050319 - Northern California Edition

Volume 18 - No. 17 • 2 Sections – 16 Pages

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Volume 18 - No. 18 • 2 Sections – 16 Pages

T H E F I L I P I N O A M E R I CA N C O M M U N I T Y N E WS PA P E R

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DATELINE

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Fil-Am arrested on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack in LA

Mark Steven Domingo of Reseda, Calif. faces federal charges in alleged terrorist plot meant to avenge the terrorist shootings at New Zealand mosques in March

THE FBI on Friday, April 26 arrested a Filipino American United States Army veteran in Reseda, California, on suspicion of plotting a massive terrorist attack in Los Angeles after a

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Protecting OFWs’ constitutional right to vote not a priority — Migrante REPORTS of disenfranchisement of 1.8 million registered overseas absentee voters (OAVs) were denounced by the overseas workers group Migrante International on Monday, April 30, and accused the government of negligence.

According to Migrante, many Overseas

DFA’s Locsin: Canada trash ‘on ship in 15 days’

by IAN

NICOLAS CAGARAL Philstar.com

THE Philippine government’s top diplomat said Wednesday, May 2, the waste exported to the country in 2013 will be shipped back to Canada in 15 days.

In a tweet, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said: “In fact garbage will be on ship in 15 days.� “No ifs or buts,� Locsin added.

Locsin made the Twitter post in response to a May 1 report by The STAR titled: “DFA chief not keen on shipping back Canada trash.�

Manila has repeatedly filed diplomatic protests with Ottawa over the containers of trash shipped to the Philippines in batches beginning in 2013. The Canadian government has maintained it had no

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s crackdown on visa overstays will target about 12% of foreigners who legally enter the U.S. on shortterm visas but remain after visa expiration and are mostly from African and Asian nations.

Trump ordered the secretaries of State and Homeland Security to crack down on countries

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Trump to crack down on visa overstays

hand in the shipment, saying it was a commercial transaction.

Last week, President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to sail to Canada and “dump their garbage there.� In response, the Canadian Embassy in Manila vowed to work with the Philippines in ensuring that the waste shipment will be “processed in an environmentally responsible way.�

The Bureau of Customs on Monday, April 30, said they received orders from Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III to return the containers of trash Filipino protesters troop to Canadian Embassy to demand re-export of illegal garbage shipments. back to Canada by May 15. â– EcoWaste Coalition Facebook photo

Bilateral talks to resolve South China Sea ‘irritants’ - Palace MALACAĂ‘ANG on Monday, April 29, said China is open to bilateral talks to resolve the territorial incursions raised by President Rodrigo Duterte during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jingping last week.

According to Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo, Xi expressed willingness to discuss “irritants,� such as the increased presence of Chinese vessels in disputed areas, despite reiterating Beijing’s claims to the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). “What the president mentioned [were] the irritants. [They refer] to everything there. From the presence of the ships, from the alleged harassment, all of it — the irritants,� said Panelo at a press briefing. “Both sides repeated their previous positions on the matter, and they both agreed that whatever irritants, challenges, [these] can be resolved through negotiation,� he added.

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Also published in LOS ANGELES, LAS VEGAS, NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY

LABOR DAY. Labor groups gather to air grievances during their Labor Day rally resulting in heavy trafďŹ c in the vicinity of Mendiola, Manila on Wednesday, May 1. According to the Philippine National Police, the rally was so far generally peaceful, with no untoward incident reported.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

Pew poll: 69% of Filipinos satisfied Palace: ‘Totally unnecessary’ to with how democracy is working prove ‘oust-Duterte matrix’ including the Philippines with 69 percent of Filipinos saying they are satisfied, while 31 A RECENT survey released percent admitting they are not.

by Washington-based polling Japan seems to be the only exfirm Pew Research Center re- ception as results showed 56 vealed that a majority of Fili- percent of Japanese claiming pinos are satisfied with how they are dissatisfied. democracy works in the PhilIn Europe, large majorities ippines.

The study, which measured satisfaction with the performance of democracy in different parts of the globe, was released on April 29 and showed that across the 27 countries polled, 51 percent are dissatisfied with how democracy is working in their country, while 45 percent are satisfied.

Pew noted that Asia-Pacific nations tend to be satisfied with the state of their democracy — !.$2%7 " 3().

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

by IAN NICOLAS CIGARAL Philstar.com

MANILA — MalacaĂąang on Wednesday, May 1, sought to defend anew the credibility of the so-called “oust-Duterte matrixâ€? linking journalists and pro bono lawyers to a plan to unseat President Rodrigo Duterte, saying it is “totally unnecessaryâ€? to provide proof of the alleged plotters’ participation in the conspiracy.

A diagram—released last week in an exclusive banner story of broadsheet Manila Times and later that day in a press briefing at the Palace—alleged that the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, VERA Files, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and Rappler are conniving against Duterte.

The matrix also linked the three media outlets and the group of lawyers to an anonymously posted video alleging the Dutertes are involved in the illegal drugs trade. “Those named in the matrix demand proof of their participation in the ouster plot. Such is totally unnecessary. The matrix shows that there is an ouster

In this April 22 photo, presidential spokesperon Salvador Panelo holds the so-called matrix on the alleged ouster plot against President Rodrigo Duterte. Philstar.com photo by Alexis Romero

plot. It is just a plot, a plan, an idea,� presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement. “The same is not actionable in court it being just a conspiracy.

Conspiracy is not a crime unless the law specifically classifies a particular conspiracy to undertake a project or actualize a plan as a crime,� Panelo added. “It is only when the cases are filed in court that proof will be

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in Italy, Spain and Greece are dissatisfied. Meanwhile, in the sub-Saharan African and Latin American countries surveyed, around half or more answered they were discontent with the democracy in their countries. “Dissatisfaction with de-

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From the Front Page

Fil-Am arrested on suspicion of planning a...

AFP ABSENTEE VOTING. Troops cast their votes during the Local Absentee Voting (LAV) in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Tuesday, April 30.

Over 20,000 soldiers are expected to participate in the LAV, which runs until May 1.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

Bilateral talks to resolve South China Sea...

PAGE A1 He also quoted Duterte, saying the irritants arose from the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s claim over nearly the entire South China Sea. “And both of them agreed that the mechanism of bilateral relations will be used to resolve the conflict,” Panelo said.

He noted the government’s optimism over “positive” results; however, he admitted that there is still much to be done.

“The next movement will be the negotiation. They already talked about the irritants. But, if you were to ask me, we have to wait for their official response about our complaints,”

he said.

Duterte, who previously set aside an international arbitral ruling that upheld the Philippines’ claims, recently became adamant about his stance against continued Chinese incursions as Chinese vessels reportedly circled the Philippine-held Pagasa (Thitu) Island. He also demanded that the Chinese fisherfolk to stop harvesting the giant clams in Scarborough Shoal.

“We raised certain protests.

We still do not know if they are affirming or disputing it. Because if they dispute it, we will talk and [insist that] it is not true,” Panelo said.

“What is that? Who is that?

Why is it there? What are they doing there? We do not know the answers to that yet,” he added.

Panelo, however, confirmed that the two leaders have made an agreement to discuss the specifics of the maritime row as well as the arbitral ruling in the next session of the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea, which the Philippines and China set up in 2016.

“That would be discussed there, it will be more specific there. Bilaterals usually dwell on general issues, both of them are reading their messages,” Panelo said, referring to Duterte and Xi. n

Trump to crack down on visa overstays...

PAGE A1 whose citizens are most likely to overstay their visas, a long-term problem that is now the biggest source of illegal immigration into the U.S., according to USA Today and Associated Press reports.

More than 569,000 foreigners overstayed their visas last year, according to Homeland Security data.

Trump ordered penalties for countries whose citizens overstay their tourist and business visas more than 10% of the time, such as limiting the number of travelers to the U.S. from any one country, requiring foreign travelers to post “admission bonds” that would be repaid once they leave the U.S. and requesting more documents from foreigners

seeking visas.

Under Trump’s guidelines, 21 countries could face sanctions because 35,442 of their citizens overstayed their U.S. visas in 2018, according to Homeland Security data.

Trump could have opted to punish countries that are the sources of the largest numbers of total visa overstays. For example, more than 34,000 Brazilians, 15,000 Chinese, 10,000 Indians and 10,000 French overstayed their visas in 2018, reports USA Today.

But Trump chose to target countries with high overstay rates, not the total number of overstayers. That means Brazil, China, India and France will not be affected by Trump’s order

since their citizens’ combined overstay rate was 0.9%.

But smaller countries like Bhutan could face sanctions since 46 of 398 of its people who traveled to the U.S. in 2018 overstayed their visas, a rate of 13.1%.

Africa, with 13 countries on the list ranging from Angola to Chad to Sudan, will be most affected by the crackdown. The biggest target by far is Nigeria, which saw 29,004 overstays in 2018.

Another six countries on the list are located in Asia, and several have been embroiled in bloody armed conflicts, such as Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen. Rounding out the list are the island nations of Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia, who combined for 13 total visa overstays in 2018.

Critics say it’s no coincidence that the Trump administration chose a method that punishes mostly African and Asian countries and spares European countries and other U.S. allies.

“This is Stephen Miller’s way of operationalizing his immigration strategy to ‘make America White again’ by covering his tracks with data to disguise the underlying White nationalist objectives of the policy,” USA Today quoted Douglas Rivlin, director of communications for America’s Voice, an immigration advocacy group, said of the president’s immigration adviser.

Trump said he would focus on limiting entry on a B1 visa used by business travelers or a B2 visa used by tourists.

But Homeland Security data show that foreigners traveling on student visas, research visas, and cultural exchange visas are more likely to overstay their visas. (Inquirer.net) n

PAGE A1 lengthy investigation by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, according to records unsealed on Monday, April 29.

On Friday night, 26-year-old former U.S. Army infantryman Mark Steven Domingo received a package from an undercover FBI informant which he believed to be a live bomb but was actually an inert explosive device (IED) that he planned to use for “retribution” for the recent terrorist attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand in which an alleged white supremacist killed dozens of Muslims in two mosques.

According to the Department of Justice, Domingo is a U.S.born citizen of Filipino descent.

As stated in a criminal complaint filed by federal prosecutors on Saturday, Domingo was charged with aiding terrorists with “material support” to carry out the planned attack. An affidavit in support of the complaint said that the young Filipino American “planned and took steps to manufacture and use a weapon of mass destruction in order to commit mass murder.”

Through conversations online, Domingo expressed alliance with radical jihadism and offered willingness to martyr himself to carry out the attack. He considered carrying attacks on the Jewish community, churches, a military facility or police officers, but court papers said that he decided to detonate an IED at a white nationalist rally in Long Beach last weekend.

The decision to target the white nationalist rally in Long Beach came about when Domingo met with the FBI informant on April 19 when Domingo showed up with an AK-47-style rifle and allegedly referenced the 2013

Boston Marathon bombing when mentioning he wanted a device that could result in dozens of casualties, according to the affidavit.

“There were mosque shootings in new Zealand [sic],” Domingo wrote to a private online group. “[T]here must be retribution.”

Court papers released on Monday also found that Domingo boasted about owning weapons as well as 80 pounds of nails and shrapnel that “would be long enough to penetrate the human body and puncture internal organs,” the affidavit said.

Additionally, during the planning process of the attack, Domingo asked his conspirator, the FBI double agent, to locate someone who knew how to craft bombs.

“This investigation successfully disrupted a very real threat posed by a trained combat soldier who repeatedly stated he wanted to case the maximum number of casualties,” U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna for the Central District of California said after Domingo’s arrest. “Protecting Americans from terror attacks is the number one priority of the Justice Department, and anyone who plots to use a weapon of mass destruction will be held to account.”

Domingo has been in federal custody since his arrest and made his first appearance Monday in the U.S. District Court.

As an U.S. Army infantryman, Domingo finished a four-month deployment to Afghanistan in January 2013 and became interested in obtaining an IED after he learned of an FBI informant who knew about them.

“I’ll be honest. I’m smart in history but I failed chemistry.

Science is not my forte...If he doesn’t want to make it, don’t

force him. But ask him how,” Domingo said in one conversation, per court papers, which also alleged that Domingo expressed support and allegiance for the radical jihadist group the Islamic State.

In an interview with the Daily News, Domingo’s younger brother, 22-year-old James Domingo, said that when his older brother began attending a mosque in their quiet neighborhood of Reseda, he saw it as a “good thing.”

“I thought maybe my brother finally found some sort of guidance in this world,” said the younger brother, who lived with the suspect and their aunt and grandmother for much of their young lives. “Like anybody else, I don’t want to assume a thing when someone is going into a new religion.”

Though most of Mark Domingo’s radicalization were relegated to online forums and digital correspondence, the younger Domingo brother did not indicate whether or not he knew of his older brother’s radical intentions. In a public letter, the Domingo family requested privacy on the matter as they have “family members who are ill right now and require our full attention and care.”

But in the Daily News interview, James Domingo said, “I hope this dies down eventually and hopefully my brother will be found innocent of all of this.”

If Domingo is convicted with the charge of “providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists,” he would face a “statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison,” according to the Department of Justice. (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress) n

Protecting OFWs’ constitutional right to vote not...

PAGE A1 Filipino workers (OFWs) would not be able to vote in the midterm polls due to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Department of Foreign Affairs’ failure to ensure them that they would receive their mailed ballots on time.

The option to vote by mail is critical to thousands of OAVs, the group pointed out, since they lack access to resources and time to travel to their nearest consulates or voting centers.

Migrante further said that the Comelec failed to ensure voters they would get all the necessary information and materials to prepare them for the elections even prior to holding of the OAV as well as placed the burden on OFWs of paying the cost of the return postage.

“This is a clear violation of

Republic Act 9189, which guarantees that overseas absentee voters will not have to shoulder any costs related to the process of voting,” Migrante said.

“Comelec’s admission of lack of financial resources to pay for postage stamps due to the delay in the passage of the national budget is unacceptable,” the group added.

Migrante claimed that protecting the OFWs’ constitutional right to vote is apparently not a priority of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.

The group promised to continue its monitoring and documenting of reports about the disenfranchisement and discrepancies in the OAV process.

Meanwhile, members of the security forces and the media participated in the absentee voting for the May 13 midterm elections.

3,397 officers and men were led by Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief Lt. Gen. Arnel dela Vega in casting their votes ahead of the May 13 elections.

Sixty policemen and four local media practitioners in Pangasinan took part in the absentee voting on Monday, as well.

In Nueva Ecija, at least 1,000 policemen took part in the absentee voting.

Under the Republic Act 7166 and Executive Order No. 157, absentee voting allows any person who, by reason of public functions and duties such as those in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police, is not in the place of registration on election day may vote in the place where assigned provided that absentee voter is duly registered.

(Ritchel Mendiola/AJPress) n

Palace: ‘Totally unnecessary’ to...

PAGE A1 submitted to substantiate the criminal charges.”

The groups tagged in the supposed ouster plot had denied the allegations and slammed the Duterte administration for putting the lives of journalists and human rights lawyers in danger.

Asked by reporters at the April 22 press briefing when he showed them the alleged conspiracy diagram why the public should believe the allegation, Panelo only said: “It’s from the president.”

‘Foreign source’ According to Manila Times, its report was based on a quote

by a “highly placed source” in the Office of the President and that “two other independent sources” confirmed the existence of an “active plot.” The broadsheet’s managing editor resigned a few days after the story was published and said the report was “poorly sourced.”

Panelo said the source of the “matrix” was the president himself and that Duterte received information from a “foreign source.”

But the Palace spokesman maintained that the information obtained by the foreign country — which he refused to name — was not gathered through an unlawful method.

“The information may have been acquired by a Filipino citizen who shared the same to the foreign country which then transmitted to PRRD pursuant to the global policy of intelligence information sharing between countries,” Panelo said, referring to Duterte’s presidential initials.

“It is also erroneous to speculate that the information was obtained through wiretapping or any similar device prohibited by laws as it could have been personally heard or witnessed during a conversation between plotters... The possibilities are endless,” he added.

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Dateline USa

DOH orders probe of complaint on foreign doctors

by SheilA

criSoStoMo Philstar.com

PHILIPPINE Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has ordered an investigation into the employment of foreign doctors in some hospitals without the necessary permits.

Duque directed the Human Resource for Health Development Bureau of the Department of Health (DOH) to look into the issue, which was raised by Sen. Richard Gordon.

“I have instructed the bureau to investigate immediately, based on a letter sent to me by Senator Gordon last week. We looked at the content of the letter, we will address the points

raised,” Duque said Monday, April 29.

Duque said that as a policy, foreign doctors cannot be allowed to practice in the Philippines unless there is a reciprocity agreement with their countries of origin.

This means that Filipino doctors will also be allowed to work in these countries in exchange for their physicians working in the Philippines.

Duque said the Philippines does not have such agreement with the countries mentioned by Gordon.

The senator discovered that there are Pakistani or Nepalese doctors working as medical consultants at the James L. Gordon

ArwiN MercAdo Inquirer.net

FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Monday, April 29, repeated his stand that the United States is the Philippines’ only military ally following President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to China.

Locsin made the statement after a netizen disagreed with a remark made by presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo that China and the Philippines are allies.

“Yes, they are allies of each other. It is the headline of the great Financial Times. Along with a lotta EU countries and UK,” Locsin said in a tweet.

“But the U.S. is our only military ally,” the foreign affairs secretary added.

This is not the first time Locsin said that China and the Philippines are not military allies.

Earlier, Locsin said the country’s relationship with China is friendship and “never a military alliance.”

“The U.S. is and will remain our only military ally. You can’t make an ally out of a near power — too close for comfort,” Locsin said in an earlier tweet.

“Natural allies are U.S. across Pacific and Russia behind China.

With China friendship is wisest; never a military alliance. The logic of balance of power,” he added.

San Bruno Police arrested Maria Delosreyes on suspicion of human trafficking.

Ricardo Delosreyes, Maria’s husband, is still at large and could be in the Philippines.

Photos courtesy of. San Bruno Police

Filipina in San Bruno, Calif. nabbed for human trafficking

SAN BRUNO, California – A Filipina was arrested Wednesday, April 24 on suspicion of human trafficking. Her husband is also a suspect but is still at large, San Bruno police said.

Maria Delosreyes, 45, and her husband, Ricardo Delosreyes, 55, allegedly promised a job and a better life to a young woman in the Philippines if she moved to their home in San Bruno.

The couple allegedly threatened the 20-year-old victim with deportation and forced her to work 14 to 17 hours a day, seven days a week for almost no pay, police said. She was allegedly made to sleep on the floor and was not allowed to eat with the family.

The victim took care of the

couple’s mentally disabled child and also did janitorial work for a dental business owned by one of their friends, according to a Daily Journal report.

The Delosreyeses were reported to police in 2016, but they left the U.S. Police recently found out that Maria Delosreyes had returned to San Bruno and arrested her, according to KRON4. Her husband is believed to be in the Philippines and remains at large.

Anyone with information related to the case is urged to contact the San Bruno Police Department at (650) 616-7100 or by email at sbpdtipline@sanbruno.ca.gov. Information can be left anonymously. (Inquirer. net)

Is insulin’s high cost keeping diabetes patients from taking their medicine?

by ShefAli luthrA Kaiser Health News

HIGH prescription drug prices are fast becoming a leading political topic, with medications like insulin emerging as a poster child for the issue. Nearly doubling in price from 2012 to 2016, the diabetes medication has commanded bipartisan attention on Capitol Hill and even a shoutout in a recent Netflix comedy special.

Voters say curbing such prices should be a top priority for lawmakers — and Democratic presidential candidates are paying attention.

At an April 22 CNN town hall, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), among the field of Democrats vying for the 2020 nomination, responded to a health care question by spotlighting insulin’s spiraling price tag.

“One out of 4 diabetes patients in our country cannot afford their insulin,” she said.

That would be a shockingly high number, researchers point

out, and could become a talking point Democrats return to throughout the campaign season. The cost of insulin particularly resonates given diabetes’ incidence rates.

According to the American Diabetes Association, about 1.25 million Americans have Type 1 diabetes —less common than Type 2 — and cannot live without insulin.

With that in mind, we decided to dig in to see if Harris’ statement checks out.

Three different datasets back Harris’ claim When asked about this particular statement, Harris’ campaign first cited a peer-reviewed study published in December, which looked at people with diabetes being treated at the Yale Diabetes Center in New Haven, Conn.

Of 199 participants, 51 people — just over 25% — reported they either reduced or stopped taking insulin because of the cost.

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Memorial Hospital, a government-run facility in Olongapo City.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) will investigate reports that a “syndicate” is behind the employment of foreign doctors in the country.

BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said the bureau will coordinate with Gordon, who revealed the information over the weekend, as well as with the Professional Regulation Commission, the agency in charge of issuing licenses to professionals.

Sandoval said the bureau is bent on ridding the country of illegal aliens. (With Evelyn Macairan)

Locsin: China is a PH ally, but US is only military ally

by Neil

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MAy 3-9, 2019

In his visit to China for the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, President Duterte had a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, during which they discussed pressing issues — such as the maritime dispute on the West Philippine Sea where Chinese fishermen were reportedly poaching giant clams.

The two leaders agreed to settle the issue through diplomatic means without sacrificing their countries’ ties. n

DEADLY BLAZE. An elderly woman died while six others were injured as a fire hit the upper floors of the Pacific Coast Plaza building in Paranaque City on Monday, April 29. The blaze, which started at noon, was declared under control two and a half hours later.

ManilaTimes.net photo by John Orven Verdote

Pew poll: 69% of Filipinos...

PAGE A1 mocracy is higher in emerging than advanced economies,” the study revealed.

It also showed the distinctions in democratic dissatisfaction between 2017 and 2018, with the Philippines remaining the same with 31 percent.

Apart from our country, other nations who did not experience significant change were

Greece, Kenya, Indonesia, Italy, Nigeria, Hungary, Poland, Australia and Israel.

The survey was conducted using telephone and face-toface interviews during the the fourth quarter of 2018. Pew stated that the poll results were based on national samples, unless otherwise noted.

1,181 adult respondents were surveyed in the Philip-

pines from May 28 to July 7, 2018.

“For results based on the full sample in a given country, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus the margin of error. The margin of error is larger for results based on subsamples in the survey,” Pew said. n

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Maria Ressa at TIME 100 Gala: Let’s toast to freedom

only crime is to be a journalist, to speak truth to power,” she said.

She has been arrested twice Time magazine held its annual — in February for “cyber libel” gala in New York to celebrate the charges related to a 2012 Rappler list of the “100 most influential article and most recently at the people,” which included veteran end of March for the news site’s Filipina journalist and Rappler alleged violation of foreign ownerCEO Maria Ressa. ship.

Ressa, who has been a vocal “So who are we toasting? critic against Philippine President Please, grab your glass, raise it to Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, Filipinos, to Americans, and other gave a speech on Tuesday night, freedom-loving people all around April 23 wherein she said that “It’s the world who are fighting desa completely chaotic time where perately for their democracies, technology has helped make facts because they — we believe in the goodness of human nature. We believe that the only way to build is with hope, it’s with inspiration, it is — it’s with love. We will hold the line powered with the best of human nature. Please, let’s toast to freedom,” Ressa ended in her speech.

In the magazine entry of Ressa’s influence, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright wrote, “When I presented her with the National Democratic Institute’s highest honor in 2017, she spoke of the hard work and courage of her colleagues at Rappler: ‘We are journalists, and we will not be intimidated. We will shine the light.

We will hold the line.’ That is precisely what she has done.”

The magazine also named Ressa among the group of global journalists, who are fighting to spread truth, for “Person of the Year in 2018.”

The gala on Tuesday was attended by some of the world’s game changers across various industries, such as Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Gayle King, Taylor Swift, Dwayne Rappler CEO Maria Ressa met actress Glenn Close at the Time 100 Summit on Tuesday, April 23 in New York. That evening, the veteran journalist attended the magazine’s Time 100 gala Johnson, Sandra Oh, Hasan Minhaj, and Emilia Clarke. n honoring the world’s “100 most influential people,” where she gave a toast.

by AJPress

HARD WORKERS. Construction workers do not mind working under the intense heat of the sun at the Entertainment City in Parañaque City on Tuesday, April 30. The labor sector is seeking a PHP710 across-the-board increase in the daily minimum wage for workers in Metro Manila amid increasing costs of goods and services.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

Is insulin’s high cost keeping diabetes...

PAGE A3 The study is small and limited to one metropolitan area. But it likely paints a more-or-less accurate picture nationally, three health care academic researchers said.

“The characteristics of the people that were included look reasonably well-distributed across measures we’d be thinking about, like age, insurance type, race, ethnicity,” said Stacie Dusetzina, an associate professor of health policy at Vanderbilt University. “They probably are pretty much on target.”

The study also corresponds with other surveys, though they too have limitations.

One, commissioned by the American Diabetes Association and made public last May, polled about 530 people online whose demographics corresponded to the national data of people with the illness. About 27% of respondents suggested the price of insulin had “affected their past year purchase or use of insulin.”

There is also an online opt-in survey administered by T1 International, an advocacy group for people with diabetes. Its 2018 results and methodology are undergoing peer review and have not yet been published in full, said James Elliott, one of the organization’s trustees. He suggested it would likely ultimately support Harris’ “1 out of 4” talking point.

There’s some extrapolation, but the point is ‘more true than not’ The caveat is that Harris’ comment is based on limited data, and only one of the papers has been peer-reviewed.

Though insulin’s price has skyrocketed in recent years, no sizable national survey or study has tracked insulin affordability, said Dr. Jing Luo, an instructor at Harvard Medical School who was involved with the Yale study and has researched insulin pricing more generally.

That perhaps limits any effort to make an argument about insulin access nationwide, or at the very least requires some extrapolation.

That said, the 1-in-4 figure is “more true than not,” Luo said.

“It’s as accurate as the data available allows,” Luo said. “It’s a reasonable estimate. Really, there’s no data to suggest otherwise.”

We also asked about Harris’ specific word choice: “cannot afford their insulin.” All the research examining this issue doesn’t ask that precise question, but rather, asks if the cost has resulted in a patient’s purchasing or using less medication.

That, analysts said, is, in fact, a good proxy for whether people can’t afford insulin. And it may understate the problem, said Dr. Kasia Lipska, the endocrinologist who led the Yale study, since it

doesn’t account for people who keep buying medication but skimp on groceries or other necessities as a result.

Our ruling The lack of a national study is an issue, for sure, and to some extent limits the extent to which we can put stock in Harris’ 1-in4 figure. It’s also important to remember that it refers to a narrower group — only patients with Type 1 — rather than all people with diabetes.

But experts broadly suggested that the findings in the three reports referenced — one peer-reviewed academic paper and two surveys — amply support her claim. And the broad meaning of the phrase “cannot afford” means the problem could be more significant than these datasets suggest since they measure only people going without medication, not those for whom insulin prices maybe create other financial issues.

This statement is accurate but needs some additional information. We rate this claim Mostly True.

A related story from our PolitiFact partners: “Does Half the U.S. Population Have Diabetes or Prediabetes, as Tim Ryan Claimed?”

PolitiFact National (Valverde, April 29).

This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation. n

disputable, eroded truths, and crippled trust.”

“For journalists, for people at the front lines of trying to fight for truth, this is an existential moment for journalism and for democracy; for Rappler, the company I helped build in the Philippines, it’s an existential moment, not just for our company, but for me,” she continued.

In the past 14 months, the Philippine government has filed 11 cases against Ressa.

“The only thing I’ve done, my

Harvard center says access to disaster info needs boost in earthquake-prone Philippines A HARVARD Humanitarian Initiative official repeated on Wednesday, May 1, the need for accessible and comprehensible information on earthquake preparedness for Filipino households.

In a release, HHI Resilient Communities Program Director Vicenzo Bollettino stressed that “timely access to disaster information is essential as are plans for what to do in the event of an earthquake.”

“Filipinos should be aware of the Department of Interior and Local Government’s guidelines on disaster preparedness and acquaint themselves with evacuation routes, evacuation shelter locations and should have emergency kits prepared,” Bollettino added.

Parts of the country were rocked by earthquakes in the past week. On April 22, a magnitude 6.1 quake jolted Luzon. Its epicenter was traced to Castillejos, Zambales and it claimed at least 18 lives.

Days later, a magnitude 5.5 earthquake jolted Surigao del Norte on April 26. The following day, five earthquakes struck General Luna town in that province.

The Philippines lies on the so-called “Ring of Fire,” where many quakes and volcanic eruptions occur.

How much stronger? Upgraded magnitudes of power-

ful Eastern Samar, Zambales quakes, explained 2017 survey In the same statement, HHI recalled that a 2017 survey conducted in the country showed that “generally, all households have very low planning for earthquake.”

Meanwhile, households with “more highly educated members” were more likely to have a quake disaster plan (10%) prepared as compared to those with less educated ones (below 5%).

The poll also showed that 62% of those with family members who attained tertiary education were more familiar with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology Earthquake Intensity Scale.

The PEIS is a scale used to measure the intensity of an earthquake.

“Familiarity with PEIS among households with a member who completed tertiary education was at 62 percent, 49 percent for those with a member who finished secondary education, 35 percent for those with a member who graduated from primary school, and only 24 percent for households without members who either reach or finish any school level,” the HHI added.

The same survey also showed that those aged 18-35 are more familiar (51%) with PEIS than older Filipinos.

Only 48% of those among ages of 36-55 were aware of

PEIS while only 43% of those who are 56 years old and older were aware of the seismic measure.

The poll also showed that Central Luzon and Western Visayas were among the regions with the lowest earthquake preparedness planning at the household level with only 3%.

Porac town in Pampanga was the hardest hit in the magnitude 6.1-quake that jolted Luzon on April 22.

Ilocos Region and Cagayan Valley meanwhile had the lowest disaster preparedness at 1%, followed by Bicol, Zamboanga Peninsula and Soccsksargen at 2%.

Central Visayas recorded the highest level of preparedness at 15%, while Metro Manila came in second with 13%.

The survey also showed that “households in Central Luzon reported less experience at only 40%, while Central Visayas and Caraga reported most experience of earthquakes at 98% and 97% respectively.”

“Households dependent on agriculture or fishing as their main livelihood are also less likely to have earthquake management plan (3%), than skilled/unskilled workers (8%),” according to the survey.

The poll was conducted through DisasterNet-Philippines, between March and April 2017. (Kristine Joy Patag/Philstar.com)

US senator who played role in Marcos ouster dies at 87 LONG-time Republican senator, foreign policy stalwart and one-time presidential candidate Richard Lugar died on Sunday, April 28, at 87.

Lugar was in a hospital in Virginia, where he was being treated for a rare neurological disorder called chronic inflammatory demylinating polyneuropathy, or CIPD, the Lugar Center in Washington said in a statement.

In the Philippines, Lugar would best be remembered for his role that led to the 1986 ouster of President Ferdinand Marcos.

Former U.S. president Ronald Reagan was inclined to accept the rigged election that would have kept Marcos in office, but Lugar, who went to the Philippines as an election observer, said Reagan was misinformed.

Lugar’s stand shifted U.S. support to the ultimate winner, Corazon Aquino, bringing down Marcos and his 20-year grip on power. Lugar also worked to alert Americans about the threat of terrorism years before “weapons of mass destruction” became a common phrase fol-

lowing the September 11 attacks.

The long-time Republican senator from Indiana helped start a program that destroyed thousands of former Soviet nuclear and chemical weapons after the Cold War ended — then warned during a short-lived 1996 run for president about the danger of such devices falling into the hands of terrorists.

The soft-spoken and thoughtful former Rhodes scholar was a leading Republican voice on foreign policy matters during his 36 years in the U.S. Senate, but whose reputation of working with Democrats ultimately cost him the office in 2012.

Lugar served for decades on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, twice as chairman, where he helped steer arms reduction pacts for the presidential administrations of George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, supported an expansion of NATO and favored aid to Nicaragua’s Contra rebels.

“Lugar was a leader not only in the Senate, but also on the world stage, where he worked

tirelessly to bring pressure to end apartheid in South Africa and enforce treaties that destroyed Soviet weapons of mass destruction,” Vice President Mike Pence, a former governor of Indiana, said in a statement.

He built a reputation as someone willing to work across the aisle and showed he could buck his party, notably with Reagan.

Lugar sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1996, saying he wanted to see whether “serious talk” on the issues could prevail over “sound bites.”

But the bookish Lugar — as a Rhodes scholar, he earned an honors degree from Oxford in 1954 — wryly acknowledged that charisma was hardly his strong suit and he ultimately withdrew from the 1996 race.

After leaving the Senate, Lugar continued to work on nuclear nonproliferation issues, global hunger and energy conservation.

He is survived by his wife Charlene, whom he married in 1956, and by four sons. (manilaTimes.net with reports from AP and AFP)

Palace: ‘Totally unnecessary’ to...

PAGE A2 Global watchdogs have said that press freedom in the Philippines, where journalism has been historically vibrant and unafraid to question leaders, is under attack under Duterte. The government, including the Presidential Task Force on Media

speech or by reason of one’s disSecurity, denies this charge.

In the same statement on agreement against the AdminisWednesday, Panelo claimed tration or its policies,” he said. that “compared to all adminis“The revelation on the ouster trations, the dissent during this plot is pursuant to the people’s leadership is the freest.” right to information. The people “No person has been haled to deserve to know that there are court on account of the individ- ouster plans against the leaderual’s exercise of the freedom of ship of their government.” n

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Dateline PhiliPPines

A

Duterte seeks int’l support for Pangilinan believes surprise win sustainable, peaceful use of seas possible for Otso Diretso bets

by Doris

Dumlao-abaDilla Inquirer.net

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has sought international support for “sustainable and peaceful” use of oceans and seas “in accordance with international law” — a prelude to a plan of his administration to declare parts of the West Philippine Sea as a marine sanctuary.

“As an archipelagic state, the Philippines seeks to improve our collective capacity to manage and protect marine resources,” the president said on Saturday afternoon, April 27, at a leaders’ roundtable during the Belt and Road Forum. He spoke in a session that focused on green and sustainable development.

“As channels of transportation and communication, and a vital source of sustenance and livelihood, our oceans and seas connect and sustain us. It is thus our collective duty to promote their sustainable and peaceful use in accordance with international law,” he said.

In an interview earlier on Saturday, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said Malacañang was studying the declaration of the West Philippine Sea as a “marine-protected” area, similar to what was done for a portion of Benham Rise in 2018.

China, the host of the Belt and Road Forum, is a rival maritime claimant in the West Philippine Sea but an earlier bilateral meeting between Duterte and China’s President Xi Jinping affirmed the willingness of both countries to work together in other areas while continuing to address their differences in territorial claims

by Gaea

President Rodrigo Duterte

through diplomatic channels.

Duterte, who is implementing an aggressive infrastructurebuilding program, said China’s Belt and Road Forum presented an opportunity to explore avenues of mutually beneficial partnerships for inclusive sustainable development.

He reported that 75 big-ticket infrastructure projects worth $41.6 billion dollars would be implemented by the Philippines in the medium-term.

“Our goal is to promote new growth centers outside the already congested urban-industrial region surrounding Metropolitan Manila. This will create more job opportunities for our people,” he said.

For its part, China has supported a number of big-ticket

Inquirer.net file photo

infrastructure projects in the Philippines since Duterte came to power in 2016.

“We also aim to enhance cooperation in green technology.

That is why we want to accelerate our transition to low-carbon development pathways,” the president said. “We will also ensure our infrastructure systems should be clean and green. We will strengthen our policy framework for green financing in order to attract investments in renewable energy.”

Noting that agriculture is an important driver of growth, he said said he would welcome economic investments that would help the Philippines improve its economic productivity with the entry of relevant production and PAGE A7

PH thanks Akihito for ‘advocating peace during 30-year reign’ THE Philippines on Tuesday, April 30, expressed its gratitude to former Japanese emperor Akihito for fostering goodwill and friendship between Manila and Tokyo.

The Philippine government is thankful for Akihito’s “invaluable role in advocating peace during his 30-year reign,” said DFA Assistant Secretary Emmanuel Fernandez on the occasion of Akihito’s abdication on Tuesday, ending his three-decade reign.

“His Majesty the Emperor was

the first member of the Japanese Imperial Household to visit the Philippines, doing so twice – as Crown Prince in 1962, and as Emperor in 2016,” he said.

“As the Heisei era draws to a close, the Government and people of the Philippines convey their sincerest best wishes for the good health and well-being of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress,” Fernandez said.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, in a statement,

said “the Palace feels melancholic about the abdication of Japanese Emperor Akihito, who is considered a good friend of the Philippines.”

“But he has made a decision and we can only respect it and wish him well with whatever awaits him after he leaves the throne,” he said.

Prince Naruhito, 59, will ascend the throne on Wednesday, May 1. (Bernadette Tamayo/ManilaTimes.net) n

Filipinos likely to say there are opportunities to improve living standards in country — poll

by Gaea

Katreena Philstar.com

CabiCo

MANILA — Filipinos are likely to say that most people in the Philippines have the opportunity to advance their standard of living, according to a new global poll of Pew Research Center.

The survey released Tuesday April 30 (Manila time) showed 86% of Filipinos saying there is a good chance to improve their own standard of living. Only 13% saw few opportunities to improve their standard of living.

Filipinos with ages 18 to 29 (90%) are more likely than those with ages 30 to 49 (87%) and ages 50 and older (79%) to say people can improve their standard of living.

Pew stressed a median of 57% across the 27 countries surveyed agree that most people have a good chance to improve their

own standard of living, adding this sentiment is slightly more widespread in the nine emerging economies surveyed than in the 18 advanced economies.

“Filipinos, South Africans and Nigerians are especially likely to describe their countries as ones in which people can improve their economic situation; about fourin-ten or more in each country says this describes their country very well,” the Washington D.C.based think tank said.

But in Italy, Spain and Greece, only about one-quarter of people say their country is one in which it is possible to improve their standard of living.

About 3 in 10 Pinoys say it’s dangerous to walk at night The same study showed that 62% of Filipinos said the statement “most people live in areas where it is dangerous to walk around at night” does not

describe the Philippines well.

The remaining 36% said it is dangerous to walk around at night.

Pew noted that most of the respondents said their countries are generally not dangerous for walking around at night.

“A median of 35% believe most people live in areas where it’s dangerous to walk around at night. But opinion diverges somewhat across advanced and emerging economies. In advanced economies, a median of only 30% say most people live in areas where it is dangerous to walk around at night, compared with a median of 45% across the nine emerging economies surveyed,” it said.

In the Philippines, 1,181 adult respondents were surveyed from May 28 to July 7, 2018. The poll has a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points. n

Katreena Philstar.com

CabiCo

MANILA — It is still possible for senatorial candidates from the Liberal Party-led Otso Diretso slate to pull off a surprise win in the coming elections even if few of them are doing well in preelection surveys.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan, LP president and the coalition’s campaign manager, said on Tuesday, April 30 after the release of Pulse Asia’s April 10 to 14 survey, which showed that Otso Diretso bets continue to lag behind administration candidates.

“Sabi nga nila ang pinakamahalagang survey ay ‘yung araw ng halalan. At sa aking labingwalong taon bilang senador, ilang eleksyon na rin ang nadaanan natin bilang campaign manager at bilang kandidato, nakita natin, may mga pangyayari na sa huling dalawang linggo ng eleksyon, ‘yung mga nasa labas ng Top 12 pagdating ng araw ng halalan ay ‘come from behind’ ika nga at naipapanalo nila. Surprise victory ika nga,” he said.

(They said the most important

Vice President Leni Robredo with Otso Diretso senatorial candidates.

Philstar.com photo by Edd Gumban

survey is election day. In my 18 years of experience as a campaign manager and as a candidate, I saw instances that those outside the Top 12 will ‘come from behind’ and end up winning.

Surprise victory, as they say.)

Voters will elect 12 senators to the 24-member Senate in the coming polls.

Pangilinan added: “Mula Number 12, magiging Number 1.

Mula Number 13, nagiging Number 2. Mula Number 17, nagiging Number 6. So hindi pa tapos ang boxing, ika nga. Ipaglalaban natin ang bawat boto hanggang sa huli.”

(The number 12 becomes number 1. The number 13 becomes number 2. The number 17 becomes number 6. So the fight is not yet over. We will fight for PAGE A7

published, and it calls on relevant agencies to investigate the matter,” Fernandez said.

In a supposed memo dated MANILA — The Department of Foreign Affairs denied that it has January 25, the DFA advised the warned the Duterte administra- Department of Information and Technology, tion over entering into partner- Communications ships with Chinese telecom giant the National Security Council and the National Intelligence CoorHuawei.

The DFA on Tuesday, April 30, dinating Agency that the Czech issued a statement in response Republic and France have issued to a report published by Rappler orders to limit the use of Huawei products. earlier this week.

A copy of the memo posted by “This is regrettable as the published document clearly bears Rappler indicated that in Decemno such warning by the Depart- ber 2018, the Czech Republic ment,” DFA Assistant Secretary banned the use of Huawei and ZTE devices “due to possible cyEmmanuel Fernandez said.

The DFA official, however, did ber-security threats” based on an not deny that such document was alert issued by the Czech National issued as it is calling on concerned Cyber and Security Information Agency. agencies to look into the leak.

France, on the other hand, had “More than anything, the Department is disturbed that a supposedly implemented operaconfidential document has been tor restrictions on Huawei in Jan-

uary “amidst concerns that China could spy on countries where it has a network presence.”

The United States earlier warned that the countries entering into deals with Huawei, which makes 5G technology, risk handing over data to the Chinese government.

Despite this warning, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the Philippines has not taken measures to address the security risks from Huawei.

“We are not doing anything on that one. We always mention that we are a free, sovereign country and we will do what we will have to do especially when it comes to economic development and promote things and pushing for inclusive economic growth,” Lopez said earlier this month. (Patricia Lourdes Viray with a report from Pia Lee-Brago/Philstar.com) n

DFA denies warning gov’t over partnering with Huawei

by neil Jayson

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MAY 3-9, 2019 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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

OPINION

Leaders for Heritage

FEATURES

HEIRTAGE Month is starting with several heritage churches ruined or slightly damaged by the recent powerful earthquakes. In the old districts of Manila such as Binondo and Intramuros, there are old structures that deserve to be preserved and restored but are in danger of being demolished. The old train station in Paco has been razed.

In other countries, many cities have Old Towns — historic sections where buildings, landmarks and even original pavements and street lamps are preserved. There are also traditional villages outside urban centers where the art, architecture, public works, local culture and traditional lifestyles are preserved as living history. Some of these villages have been declared as World Heritage Sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

UNESCO has listings even for traditional celebrations, or Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, such as Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos – the Day of the Dead, which is a more elaborate version of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days in the Philippines.

There are heritage listings for traditional food such as Turkish coffee and Washoku or Japanese cuisine.

Then there are nature’s blessings, which the

Philippines has in abundance. The country is home to some of the world’s most extensive wetlands, which are protected by an international convention. The newest – the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area in Manila Bay – deserves nurturing. Manila Bay itself, where the view of the sunset is a source of national pride, deserves to be saved from further pollution and reclamation activities.

Forests, coral reefs, the rich biodiversity, beaches – these are as much part of our national heritage as the man-made structures that need protection and expert restoration.

We’re all custodians of our national heritage. It’s a responsibility that the country cannot afford to take for granted. Celebrated since 2003, this year’s theme for this special month is “leaders for heritage.” Every Filipino can be a leader in preserving the heritage not just of the country but of humanity. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

Trump defies Constitution by blocking subpoenas in probes on him: What is he hiding?

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP has been claiming he is the most transparent president in U.S. history. Any selfrespecting U.S. citizen committed to the truth knows this is a lie.

Transparency and accountability are values upheld by the principles of checks and balances mandated by the U.S. Constitution so that not one person nor institution accorded with public trust may abuse power.

Yet the 45th president of the United States has been desperately doing everything to block all calls for him to come clean.

Even worse, he orders government officials to ignore subpoenas to testify under oath before Congress in pursuit of the truth on the allegations of criminal intent, abuse of power and obstruction of justice as laid out by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report.

In addition to these are subpoenas by the courts to investigate cases referred by Mueller

to the judiciary outside of the purview of the mandate given to him in the Russia probe. It revealed more cases of alleged campaign finance violations, cover-ups, use of the Trump Foundation for his family’s personal gain and benefit, defrauding and scamming the government in attempts to pay his equitable dues in taxes, and so much more.

Trump likewise failed to release his tax returns, unable to beat the deadline given to his appointed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who, like his appointed Attorney General William Barr, appears to be serving Trump’s interest and not of the American people as mandated by law.

Recently, Trump, his family and the Trump Organization filed a lawsuit against Deutsche Bank and Capital One in an attempt to block congressional subpoenas seeking their banking and financial records.

As the Associated Press (AP) reported, this lawsuit is in response to the House Financial Services and the House Intelligence committees that have subpoenaed Deutsche Bank and several other financial institutions as part of investigations into Trump’s finances.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff says

IN just one generation, China has achieved through capitalist development what it could not accomplish by exporting Maoist socialism. Credit for this unprecedented global clout is generally given to Deng Xiaoping, who once reminded his people that “to be rich is glorious.”

This heresy, which became a popular slogan, was a turning point in China’s ideological transformation. From the doomed effort to form the socialist human being through agrarian socialism, the Chinese Communist Party sought instead to create a robust economy using the tools of market capitalism. Rather than view it as a reversal of the socialist vision, however, the Party interpreted the modernization of the Chinese economy through capitalism as building the precondition for a socialist society, in which prosperity — not poverty — is democratized.

U.S. President Donald Trump

a lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan on Monday [April 29] in an attempt to block Deutsche Bank and another financial company, Capital One, from sharing documents.”

Playing the victim role and branding all calls for accountability as “presidential harassment,” the lawsuit filed claimed “The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family, and

White House photo

to ferret about for any material that might be used to cause him political damage.”

As TIME reported, Reps.

Schiff and Waters issued a joint statement accusing the president of trying to “put off meaningful accountability as long as possible.”

“The meritless lawsuit filed today by President Trump to block duly authorized subpoenas to non-governmental entities is another demonstration of the depths to which President Trump will go to obstruct Congress’s constitutional

oversight authority,” the statement said.

Has Trump really been transparent as he claims to be? What is he hiding? Does he think he is above the law in defying the Constitution he has sworn to uphold? *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.

Relos

China’s place in today’s world

Public Lives

RANDY DAVID

the subpoenas are part of an investigation “into allegations of potential foreign influence on the U.S. political process.”

House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters, says “the potential use of the U.S. financial system for illicit purposes is a very serious concern,” and says her committee is looking into those matters, including whether they pertain to Trump, according to the AP report.

The New York Times reported, that for more than 20 years, “Deutsche Bank lent Donald J. Trump billions of dollars, even as his tarnished financial record put him off limits for most of Wall Street.”

The Times further said Deutsche Bank is now putting the president on the defensive after its lawyers “have spent months cooperating with investigators from two Democratic-controlled congressional committees, which issued what one lawmaker called a ‘friendly subpoena’ to the bank in mid-April.”

The bank could end up sharing decades of his personal and corporate financial records, according to the Times.

The report said the prospect of having Trump’s financial records be finally revealed has “prompted Mr. Trump to file

No better confirmation is there of Deng’s genius than to see China today preside over a gathering of world leaders and top business executives to discuss how to spread the benefits of capitalist development through the integration of the world’s trade, manufacturing and communication infrastructure. This is what the so-called Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is about — at least on paper.

Launched in 2013, the BRI has generated interest from at least 150 countries.

At the second BRI Forum in Beijing this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping told the assembled guests: “The Belt and Road cooperation involves new ways to improve opportunities for common prosperity and economic globalization.

We should keep the parties motivated in the spirit of multilateralism. In going ahead, we should focus on opportunities.”

This sounds more like standard IMF-World Bank-ADB rhetoric than the fraternal assurances typically given by a

socialist leader to visiting comrades from communist parties and movements. No talk of revolution here, only of promoting the gospel of globalization.

Having succeeded in gaming the world capitalist system, the new China seeks to open all doors and lift all barriers to trade and investment. Together with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping has become a leading critic of protectionism.

Armed with its tremendous economic capacity, China today behaves more or less like the United States at the end of World War II, or surplus-rich Japan in the 1980s. It leverages its economic clout not just to create more wealth for itself and its companies, but to extend its sphere of influence to other areas. The use of economic aid or official development assistance is key to this strategy. It is certainly not unique to China. The old term for it is neocolonialism.

Having succeeded in establishing a firm foothold in the global capitalist system, China is inescapably caught in its

logic no matter how much the communist party leadership tries to regulate its insertion into the system. The big question is how long it can sustain the dynamism of its open economy, while keeping its political system closed.

The communist party’s tight grip on China’s political system, and, in turn, the Chinese state’s control of its market economy remains a kink in the country’s economic modernity.

The close intertwining of economic interests with political objectives introduces a complexity that other countries’ business enterprises are not comfortable with when dealing with Chinese companies. The lack of transparency breeds distrust, fosters corruption and raises concerns about “debt traps” and other hidden agendas.

These negative perceptions inevitably seep into the politics of countries that receive Chinese aid and loans or host Chinese investments, often blending dangerously with existing anti-Chinese prejudices. Yet,

there is no denying the fact that the rise of China as a global economic power has raised economic productivity worldwide. It has made the world’s wealthy people richer than before. But, it has also made many commodities, hitherto only dreamed about, available at cheap prices to poor people in low-income countries.

China’s rise, on the whole, has been good for world capitalism. And, perhaps, no one knows this better than the big capitalist conglomerates themselves that saw their profits rise beyond imagination when they started relocating segments of their production to China. China was no fool to merely allow foreign companies to exploit its cheap labor. It saw in this the opportunity to learn new techniques of production, to transfer technology and to gain access to new markets.

But, while it has phenomenally succeeded in actualizing its vision of the Chinese future, the country continues to grapple with image problems.

And these pertain not only to

the Chinese state, but also to its people. Flush with cash and eager to see the world outside, mainland Chinese are only beginning to learn the norms of international travel. Their reputation for unruly behavior precedes them.

These perceptions do not die easily. They manifest themselves in nearly every public opinion survey. Like the almost blanket trust they reserve to the United States, Filipinos’ distrust for China is axiomatic and unexamined.

Of all the unconventional positions President Duterte has taken, it is his declared pivot to China that is potentially the costliest in political terms. That public approval of his presidency remains high despite his obsequious pro-Chinese pronouncements only shows the public’s general indifference to foreign-policy issues. But the moment Filipinos begin to feel that mainland Chinese are taking over their neighborhoods and their jobs, the political equation could change overnight. (Inquirer.net)

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

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NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MAy 3-9, 2019

A

Sotto: Sara Duterte free to oppose federalism DOH not lifting measles outbreak declaration

by Javier

J. ismael Manilatimes.net

SENATE President Vicente Sotto III said he respects Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio’s opposition to the proposed shift to federalism that her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, has been pushing since he assumed office.

“Everyone is entitled to his/ her opinion,” Sotto said when reached for comment on DuterteCarpio’s statement that she was not in favor of federalism.

Duterte-Carpio on Wednesday, May 1 told reporters on the sidelines of Hugpong ng Pagbabago’s (HnP) campaign sortie in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi that she was opposed to federalism, because wider political and fiscal autonomy, when granted to areas long held by political clans, could spell trouble.

“If you can see, Mindanao is filled with ‘kingdoms’ of local politicians, local warlords. I don’t think it’s right that we grant them wider powers,” she said.

The President’s daughter, however, noted that the decision to shift to federalism rests with Congress and the President.

President Duterte has said from

Asked whether the shift to federalism was one of such priorities, she said the regional party “does not have a collective stand” on the matter.

The Palace has formed a consultative committee that recommended a draft federal charter.

The President, however, has not yet officially endorsed the committee’s draft to Congress, which introduced its own version of a proposed revised Charter which, among others, removed term limits for elective officials.

But Sotto, said he did not see the need, to prioritize federalism especially Since the Bangsamoro Organic Law has just been implemented.

The Senate chief said that the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region Senate President Vicente Sotto III in Muslim Mindanao created unManilatimes.net file photo der Republic Act 11054 could be the start of his term that a federal an experiment on whether or not federalism would work for the form of government will benefit country. local government units that have “We will monitor closely how long relied on the central govern- it will work. It could be a model ment for funding. for the federalism proposal that Duterte-Carpio leads the HnP they are pushing. It’s a region of which fielded 13 Senate candi- its own, that’s why we don’t redates for the upcoming midterm ally need to prioritize federalism elections, who are expected to at this point when we have a good support the President’s legislative experiment, if I may call it that,” priorities if they win.

Sotto said. n

PAGE A5 post-harvest technologies.

The president stated that the Philippines, along with the rest of Asia, was “on the path of economic resurgence.”

“The Philippines in particular is set to join the ranks of upper middle-income countries as it is projected to become the 25th largest economy in the world in PPP (purchasing power parity) terms,” he

said.

By 2020, the president projected that the combined economies of Asian countries would be larger than that of the rest of the world.

“Asia’s future is indeed promising, but this is not preordained.

For our region to remain an economic powerhouse, for us to be there, growth and prosperity must be inclusive, equitable, and sustainable,” he said.

The Philippines’ ultimate goal is to provide a comfortable and secure life to all law-abiding citizens in a country that is stable, peaceful, and resilient, he said.

“My government will do all that is necessary to realize this vision.

We will build strong partnerships with like-minded states, multilateral institutions, and other stakeholders that share our vision,” he said. n

PAGE A5 every vote until the end.)

The Otso Diretso campaign manager is optimistic that voters will reject “corrupt and dishonest” candidates in the end.

Opposition bets in pre-election surveys According to the Pulse Asia survey, Sen. Bam Aquino was the only one from the opposition slate who has a statistical chance of winning, settling at the 10th to 16th bracket. He has a voter preference rating of 28.8%.

Former Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas,

who previously made it to the winners’ circle, dropped to the 14th to 17th bracket with a voter preference of 24.5%.

Civic leader Samira Gutoc placed at the 24th to 29 bracket with a 5.9% voter support, while lawyers Chel Diokno and Romy Macalintal tied at 25th to 31st bracket with a 5.3% and 5.2% voter support, respectively.

Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano (5%) is at the 25th to 32nd spots and former Quezon Rep. Erin Tañada (3.6%) together with former Solicitor General

Florin Hilbay (3.2%) at the 27th to 40th spots.

Sen. Cynthia Villar (51.7%) climbed to the top spot of the latest Pulse Asia survey, sharing the lead with fellow re-electionist Sen. Grace Poe (50.5%).

Pulse Asia noted that “practically all of the probable winners are current or former members of Congress and among them, 10 are running under the Hugpong ng Pagbabago coalition,” referring to the slate being managed by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, the president’s daughter. n

Duterte seeks int’l support for...

Pangilinan believes surprise win...

by sheila

Crisostomo Philstar.com

MANILA — The Department of Health (DOH) will not lift the measles outbreak declared in four regions in the country last February, an official said.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the measles cases in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon and Central and Western Visayas are under control.

“We are seeing fewer measles cases. But I would not say that the outbreaks are over. You can probably do that at the local level but not at the regional or national level,” Duque told reporters during a vaccination program at the Baseco compound in Tondo, Manila.

Duque said they would lift the measles outbreak once the DOH reaches its target of 95 percent immunization rate for all vaccine-preventable diseases.

Barangay health workers vaccinated infants and children against measles, diphtheria, pertussis or whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis B and haemophilus influenza Type B. World Health Organization Philippine representative Gundo Weiler noted that herd immunity could be achieved if 95 percent of target children are vaccinat-

ed.

“When this happens, even children who are too young to be vaccinated will be protected,” Weiler said.

Duque said public confidence in the government’s vaccination program has improved, based on the study conducted by the Philippine Survey Research Center commissioned by Malacañang.

Based on the survey, 89 percent of Filipinos said that vaccines are safe, compared to 66 percent in April 2018.

Those who said that vaccines were effective rose from 68 percent to 91 percent.

DOH records showed that around 3.8 million children aged six to 59 months were immunized during the outbreak-response vaccination activities.

The agency will vaccinate more elementary students when classes resume in June.

Sen. Sonny Angara has called for a more aggressive immunization campaign to ensure that lifesaving vaccines reach as many Filipino children as possible.

“We need to be more aggressive in ensuring that every Filipino child receives vaccines to protect them from preventable illnesses. We have to make sure that our immunization program reaches even the hardest to reach child,” Angara said.

He issued the statement after the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that an estimated 2.9 million children in the Philippines remain unvaccinated, making them vulnerable to potentially deadly infections such as measles, rubella and polio.

Angara said the government needs to step up its information campaign on the benefits of vaccination, which should include door-to-door approach in farflung areas to provide parents with personalized immunization information.

“It is vital to identify those who are missing vaccination and reach them with life-saving vaccines,” he said.

“Improving vaccination coverage is the key to reducing diseases and deaths among children,” he added.

Close to 30,000 measles cases, including 389 deaths, were recorded nationwide since January this year.

According to UNICEF, measles immunization coverage in the country has declined to 73 percent in 2017 from 88 percent in 2013.

Last year, the immunization coverage went down to less than 70 percent, or way below the 95 percent required for population immunity. n

Enrile calls for probe on power outages

by Javier

J. ismael Manilatimes.net

AMID the threat of power outages and power rate increases, former Senate president and Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) Senate candidate Juan Ponce Enrile stressed the need to revisit the Electric Power Industry Reform (Epira) Act. Enrile, who continued the Northern leg of his campaign in Quezon on Saturday, April 27 lamented reports that power rates were poised to go up following widespread power shortages in Luzon the past few weeks.

“Consumers are the ones who suffer the most. They are already being hit by these power outages, and yet they have to pay more with bigger electricity bills due in the following months,” said Enrile in an interview in Tayabas, Quezon.

The former Senate chief noted that on April 12 and 15, rotating power outages were imposed in

several areas in Metro Manila and Luzon after the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) warned the public of low power reserves.

According to the Department of Energy (DoE), the power shortfall was due to a series of unplanned shutdowns in a number of power plants run by San Miguel Consolidated Power Corp., TeaM Energy Corp., Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corp., Pagbilao Energy Corp., and South Luzon Thermal Energy Corp.

Other power plants were then also undergoing scheduled maintenance.

“It is baffling why all of these power plants had problems simultaneously. An investigation on this is in order because there is always a possibility of collusion among power players to increase rates. On the other hand, if there is no collusion, the government should still look into common technical or other problems that could affect the country’s supply

in the long term,” Enrile said, adding “We cannot sit on our hands waiting for the next series of power outages to happen.”

For the same reason, Enrile, an advocate of consumer protection, said it is high time that the government review its concession agreements with power firms.

“Have they [power firms] violated their concession agreement?” said the former Senate president, who had long wanted to review and amend the Epira Law. He also blamed Epira for the current shortfall in the power supply in Luzon.

Enrile, who was the only senator who opposed EPIRA when it was passed in 2001, said the law failed to fulfill its promise to reduce electricity rates.

In vying for a fifth Senate term in the upcoming midterm elections, Enrile vowed to protect consumers against high prices and poor services of the country’s key power players. n

A

MAy 3-9, 2019 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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

SF The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - May 3, 2019

Friday, May 3, 2019

SF2

cover story The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - May 3, 2019

Shifting to self-care: A nurse’s guide to well-being BY

MALOU LIWANAG-BLEDSOE / AJPRESS

THIS year, the American Nurses Association (ANA) has chosen the Nurses Week (May 6-12) tagline of “Four Million Reasons to Celebrate” to be an ode to the nation’s 4 million registered nurses who daily represent the nation’s healthcare system and dedicate themselves to providing quality care all clinical settings.

According to the ANA, nurses make up the largest group of health care professionals in the nation and it’s no doubt that Filipinos make up a large number of the profession. In California alone, 20% of registered nurses are said to be Filipino.

For 17 consecutive years, nurses have been ranked as having the most honest and ethical profession as a testament to their role and impact both in and outside hospital settings.

But despite their hard work, many compromise their own personal health in doing so. It isn’t uncommon for example,

to hear of nurses working over their 12-hours shifts, or keeping themselves on-call in case they’re needed in the hospital.

A 2015 report by the American Journal of Nursing pointed to a number of studies unsurprisingly showing that nurses who work extended hours of 12 or more hours in a 24-hour day or over 40 hours in a week, are less likely than the general population to have an adequate amount of quality sleep.

Lack of sleep combined with long hours shifts, the report added, have been found to be associated with health problems that not only affect performance or memory, but contribute to diseases like diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

The ANA in 2014 made it a point to release a statement to nurses and their employers “to carefully consider the need for adequate rest and sleep when deciding whether to offer or accept work assignments,

including on-call, voluntary, or mandatory overtime.”

Anita Nacion-Vita, the Filipina American registered nurse (RN) behind the new Nurses Rise wellness service, experienced the stresses of the job firsthand. As a result, she often experienced burnout syndrome, anxiety, chronic fatigue, and other symptoms of “workaholism.”

As a former night shift worker, there was also insomnia, and the regular need for caffeine, sugar, and sleeping aids. Coping with stress outside of work, there was shopping, excessive drinking, partying and TV binge-watching.

“I thought I had to have it all together all the time, which led to all the suffering I endured. I used to feel that taking breaks would cut into my time for charting and make me fall behind. There were times I took them feeling guilt and shame,” Nacion-Vita shared with the Asian Journal.

“What I didn’t realize was that breaks are there for reason.

They’re meant for us to fill up again and finish the rest of our shift with more energy and ease and less anxiety,” added NacionVita. “You can’t go 100% from start to finish.

It is not sustainable.”

Wanting to make a change, NacionVita made it a point to be an advocate for selfcare for nurses.

She shared with the Asian

Journal some of her personal tips for finding balance and personal well-being.

Meditate “Meditation is my number one tip. It’s free and can be done in as little as five to 15 minutes,” said Nacion-Vita.

As night shift worker especially, Nacion-Vita like many, found herself in a cycle of not getting enough rest on her days off, struggling to stay awake during the day, and relying on coffee and sleep aids just to find a rhythm.

“It made me feel like I was always in fog,” she said. “My sleep was broken up into a nap session, versus sleeping a full six to eight hours a day.”

But through meditation, she was able to get the relaxation and freedom she needed. She shared five simple steps, starting with creating a quiet environment free of distractions.

“Go to a quiet place where you are not to be disturbed for at least five minutes,” said Nacion-Vita. She added that playing instrumental spa music was one easy way to really get into the setting.

After finding a preferred environment comes body positioning: “Sit in a position power. Feet flat on the ground.

Back is slightly curved, not rigid. Shoulders rolled back and relaxed. Hands with palms facing downwards to ‘ground’ your energy.”

Next comes setting your intention: “Spiritual quality such as love, kindness, it is whatever you want to focus on and receive from your meditation. Close your eyes and start to arrive and start to let go of external stimuli.”

Breath: “Allow your breath to guide you. Take an initial cleansing deep breath to start.

Inhale for four seconds. Hold it at the top for four seconds and then exhale all of your breath for four seconds. Then do this sequence again with equal and even breaths for two rounds.

Then do the last one just as the same as the first one. A cleansing closing breath. Take the deepest breath you have ever taken from the week and day.”

The final step is expressing gratitude: “Honor and thank yourself for showing up for yourself. Give thanks for the gifts you are receiving from meditation.”

End your meditation session by pausing and taking three

Anita Nacion-Vita

more slow and deep breaths.

Exercise Nacion-Vita also found regular exercise to be a big help in increasing her blood flow and waking up her body. One of the programs offered by NacionVita’s group is a Mindfulness Running Program that includes group runs by the beach.

Being an avid runner, she picked up running to combat the fact that she was always very sleepy. She eventually set a goal to run a half marathon, and made running a part of her regular routine.

“It kept me on a good routine to move my body, which also added the benefit of getting better sleep and quick bursts of energy during my working hours,” said NacionVita.

Make the most out of breaks “Take breaks without guilt or shame,” said Nacion-Vita, adding that breaks are a great time to put in a meditation session, getting blood flowing, and just setting aside time to fully recharge.

She also recommends stepping away from the workspace and making a change of environment to help shift energy in a better direction.

“Maybe go to the courtyard if you have access to one, go for a walk, or go anywhere outside your usual setting,” said Nacion-Vita. Unable to get out? Nacion-Vita shared that just getting up and walking laps around the unit floor make a difference.

Other easy things that can be done during breaks are listening to music that uplifts and relaxes, or using essential oils.

“I can easily shift my mood from chaos to calm with essential oils,” said Nacion-Vita, who brings a small bottle with her

wherever she goes. Her personal favorite that is recommended for relaxation is lavender.

Take the opportunity to recharge off duty Perhaps more important than resting during break time is resting when off the work shift. A self-care rhythm is a great place to start, said Nacion who has a three-step “Release, Refuel, and Renew” method to clear energy and fuel back up.

Starting with the release step, the Fil-Am nurse suggests letting go of the things that no longer serve you through again, meditation, but also through things like writing and journaling, working out, or dancing and singing to move negative energy out through the body.

Next comes refueling.

“Nourish yourself,” said NacionVita. “Eat delicious and nutritious food that fuels your heart and soul. Keep brownies and processed foods to a minimum no matter how tempting. All in moderation. Hydrate. Take a mindful shower or bath honoring your body and what it does for you in a state of gratitude and thanksgiving.”

Finally comes the renewal step. “Once you are all filled up, you begin again. From this space you are able to go about your day and tackle the next task at hand in a harmonious way,” said Nacion. “Connect with yourself and loved ones and do something joyful and playful.”

Find a community of fellow nurses Joining a community of like-hearted nurses that support and lift each other up is something all nurses could benefit from, according to Nacion-Vita.

Unable to find a supportive community that was focused on nurses was what ultimately led her to create Nurses Rise.

Exporting care: The history of Filipino nurses in the United States

1946 when the Philippines was granted independence by AJPress the U.S. During the American A VAST majority of Filipinos occupation, several programs are seen to dominate the field of ultimately led to the surge of nursing in the United States, with Filipino nurses in the U.S. registered nurses (RNs) making Pensionado Act of 1903 up the largest segment of the A sudden need for local country’s health care workforce. health care professionals led the Many often attribute such U.S. Army to recruit Filipinos numbers to the common notion to work as Volunteer Auxiliary that those who hail from the and Contract Nurses. Filipinos Philippines are hospitable and ac- were sent to the United States commodating. However, beyond as government-funded scholars that reputation lies a clearer exotherwise known as pensioplanation of how the Pearl of the nados. They included those Orient Seas seemingly exported pursuing a nursing degree in the care to the hands of Uncle Sam. said recruitment. Some of those In the Philippines, an average who stayed for employment as RN commonly earns only around nurses in the U.S. established the five percent of the salary that the Philippine Nurses Association of U.S. can offer, with an average New York in 1928. of P170,960 ($3,301) per year, As pensionado nurses PayScale reported. From 2012 returned to the Philippines, to 2017, 92,277 nurses left the they helped set up and manPhilippines in search of opportuage the 17 nursing schools that nities abroad, according to the were established in the country Philippine Overseas Employment from 1903 until 1940. Due to Agency. this, most of those who finished Others would argue that in their nursing education were the United States, RNs could inspired to fly to the United earn more in a day than they’d States since they can do so with make in a month back home. The little restrictions. Filipino nurses average annual salary of RNs in were considered “U.S. nationthe United States was $73,550 in als” and even traveled with U.S. 2017 — about $35.36 per hour. passports.

The employment of Filipino Exchange Visitor Program nurses in the United States was of 1948 made more convenient due to As the U.S. State Departthe colonial relationship shared ment set up an Exchange Visitor by the two countries from 1899 Program to “combat Soviet until 1942 during the Japanese propaganda,” more nurses from occupation but it wasn’t until the Philippines availed of the

by NATHALIE ROBLES

opportunity. The Philippines and the United States settled on an agreement that highlighted the importance of financing educational and cultural exchanges.

A large percentage of the exchange visitors came from the Philippines, and many of them were nurses or nursing students.

1965 amendments in the U.S. immigration laws Immigration laws were liberalized to allow Filipino nurses and other professionals to immigrate to the U.S. The said amendments permitted Filipino nurses to come to the U.S. on tourist visas without pre-arranged employment, allowing them to adjust their status once they set foot in the U.S. During this period, the number of nursing schools in the Philippines soared from 17 in 1940 to 170 in 1990 to more than 429 at the present time. Many of these nursing schools were diploma mills exploiting the desire of many Filipinos to enter the nursing profession.

However, the lax regulation resulted in a problem since only 15-20 percent of the Filipino nurses who immigrated to the U.S. after 1965 could pass the state nursing board exams.

As a resolution, the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) was established in 1977 to prevent the exploitation of graduates of foreign nursing schools who come to the United States to

work as nurses but who couldn’t pass the nursing board exams in the U.S. Today, there are many steps one must pass through in order to become a licensed nurse in the United States, even if they are licensed back in the Philippines.

The process includes: meeting educational requirements, such as graduating from an accredited RN program abroad and showing at least two years of work experience in your home country; and then applying to a state’s Board of Nursing and taking the National Council Licensing Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN), which may include an English language proficiency test. Once licensed, the job search begins through a nursing recruitment agency or U.S. employer. Nurses can then apply for a U.S. visa after receiving a job offer.

From January to March of this year, 2,890 Philippineeducated nurses have taken the NCLEX in the U.S. Last year, a total of 10,302 Filipino nurses took the test, according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN).

History suggests that the Philippines and the U.S. are linked beyond the nurses that step in to fill the latter country’s demand for that special health care. The connection between the two countries continues to show itself in the present day.

Returning actor John Lloyd Cruz

Photo screen grabbed from Youtube/Turks

John Lloyd Cruz teases comeback with new TV commercial

by JAN MILO SEVERO Philstar.com

ON-leave Kapamilya actor John Lloyd Cruz has made a comeback in showbiz through an endorsement for a shawarma brand.

In Turks’ Facebook page, the brand posted a YouTube video of John Lloyd as their new ambassador.

In the video, John Lloyd was seen in his new look, with a longer hair and unshaven mustache and beard, while he

was walking around and taking photographs.

While on showbiz hiatus, John Lloyd made himself busy by taking photographs that can be seen in his Instagram account. Last March, his photographs were featured in an art exhibit in West Gallery in Quezon City.

John Lloyd’s comeback in the online video commercial thrilled his fans, who are now asking if he will also return to doing movies and TV shows.

Continued on Page SF3

Employer-sponsored green cards are still available despite H2-B ban Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ RECENTLY, the USCIS “delisted” (or banned) Filipinos from applying for the seasonal/ temporary H-2B visa. (This visa allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary nonagricultural jobs, such as housekeepers at hotels during the busy summer season.)

However, this ban DOES NOT APPLY to Filipinos seeking green cards through the labor certification or PERM process. That avenue for green cards or legalization is still available to Filipinos, as long as it is a legitimate job opportunity and you follow the rules and abide by the law.

The USCIS and U.S. Embassy concluded that Filipinos were abusing and/or being abused under the H-2B program: • The Philippines has a high H-2B overstay rate, where nearly 40% of H-2B visa holders from the Philippines overstayed their visa and went TNT. • Nearly 40% of the worldwide visas for family members of victims of trafficking (T-visas) were from Filipinos who came to the U.S. as H-2B visa holders and then claimed they were victims of trafficking. In other words, DHS and DOS are now concerned about the high volume of trafficking victims from the Philippines who were originally issued H-2B visas and then became victims of trafficking. So, it appears it is not safe for Filipinos to apply for H-2B visas, as so many claim they were abused.

• “The Philippines’ continued inclusion creates the

potential for abuse, fraud, and other harm to the integrity of the H-2A or H-2B visa programs.”

It also may be that many Filipinos were taking advantage of these programs by entering the U.S. on an H-2B visa but violating the visas by overstaying, and then in an attempt to remain in the U.S., made up stories about being abused or trafficked, so they can remain in America and bring their family from the Philippines to join them.

However, even though Filipinos are banned from applying for an H-2B visa (except on a case by case exception), they can still apply for green cards under labor certification or PERM. In fact, I have had several Filipinos consult with me, who were eligible to be petitioned by an employer, but mistakenly thought they were now banned from doing so.

That is not true. Filipinos can still be petitioned for green cards through an employer.

The basic requirements are: • A financially stable employer in the U.S. with a real job position, where the alien will work once they obtain their green card. It need not be a Fortune 500 company. It can even be a six-bed board and care facility, sole proprietorship, etc. Typically, the net income on the employer’s tax return should equal the alien’s salary in order to demonstrate an employer’s “ability to pay” the wage.

• An alien who is qualified for the particular job position either through education or experience. It need not be a college-level job. In fact, caregivers are also eligible for green cards through employer sponsorship, and right now it takes about the same amount of time as professional or skilled workers (approximately 2-3 years.).

• The employer must first

make a good-faith effort to locate qualified U.S. workers for the job. If there is no qualified U.S. worker ready, willing, and able to perform the job duties, the job can be “certified” for the alien.

• Even if a person is out of status, they may still be eligible to get a green card if they were grandfathered under section 245(i) or qualify for a provisional waiver.

Therefore, if you believe you are eligible, or know someone (such as a relative in the Philippines) who may be eligible, and there is an employer who willing to sponsor the alien, you should consult with an attorney, who can evaluate the case and assist in processing it. But don’t miss out on a green card through an employer based on the H2B ban, as it does not apply to labor certification green cards. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 35 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bars of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California.

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

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/GurfinkelLaw and Twitter @GurfinkelLaw Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: 1-866-487-3465 (866) – GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES ∙ SAN FRANCISCO ∙ NEW YORK ∙ PHILIPPINES

community

SF

The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - May 3, 2019

A ROLLERCOASTER RIDE THAT INCLUDED RETROGRESSION OF PRIORITY DATES, AGING OUT, AND THE FATHER SUCCUMBING TO CANCER JUST BEFORE VISA ISSUANCE ON THIS SUNDAY’S “CITIZEN PINOY”! In July 2007, Raffy’s mother adjusted status in the U.S., hoping to immediately bring her husband and son, Raffy (left) to the U.S. from the Philippines. However, her priority date retrogressed (moved backwards) and the wait stretched for years. Several setbacks occurred, including further retrogression of the priority dates, Raffy aging out, and Raffy’s father being diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately he passed away in the Philippines without seeing his American dream come true. Raffy’s mother then retained the Law Offices of Michael Gurfinkel, who took over the case from two previous attorneys, who were not taking active steps to move the case forward. Watch how leading U.S. immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel was able to convince the Embassy to reconsider Raffy’s denial, showing he qualified under the Child Status Protection Act, on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” – on Sunday at 6:15 p.m. (PST) on TFC. (Advertising Supplement)

John Lloyd Cruz teases comeback...

John Lloyd took an inFrom Page SF2 definite leave of absence from “Grabe namiss ko si Lloyd, showbiz last October 2017. It nakakaexcite na muli syang makita on screen kahit na nagmatured na sya still gwapo padin. At syempre bagay na bagay talaga ito sa comeback ng small pita doner and may kasama pang doner bowl oh diba bongga? Sana magtuloy tuloy na itong back to back comeback. Excited na kaming mga fans nyo!” a YouTube user commented.

“I like the new look of JL this time, yung matured looking guy and may pa mysterious effect. Super namiss ko talaga sya sana magtuloy tuloy na ang appearance nya kasi isa sya sa mga best actor na kilala ko. At sana ganon din ang small pita doner and doner bowls kasi madami kaming nkakamiss sa kanila. Buti nay pa comeback si turks masaya na naman kaming ng avid fans!

Love it!” another user com(Advertising Supplement) mented.

was still unclear if he will now pursue acting after the release of his new commercial.

SF

celebrityworld The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - May 3, 2019

celebrity world

Baron Geisler engaged to non-showbiz girlfriend

By Ferdie Villar CONTROVERSIAL actor Baron Geisler is in the news again, but in a positive light.

Now based in Cebu, the actor confirmed with PUSH that he is already engaged to his nonshowbiz girlfriend, Jamie Marie Evangelista.

“Tapos na kami sa engagement part. Three months ago pa yon,” he said.

Baron and Jamie also met in Cebu and became a couple in September 2018.

According to the actor, Jamie is a psychologist and works at a rehabilitation center as a freelance therapist.

“She teaches college students also,” he stated. “Kinukuha siya ng mga rehab center para tumulong sa mga addict at alcoholic.”

The actor, who has had his share of problems with alcohol and drugs, shared what he loves about his girlfriend.

“She’s very patient sa akin.

Alam niya kung paano ako templahin. Super happy ako kasi maalaga siya,” he said.

He also added that it was Jamie who supported him when he had nothing, before he started his own business in Cebu City.

At present, Baron has a barber shop — Gents Barber — inside Gaisano Country Mall.

“Kasi ang buong pag-aakala ko wala na akong babalikan sa showbiz, kaya nagtayo na lang ako ng business,” he said.

“Ginamit kong puhunan yung konti kong namana at binenta ko yung Fortuner ko para makapagsimula. Kakabukas lang nung barber shop ko and so far it’s doing good naman,” he shared.

As to why he decided to settle down, Baron said that it’s time.

“Pagod na ako sa laro, sa

EMPLOYMENT

pag-party. Gusto ko na ring magkaroon ng sariling pamilya,” Baron said.

There is no set date for the wedding still, as there are some things that they have to settle financially first. But the actor said that they want to get married as soon as possible.

“Ang sa akin kasi, ayokong pre-marital sex, we want to do it right,” he said.

The good news though is that Baron is back on TV and is again part of the ABS-CBN primetime blockbuster, “Ang Probisyano.” *** The Kris Aquino-Nicko Falcis case drama may soon come to an end, based on recent Instagram posts by both parties.

Last Friday, April 26, there was some sort of exchange in the comments section of Kris’ post about the dismissal of the two counts of grave threats against her filed by the Falcis brothers.

In the comments, Kris directed a message to Nicko saying that they should talk about their legal issues.

“So i am making this offer, we can meet at a neutral location with your lawyers & mine,” Kris posted and added, “We can talk like civilized individuals-let’s not involve our siblings. And who knows, maybe God wants peace for us all.”

Although Nicko did not answer or comment about the offer, his younger brother, Atty. Jesus “Jess” Falcis posted that their camp is open to Kris’ proposition.

However, he did caution Kris’ camp that he will remain guarded during the negotiation.

Jess posted, “As a supporting actor in my brother’s involuntary drama, I will give a

chance for peace and quiet. But I am watching. If the negotiation is unfair like before...I hope not.

For everyone’s peace of mind.”

Of course, Jess did not elaborate about the previous “unfair negotiation” with Kris, but it can be remembered in a press conference last year, he shared to the public the actress’ demands when they had a meeting in October 2018.

According to Jess, among Kris’ demands is for their mom to be present in the negotiation, for him to stop posting anything against the Queen of All Media, and for Nicko to sign an agreement prepared by the actress’ camp without proper review by the Falcis family.

Of course, the whole Falcis family said no to all of Kris’ demands.

Still, Nicko continues to pray for peace and justice for his family.

We’ll see how everything goes.

Filipino-Australian model and singer Migo Adecer is now the newest talent of GMA Pinoy TV. Migo now plays a supporting role in the top-rated teleserye “Amaya.”

EMPLOYMENT

Actor Baron Geisler recently confirmed that he is engaged to his non-showbiz girlfriend.

Queen of All Media Kris Aquino recently posted on her Instagram account an offer extended to Nicko Falcis and his family the chance to talk about their legal issues.

Golden Canedo, grand champion of GMA 7/Pinoy TV’s “The Clash” singing contest, will be one of the singers to perform at the Kapusong Pinoy Studio 7 Musikalye to be held in Kings Theater, New York on Saturday, May 11.

Actress Nadine Samonte recently gave birth to her second child, a son named Austin Titus. Nadine is married to businessman Richard Chua and they have another child, Heather Sloane, who was born in 2016.

Young actress Sophia Reola is the newest star in ABS-CBN/The Filipino Channel teleserye, “Nang Ngumiti ang Langit.”

Judy Ann Santos and Ryan Agoncillo celebrated they 10th year wedding anniversary last Sunday, April 28.

FOR RENT

SERVICES

Health@Heart

Practical health tips

Patients with GastroEsophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), where the sphincter (a PhiliP S. Chua, valve) between the esophagus MD, FaCS, FPCS (food pipe) and the stomach has lost its ability to “shut the valve water-tight,” and remains loose IS fasting healthy? or open, allow gastric acids to Fasting results in drop in go up to the food pipe causing blood sugar during the fast burning mid-abdominal pain and spike of the glucose level and irritation/scarring. While the on resumption of food intake. stomach secretes hydrochloric It is best for our blood sugar acid to help in digesting food, to be on even keel at most the food pipe in unable to tolertimes, instead of fluctuating ate acid. GERD patients are prebecause other hormones in the scribed Proton Pump Inhibitor body negatively reacts to yoyo (PPI) drugs to control the acid changes. Omitting a meal a production. With less acid, the day or eating half of your usual absorption of vitamin B-12 ND caloric intake (depending on Folic Acid is reduced, so physiyour target weight) is safer, unless you are a diabetic who is on cians add B-12 and Folic Acid to a daily computed caloric intake. the therapy for these patients.

How can a non-smoker get Another strategy is to eat nothCOPD? ing but vegetables and fruits COPD (Chronic Obstruc2-3 times a week (or every other tive Pulmonary Disease), is a day) and drinking at least 8 very common condition, which glasses of water a day. This will also act as a colon/body cleans- afflicts cigarette smokers, those exposed to secondary smoke, ing regimen, without having to buy those unsafe and expensive and environmental and occupills, drinks, or enemas for colon pational toxic agents. COPD cleansing. Reducing or eliminat- is an adaptive inflammatory ing rice, bread, sweets and other immune reaction to exposure to toxic particles, fumes, gases, carbohydrates from our diet is especially in cigarettes. All these the healthy way to go. We have lead to inflammation, thickening, enough carbohydrates in many narrowing, mucus production, vegetables and fruits. Low-carb and on-and-of spasms of the (high protein) diet is in.

How to find out if you have breathing pipes and ballooning and thinning of the air sacs (emimmunity? physema) of the lungs destroyPeople who do not know if ing their ability for normal gas they had been vaccinated or if they had the contagious disease exchange (absorbing oxygen and eliminating carbon dioxide). in the past and want to find out But COPD could also be due to if they have immunity to that particular disease, especially for constant stomach acids regurgitating (flowing up) into the travelers and those who know they would be exposed to infec- breathing pipes, seen among those with GERD, especially tious illnesses, could have their when lay down. The acid-insult titer tested. The titer measures the antibody for specific disease over time causes COPD. How does bed-elevation (like measles, mumps, rubella, help GERD patients? etc.). Antibodies, called immuGastro-Esophageal Reflux noglobulins are Y-shaped protein molecules produced by our Disease is very common. The prevalence of GERD in North body to help protect us against foreign elements called antigens America is about 18.1 to 27.8 percent; Europe, 8.8 to 25.9 (like vaccines or past expopercent; East Asia, 2.5 to 7.8 sure to the disease). Antigens stimulate our immune system to percent; Middle East, 8.7 to 33.1 percent; Australia, 11.6 manufacture antibodies, which percent; and South America, 23 prevent us from catching the percent. Besides avoiding spicy disease.

Why B-12 and Folic acid for foods and medications, one very practical and helpful strategy is GERD patients? elevating the head part of the

bed to prevent the acid in the stomach from flowing upward to the esophagus. This could be achieved by using two bed risers (6-8 inches tall) placed under the feet at the head end of the bed, or by using a wedge pillow, or buying a bed with mechanical or motorized head-elevation feature, as in hospital beds. Using multiple pillows does not work as well, since movements during sleep could dislodge the pillows.

Placing books with cardboard on top, under the mattress could also help.

Does CPAP use save lives?

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) was first recognized in 1965, one of the greatest advances in the history of Sleep Medicine. OSA is caused by an anatomical blockage of the airway behind the throat which also produces snoring. Not all snorers have OSA. The blockage leads to breath-holding which occurs 50-100 times or more a night, depriving the person with a normal level of oxygen. Their sleep is repeatedly interrupted by sudden awakening, gasping for breath, disturbing bed partners also. The patient feels tired during the day, sleepy, a dangerous vehicle driver and machine operator, has poor concentration, obviously sleep-deprived. Over time, this frequent lack of oxygen during sleep increases the risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Some reported unexplained deaths, or heart attack, during sleep could be due to OSA. There are millions of unsuspected and undetected OSA. When the Sleep Study confirms the diagnosis of OSA, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) treatment is the gold standard, the ONLY effective one, together bronchodilator inhalation, where needed. Early diagnosis and treatment with CPAP are a life saver. Medicare and most health insurance plans cover the services of a Pulmonologist, the Sleep Study, and the CPAP machine and its accessories. OSA, a dangerous condition, is nothing to snore about.

When should colonoscopy be done?

community

SF

The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - May 3, 2019

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond

The Bucket List Become Your Own Style Icon 9h of a Series

Monette aDeva Maglaya

“… As within, so without…”

–Hermes Trismegistus

WHILE appearances may deceive, more often than not, what you are is reflected on the outside.

Becoming your own style icon does not mean maxing out your credit cards just to follow the latest fashion trends. Don’t do it. It’s a fool’s errand. You can never get caught up with it anyway. Fashion, like technology, will push the latest trend just to keep and grow market share. It’s all about money and profits. Who says you have to buy every season’s new fashion?

Don’t let those so-called fashion Nazis dictate how you dress.

First, get comfortable in your own skin. Focus on the positive features and accept and mitigate what you consider as flaws. Then find the style that suits you — something well within your means and makes you comfortable and confident while you do the things you love to do, or in many cases, have to do, on a daily basis.

Experiment with the clothes you already have in your closet.

Chances are, with the exception of underwear, you probably have all you need. Test combinations of cut, color, texture and style. Take a photo of the combinations that work for you and make you feel good and confident. Browse through magazines and pick a few that

appeal to your own sense of who you are.

Stick to the time-tested classics and it is more than likely, you will hit the bullseye of being your own style icon. Dump the Hollywood look. Entertainment industry stylists push trends that are flashy, show far too much skin and wobbly, jiggly bits of flesh. Notice how they almost have the same cookie cutter look and the same frozen faces botoxed to the max? No, you don’t want to go there.

Keep mixing and matching.

Discard the ones you know in your gut you will never, ever use. Reclaim valued space in the closet. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. There is no fashion police to issue you a ticket. Pretty soon, you will know in your gut the look that telegraphs who you are without saying a word.

You’ve heard it before.

“Dress for success! Dress to impresss!” Or that famous line: “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit!” (Okay, I am going off tangent here.) But the point is you must regard slogans with a bit of caution.

Catchy rhyming slogans are not necessarily true. Discernment is key. When you dress

to impress, you will simply get stressed trying to top each ensemble you put together with the next one. Your ego becomes the driver plus your wallet is lighter. Life is just too short to obsess on this matter.

The focus becomes the dress not on how your style makes you comfortable allowing you to function without having to fuss preening all day in front of a mirror. The right style projects the person quite easily, making you your own unique style icon. There may be clones of you, but no one is quite like you. God and your choices make it so.

If you work for an organization, it means you have to blend your style and comply with the company dress code. Looking professional and competent is key. Remember that as an employee, you are a reflection of the company you work for.

If casual jeans and tees are the norm in the company or because the nature of your work requires you to be holed up all day in some obscure cubicle and does not have to face the public, then wear them. It doesn’t mean, however, that you are required to dress down Continued on Page SF7

Cancer of the colon is a dreaded killer. It is a recommendation that screening colonoscopy be done at age 50. If this scope does not show any tumor (adenomas or cancer), the next colonoscopy should be in ten years. If low-risk adenomas are present in the colon, the follow-up scope is done in 5 years.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force stated that colonoscopy could be done up to age

75. If findings are normal, it is not recommended to be done after that age. If adenomas are found, the next scope is in 5 years. Eating vegetables and fruits at least 3 times a week and minimizing red read, not eating processed meats at all, quitting cigarettes, abstinence or moderation in alcohol intake, and doing low impact physical exercise at least 5 days a week, will lower the risk for most dis-

eases, including hypertension, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and cancer. ***

Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an internationa medical lecturer/author, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States Websites: philipSchua.com and FUN8888.com Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com (Advertising Supplement

SF6

people & events The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - May 3, 2019

Calendar of Events across

A

merica

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS M AY 2-1 0

35th annual Los Angeles Asian PaciďŹ c Film Festival The 35th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival will be presented May 2 - May 10, 2019 at select cinemas in the Los Angeles area. A key highlight of the annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month activities, the Festival is produced by Visual Communications, the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier Asian Pacific American media arts center, and enjoys broad support from cinema artists and audiences alike. For more information and the schedule, please visit https://festival. vcmedia.org/2019/.

M AY 4

Kulintang festival in Oakland, CA As part of the as part of the celebrations of Asian American Heritage Month, Gongsterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Paradise â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a kulintang party â&#x20AC;&#x201D; will be held on Saturday, May 4 at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center where the father of Filipino-American Kulintang music, Danongan â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dannyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Kalanduyan was once an artists in residence. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s line up will feature a new generation of Maguindanaon Master Artists from Cotabato City, Traditional groups from all over the United States and Contemporary groups from all over the world including Toronto, Philippines, Seattle, Virginia, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Alongside non-stop kulintangan, Gongsterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Paradise will feature visual artists, vendors, and dancers to showcase movements related to kulintang music rooted from all over Mindanao. A feast will be served throughout the evening to be prepared and served by Chef Eric Pascual, rising star and owner of Eats By E and will be joined by collaborator and sponsor, Ramar Foods. It will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (388 9th St., Oakland, CA 94607).

Filipino American Chamber of Commerce Tri-County Gatsby Gala Induction in Claremont, CA Roaring â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;20s is an optional attire for the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gatsby Gala Inductionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of FACC Tri-County (Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino Counties) on May 4, at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, 555 West Foothill Blvd., Claremont, CA 91711, 6 to 11 p.m. Guest Speaker and Inducting Officer: Consul General Adelio Angelito S. Cruz; and Sierra Madre Councilmember Rachelle Arizmendi, inspirational speaker. FACC Tri-County, under the stewardship of President Merwynn Montenegro, leads to support and enhance businesses that serve diversified communities. Its mission is to advocate for all businesses, provide opportunities for growth, and increase their competitiveness in the market place. For more information, contact Merwynn (909) 319-3145; 1st VP Carmela Giliberto carmela.giliberto@getbeyond.com, or 2nd VP Gregg Vargas (909) 802-0901.

If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com

The CTV Files

ATTY. LILLI BERBANO BACULI, ESQ

RECENTLY, I was reminded that our law firm will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary this May 2019. Though I joined this amazing band of legal warriors only in 2012, I have witnessed first hand what good lawyering is as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supposed to be. Here in San Diego where I am based, the county seal bears the words: The Noblest Motive is the Public Good. I do believe that we here at Chua Tinsay and Vega embody exactly that, lawyering in service to our community, for the public good.

What I have learned is that part of what it means to be a good lawyer and advocate, is to remain calm. This is especially important as we navigate through the uncertain and uncharted waters in Immigration policies of late.

Did you know that the most part, things are operating as usual at the U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS)? In fact, in some District Offices, things have moved very quickly for some cases. For example, we have seen Adjustment Interview schedules and Naturalization Interview schedules set in about 4 months.

However, we are still seeing delayed processing times in more popular District Offices like Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Because timing is everything, here are the most common applications that individuals should pay close attention to for eligibility requirements and filing window.

Removal of conditions on residence. Removing conditions on residence is a requirement: this application must be filed before deadline. This application is specific to those who were initially given a â&#x20AC;&#x153;CRâ&#x20AC;? or conditional resident status, typically for individuals who acquired permanent resident

The calm in the eye of the storm: Celebrating 10 years of service to our community

status through marriage to a US citizen. Current processing times for Removal of Conditions on Residence is estimated to be around 17 - 35.5 months. Individuals who are required to file for their Removal of Conditions should file their applications as soon as they are eligible to do so, during the specifically limited 90-day filing window.

Deferred Action (DACA) renewals. The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) reports that as of January 22, 2019, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the U.S. Supreme court had not taken action on the Trump Administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s request to expedite a ruling on the court decisions that keep DACA program in place.â&#x20AC;? The new term for the Supreme Court starts this October 2019.

For now, â&#x20AC;&#x153;DACA protections will likely remain in placeâ&#x20AC;? under current court rulings.

Individuals who were previously granted DACA may request renewal of their deferred action and their employment authorization with the appropriate fee or approved fee exemption request at the USCIS designated filing location, and in accordance with instructions in the Form I-821D and form I-765 applications. The filing window is between 150 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 120 days from the expiration of the current DACA grant.

USCIS is not accepting requests from individuals who have never been granted deferred action under DACA. Moreover, USCIS will not accept or approve applications for Advance Parole request from DACA recipients.

Naturalization applications.

Naturalization applications are currently estimated at 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 19.5 months. Applicants who are eligible to file for their Naturalization application â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at the 3-year mark or the 5-year mark â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are encouraged to file their

application at the soonest time they are able to do so, especially given the long wait times to be scheduled for an interview.

Note that Naturalization Applications are highly scrutinized, and individuals should consult with a licensed and experienced immigration attorney with regard to potential issues in their immigration history that may come up in the Naturalization process.

Credit card payments now accepted for filing fees. This may be a relief for some. USCIS announced last year that it will accept credit cards as a form of payment for certain applications, such as Adjustment Applications. Previously, USCIS had begun to accept credit cards as a form of payment for Naturalization applications.

Consult with a licensed and experienced immigration attorney before filing. We urge individuals to pause and take the time to consult with a licensed and experienced immigration attorney before submitting any application with USCIS. We here at Chua Tinsay and Vega are dedicated to providing our clients with competent service. We look forward to working with you and on your case. Thank you for 10 years of your trust and loyalty. ***

Atty. Lilli Baculi Collins is an associate attorney with Chua Tinsay & Vega, A Professional Legal Corporation (CTV) - a full service law ďŹ rm with ofďŹ ces in San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento and Philippines. The information presented in this article is for general information only and is not, nor intended to be, formal legal advice nor the formation of an attorney-client relationship. Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consultation to discuss your particular situation and/or how their services may be retained at (619) 955-6277; (415) 495-8088; (916) 449-3923; lbaculi@ctvattys.com; www.chuatinsayvega. com.

(Advertising Supplement)

Nadine Lustre bags Famas Best Actress award

by ARLO CUSTODIO ManilaTimes.net

POPULAR young actress Nadine Lustre won Best Actress for her performance in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Never Not Love You,â&#x20AC;? opposite reel and real-life boyfriend James Reid at the 67th Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (Famas) Awards held on Sunday at the Meralco Theater.

For Best Actor, Eddie Garcia and Victor Neri shared the honors for â&#x20AC;&#x153;MLâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Short History Of A Few Bad Things,â&#x20AC;? respectively.

Adriennce Vergara was named Best Supporting Actress for her role in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dog Days,â&#x20AC;? while Joem Bascon won Best Supporting Actor for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Double Twisting Double Back.â&#x20AC;?

Emotional in her acceptance speech, Lustre unexpectedly opened up about losing her brother Isaiah in 2017, who was found lifeless in their Quezon City home. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sobrang laki ng damage na ginawa sa buhay ko (It caused much damage to my life).

Ilang beses ko rin po gustong umatras (There were times when I wanted to give up). Kahit po nandun ako sa lowest point ng buhay ko, naitawid ko po with flying colors (But even if I hit the lowest point in my life, I got through with flying colors),â&#x20AC;? she said.

Independent film â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gusto Kita With All My Hypothalamusâ&#x20AC;? was named Best Picture, also

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Nadine Lustre

winning Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Dwein Baltazar.

A number of special awards were also given, among them the FPJ Memorial Award to Anne Curtis, the Dolphy Memorial Award to Maricel Soriano, the German Moreno Youth Achievement Award to Maymay Entrata and Bianca Umali. The Lifetime Achievement Awardees were Marilou Diaz-Abaya (posthumous), Laurice Guillen and Charo Santos-Concio.

The rest of the category winners were as follows: Best Visual Effects, Blackburst Inc., â&#x20AC;&#x153;Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral;â&#x20AC;?

Best Sound, Corinne de San Jose, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ang Panahon ng Hali-

Photo from Instagram/@vivaartistsagency

maw;â&#x20AC;? Outstanding Achievement in Editing, Lawrence Ang, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kung Paano Siya Nawalaâ&#x20AC;? and Hiyas Baldemor Bagaboldo, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pag-ukit sa Paniniwala;â&#x20AC;? Outstanding Achievement in Production Design, Maolen Fadul, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oda sa Wala;â&#x20AC;? Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography, Neil Daza, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oda sa Wala;â&#x20AC;?

Best Original Theme Song, Buhay Teatro, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Paglisan;â&#x20AC;? Best Musical Score, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Never Tear Us Apart aka Fisting;â&#x20AC;? and Best Adapted Screenplay, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tanabataâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wife.â&#x20AC;?

Finally â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ang Panahon ng Halimawâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Never Tear Us Apart aka Fistingâ&#x20AC;? were awarded the Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Film.

John Estrada reveals bout with depression

by DOLLY ANNE CARVAJAL Inquirer.net

THE highlight of my vacation in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boradiseâ&#x20AC;? last Holy Week was bonding with my good friends, John and Pri Estrada, their adorable daughter Anechka, my Migo Boy So and my â&#x20AC;&#x153;sistah,â&#x20AC;? Tito Boy Abunda.

I goofed around with Tito Boy and asked him the two standard questions in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fast Talkâ&#x20AC;? segment of his talk show, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tonight with Boy Abunda.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lights on or lights

off?â&#x20AC;? He replied, â&#x20AC;&#x153;On.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sex or chocolates?â&#x20AC;? He chose sex.

I could listen to Tito Boy talk all day. He told me that he was working on his third book (though Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not at liberty to divulge what itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about just yet) and was revved up for his teaching stint in Hong Kong.

While enjoying the sumptuous dinner hosted by Boy So at our second home, La Carmela de Boracay, Tito Boy told me that his outfits on â&#x20AC;&#x153;TWBAâ&#x20AC;? were mostly his own Continued on Page SF7 John Estrada

GMA photo

people & events

Adult Day Dare Food Program Public Service Announcement

The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - May 3, 2019

Making travel plans abroad? Make sure you’re immunized against measles

Adult Day Care Component Non pricing Program Media Release THE 2nd Century Adult Day Health Care Facility announces the sponsorship of the Adult Day Care Food Program. Meals will be available at no separate charge to persons enrolled at the center. The United States department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activi-

ties on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age disability, or political beliefs. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc. ) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and

The Bucket List...

From Page SF5 at all times.

Predictability is boring.

From time to time, make an effort to look really good just to make yourself feel good.

Why buy clothes and let them hang by their lonesome in the closet? Believe it or not, it does

your psyche good to receive compliments from time to time, particularly on down days.

Do you know what is the cherry on top of a unique style icon?

It’s a killer smile. A smile that comes from your eyes is a light bulb that dispels darkness

John Estrada....

From Page SF6 wardrobe.

“Clothes are my only luho. Although I am also into imported brands, I also support young local designers,” he pointed out. “Binabagay ko sa guests ko ang outfit ko for each episode.”

He gets a kick out of the memes about him on social media. That only goes to show how down-to-earth the king of talk is.

It was so amusing to listen to the fab couple, Pri

and John. Pri revealed that John snores so loud. She has tried all sorts of remedies on him, to no avail. “I can hardly sleep,” she laments. “So, when we are in our Cavite rest house on weekends, I stay in the guest room to catch up on my sleep.”

She also revealed that John was like a stalker when he was still pursuing her. At first, Pri was apprehensive because people told her that John was a playboy. This changed when he proposed.

SF

TDD0. To file a discrimination complaint, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 202509410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

SOLANO COUNTY – People planning to travel internationally should ensure they have already received the recommended two doses of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Nationwide, and negativity. It is essentially a measles cases now total 704 in sneak preview of the wellspring 2019, the highest since 1994. of goodness and love busting to Nearly all of these cases have get out from within you. been linked to international Next week: Back to yet travel by unvaccinated people another idea to consider for The who have then spread the virus Bucket List… to unvaccinated populations in *** the U.S. Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP The Centers for Disease of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send Control and Prevention (CDC) comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ recommends two doses of asianjournalinc.com MMR vaccine: the first dose at 12-15 months of age and the A big reveal was John’s second dose at 4-6 years of bout with depression after age. Adults travelling interna“Palibhasa Lalake” folded up. tionally should get vaccinated That was the TV sitcom that for measles if they did not relaunched him to full stardom. ceive the two doses as children.

“I tried to put up a brave Vaccination is the best protecfront,” he sighed. “I hated it tion against measles. when people asked me if I was Talk to your doctor about OK.” travel immunizations at least John totally cracked me 4-6 weeks before traveling. up with his remark during our For those travelling internanight-out in Epic. “These days, tionally with a baby older than it’s hard to tell who the lady 6 months but younger than boys and the women are,” he 12 months, the CDC recomnoted. mends that the baby receive Thank you, Tito Boy, Boy an early dose of MMR vaccine.

So, John, Pri and Anechka for Infants and young children who reinventing island fun. You contract measles are at risk of made me so “Bora” happy! serious complications.

“The best way to protect yourself and your family from measles is by making sure that you are vaccinated,” said Solano County Health Officer Dr. Bela Matyas. “The vaccine is highly effective and can keep you protected for life. When a high percentage of our residents is vaccinated, the disease cannot easily be passed on to anyone. This is called ‘herd immunity’ and it gives protection to vulnerable people such as young children and those who are too sick to be vaccinated.”

Measles is still common in many parts of the world: in Europe, Asia, the Pacific, South America, and Africa, including the Philippines, Israel, India, and Ukraine. If you are planning a trip, protect yourself against diseases that are more common in the country you are visiting.

Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 90 percent of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected. A person with measles can spread the disease to others even before symptoms appear. The incubation period for developing measles is up to 21 days after being exposed to someone else who has the disease. Common symptoms of measles include fever, cough,

runny nose, red eyes, and a rash, which can appear 7 to 21 days after the exposure.

Talk to your doctor about getting the MMR vaccine before traveling. Measles immunizations are available at your healthcare provider, local pharmacy, or health clinic. Locate a place that offers the measles vaccine on Vaccine Finder: https://vaccinefinder.org/.

If you are unsure of your immunization status or may have had contact with someone with the measles, consult with your doctor to have a test to check for measles immunity or to receive immunization. It is very important to call ahead to any medical facility before going there and to tell them that you may have been exposed to measles, so that the facility can take measures to protect other patients and visitors.

For information about measles, visit: https://www.cdc. gov/measles/resources/parents-caregivers.html For information about measles for travelers, visit: https:// www.cdc.gov/measles/travelers.html For more information about recommended vaccines for travelers, visit: https://www.cdc. gov/vaccines/vpd/mmr/public/ index.html.

Seafood City Opens in Hayward FILIPINO supermarket and fast food giant Seafood City opened its latest branch in Hayward, California last April 25 with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting attended by Philippine government representatives, local officials and invited guests.

Located in the Southland Mall area along Hesperian Blvd., the 43,000-square-foot Seafood City retail space includes recognizable Filipino companies such as Jollibee, Red Ribbon, Valerio’s, Atlas Shippers International and M Lhuillier, along with in-house food outlets Grill City and Noodle Street.

The Hayward branch marks the 29thstore in North America for Seafood City (28 in the U.S., 1 in Canada), and its eighth store in the Northern California region.

Among the officials and local leaders who attended the grand opening were Consul General Henry Bensurto Jr. and his wife Mariza Bensurto, Deputy Consul General Raquel Solano, Consul Vanessa Bago-Llona, Union City Councilmember Pat Gacoscos, Dr. Jennifer Ong, Hermy Almonte, Ben Menor and Jun Guzman of ABS-CBN/TFC. ConGen Bensurto of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco expressed genuine happiness with the opening of another Seafood City in Northern California.

“On the part of the Philippine Consulate, we are extremely happy. One, because Seafood City represents our heritage. It represents the community and it serves the community. So every time we see Seafood City, we equate Seafood City with Filipino. And the more they multiply, the better for us because their success is the success of the Filipino American community. They represent the Philippine flag in so many ways, and this is very much in consonance with what we are trying to do with the Philippine Consulate, which is to ‘Spark, Connect and Empower.’

Seafood City is a very concrete expression of that spark, connect and empower through the Filipino products that they sell, and Filipino cuisine is very much part of our heritage,” he said.

Seafood City shoppers will find seafood from the best sources locally and in the best waters they are available on offer not only at its Hayward location, but throughout the 29 branches of Seafood City in the US and Canada.

Eager customers flocked to the newest Seafood City location in the morning of April 25, ahead of its grand opening. Seafood City Hayward is located at 24536 Hesperian Blvd., in the Southland Mall area.

Consul General Henry Bensurto Jr. (left) and Seafood City’s Chairman of the Board, Mr. Steve Go, cut the ribbon, formally opening Seafood City’s newest location in the Eastbay community of Hayward, CA.

to be able to serve the Filipino American community wherever they are building their homes.”

Besides, Smith told the Asian Journal the Filipino community in Hayward has been constantly requesting for a store in their area.

At Seafood City Hayward, Smith revealed that shoppers will be able to find seafood from the best sources locally and in the best waters where they are available, same with produce and fruits; well-loved Filipino brands, a wide variety of quality Filipino-style meats, Asian varieties of rice and noodles, several aisles of snacks (including locally-sourced kakanin), frozen desserts (local and international), a variety of teas and coffee, as well as pre-marinated, ready-to-cook and fully cooked frozen items.

“I am truly happy that we are able to bring Seafood City to Hayward. People have been emailing us, asking us when we are opening a store in Hayward.

Now, Hayward can enjoy one their very own. And, of course, wherever we open a Seafood City store, it becomes iconic. It becomes a Philippine flagship entity, and I’m sure it’s a cultural pride – Hayward has a big Filipino community, and now we have a Filipino store. Kapitbahay na tayo, Hayward!” Smith said.

Seafood City Hayward is located at 24536 Hesperian Blvd., in Hayward, CA. Store hours are from Monday to Sunday, 8am to 9pm. For inquiries, call (510) 300-8010.

“Those ingredients that constitute a finished Filipino dish is something that you can find in Seafood City. In a very grand and practical way, Seafood City represents that culture, that heritage, and we must all support Seafood city. And we hope and pray that they will multiply and become a very large multinational corporation because of what they represent.”

ConGen Bensurto also was delighted to see many Filipino products displayed and neatly arranged in the store’s shelves.

“I was given the privilege to have a tour of the market and what I see are Filipino products being sold. When I see those products on the shelves, you cannot help but be proud that Filipino products have become global. And every time that we see those Philippine products representing the Philippines, obviously they propagate what is Filipino culture and heritage,” he explained.

“I think the way that they have arranged the products in a very orderly way, very friendly to users, very easy for marketgoers to find… very neat, very clean… this is what Filipino culture is all about. Not just the product itself, but the way we arrange things. Ang galing, ang galing,” ConGen Bensurto added.

A noticeable difference in this Seafood City is the presence of Noodle Street, Seafood City’s newest entry into the prepared food business, which they successfully introduced in their Chicago, Las Vegas and

Mississauga (Ontario, Canada) branches.

According to Mildred Smith, who is Seafood City’s Marketing Director, Noodle Street fulfills a gap where customers look for hot noodle favorites.

“The first Noodle Street was opened in Chicago, and it was very well-received. We decided that when we have the right products for it, we will cascade it to all the stores,” Smith said.

For those looking for Crispy Town, another in-house food outlet, Smith said that when space is limited, Crispy Town is integrated with Grill City. Of course, you’ll find everyone’s favorite Filipino-style barbeque, Grilled Silog all-day breakfast, and, soon, Street Food at Grill City.

Despite the Hayward branch’s proximity to another Seafood City location (Union City), Smith believes that growing Filipino community in the Bay Area as well as their continued efforts into product and service development will bode well for both branches in the future.

“People will just have to decide where they want to shop, but surely they will find the products [they want] at both stores,” she said. “Even if it is only 10 minutes away from Union City, busy ang life ng mga Filipinos… ten minutes is still ten minutes. If they can walk to the store and be there in a minute or two, and be home and do other things, it’s [about] convenience. And that’s what we really want to do. We want

Shoppers can choose from a wide variety of quality Filipino-style meats at Seafood City Hayward.

Neatly-arranged and well-stocked shelves boast a great deal of variety of snacks, canned goods, Asian noodles/rice, coffee/teas, condiments, oils, and well-loved Filipino and international brands.

(Advertising Supplement)

After the ceremonial ribbon-cutting, invited guests and Seafood City officials pose inside the well-laid out store. In photo above are (from left) Consul Vanessa Bago-Llona, Deputy Consul General Raquel Solano, Consul General Henry Bensurto Jr., Mariza Bensurto, Mrs. Pacita Go, Seafood City Chairman of the Board Mr. Steve Go, Seafood City Comptroller Elewin Rebaya, Dr. Jennifer One, Greg Macabenta, Union City Councilmember Pat Gacoscos, Ben Menor and Jun Guzman of ABS-CBN/TFC.

Excited Seafood City shoppers get a first look at the newest branch of the supermarket and fast food giant as its doors opened for business last April 25.

Carefully selected fruits and vegetables wait for the picking at the grand opening of Seafood City Hayward.

In-house favorites Grill City and Noodle Street offer Filipino cuisine favorites to hungry customers, whether dine-in or to-go.

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The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - May 3, 2019