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MAY 23-29, 2019

T H E F I L I P I N O –A M E R I C A N C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R

Volume 30 - No. 21 • 16 Pages

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Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY

Comelec proclaims 12 winning PH senators

by NATHALIE

ROBLES

AJPress

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) declared the winners of the recently concluded 2019 midterm elections on Wednesday, May 22, at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.

Topping the list is incumbent Senator Cynthia Villar from the Nacionalista Party (NP) who was endorsed by the administration’s Hugpong ng Pagbabago party (HNP). Villar garnered a total of 25,283,727 votes.

Following Villar is another reelectionist Grace Poe, who ran as an independent candidate and still managed to garner a total of

22,029,788 votes.

Third on the list is former Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher “Bong” Go, who got 20,657,702 votes as he ran under the ruling party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).

Another HNP-endorsed newlyelected senator is former Taguig City Representative Pia Cayetano, who got 19,789,019 votes.

Trailing behind Cayetano is former Bureau of Corrections chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa who got 19,004,225 votes, under PDP-Laban. He was followed

by HNP-endorsed re-electionist Sonny Angara, who finished sixth with 18,161,862 votes.

Seventh on the list is actor Lito

Lapid who clinched a Senate seat with 16,965,464 votes, followed by former Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, another HNP candidate with 15,882,628 votes.

Former presidential political adviser Francis Tolentino who was also a PDP-Laban candidate garnered 15,510,026 votes, while re-electionist Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III trailed behind him with 14,668,665 votes.

Securing the eleventh spot is HNP-backed Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. with 14,624,445 votes, while re-electionist Nancy Binay completed the so-called Magic 12 after garnering 14,504,936 votes.

Sitting outside the winning cir-

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PROCLAMATION OF SENATORS. The National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) proclaims the 12 winning senators at the PICC Tent Forum in Pasay City on Wednesday, May 22. Leading the senators-elect with the highest number of votes are reelectionist Senators Cynthia Villar (in yellow dress) and Grace Poe-Llamanzares (in white dress) followed by former Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go (3rd place), come-backing senator Pilar Juliana “Pia” Cayetano (4th), former Philippine National Police chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa (5th), reelectionist Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara (6th); comebacking senator Manuel “Lito” Lapid (7th); former Ilocos Norte governor Maria Imelda Josefa “Imee” Marcos (8th); former Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Francis Tolentino (9th); reelectionist Aquilino Martin “Koko” Pimentel III (10th); former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr. (11th); and reelectionist Maria Lourdes “Nancy” Binay (12th).

PNA photo by Jess M. Escaros Jr.

Pacquiao vs Keith Thurman: ‘I want to prove at age 40 I can still beat undefeated fighters’

USA

DATELINE Democrats criticize Trump’s new immigration plan that would slash family-based petitioning

by MOMAR

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

California Sen. Kamala Harris denounces the perceived “hierarchies” of immigrants the plan would impose AS reported by the Asian Journal last week, the Trump administration unveiled its new immigration plan that focuses on curbing the influx of new immigrants by way of a more restrictive “merit-based” system.

In an uncharacteristically softer tone, Trump addressed the growing problem with the country’s current immigration program, noting that “we want immigrants coming in [and] we cherish an open door, but a big proportion of those immigrants should come in through merit and skill.”

Through this plan, nearly 4 million people would be wiped out of the waiting list for a green card, a process that could take decades.

More than a quarter of those people are of

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G. VISAYA

AJPress

PHILIPPINE Sen. Manny Pacquiao will be fighting against undefeated welterweight champion Keith Thurman who is promising to end Pacman’s boxing career when they meet on July 20 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“I have always wanted to fight the greatest names in boxing. I am very grateful, very happy to be sharing the ring with a legend like Manny Pacquiao. Floyd is gone, Pacquiao is here. Come July 20th, he will disappear,” Keith Thurman said, Manny Pacquiao joined American Keith Thurman in New York City to kick off the press tour for their pointing at Pacquiao a few feet away on world welterweight title fight.

AJPress photo byMomar G. Visaya stage at the kickoff news conference on

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Palace: The president is in good Pangilinan quits Liberal Party, health, will inform public if sick Robredo rejects resignation Malacañang laughs off rumors about Duterte’s condition MENDIOLA

NEW legislation has been presented in both the Senate and House of Representatives on Wednesday, May 22 to expedite the visa process for children of Filipino World War II veterans.

The Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act was introduced by Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Lisa Murkowski (RAlaska) and Reps. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) and Don Young (R-Alaska) in the House.

Currently, estimates show that there are less than 6,000 Filipino World War II veterans still living in the United States who could potentially benefit from the Act. “During World War II, Filipino soldiers stepped up and answered the call to service, fighting and sacrificing alongside American servicemembers,” Hirono said in

DEMOCRATIC presidential hopeful Sen. Kamala Harris of California met with Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community leaders on Thursday, May 16 to discuss campaign issues and the significance of her prospective candidacy.

“I fully intend to win this election,”

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talked to him yesterday (Sunday), his voice was very strong. He just laughed it off,” Panelo said at a press briefing.

“He never mentioned anything (about illnesses). But from the sound of his voice, he was very upbeat,” he added.

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The 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful responds to Trump’s “merit-based” immigration proposals

by KLARIZE

MEDENILLA AJPress

AJPress photo by Robert Macabagdal

by AJPRESS

SENATOR Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Tuesday, May 21, resigned as president of the Liberal Party (LP), following the devastating loss of all eight opposition senatorial candidates.

However, Vice President Leni Robredo, LP chair, rejected his resignation along with that of Quezon City Rep. Christopher Belmonte as LP secretary general.

“The Vice President has not accepted Senator Kiko’s and Cong. Kit’s resignations. Much work remains to be done, and they will do it, together,” said lawyer Barry Gutierrez, spokesperson of Robredo, in a statement.

According to Pangilinan, he “should be held accountable for this inability to win the elections” since he served as campaign manager for Otso Diretso.

“We were unable to accomplish the task so the one charge must be held to account. Tendering my resignation is the signal that I assume full responsibility for the results of the campaign,” he told ANC. Robredo on Sunday, May 19, expressed her disappointment over the loss of the Otso Diretso candidates in the recent senatorial elections, insisting the need for a “balanced” Senate in the remaining three years of the Duterte administration.

LP, for its part, urged the Commission on Elections to expedite ruling on its manifestation and motion filed on May 17 to have the glitches investigated. The party also sought the release of transparency servers’ audit and system logs as well as the full report on technical glitches.

“We want to get to the bottom of the glitches, we want to get to the bottom of the election returns,

According to presidential spokesperson Salvador PanAJPress elo, Duterte’s voice was “very MALACAÑANG on Monday, strong” and “upbeat” when they May 20, insisted that President discussed the rumors about the Rodrigo Duterte was actually in president’s condition over the good health, saying that he mere- phone on Sunday, May 19.

“He (Duterte) was there in Baly laughed off rumors he was conhay Pagbabago, signing papers. I fined in the hospital.

by RITCHEL

Filipino Veterans Family Kamala Harris shares campaign promises Reunification Act introduced in Congress with AAPI community leaders in Vegas

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Tuesday, May 21 in New York. “You announced him as a senator, he belongs as a senator, in the Philippines.”

“He will always be remembered as a legend in the sport but I am doing to Manny Pacquiao what he did to Oscar de la Hoya. Oscar de la Hoya never fought again. Facts. You are not gonna want to miss this fight, especially because it’s about to be this man’s last fight,” he added.

The 40-year-old Pacquiao just smiled and said later that he does not resort to trash talking, but he guaranteed that fans will have a great time watching their July

http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678

may 23-29, 2019 • LaS VEGaS aSIaN JOURNaL

From The FronT Page

Pangilinan quits Liberal Party, Robredo...

PAGE 1 malfunctioning VCMs (vote counting machines), corrupted SD cards,” Pangilinan said.

He also clarified that he will neither quit LP or become inactive after tendering his resignation from his post.

“I have no intention of becoming inactive. We will continue in building the party, building

the coalition and preparing for the coming days,” he said.

“There is the issue of charter change, there is this continuing issue of extra-judicial killings, there is the issue of China and our sovereignty. In the next 3 years, these will be even more critical,” Pangilinan added.

No one’s fault According to Sen. Leila de Sen. Francis Pangilinan

Philstar.com photo

Lima, no one should be blamed for the opposition’s defeat since the machinery used to destroy LP and the rest of Otso Diretso was too strong.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, LP vice chairman, echoed the sentiment, saying the opposition’s defeat was not Pangilinan’s fault “because he exerted his best efforts with our limited resources.”

“Unfortunately, we were overwhelmed by the resources coming from the majority,” Drilon said. “[Pangilinan] feels bad because despite everything that he did, we did not succeed. I can understand where he is coming from,” he added.

De Lima lamented the loss but assured they would not back down in fighting the Duterte administration’s authoritarianism.

“With loss comes the opportunity to learn. And we won’t learn anything if we let ourselves wallow in disappointment or give in to hopelessness,” she said.

Commendable Malacañang on Tuesday commended Pangilinan’s resignation, saying it meant the senator accepts defeat.

According to Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo, the loss of the opposition was due to the voters not believing in them.

He added that the “overwhelming majority” of the electorate responded to the hugely popular Duterte’s call to support those whom he said would help pass laws supporting his goal “to uplift the masses of our people and give them comfortable lives they richly deserve.”

“The people simply repudiated them,” Panelo said, referring to the opposition candidates. n

THE PRESIDENT BACK AT WORK. President Rodrigo Duterte receives the credentials of Thailand’s Ambassador to the Philippines Vasin Ruangprateepsaeng during a ceremony at the Malacañang Palace on Tuesday, May 21.

Malacañang photo by Ace Morandante

Comelec proclaims 12 winning...

PAGE 1 cle are re-electionists JV Ejercito and Bam Aquino, with 14,313,727 votes, and 14,114,923 votes, respectively.

No member of the opposition slate — Otso Diretso — made it to the top 12 as majority or nine out of 12 of the newly-elected senators were endorsed by President Rodrigo Duterte. As such, political analysts assessed that it will be helpful for policy continuity but questionable in terms of checks and balances in the country.

“The election was widely seen as a test of Duterte’s popularity and as an opportunity for him to consolidate power by gaining control of the Senate, which had proved an obstacle to his policy plans in the first three years of his presidency,” Fitch Solutions said in a commentary.

“The strong show of support for Duterte will both give him the confidence and ability to push ahead with his reform programme,” they added as reported by The Philippine Star.

Other senatorial bets concede defeat Senatorial candidates Romulo Macalintal, Florin Hilbay, Erin Tanada, Jiggy Manicad and Leody de Guzman thanked their supporters as they accepted their defeat in the recent midterm elections.

Macalintal thanked his family, Vice President Leni Robredo, and his supporters. He also expressed gratitude to senior citizens.

Meanwhile, Hilbay recognized that “the will of the people is supreme, so we respect the results of the elections.” He congratulated the winners as he wished that they “may serve the country well.”

“To all our HILBAYanihan volunteers: You all did whatever it took, and whatever you could. I am sorry that our resources did not match your brilliance, your heart, and your hope,” Hilbay added as reported by Rappler.

On one hand, Otso Diretso be Tañada said that he “would like to concede and congratulate all those who won the elections.”

Manicad also expressed gratitude in a Facebook live video post. He mentioned those who volunteered during his campaign.

“Gusto ko pong magpasalamat sa inyong lahat. Alam niyo po, ang mahigit anim na milyong boto ay malaki at alam ko po ang hirap din ng mga volunteers.

Maraming salamat po sa inyong sakripisyo (I want to thank everyone. You know, 6 million votes isn’t a small feat. I recognize the hard work of the volunteers),” Manicad said.

Labor Win candidate de Guzman emphasized the advantage of the campaign despite failing to secure a spot in the Senate seat.

“Hindi tayo pinalad na makapasok sa winning Circle pero pumasok naman tayo sa puso ng mga kabataang estudyante at organisadong seksyon ng mga manggagawa (We were not fortunate to be in the winning circle, but we were able to get through the hearts of young students and organized labor),” de Guzman said. n

Palace: The president is in good health...

PAGE 1 Rumors surfaced on Sunday about the president being confined at Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan — the same hospital where he underwent an endoscopy last year — and that the hospital was on “code blue,” which refers to a patient suffering from cardiopulmonary arrest.

Malacañang denied the rumors; however, Panelo said Duterte neither confirmed nor denied that he went to the hospital. “[The president] said he neither confirmed nor denied [that he went to the hospital]. You draw your own conclusions,” he said.

“To him, it’s not a serious mat-

ter. Because if it’s serious, he always tells the public about it.

Remember, he tells you when he is sick, or if he went to [see] the doctor,” he added.

The Palace expressed gratitude over the public’s concern for the president’s health and assured everyone once again that it would let them know of any serious developments on Duterte’s well-being.

“Let me assure the nation that if there is anything wrong with the president’s health serious enough to be of our concern, he will tell us,” Panelo said.

‘Right to privacy under the Constitution’ According to Justice Secretary

Menardo Guevarra, the Constitution only required the Chief Executive to disclose any serious illness.

“If the illness is not serious enough to affect the discharge of his official functions, the president has no duty to inform anyone. Like any citizen, the president enjoys the right to privacy under the Constitution,” he said on Monday.

The president resurfaced in public on Tuesday, May 21, after a week of absence. He welcomed Thailand’s Ambassador-Designate to the Philippines Vasin Tuangprateesaeng who presented his credentials at Malacanang. n

Pacquiao vs Keith Thurman: ‘I want to prove...

PAGE 1 20 Las Vegas match. He is 10 years older than Thurman who is coming from a 22-month layoff because of his bouts with an injury.

“I’ve been boxing for two decades and I’m never scared or intimidated. I am so excited for this fight because I am fighting with somebody who is undefeated,” Pacquiao said, responding to Thurman’s threat of sending him to retirement.

“Keith Thurman is the kind of fighter you can’t underestimate.

He’s undefeated and this gives me more encouragement and motivation to work hard like what I did before in my biggest fights against big names in boxing. I will not predict this fight but I will make sure I am 100 percent conditioned and ready for the fight. Let’s see who’s tougher in the ring on July 20. This is going to be exciting,” he added.

Asked why he chose Thurman over other viable opponents, Pacquiao said, “because he’s undefeated and I want to prove that at the age of 40, I can still beat undefeated fighters.”

The senator from the Philippines is a slight underdog in this match, a position Pacquiao is in

for the first time since his much talked about 2015 match against Floyd Mayweather.

“I like it that I am the underdog for this fight. This gives me more motivation to work hard in training and it’s fun,” he said.

This is Pacquiao’s second fight in 2019. Early this year, he beat former four-division titlist Adrien Broner, also at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

His undefeated opponent in July said that he is excited to show Pacquiao where the exit is.

“I’ve never lost to a fighter who’s lost seven times. I have no intentions of losing to Manny Pacquiao. I don’t see him winning any way, shape or form...

He’s 40, I’m 30. I want to show him that this ain’t Adrien Broner.

My ‘AB’ is I be ‘about business,’” Thurman said.

As the presser closed, Pacquiao said he is undeterred by what Thurman has been saying, adding that he is looking forward to a great match instead and that he is not ready to retire just yet.

“My story is 40 years in the making. My time is not yet over.

My journey will continue,” Pacquiao said. “I’m not ready to look back. I’m still looking forward.”

Gilberto Jesus Mendoza, presi-

AJPress photos by Robert Macabagdal

dent of the World Boxing Association welcomed the media to the kickoff press conference at Gotham Hall in New York to announce the Pacquiao vs. Thurman fight.

“We have a future Hall-of-Famer and a legend in the making in this great fight, they are ranked as the top welterweights in the world, number 1 and number 2.

This is what the fans want, a big fight. Both fighters have extraordinary lives outside of the ring.

It’s going to be a dream match,” he said. n

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Dateline USa

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • mAy 23-29, 2019

Kamala Harris shares campaign promises...

PAGE 1

Harris asserted, addressing the state’s AAPI community leaders in Chinatown.

In an event hosted by One APIA Nevada, Harris — who is half Indian and half Jamaican — spoke about her decision to run and to represent and defy assumptions about women of color in leadership roles.

“I often think about the work that we do of breaking these barriers as being, again, not only about personal achievement, but it is so much bigger than that,” Harris said last Thursday.

Harris spoke about her late mother, who was activist and cancer researcher Shyamala Gopalan, and how she impacted Harris’ life and career trajectory.

She also noted that Gopalan inspired Harris to fully embrace both her Indian and Jamaican heritages.

“My mother raised us with a very strong appreciation for our cultural background and pride.

Celebrations that we all participate in regardless of how our last name is spelled. It’s the beauty of who we are as a nation,” she said.

Before she was elected into the U.S. Senate in 2016, Harris was the California attorney general from 2010 to 2016. Since announcing her presidential campaign on Jan. 21, 2019, the junior senator from the Golden State has been considered a front-runner for her tenacity and outspoken criticisms of the Trump administration.

At Thursday’s AAPI event, Harris responded to President Donald Trump’s immigration policy proposals which were announced that same day, calling the plan “short-sighted” and accused the Trump administration for implementing “hierarchies among immigrants.”

“The beauty of our country has been to say, when you walk through the door, you are equal,” Harris said. “We spoke those

words in 1776, ‘we are equal’ and should be treated that way.

Not, ‘Oh, well, if you come from this place, you might only have a certain number of points, and if you come from that place you might have a different number of points.”

As previously reported by the Asian Journal, Trump’s proposal severely guts family reunification programs and kicks off millions off people currently on the waiting list for green cards, including about 1.4 million Asians. Harris pointed out the fact that Asian immigrants and families rely on family-based petitioning programs more than other means of immigration.

“It is usually the sibling con- Senator Jacky Rosen joined Asian Community Development Council’s ribbon-cutting on Sunday, May 19. With Asian-Americans being the fastest nection,” Harris explained. growing minority in Nevada, the demand for immigration and healthcare services for this population has increased.

AJPress photos by Robert Macabagdal “There was no mention of that in the policy whatsoever. It is, and has always been, about family.

And that was completely overlooked, and I would suggest, denied, in the way the policy was outlined today.” n

Nevada Sen. Rosen to AAPI community: ‘Mobilize and change the face’ of US Senate

by AJPress

WITH Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) as the fastest-growing minority in Nevada and around the United States, Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) encouraged the electorate to vote in the upcoming 2020 elections.

Rosen held a roundtable discussion with AAPI leaders in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 19 and answered questions regarding education, health care and immigration.

On college affordability, the senator said “we have to do something to address the student loan debt and allow people to refinance, reorganize or work it off with volunteer or community service.” She also added that new legislation would call on colleges and universities to take more action in the outcomes of the students so they are “mentored, guided through, that they graduate and that there is career placement for them.”

When asked about immigration backlogs, Rosen simply stated that Nevada residents need to vote and encourage others around the country to do so.

“Vote in 500 days because you’re not going to get one piece of legislation on the floor that’s going to make one...bit of difference with Mitch McConnell as the leader,” she said. “Mobilize and change the face of the United States Senate around this country.”

The senator’s meeting came AJPress photos by Robert Macabagdal after the grand reopening of the

newly expanded Asian Community Development Council (ACDC) center.

“I’m pleased to see Senator Rosen taking action on the issues she spoke about in her maiden speech,” said Vida Lin, president and founder of the ACDC. “Education, health care, and immigration reform are all issues that have a real impact on the people in our community. I look forward to working with Senator Rosen to find solutions to the challenges we face.”

The AAPI community is considered the fastest-growing minority group in Nevada, with over 330,000 residents, according to a report from AAPI Data and APIA Vote. Filipino Americans are the largest Asian American ethnic

group in the state with 162,936.

The Nevada senator also revealed that she signed on as a cosponsor for the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act, which was introduced on Wednesday, May 22 in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

“Any children of World War II veterans of Filipino descent don’t have to wait for any visas or immigration,” Rosen said. “They go straight to the front.”

This month, Rosen introduced the Cyber Ready Workforce Act, which would direct the Department of Labor to award grants to workforce intermediaries to support the creation, implementation, and expansion of registered apprenticeship programs in cybersecurity. n

may 23-29, 2019 • LaS VEGaS aSIaN JOURNaL

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Dateline USa

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • mAy 23-29, 2019

Filipina American Iraq War veteran announces another bid for Congress seat A FILIPINA American Air Force veteran announced this week that she is seeking another bid for Congress in 2020, after narrowly losing in the 2018 midterm election.

Gina Ortiz Jones, who caught national attention for running in one of the tightest battleground races in 2018, declared on Tuesday, May 14 that she’s throwing her hat in the ring yet again in an attempt to unseat Republican Rep. Will Hurd for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District.

In a Twitter video, the 38-yearold Fil-Am shared that she came 926 votes short in the last cycle but has “never been one to back down because the promise of our country is worth fighting for.”

“It’s why I served in the military and deployed to Iraq, it’s why

I served in President Obama’s administration, and it’s why I’ve dedicated my life to public service,” she said. “And it’s why I’m stepping up again to run for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District.”

She grew up in San Antonio, Texas with a single mother, Victorina Ortiz, who is originally from Pangasinan, Philippines. In addition to her Air Force service, Ortiz Jones was a special adviser at the Defense Intelligence Agency and was a director for investment at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative under Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, before leaving in June 2017.

Ortiz Jones ran last year in an endeavor to make history by becoming the first Filipina American to be elected to Congress, as

well as the first first openly gay, first Iraq War veteran and first woman House representative from Texas’ 23rd district, which runs along the state’s border with Mexico.

“I would be honored to be the first [Filipina American] but it is important that I am not going to be the last because I am only here because of the opportunity my community, my country afforded for me. This is very much about protecting those opportunities for others that are just as talented, just as hungry and need a little bit of help,” Ortiz Jones told the Asian Journal in an interview before the midterm election in 2018.

On Wednesday, her campaign announced that she had raised over $100,000 in the first day.

(AJPress)

Unicef to PH Congress: Strengthen Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act APAICS 25th gala caps week of APAHM events in DC (L-R) One APIA Nevada Deputy Director Eric Jeng, Brady Calma, Nevada Sen. Rosen, and One APIA Nevada Chair Evan Louie

anniversary of the Juvenile Justice Act, it reminded the people that “all children must be treatTHE United Nations’ Chil- ed with dignity and accorded dren’s Fund (Unicef) urged Con- their inalienable rights with utgress to strengthen Republic Act most respect and protection.”

According to RA 9344, it pro(RA) 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act as the Senate motes a child-friendly justice will debate to lower the mini- system focused on rehabilitamum age of criminal liability on tion and restoration rather than punishment.

Monday, May 20.

“The law makes it clear – “Do not to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibil- without a doubt – that there is ity,” Unicef said in a statement. a need for a separate juvenile “Congress must support the full justice system where detention implementation the Juvenile is the last resort,” Unicef said.

“The erring child must be rehaJustice and Welfare Act.” Unicef said that on the 13th bilitated and reintegrated into

by Katrina

Hallare Inquirer.net

society if the child must take responsibility for his or her action and mend the broken relationship with the community and the victim.”

It also pointed out that lowering the minimum age of criminal liability is not the answer, saying: “ putting children in prison or detaining them will only cause more harm to the child and to the community.”

“We call on the government to work with child rights defenders and strengthen the juvenile justice system for the sake of all Filipino children,” Unicef said. n

Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act...

PAGE 1 a statement.“However, because these family members have been stuck in a decades-long visa backlog, they have not been able to reunite with their relatives in the United States. The Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act would fulfill our nation’s promise to honor Filipino World War II veterans’ service to our country and reunite these families.”

More than 260,000 Filipino soldiers followed America’s call to fight under the American flag in World War II. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush granted U.S. citizenship to about 26,000 Filipino nationals in recognition of their service to the United States during World War II. However, the 1990 law did not

confer citizenship or residency to the veterans’ children, who remained separated from their parents. Due to a visa backlog, Filipino applicants must wait more than two decades before their applications are considered.

Actions taken to address the family separation in recent years have included the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole program in 2016, which intended to reunite veterans and their surviving spouses with adult children and certain other relatives.

In addition to Senators Hirono, Murkowski, and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act is also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.),

Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Sherrod Brown (DOhio), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).

“The time to reunite our brave Filipino American World War II veterans with their families is running out,” Brendan Flores, National Chairman of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations, said.

“We commend Senator Hirono for her unwavering commitment to these veterans, as she reintroduces the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act in Congress.

We remain prepared to support any efforts to ensure that this time-sensitive legislation comes to fruition.” (AJPress)

Democrats criticize Trump’s new immigration...

PAGE 1 Asian descent, and nearly 314,000 of those are Filipinos, according to State Department stats.

“Trump’s immigration plan would hurt Filipino immigrants, who rely heavily on the familybased visas that Trump wants to slash. Filipino Americans stand with the more than 30,000 Filipinos waiting to be reunited with their families — some for as long as 23 years,” Western Regional Press Secretary & Director of AAPI Media at the DNC John Santos said in a statement sent to the Asian Journal. “Instead of continuing to push his xenophobic immigration policies, Trump should join Democrats in working to fix our broken immigration system.”

Democrats on The Hill also condemned the president’s plan, including 2020 presidential hopeful Sen. Kamala Harris of California, who is half Indian.

“We cannot allow people to start parsing and pointing fingers and creating hierarchies among

immigrants,” Harris said at a meeting with AAPI leaders in Las Vegas. “The beauty of the tradition of our country has been to say, when you walk through the door, you are equal.”

Other elements of the proposal include doubling down on the border wall construction, regulating the flow of lower-wage workers as a way to protect Americans’ incomes and limit the asylum system. Some of those qualified immigrants who would be fit within the merit-based system include laborers for important American industries, The proposal does not address any pathway to citizenship for young undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, commonly known as DREAMers.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also criticized the proposal as one of “the worst” of Trump’s immigration policy proposals, noting that the plan has little chance of making it through the House.

“The White House has repack-

aged the worst of its past failed immigration plans: greenlighting the Administration’s barbaric family detention policies, reviving the president’s ineffective and wasteful wall, completely abandoning our patriotic and determined DREAMers and gutting our asylum and refugee protections” Pelosi said in a statement.

Pelosi also scrutinized the proposal’s mandate that would cut family reunification programs, questioning what the president defines as an immigrant with “merit.”

“It is really a condescending word. They’re saying family is without merit?” Pelosi told reporters last week. “Certainly we want to attract the best to our country, and that includes many people from many parts of society. So we’ll see what values are reflected there. We’ve only heard titles like merit, which is non-merit. It means merit in the eyes of Donald Trump.” (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

‘YOSI KADIRI’ IS BACK. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III (2nd from left) and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez (2nd from right) do the “fist pose” with the “Yosi Kadiri” mascot in a joint press conference on sin tax at the Department of Finance office in Manila. “Yosi Kadiri” was first launched in the 1990s in support of the anti-smoking campaign during the term of the late former health secretary and senator Juan Flavier.

PNA photo by Gil Calinga

Nevada residents and elected officials well-represented

THE Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies celebrated its 25th year with a star-studded gala that drew 1000 attendees from all over the United States, including a delegation of staff and board from Nevada’s Asian Community Development Corporation, Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Congresswoman Susie Lee (D-NV). Honorary coChairs for the night were Reps.

Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Stephanie Murphy (D-FL).

One APIA Nevada Chair Evan Louie stated, “It was inspiring to be surrounded by so many AAPI advocates from across the country at the APAICS gala. We are thankful to Senator Jacky Rosen and Congresswoman Susie Lee for representing our federal delegation in Nevada.”

The evening’s awardees included Karen Korematsu, Roby Moy, and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who said that “the American story as we know it wouldn’t exist without the strength and the sweat of the AAPI community.”

Commonly referred to as “Asian prom,” this year’s gala demonstrated how much the prominence of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community has grown. Longtime

participants recalled attending 15 or more years ago and seeing a few hundred people versus this year’s pageantry of 1000 attendees in finery. Hollywood stars Rosalind Chao and Lauren Tom from the cast of Joy Luck Club enlivened the mood, as did star emcees Tamlyn Tomita (The Karate Kid) and Parvesh Cheena (Outsourced, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend). Attendees also noticed a rise in attention from presidential campaigns, with teams from presidential campaigns including those of Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Cory Booker (DNJ) in attendance. Booker held a packed meet and greet earlier in the day with AAPI supporters, and had previously keynoted APAICS gala in 2017.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who was a founding member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, noted with pride that she is serving alongside a “record-shattering” 20 Asian American and Pacific Islander Members. Speaker Pelosi promised that the House will pass the American Dream and Promise Act with bipartisan support – ensuring that Dreamers and TPS and DED recipients can continue to contribute to our nation. She then honored “the courage of immigrants and newcom-

ers who crossed the continent and crossed the seas to come to a new world and take a chance on America – in doing so, blessing and enriching our nation.”

Madalene Xuan-Trang Mielke, the President and CEO of APAICS, welcomed participants and thanked trailblazers including Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus founders former Secretary Norm Mineta and former Delegate Robert Underwood. The event brought past generations of APAICS Executive Directors and Chairs on stage to recognize people who have helped to build the momentum and infrastructure over the years. Some notable attendees included Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and incoming California Secretary of Transportation David Kim, DCCC Chair Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL) and House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Katherine Clark (D-MA).

Additional highlights of this past week in DC included a campaign strategy briefing by the Asian American Action Fund, which One APIA Nevada Deputy Director Eric Jeng spoke at, and the Asian American Pacific Islander Victory Fund/ AAPI Progressive Action Summit. (Contributed by Caroline Fan)

6

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MAY 23-29, 2019 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL

OPINION

Senate independence

FEATURES

A COOPERATIVE Congress means smooth sailing for a president’s legislative agenda. Every chief executive wants allies in Congress — the more, the better. Cooperation between the executive and legislative branches, however, is possible without Congress turning into a rubberstamp of Malacañang.

This is what people are hoping for as administration candidates look poised to dominate the Magic 12 winning circle in the senatorial race. Public concerns have been fueled by the behavior of the pro-administration super majority in the House of Representatives – a chamber that critics describe as a Malacañang rubberstamp. The Senate in the outgoing Congress has been perceived as a bulwark against the loss of independence of the legislature. Will this change with the incoming team?

President Duterte is assured of the complete support of at least two of the candidates in the Magic 12. But most of those in the winning circle have found it necessary to issue statements reassuring the public that they would maintain their independence, and would not be remiss in providing the system of checks and balances that

is indispensable in a healthy democracy.

Midway through his presidency, Benigno Aquino III also saw members of his coalition team bagging nine slots in the Magic 12. But throughout the second half of the Aquino administration, the nine largely upheld the reputation of senators as independent republics.

Congressional independence does not mean being an obstructionist; there are many projects and programs of the executive branch that deserve support from the legislature. But lawmakers are expected to draw the line between this kind of cooperation and being a Malacañang rubberstamp.

Most of the candidates in the Magic 12 are promising to show this type of independence.

The nation will be watching, and will be holding them to their promise. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Dear Fil-Ams, did we miss the chance to make a difference in the Philippine midterm elections?

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS SUPPORTERS of President Rodrigo Duterte, either from the Philippines or here in America, have always been up in arms in defending the president, fighting against any form of dissent or nonsupport among Filipinos in America who openly criticize the Duterte administration.

Legitimate factual news has been dismissed as “fake news,” despite videos and actual interviews of protesters and manon-the-street interviews of kababayans who remain vigilant in following the news back home. This midterm election was no different.

However, such vigilance and advocacy seem to have fallen

PeaceMaker FORMER SPEAKER JOSE C. DE VENECIA, JR. U.S. President Donald Trump is correct in rejecting the option to engage in war with Iran and to instead pursue the peaceful diplomatic route. He met with Swiss President Ueli Maurer whose nation has served as liaison between the U.S. and Iran which do not have diplomatic relations.

Apparently ignoring some of his White House advisers pushing for outright conflict with Iran, he has opened the door fornegotiations with Tehran, after his apparent earlier mistake of withdrawing the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal in 2015 that in hindsight had at least kept the peace until now.

We are reminded of Trump’s recent efforts towards peace in Northeast Asia and his meeting in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un which at least broke ground and is now paving the way for a likely but still most difficult long-drawn peaceful settlement in the Korean peninsula.

We have been to the Middle East on both sides of the Persian (Arab) Gulf in the last year, long after undertaking several economic development projects in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a pioneering entrepreneur in the 1970s, operating the ports of Jeddah and Jubail as a prime contractor on both sides of the Arabian peninsula, drilling for oil in Ajman in the UAE, hospital projects, roads and housing in Iraq and Kuwait, that led to the employment of millions of Filipinos in the Middle East up to today.

We must congratulate President

Philstar.com photo

short to make a real difference in the outcome of the midterm election in the Philippines. This is not because there are no protests or criticism of Duterte and his style of governance in the Philippines, but because of the disappointing turnout of votes among eligible Filipino voters in America. We failed to use the legitimate and consequential platform to make our voices heard.

As ABS-CBN’s The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast “Balitang America” reported on Tuesday, May 21, all Certificates of Canvas (COCs) have been transmitted to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in the Philippines.

The Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. clarified in a

statement that the causes of the delayed transmission of COCs, which had hindered the proclamation of winners in both the senatorial and party-list elections, were the four malfunctioning SD cards coming from San Francisco and Los Angeles. Finally, the last replacement card for LA coming in was processed on Monday and all SD cards had been physically delivered to the Embassy on Monday night.

The Embassy also revealed that out of the 228,470 registered voters in the United States, only 39,511 actually voted. This means the dismal turnout was only 17.29 percent.

Looking at the glass half-full, this is an improvement in voter

participation compared to the 2013 midterm elections, when the turnout among registered Fil-Am voters was at 10.55 percent.

Think of it, the more than 200,000 registered voters among Filipinos in America could have made a difference in a close election — if only all Fil-Ams exercised their right to vote.

We can blame voter disenfranchisement due to lost ballots, or the inadequate election information campaign to help eligible voters to cast their ballot, or even alleged election irregularities. These are all valid concerns that the Comelec and the Department of Foreign Affairs should look into.

However, these are just parts

of the problem. The bigger part of the problem is our own accountability as Filipinos living in America. Have we taken a more pro-active role to make sure we vote? Have we chosen to be dual citizens so we can be eligible to participate in Philippine elections? Have we informed the Philippine Consulate of any changes in our address? Have we inquired when we could expect to get our ballots, and if they have our current address? Have we been more aggressive and pressing for information campaign from our Embassy and Consular offices?

While many of us have been very vocal about our thoughts and prescriptions in helping solve what we deem to be prob-

lems in the Philippines online, not enough have translated this advocacy to the platform that truly matters in making a difference: the ballot box.

Hopefully, this midterm election will serve as a wake-up call for us all. It does NOT matter who we support or who we are up against. What matters is that we VOTE, because, at the end of the day, this vote and its strength in numbers will effect real change, not Facebook posts or tweets. *** 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

Trump is correct in the Middle East and Korean Peninsula but future atill uncertain, RP polls and ICAPP initiatives Trump for not heeding some of the advisers urging military conflict with Iran and instead indicating he is open to talks with the Iranian leadership.

As we have pointed out repeatedly a full-scale war on both sides of the Persian (Arab) Gulf involving Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait,Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and most likely including Israel in a wide-ranging Middle East conflict would be disastrous and wreck much of the great economic and industrial gains in the region, painfully achieved over the years. *** We wish to congratulate the winners of our recently-concluded May 13 Philippine elections. To those who won and others who did not make it, may we quote the late U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy when he lost the 1976 Democratic Party’s presidential nomination to Jimmy Carter, the “Peanut Farmer from Georgia,”whobecame a great president. Kennedy said “For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”

Indeed, when one throws his hat into the political ring, he should be prepared to lose, as ultimately, it is the people who decide a politician’s fate in the elections.

As a politician for many years, having won the Speakership five times, the first in Asia, indeed we have fought many political battles, where we won some and lost some, including the Presidency in 1998, where we came out second

in the field of ten.

As a public servant, we have eye-witnessed, even taken part, in ephocal events in our country’s life. We have known up-close, men and women who have shaped our country’s destiny for good or ill.

We also initiated laws and programs that have become landmarks and game-changers in our country’s economic history.

We are most proud of our historic Dollar Remittance Program that killed the dollar black market and that now earns the Philippines some $30-billion a year; the Bases Conversion Law; and the BuildOperate-Transfer (BOT) Law. The game-changer Bases Conversion Law has turned the former American military bases on Luzon Island—the biggest of them being Clark Airfield and Subic Naval Base, Baguio’s Camp John Hay and La Union’s Camp Wallace and Poro Point—into thriving export zones and free ports with extensive employment potential.

Under one composite legislation, the initiative also converted the Filipino military camp Fort Bonifacio into the now booming satellite city, Bonifacio Global City (BGC), and the old Nichols Air Base into the now Resorts World Manila.

We were also privileged with others to author the landmark B-O-T (Build-Operate-Transfer) Law, which has become a model for the other developing countries and the formula for “Private-Public Partnerships.” In the Philippines the law has made possible private investments and publicprivate partnerships in infrastructure projectsvalued in excess of

$30 billion as early as the mid1990’s.

Now at age 82, we are also proud that as a 30-year-old Minister and Economic and Press Counselor at the Philippine Embassy in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam during the Vietnam War, we conceived of, designed, and implemented the historic Dollar Remittance Program for the Philippine overseas workers, which now raises more than $35-billion a year for the Philippines, continuously saving the Philippine economy during recurrent crises, from the major 1970 devaluation through the dark years of Martial Law, through the Asian financial crisis, and the impeachment and coup attempts during the Estrada and Arroyo years, and which program has become a modelfor many Third World countries.

We are most grateful to our beloved constituents in Pangasinan, my colleagues in the House of Representatives and counterparts in the Senate, and the Filipino people for giving us the privilege to serve our country as Congressman in the 7th and 8th Congresses, then as Speaker of the House of Representatives five-times, during the 9th, 10th, 12th, 13th, and 14th Congresses. My wife Gina, who also served for two terms, and we are proud of our son Congressman Christopher who won a second congressional term last week. *** Our International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), which we founded and launched in Manila in September 2000, is postponing to a later date this year the Special Workshop on Media

which we initially scheduled on June 13-15, 2019 in Vladivostok, Russia.

We received a letter recently from Sen. Andrey Klimov, Vice Chairman of ICAPP and Deputy Secretary General for International Relations of the ruling United Russia Party, requesting us to postpone the ICAPP media conference as Moscow has scheduled an urgent meeting of the General Council of the United Russia Party to be presided by its Chairman, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

The ICAPP Special Workshop on Media, which was supposed to be hosted by Sen. Klimov and United Russia Party in the Russian Far East, is under the auspices of the ICAPP Media Forum, one of our subsidiary groups in ICAPP. We are happy to note that the current Co-Chairman of the ICAPP Media Forum is the Philippines’ Roger Oriel, a veteran journalist and publisher of the Asian Journal, which is circulated in various cities in the U.S. including separate editions in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and New York. He is also the publisher of Balikbayan magazine.

We are also proud that the former Co-Chair of the ICAPP Media Forum is also a Filipino, the respected writer and Philippine Star columnist Carmen Pedrosa, whose late husband Alberto Pedrosa was our Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg.

Besides the ICAPP Media Forum, the other subsidiary groups of ICAPP are the ICAPP Youth Wing, ICAPP Women’s Wing, ICAPP-COPPPAL (Asian-Latin

American) Business Council, ICAPP Program for Disasters Assistance (IPDA), Asia-Europe Political Forum (AEPF), and the Asian Cultural Council (ACC). The AEPF just met in Colombo, Sri Lanka last month and ACC was launched in Siem Reap, Cambodia last January.

We also have a working partnership with the Latin American and Caribbean political parties under COPPPAL or Association of Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean; African political partiesunder CAPP (Council of African Political Parties); and a number of European political parties.

We in ICAPP are initiating a working partnership with the U.S. political parties, the Democratic Party and Republican Party, which we hope will eventually lead to a globalorganization of political parties.

The ICAPP has offices in Manila and Seoul, where the Secretariat is based, now led by Secretary General Park Ro-byug, formerly Korean Ambassador to Moscow, who succeeded Chung Eui-yong, now the able South Korean National Security Adviser under President Moon Jae-in who has been active recently in promoting talks with North Korea.

The ICAPP represents some 350 ruling, opposition, and independent political parties from 52 countries in Asia.

This columnist is the Founding Chairman and Chairman of its 39-member Standing Committee since 2000 and we are scheduling ICAPP’s 20th Anniversary in Manila in November 2020. ■

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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D ateline PhiliPPines Former Ombudsman Morales PNP to int’l critics: See drug war for yourself barred from entering Hong Kong

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

Former ombudsman Conchita Carpio-morales on Tuesday, may 21, was detained by immigration authorities at an airport in Hong Kong.

“I was detained. When I arrived, I was brought into a room that was not meant for arriving visitors. I was interrogated and then after I was brought to their detention room. They asked me to sign papers in Tagalog, and I said I want an english version.

When I read it, it said there ‘detention,’” she said. morales flew to Hong Kong together with her husband, son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren for a family vacation, but was denied entry in the special administrative region of China.

Hong Kong authorities did not give an explanation why morales, who was told she would have to return to the Philippines on a 6 p.m. flight, was banned from the country.

The family flew back to manila with morales after not pushing through with the vacation — a decision which morales expressed disappointment over as she wanted to see her grandchildren having fun in their trip to Hong Kong Disneyland.

“I was deprived of the opportunity to see my grandchildren enjoy their vacation in Hong

Former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales

Inquirer.net photo

Kong,” she said.

The former Philippine official believes her detention was due to the communication she and former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del rosario filed to the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Chinese President Xi Jinping for alleged crimes against humanity.

They called for an investigation into Beijing’s “systematic plan to control the South China Sea,” as well. morales said she does not regret filing the communication against Xi. “That gives us more resolve to pursue the case. That brings the level of the case to crescendo.

We will fight for the examination by the office of the Prosecutor of the communication that the Ambassador and I filed,” she said.

Del rosario, for his part, lik-

ened Hong Kong’s denial of entry to morales to bullying. “one of the reasons we had filed our case in the ICC is to be able to push back against the bullying and harassment that we have been encountering from our goliath of a neighbor,” he said in a statement.

“Today, with the holding of Former ombudswoman Conchita Carpio-morales by immigration authorities in Hong Kong as a security risk presumably due to the ICC case that we had filed, we are experiencing more of the same,” he added. meanwhile, Justice Secretary menardo Guevarra said they cannot question the action taken

by Chinese immigration officials as “the entry of foreigners or the refusal thereof is the exclusive and sovereign prerogative of any country.” n

Slams Netflix show’s negative portrayal of PH

PHILIPPINe National Police (PNP) chief Police General oscar Albayalde on monday, may 20, came to President rodrigo Duterte’s defense, urging the Philippine government’s international critics to visit the country and see for themselves the peace and order and the drug war being enforced here.

This is after American comedian Hasan minhaj presented “erroneous narratives” about Duterte and Philippine politics in the may 12 episode of political-satire show “Patriot Act” aired on Netflix.

“This is the very reason why our country is being portrayed as a chaotic place. That’s why we challenge these people to come here to our country and see for themselves the situation on the peace and order and the war on drugs here,” Albayalde said in a press briefing at the national police headquarters at Camp Crame.

According to him, this portrayal of the country is “unfair to the administration and to those working in the country.”

Albayalde also said that it causes “misinterpretation” and

“misconception” of the Philippines to people abroad. malacañang earlier slammed Hasan as well as the episode which had the comedian criticizing Duterte’s war against drugs and expressing his thoughts on the President’s senatorial candidates.

“We find it desperate that, on the eve of the Philippine midterm elections, the vociferous detractors of President rodrigo roa Duterte would use an American comedy show, aired on Netflix, to demonize the Chief executive and his government in its episode entitled ‘Brazil, Corruption and the rainforest’ before the global audience,” Communications Secretary martin Andanar said in a statement on Tuesday, may 14. “mr. Hasan minhaj, an American comedian and host, maliciously implied that President Duterte is an ‘autocrat’ who ‘every so often goes on a killing spree,’” Andanar added.

“He cited an exaggerated figure — 27,000, which is way higher than the official figure — to besmirch the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.”

With Duterte allies in 18th Congress, peace talks are doomed -- Joma LUCeNA CITY – Top rebel leader Jose maria “Joma” Sison was convinced that the peace talks are now doomed because the majority of the upcoming members of the 18th Congress are die-hard allies of President rodrigo Duterte.

“There is no chance for the resumption of peace negotiations in accordance with The Hague Joint Declaration for so long as the tyrant Duterte is in power,” Sison, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder, said in a solicited reaction from his base in Utrecht in the Netherlands.

Sison based his assessment from the result of the senatorial and congressional elections,

which he alleged were rigged to ensure the victory of the administration candidates.

“As a result of his rigging the may 13 elections, Duterte has more than two-thirds majority in the Senate and is in a position to dictate the realization of his fascist dictatorship through charter change to bogus federalism and declare martial law nationwide at his whim,” he said.

Five reelectionist senators, along with four first-timers and three former senators were proclaimed Wednesday morning by the Commission on elections (Comelec) and would join the 18th Congress, which opens in July.

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majority of the newly elected members of the House of representatives, including party-list representatives, were also candidates and allies of the Duterte administration.

With the result of the election, Sison expects the continued “underdevelopment of the country, unemployment, mass poverty, soaring prices, the plunder of natural resources and social wealth, mass murder with impunity, and the worst forms of deception.”

Sison predicts the resurgence of intensified protest actions “as in the time of fighting and defeating the marcos fascist dictatorship.”

(Delfin T. Mallari Jr./Inquirer.net) PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde

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To find nearby sites during early voting, go to www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/vote for a link to an interactive, mobile device enabled early voting site map.

DATED: May 16, 2019 Joseph P. Gloria Registrar of Voters

Inquirer.net photo

According to him, there are about 5,050 drug personalities who died during the 115,435 anti-drug operations from July 2016 to November 2018 based on government data.

He also cited Philippine National Police’s (PNP) report which detailed that “a large number of deaths were done by the hands of vigilantes due to the rivalry between drug gangs.”

Andanar mentioned the government’s rehabilitation programs, as well, saying there were about 303,533 individuals who graduated from these rehabilitation programs since Duterte assumed presidency in 2016.

“We express outrage that such erroneous narratives, obviously peddled by anti-Duterte haters and trolls, would find their way to the gullible TV host and his comedy show and unwittingly parrot these falsehoods to an audience unaware of the real score in the Philippines,” he said.

“The Philippines, like the USA, is a country where democracy is vibrant and the will of the people reigns supreme. Ultimately, it is the Filipino people who will choose their own set of leaders and we simply have to respect the results of the elections,” Andanar added, referring to Hasan’s criticism against Duterte’s endorsement of some senatorial candidates.

The Palace official explained that the results of the midterm elections meant that the Filipinos still favored Duterte.

“The president called on the public to vote for those who support his measures to uplift people from poverty and have a stable, comfortable, and peaceful life that they deserve. He also called on the public to dismiss black propaganda against the administration amid the midterm elections,” Andanar said.

“The preliminary results of the nationwide polls affirmed that the public indeed heeded the president’s call. This proves that the voting population continues to believe in the genuine reforms advocated by the candidates endorsed by President rodrigo roa Duterte,” he added. (Philstar.com)

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may 23-29, 2019 • LaS VEGaS aSIaN JOURNaL

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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • mAy 23-29, 2019

Sara Duterte refuses to reconcile with ‘dangerous’Alvarez ‘Upset’ Duterte orders shipment of trash back to Canada even at PH expense by darryL John

esguerra

Inquirer.net

MANILA — Presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio refused to reconcile with re-elected Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, whom she had a bitter feud before the latter was ousted as House Speaker in July 2018.

“I have no intention of accepting Rep. Bebot Alvarez’s offer of reconciliation because the offer was deceiving and utterly lacked sincerity,” Duterte-Carpio said in a statement on Tuesday, May 21.

Alvarez reportedly offered to reconcile with his political enemies, including Duterte-Carpio, days after his PDP-Laban ticket dominated the local elections in his province.

The re-elected Davao City mayor claimed that Alvarez was “videotaped” when he threatened to “embarrass her.”

“Unknown to him, he was surreptitiously videotaped when he threatened, after his win in the recent elections in Davao del Norte, ‘Ipapahiya ko si Sara’ [I will embarrass Sara],” DuterteCaprio said.

“Alvarez was, and he remains to be, a very dangerous, Machiavellian individual who does not deserve peace,” she added.

Alvarez, a known ally and longtime friend of President Duterte, was booted out of the House Speakership before the Chief Executive delivered his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) in July last year. Former President and now outgoing Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and Pantaleon Alvarez

replaced him as Speaker.

In several speeches, the President has repeatedly acknowledged that it was his daughter who “maneuvered” the ouster of Alvarez.

Duterte-Carpio also denied Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay’s claim that she “recommended” Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez as the next Speaker of the House.

“If I did raise his [Romualdez] hand during the HNP (Hugpong ng Pagbabago) rally in Tacloban, I did so because he, just like (Marinduque) Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, is supportive of the reform agenda of President Duterte,” she said.

The Presidential daughter then confirmed that newly proclaimed Taguig City Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano, who was also reportedly eyeing the House leadership post, did not seek her endorsement for the speakership.

She noted, however, that Cayetano “came with a veiled threat” that if she endorsed Velasco for

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the shipping of garbage back to Canada at the Philippines’ expense, as he expressed dismay over the “inordinate delay” and Ottawa’s failure to reclaim tons of trash shipped to Manila about six years ago, his spokesman said on Wednesday, May 22.

Speaking to reporters, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said Duterte directed concerned government officials to look for Davao del Norte 1st District Representative Inquirer.net photos a private shipping company that would “immediately” bring back Speaker, she “would break up the waste to Canada. the ‘group.’”

“President Rodrigo Roa Duterte “And this, he said, will affect the is so upset about the inordinate presidential elections of 2022,” delay of Canada in shipping back she added. its containers of garbage. We Meanwhile, Duterte-Carpio said are extremely disappointed with the question on the interest of her Canada’s neither-here-nor-there brother, incoming Davao City 1st pronouncements on the matDistrict Rep. Paolo Duterte, to join ter,” Panelo said during a press the Speakership squabble “should briefing. best be addressed by our father “Obviously, Canada is not takbecause he is the President and our patriarch.”

She further claimed that she is “not the correct person to endorse someone to be the next

by Patricia Lourdes Viray Speaker.”

Philstar.com “I only have a personal bet but [I] do not intend to influence ConMANILA — As the Commisgress,” Duterte-Carpio said. sion on Elections declares the “It is best if the newly elected new set of senators after the members of the House of Repre- 2019 midterm elections, former sentatives individually decide who Interior Secretary Mar Roxas has among those who are interested conceded defeat. in becoming the next Speaker Final and official results of the can truly bring good governance recent polls showed that Roxas and positive change to Congress, placed 16th in the 12-seat senatoto the Filipino people, and our rial race with 9,843,288 votes. country,” she added. n “Well, we didn’t make it. Disappointing and sad but ganyan talaga ang buhay (life is like that),” Roxas said in a statement released on Wednesday, May 22.

Official says academic offering to examine impact of political, economic and environmental changes on national security

“The less economic activities in an area, the more security problems [develop]. This is what is happening, [just] look at Mindanao,” Valencerina said.

Cadets will be taught that when building detachments, soldiers should consider the impact on the environment and the socioeconomic and political situations of the host area, “because all these will affect national security,” he said.

The new course will be offered to cadets who enter the academy in June.

Threats Earlier, the PMA had incorpo- Former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas rated subjects that addressed the evolving threats to the country. “[The Marawi siege] has been a learning experience for us.

There has been changes … like integrating urban warfare training in the curriculum to make future [military operations] successful,” said Cadet First Class Alden Altamero, a native of Kidapawan City who placed fifth in the graduating class.

Cadets have also been taught to be aware of the country’s problems with China, which has claimed parts of the West Philippine Sea. “I believe the Navy is doing its best to protect what is ours,” said Cadet First Class Dionne Mae Umalla, the top graduate who will A team of soldiers simulates an assault and rescue operation for Philippine Military Academy join the Navy when she graduates on May 26. (Kimberly Quitasol/Incadets during an Army caravan at Fort del Pilar in Baguio City.

Inquirer.net photo by EV Espiritu quirer.net) spoke after presenting this year’s top 10 cadets of the graduating Mabalasik Class of 2019.

“The Marawi siege cost us many lives, both military and civilians, and billions of [pesos] and we cannot afford another such incident,” he said.

He said 165 soldiers died during the five-month Marawi operation while many others suffered permanent disability.

Security landscape The fast-changing national security landscape today required the PMA to develop a Bachelor of Science in National Security Management, which would examine the impact of political, economic and environmental changes on national security, said Brig. Gen. Cheston Valencerina, PMA dean of academics.

Hurdling scholastic controversy, Imee returns Marcos family’s grip on Senate

by Kristine Joy

Philstar.com

Patag

MANILA — Imee Marcos, daughter of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., will be making her debut as a senator following Monday’s midterm vote.

The final and official tally of the Commission on Elections showed Imee sitting in the Senate’s winners’ circle. The Ilocos Norte governor has obtained 15,882,628 votes across the country.

This marks the return of another Marcos to the Senate in the years that followed the 1986 People Power Revolution that sent the formerly ruling family out of the country.

Imee ran and won under the administration-backed Hugpong ng Pagbabago slate, whose campaign manager is presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

From her questionable academic background...

Last year, a supposed photo of Imee’ scholastic records went viral, raising questions on her academic credentials.

Interaksyon first reached out to Princeton University in October 2018. It confirmed that although she attended the school, she did not graduate, contrary to the candidate’s claims.

A day after Comelec declared the official start of the campaign season, Imee asserted that she is an alumna of the Ivy League university just as questions on her supposed stellar academic

record were raised.

“Pumasok ako sa Princeton at pagkakaalam ko, nag-graduate ako (I went to Princeton and as far as I know, I graduated),” she told News5 chief Luchi Cruz-Valdes on “Aplikante sa Senado.”

Princeton University confirmed that Imee attended the University but did not graduate. Even the Ivy League school’s student newspaper, Daily Princetonian, reported that Imee did not graduate from their university.

Almost a month later, a photo of Imee’s supposed yearbook from the University of the Philippines’ College of Law made rounds on social media.

But what the Facebook post failed to mention was that this is not the actual yearbook of the UP Law Class of 1983 when they graduated 36 years ago. The photo was from a profile from a yearbook published in 2008 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of that batch.

Reporters hounded Marcos in different campaign sorties to get her statement on the matter, but she dodged questions. ...to honesty as an election issue Imee’s assertion of her strong academic background had Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte saying that “everyone in the world is a liar” anyway.

Marcos is part of the younger Duterte’s 13-man Hugpong ng Pagbabago slate.

President Rodrigo Duterte also found himself in a pickle to address whether honesty is an

message resonates well with other countries of the world,” he said.

Asked about Duterte severing ties with Canada, Panelo said, “I think it is going to that direction if you read his pronouncements.”

Duterte said in April that he wanted the trash shipment from Canada returned, even warning that the issue may spark a war.

The president was referring to 103 containers of Canadian waste, consisting of household trash, plastic bottles and bags, newspapers, and used adult diapers, that arrived in Manila in batches from 2013 to 2014.

The Canadian government said it was working on resolving the dispute.

It amended environmental laws in 2016 to set liability for private companies in such cases and to compel them to take back the waste. (Catherine Valente/ManilaTimes.net)

‘That’s life’: Mar Roxas accepts defeat in 2019 polls

Marawi siege inspires new course at PMA FORT DEL PILAR, BAGUIO CITY — This year’s new batch of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) cadets will pursue a national security management course to handle future crises involving homegrown terrorism and foreign naval incursions, PMA officials said here on Tuesday, May 21.

The Marawi siege, which took place on May 23, 2017, resulted in the deaths of civilians and soldiers and destruction of property, so cadets, who are the future officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, must be taught how to confront similar attacks, Lt. Gen. Ronnie Evangelista, PMA superintendent, said.

Evangelista led the special operations command to take back Marawi from the Islamic State-inspired Maute Group. He

ing this issue nor our country seriously. The Filipino people are gravely insulted about Canada treating this country as a dumpsite. As a result of this offending delay, the president has instructed the appropriate office to look for a private shipping company which will bring back Canada’s trash to the latter’s jurisdiction,” he said.

The Palace official said that the Philippine government “will shoulder all expenses and we do not mind the same.”

“If Canada will not accept the trash, we will leave the same within the territorial waters or 12 nautical miles out to sea from the baseline of any of their country’s shores,” Panelo said.

“The president’s stance is principled as it is uncompromising.

The Philippines is an independent sovereign nation [and] must not be treated as trash by other foreign nations. We hope this

File photo shows Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos arrives at Comelec to file her COC for the Senate race.

Philstar.com photo by Erwin Cagadas

election matter.

Now: A Marcos back in the Senate Imee follows the footsteps of her brother Ferdinand Jr. nickname “Bongbong,” the namesake of the late strongman, who ran and lost in the 2016 national elections for the vice president seat.

Bongbong is contesting Vice President Leni Robredo’s win before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal but his petition remains pending to date.

Bongbong, like Imee, also stirred controversy after reports show he did not complete the degrees he claimed to have.

Bongbong, however, may have instead received some training from Oxford University in England and Wharton School of Business in Pennsylvania. n

Following his second defeat in two consecutive elections, the former Aquino Cabinet member expressed gratitute to all those who supported his bid to return to the Senate. Roxas lost his presidential bid to President Rodrigo Duterte in the 2016 general elections.

Roxas served in the Senate from 2004 to 2010, before running for vice president in the 2010 elections, where he lost to Jejomar Binay.

“I want to thank you all, each and every one of you for all your hard work and support. But most of all, I want to thank you for be-

lieving — in me, in our values and principles, and in the idea that we as a people, and the Philippines, are and can be better than where we are, that our future is and can be brighter than our today,” Roxas said.

The former DILF chief remains uncertain on his future plans amis his failed Senate comeback attempt.

“I don’t now what comes next.

For now, I encourage you to do do what I’m going to do — hug my family, nurture them, learn some more, work some more, love some more... in short, try to live life to the fullest,” he said. n

Philstar.com photo

10

May 23-29, 2019 â&#x20AC;˘ LaS VEGaS aSIaN JOURNaL

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VEGAS&STYLE Journal

Lea Salonga pauses concert due to ringing phone

by Jan

Milo Severo Philstar.com

GRAMMY-nominated Filipino singer-actress Lea Salonga put her sold-out concert in Arizona on hold after she got distracted by a ringing cellphone.

According to a report by Gorgy Rula of Pilipino Star Ngayon, Lea suddenly stopped her performance and asked the person with a ringing cellphone to answer it first because it could be an emergency. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I heard a phone ringing over there and I will stop and ask you to answer because it could be an emergency. Emergency happens and just go ahead and answer it.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll wait, that could be an emergency,â&#x20AC;? Salonga explained.

Despite the incident, Salonga Philstar.com photo continued the show.

Last April, she aired her frustration on Twitter regarding the use of mobile phones in plays and concerts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Soooooo yeah. More cellphone users at plays and concerts. You guys have zero manners, zero breeding, zero empathy. If all youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re gonna do while sitting in the front row of a play is hunch over your phone, do everyone a favor and leave.

Your presence is disruptive and disrespectful to the actors and the audience. Take your entitled ass somewhere else,â&#x20AC;? she wrote on her Twitter account. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Money may get you theater tickets and your state of the art cellphone, but it canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t buy you class.â&#x20AC;?

Mark Dacascos as Zero and Asia Kate Dillion as The Adjudicator in â&#x20AC;&#x153;John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellumâ&#x20AC;?

Photo by Niko Tavernise

Fil-Am martial arts maestro Mark Dacascos talks going from smaller projects to the Daniel, James tease first project together box office-breaking â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;John Wick: Chapter 3â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Lea Salonga

by KriSSy

aguilar Inquirer.net

DANIEL Padilla and James Reid are teaming up for the first time in an â&#x20AC;&#x153;action-packedâ&#x20AC;? project.

The two actors announced their upcoming collaboration in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Doble Hatawâ&#x20AC;? which is set for release on Friday, May 24. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tara, samahan niyo kami onset ng unang project ko kasama si James Reid. Lalabas na ang #DobleHataw ngayong Friday, pero sa ngayon, panoorin niyo â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;to!â&#x20AC;? Padilla said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So thrilled to finally be able to work with Daniel on a project this big and action-packed! Excited na rin ba kayo para sa #DobleHataw? Watch this!â&#x20AC;? Reid said.

In the clip, the two discussed their working experience together and gave hints on what the project is about. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sobrang cool. Masaya. Siyempre first time ko din makasama si James. Sobrang chill lang.

Masaya and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;yung buong production, super chill, mabilis magtrabaho, masaya,â&#x20AC;? Padilla said.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Professionally, this is certainly a highlight of my career.â&#x20AC;?

by Klarize

Medenilla AJPress

Daniel Padilla and James Reid

Meanwhile, Reid said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Siguro â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;yung action, the drifting, driving the cars, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s definite the coolest part of the shoot.â&#x20AC;?

Padilla and Reid are the other halves of two of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Photo from Instagram/@vivaartistsagency

most famous love teams. Padilla is one-half of â&#x20AC;&#x153;KathNielâ&#x20AC;? with girlfriend Kathryn Bernardo, while Reid is the other half of â&#x20AC;&#x153;JaDineâ&#x20AC;? with girlfriend Nadine Lustre.

NOT-SO-SPOILER alert: â&#x20AC;&#x153;John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellumâ&#x20AC;? has a lot of fight scenes.

On its face, the third installment of the wildly popular film franchise seems like your garden variety action film about assassins. But John Wick 3 proves itself to go beyond purely escapist entertainment and opts to showcase the best in martial artistry and the craft of stunt acting to the highest degree.

Among those in the talented and diverse cast is Filipino American actor and decorated martial artist Mark Dacascos (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cradle to the Grave,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iron Chef Americaâ&#x20AC;?), who plays Zero, the principal villain to Keanu Reevesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; John Wick, a fearsome and skilled assassin.

Although Dacascos â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who is also part Japanese, Chinese and Irish â&#x20AC;&#x201D; boasts a 30+ year career acting in a variety of films show-

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Fil-Am Mark Dacascos as Zero in â&#x20AC;&#x153;John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum,â&#x20AC;? which came out on Friday, May 17.

casing his extensive expertise in martial arts (his father was renowned martial arts instructor Al Dacascos and from ages 7 to 18, Mark Dacascos won multiple championships in karate and kung fu), Dacascos told the Asian Journal that John Wick 3 was his biggest break to date. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Professionally, this is certainly a highlight of my career and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so interesting to wake up to friends and family members texting you about how your film is No. 1 in America. I mean, unless youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re someone like Keanu Reeves, when does that ever happen for an actor?â&#x20AC;? Dacascos said, laughing.

Dacascos was cast late in the project, noting a days-long turnaround time from when he was approached to when he stepped foot on set. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had the smallest amount of prep time for the biggest project Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been a part of,â&#x20AC;?

Dacascos explained. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I got a text from Chad [Stahelski, director of the John Wick franchise] on a Sunday night, talked with him on Monday, flew from LA to New York on Tuesday, prepped on Wednesday and started filming on Thursday.â&#x20AC;?

But the brief preparation time was actually a blessing in disguise for Dacascos, noting the â&#x20AC;&#x153;unforgettableâ&#x20AC;? experience he had working with the cast and crew. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To be able to work with such a high-level, experienced and accomplished cast was just phenomenal, and I mean every actor that Chad had on board Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a fan of, so Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happy about how things turned out because that all could have been quite overwhelming had I had time to process it,â&#x20AC;?

Dacascos said.

As of press time, â&#x20AC;&#x153;John Wick

3â&#x20AC;? has amassed $93.3 million worldwide. It debuted to $57 million making it the first film to beat â&#x20AC;&#x153;Avengers: Endgameâ&#x20AC;? at the top of the box office. And just like its first two installments, it has been met with high regard from critics and fans alike.

At the start of â&#x20AC;&#x153;John Wick 3â&#x20AC;? (released Friday, May 17), Wick finds himself â&#x20AC;&#x153;excommunicadoâ&#x20AC;? from the assassin society The High Table, who has placed a $14 million bounty on his head.

As Wick fights his way through some of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most deadly assassins, Zero, the odd, yet formidable mercenary formerly for The High Table, is hired by an adjudicator from the High Table to hunt down Wick as well as those who have aided him on this international goose chase.

Throughout the 131-minute thrill ride, viewers are treated to some of the most creative and expansive combat scenes seen yet in the John Wick franchise.

Stahelskiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stunt production company 87eleven Action Design provided the choreography and coordinated the sequencing for the film and were â&#x20AC;&#x153;extremely collaborative and open-hearted.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a highly accomplished stuntman and extremely proficient at different martial arts, and that was a huge advantage,â&#x20AC;? Dacascos said of Stahelski. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He knows how to bridge the gap between what works in real life and what looks good on camera, and it really shows when you see the film, and everyone just approached every sequence with the actors in mind and it was such a joy.â&#x20AC;?

This week, production of â&#x20AC;&#x153;John Wick 4â&#x20AC;? was announced, set for a 2021 release. â&#x20AC;&#x153;John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellumâ&#x20AC;? is in theaters now.

Golden opportunity shines for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Kadenang Gintoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; young stars

by ChriStina

alpad ManilaTimes.net

SINCE ABS-CBNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kadenang Gintoâ&#x20AC;? began airing in October 2018, the rivalry of its lead stars Beauty Gonzalez and Dimples Romana has kept the audience glued to the afternoon drama series.

Armed with snappy banters, physical confrontations and dramatic scenes, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kadenang Gintoâ&#x20AC;? continues to win the audience what with its recent all-time high rating of 27.3 percent and its constant 20 percent audience rating, according to Kantar Media.

On social media, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kadenang Gintoâ&#x20AC;? is also a huge winner â&#x20AC;&#x201D; its daily highlights on YouTube hit over 800 million total views, with almost each video reaching more than one million views.

The series is also a major hit on iWant, the networkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on-demand video streaming app, as it topped the list of most watched programs with over 1.5 million views daily.

The show was also hailed the Best Daytime Series in the 2019 Golden Laurel Awards at the University of the PhilippinesBatangas for its gripping scenes and compelling story.

Recently though, Gonzalez and Romanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trending catfights are not the only reason to watch the afternoon soap. The equally intriguing rivalry of young stars Andrea Brillantes and Francine Diaz has built a bigger fan base with their own charactersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rivalry getting more intense.

And with the addition of their on screen partners Seth Fedelin â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a former â&#x20AC;&#x153;PBB Otsoâ&#x20AC;? housemate

The afternoon series has given birth to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gold Squadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; comprised of Seth Fedelin, Andrea Brillantes, Francine Diaz and Kyle Echarri.

ManilaTimes.net photo

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and Kyle Echarri, the show has garnered even more followers from younger audiences.

It came then as no surprise that the creators of the show, Dreamscape Entertainment, has given the quartet their own spotlight.

Dubbed as â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Gold Squad,â&#x20AC;?

Diaz, Brillantes, Echarri and Fedelin are now known as the four fun, responsible, driven, and family-oriented teens from different backgrounds with diverse life experiences. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really happy with how the show has turned out. I also didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect na magiging â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gold Squadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; kami sa â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Kadenang Gintoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;,â&#x20AC;? shared Echarri, who added that whenever they go out right now, they are called with their charactersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; name and no longer in their own names.

Brillantes, meanwhile, attributes the success of the young starsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; storyline with its relatability with the young audience.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tingin ko po maraming natutuwa, maraming nakaka-relate kasi lahat naman tayo nagkakagusto sa hindi tayo gusto so feeling ko nakakahugot yung viewers dun,â&#x20AC;? Brillantes said.

Together, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Gold Squadâ&#x20AC;? will bring surprises that their young fans will be able to relate to, starting off with their own album that will soon be released

by Star Music.

Besides â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Gold Squad,â&#x20AC;? more unexpected revelations will grip viewers now that Romina (Gonzalez) is finally acquitted from the case filed against her. But Daniela (Romana) will fight to not be dethroned and will do what it takes to defeat her mortal enemy. Seeing her mother struggle because of Romina, Margaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (Brillantes) hatred toward Cassie (Diaz) will grow even more and make her realize that she is not worthy of being a Mondragon.

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Whatever happened to Calendar of Events across ‘happily ever after’?

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond MONETTE ADEVA MAGLAYA (Part 2 of 3) (Continued from last week’s issue …)

There is an onslaught of overwhelming assaults that come in all forms from just everywhere, facilitated by the startling phenomenon of social media and the ease of anything going viral through the internet. This warped, perverse world we live in today seems to delight in mischief and mayhem.

Against this gloomy global backdrop, what is good and true appear to be defenseless against unseen forces that doom personal struggles: relationship problems, self-esteem issues, financial problems, addictions, physical and mental illnesses and other ills too many to mention.

The result - there seems to be far too many lonely, alienated people these days. The suicidal stage is the most dreaded period of such a state of mind, when intense loneliness descends to a deep vortex of hopelessness and darkness. Suicide signals the end of a futile human struggle.

There is available help — a sliver of hope. Psychotherapy and the safe and judicious use of antidepressants can help keep deep depression at bay. That may very well be. But one cannot help but think that there has to be a better way when an alarming percentage of those who take antidepressants still throw in the towel and end it all.

In simpler times, if you can call and label adversity by name, you can figure out simple ways of defeating it. Yet now because of the complexity of the world we live in, we don’t call people lonely.

We call them depressed. They are diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, paranoia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and a whole dizzying lexicon of mental diseases.

Two thousand years ago, our ancestors called the whole gamut of mental diseases and bizarre behavior, possession by the devil.

One is no longer in charge of one’s soul but has been overpowered by a sinister, evil force. The soul is its habitat.

Pope Francis, fully aware and deeply concerned about what is going on in the spiritual realm in

today’s world, has ordained exorcism official Catholic practice.

The greatest lie perpetrated by the devil during modern times is to make people believe that evil does not exist. It does. People lulled by a false sense of security in believing they are not in the sights of that sinister, unseen force, have become like the dodo, fat sitting ducks for evil, unwary and often caught off guard when tested.

The dodo is gone because it did not recognize the predators that wanted to kill it. In the spiritual realm, it has always been the battle for the human soul — good versus evil. The battle is raging.

Sadly, many are none the wiser.

With beheadings, stonings and widespread Christian persecution in the Middle East and Africa by radical elements of Islam, and in the home front of western civilization, the pervasive liberalism that mocks Christian morality and values by touting political correctness, the world is back to 1 AD all over again. This is history repeating itself — a throwback to two thousand years ago when the blood of martyrs flowed, and Nero PAGE 12

Queries from readers

Health@Heart PHILIP S. CHUA, MD, FACS, FPCS EGGS have been around for eons, even before man discovered they were edible. In many households around the world, eggs have been a routine part of breakfast. One of the concerns about eating eggs (yolk) is its cholesterol contents, the reason some health conscious people eat only the egg white. One Harvard report about five years ago states that the choline in eggs (126 mg per egg) may induce and aggravate inflammation, the initial process in the causation of most, if not all, illnesses, including cancer.

A new study of more than 1000 men with early stage of cancer of the prostate “found that men who consumed two and a half or more eggs per week — that’s just like one egg every three days — had a two-fold increased risk of cancer progression and an 81 percent increased risk of lethal prostate cancer.” A study published in the “New England Journal of Medicine,” the Cleveland team who did the famous study on carnitine fed research participants hard-boiled eggs instead of steak, and found that the egg-eaters had a spike in the level of carnitine, choline, and lethicin (same TMAO compounds found in red meat) and increased risk for heart attack, stroke, and death. Although our DNA is unique and there are other factors in our make-up in play, the inference in these recent studies should make us more cautious.

How much alcohol is healthy?

A couple of decades ago, the

medical recommendation was not more than two drinks for women (zero for pregnant ones) and not more than three for men. This usually referred to wine, preferably red wine. Pinot Noir was the favorite for its high resveratrol (cardioprotective) content. More recently, studies have asserted that there is actually no safe level for alcohol consumption. Your physician, who is familiar with your health, could expound on this matter and advise you accordingly.

Why did you write soft drinks are toxic?

Soft drinks (which I call liquid candies) are all toxic to the body, especially for children, because consuming them increases the risk for metabolic syndrome. Soft drinks, over time, cause drinkers to have high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, heart attack, stroke, and even increases the chances of cancer development. If we, as parents and guardians, are not preventing our children from drinking these toxic beverages, then we are contributing to their unhealthy behaviors, illnesses, and premature death. The book on healthy lifestyle and disease prevention from the cellular (DNA) level, entitled “Let’s Stop ‘Killing’ Our Children” (philipSchua.com, amazon.com, central.com.ph) expounds on this subject.

Is vaping (e-Cig) a better alternative?

Vaping (vapour products) or use of electronic cigarettes, is advertised as the healthier option to smoking tobacco. This almost 3 billion-dollar industry around the world, up from $4.2 billion five years ago, has the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom as

its largest markets. The e-cigarette devise contains nicotine-based liquid which is vaporized and inhaled, as in smoking, is a dangerous alternative to conventional cigarette smoking. Its fumes are like second-hand tobacco smoke that causes cancer among those exposed to that smoke. One of the hundred harmful chemicals in vaping is formaldehyde, a known carcinogen (cancer-causing agent).

Studies have shown that switching to vaping (to help in quitting cigarette smoking) only prolongs the nicotine habit and definitely a deadly option.

How did the U.S. measles outbreak start?

The recent measles epidemic is a resurgence of the very virulent, rapidly transmissible, disease in the United States since 2000, when the CDC declared that “measles was eliminated in the U.S.” The current outbreak was attributed to travelers who brought measles back to the USA from Israel, where there currently is a massive epidemic. These infected individuals transmitted it to unvaccinated and under-vaccinated communities in New York State. From January first of 2019 to May 10, 2019, there were 839 cases of measles confirmed in 23 States, an increase of 75 cases the week before. Measles are potentially deadly from complications causing encephalitis (brain inflammation).

MMR vaccines are very effective in preventing measles. It has been proven not to cause autism, and declared safe by the CDC. Are expired drugs unsafe?

According to the United States military studies on expired drugs, most drugs are still potent even PAGE 12

Welcoming the spring season — the Filipino way

BY MONET

LU

HAVING four seasons in a year is an idea that is quite foreign to Filipinos who grew up in the Philippines. Back there, we only have dry (summer) and wet (rainy) season. Then there are those, like me, who migrated outside the Philippines to a place that has more than two seasons. This change also requires changes in wardrobe, food, scenery, and pastimes. So how does the typical “Pinoy” deal with the changing of the season?

Food Filipinos love to eat and foreigners know that about us.

One of the running jokes about Filipinos is that “wherever there’s food, that is where the Filipinos are.” Now that is good if they meant that we cook great food, otherwise, it could mean that we’re known as gluttons. Either way, food is a just in the core of every Filipino. And a food-loving Filipino has adapted the ability to adjust his palate according to the season. Spring season calls for a parade of spring rolls. And by that, I meant spring rolls of different varieties such as lumpiang Shanghai (pork spring rolls), lumpiang sariwa or lumpiang ubod (bamboo shoots spring rolls) and lumpiang gulay or lumpiang toge (bean sprouts spring rolls) are the best sellers in a company potluck or spring banquet. And because we just love to dip everything in sauce, we even have the appropriate sauce for each of spring rolls. Sweet and sour chili sauce, peanut sauce, and of course, lumpiang toge’s faithful partner: sukang puti (white vinegar).

Spring is also a great time to

check out the newest Filipino restaurants or Asian fusion cafes that invaded Southern California.

You can also venture further south like San Diego and I bet you will the aroma of inihaw na liempo would lead you to these Filipino restaurants. Either that, or a park filled with Filipinos with picnic baskets filled with Filipino delicacies. Filipino food is just everywhere and I credit that to the talented cooks and chefs who make Los Angeles such a delicious place to live.

Fashion Spring is the second season of the year. And second to adjusting this season’s menu is switching clothes. This is the time where thermal jackets and winter boots are stored away. Unless you have a perfectly good reason for wearing that fur coat, it should be in the closet.

For Pinays, they don a flowery sundress, spring colored jumpsuit, or some cute separates; like a good statement skirt with comfortable and flattering cotton top. Pair it with an accent pump and minimal accessories, and they swing their way to spring!

For the men, skinny jeans are not as cool as they were before but still is a known staple in any man’s wardrobe. It’s the season to loosen up a bit, so straight cut cool print chino pants is a great alternative to tight and dark jeans. Pair these up with a lightweight cardigan and statement eyewear and you’re off to great spring.

Places One of the best things about this season is the blooming of flowers and fruit trees. This is also one of the things about spring that we, Filipinos, can relate to. And it’s not because we

have spring season but because planting and harvesting is a way of life to us. We harvest vegetables and fruits, and plant more tropical plants that our gardens could handle.

This season means a picnic at the park, checking out the Botanical Garden and Knottsberry farm, you know, the stuff that you do while you bond over food and wear your flowery and light cotton shirts. Forget about hibernating in your pajamas, walking around your house wearing thermal socks. That is so winter ago! Go out there and watch the cherry blossom, the tulips, open the windows and enjoy the warm sun.

As this new season unfolds, we should make the most of it by welcoming spring in all its glory.

I do that by thinking of spring as snow finally melting, trees blooming, and the streets looking lively and green again! For most people, spring is a time of change. Thoughts of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection and hope come to us when we wake up from a cold winter night to a warm spring morning.

Oh, spring, you bring so many beautiful things. And as Filipinos fondly say – and let me say it with cheers to a spring season full of hope: “Mabuhay!” *** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, awardwinning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns.

Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary all-natural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com

11

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 23 -J U N E 29

“Tagolilong: Hidden in Plain Sight” exhibit in San Pedro, CA An interactive homage to Indigenous California Habitat will be on exhibit from May 18 to June 29, 2019. Created by LA-based artists-collaborators, champoy and Sarita Doe, it will open on Saturday, May 18th, 2019 from 3:00pm-6:00pm at Pinta*Dos Philippine Art Gallery which is located at 479 W Sixth Street, Suite 108, Historic Arts District, San Pedro, CA 90731.

Tagolilong: Hidden in Plain Sight will be the sixth exhibit at Pinta*Dos Gallery since it was inaugurated in June 2017. The Gallery is open from Wednesday to Friday, 3:00pm to 6:00pm except on First Thursdays when it is open until 8pm. It is also open by appointment. For further information, email Linda Nietes-Little, Founder of the gallery at info@pintadosgallery.com Also visit their website: http://www.pintadosgallery.com , facebook and instagram pages.

M AY 25

Marist School Marikina to celebrate 55th anniversary in Buena Park, CA Marist Alumni Abroad, coordinated by Arthur ‘Jojo’ P. Armada ‘77, invites alumni, family and friends, and the public who are interested, to the 55th anniversary grand reunion of the Marist School Marikina, to be held on Saturday, May 25, at the Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel (7675 Crescent Ave., Buena Park, CA 90620). The event’s theme is “Celebrating Our Marist Life...The Legacy Continues,” hosted by Marist Alumni Abroad. Dinner and dance: 6 pm to 11 pm; donation: $55/pax (per person). Contact person is overall chair Jojo P. Armada at (626) 216-3529 or email: armadaarthur@yahoo.com.

M AY 25 -26

Bulacan high schools reunite in Rosemead, CA The 2019 Global Gathering of Marcelo H. Del Pilar High School (MHPHS) of Malolos, Bulacan will be held on May 25-26, 2019 at the Double Tree Hotel in Rosemead, CA. For further information, please contact any of the following: Lourdes Ople-Smith at lourdesosmith@gmail. com / (310) 662-1948; Charito Aldaba-Gabriel at chato_gabriel1019@yahoo.com / (818) 6536047; Leni Flor Cruz-Florentino at lenflorcruz529@yahoo.com / (818) 282-0928; Tristan Zafra at tristan@trisoftco.com / (714) 686-3345; Gerry Torres, Jr. at gerrytorres50@gmail.com / (213) 249-1633; and Perfecto T. Martin at perfecto.martin@gmail.com.

JUNE 1

7th Historic Filipinotown Kalayaan Parade and Festival in LA The 7th Historic Filipinotown Kalayaan Parade and Festival Committee (7KPFC) announced that it will holding the 7th Kalayaan Parade in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 1, 2019 in commemoration of the 121st PH Independence Day on June 12, 1898. This will be the 7th Kalayaan Parade and Festival in Historic Filipinotown, as the first was held in 2013 in cooperation with the PH Consulate General in Los Angeles. This is the only Independence Day parade and Festival in Los Angeles and is held every year in Historic Filipinotown. For more information, please call Freddie at (818) 220-2075 or email at jfavusa8@gmail.com.

Kalayaan Incorporated’s annual Philippine Independence Day gala in LA Kalayaan Incorporated invites the community to its celebration of the 121st Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence on Saturday, June 1, 2019, at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel (5855 W. Century Blvd. Los Angeles, CA). Kalayaan is extremely proud to have Honorable Risa Hontiveros, an incumbent senator who assumed office on June 30, 2016, as the grand gala’s guest of honor and speaker. For tickets to the Gala Night, please contact Annie Cuevas-Lim, Kalayaan President at (213) 447-7078. For more information, contact KI PROs Violet Mislang at vmislang@gmail.com or Lady Hope Robillos at lhopepr@yahoo.com.

Diva2Diva concert in Arcadia, CA The JIR Foundation enthusiastically presents Diva2Diva on Saturday, June 1 at 6:30 p.m. at Arcadia Performing Arts Center (188 Campus Drive, Arcadia, California 91007). The concert will feature Kuh Ledesma, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Mitch Valdes and Nanette Inventor. Ticket prices are $145, $100, $75, $60 and $50. Call or text (818) 726-6333 or (818) 612-4500 or visit ladiva2. eventbrite.com.

JUNE 2

PeDRO tees off with The Filipino Channel Unity Cup Los Angeles The Philippine Disaster Relief Organization (PeDRO), in partnership with The Filipino Channel, will have its charity golf tournament on Sunday, June 2, 2019, at the Westridge Golf Club, 1400 S. La Habra Hills Drive, La Habra, CA 90631. The 2019 TFC Unity Cup Los Angeles tournament is an expansion leg of the TFC Unity Cup in the Bay Area, Northern California. Proceeds of the golf tournament will be for the benefit of ABS-CBN Foundation International, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit that serves as the public service arm of TFC. Check-in time starts at 12 p.m. Tee Time starts promptly at 1:00 p.m. Registration fee of $125 includes Cart, Range Balls, Raffle Prizes and Buffet Dinner. Late registration fee of $135.00 takes effect May 20 through May 26, 2019, subject to space availability.

For more information, contact PeDRO President Benito Miranda at (310) 600-5675 and Event Chairperson/Treasurer Joey Cruz at (310) 938-4907. Or contact PeDRO at gopedrosports@yahoo.com.

Visit http://www.gopedro.org and https://www.facebook.com/PeDRORelief.

J U N E 24 -28

SIPA’s Filipino Summer Program in LA Happening from June 24-28, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans’ (SIPA) Filipino Summer Program is a fun, week-long experience that enriches, educates, and engages youth about the Filipino Culture! Youth will get to learn more about Filipino food, language, dance, arts, and music! Children ages 6-13 are able to participate, while older youth can volunteer. The program will be held at SIPA (3200 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026) from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. Drop-offs and pickups are at the SIPA parking lot at Dillion St. and Temple St. Each day is $30 for the first child. Every additional child will be $3 less a day (e.g., the second child will be $27/day, the third child would cost $24/day, and so on). If your family cannot fully afford the cost of SIPA’s Filipino Summer Program, the FEE CAN BE LOWERED depending on the financial situation. Families can pay by cash, credit/debit card (2.75% fee), Venmo (1% fee), or check!If interested, contact Maria Carmel Valendez by phone at 213-382-1819 ext. 107 or email at mvalendez@esipa.org.

J U LY 2 0

The Ibaan Association USA-Canada gala dinner in LA The Ibaan Association USA-Canada will hold its 32nd Annual Gala Dinner & Dance July 20, 2019 from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. at the Hilton Los Angeles / Universal City - Ballroom A at 555 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City, California 91608. For reservations call Monica Benitez at (323) 697-3731 / email: monica_benitez03@yahoo.com or Irene May Villafranca at (323) 423-2299 / email: imay02@ yahoo.com. Tickets are $85 for Adults and $40 for Children (3 to 10 years old). Please make checks payable to: Ibaan Association USA-Canada and mail to: Merly Pagunsan at 5025 Heintz St. Baldwin Park, CA 91706. For sponsorship information on our 2019 Souvenir Program please contact President Noli Reyes at homesbynoli@gmail.com or call (818) 458-7888. Please RSVP by April 12, 2019.

J U LY 24 -28

40th annual Philippine Nurses Association of America National Convention in Atlanta, GA The Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA) will have its 40th annual national convention from July 24 to 28 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, GA, hosted by the PNA-GA chapter. More information and details TBA. To learn about the PNA-GA, please visit: https://pnaga.wildapricot.org/.

AU G U ST 1 - 9

University of the Philippines Nursing Alumni Association International Convention & Alaskan Cruise The University of the Philippines Nursing Alumni Association International, Inc. (UPNAAI) will have its 40th convention on a cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas. The theme will be “In the New Millennium - UPNAAI at 40: Evolving and Emerging Nursing Roles.”

On Aug. 1. it will be UPNAAI Volunteers Service Day in Seattle, then 2-9 will be a cruise from Seattle, Juneau, Skagway, Endicott Arm & Dawes, Victoria, and back to Seattle. Convention Fee $100 for Alumni in addition to cruise pricing. No convention charge for friends and family members. Contact Hours will be provided for the educational conference. For more information/to register and view cruise rates, please visit https://www.upnaai.com/.

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

12

May 23-29, 2019 • LaS VEGaS aSIaN JOURNaL

EntErtainmEnt

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Liza Soberano undergoes new surgery Miss USA 2015 Olivia Jordan: ‘I was molested, raped’

by Jan

Milo Severo

Philstar.com

ACTRESS Liza Soberano has undergone another successful surgery in her finger fractured last August during the shoot of her now concluded series “Bagani.”

In her brother’s Instagram account, Justin Soberano posted a photo in his Instagram story showing the finger of Liza with a metal attached to it.

“Very happy that the surgery went great! To my brave sister get well soon we love you so much!”

Justin wrote.

It can be recalled that her finger injury is the main reason why Liza backed out from the Darna role.

“I’ve been undergoing therapy.

I had surgery twice na po. We’ve been trying to fix it, but lately, these past few weeks, we’ve decided na maybe it’s best if I don’t

push through with it, because baka maging hindrance lang po siya for me to be able to do the stunts properly,” Liza revealed last April.

In her previous interview last August, Liza told members of the press during the “Bagani” thanksgiving party that her finger got injured by co-actor Justin Cuyugan during the taping of the series.

“I got injured in the middle of the fight scene. Kasi when we were doing the scene, I guess we were really feeling it and medyo nagmamadali din kasi kami dahil umuulan and we have to get the scene before it starts raining,” Liza said.

“We were able to practice the scene before we took it. But in the middle of the scene, I guess the emotions took over.

Accidents happen and natamaan ‘yung kamay ko nung sword. It got fractured, but it’s fine now,”

MISS USA 2015 Olivia Jordan revealed that she was molested and raped in her younger years.

In a lengthy Instagram post, Olivia wrote her body and mind were traumatized and she is still recovering from the bad experience.

“I was molested as a child and raped as a teenager,” Olivia wrote. “My body and mind have been traumatized in ways I am still recovering from many years later.”

To conclude her post, she said: “Peace, love and prayers for a better future where we can realize

Liza Soberano Photo from Instagram/@lizasoberano

aguilar Inquirer.net

SINGER-actress and former “Pinoy Big Brother” housemate Maris Racal got candid during a press conference on Tuesday, May 21, about her relationship with singer Iñigo Pascual.

“Kinlarify naman namin ni Inigo na never naman naging kami and sinabi naman namin in front of them na hindi naman kami,” Racal said. “Ngayon lang talaga.

Siguro ayaw lang namin na sobrang ma-visible like together as a

Iñigo Pascual and Maris Racal

EMPLOYMENT

love team kasi syempre meron din kaming tinatahak na gusto.”

Racal and Pascual are collectively called “MarNigo” by their fans.

Racal pointed out how both of them had been pursuing different career paths as of the moment: “Iba-iba kami ng gusto. Siya, music, international. Ako, acting and then writing.”

“So ayaw lang namin na sobrang ‘yung mga tao sa paligid namin, hindi mapaghiwalay ‘yung idea of us together. Kasi mahihi-

Photo from Instagram/@inigopascual

Whatever happened to ‘happily...

PAGE 11 fiddled while Rome burned.

This is the present social and cultural canvass that engenders hopelessness and darkness in the souls of many individuals today.

There are far too many news of suicide these days and its horrible spawn, murder-suicide. rapan din kami, like how will we Consider the recent case of grow?” Racal said. “So the more that deranged, suicidal Germanna mas kayo, kayo, kayo. Hindi na wings pilot who planned and mawawala sa isip nila.” deliberately slammed a planeload The 21-year-old singer-actress of passengers against an Alpine admitted there had been changes mountain, causing the death of over the past year, but she reiter- 149 people. ated their desire to focus on their Who can forget about that desolo careers. spondent Malaysian Airlines pilot “Siguro like may changes na who may have caused the death of lang over one year kasi this time others by murder suicide? Efforts last year, love team, dami namin ganap together. Ngayon kasi, yun nga yung sa first answer ko kanina na iba iba kami ng gusto. Iba yung gusto niya, iba ang gusto ko, let’s PAGE 11 just accept this,” she said. after reaching, and beyond, their Racal also asked their fans to “expiration” date. The only excepsimply support what they release tions are vaccines, tetracycline, and reminded them not to be nitroglycerine, insulin, liquid anti“invested” on the idea of having biotics. Their potency, according to a relationship. the military studies, “may decrease “Ang masasabi ko na lang over time, but much of the origidyan, sana ‘yung nagsu-support nal potency still remains even a sa’min, support niyo na lang po decade after the expiration date.” ‘yung kung ano ‘yung ilalabas Drug companies are mandated namin kasi kung magiging ma- by a 1979 U.S. law to stamp an syadong invested sila about sa expiration date on medications, a relationship. You know, people date at which they can guarantee change and then maraming natu- the full potency and safety of the ral changes na nangyayari. So drugs. The U.S. military, with a dapat kelangan nakaka-keep ka sa massive and expensive stockpile of ganyan. Don’t get stuck sa idea na drugs, did a comprehensive study ganon,” she said. to prevent waste, and “found 90 Racal recently released a col- percent of more than 100 drugs, laboration with Original Pilipino prescription or over-the-counter, Music (OPM) icon Rico Blanco were perfectly good to use even titled “Abot Langit,” while Pascual 15 years after the expiration date.” released a song with Chinese-Aus- Keeping medications refrigerated tralian Youtube star Wengie titled helps prolong their potency.

“Mr. Nice Guy.” What in weed killer Roundup

causes cancer?

The World Health Organization reported in 2015 Glyphosate, the main in Roundup, causes cancer.

In August last year, a jury awarded $289 million to a man after he was diagnosed to have Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, following repeated use of Roundup weed killer.

The claims against Bayer and Monsanto, makers of Roundup, were based on its failure to warn consumers about the risk of using their product. A California elderly couple who used Roundup for years each developed Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma was handed an unparalleled $2.055 billion verdict against Monsanto. This herbicide is also linked to kidney disease, infertility, diabetes, Parkinson, Multiple Sclerosis, liver disease, leukemia, brain, lung, testicular, thyroid cancers and birth defects.

All chemicals (car and home air fresheners, disinfectants, clean-

EMPLOYMENT

SERVICES

she added.

The search for the next Darna continues after ABS-CBN and Star Cinema opened the role to the public.

Maris bares real score with Iñigo, thoughts on love team

by KriSSy

that we can live in harmony even when we don’t agree.”

Born and raised in Oklahoma, the 30-year-old beauty queen was crowned second runner-up at the Miss Universe 2015 pageant, where Philippines’ Pia Wurtzbach was declared the winner.

Like Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray who is the first to represent the Philippines in both Miss World and Miss Universe pageants, Jordan is arguably the first to represent USA in both major pageants.

In 2013, she finished in the top 20 of the Miss World competition. Olivia Jordan Photo from instagram.com/@theoliviajordan (Philstar.com)

at recovery have been fruitless so far — the plane and its victims probably lost in the deep bowels of the Indian Ocean.

And then there are the twisted beliefs of suicide bombers seeking martyrdom. They think they will go to paradise and be rewarded with seventy-two virgins for their atrocity. There are religious leaders intolerant of other beliefs, who incite their followers to eradicate Christians and Christian nations.

Who can explain evil incarnate?

There is news of suicide that hits you harder because you personally know the person who took his own life. By all accounts, he has led a good life but unknown to all, was going through

overwhelming personal struggles, wallowing in darkness and despair and simply gave up.

In many cases, those in their immediate family orbit say, they never saw it coming and will be left wondering WHY. Suicide, contrary to the lyrics of a popular song, is never painless. Those left behind who will have to pick up the pieces deal with the heavy pall of gloom and guilt that descends on them for a long time.

(Conclusion in next week’s issue …) *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette. maglaya@asianjournalinc.com

Queries from readers

FOR RENT

ers, detergents, etc.) we have at home are real hazards to health.

Their use also pollutes our environment (air, land, and sea), the air we breathe, the food and drink we ingest every day. Safer and cheaper alternative: ½ cup white vinegar, 1 pint alcohol, and 1 teaspoon dishwashing soap, plus water to make a gallon of spray for general cleaning (not for granite, varnished hardwood, or anything made of rubber). *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

(702) 792-6678 â&#x20AC;˘ http://www.asianjournal.com

Features

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL â&#x20AC;˘ MAy 23-29, 2019

13

Joan Almedilla, AJ Rafael, Jules Aurora among Fil-Am cast of East West Playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mamma Mia!â&#x20AC;?

By ChrIstIna M. OrIel / AJPress AUDIENCES will have the time of their lives watching the latest production of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mamma Mia!â&#x20AC;? in Los Angeles, featuring a predominantly Filipino American cast.

This rendition of the beloved jukebox musical comes from East West Players (EWP), the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s longest-running professional theater of color and largest creator of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) performance work in the country.

The two-hour musical, directed

by Producing Artistic Director Snehal Desai, musical direction

by Marc Macalintal and choreography by Preston Mui, officially opened on May 16 and will run until June 9.

The casting calls started in January and (unintentionally) resulted in actors of Filipino descent filling 12 out of 17 roles, including stage veteran Joan Almedilla, singer/songwriter AJ Rafael and pop and R&B singer Jules Aurora. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is a production often diversely cast but rarely has it been performed with all of the principal roles, and in our case, the entire company being artists of color,â&#x20AC;?

Desai writes in the program. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mamma Mia!â&#x20AC;? rounds out EWPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 53rd anniversary season themed â&#x20AC;&#x153;Culture Shockâ&#x20AC;? to high-

light narratives that go against the status quo. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at East West Players, where Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been able to stretch my acting abilities because all the projects have been so different, whether theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re plays, musicals, comedies, or one-night shows,â&#x20AC;?

Almedilla shared with the Asian Journal about her excitement to join another show with the organization.

Taking Swedish pop group ABBAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s timeless hits, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mamma Mia!â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with music and lyrics

by Benny Andersson and BjĂśrn Ulvaeus and book by Catherine Johnson â&#x20AC;&#x201D; tells the story of 20year-old Sophie Sheridan (Korean American Grace Yoo) in search of her biological father.

She invites three men, Sam Carmichael (Alan Ariano), Harry Bright (Danny Bernardo) and Bill Austin (Michael Palma), to the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi for her wedding based off clues from her mother Donnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (Almedilla) diary.

Immediately in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Honey, Honey,â&#x20AC;? sung by bright-eyed and curious Sophie and her bridesmaids Lisa (Jules Aurora) and Ali (Nicole Santiago), the musical starts off in an energetic beat, making you itch to sing and dance along.

We get introduced to Donna,

who in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Money, Money, Moneyâ&#x20AC;? vulnerably expresses her exhaustion of running the island hotel solo for the past 20 years, as well as her best friends, â&#x20AC;&#x153;lone wolfâ&#x20AC;?

Rosie Mulligan (Elvira Barjau) and thrice divorcĂŠe Tanya CheshamLeigh (Anthea Neri) who are in town for the wedding.

Almedilla â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who was last on the EWP stage in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Criers of Hireâ&#x20AC;? and was recently Lady Thiang in the Broadway national tour of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;The King And Iâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; takes on the strong-willed, layered character of Donna who must fight the tensions of letting her daughter go and reminders of her past life and loves. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donna is very much dedicated to raising her child and making sure she has a strong mind and strong view,â&#x20AC;? Almedilla said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a mom myself, you want to raise your child for the world. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what I identify with her. She has a lot of energy and is trying to live a good life, but she must also learn the art of letting go.â&#x20AC;?

Act I features the ABBA tunes weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve hummed along to for so long, from â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thank You For the Musicâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which establishes a relationship among Sophie and her possible dads â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chiquititaâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dancing Queen,â&#x20AC;? which show Donna, Rosie and Tanyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

(L-R) Elvira Barjau, Joan Almedilla, and Anthea Neri star in East West Playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; production of Mamma Mia!, directed by Snehal Desai.

everlasting sisterhood as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donna and the Dynamos.â&#x20AC;?

Along the way, the plot thickens as Sam, Harry and Bill discover the real reason they were invited to the island and each grapple with the possibility of having an adult daughter, while the impending wedding stirs a rush of emotions among the various characters.

What makes EWPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staging of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mamma Mia!â&#x20AC;? spectacular beyond the cast itself is the culturally relevant details, from a surprise Filipino dance (no spoilers here!) to Sophie and her friends toting red fans during â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gimme! Gimme!

Gimme!â&#x20AC;? to the male characters clad in barongs during the wedding scene. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re literally breathing new life into this production thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been done time and time again because you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see an Asian Sophie or an Asian Donna,â&#x20AC;? Yoo shared with the Asian Journal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very empowering for the audiences to see our spin on the story because what you see is a reflection. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re seeing representation and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why the crowd goes wild when you see our sprinkles of Asian culture.â&#x20AC;?

For those who have seen the movie or Broadway staging, this performance of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mamma Miaâ&#x20AC;? shows that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to (L-R) Jules Aurora, Grace Yoo, Dekontee Tucrkile, AJ Rafael, Max Torrez, Steven Agdeppa, Nicole Santiago, Joan Almedilla, Elvira Barjau, Ala alter the script or song lyrics to Tiatia, Edelyn Okano, Anthea Neri, Kevin Perdido, and Andrew Ge in East West Playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; production of Mamma Mia!, directed by Snehal Desai.

(L-R) Alan Ariano, Michael Palma, and Danny Bernardo in East West Playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; production of Mamma Mia!, directed by Snehal Desai.

The cast of East West Playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; production of Mamma Mia!, directed by Snehal Desai.

Photos by Steven Lam

make it more fitting to a particular group. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we were told there was going to be a Filipino touch to the show, we thought, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Are we allowed to do that?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; I thought it

was a brilliant idea because why not? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been done so many times and it canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just be a robotic, traditional show. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re allowed to, then go ahead and make it PAGE 14

PH-shot movie due for international release Benefit show advances Filipina empowerment philosophy

by Iza IglesIas ManilaTimes.net

â&#x20AC;&#x153;THIS is an American movie shot in the Philippines,â&#x20AC;? said Antonio Diaz, screenplay writer and executive producer of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Way of the Crossâ&#x20AC;? which had a successful first special private screening at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Cinema 3 on May 11.

The special private screening was held for the benefit of the Filipino stars who worked in the film. According to Diaz, they are so pleased to have worked with the Pinoy cast who had to hurdle a very extensive audition for the roles they played in the film. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to make sure they fit the role perfectly,â&#x20AC;? said the producer. The audition was very rigid, as they wanted to make sure that the feelings and acting of the stars would match what was needed in the film. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would say we have a very good cast who are all perfect for their [respective] roles,â&#x20AC;? he noted.

It is the religion aspect that makes the story interesting, he explained. And it just evolved as the story progressed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exploit religion at all. Also, the Philippines is just a backdrop in the story and the dialogues are in English,â&#x20AC;? Diaz explained, adding that while they plan to release the film internationally, their consideration is to release it locally before showing the movie in the US and elsewhere.

Playing the male lead is Anthony Diaz 5th, who also co-wrote the screenplay with his dad. Set in a religious town in the Philippines, the story follows Rogue Marquez (Anthony), a Las Vegas-based

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Way of the Crossâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cast and crew after the first private screening at MOA Cinema.

ManilaTimes.net photo

Filipino-American FBI agent, whose estranged father living in the Philippines is diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer.

Rogue travels to Manila to visit his dying father and half-sister. A string of murders occur during the Holy Week celebration in the nearby town of San Antonio that sends wave of terror among locals, and stuns the NBI and its top agent. Rogueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s curiosity and FBI instincts lure him in a dark cat-and-mouse world of religious abstracts as he attempts to uncover the motivation behind these murders.

The story is based on an original concept by Gorio Vicuna. Way of The Cross is Kaizen Studioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first foray into bringing an international style of storytelling to the Philippines. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In all facets of production, we strived for the film to transcend boundaries from the way it was shot, performed and edited while showcasing also the natural beauty that the Philippines has to offer. We were blessed to be working with such great local talent â&#x20AC;&#x201D; from the cast, the crew,

Moira speaks up on JK calling â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Idol Philippinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; judges â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;huge shameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; opinion. I get why people are fighting for Luke kasi magaling Philstar.com naman talaga siya. I respect his MOIRA dela Torre has reacted opinion. Ayun, I respect him,â&#x20AC;? to fellow Kapamilya singer JK Moira said.

Moira also assured that the Labajoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comments against â&#x20AC;&#x153;Idol Philippinesâ&#x20AC;? judges for rejecting public is also entitled to their opinion. This is after she recontestant Luke Baylon.

In her recent press confer- ceived hate comments after Luke ence for being hailed as the was booted out. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You know, they are always Most Streamed Local Artist for 2018 on Spotify, Moira said she entitled to their own opinion.

At the end of the day, it was respects JKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opinion. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He is entitled on his own PAGE 14

by Jan

MIlO severO

and we are excited to share the results of our incredible journey with audiences around the world,â&#x20AC;? the younger Diaz said.

Kaizen Studios is a young and passionate independent production company that writes, produces, directs and edits all films in-house. The people behind the production are dedicated to embrace all aspects of filmmaking to enrich their journey and ultimately to enrich the lives of others through compelling stories that need to be told.

Way of the Cross is a collaboration of Kaizen Studios, GWARD Inc., which has Filipino actor Alvin Anson as producing partner, with Elaine Carriedo as line producer.

It stars Miguel Vasquez, Rafael Rosell, Diaina Meneses, Roxanne Barcelo, Giovanni Respall, Yussef Esteves, Vic Romano, Apollo Abraham, Oz Rivera, and Danielle Chopin.

Impressed with how Pinoy actors work and the ease with which they were able to finish the film, Diaz expressed interest to do more films in the Philippines to be released hopefully worldwide.

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14

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May 23-29, 2019 • LaS VEGaS aSIaN JOURNaL

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Paulo Tirol’s ‘On This Side of the World’: From a school project to a full musical experience

by MoMar

G. Visaya

AJPress

Paulo Tirol started writing “On This Side of the World” in 2013, in his first year of his MFA in Musical Theatre Writing at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. It was for a class that started with the simple instruction: choose a community of people that you are interested in, that can inspire a song cycle — i.e., a collection of songs — which you will build over two years.

“For my community, I chose the Filipino immigrant community in the U.S. It was a community I was a part of and familiar with, being a Filipino immigrant myself, and had many Filipino immigrants for friends,” Tirol shared. “And also because it was something unique to me—something only I could write.”

Between then and now, the project has evolved but the idea has remained the same: songs inspired by the Filipino immigrant experience in the U.S. That idea has taken on so much more depth and breadth than when he started because in the beginning stages of the project, Tirol’s Filipino immigrant community comprised of fellow grad students, medical professionals, and artists in Boston, where he had spent a year before moving to New York for grad school.

Over the years since 2013, his community has expanded dramatically.

“I lead music every Sunday for a predominantly Filipino parish in Jersey City, which includes Filipinos of all backgrounds, profes-

sions, and ages, and who speak different Filipino dialects and come from all parts of the Philippines,” Tirol said.

Jersey City, where he lives, has a huge Filipino community, served by a Jollibee, Max’s Fried Chicken, Red Ribbon Bakeshop, and local businesses like Philippine Bread House, Fil-Stop grocery, and Fiesta Grill.

“My husband, a high school science teacher, has Filipino colleagues and lots of first-generation Filipino students. And most recently, I’ve met and worked and become friends with a number Filipino-American actors, including some who have performed on Broadway, national tours, and at major regional theatres,” Tirol said.

As his community of Filipino immigrants has expanded, so has the array of stories and characters that have gripped, intrigued and inspired him.

“But my perspective and inspiration has not only shifted in terms of breadth, but in terms of depth as well. I now have a sense of mission, both for the theatre community and for the Filipino community at large,” he said.

Since the reading of “On This Side of the World” at Access Theatre last February, the theatre community has welcomed this piece with an excitement that Tirol said he honestly didn’t expect.

From Filipino-American actors who are excited to share their own culture and heritage, to tell their communities’ own stories, to play

characters from their own lives to Asian-American actors who are excited for new roles, new stories, and opportunities to perform outside of “Miss Saigon,” “The King and I,” and “Flower Drum Song.”

The broader theatre community is excited for work that is about and created by an underrepresented minority.

“I am thrilled that for the production of ‘On This Side of the World’ this month, we have a cast, production team, and design team from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and it is wonderful to be able to tell these stories all together,” Tirol said proudly.

And for the Filipino community at large, his mission is to share the community’s stories with pride, honesty and love.

For a long time, he was reluctant to really put this piece out there—which is why it took so long to finish—thinking that these were stories no one was really interested in hearing.

That was his thinking, until his collaborator, director Noam Shapiro—who isn’t Filipino—believed in it so much and pushed him to finish it and helped him present it.

The reaction he has been getting are all positive, convincing him that this is a piece worth sharing.

“The Filipino immigrant story is one of courage, sacrifice, searching for identity, struggling to belong, and ultimately, redefining home—and come to think of it, isn’t that every person’s story?— and I am happy to be telling it,”

The cast of On This Side of the World: Michael Protacio, Jaygee Macapugay, Diane Phelan, Kevin Schuering, Joanne Javien, and Albert Guerzon.

Photo © Lia Chang.

he said.

Next Step It is Tirol’s dream for “On This Side of the World” to be seen by more people. The production at Access Theater in May is a next step—a big next step—but not an end-point.

“I would love for the show to have a future life in New York City’s theatre scene—and I feel it fits with many not-for-profit theatres’ mission of diversity and representation—and also for it to get produced in theaters around the country, particularly in places with large Filipino communities, like California (both San Francisco and Los Angeles), Las Vegas, Texas, and Hawaii. I would also love for the show to eventually be produced in the Philippines,” he shared.

At a recent reading, Tirol received feedback from a diverse group of audience who went to see it.

Asked about how he feels when someone tells him that he made them laugh or cry with his songs, Tirol said he feels relieved that his joke landed, and his tearjerker lines worked!

“Seriously, that is the greatest reward I can have as a writer—not to know that the audience laughed or cried, per se, but to know that your writing connected with and touched a listener in a very real, very deep way. My most fulfilling moments have not been being applauded or praised, but being told that my writing was uplifting, cathartic, inspiring, the answer to a prayer,” he said.

He remembers a professor who once told him that the problem with his writing was that it was too earnest. For a while, he decided to veer away from such earnestness, thinking that it was what it meant to be a dramatist in New York City—but it just wasn’t

From left: Albert Guerzon, Jaygee Macapugay, and Joanne Javien, actors; Paulo K Tiról, composer and lyricist; Diane Phelan, Kevin Schuering, and Michael Protacio, actors; and Noam Shapiro, director.

Photo © Lia Chang.

fulfilling.

“With ‘On This Side of the World,’ I’ve decided to embrace this earnestness—but still keeping an eye on craft—and I like the artist I’ve become, and I’m grateful to have found artists to work with who view theatre the same way,” he admitted.

As a writer, Tirol loves being able to help people laugh at themselves and their circumstances, and in a way, help people feel less alone in their sadness, help people give words and sound to their thoughts and feelings, and help people feel seen and validated—which is why he is so grateful that he is able to do that through his writing.

Tirol’s Journey Tirol was a corporate professional, liturgical musician, and super-fan of western musical theatre until he moved to Boston in 2012 to study at Berklee College of Music. A year later, he moved to NYU Tisch School of the Arts, when he was offered a full tuition scholarship to attend the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program as a composer, which he completed in 2015.

Tirol finished his two years at NYU as a composer, and met his husband-to-be Jeremy while he was there. He moved to Jersey City, where Jeremy lived, and in May 2015, his parents flew in from Manila to see him graduate from NYU and to be at their wed-

ding.

Tirol says he is so grateful to be working with his director Noam Shapiro.

Though he isn’t Filipino, he’s the son of an immigrant, which Tirol believes, gives him some insight into the immigrant experience; but more than that, he has a genuine interest in and respect for the stories, and such a care for and understanding of the human experience at large, that enable them to make these stories meaningful and accessible to all people regardless of their immigrant and cultural backgrounds.

“Further, through Noam’s help, we’ve assembled a multicultural cast, production team, and design team, and I just feel so honored that we’re coming together to tell these stories through such a multinational lens, bringing them to the broadest audience we can,” he shared.

To cap the interview, we asked Tirol if there was anything else he wanted to share?

“Just that I’m really grateful. A lot of people ask if I’m proud of myself, or nervous, or excited,” he said. “I am all of those, but more than any of those, I’m grateful to have arrived at this point, for the gift of being able to write and share ‘On This Side of the World,’ and for all the people I know who have been part of this journey and who will continue to be on this journey.”

Some members of the diverse creative team behind On This Side of the World: Matt Bovee, choreographer; Ian Miller, music director; Paulo K Tiról, composer and lyricist; Noam Shapiro, director; and Megumi Lee, producer.

Photo © Lia Chang.

Winwyn on rumored boyfriend Joan Almedilla, AJ Rafael, Jules Aurora...

Alden: Anyone can fall for him by allan PolicarPio Inquirer.net

HE’S kind, a good person.

He’s charming and is sweet to everyone. I think anyone can fall for him.”

That was how Winwyn Marquez described her rumored boyfriend Alden Richards.

Winwyn and Alden have known each other since working together in the 2012 series “One True Love,” and have since become close friends.

So, when rumors linking them together surfaced seemingly out of nowhere, the actress couldn’t help but feel amused and bemused.

“I just laughed it off. I was surprised—saan nanggaling ’yun?” she told reporters at a press conference of the upcoming afternoon soap “Dahil sa Pag-Ibig,” which started airing this week. “And the funny thing is that some of the things I have seen come with these elaborate stories worthy of Wattpad … in fairness!”

Showbiz kibitzers started wondering about the real score between the GMA 7 celebs, after Winwyn was spotted attending the opening of Alden’s new fastfood franchise branch in Biñan, Laguna, last month.

“I was invited—nabigyan lang ng malisya, they gave it a different meaning … It seems like everyone gets linked to him!” she said.

To be honest, Winwyn admitted, being asked such questions “feels weird,” because she considers Alden a good friend she has no qualms confiding in.

“We talk about personal stuff.

We like or comment on each other’s posts on Instagram. I can ask him for advice and he listens;

Winwyn Marquez and Alden Richards

it’s not all joke time,” she said.

Prodded if she thinks there’s a chance that she and Alden may end up being attracted to each other, Winwyn said she’s happy being single at the moment.

The 27-year-old beauty queen, who broke up with actor Mark Herras early this year after three years of dating, is relishing her time as a single woman.

“I had been in a romantic relationship for the past nine years. Prior to Mark, I was with a nonshow biz guy,” said Winwyn, who maintained that she and Mark were still friends, although they haven’t been in touch for a while.

This time, Winwyn stressed, it’s all about treating and focusing on herself. “I will go to Korea and Japan soon. I’m rediscovering the joys of traveling alone or with friends,” she said.

Winwyn, who bagged the 2017 Reina Hispanoamericano title, is still unsure about trying her luck in Binibining Pilipinas. Show biz is her priority, she said.

Photo from Instagram/@wynmarquez

“I’m not thinking about that yet. I want to stay focused on work; I don’t want any distractions. I will host a new show called ‘Glow Up’ on GMA News TV and I have ‘Dahil,’ which is heavy drama,” said Winwyn, who plays Portia in the “love, betrayal and vengeance-themed” series, directed by Ricky Davao.

“My character appears to be a villain, but she’s actually more complex—she’s neither black nor white,” she pointed out.

Meanwhile, Winwyn said she’s having mixed emotions about her brothers Vandolph’s and Jeremy Marquez’s contrasting fates in the recent elections: Vandolph won as Parañaque City councilor; Jeremy lost his bid for the vice mayoral seat in the same city.

“I’m sad because I wasn’t able to go up the stage [during the campaign season], because of my busy schedule. But they’re understanding … I pray that Jeremy’s OK. He’s a strong person and I hope he bounces back eventually,” she related.

PAGE 13 your own culture,” Almedilla said, adding that the music and story fit the Filipino slant because entertainment is so ingrained in the culture.

In “Thank You for the Music,” for example, Yoo’s Sophie continues to sing the original lyric, “I’ve been so lucky, I am the girl with golden hair.”

“What East West is really great about is bringing all the Asian cultures together, so it’s very much told through the Asian American experience. All of the choices Snehal made show that you don’t have to change any of the text,” Bernardo said. “‘Thank you for the Music’ is one of my favorite numbers as the message of the song is so beautiful. It shows the importance of art in your life. I learned how to play guitar for this song, so it’s an extra moment of pride for me.”

Act II begins with the aftermath of pre-wedding festivities — everything happening on the island starts to haunt Sophie in fever dream-like number “Under Attack” while Donna and Sam revisit their relationship in “SOS.” Popular Fil-Am singer AJ Rafael as Pepper shows his singing and acting chops in a steamy scene alongside Neri in “Does Your Mother Know.”

“Getting into the role was tough because Pepper is usually done by an acrobatic person who

can do the splits. The director let me play along and almost be myself,” Rafael told the Asian Journal following the opening night performance. “The choreographer helped me shape the role into my take on it and I lost the pressure that I was putting on myself.”

Neri, whose credits include “Next to Normal” and “Here Lies Love,” added that she wanted to add “depth” to her role as Tanya.

“I wanted to bring depth to her as a woman who’s trying to find love, has a lot of money. I played around with that and didn’t want her to be a flat character that has funny lines, but she’s a human and wants to connect and has girlfriends who have her back,” she said.

In “Slipping Through My Fingers,” Donna and Sophie have one last intimate mother-daughter moment as the wedding nears.

For Almedilla, performing that song gives a “lump in your throat kind of discomfort,” she said.

“That song just hits me...and it’s emotional. I don’t know how I’m able to get through that every night,” Almedilla said. “It’s very raw and it keeps me on my toes to not sit and be comfortable. But then I love it so much because that’s when you see [Donna’s] vulnerability.”

Fil-Ams also part of the cast are Kevin Trinio Perdido as Eddie, Ala Tiatia as Father Alexandrios, and Steven Agdeppa and Edelyn

Okano in the ensemble.

“I also love the Fil-Am spin East West [Players] puts on the show — it makes it so personal and relatable. There are a lot of elements that remind me of my family and upbringing,” Aurora said. “I think that’s what makes it show unique and special especially for the Filipino community.”

Though the story ends with “I Have a Dream” as Sophie and Sky (Max Torres) venture off, the encore numbers of “Mamma Mia,” “Dancing Queen” and “Waterloo” will invite audience participation and encourage everyone to let loose and dance after sitting for two hours.

“Bring your entire family and laugh, cry and have a great time together. You’re going to sing, dance and feel something, whether it’s remembering your childhood growing up in the Philippines or here in America. There’s that longing to belong. This is a great place to connect through the music of ABBA and the stories that remind us of our parents’ sacrifices,” Almedilla said.

Mamma Mia! at East West Players runs until June 9 at the David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center of the Arts in Little Tokyo with shows from Thursday to Saturday at 8 p.m. plus 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets can be purchased at www.eastwestplayers. org.

Moira speaks up on JK calling ‘Idol Philippines’...

PAGE 13 my listeners who placed me in this kind of position,” Moira explained.

“There are people who don’t like me, but I know there are people who still love me, so as long as I know people who love me know, I’m credible to be

there,” she added.

After “Idol Philippines” judges turned down reggae singer Luke’s bid to qualify for the next round, JK aired his frustration on his social media.

“It’s a yes for me. I’m not even gonna argue with the other judges. It’s easy to fix flats and

sharps and such imperfections but it’s not that easy to find soul.

Kakagigil,” JK said.

“Huge shame on the other ‘judges’ for not seeing this guy’s potential. What a shame. Such a shame. I’m ashamed,” the “Buwan” singer said in another post.

Photo by Steven Lam

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May 23-29, 2019 • LaS VEGaS aSIaN JOURNaL

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