050523 - Northern California Edition

US lawmakers renew bipartisan bill to quickly reunify Filipino WWII vets’ families

WASHINGTON – A group of lawmakers has reintroduced a bipartisan bill to speed up the visa process for children of Filipino World War II veterans.

The Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act was reintroduced April 25 by Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Representatives Ed Case (D, HI1) and Jen Kiggans (R, VA-2) to exempt the sons and daughters of Filipino WWII veterans from numerical limitations on immigrant visas.

The law would benefit thousands of people, including those already waiting in the visa application queue.

“Filipino soldiers served our country with honor and bravery during World War II. But for too long, they’ve been denied many of the rights and benefits they deserve, including

Toward a more perfect union — California aims higher to ensure people’s voting rights

TWO measures now making their way through the State Assembly aim to improve how California draws new district maps to ensure more participatory elections.

By some accounts, California’s independent redistricting commission (IRC) has set the gold standard for fair elections, wresting control of legislative mapmaking from the archetypal smoke-filled backroom dealmakers who’ve made an art of keeping power to themselves.

But recent examples point to the need for more and better reforms to ensure the state’s elections are open to all.

In Los Angeles, leaked reports of city councilmembers’ racist comments amid redistricting discussions last year exposed how the system still works there. In San Mateo County, the most recent round of redistricting found the Board of Supervisors voting to preserve the status quo even after hearing its own advisory committee suggest needed changes.

In the Central Valley, a steady, unrelenting campaign led by the county’s League of Women Voters and the Dolores Huerta

Marcos wants closer ties with US

by KRISTINA MARALIT ManilaTimes.net

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sought a stronger alliance with the U.S. when he met President Joe Biden on Monday, May 1. Marcos pointed to escalating tensions in the Asia-Pacific and how vital U.S. assistance is on resolving the differences. He cited America’s role in maintaining peace, stability and development in the region.

“We need to find ways to strengthen our alliances

and our partnership in the face of the new economy that we are facing post-pandemic,” he said in his opening statement, adding that current geopolitical issues put the Philippines in “arguably the most complicated geopolitical situation in the world right now.”

Because of this, it is “only natural” for the country to “look to its sole treaty partner in the world, to strengthen and to redefine the relationship” of the Philippines and the United States amid the volatile situation “around the South China Sea and the AsiaPacific and Indo-Pacific region.”

IATF to Marcos: No need to bring back mask mandate, other COVID-19 curbs

by GAEA KATREENA CABICO Philstar.com

MANILA — The Philippines does not need to bring back its mask mandate and other pandemic restrictions even as COVID-19 cases continue to increase, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases said in recommendations to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Marcos said Sunday, April 30 that the government might consider making the

wearing of face masks mandatory again if recommended by health authorities.

“We already recommended to the Office of the President, based on agreements coming from IATF discussions, that we don’t need to bring back the mandates,” Health officerin-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire, who recommends wearing masks even if they are not required, said in a briefing on Tuesday, May 2.

What Filipinos need, according to Vergeire, is to increase their risk tolerance against

US sending ‘ rst-of-its-kind’ trade mission to Philippines

by ALEXIS ROMERO Philstar.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. President Joe Biden is sending a “first of its kind” trade and investment mission to the Philippines to boost the investments of American firms in the country’s innovation economy and its clean energy and food security initiatives.

“We’re going to announce today that I’m sending a first-of-itskind presidential trade and investment mission to the Philippines,” Biden told President Marcos during their bilateral meeting at the White House Oval Office on Monday, May 1.

A fact sheet released by the White House after the meeting indicated the sending of a trade and investment mission to the Philippines is among the new arrangements and initiatives that aim to “expand on the historic momentum” in the relations between Manila and Washington.

“The Presidential Trade and Investment Mission will feature the highest caliber of U.S. business leaders,” it added.

The arrangements and initiatives were placed under different

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May 1.

“We have many things that are new that need to be assessed and again our role as partners in the world ... in our worldview of what we are hoping for the future of peace, not only in the Asia-Pacific and Indo-Pacific region but in the whole world,” the chief executive said.

In response, Biden reiterated his government remains “iron-clad in our commitment to the defense of the Philippines, including the South China Sea and we’re gonna continue [supporting] the Philippines’ military modernization.”

Marcos hopes Filipinos in US come home ‘for good in much better PH’

by DAPHNE GALVEZ Inquirer.net

WASHINGTON D.C. — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday, May 1 expressed hope that overseas Filipinos residing in the U.S. would come home “for good and retire in a much better Philippines.”

He issued the remark during a meeting with the Filipino community here, saying he hopes to welcome them back to the Philippines “sooner or later.”

“Sooner or later, we will be able to welcome you back home to the Philippines, especially those who have reacquired their Filipino citizenship,” Marcos said in his speech.

“It’s my hope that some of you will come home for good and retire in a much better Philippines — a Philippines with better airports, Philippines with better roads, better airports, better internet, better governance. ‘Yun ang aking pinapangarap (That’s what I am dreaming of). And that’s why that is what my administration is working for,” he added.

US Embassy alerts citizens on rise of diphtheria cases in PH

by BERNADETTE TAMAYO ManilaTimes.net

THE United States Embassy in Manila has alerted American citizens in the Philippines on the reported rise of diphtheria cases nationwide.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Level 2 travel health notice on May 1 after “several regions” reported an increase in the number of people infected with the disease.

“Vaccination is essential to protect against diphtheria and anyone traveling to affected areas should be up to date with their diphtheria vaccines,” the embassy said.

It also advised U.S. citizens in the country to “avoid contact with persons with symptoms of diphtheria” particularly fever and sore throat.

Diphtheria is “a serious infection caused by strains of bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheriae that make toxins. It can lead to difficulty breathing, heart rhythm problems, and even death,” according to the CDC website. It recommends “vaccines for infants, children, teens, and adults to prevent diphtheria.” 

U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden welcome President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos at the White House in Washington D.C. on Monday,

Philstar.com photo

KJ Rosales

STRONGER ALLIANCE. Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and U.S. President Joe Biden meet at the White House on Monday, May 1. Marcos said his U.S. visit is crucial to strengthen the alliance between the Philippines and the U.S. Malacanang

Marcos wants closer ties...

“Our countries not only share strong partnership. We share deep friendship, one that has been enriched by millions of Filipino Americans and the communities all across the United States,” the American leader stated.

Biden also noted the U.S.’ unwavering commitment to “tackle climate change, workers’ rights, rule of law and economic cooperation” with the Philippines.

Monday’s face-to-face was the second high-level meeting between the two presidents.

Their first meeting took place at the sidelines of the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly in September 2022 in New York.

Marcos is on a four-day trip that follows last week’s state visit to Washington by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and a White House meeting in January between Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Biden greeted Marcos in the Oval Office.

A senior U.S. official said the Marcos visit — which began with a military honor guard outside the White House — was the first “at this level and intensity” between the two countries for decades.

“It is clear that we’re in a deeply consequential period in terms of our Indo-Pacific engagements,” the official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Alarm bells are ringing for Washington and its Asian allies as China moves ever more confidently to assert claims to sovereignty over almost the whole South China Sea, ignoring an international ruling that this has no legal basis.

The stand-off, combined with constant saber-rattling over Taiwan — the democratically run island that Beijing claims but Washington vows to help defend — has prompted the Biden administration to rapidly bolster its military capabilities.

The Philippines, which lies close to key sea lanes and Taiwan, is of particular interest.

Marcos signaled as he left for Washington that he is wary of being caught between the

superpowers, telling reporters, “We will not allow the Philippines to be used as a staging post for any kind of military action.”

This month, however, the Philippines identified four military bases — in addition to five existing sites — where U.S. forces will be given access, including one located near the tense Spratly Islands. The two allies also carried out their largest-ever military maneuvers in recent weeks.

That has alarmed China, which accuses Washington of trying to drive a wedge between Beijing and Manila.

In a reminder of how diplomatic tensions can quickly echo in the real world, a Chinese ship on April 23 narrowly missed colliding with a much smaller Philippine Coast Guard vessel in the Spratly Islands.

The focus of talks between Biden and Yoon last week was on another regional flashpoint: nuclear-armed, communist North Korea.

Expressing disappointment that China has not done more to rein in North Korea, U.S. officials announced that a U.S. nuclear submarine would make a visit to South Korea soon — the first in decades.

During Kishida’s visit, Biden also underlined the U.S. treaty commitment to defend Japan.

Tokyo, meanwhile, is on a shopping spree to buy an arsenal of U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles.

The senior official briefing journalists ahead of Marcos’ visit

Marcos hopes Filipinos in US come home...

PAGE 1

The president also urged them to encourage their children and grandchildren to visit the Philippines to see the richness of Philippine culture and history.

“Let them see for themselves what the Philippines is about, what is our culture, what is our history. I’m sure the first and second and third generation Filipino-Americans are more than happy to learn about their proud Philippine ancestry,” Marcos said.

He also thanked overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) for their significant contributions to the growth of the economy through remittances and credited them for “keeping the Philippines afloat” during the pandemic.

“Noong pandemya ay ang bumuhay talaga sa ekonomiya ng Pilipinas ay ang mga OFW. Kung hindi po sa inyo ay siguro mas nahirapan po na makabangon ang Pilipinas, kaya’t ulit maraming, maraming salamat sa inyo,” he said.

(During the pandemic, the lifeblood of the Philippine economy was the OFWs. If it were not for you, we would have suffered more, and it would have been more difficult to recover.)

The chief executive also mentioned his recent meeting with U.S. President Joseph Biden, whom he thanked for accommodating Filipinos and providing opportunities for them to thrive.

“Kasama ko po ang ating

mga miyembro ng Gabinete upang ipagtibay ang ating pagkakaibigan sa Amerika, United States at saka ng Pilipinas… Malaking bahagi doon sa usapan namin ay nagpasalamat naman ako sa kanila dahil sa dami ng Pilipino na nandito sa Amerika, na nandito sa U.S. ay lahat naman naging maganda ang buhay at… tinanggap kaagad ng ating mga kaibigang taga-U.S.,” the president said.

(I am with Cabinet members to further strengthen the alliance of the U.S. and the Philippines. A big part of our discussion was my thankfulness to the U.S. because they allowed Filipinos to live here and have a good life.)

said Manila is also “looking for reassurance and a strong desire to maintain peace and stability in this complex period.

“Recent events have caused much greater focus in both capitals on taking the necessary steps to up our game, to improve engagement on the security side between the United States and the Philippines.”

Although giving few details, the official said new “bilateral defense guidelines” would see “a series of steps to support the Armed Forces of the Philippines modernization.”

In an acknowledgment of Philippine sensitivities about the U.S. troop presence, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the sites slated to be used by the United States remain part of the Filipino military and “every single step of the way will be done in complete coordination.”

“It’s about our ability to be better allies to one another and meet our commitments to each other,” he added.

The shifting geostrategic situation in the Asia-Pacific region will be a major topic when Biden visits Japan for a G7 meeting later in the month.

The U.S. official said Biden would also meet separately during that trip in a trilateral format with the leaders of Japan and South Korea.

Biden then heads to Australia for a session of the Quad group: Australia, India, Japan and the United States. (With reports from Agence France-Presse)

“Kaya naman nagkaroon kayo ng magandang hanapbuhay. Nagkaroon kayo ng magandang pagkakataon para tulungan ang inyong mga pamilya, para tulungan ang inyong mga community, para tulungan ang inyong bansa sa Pilipinas,” the president added.

(That’s why you had an opportunity to help your families and communities, as well as the Philippines.)

Marcos reassured OFWs of the government’s sustained efforts to make the Philippines better and vowed to boost the quality of jobs so that time will come when Filipinos would no longer have to go abroad out of necessity. g

MEETING WITH FILIPINO COMMUNITY. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. met with the Filipino American community in Washington, D.C. as part of his five-day official visit to the United States. Marcos thanked Filipinos in the U.S. for all the help they send back home especially in times of calamity and disaster. Marcos also recognized their contribution in the strengthening the U.S.-PH alliance in the past seven decades. Malacanang photos

Malacanang photo

sending ‘ rst-of-its-kind’ trade...

categories, namely, economic cooperation, where the sending of the trade and investment mission belongs; U.S.Philippines alliance, education and people-to-people ties, advancing respect for human rights, collaboration on clean energy and environmental protection and supporting resilient and healthy communities.

“President Biden intends to dispatch a Presidential Trade and Investment Mission to the Philippines on his behalf – the first mission of its kind – to enhance U.S. companies’ investment in the Philippines’ innovation economy, its clean energy transition and critical minerals sector, and the food security of its people,” the White House said. Another initiative under economic cooperation is the bringing of the IndoPacific Business Forum to the Philippines.

The White House said the U.S. and the Philippines would co-host the 6th annual IndoPacific Business Forum in Manila, pending congressional notification.

Sponsored by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, the event has been described as “the U.S.’s marquee annual commercial event in the region” that convenes the highest level of public and private sector leaders to review policy developments, announce new investments and identify new commercial partnerships.

It is expected to take place in spring of 2024.

“The forum will strengthen the Philippines’ position as a key hub for regional supply chains and high-quality investment,” the White House said.

The U.S. also aims to establish a brick-and-mortar Open RAN Interoperability Lab in Manila, pending congressional notification. The White House said the lab would provide hands-on training to current and aspiring 5G professionals and an opportunity for vendors and operators deploying Open RAN to teach and educate local engineers how to design, build and operate these open, secure and interoperable networks.

Infrastructure

Another initiative under economic cooperation is investing in sustainable, high-

quality infrastructure, including a plan by the U.S. Agency for International Development to launch a new partnership to scale up infrastructure development in the Philippines and support the building of high-quality railways, ports and transport systems.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency is also expected to launch throughout the year sustainable infrastructure activities that seek to leverage over $3 billion in public and private financing to strengthen the Philippines’ critical mineral supply chains, advance smart grid technologies and clean energy solutions, promote secure 5G deployment, strengthen airport security and maritime safety and support health care infrastructure across the Philippines.

The Philippines and the U.S. also aim to expand their air connectivity and modernize their bilateral aviation relationship. Aeronautical authorities from the two countries will formalize a technical aviation dialogue at the upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Transportation Ministerial Meeting in Detroit to enhance policy and regulatory alignment to modernize their air transportation agreement.

Manila and Washington also seek to enhance bilateral cooperation on space situational awareness and the use of space for maritime domain awareness, including through the first-ever U.S.-Philippines Civil Space Dialogue, the White House said.

“The countries will collaborate on the use of spacebased technology in the areas of disaster management and emergency response, health care, mapping of resources and accessibility, pollution monitoring, deforestation, land use and infrastructure planning and maritime awareness,” it added.

Marcos and Biden also welcomed the strengthening of bilateral cooperation on the Landsat program, including the possibility of the Philippines downloading imagery directly from Landsat satellites to its ground stations.

Climate change

In a joint statement, Marcos and Biden vowed to undertake urgent action to reduce

greenhouse gas emissions, noting that the Philippines is vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which “poses an existential threat to the world.”

“They resolve to expand collaboration on renewable energy production to accelerate the clean energy transition while bringing down energy costs and expanding energy access for families,” the statement read.

The two countries also intend to pursue an “ambitious” program of cooperation on wind, solar and geothermal energy, while enhancing cooperation on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the waste, road and shipping sectors. Marcos and Biden also agreed to expand cooperation on environmental protection, including enhanced domain awareness, marine conservation and protecting coastal areas from environmental degradation. They also pledged to promote increased cooperation and knowledge sharing through the Science and Technology Agreement.

The two leaders also emphasized the importance of strong democratic institutions, rule of law and respect for human rights, including freedom of expression, press and association and countering any form of violence in society.

They also welcomed the establishment of a bilateral labor working group as part of the U.S.-Philippines Trade and Investment Framework Agreement and recognized the people-to-people ties between their countries as “an indispensable pillar” of their partnership.

The two leaders cited the service and sacrifice of Filipinos in World War II, and the contributions of Filipino Americans frontliners to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Looking to the future, President Biden and President Marcos express the utmost confidence that the special ties between their nations and their people will only grow stronger with time, as the United States and the Philippines continue to realize their shared vision of partnership, peace and prosperity,” the joint statement read. 

Pangalagaan ang iyong DMV to-do list sa

online!

Nakumpleto ang pagpaparehistro ng sasakyan.

Ang pagpunta online ay ang pinakamabilis at pinakamadaling paraan upang mapangalagaan ang iyong mga pangangailangan sa DMV, at lahat para tanggalin ang pangangailangan na bisitahin ang field office sa maraming mga kaso! Makatipid ng oras sa iyong abalang araw sa pamamagitan ng pag-aalaga ng mga karaniwang gawain sa DMV, tulad ng pag-renew ng pagpaparehistro ng sasakyan o pag-release ng liability, mabilis at madali sa bahay o on-the-go. Alisin ang pagbisita sa DMV mula sa iyong to-do list Gawin ito online ngayon sa dmv.ca.gov!

Kapag ikaw ay handa na.

Toward a more perfect union — California...

Foundation pressured the Tulare County Board of Supervisors to finally draw fairer maps for the 65% Latino population previously excluded from the halls of power almost completely.

Building on the Fair Maps Act

At a recent press conference hosted by California Common Cause to discuss two measures currently grinding their way through the state Assembly, AB 764 and AB 1248, speakers shared these and other stories to demonstrate the ongoing need to improve and expand the state’s redistricting process.

“We have got to institutionalize protection so that communities don’t have to fight tooth and nail for their rights,” said Dora Rose, deputy director of the California League of Women Voters, one of the sponsors of the two bills. “We’ve got to build on the success of the Fair Maps Act.”

“Otherwise, we end up with older white people in charge, who just don’t reflect the Latino people, the API people, the Indigenous people, the Black people, the youth, that together make up the majority of our vote,” Rose said.

California passed the Fair Maps Act (AB 849) in 2019 to strengthen earlier legislation in 2008 and 2010 that led to the IRC’s formation and its initial implementation following the 2010 Census.

Closing loopholes in the redistricting process

But the FMA had “a huge loophole,” said Jonathan Mehta Stein, of California Common Cause: It failed to specifically address incumbent protection. AB 764 closes that, banning drawing districts “for the purpose of favoring or discriminating against an incumbent or political candidate.”

It goes on to spell out specific, uniform and prioritized criteria for how district boundaries are to be determined up and down the state and compels local IRCs to issue reports explaining their ultimate decisions.

AB 764 also mandates set numbers of public hearings and workshops for the process, including provisions on timing, accessibility and noticing. It requires that draft maps be unveiled in time for the public to effectively respond and clarifies the legal process for resolving disputes.

AB 1248 orders that any county, city, school district or commu-

nity college district serving more than 300,000 people must establish an IRC by the time the next batch of population data from the U.S. Census comes in to set the redistricting process in motion, as it does every 10 years at the beginning of the decade.

If the jurisdiction fails to form a committee, the legislation provides guidelines on how to meet the requirement. This will bring into the fold 17 California counties that do not currently have IRCs (five already do), plus the cities of Anaheim, Bakersfield, Fresno, Irvine, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Ana and Stockton, 20 school districts and many community college districts, too. It specifies standards for appointments to the commissions such as residency qualifications and an ability to be impartial, as well as prohibitions, for instance, against doing redistricting work outside of public view.

Along with Rose and Stein at the briefing were representatives of the Asian Law Caucus, Asian Americans Advancing Jus-

Biden-Marcos bilateral criticized as lip service to labor protections, human rights, security

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Cries of “Marcos is not welcome here!” filled the air in front of the White House as FilipinoAmericans and supporters gathered at the nation’s capital to protest President Joe Biden’s bilateral meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. Marcos, who was in the U.S. until May 4, and brought with him a large delegation of cabinet secretaries to discuss trade, climate, and security with leading U.S. officials.

Protestors noted the hypocrisy of the meeting that took place on May 1, International Labor Day, on the heels of the April 23 murder of union organizer Alex Dolorosa. “[Dolorosa’s] brutal murder happened in the context of larger attacks on workers and human rights, and the work they do fighting for change,” said Elena Lopez of the Communication Workers of America. She added, “For two years in a row, the Philippines was named one of the top ten worst countries for workers’ rights because workers are vulnerable to violent attacks, intimidation, and arbitrary arrests.”

And while the two countries committed to a bilateral Labor Working Group to ensure implementation of labor rights as part of the newly announced U.S.-Philippines Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), Melinda St. Louis, Director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, remained skeptical, asking,

“Will the rhetoric around worker centered trade translate into accountability for the human rights violations that continue everyday against workers in the Philippines?”

The renewed momentum in the U.S.-Philippine security partnership also remained a point of contention for those gathered. Nina Macapinlac, Secretary General of Bayan USA, countered Biden’s commitment that the U.S. would come to the defense of the Philippines should the latter be attacked.

“If you look at history, we already know that the U.S. will not fight for us. In the throes of world war, the U.S. left the Philippines to the brutal Japanese occupation,” she said. Macapinlac concluded by advocating for an independent foreign policy that puts the

Filipino people’s interests first, rather than “bowing down to any foreign master, whether the U.S. or China.”

The rally outside the White House was matched by concern over the Biden-Marcos meeting from within Congress. Earlier in the day, U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), along with 13 colleagues, delivered a bipartisan letter calling on Biden to put forth concerns of human rights in his meeting with Marcos. Activists have been demanding the U.S. Congress to pass the Philippine Human Rights Act (HR 1433), a bill that would restrict U.S. security aid to the Philippines contingent on policy and military reforms to address human rights violations.

(Bayan USA Release)

Photos courtesy of Bayan USA

IATF to Marcos: No need to bring back...

COVID-19.

“We need to learn how to protect ourselves and our families,” the health official said.

“Let’s choose to wear masks when we go to high-risk areas, enclosed spaces with poor ventilation. Especially those who are unvaccinated, senior citizens, people with comorbidities, those who are immunocompromised and pregnant women, let’s choose to wear masks,” she added.

Vergeire also called on the public to get vaccinated and boosted to increase their protection against the virus.

In September last year, Marcos

made the wearing of face masks outdoors optional. He signed an executive order the next month making the wearing of masks indoors voluntary, except in health care facilities and public transportation. The DOH had argued against lifting the mask mandate in late 2022, saying it was too soon to do so even if cases were down.

Admissions remain low

COVID-19 cases in the Philippines are on the rise, with the DOH reporting 4,456 new infections in the past week. The daily average—637 cases—last week increased by 42% from the figure logged from April 17 to 23.

Vergeire emphasized the uptick does not translate to more hospital admissions, severe and critical cases, and deaths. Healthcare utilization rates also remain low.

“We cannot have that kind of low tolerance that when cases increase, we suddenly have a knee-jerk reaction to bring back masking or impose lockdowns. We cannot do these back-andforth policies because we have to balance this with our economy,” Vergeire said.

The Philippines has confirmed over four million COVID-19 infections, with more than 66,000 deaths, since the pandemic began in early 2020. g

US lawmakers renew bipartisan bill...

the ability to reunify with their families in the U.S.,” Senator Hirono said in a press release.

More than 260,000 Filipino soldiers fought under the American flag from 1941 to 1946 when the Philippines was a U.S. colony. In 1990 former President George H. W. Bush granted U.S. citizenship to about 26,000 of them.

However, the law did not grant citizenship or residency to the veterans’ children. To this day, Filipino applicants must wait nearly 20 years before their applications are considered.

In 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services implemented the Filipino WWII Veterans Parole program to reunite veterans with their families. However, the extensive delays are leaving applicants

without certainty as dozens of the surviving veterans are now over 100 years old.

The new legislation would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act, providing a permanent solution for WWII veterans who were naturalized under the 1990 law or other specified laws.

“To express our gratitude to the brave Filipino service members who fought for our nation in WWII, we should do what is right and fair for our veterans and their family members,” Senator Lisa Murkowski said in a press release.

“This bill will reunite mothers and fathers with their children, and honor the service of Filipino veterans who served under the American flag.”

“I’m proud to reintroduce the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act to reunite these

veterans with their loved ones,” Hirono added. “I will continue working to support Filipino veterans, their families, and all veterans in Hawaii and across our country.”

Hirono has been leading the bipartisan Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act since 2013. She also led the introduction of the Filipino American History Month (FAHM) Resolution recognizing October as FAHM and celebrating the heritage and contributions of Filipino Americans. Due to her years of advocacy, Congress finally awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award from the U.S. government, to Filipino WWII veterans in October 2017, after the Filipino community’s decades of fighting for the veterans’ recognition. (Inquirer.net)

Toward a more perfect union — California...

PAGE 4

tice Southern California and the ACLU, all of which were primary sponsors of one or both of the measures.

Maps designed to protect incumbents

Also on hand was Nicolas Heidorn, whose report, “The Promise of Fair Maps,” published earlier this year, studied the successes and shortcomings of the Fair Maps Act in the subsequent redistricting process. Heidorn’s findings, Stein said, were foundational in the drafting of the two measures currently under review.

He wrote that the FMA improved the transparency of and

public participation in the 2020 redistricting cycle, with some jurisdictions surpassing its requirements.

“The FMA was broadly successful in promoting a more transparent and participatory local redistricting process” and producing maps that better reflect the state’s diverse communities, the report found.

But it also noted “ambiguities, loopholes, and deficiencies in the legislation that undermined the law’s important goals and were often exploited to protect incumbents.”

“In many jurisdictions, incumbency protection proved to be the overriding criterion for how maps

were drawn.”

“This is a statewide problem that demands statewide solutions,” Stein said.

AB 764 and AB 1248, sponsored by Assemblyman Isaac G. Bryan, D-Culver City, and Senator Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, both cleared the Assembly’s Local Government committee on April 26 and will now be taken up by the Appropriations committee.

If approved there, they’ll go to the full Assembly for a vote, and then have to repeat that process through the State Senate before arriving on Gov. Newsom’s desk.

(Mark Hedin/Ethnic Media Services)

Outage again at the NAIA

DURING another long weekend, on another start of the month, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport was hit by another power outage. Lasting nearly eight hours, the outage hit the NAIA Terminal 3 early on Monday, May 1 stranding thousands of passengers as dozens of flights were canceled or delayed.

As of Monday night, May 1, initial inspection indicated that the outage was due to faulty electrical wiring or a short circuit.

The outage occurred exactly five months after another powerrelated problem shut down not just the entire NAIA but also Philippine airspace. This was on Jan. 1 this year, when a circuit breaker that failed to work caused two uninterruptible power supply units of the NAIA’s Communications, Navigation and Surveillance / Air Traffic Management System to bog down. With the UPS unable to come on stream when needed, the CNS / ATM was paralyzed.

Over 300 flights were disrupted and about 65,000 travelers were stranded at the NAIA for over nine hours before the system came back to life and flights gradually resumed. New UPS units have since been procured. A promise to make heads roll after an investigation is completed, however, has not materialized.

In September last year, a problem at the terminal’s power substation resulted in an hours-long outage that delayed at least 31 flights

as airlines shifted to manual checkin and immigration processing slowed down. At the time, airport and transport officials vowed to address the problem to prevent its repeat.

In April 2016, the NAIA-3 was also hit by a five-hour outage that was blamed on one broken power generator. Power transmission had tripped briefly in the airport area in Pasay City. Power was restored within less than a minute, but electricity failed to kick in at the NAIA 3 because one of the 10 generators meant to service the main building did not work. This weekend outage canceled 82 domestic flights and delayed 79 international and local flights. The fiasco contributed to perceptions of incompetence on the part of the Aquino administration, with the general elections just weeks away.

This was seven years ago. Will NAIA officials ever grasp the critical importance of uninterrupted electricity supply in the country’s premier gateway? There wasn’t even a weather disturbance that might have affected the power supply at the NAIA 3 on Monday. Transport

Commentary Too much complaining

AT the outset, and lest people misconstrue my point, it should be stressed that citizens have the right to express their dissatisfaction with the government. Freedom of speech is a fundamental right accorded to us by the Constitution. It is an inherent element of any democratic system.

Yet, many people seem to focus too much on their individual rights, or the benefit of their own groups, without thinking about their responsibilities to the greater community and society. Worse, they delude themselves into thinking, or even intentionally appropriate the line of reasoning, that they are doing this to advance some collective good.

Democracy is not just about freedoms and rights. It is also about our duties. Many people forget that while citizens are sovereign, a responsible and rational exercise of our political rights is also fundamental in a democracy. A representative

Commentary

EIGHTH-grade student Maya

Masagca at Bessie Camichael

PK-8 School/Filipino Education

Center (FEC) recalls her experiences learning Filipino language, history, and culture at her elementary school:

“Filipino foods were part of my fondest memories as a student in the Filipino language program!

During our 5th-grade camping trip, we had a kamayan dinner where tons of food is laid out on banana leaves and everyone eats the food with their hands. At school, we would have potlucks on birthdays, Flores De Mayo, graduation, and Christmas! We always ate family-style with traditional foods like lechon, lumpia, and pancit

Food and celebrations helped our classroom community form stronger bonds with each other and with our culture.

The Filipino language program also helped my newcomer classmates from the Philippines feel welcome and safe. Many of my friends are immigrants and not strong in English. I saw how important this program was for them, especially when my teachers would explain math or instructions in Tagalog.

For a history research project, I discovered that Bruno Mars,

democracy such as ours depends not only on the robustness of our democratic rituals such as elections, but on the quality of our participation in it, either indirectly when we vote, or more directly when we engage in political discourse, or take part in political activities.

Unfortunately, most citizens would rather defer to the actions of their elected representatives and those these officials appoint, instead of actively participating in politics. While our voter turnout is relatively high, the quality of the exercise of these rights is undermined not only by candidates who run not on the basis of platforms, but largely riding on the power of optics and narratives. More fatal to the pursuance of high-quality democracy is the fact that this kind of politics of image instead of substance is enabled by voter behavior. People vote less on the basis of the idea of a common good, but more on preferences that are formed from biases and even blind loyalties. We turn our politicians into brands to whom we have been fixated to patronize regardless of their performance,

or the service they offer.

And later, a huge number of voters would, after the regular periodic rituals of elections, retreat into states of passivity and detachment, unless something personal hit them that they would demand action from the government. Only a small minority would actively participate in political activity beyond voting during elections. But this was before the birth of social media, where people did not have access to platforms where they could express their views.

The era of social media has reframed the way people do politics. While it certainly amplified the role of optics and narratives, it also amplified political noise. The noisy minority effectively found an avenue to project their voices, and this created a mirage of a groundswell of opinion that, without social media, would have been drowned by the apathy of the greater number of people.

Social media has become an effective avenue to make politics accessible. However, it also became the launching pad for the propagation and growth of

officials said they were not ruling out sabotage. Whatever the reason, it must be determined quickly so that it can be addressed ASAP. (Philstar.com)

a kind of politics that is driven by hatred and fear. Social media traffic is characterized by people who become peddlers of anger and intrigue, who feed the gripes of the minority, even if it means spreading lies, misinformation and disinformation. It became worse when what used to be a vocation that would require dedication, where activists are committed to a cause, the monetization of social media engagements has produced a new breed of noisemakers. These are in the form of social media vloggers who turned political commentary into an incomegenerating commodity. They effectively become merchants of discord, anger and fear.

And thus, we end up with a highly toxic political landscape, where what can be seen, heard and read in social media is dominated by rants and complaints, giving the impression of an utter system failure and a government at the precipice of collapse. This, however, does not add up when results of scientific surveys reveal a government earning high trust, approval and satisfaction ratings from four out of five Filipinos.

The voice of the noisy minority, those driven by blind loyalties and who thrive on intrigue and

discord, and whose politics subsists on anger and fear, take control, and are in command of the production of political discourse that we mistake to be the pulse of the masses. Yet, it is all a mirage. Unfortunately, their noisy voices are the ones that are picked up not only by mainstream media, but also by politicians who either fear them, or suck up to them to advance their political careers.

It is in this political landscape that our policy decisions are now directed by a noisy minority, and where government initiatives sink or swim on the basis of the decibel of their noise. We saw the initiative of modernizing our jeepneys being tanked not on the basis of reason but on the basis of accommodating sectoral interests over the greater good of protecting human and environmental health. I have my own issues with the move to replace our carbon-emitting jeepneys, but these are more on issues of unaffordability as well as the unimaginative design of turning what used to be a cultural icon into a boring boxlike contraption. But what we got instead is the more convenient and populist response of shelving the proposal until further

discussion, which in our political discourse could mean putting it on hold forever.

Then we have the SIM card registration initiative, which is a rational response to the increasing incidence of fraud using unregistered mobile devices. Again, because of internet-generated noise, the government caved, and gave fraudsters a reprieve.

What we end up with is not the image of a government that is responding to people's concerns and advancing public good, but a political culture that unleashes internet anger and fear being spoiled by a government that bows to their noise, and turns public good into a negotiable, fluid and uncertain construct. We now have turned public interest away from a landscape dominated by reason and informed decisions, into one that is overwhelmed by internet noise. We are turning our democracy into a noisy marketplace of rants and complaints. (ManilaTimes. net)

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

Saweetie, and H.E.R. were Filipino. I was surprised because it was the first time that I’d seen someone who was of the same ethnicity as me that was famous. My middle school Filipino elective teacher says ‘the Filipino language program specifically offers Filipino-American students an opportunity to see someone who comes from the same background as them as a teacher.

I think that having a class like this offers students of all backgrounds an opportunity to learn more about themselves and how they connect culturally and linguistically to other cultures.’

The Filipino language program helped me become closer to my immigrant parents and to my culture. The program impacted me so much that I wanted to keep learning about my culture when I went to middle school.”

While the K-5 Filipino language program at Bessie Carmichael/FEC has helped hundreds of students develop love for themselves, their culture, and community, the program has faced numerous challenges especially during fiscal crises. Due to budget constraints and declining enrollment, the school recently announced consolidating two of the Filipino language classes in the next academic year.

As a parent, I have learned about and witnessed multiple topdown school district decisions to cut back Filipino language studies without involving community voice—this has been an ongoing struggle since the 1970’s. Combining the 4th and 5th grade Filipino language classes in the next school year contradicts the district’s mission to ensure ”meaningful consultation with the parents/guardians, students, and staff…impacted by those decisions.”

The decision backs down from the SFUSD’s commitment to strengthen the Filipino language program—a concession made after the 2019 Feasibility Study found the district lacks the capacity to offer a Filipino Dual Language Immersion Program, which parents advocated for. Weakening the program also fails the district’s pledge of Cultural Competence and Multilingualism —outlined in their Vision 2025 statement—and the state’s Global California 2030 Initiative, whose goal is for students to be proficient in two or more languages.

Filipinos make up a third of the school’s student population.

Filipinos are the third largest ethnic group in San Francisco with limited English proficiency. San Francisco certified Tagalog

as the third official language to be used in communicating essential city services. Over the years, the Filipino language program has helped Filipino newcomers adjust to life in a new country, feel more connected to their culture, and gain extra support as they develop English proficiency. The current Filipino program grew out of the Filipino Education Center, one of SFUSD’s first newcomer schools which began in response to Lau vs. Nichols — asserting a child’s right to learn in their primary language. FEC's inception created equitable language access for Filipino newcomers, which continues today. Consolidating two grade levels into one classroom means that students would get less individualized support while working hard to adapt to a new setting, and limit available seats for students who immigrate during the school year. The program teaches Filipino American (FA) students about their roots. Positive identity development is particularly important for our FA students who have higher rates of suicidality, as indicated in the district’s 2017 Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Survey. In fact, students from all backgrounds have the opportunity to learn Filipino language, history, and culture—

especially at our school site which is located in SOMA Pilipinas, San Francisco's Filipino Cultural Heritage District. Last September, the SF Board of Supervisors (BOS) passed a resolution adopting the Filipino Cultural Heritage District’s Cultural, History, Housing, and Economic Sustainability Strategy Report which prioritizes Filipino arts education and programs teaching Filipino languages, history, and culture. A strong Filipino language program clearly aligns with the BOS resolution. Finally, the program also benefits our newcomer parents who can communicate with teachers in their shared language. The Filipino teachers and families are so proud to have such a unique and special program—one of two in the district and in the nation. The program supports the students' and adults' sense of belonging in the school community—it's like an extension of our homes and families. To make cuts and changes to the program is an assault to all the students and adults who have fought hard to keep it going. Closing a Filipino language classroom takes away another opportunity from our students—many of whom are socio-ecomonically disadvantaged, English language learners, and live in the SOMA.

If you care about this issue, please tell SFUSD to maintain its commitment to Filipino language studies at the Board of Education Meeting located at 555 Franklin Street in San Francisco on May 9 at 6:30pm. Join us in-person, remotely, or email a message or video recording to: boardoffice@ sfusd.edu by 2pm on May 9th. For information about the BOE meetings: https://www.sfusd.edu/ about-sfusd/board-education/ board-education-meetings SFUSD needs to know that students, families, and community members oppose combining the 4th/5th grade Filipino language classes in the 2023-2024 school year! We need to preserve, strengthen, and sustain Filipino language studies!

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

* * * Maya Masagca was part of the Filipino language program at Bessie Carmichael/FEC from kindergarten to 5th grade. She is now in 8th grade.

* * * Ruby N. Turalba is a parent of a middle school student at Bessie Carmichael/FEC. Her child enrolled in the Filipino language program in the 3rd grade.

We need to preserve, strengthen, and sustain Filipino language studies

ANTONIO P. CONTRERAS

Dateline PhiliPPines

DOTr not ruling out sabotage in latest NAIA power outage

by James Relativo Philstar.com

MANILA — The Department of Transportation is considering the possibility that the power outage on Monday, May 1 at Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s Terminal 3 was intentional because of the timing.

Multiple flights were either cancelled or delayed last Monday during the International Workers’ Day due to a power outage, stalling thousands of passengers in the process. Power distributor Meralco earlier said that the problem points to a “main circuit breaker problem.”

“Because this is the second time that it happened on a long weekend, I think you cannot really discount the possibility of having somebody do it to embarrass the government, or to prove that they have something that we should give into,” said Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista in an interview by CNN Philippines on Tuesday, May 2.

The last incident was on New Year’s Day when the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines’ air traffic management system went offline because of a power outage.

“We’re not discounting the possibility that there might be a sabotage. I hope it’s not. That’s the reason why we asked the other agencies to join us.”

A joint committee of the DOTr, Office of Transport Security, Manila International Airport Authority and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency will meet to “determine the real cause” behind the problem.

They will be joined by the National Bureau of Investigation and Philippine National Police. For now, the transport official claims that there is in fact “no circuit breaker problem,” and that “it’s not a regular fault that entered the system of NAIATerminal 3.”

“In fact, there are a lot of angles that were considered by NICA yesterday. But of course I do not want to preempt them. So we’ll just wait for the result of their investigations,” Bautista said.

“Well, I think some [of the theories considered] are serious. But I really want just them to look at it.”

‘Haven’t we learnt from the past?’

Senators were annoyed by the situation on Monday, asking airport authorities if they even picked up any lesson from the last major mess at NAIA at the start of 2023. The last glitch was also due to a power outage.

“Unfortunately, we are starting to sound like a broken record when we say that the steps being taken to improve our airport and

our Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines are disappointing,” said Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva on Monday.

“Definitely, we cannot let the concerned government authorities escape accountability for this.”

Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the public services committee, for her part said that the disruptive failure again caused grave inconvenience to travelers, hinting that DOTr and airport authorities “had not learned from the earlier fiasco.”

Businessman Manny V. Pangilinan, who also chairs Meralco, shared his experience regarding the issue last January when he was on his way to the Philippines from Tokyo. He was three hours into the flight but had to return to Haneda, calling it “ hours of useless flying” and a “horrendous” loss to tourism and business.

Additional generators sought Bautista is now mulling for additional generator systems within NAIA, especially that a lack of airconditioning during the power outage made the ordeal worse health-wise especially for the elderly.

“One of the problems is that there are areas in the airport where the temperature is quite warm because the existing power provided by the generator is not enough to support the whole operations of terminal 3,” he said.

“We need to acquire more generators so that we can support the 100% power requirement of our Terminal 3... You know this terminal is a 25-year-old terminal.”

The DOTr says that terminal upgrades should really be prioritized by the government after this mishap. It could be remembered that NAIA was tagged as the “worst business class airport in the world” by an

US joins calls for justice for slain Filipino labor organizer

by CRistina Chi Philstar.com

MANILA — In a rare move, the United States government has joined local and international human rights groups in their calls for justice for slain trade unionist Alex Dolorosa, saying that local authorities should bring to account perpetrators responsible for his death.

“We extend our condolences to Dolorosa’s family and friends, as well as the greater international labor union and LGBTQI+ communities who loved him,” the White House said in a statement Sunday evening.

This is as the Department of Justice (DOJ) begins its investigation into the killing of Dolorosa after it ordered the National Bureau of Investigation on April 27 to conduct its probe into his death. The DOJ is also coordinating with the local government of Bacolod City and the Philippine National Police to collect further information on the case.

“We welcome the Philippine government’s condemnation of the attack and its commitment to thoroughly investigate and to hold the perpetrators accountable,” the White House said.

“We join with the Philippine government in underscoring that impunity is unacceptable,” it added.

The Communications Workers of America has also said that the murder of Dolorosa—who led union organizing efforts among BPO employees in Bacolod— solidifies the Philippines’ reputation as one of the deadliest countries in the world for worker organizers. Dolorosa, a unionist and a

Consortium submits bid to upgrade NAIA

A CONSORTIUM led by seven Filipino conglomerates and a U.S.-based airport operator has submitted an unsolicited offer to upgrade the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for more than P100 billion.

In a statement, the Manila International Airport Consortium (MIAC) — comprised of Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc., AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Asia's Emerging Dragon Corp., Alliance Global-Infracorp Development Inc., Filinvest Development Corp., JG Summit Infrastructure Holdings Corp., and Global Infrastructure Partners — said the unsolicited proposal aimed to rehabilitate and upgrade the NAIA to meet growing air traffic demand. The over P100-billion offer includes an upfront payment to the government and committed investments in new facilities and technology.

public and private sectors," he added.

Fellow MIAC director Josephine Gotianun Yap, president and CEO of Filinvest, said, "We want the first thing that locals and foreigners alike see, when they arrive in the Philippines, to be a source of pride for all Filipinos."

"The consortium is confident that with additional financial resources as well as operating process and technology improvements, NAIA can help achieve that vision," she added.

The consortium said the upgrade will allow the NAIA to serve up to 62.5 million passengers per annum (MPPA) by 2028, more than double the current design capacity of 31 MPPA. Passenger traffic already reached 48 MPPA in 2019, it noted, underscoring the need to upgrade the airport to meet growing demand.

issues and concerns over the financial viability of the project amid the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Megawide Construction Corp. and partner India-based GMR Infrastructure Ltd. also submitted a proposal to rehabilitate and upgrade the NAIA for $3 billion with a contract period of 18 years.

The Marcos administration has expressed willingness to entertain new proposals for the multibillion-peso rehabilitation and upgrade of the NAIA.

The project aims to alleviate worsening air traffic congestion at the Philippines' main gateway and resolve capacity constraints by reconfiguring and renovating the airport's facilities and enhancing operation and maintenance.

international study published last May 2022. It was likewse ranked as the third “most stressful airport in Asia and Oceania” last November by travel blog Hawaiian Islands. NAIA-3 was only partially opened last July 22 after being originally scheduled to operate in 2002 due to a legal dispute between the state and Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc. over the build-operatetransfer contract. g

"We are ready to put our combined resources forward in partnering with the government on this massive undertaking," MIAC director and Alliance Global CEO Kevin Tan said in the statement, adding that "our consortium brings unrivalled expertise, proven solutions and extensive capital."

"As the only large-scale operating gateway airport to the Philippines, the modernization and long-term sustainability of NAIA is a critical development priority for both the country's

"We envision a truly worldclass airport befitting the beauty of the Philippines: one where congestion, reliability issues, and unpleasant passenger experiences will become things of the past," Tan said.

In 2018, the NAIA Consortium — composed of the same seven conglomerates and including Metro Pacific Investments Corp. — submitted an unsolicited proposal to rehabilitate the airport for P102 billion. The deal, however, did not push through despite two years of negotiations over unresolved

The rehabilitation project also aims to broaden the NAIA's role as a key economic and tourism driver for Metro Manila and the entire country, deliver capital infrastructure investments to improve the airport's efficiency, and increase its capacity to meet growing passenger demand in the Philippines and the AsiaPacific region.

The Department of Transportation last week signed three transaction advisory service agreements with the Asian Development Bank to expedite the privatization of the operations and maintenance of the NAIA and the development of two major railway projects. (ManilaTimes.net)

paralegal with the BPO Industry Employee Network based in Bacolod, was found dead in the capital last week with multiple stab wounds on his body.

The Human Rights Watch, which has also condemned Dolorosa’s death, has pointed out that “government authorities have targeted [BIEN] for surveillance and red-tagging,” urging authorities to take this into consideration when investigating the case.

Following Dolorosa’s death and calls from rights groups to safeguard the lives of workers in the country, the Commission on Human Rights has also called on the government to create stronger measures in upholding the rights of workers and union members in the country.

The House of Representatives of the United States in 2022 agreed on an amendment to a defense spending measure blocking aid, including equipment and training, to the Philippine National Police until the Philippines is deemed to have met basic human rights standards. (With reports by Xave Gregorio and

Kaycee Valmonte)

Alex Dolorosa Contributed photo

Long lines of passengers start to form at airline counters following the cancellation of flights due to a power outage at Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Monday, May 1. Philstar.com photo by Rudy Santos

Dolly attributes success to hard work and timing

by BOY ABUNDA Philstar.com

BEFORE Dolly de Leon became famous that she is today, she went through many failures, rejections and hardships that could easily weaken one’s spirit. Dolly was first to admit that her life’s obstacles were then too tough for her to handle but she chose not to give up.

Dolly created a lot of buzz in Hollywood for her brilliant acting performance in Triangle of Sadness. She’s the first-ever Filipino actress to be nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes and at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in the same category. Film critics also showered Dolly with praise for her effective acting. Moreover, Dolly received more nominations from international award-giving bodies.

“I’ve become a happier person. I was really down in the dumps before any of this happened. I was really in a bad, dark place before,” Dolly disclosed when we had our one-on-one interview in Fast Talk With Boy Abunda.

As she looked back on what she had been through, the actress cited the importance of treating everyone with kindness.

“What I also learned about this whole thing is that we always have to be kind to everyone we encounter, and that’s basically it,” she said.

“You’re right about that gap between what happened before and

who I am now. There is a gap there and there is a transition that happens. And through that transition, the biggest thing I learned is that, buti na lang I was kind to everyone I had known before,” she added.

Dolly also noticed the big change in the way she’s being treated by people. “The big difference is people who have not been so kind suddenly are so kind now.”

Nevertheless, Dolly assured that nothing has ever changed in the way she deals with people.

“I treat them with kindness. Kung pinili nilang maging mean or snubbish before, hindi ko sila gagayahin,” she shared. “The only way to lead is by example di ba it’s walking the talk. I can’t say, ‘Treat people with kindness,’ tapos hindi ako kind.”

She continued, “So, it doesn’t matter who you are, kahit nga sinong taong talagang badtrip na badtrip ako or hindi ko talaga type, I still treat them with kindness.”

Her moments of frustration and rejection can serve as motivation for young actors not to lose hope and to just keep on working hard until they succeed.

Naranasan ko na pong mag-audition (sa) cattle call. ‘Pag sinabing cattle call, lahat ng artista nandun, 300 actors nandun Ibig sabihin nun maraming roles ang kailangan kaya maraming pinapapunta na hindi ako pumasa,” Dolly recalled.

She, too, had been rejected many times during auditions for theater plays and “I also experienced auditioning for local film festivals and I didn’t pass.”

“But it didn’t mean that I gave up. Of course, I felt sad but that didn’t stop me. It should never stop you. And don’t be discouraged. Don’t ever think na, ‘Ay, hindi ako pumasa sa audition na ito, wala na akong pag-asa. No. We must go on and on. Laban lang ng laban and keep going to every audition,” she remarked.

In the life of an actor, rejections are inevitable. One must learn how to accept failures because “the success rate in auditions is really low. Rejection is part of our job. That’s the sad thing of being an actor. We have to learn to accept it and live with it,” stressed Dolly, who apart from being an actress, is also an acting coach.

In the midst of her hardships, Dolly was supported by fellow actress and dear friend Eugene Domingo, especially when she experienced some financial struggles.

“Uge (Eugene) and I have known each other since we were young, teenagers pa kami. We were together in UP theater arts so barkada na kami n’yan,” she recalled.

“At the time when I was going through really hard times, Kuya Boy, because there were really times when I had no way to pay for the electric bill, when my child had to stop schooling because I could not pay for the tuition, a lot of friends came to support me

and Uge (was) one of them.”

She went on to tell that Eugene provided for her son’s educational needs and it all the more made their friendship stronger.

“She paid for my son’s tuition for three years. She never left even if she reached that superstardom level already,” she said. “She was always a friend. She was always Uge, as we know her.

“So, totoong kaibigan ang tingin ko talaga sa kanya at ang laking tulong n’ya sa akin nito, itong buong thing na nangyayari sa akin kasi kumbaga dinaanan na n’ya ito kaya binigyan n’ya ko ng tips,” Dolly shared, referring to the accolades she received for her performance in Triangle of Sadness.

I asked Dolly how much of who she is today is luck? How much of that is timing and how much of that is talent and hard work?

“I would say that hard work is 90 percent, timing is probably 10 percent. Luck has nothing to do with it. I worked really hard to become the actor that I am today,” she replied.

“It was a lot of hard work and timing also. Timing in terms of ‘yung mga bata, they are now more conscious of being more inclusive and accepting of all kinds of stories,” she added.

Barbie, David thankful for each other

by CHARMIE JOY PAGULONG Philstar.com

BARBIE Forteza and David

Licauco have so many things to be thankful for because of their popular loveteam, also known as BarDa and Maria Clara at Ibarra’s FiLay.

“One of the reasons I’m thankful for because of BarDa is I gained a friend (in David),” declared Barbie during a recent thanksgiving dinner with fans.

The STAR had a quick chat with Barbie and David at the event hosted by Universal Records Philippines to celebrate the success of the official music video for Ben&Ben’s cover of The Way You Look at Me featuring the Kapuso love team.

The music video, which now has over 1.4 million views on YouTube, also had the special participation of Shuvee Etrata and Christian Bautista, the original singer of the song. To recall, it was Christian’s first single and hit song that enjoyed airplay in other Southeast Asian countries.

“I can really say that David is really a true friend and we helped each other. And parehas kaming nagiging ‘power back’ ng isa’t isa. Kapag medyo pagod na yung isa di ba. Nakakatuwa lang to work someone like David. He understands his coactor. Most of all, maalaga siya sa leading lady niya,” continued Barbie.

David, who could be seen hugging Barbie from behind, shared that he is also “thankful for Barbie.” He echoed what Barbie said and added, Siyempre with the personality of Barbie, parang aalagan mo talaga.”

Barbie asked, “Why?”

The actor, who’s been dubbed Pambansang Ginoo, responded, “It just comes natural, I guess. Again, I wanna thank all our supporters.” He mentioned the BarDa, FiLay and their respective fan bases.

Lahat sila nandiyan. Every single day, (they are) like tweeting us (and) creating TikTok videos for us. I’m just really, really thankful for that. So don’t worry, gagalingan pa namin to serve as an inspiration, hopefully to everybody,” he added.

Regarding their summer plans, both stated that they will just be busy working. The onscreen partners will

soon release their first movie together, That Kind of Love, which they are currently filming, and an upcoming GMA 7 teleserye titled Pulang Araw

David confirmed that their trip to Vienna in Austria will push through, although he didn’t give clear details on what project they will have that trip for.

“You know what, they (fans) thought that trip to Vienna did not push through because of me,” Barbie told David. “Nagagalit sila kasi ako daw dahilan kung bakit hindi natuloy yung Vienna.”

David came to Barbie’s defense, saying, “Tuloy yung Vienna. Actually, mauuna kami dun ni Barbie. Joke lang. Tuloy na tuloy yung Vienna.”

The happy fans at the event teased them. Barbie confirmed, “Yes and please watch out for other details.”

The Kapuso actress offered Yeng Constantino’s track Chinito as her theme song for David, while the latter dedicated Bakit Hindi Ka Crush Ng Crush Mo by Zia Quizon to Barbie.

“Joke lang,” David was quick to add and the two broke into laughter.

Barbie gamely remarked, “May kanta bang ganun? Yun po ang first single ni David Licauco

under Universal Records.”

David recently signed a contract with Universal Records as their newest artist. Does Barbie also have plans of further exploring her musical side and be a recording artist as well? “I think for now full support muna ako kay David because (I’m) so proud of him as a recording artist,” she said.

In 2013, Barbie released a self-titled album under MCA Records with Meron Ba as carrier single.

During the program, the fans were thrilled as they got to interact and play games with their favorite stars. The pair also reenacted some scenes from The Way You Look at Me music video. But the highlight of the event was when they acted out a marriage proposal as their alternate ending to the music video.

David got down on one knee, brought out a ring and asked, “Binibining Klay (Barbie’s character in Maria Clara at Ibarra), maari mo ba akong pakasalan?”

Barbie whispered something to David before she said yes. They hugged with David giving Barbie a forehead kiss, an act that brought so much more kilig to the giggling audience in the already romantic evening.

Filipina actress Dolly de Leon plays Abigail, a toilet manager on a cruise ship who gets stranded on a deserted island in Ruben Östlund’s social satire Triangle of Sadness.

Barbie Forteza and David Licauco are featured in the music video of Ben&Ben’s cover of the Christian Bautista hit song The Way You Look at Me under Universal Records Philippines. GMA photo

Dolly, who received multiple nominations for her performance in Triangle of Sadness, shows her moments of frustration and rejection can serve as motivation for young actors not to lose hope and to just keep on working hard until they succeed. Photo from Instagram/@

Five Negrenses win int’l book award

FIVE Negrense bookmakers won the 2023 Gold Quill Award bestowed by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) based in Chicago. In collaboration with Impress Quality Printing Philippines Inc. and Media Wise Communications Inc., their winning entry was the pioneering coffee table book titled “Sugar & Smiles: The Negrense Legacy Beyond 2020.”

The team that produced Sugar & Smiles was led by Conrado Gen Tomas, Jose Kilayko Montalvo III, Benjamin de Leon Torre, Ma. Teresa Quebrar-Manalili, and J. Albert Araneta Gamboa.

Together with 30 writers and creative staff, they launched the book in November 2021 at the main activity center of Ayala Malls

Capitol Central. Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson supported the book project along with several local government units and congressional districts as well as major corporations and private enterprises. This 320-page heirloom collectible is the first coffee table book about Negros Occidental. Its cover was designed by graphic artist Nikki Solinap and the inside pages contain original artworks from watercolor painter Edbon Sevilleno. The book’s main chapters were written by historians Modesto Sa-onoy and Roque Hofileña; lawyers Rayboy Pandan and Eli Gatanela; culturati Cecilia Locsin-Nava and Lloyd Tronco; chefs Richard Ynayan and Mia Lizares-Gonzaga; veteran journalists Carla Gomez and Cedelf

Tupas; tourism official Christine Mansinares and advertising executive Nikki Golez. The book project’s beneficiary was Kalipay Negrense Foundation under Anna Claparols Balcells.

IABC is the foremost global community of communications professionals representing diverse industries and disciplines. For more than 40 years, IABC’s Gold Quill Awards program has recognized excellence in strategic communication worldwide and is acknowledged as one of the most prestigious awards programs in the industry. Limited copies of the book will be available for sale at the Long Beach-Bacolod booth during the MassKara Festival event at Recreation Park in Long Beach on June 11.

Emergency interview and an expedited visa for Don Tagala’s mother on Citizen Pinoy this Sunday

DON Tagala, the award-winning reporter on TFC News, desperately wanted his mother, Vinia, to come to the U.S. because his sister, Almira, became critically ill in 2019. His mother could be there for her children for emotional support and to make crucial life-decisions.

The hospital where Almira was on life support even emailed the U.S. Embassy explaining the circumstance and requesting for a visitor’s visa for Vinia. However, the Embassy instructed the hospital to go through the normal process.

Enrique makes showbiz comeback

MULTI-talented artist Enrique

Gil, remains a certified Kapamilya after signing an exclusive contract with ABS-CBN on Tuesday, May 2. Gil was welcomed on the red carpet by ABS-CBN president and CEO Carlo Katigbak, chairman

Mark Lopez, COO of broadcast

Cory Vidanes, OIC for Finance

Group Vincent Paul Piedad, ABSCBN Film Productions Inc. head Kriz Gazmen, and Dreamscape

Entertainment head Deo Endrinal, as he once again stepped foot in the ABS-CBN compound to reaffirm his commitment to ABSCBN. Also present at the contract signing ceremony was Enrique's talent manager, Ranvel Rufino.

As he officially continues his journey as a Kapamilya for his much-awaited showbiz comeback, viewers can expect to see more of Gil in ABS-CBN's shows and they can soon look forward to a stronger and bolder "King of the Gil." Through the years, Gil's undeniable charm and enigmatic performances have established him as a versatile actor and one of the hottest leading men in the industry today. Some of his notable projects are Kapamilya teleseryes such as "Mula sa Puso," "Princess and I," "Muling Buksan ang Puso," "Forevermore," "Dolce Amore," and "Bagani," and movies "She's the One," "Seven

Sundays," "My Ex and Whys," and "Just the Way You Are." (ManilaTimes.net)

Time was running out, so Don went to leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel to seek his assistance and expert advice. Confident that Vinia would abide by the terms of her visa and return to the Philippines, Atty Gurfinkel immediately sought an emergency visitor visa and expedited interview, so Mommy Vinia could arrive in the U.S. as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, while all preparations were going on, Don’s sister passed away on June 24. The visitor visa application was updated, asking the Embassy to still expedite the visa to now enable Don’s mother to attend the funeral, instead of the original request to visit Almira at the hospital.

Atty. Gurfinkel was able to secure an emergency interview on June 26 (where the earliest available appointment would have normally been August 13) and an expedited visa was also issued the same day.

On June 28, 2019, Mommy Vinia arrived in New York, four days after her daughter passed on. She was able to attend the funeral and be there for Don.

While it was a bittersweet reunion for Don and his mother in the U.S., it is important to know what to do and where to seek help if an emergency arises.

Watch this encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, May 7 at 6:30 PM PT (9:30 PM ET) through select Cable/Satellite providers, right after TV Patrol Linggo. Citizen Pinoy is also available on iWantTFC. Viewers may download the free app. (Advertising Supplement)

(left) welcomes his mother, Vinia (right), at JFK International Airport.

Enrique Gil Photo from Instagram/@enriquegil17

“Sugar & Smiles: The Negrense Legacy Beyond 2020” is the first coffee table book about Negros Occidental. Photo courtesy of Nextgen Multimedia

THE owner of Cebu Doctors University Hospital in Cebu, Philippines, and my cardiac team in Northwest Indiana established the Cebu Cardiac Center at CDUH in November of 1997. I shuttled between Cebu and Northwest Indiana every couple of months as Chief of Cardiac Surgery to do open-heart surgery in both cities.

Before I returned to the United States from Cebu, Philippines to retire on September 28, 2010, I was interviewed by Sky Cable in Cebu. Besides the topic about heart attack and stroke, and lifestyle in general as a preventive regimen in warding off diseases, the discussion also touched on cancer.

One of my statements alluded to the fact that most of the diseases known to man, including cancer, in my opinion, “are manmade, self-induced, brought on by us to ourselves thru unhealthy lifestyle, whether we realize it or not, inadvertently or otherwise.”

Smoking (first- or secondhand), alcohol abuse, ingestion of “killer” processed foods, high-fat, high- cholesterol foods, trans-fat, absence or lack of vegetables, fruits, and high-fiber items like nuts and lentils in our diet, drinking soft drinks (which poison our body), exposure to environmental pollution (air and water) were among the factors and culprits I cited. This unhealthy situation is rampant, an “epidemic” in the Philippines.

While poverty is a factor, most Filipinos are literate, many well-educated and well aware of medical facts, but upbringing, the way of life, and culture, greatly factor in this environment, making them disregard healthy lifestyle. The thinking “whatever will be, will be,” and “God will protect me,” or “I want to enjoy life,” self-encourages the unhealthy behavior and lifestyle.

I also stated that while genetics (good or bad genes) play a role in all this, our environment and our lifestyle (particularly diet and exercise) appear to outweigh the hereditary factor. The more disciplined siblings, who opted to live a healthy lifestyle unlike their parents, did not necessarily fall victims to their elders’ common illnesses. Even their longevity was improved. So, the impact of environment and lifestyle do, indeed, outweigh genetics in general.

The human factor includes the carcinogenic fumes from

Cancer is self-induced

cigarettes, carbon monoxide/ dioxide from engine emissions, chemical contamination from the household agents (soaps, bleaches, tile and toilet cleaners, etc.) we use daily, factories polluting our atmosphere and dumping of toxic waste products into our rivers and lakes, deforestation and destruction of our greeneries, invasion of the original habitats of animals and disturbing the natural order of things, and the environmental insults that urbanization brings with it in general.

Greek medical writings hardly mentioned cancer and among these mummies (from the Ptolemaic period) only two (worldwide) were detected to have histological evidence of cancer. Obviously, cancer, in adults or children, was extremely rare during those times, and not because their life expectancy was shorter compared to ours. The mummies studied were persons with arteriosclerosis, osteoporosis, Paget’s disease, illnesses found in seniors, who were old enough to develop cancer. Logic tells us that the carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) we inhale, eat, or expose ourselves to today, were not present in ancient times. The environment then was pristine, not polluted as it is now.

Then came the Industrial Revolution and the massive environmental pollution. This was followed by the explosion of the incidence of cancer, especially childhood cancer, not to mention other diseases now known to man, cardiovascular, metabolic, even infectious.

Professor Michael Zimmerman, a visiting professor at the KNH Centre, who made the first ever histological diagnosis of cancer in an Egyptian mummy stated, “In an ancient society lacking surgical intervention, evidence of cancer should remain in all cases. The virtual absence of malignancies in mummies must be interpreted as indicating their rarity in antiquity, indicating that cancer-causing factors are limited to societies affected by modern industrialization.” It has also been pointed out that all the mummies at the museums in Cairo and Europe showed no evidence of cancer at all.

The research, which was published in NATURE, reported that “Evidence of cancer and medical procedures, such as operations for cancers does not appear until the 17th century… Scientific literature depicting distinctive tumors have only been about for the last 200 years, when data started to be

documented about chimney sweeps with scrotal cancer in 1775, nasal cancer in snuff users in 1761, and Hodgkin's disease in 1832.”

It is lucidly clear from all those medical facts from thousands of years ago that cancer, and most of the diseases afflicting mankind and the damages to our environment today, are manmade and self-induced.

In my book of healthy lifestyle and disease prevention at the DNA level (entitled Let’s Stop “Killing” Our Children, available at amazon.com; preview at www. philipSchua.com), I pointed out that we, humans, seem to be bent on hurting ourselves, with our lack of discipline and unhealthy behavior. The result is most of us have arthritis, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, which we falsely label “normal diseases of aging.” But this is not true. There are millions of people without these ailments in their ripe old age; minimal, if any. If we started to live a healthy lifestyle starting from the crib, with the aid of our parents, and follow though as teenagers and as adults, we do not necessarily have to be afflicted with those chronic illnesses. These are selfinflicted.

The vital question is: What do we do about this masochistic, self-destructive, and almost suicidal behavior of our species on this wonderful planet earth?

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

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The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health.

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Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, Health Advocate, newspaper columnist, and Chairman of the Filipino United NetworkUSA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. He was a recipient of the Indiana Sagamore of the Wabash Award in 1995. Other Sagamore past awardees include President Harry Truman, President George HW Bush, Muhammad Ali and Astronaut Gus Grissom (Wikipedia). Websites: FUN8888.com, Today.SPSAtoday. com, and philipSchua.com; Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com.

ConGen Ferrer calls on San Jose mayor Matt Mahan

SAN JOSE – Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Frank Ferrer paid a courtesy call on San Jose City Mayor Matt Mahan on April 12.

The two sides held discussions on promoting mutual trade and investment, enhancing peopleto-people ties, and engaging with the Filipino American community in the City of San Jose.

Consul General Ferrer shared the Philippines’ investment priorities to Mayor Mahan and expressed hope that companies in San Jose, especially technology-related ones, can consider the Philippines as a site for future expansion, especially in growing its startup ecosystem.

The Consul General also thanked the City of San Jose and Filipino American community groups in the city for the annual flag raising ceremony to celebrate the Filipino American History Month in October in recognition of the contributions of Filipino Americans in the country’s history. He also noted with appreciation the Delano Manongs Park, the first park in San Jose which memorializes the contributions of the Filipino American community in the farmworker labor movement of the 1960s.

San Jose is northern California’s largest city.

It is known as a global hub for the high-tech industry of Silicon Valley. There are over 65,000 Filipino Americans residing in San Jose. (PCGSF

Consul General Ferrer speaks with Mills High School students on PH foreign relations

MILLBRAE – Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Frank Ferrer visited Mills High School in Millbrae, California on April 13 where he had a conversation with senior high school students taking an International Relations elective course.

The talk, held in a Question & Answer format, gave the students an opportunity to ask various topics ranging from the South China Sea issue, including the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Award to Philippine relations with Southeast Asian countries, China and the United States.

Consul General Ferrer also discussed priorities of the new Marcos administration, the Philippines [as a member] in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and

the developments in the Bangsamoro peace process. Mills High School is a public high school in California and ranks first among the seven high schools in the San Mateo

Union High School District. It was established in 1958 and has been named a California Distinguished School three times. (PCGSF Release)

PH consulate in SF attends 9th annual Silicon Valley briefing

MOUNTAIN VIEW – Consul General Neil Ferrer joined other members of the San Francisco Consular Corps in the 9th Annual Silicon Valley Briefing held at the Computer History Museum.

The briefing examined 2023 data about the economic health of Silicon Valley (defined as Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, and the Fremont area), as well as its tech ecosystem amid continuing innovation, challenges, and overall flux.

The event organized by the International Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter-Day Saints Business & Civic Association featured experts from Joint Venture Silicon Valley, Meta, Google, Cotopaxi, and Stanford University.

Deputy Consul General Raquel Solano, Consul Vanessa Bago-Llona and Consul Rowena Pangilinan-Daquipil joined Consul General Ferrer in knowing the latest advancements in Artificial Intelligence research and applications. (PCGSF Release)

Release) San Francisco PCG photo

Consul General Neil R. Ferrer (left) with Ms. Marguerite Gong Hancock, Vice President for Innovation, Computer History Museum, and Chair, International Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter-Day Saints (LDS) Business & Civic Business Association. San Francisco PCG photos

Consul Rowena Pangilinan-Daquipil (left) and Deputy Consul General Raquel Solano (right) took a closer look at artifacts, in a mini exhibit called, “Silicon Valley Treasures: From Fairchild to Intel and Apple.”

Dr. Russell Hancock, president and CEO of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, gives the keynote presentation at the 9th Silicon Valley Briefing.

San Francisco PCG photos