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Volume 17 - No. 18 • 3 Sections – 20 Pages

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DATELINE

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

A month before the June primary, CA gubernatorial candidates participate in first ever APA-focused debate Five of the top six candidates discuss immigration, public education, affordable housing and climate change policy WITH a little more than a month before California’s June 5 primary for the 2018 midterm elections, the state’s gubernatorial candidates are gearing up for what will likely be a heated race to Former Los Angeles Mayor replace longtime Antonio Villaraigosa AJPress photos by Noel Ty

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American Boracay resort owner arrested PHILIPPINE Bureau of Immigration (BI) agents have arrested an American tourist for illegally operating a beach resort on Boracay island.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente on Monday identified the foreigner as 52-year-old Randall Lee Parker, who was apprehended on April 25, barely a day before Boracay was closed by the government.

Parker was arrested by BI intelligence operatives inside The Artienda, the resort he was illegally operating at Boracay’s Station Two, Morente said.

MAY 4 - 1 0 , 2 0 1 8

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

Ex-CJ Puno: Two-party system ‘best’ for PH

by JULIUS

N. LEONEN Inquirer.net

In an ambush interview on Wednesday, May 2, Puno said that the country had not reached the level of political FORMER Chief Justice Reynato Puno maturity where more than two parties believes that a two-party political sys- could participate in politics. tem is the “best” system for the Phil“The study of this Consultative Comippines at its current stage of political mittee is that at this stage of our podevelopment. litical development, it is best to have a

two-party political system,” the former chief magistrate told reporters.

“We don’t like a uni-party political system where you have only one party because surely that is not good for democracy. Nor are we sympathetic to the adoption of a multiparty system,” he

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The Consultative Committee, headed by former Chief Justice Reynato Puno, consider the results of the latest Pulse Asia survey as “a guide and a challenge.”

Philstar.com photo by Geremy Pintolo

Duterte: China vowed to spare Scarborough from island-building

by NESTOR

CORRALES Inquirer.net

CHINA has reassured President Rodrigo Duterte that Scarborough Shoal would be spared from Beijing’s militarization of the disputed South China Sea. Duterte said he had a recent meeting with Chinese officials, whom he did not identify.

The president said he asked the officials to spare Scarborough shoal from Beijing’s aggressive island-building.

Scarborough Shoal is the international name of Panatag Shoal, a rich fishing ground 143 miles off Zambales province that China seized after a two-month maritime standoff with the Philippines in 2012.

Filipino fishermen were now allowed to fish in the shoal but with coast guard ships

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TWO PHILIPPINE PRESIDENTS. President Rodrigo Duterte is joined by former President and incumbent Pampanga Second District Representative Gloria Arroyo as they witness the program proper during the 116th Labor Day Celebration at the IEC Convention Center in Cebu City on Tuesday, May 1.

Malacañang photo by Richard Madelo

PH favored to host Miss Universe 2018 pageant in Boracay

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

AN organizer of the 2016 Miss Universe in the Philippines shared that the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) has approached them again for a possible restaging of the beauty pageant’s 2018 edition in the country.

Requesting to be anonymous as he is representing a private company that helped stage Miss Universe 2016 in the country, the orPresidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers Abdullah Mamao meets with Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah.

Philstar.com photo

DFA: Kuwaiti assurance of protection to PH workers may end diplomatic row

by PATRICIA LOURDES Philstar.com

VIRAY

THE assurance of Kuwait to the Philippines that it would address the Filipino workers’ concerns could end the diplomatic row between the two countries, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said on Tuesday, May 1.

“This gesture on the part of Kuwait, a country with which we have a shared history and strong people-to-people ties, will allow us to move forward and hurdle the challenges we face,” Cayetano said in a statement.

Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah said that his government was ready to work with Manila in addressing the

ganizer confirmed that the MUO asked their company to be ready in helping to restage the pageant, should the Philippine government give it the green light.

Tourism Undersecretary Kat De Castro said that there is a good chance the country is hosting the pageant once again. “It’s just me and the Miss Universe Organization trying to iron out a few details,” she said.

Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Tulfo-Teo said in April

PET finds ballots soaked in chemicals, jumbled voters’ receipts

questions.

Revisers last week found ballots that appeared to have been soaked concerns of Filipino workers in THE manual recount of the Su- in liquid chemical as well as jumthe Gulf state. preme Court sitting as the Presi- bled election documents during Cayetano said the Philippines dential Electoral Tribunal (PET) the fourth week of the ongoing reacknowledged Kuwait’s assurance on results of the vice presidential count, according to an insider. to Manila of protecting the rights election in 2016 has raised more u PAGE A3 and promoting the welfare of 262,000 Filipinos working in the Gulf state where about 150,000 were household service workers.

“This is a shared goal that should be pursued with willingness to understand and respect where each side is coming from,” said Cayetano.

“We affirm our friendship with the government of Kuwait and its people. The strength of that friendship will withstand this misunderstanding.”

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by EDU

PUNAY Philstar.com

that President Rodrigo Duterte talked about restaging the Miss Universe pageant in Boracay — which was closed for rehabilitation last April 26 — to attract tourists back to the popular tourist destination.

Teo said the DOT would be “very proud and happy” to showcase the island once it had recovered from the environmental damage it had suffered through the years.

The Philippines has been re-

considered after talks with China reportedly failed because of Beijing’s refusal to broadcast Miss Universe live.

PH gov’t to release P490-M for Boracay roads According to the government, they will release more than P400 million for the rehabilitation of the world-famous Boracay, which has been closed down for a major clean up.

Budget Secretary Benjamin

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From the Front Page

Duterte: China vowed...

PAGE A1 t

nearby.

“During our talks last three weeks ago, wag lang galawin Scarborough. They promised no construction,” Duterte said a speech before troops in Cebu on Tuesday, May 2.

The president had earlier mentioned that China assured him they would not build anything in the Scarborough shoal following reports that Beijing would construct environmental monitoring station there.

China has reclaimed several islands and reefs in the South China Sea and has installed military facilities on some of them.

In July 2012, the United Nations arbitral tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines and invalidated China’s Scarborough Shoal is the international name of Panatag Shoal, a rich fishing ground 143 miles off Zambales province. sweeping claims in the South China Sea. n

Photo courtesy of Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative

PH in talks of hosting...

ening plan along the 5.2-kilometer road in the villages of ManocManoc, Yapak, and Balabag. The The Department of Budget and PAGE A1 t Management (DBM) has allotted island’s drainage and sewerage Diokno made the announcement P50 million for the improvement system will also be improved.

According to Diokno, the DBM at a press conference on Wednes- of Boracay Circumferential Road day, May 2. He said that the de- in the 2018 General Appropria- has already released P448 milpartment will shell out P490 mil- tions Act, while the additional lion to the Department of Lalion for the repair of the whole P490 million is an augmentation bor and Employment (DOLE) to cover financial assistance for the Boracay Circumferential Road in to fast-track project completion.

The Boracay road rehabilitation affected residents and workers in Aklan during the half-year closure project includes a 12-meter wid- Boracay. n of the island.

PEDERALISMO. Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS) President Greco Antoniuos Beda B. Belgica (2nd from right), his father Butch Belgica (left) and PDDS members flash a very familiar pose of President Duterte while carrying copies of their petition for Registration and Accreditation of the Pederalismo ung Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS) as a national political party filed before the Commission on Elections head office in Intramuros Manila on Monday, April 30.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

Ex-CJ Puno: Two-party...

PAGE A1 t

said.

Puno made the remark after Malacañang’s Consultative Committee, which he chairs, adopted to include provisions in the draft federal charter that would ban

political turncoatism.

“The stress in all these reforms is to strengthen our political parties. We want to establish a meaningful two-party system,” Puno said.

While the multiparty system

was adopted in other countries such as those in Europe, Puno explained: “We have not reached that level of political maturity yet where we can migrate from a two-party system to a multiparty system.” n

Candidates for California governor — state Assemblymember Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach), California Treasurer John Chiang, businessman John H. Cox, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and former CA Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin — participated in a debate on Friday, April 27 at Pasadena City College. The debate, hosted by CAUSE, was the first of its kind to focus on issues specific to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. Former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, considered a frontrunner in the race, was absent on Friday.

AJPress photo by Noel Ty

A month before the June primary, CA gubernatorial candidates...

PAGE A1 t CA Governor Jerry Brown.

By mid-April, candidates have already begun airing television ads, putting up patriotic campaign signs in neighborhoods, sending out glossy mailers to voters and participating in debates and town halls across the remarkably diverse state that nearly 40 million people call home.

The Sexson Auditorium at Pasadena City College was packed with undecided voters and candidate supporters on Friday, April 27 for the Asian and Pacific American (APA) Gubernatorial Debate, the firstever debate focussing on APA issues.

Standing on the stage were five of leading candidates in the 2018 race for California governor: CA Assemblymember Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach) and businessman John H. Cox representing the Republican Party, and California Treasurer John Chiang, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former CA Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin representing the Democratic Party.

Front-runner CA Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom (running on a Democratic ticket), who announced earlier in April he would not participate in any debates until May, was invited to Friday’s debate but did not attend, a move that upset many

California State Treasurer John Chiang, a Democrat, is running for governor.

debate attendees.

A spokesperson for Newsom indicated that the former San Francisco mayor has attended eight debates so far and plans to attend a televised debate on May 8.

While it’s common for election front-runners to sit out of debates early in the race (there is a long history of poll leaders skipping debates before the primaries to campaign directly), other candidates have reframed the move as an indicator of negligence and cowardice.

“We’ve been on the campaign trail for a very long time. We’ve had our debates and our differences. But the fact that you show up says something, it says that you care,” Villaraigosa, Newsom’s closest Democratic rival, said on Friday as a slight to the absent Newsom.

The APA debate, in comparison to past debates, was relatively low energy with very little sparring save for the occasional quarrel over conservative integrity by Cox and Allen.

Moreover, many of the candidates shared their thoughts on immigration, affirmative action and language accessibility, and nothing about their statements was particularly surprising, especially since many of the candidates largely repeated lines they’ve used in previous debates.

While the candidates expressed their views on several issues, there was very little detail shared on how they plan to turn their views into action.

Both Republican candidates promised to enforce the Trump administration’s immigration

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SF Board of Supervisors vote to condemn inhumane treatment of detainees at SFO Called for independent investigation on the detention of PH peace advocate Jerome Aba

On Tuesday, May 1, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a resolution condemning the inhumane treatment of detainees at the San Francisco Airport (SFO) urging federal representatives to call for an independent investigation of the 28-hour detainment of Philippine peace advocate Jerome Aba last April 17.

“We need a formal investigation of these egregious torture allegations because our City will not tolerate inhumane treatment of our citizens, residents, or visitors,” said Supervisor Hillary Ronen who was the lead sponsor of the resolution, which was item #41, File # 18042 on the Supervisor’s board meeting.

“An individual has allegedly been tortured and held without access to legal counsel for a significant period of time,” said Supervisor Aaron Peskin, a co-sponsor of the resolution. He added, “...The message coming from San Francisco’s elected body is that this will not be tolerated in San Francisco or San Francisco’s International Airport.’”

“The unanimous approval of the resolution is a powerful statement that the City of San Francisco will not stand for border violence against detainees,” said Terry Valen, President of the national Alliance for Filipino Concerns (nAFCOn) who came to testify for the resolution.

The resolution directs the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors to transmit copies of the resolution to Representatives nancy Pelosi and Jackie Speier and Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, with a request to take necessary actions to achieve its objectives.

In a press conference in Manila last April 20, Aba recounted being subjected to physical and psychological torture while being interrogated by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials who denied him access to a lawyer, be-

fore being forced to fly back to the Philippines. The account included being forced to undress and remain positioned for a prolonged period in front of an industrial fan; being denied food, water, and sleep for hours; and being asked repeatedly if he was a “terrorist” or a “communist.”

Upon hearing of the atrocious treatment of Aba, over 300 human and immigrant rights activists, labor and faith based held an indignation rally and protest at SFO last Monday, April 30.

Despite Aba’s detailed testimony, the CBP has stated that its agents “treat all travelers with dignity and respect” and not admitted any mistreatment of the 25-year-old Moro (Muslim) peace advocate from Mindanao who was granted a 10-year multiple entry visa to the U.S. upon the invitation of several U.S. church groups. Aba’s account of his treatment by the CBP fits an escalating pattern of abuse meted out by border agents against travelers and migrants since the declaration of the so-called “War on Terror” in 2001.

“The response of the U.S. CBP is an outrageous lie. So many thousands of migrants have told horror stories of the violent attacks, withholding of food and water, intimidation and coercion, and humiliating and misleading interrogation they’ve experienced at the hands of CBP agents. It is well documented that such abuse has become routine practice for the agency, but we will not stand for the CBP’s ‘business as usual’ behavior. The U.S. government must answer for the CBP and Homeland Security’s inhumane treatment of Jerome, and a full investigation and accountability for the agents’ treatment must be secured,” said Pam Tau Lee, Chair of ICHRP-U.S. Aba submitted a letter to Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Cayetano to formally demand an independent, impartial

American tourist Randall Lee Parker was arrested last April 25 for illegally operating a resort in Boracay island.

Inquirer.net photo

American Boracay resort...

PAGE A1 t The BI chief disclosed that he ordered Parker’s arrest after a complaint was filed against him for running the resort “without the appropriate work permit or visa.”

“He will undergo deportation proceedings for illegally working in the country,” Morente said in a statement.

He stressed that both the Labor Code and the Immigration Act “strictly forbid aliens from engaging in gainful activity unless they obtain a work permit from the labor department and employment visa from the BI.” Morente said that Parker, who arrived in the country as a tourist, “blatantly violated the conditions of his stay as a temporary visitor” by engaging in such business activities.

Parker has been in the Philip-

pines as a tourist for almost two years after arriving on April 16, 2016, BI spokeswoman Atty. Antonette Mangrobang said.

The spokeswoman bared that Parker’s stay as a tourist was supposed to be extended up to June 14 before his illegal operation was discovered. Previously, the American had gone in and out of the country since 2005, she added.

“Existing laws that regulate the employment of aliens in the country are intended to ensure that their activities in the country are consistent with their immigration documentation,” Mangrobang said.

“The rule is that aliens holding tourist visas are not allowed to engage in any form of gainful employment or business activity,” she stressed. (Julius N. Leonen/Inquirer)

DFA: Kuwaiti assurance of...

PAGE A1 t

“Kuwait rejects any breach against its sovereignty or laws and would act decisively against any relevant attempt,” Al-Jarallah said.

Cayetano, however, was silent on the strong position of Kuwait against the breach of sovereignty, which may have been committed by the Philippines when it carried out several rescue missions on distressed OFWs which was revealed after a video of the operations were posted over social media.

The viral video angered the Kuwaiti government, which ordered the expulsion Philippine Ambassador Rene Villa, detention of four Filipinos hired by the Philippine Embassy; and the issuance of arrest warrants against three diplomatic personnel.

The DFA, until now, has not made any statement regarding the status of the detained Filipinos as well as the warrants of the arrest.

(Jefferson Antiporda/ManilaTimes.net)

investigation into his torture, arbitrary detention and other mistreatment and rights violations inflicted on him by the U.S., Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection; hold accountable Philippine Consulate officers in San Francisco for their neglect of Aba; and to file a diplomatic protest against the U.S. government on what had happened to him.

“Unfortunately, Jerome’s case is one of many. In addition to the rampant abuse of migrants at borders, the Trump administration’s ‘extreme vetting’ program is intended to bar activists, artists and other experts from entering the U.S. to speak out on social and political justice issues. The detention and interrogation of Jerome Aba included repeated questioning about his human rights advocacy.

This is an indication that they want to seek out and cause harm to the rightful organizing that has mobilized vast numbers seeking to amplify the voices of those victimized by the culture of impunity in the Philippines and the role of the U.S. in supporting Duterte’s regime. It is my hope that a successful investigation into what happened to Jerome at SFO results in policy changes in how arrivals are treated, including legal representation at the point of entry and also recognition of the Un Declaration of Human Rights,” concluded Lee. n

ROAD TO ZERO WASTE. “Bigger problems like further deterioration of our marine resources and contamination of the sources of drinking water will confront us if pollution in our waterways and bodies of water will worsen,” warns Sen. Cynthia A. Villar. The senator, chairman of the Senate environment committee, tells the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) Waste Management Forum that she intend to amend the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 to make it more attuned to the needs of the present times.

She stresses that if all provisions of the law were fully complied with, we may not have too many environmental problems or maybe the ecological problems and challenges that we are contending with right now, will be easier to deal with.

Senate photo

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PET finds ballots soaked in chemicals...

The source, who requested anonymity for lack of authority to speak for the tribunal and due to the gag order issue on the case, revealed that more wet ballots were found in towns in Camarines Sur. But this time around, revisers took note of several damaged ballots that had a chemical smell – particularly from Canaman and Garchitorena towns.

“Those ballots were powdery and no longer readable as the prints were erased. That would have not been the case if they were soaked only in water,” the source explained.

It was also found that the PET only managed to retrieve 16 of the 36 ballot boxes from Canaman for still unknown reasons. Of those 16 ballot boxes, 11 had wet contents.

There were also ballots that were placed inside a plastic bag in the town.

Also last week, revisers found voter’s receipts that were mixed up with other clustered precincts.

The insider bared that when revisers opened ballot boxes from the town of Gainza in Camarines Sur, the voter’s receipts found inside the boxes did not correspond to their respective clustered precincts but to other precincts.

The insider, however, would not say if these latest findings could be evidence of tampering of poll results, explaining that their task is just to conduct manual recount and such conclusion should be left for the tribunal to decide upon.

Earlier, the PET’s manual revision of votes of Vice President Leni Robredo and former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. raised several

questions.

Revisers have found wet ballot boxes, unused or excess ballots with shaded votes for Robredo, missing audit logs and missing voters’ receipts in towns of Bato, Baao, Balatan, Bula and Sagñay in Camarines Sur. In the first two weeks, 53 out of the 55 clustered precincts in Bula or 97 percent had no voter’s receipts while 20 out of the 30 clustered precincts in Balatan or 68 percent also had missing receipts.

On the third week, a ballot box from Ocampo town yielded ballots with what appeared to be cigarette burns on their edges and holes in the middle portion. All of them had votes shaded for Robredo.

The same ballot box did not have accompanying election records like election returns, voter’s receipts and minutes of voting. n

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DFA: Online passport appointment slots available from July to Sept in all consular offices

THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) opened on Wednesday, May 2, online passport appointment slots from July to September for all consular offices in the Philippines.

In an advisory on Tuesday, May 1 the DFA also said that the offices for the available slots did not include the Aseana office in Paranaque City.

At the same time, the DFA announced that the pilot testing of ePayment in DFA Aseana was in its final stages and once completGoogle honors the late FIlipino composer Levi Celerio with a doodle on his 108th birthday. Celerio, known to have composed over 4,000 ed would be implemented in consular offices all over the country. songs, died on April 2, 2002. He was 91.

The ePayment will allow applicants to pay at a facility of their choice before going to any consular office in the country.

Celerio was born on April 30, panga’s “Ako ang may Singsing,” IN his 108th birth anniversary, The new payment scheme is Google Philippines honored the 1910 in Tondo, Manila. He re- and the Bisaya “Alibangbang.” expected to make the passport In 1997, Celerio was conferred application process faster by life and works of the late com- ceived a scholarship at the Acadposer, Levi Celerio, on Monday. emy of Music in Manila and later the title National Artist for Litera- lessening the amount of time Google doodled Celerio mak- joined the Manila Symphont Or- ture and Music by then President each applicant will spend at a Fidel V. Ramos, for his contribu- consular office. ing music with a leaf, which chestra.

He is also known to have a tions to Filipino music and culearned him a spot in the GuinAccording to the DFA, the pilot ness World Record as being the treasury of over 4,000 songs and ture.

Celerio died on April 2, 2002 only musician to do so. A click on has translated traditional provinthe doodle art opens into Cele- cial songs, such as the Ilokano at the age of 91. (Arvic John Sy “O Maliwanag na Buwan,” Pam- Cua/ManilaTimes.net) rio’s profile and works.

Google honors Filipino composer Levi Celerio

tests have shown promising results as show up rates have risen to more than 95 percent, minimizing the number of slots wasted through non-appearance.

“There are no bogus appointments as applicants now have to pay before an appointment is confirmed. The time applicants spend at DFA has been reduced considerably, with ePayment decreasing the usual processing time,” the DFA said in a statement.

At the same time the foreign affairs department is appealing for the public’s understanding and cooperation as it continues to implement measures to improve passporting services and increase its capacity to serve applicants.

The DFA also reminded the public that senior citizens, persons with disability, solo parents, minors seven years old and below, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and those with emer-

gency and urgent travels may apply for or renew their passports at any Consular Office, including at Aseana, without an online appointment.

Meanwhile, the DFA is set to inaugurate two consular offices in Ilocos Norte on May 8 and another in Isabela on May 15.

The new offices will be located at the Robinsons Place in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte and Robinsons Place in Santiago, Isabela and will be open from Monday to Saturday.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Frank Cimafranca said the opening of new consular offices was in accordance with President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order 45 allowing the DFA to open additional consular offices.

He said that with its budget, the DFA would open six more consular offices in different regions in the coming months. (Jefferson Antiporda/ManilaTimes.net)

Ancajas ecstatic for historic bout vs Sultan

by Dino

Maragay Philstar.com

INTERNATIONAL BOXING FEDERATION (IBF) super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas is raring to make history with countryman Jonas Sultan when they collide on May 26 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.

This will mark the first time two Filipinos will clash for a world title in almost a century, and the 26year-old Ancajas is elated to play a huge part in it.

“I am so glad and very grateful that I was given an opportunity to fight Jonas Sultan,” Ancajas (27-1-1, with 19 KOs) said in a news release from his promoter, Top Rank Inc. The Magallanes, Cavite-based boxer will put his title on the line against Sultan, the No. 1 ranked contender from Cebu City. The latter earned the title shot when he outpointed former flyweight champion John Riel Casimero in their eliminator last year.

The last time two Filipinos fought for a world title was on May 2, 1925, when boxing great Francisco Guilledo, popularly known as “Pancho Villa,” defended his flyweight crown against Clever

IBF junior bantamweight champion Jerwin Ancajas will put his title on the line against countryman Jonas Sultan.

Philstar.com photo

Sencio in Manila.

Now Ancajas said it’s up to him and Sultan to put on a show to remember.

“We are given a chance to display our talents on a world stage, two Filipinos fighting for a world title. This is history, and our names will be linked forever,” he added.

Anjacas seeks to o further build on the momentum of his rousing U.S. debut in February when he knocked out Is-

A month before the June primary...

PAGE A2 t laws, both vowing to dismantle SB 54, the sanctuary state bill that prohibits state officials from assisting federal agents with the detention of undocumented immigrants but does not protect criminals.

On his denouncement of the bill, Cox claimed, “No one wants to live next to an MS-13 gang member,” which sparked boos from many of the attendees.

All the Democratic nominees, predictably, denounced the Trump administration’s handling of immigration while simultaneously acknowledging the “resiliency” of the immigrant community as well as emphasizing the need for immigration reform.

“Immigrants are among the most ambitious, risk-taking and entrepreneurial individuals, and we are darn lucky to have them,” Eastin said. Villaraigosa mirrored her sentiments, adding that, if elected, he would work on fixing the “broken immigration system” and making sure that undocumented youth receive quality education and opportunity.

The Republicans also advocated teaching all Californians to be proficient in English (Cox said, “We do people no favors by encouraging people to not learn English.”) while Democrats favored embracing all languages and promoting the expansion of translation services and bilingualism.

“We want to encourage Californians and Americans to speak multiple languages,” Chiang said. “We need to get to know each other better to connect.”

Chiang, who is the son of Taiwanese immigrants, appeared to be among the strongest, if not the strongest advocate for the Asian American community.

“We have a profound opportunity to those in Sacramento that the Asian Americans count,” said Chiang, who was greeted by the loudest applause upon introduction, acknowledging the fact that the Asian American electorate is growing exponentially.

Housed by the Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment (CAUSE), this debate was the first-ever in California to focus on the APA electorate. As previously reported by the Asian Journal, the APA electorate is the fastest-growing demographic in the country, according to U.S. Census data.

In California, APAs constitute

15 percent of the entire state’s voters, according to CAUSE. This means that the APA community has the power to potentially shift the outcome of the 2018 midterms, highlighting the importance of political leaders to address APA concerns.

Although Newsom’s notable absence in recent debates has given fodder to other candidates to attack his character, the lieutenant governor remains the frontrunner.

According to a Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll released Thursday, April 26, Newsom leads with 30 percent support from likely voters, a four percent jump from previous polls.

Villaraigosa finds himself faltering in the polls, garnering only 9 percent of support from likely voters; both Cox and Allen have increased support, each leaping ahead of Villaraigosa with 18 percent and 16 percent support, respectively.

After the debate, the Asian Journal caught up with some Filipino American voters to gather their thoughts on the gubernatorial race.

“I think John Chiang raised some good points, and out of the candidates I saw tonight, I think I trust him the most to really address our issues as Asians and Asian Americans,” Filipina-American Georgina Ray, 22, shared with the Asian Journal following the debate. “I mean, I don’t know about the candidates that weren’t here, but [Chiang’s] stances on diversity, inclusivity and making the immigrant community, especially the Asian immigrant community, feel more welcome and giving them more opportunities to succeed is something I’d like to see in our next governor.”

Ray, who identifies as a Democrat, said that she felt that the other candidates didn’t do “a good enough job” at fulfilling the point of the debate, which was to speak to the Asian American communities directly, preferring to “keep it safe” and conflate the APA community with other minority communities.

“It was a lot of, like, ‘Well, the Asian American community wants the same things as other communities,” and while that’s true, the way, for example, a Filipino or Chinese immigrant has to deal with public education or immigration is different from, say, the way a British immigrant has to deal with [those

rael Vazquez in his fourth title defense. Prior to that, he has defended his title three times in different parts of the world — against Jose Alfredo Rodriguez in Macau; Teiru Kinoshita in Brisbane, Australia; and Jamie Conlan in Belfast, Ireland.

Sultan, for his part, is riding on a five-fight winning streak — winning four bouts by knockout— since a 10-round unanimous decision loss to Go Onaga in 2015. n issues]. Those are broad issues and the immigrant community isn’t a monolith by the slightest.

I feel like Chiang was the only one to really see and address that,” Ray, a student at Pasadena Community College, added.

When asked who she would vote for if the election was that night, she shrugged and said, “I wish Newsom would’ve been there tonight,” adding she’s the “kind of person” who wants to know about all the candidates before making an electoral decision.

Jester Yam, a Filipino and Chinese American, immigrated to Los Angeles from Baguio, Philippines in the 1980s and became a citizen in 1997. Yam, an accountant living in Arcadia, noted that he was a registered Republican and had voted for the presidential campaigns of George W. Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney, but he arrived at a partisan impasse once President Donald Trump was elected.

“I don’t know if this changed my opinions on any of the candidates, you know, nothing was really that surprising in that each party stayed true to the party agendas,” Yam said. “If I had to make a choice tonight, I think I’d either support Mrs. Eastin or Mr. Chiang.”

Yam said he did support Allen’s call to expand language instruction to encourage all non-English speakers to learn English as well as Cox’s plan to lower taxes. But Yam found himself recoiling at the way both conservatives discussed immigration, especially Allen’s support for Trump’s border wall, which Yam called “very stupid” and “a waste of money.”

Regarding the ongoing debate over immigration policy, Yam thinks that “the language being used about immigrants by some politicians which is very hateful and anti-immigrant, and you know, that really does hurt because it’s not true for most immigrants.”

“I’m not impressed with the way that they [the Republican candidates] talked about immigration tonight and for a while now, I don’t think I want a leader or leaders, Democrat or Republican, who [says] these nasty things about immigrants or make assumptions about immigrants,” Yam said.

The primary election will take place on Tuesday, June 5. The top two vote earners, regardless of party, will face each other in a runoff election on November 6.

(Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

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DATELINE PHILIPPINES

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 4-10, 2018

A5

PCGG fails to sell Marcos wealth in 2017

by ELIZABETH

MARCELO

Philstar.com

Program (CARP) as provided under Republic Act 6657.

The nine properties listed for disposal included a 26,812-hectare Bredco property in Bacolod City which was surrendered to the government in a compromise agreement with Antonio Martel and Simplicio Palanca; a 6.4-hectare property in General Mariano Alvarez, Cavite surrendered by Jose Campos; a 5,952-square meter lot in Naga City recovered from Roberto Benedicto’s Banahaw Broadcasting Corp.; a 2,335sqm lot in Francisco Evergreen

Subdivision in Tagaytay City; a 1,000-sqm Puerto Galera property in Oriental Mindoro recovered from Jolly Bugarin; a 300-sqm lot in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro also from Bugarin; a 480-sqm lot Kingswood Property in Emerald Court Subdivision, Caloocan City surrendered by former Marcos aide Alejo Ganut Jr.; two 300-sqm lots in Pangarap Village, Caloocan City also from Ganut.

The COA said the properties were not sold due to PCGG’s failure to reappraise them.

PAGE A7

MANILA — The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) has failed to dispose of the ill-gotten properties it recovered from the cronies of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, according to a report of the Commission on Audit (COA).

The report, posted on the COA website over the weekend, said there were nine recovered properties set for sale in 2017, but not one has been sold as of yearend.

The list was contained in the privatization plan that the PCGG submitted to the Department of Justice on April 20, 2017.

“The audit team said that during the year, there was no public bidding conducted to privatize the assets. The management failed to dispose of the properties from previous years,” the COA report read.

The audit body said the last time the PCGG was able to dispose of the ill-gotten properties was in 2014, where only three of the 11 assets scheduled for privatization were sold to private buyers.

Had the nine properties set for bidding in 2017 been sold, these would have generated P336.014 million in income to the government.

The amount was supposed to be “The audit team said that during the year, there was no public bidding conducted to privatize used in the implementation of the the assets. The management failed to dispose of the properties from previous years,” the COA Comprehensive Agrarian Reform report read.

Philstar.com photo

LARGEST HUMAN SENTENCE. Thousand members of Iglesia ni Cristo converge at the Quirino grandstand at Rizal Park in Manila to make a Guinness World Record for Largest Human Sentence on Tuesday, May 1.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

‘Oplan Tokhang’ may target Faeldon faces graft raps as Duterte son, son- barangay officials on narco list in-law cleared in P6.4-B ‘shabu’ smuggling FACT-FINDING investigators of the Office of the Ombudsman (Ombudsman) recommended the filing of graft charges against former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon and other individuals in the smuggling of P6.4 billion worth of “shabu” or methamphetamine hydrochloride but dismissed similar complaints against President Rodrigo Duterte’s son and son-in-law. “[T]he complaints against former Davao City Vice-Mayor Paolo Duterte and lawyer Manases Carpio were dismissed for lack of basis,” the Ombudsman investigators said in a statement on Wednesday, May 2.

“The Special Panel of FactFinding Investigators recommended the filing of criminal

charges for violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019) against former Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, [former]Import Assessment Service (IAS) Director Milo Maestrecampo, [former]Risk Management Office (RMO) Chief Larribert Hilario and…Mary Grace Tecson-Malabed,” the Ombudsman said.

The Ombudsman said, however, that the case would undergo preliminary investigation to determine whether or not there was basis to file a criminal case before the proper court.

The same panel also recommended that Faeldon be charged with usurpation of official functions and with violation of Section 32 of

Republic Act (RA) 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) and, along with former Customs director Neil Anthony Estrella, be charged for violation of Section 3(a) of RA 3019. “[T]he criminal and administrative charges will undergo preliminary investigation and administrative adjudication, respectively,” the Ombudsman said.

The investigators also recommended that Faeldon and [then]Customs officials Joel Pinawin and Oliver Valiente be administratively charged with grave misconduct, and that TecsonMalabed and Maestrecampo be administratively charged with gross neglect of duty and grave misconduct. (Reina Tolentino/ManilaTimes.net)s

by JHOANNA

BALLARAN Inquirer.net

BARANGAY officials included the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s (PDEA) list of those allegedly involved in illegal drugs may soon be the subject of ‘Oplan Tokhang,’ a police official said Wednesday, May 2.

“The directive of the national headquarters will be followed. If that will be the directive, we will do that,” National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief director Camilo Pancratius P. Cascolan said when asked if those included in the list would be subjected to the police’s controversial program.

The PDEA on Monday bared the list of 207 barangay officials allegedly involved in illegal drugs — 90 of whom were barangay chairmen and 117 were councilors.

The agency published the list despite warnings from some human rights groups that doing so would be a violation of due process.

PDEA chief Director General Aaron Aquino said that no less than President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the release of the list, which was validated by PDEA, the Philippine National Police, Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.

Aquino, however, explained that the validation is merely a confirmation from the agencies that the officials are really involved in illegal drugs. Hence, authorities may need to collate more evidence against those in the list, which is also referred to as the “narcolist.”

Cascolan said the PNP is scheduled to meet with the PDEA to “try to seek what they really want” with the narcolist.

Meanwhile, the police would continue building up cases against the officials in the narcolist, but if they could not gather strong evidence against them, police may resort to a buy-bust operation.

The barangay officials may also be subjected to financial investigation, Cascolan added.

The Metro Manila police chief broached the idea that the officials may surrender to authorities.

While it may not absolve them of wrongdoing, the act may ease their penalty.

“When they surrender, it is a mitigating circumstance, [penalties] will depend on the prosecutor,” he said. (Jhoanna Ballaran/ Inquirer.net)

A6

MAY 4-10, 2018 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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OPINION

Deployment ban

FEATURES

IS the ban permanent or temporary? As of Tuesday, May 1, the word from the Department of Labor and Employment was that the ban on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers to Kuwait would be lifted once the two countries sign a memorandum of understanding to protect OFWs in the Arab state.

It’s unclear if the Department of Foreign Affairs, whose personnel in Kuwait appear to need more training in diplomacy, is aware of the stand of the DOLE. It’s also unclear if President Rodrigo Duterte, who announced over the weekend that the ban would become permanent, agrees with his labor secretary, and whether he would still proceed with his trip to Kuwait for the signing of the MOU. Equally unclear is what might be in store for OFWs who heed calls for them to leave Kuwait and return to the Philippines. There are approximately 252,000 Filipinos in Kuwait, with more than half of them domestic helpers. So far there has been no rush to leave their jobs in Kuwait amid the diplomatic row between the two countries.

Those OFWs left the Philippines for better employment opportunities, and the country for

the most part still has not come up with anything that can match what Kuwait has to offer. In the Visayas, thousands of people have just been added to the ranks of the unemployed following the unprecedented shutdown of Boracay for six months. A number of them will no longer get their jobs back.

The diplomatic crisis in Kuwait should lead to improved coordination among government agencies as the government works out an agreement for protecting OFWs. The crisis must also strengthen the resolve of the national leadership to create more jobs with decent pay in the Philippines. Urging Filipinos to come home amid reports of abuses – and seeing the call ignored – says a lot about the state of a nation that cannot provide enough meaningful employment opportunities to its people. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS MAY DAY. May 1 is International Workers’ Day, a day when many countries around the world commemorate the working class of their nation. The “obrero” or workers and their supporters took to the streets to fight for workers’ rights, better working conditions and equitable pay.

In the United States, this year’s commemoration is especially significant given how the Trump administration has been leading the way toward retrogression in the nation’s goal and aspiration to help the working class.

In fact, on December 14, 2017, President Donald Trump held a press conference to take credit for the “most far-reaching regulatory reform in history,” and took pride in announcing that his administration has been responsible for more than 1,500 cancelled or delayed regulatory action, many of which were Obama-era regulations. Trump and the Republicans in Congress declared war on regulations over the last year by rolling back rules that were intended to protect workers, consumers, and public health.

According to Economic Policy Institute’s Perkins Project

Workers’ health, safety, and pay are among the casualties of Trump’s war on regulations — Economic Policy Institute

on Worker Rights and Wages — workers’ health, safety, and pay are among the casualties of Trump’s war on regulations.

The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) “is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank created in 1986 to include the needs of low- and middle-income workers in economic policy discussions. EPI believes every working person deserves a good job with fair pay, affordable health care, and retirement security. To achieve this goal, EPI conducts research and analysis on the economic status of working America. EPI proposes public policies that protect and improve the economic conditions of low- and middle-income workers and assesses policies with respect to how they affect those workers.”

The EPI lists the following “casualties” of Trump’s year of deregulation: Deregulation casualty #1: Workers’ health and safety • Rolling back a rule that required employers to keep accurate records of workplace injuries and illnesses • Delaying a rule requiring employers submit injury and illness records electronically to OSHA. This Obama-era rule aims to identify patterns so that workplace hazards can be ad-

THE Centrist Democracy Political Institute (CDPI) has been accepting third-year college students as OJT interns (on the job training) for the past decade. We have been fortunate in having young people (aged 18 to 22 years), coming from different schools in the provinces, work with us for six to eight weeks during their summer break.

This year’s batch is the smallest.

Craig Vincent Tibon, 19, Dennis Jay Paras, 20, and Nizle Caraballe, 19. They all come from Liceo de Cagayan de Oro and will graduate with degrees in international studies or political science. Last year’s batch of four females and two males was outstanding: three finished magna cum laude with one a sobresaliente, and two cum laude.

Craig, a sobresaliente himself, is on track for a summa cum laude this incoming schoolyear.

Both the CDPI and the interns benefit from these arrangements.

The students get to learn to work in a real office environment and do field work on “political technocracy,” with schedules, assignments and deadlines, preparing them for an early professional life postcollege. CDPI profits from this

dressed and worker injuries and illnesses prevented. And because this information will be easily accessible to a broad audience on OSHA’s website, employers are more likely to comply with workplace safety rules to protect their workers—knowing that they’ll have to answer to the public if they don’t.

• Delaying a rule protecting workers from exposure to harmful silica dust This Obama administration rule lowered workers’ permissible exposure limit to deadly crystalline silica dust. cancer-causing respirable crystalline silica. Studies have linked exposure to silica to lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and kidney disease. About 2.3 million workers are exposed to respirable crystalline silica in their workplaces, including 2 million construction workers who drill, cut, crush, or grind silica-containing materials such as concrete and stone • Rolling back protections for workers exposed to beryllium, exposure to which causes significant risks of chronic beryllium disease and lung cancer for workers • Proposing to weaken the inspection rule for metal and nonmetal mines. Under the Obamaera rule, mine safety inspectors

were allowed to conduct a safety examination at any time, including during the mineworkers’ shifts, which allows inspectors to spot unsafe practices and stop them before someone gets hurt.

• Considering a proposal to increase poultry line speeds, endangering workers by placing poultry slaughter and processing workers at increased risk of injury, illness, or death • Proposing to weaken protections for farmworkers, The Trump Environmental Protection Agency proposed weakening regulations protecting farmworkers from harmful effects of pesticide exposure. Roughly 2,000–3,000 cases of acute pesticide exposure occur amon.

Deregulation casualty #2: Workers’ wage • Proposing to make it legal for employers to take workers’ hard-earned tips • Taking money out of workers’ pockets by weakening the overtime rule Deregulation casualty #3: Workers’ savings • Rolling back rules that made it easier for workers to save for retirement • Delaying a rule providing protections for retirement savers. The rule simply requires financial advisers to provide what

most clients probably already think they are receiving: advice about their retirement plans untainted by conflicts of interest.

Conflicted advice leads to lower investment returns, causing real losses for the clients who are victimized.

Deregulation casualty #4: Workers’ safety nets • Putting the EEO-1 pay data rulePutting the EEO-1 pay data rule on hold. “Collecting pay data is a significant step forward in addressing discriminatory pay practices. This information will assist employers in evaluating their pay practices to prevent pay discrimination and strengthen enforcement of our federal anti-discrimination laws.” ª Proposing to roll back an SEC rule that requires disclosure of CEO-to-employee pay ratios. Rolling back the rule will simply deny workers and shareholders information necessary for them to evaluate CEO compensation and performance and determine the fairness of their own compensation structure.

This allows corporate interests to operate behind closed doors with less accountability to the public and to workers. In 2016 CEOs in America’s largest firms made an average of $15.6 million in compensation, or 271

times the annual average pay of the typical worker.

Deregulation casualty #6: Workers’ rights to organize and join a union • Rolling back a transparency rule that would allow workers to know when their employer has hired outside anti-union consultants during a union election • Rolling back rules to modify and streamline union elections Deregulation casualty #7: Consequences for employers who violate workers’ rights • Rolling back the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces rule. This rule would have helped ensure that federal contracts (and taxpayer dollars) are not awarded to companies with track records of labor and employment law violations. Workers, taxpayers, and law-abiding contractors would have benefited from this rule.

Having known these, are the Trump administration and the Republicans in Congress really looking after your rights and protection as workers? *** 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

Millennials take on DU30 and EDCA

Commentary

LITO MONICO C. LORENZANA

Philstar.com photo

arrangement as the OJTs inject fresh insights and perspectives into our political institute; which brings me to this week’s article.

I wanted to mine the brains of my young colleagues, gauge the depth of their socio-political awareness, and for them to put to paper their take as millennials on the issues of the day. They were given less than a week to write a 400 to 800-word essay on their favorite issues with one or two suggested by CDPI. Two out of three topics were about President Duterte while the lone female preferred the encroachment of the U.S. bases in the Philippines.

What was evident is their predilection for sourcing news and issues almost wholly from social media. This could eventually spell the demise of the broadsheets as young readers migrate towards the exclusive use of internet platforms. The choice of topics reflects how abreast they are with current issues. Craig’s take on the Deegong is straight, linear and bold: “…the most powerful person in the country, the President, is not exempted from being the center of the discourse…apparently, this set of millennials believe that Digong is an imperial president.

They argue that the president destroys the democratic processes and institutions of the country.

But there is an apparent cleavage of opinions between the pros and anti (Duterte). However, there are ‘passersby’ not (paying) attention on issues (not found) on their (FB) timelines. They are apathetic.”

Dennis on the other hand employs the Socratic method: Is Deegong a prudent and rational man or is he just another bad decisionmaker? Machiavelli once said, ‘A prudent man never honors his words’…one could say that Deegong is indeed a prudent man due to his mood swings and his unique style of decision-making, which can be compared to modern artworks (complex, weird and unorthodox yet still has an appeal to the viewing public).”

Such declarations may provoke debate among the more articulate millennials, particularly those now working in various professions. Most, however, seem to be ambivalent and oblivious of the passion of the moment – the erratic behavior of DU30 – particularly those who are still ensconced within the comfortable and safe confines of their classrooms.

This is understandable as the millennials and the X Gen (40 +) barely have the firsthand memories of a dictatorship but only the lessons to be learned from books, essays and documents, mostly written by the baby boomers. The imposition of martial law and life

within a dictatorial regime are alien to their experience. But the greater danger lies where lessons are not learned and the creeping conditions similar to those of the Marcos dictatorship will again descend upon us. We need to be mindful of George Santayana’s dictum.

Which brings me also to the short article of the lone female OJT on the Philippine-U.S. relationship. Nizle’s take is that recent news signaled the sneaking intrusion of American forces into the country with the bilateral military exercise “known as Balikatan – happening next month (May 7-18, 2018). This caters to the U.S.-Philippine arrangement in response to a recent crisis; but the cooperation and interoperability of the U.S. and Philippine armed forces is the core of this exercise; (depicting) too the embodiment of diplomatic affairs on both sides.”

It will be recalled that past American administrations (Bush Sr./Reagan) were the champions of the Marcos dictatorship. In 1998, the U.S. military bases in the country, were taken out, eroding U.S. prestige in Southeast Asia.

The Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) was signed between the two countries as a watered-down version covering the U.S. military presence in the region, establishing the annual bilateral military

exercises called Balikatan.

When the deadly Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) hit the Philippines in November 2013, the U.S. Marines were the first to arrive and give aid to the victims through the “disaster relief crisis response.” From this sprung the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) signed by the two countries.

Effective for an initial period of 10 years, and enforced yearly thereafter unless terminated by either party, EDCA allows U.S. forces to operate out of agreed locations – facilities and areas that are provided by our government through our Armed Forces (AFP).

Operational control of these facilities is with the US forces although the Philippines retains ownership of the “agreed locations.” The U.S. government asked for access to eight locations in the Philippines. We agreed to five.

On April 18, 2018, the first “EDCA project broke ground at the Pampanga Basa Air Base for a ‘multi-purpose Humanitarian Response Warehouse.’ Defense Secretary Lorenzana said it will respond to the evolving security challenges and promote peace in the Asian region” Except for the remnants of the leftist groups in the country, these developments did not seem to disturb the equanimity of the mil-

lennials. With all media platform inundated by news about China’s illegal infringement on our territories in the West Philippine Sea, its bullying tactics, and Malacañang’s lame and inutile response, the millennials may be tolerant and even welcome the “return of the U.S. forces.”

The perspectives of the millennials may be different from those of the past generations; and rightly so as they have one thing going for them today absent in our time – immediate and unfettered access to information. But with this rapid growth of technology, they are inundated with facts and “pseudo facts,” and a plethora of data, opinion and viewpoints. Do they have the sophisticated mind to separate the chaff from the grain allowing them to formulate their own views? The contribution of the interns manifested in their essays puts the answer in the positive. And labeling the President as ‘imperial’ and an unorthodox decision-maker; plus, their healthy skepticism about the continued presence of America in the country, they also have the courage to say it.

This specific characteristic of the Filipino millennial is crucial in the maintenance and furtherance of the country’s democracy. We are in good hands! (ManilaTimes. net)

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

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NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • mAy 4-10, 2018

Groups call for junking of quo warranto, resignation of ‘Biased 5’

by Kristine Joy

Philstar.com

Patag

MANILA — Former Vice President Teofisto Guingona and opposition lawmakers have launched a signature campaign calling for the dismissal of the quo warranto petition against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

In a manifesto printed in a broadsheet on Monday, april 30, some 300 people from various sectors of the society said that the Supreme Court should junk Solicitor General Jose Calida’s petition as it is a “betrayal of democracy.”

“The [SC] abandoned its chief mandate to ensure an independent judiciary by accepting a bankrupt Quo Warranto petition and refusing to inhibit five openly biased Justices,” the manifesto further read.

An online petition was also launched by Coalition for Justice.

The petition has 296 signatures as of posting.

Among the signatories of the manifesto are former Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr., Sens.

Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Antonio Trillanes IV, and former Sen. Rene Saguisag.

The members of the Makabayan bloc at the House of Representatives also affixed their signatures, as well as former Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, former Commission on Human Rights chair Etta Rosales, former presidential adviser on the peace process Teresita Quintos Deles, former Civil Service Commission chair Karina Constantino-David.

The list of signatories also expands to National Artists Bienvenido Lumbera and Benedicto “Bencab” Cabrera, film makers, writers, bishops, and members of religious, private and socio-civic groups.

The group stressed: “The State derives its power from the people. When the key instruments of the State conspire to subvert the Constitution and democracy, the people must rise as the last bastion of our rights and freedoms.”

The group also called for the

resignation of Associate Justices Teresita De Castro, Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Francis Jardeleza and Noel Tijam, if they will not inhibit.

Before the oral arguments on the quo warranto petition, Sereno sought for the inhibition of the five justices. She claimed that her colleagues, when they appeared as resource speakers at the House’ impeachment hearing, showed their prejudice against her.

But the five justices refused to take their hands off the case. Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio said that the justices will explain their re- Construction of the Metro Rail Transit-7 (MRT-7) goes full speed along Regalado Avenue in Fairview, Quezon City, where one-way traffic will be implemented by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority starting today. On Tuesday, MAy 1, the contractors of the MRT-7 fusal to recuse from the case when will start construction of the station at the intersection of Tandang Sora and Commonwealth in Quezon City, which will worsen traffic in the decision on the quo warranto the area.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Ruy Martinez petition will be released.

According to new reports, insiders said that the high tribunal will hold a special en banc session on May 11. by gabriel Pabico lalu The month of May is the SC’s Inquirer.net writing break. They are expected VICE President Leni Robredo’s to resume regular en banc session on June 5, but it can hold special net trust rating went down by 13 en banc sessions for cases calling points based on a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released for urgency. n Wednesday, May 2.

SWS said that Robredo’s net trust rating went down from +52 in December 2017 to +39 in March ing for a job.

2018, pushing down the ratings The survey also found that there classification from “very good” to was a decrease in adult labor force “good.” participation, with the rate down The results showed that the to 71.4 percent or 45.8 million Vice President’s ratings fell in all from 72.1 percent or 45.5 million geographical areas, as the SWS in December 2017. noted that the slump was due to Inquirer.net photo SWS also found that optimism significant decreases in Balance Vice Pres. Leni Robredo that there would be more jobs in Luzon and Mindanao, down by 15 cording to educational attainment, satisfaction ratings are based on the next 12 months decreased to and 18 points respectively. down 4 points among elementary “individual performance based on 49 percent in March from 53 perHer ratings dipped by four graduates, 20 points within non- position or duty.” cent in December 2017.

SWS interviewed 1,200 repoints in Metro Manila and eight elementary graduates, 16 points Pessimists who answered that points in Visayas. in high school graduates and 14 spondents for the survey, with there would be “fewer jobs” re300 individuals for each of Metro Among the respondents, 58 points among college graduates. mained at 12 percent, while 25 percent trusted the country’s secSWS reminded the public that Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, percent answered that there would ond-highest official, 23 percent trust ratings are different from sat- and Mindanao. It had sampling be “no change” in job availability. were undecided, while 18 percent isfaction ratings. According to its error margins of ±3% for national “The proportion of those who had little trust. Her ratings also report, trust ratings are based on percentages, and ±6% for each say there will be no change in job fell among all classifications ac- public trust on a personality, while locales. availability rose by a point from 24 percent in December 2017 to 25 percent in March 2018,” SWS said.

Net optimism on job availability or targeted valuation.

Despite the failure to sell any slid to +37 or “very high” in March PAGE A5 t During the exit conference Munsayac said it was the De- property in 2017, the COA said 2018, from +41 or “excellent” in with the audit team, PCGG act- partment of Finance and the the PCGG was able to remit to December 2017.

The polling firm said jobless- ing chairman Reynold Munsayac Privatization Council that set the Bureau of Treasury (BoTr) a ness increased in all areas nation- admitted that the commission is the floor prices of the previously total of P377.66 million, which wide except in the National Capital hesitant to privatize the assets disposed properties, but the COA exceeded the commission’s remittance target for the year.

Region, where the rate decreased due to COA’s issuance of notices still set a higher value.

He promised that the PCGG The COA said the remittance to 19.0 percent from 19.5 in De- of charge against the past manmanagement would work with did not come from PCGG’s recember 2017 and 24.9 in March agement.

The COA issues a notice against the COA for the reappraisal of the covery efforts but from the sums 2017.

Joblessness also increased in a transaction if the tax, customs value of the properties and set earned from the cases it won duties or appraisal of property is new floor prices. against the Marcos family and its rural and urban areas. n pegged lower than the expected P377.66-M remittance cronies in previous years. n

Robredo’s trust rating falls 13 points - SWS

SWS: Jobless Pinoys up by 3.7M in Q1 by catherin

s. Valente ManilaTimes.net

THE number of jobless Filipinos rose by 3.7 million in the first quarter, according to the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on Tuesday, May 1, Labor Day. The poll conducted from March 23 to 27 showed that adult joblessness increased to 23.9 percent of the population or 10.9 million, from 15.7 percent or 7.2 million in December 2017.

This was the highest recorded adult joblessness since December 2016, the polling firm said.

SWS said the adult unemployment figure consisted of 5.8 million

who voluntarily left their jobs (12.6 percent), 3.5 million who lost their jobs (7.7 percent), and 1.6 million new jobseekers (3.5 percent).

Of the 7.7 percent retrenched, those who did not have their contracts renewed accounted for 3.9 percentage points; those who were laid off, 2.2 points; and those whose employers closed shop, 1.7 points.

“The proportion of first-time job seekers increased by two points, from 1.5 percent in December 2017 to 3.5 percent in March 2018,” SWS added.

SWS defines adult joblessness as those with a job, and those without a job at present and look-

PCGG fails to sell Marcos wealth in...

Applicants are interviewed at a job fair held in Manila on Labor Day. Thousands of jobs were offered in several job fairs held in various areas nationwide on Tuesday, May 1, a day marked by marches and protest rallies.

ManilaTimes.net photo by DJ Diosina

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may 4-10, 2018 • NORCaL aSIaN JOURNaL

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

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NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 4-10, 2018

CJ

BUSINESSJ& COMMUNITY ournal The rebirth of denaturalization

Your Immigration Solution Michael Bhotiwihok and nancy Miller UNDER current immigration law, the United States government may not revoke the citizenship of a person born in the United States. However, for individuals who naturalized, there is no guarantee that United States citizenship will last forever.

While denaturalization in the United States has been rare in the past few decades, the process has recently experienced a rebirth. Denaturalization is process in which a United States citizen is stripped of his or her citizenship. As a result, the former United States citizen’s immigration status reverts to that of a lawful permanent resident and is subject to removal from the United States.

The potential loss of United States citizenship can greatly affect one’s ability to live and work in the United States. It can be equally as problematic for the individual’s family members who received legal immigration status through him or her, because the family members will lose their status too.

A person may be subject to revocation of United States citizenship if naturalization (or the underlying green card) is procured illegally or through concealment of material fact or willful misrepresentation. Other grounds for denaturalization can include membership or affiliation of certain organizations (Communist party, totalitarian party, or terrorist organization) or dishonorable discharge from the military within five years of naturalization.

There are two primary ways that an individual may be stripped of his or her United States citizenship. The first, criminal denaturalization, occurs through a criminal conviction under 18 U.S.C. Section 1425. A conviction under this section of the law automatically triggers denatural-

ization. Normally in criminal denaturalization cases, an individual conceals that her or she was convicted of a previous crime thereby withholding evidence of a material facts that would have resulted in the denial of naturalization. Other similar cases have involved the naturalization applicant withholding the fact of membership in a designated foreign terrorist organization or transnational criminal organization like a gang.

With civil denaturalization under INA Section 340, the naturalized United States citizens may be subject to denaturalization proceedings by the United States Attorney’s Office in federal court if one obtains United States citizenship illegally, through the concealment of a material fact

ing it later. The Supreme Court remanded the case back to the United State Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit for the jury to be instructed to decide whether the false statement altered the naturalization process such that it influenced the grant of United State citizenship.

In 2017 DHS began Operation Janus after it identified over 800 individuals who obtained United States citizenship under aliases after they had been deported or removed from the country.

On January 5, 2018, a federal judge in New Jersey granted United States Government’s request to denaturalize Balijinder Singh, thus marking the first successful denaturalization case since Operation Janus’ start.

The federal judge relied on the United States Supreme Court’s enumerated four requirements for denaturalization. The United State Government must show that the naturalized citizen misrepresented or concealed some facts, whether the misrepresentation or concealment was willful, whether the fact was material, and whether the naturalized citizen procured citizenship as a result of the misrepresentation or concealment. In this case, Mr. Singh deliberately willfully mispresented information on his naturalization application.

Mr. Singh’s immigration status was revoked and reverted to a lawful permanent resident. He is now subject to removal proceedings at the discretion of DHS. Denaturalization should not be confused with the cancellation of a naturalization certificate. In cancelling the certificate, DHS is asserting that the person never properly completed the procedural requirements for naturalization and, thus, never became a citizen. Therefore, denaturalization is unnecessary and the person can be placed directly into removal proceedings.

Denaturalization is extremely serious to the naturalized United

“The potential loss of United States citizenship can greatly affect one’s ability to live and work in the United States.” or by willful misrepresentation.

It is important to note that the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) cannot revoke citizenship administratively, but can recommend denaturalization proceedings to other parties in the Department of Justice for action.

Last June 20017 in Maslenjak v. United States, the Supreme Court of the United States limited the United States Government’s power on denaturalization. At issue was whether the government could revoke naturalization based on immaterial false statements made during the naturalization process. In Maslenjak, Divna Maslenjuk gave false information to United States consular officials to gain entry to the United States. The Supreme Court held that false statement made during the naturalization process had to be relevant to gaining citizenship in order to justify revok-

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Philippine economy not at risk from overheating – HSBC

by lawrence

aGcaoIlI Philstar.com

BRITISH banking giant HSBC has played down fears the Philippines is the most at risk from overheating among countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

In its latest ASEAN Perspectives titled “Mind the output gap,” HSBC said the Philippine economic growth remains grounded on solid fundamentals.

Most market watchers fear the Philippines is most at risk from overheating due to robust growth in recent years, while inflation is now breaching the two to four percent target range set by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

HSBC said the country’s economy has been running below potential since 2016 after growing above potential from 2012 to 2015.

It pointed out growth before

2010 was primarily driven by a combination of consumption and exports, “which led to actual growth oscillating above and below our estimate for potential growth but not necessarily raising potential output.

However, HSBC said this changed drastically since 2010 when fixed investment became a more significant contributor to gross domestic product (GDP) growth as a result of fiscal, eco-

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ICTSI primed for build build build — Razon

by IrIs

Gonzales Philstar.com

INTERNATIONAL Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) is ready for the government’s Build Build Build program.

“We already have the capacity to handle that program because we’ve been investing continuously in the Philippines. It’s starting to roll out now, we’re ready for that,” ICTSI chairman Enrique Razon said in an interview with Bloomberg live from the Milken Institute Global Conference in California.

He said his ports in the Philippines are ready to handle any

additional capacity that may result from the construction of new infrastructure projects in the country.

But in terms of actual participation in the government’s infrastructure program, ICTSI won’t be straying from its area of business, Razon said.

“We’re very wary about straying from our speciality. We have to see if there is something along the line we are interested in,” he added.

ICTSI has already completed the country’s first roll-on roll-off barge terminal project in Cavite.

The Cavite Gateway Terminal (CGT) is the first barge terminal

Philstar file photo.

in the country and the first Build Build Build project.

The project sits on a six-hectare property in Tanza, Cavite, which was chosen for the location of the project due to the province’s

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Community Journal

MAY 4-10, 2018 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

The CTV Files

Immigration news updates: DACA and visa applications

to rescind the program. Thus, no new changes will actually go into Atty. LiLLi B. BAcuLi effect for DACA, and it continues to be implemented on the terms UPDATES on DACA. Last of prior court rulings.

We will write another article week, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia vacated for updates on the DACA prothe termination of the Deferred gram.

Visa applicants may soon be Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), holding that the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) decision to rescind the program was “arbitrary and capricious.”

This decision is one among several challenges to the Administration’s decision to rescind the program. However, the D.C. court’s decision is significant because this will mean that DHS must accept and process new applications for required to submit social media DACA. Previously only renewal details. The State Department is applications were allowed to be has proposed a revision on the collection of questions contained accepted.

There is a 90-day stay on the in the DS-260 (for immigrant order, which means that the applicants) and the DS-160 (for court’s decision is on hold for 90 non-immigrant applicants) to add days in which time DHS is given several questions – in particular, the chance to provide a better ex- a “question that lists multiple soplanation to the court its decision cial media platforms during the

five years preceding the date of application.” Moreover, the applicant will be given the option to “provide information about any social media identifiers associated with any platforms other than those that are listed that the applicant has used in the last five years.”

According to the Federal Register Announcement announced on March 30, 2018, the Department will collect this information for identity resolution and vetting purposes based on statutory visa eligibility standards. Other questions seek five years of previously used telephone numbers, email addresses, and international travel; all prior immigration violations; and whether specified family members have been involved in terrorist activities.

Applicants for diplomatic or official visas will be exempt from the proposed revised questions.

The DS-260 Immigrant Visa

“The DS-260 Immigrant Visa Application are very important submissions and should be reviewed and answered carefully by the applicant.”

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Health@Heart PhiLiP S. chuA, MD, FAcS, FPcS TODAY, more than ever, people are more health conscious, and since food greatly impacts our health, we are also interested to know if the food we eat is healthy, and how much calories are in a portion of food items we choose to eat. It’s just like watching our budget for our financial health, or being aware of, or sensitive to, what we do and what we fail to do for our well-being, physical and spiritual health, and longevity.

Calorie is the amount of energy in food/drink we ingest, and also the energy consumed or lost with any bodily activity.

The more we eat, the more calories we absorbed into our body, and the more we exercise, the more we burn or lose calories.

The balance in the calorie intake and output determines whether we maintain our current weight, lose weight, or gain pounds.

The level of physical activity of the person is important.

Using the Krause Formula, the standard average calories burned are as follows: Sedentary, just sitting behind the desk, 30 calories; average housewife chores, 40; carpenter, 45.

In general, the average calorie requirement per day ranges between 1500 to 2000, but those who are overweight could reduce this to 1000 calories a day, under a physician’s advice. Diabetics have their own calculated calorie-intake. Eating 500 calories more a day (in excess of the total calorie requirement) will make a person gain one pound in a week, and, conversely, eating 500 calories less than the TCR per day will reduce one pound from the person’s body weight in a week. Pushing ourselves away from the dining table less than full is a lifesaver.

The average calories burned in 30 minutes of any of these activities are as follows: sleeping, 35; typing on computer, 50; ironing, 63; cooking, 86; light housework, 115; mopping floor, 119; shopping, 102; fishing, 119; climbing hills (no load), 232; walking slowly, 106; walking briskly, 120; running slowly, 280; running fast, 384; jogging, 215; cycling, 123; swimming, 311; ballroom dancing, 98; aerobic dancing, 198; volleyball, 96; football, 253; basketball, 265; golf, 140; tennis, 209; and, badminton, 186. Foreplay in sex for 15 minutes burns about 22.5 calories and actual sexual intercourse for 15 minutes, 67.5 calories (a

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond

ğ įōíľ ÀðıÃæµįPçį ʼn æIJįıÀ ØÃĉÃæîÂ ß ğÃqPç qíß߼æÃıŎįĤÀíĽØ ÕæíŊįPdíĽIJĕ If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, email us the details (title, description, time & date, location, etc.) at info@asianjournalinc.com.

And for consideration in our print calendar, please send submissions at least three weeks before the date of the event.

To be included in our online calendar/ e-newsletter, please allow at least two to three weeks' notice.

The Asian Journal would be delighted to list your event in our Calendar of Events.

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Is the Filipino diet healthy?

total of only 90 calories for the entire activity, believe it or not!).

Most of the available information today on calories in the different food items pertain to western and European food varieties.

In the Abbott Club Red publication, we found interesting data on calorie counts for various Filipino foods, delicacies and drinks.

The following vegetables yield about 16 calories per cup or 90 g (cooked): ampalaya fruit, ampalaya leaves, Baguio beans, banana heart, cabbage, cauliflower, chayote fruit or leaves, eggplant, kangkong, Malunggay leaves, mushroom, okra, patola, onion bulb, petsay, saluyot, and upo. Half cup of the following also provides 16 calories: coconut shoot (ubod), mungbean sprout (togue), sitaw, canned green peas, sweet corn, and tomato juice.

The fruits listed here give 40 calories: apple (1/2), atis (1 fruit), lakatan, latundan banana and chico, per piece; dalanghita (2); duhat (20 pieces); durian (30 g); grapes (10); guava (2); guyabano (1 slice); langka (40 g); lansones 97); mangosteen (3); melon (1 slice); papaya (1 slice); pineapple (1 slice); rambutan (8); santol (1); sinkamas (1/2, 110g); suha (3 segments); watermelon (1 slice); star apple (1/2), buko water (1 cup); banana-que (1/2); mango chips (2); maruya (1/4); turon (1/2).

Thirty grams of the following provide 41 calories: tenderloin, porterhouse, shank, sirloin, shoulder, rump, chicken leg, breast (1/4), meat internal organs (3/4 cups); 1 slice of bangus, lapu-lapu, dalag, etc; bacon (1 slice) is 45 calories. And so with ½ avocado, a teaspoon of peanut butter, 5 pieces of pili nut, or a teaspoon of peanut or olive oil.

Rice and rice products (the infamous carb) contain very high calories, 100 for each of the following: rice (1/2 cup); lugaw (1.5 cup); bibingka, galapong (1 slice); malagkit (1 slice); biko (1 slice); cassava cake (1/2 slice); espasol (2); kalamay, latik (1); kutsinta (1); palitaw, no coconut gratings (4); puto bumbong (2); sapinsapin (1 slice); tikoy (1 slice); pan de sal (3); lady fingers (5); mammon tostado 93); hopia hapon (1.5); ensaymada (1); bihon, sotanghon, (each, 1 cup); kamote (1/2) ube (1.3 cups); kastanyas (11 pieces); and, sago (1/2 cup).

Table sugar, one teaspoon, 20 calories; and so with the following: taho with syrup and sago (1/4 cup); ube halaya (1 teaspoon); and yema (1). Halohalo (2.3 cups) has 80 calories and pulvoron (1), 40 calories.

Each of the following carbos has 145 calories: buko pie (½ slice); bitso-bitso 1); hopia, baboy (1); hot cakes (1); fruit

cake (1 slice); chocolate cake (1 slice); Spanish bread (1); cinnamon roll (1). One half donut has 190 calories; croissant, 235; muffin, 290; éclair, 212, century egg, 135; embutido, 2.5, 187 calories.

As for menu dishes, ½ cup adobong baboy, 302 calories; 1 cup callos, 260; 1 cup dinuguan, 124; ½ cup kare kare, 103; ½ cup kilawin, 113; litsong baboy (50 g) 273; lumpia fresh with sauce, 273; lumpia with peanut sauce, 403; 2/3 cup of menudo, 144; okoy with tagunton, 184; and, putsero, 1 cup, 282.

Alcoholic drinks: Pure water, zero; beer, 11 oz, 163 calories; cognac, 75; gin, dry, 107 per jigger; ginebra, one bottle, 832; martini, 143; whisky, 107, wine, red, 73 a glass; white, 85; champagne, 85. All soft drinks are unhealthy, harmful to our body. Processed foods increase the risk for cancer.

Daily physical exercise and counting calories are vital to our health and well-being. In general, the way we eat as a nation, our native diet is not healthy as it could be. For those who are health conscious, the Filipino food could be healthy. Eliminating rice in our diet, or cutting it down to half a cup or less, instead of 2 cups of cooked rice, would be a good start. While brown rice is better (lower glycemic index), it is still rice, still carb. Eating fish and a lot of vegetables, which are abundant in the Philippines, some nuts (like walnuts, almonds) and some fruits, and minimizing red meat to maybe once a week, will make the Filipino diet healthier. A good version is the Mediterranean Diet, and homeland has all the ingredients we want for a healthier.

The trend among chefs and restauranteurs in major cities in the Philippines is towards healthier menus, controlled calories, low fat, low carb, high fiber…many popularizing fusion recipes.

Let’s eat healthy to live longer and enjoy healthy eating. Our children should be taught by our example that health and wellbeing, prevention of illnesses, and longevity are all achievable through living a healthy lifestyle. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States.

For more data, visit philipSchua.com; Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

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Angels among us

of the child’s location.

It is believed 14,000 innocent male babies from the age of two Monette and below were killed in Herod’s ADevA MAgLAyA most cruel, preemptive strike against this perceived threat to his DO you believe in angels? I do. kingdom. The holy family stayed safely away for years until the king Most people do.

The strong presence of an- died and the danger had passed.

Did these holy innocents begels in the various books of the Bible, especially during the birth come cherubs, angels without of Jesus Christ attests to the role wings? Do the millions of the unof angels in human history.

The Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bring forth a son. Zechariah received a message from an angel. It was an angel that told Joseph to take Mary for his wife. It was a multitude of angels that told the shepherds where to find the newborn child while angels hovered above the stable during that wondrous night.

It was also an angel that warned Joseph of a clear and present danger to the child Jesus.

Herod, the unhinged, murderous born of our time the world over king descended from a long line cut down by murderous aborof power-mad monarchs, want- tionists become cherubs?

Does God repurpose innocent ed to make sure no one stood between him and his throne. souls upon their deaths to beIn haste, Joseph left with Mary come angels themselves? There and the child during the night af- is a belief that souls are indeter the Magi had left for a long and structible. If so, do souls get rearduous trek to a town in Egypt cycled back to be born at another some scholars estimate to be 200 time and place? Only God knows miles away where Herod had no for certain.

Angels were strong proactive authority to commit mass murder.

You can bet a host of angels characters when the story of huguided them in seeking refuge. manity unfolded during biblical Herod’s murderous rampage times. And while today, cynics, began when he realized that the atheists and those on the dark Magi had tricked him and had side might argue that angels are taken a different route home ig- figments of the human imaginanoring his sly request to tell him tion, there are countless people

who will brave the scorn of scoffers, fight back vehemently and attest to the very real presence of angels in their lives.

The belief in the presence and power of angels to intervene is strong in popular conservative culture. In a remarkable 1999 Hallmark film, “A Season for Miracles,” an angel plays a pivotal role in helping a loving aunt to two children whose incarcerated, drug addicted mother places them in a situation forcing them to run and escape from the foster care system that threatens to split them apart during Christmas. The film is based on a novel by Marilyn Pappano and scripted by Maria Nation. Michael Pressman directed the film.

It is a heartwarming story set in a small town called Bethlehem during Christmas with engaging characters like Agatha and Corrina. For those with a penchant for romance, the story has spades of it as well. So check this film out on youtube whether it is Christmas or not.

In my opinion, this is a timeless piece of good work worth watching a hundred times. It will be an hour and some minutes to lighten your load and feel the presence of angels in your life as well.

Suspend disbelief. That is the only way to enjoy stories about angels.

(To be continued …) *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette. maglaya@asianjournalinc.com

“ I think that someone is watching out for me, God, my guardian angel, I’m not sure who that is but they really work hard.”

– Mattie Stepanek Author, “Heartsongs”

ICTSI primed for build build...

PAGE CJ1 t

high economic density.

Razon said infrastructure should have taken off in the Philippines 20 years ago.

“What is needed now is strong political will to get it off the ground....I think Duterte has very strong chance of getting it done,” he said.

But Razon said a full-blown war between the US and China could affect ICTSI’s operations in Mexico.

ICTSI owns and operates 30 container ports and terminals

worldwide – from Manila to Madagascar.

Despite possible trade disruptions, Razon believes the ports business will continue to perform strongly this year as it did last year.

ICTSI posted a net income of $207.7 million last year, up seven percent from the previous year.

The group handled consolidated volume of 9.15 million TEUs last year, five percent more than the 8.7 million TEUs in 2016 amid continuing improvements in global trade, the ramp-up in Iraq,

new liner services in Mexico, and the contribution of new terminals in DR Congo and Australia.

Gross revenues, meanwhile, amounted to $1.24 billion, up 10 percent year on year.

For this year, the company is pouring in $380 million in capital expenditures “mainly for continuing capacity expansion in Manila, Mexico, and Iraq; completion of the Honduras expansion, equipment and infrastructure development in Papua New Guinea, and the new barge terminal in Cavite. n

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COMMUNITY JOURNAL

It is now easier for fathers to transmit citizenship to children out of wedlock U.S. immigration law allows citizen parents to “transmit” or pass on U.S. citizenship to their children born abroad, provided certain requirements are met.

One requirement for U.S. citizen fathers to transmit citizenship to their out of wedlock (illegitimate) children is that the child’s father (unless deceased) has agreed in writing to provide financial support for the child until the child’s 18th birthday.

In many cases, the government had insisted this statement of support be on a specific form, DS-5507, Affidavit of Parentage, Physical Presence, and Support.

A court order or local law requiring the father to pay child support would be insufficient, the father must “agree in writing.”

On April 18, 2018, the USCIS updated its Policy Manual to clarify “what may qualify as a father’s written agreement of financial support for purposes of certain acquisition of citizenship cases.” According to USCIS policy: • The phrase “has agreed in writing to provide financial support” means that there “must be documentary evidence that supports a finding that the father accepted the legal obligation to support the child until the age of 18.” The written agreement of financial support may be dated at any time before the child’s 18th birthday.

• If the child is still under 18 at the time of applying for a U.S. passport or Certificate of Citizenship, the father may provide the written agreement of financial support as part of the application for U.S. citizenship or passport.

• If the child is already over the age of 18, the child can submit evidence of the father’s

sue a U.S. passport to an out of wedlock child, even though the father was under court order to pay child support, and had been paying the child support. That is because they insisted that the agreement to support be on a ATTY. MICHAEL specific form and in a specific GURFINKEL, ESQ format. USCIS clarifies that other types of documentation can satagreement to support the child isfy this “agreement in writing to that existed before the child’s provide financial support.”

If your out of wedlock child’s 18th birthday. In other words, if the child is already over 18, it’s citizenship was denied because too late for the father to agree in of this issue, you may want to consult with an immigration atwriting to support the child.

• The agreement must be in torney, to see if this change in writing and acknowledged by the policy could change the result on father; must indicate the father’s your case, by having your child agreement to provide financial recognized as an “instant U.S. support for the child until the citizen.” child’s 18th birthday; and must *** be dated before the child’s 18th birthday.

Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney • If there is no written agree- for over 35 years and is licensed, and ment to support the child, other an active member of the State Bar of documents could be acceptable California and New York. All immigration and satisfy that requirement, services are provided by, or under such as: the supervision of, an active member - A previously submitted affi- of the State Bar of California. Each davit of support case is different. The information - Military Defense Eligibility contained herein including testimonials, Reporting System (DEERS) en- “Success Stories,” endorsements and rollment; re-enactments) is of a general nature, - Documentation establishing and is not intended to apply to any paternity by a court, if the father particular case, and does not constitute initiated the paternity proceed- a prediction, warranty, guarantee or ings and the law required the legal advice regarding the outcome of father to provide financial sup- your legal matter. No attorney-client port; or relationship is, or shall be, established - A petition by the father seek- with any reader. ing child custody or visitation, WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com and the local law requires the Follow us on Facebook.com/GurfinkelLaw father to provide financial sup- and Twitter @GurfinkelLaw port.

Call Toll free to schedule a consultation This clarification could en- for anywhere in the US: able previously ineligible out of (866)—GURFINKEL wedlock children to now claim Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES · their U.S. citizen birthright. In SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES fact, I remember one case where (Advertising Supplement) the U.S. Embassy refused to is-

Immigration Corner

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

M AY 5

Filipino Women Organizers’ Forum in San Francisco, CA The Filipino American Center of the San Francisco Public Library and the Filipino American Human Rights Alliance of San Francisco present “Filipino Women Pushing Back: Planting Seeds of Hope and Resistance in the Philippines” on Saturday, May 5, 2018 from 3-5pm at the Learning Studio of the San Francisco Public Library (Main Library/5th Floor; next to The Bridge at Main). Featured speakers are Susan Quimpo and Aimee Santos-Lyons. This event is free to the public.

Quimpo is co-author and co-editor of “Subversive Lives: A Family Memoir of the Marcos Years” and who watched her family members drawn into the anti-dictatorship movement where they found themselves pursued by the Marcos police and military. Santos-Lyons, meanwhile, is a longtime organizer in various communities and movements, fighting for racial, gender and economic justice.

Both women will share the lessons gleaned from the Marcos dictatorship and their efforts in helping develop brave and powerful resisters.

The San Francisco Public Library is located at 100 Larkin Street (at Grove); information about the forum or SFPL’s other programs are available by calling (415) 557-4400 or visiting www.sfpl.org.

[All programs at the Library are free. This is a Politics and Current Affairs program. There views and opinions expressed in programs presented by groups unaffiliated with SFPL do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SFPL or the City.]

M AY 1 2

Rotary Club of Historic Filipinotown hosts “Rotary Pride” in LA Rotary Club of Historic Filipinotown cordially invites you to its “Rotary Pride” event on Saturday, May 12, 2018 from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. With a FUN evening of Dinner, live band entertainment, dancing & door prizes with a surprise presentation. It will be held at Filipino Cultural Center (FCC) — 1740 Temple St., Los Angeles, CA. It is $50 per person ($65 per person after May 3). Proceeds to benefit a rotary project in the community and internationally.

M AY 1 3

TIKIM Filipino Food Fun Run in San Mateo, CA

FAKE TOURIST VISA RESULTED IN BEING SENT BACK TO THE PHILIPPINES AND LATER JEOPARDIZED HIS IMMIGRANT VISA DUE TO FRAUD - ON AN ENCORE EPISODE OF “CITIZEN PINOY.” Johnnatan (second from left) got a tourist visa through a newspaper ad that advertised “Non-Appearance” visas for $2500. He entered the U.S. in 2002 without any problems, but when he returned in 2003, he was held at the airport and sent back to the Philippines, after U.S. Customs and Border Protection accused him of using a fake or counterfeit tourist visa. That meant a possible lifetime ban.

Years later, his mother’s petition became current, and he was afraid how his fake visa would affect his and his daughter’s chances of immigrating to the U.S. Watch how a family was able to overcome a fraud charge and be reunited, on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” – this Sunday at 6:15 p.m. (PST) on TFC. (Advertising Supplement)

Business News PH credit rating upgrade seen S&P cites Duterte administration’s fiscal reform program

ABS-CBN International The Filipino Channel (TFC) will hold the 1st TIKIM Filipino Food Fun Run at the Coyote Point Recreation Area (1701 Coyote Point Drive) in San Mateo on Sunday, May 13. The run starts at 8am, while the food festival (Duck Pond area/picnic sites 5-8) starts at 10am.

The purpose of the event is to celebrate on Mother’s Day everything about family, fitness, fun and Filipino food flavors. The event is open to all ages, gender and races. Every kilometer of the 5K fun run will have Filipino taste stations, with a food festival and entertainment past the finish line. More importantly, participants who register and join the fun run help provide meals for 10 malnourished children in the Philippines via ABS-CBN Foundation International’s Bantay Bata (Child Watch) program. Every month, the program feeds 300 children with one nutritious meal a day during school time.

For more information about the TIKIM event and AFI Bantay Bata can be found by visiting https://mytfc.com/tikim and http://www.abscbnfoundation.org/.

M AY 1 8

Case for Kids Fundraiser in Tracy, CA ABS-CBN International The Filipino Channel (TFC) will hold the 1st TIKIM Filipino Food Fun Run at the Coyote Point Recreation Area (1701 Coyote Point Drive) in San Mateo on Sunday, May 13. The run starts at 8am, while the food festival (Duck Pond area/picnic sites 5-8) starts at 10am.

The purpose of the event is to celebrate on Mother’s Day everything about family, fitness, fun and Filipino food flavors. The event is open to all ages, gender and races. Every kilometer of the 5K fun run will have Filipino taste stations, with a food festival and entertainment past the finish line. More importantly, participants who register and join the fun run help provide meals for 10 malnourished children in the Philippines via ABS-CBN Foundation International’s Bantay Bata (Child Watch) program. Every month, the program feeds 300 children with one nutritious meal a day during school time.

For more information about the TIKIM event and AFI Bantay Bata can be found by visiting https://mytfc.com/tikim and http://www.abscbnfoundation.org/.

The Asian American Group to celebrate first annual Asian Culture Day in Las Vegas On Friday, May 18, the Asian American Group (AAG) will celebrate the first annual Asian Culture Day. The event will be held at the Conference Center of Las Vegas (6590 Bermuda Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89119), and will start at 6 p.m. There will be a variety of Asian dishes and cultural performances at the celebration.

The primary goal of the Asian Culture Day celebration is to invite and unite the Asian nations of the world, and to educate and share their respective cultures in order to achieve greater understanding and fellowship between nations. The annual Asian Culture Day was established by Senate Bill 175, which proclaims every 18th of May as Asian Culture Day in the state of Nevada. The bill was introduced and authored by State Senator Scott Hammond, and was signed into law by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval last year. The bill gives recognition to the Asians and Asian-Americans who were instrumental in the settlement and early development of the State of Nevada; the culture and traditions shared by Asians and AsianAmericans; and the Asian and Asian-American communities that continue to make important contributions to the cultural, religious, political, and business environment. To purchase tickets visit https://www.asianamericangroup.org/saac-2/.

THE Philippines would likely move up to a credit rating higher than minimum investment grade after debt watcher S&P Global Ratings on Thursday raised its outlook to “positive,” citing improved fiscal management following the passage of the first tax reform package.

From “stable” previously, a “positive” credit outlook meant that the Philippines’ long-term sovereign credit ratings, affirmed at ‘BBB,’ may be raised over the next six months to two years.

At present, the credit ratings assigned to the Philippines by the three top debt watchers Fitch Ratings, Moody’s Investors Service and S&P were all a notch above investment grade.

In a report released Thursday, April 26, S&P said that “the ‘positive’ outlook reflects our view that improvements to the Philippines’ policymaking settings could support a track record of more sustainable public finances and balanced growth over the next 24 months.”

“We may raise the ratings if the government’s fiscal reform program leads to further achievements over the course of the next 24 months. This would support more sustainable public finances and balanced economic growth prospects while maintaining stable fiscal deficits and net general

government indebtedness,” S&P said, mainly referring to the Duterte administration’s comprehensive tax reform program, the first package of which was enacted into law in December.

Republic Act No. 10963 or the Tax Reform of Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act since Jan. 1 this year jacked up or slapped new excise taxes on cigarettes, oil, sugary drinks and vehicles, among other goods, to compensate for the restructured personal income tax regime that raised the taxexempt cap to an annual salary of P250,000.

“We may also raise the ratings if the government’s revenue enhancement measures lead to lower-than-expected deficits, which would have a knock-on effect on net general government indebtedness,” S&P added.

The Cabinet-level Development Budget Coordination Committee last Tuesday, April 24, estimated additional revenues of P124.9 billion this year coming from the TRAIN Law. The comprehensive tax reform program is expected to generate P215.8 billion in additional revenues in 2022.

The government had programmed a budget deficit cap equivalent to 3 percent of gross domestic product until 2022. ■

M AY 22

SIPA hosts Spotlight on EntrePINAY Success in LA SIPA hosts Spotlight on EntrePINAY Success in LA Take a break and join Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) for a coffee + custard mixer on Tuesday, May 22. Learn from Kristine de la Cruz’s business journey from Créme Caramel LA and FrankieLucy Bakeshop, which is a collaboration with Annie Choi of Found Coffee.

It will be held from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at FrankieLucy Bakeshop (3116 Sunset Blvd Unit 1/2, Los Angeles, CA 90026). Limited tickets available. Please RSVP on Eventbrite: https://spotlighton-entrepinay-success.eventbrite.com. For more information or any questions, contact: Fidji

M AY 26

FACCGLA’s bowling tournament Kalayaan Incorporated, Southern California’s foremost celebrant of Philippine Independence will host the celebration of the 120th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence on June 9, at the Universal Hilton Hotel, Universal City, California. For more information, contact Erlinda Granada-Sabah at (562) 682-9576; or Malou Perez at mperez0813@ aol.com.

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

CJ

MAY 4-10, 2018 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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

Philippines still out of US IP watch list

by Richmond

meRcuRio Philstar.com

THE Philippines has remained out of the U.S. government’s watch list of countries with poor intellectual property rights protection and enforcement for the fifth consecutive year, while China sustained its stay on the priority watch list for the 14th straight year.

The latest edition of the Special 301 Report released by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) showed that the Philippines continues to maintain a robust environment for intellectual property protection, being out of the list since 2014.

The USTR’s Special 301 Report 2018 cited the Philippines once more as among the countries with effective legislation against anti-camcording, along with Canada and Japan.

The report said laws of other economies lack the teeth to criminalize camcording activity due to requirements that entail law enforcement to observe the camcording activity, then prove the person circulating the unlawfully recorded movie before intervention, as deterring effective enforcement.

In contrast, the Anti-Camcording Act of the Philippines allows authorized persons, even without warrant and payment of admission fee or any charge, to enter and search any exhibition facility, seize any audiovisual recording device, and detain any person should they have reasonable ground to believe that a violation has been or is being committed.

However, the Philippines was mentioned in the Special 301 Report for having slow opposition proceedings in trademark protection.

Trademark opposition proceedings are administrative proceedings that can be filed by any person who believes that he will

by ma. Lisbet

States citizen and to any family members who obtained United States citizenship through them.

Any naturalized United States citizen who may be subject to denaturalization proceedings must contact an experienced immigration attorney for an extensive analysis of the facts of his or

EMPLOYMENT

K. esmaeL

ManilaTimes.net

In contrast, the Anti-Camcording Act of the Philippines allows authorized persons, even without warrant and payment of admission fee or any charge, to enter and search any exhibition facility, seize any audiovisual recording device, and detain any person should they have reasonable ground to believe that a violation has been or is being committed.

Philstar file photo

be damaged by the registration of a mark.

“The enduring campaign drive of the Philippines in fighting counterfeiting and piracy is an effort that the United States, one of the Philippines’ largest trading partners, continues to recognize. This bodes well for the country especially that at this time we have embarked on, and will continuously explore innovative ways in introducing to the public the importance of intellectual property, in strengthening our engagement with stakeholders, and in the need to fight the proliferation and patronizing of fake products,” Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) director general Josephine Santiago said.

Santiago said the report affirms the country is going in the right direction as far as protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights are concerned.

In this year’s edition, the USTR identified 12 countries on the Priority Watch List, which represents the most significant

concerns regarding inadequate or ineffective intellectual property protection or enforcement.

These are Algeria, Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Russia, Ukraine, and Venezuela.

China, is on the Priority Watch List for the 14th consecutive year, according to the USTR, due to longstanding and new IP concerns that merit increased attention, such as its coercive technology transfer practices, range of impediments to effective intellectual property enforcement, and widespread infringing activity that includes trade secret theft, rampant online piracy, and counterfeit manufacturing.

Meanwhile, 24 countries were included on the Watch List. These are Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, Guatemala, Jamaica, Lebanon, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

The rebirth of denaturalization PAGE CJ1 t

Facebook data breach likely hit fewer Filipinos

her case.

website: www.rreeves.com

***

***

Reeves Miller Zhang & Diza is one of the oldest, largest and most experienced immigration firms in the United States with offices in Pasadena, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Manila and China.

Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com

The analysis and suggestions offered in this column do not create a lawyer-client relationship and are not a substitute for the personalized representation that is essential to every case.

(Advertising Supplement)

EMPLOYMENT

SERVICES

THE number of Filipinos affected by a massive Facebook data breach could be lower than the initially estimated 1.175 million, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) said on Friday, April 27.

NPC chief Raymund Enriquez Liboro told reporters that the social media giant had responded to requests for additional information given initial reports that the Philippines was the second most affected in terms of the number of people whose data was “improperly shared”, “The deadline that we gave them was tomorrow (April 28), and we received their response

today (April 27), two weeks after we sent them the letter,” Liboro said.

Facebook, he added, found out that “the number could be lower than the 1.1[75] [million affected Filipinos].”

He declined to provide more details and said Facebook would continue to investigate the matter.

“There would be constant exchanges of information to prevent harm and to also help us in dealing with this and strategically coming up with [means]to protect users,” Liboro said.

Facebook earlier this month admitted to lapses in securing the data of its users, with British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica said to have

NPC chief Raymund Enriquez Liboro.

Photo by Roger Ranada/ManilaTimes.net

“improperly shared” the data of 87 million Facebook users worldwide.

Immigration news updates...

PAGE CJ2 t

Application and the DS-160 Immigrant Visa Application are very important submissions and should be reviewed and answered carefully by the applicant. It is best to consult with an experienced and competent immigration attorney immediately, and more importantly prior to filing any applications with the USCIS or the Department of State.

As always, be wary of online tools that offer immigration help or notarios who are not licensed to practice law. *** Atty. Lilli Berbano Baculi is an associate attorney with Chua Tinsay & Vega, A Professional Legal Corporation (CTV) - a full service law firm with offices in San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento and Philippines. The information presented in this article is for general information

only and is not, nor intended to be, formal legal advice nor the formation of an attorney-client relationship. Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consultation to discuss your particular situation and/or how their services may be retained at (619) 955-6277; (415) 4958088; (916) 449-3923; lbaculi@ctvattys. com. For general information visit www. chuatinsayvega.com.

(Advertising Supplement)

Philippine economy not at risk from...

PAGE CJ1 t

nomic, and social reforms.

“Higher investment helped increase industrial capacity, which also led to higher potential growth. In fact, potential growth has climbed steadily since 2010 to a point where it now exceeds actual growth, based on our estimates,” it said.

The bank added growth in the Philippines has been largely driven by greater capital mobilization, and the government’s commitment to invest further in both human capital and infrastructure should help sustain potential growth at above seven percent in the medium term,” HSBC said.

The Philippines has booked 76 quarters of uninterrupted gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

The GDP expansion settled at 6.5 percent in the fourth quarter from the seven percent in the third bringing the full year 2017

growth at 6.7 percent.

According to HSBC, this does not necessarily mean that growth will actually reach its potential every year, but this at least shows that the government’s seven to eight percent target is grounded on some theoretical basis.

On the other hand, inflation gradually moved down since 2010 after the BSP committed to a fixed inflation target over a two-year horizon.

Inflation kicked up to 4.3 percent in March from the revised 3.8 percent in February as a result of the transitory impact of the implementation of Republic Act 10963 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law.

“We believe higher inflation was originally triggered by the recent tax reform, but it is now becoming more broad-based.

Recent readings show that even

SERVICES

areas that are not directly affected by the tax reform have risen above their normal trends, while those that are directly affected are rising above our initial expectations,” HSBC said.

The broad-based inflation could be showing signs that there are indeed second-round impacts from the recent tax reform and could lead to even higher inflation expectations.

“These two are the very factors that the BSP has pointed to as reasons for possible rate hikes,” it said.

HSBC sees the BSP’s Monetary Board raising benchmark rates by 25 basis points to 3.25 percent in the second quarter to manage inflationary risks.

“But we don’t necessarily see an aggressive tightening path for the BSP given our view that the economy is not at risk of overheating,” HSBC said. n

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

City of Colma Town wide clean up day on May 19

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 4-10, 2018

CJ

‘Malayo man narating, pusong UPSE pa rin!’

‘Malayo man narating, pusong UPSE pa rin!’

JOIN in the Community Fun and sign up for our Town Wide Clean Up Day on Saturday, May 19 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., meeting at the sterling Park Recreation Center at 427, F Street, Colma.

The Town Wide Clean Up Day is your opportunity to take pride in your Town by helping fellow residents and staff in cleaning up the streets of Colma.

Participants and staff will walk various locations in Colma picking up trash and recycling materials, and afterwards we will celebrate our Clean Town with a family fun BBQ at Sterling Park.

All participants will receive a giveaway and an awesome BBQ lunch. Volunteers, please register at https://apm.activecommunities.com/colmarecreation/Activity_Search/1398 for the Town Wide Clean Up Day at the Colma Community Center by May 17, 2018.n

CALLING all alumni of the UP School of Economics (UPSE)!

Join us in the first ever UPSE reunion in the USA this summer 2018. Malayo Man Narating, Pusong UPSE pa rin!

When: July 6, 2018 (Friday) to July 7, 2018 (Saturday) Activities: • July 6, 2018 Early reception dinner at Ocean One Bar and Grille followed by a Party Bus Tour along the Las Vegas Strip (complete with wine/beer/cocktails, Kodakan and music).

• July 7, 2018 - Dinner/Reunion at Stoney’s Rockin’ Country

and memorabilia, incidentals.

Cost WILL NOT COVER the Friday optional reception dinner, other meals, hotel and airfare/local transportation.

Alumni may opt to stay at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas with room rate at $ 159 per night + $35 resort fee per night + 13 percent Las Ve-

Cost: $ 115.00/person paid before May 1, 2018 ($130.00 after May 1), which will cover the Party Bus Tour (including all drinks and gratuity) on July 6, reunion buffet dinner and celebration on July 7, a reunion t-shirt, event videography/photography

gas tax.

Please email or call UPSE’s contact person below to confirm your interest and attendance.

Contact person: Jay Ortega (562) 676-7735 (UPSE Batch ’83) or e-mail: upselasvegasreunion@ gmail.com n

Spring book sale at the SSF Libray on May 12 Concord Library to close in May for restroom remodel ARE you looking for some great reads to bring on your summer vacation? Maybe some books to prevent the “summer slide” with your children? We can help with that! On May 12,the South San Francisco Friends of the Library have their spring book sale to support library programs and services which are free to the community. Thanks to book sales, donations and member dues, the South San Francisco Friends of the Library sponsor events by the Asian Art Museum, the DeYoung Museum, Summer Learning Challenge, and many other free events. If you want to become a member of the Friends of the Library, fill out the application, and drop it off at the library.

The South San Francisco Friends of the Library was established in 1975, and annually donates more than $10,000 to the library for all of its programs and services. Currently over 75 community members contribute annually to the Friends, and nearly 12 of these contributors actively volunteer their time to assist the group with fundraising efforts that include lobby book sales and

THE Concord Library at 2900 Salvio St. will be closed for three weeks in May to complete a renovation project to remodel and update the public restrooms.

The library will be closed from Sunday, May 6 through Monday, May 28, and will reopen on Tuesday, May 29, with regular hours, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

During the closure, patrons are encouraged to use neighbortwo large book sales in the fall and spring.

Library Director Valerie Sommer says, “The library wouldn’t be the special place it is without the support of Friends of the Library. Friends volunteer their time to raise funds for programs and events, allowing the library to offer a robust calendar of performers, speakers, and technology classes. As we look forward to the groundbreaking of the new main library, we celebrate the role Friends of the Library plays in spreading the love of reading and learning.”

Please fill out the application at www.ssf.net/home/showdocument and bring it into the library, we can’t wait to meet our new friends! n

Engaging Vallejo’s youth in sister cities relationships

The entire Taekwondo team and basketball team who will travel to Akashi, Baguio and Jincheon.

VALLEJO, Calif — For this year, 2018, the thriving Vallejo Sister City Association is taking a proactive approach for the first time, taking one step further its relationships with other cities around the world by including Vallejo’s youth.

“We are engaging the youth of Vallejo in the mission to enhance and strengthen our relationships with our sister cities relative to understanding and empowering our youth for global and diplomacy,” said Elissa Shanks Stewart, newly elected president of the Vallejo Sister City Association.

Termed as “Youth Sports Diplomacy Goodwill Trip in Asia,” the young members of the basketball and martial arts youth team who will represent the City of Vallejo will engage not only in competitive and goodwill games with youth from Akashi, Baguio and Jincheon in July, but will also experience “hands on cultural experiences including interaction with various levels of people in these cities.”

The sending of Vallejo’s girls basketball team and a martial arts Taekwondo team to these Asian cities (July 11-27) coincides with the celebration of sister city relationship anniversaries with these cities: • 45 years with Akashi, Japan • 25 years with Baguio City, Philippines • 15 years with Jincheon, South Korea. “…This youth diplomacy trip is a fruition of a vision by Paul Ligda, a member of our committee,” explained Pelton Stewart, former president of the Vallejo

Jed Madayag (far right) with some of the members of Vallejos girls basketball team that will compete in Baguio.

Sister City Association said during the first initial meeting early this month of the organizers of the planned trip at the Vallejo Sister City office at the John F. Kennedy Library in this city.

“It is a way to expose the world about the good things that is happening in the City of Vallejo,” Stewart further added.

Yolanda Kim and William Kim, former presidents of the Vallejo Sister Association were also on hand during the meeting to announce the fundraising efforts of the committee – the 2018 International Multicultural Folk Festival at the Empress Theater in downtown Vallejo. April 27, 2018 at 6pm. The event will showcase world famous Filipina soloist Kay Balajadia-Liggayu.

It will also feature world-class performers representing the Philippines, Korea, Japan, Italy, Africa, Norway and Mexico. (By Eduardo Yra) n

ing libraries in Pleasant Hill or Clayton to return books and can request to pick up holds at other branches while the Concord branch is closed. The book drop and pick up services will not be available at the Concord branch.

The City of Concord is renovating the restrooms, adding ADAcompliant features, and installing new wall and floor tile, trim and fixtures. The restrooms will also

be painted. The Concord Library operates as a partnership between the city and Contra Costa County. The library building, at Concord Civic Center, is owned and maintained by the City while library services are provided by county.

For more information, contact Kimberli Buckley, Senior Community Library Manager, (925) 646-5455, kbuckley@cclib.org.n

CJ

MAY 4-10, 2018 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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

Friday, May 4, 2018

cover story

SF2

The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - May 4, 2018

Honoring the inspiration of Fil-Am nurses this National Nurses Week

by RAE ANN VARONA / AJPRESS EVERY year, the United States celebrates National Nurses Week from May 6 to May 12 (the birthday of modern nursing pioneer, Florence Nightingale), to honor the over four million nurses providing care across the nation.

This year, the American Nurses Association chose the theme of “Inspire, Innovate, and Influence” to recognize the impact and innovation of nurses both in and outside of the hospital — whether it be providing individual care to patients and their families, or helping solve many of the nation’s public health issues.

For the nearly four million Filipinos living in the U.S., Nurses Week has also been about recognizing part of the Fil-Am culture and experience. Roughly 200,000 nurses in the U.S. are Filipino — all familiar with ironed scrubs, matching clogs or nursing shoes, baon (packed lunch) preparations, and long 12-hour shifts.

How Filipinos came to be so represented in the U.S. nursing industry dates back to the early 1900s as the first batch of government-sponsored scholars arrived in the states through the Pensionado Act of 1903.

Upon graduating, many nursing students went back to the Philippines to work and help establish nursing schools. Many others also stayed in the U.S. where they eventually became the first generation of Fil-Am nurses.

“Nursing is so important in our Filipino community because that is who we are,” said Alyssa Cosejo, a Fil-Am student in her first quarter of nursing school at the Loma Linda University School of Nursing.

Much like many young FilAms in line to become the next generation of Fil-Am nurses, Cosejo, 19, found inspiration to become a nurse from watching her mom.

“Ever since I was a little girl, I was always fascinated when she left the house in scrubs and came back with a smile on her face,” said Cosejo.

“I would listen to her stories about what happened at work and it just made me want to be like her,” she added. “She is so caring and loving, and every time she comes back from work, she feels fulfilled.”

Alec Kirk, a 23-year old FilAm in his second year as a nursing student at the university, similarly found inspiration from his sisters and cousin in Ireland, who despite everyday responsibilities like raising children, continued to work hard as nurses. He said he plans to follow in their footsteps and continue into graduate nursing education as well.

But at the core of what influenced and pushed him to pursue nursing was the simple urge to help people. He suggested the same was for his fellow nursing colleagues.

“Ask any other nurse and you’ll always get an interesting answer and perhaps very differ-

Working in tandem with a healthy diet and exercise, sleep is one of the most important things you can do to take care of yourself and ensuring you have enough physical, emotional and mental energy to take on the day, especially as a nurse working long hours.

Philstar.com photos

Four self-care tips for nurses

by KLARIZE MEDENILLA/AJPRESS

BEING a nurse can be among the most rewarding For the nearly four million Filipinos living in the U.S., Nurses Week has also been about recognizing part of the Fil-Am culture and experience. Roughly 200,000 career choices. As a nurse, you’re responsible for the daynurses in the U.S. are Filipino — all familiar with ironed scrubs, matching clogs or nursing shoes, baon (packed lunch) preparations, and long 12-hour shifts. to-day comfort and well-being of a wide range of ill patients.

But being a nurse also means coping with stress, either from caring for patients or managing long shifts; more often you’re dealing with both. All of this can take a massive toll on your physical, emotional and mental health, and although it can be challenging finding respite within one of the most demandThe Filipino culture of caring, dedication, and togetherness has also been ing of careers, it is essential to cited by Fil-Ams in their choice to become nurses.

Inquirer.net photos tend to your needs as much as ent from mine, but it seems, the Nursing Conference in the Philip- “encouraging them to enhance your patients’ needs. Self-care answer always returns to some pines early this year, Rev. Arnedo their skills now so that in the furoutines largely depend on version of ‘I like to help people,’” S. Valera — Esquire Executive ture there won’t be any mishaps nurse to nurse, but these basic he said. or confusion.”

Director and Migrant Heritage self-care tips can get you on the Why so many Filipinos beCosejo added that the fact Commission’s chairperson — said right track to establishing your come nurses is a question asked Sanchez was a representation that her professors have chosen own, unique routine. by many in the U.S. — Filipino to teach her and her classmates of all Filipino nurses around the 1. Take care of your physiand non-Filipino alike. despite the option of higher pay world. cal health: No one can work efOne reason may come from working full time at a hospital, “They are hard working. Infectively if they’re indisposed in its rich history, as the profession deed, they have a reputation for has been inspiring. some way. And you’re definitely continues to bring opportunities going out of their way to take “They show the students not in a position to take care of like it did in the past. what it means to truly love our good care of their patients,” others if you’re not taking care “I think nursing is incredibly clients,” she said. said Valera. “This is because of yourself. That means incorpopular in the Filipino comSo how do the young future Filipino nurses come from a carporating healthy, nutritious food munity because this career has nurses think nurses should be ing culture, where families take (fresh produce, high protein and numerous specializations, and honored? care of their own sick and aging quality grains and fats) into your job opportunities can be found Kirk suggests giving a short relatives.” diet. Although it’s tempting to anywhere in the world,” said Nursing homes, for example, remark or a small gift of gratiwant to pop open an energy Piercy Wayne Adlaon, a 21-year- are rare in the Philippines. It tude to a nurse, such as one in drink, sugary drinks do nothing old junior year student at the the family. isn’t uncommon to find generabut provide a short-term jolt. A university.

Lunch bags, tumblers, aptions of family members living good way to eat the right foods Filipino nurses working parel, lapel pins, and pens have together in one household. with little work during the week outside of the Philippines send But culture and history aside, been popular gifts. is to plan meals. Meal prepping, about $1 billion in total to the He also suggests nurses send Carpio encouraged those thinkin general, is a great idea for Philippines every year, equating some acknowledgement to other ing of pursuing nursing do it anyone looking to reform their to roughly PHP50 billion annufellow nurses. because they have the passion diet. Preparing three meals for ally.

“It’s nice to say in a way, and will to endure the challenges the week means one less thing Ron Carpio — a Fil-Am nurs- it comes with.

‘Hey, I see you. I see that you to worry about during your ing instructor at Cal State Univerare trying your best as a nurse “That’s what I tell my stuhectic schedule. Taking care of sity Channel Islands and Western dents,” he said. “You’re going to despite everything else. Let’s your physical health also means Governors University — said that learn a lot as a nurse, but at the keep going.’,” said Kirk. getting enough exercise. Some the attractiveness of a nursing Adlaon gave another sweet same time, it’s tough. You have nurses, instead of sitting at the career was apparent to his family to enjoy doing it.” and simple suggestion of donuts nurses’ station for long periods back in the 1980’s when he was and a thank you card.

Inspire, Innovate, Influence of time, walk the hallways and still in high school.

For Cosejo, simply acknowlIn light of the Nurses Week check on patients. Use a lunch Initially thinking of becoming theme, Kirk sees technology and edging the work they do is a break to go for a walk outside. It a doctor, Carpio said his father its role in advancing the practice good way to start. can be easy to fall out of these encouraged him to look into “I think Nurses should be of nursing as being one of the self-care necessities if you’re so nursing. focuses this year, and referred to celebrated by acknowledgfocused on a job that requires “I went to pursue that, and I ing all the hard work that they one professor he thought emso much of you, but diet and exhaven’t turned back since then,” bodied the spirit of innovation. do,” said Cosejo. “People look ercise ensure you have the right said Carpio. past nurses and just praise the “She taught us about using amount of energy to complete The Filipino culture of caring, technology and research in doctors when there is a lot of the tasks at hand. dedication, and togetherness hard work done by the nurses healthcare as nurses, and how 2. Establish boundaries: has also been cited by Fil-Ams in those are evolving the profesthemselves.”

It can be easy to obsess over their choice to become nurses.

Having been around both sion of nursing,” said Kirk. “Her your work, especially if you’re “I suspect that our culture of point and emphasis to us was seasoned and new nurses, Carpassionate about that work. caring for each other — somepio also said that just recognizing to always question our practice In general, this is a good tip thing akin to kapwa — is highly and showing acknowledgment of and participate in the inquiry to for anyone, but especially for compatible with the image of what nurses really do — both in better it.” nurses, many of whom become nursing as a caring job,” said and out of the traditional mediTouching on the theme’s nurses for their inherent desire Kirk. cal facilities — is a great way to emphasis on inspiration, Adlaon to take care of the sick. You’re In 2012, Filipina nurse Menhonor them.

— who was inspired to become chu Sanchez made the Filipino But regardless of recognition, a nurse after shadowing one as nursing community proud when Carpio added that the nurses a hospital volunteer — said he she was lauded by former U.S. continues to find inspiration as a who enjoy their job will continue President Barack Obama for her student. doing what they love. heroism in saving 20 newborn “I love my job,”’ he said. “It’s On who has been influential babies during Hurricane Sandy. what I do and I don’t need to be to him, Adlaon described his At the Filipino Nurses Global previous clinical instructor who recognized for something I know Summit & 11th International I’m supposed to do.” he said influenced students by

a nurse between the time you clock in and the time you clock out, and that should be it. It’s important to keep a healthy work/life balance. That also means sticking to only to the roles and tasks that fit within the parameters of your job requirements. As Filipinos, we’re predisposed to be hospitable and we want to make sure the people we’re taking care of are happy and comfortable, but that doesn’t necessarily mean doing more work than what’s expected of you. You can always say no if a coworker or supervisor asks you to do more work.

3. Maintain a healthy personal life: Being a nurse can be exhausting and the thought of having a personal life seems like a luxury. But it’s an essential self-care element that can immediately de-stress you and take your mind away from your job. If you prefer to spend your time alone, schedule time each week to spend some relaxing time for yourself to focus on a non-nursing hobby. This can also mean engaging with your spiritual self and remain present even when your mind seems to be elsewhere. It can also mean keeping a journal for your thoughts or seeing a professional to work your emotions out. If you’re more extroverted, schedule time to see family and friends. Whatever it is, the key is scheduling time and having a routine-like approach to ensuring you make time for your personal life because that can often fall by the wayside when you’re so wrapped up in your job. Find the best balance for yourself.

4. Get enough sleep! Nursing is often associated with long shifts. Whether it’s the night shift or day shift or the dreaded double shift, it’s exhausting even thinking about how many hours of sleep one may lose as a nurse. Working in tandem with a healthy diet and exercise, sleep is one of the most important things you can do to take care of yourself and ensuring you have enough physical, emotional and mental energy to take on the day, especially as a nurse working long hours. If you’re working a double shift, plan your sleep schedule beforehand so you’re not beat by the end of it. Sleep is the currency for hardworking nurses. Make sure you have enough of it.

As Filipinos, weʼre predisposed to be hospitable and we want to make sure the people weʼre taking care of are happy and comfortable, but that doesnʼt necessarily mean doing more work than whatʼs expected of you.

Sarah Geronimo tells Vegas audience: ‘I feel empty’

by JAN

MILO SEVERO Philstar.com

POP star Sarah Geronimo turned emotional in her Las Vegas concert for her 15th anniversary “This 15 Me” tour as she can be seen crying in the videos uploaded by fans.

According to news reports, the “exhausted” star even walked out of the stage and was unable to finish some songs. She kept apologizing to her audience as she felt like her voice was not that good in the concert.

“I’m sorry, pagod po ako (I’m tired). I’m so sorry. I hope na kayanin ko ma-survive itong gabing ito because you paid at gumastos po kayo na mabigyan namin kayo ng entertainment. (I hope I can survive this night because you spent money for us to provide you with entertainment) I’m so sorry,” Sarah said.

She admitted there was a time that after watching videos of Michael Jackson being surrounded by crying and screaming fans, she realized that she is not prepared for that kind of life.

“Ginusto ko pong maibahagi ang talento ko pero, hindi pala ako handa sa mga kasama doon sa hiningi ko, lalong-lalo na ‘yung pressure to always do good, maging role model ka, maging perpekto ka. Mahirap po. (I wanted to share my talent with you, but I was not ready for what comes with it especially the pressure to always do good, to be a role model, to be perfect. It is difficult.)”

Sarah rose to fame after winning talent search “Star for a Night” in 2003. Since then, she has released multi-platinum albums and starred in blockbuster movies.

“Kayo po na patuloy na

naniniwala, 15 years. Maraming, maraming salamat po. Forever po akong magiging thankful sa inyo.

Pasensya na po. (You, who have been believing in me the past 15 years, thank you very much. I will be forever grateful to you. I apologize),” she told her Vegas audience before continuing to perform her first hit “Forever’s Not Enough.”

“I have been asking myself bakit I feel empty. Hindi ‘yung successful na shows or mga hits ang makakapagpakumpleto sa iyo, ang makakapagpasaya sa iyo bilang tao, kundi ‘yung tunay na pagmamahal na hindi nagbabago, perpekto ka man o hindi.

At unti-unti kong hinahanap kung ano ang gagawin ko para I will feel fulfilled. (I have been asking myself why I feel empty. It’s not the successful shows or hit songs that will maake you feel complete, what will make you happy as a

person, but the the genuine love that ever changes, regardless if you’re perfect or not. I am slowly finding out what I will do to feel fulfilled),” she confessed.

According to news reports, Sarah has been admitting that she has been having a “quarter-life crisis” in as early as 2013.

“Unti-unti po, hinahanap ko kung ano ba talaga ‘yung gagawin ko para I will feel fulfilled.

Until now, pumapasok pa rin siya sa isip ko,” she told her Vegas crowd.

“But then, may nagsabi sa akin na, ‘Sarah, huwag ka na maghanap, kasi iyan ‘yung binigay na talento ng Diyos para sa ‘yo (Someone told me that ‘Sarah, stop searching, because that’s the talent God gave you), so use that as a platform to honor His name, to glorify His name, and to become an inspiration to other people.’”

Sarah Geronimo

Photo from Instagram/@sarahgeronimoshots

JC de Vera: Maintains 10 percent body fat & solid abs

entertainment SF3 The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE – May 4, 2018

by MYLENE

MENDOZA-DAYRIT Philstar.com

“SINCE I Found You” is a new romantic comedy television series shown nightly by ABS-CBN. A strong pilot week did not disappoint viewers who enjoyed the cinematic shots of director Antoinette Jadaone, the relatable storyline, the primetime return of Piolo Pascual after a four-year hiatus from nightly soaps, the refreshing comic role of Arci Munoz, and the intriguing character of JC de Vera in the story.

JC’s role as Ginno, the loyal assistant of the big boss Nathan (Piolo), was presented at first as a possible third wheel to the budding romance between the boss and the practicumer Dani (Arci). Recently the plot took an unexpected twist.

Ginno is apparently the son of Gary (Michael de Mesa) who actually gave Nathan a break in the taxi business. Nathan bought Gary out eventually when the latter’s gambling worsened which led to more misfortunes. So Ginno is all set to seek revenge for his father.

We caught JC de Vera in the gym which he still gets to fit in between shooting for the TV series, as well as his weekly Banana Sundae shown Sundays also at ABS-CBN. He obliged us with a sneak peek of his fitness journey. Unlike his primetime character, there are no mysteries and no secrets to this actor’s athletic build.

Philippine Star: You were a basketball athlete in CSA, does that mean that you were always fit? While you never pursued the sport and concentrated on being an actor instead, is basketball still your regular weekly sport?

JC De Vera: I played high school basketball in CSA and yes, proud to say, I’m still fit and active until now. I make sure that I work out twice to thrice a week and definitely a basketball game at least once a week.

JC de Vera

ABS-CBN photo

Are you engaged in any other sports? If yes, what and how often do you play?

I try to do a little bit of everything, so I play basketball once a week, I do boxing also twice a month, I run twice a month (5-10k), I do circuit training/strength and conditioning/ weights at least every other day if my schedule permits.

What is your exercise routine like?

I limit myself to a one-hour workout. I do HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts.

That includes fat-burning exercises, core/abs workout, functional workouts for boxing and basketball. That means 10 to 15 minutes of isolated weights workout, 20 to 30 minutes of circuit training and then five to 10 minutes of ab exercises to finish my routine.

What is your current fitness goal?

My current fitness goal is just to maintain my body fat percentage at 10 percent and keep my abs rock solid.

Though it’s so hard, I still motivate myself every day that I can do it.

You are a known MMA enthusiast. What discipline are you into in particular? How much are you into the sport?

Yes, I love MMA! I’m into striking. I used to do muay Thai before, but now I shifted to boxing. I even joined a boxing competition once to test my skill as a striker.

What bad habit have you successfully changed for

the better recently in order for you to be more fit and healthy today?

I do have a healthy lifestyle.

Everything in my life is balanced. I manage to sleep for seven to eight hours now. I had this habit before where I don’t sleep and eat properly after an intense workout.

Do you use your social media to inspire people to take their fitness seriously? If yes, how? What are your top three tips in maintaining or improving one’s health and fitness?

Yes, I do share some of my workouts through my IG. Here are my top three tips: Always challenge yourself. Drink lots of water. No pain, no gain.

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

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

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

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

Overnight Magdala ( BB, D)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dinner/Overnight Notre Dame Vatican hotel

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

LOMBARD BY THE BAY. Giovanni and Rosemarie de Vera Javier recently signed a letter of intent for the reservation of Penthouse unit at Lombard by the Bay at Montemaria project during the Marketing Partners Orientation and Training. Also in photo are Rene Cinco, President and CEO of Premier Asia Pacific Real Estate and Development Corp and Roger Oriel, Publisher and CEO of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. (Advertising supplement)

Photo from Instagram @akosijcdeberat

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

Dinner & overnight.

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

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

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

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

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

celebrityworld

SF4

The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - May 4, 2018

celebrity world

By Ferdie Villar It will be an emotional and memorable Mother’s Day for former actress Jackie Forster.

Last April 28, Jackie finally reunited with both her sons — Andre and Kobe Paras (with former basketball player and comedian Benjie Paras) — after 12 years of separation.

The reunion happened in a hotel in Mandaluyong City.

In an exclusive interview with Philippine Entertainment Portal, the former actress shared how the three of them finally reunited. According to Jackie, even before they met in person, they were already communicating regularly via Viber and Facetime. She said it all started when Kobe called her last January.

“I got a phone call last January 22 at 6:30 a.m. from Kobe. I was in London and he was in California,” Jackie said.

“We had an overwhelming 40minute conversation.”

Although she was overwhelmed with happiness when Kobe called her, she was also confused. “...I was confused...like, I was waiting for him to tell me that there was a problem, because all this time, you feel like that’s the reason why he would call me, you know what I mean? So I was just waiting for something negative after,” she explained and continued, “I would like to enjoy the moment, but I was waiting for a punchline na there has to be something...”

But there was nothing negative in Kobe’s surprise call, and instead her son asked her how she was doing.

“Naiyak ako, sabi ko, ‘I’m better now because I’m really happy with my life, but I’m just tired,’” Jackie told Kobe. “’I’m just tired ‘coz it’s not easy to

take care of kids in different countries, traveling all the time with no family or friends to help.’ So when Kobe called me, parang a lot of weight came off my shoulders.”

Jackie was separated from her Andre and Kobe for almost 12 years. “I really didn’t get to be with them for a longer time because pabalik-balik kami sa court. Tapos kinuha sa akin yung mga bata, then I got to see them because of the court order, just for a few minutes,” she shared. “And even if the court said I was allowed to see them on weekends, hindi pa rin ipinakita sa akin.”

During the conversation, Jackie asked Kobe if he wanted to come to Europe. He said he couldn’t leave because of school and basketball. So Kobe asked if Jackie could come to California.

Three days later, Jackie was on a plane to Los Angeles.

Jackie shared that seeing Kobe again after so many years was like a dream.

“First of all, it didn’t feel real...like, I thought I was floating. Parang manhid ka na hindi mo alam. I didn’t wanna wake up. I feel like I’m just going to wake up and this was a dream because for years, that’s all I’ve been doing, dreaming for that day,” she said.

Jackie stayed in L.A. for a month, but kept it a secret — even with family members — to avoid any complications from people who can make an issue out of it.

When Kobe moved back to Manila, Jackie followed.

Although Andre didn’t want to do things on the phone, he and Jackie were in communication since end of January.

They are all moving forward now, Jackie said, leaving the

Versatile actress Glydel Mercado is one of the lead stars of the teleserye, “The Stepdaughter,” on GMA 7.

Jackie Forster reunited with sons Kobe and Andre Paras

Andre Paras, actor and a former basketball player of UP and San Beda College, will be showing his talent in singing as well in one of the episodes of “Lip Sync Battle Philippines” on GMA 7.

Former actress Jackie Forster is finally reunited with his two sons Kobe and Andre Paras (with former husband Benjie Paras) after being separated for almost 12 years. (Photo from Instagram @jackie_forster)

Actor JM de Guzman is the lead actor of the newest daily teleserye, “Araw Gabi.”

Actress Sheryl Cruz is part of the newest show on GMA 7, “My Guitar Princess,” together with Julie Ann San Jose.

bitter past behind.

“Being with Andre and Kobe feels like I just gave birth again. It’s like that feeling again, seeing your kids for the first time.

“We are all happy, we are okay, but we wanna move forward and we just wanna move on in peace. We don’t wanna talk about the past, especially the kids. Everything needs to be positive from this point on ‘coz, you know, if you keep on going backward, it will just open

more things,” Jackie shared.

Jackie married Andre and Kobe’s father, Benjie Paras, when she was only 15 years old (he was 10 years older).

In 2015, Jackie posted via Instagram how miserable life with her former husband. After years of fighting in court for custody and visitation rights, her boys supposedly decided to have some “space” away from their mother.

At present, Jackie is married and has three kids.

Handsome newcomer Joshua Colet is part of the cast of the prime time series, “La Luna Sangre” and the newest teleserye, “Araw Gabi,” with JM De Guzman and Barbie Imperial. Joshua is the son of the famous ‘80s matinee idol, Noel Colet.

Actress Ryza Cenon is now part of the hit action series, “Ang Probinsyano,” on ABS-CBN.

Maricel: I’d rather love myself more than fall in love again

by Dolly

Anne CArvAjAl Inquirer.net

Maricel Soriano and I go a long way. In the ’80s, when she was the love team partner of William Martinez, I happened to be the off-cam girlfriend of William. How’s that for a throwback trivia?

Fast forward to the present: Maria (Maricel’s nickname) is one of my son IC’s godmothers. What better way to welcome “Mother’s month” than by featuring Maria, an ulirang ina (model mom) in her own unique way? She raised her sons, Marron (who’s now in his 30s) and Sebastien singlehandedly.

The Diamond Star topbills Regal’s Mother’s Day offering, “My 2 Mommies” (opens on May 9), along with Solenn Heussaff and Paolo Ballesteros. The heartwarming flick celebrates motherhood in all its forms. It’s easy to become a mother, but it’s tough to be one.

These days, maternity is no longer reserved just for those who have ovaries. As long as you have a heart that’s capable of loving unconditionally, you’re more than qualified to be called a mom.

Here’s my chat with Maria: What’s more important to you, awards or box-office success? Box-office success matters more to me because if my movie makes money, it will lead to another movie. Awards are great, but if I don’t win one, it doesn’t bother me. It motivates me to strive harder in my next movie.

What was your toughest motherhood moment? We, mothers, are always blamed for what happens to our kids.

We’re held responsible for how our kids turn out. Coping with that sort of pressure was tough for me, especially when I lost my mom.

What’s the biggest love lesson you learned? Love everything that has been said and done. I’m done with love. It’s

Kris Aquino (left) and Loisa Andalio (right)

Kris Aquino fights fake Loisa Andalio

comment ‘your insane’ (hindi pa marunong ng difference ng YOU’RE & YOUR) & inaagaMultimedia personality Kris wan pa yung totoong Loisa ng pagkatao. Because of this Star Cinema photo Aquino fought back on a fake account of Kapamilya actress i am FOLLOWING THE TRUE kept things light on the set.

Loisa Andalio.

LOISA. #laban #exposetheIf your life story were to be In a recent Instagram post, fakes #owningmythrone,” Kris made into a movie, what will its Kris admitted that she answered said in the caption. title be? Sharing my life story an offensive comment from a Despite pointing out that does not interest me. netizen using Loisa’s photo and Kris commented on a fake You used to be called similar Instagram handle. account, a netizen still de“Taray Queen.” How have you “@krisaquino when was the fended Loisa’s fake account, but mellowed? I am still straightlast time you had a psychiatric tagged the right account. forward, but in a subdued way. check?” the fake Loisa asked. “@krisaquino tama nman I am more tolerant and no Kris then replied: “@ c @iamandalioloisa Hindi kna longer high-strung. iamandolioloisa I know you kc nagtanda at ang tanda mo want to get some attention gusto mo laging attention.move BUT girl- you work for it & you forward lahat ng mga bagay giearn it. Minamaldita mo ko but nawa mo bumabalik ang karma I feel that you are younger than sa iyo Kaya better be fair to my oldest so I have made it others and fix your utak,” said a policy to not bully children. @viic_nelson.

You will mature and experience “Wag laging ginagamit ang life, then let’s have a sensible influence kc it’s not ur time conversation. Because I #walkanymore.ur very smart Hindi mo thetalk.”

Lang ginagamit gusto mo ikaw Kris then posted her conlagi ang BIDA!!not this time versation with the fake Loisa, tunaw ng Yelo,” @viic_nelson beside the Instagram account added. of the real one. She said she Another netizen, @psycho_ did so to warn netizens of fake honace143, defended Kris, sayaccounts and identity thieves. ing: “’ Yung iba dito basa-basa It can be noticed that though din ng caption pag may time. both accounts bear the same Fake account po yung sinagot profile pictures, Loisa’s surniya.” name, Andalio, has been misAndalio was romantically spelled as “Andolio” in the fake linked to Joshua Garcia, Julia account.

Barretto’s rumored boyfriend “I am posting this so that and love team partner. we may all be aware of #fakeacJoshua and Julia, also counts & #identitytheft. This known as “JoshLia,” are shootFacebook Photo “creature” dared to further ing a film with Kris.

by Deni rose M. AfiniDAD-BernArDo Philstar.com

Maricel Soriano

not that I’m being negative. I’d rather love myself more than fall in love again.

What were your off-cam moments with Solenn and Paolo like? Solenn and I talked about her tattoos. She told me the story behind each of them.

Pao would pop out of nowhere and sit beside me, which was a sweet surprise. Their coolness

Liza glad Aiza can take her out on dates again

by Mj

MArfori ManilaTimes.net

salary so much less than what she made in her career.

Despite the latest controEven though her heart was in versy hounding singer-songwriter public service like Liza, the supAiza Seguerra, the past months portive partner related how she since quitting her post as chairsupported Aiza in making the man of the National Youth Com- tough decision of leaving NYC. mission (NYC) has been blissful.

“I supported kung ano ang This, according to her married gusto niya and will continue to partner and Film Development do so kasi iba rin naman ang Council Chairman Liza Diño, is thrust at prinsipyo niya at the especially so pocket wise. time that (s)he was with NYC. I Liza laughingly told In the know during the time (s)he was Know, “Ngayon nakakakain na with NYC, ang heart and soul uli kami sa magagandang restau- niya and everything was devoted rants!” to really championing the advoApparently, Aiza had no time cacy of the youth.” for extra-curricular activities while Now, Liza is happy because she was head of the organization she loves watching Aiza recordfor more than a year. She had to ing again and being home to sacrifice time with her family, and greet her after a hard day’s work was also constrained to earn a at FDCP.

Instagram photo

Liza Diño and Aiza Seguerra

The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - May 4, 2018

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