, the community might turn out to have a claim on part(s) of separate property. Separate property are “all property acquired before marriage; all gifts, bequests, devise, or descents. All property acquired or exchanged with traceable separate property; and all property acquired after separation.”

“S/he is the one who left our family. I shouldn’t have to pay support.” Again, California is a no-fault divorce state. There is no assignment of blame or fault; fault does not factor in the equation in the issue of support. Some of the factors that the Court will look at to determine whether there is basis for support, and if so, in what amount, are – length of marriage, age of parties, if there are minor children in the marriage, income of both parties.

“I’m smart enough to handle my own divorce. Why do I need an attorney?” You don’t need CALLING all alumni of the UP School of Economics (UPSE)! Join gratuity) on July 6, reunion buffet dinner and celebration on July 7, an attorney. There is no requireus in the first ever UPSE reunion in the USA this summer 2018. a reunion t-shirt, event videography/photography and memorabilia, ment that you must have an atincidentals.

Malayo Man Narating, Pusong UPSE pa rin! torney. However, in cases inCost WILL NOT COVER the Friday optional reception dinner, volving issues such as domestic When: July 6, 2018 (Friday) to July 7, 2018 (Saturday) other meals, hotel and airfare/local transportation.

Activities: violence, custody disputes, child Alumni may opt to stay at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas with room support, spousal support, and • July 6, 2018 - Early reception dinner at Ocean One Bar and Grille followed by a Party Bus Tour along the Las Vegas Strip (com- rate at $ 159 per night + $35 resort fee per night + 13 percent Las division of community property plete with wine/beer/cocktails, Kodakan and music).

Vegas tax. assets it would be wise to seek • July 7, 2018 - Dinner/Reunion at Stoney’s Rockin’ Country Please email or call UPSE’s contact person below to confirm your advice from a licensed and exCost: $ 115.00/person paid before May 1, 2018 ($130.00 after interest and attendance. Contact person: Jay Ortega (562) 676-7735 perienced attorney so as not to May 1), which will cover the Party Bus Tour (including all drinks and (UPSE Batch ’83) or e-mail: upselasvegasreunion@gmail.com ■ waste your time and money, not

EMPLOYMENT

ways remember to take a shower or wash the areas with repellent thoroughly with soap and water after the outdoor activities.

FOR RENT

SERVICES

to mention the court’s time and resources, especially when you have to keep going back to court because of incomplete or missing documents that could have been addressed from the very beginning by a competent and knowledgeable attorney.

Not all divorce cases are the same. It is important to be properly informed about your rights and responsibilities under California law in divorce proceedings. The wrong advice or information can and will hurt you, and waste your time and money.

Consult a licensed and experienced family law attorney to help you navigate through your divorce. *** Atty. Lilli Berbano Baculi is an associate attorney with Chua Tinsay & Vega, A Professional Legal Corporation (CTV) - a full service law firm with offices in San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento and Philippines. The information presented in this article is for general information only and is not, nor intended to be, formal legal advice nor the formation of an attorney-client relationship. Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consultation to discuss your particular situation and/or how their services may be retained at (619) 955-6277; (415) 4958088; (916) 449-3923; lbaculi@ctvattys. com. For general information visit www. chuatinsayvega.com.

(Advertising Supplement)

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

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 20-26, 2018

CJ

CJ

APRIL 20-26, 2018 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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

Friday, April 20, 2018

SF2

cover story The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - April 20, 2018

Clarissa Delgado, co-founder and CEO of Teach for the Philippines

Filipina social entrepreneur Clarissa Delgado joins first batch of 2018 Obama Foundation Fellowship by rAe

Ann VAronA /AJPress

EDUCATION has also long been cited as a way out of poverty and a path towards new opportunities and a better future. Yet, inequity in education continues to be a problem as many young students around the world continue to lack access to quality instruction.

This is true in the Philippines where approximately 3.8 million young Filipinos aged six to 24 were said to be out of school, according to a 2016 Annual Poverty Indicators Survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority.

One Filipina philanthropist and social entrepreneur has become a champion of education reform in the Philippines, and is now one of the few selected individuals from around the world to enter the inaugural 2018 Obama Foundation Fellowship class.

Clarissa Isabelle Delgado of Makati, Philippines was chosen out of over 20,000 applicants from 191 countries for her nonprofit organization Teach for the Philippines, where she acts as co-founder and CEO. She joins 19 other changemakers representing 11 countries around the

Photos from Facebook/@Clarissa Delgado

world.

“A truly amazing morning to wake up to here in Manila [sun emoji]. Deeply grateful to the Obama Foundation for the chance to represent the Philippines and honor her the way she deserves,” Delgado posted on Facebook, sharing the announcement of former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama.

An alumni of the U.S.’ William & Mary University and prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy, Delgado co-founded Teach for the Philippines in 2012 with philanthropists Elizabeth “Lizzie” Zobel and Margarita Delgado, founders of the literacy advocacating Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation.

Learning from the nonprofit Teach for All, which remains their network partner, the women made it their goal and vision to provide all Filipino children access to excellent and relevant education through the development of quality teachers.

According to the organization, roughly 40,000 teachers are needed in the Philippines’ public schools and the impact seems to be grave with only three out of 100 students who enter Grade 1

completing their education. Of Grade 6 graduates, less than one percent are academically ready for high school.

Through the organization, young Filipino leaders — regardless of college degree or teaching experience — are recruited and trained to not only fill in the voids of public school teaching positions, but become advocates of education equity. “[The] qualities we look for are definitely leadership skills because we believe that the same qualities that make a good leader are the same qualities that make a good teacher. We look for bias for action — it’s not enough to recognize that certain changes need to be made. You have to act on it and make it happen,” Margarita Delgado told the Asian Journal in 2015.

For two years, the young educators spend time teaching in public schools across the Philippines in hopes of becoming positive influences to their students and changing their students’ life paths. The organization currently operates in 29 schools across 17 local governments.

On why the new fellow chose to focus on education advocacy, Clarissa Delgado said it came down to the growing inequality and poverty in the Philippines.

“I believe that to alleviate poverty, the first step is to change the way in which those entrenched in it perceive themselves,” Delgado told the Philippine Tatler in a 2014 interview.

“To alleviate poverty, a society must have the sense that they can shape their own future. It is only through education that individuals are taught this,” she added.

Delgado recently received her master’s degree in Education Leadership and Administration from Ateneo de Manila University.

The Obama Foundation Fellowship is a two-year, non-residential program that will provide hands-on training, leadership development, and a network for the Fellows to “amplify the impact of their work and inspire a wave of civic innovation.”

The first gathering for the Fellows will be in Chicago this May. Obama recently made a visit to Singapore last month for an Obama Foundation discussion where he met with young adults representing Southeast Asian countries including Delgado.

“The 2018 Obama Foundation Fellows come from a variety of disciplines, including healthcare, community organizing, technology, and the arts,” read an Obama Foundation announcement release. “These leaders apply their talents to a range of missions, such as empowering parents and teachers to improve our schools, ensuring deaf children have equal access to literacy tools, and working across the healthcare system to treat addiction.”

Other fellows include Afghanistan refugee Zarlasht Halaimzai who started the Refugee Trauma Initiative, U.S. based Sasha Fisher who started Spark MicroGrants, and Mali’s Moussa Kondo of the Accountability Lab Mali.

Kim Chiu ready to try something new Piolo Pascual defends Robin

by AllAn

PolicArPio Inquirer.net

WHILE Kim Chiu feels fortunate to have been part of high-profile screen partnerships, she believes that, at this point in her career, it’s also important for her to try acting vehicles beyond the love team concept.

“When you’re starting out in the biz, it helps a lot to be in a love team. I’m so grateful I went through that stage. These days, I find myself thinking, ‘Why not explore?’

Do things you haven’t done yet, make the rounds—hanggang kaya ng powers mo,” she told reporters at a recent press conference for Star Cinema’s new horror-comedy flick, “Dotga: Da One that Ghost Away.”

“I’m so lucky I have been given these opportunities,” added the ABS-CBN star, who starred in her first solo film in the 2017 horror flick, “The Ghost Bride.”

That said, Kim’s not closing her doors to the prospect of being paired again with someone long-term, pointing out that many Filipino fans continue to crave the kilig a love team provides.

Open to indies “But I don’t want to be overly choosy when it comes to projects. There are so many actors in the business, so I’m thankful and happy with the work I’m getting,” related Kim, who’s also open to doing indie movies in the future. “Perhaps something with a good message.”

Kim is turning 28 on April 19. In the past, she used to celebrate and reward herself—a new bag or a trip overseas.

But now, it’s all about doing charity work.

She has made a personal vow to visit Aeta communities on her birthday and Christmas Day. And she does it on her own.

“Now I think more about other people— saka na ’yung para sa sarili ko,” stressed Kim, who went to Bamban, Pampanga, last year to hand out gifts to Aetas living there. “I bring them school supplies. We play games, we sing, we dance.”

“I don’t have a personal wish…well, I hope people watch my film,” she quipped,

Padilla on ‘Marawi’ movie issue

by Deni

rose BernArDo Philstar.com

ACTOR Robin Padilla was recently criticized on social media for allegedly investing on a movie on the war in Marawi instead of donating the money.

In a recent press conference for new romantic comedy TV series “Since I Found You,” Piolo Pascual explained his and Robin’s decision to invest in the film. “‘Yung ibibigay nating kakarampot na pera, not even one family can appreciate that for a long time. Mas marami tayong kailangang tulungan so naisip ko lang na kailangan nating gumawa ng pelikula hindi lang para sa kanila, kundi para mamulat din ‘yung mga mamamayan na hindi porket okay ang buhay mo, okay na ‘yan… Sa’tin naman nag-originate ang Bayanihan eh. ‘Di ba dapat matuto tayong maging compassionate at tumulong sa kapwa?”

According to Piolo, filmmaker Joyce Bernal, his partner Kim Chiu Star Cinema photo at Spring Films that made their laughing. “I will also try to attend all the block screenhit romantic comedy “Kita ings my fans will organize, because they spend money Kita,” originally wanted to and put a lot of effort into those.” donate part of her income from In Tony Y. Reyes’ “Dotga,” Kim plays Carmel, a para- “Kita Kita” to Padilla’s foundanormal expert who, together with her best friend, Jeje tion dedicated to Marawi’s re(Ryan Bang), assembles a squad of ghost busters, which habilitation. Though he found it is then commissioned to exorcise a haunted house. noble, he told Joyce that they This is Ryan’s first time in a lead role, Kim said, and she could help more if they are to couldn’t be any happier for him. produce a film that could build “He couldn’t believe it. But I have always felt that more awareness on Marawi all actors will have a break at some point. And this is his citizens’ plight. time,” she said. “I’m always open to working with any“Mahirap s’ya pero kasi one. After all, it’s not really about who you’re working kung gumagawa ka ng isang with, but being able to deliver.” adbokasiya, mas maganda

Piolo Pascual

na isipin mo ‘yung nobility ng ginagawa mo kesa ‘yung pressure na maka-come up with something na pelikula lang. Alam natin na maraming experiences na kakapulutan ng aral dito sa nangyari sa Marawi at ‘yon ‘yung gusto namin ipakita sa tao,” he explained in a round table interview, including Philstar.com.

Piolo to cast real Maranaos for ‘Marawi’ movie Instead of giving a man a fish, Piolo believes more on teaching man how to fish. In their movie’s case, it is giving livelihood to Marawi war survivors partly through employing them to star in the movie.

The actor-turned-producer shared that his company will be holding auditions in Mindanao State University because they want to cast real Maranaos, even for soldier roles. He shared that the main character, an eight-year-old kid, is the hardest one to find.

ABS-CBN photo

They are also finding difficulty casting a female soldier’s role since it will become a very physical one.

He and Robin will have a cameo in the movie as well if they will be allowed by ABSCBN. It is Robin that convinced him to invest in the flick.

“Siguro ‘yung pinakawake up call ko na ang ganda ng buhay ko pero ‘yung kababayan ko hindi maganda ‘yung buhay… Wake up call ko na ‘yung sinabi ni Kuya Binoe na ‘Ito ‘yung nangyari sa Marawi, maraming taong walang matirhan.’ Ang sakit pala nun ‘no? ‘Pag alam mo na ‘yung mga kababayan mo hindi maganda ‘yung buhay. Hindi naman nila ginusto na them being displaced… Hindi naman nila ginusto na mawalan ng bahay pero para mawalan ka ng buhay, nakaka-konsensya,” Piolo enthused.

“So sabi ko, kailangan natin Continued on Page SF3

features SF3

Fil-Am Carly Peeters: ‘Education is the key to everything’ ing a laptop, five tablets, TV, a ManilaTimes.net solar panel with batteries, and educational content.

FILIPINO-AMERICAN Miss “We take what we have for Teen International 2017 Carly granted a lot. I know I have days Peeters has been an advocate where I don’t want to do my of literacy among youth ever since. A dedicated volunteer of homework and I don’t want to Jumpstart Children First—which go to school because I’m tired.

Going to that community and is an early education organizaseeing these people who are tion that provides programgrateful to have a day of learnming for preschool children in ing is just really humbling—it’s America from under resourced the best way to describe it,” communities—and Build On, Peeters told The Manila Times an international organization in an interview during a media that builds schools in developevent in Makati City. ing countries, Peeters’ lifelong “It was a two-hour boat ride dream is for children to have and half-an-hour hike just to get access to quality education. to the village itself. They just The 16-year-old beauty recently able to have filtered queen was in the country water and we also gave them recently as an ambassador of solar-powered lamps that they Yellow Boat of Hope Foundawere very excited about. It’s just tion-Philippines, a group that primarily provides boats in hard- really amazing to see people to-reach coastal communities so that are so grateful even in learners would not have to swim smallest things. It really puts things into perspective to me. to school.

People that have so little but As an ambassador, she had are so grateful for everything the privilege to visit some of and open to receiving everythe remote communities in one. They even cooked amazing Caramoan, Camarines Sur to connect with the children in the meal for us. They made grilled squid—which I think it’s all they underserved areas which she took as a very humbling experi- have in the village—and they give it to us with open hearts,” ence. She brought with her the young philanthropist reSmart School-in-a-Bag containby Iza IglesIas

As an ambassador of Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, the 16-yearold beauty queen goes to underserved areas and promote the importance of education

Miss Teen International 2017 Carly Peeters

called.

According to Peeters, she realized the importance of education when she got inspired from the story of her mother who strived to study and be able to immigrate to the United States to have a better life.

“My mom is from Manila and she’s from a lower-middle class family. She told us that education is the only reason she was able to migrate from the Philippines and make a better life for herself and then later on for us. She told me that education is the key to everything.

If you’re educated you can do whatever you want in life and you can be who you want to be,” she said.

“In the U.S., we take education for granted because it’s accessible to all of us but when I found out that there are adults who never had even a kindergarten education and don’t know how to spell their own name, it really hit me how important it is because these Continued on Page SF4

Piolo Pascual defends Robin Padilla...

From Page SF3 ng bahay para sa kanila. Siguro mas mabibigyan natin sila ng mas malaking budget bukod dun sa telethon na ginawa ng ABS. Mas mabibigyan natin sila

ng mas magandang livelihood ‘pag continuous ‘yung pagtulong natin.”

Besides casting Maranaos, Piolo hopes to shoot the film Ground Zero, which he finds

to be very hard as the city has begun its rehabilitation. He admitted that he, Robin and Joyce are not the only investors; they also tapped other investors, who are now pres-

The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE – April 20, 2018

Celebrating spring the Filipino way

lumpiang togue’s faithful partner: sukang puti (white vinegar).

Spring is also a great time to check out the newest Filipino restaurants or Asian fusion cafes

By Monet Lu that invaded Southern California. You can also venture further Having four seasons in a year south like San Diego and I bet is an idea that is quite foreign you will the aroma of inihaw na to Filipinos who grew up in the liempo would lead you to these Philippines. Back there, we only Filipino restaurants. Either that have dry (summer) and wet or a park filled with Filipinos with (rainy) seasons. Then there are picnic baskets filled with Filipino those, like me, who migrated delicacies. Filipino food is just outside the Philippines to a place everywhere and I credit that to that has more than two seasons. the talented cooks and chefs This change also requires a who make Los Angeles such a change of wardrobe, food, scen- delicious place to live. ery, and pastime. So how does Fashion the typical “Pinoy” deal with the Spring is the second season changing of the seasons? of the year. And second to Food adjusting this season’s menu Filipinos love to eat and is switching clothes. This is the foreigners know that about us. time where thermal jackets and One of the running jokes about winter boots are stored away.

Filipinos says, “wherever there’s Unless you have a perfectly food, that is where the Filipinos good reason for wearing that fur are.” coat, it should be in the closet.

Now that is good if they To the “petite” Pinays, they meant that we cook great food, don a flowery sundress, spring otherwise, it could mean that colored jumpsuits, or some cute we’re known as gluttons. Either separates; like a good statement way, food is just at the core of skirt with comfortable and flatevery Filipino. And a food-loving tering cotton top. Pair it with an Filipino has adapted the ability accent pump and minimal accesto adjust his palate according to sories, and they swing their way the season. The spring season to spring! For the men, skinny calls for a parade of spring rolls. jeans are not as cool as they And by that, I meant spring were before but still are known rolls of different varieties such staples in any man’s wardrobe. as lumpiang Shanghai (pork It’s the season to loosen up a bit, spring rolls), lumpiang sariwa or so straight cut cool print chino lumpiang ubod (bamboo shoots pants are great alternatives to spring rolls) and lumpiang gulay tight and dark jeans. Pair these or lumpiang togue (bean sprouts up with a lightweight cardigan spring rolls) are the best sellers and a statement eyewear and at a company potluck or spring you’re off to great spring. banquet. And because we just Places love to dip everything in sauce, One of the best things about we even have the appropriate this season is the blooming of sauces for each of the spring flowers and fruit trees. This is rolls. Sweet and sour chili sauce, also one of the things about peanut sauce, and of course, spring that we, Filipinos, can resuring them to start filming.

“War movie na Philippine version kasi lahat ng napapanood natin Westernized, so this is something na maa-appreciate ng mga Pilipino na talagang nangyari dito sa

Pilipinas,” he said on his vision for the movie.

Piolo, however, clarified that his efforts to help Marawi does not stop at giving people jobs for the film.

“Starting with the film, ‘di

late to. And it’s not because we have spring season but because planting and harvesting is a way of life for us. We harvest vegetables and fruits and plant more tropical plants that our gardens could handle.

This season means a picnic at the park, checking out a botanical garden or Knotts Berry Farm, you know, the stuff that you do while you bond over food and wear your flowery and light cotton shirts. Forget about hibernating in your pajamas, walking around your house wearing thermal socks. That is so winter ago! Go out there and watch the cherry blossom, the tulips, open the windows and enjoy the warm sun.

As this new season unfolds, we should make the most of it by welcoming Spring in all its glory. I do that by thinking of spring as the snow is finally melting, trees are blooming, and the streets are looking lively and green again! For most people, spring is a time of change.

Thoughts of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection, and hope come to us when we wake up from a cold winter night to a warm spring morning.

Oh, spring, you bring so many beautiful things. And as Filipinos fondly say — and let me say it with cheers to a spring season full of hope: “Mabuhay!”

*** 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 allnatural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com

naman natatapos dito,” he assured.

“Siguro, one day at a time, one person at a time, gumawa ka ng magandang bagay para mapaganda ‘yung buhay ng ibang tao.”

SF4

celebrityworld The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - April 20, 2018

celebrity world

Rachelle Ann Go ties the knot with Martin Spies in Boracay

By Ferdie Villar Singer and international theater actress rachelle Ann go tied the knot with American businessman Martin Spies last Wednesday, April 18 in a private ceremony at the Shangri-La resort in Boracay.

The island is a special place for the couple, since it was also the place where Martin proposed to rachelle. rachelle began her career by joining and winning several singing competitions. in 2004, she rose to fame after winning the talent search, “Search for a Star.” After that, she has been active headlining concerts locally and internationally, as well as coming out with seven albums.

Locally, she also performed in musicals, but her theater career bloomed internationally when she was cast in the 2014 West end revival of the hit mu-

sical, “Miss Saigon,” getting the role of gigi Van Tranh. After her run with “Miss Saigon,” she was cast in the role of Fantine in the 30th anniversary staging of “Les Miserables,” and made her Broadway debut reprising the role of gigi in 2017. At present, she is playing the role of eliza Hamilton in the original West end production of “Hamilton.” *** By the time this column comes out, actress Coleen garcia and TV host/singer Billy Crawford would have tied the knot (April 20).

During the Despedida de Soltera given by their families last Saturday, April 14, the couple shared how they feel knowing that their wedding is just a few days away.

Coleen shared in an interview with ABS-CBn news that

she had “unrealistic expectations” about things she was supposed to do in the planning.

“The reality is, like now, i already have a fever. i guess i underestimated it, all the planning. But ganun naman daw talaga from all the stories we’ve heard, it’s actually the same for every couple,” she said.

She also said that one of the things that stressed her out was the guest list. “it doesn’t stop with the adjustment. To the very last day, baka may adjustment pa rin. everything naman that we are worried about is guest-related.

Kasi sa styling and everything, sobrang relaxed na kami,” she added. *** Basketball cager James Yap proudly announced on his instagram that he and italian partner Michela Cazzola are expecting baby number two.

A little over two weeks ago, James posted a photo of him and Michela on his social media site with the caption, “growing family” along with a pink ribbon emoji.

The couple has a one-yearold son named Michael James or MJ. Michela shared that they didn’t expect to be pregnant again this soon. “James was suprised,” she said in an interview with PeP.ph. “And me too actually...we were talking about having two children fairly close to each other. We were happy of course, we wanted another baby. So it was a very happy surprise.

Michela is now seven months on the way, and the italian beauty confirmed that it’s a girl.

Kristine Hermosa, one of the most beautiful actresses in the Philippines, returns to her home studio, ABSCBN 2 in the teleserye, “Bagani.”

Singer and international stage performer Rachelle Ann Go recently tied the knot with American businessPhoto from Instagram @iammarkbautista man Martin Spies in Boracay.

Actor Gary Estrada now plays the lead role in GMA 7’s teleserye, “The Stepdaughter.”

Actress Coleen Garcia shared that one of the things she was most stressed about her wedding preparations is the guest list. Coleen is set to wed TV host and singer Billy Crawford on April 20.

Basketball player James Yap recently announced on his Instagram account that he and Italian partner Michela Cazzola are pregnant with baby number 2. The couple has a one-year-old son, Baby MJ.

TV host and singer Billy Crawford will tie the knot will girlfriend of four years, actress Coleen Garcia on April 20.

Religious couple Regalado and Julie Daniel and family will be in charge of the 101 years of the Lady of Family on Sunday, May 13, with a Holy Mass at 3 p.m. at Mission Dolores in San Francisco. A dinner reception will follow at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Burlingame.

Photo from Instagram @jamesyap18

Fil-Am Carly Peeters: ‘Education...

From Page SF2

people were stuck in poverty and absolutely no way out,” Peeters continued.

Prior to joining pageants, she already had a platform called “Literally Literacy” for which she started a blog series with the same name. And now that she is Miss Teen international, she has been pushing to reach more places to widen her voice in giving importance to education.

“As Miss Teen international, i have to advocate for my platform which is literacy and education, especially to focus on the youth because i think the youth is the hope of the future and if we educate them today, we will create a better future for tomorrow. Aside from visiting and helping out here in the Philippines, i am actually going to build a school in nicaragua in June,” she noted.

Mixing school with acting it was not new to Peeters to encourage individuals and organizations to support her advocacy in improving learning among the youth but it is a different story when she entered beauty pageants. Prior to entering Miss Teen California, she tried her luck to join Binibini Teen in 2016.

“Actually i did not dream of becoming a beauty queen. i only started competing in

pageants two years ago and it was just something fun that i tried because my friend had won Miss Teen California and she was like, ‘You should try it i think you’ll be good at it and you love community service so it’s a good way to kind of blend the two.’ So i eventually just fell in love with it because being on stage for like 30 seconds and have something to work toward was really enjoyable to me and on top of that, getting to advocate for a cause was just absolutely amazing,” Peeters said. it is surprising that not many people are aware that she is also active in acting. A rising senior at granada Hills Charter High School in Los Angeles, she has appeared in movies and shows such as “grey’s Anatomy” (2017) as Jamie, “Little Loopers” (2015) as Tiarre and “A Cowgirl’s Story” (2017) as Cinda, which is a show that is available on netflix.

“Being a beauty queen, an actress and a student is definitely not easy. Being an actress calls for last minute jobs especially on school days.

But my school is very flexible because in Los Angeles, it has a lot of actors in it so they kind of understand and we have an agreement that as long as i keep good grades and they go to my teachers for recommen-

dations when looking at excessive absences from class. So as long as i keep good grades and have a good relationship with my teacher, i’m okay to miss school for acting,” Peeters shared to The Manila Times.

“My parents are extremely helpful in all of this because they kind of put together my schedule and put together everything and they’re extremely supportive. i don’t think i can do it without my mom. She’s here today and she helps organize this entire trip.

But between that and being a beauty queen, mainly pageants are on weekends and then every now and then during the week and school is everywhere in between,” she continued. “i also wanted to share that as much as she don’t want to admit it, my mother was a beauty queen when she was younger. She won a city pageant here in Manila so when i started beauty pageants, she was a little bit hesitant but when she realized it was more of the community service than it was about walking on stage for two minutes and how it made me a better speaker. i became more comfortable with myself. Suddenly when i said i wanted to go to the Philippines, she said okay and help me with it,” Peeters happily enthused.

features

Eva Noblezada to Perform at Feinstein’s at the Nikko in SF TONY Award nominee Eva Noblezada will make her Feinstein’s at the Nikko debut on April 27-28 in San Francisco for an intimate evening of music, good drinks and a wonderfully colorful set list.

Through her favorite artists like Amy Winehouse and Frank Sinatra, Eva Noblezada sings from the heart and reveals a side of her story that you have never heard.

Noblezada just finished starring in the Broadway revival of Cameron Mackintosh’s musical “Miss Saigon” where she received a Tony nomination.

This was her first Broadway role.

Previously, she had starred in the long-running London revival of the show for which she received the WhatsOnStage award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Eva has also played Eponine in the West End revival of the legendary musical, “Les Miserables.”

Eva, who continues the long tradition of Filipino artists who have essayed the leading role of Kim in “Miss Saigon,” was a high school student in Charlotte, North Carolina when she was discovered by cast-

Liza Soberano on the best decisions she’s ever made

Eva Noblezada

ing director Tara Rubin at the 2013 JMimmy Awards in New York City. Rubin introduced her to Mackintosh and director Laurence Connor, who chose Noblezada to star in their longawaited hit 2014 West End revival of “Miss Saigon.”

Both of Eva’s performances are scheduled for 8pm. Located within the Hotel Nikko in downtown San Francisco, Feinstein’s at the Nikko’s presents a wide range of entertainers from the stage and screen, all within an intimate 140-seat cabaret setting. There is a $20 food and beverage minimum per person

inside the showroom which guests can use towards cocktails, as well as a variety of small plates crafted exclusively for Feinstein’s at the Nikko, through Restaurant Anzu. Cheese and dessert platters are also available in the showroom.

A three-course prix-fixe dinner at $45 per person is available at Restaurant Anzu for Feinstein’s at the Nikko guests.

[For ticket prices and other show inquiries for Eva Noblezada’s performances at Feinstein’s at the Nikko, visit www.ticketfly.com or call 1866-663-1063.]

Why Megan is addicted to taking good care of herself

by MJ

Marfori ManilaTimes.net

Megan Young

ManilaTimes.net photo

The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - April 20, 2018

SF5

THERE is no doubt that the Philippines’ first ever Miss World beauty title holder Megan Young is one of the finest women in the industry. Just look at her face, her 23 inch waist, and bubbly personality.

When The Times met with Megan, she was glowing even though she said she had barely slept from taping for her GMA Network soap “The Stepdaughters” the night before.

Megan shared nonetheless that she “addicted” in taking care of herself. “ “There’s this certain happiness i feel when i take good care of myself—a sense of accomplishment. i know i’m still in my 20s but i’ve learned to take care of myself this early rather than eventually saying, ‘Sayang, sana ganito ginawa ko noon.’ So i’m

doing everything that is good for me now.”

Good for her means weight training five times a week when her schedule permits and going to Pilates every now and then.

When it comes to her diet, she said that her secret is preparing her own food. “i have to make my own baon kasi i know what is in it.

Nauubos ko rin.” Megan stays away from junk food almost all the time and snacks on “clean food” aka grains, fruits and other edibles with no preservatives. There are no restrictions in her diet but she makes sure it consists of the right portions of carbohydrates, protein and fat. “i don’t do the fad diets because i’ve tried them before and i end up having bad habits or temporary results. it’s really better to for me to take it slow but eat clean.”

FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS Madaba, Mt. Nebo, Petra, Aqaba, Jordan

(Tiberias, Ceasarea, Haifa, Meggido,Magdala, Nazareth, Cana, Mt Carmel, Capernaum, Mt. Beatitude, Jericho, Bethany, Mt.Tabor, Mount Zion, Mt. of Olives, Old & New Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Qumran, Masada Dead Sea, Allen by Bridge, Madaba, Mt Nebo Petra, Aqaba Jordan)

OCTOBER 18 to NOVEMBER 1, 2018 SPIRITUAL CHAPLAIN: REV. ANTONIO FLORES Oct. 18, 2018( Thursday) Day 1 – MNL HKG, TEL AVIV, ISRAEL Oct. 25, 2018 (Thursday) Day 8 - Jerusalem Trans-Atlantic flight from LAX to Ben Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv, Mass at the Holy Eucharist Church of St Peter in Gallicantu “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us...” (John 1:14) Israel. (Meals served in-flight) We will walk to view the Dome of the Rock from the outside, and visit the Oct. 18, 2018 (Friday) Day 1 – Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv/ Western Wall, ( Wailing Wall ) the only part of the Herodian Temple still Tiberias standing and the most sacred place in the world for Jews. Then, we will Arrival from Manila still Oct. 18,2018 late in the evening. After we clear drive to Mt. Zion, to visit the Upper Room, revered as the site of the Last Immigration and Customs, will be met by our driver for transfer to tiberias . Supper, then survey the Dormition Abbey, and the Church of St. Peter in enjoy the panoramic view of the Mediterranean. We will spend our first night Gallicantu, the site where Peter denied Jesus three times. After the day’s in Tiberias. Dinner and overnight (D). Gai Beach Hotel (Oct. 19, 2018) Holy tour, we will return to our hotel for dinner and overnight. Jerusalem (B, D) Eucharist Notre Dame Vatican Hotel Oct. 20, 2018 (Saturday) Day 3 - Tiberias/ Meggido/ Nazareth/ Cana / Oct. 26, 2018 (Friday) Day 9 - Mount of Olives/Gethsemane/Bethlehem/ Mt Tabor Jerusalem (New City)/Ein Karem We will have short stop in Meggido and the Plains of Armageddon, known in Mass at the Church of Nativity Hebrew as Meggido, a giant fortress and City built by King Solomon. In the New “O mountain of God, receive me, a mother, with my child.” (Protoevangelium Testament book of Revelation, it is referred as the sites of the “final battle”. of James 22:3) From there, we will continue our drive into Nazareth, where we will have Mass We will arrive at the Mount of Olives, to enjoy another view of Jerusalem, in the Church of the Annunciation, the Cave of the Annunciation and visit the Chapel of Ascension, Pater Noster Church and the Dominus visit Joseph’s Workshop and Then we will move on to Cana of Galilee, where Flevit (“God wept”) sanctuary. Next, we’ll walk the Palm Sunday Road to the Our Lord performed His first miracle: changing water into wine at the wedding Garden of Gethsemane, and visit the Rock of Agony and the Church of feast. We will invite couples to Bless their marriage vows, Continue to Mount all Nations. In the afternoon, we’ll drive to Bethlehem, a city whose name is Tabor, site of Jesus Transfiguration Afterward, we will head to Tiberias. Dinner recognized around the world. After celebrating Mass at the Church of Nativity, and overnight in Tiberias. (B/D).Gai Beach Hotel. we will see the Manger; visit the Church of St. Catherine, the Grotto of St. Oct. 21, 2018 (Sunday) Day 4 - Tiberias/Mount Beatitude/ Multiplication / Primacy/ Capernum/Boat Ride “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” Early AM departures to Mt. Beatitude Drive up to Mount Beatitudes, visit the site of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus preached to the people. Eucharistic Celebration. Enjoy a scenic boat ride across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, home of Our Lord during his ministry.

After visiting the Synagogue where he taught, proceed to Tabgha, the site of the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Then to the Church Primacy of St Peters.

Overnight Magdala ( BB, D)

Jerome and the Shepherds’ Fields. Then we will return to Jerusalem (New City), to view the Temple Model to see how it looked during the time of Jesus.

Here, we will gain a better understanding between the old and new cities of Jerusalem. Up next is a trip to Ein Karem, birthplace of St. John the Baptist, to see the Visitation Church, where Mary proclaimed her famous “Magnificat”.

We will end our day by returning to our Hotel. (B/D).

Oct. 23, 2018 (Tuesday) DAY 6 - Jordan Valley/Jericho/Bethany/ Jerusalem Mass at the Church of St. Lazarus MAGDALA, Israel – 2009 Discoveries from a new archaeological dig are creating excitement in the area where Jesus began his ministry. The village is called Magdala (Migdal in Hebrew), and it’s the home of Mary Magdalene.”She lived here and she met Jesus here and she continued with Him. Yes, it’s that place The most important discovery in Magdala has been a synagogue dating back to the time of Jesus. According to archaeologists, it’s the first one discovered in the Galilee.

famous mosaic map of the Holy Land. Then we will drive down to Aqaba.

Overnight in Aqaba (B/D). Movenpick Resort & Residence.

Oct. 27, 2018 (Saturday) Day 10 - Jerusalem/ Dead Sea/ Qumran/ Masada Mass at the Church of all Nations After breakfast, we will celebrate mass at the Church of all Nations and then we will drive to Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth. Visit Qumran; see the Oct. 22, 2018 (Monday) Day 5 - Magdala Full day retreat , Focus will Include programs based on the historical caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered. Continue to Masada, visit Herod’s fortress and the Jew’s last stronghold against the Roman. Return to and Religious value of the Magdala sites Jerusalem for dinner and Overnight (B, D) More info coming up as we get closer to the dates MAGDALA, Israel – 2009 Discoveries from a new archaeological dig are Oct. 28, 2018 (Sunday) Day11 - Jerusalem/Allenby Bridge/Madaba/ creating excitement in the area where Jesus began his ministry. The village is Jordan/Mt. Nebo/ Aqaba called Magdala (Migdal in Hebrew), and it’s the home of Mary Magdalene.”She Mass at Mount Nebo lived here and she met Jesus here and she continued with Him. Yes, it’s On this day, we head to Allenby Bridge and cross into Jordan. We will go to that place The most important discovery in Magdala has been a synagogue the Baptismal Site at Bethany, which Pope John Paul II visited in 2000. dating back to the time of Jesus. According to archaeologists, it’s the first one Then, it’s on to Mount Nebo, where Moses viewed the Promised Land. Our discovered in the Galilee. next stop will be the Church of St. George in Madaba, which hosts the

Oct. 24, 2018 ( Wednesday) Day 7 - Jerusalem (Old City)/Via Dolorosa/ Mount Zion Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher “And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha.” (John 19:17) We will enter the Old City of Jerusalem and will follow the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) and say the Station of the Cross to the holiest shrine in Christendom, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, visit Golgotha and the Tomb of Our Lord. After mass, we return to the hotel for breakfast. After breakfast, we will enter the Old City, sing a hymn in the Church of St. Anne and view the Pool of Bethesda. Then we will visit the Chapel of Flagellation, Lithostratos (where the soldiers played the Game of Kings) and the Arch of the “Ecce Homo”.

Dinner/Overnight Notre Dame Vatican hotel

Oct 29, 2018 (Monday) Day 12 - Aqaba/Petra Mass at Stella Maris Church – Aqaba After breakfast, we will journey through the Siq, until we get our first glimpse of the Khazneh (Treasury). Then will we walk down to visit the Temple and view the many caves all around the Theater. At the end of the tour, we will drive back to Aqaba for overnight and dinner (B/D). Movenpick Resort & Residence Oct. 30, 2018 (Tuesday) Day 13 - Aqaba/ Jerusalem We Cross the Jordanian Border to return to Jerusalem. Dinner/Overnight Oct. 31, 2018 (Wednesday) Day 14 - Jerusalem /Yad Vashem Museum/ TLV/ LAX After breakfast, we will visit the Yad Vashem Museum,is Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the dead; honoring Jews who fought against their Nazi oppressors and Gentiles who selflessly aided Jews in need; and researching the phenomenon of the Holocaust in particular and genocide in general, with the aim of avoiding such events in the future. After the Western Wall, Yad Vashem is the second-most-visited Israeli tourist site. Return to the hotel for lunch and relaxation in preparation for our return flight back to the USA after early dinner will be transferred to the airport for flight Oct 31, 2018 8:45 PM departure from TLV End of Our Memorable Pilgrimage to Jesus Home Land!!!

LizA Soberano believes that while we cannot always anticipate what life throws our way, we can, however, be prepared to handle any hurdle.

“Never expect anything, but plan for everything,” the 20-year-old beauty shares with much wisdom.

Liza prides herself in carefully planning her life — from her career to her personal life — and it seems that she’s been making all the right decisions as both are taking off!

Her vision for herself in the next five to 10 years is clear, and she’s already taking the necessary steps to ensure that all her dreams become attainable. But even beyond the next decade, Liza is already future-

proofing her life.

“All i want is to live a happy, healthy and contented life.

Hopefully i will still be working, but not as much as now, especially at that age i hope to start a family of my own,” she says, hinting at her plans for the future.

While she seeks the advice of friends and family when it comes to issues about love and relationships, she relies on experts for her other concerns like health, wealth management, and life insurance.

“Some of the fears that bog my mind now is how fast life is; you never know when your time is up,” she says. “i’m afraid to miss out on the important events in my families’

Liza Soberano

Photo from Instagram/@lizasoberano

lives or that something might happen to them or myself, and i won’t be there for them.”

(Philstar.com)

Mommy Regine answers the parenting question

by MJ

Marfori ManilaTimes.net

REGiNE Velasquez-Alcasid and her little man Nate are the cutest mother and son tandem in showbiz today. The Times got to bond with the two during their launch as brand ambassadors for fast food chain Jollibee’s popular Jolly Spaghetti.

The event served their as their fifth endorsement to date, even if Nate doesn’t know he’s actually saved enough money to go to an ivy league school of his choice!

Regine shared she hasn’t explained money matters to her son just yet and is just happy that he’s comfortable in front of the camera. She’s even more thrilled that Nate developed his love for music like his OPM icon parents.

“Before he wanted to be a pilot, but now he just wants to be a passenger,” Asia’s Songbird lovingly laughed.

“And because lagi niya kami [ni Ogie] nakikita na nag-pra-practice—ako pa naman hindi ako naglalagay ng earphones when i practice, kasi boom box pa rin ako na very ‘80s—sumasabay

Regine Velasquez-Alcasid with son Nate

siya. Two years old pa lang mahilig na siya kumanta.”

Personality-wise, Regine is thankful that even though Nate got Ogie’s playful side, he is still an obedient boy. in answer to the age-long question in parenting “to spank or not to spank,” Regine said she believes spanking is needed from time to time to discipline a child.

“Iba rin pag ganon. it’s

Photo from Instagram/@reginealcasid

been a year since i last did it but mas naiintindihan ni Nate what to do and what not to do. Spanking even has references in the Bible verses. Prov 13:24 says, ‘He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him often.” Then in Prov 22:15 “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”

Marian Pilgrimage France, Spain & Portugal September 8 to September 21, 2018 Spiritual Director: rev. John Duy nguyen Still one of the great pilgrimages shrines in the world, visited by thousands of pilgrim’s. Arrive in Lourdes in the late afternoon, orientation to the shrines and spends some time in the sanctuary.

Dinner & overnight.

Sept. 9, 2018 - (Sunday) Day 2 - Paris (CDG) Arrived Paris CDG, Then after we clear immigration and collect our (BB, D) Luggage,. you will proceed to your hotel and have mass and dinner.

Sept. 15, 2018 - (Saturday) Day 8 - Lourdes Overnight in Paris. (D) You will have early morning bath at the healing water of Lourdes.

Then return to the hotel for breakfast. There after attend Holy Mass Sept. 10, 2018 - (Monday) Day 3 - Paris Paris is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, also at the Grotto. continue the day with a walking tour of the shrines and known as the City of Light. Full day touring with local guide, including places associated with the life of St. Bernadette. Spend some time visit of the Eiffel tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, Basilica of Sacre meditating on the passion of our Lord through more than life size Coeur, The chapel of the Miraculous Medal in Rue de Bac is the site exotic way of the sacrament and prayers. Afternoon will be free time of Marian Apparitions and contain the reliquaries of St. Catherine for private devotion. Dinner/overnight (BB, D) Laboure and St. Louise De Marillac. The shrine of St. Vincent the Paul is within walking distance, a few blocks from Rue De Bac, visit Sept. 16, 2018 - (Sunday) Day 9 - Lourdes / Zaragoza the chapel which houses the relic of St. Vincent the Paul. Overnight After Breakfast, you’ll continue your drive towards Zaragoza, Spain. Visit the shrines of Our Lady of Pillar, the 2nd most popular in Paris (BB/D) pilgrimages sites in Spain. See the Magnificent altar in the Basilica, built on site where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to the apostles Sept. 11, 2018 - (Tuesday) Day 4 - Paris/Lisieux After breakfast, Full day in Lisieux, home of St Therese, who at age St. James, before her assumption into heaven. Dinner/overnight 15, entered the convent and became Carmelite nun, she took the Zaragoza (BB, D) religious name of St Therese of the child Jesus and the Holy face. The spirituality of her little ways was not about extraordinary things, but Sept. 17, 2018 - (Monday) Day 10 - Zaragoza / Salamanca rather about doing simple things of life well and with extraordinary After breakfast you will embark on a trip to Salamanca. You will have love. She believed and taught that “Everything is Grace”, God’s face a short stop and panoramic tour of Avila. Upon arrival in Salamanca, and presence could be experienced in every person and situation of you will visit the Old Cathedral and tour the city. Dinner /overnight our lives, if we just attend with love and expectancy. She died at the Salamanca (BB, D) age of 24 believing that her life was really the beginning for God, promising to spend her heaven doing good on earth, her promised” Sept. 18, 2019 - (Tuesday) Day 11 - Salamanca / Fatima shower of Roses” began and have become a torrent in the church After Breakfast, you will spend the first half of the day touring ever since. Return to Paris, Dinner in a restaurant near the hotel. Salamanca. You will visit the new cathedral with a short stop at Plaza Mayor for lunch. After lunch you will continue to Fatima, the Overnight in Lisieux (BB, D) famous Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. Upon arrival you will have a Sept. 12, 2018 - (Wednesday) Day 5 - Lisieux / Nevers / Paray- short orientation tour of the Sanctuary. Attend the nightly Candlelight procession at the Shrine. Dinner and Overnight Fatima (BB, D) Le-Monial After Breakfast, Continue your drive to the picturesque Loire valley to Nevers, visit the convent of St. Gillard, where St. Bernadette’s Sept. 19, 2018 - (Wednesday) Day 12 - Fatima incorrupt body miraculously preserved since her death in 1879. Breakfast, then Visit the Museum dedicated to the Blessed Virgin At the conclusion of the eighteen apparitions of the Virgin Mary Mary followed by Mass at the Apparitions chapel, Full day Guided in Lourdes, St. Bernadette lived for 12 years as a member of the tours includes the Shrines ground, visit of the tombs of Francisco congregation of the sisters of charity of Nevers. St Gildard convent and Jacinta in the Basilica, In Aljustrel and Valinhos, you see the is her final resting place. After she was blessed with the apparitions two homes of the shepherds, site of Our Lady’s fourth apparitions. of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes, St. Bernadette retired in Nevers. She Stop at the Parish church where the seers were baptized, and the received her religious habit in 1866. Continue to Paray-Le-Monial for cemetery where Francisco and Jacinta were once buried. You will do the station of the Cross. We encourage everyone to spend some time Dinner & Overnight (BB, D) in the Blessed Sacrament, which is open every day. Dinner/overnight Fátima. (BB, D) Sept. 13, 2018 - (Thursday) Day 6 - Paray-Le-Monial After Breakfast, you will tour Paray-Le-Monial. Your first stop is the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and here you will celebrate Holy Sept. 20, 2018 - (Thursday) Day 13 - Fatima / Lisbon Eucharist. Then you will tour and admire the Romanesque basilica After breakfast ,you will proceed to Lisbon with stops at Santarem and see the Chapel of Apparitions. After the Basilica, you will proceed to visit the church of the Holy Miracle containing the Glorious to the Monastere e la Visitation. Visit the reliquary of Saint Margaret 13th century Eucharistic Miracle of Santarem .Then you will do a Mary of Alocoque at the Chapel of Visitation. Still to see and visit after panoramic city tour of Lisbon, with a visit to the Basilica of St Anthony lunch is the Park of the Chaplain and the Chapel of St. Colombiere. de Padua, St Jeronimo’s Monastery and the famous Belem Tower.

Dinner/Overnight Lisbon (BB, D) Dinner & Overnight (BB, D) Sept. 8, 2018 - (Saturday) Day 1 USA/PARIS Transatlantic flight from USA to Paris (CDG )Meals serve on board.

Sept. 14, 2018 - (Friday) Day 7 - Paray-Le-Monial / Lourdes Sept. 21, 2018 - (Friday) - Early AM transfer to Lisbon After breakfast you will continue your pilgrimage to Lourdes. Lourdes, Airport for flight home to USA celebrating 160 Years of apparitions of Blessed Virgin to Bernadette. Full of wonderful memories of Our Pilgrimage

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The Asian Jo ur na l SF M A G A Z I NE - Apr i l 20, 2 0 1 8

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