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APRIL 22-28, 2022 Serving San Diego Since 1987 • 12 Pages

T h e F i l i p i n o –A m e r i c A n c o m m u n i T y n e w s pA p e r

Also published in LOS ANGELES • ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE • NORTHERN CALIFORNIA • NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY • LAS VEGAS

DATELINE USA

TO help put an end to the proliferation of anti-Asian hate and harassment, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles (Advancing Justice-LA) is offering free virtual bystander intervention trainings in the native Filipino language.

Starting last fall, Advancing Justice-LA began offering trainings in Tagalog as well as other Asian languages. Jeanette Sayno, Advancing Justice-LA community legal advocate, said these workshops are aimed at empowering everyone to build a world that is free of all types of harassment.

“Our work focuses on turning the care we have for each other into simple, creative and effective action, and we really would like to reach Tagalog speakers and other Asian language speakers with these

Tel: (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 • Email: info@asianjournalinc.com

Mask mandate lifted for US travelers

by AJPress

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Civil rights org continues bystander intervention trainings amid hate surge

550 East 8th St., Suite 6, National City, CA 91950

THE United States government this week announced that it will not enforce the mask mandate on public transportation.

The decision comes after a federal judge on Monday, April 18 ruled that the mandate, which was to minimize the spread of the coronavirus, was unlawful.

U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle ruled against the mandate after a lawsuit was filed in Tampa, Florida, arguing that health officials were overstepping with the mandate.

“The agencies are reviewing the decision and assessing potential next steps,” the Biden administration official said, according to CNN. “In the meantime, today’s court decision means CDC’s public transportation masking order is not in effect at this time. Therefore, TSA will not enforce its Security Directives and Emergency Amendment requiring mask use on public transportation and transportation hubs at this time. CDC recommends that people continue to wear masks in indoor public transportation settings.”

Previously U.S. health officials had planned to extend the mask mandate until May 3 to require individuals to wear face coverings on airplanes,

PH Consulate suspends consular services due to staff exposure to COVID-19

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WTTC President and CEO Julia Simpson (left) on Wednesday, April 20 shared about the Council’s promising projections for tourism recovery in the Philippines enclosed in its latest Economic Impact Report (EIR) done in partnership with Oxford Economics. Simpson also recognized DOT Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat (center) for her leadership and efforts to continue to steer the country’s tourism industry to recovery, which included the push for border reopening and lifting of restrictions to allow a seamless process for visitors.

AJPress Photo by Momar G. Visaya

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THE Philippine Consulate General in New York has suspended consular operations beginning Wednesday, April 20 because several consulate personnel has tested positive for COVID-19. The consulate has also postponed its consular outreach mission scheduled on Saturday, April 23 in Bergenfield, New Jersey.

“A number of us tested positive today for a very aggressive strain of COVID-19. The rest, who tested negative, are monitoring themselves because they were exposed to our positive colleagues while doing election duty in the past several days and nights. Some have been told to isolate after exhibiting symptoms,” the consulate posted on Facebook.

PCGNY officers and staff have been working overtime for the past eight days to make sure that election ballots that only arrived in New York last Monday, April 11 would reach registered overseas voters as soon as possible to allow them to exercise their right to vote.

“We hope kababayan affected by the suspension of consular operations would

trains and other methods of transportation, like taxis and ride-share vehicles, as the thread of COVID-19 persists.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that it will not enforce the 14-month-old mandate but will continue to recommend individuals wear masks.

“As a result of a court order, effective immediately and as of April 18, 2022, CDC’s January 29, 2021 Order requiring masks on public transportation conveyances and at transportation hubs is no longer in effect. Therefore, CDC will not enforce the Order. CDC continues to recommend that

WTTC Economic Impact Report reveals significant recovery of PH tourism amid COVID-19 pandemic

by MoMar

PRESIDENTIAL BETS. President Rodrigo Duterte is greeted upon his arrival to attend the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) campaign rally on Congressional Road in Caloocan City on Tuesday, April 19.

PNA photo by Simeon Celi

DILG takes offense at US State Department report on impunity of PH state forces MANILA — The Department of the Interior and Local Government panned the U.S. State Department’s 2021 Country Report on Human Rights Practices released on the abuses by security forces in the Philippines, calling it “sweeping, rhetorical, and unfounded.”

This comes after the U.S. Department of State said that it received “credible reports that

members of the security forces committed numerous abuses” in its 2021 Country Report on Human Rights Practices.

The report pointed out — correctly, as even the national government’s own data will show — that drug-related killings linked to President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs” continue in the Philippines.

In a statement issued Tuesday

Mayor Gloria releases ‘Ready to Rebuild’ budget focused on improving city infrastructure and core services FY23 budget invests in aging stormwater system, improvements to parks and sidewalks, filling job vacancies

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Duterte says gov’t to stay neutral, will maintain order for May polls by alexis

roMero Philstar.com

SAN DIEGO – Mayor Todd Gloria on Friday, April 15 released his Fiscal Year 2023 proposed budget, with key investments in repairing aging infrastructure, improving the speed and quality of City of San Diego services, enforcing new regulations such as those addressing sidewalk vending and short-term rentals, enhancing pay and facilities for police, lifeguards and firefighters, addressing homelessness, and ensuring employee compensation is competitive in order to fill vacancies in key roles that deliver critical services to San Diegans.

The $4.89 billion “Ready to Rebuild” budget reflects the city’s transition out of the pandemic and Mayor Gloria’s commitment to investing in long-ignored San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria

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morning, April 20, the DILG called the report “a mere repetition of unsubstantiated accusations against Philippine security forces that were loosely picked up from the traditional and social media, paints a grim picture of the country’s peace and order situation that is so far removed from the realities on the ground.”

File photo/www.sandiego.gov

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, April 18 urged political parties to follow the law and to shun violence, warning them that the government will not allow terrorism to mar this year’s elections.

Duterte assured candidates that he won’t side with anybody as his administration performs its duty of maintaining law and order.

“Our appeal to our allies in our party and to the other side is for us to follow the rule of law... I will not side with anybody. We will be neutral and that goes for the entire economic and political setup...We are not here to do

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G. Visaya

AJPress

THE World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is bullish on the prospect of the Philippines’ tourism industry recovery, projecting a bright future and a rosy outlook in terms of economic growth and employment generation in the next 10 years.

Citing the latest Economic Impact Report, WTTC President and Chief Executive Officer Julia Simpson revealed that the embattled travel and tourism industry in the country reached US$ 41 billion in 2021, climbing 129.5.% year on year.

In the opening press conference of the 21st WTTC Global Summit held at the Marriott Hotel, Simpson lauded the leadership of Secretary Berna RomuloPuyat for her continuous efforts to revitalize the tourism industry of the Philippines, which has been steadily recovering despite the ongoing global health concern.

“Our expert analysis shows that the travel and

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Fil-Am Ditas Katague appointed to US Census Bureau post

by AJPress THE U.S. Census Bureau announced the appointment of Ditas Katague as associate director of communications, responsible for leading internal and external communications activities of the nation’s largest statistical agency.

This includes oversight of marketing, public affairs, congressional and intergovernmental affairs, partner engagement and media relations, according to a release from the bureau.

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Ditas Katague

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APRIL 22-28, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

From The FronT Page

WTTC Economic Impact Report reveals significant...

BANANA SUPPLY. Workers unload bundles of bananas from a truck to be delivered to retail stores in Barangay 176, Phase 4, Bagong Silang, Caloocan City on Thursday, April 21. The banana industry has taken the initiative to ensure its share in traditional overseas markets and explore new ones for the country’s leading fruit export. PNA photo by Ben Briones

Fil-Am Ditas Katague...

PAGE 1 “Ditas Katague brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and leadership to the Census Bureau,” said Census Bureau Director Robert L. Santos. “I congratulate Ms. Katague on her appointment and look forward to working with her to help communicate the important work of the Census Bureau to the American people, government leaders and policymakers.”

In a Linkedin post, Katague said she is “honored” to be appointed to her new position.

“I am honored to serve our country and the Biden Administration as the Associate Director of Communications at U.S. Census Bureau!

Looking forward to packing up and relocating to DC,” she wrote.

Prior to joining the Census Bureau, Katague was director of the California Complete Count – Census 2020 Office, the outreach and communications campaign that worked to ensure a complete population count of historically undercounted Californians. This built on her experience leading the state’s decennial census outreach efforts in 2000 and 2010.

In 2000, as chief deputy campaign director for the Governor’s 2000 Census California Complete Count campaign, she led a groundbreaking multilingual, multimedia outreach effort that resulted in a mail-in response return rate that outpaced the national rate.

From 2012 to 2018, she served on the Census Bureau’s National Advisory Committee on Race, Ethnicities and Other Populations, including three years as its chair.

An expert in multiethnic outreach and civic engagement, Katague also served as chief of staff to the California Public Utilities Commission, where she improved public participation and access to the energy and telecommunications utility rate and regulation process.

Since 1998, Katague has served on the Sacramento Center Advisory Board for the Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California. She holds an MPA from USC and a BA from UC Berkeley. n

Mask mandate lifted for US...

PAGE 1 people wear masks in indoor public transportation settings at this time,” the CDC wrote on its website.

Last January 2021, the agency released an order requiring that people aboard public transportation wear masks, regardless of vaccination status.

Following Monday’s decision, major airlines, such as American

Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Airlines, announced they would lift the restrictions.

“We are relieved to see the U.S. mask mandate lift to facilitate global travel as COVID-19 has transitioned to an ordinary seasonal virus,” Delta said in a statement.

Likewise, Amtrak, which operates the national train line, announced it would follow suit. n

PAGE 1 tourism economy has turned a corner, and is firmly on the road to recovery. This growth was primarily built on domestic travels and very much pioneered and led by Secretary Bernadette,” Simpson said.

According to said Economic Impact Report (EIR) for the Philippines, the sector supported 7.8 million jobs, representing a substantial 20.5% rise in 2020, compared with a global increase of 6.7%.

“In the nearly two years where international travel was put on hold, the Philippines has been busy preparing for the day when our country would be open to the world. We have put in place guidelines that will ensure the safety of our guests, our tourism workforce, and our community,” Puyat shared.

The Philippines has been open to visa-free countries since February 10 and all countries since April 1. Up until April 17, she said the country received about 270,000 foreign arrivals adding that the country has the least number of restrictions.

“Ultimately, through this summit, we hope to raise awareness of the full economic

Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat (center) together with World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) President and CEO Julia Simpson (left) and WTTC Chair and President & CEO of Carnival Corporation Arnold Donald (right) welcome delegates of the 21st WTTC Global Summit during the opening press conference held Wednesday, April 20 at the Marriott Hotel.

AJPress photo by Momar G. Visaya

and social impact of travel and tourism. We also want to assure everyone, especially our foreign guests, that your safety and well-being is our priority,” the Tourism Secretary emphasized.

Considered one of the most influential Travel & Tourism events worldwide, the WTTC Global Summit is an annual gathering of the entire spectrum of the industry,

including airlines and airports, hotels and hospitality groups, tour operators and retail travel agents, online distributors, cruise lines, investment companies, insurance groups, and the technology industry.

“Looking ahead, we forecast an average annual growth rate of 6.7% over the next 10 years, exceeding the expected country’s overall economy average growth rate of just 5.6%,” Simpson said.“We also forecast employment will grow annually by an average of 3% over the next 10 years, generating 2.9 million new jobs, accounting for 21.5% of all jobs in the Philippines.”

Before the pandemic, the Philippines Travel & Tourism sector’s contribution to GDP was 22.5% of the total economy (worth US$92.6 billion).

However, due to damaging travel restrictions, it then plunged by 80.7% to a mere US$ 17.8 billion, dropping to just a 4.8% share towards the country’s GDP. But in 2021 this rose to US$ 41 billion, representing a 10.4% share of the nation’s total economy, which signals the recovery of the sector is well underway. n

PH Consulate suspends consular services due to...

PAGE 1 understand why we have to do this. This is the first time the Consulate was hit hard

by COVID-19 and the decision to suspend was with the intention to protect kababayan from possible exposure,” the advisory added.

In a video message, Consul General Elmer G. Cato requested patience and understanding from the Filipino community, particularly those who were affected by the suspension of consular services.

He assured the public, particularly those who are still waiting for their ballots to arrive in the mail, that the remaining personnel is focused on making sure that the remaining ballots are all sent out.

“We have already delivered to the post office almost 60 percent of the almost 40,000 election packets that were sent to PCGNY,” the consul general said.

The consulate also advised kababayan who visited the Philippine Center on Monday, April 18, and Tuesday, April 19 to check themselves for symptoms and take the necessary tests and precautions.

Normal consular operations will resume

on Monday, April 25, 2022.

Despite Consul General Cato’s statement, some members of the community are still concerned about the delay in the sending of the election packets.

Some FilAm groups have also called out the “widespread OAV mishandling on the part of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), which according to R.A. 9189 should have transmitted ballots to embassies and consulates no later than 75days before the day of elections.”

They have also called for an investigation of the COMELEC to ensure they are held accountable for the poor handling of overseas absentee voting.

“They knew six years ago that there would be an election,” said Carolina de Leon of Malaya Movement New York. “They are well-paid public officials in the COMELEC. They should have been preparing for this election.”

De Leon added that the threat of disenfranchisement holds especially true for migrant, working Filipinos.

“We know that many of our kababayan are working in domestic work and are live-

in. If they’re living at their employers’ place for one week, two weeks, they might not get home in time to receive their ballots,” she said.

“We sent a letter to bring to the attention [of Ambassador Jose Romualdez] the disturbing problems regarding the Filipino Overseas Absentee Voting,” said Eric Lachica of U.S. Filipinos for Good Governance (USFGG).

Among the problems he mentioned was the embassy’s last-minute press release dated April 8 notifying the public of an April 9 deadline to submit applications for poll watchers, news media, and local community observers, leaving the public with an “unreasonable twenty-four-hour application deadline.”

“We are coming together to support Kontra Daya and the efforts to monitor fraud during this election,” said Nikki De Leon of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns.

“If you or anyone you know experience irregularities during the OAV period, please speak up. Your voice and experience will help to ensure a clean and honest election this 2022.” (By Momar G. Visaya/AJPress)n

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SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 22-28, 2022

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Starfleet Innotech inks new partnership with health data analytics firm Project Fort

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año

Philstar.com file photo

DILG takes offense at US State...

PAGE 1 He added that the report “belittles the hard work and sacrifice of the men and women of the PNP and the AFP who have been risking their lives to fulfill their sworn duty to fight criminality and illegal drugs.”

“The operations of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines down to the grassroots level have led to dramatic improvement of the general peace and security situation in the country since 2016,” he claimed.

“We join the Department of National Defense in posing a challenge to the US Department of State to substantiate their accusations so that we can properly address them through our internal mechanisms and the courts. Nonetheless, we will continue to do our sworn duty without fear or favor to maintain peace and order in our country.”

The claim that the report is “unsubstantiated” is false. A cursory check of the report shows that it cited the government’s own Commission on Human Rights, which said it had investigated 100 new complaints of alleged extrajudicial and politically motivated killings.

The commission investigated 130 victims allegedly perpetrated by 39 police personnel, eight military personnel, five insurgents, three local government officials and 45 unidentified persons. The CHR also investigated 49 drug-related killings with 53 victims with suspected police or Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency involvement.

It also pointed to the government’s own data that acknowledges over 6,200 killings in official anti-drug operations by state forces. Rights groups both here and abroad say the true death toll could be as high as 30,000.

Gov’t on the defense once more Año’s statement comes a day after the PNP, an attached body of the DILG, also pushed back against the content of the US State Department report, which it said was “very sweeping.”

“How come we already have 5,000 policemen that were already dismissed

for various infractions? How come we see that the pride and morale of the police is high? How come they are delivering over the years?” Police Gen. Dionardo Carlos, PNP chief said in mixed Filipino and English.

These echo the usual narratives employed by the administration in addressing killings over its so-called war on drugs.

To recall, a supposed “independent human rights probe” led by the DILG went as far as claiming that extrajudicial killings did not exist in the first few months of the Duterte administration.

Progress in cases of the government investigating itself has meanwhile been slow to nonexistent. The Commission on Human Rights has cast doubt on the government’s transparency in these probes, saying that investigations into thousands of other “drug war” cases are still pending, with only a handful of cases actually reaching the courts.

President Rodrigo Duterte has lashed out against international bodies — including the United Nations — calling for an investigation into his flagship project.

All the while, illegal drugs in the Philippines are cheaper than ever. In 2020, crystal methamphetamines or shabu was found to still be behind the most arrest and treatment admissions in the Philippines, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported.

“Local and international human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch described widespread impunity for killings. There were no prosecutions or convictions for extrajudicial killings in the year to October and three since the start of the drug war in 2016,” the US State Department said in its report.

“Human rights groups continued to express concern about abuses committed by the national police and other security forces and noted little progress in reforms aimed at improving investigations and prosecutions of suspected human rights violations.”

(Franco Luna with a report from Patricia Lourdes Viray/Philstar.com) n

STARFLEET Innotech, Inc. (OTC Pink: SFIO) (“SFIO” or “The “Company”) this week formalized a partnership with Project Fort to bring the health data analytics firm’s unique approach to proactive, datadriven community care to the wellness townships under SFIO’s Moraya brand.

Founded in 2020, Project Fort is a Philippine-based tech startup that uses data gathering tools to synthesize and analyze community health information, based on global best practices in public health. In doing so, the company unlocks insights that are impossible to glean on an individual level, so they can be turned into strategies for sustainable, meaningful changes on a community level.

“Our approach to community health, which is founded on public health practice and the healthy settings frameworks of the World Health Organization, recognizes wellbeing as a many-faceted equation that requires collaborations across the care continuum to champion,” said Erika Modina, Project Fort co-founder and CEO. “The traditional view of health stakeholders spanning patients, providers, and insurers fails to factor in the massively influential role that employers, school administrators, and local government units play in the daily health of our communities.”

With an initial focus on the workplace health setting, Project Fort caters to a largely underserved market in the Philippines. According to an ILO study published in 2021, roughly 745,000 people die annually due to poor working conditions. The study found this especially true in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asian regions. Long working hours, psychological stress, health-harming behavior to deal with that stress, and resulting strokes and heart disease were all listed as contributing factors.

In the Philippines, businesses lose at least $2 billion pesos due to poor employee health. This is in spite of companies already spending roughly $3 billion trying to take care of employees.

“The takeaway here is that companies are spending their money on the wrong things because of a lack of proper insight into employee health,” Modina said. “Insights that can only be gleaned, given the right tools and expertise.

We believe there’s a better, proactive way to care for our people.”

Early in the pandemic, Project Fort played a critical role for businesses looking to build more resilient health systems for their workforces. For Ever Gotesco, a Metro Manila-based mall operator, Project Fort’s daily surveillance tools flagged a possible outbreak early in July 2020. Utilizing data it had been gathering on the mall’s workforce since May that year, Project Fort’s health officer was able to deploy a targeted testing protocol, cutting the need to test all 3,000 tenants and direct employees down to about 30 specific individuals. In addition to cutting costs down by about 89%, this meant a speedy response that neutralized the outbreak before it even began.

“Our main challenge as a startup is establishing touch points across different healthy settings to ensure we can deliver a truly whole-of-society approach to community care,” Modina said. “We began by focusing on the workplace setting, where we leveraged our data analytics to help businesses both save money and improve overall employee health. Our ultimate goal is to bring this same approach of proactive, data-driven care to the spaces communities work, live, and play in. This partnership with

Moraya enables us to do exactly that.”

As the flagship brand for SFIO’s real estate division, Moraya aims to establish itself as a global leader in wellness tourism. With an initial focus on the Philippines, Moraya actively explores new technologies in data and integrative medicine, marrying them with Filipinos’ worldclass hospitality, and integrating them into the beautiful natural locales of the Philippines. Over the past few months, the company has announced a number of real estate development projects, largely waterfront townships in the Philippines. By 2024, SFIO aims to complete $300 million worth of these real estate projects.

To lead Moraya, SFIO CEO Jeths Lacson says the group has brought in decades of experience across wellness tourism, integrative medicine, master planning, business development, and sales. Among these industry leaders is AG Architects, an SFIO subsidiary, which has led awardwinning green projects like Crowne Plaza in Changi Airport. The company also recently struck a partnership with Australia-based construction startup Luyten to bring their 3D concrete printing technologies to the Philippines.

This latest partnership with Project Fort expands on the company’s investments in technology as a driving force for wellness.

“Project Fort and Moraya will be co-developing a community health dashboard for townships, a major step forward towards our ultimate goal of building datadriven, tech-enabled public health systems for cities,” said Modina. “We will be developing and operating a new version of Project Fort, catering to the wellness tourism townships being developed in Batangas and Palawan.”

Within Moraya’s townships, Project Fort’s health dashboard will allow wellness teams to monitor the overall health of their communities, while also enabling residents and visitors to access community health services like fitness, mindfulness, and nutrition classes. As with all SFIO’s strategic partnerships, collaborative innovation plays a big role in Project Fort and Moraya’s shared roadmap. In building communities of the future, Project Fort is now in talks with NeuroSky, a health wearable developer based in Silicon Valley and fellow SFIO ecosystem player. The two tech companies are currently exploring plans to build proprietary wearables under the Project Fort brand to augment its data gathering efforts.

“Each of the platforms we build and partner with must first and foremost be integral to our businesses,” said Richard Prodigalidad, SFIO’s chief technology officer. “But we have longer term plans for these platforms as well – investing in subscription-based software services for other businesses, thereby turning our technology services into highly-lucrative revenue generators as well. As we plan to scale SFIO exponentially, we see technology products like Project Fort as precisely the vehicle to get us there.”

Through SFIO’s global network, Project Fort expects to build pathways to new markets, such as New Zealand and the United States, where demand for these types of community care platforms is expected to bring in exponential growth. By utilizing its data analytics and public health expertise, Project Fort can help communities achieve greater savings and better health outcomes, all towards building healthier workplaces, townships, and cities for generations to come.

(Advertising Supplement)

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APRIL 22-28, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

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Mayor Gloria releases ‘Ready to Rebuild’ budget... Civil rights org...

PAGE 1 but critical projects and programs that will prepare San Diego for the next several decades. It’s the second in a series of budgets that plan for the elimination of the city’s longstanding structural deficit by aligning efficient spending with realistic projected revenues over the course of the next several years.

“Budgets are statements of priorities, and this plan prioritizes a healthy fiscal future for San Diego with investments that protect and enhance quality of life for all of our residents,” Mayor Todd Gloria said. “We’re making sure we have personnel to perform the work to address the backlog of repairs to streets, park facilities and sidewalks, and to fix the storm drains that keep our beaches and waterways clean. We’re playing the long game with this budget – thinking about how this year’s spending decisions affect San Diego’s financial position five years from now and making sure our city stays on a course toward true stability in every respect.”

This year’s budget reflects an improved financial outlook as economic activity recovers, with revenues up over the last fiscal year and poised to continue to grow. Overall, the city’s Department of Finance is projecting total general fund revenues will be up 8.2%, or $143.3 million, over the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. Property tax revenue is forecast to be up 4.1%, or $27.8 million; Transient Occupancy Tax is expected to grow by $36.7 million, or 38.5%; franchise fees from energy and telecommunications utilities will grow by $17.6 million, or 22%; and sales tax is expected to be up more than 15%, or $48.5 million, over last year’s figures.

Despite the ongoing recovery, the budget faced a shortfall this year and will use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to replace lost revenue in order to maintain service levels. This year’s budget deficit will be backfilled by $123.5 million in ARPA funds, with the remaining balance of $55.8 million in ARPA funds held back to fill a narrowing but still present deficit expected next year. Longrange planning by the city’s Department of Finance aims to effectively eliminate the structural deficit that’s plagued San Diego for decades within the next several years.

“In this next year’s budget, I’m gratified to see the continued investment in supporting our public safety personnel, which is coming at a critical time,” said City Councilmember Chris Cate, who represents District 6 and chairs the Council’s Budget and Government Efficiency Committee. “Additionally, of all the issues I hear about from District 6 residents, infrastructure is consistently a top priority.

The Mayor’s budget will help address and bolster these significant issues, all of which impact San Diegans every day.”

Long-term planning was a central theme in the development of the Mayor’s proposed budget, with key investments in stormwater to comply with more stringent state waterquality laws and to repair failing or damaged storm drains and pumps that prevent flooding and water pollution. This year’s budget includes $8.8 million to prepare for a major

stormwater infrastructure overhaul over the next several years using low-interest federal loans; $4.1 million for pump station repairs and maintenance; $4.1 million for additional street sweeping; and $1.4 million to educate residents on how to avoid common inadvertent pollution.

The plan funds key neighborhood priorities, including investments in improving Parks & Recreation services, with an additional $4.3 million over the prior year’s budget dedicated to recruitment and training of workers and addressing high staff turnover and vacancies by converting hourly staff to salaried positions – an approach used successfully to improve Library Department staffing and services this year.

“San Diegans in every neighborhood should expect and receive quality roads, parks and libraries. Unfortunately, years of neglect and shortsighted decisions have left many communities lacking what they need,” said City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera. “That era is over, and the Mayor’s proposed budget is proof of that. I’m excited to partner with my Council colleagues to build on the Mayor’s proposal and put together a budget that meets immediate needs and sets the City up for long-term success.”

Building on last year’s major investments in street repair, the FY23 budget adds $8 million to improve streets with upgraded traffic signals, sidewalks and curb ramps, traffic management, tree maintenance and graffiti and weed removal. The Capital Improvements budget also dedicates over $77 million to street resurfacing – an increase of $27.6 million over the current annual budget.

Implementation and enforcement of new, long-awaited regulations for short-term rentals and sidewalk vending add up to just over $6 million in the budget, while $4.3 million is being added to existing efforts to address homeless encampments in neighborhoods.

“I applaud the Mayor’s budget because it addresses some of the most important issues in District 2 and throughout the city,” said City Councilmember Jennifer Campbell, who represents Mission Beach in District 2, where the announcement was held. “I’m looking forward to the enforcement of the new regulations on short-term vacation rentals and the new vendors ordinance. The Mayor’s budget will also work to resolve homelessness and create more housing for San Diegans.”

The proposed budget lays out spending to continue to address homelessness, with an additional $13.6 million dedicated to increasing shelter capacity, services and coordinated street outreach. Total funding for homelessness services is $63.3 million in this budget, with two-thirds of that sum coming from state and federal grant programs.

The budget also includes funding to make significant progress on fulfilling the goals of the city’s ambitious Climate Action Plan (CAP), including key positions that will implement the CAP and expertise to help develop the Mobility Action Plan, the Zero Gas Emissions Vehicle Strategy and the Building Decarbonization Strategy. It also includes

the addition of a Chief Resiliency Officer, responsible for implementation of the Climate Resilient SD plan to prepare our communities for the impacts of climate change.

Importantly, the budget includes $5.4 million to comply with Senate Bill 1383, which requires the city to divert organic waste such as yard and food scraps from the landfill to compost and mulch production, reducing the significant carbon emissions created by rotting waste. These funds will pay for the deployment of 240,000 green waste containers and kitchen pails, routeoptimization hardware and software for collections, and an educational campaign to ensure San Diego residents understand these new waste-reduction requirements.

Public safety continues to comprise a significant portion of the budget, and this year’s proposal invests in facilities, recruitment, police overtime and gang prevention. The city is currently in contract negotiations with the public safety bargaining units for police, firefighters and lifeguards, and the proposed budget anticipates salary increases that will be included in the final budget.

“I want to thank Mayor Gloria for his commitment in his proposed budget to public safety and law enforcement,” Police Chief David Nisleit said. “The San Diego Police Department is responding to calls that require more and more of our officers every day. This year’s budget will allow us to recruit and retain more officers and prioritize programs to keep our communities safe.”

The spending proposal also funds equity programs to help ensure all San Diegans have an opportunity to thrive, with an additional $1 million to operate the Office of Race & Equity, Office of Child & Youth Services and Office of Immigrant Affairs. The budget also adds $1.2 million to balance recreation programming throughout the city, $171,000 for translation/ interpretation services, $441,000 for the digital equity program, and $850,000 for technical and bonding assistance programs to help diverse contractors successfully compete for City business. In addition, the Connect 2 Careers and Small Business Enhancement programs together will see an additional $1.25 million in the next budget cycle.

To help facilitate citywide housing production by reducing permitting times, the budget adds staff capacity for the City’s Development Services Department to speed processing times. These new positions are cost-recoverable and will enable the City to focus a subset of permit technicians, reviewers and supervisors to permit projects that deliver new homes.

Mayor Gloria was to formally present his proposed budget to the City Council on Monday, April 18, which will be followed by several weeks of public hearings leading up to the release of a revised budget on May 17 that incorporates councilmember and community feedback. Final consideration by the City Council will take place in mid-June, with adoption of an appropriation ordinance due no later than June 30.

(SD Mayor’s Office Release) n

PAGE 1 resources,” Sayno said, noting that training participants will be able to learn to intervene effectively as a bystander without compromising their safety. The 1-hour training covers the core concepts of the 5Ds (Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, Direct), providing concrete tools for those who choose to intervene when they witness someone else being targeted by harassment.

Advancing Justice-LA welcomes everyone to join their next free Tagalog training, which is scheduled to take place via Zoom on Thursday, April 21 at 6 p.m., Pacific time. To sign up, please visit https://aaajla. zoom.us/webinar/register/ WN_5zVC7soWRhu4K3jq2Oybg or call their Tagalog helpline at 855.300.2552.

By spending just one hour on this training, participants will join the legions of people who have been trained since April 2020. Since the Advancing Justice affiliates in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., in collaboration with nonprofit partner Right to Be (formerly known as Hollaback!) launched their first training, they have trained over 150,000 people.

Of all people who reported witnessing harassment after completing the training, 75% reported intervening, a best practice in reducing trauma and de-escalating violence.

Indeed, the bystander intervention training program itself was launched in direct response to the sharp increase in anti-Asian hate crimes and hate incidents since the pandemic began. The Advancing Justice national affiliation has been documenting these hate crimes and hate incidents since 2017 at www.standagainsthatred. org. Thousands of incidences have been logged there since early 2020, but the organization is certain that many more that go unreported.

Some of the highest numbers of hate incidents happen in California. During the start of the pandemic in 2020, hate crimes against Asians jumped 107% in the Golden State.

This bystander intervention training program is needed as Advancing Justice-LA continues to regularly receive calls on their Asian language

hotlines and online reports, relating to hate incidents and harassment.

According to Christina Yang, General Counsel and Pro Bono Director at Advancing Justice – LA, “It is essential for us to train directly in Asian languages and make bystander intervention trainings more accessible to broader audiences, especially those who are still under attack and scapegoated for the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Sayno said the organization also encourages training participants to tell at least 10 of their friends and/or families about the training program – whether English, Tagalog, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, or Korean. More free training sessions are posted at https://advancingjustice-la. org/bystander-interventiontrainings Advancing Justice-LA is one of California’s largest legal and civil rights organization for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). Founded in 1983 as the Asian Pacific Legal Center, Advancing JusticeLA serves more than 15,000 every year. Through direct services, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and more, Advancing Justice-LA focuses on the most vulnerable members of AAPI communities.

Advancing Justice-LA is based in downtown Los Angeles, and also has staff located in Anaheim and Sacramento.

Right to Be, meanwhile, is a non-profit global organization formed to raise awareness about and combat to harassment, both online and in-person, through intervention trainings and grassroots initiatives.

Advancing Justice-LA will offer these bystander intervention trainings as long as there is a need for them in the community, and as long as funding is available to continue the program.

The trainings are free to the public, but donations are also welcomed in support of this program and to further expand awareness within Filipino and other AAPI communities.

To donate, go to https:// donate.advancingjustice-la. org/give/345175/#!/donation/ checkout Any questions may be directed to Christina Yang at cyang@advancingjusticela.org. (Donnabelle Gatdula Arevalo/AJPress) n

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SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 22-28, 2022

Dateline PhiliPPines

5

Pope Francis reappoints PH’s Sofia Frank scores personal Davao archbishop as best in world junior championships member of Vatican office by maRk

GionGco Inquirer.net

by John

eRic mendoza Inquirer.net

MANILA — Pope Francis has reappointed Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles as member of Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (CDW), the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news agency has

reported.

According to CBCP News, Valles received his appointment on March 29, but the Davao Archdiocese has only publicized the appointment on Sunday, April 17.

Valles’ reappointment was conveyed by the Vatican’s Secretariat of State to Archbishop Arthur Roche, prefect of the Vatican

department, on Monday, March 18, according to CBCP. Valles said that “it is a joy to serve the Church in this manner” and to represent the Philippines in the dicastery.

Pope Francis first named Valles and 26 other bishops to be members of CDW in October 2016.

Valles was president of the CBCP from 2017 to 2021. n

MANILA — Philippines’ Sofia Frank reset her personal best in her maiden campaign at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.

Frank tallied her highest score in the short program with 53.86 to finish at 22nd place among 43 competitors over the weekend.

The Filipino-American, however, struggled in the free skate where she registered a score of 83.14 for a total of 137.00.

The 16-year-old Frank’s previous high in the short program was 53.30 during the Finlandia Trophy in October of last year.

American Isabeau Levito won the gold with an overall score Sofia Lexi Jacqueline Frank of the Philippines performs during the women’s short program of the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at the Tondiraba Ice Hall in Tallinn on of 206.55 while South Korean January 20, 2022.

Photo by Daniel Mihailescu/AFP out of the 67,442,616 printed ballots to be Shin Jin-a (206.1) and another defective and need reprinting.

American in Lindsay Thorngren (199.42) claimed the silver and bronze, respectively. n With 17 days to go before election day, he said they can and will finish all the printing requirements and schedule the destruction of the defective ballots.

Comelec Chairman Saidamen Pangarungan presidential aspirant Ferdinand of PDP are weak. But aside from said everything is going on schedule. “Deployment PAGE 1 (of election paraphernalia) is ongoing, so we’re wrong,” the president said during “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. but the that, over and above all of these president has distanced himself things is the fact that we are ready for the election. We are in fact ahead of a pre-recorded public address.

“We will not countenance nor from the endorsement. tasked by the Constitution to schedule in terms of deployment,” he said.

However, Duterte is supporting see to it that the elections are in Also, the Comelec signed a memorandum allow disorder nor intimidation, of agreement with the Commission on Higher nor violence. We will remain the vice-presidential bid of his order,” the President said.

Duterte said he expects Education for a voter education campaign neutral and we’ll see to it that the daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara aimed at helping increase the voter turnout and true will of the people will prevail Duterte-Carpio, who is running politicians to honor election in this election,” he added. under the Marcos-led Uniteam rules, including the limits on strengthen “democracy in the country.”

Duterte said his duty to Alliance. He is also endorsing security aides.

Makeshift polling precincts for Agaton-hit maintain law and order was the 17 senatorial candidates and the “We have decided. I’ve areas communicated this with the Meanwhile, makeshift polling centers will be reason why he refused to endorse local candidates of PDP-Laban.

“Even though I have a party, Cabinet that the rules should constructed in areas ravaged by storm Agaton, a candidate for president. The according to Comelec Executive Director PDP-Laban faction led by Duterte I distanced myself, except those really be followed. It should be is supporting the candidacy of rallies, I saw that the candidates the Alunan doctrine because Bartolome Sinocruz Jr. it’s better, that more than two As of Thursday, the Comelec regional office in bodyguards would be considered Leyte has already procured the needed materials a private army,” he added. for the makeshift polling precincts.

Duterte advised candidates Although these temporary structures will be who fear for their safety to contact made of wood, Sinocruz said they will be built the regional police directors and according to the needs of a particular area to to avoid conflict, especially the ensure that a good number of voters would be use of firearms. Politicians with accommodated. unlicensed firearms would go to “It would depend on what is required, like a prison, he added. small small room... it will be approximately the “Remember, we in the same size as a polling room,” he said in Filipino. government won’t allow terrorism When asked about prepositioned election during the election. We won’t paraphernalia, Sinocruz said that none of them side with anyone... Believe it were affected by the damage wrought by Agaton. or not, this is for real, we will He said the VCMs, the Broadband Global Area enforce the law to make the Network and the Consolidated and Canvassing System were still en route to Leyte when the President Rodrigo Roa Duterte during a meeting with key government officials at the election peaceful,” the president storm hit the province. n Malacañang Palace on Monday, April 18.

Malacañang photo by Karl Alonzo said. n

Comelec expects higher overseas voter turnout

by RobeRtzon

RamiRez

Philstar.com

MANILA — Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials are expecting a bigger overseas voter turnout than in previous elections regardless of all the controversy and “fake news” hounding the voting system.

Commissioner George Garcia on Thursday, April 21 said the month-long overseas absentee voting (OAV) which began April 10 has been generally peaceful.

“There have been some controversy – fake news as it turns out; apparently, untrue,” Garcia said in Filipino. “It’s been generally peaceful.

Everything has gone well.”

Amid reports of Filipinos overseas lining up at embassies and consulates, he expressed hope that more overseas voters will turn up this year.

Commissioner Marlon Casquejo said the overseas voting is “very much interesting.”

“We are expecting a much higher voting turnout as compared with the 2016 and 2019 elections,” said Casquejo, noting encouraging numbers along voting lines with more than two weeks left before the last day on May 9.

To date, he said about 30 percent of registered voters in Hong Kong have already cast their ballots, while in other countries, the turnout is at 20 percent.

All over the world, there are 1.7 million registered overseas Filipinos entitled to vote for president, vice president, senators and a partylist group.

Here in the Philippines, everything is ready for the May 9 national and local elections except for the final ballots to be printed and the complete deployment of election paraphernalia and vote counting machines (VCMs) nationwide.

Garcia said the Comelec has identified 372,878

Duterte says gov’t to stay....

6

APRIL 22-28, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

OpiniOn

Overcapacity

Features Philstar.com photo

SINCE Boracay was reopened to tourism in October 2018 following a sixmonth shutdown for rehabilitation, a carrying capacity has been imposed on the world-famous resort island.

President Duterte had ordered the shutdown at the peak of the travel season in the summer of 2018 after finding out that the island’s sewage was being spewed into Boracay’s waters and overbuilding was destroying the top tourist destination.

The carrying capacity has not been lifted, and was in fact further reduced in the past two years in line with COVID health safety protocols. So health officials were disheartened to see the capacity limit breached during the Holy Week.

Pre-pandemic, the daily carrying capacity was set at 19,000. The Malay Tourism Office, however, reported to the Department of Tourism that Boracay visitors hit 21,252 on April 14, Maundy Thursday, and 22,519 on April 15, Good Friday. The DOT said the government of Malay town in Aklan would receive a warning from the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

The Malay government had previously drawn flak

for the proliferation of fake COVID reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction swab test results used by visitors to enter Boracay during the pandemic lockdowns. As the Omicron-driven surge last January eased, however, the government lifted effective Feb. 2 the requirement for a negative RT-PCR test result for entering Boracay and another popular travel destination, Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro, as long as the tourist is fully vaccinated.

But the pre-pandemic carrying capacity for Boracay, meant to protect the island’s environment, has not been changed. The local government is supposed to enforce the capacity limit, which should not be a daunting task since visitors enter Boracay by boat and must be registered.

If not curbed quickly, the capacity breach may become the norm, and Boracay may soon return to what it was before its rehabilitation, as described by the President: a cesspool. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

In their own words: Why Filipinos are now switching to Leni and Kiko

The Fil-Am Perspective Gel SantoS-ReloS AMID the troubling reports of some Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) receiving pre-shaded ballots in the mail electing Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte-Carpio, amid some overseas absentee voters suddenly not finding their names in the roster of eligible voters even when they have already registered and voted in the past with good standing in the community…

Amid the misogynist attack of presidential candidate Isko Moreno against the lone female candidate VP Leni Robredo, asking the VP who places second in (questionable) polls to withdraw from the race so that those trailing behind her would get the attention they are craving for…

Amid the P203-Billion unpaid estate tax by the Marcos family, represented by its administrator presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos whose campaign continues to spew lies and disinformation to discredit VP Leni Robredo and Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, resorting to peddling malicious fake sex videos targeting Robredo’s eldest daughter Aika...

Indeed, the Lord has ways to reveal the true color of presidential candidates, how they respond to crisis situations, how they are truly transparent and accountable to the Filipino people, and just how true of a public servants they are.

Trending now on social media is the big switch of supporters — ordinary Filipino voters who now join honorable former government officials, retired military officers, members of the academe, businessmen and financial analysts, professional

groups of doctors, lawyers, teachers, nurses, artists, even the farmers, fishermen, nongovernment organization leaders fighting for the truth, justice, good governance, human rights, the rule of law, etc — in endorsing and campaigning for Leni Robredo and her only chosen trusted Vice Presidential candidate Kiko Pangilinan.

Why the big switch? What did they find in Leni and Kiko that made them decide to drop the candidate they formerly were supporting to give their all out vote of trust and confidence to Leni and Kiko? Here are some of their comments on social media in response to Papi Lucas on Twitter.

“I’m thinking of switching to Leni just because I just don’t want bbm to win this race. For me he is incompetent and not a great leader. Naging sikat lang siya because of his father, nevertheless Leni is our 2nd choice . So be it if the survey stand still We will Switch to Leni. At first I was hesitant to switch to her side but then again I realized something. Isa sa pinaka tumatak sakin is bukod tanging siya lang ang “Walang Bahid ng Korapsyon, Transparent at honest”. Katangiang hindi ko nakita sa ibang kandidato.

Enlighten me why Leni Please?

Team Isko kase kami buong fam pero sa nakikita kong survey mukhang si Leni lang ang may chance na lumaban for bbm.”— Papiii Lucass “Si VP Leni hindi pakitang tao ang pagtulong sa kapwa. Kahit noong wala pa sya sa politika ay matulungin na sya sa mga nasa laylayan. Kaya nung mapasok sya sa politika ay sinikap nya lalo ang makatulong sa pamamagitan ng mga programa nya tulad ng Angat Buhay program.” — Rina David “Sa conference nangyari nakita ko ang ugali ni Isko. Yung walang galang sa babae. Di kasalanan ni

VP Leni na yung mga supporters ni Isko ay lumipat kay VP Leni. May nakita mga dating supporters sa paguugali lately ni Isko. Ok si Isko sana pero hindi ito time. Maaga pa. Nagulat ako bakit ganun na lang galit nya kay VP Leni. Bakit si VP Leni ang gusto nya umatras.dahil ba sa Transparency Act na ipapatupad ni VP Leni? Sa nangyari conference pinakita ni Isko ang extreme desire nya to win over VP Leni. Wala sya sinabi tungkol kay BBM.” — Katrina Joaquin “700B ang nawawala sa kaban ng bayan kada taon dahil sa korupsyon. Imagine 700B na galing sa pinaghirapan ng taong bayan, na dapat sana napakinabangan natin. Pero binulsa lang ng mga ganid na buwaya. Papayag ka ba na nakawin lang ang pinaghirapang mong tax? Kaya kay Leni na tayo.” — Jaxpineda1 “Bakit si LENI? She has The Qualification: L - Love for God and country E - Excel on helping the needy with insufficient budget N - No record of corruption I - Intelligent as professional lawyer and economist” — Rommel Manalo “These are few of OVP’s proj (PPE procurement, locally made PPEs, Bayanihan E-Consulta, Test kits, food and care paCKages, shuttle service, relief operations, online community market, teacher training, etc.) just in the pandemic alone. Before pa tayo mag lockdown she already had a meeting with experts as part of her prep. Kaya nung nag lockdown, isa siya, if not the first, sa mga nakapagsend agad ng PPEs at nag provide ng shelter at transpo sa medical frontliners.”

— Prongs05 “Being in govt service, nasa kanya talaga yung ina-advocate na data-based planning (na hindi puwede sa executives na tamad), proactive, & prudence & transparency in govt spending.”

— @Joyjoyclar “Pinaka impt sa akin yung 3 yrs in a row na highest rating nakuha ng Office of the VP sa Commission on Audit.

Ibig sabihin, walang nakitang corruption! Mahalaga sa akin yun kasi ayoko ng Presidenteng pasimpleng nagnanakaw” — @ Tonettejadaone “At bilang auditor sa COA, binubusisi talaga namin ang agency. Financial, Compliance at Performance audit yon tapos 3 years in a row na Unqualified sila so it speaks Transparency!”

— randomcuites22 “Even oppositions can’t find anything to use against her apart from lenlen, lugaw, babae, fake and spliced videos, accusations with no evidence.

Isko pocketed money that he can use to improve the conditions of his constituents. Even if you say that’s legal, delicadeza na lang.”

— Baguio1973 “It’s the pandemic response of the OVP that really made me think she is fit for the job. So efficient and very much in tune with what the public needs. Also, walang corruption at all, since COA always gives her office a high rating.” — Nuelle Duterte (Niece of President Duterte) “Unahin na natin ang Angat Buhay Project niya.

Limitadong budget, pero napakacomprehensibo ng sakop.

Makikita mo naman po sa OVP reports lahat-lahat ng proyekto nila, pero eto po noong ang 1st yr palang nila.” — @MeasinmeMe “If I were to hire a President AND Vice President they should be someone na alam ang reyalidad ng ordinaryong pinoy - not limited to their cities but basically in tune sa eksena sa lahat ng areas ng bansa- not purong lip service lang.” — @ ToniSpeakEasy “Mabilis umaksyon. Walang bahid ng korapsyon. Malinis ang track record. Walang mga kasong kinakaharap sa ibang

bansa. Hindi political dynasty at napakahumble ng pamilya.” — @ Nelson_0628 “Kasi mabuti syang tao. Legit yung bayanihan e-konsulta.

Nagaattend pa sya ng debriefing ng volunteers pag may time sya. Ganun nya pahalagahan ang kapwa nya. Hindi mema lang yung mahal ko kayo. Totoo sya…” — @KEvangelista24 “Di pa siya pulitiko NGO worker na siya at nagserve as probono lawyer sa SALIGAN. At ang pagiging NGO worker niya nadala niya hanggang sa naging pulitiko siya. Pwede mong icheck ang angat buhay program niya at website niya https://lenirobredo. com Pwede i-fact check yan.”

— @BuddyReyes27 “1. Highest COA rating = all funds in OVP are liquidated down to the last centavo.

2. Proactive in the pandemic and disaster response.

3. Highly involved sa Marawi rehabilitation (pabahay, livelihood).

4. Livelihood programs sa mga mahihirap na communities.”

— @MATom_MD “We need an economic expert amidst the pandemic, the rising gasoline prices, and the climate crisis (“Let the Earth Breathe”). Si Leni yan. Some of her platforms include the Public Employment Program, National Unemployment Insurance Program, etc.” — @Sivviee “Yung projects niya, pinagiisipan to address root causes hindi lang band aid solutions. And nagagawa niya to ng walang bahid ng korapsyon at supplemented ng donations from people who trust her.

Walang kuryente sa Agutaya?

Solar alternative naman. Walang iniiwan si VP.” — @altacctjustcoz “Walang masyadong mandato pero maraming nagawa ang kaniyang opisina. Sa mga bagyo o anumang sakuna siya ay laging handa, kahit limited budget. Pag

There are only a few overseas voters

Babe’s Eye View BaBe Romualdez SADLY, in spite of the fact that we have an estimated 12 million Filipinos living overseas, it is unfortunate that only 1.69 million Filipinos and dual citizens living in foreign countries/territories have registered to vote for the 2022 presidential elections. This is a drop from the 1.8 million overseas absentee voters (OAVs) who registered for the 2019 midterm elections, with the voter turnout also at a low 20 percent.

Here in the United States, we have a large number of Filipino-Americans who have

decided to become dual citizens (mainly because of the COVID restrictions imposed on foreigners entering the Philippines) – making them eligible to vote, but they opted not to register and vote.

For the 2022 elections, the number of registered OAVs for the United States stands at 212,565. Of that number, 37,657 are under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. while the rest are under the jurisdiction of the consulates across the U.S. and in Guam. In 2019, the number of registered voters in the U.S. was 228,470, and voter turnout was disappointing at 17.29 percent.

One of the reasons why the numbers have been low is due to the tedious process, with

registration and voting done by mail or through personal appearance at Philippine embassies or consulates abroad. One other reason why OFWs opt not to vote as well is because they find it difficult to personally register at the embassies or consulates due to the distance they have to travel and having to skip work, too.

Sea-based overseas Filipinos – who comprise only 19,584 out of the 1.69 million who registered – have an even tougher time because the areas where their ships are currently docked may be too far from the Philippine embassies or consulates. And even if they manage to register, how can they vote if they happen to be onboard during the one-month voting period allocated for

OFWs? Under the current system, the Comelec sends to embassies and consulates worldwide the individual voting packets containing instructions, official ballot, envelope and other election paraphernalia.

In the U.S., the voting method is strictly postal, so embassy/ consular personnel have to manually put the election materials together and send them out to registered voters – many of whom complain about the inconvenience and the cost of having to go to the post office to send back the filled ballots.

Just like the 2019 midterm elections, problems are being encountered as the shipment of the vote counting machines (VCMs) and ballots from the Comelec was delayed. While

the one-month election period is from April 10 to May 9, the first shipment containing approximately one-tenth of the total expected number of ballots only arrived on April 12, with the last shipment of election paraphernalia received by the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. on April 15.

Even during the Holy Week, our embassy personnel were working overtime to process the election packets for mailing to registered voters. In a span of 24 hours since the arrival of the first shipment, they were able to mail several thousands of ballots. Our posts are concentrating on the overseas absentee voting up to May 9, and this is causing consular work to temporarily take a backseat. In spite of the

siya mabigyan ng pagkakataon na maging Presidente mas marami pa siyang magagawa at hindi mababaon sa utang ang Pilipinas.” — @Diana_Nicole03 “VP Leni has spent most of her adult life working for the poor and the disadvantaged. With little or no pay. She’s a public servant at heart. Nasa puso ang pagtulong.

Sana you can consider her on May 9. Thank you!” — @ItIsRight “Hindi sya ang lesser evil, si VP Leni talaga ang good choice.

Minsan lang dadaan sa life natin ang ganitong candidate. For the longest years, nasanay tayo na lagi corrupt namumuno, this time good at clean governance naman. with VP office received 3x highest COA rating.” — @GreatMidoriya “Marami nang sagot pero para saken, yung super empath nya. Di kase un napag-aaralan sa school or napepeke. Either may pake ka sa kapwa mo, or wala. Siya kase, ramdam talaga.

Empaths know empaths after all.

Kaya ramdam talaga na sincere sya. Di pabibo lang. At ang hottest take saken: alam kong wala siyang pagkakautangan ng loob except sa mga tao din. Etong people’s campaign ang biggest proof. The voters are investing on her and Kiko. So kung may pagkakautangan sila ng loob, ang voters yun. Nasatin ang panalo. :)” — @cheonsa232 *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

*** Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989. She was a news anchor, TV host and radio commentator and public service host for ABS- CBN and DZMM. She is now working on her advocacies independently, serving the Filipino audience using different media platforms. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@ icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos. Also on Twitter, Instagram: Gel Santos Relosv

extra work put in by embassy and consular personnel, some people have the temerity to make malicious insinuations that the delays are intentional, and that there is purportedly a conspiracy to deny Filipinos their right to vote. What a lame theory. The embassy and the consulates are not responsible for the shipment of VCMs and ballots.

The government is spending a lot of money and utilizing so many resources, including personnel, for the conduct of the overseas absentee voting.

The 2022 presidential election is undoubtedly very important – but the system has not really improved with the same glitches in the past happening again, along with the pandemic compounding the situation.

As far back as three years ago, I have already broached the idea

u PAGE 7

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

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7

PH tops world list in Catholic baptisms There are only a few...

by Franco Jose

c. Baroña

ManilaTimes.net

THE Philippines continues to have the highest number of Catholic baptisms compared to other places in the world, according to data released in the 2020 Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae or the Statistical Yearbook of the Church.

According to the Church’s statistical yearbook, the Philippines had 1.6 million newly baptized Catholics in 2020, followed by Mexico with 1.53 million and Brazil with 1.12 million.

The Philippines also topped the list in 2019.

The yearbook also gives detailed figures on the Church’s workforce, sacramental life, dioceses and parishes.

Overall, the number of Catholics in the world reached 1.36 billion, an increase of 16 million over the previous year.

While Catholics continued to account for 17.7 percent of the world population, their numbers grew in Africa by about 2.1 percent and in Asia by 1.8 percent. In Europe, the increase

ManilaTimes.net photo

was just 0.3 percent.

According to Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Charles John Brown, the Christian faith continues to flourish in the country and has borne more fruit five centuries later.

Brown said this is “a living testament of faith in the 500 years of Catholicism in the country.”

He said this is a great blessing for Filipinos who strive to express their faith in the communities they belong to despite the various challenges faced due to

LEGAL SERVICES CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00013372-CU-PT-CTL TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Nazir Samadi filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Nazir Samadi to Adam Crow.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 05/31/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 25 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego North County Division 325 S. Melrose Dr. Vista, CA 92081 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: APR. 11, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT JAMES E. SIMMONS JR. Judge of the Superior Court AJ 934 04/15, 04/22, 04/29, and 05/06/2022.

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD #934

the pandemic.

It will be recalled that in Pope Francis’ message at the 500 Years of Christianity celebration, he thanked Filipinos for being “smugglers of faith” in various parts of the world through overseas Filipino workers.

The pope first extended the granting of plenary indulgence in the Philippines until Dec. 31, 2022 in gratitude for the 500 Years of Christianity.

In the 3,026 Ecclesiastical Circumscriptions, at the end of 2019 there were 5,364 bishops, with America and

Europe continuing to represent 68.8 percent of the world total, followed by Asia (with 15.2 percent), Africa (13.4 percent) and Oceania (2.6 percent).

The number of priests also increased. In total, there are 414,336 priests all over the world, 271 more than the previous year.

In the face of important increases for Africa and Asia, with relative increases of 3.45 percent and 2.91 percent, in Europe and America there is a decline, respectively of 1.5 percent and approximately half a percentage point, respectively.

Africa and Asia together account for 28.9 percent, while Oceania remains relatively stable around a share of just over 1.1 percent.

Europe significantly decreased its percentage: In 2018, the 170,936 European priests represented almost 41.3 percent of the total of the ecclesiastical group, while a year later they dropped to 40.6 percent.

The Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesiae is edited by the Central Statistical Office of the Church and published by the Vatican Printing House. n

LEGAL SERVICES

CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00013648-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Peter D. Chu, Esq. State Bar# 98935 Attorney For: John Huang filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. John Huang to Ruohan Huang.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 05/26/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: APR. 13, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 935 04/22, 04/29, 05/06, and 05/13/2022.

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD#935

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9008293

a. Bonita Driving School located at 971 Swaying Palms Way, San Diego, CA 92154. b. Aguilar Driving School located at 971 Swaying Palms Way, San Diego, CA 92154. c. Aguilar Drivers ED located at 971 Swaying Palms Way, San Diego, CA 92154. d. Bonita Driver ED located at 971 Swaying Palms Way, San Diego, CA 92154. e. Eastlake Drivers ED located at 971 Swaying Palms Way, San Diego, CA 92154. f. Eastlake Driving School located at 971 Swaying Palms Way, San Diego, CA 92154. g. Imperial Beach Driving School located at 971 Swaying Palms Way, San Diego, CA 92154. h. Olympian Driving School located at 971 Swaying Palms Way, San Diego, CA 92154. i. Otay Ranch Driving School located at 971 Swaying Palms Way, San Diego, CA 92154. j. Southbay Driving School located at 971 Swaying Palms Way, San Diego, CA 92154. k. Southwestern located at 971 Swaying Palms Way, San Diego, CA 92154.

Registrant: Carlo Joseph Aguilar, 971 Swaying Palms Way, San Diego, CA 92154.

This business is conducted

by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 01/25/2017.

Signature Carlo Joseph Aguilar.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 04/07/2022.

AJ 931 04/15, 04/22, 04/29, and 05/06/2022.

AJSD#931

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9006902

Angel Nails And Spa located at 1475 E H Street, Chula Vista, CA 91910.

Registrant: Tan Thien Huynh, 3839 Murray Hill Road, La Mesa, CA 91941.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVED Signature Tan Thien Huynh.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/23/2022.

AJ 918 04/01, 04/08, 04/15, and 04/22/2022.

AJSD 918

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

*** Email: babeseyeview@gmail.com

LEGAL SERVICES / EMPLOYMENT

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9006993

STICKERGEEK located at 521 Valencia Parkway, San Diego, CA 92114.

Registrant: Joseph Molina, 521 Valencia Parkway, San Diego, CA 92114.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 03/24/2022.

Signature Joseph Molina.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/24/2022.

AJ 919 04/01, 04/08, 04/15, 04/22/2022.

AJSD 919

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9007816

a. Alto Point Technologies located at 2432 Front St., San Diego, CA 92101. b. Alto Point located at 2432 Front St., San Diego, CA 92101. c. Surfviviendo located at 2432 Front St., San Diego, CA 92101.

Registrant: Leandro Antonio Lourenzo, 2432 Front St., San Diego, CA 92101.

This business is conducted

by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME(S) AS OF 01/06/2012.

Signature Leandro Antonio Lourenzo.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 04/04/2022.

AJ 923 04/08, 04/15, 04/22,

and 04/29/2022.

PAGE 6 of utilizing smartphones and tablets for overseas voter registration and voting through a secure mobile voting platform from Bostonbased technology company Voatz. The app, which uses biometrics and blockchain technology, has a three-step authentication process to confirm the eligibility of a voter who can then input his choices by tapping the name of the candidate on the screen of his gadget.

Voatz executives assured me that the technology uses militarygrade security that includes data encryption, making it very secure.

I understand Voatz has already presented to the Comelec and a test run was conducted last year.

It was Senator Franklin Drilon – principal author of the Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003 – who has been urging the Comelec to adopt new technology that would enable OFWs to register and vote online. Overseas absentee votes can be sizable and can help determine the outcome of an election. OFWs are a major contributor to the economy, and they can transform their economic power into a strong political voice.

The election campaign period has become very intense with a number of vicious people turning hysterical to the point of stress and panicking. They should calm down because there is life after May 9. After all, Easter is a time for reflection and redemption – it’s not the end of the world.

Whatever the outcome of the May elections, we should all be ready to accept it and move on to unite as one nation – as this will be the only way for our country to survive and recover from the huge impact of COVID and achieve economic stability. (Philstar. com) ***

AJSD#923

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9006944

Bath Tec Refinishers located at 1011 Beyer Way #93, San Diego, CA 92154.

Registrant: Luis David Guerrero, 1011 Beyer Way #93, San Diego, CA 92154.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVED .

Signature Luis David Guerrero.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/23/2022.

AJ 928 04/08, 04/15, 04/22, 04/29/2022.

AJSD#928

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9007913

Mercy’s Hair Salon located at 2720 E. Plaza Blvd., Suite 1, National City, CA 91950.

Registrant: Mercedes Baugh, 6927 Bullock Drive, San Diego, CA 92114.

This business is conducted

by Married Couple.

REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME(S) AS OF 08/01/2002.

Signature Mercedes Baugh.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 04/05/2022.

AJ 929 04/08, 04/15, 04/22, and 04/29/2022.

AJSD#929

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9007012

a.

Chesrown Automotive Sales Leasing located at 3040 Clairemont Drive Build. A-3, San Diego, CA 92117. b. Chesrown Auto Transport located at 3040 Clairemont Drive Build. A-3, San Diego, CA 92117. c. Chesrown Financial located at 3040 Clairemont Drive Build.

A-3, San Diego, CA 92117. d. Chesrown Rent A Car located at 3040 Clairemont Drive Build. A-3, San Diego, CA 92117.

Registrant: Chesrown Automotive Group, 5755 Oberline Drive, STE 30, San Diego, CA 92121.

This business is conducted by Limited Liability Company.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 10/08/2016.

Signature: Jeffrey James Chesrown.

Statement filed with Recorder/ County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/24/2022.

AJ 932 04/15, 04/22, 04/29, and 05/06/2022.

AJSD#932

8

APRIL 22-28, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

ANNOUNCEMENT

LEGAL SERVICES CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00010237-CU-PT-CTL

LEGAL SERVICES CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00010555-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Cynthia Suarez on behalf of a minor child filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Josiiah Richy Ramirez to Josiiah Richy Ramirez Suarez.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 05/04/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: MAR. 21, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 920 04/01, 04/08, 04/15, and 04/22/2022.

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD#920

AMENDED CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00011822-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Beronica Leticia Jaurigue Gonzalez filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Beronica Leticia Jaurigue Gonzalez to Veronica Leticia Gonzalez.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 05/12/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: APR. 01, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 921 04/08, 04/15, 04/22, and 04/29/2022.

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD#921

CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00011463-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Phra Chan Pheng Sirisouk filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Phra Chan Pheng Sirisouk to Phra C. Surisouk.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 05/11/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. C-61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: MAR. 28, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 922 04/08, 04/15, 04/22, and 04/29/2022.

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD#922

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Nghi Nguyen Kha Phan filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Nghi Nguyen Kha Phan to Mia Phan.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 05/18/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. C-61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: APR. 05, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 927 04/08, 04/15, 04/22, and 04/29/2022 ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD#927

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9007100

CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00012029-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner James Kenneth Pittman AKA James Kenneth Worthy filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. James Kenneth Pittman AKA James Kenneth Worthy to James Kenneth Worthy.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 05/17/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. C-61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: APR. 01, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 930 04/15, 04/22, 04/29, and 05/06/2022.

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD #930

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9006991

CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00013367-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Brittany Mitchell and Mathew Mitchell on behalf of a minor child filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Brittany Ciulla Mitchell to Mia Ciulla Mitchell.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 05/31/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 25 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego North County Division 325 S. Melrose Dr. Vista, CA 92081 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: APR. 11, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT JAMES E. SIMMONS JR. Judge of the Superior Court AJ 933 04/15, 04/22, 04/29, and 05/06/2022.

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD #933

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9006449

a. Burila Transport located at 1909 C Ave., #6, National City, CA 91950. b. Burila Logistics located at 1909 C Ave., #6, National City, CA 91950.

Registrant: Christopher Calcaño, 1909 C Ave., #6, National City, CA 91950. .

This business is conducted

by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVED Signature Christopher Calcaño.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/24/2022.

AJ 915 04/01, 04/08, 04/15, and 04/22/2022.

a. HB Photos located at 1296 Sea Reef Drive, San Diego, CA 92154. b. HB Photos.Co located at 1296 Sea Reef Drive, San Diego, CA 92154. c. HB Photo Studios located at 1296 Sea Reef Drive, San Diego, CA 92154. d. HB Studio Productions located at 1296 Sea Reef Drive, San Diego, CA 92154.

Registrant: Hannah Bernabe, 1296 Sea Reef Drive, San Diego, CA 92154.

This business is conducted

by Indivdual.

REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME(S) AS OF 12/21/2020.

Signature Hannah Bernabe.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/24/2022.

AJ 916 04/01, 04/08, 04/15, and 04/22/2022.

AJSD 916

Ai Pai Bakers located at 3365 Central Avenue, Spring Valley, CA 91977.

Registrant: a. Brigham Faamausili, 3365 Central Avenue, Spring Valley, CA 91977. b. Sipau Lavatai, 3365 Central Avenue, Spring Valley, CA 91977.

This business is conducted by Married Couple.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 06/16/2020.

Signature Sipau Lavatai.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 06/16/2020.

AJ 917 04/01, 04/08, 04/15, 04/22/2022.

AJSD 917

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9007579

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9006005

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9007977

AJSD 915

Janitor Castillo located at 7237 Central Ave., Lemon Grove, CA 91945.

Registrant: a. Alejandro Castillo, 7237 Central Ave., Lemon Grove, CA 91945. b. Veronica Castillo, 7237 Central Ave., Lemon Grove, CA 91945.

This business is conducted

by Married Couple.

REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME(S) AS OF 08/01/2002.

Signature Alejandro Castillo.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/30/2022.

AJ 924 04/08, 04/15, 04/22, and 04/29/2022.

AJSD#924

Camille Rae Real Estate located at 645 Duncan Ranch Rd., Chula Vista, CA 91914.

Registrant: Camille Rae Mayor De Guzman, 645 Duncan Ranch Rd., Chula Vista, CA 91914.

This business is conducted

by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVED .

Signature: Camille Rae Mayor De Guzman.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 03/10/2022.

AJ 925 04/08, 04/15, 04/22, 04/29/2022

AJSD#925

Chan Dara Thai Cafe located at 330 W. Felicita Ave., C7-C9, Escondido, CA 92025.

Registrant: Eddy Lane, 7401 Tweed St., Lemon Grove, CA 91945.

This business is conducted

by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME(S) AS OF 04/05/2022.

Signature Eddy Lane.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 04/05/2022.

AJ 926 04/08, 04/15, 04/22, and 04/29/2022.

AJSD#926

SAN DIEGO

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SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 22-28, 2022

JOURNAL

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A P R I L 22 , 2 0 22

Runway visionary Alexis Bong Monsanto opens LA Fashion Week with splendor

by AJPress

O

NCE again, the fashion industry took center stage during LA Fashion Week.

The season opened with a spectacular explosion of vibrant colors of Fall and Winter collection by runway visionary Alexis Bong Monsanto in Los Angeles’ historical landmark Japanese Garden of Yamashiro.

It was no surprise that Monsanto displayed the style lines and drapery of a master couturier. The quality of his work is unequaled. Nevertheless, you have to prepare for the unexpected when it comes to Monsanto. This year, he took ready-to-wear dresses and sportswear and transformed them into a stunning and captivating work of art - creating a powerful statement about the power of change, progress, and evolution. A beautiful representation of transformation, growth, and advancement.

Inspired by Jewels of Dream, Monsanto presented a mythical narrative on the fashion runway illustrating splendor, wonder, and enchantment by exploring the exciting elements of the wilderness. Monsanto combines his signature feminine sense of creativity with a timeless appeal by using the finest luxury fabrics and of myriad intensifying colors. His works is a trademark of sensuality, verve & sophistication.

Throughout the event, the ambiance was lavish, elegant, and sensitive. The event was a celebration of both class and grace.

Through his creations, he conveys powerful metaphors that everyone can embrace.

It also featured Monsanto’s signature combination of feminine creative vision and timeless appeal as he uses the finest luxury fabrics as his canvas. From fabric manipulation by draping, Laser cut techniques, pleats & 3D fabric processing, the latest product development that the designer is pioneering. The Monsanto look is his signature sensuality, verve & sophistication.

Sexy but not gauche, sophisticated but not eccentric, embellished but not flashy.

“I embrace a style that is irreverent, unafraid, existential and provocative. With fashion I aspire to create challenges for myself, while creating a whimsical world for my client. Ideally, they’ll tap into a form

Alexis Monsanto

Photo courtesy of the designer

of expression that would otherwise seem unattainable. I am inspired by everything in my life, from the cold black objectivity of commerce to the warm subjective embrace of the muses,” said Monsanto.

As his story unfolds on the runway, the journey is like a movie set. So Dramatic, so refreshing, so moving, and so provoking.

From the choice of imagery, production design, music, and sound effects to the choice of adornment crafted by IXXIA Jewelries. Every detail is perfection.

Everything is exquisite. The enchanting sounds intensify and emphasize every the gliding motion, every step and movement of the models and the dazzling jewels they wear. A whirl of sparkles, twirls, spins, and sways come together in harmony. The ambiance enhanced the mood of the night, each gemstones and their glint as the lights touches its surface is a total spectacle. The total performance gives everyone that sense of wonder and awe. All are captivated by the splendor. What a graceful show.

Not to mention the gastronomic fourcourse dining experience and food journey

Photos courtesy of Jaime Lim

prepared by celebrity chef Valerie Castillo Archer. An excellent addition to an evening filled with enchantment and amusement. Her culinary creation was a splendid complement to the event.

The show drew boldface guests including Dubai Based International designer Michael Cinco, Rapper Ri-Yo, TV Creator Michael Kelley (ABC Revenge), Lana Parrilla (ABC Once Upon a Time, Why Women Kill), Grant Shaw (Dynasty,Melrose Place), Former supermodel Bessie Badilla, and performer Chris Chatman. Chatman’s performance created a perfect balance and added to the evening’s unforgettable experience.

His live entertainment, gourmet fare, and visually stunning fashion show benefitted Project Angel Food, a non-profit organization that prepares and delivers healthy meals to feed people impacted by serious illnesses.

His philosophy to building his brand, he says, has been to listen to what his customers want. “It’s about making products that are attention-grabbing, unique and different but not overdone,” Monsanto said. n

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APRIL 22-28, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

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Catriona on what it takes to be healthy inside and out By iza iglesias ManilaTimes.net

AFTER her iconic Miss Universe 2018 win, Catriona Gray continues to thrive as a host, musician, model and an advocate of women empowerment and mental health concerns, among other causes. In these endeavors she never fails to showcase not just her beauty, intelligence or talent but more importantly, her good heart, resulting to many women looking up to her. But how does she do it all?

“It’s really about one, just believing in yourself. I know we’ve heard it all before but it’s true, if you don’t believe in yourself you’ll never try. Second is that you have to embrace failure because I know we’ve all failed on one way or another in our pursuit of something and it’s never for a no reason. There’s always been things that I’ve learned in my failures so it allowed me to just go after what I want with this new drive and passion for what I do. And then third is just time management,” she revealed.

But even if her schedule is packed these days with several commitments, the 28-yearold was able maintain her skin’s glow and, consequently, her confidence. She believes this is a result of her putting effort to keep her immune system up.

“Even experiencing work days that are sobrang mahaba, walang tulog, or kulang sa rest, I’m really still able to have energy and keep my immune system up. In fact, for this whole pandemic, I’ve never had once COVID-19 and I’m hoping to never experiencing that even if I was very much

doing that holistic approach to looking after myself,” she continued.

Self-care is also a practice that Gray could not emphasize enough.

“I don’t think I prioritized my health to the extent that I do now. I think I’ve really taken an intentional effort to really learn about good health care and what it really means to truly take care of myself in terms of beauty or even in self care. It’s more about how I can really equip my body with the best means to really allow myself to function at my highest capacity.

“During the pandemic I think everyone can agree that it wasn’t a time we can just hide from it all. A lot of us are working and not going out is not really an option from a lot of women. So really just looking for myself in terms of self care was really giving me and my body what it needs to help my immunity function at the highest level. Self care sounds like a large undertaking that many of us think don’t have the time do but as simple as taking vitamins and at least eight hours of sleep everyday can do wonders.”

Finally, Gray reminded that overall wellness also includes self compassion. This is just as important in this age of social media, where it can be easy for users to compare their lives to that of others.

“Remind yourself that you shouldn’t compare what your everyday reality is to Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray takes her physical and mental what you see online because it’s not the most health seriously.

Photo from Instagram/@catriona_gray vulnerable moments. It’s not the everyday working out on the community and traveling. moments that people usually put out there.

I attribute it to looking after my immune This has been quite a challenging period so system and really just being safe and just give yourself grace,” Gray ended. n

Sylvia to take a City of San Diego spotlights break from acting Fair Housing Month with message from Mayor Gloria ’til December Nearly 4 million Americans face By alex

BRosas Inquirer.net

housing discrimination each year

SEEMINGLY drained by her Barang character from her last teleserye “Huwag Kang Mangamba,” actress Sylvia Sanchez expressed her resolve to take a hiatus from acting after her latest project, “Misis Piggy.”

“Okay, kaklaruhin ko lang ‘yun. Bago ko naramdaman ‘yung pagka-drain doon, faithful ako doon sa ‘Huwag Kang Mangamba,’ kay Barang.

Sobrang ganda ng role pero very tiring nga lang nang sobra,” she said during the online press conference today, April 21, for “Misis Piggy,” a new iWant series.

(Okay, I will just clarify that.

Before I felt drained there, I was faithful to “Huwag Kang Mangamba,” to Barang. The role is so beautiful but it was very tiring.)

After doing that series, Sanchez realized she needed a break from teleseryes.

But she has previously accepted her “Misis Piggy”

Sylvia Sanchez Photo from Instagram/@deniseochoa

role and proceeded with her commitment.

Sanchez feels she needs to take a break not only because the work has wbeen non-stop, but also because she was starting to bring her Barang character to her home. She also feels she is still carrying her Barang character. n

SAN DIEGO – To mark National Fair Housing Month in April, the City of San Diego released a new video public service announcement which started on April 1 featuring Mayor Todd Gloria that has been airing locally on Cox Media. The video aims to educate San Diegans on their rights and what they can do if they think they are a victim of housing discrimination.

“Every San Diegan should have a place that is safe, secure and welcoming,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “It’s important that landlords are transparent and equitable in their housing practices and don’t discriminate against possible renters.”

National Fair Housing Month celebrates the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968, a national law that prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, color, national origin, religion and gender. In

the State of California, there are additional protections for marital status, sexual orientation, ancestry, source of income, age or occupation.

The City of San Diego is committed to furthering fair housing efforts by promoting fair and equal housing opportunities to its residents.

In collaboration with the City, the Legal Aid Society of San Diego offers free community outreach and legal services to anyone who believes they have experienced housing discrimination harassment. The Fair Housing Hotline is another resource that can be reached at 844-449-3500.

Funding for the City’s Fair Housing Program comes, in part, from Community Development Block Grant funds provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. To learn more, visit sandiego.gov/ fairhousing.

(City of San Diego Release) n

Huge crowd in Batangas rally assures UniTeam victory in this vote-rich province BATANGAS – THE UniTeam Alliance of presidential candidate former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte on Wednesday night, April 20 drew another mammoth crowd, this time at the jampacked grand rally at the Lima Commercial Estate in this voterich province.

The rousing reception given by UniTeam supporters interrupted both the speeches of Marcos and Duterte who shouted “Panalo ka na!” and “Hindi kami bayad!”

“Burger kayo diyan! Sigurado ako na hindi kayo bayad kasi marami sa inyo kanina pang umaga at sigurado ako na hindi kayo bayad dahil marami sa inyo ang ‘di pa kumakain, kanina pa na nandito, mainit, mataas pa ang araw, at mag ba-biyahe pa ng malayo pauwi ng walang pamasahe kaya alam na alam ko po na nandito kayo dahil mahal ninyo ang Uniteam,” Duterte told the large throng of people at the Lima Commercial Estate MalvarLipa City.

“At kapag sinabi ng Batangas na panalo ka na, hahawakan ko ‘yan at sure na ako na panalo ako,” Duterte added in the rally attended by the province’s local officials led by Batangas Gov. Hermilando “Dodo” Mandanas.

Marcos vowed to lower the high electricity costs in the country to generate more jobs.

He is convinced that the fastest way to propel the province to progress and development is to ensure affordable power rates.

The leading presidential candidate from Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) also underscored the need to revive the tourism industry following the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic.

The rally, which drew thousands of UniTeam supporters, followed the “festival rally” in Cebu last Monday, April 18 that was organized officials led by Gov. Gwen Garcia where an estimated crowd of more than 300,000 were in attendance.

As the presidential elections draws closer, supporters of the UniTeam have been flocking in tens of thousands to the rallies of the leading tandem around the country.

During the rally here, Duterte spelled out the priorities and focus of the UniTeam, which are jobs, education and peaceful lives

for Filipinos.

“Una po, dahil may bakuna, may mask at may gamot na ang COVID- 19, dapat po hindi na nila-lockdown ang mga trabaho at mga negosyo. kailangan tutukan nating lahat ang pera sa bulsa at pagkain sa lamesa ng bawat pamilyang Pilipino,” the vice presidential candidate said.

“Pangalawa po ay ang kalidad ng edukasyon ng ating mga anak.

Dapat po global ang standard ng edukasyon natin dito sa Pilipinas dahil ‘yan po ang sandigan ng magandang kinabukasan ng ating mga anak,” Duterte, LakasChristian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) and Hugpong ng Pagbabago chairperson, added.

“Pangatlo, ay kung ano ang gusto ng lahat ng tao sa buong mundo, mapayapang pamumuhay na tayo ay nakakapag-trabaho na hindi tayo takot na mayroong gumawa ng masama sa atin o sa ating mga anak na pumapasok sa paaralan,” Duterte also said.

Expounding on the qualities and capability of Marcos to lead the country, the Davao City mayor gave a meaning to the call of unity by the UniTeam.

“Sipag ng mga Pilipino patungo sa tuloy tuloy na kaunlaran.

‘Yan po ang pagkakaisa na kampanya namin sa buong bansa. Pangalawang mensahe na ikinakampanya namin sa inyo ay kapayapaan, kino-commit po naming na itutuloy ang mga reporma na nasimulan ng adiministrasyon ni Pangulong Duterte,” she said.

“Una na po ang ‘Build, Build, Build’ program niya. Kuryente, tubig, tulay, daan, skyway, subway. Napakahalaga po niyan sa peace and development sa mga lugar kung saan sila ginagawa,” she added.

The presidential daughter said she and Marcos would also continue the Duterte administration’s anti-criminality program.

“Yan po ang dalawang mensahe na ikinakampanya namin sa inyong lahat, para sa atin. Pagkakaisa at kapayapaan ng ating bansa,” Duterte said.

In ending her speech, the vice presidential candidate again called for support from Filipinos.

“Ako po si Sara Duterte, humihingi po ako ng tulong at suporta ninyo (sa) pagka-bise presidente ng ating bansa,” Duterte said.

(Lakas-CMD UniTeam Release)

Trends continue upward for Boulder-Las Vegas-Henderson areas

By RealtoR

Fely Quitevis-Bateman

THE market continues to move up for many areas in Nevada, including the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Boulder and Henderson.

In the most recent monthly report by First American Title Insurance Company, the aforementioned areas are still in a strong seller’s market segment, with market action indexes for each of the cities improving by a few points over last month’s numbers.

In Las Vegas, the overall median list price is at $600,000, with the median price for new listings pegged at $535,000. The per square foot price is at $270. Inventory remains at around 1,529. The median rent, meanwhile, is set at $2,200. Analysis for the Las Vegas area says that “home sales continue to outstrip supply and the Market Action Index has been moving higher for several weeks” and it has issued a “watch for upward pricing pressure in the near future if the trend continues.”

The City of North Las Vegas, for its part, has an overall median list price of $451,500, with the median price of new listings priced Realtor Quitevis-Bateman and Russ Bateman attended the recent NAR Brokers’ Summit so they can be well-informed on real estate trends nationwide and globally.

Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman (right) with National Association of Realtors president Leslie Rouda Smith at the Brokers’ Summit in Phoenix, AZ held on April 5-6, 2022.

at $445,495. Price per square foot is at $237, while median rent is at $2,141. There are currently 264 homes counted in the inventory.

Analysis for North Las Vegas is similar to that of Las Vegas – “home sales continue to outstrip supply and the Market Action Index has been moving higher for several weeks” and “watch for upward pricing pressure in the near future if the trend continues.”

Boulder City, meanwhile, has an overall median list price of $774,499, with the median price of new listings set at $712,000. The city has a per square foot price at $339, and an inventory of 34. Median rent in Boulder City is pegged at $2,240. The analysis for Boulder City says “the market continues to get hotter” with having fewer homes listed and more demand contributing to a relatively long run of increasing prices. The report says that “current supply and demand levels show no sign of prices changing from their current trend.”

Finally, Henderson has an overall median list price of $650,000, with the median price of new listings set at $558,000. The per square foot price is at $299, and there are 441 homes in inventory. The median rent in Henderson is pegged at $2,330. The analysis for Henderson says that “home sales continue to outstrip supply” and that it is a seller’s market so “watch for upward pricing pressure in the near future if the trend continues.”

This is great news for areas in Nevada and only confirms that real estate prices in the state continue to rise. This greatly benefits the many individuals who have invested their money in real estate and properties in Las Vegas and its surrounding areas as they have gotten a great return on investment on their initial ventures.

With construction projects aplenty and developers looking at neighboring areas for development opportunities, per square foot prices and real estate/property will continue to be on an uptrend. That bodes well for those who are looking to put their hard-earned money into land and/or property, which almost always continues to appreciate as time goes by.

In other news in Las Vegas, the Palms Casino Resort is slated to open this April. It is now under the ownership of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, and had a $690 million renovation in 2019. It has Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman helps those who need business financing, including been closed since March of 2020.

According to a release, the 31.5-acre property will have an updated small businesses. For more information, call (702) 538-4948 or send email to fely@ casino floor with a new layout for slot machines and table games. The precious-properties.com.

Realtor Quitevis-Bateman (left) with CA Realtor Lauren Honey Marcus, who also attended the Broker’s Summit. Both have talked about the possibility of doing business with each other.

14 movie theaters have been updated with new reclining seats, an American gastro-pub named Serrano Vista Cafe has been added, and a new rewards program, Club Serrano, is ready. Club Serrano is shared with players at the Yaamava’ resort and casino located three and a half hours away in Highland, California.

A recent news report said that the Palms aims to bring something fresh and exciting to the Strip while also honoring the San Manuel tradition. The property’s management and team will be focused on both quality of service and offering fabulous amenities to its clients and visitors.

Whether you are looking to settle down in the area, purchase a second home, or just invest your money in real estate, now is a good time to scout for opportunities as prices are more affordable. I can help you find that piece of real estate that will match your needs and your budget. Together, we can comb for the best real estate/ properties available in Las Vegas and its neighboring cities/towns.

My company, Precious Properties, is a full-service company that has successfully helped its clientele find the best deals since 1992.

You can reach me at 775-513-8447, 805-559-2476 and 702-538-4948 for more information. We have investors who buy houses in California and Nevada for cash and quick escrow in as short as 7 days.

(Advertising Supplement)

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Community

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • APRIL 22-28, 2022

City of San Diego to host Megastar Sharon Cuneta, Asia’s Songbird listening sessions for input Regine Velasquez live in an ‘iconic’ concert at on cannabis equity Community meetings aimed at understanding barriers to entry into the local regulated cannabis market

SAN DIEGO – The City of San Diego is hosting a series of community meetings to ask residents to help identify barriers and constraints they have encountered in entering the legal cannabis market. The city is seeking recommendations to promote more equitable and inclusionary ownership patterns for cannabis businesses and ways to increase economic benefits for all San Diegans.

The City’s Cannabis Business Division and Office of Race and Equity will host eight in-person listening sessions to receive direct input from San Diegans and community organizations disproportionately impacted by past state and federal drug enforcement policies.

“The City of San Diego is committed to equitable ownership and employment opportunities in our rapidly growing cannabis industry, especially for communities disproportionately impacted by a lack of financial resources caused by systemic racism that was exacerbated by the War on Drugs,” said Chief Race and Equity Officer Kim Desmond. “Identifying the barriers will be key to ensuring equitable access for legal cannabis business ownership and employment opportunities.”

The in-person listening sessions will take place at public libraries, community centers and other publicly available meeting spaces to make it easier for residents to participate. Spanish translation and interpretation services will be provided.

The listening sessions are part of a cannabis equity assessment funded by a $75,000 Cannabis Equity Grant from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) in partnership with the Bureau of Cannabis Control through the Cannabis Equity Grants Program for Local Jurisdictions.

“Ensuring equal access to San Diego’s evolving cannabis market and providing economic, educational and legal support to our communities who have been historically left behind will be the primary goal in developing the City’s first cannabis equity assessment and program,” said Cannabis Business Division Deputy Director Lara Gates. “I look forward to working with our residents in developing a comprehensive assessment and an equity program for San Diegans who have been disproportionately affected by the War on Drugs.”

With the passage of Prop. 64 in 2016, the city adopted regulations for cannabis businesses, including retail outlets, and production and testing facilities. In 2020, the city also formed the Cannabis Business Division within the Development Services Department.

The Division develops and manages the City’s cannabis program by issuing permits and regulating cannabis businesses conforming with San Diego Municipal Code requirements.

To view a calendar of upcoming listening sessions and to register for each event, visit sandiego.gov/listening-sessions.

(City of San Diego Release) n

‘Asia’s Songbird’ Regine Velasquez

ABS-CBN photo

Regine admits having singing difficulties

By Jan

Milo Severo Philstar.com

KAPAMILYA singer Regine Velasquez admitted that she’s now having difficulties in singing.

During the recent press conference of her upcoming concert “Iconic” with Sharon Cuneta, Regine said she felt the changes in her voice.

“When you’re a woman, there’s so much changes in your body when you gave birth, you’re going into menopause, ‘yung hormones, it affects your voice,” Regine said.

“Nagbago na rin. Kasi no’ng bata ako kahit tulog ako kaya kong kumanta e pero it’s not like that anymore. Pero it’s okay because now that I feel na parang may konting difficulties in singing, mas naa-appreciate ko siya only because may konting effort na. Dati kasi wala e,” she added.

Regine, however, said that she accepts the changes.

“My voice also changed. It

doesn’t sound the same. Pero I’m okay with that kasi ang weird naman kung 50 years old na ko pero boses 18 pa din.

Ang weird no’n,” she said.

This year, Cuneta and Velasquez return to the concert stage with “Iconic” on June 17 and 18, 8 p.m. at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Resorts World Manila.

The “Iconic” concert that was first staged in 2019 was a highly successful sold-out show that has earned the year’s prestigious Aliw Award for Best Collaboration in a Concert.

As two formidable divas return to the stage, “Iconic” is set on a grander scale under the musical direction of industry greats, Louie Ocampo and Raul Mitra and directed by Paolo Valenciano. Produced by Full House Theater Company, the “Iconic” concert will be a night to remember with two Philippine iconic divas performing live on a single stage. n

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Pechanga Resort Casino on July 22 and 23

PECHANGA Resort Casino presents a once in a lifetime concert of two prime Filipino singers — Megastar Sharon Cuneta and the Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez — who will provide hours of special musicale presentations on July 22 at 9 p.m., and July 23 at 6 p.m., live at the Pechanga Summit.

Pechanga Resort Casino is well-known for hosting only the best and the brightest Filipino entertainers and performers aimed at providing the ultimate experience especially to its Filipino-American patrons.

Dubbed as ‘Iconic,’ Cuneta and Velasquez’s back-to-back concerts will be directed by musical directors Louie Ocampo and Raul Mitra, respectively.

Cuneta is most famous in Manila for playing dramatic roles where she bagged several awards as a leading actress while holding concerts and singing engagements locally and internationally.

Velasquez is a veteran singer and concert queen herself who started her way to stardom after winning a major international singing contest, the 1989 Asia Pacific Singing Contest in Hong

Kong, where she sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and the popular Broadway song from Dreamgirls “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.”

Don’t miss this opportunity toward a wholesome entertainment. Tickets may be purchased at Pechanga Box

Office or by calling 888-8108871 or visit www.Pechanga. com Pechanga Summit features a 40,000-square foot area for entertainers, concerts, live sporting events, trade shows, weddings, or any large groups to book. In total, Pechanga now

offers 274,500 square feet of indoor/outdoor contemporary meeting and event space, which significantly enhanced the amenities, space and visibility of Pechanga’s event offerings.

Pechanga Resort Casino offers one of the largest and most expansive resort/casino experiences anywhere in the United States. Voted the best casino in the west by USA Today and rated a Four Diamond property by AAA since 2002, Pechanga Resort Casino provides an unparalleled getaway, whether for the day or for an extended luxury stay. Offering 5,400 of the hottest slots, 152 table games, world-class entertainment, 1,100 hotel rooms, dining, spa and golf at Journey at Pechanga, Pechanga Resort Casino features a destination that meets and exceeds the needs of its guests and the community. Pechanga Resort & Casino is owned and operated by the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians. For more information, call toll free (877) 711-2946 or visit www.

Pechanga.com.

Follow Pechanga Resort Casino on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter.

(Advertising Supplement)

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APRIL 22-28, 2022 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588