051618 - Southern California Midweek Edition

May 16-18, 2018 Volume 28 - No. 40 • 3 Sections - 26 Pages

DUTERTE DROPS VISIT TO UNDERWATER REGION

PH Rise now protected area

by CATHERINE

S. VALENTE ManilaTimes.net

ONBOARD BRP DAVAO DEL SUR — President Rodrigo Duterte has declared portions of Philippine Rise (Benham Rise) and Eastern Kalayaan as protected areas.

Duterte signed the proclamation on board BRP Davao del Sur to mark the first anniversary of his renaming the underwater land mass to signify the country’s sovereign rights over the resource-rich region.

In his speech, Duterte an- President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, May 15, delivered a speech at the BRP

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Davao del Sur docked in Casiguran, Aurora, and left before the ship sailed to the Philippine Rise.

Malacañang photo

USA

DATELINE ‘I felt like a prisoner’: A human trafficking victim-turned-advocate shares her story FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Annual ‘modern slavery’ summit highlights illegal recruitment, hospitality worker trafficking

FILIPINOS around the world are all sure of one thing about the motherland: the economic status of the country is less than ideal.

In fact, the economic decline of the Philippines can be traced back to the 1970s when scarcity of employment opportunities forced Filipinos to search for employment overseas in order to provide for the family back home.

Although the prospect of finding a job overseas may seem ideal, many people have been duped into the business of human trafficking.

Human trafficking, as defined by the Unit-

PH RISE DUO. It was not President Rodrigo Duterte who jet-skied, but his son Paolo Duterte and aide Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go ; and not to the Spratly Islands but to Philippine Rise. Duterte sent off Filipino scientists to the resource-rich area aboard BRP Davao del Sur, a year after renaming the underwater region ˜Philippine Rise.”

ManilaTimes.net photo by Rene Dilan

Duterte: China has assured me it will Malacañang mourns not allow Philippines to be destroyed passing of Angara

by PATRICIA LOURDES Philstar.com

VIRAY

EXPRESSING distrust of treaty ally, the United States, President Rodrigo Duterte relayed China’s assurances that it will protect the Philippines in case a conflict breaks out in the region.

“China will never allow the Philippines to be destroyed. ‘We will be there if you need us,’” Duterte said in a speech in Casiguran, Aurora on Tuesday, May 15.

Ironically, Beijing has been deploying weapons and military aircraft on its three outposts in the Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea, which the Philippines also

claims.

China’s actions in the region are seen as a threat to regional peace and stability.

Duterte also said that Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him that he will not be ousted as the Filipino leader seeks to strengthen ties with Beijing.

“The assurances of [President] Xi Jinping were very encouraging. Eh, they are there.

‘We will not allow you to be taken out from your office, and we will not allow the Philippines to go to the dogs,’” Duterte said, quoting Xi. It is unclear whether Xi really said China would interfere in Philippine politics but the

MENDIOLA AJPress

ON Sunday, May 13, Malacañang expressed sorrow over the passing of former Senate President Edgardo Angara, grieving with Angara’s family.

“We mourn the sudden passing of one of our great leaders and statesmen, Senate President Edgardo Angara, who died at age 83,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.

Senator Juan Edgardo “Son- Former Senate President Edgardo Angara

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Inquirer.net photo

Puyat gets warm welcome at DOT

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The growing Asian American population is PH senators, SC judges also growing in buying denounce Sereno ouster power, report finds R M

Ousted Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, bottom, waves to hundreds of supporters after addressing them following an en banc of the Supreme Court on Friday, May 11.

Philstar.com photo

by

Its millennial generation is also growing in influence

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by RITCHEL

ITCHEL ENDIOLA AJPress

AS the Asian American population continues to boom in the United States, so is their buying power, says a new report. Its young millennial generation is also making big moves.

Released last Tuesday, May 8, a Nielsen report titled “Asian Americans: Digital Lives and Growing Influence” found that as the fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S., Asian Americans have seen their consumer buying power grow up to $986 billion — up 257 percent since 2000, compared to 97 percent for the total U.S. It’s projected to

SEVERAL senators disagreed with the Supreme Court’s decision to oust Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, calling it a violation of the Constitution, warning of its repercussions on the rule of law.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto maintained that “you can only remove the Chief Justice through impeachment,” saying the decision is a bad precedent.

“The decision in effect reduced the powers of both houses of Congress. I do not expect the House to impeach the Chief Justice,” Recto also said.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV called the ruling the “darkest hour in our democracy” as the Supreme Court “killed the Constitution.”

“The SC, which is supposed to be the cradle of our fragile Constitution, is the same body that killed it.

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MANILA — A mood of renewed hope and confidence filled the main offices of the Department of Tourism (DOT) on Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Belair, Makati City as some 500 employees warmly welcomed newly-appointed DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat on her first day at the helm.

Puyat took her oath of office administered by President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Monday, her 49th birthday, replacing former DOT head Wanda Corazon Teo, who resigned a week ago.

In a media briefing before touring the DOT premises, Puyat lauded the enthusiasm shown by employees, including some familiar faces who she had worked with on interagency projects like the international culinary even Madrid Fusion Manila.

“I have always enjoyed working with the DOT whom I’ve known for competence and professionalism, particularly career employees. I expect no less than that plus hard work.

Trabaho lang,” said the former undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture.

Puyat was handpicked by Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat was warmly welcomed by DOT employees when she

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personally made the rounds at the DOT office in Makati City on Tuesday, May 15.

AJPress photos by Godwin Josef Gasacao

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From the Front Page

PH Rise now protected... to scientific studies – at this time only Filipinos. I do not want (fornounced his formal declaration of eigners)… Only Filipinos,” Duterte parts of the Philippine Rise under- said. sea feature as a Marine Resource “While more than (300,000) Reserve. hectares shall be designated as “Around 50,000 hectares of a Special Fisheries Management the Philippine Rise shall become Area,” he added. a Strict Protection Zone limited The President also led the PAGE A1

launching of the country’s first scientific exploration of the resourcerich underwater plateau located off the coast of Aurora province.

“Today, we send off our team of talented and competent Filipino scientists who will undertake the Coordinated National Marine Scientific Research Initiatives and Related Activities or Conmira in the waters above the Philippine Rise,” Duterte said.

“I join the Filipino people in wishing you all the best as you embark on your mission to conduct mapping, surveys, biological investigations and assessment of the coral reef and fisheries stock in the area until November,” he added.

Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. had earlier said that 50 Filipino scientists would carry out the study.

Visit dropped Duterte however decided not to push through with the visit to the underwater land mass.

The President was supposed to sail toward the Philippine Rise to lead the celebration of the first anniversary of his renaming of the area. The president only reached the Casiguran Bay. Speaking to reporters, Roque explained that Duterte only planned to send off the team of Filipino scientists that would undertake marine scientific research in the area.

“E kasi medyo malayo (It’s a little bit far). Its 120 nautical miles away. That’s logistic nightmare.

So this is symbolic. We’re sending off the scientists, but the scientists will proceed. `Yun lang talaga (That’s it),” Roque said.

“The Philippine Rise is beyond the 200 nautical miles EEZ (exclusive economic zone) so you have to go beyond 200 nautical miles.

So the beginning of the 20 miles is only the beginning of the Philippine Rise,” he added.

The Palace official also explained that the undersea region could only be seen by diving into it.

Faith in PH scientists According to the President, scientific activities would be vital in the protection and management of the Philippine Rise and its vast resources.

“I have complete faith in the capabilities of our world class sci-

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WAKE VISIT. President Rodrigo Duterte and Sec. Bong Go of the Office of the Special Assistant to the President pay their last respects to the late Alvaro Muhlach, father of actor Aga and actress Almira at the Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig City on the dawn of Tuesday, May 15. Muhlach died on Monday, May 14. Also in the photo is Aga and his wife Charlene.

Malacañang photo by Karl Norman Alonzo

Duterte: China has assured me...

PAGE A1 president has made statements in the past based on supposed confidential conversations.

‘China, a neighbor that will protect the Philippines’ The president noted that China would be the Philippines’ closest neighbor that could protect the country.

“China said ‘We will be there.’

I’m not sure with the Americans because the Americans have lost their will to fight. They only have weaponries, cruise missile, maybe they also have a su-

personic thing but the boots on the ground, the ones who will go there to fight, America is scared,” the president said.

The U.S. military has been in Afghanistan since 2001 and has forces deployed across the world, including in Iraq and Syria.

“They are deathly afraid of death and they do not want to.

They only know human rights... that’s why they are deteriorating,” Duterte said.

The Philippines and its former colonizer, the United States, have been allies since the two

countries signed the Mutual Defense Treaty in 1951.

Despite Duterte’s hostility against Washington, Filipino and American troops are currently conducting the annual Balikatan exercises in the country. The joint military exercises started last May 7 and will end on May 18.

About 5,000 Filipino troops and approximately 3,000 American forces are currently conducting holding the exercises, which focuses on counterterrorism and mutual defense this year. n

Malacañang mourns passing...

PAGE A1 ny” M. Angara announced his father’s death on social media on Sunday afternoon.

“Sad to say my father, Former Senator Edgardo Javier Angara, passed on from this life this morning at the age of 83, from an apparent heart attack,” his tweet read.

The elder Angara was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as the Special Envoy to the European Union in May 2017. Prior to that, he served as Senator from 1987 to 1998, and from 2001 to 2013, and was Senate President from January 1993 to August 1995.

The Free High School Act, and the establishment of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the National Health Insurance Act (PhilHealth) are

some of the laws he authored.

He also authored the Senior Citizens Act, the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA), the Renewable Energy Act, and the Procurement Reform Act. Under the administration of former president and incumbent Manila City Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada, Angara was the Agriculture Secretary. He was also the president of the University of the Philippines from 1981 to 1987.

Angara founded the the ACCRA Law Offices, one of the top law firms in the Philippines, along with other law classmates in the private sector. He was also the chairman of the Philippine National Bank (PNB) from 1998 to 1999.

“Mr. Angara’s contribution to nation-building was immense and his name will always be

PH senators, SC judges denounce...

PAGE A1 Those SC justices who committed this heinous crime against our justice system must not and will not go unpunished,” he said.

Senator Risa Hontiveros said that the ruling undermined the constitutional process of impeachment, submitting, instead, to the “whims” of President Rodrigo Duterte.

“This is a black day for justice and the rule of law. The Supreme Court has fallen, and fallen hard in the eyes of the public,” she said in a statement.

She implored the public to continue the fight “to defend the integrity of the country’s demo-

cratic institutions.”

Like Hontiveros, Senators Joel Villanueva, Sherwin Gatchalian, Franklin Drilon, Francis Pangilinan, Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, and Sonny Angara also disagreed with the ruling of the high court against Sereno, believing that the only constitutional route for removing a chief justice is through impeachment.

“With all due respect, I totally disagree with the decision of the Supreme Court,” Drilon said in a separate statement.

“A quo warranto proceeding is not the proper, legal, and constitutional way to remove an erring impeachable officer. The

prominent in the pages of our country’s modern political history. He will be missed,” Roque said.

Former president and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also gave her condolences to the Angara family in a separate statement.

“I would like to personally convey my deepest sympathy and condolences to the family of former Senate President Edgardo Angara. He was a true leader who instituted reforms for the betterment of the country. Most importantly, he was a friend who I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with,” she said.

“May his courage and leadership continue to inspire others.

He will be missed but his valuable contributions to the country will never be forgotten,” she added. n Constitution is clear that the only remedy on erring constitutional officers like the Chief Justice is a conviction in an impeachment proceeding,” he said.

“I do not agree with the decision because impeachment is the only constitutional route for removal of a CJ but acknowledge that the Court has spoken,” Angara said.

“What is important here is that Sereno be given her day in court, and that day must come before the Senate acting as an Impeachment Court, not the Supreme Court,” Gatchalian added.

Voting 8 to 6, the high tribunal granted the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida against Sereno. n

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From the Front Page PAGE A1

COUNTING BEGINS. School teachers count the votes at the close of elections for barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) posts at Araullo High School in Manila on Monday, May 14.

ManilaTimes.net photo by DJ Diosina

PH Rise now protected...

PAGE A2 entists and I recognize the need to provide them with the necessary means to fulfill your mandate. Indeed, these developments would not have been possible without the efforts of our dedicated public servants, scientists and legal experts who worked together to bolster our claim over the Philippine Rise,” he said.

“When the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf approved our claim to the Philippine Rise a few years ago, we were not just granted access to the vast resources. We were also entrusted with the responsibility to protect it from abuse and misuse,” he added.

Duterte then told the Filipino scientists to “explore this (new frontier) fully aware of our responsibility to (properly manage) and conserve its natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations of Filipinos.”

“As send off our experts to explore and discover what our seas have to offer, may we all have a renewed sense of commitment to

promote the welfare of our people, safeguard our national interest, (and) assert our sovereign rights over our waters and all other areas within our jurisdiction,” the President said.

Extended continental shelf The president signed the declaration following calls from an environmental group to declare a portion of the biodiversity-rich undersea region as a marine protected area.

Gloria Ramos, vice president of the Philippine chapter of international ocean conservation nonprofit Oceana, said that a petition was sent to the Palace in July 2017, which sought the proclamation of Philippine Rise as a protected area and of Benham Bank, the shallowest portion of the Philippine Rise, as a no-take zone.

The group said that the Philippine Rise was declared as an “Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area” by 196 countries in the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in 2016.

The 24 million-hectare region—

13 million hectares of which is an extended continental shelf that the Philippines was awarded sovereign rights in 2012—sits east of Luzon.

Sen. Edgardo Angara Jr. and Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon have filed separate bills seeking the creation of a body in charge of studying, developing, and conserving the area.

Duterte renamed Benham Rise to Philippine Rise in May 2017, after Chinese vessels were discovered to be surveying the area.

Apart from having a “100-percent coral cover,” Benham Rise is also the breeding area of the Pacific bluefin tuna, one of the world’s most expensive fish.

A 2014 research cruise by scientists from the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute, UP Los Baños, and the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources at Benham Bank revealed at least 11 reef-building, two solitary coral, and 62 fish species, which makes it an “important area for fisheries.” n

Puyat gets warm welcome...

PAGE A1 Duterte immediately after accepting Teo’s resignation over the controversy over a P60 million DOT ad placement in the latter’s brother Ben Tulfo’s television show “Kilos Pronto.”

The new DOT chief vowed to

stop graft and corrupt practices by reviewing all the agency’s transactions with the help of her lawyers, reiterating that is the marching order she received from the president.

“I will review everything, including past contracts, and read

every line with in them,” stressed the 12-year veteran civil servant.

In this connection, Puyat also asked the courtesy resignation of the undersecretaries and assistant secretaries before she tackles the DOT programs and projects with them. n

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‘I felt like a prisoner’...

ed Nations, includes the “recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons by improper means (such as force, abduction, fraud, or coercion) for an improper purpose including forced labor or sexual exploitation.” Moreover, those who are trafficked are often lured with the oft-false promise of high pay and quality work conditions when, in fact, they are often underpaid and even abused and left with little to no freedom or knowledge to get themselves out of the situation.

The Mission to End Modern Slavery (MEMS) initiative highlights current trends of and ways in which to combat modern slavery with a focus on illegal recruitment in forced labor. Through the participation of an alliance of mostly Filipino anti-trafficking organizations like Migrante International, the MEMS holds a survivor-led summit every year to raise awareness for the plight of the hundreds of thousands of trafficking victims around the world.

“The problem [of human trafficking] is invisible because it’s so normalized. And we don’t see it as an oppressive system,” BAYAN USA Chairperson Bernadette Ellorin said at the 2018 MEMS summit held at the Cathedral Center for St. Paul in Los Angeles on Saturday, May 12.

“In many cases [trafficking victims] have been shamed by communities and been told to suck it up and that what happened to them wasn’t trafficking, and, in many cases, survivors have been manipulated and when they turn to legal experts or even consulates to remedy the situation, they are often turned away. They were legitimately enslaved. They were legitimately trafficked into this country and they are fighting back by sharing their stories.”

In 2013, Fritzie Corral, a married mother of four, needed a new job and a friend had notified her of a recruitment agency called Northwest Placement USA, Inc. (NWPI), which describes itself on its website as a high-quality “foreign labor staffing solution, providing top quality seasonal employees in the hospitality/hotel industry, construction and landscaping fields.”

Excited by the prospect of having a job, she met with a recruiter in Manila who told her to obtain a B1 visa, which grants temporary entrance into the U.S. for work-

Victims of labor trafficking share their experiences at the 2018 Mission to End Modern Slavery summit at the Cathedral Center of St. Paul in Echo Park, Los Angeles, CA: (L-R) Noel Abalos, Adelaida Legaspi, Fritzie Corral and Daniel Castellanos AJPress photo by Klarize Medenilla

ers. She was told she had to obtain it on her own, so she paid all the necessary fees. The first distressing sign that things weren’t what they were advertised as was when they allegedly forced her to pay a $3000 placement fee.

“They would not set my departure if I [didn’t] comply with that [payment],” Corral shared with the Asian Journal at the MEMS summit. “So I didn’t have a choice because I already had my work visa and I was so excited to go to the U.S.!”

However, Corral didn’t know at the time that the Philippine office of NWPI was ordered to shut down by the Philippine government for illegal practices — including charging excessive placement fees — just the year before. However, because that government order was “executory”, NWPI was still allowed to operate as a business.

Within a few months, Corral eventually made it to the U.S., in Sidney, Montana, where she was to work as a housekeeper at a Best Western hotel. She said that her recruiter had promised her a number of things: free lodging and transportation, 38 to 40 hours a week and earnings of up to $1,000 every paycheck.

None of those things were true. With five other employees (men and women), she had to pay $360/month rent to share one bedroom with three other people. She had to pay for her bus fare on her own dime. And she was working less than half the hours she was promised, to which her recruitment North Dakota-based agent advised her to get other odd jobs like cooking in

restaurants, which was not a part of her contract.

For two years, she continued to work and every time she needed to renew her contract, she would be bombarded with excessive fees that she reluctantly paid to the agent who she had never met in person.

In 2015 when her contract was set to expire, the agent told her and the other employees that there were no official job orders and that they had to renew their visas. However, while the visas were processing, they were asked to work, which all the employees knew was illegal and opened them up to the possibility of deportation.

“It was really scary now because think about it: we’re in Montana where the Canadian border is so close and border patrol is so near,” Corral said. “So we were just sneaking [around] while cleaning rooms because we might be captured by border patrol and be deported, so our agent advised us to not mingle with anyone else and not talk to family and inform them what was going on. I felt like a prisoner at that point. We all knew this wasn’t what we were promised, all this trouble, so we didn’t know what to do at that point.”

When the recruiter told her there were no more job orders, she felt “lost.” It wasn’t until she contacted a friend in New York, who was a trafficking victim, that she realized that she, too, had been a victim of human trafficking.

She relocated to New York where she learned about modPAGE A6

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Asian American and Pacific Islander Political organizations unify heading toward November elections

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, May 15, Rep. Judy Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and leaders from Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) political organizations announced their efforts to maximize the AAPI community’s impact on the November 2018 elections.

Joined by congressional candidates Hiral Tipirneni (AZ-08), David Min (CA-45), Aruna Miller (MD-06), Andy Kim (NJ-03) and Aftab Pureval (OH-01), the organizations pledge to support the record number of AAPI candidates who are running for Congress through the launch of the AAPI Clearinghouse.

The AAPI Clearinghouse will provide political activists a unified place to learn about the more than 50 AAPI candidates who are running for Congress and the opportunities to support them in the 2018 mid-term elections and beyond. Through the Clearinghouse, the organizations aim to collaborate with each other to strengthen their political voice, empower the AAPI community nationwide, and demonstrate the power and influence of the AAPI community on the country’s future.

Thirteen AAPI political organizations have united to maximize political representation and victory in the November 2018 elections: AAPI Progressive Action, AAPI Victory Fund, America’s Opportunity Fund (AOF), APALA, Asian American Action Fund, ASPIRE PAC, CAPA21 Action Fund, Desis for Progress, Indian American Impact Fund, KAYA, Korean Americans for Organizing (KAFO), PIVOT and (RUN).

The AAPI Clearinghouse can be found at: https://aaafund.org.

“There is so much at stake with this year’s mid-term elections.

That’s why an unprecedented number of AAPI candidates are running for Congress so we can have a larger voice in our political system. These political organizations are pledging to do all they can to elect more AAPI candidates to Congress and turn out the AAPI vote. We cannot take any opportunity for granted. It starts with launching the Clearinghouse so candidates and voters from across the country know where to turn for resources. By working towards a unified goal,

AAPIs will secure our place at the table,” said Rep. Judy Chu, Immediate Past Chair of ASPIRE PAC and Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

“We must invest early in candidates who can increase the diversity of our elected officials,” said Tung Nguyen, Chair of AAPI Progressive Action. “I look forward to this partnership, which will undoubtedly increase our ability and resources to support progressive AAPI candidates.”

“The electorate in America has changed, and the old campaign playbook of ignoring smaller communities resulted in disastrous results in the 2016 elections,” said Shekar Narasimhan, Chair of the AAPI Victory Fund.

“Elections continue to be won by the slimmest of margins and ensuring success requires candidates to get the ‘margin of victory’ votes. With the right investment and cultivation, we can ensure a sustainable majority.”

“America’s Opportunity Fund is committed to serving the progressive AAPI community and our participation with our allies and colleagues through the AAPI Clearinghouse will allow us to be a resource to AAPI candidates, operatives, and activists who are interested in growing our political pipeline. We look forward to creating more opportunities for collaboration and strengthening our strategic alliances within the community as we utilize the resources provided by our individual organizations,” said Allen Chen, Program Director of America’s Opportunity Fund (AOF).

“The stakes for our community and our country have never been higher than in this mid-term election. The Asian American Action Fund is thrilled to support ten extraordinary AAPI candidates for Congress in this historically important election, and honored to work with a dozen important AAPI groups to build and maintain the new online AAPI clearinghouse on behalf of our community. AAPIs persons have made great progress in the political arena during the last twenty years, and by working together more closely we are looking forward to shaping the outcome of the November elections,” said Paul Tiao, Co-Founder of the Asian American Action Fund.

“ASPIRE PAC is proud to join the new AAPI Clearinghouse. We have an unprecedented number of AAPI candidates running for federal office across the country, and this online clearinghouse will give AAPI voters the information they need to engage with these campaigns and make their voices heard,” said ASPIRE PAC Chair Congresswoman Grace Meng.

“This collaboration between AAPI political organizations is a positive step toward achieving the fullest political representation that our communities deserve,” said Glen S. Fukushima, CAPA21 Action Chair. “We must uplift our collective voices and stand against those who seek to diminish and divide us.”

“The strength of our community comes from our diversity.

Until now, each organization focused entirely on empowering the voices and mobility of those whose backgrounds and interests aligned with their core mission. Today’s unification of multiple organizations combines our ability to bring real political and policy power to the issues that affect the entire Asian American diaspora. We are proud to join these efforts and to bring the perspective of our progressive South Asian supporters,” said Koustubh “K.J.” Bagchi, Chair of Desis for Progress.

“At a time when our community and our values are under attack by xenophobic rhetoric and regressive policies, it is more critical than ever that Indian Americans build and wield political power to fight back,” said Gautam Raghavan, Indian American Impact Fund. “We are inspired and energized by the over 80 Indian American candidates on the ballot in 2018, and in particular, the four Congressional challengers and six state and local candidates we have endorsed thus far.

Voters are hungry for the kind of fresh thinking and bold leadership that they represent, and we look forward to helping them run, win, and lead.”

“KAYA: Filipino Americans for Progress remains fully committed to mobilizing the Filipino American community as we approach the 2018 midterm elections and beyond. From supporting candidates with progressive values on the local and national

BOTTLE-COLLECTING TIME. A woman collects recyclable plastic bottles at Diosdado P. Macapagal Elementary School (formerly Tatalon Elementary School) after the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on Tuesday, May 15.

PNA photo by Joey Razon

level to putting together leadership programs that empower young Filipino Americans, KAYA’s goal is to prepare our generation and the next generation to be the voice for our communities. We stand united with other members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community to build a brighter and more inclusive future for all Americans,” said Mary Tablante, KAYA chair.

“A central hub for all grassroots, Democratic AAPI organizations will enable us to unify all of our brands under one roof

so we can amplify our work, take advantage of expanded networks, and consolidate AAPI political action to be as impactful as possible in our work to elect progressive leaders. KAFO is excited to be a part of the AAPI Clearinghouse and work with allied organizations to achieve our common goals,” said Julia Kim Chun, President of Korean Americans for Organizing (KAFO).

“In the last two presidential elections, Vietnamese Americans have increasingly voted more progressive, and they live

in swing Congressional Districts.

Our goal is to encourage them to vote for progressive candidates,” said Tung Nguyen, President of PIVOT. “Every election cycle, political institutions and traditional media largely ignore the 21 million AAPI citizens across the country.

This year that changes. (RUN) is honored to be included in the AAPI clearinghouse to galvanize the youth vote through storytelling, live events, and digital content,” said Brad Jenkins, CoFounder of (RUN). n

The growing Asian American population...

PAGE A1 reach $1.3 trillion by 2022.

This comes as the Asian American population also continues to grow at a faster rate than the general U.S. population, while maintaining education and income rates higher than any other racial ethnic group.

Asians currently represent seven percent of the total U.S. population, with a population of 21.8 million. The Nielsen report cites immigration as having fueled the rapid growth.

Further breaking up consumer spending among Asian Americans, the report found that Asian Americans in California spent the most in 2017 at $323 billion. Following states were New York at $88 billion, and Texas at $78 billion.

It also explored how Asian Americans — differing greatly amongst themselves by country of origin — also differentiate in terms of generation.

The average age of Asian Americans in the U.S. is 35 years old, according to the report. Those aged 18 to 34 are further “very demographically different from their 35 and older counterparts.”

Tech and media savvy millennial generation More specifically, the report cites the younger generation as being one of the main reasons the ethnic group has evolved into leaders “in everything from technology usage and media consumption, to e-commerce.”

Comparable to the general population, Asian Americans have a “voracious appetite for cutting-edge technology,” wrote the authors. This, they added, makes them attractive to marketers building a digital consumer base.

The report said that Asian Americans are “extremely engaged with technology” and typically over-index against their non-Hispanic White peers, while attributing the engagement to be perhaps enabled by their above average income and education attainment, or influenced by the fact that many Asian countries are technologically advanced. The report referred to the successes of Asian tech companies like Samsung, Sony, and LG. It also said that the majority (61 percent) of Asian Americans said they preferred products that had the latest in new technology (over-indexing by 17 percent). Thirty-five percent agreed that they were among the first of their friends and colleagues to try new tech products, and like having a lot of gadgets — over-indexing by 37 percent and 26 percent, respectively.

“Asian Americans take pride in finding the latest digital gadgets and showing them off to friends and family,” wrote the authors.

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When it comes to consuming media, the report said that Asian Americans are becoming the earliest adopters of new ways to view content, “outpacing the total population with regard to penetration across some of the newest technologies.”

Asian American millennials — the report found — spend most of their digital time (51 percent) on the internet for activities like watching videos, and apps on a smartphone — again more than that of other generations.

Compared to a year earlier, Asian Americans of all age groups were found to be spending less time watching live and DVR TV. They were also spending less time browsing the web on their computers, instead opting for smartphones or using their computer for videos.

And as Asian Americans lead in incorporating digital devices into their daily routines, the report found that most of them also choose to do their shopping online. The average amount spent by Asian Americans on online purchases in the last 12 months was $1,151 — 20 percent higher than that of their non-Hispanic White counterparts.

Asian Americans additionally over-indexed in all dollar categories over $500 and $1,000 or more for online purchases in the last 12 months — up from numbers in 2013.

Top items purchased online from most to least were clothing or accessories, airline tickets, books, other travel reservations, health and beauty items, movie tickets, groceries, and consumer electronics.

Growing influencers Asian Americans have also increasingly been building their own successful careers — creating their own powerful brands as content creators and social media influencers. This has been in part due to the democratization of media.

“We are seeing Asian Americans rising as trendsetters and leaders in business, sports, fashion, food, and entertainment,” said Mariko Carpenter, vice president of Strategic Community Alliances at Nielsen.

According to the report, Asian Americans have especially had an immense impact of the nation’s food scene, especially in the last 15 years. This is true both in the kitchen and online.

“Asian-American restaurants are booming across the country, with Filipino food, fast-casual Indian and upscale Korean representing the latest dining out trends,” wrote the authors, which tracing the rise back to Korean-American chef David Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar which opened in New York in

2004.

Differentiating from that of 1990 Asian fusion cuisines, the report described the newer wave of Asian American contemporary cuisine as being a “new flavor language spoken well only be those fluently ambicultural.”

Online, Asian American food personalities have also found success such as Girl Eat World, NomNom Pale, My Name is Yeh, My Korean Kitchen, Damn Delicious, Kawaling Pinoy, and Angel Wong’s Kitchen — all who the report said are influencing the U.S. food scene.

“Food blogging seems to be a natural fit for the culture,” wrote the authors.

They added that Asian Americans also over-index non-Hispanic Whites by 51 percent for reading restaurant reviews, and by a whopping 124 percent for using Yelp. They’re also 92 percent more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to read or contribute to blogs.

Many Asian American food bloggers have also brought their influence further with cookbooks, TV shows, product endorsements, and food magazine contributions.

“Authenticity” is what gives Asian Americans big followings, according to the report.

“Their recipes, though influenced by their life and experience as Americans, are in fact authentically Asian — Asian American, that is,” wrote the authors. “U.S. audiences are eating them up, literally.”

But it isn’t just food bloggers rising in influence. The report took note of the rise of social media personalities like YouTube stars Lilly Singh, Ryan Higa, Michelle Phan, Freddie Wong, and Markiplier who have built their own careers and expanded into other media platforms and channels.

The authors also pointed to the changing face of sports and sport fans, highlighting the 14 Asian Americans who competed and caught attention in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Taking notice of its Asian American fan base, the report added that marketers have launched programs like the Golden State Warriors Filipino Heritage Night or the Sacramento Kings Bollywood Night to attract Asian American fans.

But despite the many Asian American actresses and actors gracing mainstream media, the report added that Asian Americans still remain underrepresented — even as the demographic over-index in watching downloaded movies, using TV show subscription services, and going out to movies. (Rae Ann Varona / AJPress)

‘I was felt like a prisoner’...

ern-day trafficking tactics and is now an external membership officer for Migrante New York.

“You don’t think that these things can happen to you, and I really didn’t think it would happen to me and at the time [I was working] I didn’t know that was human trafficking. I felt it was unfair, but you know, you do everything you can do, especially when you’re working in a different country. I was just looking for work to support my family like anyone else, and then all this happened, you know?” Corral remarked.

Trafficking of human beings, as a whole, is the world’s second most profitable underground economic enterprise, generating a globally estimated $150 billion every year, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO), a tripartite of the United Nations that oversees global labor standards.

The ILO has also estimated that there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking around the world, according to a global estimates study released in September 2017. Of those who are trafficked, 75 percent of them are women.

Another survey from the Walk Free Foundation found that there was an estimated 401,000 Filipinos living in modern slavery in 2015. Moreover, of the 10 million overseas Filipino workers (OFW), many reported being subjected to trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor throughout the world.

If you or anyone you know may be a victim of human trafficking in the U.S., the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline is available 24/7 at 1 (888) 373-7888. You may also text “HELP” or “INFO” at 233733.

(Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

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Dateline PhiliPPines

DoJ summons Aquino over Dengvaxia mess

by Jomar

Canlas ManilaTimes.net

THE Department of Justice (DoJ) has summoned former President Benigno Aquino III and two former Cabinet secretaries to respond to the criminal charges filed against them in connection with the series of deaths and serious illnesses of children inoculated with the controversial anti-dengue Dengvaxia vaccine.

A panel of investigating prosecutors issued a subpoena compelling Aquino and his former aides to appear before them.

The DoJ will conduct its preliminary investigation on the complaint filed by two anticrime advocacy groups and the families assisted by the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO).

Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Rossane Balauag heads the DoJ panel. The members are Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Hazel Decena Valdez and Assistant State Prosecutors Consuelo Corazon Pazziuagan and Gino Paolo Santiago.

The complaint was filed by Philippine Anti-Corruption Commission Commissioner and Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) lawyer Manuelito Luna, and Eligio Mallari of the Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution Inc. Aside from Aquino, also ordered to appear were former health secretary Janette Garin and former budget secretary Florencio Abad. Also covered in the subpoena were officials of Zuellig Pharma and Sanofi Pasteur, which brought the vaccine to the Philippines.

Included in the charge sheet were health undersecretaries Carol Tinio, Gerardo Bayugo, Lilibeth David and Mario Villaverde; health assistant secretaries Lyndon Lee Suy and Nestor Santiago; other health officials, namely Laureano Cruz, Joyce Ducusin, Mar Wynn Bello, Leonila Gorgolon, Rio Magpantay, Ariel Valencia and Julius Lecciones; former health undersecretaries Nemesio Gako, Vicente Belizario, Jr. and Kenneth Hartigan-Go; Garin’s head executive assistant Yolanda Oliveros; unnamed directors and officers, or employees of Zuellig; and unnamed directors, officers or em-

Former Pres. Benigno Aquino III

ployees of Sanofi Pasteur.

In its complaint, the VACC said Aquino was clearly liable after he met with Sanofi officials abroad and juggled funds and authorized the release of P3.55 billion to procure the vaccines, within the 45-day election ban.

Criminal charges were filed against Abad for issuing the allotment order for the procurement. Garin was charged for allowing the procurement and the vaccination of children.

Sanofi was charged for “undue interest” over the implementation of the mass vaccination program.

Aquino and Garin were also accused of violating election laws by using the vaccination program “to further the candidacy of Liberal Party presidential bet Mar Roxas as well as the other candidates of the Liberal Party, at the expense of innocent children, and their utter disregard of the Procurement Law.” “Irrefutably, some deaths and dengue shocks are linked to Dengvaxia. At Phase III (pivotal trials), the respondents should know or should have known that the efficacy as well as safety of the subject vaccine should could not as yet be determined with pinpoint accuracy; hence, they should have desisted from proceeding to implement the dengue immunization program of the DOH on a mass scale,” the complaint stated.

ManilaTimes.net photo

It added that Aquino and the other respondents failed to comply with standards set by the World Health Organization on the licensing and post-licensing monitoring of Dengvaxia.

Early this month, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the creation of a three-man panel of experts to investigate the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine.

The Palace said conflicting findings of the PAO and the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital prompted Duterte “to seek further advice” through the foreign panel of experts.

Dengvaxia maker Sanofi had promoted the vaccine as a breakthrough in combating dengue, which kills hundreds of people in the Philippines, mostly children, every year.

But the company set off a panic when in November Sanofi said a new analysis showed the vaccine could lead to more severe symptoms for people who had not previously been infected with dengue.

In February, the Department of Health (DoH) confirmed that of the 14 children who died of various causes some time after receiving Dengvaxia, only three died of dengue, but none of the deaths could directly be attributed to the vaccine.

More than 830,000 public school students were injected with the Dengvaxia as part of an anti-dengue mass immunization program. n

RECYCLING CAMPAIGN. To achieve her advocacy of recycling of kitchen and garden wastes, Senator Cynthia A. Villar donated rotary composter & hammer mill to Brgy. Aniban 2, Bacoor Cavite. These composting equipment are being used to process kitchen and garden wastes. The senator, chair of the senate environment committee is an active promoter of waste composting.

Senate photo

House passes bill abolishing PCGG, OGCC

by Gaea

Katreena Philstar.com

CabiCo

MANILA — The House of Representatives on Tuesday, May 15, approved a bill to abolish the Presidential Commission on Good Government and the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel in a bid to further strengthen the powers of the Office of the Solicitor General, the government’s top lawyer.

Lawmakers voted 162-10 to approve House Bill 7376 on third and final reading.

The bill, principally authored

by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez (Davao del Norte), seeks to strengthen the OSG, currently led by Jose Calida, who will supervise the “consolidation” of the powers and functions of the PCGG and the OGCC into his office.

The PCGG is the agency tasked to go after the ill-gotten wealth amassed during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. Since its establishment in 1986, it has recovered at least P170 billion from the Marcoses and their cronies.

Calida, a Marcos loyalist, campaigned for Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., in the 2016 vice presidential election and was among the leaders of the

Alyansang Duterte-Bongbong, which was also called ALDuB after the popular noontime show couple.

The vote was made following the exit of former Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, who had PAGE A9

PANREHIYONG AWTORIDAD SA RILES NG TIMOG CALIFORNIA PAUNAWA NG PAMPUBLIKONG PAGDINIG TAUNANG BADYET NG TAON NG PANANALAPI 2018-19 Ang Panrehiyong Awtoridad sa Riles ng Timog California (Southern California Regional Rail Authority, SCRRA) na nagpapatakbo ng Metrolink na sistema ng riles ng nagbibiyahe ay magsasagawa ng isang Pampublikong Pagdinig na nauukol sa pagpapatibay ng iminumungkahi nitong Taunang Badyet para sa Taon ng Pananalapi 2018-19. Ang pagdinig na ito ay nasa adyenda para sa Pulong ng Lupon ng SCRRA sa: Hunyo 22, 2018 sa 10:00 a.m.

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A8 MAY 16-18, 2018 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL

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OPINION

Public shaming

FEATURES

RESIGN or be fired, President Duterte told two assistant secretaries on Tuesday, May 15 amid accusations that the two abused their positions and engaged in corruption. He had previously sent similar orders to several Cabinet secretaries, including old friends and members of his 2016 campaign team.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, Moslemen Macarambon Sr. had heeded the President’s call and resigned as assistant secretary of the Department of Justice. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said investigation conducted by the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission showed Macarambon had interceded in a jewelry smuggling case at the NAIA on May 3.

Macarambon denied wrongdoing and said his inlaws were being asked to pay P6 million in Customs duties for bringing in jewelry valued at P7 million.

The assessment was brought down to P1.38 million through his intercession.

There was no word from the other assistant secretary, Tingagun Ampaso Umpa of the Department of Public Works and Highways, who is accused of seeking commissions from contractors in exchange for awarding them DPWH projects in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Umpa assumed his post as assistant secretary for ARMM operations and special Mindanao projects only on Jan. 5 this year.

It’s not the first time that Malacañang has announced the sacking of government officials on accusations of corruption. The public shaming alone should serve as a warning to others who are using their positions to enrich themselves or are consider-

ing entering into crooked deals.

The best deterrent, however, is the certainty of punishment. It’s not enough to order erring officials to resign or be fired. The Office of the Ombudsman must pick up the ball and initiate its own investigation of the sacked officials for possible criminal prosecution.

The ombudsman can ask for copies of the relevant materials used by the presidential commission for use as evidence. If the officials can be fired over the cases, the ombudsman should be able to indict them quickly enough before the Sandiganbayan.

In turn the anti-graft court can speed up its adjudication, taking its cue from the uncharacteristic lightning speed by which the Supreme Court threw out the chief justice through a simple quo warranto petition. The sacked Cabinet members deserve due process but must not be given the opportunity to seek an acquittal by invoking any “inordinate delay” in their indictment by the ombudsman.

Such acquittals, and the general failure to punish those accused of corruption especially plunder, is one of the biggest reasons for the persistence of graft. Beyond the public shaming, which is welcomed by those who are sick of entrenched corruption, guilt must be established and appropriate punishment imposed. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

Filipino-American community leader defends the ouster of CJ Sereno by the SC Kababayans urged to respect decision and move on

CHIEF JUSTICE Maria Lourdes Sereno The Fil-Am was removed from the Perspective Philippine Supreme Court through an 86 vote by the justices on May 11, 2018, for what they conclude is GEL SANTOS-RELOS her failure to file her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALNs) when she was appointed

by President Rodrigo Duterte’s predecessor, Benigno Aquino III. Sereno denied any wrongdoing and has maintained that she had complied with all the requirements of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), including the submission of her SALNs when she was being considered for the top post of the Judiciary in 2012.

As the Associated Press (AP) reported, legal groups called on Philippine legislators on Tuesday, May 14, “to defend their constitutional power to impeach officials which they said was usurped by Supreme Court justices.”

Law professors and deans from various universities, former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, members of the opposition party, human rights groups, and ordinary citizens, joined the dissenting Supreme Court justices in contending that the ouster of Sereno was unconstitutional.

The AP further reported that Jose Manuel Diokno, chairman of the nongovernment Free Legal Assistance Group, said the petition to oust Sereno that was filed

by Solicitor General Jose Calida, called a “quo warranto,” set the judiciary on a collision course with the legislature and preempted months of impeachment actions against Sereno in Congress.

The House was to vote on impeachment charges accusing Sereno of corruption, breach of public trust and other crimes, and then the decision was supposed to be sent to the Senate. The AP

report added that the Senate was preparing to turn itself into an impeachment court to try Sereno, who had gone on a two-month leave from the court to prepare for her defense.

But according to the AP report, “even Duterte’s allies in the 24-member Senate did not agree with Sereno’s ouster by her fellow judges.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said Sereno can only be removed by a congressional impeachment process and called on the Supreme Court to review its verdict.”

Critics of President Rodrigo Duterte allege that the ouster of Sereno was politically motivated, because as the AP chronicled, “Sereno earned the ire of Duterte by speaking up for respect of law and human rights as he led a brutal crackdown on illegal drugs that has left thousands of suspects dead.” Duterte himself said Serene must be out of the Supreme Court.

Others question the timing of the petition to ouster Sereno. Why only now when she has been serving as Chief Justice since 2012? What really motivated the justices who testified against Sereno in the House hearing and why did they not inhibit themselves during the Supreme Court trial for delicadeza? Were they jealous that she was appointed to head the SC when she was younger than the sitting justices? Was there a “conspiracy” to oust her among the pro-Duterte/ anti-Aquino/pro-Marcos members of the judiciary, the legislature and the executive branches of government?

Former Chief Justice Hilario Davide suggested that there “seems to be a conspiracy among the three proponents, impeachment, quo warrants and the judges for the [Sereno] resignation. He issued a call to seek the independence of the ju-

diciary and to protect the rule of law and due process before Sereno was ousted.

FILIPINOS IN AMERICA were also divided on this issue. Community leaders and members of the U.S. Pinoys for Good Governance (USPGG) issued a statement that said: “Our Constitution is clear, the ONLY LEGAL WAY TO REMOVE THE CHIEF JUSTICE is through IMPEACHMENT, but the case against her is weak as she has proven that she is not corrupt, nor is she beholden to any padrino. The 8 justices have trampled on the Constitution by denying her right to an impeachment process.”

The USPGG urged Sereno NOT to resign from the Supreme Court, and asked the Senate “to intervene and uphold the Constitution and the rule of law.”

ON THE OTHER HAND, the U.S. Pinoys for Real Change in the Philippines (USPRCP), headed by Atty. Arnedo Valera, urge the Filipino people to respect the decision of the Supreme Court and to “move on” for the sake of the country.

Here is their official statement: The Supreme Court has spoken, and it has the final word. On May 11, by a vote of 8-6 on a quo warranto petition by Solicitor General Jose Calida, it removed Maria Lourdes Sereno as Chief Justice of the Philippines’ Supreme Court. It ruled she was not qualified for the position from the very start. It cited her failure to comply with the required Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) over a ten-year-period when she applied for the position of Chief Justice.

The issue of constitutionality of quo warranto in this case is now moot and academic because the final arbiter of what is constitutional or not is the Supreme Court, the highest court of the land. Neither Congress nor the Executive branch of the government, nor the public, can judge the constitutionality of any action or law. That is the sole domain of the Su-

preme Court.

It will be recalled that during the recent impeachment hearings by the House of Representatives, it was discovered for the first time that Sereno’s appointment

by President Benigno S. Aquino III was problematic, because she was never qualified for the position from Day One. It was factually established that Sereno failed to comply with the submission of the last 10 years of her SALN when she applied for the position of Chief Justice in 2012. This fact made her appointment void ab initio, or invalid from the start.

On May 13, the Philippine Inquirer reported that Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio, in his separate dissenting opinion, said Sereno “could be held liable for not religiously filing her SALNs, which is a violation of the Constitution and a ground for impeachment that should be left to Congress to decide on.” Carpio was among the six justices who voted against the expulsion of Sereno from her position as Chief Justice through quo warranto.

Although Article XI Sec. 2 of the Philippine Constitution enumerates officials who can be removed by impeachment, impeachment is not the only way to remove an elected or appointed government official. Regarding former Chief Justice Sereno, there was a factual and legal basis that her appointment as Chief Justice was invalid from the start or tainted with legal infirmities. Quo warranto was the right course of action.

Dissenting opinions, no matter how logical and scholarly presented, will not affect the majority decision. To be sure, they are important as a historical document. Legitimate dissent, dissent without hidden political agenda, matters as a way to mold public opinion.

Attacking the decision of the Supreme Court as unconstitutional, however, is a futile exercise because the Supreme Court itself, the final repository of judi-

cial authority and the final arbiter of what is constitutional or not, has made this landmark decision. Whether we agree or disagree with the decision, it must be accorded full respect.

For the record, a quo warranto proceeding is constitutional, and as a legal remedy it is recognized as part of the nation’s laws. There are so many case precedents where an elected or appointed official of the government is removed by quo warranto. Such proceedings are called for when the election or appointment is invalid from the start.

The one-year prescriptive period does not apply, as the failure to comply with the SALN requirement was just recently discovered. It appears there was a blatant omission by the previous administration to investigate fully Sereno’s compliance regarding the integrity issue of a nominee for the position of Chief Justice.

This is basic law. When Chief Justice Corona was removed by impeachment, there was no issue that his appointment was invalid or void from the very start.

It is worth noting, however, that the impeachment proceeding against Corona was tainted with irregularities because money changed hands to support the impeachment.

Whether we agree or disagree with it, the Supreme Court is, by mandate and tradition, the final arbiter of any interpretation of the nation’s laws. It will continue to evolve in our changing and challenging times. We keep moving forward as a nation with lessons learned along the way. We must move on beyond former Chief Justice Sereno. *** 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

The quo warranto ruling upholds democracy

Opinion

RICARDO SALUDO THE hysteria was not only expected. It had been going on weeks before the Supreme Court ruled 8-6 last Friday that Maria Lourdes Sereno was unqualified to be appointed Chief Justice and was illegally holding the CJ position.

As the high court decision approached, Sereno herself and her supporters warned that accepting and granting the quo warranto petition would undermine judicial independence by making high court magistrates subject to removal by means other than impeachment.

Now that the QW ruling is upon us, the entities purportedly imperiled are all government officials, the rule of law, and democracy too, because the high court is now subservient.

For those staunchly holding these opinions, this article will not persuade, partly because most Sereno supporters won’t even read it. As for her opponents, they will dismiss QW critics without listening to them.

But for the silent majority wanting to get a thoughtful, objective perspective, read on.

Frequently angst questions So, what’s wrong with the quo warranto ruling? Not the legal pros and cons, which this non-lawyer isn’t qualified to delve into, just like so many others pontificating on lawyerly

arguments even if they are not members of the bar.

Rather, we touch on political and governance concerns, especially on how the ruling may affect rule of law, independence of the courts, and Philippine democracy.

Based on criticisms hurled by the Sereno camp, here are questions that people may be wondering about: • Are all officials now in danger of removal by quo warranto?

• Has the Supreme Court lost its independence?

• Will the ruling undemine Philippine democracy?

On the security of elected and appointed officials, in fact, all of them can always be removed by quo warranto or some other

way of questioning their election or appointment, even the President, as stated in the Rules of Court. So, one ruling does not add any new risk to the tenure of any person in the government.

In fact, as Civil Service Commission chairman in 2008-2009, I encountered many cases of bureaucrats removed after years of service due to faulty credentials, including cheating in civil service eligibility exams.

What about impeachable officials? Well, those invalidly appointed are not officials at all. Period. If, for instance, it was discovered that President Rodrigo Duterte had a Chinese passport when he was elected, then by quo warranto, he would be declared disqualified from

the presidency. Not being the lawful president, he would have no position from which to be impeached.

In 2010, the Aquino administration actually petitioned the Supreme Court to declare invalid the appointment of thenCommission on Audit Chairman Reynaldo Villar. Reason: he was already a COA commissioner when named chairman, violating the ban on top officials of constitutional commissions being reappointed to those bodies.

Yet quo warranto critics simply refuse to accept the simple principle that anyone invalidly elected or appointed is not an official, so there is no one to impeach. Perhaps they would see reason if their political op-

ponents face QW petitions.

QW strengthens judiciary Opponents also claim that quo warranto erodes the high court’s independence, for two reasons: It subjects justices to removal by means other than impeachment or, for lower courts, dismissal by the Supreme Court.

And in declaring Sereno’s appointment as CJ invalid, the high court granted the express wish of President Duterte to oust her.

On the first reason, as stated earlier, all officials are subject to QW or any other way of invalidating their appointment or election. Valid processes and qualifications for all officials are indispensable in ensuring that

u PAGE A9

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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DATELINE PHILIPPINES

OFWs hail easing of Kuwait deployment ban

by RUDY

SANTOS Philstar.com

MANILA — Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) departing from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport as well as job recruiters hailed the decision of Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III to recommend to President Duterte the lifting of the deployment ban on skilled workers to Kuwait after a new labor accord was signed by the two governments.

Some workers said that OFWs would be more protected with the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in Kuwait last Friday.

Even other foreign workers in Kuwait praised the agreement that would pave the way for the recognition of the rights of all migrants in Kuwait.

“We salute your President, well done,” they said.

Local recruitment agencies hailed the decision to resume the deployment of skilled OFWs and the firms have intensified marketing efforts to recapture losses.

Local recruiters also thanked Duterte, Bello, Philippine ambassadors and diplomats for the

proper handling of the Kuwaiti situation.

Recruiters said they lost the placement of around 5,000 to 8,000 skilled OFWs who were replaced by other foreign workers after Duterte ordered the deployment ban.

Two weeks ago, Loraine Dulay, an Ilocana who worked for 25 years as sales associate and plans to return to Kuwait, thanked the President for his ability to handle even the worst situation regarding OFWs. Meanwhile, some recruitment agencies will start resuming deployment of domestic helpers but they would provide the OFWs proper training and orientation for their jobs abroad.

“We will train our workers before sending them to Kuwait and other Gulf nations as we are waiting for the go signal from labor department, we will also abide by the ruling of no minors or less than 23 years old worker,” a recruiter said.

After the lifting of the deployment ban to Kuwait, the government is also likely to resume sending Filipino domestic helpers to the United Arab Emirates

(UAE).

“We are just waiting for the implementing guidelines before resuming the deployment,” Bello said in an interview.

Bello said the Philippines Overseas Employment (POEA) is the agency tasked to draft the implementing guidelines in the sending of domestic workers to UAE, noting that there is no such ban on the UAE. However, the labor department opted to suspend the deployment of Filipino domestic workers to UAE after the latter refused to comply with the requirement of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) to verify employment contracts prior to hiring.

Local recruiters have been pushing for the reopening of UAE as an alternative destination for the displaced Filipino domestic helpers from Kuwait.

Recruiters are also claiming that the suspension prompted many Filipino domestic workers to sneak out of the country and enter the UAE illegally.

They previously asked Bello to issue an order allowing the accreditation of job orders to the UAE. ■

The quo warranto ruling upholds...

PAGE A8 the people’s sovereign will, as expressed in constitutional and legal rules for election and appointment, are followed.

And by ensuring that all justices are validly appointed, and those who are not are removed, quo warranto strengthens the credibility, integrity and prestige of the judiciary, all crucial to its independence.

But here’s an even stronger guarantee of judicial clout: It is the Supreme Court that decides all QW cases, even those against top officials in the Executive and Legislative branches, and the constitutional commissions.

How can cases decided solely by the judiciary undermine its independence? One can see impeachment by a Congress bribed

by Malacañang with pork barrel and Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) funds as undermining magistrates. But unless justices themselves let QW petitions against them prosper, they need not fear it.

Critics further argue that the majority justices caved in to Palace pressure in granting QW

— the other reason for claiming that judicial independence is eroded.

They further warn that the Duterte-appointed new Chief Justice would make the SC even more subservient to the President.

These claims go against the Supreme Court’s record. In 2010-2011, it unanimously ordered the Hacienda Luisita plantation of then-President Benigno Aquino 3rd’s family redistributed, then affirmed its decision despite the impeachment of then-CJ Renato Corona, widely seen as spurred by the Luisita ruling.

Under Sereno, the high court miffed Aquino twice, with unanimous rulings declaring the pork-barrel Priority Development Assistance Fund and the DAP unconstitutional. Not even his appointees voted in his favor.

Its rulings have repeatedly shown that the Supreme Court asserts its independence against Executive, Legislative and even popular pressures. It should continue doing so.

Is democracy eroded?

On this third question, we have said earlier that QW helps ensure compliance with the people’s will in election and appointment. And high court independence will further uphold our democratic prerogatives and rights.

What about Charter change?

Will the Supreme Court block moves to railroad constitutional changes through legislation and referendum?

Again, history offers hopeful precedents. Both the Ramos and Arroyo administrations, with legislative support, mounted signature campaigns for a people’s initiative to amend the Constitution. But the Supreme Court voided them for violating the Charter.

If Cha-cha again breaks the law, Their Honors the Justices would stop it, with the people’s support and respect, which sadly the Sereno camp has sought to diminish.

To uphold democracy and the rule of law, let us stand up for the Supreme Court.

Mabuhay ang Kataas-taasang Hukuman ng Republika ng Pilipinas! (ManilaTimes.net)

SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 16-18, 2018

House passes bill abolishing...

PAGE A7 been blocking the move to abolish the PCGG. Strengthening the OSG The bill seeks the conversion of the OSG into an independent and autonomous office attached to the Office of the President for budgetary purposes.

The OSG is currently attached to the DOJ, but the department’s authority, control and supervision over the OSG are limited to only budgetary purposes.

The bill also seeks the creation of at least 50 legal divisions in the OSG, each of which shall be headed by an Assistant Solicitor General and shall consist of at least 10 lawyers and other personnel.

‘Redundant agencies’ In 2017, Calida said it would be better to abolish both the PCGG and the OGCC to “eliminate redundant, duplicative and overlapping functions” since both agencies share a client—the Republic of the Philippines.

“The integration of the functions of the OGCC and PCGG will promote the use of alternative dispute mechanisms, avoid protracted court litigations and encourage consistency in the legal position of government agencies,” he said.

In a position paper, Aguirre noted that the PCGG’s function is different from that of the solicitor general’s, which is to be the government’s chief legal counsel.

The PCGG, meanwhile, is a quasi-judicial agency whose findings are treated binding, in a manner similar to findings of trial courts.

Critics see the abolition of the PCGG as another step towards the rehabilitation of the Marcos family, which has been in national politics since Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was elected to the Senate in 2010. He has a pending electoral protest against Vice President Leni Robredo, who beat him in the 2016 elections.

The Marcoses have yet to acknowledge human rights violations and corruption during the ousted dictator’s more than 20 years in power.

A government board finished this month the screening and documentation of victims of human rights violations during the Marcos regime. Qualified victims and their families will be paid reparations sourced from ill-gotten wealth recovered from the Marcoses. ■

A9

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seafood city fpfc

A10

BUSINESSJ& COMMUNITY ournal

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B

Dominguez criticizes calls to shelve TRAIN implementation

by Mayvelin

U. caraballo ManilaTimes.net

PROPOSALS to suspend a tax reform law present bigger risks than concerns that China has required the Duterte administration to put up collateral for loans extended to the Philippines, a Cabinet official said.

“There is no collateral here,” Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III told reporters.

“I don’t know what the other countries are doing, but here they are not asking us collateral,” he added.

A state-owned Chinese newspaper in March said that repayment terms for $7.34 billion in loans and grants to the Philippines used “certain natural resources as collateral,” a claim later denied by Beijing.

Last month, the Philippines and China signed a $62-million loan agreement to help fund the construction of the Chico River

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III Photo courtesy of wikipedia.com

Pump Irrigation Project in Northern Luzon and a separate accord on economic and technical cooperation providing for a $79-million grant for at least four other projects.

Dominguez said these projects, which are part of the administration’s centerpiece “Build Build Build” program, would be affected if legislators push for the suspension of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian last week said he would recommend the suspension of the im-

u PAGE B6

USDA trims PH rice import projection by loUise

MaUreen Philstar.com

siMeon

THE Philippines is expected to reduce rice imports this year, but government’s move to lift quantitative restriction may be a game-changer, the the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said.

In its latest report, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), said the Philippines would likely import 1.1 million metric tons (MT) of rice this year, down by eight percent from last year’s 1.2 million MT. The USDA trimmed this year’s rice imports from the earlier projection of 1.4 million MT amid expected better local production.

“Philippines is down 300,000

PCCI seeking $20 billion investment in 20 tourism sites PCCI director for tourism Samie Lim said the business group is embarking on a 10-year program that seeks to attract 20 million foreign and 100 million domestic tourists that will generate a total of $150 billion tourism income for the country after its duration.

Photo by Edd Gumban/Philstar.com by richMond

MercUrio Philstar.com

THE Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the country’s largest business organization, is encouraging investors to “put their money where their mouth is” as the group seeks to raise $20 billion worth of investments over the next decade for 20 local sites that have high potential of being world class tourism destinations.

PCCI director for tourism Samie Lim said the business group is embarking on a 10-year program that seeks to attract 20 million foreign and 100 million domestic tourists that will generate a total of $150 billion tourism income for the country after its duration.

“Businessmen say we want this and that, but you have to put your money where your mouth is. We want to raise $20 billion in investments in tourism enterprises,” Lim said.

u PAGE B6

Government keen on additional increase in sin taxes Philstar file photo

MT to 1.1 million MT on more abundant domestic supplies,” USDA said.

“However, this forecast is subject to change, particularly in light of ongoing government decisions related to quantitative restrictions on imports,” it added.

Production of milled rice this year is seen to slightly increase

u PAGE B2

by Mary

Grace Philstar.com

Padin

ing the backlash it may cause.

“Yes, because it’s the right thing to do. Just because you’re THE Department of Finance going to get a bad reaction, that (DOF) will still push for a further doesn’t mean you’re going to increase in the excise taxes on stop,” Dominguez said when sin products, particularly ciga- asked if the DOF would still push rettes, despite its possible impact through with its plan to raise taxon inflation, according to Finance es on sin products.

The DOF earlier announced Secretary Carlos Dominguez.

Dominguez said the DOF would its intent to submit Package 2 continue to support the increase plus of the Comprehensive Tax in excise taxes on tobacco and Reform Program (CTRP), which alcoholic products notwithstand- seeks further tax adjustments on

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)

Oct. 18, 2018( Thursday) Day 1 – MNL HKG, TEL AVIV, ISRAEL Trans-Atlantic flight from LAX to Ben Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel. (Meals served in-flight) Oct. 18, 2018 (Friday) Day 1 – Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv/Tiberias Arrival from Manila still Oct. 18,2018 late in the evening. After we clear Immigration and Customs, will be met by our driver for transfer to tiberias . enjoy the panoramic view of the Mediterranean. We will spend our first night in Tiberias. Dinner and overnight (D). Gai Beach Hotel (Oct. 19, 2018) Holy Eucharist Oct. 20, 2018 (Saturday) Day 3 - Tiberias/ Meggido/ Nazareth/ Cana /Mt Tabor We will have short stop in Meggido and the Plains of Armageddon, known in Hebrew as Meggido, a giant fortress and City built by King Solomon. In the New Testament book of Revelation, it is referred as the sites of the “final battle”. From there, we will continue our drive into Nazareth, where we will have Mass in the Church of the Annunciation, the Cave of the Annunciation and visit Joseph’s Workshop and Then we will move on to Cana of Galilee, where Our Lord performed His first miracle: changing water into wine at the wedding feast. We will invite couples to Bless their marriage vows, Continue to Mount Tabor, site of Jesus Transfiguration Afterward, we will head to Tiberias. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias. (B/D).Gai Beach Hotel.

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) Oct. 22, 2018 (Monday) Day 5 - Magdala Full day retreat , Focus will Include programs based on the historical and Religious value of the Magdala sites More info coming up as we get closer to the dates 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.

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.

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

Mass at the Holy Eucharist Church of St Peter in Gallicantu “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us...” (John 1:14) We will walk to view the Dome of the Rock from the outside, and visit the Western Wall, ( Wailing Wall ) the only part of the Herodian Temple still standing and the most sacred place in the world for Jews. Then, we will drive to Mt. Zion, to visit the Upper Room, revered as the site of the Last Supper, then survey the Dormition Abbey, and the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, the site where Peter denied Jesus three times. After the day’s tour, we will return to our hotel for dinner and overnight. Jerusalem (B, D) Notre Dame Vatican Hotel Oct. 26, 2018 (Friday) Day 9 - Mount of Olives/Gethsemane/ Bethlehem/Jerusalem (New City)/Ein Karem Mass at the Church of Nativity “O mountain of God, receive me, a mother, with my child.”

(Protoevangelium of James 22:3) We will arrive at the Mount of Olives, to enjoy another view of Jerusalem, visit the Chapel of Ascension, Pater Noster Church and the Dominus Flevit (“God wept”) sanctuary. Next, we’ll walk the Palm Sunday Road to the Garden of Gethsemane, and visit the Rock of Agony and the Church of all Nations. In the afternoon, we’ll drive to Bethlehem, a city whose name is recognized around the world. After celebrating Mass at the Church of Nativity, we will see the Manger; visit the Church of St. Catherine, the Grotto of St. 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. 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 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 Jerusalem for dinner and Overnight (B, D) Oct. 28, 2018 (Sunday) Day11 - Jerusalem/Allenby Bridge/ Madaba/Jordan/Mt. Nebo/ Aqaba Mass at Mount Nebo On this day, we head to Allenby Bridge and cross into Jordan.

We will go to the Baptismal Site at Bethany, which Pope John Paul II visited in 2000. Then, it’s on to Mount Nebo, where Moses viewed the Promised Land. Our next stop will be the Church of St. George in Madaba, which hosts the famous mosaic map of the Holy Land. Then we will drive down to Aqaba. Overnight in Aqaba (B/D). Movenpick Resort & Residence.

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!!!

alcohol, tobacco, mining, and casinos.

As for the sin tax component of the bill, Dominguez said the DOF would support the bill filed

by Sen. Manny Pacquiao. Among the provisions of the bill is the imposition of a unitary excise tax rate of P60 per pack on cigarette products.

Philstar file photo Currently, tobacco excise taxes cost P32.50 per pack, follow- for Acceleration and Inclusion ing the implementation of CTRP (TRAIN) Law. u PAGE B3 Package 1A or the Tax Reform

Pilgrimage to Some of ITALY’s Highlights and Miracles of the Eucharist Nov 12, 2018 to Nov 22,2018 Spiritual Director REV.JOEL BUGAS

OCTOBER 18 to NOVEMBER 1, 2018 SPIRITUAL CHAPLAIN: REV. ANTONIO FLORES

Oct. 25, 2018 (Thursday) Day 8 - Jerusalem

“Where will we do it? In 20 destinations that are as good as Boracay, so we don’t put all our eggs in just one basket. Apparently, people just think that Boracay is the Philippines and Philippines is Boracay, but we have more than 7,000 islands, therefore, we should have more than one world class destinations,” he said.

The 20 identified sites will be the focus of investment promotion by the PCCI, which has 100 chapters across the country, over

Day 1 – 12 Nov 2018 –(Mon) Day 2 – 13Nov 2018 – (Tues)

- USA - ROME - Rome Upon our arrival in Rome, our Tour Escort will welcome us to Italy. Rome is the heart, home and the spiritual capital of over one billion Catholics all over the world. After a short panoramic orientation of this Eternal City to us Roman Catholics, we will have our dinner and overnight rest at this great ancient City.

DINNER AND OVERNIGHT IN ROME (BB,D) Day 3 – 14 Nov 2018 (Wed) – Rome / Papal Audience/ Rome

This morning before we continue with our tour, we will have a Papal Audience. Then after, we will visit the famous Coliseum and see the Forum, the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon, one of the best preserved ancient monuments in the world. Celebrate the Holy Eucharist at St Peter Basilica St Joseph Chapel .Short stop in Trevi Fountain, before heading to our Hotel DINNER AND OVERNIGHT IN ROME (BB,D) Day 4 – 15 Nov 2018 (Thurs) – Rome / Basilicas We will visit the Vatican Museum this morning and the Sistine Chapel to admire the awesome masterpieces of Michaelangelo, and even ancient Greek and Roman artists. the largest church in Roman Catholicism, St. Peter’s Basilica. Holy Eucharist at ST Mary Major, Followed by visit of the Basilica. We continue to visit the rest of the major Basilicas within the walls of Rome, and St. John Lateran, St Paul Outside the Wall.

We will also pray at the Scala Santa or the Holy Stairs. St. Helena transported the steps from Jerusalem; the same steps that Christ ascended to receive Pilate’s unjust condemnation. DINNER AND OVERNIGHT IN ROME (BB,D)

DINNER AND OVERNIGHT IN SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO (Hotel Gran Paradiso) Day 7–18 Nov2018 – (Sun) – San Giovanni Rotondo / Lanciano /Loreto MASS AND BREAKFAST. We arrive at Lanciano, famous for the Miracle of the Eucharist. Near the Piazza Plebiscito, the Miracle is inside the Sanctuary of the Eucharistic Miracle. The miracle took place during the 8th century when a Basiline monk doubted the Real Presence of our Lord in the Eucharist. He found himself holding the host that had changed into Real Flesh and the Wine on the altar had changed into Real Blood.

We continue our pilgrimage to the great Marian shrine of Loreto to see the famous sacred home of the most Holy Family, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Since 1294 the holy home has been located inside the Basilica of Loreto.

Celebrate Holy Eucharist in Lanciano DINNER AND OVERNIGHT IN Assisi Day 8 –19 Nov 2018 – ( Mon) Loreto/ Assisi Today we explore the hilltop birthplace of St Francis of Assisi. In the Crypt of St Francis Basilica lies the tomb of one of the most humble and beloved Saints of all times, St. Francis of Assisi, Holy Eucharist at the Crypt of ST Francis See the Basilica of St Clare, with her incorrupt body, and the little Church of St. Damiano and its Crucifix from which Jesus spoke to Francis about his mission in 1206: “Go, Francis, and rebuild my house, which as you see is falling into ruin.” We visit the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, located in the lower plains of Assisi, and the place where the miracle of the Eucharist of Assisi took place in 1240. The small Church of the Porziuncola is inside the Basilica itself. Pope Honorius III granted

a plenary indulgence for those entering this humble Church on August 1st and 2nd every year, with Confession, reception of the Eucharist and no attachment to venial sins. (BB,D)

Day 5 – 16 Nov 2018 (Fri)–Rome /San Giovanni Rotondo 2018 is the 100th Anniversary of the stigmatization of St Pio. Church Will have Monthly Pastoral Program of Activities for the whole year .

San Giovanni Rotondo, the home of St Padre Pio of Pietrelcina from 28 July, 1916 until his death on 23 September, 1968. Enjoy the drive going to San Giovanni, after we check in our Hotel.

We visit the Shrines of St Padre Pio of Pietralcina as well as the places associated with him , such as the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace that contains his tomb. Here, we spend some time meditating, see his room, his confessional box and the crucifix that gave him his supernatural Crucifying stigmata, Celebrate Holy Eucharist (Hotel Gran Paradiso ) DINNER AND OVERNIGHT IN San Giovanni Rotondo (BB,D)

Day 9 – 20 Nov 2018 – (Tues) – Assisi / Siena / Florence We will spend half day in Siena. Begin in the old town center with a visit to the Basilica of San Domenico. Built in the 13th century, it is a treasure chest of the Renaissance art and dedicated to St Catherine of Siena. You will learn about the city’s history while admiring it’s cathedrals, Museum, and libraries .Also you will admire the famous piazza del Campo, one of Europe’s great medieval squares. Continue to Florence. (BB,D) We start with a guided walking tour of Florence, this fascinating city with its Piazza, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistery of St. John the Baptist.

Rest of the day free (BB,D)

Day 6 – 17 Nov 2018 (Sat) – SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO This Morning we visit the new and Modern Basilica of St Padre Pio, See his uncorrupt body .Celebrate Holy Eucharist Spend some time meditating in this awesomeBasilica.

Day 11 – 22 Nov 2018 (Thurs) – Rome / USA End of our wonderful Pilgrimage .

Day 10 – 21 Nov 2018 (Wed) – Florence / Rome Leave Florence around 2PM Arrived Rome almost dinner time (BB.D)

Please call QTS Tour and Travel NOW at 1 (714) 288-0800 or (714) 761-6280 1095 N Main St. Suite O, Orange, CA 92867

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Business news

Airport boosts Palawan town’s potentials

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SSS seeks to delay 2nd round of pension hike to 2020 Planned contribution rate increase stalls

by Ben

O. de Vera Inquirer.net

Community airport in San Vicente, Palawan

by Ben

O. de Vera Inquirer.net

THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) inaugurated an air gateway in San Vicente, Palawan, a budding tourist destination that claims to have the longest white sand beach in the country.

Officials from the DOTr, Civil Aviation Authority (Caap) of the Philippines and the provincial government of Palawan inaugurated the P62.7-million San Vicente Airport on May 10.

San Vicente Airport’s passenger terminal can accommodate around 100 people, double the average capacity of so-called community airports, the DOTr said.

The department expects the airport to soon accommodate larger airlines.

THE Social Security System (SSS) will seek to delay the implementation of the second tranche of additional pension scheduled next year as the planned contribution rate hike has yet to push through.

Emmanuel F. Dooc, SSS president and chief executive officer, told reporters that the state-run Photo courtesy of DOTR/CAAP pension fund would have to shell out an additional P2.5 billion a Philippine Airlines spokes- tourism was expected to boom month if the pension increase person Cielo Villaluna said the in San Vicente, “locals should were to be jacked up to P2,000 country’s flag carrier was “study- maintain the cleanliness of their per month starting 2019. ing� potential operations in San surroundings as to protect PalaAt present, the SSS collects Vicente Airport. She said the wan’s beautiful locale.� about P15 billion a month from airport could also service visitors The Duterte administration its members, up from P12 milto El Nido, another popular Pala- closed Boracay Island for reha- lion monthly in 2016, but diswan destination. bursements already amount to bilitation on April 26. “The airport is two hours away In 2006, then President Gloria a higher P16 billion per month, from the world-famous El Nido Macapagal-Arroyo announced Dooc said.

Island. It is strategically posi- the construction of a new airport According to Dooc, it will be tioned making it an ideal gate- in San Vicente. The aim was to “difficult� for the SSS if the secway to the famous island,� she “jump-start tourism develop- ond round of pension increase said. ment� in San Vicente and other pushes through next year withA spokesperson for Cebu Pa- parts of northern Palawan. out upward adjustments in its cific said there was no immediThe town of San Vicente, a contribution rate. ate plan to launch flights to San first-class municipality, is seen Dooc said they would ask the Vicente. as the country’s first Flagship Office of the President and the The San Vicente Airport first Tourism Enterprise Zone. It is Department of Finance (DOF) to opened in June 22 last year. best known for Long Beach, the defer the implementation of the Charter flights were launched by longest white sand beach in the further increase in pension to Air Juan in August last year.

Philippines that stretches to 14.7 2020 instead.

Transportation Secretary Ar- kilometers spanning the coast“I think [Finance] Secretary thur Tugade noted that while line of four barangays.

[Carlos] Dominguez will sup-

Inquirer file photo

port us because he wanted to strengthen the fund,� Dooc said. “The president’s commitment is to increase the benefit during his term – his term is until 2022, and we already gave away the first half of it,� Dooc noted.

Last year, President Rodrigo Duterte approved an initial P1,000 additional monthly pension benefit, with a second tranche of another P1,000 to be granted to pensioners beginning 2019.

But after the approval of higher pension benefits for retirees, the net income of SSS in 2017 slid 37 percent to P20.3 billion.

While the revenues of SSS last year rose 15 percent to P200.5 billion, expenditures climbed by a faster 27 percent to P180.2 billion.

The jump in expenditures, which include operating expenses, came on the back of the additional P1,000 in monthly pension, which totaled P33.5 billion for the entire 2017.

So the SSS sought the president’s approval of its proposal to jack up members’ contribution rate to up to 14 percent from the current 11 percent to compensate for the impact of the pension increase on its fund life.

The SSS was unable to implement the planned 1.5-percentage point contribution rate increase as initially scheduled in May last year as it awaited passage of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act.

The pension fund also sought to raises the minimum monthly salary credit to P4,000 from P1,000 at present, as well as the maximum cap to P20,000 from P16,000.

The higher contribution rate will allow the SSS to extend the fund’s life up to 2044 from the current 2042.

The contribution rate hike is needed as the actuarial life of SSS will be reduced by 14 to 17 years to 2025 to 2028 if members’ contributions would not be increased.

The increase in contribution rate can be effected either through an executive order from the president, or by the proposed amendment in the Social Security Act of 1997 currently pending in Congress.

The proposed amendments to the SSS charter include allowing the Social Security Commission to jack up contribution rates without presidential approval.

According to Dooc, SSS is waiting for 17th Congress to approve the measure before its second session goes into recess, for implementation by the third quarter, instead of waiting for an EO. “The president already has many problems, I don’t want this to add to his concerns‌ I don’t want his political capital used for this. I’d rather that the commission implement the contribution rate hike. It’s our job,â€? Dooc said. n

USDA trims PH rice...

PAGE B1 t

to 12.35 million MT. USDA said there may be improvements in area planted as rice areas this year will be at 4.86 million hectares, three percent higher than the 4.72 million hectares last year.

This will be complemented by yield slightly improving at 4.04 MT per hectare from 3.93 MT

per hectare. “In some regions where rice per capita consumption has traditionally been high, particularly in Asia, people are consuming less rice as their diets diversify,�

USDA said.

Meanwhile, local corn production may inch up two percent to reach 8.3 million MT from last year’s 8.1 million MT. n

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Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond MONETTE ADEVA MAGLAYA (Continued from last week …)

TRUST your own instincts.

Your own personal experience will color the lens with which you view and relate with your personal guardian angel. God so loved the world, He sent His only son to redeem us from sin and death so we may gain eternal life. Angels are sent to help us during our time here on earth towards this arduous journey to eternal life.

The Holy Spirit cameto guide us and enlighten us. But on the micro, day-by-day level, God sent us our personal guardian angels from conception, birth, throughout our life and our passage from death to eternal life as a constant presence.

Come to think of it, every time an unborn life is cut down, the murder deprives an angel of his purpose. There must be some cosmic angst and turmoil in the

BUSINESS NEWS

Angels among us (Third of 4 parts)

heavens. There must be anguish and pain, a disturbance, not only on earth but also in the celestial realm. Some say God created so many angels, one cannot count the number of angels that can stand on the head of a pin.

But there is a caveat to this gift

“ I think we all do have a guardian angel. I believe they work through us all the time, when we are thoughtful and good and kind to each other” – Roma Downey

from the Almighty. One must accept the gift and use the gift of the presence of angels in one’s life for good and only good. One must be humble of heart to know that by ourselves we can do nothing of real value to ourselves or our loved ones and ultimately find God in our lives without asking in earnest for help from the

spiritual, unseen realm of angels.

Yes, the key is to ask for help for one to receive it.

Also, one must never take the gift of a personal guardian angel for granted.

An angel is an invisible presence that must be acknowledged to become ever stronger.

God sends angels to keep watch over human beings and help them in every human challenge.

There is, however, the element of free will in humans.

You can acknowledge the presence of angels or deny it.

It is your choice ultimately.

The more angels are acknowledged and become a conduit to heaven, they become a hovering, guiding reality in one’s life growing ever stronger in their influence to shape every thought, word and deed in one’s life.

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

Chapter 7, Chapter 13 or debt settlement?

Client with $40K in credit card debt examines the differences

THE client is 42 and is going through a divorce. It was a short two-year marriage. He has moved out of the marital home and now lives by himself. He has a toddler who is with his wife, so he expects to pay child support.

There is not alimony because the marriage has not lasted 10 years.

So, if you are the higher income spouse and wondering why your spouse has not filed for divorce despite all of your philandering, it’s because in California you need to be married at least for a decade to claim alimony or spousal support from the higher income spouse.

In fact, I do have a client who was hit with divorce papers right after the ten-year period was reached, and being the higher income spouse, he has to pay $1,500 of alimony to his wife. We had to reorganize his financial affairs under Chapter 13 to handle $60K of credit cards, and to strip off $100,000 of 2nd trust deed. It is unusual nowadays to be able to strip junior liens because of the soaring prices of houses in Southern California. But in his case, a current appraisal report showed that his house was at least $10,000 under water after considering the balance of the first trust deed. His house had a fair market value of $220,000 while the balance owed on the first trust deed is $230,000, leaving the 2nd trust deed, a HELOC line , of $100,000 completely unsecured.

Let’s go back to the client with the short-lived marriage. He left his wife a year ago and has not paid $40,000 of credit cards since then. He asks me what he can do to handle the $40,000 debt because his creditors have started to threaten lawsuits.

After interviewing him, I determined that his was a classic Chapter 7 case. So I advised him to file for Chapter 7 to get a fresh start in life without the $40,000 of credit card debt. In Chapter 7, the court will discharge the entire $40,000, i.e., he doesn’t have to pay them at all. Here, the law gives him a chance to start all over again, without the burden of accumulated debt so he can become productive again. $40,000 requires him a minimum payment of $1,200 a month.

But obviously, he hasn’t paid the cards anymore for the last 12 months since he left the marital home. So now that he is getting demand letters to pay, he is looking at the possibility of wage garnishments on the horizon.

His income is a gross of $3,500 a month. Even for a single person, his gross income is below median for California. In California, a single person without any dependent living with him or her earning a gross of less than $4,000 a month is eligible for Chapter 7 under the means test.

Of course, a single person making a gross of more than $4,000 a month, can still qualify for Chapter 7 under different circumstances. But for this client, we do not have to bother with other circumstances because $3,500 is less than $4,000, which is the applicable threshold. Since it’s

Debt Relief

ATTY. LAWRENCE YANG

below the threshold, the means test will conclude that there is no presumption of abuse for this client to file for Chapter 7. The presumption of abuse, if it arises, presents a major obstacle to a successful Chapter 7, although this is not to say that the obstacle cannot be overcome. We don’t want that kind of situation as much as possible.

There is no problem regarding house-ownership as client never owned one. If there was an issue regarding house-ownership with non-exempt equity, the preferred filing for debt relief would be Chapter 13, not 7. Client said that he was worried that he could not get new credit after filing but admitted that his current credit score was below 500.

I informed him that with Chapter 7, he would be getting new pre-approved credit cards within months of discharge from banks and lenders that specialize in issuing cards to debtors who have just filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7. These would have annual fees and higher interest than normal cards. And buying a car can be done immediately after discharge but interest rate would also be higher than for one with good credit. With Chapter 7 discharge, his credit score would increase pretty fast.

It would go to 500 on filing and increase to 580 in one year. On year two, his credit score would be 620. On year 5 to 7, his credit score, if he handled new debt timely, would reach and surpass 700 which is very good. And on year 10, the fact of Chapter 7 filing would disappear from the credit report. On year 3, he can qualify to buy a house at higher interest assuming he handled new credit well. So, getting new credit after bankruptcy is no problem. I suggested to him, that new credit card use should be paid in full at the end of the month, so it doesn’t become bigger and bigger and go out of control. Further, he can get credit cards at Walmart, Visa or Mastercard, where the credit limit is set by the cash deposit on the account if he wants credit cards immediately for whatever reason.

An alternative to Chapter 7 is Chapter 13, which I suggested he could use if he for some reason wanted to pay a portion of the $40,000. I don’t suggest a Chapter 13, if you qualify for 7 because it makes absolutely no sense to do so. He felt guilty I think, about discharging the entire $40,000 in Chapter 7. Credit card companies factor in their cost of bad debt between 7-10 percent. In other words, they expect that between 7 percent to 10 percent of their card users will not be able to pay them back anything so that cost is already added to the interest everyone

pays. They don’t really lose money on unpaid credit card debt. They just write them off as bad debt and sell the account to third parties at a fraction of the outstanding debt. I informed him that he may pay between $150 to $300 in Chapter 13 for 36 to 60 months. So Chapter 13 costs $18,000 at $300 a month for 60 months. Then, if he completes 60 payments, the court will discharge $22,000. On this point alone, Chapter 13 will cost $18,000 more than Chapter 7 which costs zero.

Another alternative is debt settlement. This does not have a bankruptcy filing. Attempts to settle the $40,000 are made.

Let’s just say the rule of thumb is that creditors will agree to cut the $40,000 by half for a lump sum payment to be made within 48 hours. In this situation, debtor has to have ready at least $20,000 for settlement. This is $20,000 more than Chapter 7, and inferior to Chapter 13 because Chapter 13 allows a fiveyear repayment plan supervised by the court.

The last alternative is just do nothing and change your phone number. The problem with this is that creditors are apt to file lawsuits and will get a judgment that will result in wage garnishments in due time. In this situation, your credit score has no chance of improving within your lifetime, and you live in the constant fear that your payroll department will receive a wage garnishment notice, or your bank will receive a notice of levy on your bank account. Can you imagine even if half of the $40,000 got wage garnishments and bank levies? Client would have nothing left to pay rent and food! Why live like a rat under the sewer when you can start fresh without accumulated debt and benefit from rapid increase in your credit score if you handle your new credit right?

Walt Disney filed for Chapter 7 twice, yet Disney is now a billion dollar business worldwide. So, this is something good, not bad.

You have to change the way you think about debt and opt for the most expeditious and simple way of getting fresh start in life without accumulated debt. Maybe you’re smarter than Mr. Disney and Chapter 7 may pave your way to being the next American below 50. Who knows? But certainly if you have accumulated debt that is not discharged, life will be very difficult for you and your family, and you will not get a fresh start in life.

If you need debt relief, set an appointment to see me. I will analyze your case personally. *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in bankruptcy, business, real estate and civil litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 1000 S. Fremont Ave, Mailstop 58, Building A-1 Suite 1125, Alhambra, CA 91803 or at 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789.

(Advertising Supplement)

Government keen on additional...

PAGE B1 t

Alcohol excise taxes have also increased due to the Sin Tax Reform Law, which was enacted in 2012.

Both sin taxes on tobacco and alcoholic products are considered primarily as health measures, as they discourage consumption of these products and help finance the universal healthcare program of the government.

However, sin taxes, particularly on tobacco, were identified

by the DOF as one of the main drivers of inflation, which has averaged 4.1 percent in the first four months of the year, slightly above the two to four percent target range of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran earlier said the increase in tobacco prices was in part due to the TRAIN Law, and mostly due to better enforcement by revenue-collecting agencies.

“Tobacco prices rose by 46 percent year-on-year in the first

quarter mainly because of better tax collection,” Beltran said.

“Of the 46 percent price rise, TRAIN only accounts for two percentage points of the increase; sin tax for the four percentage points; and the rest (40 percentage points) is due to the industry’s response to more efficient sin tax collection,” he said.

The DOF earlier said adjustments in the prices of sin products, especially tobacco, would continue to fuel inflation in the near term. ■

SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 16-18, 2018

Calendar of Events across

America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS M AY 1 8

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 Asian-Americans; 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/.

Makati Nights in Los Angeles 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 Asian-Americans; 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/.

Case for Kids Fundraiser in Tracy, CA The Mountain House Rotary Club and the Central Valley Oil-Am Business Club will host a fundraiser for Case for Kids on Friday, May 18 via “The 6ix, A Comedy Show” at The Grant Bar & Lounge (2706 Pavilion Parkway, #101) in Tracy, CA. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Case for Kids is a nonprofit organization that donates a customized case for kids run foster care. The customized cases are packed with new clothes, bedding, toiletry items, stuffed animals and ageappropriate Christian books for each child. Hosted by TV/radio reporter and anchor Yvette Fernandez, the featured comedians performing in this event include Dennis Gaxiola (Comedy Central/BET/Fox), Joe Hughes, Frankie Marcos, Jason Sohm and Pryanka Wali. Tickets are available at www.eventbrite.com; for more information on the event, call event coordinator Leilani Opiana at (209) 221-1158 (lanfon0610@gmail.com) or Joe Hughes at (925) 727-9996 (thevinylthought@yahoo.com).

M AY 1 9

Long Beach community health fair On Saturday, May 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the public is invited to the Long Beach Community Health Fair. All services are free, including mammograms, HIV/STI tests, Hepatitis B & C testing, blood pressure. It will be at the Cambodian American United Methodist Church (1700 Temple Ave., Long Beach, CA 90804). For more information, please contact Koy Parada at (818) 599-9132 / kparada@apu.edu.

Pan Asian Citizenship Event in LA Come to the Pan Asian Citizenship Event on Saturday, May 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at East Los Angeles Service Center (133 N. Sunol Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90063). Appointments are required. No walk-ins. Start your application today to be a U.S. citizen! Visit www.citizenshipnow.net or call: Tagalog: (855) 300-2552 or English: (888) 349-9695.

M AY 22

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 Victoriano at fvictoriano@esipa.org or (424) 235-5011.

M AY 23

Usapang Pagkain: Adapting classic Filipino dishes in Chicago You’re invited to the next Usapang Pagkain, or food discussion, on Wednesday, May 23, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Hana Center, 4300 N. California (corner Montrose/California, across from Horner Park), Chicago, IL 60618. With community partner, Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights & Empowerment (AFIRE), Filipino Kitchen will be talking about how to adapt pancit and lumpia! Usapang Pagkain is a collaborative effort by AFIRE Chicago and Filipino Kitchen that explores how Filipino food can best serve our community through free, monthly events. The event series resists the notion of Filipino food as incompatible with healthy living.

It is a response to the dearth of culturally-relevant health education and the epidemic of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in our community. Usapang Pagkain will bring generations of Chicagoland Filipinos together to share our stories with one another and collectively learn practices that center our health, community, and food. Each event will highlight a Filipino dish or dishes, including recipes. During the weekday events, a light dinner will be provided.

Specifically organized to provide a much-needed community space for dialogue on health and wellness, Usapang Pagkain will examine the importance and potential of Filipino food in nourishing our body and soul. For more information or to RSVP, please visit: https://www. facebook.com/events/1776288302415547/.

M AY 26

FACCGLA’s bowling tournament The Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles (FACCGLA) will host a bowling tournament on Saturday, May 26 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Winnetka Bowling Lanes (20122 Vanowen St, Winnetka, CA 91306). Open to both members and non-members, in teams of four or we can assign you a team. Slots are limited. To register your team, please call FACC-GLA Secretary Ms. Connie Mapue (323) 337-7714 or FACC-GLA boardmember Ms. Doreen Remo (310) 428-7200. For more information and online payment, please visit www. faccgla.org.

“Salida: Simbolo at Kultura” Leyte Dance Theater USA Tour 2018 IDance Studio presents “Salida: Simbolo at Kultura,” Leyte Dance Theater’s USA Tour on Saturday, May 26, at 6 p.m. at Marsee Auditorium, El Camino College at 1600 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance, California. Ticket prices are at $50, $35, $25 and $20. For sponsorship and tickets call: Nonie Belarmino at (310) 357-0222, Lourdes Alvarez at (310) 351-2946, Edsel Candido at (424) 702-6604 or Garth Garcia at (209) 765-1677.

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

B3

B4 MAY 16-18, 2018 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL

Barrister’s Corner ATTY. KENNETH URSUA REYES THERE seems to be a misconception in the general public that you can only obtain a divorce in California if your spouse will sign the divorce papers. I get this question a lot from our family law clients. The fact is that California is a no fault state and you do not need your spouse’s signature in order to get a divorce. What is more important is being able to properly serve your spouse with the divorce petition and satisfy the jurisdictional requirement of the Court by showing that either you or your spouse resided in the State for at least 6 months prior to filing the petition and in the County for 3 months prior to filing the petition.

When you file a divorce petition, you have to serve your spouse with the summons and petition. Your spouse then has 30 days to file a response after being served with a divorce petition. If your spouse fails to file and serve you with a response, you can file

What’s New ARLENE AL-OS, CPA, MBA YOU have not filed your income tax returns for the current year and previous years because: 1) you decided you are not required to file? 2) You are a victim of identity theft and therefore excused? 3) You know you will owe taxes and you will have to pay when you file, decided not to file; 4) You were out of the country and you forgot to file? 5) Any other excuses.

If you are unsure if you are required to file, go to the IRS website and read on Publication 17 or ask your tax professional. If you owe taxes on your tax return and cannot pay in full, you can establish payment agreement with the IRS if you are required to file and owe a balance.

Here are the reasons why you should file. What happens if you do not file by the due date and you are required to file?

• Unless there is reasonable

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Can I obtain a divorce if my spouse refuse to sign? a request for default against your spouse after 30 days. You can also file a proposed judgment for the court to approve. The default procedure can be done even if there are issues of property division, custody, visitation, and support. However, the Court will still review your proposed judgment and property division to make sure it conforms to the policy towards equal division of community property. Meaning, you have to propose a division of community property that is pretty much equal between the spouses. If your proposed property division is one sided such as distributing all community property to you and giving all the community debts to your spouse, the Court would probably not grant your judgment. The Court would probably set a hearing for you to explain why this is an equal division of community property.

The only time you may need your spouse’s signature is if your spouse files a response to your divorce petition. This is called “contesting” the divorce.

If your divorce is contested by your spouse, you can resolve the case either by “settlement” or by “trial.” However, you do not have to settle all the issues in the case at once. Under the concept of divisible divorce, you can settle some of the issues and set the other issues which you and your spouse cannot agree on for trial.

Our office try to resolve cases through settlement because it is more cost effective and the parties are usually happier with the outcome. In that situation, the parties may avoid the cost and uncertainty of going to trial by executing what is called a stipulated judgment which is in essence an agreement as to all the issues in the divorce case.

For issues which you and your spouse cannot agree on, you will have to go through the litigation process which involves obtaining discovery, exchanging declarations of disclosures, and preparing the case for trial. Ultimately, you will obtain your divorce at trial in addition to adjudication

u PAGE B6

You have not filed your income tax returns for years? cause and not willful neglect, you are subject to failure to file penalty of 5% of tax owed of each month up to a maximum of 25% with minimum penalty of $210 if more than 60-days late filing.

• There is also failure to pay penalty of 0.5% of each month up to 25% of unpaid tax owed from due date until fully paid.

• Interest is assessed from the original filing date on taxes not paid by due date.

• File your income tax returns before the extension ends. If you don’t the IRS will file a return for you and accrues taxes based on their records. You will receive a bill based on their calculation.

• If you are due a refund, there is no penalty for failure to file BUT you could lose your refund.

• There is a statute of limitation in claiming for refund even you did not file your income tax returns.

• Refund Statute: You have to file your income tax returns within 3 years from the due date to claim the refund either issuance

of check or application of overpayment to subsequent year/s tax liabilities.

• If you have not filed your income tax returns for Tax Years 2012 and prior, and you are due with a refund, you will have to say bye-bye to those tax years’ refunds since it is already beyond the refund statute.

• Filing after Refund Statute: You lose the refund and can no longer receive a check nor apply the overpayment to your future tax liabilities.

• There is no statute of limitation if you fail to file your income tax returns. This only means that the IRS can still audit and collect taxes for all years you did not file your income tax returns. It will be a nightmare!

• Consider filing Form 1127 Application for Extension of Time for Payment of Tax Due to Undue Hardship. Meaning it will be inconvenient and you will suffer financial loss if you pay in full. Supporting documentation.

u PAGE B6

People and Events

CSUF Communications students win industry awards STUDENTS from Cal State Fullerton’s College of Communications won multiple awards this spring at in the Hearst Foundation Journalism Awards Program, at the Associated Collegiate Press Midwinter Journalism Convention and the California SpeechLanguage-Hearing Association’s Knowledge Bowl.

Journalism student Bryant Freese won the first-place award and a $3,000 scholarship, plus a matching amount for the Department of Communications as a 2018 Hearst Foundation Journalism Awards Program winner.

Freese’s stories were selected from 121 entries from 66 colleges and universities in the 58th annual national awards competition. As a Hearst award recipient, Freese will participate in the Na-

tional Writing Championship in June in San Francisco.

The Daily Titan took first place in the four-year university, more than weekly newspaper category of the 2018 Associated Collegiate Press Midwinter Journalism Convention. The student newspaper also picked up a third-place award in the multimedia package category and fourth place for its newspaper special edition. In addition, Tusk magazine placed sixth in feature magazines.

Meanwile, four graduate students studying communication sciences and disorders won the California Speech-LanguageHearing Association (CSHA) 2018 Knowledge Bowl championship at the CSHA annual convention in Sacramento: The winning team members are: Mi-

Bryant Freese, a Cal State Fullerton communications major, won a first-place award as a 2018 Hearst Foundation Journalism Awards Program winner.

chelle D’Mello, Melissa Sanchez, Bismah Dadabhoy and Kathy Hong-Lee. ■

Diamond Bar Day Fair Committee recruiting volunteers PLANNING for this year’s Diamond Bar Day at the Fair is now underway, and the Los Angeles County Fair Association is currently seeking residents who may be interested in serving on a volunteer committee to help plan this year’s event.

The Committee, which was formed last year, plays a significant role in planning, advertising and executing various aspects of Diamond Bar Day. Responsibilities include: • Working in partnership with Fairplex staff to generate leads for potential donors and raise funds to help offset school bus transportation costs for Diamond Bar students to participate in the FairKids Field Trip Program; • Promoting the FairKids program to school districts and schools by distributing information and making presentations; • Raising public awareness and working with news media outlets to help promote the Community Hero Award program and helping with the nomination and selection of awardees and; • Helping with the coordination of a parade by planning entertainment and enlisting the participation of communitybased groups.

Diamond Bar Day at the Fair

is an annual event led by the Los Angeles County Fair Association as part of its annual Community Days program. It is aimed at honoring participating government entities with a host of festivities, including recognition of volunteers, discounted fair admission for residents, and a parade featuring local community groups, sports teams and first

responders.

Diamond Bar Day at the Fair takes place every year in September. For more information or to join the committee, contact Committee Chair Debbie Avila-Mott at 909.860.1063 or Fairplex Community Relations Coordinator Shanell Fuquay at 909.865.4075 or fuquay@fairplex.com. ■

B MAY 16-18, 2018 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL

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Ford Theatres now accepting Letters of Intent for 2019 Artists Partnership Program deadline to submit LOI is June 11, 2018 LETTERS of Intent (LOIs) are now being accepted for the Ford Theatres Artists Partnership Program (APP). The program supports Los Angeles County-based independent artists, nonprofit organizations, presenters, producers and producing collectives by co-presenting their performances in the John Anson Ford Theatres.

Selected through a competitive application process, participants in the Ford Theatres APP are provided the opportunity to copresent with the Ford Theatres in its historic outdoor 1,200-seat amphitheatre. Every year, the Ford presents an eclectic season of music, dance, theatre, film and family events reflective of the communities that comprise the region. Approximately one third to one half of main stage evening programming in the Ford’s 2019 Season will be comprised of APP presentations.

Using a shared risk/revenue model, selected participants will receive preferred performance dates and access to the fully ren-

EMPLOYMENT

ovated venue, including lighting and sound equipment and production, marketing, and box office support. There are no upfront fees to participate. Participants retain 80-90% of ticket revenue and are responsible for bringing the proposed event to fruition.

In 2017, the Ford Theatres initiated a two-tier application format to minimize the work for applicants. LOIs that reflect the Ford Theatres’ mission to bring people together for transformative arts experiences that inspire, empower and ignite cultural exchange will be considered. Upon review, selected applicants will be invited to submit a full application. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the Ford Theatres Artists Partnership Program guidelines before submitting an LOI. Program guidelines and LOI instructions are available at fordtheatres.org/artists-partnership-program. The deadline to submit an LOI is June 11, 2018.

About the Ford

The Ford Theatres is owned by the County of Los Angeles and operated in partnership with the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Ford Theatre Foundation. Nestled in a canyon of a County regional park in the Cahuenga Pass, the Ford Theatres has a rich history dating back to the 1920s. At 1,200 seats, the Ford creates an intimate concert experience that is a favorite among Angelenos.

Each summer, the Ford hosts a multicultural multidisciplinary season of events. Ford programs nurture artists, arts organizations and audiences through initiatives designed to encourage participation in the arts. Audiences attending the 2018 Season will enjoy a fully revitalized Ford after the completion of a nearly three-year renovation project, including improved lighting and sound and the Ford Terrace Café on the new terrace – dubbed The Zev – with a menu by Crumble Catering. More information can be found at FordTheatres.org.

EMPLOYMENT

LA Dept. of Mental Health announces “WE RISE” 10-day pop-up festival and cultural convening “WE RISE,” a large-scale popup art exhibition, cultural convening, and community organizing event, will open in Downtown Los Angeles (1726 N. Spring St.) on Saturday, May 19, and will run through Monday, May 28, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month which occurs nationally each May. “WE RISE” is a project of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and its WHY WE RISE campaign supporting a movement to smash barriers and defy assumptions about mental health care and the many related social conditions that affect our youth and communities.

Leading up to the launch of this campaign, “WE RISE” is sponsoring a nationwide art contest focusing on themes ranging from “Transforming Failing Systems,” to “Facing Trauma & Ending Stigma.”Submissions—which the public can submit for consideration online—will be reviewed by a panel of judges dedicated to the cause of improving mental health care, including Common(singer, songwriter, Academy Award-

winner), whose work in fighting mass incarceration has shown him the connectedness between mental health and crime; Yara Shahidi (actor), an activist on behalf of her fellow youth, especially around the importance of voting; and Jesse Williams(actor), civil rights activist that sits of the board of the Advancement Project which develops and inspire community-based solutions and public education campaigns. Additional participants include Kehlani (musician),She pard Fairey (artist), Favianna Rodriguez(executive director, Culture Strike), Bobby Hundreds (founder, The Hundreds), Darren Walker (president, Ford Foundation), Agnes Gund (founder, Arts for Justice Fund) and Jonathan E. Sherin, M.D., Ph.D(director, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health), Michelle Alexander(author, The New Jim Crow), and Evan Pricco(editor, Juxtapoz Magazine).

The five winning artists will have their work on exhibit next to the internationally acclaimed artists to also be featured in the

EMPLOYMENT

SERVICES

pop-up installation. Ten selected artworks will be added to the “WE RISE” online art gallery.

Over the course of the 10-day festival, the event will feature over 150+ artists presenting original pieces of art, over 50hours of creative programming and workshops with some of the biggest names in pop culture, activism, sports and art along with other performances and panels – all with a keen focus on supporting a call to action for mental health as a civil right.

“WE RISE” challenges us to see that creativity, community and collective action has the power to change culture, climate and systems. The event hopes to raise awareness on such themes as how individual and collective traumas can tragically manifest themselves into addiction, gang affiliation, anxiety and suicide.

The event will be a time to take action and the systemic failures and inequities that leave many people feeling unsupported and hopeless.

Participating artists, activists

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Community Journal

New Media Film Festival 2018 continues to define the future of storytelling

THE New Media Film Festival will hold its ninth annual edition in Los Angeles on the weekend of June 16 and 17 in Los Angeles. Hailed for making “the cutting edge accessible,” by the Huffington Post, it showcases the quickly evolving world of new media with sections dedicated to AR, AI, VR, work produced on drones and mobile phones, as well as pilots and features.

The competitions are judged by industry leaders from HBO, Marvel, and Arpix Media with $45,000 of awards at stake. The festival slate includes 110 films from 40 countries, including 36 world – 7 US – 24 Los Angeles premieres.

As noted by noted film programmer and board member David Kleiler, “When the NMFF began nearly ten years ago, nontraditional media like virtual reality and mobile content were almost considered to be sciencefiction in the Industry. Few people had experienced the power of these innovative technologies, let alone how they would revolutionize the way we consume media today. The NMFF doesn’t just show great films. It champions new forms of storytelling in the 21st Century.”

Besides envisioning the future of media, the festival also examines the future of the world itself with its opening night film, Living in the Future’s Past.

Academy Award Winner, Jeff Bridges presents this beauti-

fully photographed tour de force documentary of original thinking on who we are and the environmental challenges we face.

Bridges, alongside prominent scientists and authors, weaves evolution, emergence, entropy, dark ecology, and what some are calling the end of nature, into a story that helps us understand our place among the species of Earth’s household. Jeff Bridges 2018 Recipient Socially Responsible Conservationist Award.

Highlights of this year’s lineup include: “Live VR Corridor-Mixed Reality after Bruce Nauman” / Dir. Steve Anderson - A mixed reality installation that pays homage to the early days of video art by immersing visitors in a space that is part physical and part virtual, inverting the senses of sight and touch, and activating the pleasures of looking, seeing and being seen.

“AI - Smartest S^^t in the Room” / Dir. Jonathan Kitzen (World Premiere) - Is AI Disruptive? Indeed. Gone are the hundreds of miles of pipes, the pumps, the waste sewers and the infrastructure that comes with it.

Now it is possible to live on a mountain, a desert, or just about anywhere without any municipal support at all.

“Played” / Dir. Jay Ferguson (LA Premiere) - Set in the not too distant future, where the parallax between technology and realism is indistinguishable; Played is a

SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 16-18, 2018 B

Wilson Center releases first annual 50x50 report on Women in Public Service leadership WASHINGTON – The Women in Public Service Project (WPSP) at the Wilson Center launched the first annual report from the Global Women’s Leadership Initiative Index on Tuesday, May 15.

The Global Women’s Leadership Initiative Index is the first global index to measure not only where women are in public service leadership, but also how they got there and the power they hold.

The new report from the WPSP, Roadmap to 50x50: Power and Parity in Women’s Leadership serves as a launchpad for policy change toward the Project’s goal of “50 by 50”: 50 percent representation of women in policy and political leadership – worldwide – by the year 2050.

“In the era of fake news, this is the real deal. We now have the evidence to show the power of women’s leadership,” said Jane Harman, Director, President and CEO of the Wilson Center.

The “50x50 Report” measures progress toward parity across five sectors of government in 75 countries. The analysis looks at women’s representation in terms of both glass ceilings (the number of women in leadership) and glass walls (representation across policy functions such as economy and infrastructure).

“It is important that we measure more than just the numbers of women in leadership,” said Gwen K. Young, Director of the Global Women’s Leadership Initiative and Women in Public Service Project at the Wilson Center.

“In order for women to have an

sci-fi thriller that follows a troubled high school student who seeks the comfort of escapism through interactive gaming.

“Mary & Marsha in the Manor of Madness” / Dir. Kris Theorin – In this animated work, sinister secrets await as Mary helps her girlfriend Marsha escape from her parents Gothic mansion one dark and eldritch night.

“Bad Karma - Artist Burning Shapes” / Dir. Casey Dobie (L.A. Premiere) – A music video for the band Burning Shapes. Centered on the band’s escapades while solving a puzzle that unlocks a gateway to a parallel world, Bad Karma is a fast paced humorous and visually intriguing short story told exclusively through images and music.

“Superficial Intelligence” / Dir. Kholi Hicks & Vern Evans (World PAGE B5 t Premiere) – In the first episode and athletes include: Common, of this webseries, tour ‘tech- Yara Shahidi, Jesse Williams, misfits’ are pulled together after Kobe Bryant, YG, Madame Ganone witnesses a murder online. dhi, Yance Ford, Dolvett Quince, Armed with their half-brain wits MuMu Fresh, Syncopated Ladies, and one another, they pursue the Raja Kumari, Kehlani, Nick Canpuppeteer pulling their strings non, Jabbawockeez, Metta World to get out of the mess they’ve Peace, Cheryl Dunn, Cyrcle, El Mac, Erin Riley, Ernesto Yerena, stumbled in to.

“Bruce” / Dir. Irhad Mutic Estevan Oriol, Favianna Rodri(World Premiere) – A story about guez, Glenn Kaino, Jessi Jumanji, love, ninjas and the beauty of Jess X Snow, Mel Kadel, Patrick Martinez, Sage Vaughn, Shepard children’s imagination.

All events will be held in our Fairey, Swoon and many more.

“WE RISE” will work together new venue, the James Bridges to manifest new systems of care Theater at UCLA. For our full schedule, please visit: https://www.newmediafilmfestival.com/schedule.php.

equal seat at the table, they must have a voice in decision-making across policy functions. True gender parity means women at the table across government sectors, with the same power as their male counterparts.”

With the goal of providing actionable tools to achieve global gender parity, the “50x50 Report” highlights the levers that can impact women’s representation in leadership. Key findings include: • Education Counts: Education, particularly vocational skills training and literacy, is a key predictor of women’s leadership.

• Part-time Work Opens Doors: Re-thinking the traditional 9-5 work structure will open new paths to leadership.

• Public Administration is the Starting Point: the numbers indicate that this sector will be the first to reach parity in leadership globally.

• Glass Walls Must be Broken, Too: Women remain under-represented at critical policy tables around the world.

• Perception Matters: Public perceptions of women in public life can be related to the kinds of leadership positions women hold.

• Women in Power is Linked to Good Governance: Globally, the numbers show a clear, positive relationship between women in leadership and good governance.

The report will launch at an event at the Wilson Center, with screenings of the launch

hosted by partners in the U.S., London, and Albania. More details about the launch event and screenings can be found at www.50x50movement.org.

The full report, including data and scores for all 75 countries, will be available May 15 at data.50x50movement.org/index.

About the Wilson Center The Wilson Center, chartered

by Congress as the official memorial to President Woodrow Wilson, is the nation’s key nonpartisan policy forum for tackling global issues through independent research and open dialogue.

With experts in residence from around the world and a reputation for sound, unbiased and constructive thinking, the Wilson Center connects the world of ideas with the world of policy.

For more information, please visit www.wilsoncenter.org.

About the Women in Public Service Project Housed at the Wilson Center’s Global Women’s Leadership Initiative, the Women in Public Service Project (WPSP) is committed to accelerating global progress towards women’s equal participation in policy and political leadership. Through groundbreaking research, innovative partnerships and global conversations, WPSP champions the creation of more dynamic and inclusive institutions – leveraging the full potential of both men and women – to change the way global solutions are forged. For more information, please visit www.50x50movement.org. n

LA Dept. of Mental Health announces... that support the empowerment of health and well-being as a civil right. Every American deserve the tools, access and resources needed to navigate our lives and cultivate our best selves. Together, we have the power to spark change in our communities and revolutionize the way we perceive and approach mental health.

“This generation is calling BS on inaction. This May, in honor of this important national month of awareness around mental health, we are demanding more from our government and from each other. At WE RISE, we will be

coming together as a community of artists, activists and community members to create a healthier and more just society,” said Yosi Sergant, owner of TASKFORCE, the group responsible for producing the event.

For a calendar and full list of details regarding “WE RISE” programming, please visit: http:// werise.la/.

Additional special performances and events will be announced in the coming weeks.

To register, go to https://www. eventbrite.com/e/we-rise-general-admission-art-gallery-tickets45873043508. n

PCCI seeking $20 billion investment...

PAGE B1 t

the next 10 years.

According to Lim, the PCCI, with the help of the government and tourism stakeholders, has initially identified 40 sites in the country that are capable of being world class destinations.

The number has been trimmed down to 20 to include only those that have the highest potential based on factors such as access, accommodation, attraction, activities, and arrival.

“First thing these investors would ask is where should I invest the money. We’ve been working with local chambers and local government for them to tell us why their areas should be promoted,” Lim said.

“We will validate the first 10, and we will go to the next 10, hopefully after one year. We intend to finish the first 10 this year. We would like to keep the next 10 confidential first,” he added.

For Luzon, part of first 10 destinations that will be subjected to further evaluation are Clark (Subic, Bataan, Zambales, and Tarlac), Palawan (San Vicente, Puerto Princesa, and El Nido), Bicol (Legazpi and Naga), and Ilocos (Laoag and Vigan).

In Visayas, Bohol, Iloilo/Guimaras, Dumaguete, and Leyte have been identified, while in Mindanao, the areas include Davao/Samal Island and Cagayan de Oro/Bukidnon.

“We will now go on familiarization tour on all of these areas to evaluate and check,” Lim said.

Last year, PCCI said the tourism industry has been the third biggest contributor to the country’s gross domestic product, with 20 percent of the total income generated by the industry contributed by Boracay.

“So we do this, we put our money where our mouth is, we will be able to attract 20 million foreign tourists and we will be able to attract 100 million domestic tourists and that will bring us $150 billion in income in the tourism industry alone. It will be one of the biggest industries in 10 years,” he said. n

Dominguez criticizes calls to shelve...

PAGE B1 t

plementation of excise taxes on oil or increase the P200 cash aid for poor families if inflation rate continues to increase beyond 4 percent by end of the third quarter.

Dominguez, in a statement, said “The suspension of the tax reform program will certainly tend to slow down the ‘Build Build Build’ program, and possibly negatively affect the government’s ability to fund the free tuition program as well as the increase in salaries of the police

and military”.

The Finance department said the TRAIN law had a direct impact on just non-alcoholic beverages, tobacco, electricity, gas, and other fuels, and transportation that was felt in the first quarter.

It also pushed inflation up by just 0.4 percentage points, lower than the estimated 0.7 percentage points.

The department claimed that other factors such as a rise global oil had driven inflation to 4.5 percent in April.

“The current spike in inflation is only temporary,” Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran said.

“All these programs we are implementing, which are made possible because of the additional revenues from TRAIN, are meant precisely to prevent prices from rising further in the future,” he added.

“TRAIN is a long-term measure that would push the economy to a much higher development path, create more jobs and improve the living conditions for our people.” n

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Can I obtain a divorce if my spouse...

PAGE B4 t

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cover story The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - May 16, 2018

Concept artist Anthony Francisco on the Filipino influences in ‘Black Panther’ & his contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe by

‘Explore Islands Philippines’ asks tourists to discover, experience and explore PH tourism event highlights country’s 7,641 islands FOR four days last week, the world-famous and iconic Grand central Terminal in new York city was the home of the 7,641 islands of the Philippines – as “explore islands Philippines,” a major project to promote Philippine tourism was held at the Vanderbilt Hall after a grand kickoff celebration opening the expo on Wednesday, May 9.

Philippine Mission to the United nations Permanent Representative, Ambassador Teodoro Locsin, PH Department of Tourism new York attaché Susan del Mundo and economic Affairs Minister Jose Victor chan-Gonzaga from the Philippine embassy in Washington, Dc led the opening along with guests from the PhilipContinued on Page 5

Christina M. Oriel / AJPress

Since its release three months ago, “Black Panther” has broken a handful of records, including achieving its status as the third highest-grossing film in the United States. For those who have yet to see it or want to do so for the nth time, the Marvel blockbuster arrives on DVD and Blu-Ray this week.

A lot has been written about the success of the film, as well as its historic representation of minority actors and characters. in addition to the influences of African heritage throughout “Black Panther,” the uniform for the Dora Milaje (Wakanda’s all-female special forces) was partially inspired by the ifugao tribe in the Philippines.

That’s thanks to Filipino-American Anthony Francisco, senior visual development artist on Marvel Studio’s Visual Development team. “i’m just glad that everyone likes it and no one is taking exclusive ownership of the movie. i feel like it’s for everyone. i feel a sense of pride that i was able to use a lot of influences and put it into one really badass iconic costume that still reflects African culture,” Francisco told Asian Journal.

The designer, who was working on “Aveng-

The outfits for the Dora Milaje in “Black Panther” were illustrated by Francisco, using African and Filipino influences, among others.

Philippine Tapestry showcasing the various indigenous materials, weaves and fabrics.

AJPress photos by Troi Santos

Fil-Am Anthony Francisco, senior visual development artist on Marvel Studio’s Visual Development team.

AJPress photo by Noel Ty

ers: infinity War” at the time, was brought on board for “Black Panther” back in summer 2016, even before the script was finished.

“The process usually starts from the comic book reference source material, which we try to keep close to,” he narrated. “That’s the key thing that makes us successful. Then when director Ryan coogler was signed on, the head of [Marvel’s] Visual Development, Ryan Meinerding, talked to coogler and then relayed the vision to me like the description of how it should look or a reference material of what direction i should go in.”

Francisco scoured through material to find textures and patterns he liked to influence his sketches. The process overall, he estimated, took somewhere around two months — the bulk of the labor involved research.

“As a concept artist, the most important thing in design is to research. The more things you know, the more things you could remix into your design and know what’s been done and make sure you know how to blend different influences,” he said.

During some instances, he had the chance to directly talk to coogler to get a better understanding of the latter’s vision. Using coogler’s notes and what was referred to as the “Wakanda Bible,” Francisco then proceeded to drawing and Continued on Page 4

Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Teodoro Locsin, Jr. (third from left) with Ambassador Mario L. de Leon, Jr. (second from left), Princess Katarina of Yugoslavia and Serbia wearing a Filipiniana terno created by Renee Salud with Ambassador Mario L. de Leon, Jr. Mrs. Eleanor de Leon (left) and Ms. Loida Nicolas-Lewis at the Unity Gala of the and Mrs. Eleanor de Leon Friends of the Philippine Society USA.

Ruben and Janet Nepales

uben and Janet Nepales, the only Filipino members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, receive their award from Miss Saigon star JonJon Briones at the Unity Gala celebrating the birth of the Friends of the Philippine Society USA led by Jerry Sibal and Edwin Josue. Also in photo are the evening’s co-hosts - ABC-7’s Nina Pineda and Sandra Bookman.

Photo by Boyet Loverita Photos by Boyet Loverita

Continued on Page 6

entertainment

Derek: Marriage is about full commitment to each other

by Ricky Lo

“It’s a story of love and commitment,” said Derek, “and it shows how love can bring out BeeN there, done that. talk the best and the worst version of about falling in and out of love yourself.” and Derek ramsay has a lot to that’s the voice of experisay, having experienced (read: ence. survived) the peaks and valleys, “My character Wado is very the ins and outs, and the highs complicated just like me. He and lows of that four-letter word. made many mistakes in his past It’s no secret that Derek but he worked very hard to has had a failed marriage (that change his entire being. Because produced a son that he loves so of love, he is forced to make much; he has remained friends more mistakes.” with the boy’s non-showbiz Does he think that marriage mom) and colorful romances duly guarantees that a couple will monitored by the movie press stick to each other for better or and he has nothing but good for worse, ‘till death do them words about his ex-girlfriends, part? two of them solenn Heussaff Derek Ramsay Photo courtesy of Star Cinema “Having a wedding or a (with whom Derek even starred name stars from both the Kapupiece of paper saying that you in a movie, regal Films’ “Love is are married doesn’t define what Blind”) and Angelica Panganiban so (GMA) and Kapamilya (ABsa real marriage is all about. Mar(with whom Derek is not in pleas- cBN), lured by reportedly astronomical tFs (talent Fees), riage is about full commitment to ant terms). only for many of them to go back each other.”

No wonder Derek seems where they came from like prodiso what makes a marriage to act naturally in the love-trigal sons and daughters. work? angle movies that he has been Asked if, now that he’s back “A perfect balance of love, associated with, such as star commitment, trust and sacrifice.” cinema’s “Kasal” which also stars at star cinema, he’s just a step away from ABs-cBN, Derek With enviably rich experience Paulo Avelino and Bea Alonzo, minced words and simply said, mirrored in his movies, it’s a bit directed by ruel Bayani. hard to believe that Derek has “It’s wonderful to be working “I’m just happy that I’ve spoken to all the people that I’ve worked never been involved in a real-life with Bea again,” Derek said. with and who played important love triangle.

“I worked with her in And I roles in building my career.”

“In all honesty,” he conLove You so. same with Paulo enough said (read between fessed, “in real life, I’ve never and direk ruel. they are all so the lines). been in a situation that I find mytalented people.”

As the third wheel self in my movies,” meaning that But first, a clarification. Five in “Kasal,” Derek’s character he’s not a two-timer, just a oneyears ago, he didn’t renew his creates complications when woman-at-a-time man. “I hope,” contract with ABs-cBN, sister he comes back just when the he added, knocking on wood, company of star cinema, and characters of Paulo and Bea are “that I would never find myself in instead joined the starry exodus about to get married. in that sticky situation.” to Kapatid network tV5 with Philstar.com

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - May 16, 2018

Heart, Chiz: Our family just got bigger

by Ricky Lo Philstar.com

Actress Heart evangelista and sen. Francis “chiz” escudero’s family just “got a little bigger” as they are expecting their first baby.

Barely nine months from now, chiz will be a father for the third time as his wife, Heart, confirmed on her Instagram account on saturday, May 12, on the eve of Mother’s Day, that she’s finally pregnant. the much-awaited announcement was accompanied by a picture of the couple showing Heart holding a Dior baby dress that left no hint about the baby’s gender. the picture was taken at the sala of Heart’s multi-millionpeso house in New Manila which, chiz has been saying all along, was built from Heart’s earnings alone.

“It’s her house,” he would say, but those in the know suspect that chiz contributed to the construction. they lived separately while the house was being built, Heart in her condo unit also in the same area and chiz in his bachelor’s pad nearby.

“We do sleepovers,” chiz admitted in an interview with The Star. chiz has fraternal twin-kids, chesi and Quino, with his ex-wife theater actress christine Flores,

born almost 11 years ago in October, which is chiz’s birth month. they ended their 10-year marriage in 2010, announced only (exclusively in The Star) in 2011. the kids are staying with chiz and christine visits them regularly.

Heart is due to give birth in February next year when she and chiz celebrate their third wedding anniversary. their wedding was solemnized last Feb. 15, 2015, at the exclusive Balesin Island in Quezon province.

Motherhood won’t actually be something new to Heart since she has been a good stepmom to chiz’s twins.

“You see,” Heart has been saying in interviews, “I’m having a lot of practice already.”

Also in interviews, Heart said she wanted to have two kids while chiz insisted that he wanted five. With the arrival of his third child, chiz needs just two more to match the number of kids that he wished for. the guess is that the couple deliberately delayed having a child prior to the expiration of Heart’s endorsement contracts. she has also been busy with shows in GMA-7, her home studio. But she begged off from more shows after her last one, “My Korean Jagiya,” because she was dead-set on having a baby. It’s not known if she and

Heart Evangelista with husband Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero Photo from Instagram/@iamhearte

chiz were into family planning. since his term as senator is ending, chiz will have ample time to attend to his pregnant wife.

“No,” chiz admitted in an interview with The Star, “I am not running for any other position in 2019. I am planning to join the private sector.”

Heart also denied rumors that she might run for either mayor of sorsogon city or for congresswoman of sorsogon, which chiz represented in the House before he became a senator.

In her Instagram account, Heart posted this message: “the greatest blessing all in God’s perfect timing! Our beautiful family just got a little bigger. We can’t wait to meet you, little one.”

Director on ‘Darna’ remake: ‘It will be out of this world’

MONtHs back when this corner published a little (interrogative) story if the long-delayed “Darna” remake by star cinema was being “shelved(?),” Your Funfarer was relentlessly bashed to pieces by the fans of Liza soberano who has been tapped to revive the legendary superheroine. the next day, an urgent clarification was published, with people concerned assuring the fans that the movie would be pushed through and, in fact, shooting has already started.

“Yes, Darna will definitely Director Erik Matti and Liza Soberano who has been training hard preparatory to her playing the Star fly!,” confirmed director erik Cinema remake of Darna.

Philstar.com photo Matti when Funfare talked

to him during the announcement of a movie (tentatively) titled “the Wind Breezes On” which will start shooting in November starring Martial Arts champion Brandon Vera and Hong Kong action star Dennis to (but more on that in a later issue; erik was present to support Brandon whom he directed in the soon-to-be-released movie Buy Bust). “But I can’t say how many percent we have shot so far.”

What erik is sure of is that Liza will not use any “double” in the fight scenes for which she has been training hard. (Liza is showing her “action” prowess

in the Kapamilya series Bagani.)

“Have you seen Liza lately?” asked erik who has helmed some of the industry’s heart-stopping action dramas, among them the critically-acclaimed “OtJ” (On the Job) and “Honor thy Father.” “Doesn’t she look so fit? Sobrang ganda ng katawan! I really admire her. she’s mabait, matapang at malakas ang loob. she lives up to my expectations.”

Besides Liza’s thorough training (martial arts included), preparations for the movie are, according to erik, “madugo” (bloody), es-

pecially the sets (built in several locations), the costumes and everything else. It promises to be the most expensive Darna ever, with the budget reportedly running to multi-million pesos (exact budget confidential). But erik assured that it would be worth it. the costume which was originally designed by Nestor redondo and Darna creator Mars ravelo has been altered a bit as it has been done with every actress who has essayed the role, including rosa del rosario (the original), Liza Moreno, eva Montes, Gina Pareño, Vilma Continued on Page 6

features Concept artist Anthony Francisco on the Filipino...

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - May 16, 2018

From Page 2 rendering in Photoshop.

“I do those sketches first to problem solve the way the costume patterns would be or the silhouettes and the cuts before undertaking a big rendering in Photoshop so I could be more efficient with my time. I decide to keep my sketchbook open and then I start painting in photoshop and just blocking out the figure. Starting off with a naked body first, I try to build it as if you’re wearing clothing. I put a layer of an undershirt and on top of that, more clothing and armor. So when I turn off and on the layers, I could mix and match sometimes. It’s just easier to pretend that I’m dressing up

something,” he described his method.

After the outfits were illustrated, they were then materialized by costume designer Ruth Carter.

“For Marvel’s Visual Development, our purpose is to design the heroes and villains of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and from there, our designs go to the costume designer who makes them come to life and translate them for the big screen. It’s a tough job but we try to make sure our designs translate well,” he said. “Ruth Carter did an amazing job of making the designs come to life.

We had like four costumes done before she got on board but the

Teenage Groot, who appears in “Avengers: Infinity War”

The character of Okoye in “Black Panther”

Illustrations by Anthony Francisco

rest of the other designs, it was all her.”

The final sketches for the Dora Milaje, he said, were “75 percent African [primarily the Ndebele, Dinka and Maasai tribes], 10 percent samurai Japanese armor, 5 percent Filipino, 5 percent Native American and 5 percent Medieval armor — spin those tribal ideas and make it futuristic modern armor…but push it [to be] even more hightech.”

Those are all evident from the beading and patterns on the outfits to the long rings around the women’s necks to the splittoed shoes they wear.

“I think my favorite moment is when they’re going to pick up Nakia (played by Lupita Nyong’o) and it just shows a lot of Okoye’s (Danai Gurira) character and then right away, you see she’s not your typical traditional warrior. She’s still funny, she’s smart, and just like a really good role model. But maybe I’m biased because I’m looking at the costume that I did on her. It just looks so good.

When Lupita wore her costume, my design, that was awesome too. Someday, hopefully, I could meet them because I don’t think that they know that I designed their costumes. I would love to give them a print of my images.

That’d be cool,” he said.

As for the Filipino influences, Francisco said he grew up seeing tribal decor at relatives’ homes. Those elements stood out to him enough that they made their way to designs for “Black Panther,” like the tabard on Okoye’s armor inspired by a table runner and the gold rings on the side of her uniform from anting-anting (good luck amulets).

Following the release of “Black Panther,” Francisco has done several interviews about how his Filipino heritage was a part of the outfits.

“My dad read one of my interviews and he told me, ‘Maybe the reason why you

remember that is because the Ifugao people would come from their mountains and perform from house to house in Cubao.

They’d be dancing in front of us in bahag (loincloth) clothing…’

All the while I thought it was just based off what I’ve learned from school, which is also true ‘cause we learned about a bunch of other indigenous Filipino tribes,” he said.

With the DVD of “Black Panther” out this week, Francisco hopes more audiences will see it if they haven’t already.

“You’ll see the awesomeness of the movie and you’ll see the behind-the-scenes stuff,” he said. “Even if people aren’t into the comic books, Marvel’s movies are so popular because they get the right writers and directors, the ones who put a lot of emotion into their films and universal stories I guess that everyone could relate to. But that’s also the testament to the Marvel characters in the comic books. Marvel characters always have a flaw, which makes them more relatable to people.”

Behind the artist Francisco, who recalls drawing Marvel and DC characters at an early age, briefly studied art at the University of Santo Tomas, before he and his family immigrated to Los Angeles around the age of 17.

He was pushed toward studying physical therapy, but a counselor noticed that he already had some art credits. He said his parents weren’t too opposed to him pursuing a career in the field.

He started with the idea of becoming a comic book artist because it was “the boom of animation” when he came to the United States.

“I tried to do that and I took some classes, but I had to draw a lot of drawings to make them move and I thought that was too difficult,” Francisco shared. “But I was still going to push for it, it’s just that your arm starts to hurt and some people would give me tips like, ‘Maybe that’s not what you should be doing. You seem more like a designer.’ So, that’s like the first thing I did, creature design for special effects. And that’s where my door into the entertainment industry happened.”

His first job in the industry was at Amalgamated Dynamics Incorporated (ADI), an Academy Award-winning character effects studio founded by Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, which gave him the opportunity to design on a spec script.

Excited about making double compared to his minimum wage job, Francisco realized that one could make money by drawing. He left for a year to continue formal training at Associates in Art in Van Nuys, California, before he returned to the company full-time.

“A teacher once told me, ‘Do what you love and the money will come.’ That’s helped me with my nearly two-decade career to be truthful to yourself and do what you really want to do,” he said.

Bubble Boy (2001), starring Jake Gyllenhaal, was the first film he worked on. “I did the bubble,” Francisco shared. “And when you watch the DVD, the

Francisco’s rendering of Loki in “Thor: Ragnarok”

Illustration of a scene in “Ant-Man”

AJPress photo by Noel Ty

“Black Panther,” which became the third highest-grossing film in U.S. history, came out on DVD and Blu-Ray this week.

Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios

special features has my artwork in it.” His portfolio followed with “Men in Black II,” “The Passion of the Christ” and the 2002 “Spider-Man” film.

“I turn everything more in a positive way like if, for example, I did not get the design, instead of thinking of, ‘Oh, I’m a terrible artist. I didn’t get it.’ I think of it as ‘now I know that’s not the direction’ so I help out. And I learned that from ADI and Alec Gillis, he’s the one who told me that. If you get good feedback on 80 percent of your design, it’s good enough to build off of so you don’t have to be so critical of yourself all the time,” he said.

The Fil-Am designer eventually moved to Marvel Studios after he was brought on by a friend, Charlie Wen, who was then the co-head of Visual Development.

“He brought me on to the team and I think from there, the producers and directors responded to my work even though I would say I’m not as good. I mean, I wasn’t as good as I am now when I first got in.

So it’s kind of lucky that it really shows design is very important in how good you render and also how you come up with ideas,” he said.

Now going on his sixth year, he has much to be proud of, as he has been involved in many of the studio’s biggest projects.

One character, in particular, is the tree-like creature Baby Groot, whom Francisco drew for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” and then transformed into a teenage version (voiced by Vin Diesel) in “Avengers: Infinity

War.” The latter movie, which came out in theaters on April 27, is considered the highestgrossing film worldwide for 2018 thus far.

“I developed him from when he was in the pot to when he had legs to dance and finally teen Groot. I did many various ages he could be in. I am not sure how old he is in the movie but I was designing him to be 14-16 years old,” he said, adding that his young children were inspirations for the character.

Other movies he’s worked on are “Thor: Ragnarok” (Loki), “Ant-Man,” “Doctor Strange,” and “The Chronicles of Riddick.”

“What else am I proud of?

I’m proud of working with this amazing team. They all look out for each other and make sure people get the right credit.

I think Marvel Studios is very good with that,” he said of the studio’s team of five visual development artists.

As for what’s next for Francisco, he says some of his work can be seen in “Ant-Man and the Wasp” coming out this summer, and “Captain Marvel” — the first solo female superhero movie in the MCU — and a sequel to “Avengers: Infinity War” both releasing in 2019.

With having to constantly create professionally, he said it’s important to keep the mind active.

“I like to do landscape painting just to relax my mind and sketching. I sketch a lot.

Or write down sentences and words that sound interesting.

Also, looking at art, classical art or newer art. But I really like rhythm a lot and portraiture.

A lot of anime, I like to watch anime on Netflix. It’s a good source of reference and comic books too,” he said.

He also gets ideas while spending time with his two kids, an 11-year-old son and 9-yearold daughter, both of whom are Jiu-Jitsu world champions.

For budding artists, Francisco says visualizing your goal and practicing every day are some of his top pieces of advice.

“Visualizing the goal that you want and trying your best to work hard to get to that goal.

Working hard is a given, right?

Work hard, do your best. But some people really do their best but they don’t get anywhere yet, not yet, but eventually, you’ll break that barrier and you’ll get to where you need to go. So don’t give up on yourself. Artists tend to be very sensitive people,” he said. “Practice every day and don’t worry about comparing yourself with other artists. You know just use them as inspiration but focus on yourself toward getting better.

Don’t complain about situations you can’t control.”

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - May 16, 2018

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entertainment The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - May 16, 2018

Director Erik Matti on ‘Darna’ remake...

From Page 3

Santos, Rio Locsin, Nanette Medved, Anjanette Abayari, Lorna Tolentino, Angel Locsin and, the last in the honor roll, Marian Rivera (who replaced Angel in the GMA series). Don’t look now but even Dolphy played Darna (in Darna Kuno), and

even Sharon Cuneta and Regine Velasquez spoofing Darna in a Captain Barbell movie.

“We designed the costume last pa with the approval of the Ravelo heirs,” clarified Erik. “It will be executed by an expert designer who has the costumes of other superheros.”

Jerry Sibal, DOT-NY Tourism Attaché Susan Del Mundo, Ms. Louie Locsin, Ambassador Teodoro Locsin, Jr., Princess Katarina of Yugoslavia and Serbia, Tourism Promotions Board Cesar Montano, Carl Nelson, TPB Deputy COO Maricon Ebron, Loida Nicolas Lewis, ABC-7’s Nina Pineda and Edwin Josue after the ribbon-cutting ceremony opening Explore Islands Philippines at the Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

‘Explore Islands Philippines’ asks tourists...

This photo shows Liza’s face superimposed on the body of Marian Rivera (in GMA photo release) who was the last to play the Mars Ravelo-created superheroine.

Erik won’t reveal the designer’s name, though.

Asked who will play Ding, Valentina (could she be Anne Curtis?) and Liza’s leading man (not Enrique Gil?), Erik was mum.

“I won’t tell,” he laughed.

“Or else they will kill me! Papatayin nila ako, hahaha!!!”

As expected, since it is the Erik Matti directing, expect the nth remake to be…outof-this-world?

“The challenge we are facing is how to make a superhero film that is approximate to the superhero films that have been coming out this past decade,” stressed Erik. “We are not going for camp or just a funny-funny film. In the past kasi, because of limited resources, dinadaandaan na lang sa pa-KenkoyKenkoy. We cannot do that.”

Okay, Liza. Ready, get set, go…Darna!!! (Philstar.com)

From Page 2 pines – Tourism Promotions Board Chief Operating Officer Cesar Montano, Deputy COO Maricon Ebron, Philippine Airlines VP for Marketing Ria Domingo, among others.

A gala event, attended by more than 200 travel and tourism professionals in New York, was also held at the Roosevelt Hotel where lucky guests won round trip tickets to the Philippines, hotel accommodations in El Nido and Coron in Palawan, Panglao Island in Bohol and resorts in Cebu.

The evening’s highlight was the 45-minute fashion show called Philippine Tapestry where models paraded on the runway wearing gowns and barong tagalog designed by world-renowned designer and Philippine Ambassador of Fashion Renee Salud using indigenous weaves, fabrics and materials.

Tourism Promotions Board COO Cesar Montano was criticized after delivering what his critics are calling “a short and abrupt” speech at the same gala event Wednesday evening at the Roosevelt Hotel attended by travel and tour operators in the tri-state area.

He said that he would immediately proceed after his speech to the theater where Hamilton is playing.

In a statement sent to the Asian Journal, Montano said he wants to bring the musical Hamilton to the Philippines, after finding out that the Tony Award-winning musical brings in about 30% of the tourists to New York every year.

The TPB COO added that he sees the potential of this great musical and that it can be the regional gateway of Asian tourists to the country if that happens.

“That would be an enormous chance for Filipino artists to get exposed to such huge production especially those Filipino artists,” Montano said.

Explore Islands Philippines celebrated arts and culture on the final two days, Friday and Saturday, May 11-12, showcasing artists and artisans from the U.S. and the Philippines.

Day 3’s program included presentations from the Cultural Center of the Philippines, a performance by Kinding Sindaw, culinary tourism, Philippine weavers, artisans and fashion.

Hollywood power couple Ruben and Janet Nepales also talked about trends in films and location sites in the Philippines.

Friends of the Philippines Society USA Makes Its Debut Later that evening, the Nepales couple received an award at the Unity Gala of the Friends of Philippine Society USA held at Cipriani’s on 42nd Street.

Ruben Nepales, former Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Janet Nepales, current Executive Secretary of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association were honored alongside Governor Andrew Cuomo for his contribution to diversity and inclusion in the state of New York.

Miss Saigon and The Assassination of Gianni Versace star JonJon Briones presented the award to the power couple and paid tribute to the couple’s efforts in promoting Filipino artists across America.

“Ruben and Janet may have left the Philippines a long time ago but they have never forgotten their bayanihan spirit. They will lift you up so you can be standing here you should be,” Briones said,

explaining further that the couple always supports Filipino Americans in the entertainment business in whatever way they can.

“I am deeply grateful and honored for this award,” Janet Nepales exclaimed as she received her award. “I am very proud to be standing here as a Filipina, a woman, a minority, representing the Philippines at the Hollywood Foreign Press as executive secretary and I am proud of that.”

“I thank JonJon because it is Filipinos and Filipino American talents like him inspire Janet and me to tell their stories because we have to spotlight the Filipino talent,” Ruben said. “I often say that if nobody writes these stories, who will? So while we write about Hollywood talents, I am happiest when I am writing about Filipinos and Filipino Americans making it on the world stage.”

Committed to empowering diversity and integrating multiculturalism, the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization aims to promote understanding and cross-cultural collaboration in the global milieu. Proceeds of the Unity Gala will support programs designed to provide meaningful exchange of opportunities, connections and information in educational, cultural, business and social context enhancing appreciation of the Philippines and United States and strengthening national and international alliances.

Among the highlights of the evening were the minifashion shows that highlighted the creations of two of the most famous names in the Philippine fashion industry – Renee Salud and Rocky Gathercole.

Renee Salud (4th from right) with DOT-NY Tourism Attaché Susan Del Mundo (4th from left) and TPB officials led by Deputy COO Maricon Ebron (5th from left) with (from left) Hernan Narvadez, Carmela Febrio, Baby Landan, Raquel Tria (back row), DOT-NY’s Joey Chanco, host Rachelle Ocampo and Victor Palmos.

Edwin Josue, Ruben Nepales, Janet Nepales and Jerry Sibal

Makilala TV host Rachelle Ocampo host of the evening’s program

The evening’s highlight celebrating Philippine Tourism was a 45-minute fashion show called Philippine Tapestry where Filipino models paraded on the runway wearing gowns and barong tagalog designed by world-renowned designer and Philippine Ambassador of Fashion Renee Salud using indigenous weaves, fabrics and materials.

PH Tapestry Fashion Show at the Unity Gala

AJPress photos by Troi Santos

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - May 16, 2018