060819 - Los Angeles Weekend

JUNE 8-11, 2019 Volume 29 - No. 44 • 4 Sections – 30 Pages

Manila part of Trump admin’s closure DATELINE USA US to launch new program of international immigration offices to fight extremism in PH FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

by RITCHEL

A NEW program focused on thwarting efforts by Muslim extremists to recruit and mobilize followers in the south of the Philippines were discussed by U.S. and Philippine officials this week.

According to U.S. Assistant Secretary Denise Natali of the State Department’s Bureau of Conflict & Stabilization Operations on Tuesday, June 4, the three-year program involves helping local officials identify issues that foster extremism and find ways to address them.

Filipino troops were aided by American and Australian surveillance aircraft to quell the disastrous 2017 siege by hundreds of mostly local militants in southern Marawi City, where the commercial and residential center remains in ruins and off-limits to the public. Philippine officials say surviving militants have maintained their efforts to recruit new followers and plot new attacks despite the militants’ defeat. u PAGE A3

New count finds homelessness up 16 percent in LA Despite city and county housing initiatives, influx of people becoming homeless has stunted progress HOMELESSNESS in Los Angeles has been a Sisyphean issue for the last several years, and despite keen efforts from lawmakers, a new staggering report on the homeless county shows unyielding immovability.

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) released a report on Tuesday, June 4 that found a 16% citywide increase in homelessness (36,300 people) and a 12% increase across LA County (59,000 people), a stunning discovery given the city, county and state’s costly efforts to mitigate the problem within the last few years.

Over the last decade, tent encampments have percolated throughout the city, moving further and further away from Skid Row, which still has the highest concentration of the city’s homeless population as well as the center of services for the homeless.

One of the county’s most ardent efforts to quell the homeless numbers came in the form of Measure H, a sales tax that raises $355 million annually for homelessness services. Prop HHH, a $1.2 citywide supportive housing program, is designed to move more homeless folks into permanent supportive housing as well as u PAGE A4

MENDIOLA AJPress

THE United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office in Manila will shut down as part of the Trump administration’s decision to cease operations of the agency’s 23 international locations.

The Manila office will permanently close on July 5, and has stopped ac-

cepting new applications and petitions since May 31.

“The U.S. Embassy in Manila will assume responsibility for certain limited services previously provided by USCIS to individuals residing in the Philippines,” the agency posted on its website this week.

Following this announcement, the U.S. Embassy in Manila said the office

will close due to “insufficient workload.” However, it assured that this change will not affect visa processing.

“USCIS is working better to leverage funds to address backlogs in the United States while also leveraging existing Department of State resources at post,” U.S. Embassy deputy press attaché Trude Raizen told reporters.

The USCIS operates under the

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and has 23 offices spread across Latin America, Europe and Asia. The agency’s location in Mexico is slated to close on June 30.

These field offices have provided services like citizenship, immigration of family members, working in the U.S., verifying an individual’s legal u PAGE A2

Bishop denies involvement with plot to oust Duterte

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

LINGAYEN-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas on Thursday, June 6 denied being in a meeting with people plotting to overthrow the government of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The archbishop’s defense comes after Peter Joemel Advincula, the man who introduced himself as “Bikoy” in the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” video, spread those claims.

According to Villegas’ statement released on Thursday, he was delivering a homily during the time specified in Advincula’s affidavit.

“On the day and time, Dec. 12, 2018 in the evening that I allegedly met with some plotters to overthrow the government, I was in the parish church of Orani in Bataan to deliver the homily at the first mass of a friend, a newly ordained priest,” the statement read.

Villegas also stressed that he had “no capacity to be in two places at the same time.”

To back up his statement, he reposted on Facebook the video of Rev. Fr. Jersey Prepose’s Thanksgiving u PAGE A5

EID’L FITR. President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his speech during the 2019 Eid’l Fitr Celebration at the Arcadia Active Lifestyle Center in Davao City on Thursday, June 6. Duterte made an assurance to preserve the fragile peace in Mindanao and vowed to protect the Muslim community from the clutches of violent extremism.

Malacañang photo by Arman Baylon

Philippine Senate committee chairmanships about 95 percent resolved

by NATHALIE

ROBLES

AJPress

THE dispute regarding Senate chairmanships for the 18th Congress was deemed “95 percent resolved,” according to Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Thursday, June 6.

Sotto said that there are only a few committees left for discussion and resolution following a dinner meeting at Senator Manny Pacquiao’s residence in Dasmariñas Village, Makati on Wednesday, June 5.

Sharing details from the senators’ evening gathering, the Senate president said the asSenators gathered on Wednesday, June 5, at the house of Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao in Makati City to discuss the signments are at “95 percent. distribution of committee chairmanships in the Senate.

Contributed photo We assume all is well. Just one

or two committees (more). Only one to two committees remain under minimal contention.”

Among the lawmakers present during the meeting included incumbent Senators Ralph Recto, Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, Loren Legarda, Richard Gordon, Sherwin Gatchalian, Joel Villanueva, Gringo Honasan, Grace Poe, Nancy Binay and Sonny Angara.

Newly-elected Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Manuel “Lito” Lapid, Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Maria Imelda Josefa “Imee” Marcos and Francis Tolentino also participated in the meeting. u PAGE A3

Pacquiao begins rigid sparring regimen Duterte to penalize Philhealth

by EDDIE

ALINEA ManilaTimes.net

HANDLERS of ring hero Manny Pacquiao could not have chosen a better sparring partner in Australian junior-middleweight Tim Tszyu in preparing the Filipino eight-division champ for his coming WBA welterweight unification fight with American Keith Thurman.

Big at 5-foot-9, strong and fast, both chief trainer Buboy Fernandez and strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune agreed that the 24-year-old Tszyu, ranked 15 by both the WBA and IBF, is what the doctor’s prescribed as the fighting senator’s perfect Manny Pacquiao hits the mitts with chief trainer Buboy Fernandez dancing partner for his preparedness produring training at the Elorde Gym in Pasay City. gram.

Photo by Wendell Alinea/Manny Pacquiao Promotions

“Perfect under the present circumstances,” said Fernandez after watching the Australian fighter engaged Pacquiao in four rounds toeto-toe skirmish on Tuesday at the Elorde Gym at the Mall of Asia compound in Pasay City.

“Plenty of similarities with Thurman’s fighting style. We’d just started the sparring segment of our buildup program at marami pang benefit na makukuha,” Fernandez added.

Fortune concurred in as he even expressed satisfaction in the camp’s advantage over the rival’s side in terms of finding talents in looking for sparring mate.

That’s one big edge, I think over them (Thurman’s camp) on this phase of preparations,” he said. “While enjoy a wide range of selecting the right personnel, they, don’t.” u PAGE A4

officials over fraud overpayments

by NATHALIE

ROBLES

AJPress

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday, June 7, ordered the authorities of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to hold officials accountable for allowing fraudulent payments that led to a P154-billion loss.

“The president directs the management of the PhilHealth to institute criminal actions against those officials and employees who wittingly or unwittingly allowed such

misuse of funds to take place for years,” Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo told reporters on Friday.

Unnamed officials reportedly disclosed that the prevailing allcase rates (ACR) payment mechanism was one of the ways the health insurance company had lost a total of P154 billion since 2013.

Of the “losses” over the past six years, P102.5 billion was due to overpayment. Another P51.2 billion was lost to fraud based on the u PAGE A2

A June 8-11, 2019 • LA WeeKenD ASIAn JOuRnAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

From the Front Page

Duterte to penalize Philhealth officials over...

PAGE A1 t global estimate of a 10-percent loss as a result of health care insurance scams.

“All persons involved in the alleged fraud will be prosecuted and face accountability. They shall reap the harshest penalty imposed by law,” Panelo added.

Government officials expressed doubt over how PhilHealth could

be trusted to efficiently manage the universal health care (UHC) program’s initial fund of around P257 billion. The UHC law mandates PhilHealth in charge of a larger amount of money for medical care.

“We will put a stop to this corruption and we will make sure that the law on Universal Health Care is strictly enforced,” said Panelo.

PhilHealth’s benefit payout totaled P568 billion between 2013 and 2018. PhilHealth has been paying hospitals a set rate for a particular disease since it abandoned a fee-for-service scheme.

For example, patients diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia are covered for P15,000 each, while those who contracted the more severe strain are allotted P32,000. Since 2010, pneumonia has consistently ranked as the most prevalent disease reported by hospitals.

Those with acute gastroenteritis, the second leading case reported by hospitals and processed

by PhilHealth, are covered for P6,000 each.

While some countries also follow the ACR scheme, PhilHealth insiders pointed out that the lack of review of the scheme and instances of “upcasing” resulted in the insurance company shelling out billions of pesos in overpayments.

Upcasing occurs when hospitals submit claims for pneumonia even if patients may have had only cough or cold.

They lamented that over the years, the PhilHealth management seemed to have turned a blind eye to the situation even as a number of hospitals have taken advantage of it. The hospital schemes range from upgrading ailments of patients and admitting beyond their bed capacity to treating dead patients.

Edwin Roberto, a former employee of WellMed Dialysis & Laboratory Center Corporation, earlier revealed that PhilHealth approved and released payments for dialysis treatments of “ghost patients” or dead patients.

Roberto alleged that the collection of payments was not only for dead patients, but also for patients who had yet to complete their treatments. He added that claims were made from dialysis packages even though other treatments were performed.

PhilHealth Acting President Roy Ferrer had said they already filed charges against the treatment center. Duterte also instructed Ferrer to submit a “detailed report” on the irregularities.

Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros had earlier called for a probe into the PhilHealth payments, saying the alleged scam robbed real patients who would have benefited from the treatments. n

END OF 17TH CONGRESS. Senate President Vicente Sotto III (seated center) pose with incumbent and outgoing senators during the adjournment of the 3rd Regular Session of the 17th Congress on Tuesday, June 4. Sotto thanked his fellow lawmakers in a speech at the Plenary Hall of the Senate in Pasay City.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

US immigration office to stop...

PAGE A1 t

right to work in the U.S., humanitarian programs, adoptions, civic integration and genealogy, among others.

In March, the Trump administration announced that it would close all of the USCIS global offices by the end of the year.

USCIS Director Francis Cissna, during the announcement in March, said the immigration tasks will be transferred to domestic offices and the U.S. State Department’s embassies and consulates.

In an email to USCIS staffers, as quoted by the Washington Post, Cissna wrote that by closing the offices, “we will better leverage our funds to address backlogs in the United States while also leveraging existing Department of State resources at post.”

Recent data has shown that 335,000 H1-B visas were approved in 2018, a 10% decrease from the previous year.

Earlier this year, the Philippines temporarily lost eligibility for H-2A visa for agricultural workers and the H-2B visa for non-agricultural workers. The Department of Homeland Security estimated about 40% of H2B visa holders from the country overstayed in the United States.

New instructions According to USCIS’ website, individuals who were previously assisted by its Manila office must follow the new filing instructions beginning June 3:

Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. File your petition by mail with the USCIS lockbox facility in Chicago. You can find additional filing information on the Form I-130 web page. USCIS may authorize the Department of State to accept a petition filed with a U.S. Embassy or consulate in some limited circumstances.

Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant (for Widow(er) petitions only). If you are a widow(er) of a U.S. citizen, please see the Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant page for the most current filing instructions. You may file your Form I-360 at the U.S. Embassy or consulate that has jurisdiction over the area where you live.

Form I-131A, Application for Travel Document (Carrier Documentation). If you are a lawful permanent resident (LPR) who has lost your LPR card and/or re-entry permit and you need travel documentation to return to the U.S., you can file your Form I-131A with any U.S. embassy consular section or USCIS international field office.

Form I-407, Record of Abandonment of Lawful Permanent Resident Status. Submit your Form I-407 to the nearest USCIS international field office. In rare circumstances, a U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate may allow you to submit a Form I-407 in person if you need immediate proof that you have abandoned your lawful

permanent resident status.

Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition. You must file your petition with the Nebraska or Texas Service Center, depending on where the petitioner lives in the United States. For beneficiary interviews/processing, contact the U.S. embassy consular section in the country where the beneficiary resides.

Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. If you are a member of the U.S. military stationed overseas, please see the Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, page or call 800-3755283 for the most current filing instructions. USCIS will forward the application to the appropriate international field office for processing. For qualified children of active-duty service members stationed abroad, the proper form to file is the N-600K, Application for Citizenship and Issuance of Certificate Under Section 322.

Filipino World War II Veterans Parole (FWVP) Program. You must file your petition with the USCIS lockbox facility in Chicago. If your petition is accepted, it will be forwarded to a USCIS service center for adjudication. If the service center conditionally approves your application, it will forward it to the Department of State’s (DOS) National Visa Center (NVC). The NVC will transfer your case to the USCIS office or U.S. embassy or consulate abroad where your beneficiary relative will be interviewed. n

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Why some CEOs figure ‘Medicare Churches wipe out millions in medical debt for others for All’ is good for business

by Roxie

Hammill Kaiser Health News

by PHil

Galewitz

Kaiser Health News

EASTON, Pa. — Walk into a big-box retailer such as Walmart or Michaels and you’re likely to see MCS Industries’ picture frames, decorative mirrors or kitschy wall décor.

Adjacent to a dairy farm a few miles west of downtown Easton, MCS is the nation’s largest maker of such household products.

But MCS doesn’t actually make anything here anymore. It has moved its manufacturing operations to Mexico and China, with the last manufacturing jobs departing this city along the Delaware River in 2005. MCS now has about 175 U.S. employees and 600 people overseas.

“We were going to lose the business because we were no longer competitive,” CEO Richard Master explained. And one of the biggest impediments to keeping labor costs in line, he said, has been the increasing expense of health coverage in the United States.

Today, he’s at the vanguard of a small but growing group of business executives who are lining up to support a “Medicare for All” national health program.

He argues not that health care is a human right, but that covering everyone with a government plan and decoupling health care coverage from the workplace would benefit entrepreneurship.

In February, Master stood with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-

Wash.) outside the Capitol after she introduced her Medicare for All bill. “This bill removes an albatross from the neck of American business, puts more money in consumer products and will boost our economy,” he said.

As health costs continue to grow, straining employer budgets and slowing wage growth, others in the business community are beginning to take the option more seriously.

While the influential U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other large business lobbying groups strongly oppose increased government involvement in health care, the resolve of many in the business community — especially among smaller firms — may be shifting.

“There is growing momentum among employers supporting single-payer,” said Dan Geiger, co-director of the Business Alliance for a Healthy California, which has sought to generate business support for a universal health care program in California. About 300 mostly small employers have signed on.

“Businesses are really angry about the system, and there is a lot of frustration with its rising costs and dysfunction,” he said.

Geiger acknowledged the effort still lacks support from any Fortune 500 company CEOs. He said large businesses are hesitant to get involved in this political debate and many don’t want to lose the ability to attract workers with

Philippine Senate committee...

PAGE A1 t Only four senators from the supermajority bloc were unable to attend the evening gathering — Sen. Pia Cayetano was abroad while Sen. Koko Pimentel and Sen. Ping Lacson had family events they could not leave. Sen. Cynthia Villar was also absent during the meeting.

Sotto requested the senators, even those who were absent, to submit a list of three committees of their choice. However, they still observed the equity of the incumbent rule wherein incumbents were prioritized on their committee preferences.

The Senate president disclosed the tentative committee assignments that will be confirmed through voting when the 18th Congress opens on July 22.

According to Sotto, cooperation is needed to ensure that the promises during campaign season will be kept and honored. ‘’Importante na makapagtulungan kami para maisakatuparan ang aming mga adbokasiya at mga ipinangako noong kampanya para sa ikabubuti ng ating kapwa Pilipino (It is important that we cooperate so that our advocacies and promises during the political campaign would be pushed through to help the Filipino people),’’ he added as reported by Manila Bulletin.

Tentative committee chairmanships include Pimentel on foreign relations; Poe on banks and financial institutions; Tolentino on local governments; Dela Rosa on public order, and dangerous drugs; Revilla on civil service, and public information and mass media; Marcos on social welfare and development; Cayetano on ways and means.

The upper house also planned on splitting the committee on education into two: basic education

to be chaired by Gatchalian and higher education to be chaired

by Villanueva. Go will chair the committees on health and housing and urban development, and sports.

“We, as newly elected senators, respect the tradition of equity of incumbents and appreciate how the senior senators have been very accommodating with our requests and concerns. The majority bloc will decide in the coming weeks on how to best lead these committees,” Go said as reported by the Philippine Star.

“Sa tulong ng mga kasamahan ko sa Senado, magtatrabaho at magseserbisyo kami para maiparamdam sa bawat Pilipino ang tunay na pagbabago na ipinangako ng ating Pangulong Duterte (With the help of my colleagues at the Senate, we will work and serve so that every Filipino will experience the true change that President Duterte has promised),” he added.

“What’s important is that we work together so we can push our advocacies and promises during the campaign for the welfare of the people,” he added.

At the Pandesal Forum, Gatchalian said senators would be meeting again to discuss the chamber’s legislative agenda and align this with the Duterte administration’s priorities.

“Of course we want to, as much as possible, harmonize the legislative agenda of the Congress and the Executive side,” he said.

Likely to be prioritized are the remaining packages of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program, the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps bill, and amendments to the Public Services, Foreign Investment and Retail Trade Acts. n

US to launch new program to fight...

PAGE A1 t More than 1,100 militants were killed while hundreds of thousands of residents were displaced in the five-month siege in the mosque-studded city, renewing fears that the Islamic State group was stepping up collaboration with local jihadists to establish a foothold in the region.

“We are focusing on how to prevent further and future incidences of violent extremism and radicalization from occurring so that we don’t have another Marawi ever again,” said Natali at a news conference.

She added that both the U.S. State Department and the Philippine government are finalizing the program details to help provincial governments and non-government groups design and enforce effective projects to counter extremism.

Highlighting the importance of basing such projects on facts and evidence instead of assumptions, Natali cited a fivemonth survey commissioned by the U.S. last year in four southern Muslim provinces showing which issues were helping spark extremism and radicalization the most.

The survey revealed that while some people may support local jihadists, there was significantly lower support for foreign mili-

tant groups like the Islamic State group and the Al Qaeda militant network.

According to Natali, religious intolerance, dire economic conditions and exposure to violence spark extremism more than religion.

“It’s not about religion; it is about living conditions. There is an economic component to this,” she said.

She added that there was strong public support for the government’s effort to combat extremism, as shown in the survey.

Since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., the Philippines has been one of Washington’s strongest Asian allies in the fight against terrorism.

President Rodrigo Duterte, for his part, has said that he wanted U.S. counterterrorism forces out of the southern Philippines while he fixed the country’s relations with China after assuming the presidency in 2016.

However, the Philippine military has maintained robust U.S. relations. More than 100 U.S. military counterterrorism advisers and personnel remain in the southern Mindanao region to help Filipino forces battling extremists on a string of impoverished islands. (Ritchel Mendiola/ AJPress)

generous health benefits. “There is also a lingering distrust of the government, and they think they can offer coverage better than the government,” he said.

In addition, some in the business community are hesitant to sign on to Medicare for All with many details missing, such as how much it would increase taxes, said Ellen Kelsay, chief strategy officer for the National Business Group on Health, a leading business group focused on health benefits.

Democrats propel the debate For decades, a governmentrun health plan was considered too radical an idea for serious consideration. But Medicare for All has been garnering more political support in recent months, especially after a progressive wave helped Democrats take control of the House this year.

Several 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, including Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, strongly back it.

The labor unions and consumer groups that have long endorsed a single-payer health system hope that the embrace of it by employers such as Master marks another turning point for the movement.

Supporters of the concept say the health system overall would see savings from a coordinated effort to bring down prices and the elimination of many administrative costs or insurance company profits.

PAGE A4

THE leaders of Pathway Church on the outskirts of Wichita, Kan., had no clue that the $22,000 they already had on hand for Easter would have such impact.

The nondenominational suburban congregation of about 3,800 had set out only to help people nearby pay off some medical debt, recalled Larry Wren, Pathway’s executive pastor. After all, the core membership at Pathway’s three sites consists of middle-income families with school-age kids, not high-dollar philanthropists.

But then they learned that, like a modern-day loaves-and-fishes story, that smaller amount could wipe out $2.2 million in debt. It would not only eliminate debt in the Wichita area but all available debt for every Kansan facing imminent insolvency because of medical expenses they couldn’t afford to pay — 1,600 people in all.

As Wren thought about the message of Easter, things clicked.

“Being able to do this provides an opportunity to illustrate what it means to have a debt paid that they could never pay themselves,” he said. “It just was a great fit.”

Churches in California, Maryland, Illinois, Virginia, Texas and elsewhere have been reaching the same conclusion. RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit organization based in Rye, N.Y., that arranges such debt payoffs, reports a recent surge in participation from primarily Christian places of worship.

Eighteen have worked with RIP in the past year and a half, said Scott Patton, the nonprofit’s director of development. More churches are

joining in as word spreads.

The mountain of bills they are trying to clear is high. Medical debt contributes to two-thirds of bankruptcies, according to the American Journal of Public Health.

And a 2018 Kaiser Family Foundation/New York Times poll showed that of the 26% of people who reported problems paying medical bills, 59% reported a major life impact, such as taking an extra job, cutting other household spending or using up savings. (Kaiser Health News is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)

The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed a rule last month to curb debt collectors’ ability to bug those with outstanding bills, and some states have tried various measures, such as limiting the interest rates collectors may charge. But until a comprehensive solution emerges, churches and others are trying to ease some of the load by jumping into the debt market.

A big part of RIP’s appeal comes from the impact even a small donation can have, say participating church leaders. When a person can’t pay a bill, that debt is often packaged with other people’s debt and sold to bill collectors for some fraction of the total amount of the bill. Those debts usually come from low-income people and are more difficult to collect.

RIP Medical Debt buys debt portfolios on this secondary market for pennies on the dollar with money from its donors. But instead of collecting the debt, RIP forgives it.

To be eligible for repayment from RIP, the debtor must be earning less than twice the federal pov-

erty level (about $25,000 a year for an individual), have debts that are 5% or more of their annual income and have more debt than assets.

Because hospitals and doctors are eager to get those hard-tocollect debts off their books, they sell them cheap. That’s how, Patton said, those 18 churches have been able to abolish $34.4 million of debt since the start of 2018.

Higher Vision Church in Santa Clarita, Calif., was among them. It wiped out $1.6 million in medical debt by raising just over $16,000 during Easter services this year attended by 8,000 people.

But working this way also puts a high-dollar project within reach of even small churches. Revolution Annapolis, a nondenominational Maryland church with Sunday attendance of around 200 and without a permanent building, wiped out $1.9 million in debt for 900 families in March. Total amount raised: $15,000.

Revolution leaders heard about RIP Medical Debt on a segment of John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight” in 2016, said Kenny Camacho, lead pastor. But at the time, they didn’t think they had the resources to make much of a splash.

After hearing about another church that paid off millions last year, Revolution leaders decided to try it. At most, they hoped to have an impact in their area, Camacho said. But the money went much further, eventually covering 14 counties in eastern and central Maryland.

Emmanuel Memorial Episcopal Church, a congregation of about 175 families in Champaign, Ill., PAGE A5

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Garcetti details crackdown on illegal trash New count finds homelessness up 16 percent... dumping on LA streets and sidewalks PAGE A1 t

Los AngeLes Mayor eric garcetti on Thursday, June 6 detailed a crackdown on illegal garbage dumping and enforcement against businesses that do not have legally-required trash pickup service, as well as new resources — from cameras to crews — to help keep streets clean and neighborhoods safe. “our streets are not dumpsters. every Angeleno should take pride in how L.A. looks, and each one of us has a responsibility to keep our city clean and safe,” said garcetti in a statement. “We’re adding surveillance and clean-ups, and stepping up enforcement against businesses and individuals that act outside the law and put public health at risk.”

Businesses operating in the City of Los Angeles that are not in contract with trash hauling providers are in violation of the Los Angeles Municipal Code and subject to a fine of up to $1,000 and a six-month jail sentence.

As part of the crackdown, the Bureau of sanitation is referring 27 out-of-compliance businesses

to the City Attorney’s office. garcetti also announced an expansion of the operation Healthy streets zone south to Washington Boulevard, to provide cleanup crews in a community that has been heavily affected by illegal dumping.

Additionally, the Bureau of sanitation is expanding hours of surveillance to night shifts that will, at times, be undercover.

The Bureau will also install new cameras and lighting, and increase the number of City staff members inspecting businesses

to ensure they are complying with the law.

Between January and April of this year, the Bureau of sanitation collected an average of 228.2 tons of illegal dumping every week — up more than 9% from the same period last year — and has issued 25 citations to people caught breaking the law and dumping waste.

Angelenos are encouraged to report illegal dumping by dialing 311 or submitting a service request by emailing 311@lacity. org. n

those at risk for homelessness.

Last month, as reported by the Asian Journal, California governor gavin newsom unveiled a $1 billion effort to solve the state’s overall homelessness problem, paying close attention to counties like Los Angeles, Kern and orange that have the highest homeless concentrations.

And there a particular bright spot to the LAHsA report: more than 21,600 people have been moved into permanent housing due to a more robust city and county homeless crisis response system.

But why has the overall number of homeless people increased?

Michael nailat, a program officer at the United Way-greater Los Angeles, acknowledged the progress made in getting people currently living on the streets, but noted that more efforts need to be made in suppressing poverty and making sure more people aren’t becoming homeless.

“It’s not just about building more supportive and affordable housing, which is very important, but there are people who are on the margins at risk at becoming homeless, and if we can find a way to support them and keep them from losing their housing in the first place that would go a long way,” nailat, whose work primarily focuses on data and projections regarding the homeless situation, told the Asian Journal. “We can help the people who are currently on the streets, but if there are people are becoming homeless every day it’s going to be that much harder to catch up.”

Income inequality and economic hardships that Angelenos face every day make just anyone susceptible to resorting to homeless-

ness, nailat said. Unexpected crises, mounting debt or accidents could veer anyone’s financial situation to the point of poverty, which is an issue nailat believes that should be top of mind for every community.

According to the LAHsA survey, the homeless population is disproportionately black and Latino, and organizations such as United Way have begun looking into the larger picture of inequality.

“Those who are the most marginalized in our community are the most vulnerable,” nailat said.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean that other communities, such as the Filipino community or the Asian community at large, shouldn’t worry about the homeless crisis, which, in essence, is an issue about economic instability.

“Filipinos, especially those in the economic margins, gotta be thinking about, ‘Do I have a good support system?’ or ‘Do I have the resources to survive a crisis?’

It could be anything but for our ability to deal with these crises we could be the next community on this street,” nailat, who is Filipino American, said.

He pointed out that an increasing number of older Filipinos living under the poverty line are also being evicted.

“Filipinos, by and large, have among the highest rates of debts, like mortgage debt, credit card debt and all these things, so we’re in this precarious position, too, as Filipinos because if we don’t think in the longer term — just because some of us have a job, good income and a nice place to live — the question we should ask ourselves is if I had to pay something that costs $1,000 or $2,000 and I had no way around

it would I have enough money to take care of that sudden emergency,” nailat said.

When in a crisis, Filipinos usually have a family safety net to turn to, and the very nature of the Filipino American community is one of a familial bond. If things turn south, there’s always that option to go back home to the Philippines, but for younger and future generations that call the United states their de facto home, that option doesn’t exist.

“As our Filipino American community becomes more integrated into this country, but 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation of Filipinos might not have the same set of options as anyone else, and if faced with a crisis, who are you going to turn to if you don’t have the same family and cultural ties?

We have to start thinking about these things and having conversations around these because our community isn’t safe from this issue,” nailat said.

Despite the staggering numbers, nailat thinks that the homeless and housing situation is moving in the right direction as long as the county and city receive support from the state. Measures like Prop HHH, he said, could double the supportive housing units within the next five to seven years, he said.

“We’re also focusing on really educating people on the benefits of these things — supportive and affordable housing — to our community and why they’re important to all our communities,” nailat said. “An increase [in the homeless population] isn’t good by any means, and it is disappointing to see another year in which we saw an increase, but the county has done fairly well compared to the rest of the state.” (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

Pacquiao begins rigid sparring...

PAGE A1 t “Where can they find a talent of Manny’s caliber in this division?

Fortune asked. “A 147-pounder fast and strong as Manny if not quicker and more powerful.”

Pacquiao himself expressed hopes of achieving the needed benefits in sparring with a heavier junior-middleweight (154-pound).

“I need that. Thurman is bigger than me and quite strong and fast, too,” he said.

Pacquiao and Tszyu were scheduled to skirmish on Thursday in an increased frequency of five rounds under the chart prepared by the training team, composed also of nonoy neri, Roger Fernandez, bothers Dodie and Jonathan Penalosa.

Depending on how the threetime “Fighter of the Year” would respond to the raised increase infrequency, sparring will be increased to six on saturday, then

eight, even 12 before Team Pacquiao leaves for Los Angeles where the build up will continue.

“But I would rather want to see Manny sparring at eight rounds before we depart for Los Angeles,” the former Australian heavyweight-turned trainer suggested.

Pacquiao, the WBA regular 147pound titlist, and Thurman, the super belt-holder, will be facing off on July 20 at the MgM grand Arena in Las Vegas, nevada. n

Why some CEOs figure ‘Medicare for All’ is...

PAGE A3 t “It’s critical for our success to engage employers, particularly because our current system is hurting employers almost as much as it is patients,” said Melinda st. Louis, campaign director of Medicare for All at Public Citizen, a consumer-rights group based in Washington.

Master, a former Washington lawyer, worked on Democratic sen. george Mcgovern’s presidential campaign before returning to Pennsylvania in 1973 to take over his father’s company, which made rigid paper boxes.

In 1980, he founded MCs, which pioneered the popular front-loading picture frame and steamless fog-free mirrors for bathrooms.

The company has grown into a $250 million corporation.

Master frequently travels to Washington and around the country to talk to business leaders as he seeks to build political support for a single-payer health system.

In the past four years, he has produced several documentary videos on the topic. In 2018, he formed the Business Initiative for Health Policy, a nonprofit group of business leaders, economists and health policy experts trying to explain the financial benefits of a single-payer system.

Dan Wolf, Ceo of Cape Air, a Hyannis, Mass.-based regional airline that employs 800 people calls himself “a free market guy.”

But he also supports Medicare for All. He said Master helps turn the political argument over single-payer into a practical one.

“It’s about good business sense and about caring for his employees and their well-being,” he said, adding that employers should no longer be straddled with the cost and complexity of health care.

“It makes no more sense for an airline to understand health policy for the bulk of its workers than for a health facility to have to supply all the air transportation for its employees,” he said. employers are also an important voice in the debate because 156 million Americans get employer-paid health care, making it by far the single-largest form of coverage.

Master said his company has tried various methods to control costs with little success, including high deductibles, narrow networks of providers and wellness plans that emphasize preventive medicine.

Insurers who are supposed to negotiate lower rates from hospitals and doctors have failed, he

Richard Master, CEO of MCS Industries in Easton, Pa., stands in a showroom of the company’s picture frames and wall decor. He says one of the biggest impediments to keeping labor costs in line has been the increasing expense of health coverage in the United States.

Photo by Phil Galewitz/Kaiser Health News

added, and too many premium dollars go to covering administrative costs. only by having the federal government set rates can the United states control costs of drugs, hospitals and other health services, he said.

“Insurance companies are not watching the store and don’t have incentives to hold down costs in the current system,” he said.

Glad the boss is trying to make a difference What’s left of MCs in Pennsylvania is a spacious corporate office building housing administrative staff, designers and a giant distribution center piled high with carton boxes from floor to ceiling.

MCs pays an average of $1,260 per month for each employee’s health care, up from $716 in 2009, the company said.

In recent years, the company has reduced out-of-pocket costs for employees by covering most of their deductibles.

Medicare for All would require several new taxes to raise money, but Master said such a plan would mean savings for his company and employees.

MCs employees largely support Master’s attempt to fix the health system even if they are not all on board with a Medicare for All approach, according to interviews with several workers in easton.

“I think it’s a good idea,” said Faith Wildrick, a shipper at MCs who has worked for the company 26 years. “If the other countries

are doing it and it is working for them, why can’t it work for us?”

Wildrick said that even with insurance her family struggles with health costs as her husband, Bill, a former MCs employee, deals with liver disease and needs many diagnostic tests and prescription medications. Their annual deductible has swung from $4,000 several years ago to $500 this year as the company has worked to lower employees’ out-of-pocket costs.

“I’m really glad someone is fighting for this and trying to make a difference,” said Wildrick.

Jessica ehrhardt, the human resources manager at MCs, said the effort to reduce employees’ out-of-pocket health costs means the company must pay higher health costs. That results in less money for salary increases and other benefits, she added.

Asked about Medicare for All, ehrhardt said, “It’s a drastic solution, but something needs to happen.”

For too long, Master said, the push for a single-payer health system has been about ideology.

“The movement has been about making health care a human right and that we have a right to universal health care,” he said. “What I am saying is this is prudent for our economy and am trying to make the business and economic case.”

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

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A

Bishop denies involvement with plot to...

PAGE A1 t

HER FIGHT CONTINUES. Flanked by her police escorts, Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima waves at her well-wishers and friends who trooped to the Muntinlupa City’s Hall of Justice Building on Friday, June 7, to express their unwavering support and love to her as she attends the resumption of the trial on the politically-motivated trumped-up illegal drug charges filed against her before the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 205.

Senate photo

Churches wipe out millions in medical debt...

PAGE A3 t

had a similar experience. The original idea was to try to have an impact just in Champaign County, said the Rev. Christine Hopkins.

But their $15,000 abolished $4 million of debt for the entire diocese, which stretches across the southern half of the state.

“We were bowled over, actually,” Hopkins said. “It was to the point of tears.”

In many cases, churches have not had to do a fundraising campaign because their contribution came from money already on hand.

Emmanuel Episcopal, for instance, had leftovers from a campaign set up a year ago to celebrate the centennial of its church building.

The Fincastle Baptist Church, with 1,600 members in the Roanoke, Va., area used money it had budgeted for an annual “Freedom Fest” event to honor first responders, and then partnered with local television station WSLS in a telethon to raise more. That effort abolished over $2.7 million in medical debt targeted at veterans.

The RIP nonprofit allows donors to choose geographic areas they want to reach and can pinpoint veterans as recipients. But beyond that, no restrictions are allowed, Patton said. A church can’t specify which types of medical procedures could be paid for or anything about the background of the recipients.

That didn’t bother church leaders contacted for this story. But it is a subject that’s been broached by donors of all types in the past, Patton said.

For instance, some potential donors have asked to exclude people

from different faiths or certain political parties, he said. “It’s just absurd. This is not a revenge tactic,” Patton said. “People who are requesting those things really don’t understand philanthropy.”

Churches don’t necessarily experience a direct return in the way of new members. All the processing goes through RIP Medical Debt, which sends letters notifying the beneficiaries their debts have been forgiven. Donors can have their names listed on those letters, but not everyone opts to do so.

New membership wasn’t the point for Pathway Church in Kansas, Wren said. “Sometimes the more powerful spiritual message is when you’re able to do something for somebody that you’ll never meet.”

The Revolution Church decided against putting its name on the notification letters, Camacho said, because it didn’t want beneficiaries to feel obligated. “When a person has their debt forgiven, we want them to experience that as a kind of no-strings-attached gift,” he said. “We don’t want there to be any sense that because we did this now they should visit our church or something.”

Besides, he said, the gift covered an area large enough that some beneficiaries live a couple of hours away. “I would much rather them think more positively about the church down the street from where they live.”

Donors sometimes hear back from the people whose debts they’ve paid, but not often. Many don’t expect it. “I guess that’s a

biblical story, too. Jesus forgave 10, and only one said thank you,” Hopkins said.

Churches have a lot of choices when it comes to charity, but medical debt and affordability issues often resonate with parishioners. Some churches are worried enough about medical costs for their members that they subscribe to cost-sharing nonprofits, in which members pay each other’s medical bills.

Medical mission work has long been an important form of outreach for Fincastle Baptist Church in Virginia, said associate pastor Warren King. The church runs a free clinic, and mission trips to other countries usually include a medical component.

Paying off medical debt is an extension of that line of thinking. “We need to do not just this thing but many things that practically show the love of God,” King said. “It’s hard to tell somebody God loves you if they’re starving and you don’t try to deal with the problem.”

Hopkins said the debt outreach was a satisfying project for her Illinois congregation because it could resolve a problem for the beneficiaries. “We do a lot of outreach that’s food-related and housingrelated. This was something different,” Hopkins said. “You help feed somebody, and you’re feeding them again the next day. This was something that could make an impact.”

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

Mass on Dec. 12, 2018 at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Orani.

Villegas stated that he is a priest and his mission is “to continue the love of Jesus Christ and to teach His truth always.”

He added that he believes in the power of electing officials, which was why he tried his best “as a priest and as a Filipino to morally guide the people entrusted to my pastoral care.”

The bishop further said that he cannot and will never lend a hand in using illegal or violent means for social change as this will only “weaken our democratic foundations.” He also said that that kind of action is contrary to his Christian conscience.

Villegas is the former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

He was included in the personalities that Advincula identified were at the Jesuit Residence of the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City on Dec. 12, 2018 for “Project Sodoma” — supposedly a plot hatched by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV to oust Duterte and put Vice President Leni Robredo as the country’s next chief executive.

More denials Caloocan Bishop Pablo David also denied Advincula’s claim about him meeting Trillanes at his parish on February 9 this year.

On his Facebook account he posted, “Last Monday, ‘Bikoy’ appeared in another press conference sponsored by the PNP (Philippine National Police) claiming that he had attended a meeting with me and Senator Trillanes and a certain Jonel at my residence in Caloocan City.”

“First of all, I wish to make it clear that I have never had the privilege of meeting with Senator Trillanes in person and I do not know the Jonel he was talking about,” he continued.

David, the current CBCP vice president, called for the police to shift its focus on solving the incidents of extrajudicial killings instead of wasting time and effort to prove Advincula’s vallegations.

“As far as I know, most of the thousands of killings called DUI (Death Under Investigation) remain ‘under investigation’, meaning unresolved,” he pointed out in his post.

David further noted the

strangeness in the PNP’s actions because people had called Advincula a “liar” when the people he implicated are reportedly “close to the president.”

“Now that he has changed his story and is implicating practically all personalities in the opposition — insinuating that he had merely been used by them in a supposedly well-orchestrated plot to unseat the government — ‘his truth’ (according to the PNP director) needs to be inves- CBCP President Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop tigated,” David added. n Socrates Villegas Photo courtesy of CBCP

A June 8-11, 2019 • LA WeeKenD ASIAn JOuRnAL

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D ateline PhiliPPines Gov’t urged to ratify law vs waste dumping to Philippines

by Louise

Maureen Philstar.com

siMeon

MANILA — A green group is calling on the government to immediately ratify the Basel Ban Amendment to ensure that the Philippines will no longer become a dumping ground for wastes.

Environmental justice group BAN Toxics is urging the government to ratify the Basel Ban Amendment, which seeks to ensure that developing countries, like the Philippines, do not become convenient dumping grounds for waste intended for disposal or recycling.

It emphasized that it is a loophole that continues to be exploited under the international treaty Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.

“As long as the Basel Ban Amendment has not been ratified by our government, waste traders will feel emboldened and continue to view the Philippines’ open-door policy to wastes as a welcome mat for dumping,” BAN Toxics’ deputy executive director Reynaldo San Juan said.

“The ratification is a work toward minimizing the risk of rich countries trashing our country.

It is the necessary step to further defend our national dignity and protect the nation’s health and environment from waste global trade,” he added.

While the repatriation of the Canadian waste is a historic moment for the Philippines, the group clamors for a more sustainable and stronger action from the government in protecting the environment.

Last week, MV Bavaria, car-

rying 69 cargo vans containing mixed wastes, sailed back to Canada, where the shipments all originated.

In 2013, 50 container vans containing household waste were shipped to the Philippines from Canada.

The waste remained in the country over half a decade later, leading President Duterte to issue a deadline for Canada to take back the waste.

The Basel Ban prohibits the export of hazardous wastes from rich to poorer countries, such as the Philippines.

The Philippines ratified the Basel Convention in 1994 and has yet to ratify the Basel Ban Amendment, which was designed to protect developing countries from becoming a dumping ground for unwanted toxic waste and garbage.

BAN Toxics said the Philip-

Environmental justice group BAN Toxics is urging the government to ratify the Basel Ban Amendment, which seeks to ensure that developing countries, like the Philippines, do not become convenient dumping grounds for waste intended for disposal or recycling.

Philstar.com photo

pines has been a victim to illegal dumping of hazardous wastes and garbage and that the Canadian trash is just one of several incidents.

Aside from the Canadian trash, cargos containing gar-

bage from South Korea were discovered in October 2018, and just last month, new trash shipments from Hong Kong and Australia were discovered in the port of Tagoloan in Misamis Oriental.

“The movement of trash is expected to rise as China, once the global recycler, has shut its doors from accepting these wastes in an effort to focus on their domestic wastes,” San Juan said. n

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by edu

Punay Philstar.com

MANILA — Government prosecutors summoned the country heads of social media giants Facebook and YouTube to answer the P1-billion damage suit filed by the owner of Misibis Bay Resort in Albay over the viral “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos that had linked the firm to the illegal drug trade.

The National Prosecution Service of the Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed yesterday that summons have been sent to Facebook Philippines country director John Rubio and Google Philippines (administrator of YouTube Philippines) country manager Kenneth Lingan last May 21 at their respective offices in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City.

They were specifically ordered to submit their counter-affidavits to the cyber libel complaint filed by Bicolano businessman Elizaldy Co and Misibis Bay Resort before the Legazpi City prosecutor’s office.

A separate subpoena was sent to Peter Advincula, the self-confessed “Bikoy” in the videos, who was also named respondent in the complaint.

All respondents were directed to answer the charges of violations of cyber libel under Section 4 of Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act, in relation to libel under Articles 353, 354 and 356 of the Revised Penal Code, against them.

No specific dates have been set for the preliminary investigation hearing yet, according to Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon.

This is the first prominent suit filed against social media giants Facebook and YouTube in the Philippines amid efforts to com-

bat the spread of fake news in the online sites.

Co and Misibis Bay filed two separate complaints following the recantation by Advincula of his claims in the videos, calling it a “vindication.”

The complaint sought civil damages from the respondents amounting to P150 million in moral damages and P100 million in exemplary damages as well as payment of 10 percent for attorney’s fee for each of the two complainants, or a total of P550 million.

The second complaint, on the other hand, named Advincula, Google Philippines as owner of YouTube where the videos circulated, through its country manager Kenneth Lingan, and other unidentified persons as respondents.

Co and Misibis Resort management likewise demanded the same amount of damages of P500 million and P50 million in attorney’s fee from the second set of respondents, for total civil damage claims of at least P1.1 billion.

The complainants stressed that the “false, malicious and libelous accusations in the video” that went viral on Facebook and YouTube affected not only Co’s good reputation in the business field but also the operations of the popular resort destination in Albay.

The complainants said they asked Facebook and YouTube to take down the video last April 26, but both social media giants ignored the request and the video has remained online.

They said this was why they impleaded Facebook and YouTube in the complaint.

The complainants stressed that all necessary elements of cyber libel under the law are present in this case to make the respondents

Peter “Bikoy” Advincula Philstar.com photo

criminally and civilly liable.

Co also lamented how the video destroyed the reputation he built for many years.

In the video – the fifth episode in the series – Advincula said a drug syndicate working out of Bicol was called the “Quadrangle Group” and included former politicians and businessmen.

Advincula identified Co as the supposed leader of the group and claimed that the illegal operations were conducted inside the Misibis resort.

He also identified the other members as Albay Rep. Fernando Gonzalez, Camarines Norte Gov. Edgardo Tallado, former Camarines Sur congressman and governor Luis Villafuerte, Catanduanes Gov. Joseph Cua, Sorsogon senior provincial board member Krunimar Escudero, Victor Lorenzo Rosales, Naga businessman Thomas Enrile and businesswoman Tess Rañola.

But when he surrendered to the Philippine National Police last May 23, Advincula confessed his allegations in the videos were not true and that he was only paid by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and the opposition as part of the so-called Oplan Sodoma to oust President Duterte. n

Palace: It’s up to DOJ to collect P60-M from Tulfos

by Christina

Mendez

Philstar.com

MANILA — Malacañang is leaving it up to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to collect from former tourism secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo and her brother Ben the P60 million flagged by the Commission on Audit for the questionable advertisement deal between the state-run People’s Television Network Inc. and the tourism department during her tenure.

The statement came after allegations were raised that Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar had a hand in the deal.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo yesterday said it would be up to the DOJ to also pursue charges against any personality involved in the controversy.

“That’s DOJ’s call. Their mandate is to prosecute those who have violated the law,” Panelo said.

He maintained that the Palace will not allow any abuse or issue of corruption to continue under the Duterte administration.

“The Palace always wants that laws are not only enforced but are obeyed to its fullest extent.

As we said, there are no sacred cows in this government, friends or allies,” the spokesman said.

Ombudsman’s jurisdiction For his part, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the recovery of the amount should be initiated by the Office of the Ombudsman.

“The allegedly anomalous transaction involving high-level government officials falls under the primary investigative jurisdiction of the Office of the Ombudsman. Should a graft case prosper and reach the Sandiganbayan,

Wanda Tulfo-Teo, Ben Tulfo and Erwin Tulfo at a Senate hearing on August 14, 2018.

Philstar.com photo

the recovery of the P60 million paid to Ben Tulfo’s company will be automatically part of that action,” he said in a text message.

Guevarra added that the DOJ can only assist the ombudsman in prosecuting a possible case before the anti-graft court.

But Ombudsman Samuel Martires remains mum on the status of his office’s investigation on the alleged anomalous advertisements that the Department of Tourism placed with Tulfo’s Bitag Media Unlimited Inc. Martires and his media bureau did not respond to The Star’s request for an update on the investigation.

His predecessor Conchita Carpio-Morales had earlier confirmed that the ombudsman had launched a motu propio or selfinitiated investigation in May 2018 on the controversial ad placement deal.

Morales said investigators from the ombudsman’s Field Investigation Office were directed to conduct a fact-finding probe on the matter.

Appeal for respect Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde appealed to members of the media to be more respect-

ful in dealing with government officials following the tirades of radio broadcaster Erwin Tulfo against Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista.

“If you are a media practitioner, you have a big responsibility because you can ruin not only the reputation of a person,” he said in a recent interview.

A journalist, Albayalde added, can also destroy the reputation of an official’s family with unwarranted attacks.

“We should have a sense of balance and responsibility,” he said.

While officials would want to grant requests for interview, Albayalde said journalists should understand that they could not be available all the time.

If he has spare time, Albayalde said he is more than willing to answer queries from the media, noting that it is always better for a leader of a government institution to speak when there are issues.

Meanwhile, the Tulfo siblings have yet to reapply for escorts following their removal by the PNP Police Security and Protection Group. (With reports from Edu Punay, Elizabeth Marcelo, Emmanuel Tupas/Philstar.com)

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A

‘PH participation in climate confabs limited to internet’ Congress ratifies bill on PH Space Agency

by Pia lee-BraGo Philstar.com

MANILA — Manila will continue to take part in global discourse on climate change but only through the internet, as Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. wants “no traveling faces” to represent the country in such conferences abroad.

On Wednesday, June 5, Locsin said on Twitter that the Philippines would no longer send official representatives to climate change conferences requiring air travel, supposedly in deference to

President Duterte’s position that these conferences have not been very helpful.

In his tweet, Locsin said the Philippines would definitely not be left out even if it sends no representatives to regular global conferences on the issue. “UN experts say the Philippine DFA’s – not NGOs’ – climate arguments and proposals are the strongest. So who will make and propose them now? We will – on the internet as UN Conference urged. Wala ng traveling faces. But NGOs are free to come and go at their own expense,” Locsin tweeted.

He said the DFA will depend mostly on Philippine foreign posts to provide pertinent information and articulate the country’s position on issues.

“In my watch we will depend mostly on our foreign posts. They are in site and must know more than home office. If they don’t know more they will be recalled,” Locsin said.

Duterte said in his speech at the Nikkei International Conference on the Future of Asia in Tokyo last Friday that UN climate conferences are a “waste of time and money.” n

Digital program for OFWs boosted THE Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), in cooperation with Facebook, is expanding its digital literacy program for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to educate and train them on the use of social media platforms and how to detect cyberfraud.

OWWA Administrator Hans Cacdac and Facebook community affairs head Beth Lim made the announcement on May 5 during the celebration of Migrant Workers Day, which also marked the digital literacy program’s second anniversary.

Cacdac said the partnership agreement between OWWA and Facebook aims to empower OFWs and their families through digital literacy, with the social media giant serving as one of the platforms of communication.

He added that the program would help OFWs detect fake news and fake job opportunities abroad.

Digital literacy seminars will also provide small business training for OFWs with entrepreneurial skill to prepare them for their eventual return to the country.

The expanded program will be implemented by the end of 2020 in countries where there is large concentration of Filipino workers, such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Middle East countries.

On its first year, the program trained over 140,000 OFWs on digital skills for discerning credible content, and respectful digital discourse. Over 600 returning OFWs were also provided online business skills training, to help them find alternative sources of income.

“We are glad to be expanding our digital literacy program with

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and Facebook’s head of community affairs in the Asia Pacific region Beth Ann Lim shake hands during the launch of an expanded digital literacy program for overseas Filipino workers.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Rene Dilan

Facebook for OFWs based in Hong Kong, Singapore and the Middle East. Our shared vision is [an] empowered OFW community that would have the critical skills to vet information they find online, and consistently use privacy and safety tools available to them,” Cacdac said.

Lim said the enhanced digital literacy modules include discourse, privacy, safety and information literacy, among others.

“We recognized that the OFWs depend on our platforms to stay connected to their families and everything important to them back home. Facebook will continue supporting OFWs and their families, to ensure they have a positive, safe and authentic experience on our platforms, wherever they are in the world,” Lim said.

Figures from the Philippine Statistics Administration showed there were 2.3 million OFWs deployed between April and September 2018.

The Middle East remains the top OFW destination. Majority or 1 of 4 OFWs (24.3%) work in

Saudi Arabia, followed by United Arab Emirates (15.7%), Kuwait (5.7%) and Qatar (5.2%). (ManilaTimes.net)

by Glee Jalea ManilaTimes.net

A BILL that seeks to create the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) now awaits the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Congress ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the measure before session adjourned sine die on Tuesday.

The Philippine Space Development Act seeks to create a central government agency that will address all issues and activities related to space science and technology application (SSTA).

The PhilSA shall be attached to the Department of Science and Technology (DoST).

The agency will be headed by the director general who will have the rank and compensation of an undersecretary.

The director general should hold an advanced degree in space science, astronomy, physics, engineering, or related fields of study.

He should also have at least five years of competent experience and expertise in any of the following fields: astrophysics, space science, aerospace engineering, space systems engineering, remote sensing space industry, or human capital development in the SSTA sector.

PhilSA will be the first unified agency to develop space technology initiatives in the country.

Rogel Mari Sese, an astrophysicist who helped craft the bill, expressed elation through a Facebook post.

“What an excellent bill to close the last three years!

Thank you everyone who helped us in every step of the way. I have met a lot of good people throughout this jour-

ney and believe me when I say that the system works.

There is hope for us scientists, knowing we can work with our politicians to help improve our beloved Philippines!” his post read.

The DoST and nonprofit research institute Manila Observatory previously crafted a 10-year masterplan, which aims to make the Philippines a “space-capable” country by 2022. n

A8 JUNE 8-11, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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OPINION

Stolen assets

FEATURES

THE value of the jewelry amassed by the Marcoses, which the Presidential Commission on Good Government intends to put on the auction block, is estimated at P704.8 million. This is for the batch seized when the Marcoses fled the people power revolution in 1986 and found themselves in exile in Hawaii.

The jewelry is being sold after being established to be ill-gotten.

The question can’t be repeated often enough: if these are dirty assets, how come no one has been punished for the large-scale illegal acquisition of wealth?

That kind of wealth can guarantee the best justice that money can buy. Any serious effort to hold the Marcoses accountable should include a lifestyle check on every government prosecutor, judge, justice and other members of the justice system who handled or was ever connected to the probe of all the ill-gotten wealth cases, especially those that have been dismissed.

The jewelry collection is apart from other batches that the PCGG intends to sell. The so-called Roumeloites collection is said to be even more staggering. Found in a package addressed to Imelda Marcos and seized from a Greek national intending to fly out to Hong Kong in March 1986, the items include an eye-popping Bulgari bangle bracelet with a 30.76-carat diamond valued at $1 million at the time. Another batch, left behind at Malacañang, is in the custody of the Palace. The PCGG also intends

to sell P1.081 billion worth of real estate properties and stock shares.

No Philippine president could have legally amassed that kind of wealth on standard government salary rates, even in 20 years. As incredibly dismaying as the magnitude of the loot, however, is the failure of the government to hold anyone accountable for corruption on a grand scale.

That failure has been a key factor in institutionalizing corruption in this country. Ferdinand Marcos has escaped justice and is even buried in the heroes’ cemetery. But his widow Imelda has so far managed not only to avoid conviction but has even served as a member of the House of Representatives.

The Duterte administration, which has shown a soft spot for the Marcoses, must make sure the dictator’s heirs will not get in the way of the sale of stolen assets. Human rights victims of the dictatorship must also get their share in those proceeds.

People are waiting for even one of the looters of public coffers to go to prison. Unless this happens, impunity will reign and any campaign against corruption will be a sham. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

Travel the world and appreciate the Philippines

Street Talk GREG B. MACABENTA REMEMBER the old saying?

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” They watch out for pickpockets.

I momentarily forgot this valuable piece of advice and, as a result, lost my wallet to a beggar in the center of the Catholic faith.

Fortunately, my credit cards and driver’s license were in another pocket. But the loss of a few euros and U.S. dollars did not dim one of the most fascinating travels my wife and I had ever undertaken.

It was an 18-day tour bus trip from Lisbon to Fatima in Portugal to Madrid, Zaragoza and Barcelona in Spain, to Lourdes and Marseille in France, to Monaco, and then to Turin, Milan, Venice, Florence and Assisi in Italy, with a stopover in Pisa, and then on to Rome and the Vatican.

Along with 47 mostly Fil-Am parishioners, we had joined, our Pastor at St. Joseph Church in Pinole, Fr. Geofrey Baraan, on a pilgrimage to holy sites where the Blessed Virgin Mary had ap-

paritions or has been accorded special honors, such as Fatima, where she appeared before the children, Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia; the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragosa built for her by St. James; the shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat in the spectacular Benedictine Abbey in the mountain of Montserrat; Lourdes, where St. Bernadette spoke to Mother Mary several times; the town of Assisi of St. Francis, founder of the Franciscan Order, and site of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Angels after which Los Angeles was named (El Pueblo de Nuestro Señora de Los Angeles de Porciuncula).

The pilgrimage culminated in the Vatican in time for the regular Wednesday morning audience that His Holiness Pope Francis held with thousands of his congregation at St. Peter’s Square.

It was a grueling journey, with overnight hotel stops and 4:30 a.m. wake up calls, but made infinitely more pleasant by the prayers and the jokes of Fr. Geofrey, and the nicest pilgrims one can ever have the good fortune of joining.

At a few months short of 80, I’m not exactly in the best physi-

cal condition for such a trip, but caring couples (Rod and Flor Diaz, Fred and Araceli Diaz, Jun and Alice Manalo, Joel and Larcy Katindoy and trip coordinator Mellie Von Giese) made it a point to wait for me in the course of the endless walking tours. Another couple, Dennis and Linda, lent me a walking stick.

If anyone has ever doubted that women are sturdier than men, my wife, Gigi, is living proof. She is just three weeks younger than I am but she can sure compete in an Olympic walkathon.

But that’s not the main point of this narrative. The main point is that, having seen much of Europe and America over the years, we have come to realize that there is so much of the Philippines that we need to see before we sail off into the sunset at Manila Bay. For sure, the cathedrals, basilicas, museums and malls in the great cities of the world are sites that one must endeavor to see if funds allow, but right at home, and not costing a fortune, are beautiful places to visit and beautiful people to meet — the Philippines and my fellow Pinoys.

She recalled the years when she worked as a nurse in the U.S. and how she endured fatigue and homesickness.

“I understand your longing to be with your family in the Philippines because I experienced the same emotion when I worked as a nurse in the U.S.,” said Ms Avanceña.

When it was time for the President to speak, he said he and Honeylet shared a bed that was good only for one person when he went to visit her in the U.S. As a result, Mr. Duterte said, he and Honeylet would take turns sleeping on one side so the two of them could fit on the bed.

That was the time when Rodrigo R. Duterte was Davao City mayor or congressman.

The fruit of that visit was Veronica, Digong’s 15-year-old daughter with Honeylet. *** Despite his foul mouth, how can you not love this President who is so humble he is not embarrassed to tell other people his innermost secrets?

Perhaps people love Digong because of his candor.

And they also know that despite his stature, he lives in a simple house in a middle-class subdivision in Davao City with Honeylet and Veronica.

He partakes of simple dishes like ginisang mongo with shredded pork and shrimp, carabeef (from carabao) flakes and mongo with pata (pork legs).

The president insists on serving those dishes to his guests in Malacañang. *** But while the president has a simple lifestyle, some of his Cabinet members and bureau directors live profligate lives.

If the president wants to know who these prodigal government officials are, he might want to make use of his military counterintelligence people.

Needless to say, the counterintelligence people should work under the radar.

The president will surely be surprised at the findings. *** Human rights group Karapatan is being unfair to the newly appointed chairman of the National Commission for Indigenous People (NCIP), retired Army Col. Allen Capuyan.

Karapatan links Capuyan to the P6.4 billion shabu smuggling controversy in 2017.

Capuyan’s name surfaced when customs “fixer” Mark Taguba referred to him as a “big brother.”

Capuyan was then an official of the Manila International Air-

Last December, my wife and I spent Christmas in the Philippines for the first time in 32 years, and we greeted the New Year in Iloilo, a city that I had not visited for over half a century. To say that we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves would be a gross understatement. A reunion with friends and relatives, the feeling of immortality at the sight of great grand nephews and nieces, the never-ending eating, drinking and karaoke sessions, are much, much more enjoyable than a trip to Paris or Disneyland.

And in Iloilo, I swear I never gorged myself on delectable, succulent talaba (oysters) in my long existence. Of course, our hosts, the Achura and Alvarez siblings of our daughterin-law, Kathy, imbued the feast with that special ingredient that no Parisian haute cuisine can match. But, even without that, I would pit Ilonggo talaba against anyone’s oyster treasure trove anywhere in the world.

This brings to mind my advertising client from Frankfurt, Wolfgang Schoen, whom we treated to a bushel of talaba at Josephine’s in Cavite, decades ago. He couldn’t believe we Pinoys were consuming oysters by

the bushel.

“In Frankfurt,” said Wolfgang, “if I were to dine on oysters, I would hope some acquaintances would see me and be impressed.

And here, you serve them by the bushel!”

Well, I have news for Wolfgang. He should dine on Iloilo talaba. To die for!

I am constantly embarrassed whenever I discuss the Philippines with my friends from Northern California, Dan and Nancy Harrington, the angels who conceived Books for the Barrios. They have visited and enjoyed more of the land of my birth [GM1] that I can hope to see in my remaining years.

No, I’ve never been to Boracay, but white sand beaches are not my idea of fun. What I would love to visit are Palawan and Bohol. And there is so much of Mindanao and Northern Luzon

Rhizomes

PROSY ABARQUEZDELACRUZ, J.D.

that I need to see. And my home province of Leyte. And my wife’s home province of Albay. And much of Central and Southern Luzon are waiting to be visited.

My son Ringo, who resides in Manila, says he will arrange for us to shoot the rapids in Pagsanjan on our next visit to the Philippines. And then Palawan which, I heard, is like a Garden of Eden.

The last time Ringo took us on a trip, it was to Baguio City.

Of course, my wife and I would still like to travel to far away places with strange sounding names. In fact, we’re scheduled to visit Central America in the fall. But after that recent European tour, I want to make sure that our next overseas trip is to the Philippines.

Indeed, it takes traveling the world to appreciate your homeland more. (gregmacabenta@hotmail.com)

Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D., author of the weekly Rhizomes column, will be on hiatus until Fall 2019 as she focuses on writing her next book. To contact the writer, please email her at delacruz.prosy@gmail. com and continue to follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

How can you not love this president?

Commentary

RAMON TULFO A BILL on the proposed Department of Overseas Filipino Workers (DOFW) is planned for filing in the next Congress; its passage will be a breeze and it will surely be approved by President Digong.

The DOFW will attend to the needs of Filipino contract workers abroad and their families in the country.

Billions of dollars in remittances from OFWs keep the country’s economy afloat.

Aside from senator-elect Bong Go, whose campaign promise is to introduce the DOFW bill, a person who will influence President Digong in signing the bill into law is Cielito “Honeylet” Avanceña, the President’s partner.

Ms Avanceña made an impassioned speech before overseas Filipino workers in Tokyo during the President’s recent visit to Japan.

Honeylet’s speech was so moving that many in the audience shed tears.

President Rodrigo Duterte interacts with some of the guests during the 2019 Eid’l Fitr celebration at the Arcadia Active Lifestyle Center in Davao City on Thursday, June 6. In his message, Duterte enjoined Muslim Filipinos to serve selflessly as the Islamic world celebrates Eid’l Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Malacañang photo by Joey Dalumpines

port Authority (MIAA).

How could an MIAA official have anything to do with smuggling at the customs zone?

Allen Capuyan, a member of an indigenous tribe in Agusan, is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) and was a very idealistic Army officer.

He is a staunch anti-communist.

I know Capuyan up close and personal, and I can vouch for his integrity.

*** Any way you look at it, Task Force Marawi Chairman Eduardo del Rosario did wrong when he diverted P5 million from the Task Force Bangon Marawi to finance the pilgrimage of Marawi siege victims to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Del Rosario tried to justify his action by saying that the P5 million released to the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) was part of the “social

healing process” in the overall rehabilitation of Marawi.

But engaging in the “social healing process” is not del Rosario’s job. His job is to restore the old splendor of Marawi that was destroyed by the months-long siege of the city.

The job of healing is best left to the religious elements of society.

Besides, hasn’t del Rosario heard of the separation of Church and State? (ManilaTimes.net)

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

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 8-11, 2019

‘Hanjin closure perfect for US Navy’s return to Subic’

by JAIME LAUDE Philstar.com

MANILA — A retired U.S. Navy official proposed that a private U.S. shipbuilding firm could tie up with the Philippine government to operate the closed shipyard of the South Korean Hanjin company in Subic to build both naval and commercial ships.

In an article published by the U.S. Naval Institute Journal, retired U.S. Navy Capt. Brian Buzzel noted that since the closure last February of the Hanjin shipyard due to bankruptcy, there are foreign parties, including U.S. and Chinese firms, that have expressed interest in taking over the operation of the shipyard.

He said the U.S. Navy’s return to Subic Bay, through Hanjin, would also send a strong message to China that the Philippine-U.S. alliance is strong and unbreakable.

Buzzel suggested that the U.S. government should inform Philippine officials of a possible private-public partnership to reopen and operate the Hanjin facility.

With Hanjin shipyard now up

for grabs, Buzzel said that the U.S. Navy should move in quickly by informing acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan of its interest in the Hanjin facility in Subic.

Buzzel said Shanahan should inform the U.S. State Department of the U.S. Navy’s interest in Hanjin and the State Department, in turn, must inform the Philippine government.

He pointed out that at the height of Hanjin operations in Subic, the firm built 123 large cargo container vessels, bulk carriers and carriers for crude oil, liquified petroleum gas and mineral ore.

“It was the largest employer in Subic with more than 30,000 Filipinos, mostly skilled welders,” Buzzel said.

For this, he said, the U.S. IndoPacific Command must initiate a study to analyze the impact on operational readiness of more repair facility in the western Pacific, including the impact on the current workloads at the Ship Repair Facility in Yokosuka, Japan and the Guam Shipyard Division.

“The Navy may not be able

to grow 355 ships, but adding a fifth public-private shipyard will go a long way to ensuring the ships in the Pacific are available and ready to fight. The party with most to lose in the U.S. return to Subic will be the Chinese. And they know it,” Buzzel said.

In recent years, the U.S. has struggled to persuade the Philippine government and the country’s citizens that it is serious about honoring its commitments under the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.

“China has been feeding growing mistrust, hoping to drive a wedge between the two longstanding allies to the point one or both will move to terminate the treaty,” Buzzel wrote.

“This compounded security in the Philippines defense establishment,” he said, adding that the confluence of all these factors gives the U.S. Navy a perfect opportunity to return to Subic Bay, except this time as an equal partner with a private shipbuilding firm and respecting the laws and sovereignty of the Philippines, to the benefit of the Filipino people and the economy. ■

Trillanes ‘ready’ to be on other side of Congress probes

by KRISTINE JOY

Philstar.com

PATAG

MANILA — Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, whose term ends on June 30, on Thursday, June 6, said he is ready to attend any congressional probe, including those that may be called by Senator-elect Christipher “Bong” Go and Representative-elect Paolo Duterte during the 18th Congress.

The 17th Congress is winding down its business and Trillanes said he is prepared for “everything and everything” once he leaves the Senate halls.

At the weekly Kapihan sa Senado forum, the senator and vocal critic of Duterte recalled that his being a lawmaker did not protect him from complaints and charges.

“They have been planning to do everything to circumvent the law to put me away and I don’t expect them to stop,” he said in the forum streamed by the Senate.

‘Sure. Game’ Trillanes is currently facing a revived rebellion case in Makati, a string of inciting to sedition cases in Pasay and a libel charge

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV

Philstar.com photo

in Davao.

Asked if he will attend a congressional probe on allegations, if there should be one, the senator said: “Sure. Game. Bring it on.”

“If the threats of [President Rodrigo] Duterte, their master, did not cow me, why should I be afraid of the minions?” Trillanes said in Filipino.

He later corrected himself and referred to Go and the younger Duterte as “honorable, elected officials.”

Trillanes grilled Paolo Duterte

and Go, when he was still Duterte’s aide, in separate legislative probes.

Trillanes to Advincula: I also have evidence The senator also challenged Peter Joemel Advincula, the man claiming to be the “Bikoy” in the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos, to file a case against him.

Advincula, in an about face, tagged Trillanes in the production of the anonymous video series that link the Dutertes to the drug trade. Advincula, who is facing a string of estafa cases, said that the series was all a ploy to bring down the president.

Defense chief Delfin Lorenzana said last week that they have not monitored any major, active ouster plot.

Trillanes already denied Advincula’s allegations. He added that if Advincula claims that he has evidence to substantiate his claims, he has it too.

The senator also said that it is the “height of foolishness” to have Advincula in the center of the supposed ouster plot.

“If they really have a case then they file it, then I will poke holes in it then,” he added. ■

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House under Arroyo passes all Duterte priority bills

by Glee Jalea ManilaTimes.net

THE House of Representatives under Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has passed all of the priority measures under President Rodrigo Duterte’s legislative agenda in less than a year by doing away with “unnecessary investigations in aid of legislation,� her allies said on Friday, June 7.

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said that out of 744 House resolutions for investigation, only 14 were allowed to be taken up by respective committees, enabling House members to make time to pass new laws. “We had 744 resolutions for inquiry in aid of legislation, only 14

House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

were attended to. So, we virtually had a suspension, a moratorium on inquiries so we can focus on legislation rather than investigation,� he said.

Salceda noted that Arroyo practiced “management by sitting in� all the committees to ensure that differences were settled and bills were passed on time. “Legislation during her time was very efficient. She removed all obstacles in the process of legislation, which is a lot of inquiries — 744 inquiries, imagine. We would have wasted a lot of time.

She removed that,� he added.

Before the 17th Congress adjourned sine die, the House had passed the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Re-

ManilaTimes.net photo

gion, the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Act, Rice Tariffication Act, Enhanced Universal Health Care Act, Tax Amnesty Program, National Land Use Act, Creation of the Department of Disaster Resilience, End of Contractualization Act, Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion 2-Trabaho Bill, Fiscal Regime for the Mining Industry, Increase on the Excise Tax on Tobacco Products, Excise Tax Rates on Alcohol, Lowering of Age of Criminal Responsibility, Mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and Public Service Act — all of which were tagged as Duterte’s priority bills. “You could see the performance. Everybody was trying to be at par with Speaker Arroyo,� said Deputy Speaker Sharon Garin of Aambis OWA Party-list.

Data from the House Secretariat shows that since July 23, 2018, when Arroyo was installed as speaker, a total of 250 House bills have been passed into law. “Speaker Arroyo is one of the most brilliant political and academic minds in recent Philippine history. The achievements of the House of Representatives under her leadership as Speaker is a shared effort,� said Majority Leader Fredenil Castro. “I would like to thank our venerable Speaker, Hon. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, for her dedication and competence in leading the members of Congress towards the achievement of the priority legislative measures of this administration,� Minority Leader Danilo Suarez said. n

DISTINCTION FROM EU. Senator Loren Legarda was given the Award of Distinction by the European Union (EU) in recognition of her work as Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and her role in the process of ratification of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement Between the Philippines and the European Union (PH-EU PCA). Legarda sponsored the Senate’s concurrence in the ratification of 33 treaties including the PH-EU PCA, the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) States and the Philippines, the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Social Security Conventions with Spain, Germany and Sweden.

Senate photo

Duterte vows to preserve ’fragile peace’ in Mindanao PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, June 6, vowed to preserve the “fragile peace� in Mindanao as he joined Muslims in celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Duterte, the first president from Mindanao, renewed this commitment as he urged the nation “to contemplate upon the true meaning of Ramadan.� “May this time of joy remind us of our shared pursuit to establish lasting peace and stability across the country, especially in Mindanao,� he said in his speech during the Eid’l Fitr celebration in Davao City. “Allow me to take this moment to assure you that this administration will endeavor to preserve the fragile peace that we have built in

this region that I call home,� he added.

The President promised that the government, through the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, would “consistently uphold the rights and welfare of all Muslim Filipinos and for that matter for all Filipinos.� “Any form of violence against the Muslim community or any other tribe especially those arising from religious extremism, hatred, discrimination and misguided beliefs—will never be tolerated and will be dealt with by the full force of the law,� he said. “With the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao—a campaign promise that we delivered— we can work more closely and efficiently with our Bangsamoro brothers and sisters in our

pursuit to foster a more harmonious and meaningful relationship among all ethnic groups in the region,� he added.

Eid’l Fitr, or the Festival of Breaking of the Fast,� according to Duterte, was “a testament [to] the strength, faithfulness and solidarity of our dear Muslim brothers and sisters across the nation and around the world.� “I hope that despite our differences, each of us will realize that we share the same desire to lead brighter and better lives filled with optimism and acceptance.

Let today’s joyful celebration remind us that we need to work in solidarity with one another so that we can achieve a common dream for a more peaceful, just and prosperous Philippines,� he added. (Catherine Valente/ManilaTimes.net)

VCMs 99.9953% accurate â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Comelec <RX DUH LQYLWHG WR DQ HYHQLQJ UHFHSWLRQ IRU

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EVEN as over a thousand vote counting machines (VCMs) malfunctioned during last monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s midterm elections, the general accuracy rate of the VCMs was determined to be the highest at 99.9953 percent compared to the last three automated polls from 2010 to 2016, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Commissioner Luie Tito Guia, chairman of the Random Manual Audit Committee (RMAC), on Thursday, Jume 6. reported that the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), along with Comelec partner Legal Network for Free Elections and the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, completed a manual audit of 711 out of a total of 715 select clustered precincts in 246 legislative districts across the country.

Guia explained that the four clustered precincts â&#x20AC;&#x201D; located in Santol, Quezon City; Ganase, Lanao del Sur; Infanta, Quezon; and Mandaue City, Cebu â&#x20AC;&#x201D; were not included because of discrepancies, which included excess and missing ballots. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are going to refer this to the proper authorities within the Comelec for investigation and action to be taken,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Despite the findings in the four precincts, Guia pointed out that results from the 711 manually audited clustered precincts were already an acceptable conclusion because they represented the whole country.

The random manual audit (RMA) lasted 22 days, from May 15 to June 5.

Only votes for senators, district congressmen and mayors were subjected to the RMA. Based on their audit, PSA representative Florante Varone reported that the accuracy rate for votes for senators was 99.9971 percent; congressmen, 99.9946 percent; and mayors, 99.9941 percent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, overall accuracy rate is 99.9953 percent,â&#x20AC;? Varona said, adding that in 2010, the accuracy rate was only 99.5980 percent; in 2013, 99.9747 percent; and in 2016, 99.9027 percent.

He added the 2019 polls also had the highest percentage in terms of completed audited samples at 99.4 percent, compared to 96.1 percent in 2016, 90.5 percent in 2013 and 91.4 percent in 2010.

Guia pointed out though that the RMA intended to determine only whether there were systemic errors in the way the VCMs read the votes shaded on the ballots and if such errors produced variants in precinct count. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is not intended to determine the accuracy of proclaimed results. The audit findings therefore have no significance in local elections [or] that [the RMA] is applied to specific elected position[s],â&#x20AC;? he said.

The random manual audit is required by Republic Act 9369 or the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Election Automation Law.â&#x20AC;?

(ManilaTimes.net)

MANILA â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The Senate has killed the effort of the House of Representatives to fulfill President Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2016 election campaign promise to shift the nation to the federal system through Charter change (Cha-cha).

Senators sat on Resolution of Both Houses No. 15 until Congress adjourned its third and last regular session on Tuesday.

They made good their promise to send the Cha-cha measure to the graveyard upon arrival in their chamber.

The resolution contains the congressmenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s version of a federal Constitution. The House approved it in December last year and promptly sent it to the Senate.

In a letter to Senate President Vicente Sotto III on May 21, Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo reminded senators that 11 priority administration measures the House had approved were pending with them.

She said her chamber would â&#x20AC;&#x153;await the action of the Senate and stand ready to adopt the Senate version in the interest of speedy legislation.â&#x20AC;?

The pending measures included the resolution â&#x20AC;&#x153;proposing the revision of the 1987 Constitution.â&#x20AC;?

Of the 11, senators approved only one â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the bill increasing the excise tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products. The House adopted the Senate version on Tuesday before adjournment.

The House version of a federal Charter retains the present presidential system of government but

with the president and vice president elected as one ticket, similar to the practice in the U.S. It scraps the term limits for House members and other local officials in the present Constitution.

It does not immediately create federal states, leaving that power to Congress, which would be mandated to pass an enabling law upon petition by any interested region.

One of those who voted against the proposed federal Constitution is Rep. Lito Atienza of party-list group Buhay. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s absolutely no reason to rush this very important measure that will impact all of us. Let us not be like blind cows being stampeded over a cliff. We should study this issue very thoroughly,â&#x20AC;? he told his colleagues.

He said federalism is not the solution to the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s problems.

He stressed that the defect lies more in the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leaders than in its political system.

President Duterte has not repeated his advocacy of federalism in recent months.

According to some federalism advocates in the House, pushing for the federal shift would now be more difficult during the remaining half of Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s term.

They said people would suspect that lawmakers would aim to lift the terms limits if they revised the Constitution.

They said no administration since the late president Corazon Aquino has succeeded in its Chacha effort in its last years in office.

(Philstar.com)

Senate sends House Cha-cha to the graveyard

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Journal

Filipina gets in minor accident with comedian Tracy Morgan’s $2M Bugatti Veyron by

Rae ann VaRona AJPress

A FILIPINA was involved in a minor car accident when her vehicle made contact with comedian Tracy Morgan’s newly purchased $2 million Bugatti Veyron on Tuesday, June 4 in New York City.

The accident was reported to have happened just minutes after Morgan purchased his exotic supercar at the Manhattan Motorcars dealership half a mile away.

Jocelyn Madulid, the 61-yearold Filipina involved who was driving a Honda CRV, told reporters that she was not at fault as both she and Morgan were trying to turn right.

“We are both turning right — people are still crossing,” Madulid told celebrity news site, Page Six. “So what happened is we’re both turning right. But I know he hit me because I was already [turning]. I was there, he was the one who hit me!”

Photos and video footage taken at the scene show Madulid’s Honda CRV on the left of Morgan’s supercar when she was trying to make a right turn.

According to TMZ, an NYPD traffic agent who was present at the intersection where the accident happened said that Morgan was not at fault.

Video footage also shows Morgan — unable to open his driver’s door due to the crash — banging on Madulid’s window and asking her to get out.

Madulid told CBS New York that she was frightened when Morgan began confronting her. “‘You are on your phone. You are going to jail.’ He said it so many times. I said, ‘I wasn’t on my phone. I just called my boss

Filipina American rapper Ruby Ibarra headlines “Manila to MacArthur Park,” a co-presentation with FilAm Arts, Kalayaan LA and Levitt Pavilion on Saturday, June 8.

Jocelyn Madulid

Courtesy of Facebook

Comedian Tracy Morgan

Ruby Ibarra, Gingee among performers of FilAm Arts-curated ‘Manila 2 MacArthur Park’ lineup

by AJPress

KICK off summer and Philippine Independence Day festivities this weekend with a two-day A file photo of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, similar to what Tracy Morgan had recently celebration of Filipino American purchased. culture and talent at Los Angeles’ now because you scared me,’” totally fine. My NEW CAR? We MacArthur Park!

After a year-long hiatus, FilAm said Madulid, who was on her shall see. Love you all.”

ARTS — the multi-award winFewer than 500 Bugatti Veyway to work when the accident rons exist, with each having a sale ning community organization happened.

She added, “OK, it’s under- price of up to $3 million. Main- that mounted the annual Festival standable he was so mad and he tenance of the supercar doesn’t of Philippine Arts and Culture yelled at me because he was so come cheap either with routine (FPAC) for over a quarter century upset. I was just concerned that he annual maintenance services cost- — returns to its arts presentation was so upset, but I was upset too. ing around $20,000, and wheel roots with ‘Manila 2 MacArthur and tire replacements costing Park’ as part of Levitt Pavilion On the way home, I cried.”

Los Angeles’ free summer concert The minor accident happened about $50,000 for a set of tires.

While photos show damage to series. just days before the five-year anOn Saturday, June 8 and Sunniversary of the 2014 fatal crash Morgan’s vehicle as being minor when a Walmart truck crashed on the front left quarter panel, it day, June 9, expect a compreheninto Morgan’s limo van, leaving is unclear how much repair would sive lineup of Filipino and Fil-Am him in critical condition and kill- cost for the pre-owned Bugatti’s entertainment, ceremonies, local businesses, and of course, food carbon body. ing his friend James McNair.

No charges were made follow- led by a collaboration between On Tuesday, Morgan tweeted, FilAm ARTS and Kalayaan LA. “Thanks for any concern but I am ing the accident.

Gingee, DJ/producer, percussionist and vocalist, brings her unique sound to stage on to MacArthur Park on Saturday, June 8.

Photo by Jennie Kim

Both days are sure to attract all ages and those looking to learn more about Filipino culture, in

addition to the local Fil-Am community.

Giselle “G” Tongi, FilAm ARTS’ newly-appointed director of programming, excitedly shared that the spirit of FPAC will continue this summer through an event like ‘Manila 2 MacArthur Park.’

“FPAC is a community legacy well worth preserving and the partnership with our friends at Levitt Pavilion provides an exciting opportunity to once again allow for much-needed space for talented Filipino American artistry and our rich culture to shine and be shared with our Southern California neighbors,” Tongi told the Asian Journal.

The festivities begin at 1 p.m. with Kalayaan LA’s parade starting from the Philippine Consulate’s office on Wilshire Blvd. and ending at MacArthur Park. Until 7 p.m., the program includes Bagyo, children’s ensemble from the PAGE B2

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Catriona describes her ideal YouTuber Wil Dasovich opens up Binibining Pilipinas successor about journey with cancer to mark

National Cancer Survivors Day

by Deni Rose M. AfiniDAD-BeRnARDDo Philstar.com

MISS Universe 2018 Catriona Gray is excited to pass her crown to her successor at the upcoming Binibining Pilipinas coronation night on June 9 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

At the red carpet of the “Frontrow and Universe Give Back” fashion show and charity gala last Tuesday, Catriona told reporters that she is feeling “a little bit emotional” to pass her crown as Binibining Pilipinas is “where it all began.”

“This is where I was given a chance to represent the Philippines,” the singer enthused.

“So to be able to pass that amazing honor to the next Filipina representative, and to see how it’s going to be represented this year is very, very exciting!”

According to the FilipinoAustralian model, who is believed to be the first to represent the Philippines in both Miss Universe and Miss World pageants, she is looking forward to hand over her crown to someone “who makes the Philippines proud.”

She also hopes that her successor would “really share with the international audience our culture” and “everything that we have to offer to the world.”

“And of course,” she said, she hopes that girl would put the country’s “best foot forward and show people what the Phil-

by

RyAn ARcADio Inquirer.net

Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray

ippines has to offer!”

Catriona admitted that though she has not met all candidates this year, based on their catwalk show for the “Frontrow and Universe Give Back” charity gala, all contenders are “promising.”

“Laban lang!” she said

Photo from Instagram/@catriona_gray

as message for the pageant’s top 40 finalists who will compete at the coronation night.

“They are all beautiful. I haven’t had the chance to have a one on one with them yet.

I’ve just been seeing a little bit online but they’re all very promising!”

YOUTUBE star Wil Dasovich opened up about his journey with cancer in public events, over a year after he announced that he had survived the disease, to mark National Cancer Survivors Day. Even though Dasovich documented his journey in his vlog posts, he has always declined to speak about his battle with the disease and treatments at public talks, stressing that public speaking itself was “hard enough” for him. Despite declining other speaking engagements before, Dasovich chose to share his journey with other cancer survivors at the launch of the Strong for Someone campaign, as per his Instagram post on June 3.

“I always find difficulty when speaking and somewhat reliving the entire experience,” he said. Although Dasovich does not speak about his journey in events, he agreed to speak at the campaign’s launch in hopes of

“One thing that helped me get through the tough experience was support, something that is unfortunately not available for everyone who gets diagnosed with [the] disease,” Dasovich said about his battle with the disease.

Strong for Someone provides both financial and emotional support to cancer survivors in the Philippines.

“For any cancer patients, or even family/friends that need support, I encourage you to join the #StrongForSomeone Facebook page and be a part of this community. And to everyone who has battled or is currently going through a great challenge, my prayers go out to both you and your family,” the YouTube star stated in his post.

Dasovich was a “Pinoy Big Brother” housemate back in Wil opens up about journey with cancer to 2016. He first revealed he was mark National Cancer Survivors Day. diagnosed with cancer in August motivating others with similar 2017 and announced he was free experiences and to spread aware- of the disease in February 2018, through a vlog post. ness about the campaign.

Ruby Ibarra, Gingee among performers...

PAGE B1 Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (FASO), a fashion show, Jinu Park, Bowie, and Cecille & Mighty Magic.

The 7 to 10 p.m. performance

block begins with a performance

by Rani De Leon, a DJ for over 20 years who has a solid reputation for his signature blend of eclectic and accessible worldly sounds, jazz textures, and feel-good roots and soul music. From 8 to 9, Gingee — a DJ, producer, percussionist and vocalist who has performed all over the country and at major music festivals — will play a set showing her unique take on global bass. Gingee has incorporated her Filipina heritage and LA upbringing into her music.

Of her set, Gingee said, “It’s like coming full circle. I got my start performing in the Filipino community as a teen spoken word poet and have been a participant ever since. Having a sense of home and context is so important to our evolution as a community so I’m glad I get to be a part of events like this where we can all get together!”

The night caps off with renowned Filipina American rapper Ruby Ibarra and The Balikbayans who will deliver a nostalgic hip hop performance that captures the Fil-Am second-generation experience. Catch songs like her Filipina anthem “Us,” Playbill$, Broken Mirrors and more from her acclaimed full-length album, ‘Circa91.’

“This Saturday, the crowd can expect a new song or two in the set! Additionally, we’ve also been working hard on refining the older songs to help enhance the live experience,” Ibarra, who will be coming down from the Bay Area, said. “We are truly humbled and excited to play for Los Angeles again as we had such an extraordinary time playing there earlier this year.”

The fun doesn’t just stop on

Saturday! Come back on Sunday from 1 to 7 p.m. with a full afternoon of programming that includes finalists of Tawag ng Tanghalan, a singing contest, a fashion show with Ms Philippines USA, soprano classical artist Louise Marie Cornillez, jazz performers Charmaine Clamor and Ric Ickard, Kayamanan Ng Lahi, Rocksteady Rondalla, Bibak, Winston Raval and a closing set by DJ Joel Quizon.

“Curating the lineup perhaps was the hardest part because of the condensed schedule, so in inviting performers, we wanted to showcase the wide range of world class talent of Filipino American traditional and cultural artists combined with music that showcases the different eras from Rocksteady to Winston Raval to DJ Joel Quizon and his ‘70s Philippine disco lineup,” Tongi added.

“FilAm ARTS has always had the honor of providing a platform for our talented people through FPAC and so Manila 2 Macarthur Park will be no different. Come out and be part of our lively, engaging Filipino American artist community.”

This two-day event is one of 50 concerts part of Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles’ summer of free music programming to give Angelenos access to the arts. Two parking lots, each located less than two blocks away from Levitt LA, that will stay open late every night during the concert season. The MacArthur Park venue is also fully accessible by Metro rail and bus lines.

MacArthur Park is located at 2230 W. 6th St., Los Angeles, CA 90057. Programming on Saturday, June 8 is from 1 to 10 p.m. and Sunday, June 9 at 12 to 7 p.m.

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Features

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 8-11, 2019

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Sylvia finally meets son Arjo’s girlfriend Maine ricky lo Philstar.com

by

IMPRESSED. That sums up the meeting between Sylvia Sanchez and Maine Mendoza, the girlfriend of Sylvia’s son Arjo Atayde, never mind if he and Maine haven’t categorically admitted that they are going steady. Interviewed on “Tonight with Boy Abunda” (TWBA) early last April, all that Arjo said was “I’m happy with whatever we have right now.”

Asked if she was convinced that the two are sweethearts in an exclusive interview with Funfare at last Sunday’s presscon for her latest movie, “OFW The Movie,” Sylvia said, “Para dalhin sa bahay at i-introduce sa pamilya namin at ipaglaban ang isa’t-isa, kailangan pa ba ng eksplanasyon niyan?”

Yes, no need for any explanation. Other actors have been linked to Maine but they recoiled after they were bashed by the AlDub Nation that wanted nobody else but Alden Richards for Maine.

Only Arjo has balls enough to declare that “Maine is worth fighting for,” so bashers be damned. And, as the song goes, if a picture paints a thousand words, can you imagine how many tens of thousand of words can paint the pictures that the sweethearts have been posting on social media since news broke about their closeness?

Sylvia was the latest to see Arjo and Maine together. The meeting happened on May 23 after Sylvia and family (including relatives from Mindanao who were visiting Manila for the first time) came home from Hong Kong where she celebrated her birthday.

On May 21, after Arjo and sisters Ria and Gela came home ahead because they had a shoot, Arjo texted Sylvia, “Mom, are you free on Thursday (May 23)?”

Sylvia asked why and Arjo said, “I will introduce Maine to you.”

So what was her first impression of her probable/possible daughter-in-law?

“She was respectful, pleasant na bata. Her first words were, ‘Hi po, Tita!’ She seemed shy when Arjo introduced her to me. Ang lamig-lamig ng kamay niya!”

Over a light dinner (tacos, salad, pasta, tapas and cheeses prepared

by Sylvia), the free-wheeling conversation revolved around get-

Arjo Atayde with mom Sylvia Sanchez

ting-to-know each other’s families, nothing about showbiz.

Maine stayed from 6 p.m. to way past 10 p.m. and, perhaps she didn’t notice that her Tita Sylvia was watching her closely, weighing her every word and observing her every move.

“The whole time, ang gaan ng feeling ko sa kanya. We were at the (dining) table for more than four hours. Hindi ko naramdaman na, ‘Hey, I am Maine Mendoza; sikat ako!’ Nothing like that. She introduced herself as Nicomaine Mendoza, her real name, so it meant that she was there not as Maine Mendoza the star but Nicomaine Mendoza the private person. She was nice even to our kasambahay when Arjo introduced her to them.”

Before Maine bade goodbye, Arjo told his mom to wrap food for Maine to take home.

Does Sylvia approve of Maine as, ehem, daughter-in-law?

“Kahit sino ang girlfriend ni Arjo, rich or poor, sikat man o hindi, I expect only one thing…that she should be respectful at mahal lahat ng pamilya namin. Ayoko ng bitch. Same with whoever is the boyfriend of Ria.” Hmmm, is she referring to JM de Guzman, said to be courting Ria? “I’m speaking in general. About JM, we have known him since 2014 when we had a restaurant near ABS-CBN. JM lived in the same building and he used to go to our restaurant. As far as I know, Ria and JM are friends, sobrang close sila. Nanliligaw ba siya kay Ria? I don’t know. Ayokong

Philstar.com photo

makialam. They are old enough; buhay nila ‘yon. Ang mga anak ko, kapag nagmahal, mahal talaga; kapag nag-alaga, alaga talaga.” (In Kapalaran, the forthcoming teleserye, Sylvia plays JM’s mother.)

Oh yes, OFW The Movie. Produced by Active Media Events Production in partnership with Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the movie dramatizes the “positive side” of being OFWs, a far cry from the sad plight of their colleagues being raped or killed or maltreated by their employers that we read or hear about.

“It presents the stories of OFWs who made good,” said Active Media’s Jay-Rosales. “The stories were inspired by true incidents.”

Sylvia leads the cast as a DH (Domestic Helper) in Jeddah who served her employer so well that she was given a big amount which she used to put up a resort back home. The other stars are Diane Medina as a nurse/caretaker in Canada, Cacai Bautista as a nanny in Singapore, Christian Vasquez as a skilled construction workerturned-oil-company-manager in Qatar, and Rafael Rosell also as a skilled construction worker in Dubai. The real characters came home sufficiently rewarded with big bonuses.

Former OWWA Deputy Administrator Arnell Ignacio is cast as narrator.

Directed by Neal “Buboy” Tan, “OFW The Movie” is the third project of Active Media, following the PNP movie Men in Uniform and the GMA News TV series “Heroes Serye.”

A CREWMAN WHO JUMPED SHIP WENT HOME TO THE PHILIPPINES ON AN APPROVED PROVISIONAL WAIVER, BUT WAS CHARGED WITH FRAUD FOR OVERSTAYING, AND COULD NO LONGER RETURN TO THE U.S. Jimmy entered the U.S. in 1999 and jumped ship. When the provisional waiver regulations came out, (which also included crewmen), Jimmy immediately applied for it in his desire to “do the right thing” and legalize his status. When USCIS approved his provisional waiver (thereby “forgiving” his overstay), Jimmy traveled back to the Philippines for his immigrant visa interview at the U.S. Embassy, thinking he would be back in the U.S. in a few weeks. However, the Embassy charged him with fraud by imposing a new “90-day rule” for his having overstayed almost 20 years ago. He found himself stuck in the Philippines while his wife lay in a coma in the U.S. Leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel never abandoned Jimmy or his case, and kept fighting for him. Witness a heart-tugging and heart-wrenching homecoming and reunion on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” – on Sunday at 6:15 p.m. (PST) on TFC. (Advertising Supplement)

Not too early to plan a special Christmas in the Holy Land

by Emil

PErito

THERE’S always a certain fanfare when it comes to celebrating Christmas; strings of lights brighten up the chilly nights, Christmas songs fill the festive air, and families become more sentimental and grateful with each passing day. It’s a holiday that brings much joy, and most people do their best to celebrate it as spectacularly as they can.

To make your Christmas all the more special and memorable, Air Plus Travel is having an upcoming pilgrimage in the Holy Land this December.

Christmas in the Holy Land is a celebration like none other — it’s filled with energy, spirit, and warmth. The Holy Land offers very special opportunities like visiting places where Jesus Christ grew up and witnessing the Christmas story be brought to life.

Spend time in Nazareth where you can visit Capernaum, the town of Jesus which is the

center of his ministry where he performed many miracles; the Church of the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, the site of the multiplication miracle; the House of St. Peter and the ruins of the ancient Synagogue where Jesus preached. Step foot in the Basilica of the Annunciation and view the Blessed Cave, where Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. You can also experience Jesus’ childhood in Mary and Joseph’s house and carpentry shop where Jesus spent 30 years of his life.

Travel to Cana where Jesus performed his first miracle by turning water into wine, and enjoy the view of upper Galilee where Jesus transfigured in the presence of Peter, James and John. Visit Bethlehem and have the chance to not only stand in the birthplace of Jesus and touch the very spot where he was born, but also partake in the Christmas tree lighting in the evening. Take in its festive ambiance and celebrate Christmas with an international

community as Bethlehem is significant to all denominations of Christianity, and Catholicism.

Other activities you get to experience include enjoying a swim in the Dead Sea’s unique healing mineral waters, visiting the Chapel of the Ascension from which Jesus returned to his Father as well as the Pater Noster Church where our Lord taught his disciples how to pray, and walking down the Road of Palm Sunday to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus endured his Agony.

Christmas in the Holy Land truly offers a holistic experience that nourishes the heart and soul. It is a one-of-a-kind gift that will stay with you long after the holiday season is over.

Established in 1995, Air Plus Travel specializes in religious travel. Join us in one of our pilgrimages and private tours. For more information, contact Air Plus Travel at (562) 863-0624, or visit www.airplustravel.net.

(Advertising Supplement)

FEATURES

B4 JUNE 8-11, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

MOONLIGHTING

by MYLAH DE

LEON

WHENEVER I suffer lesions of depression that I allow others to mercilessly inflict on me, nothing beats my reflections of the Malacanang Press Lounge where some of my fondest thoughts still reside. I consider this as my favorite “rescue” fantasy.

The press lounge is a place generally actively filled with cigarette smoke and profanity. It is where one gets schooled in ribald humor, yanking you forever from the sterile and safe world of diplomatic finesse and protocol officers trailing the Chief Executive.

In this smoke-filled confusion, sassy presidential reporters spend endless hours playing tricks with words, often coming up with statements that could move you from sublimity to nausea. These specimens make me feel like a fossil after almost of them were children of my colleagues. What havoc could happen should they decide to gang up on me?

There was really nothing monumental about lunching at the Palace, but having the president’s undivided attention a whole afternoon is something to revel in.

The newshen would be made up, colored, highlighted, smoothed and glowing, not to be outdone by the men who put on intense neckties flirting for attention, and oh, yes; smelling like the future. To make the whole gang truly cross section, the executive staff and the media relations office were on hand, suffering us, while we choke presidential presence.

A breath away from the murky Pasig River, incumbent presidents warmly welcomed all 27 of us on annual gatherings designed to appease Manila’s “privileged” journalists — especially if there’s a collective complaint that a sitting president has become more accessible to the foreign media is aired. We have covered coup attempts, typhoons, earthquakes, royal drop-bys, tsunamis, golf games, and cabinet wrongdoings (including their exits and entrances) with peculiar detachment.

Then there were the weekly presscons where there is no prepared eloquence.

You don’t shout questions at the president. She or he is politely asked, stammered at,

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The president and the Philippine Ballet Theatre brings its Malacanang press Ccorps performance magic to LA on June 15

I was raised with a blue collar awe of the presidency!

I was thrilled when I accompanied on the piano then President Fidel V. Ramos, even as he sang deliciously off key.

flashed, gushed and whispered to. Inevitably someone mumbles and grunts and all one could make out was this reporter chewing the mike and swallowing it whole!

I have not been spared the brunt of a president, admonishing this novice with “Is there a question somewhere?” or “In answer to your convoluted question.”

The chorus of laughter would made me wish I were just dust under the rug.

Travelling with the president around the archipelago after coverages were excursions to pillage and plunder. There was absolutely nothing we laid our eyes on that we didn’t want to buy or keep as souvenirs. The press plane became an instant refugee camp of flora and fauna, fruits, bedcovers and what have you — even the exotic durian.

Then we punctuate our coverages with the usual favorite past time. We inebriate ourselves silly! *** We were a small handful of women in a maleE-mail Mylah at moonlightingmdl@aol. com

dominated Malacanang press corps. Men were muscling around, but one has ever danced with the president.

THE Philippine Ballet Theatre (PBT) will make its Los Angeles debut on Saturday, June 15 with “Filipino Masterpieces” and “Serye at Sayaw.”

“Filipino Masterpieces” features two of three acts of the ballet “Mantones de Manila” by the late, esteemed choreographer, Tony Fabella: “Sa Sala” and “Sa Entablado.”

“Serye at Sayaw” provides interesting vignettes behind the scenes into the world of dance and the life of Marguerite, a dancer.

It chronicles the intimate and triumphant story of a girl who gave up her childhood in pursuit of the prestigious title of prima ballerina, and who only much later discovered the price she has to heed the call of her passion, the loves of her life, and her art.

The PBT was founded in 1986 during the aftermath of the EDSA Revolution. The company was formed as a response to the clamor to support ballet artists and their respective companies that felt left out by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) during the Marcos regime. The CCP Dance Company was the sole company that received support during the Marcos era.

In 1986, during the first Aquino administration, after the political tempest of the EDSA Revolution, a meeting with the CCP’s new administrator, Ma. Teresa “Bing” Roxas and Nicanor Tiongson was held at the Silangan Hall. all of the nation’s leading dance artists were invited. The CCP agreed to give minimal funding and a seasonal home to the fledgling group at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo.

The new company’s founders were National Artist Leonor Orosa Goquinco, Felicitas Radaic, Julie Borromeo, Eddie Elejar, Maria Luisa (“Inday”) Gaston Mañosa, Sony Lopez-Gonzales, Vella Damian, Basilio Villaruz, Gener Caringal, Tony Fabella, and Eric V. Cruz.

Totoy de Oteyza and Inday Mañosa’s Hariraya Ballet Company; Eddie Elejar and Tony Fabella’s Manila Metropolis Ballet; Tita Radaic, Eddie Elejar, and Julie Borromeo’s Dance Theater Philippines; Eric Cruz and Vella Damian’s Dance Concert Company were some of the active dance companies that assimilated and formed the PBT. These four companies were named the “Festival Four”, and their artistry and soul were the elements that created PBT. Sony Lopez Gonzales and Leonor Orosa Goquinco integrated with the Festival Four, and with all of them combined, PBT was born.

The company’s first studio was at the Classic Ballet Academy of Inday Gaston-Mañosa in Makati; in 1989, the group was invited by the Lopez Group to move to Meralco Theater in Pasig. After PBT was formed, Mita Bantug Rufino and Gloria Angara subsequently joined the organization as

well. Throughout the years, PBT’s goals evolved into striving for the preservation and the showcasing of classical full-length ballets, the commissioning of Filipino heritage masterpieces, and to bring to the forefront the extraordinary talent of Filipino artists not only as performers but also as choreographers. In this endeavor, PBT has supported talented youth with training through scholarships from the support of many generous benefactors.

Alongside PBT’s board of directors is the Artistic Council composed of directors from affiliated schools and companies. The Council helps select the dancers that compose PBT’s roster of artists. Among its founding members was the late National Artist Leonor Orosa Goquinqo. Throughout the years, PBT’s esteemed Artistic Directors included Inday GastonMañosa, Julie Borromeo, Eddie Elejar, Gener Caringal, and Ronilo Jaynario. Notable ballet and rehearsal masters include Vella Damian, Sonia Domingo, Nida Onglengco-Pangan, Wu Zhen Rong, Rinat Gisatulin, Nicolas Pacaña, Sofia Radaic, and currently, Anatoly Panasyukov who has served the longest and has helped restage many ballet classics for the company.

Throughout its three decades of existence, has created some of the finest dancers, choreographers, and artists in the country. Like a mother, proud of her progeny, the company has influenced many of the prominent companies and artists in the industry today. Like a big oak tree with deep roots and sprawling branches, the PBT, with its affiliate schools, has sent their performing artists far and wide into the industry. The Quezon City

Performing Arts Development Foundation, University of the East, University of the Philippines, and others have in turn lent their dancers to PBT. The PBT’s triumph over daunting obstacles and hardships is a celebration of the resolute spirit of the company that continues the revolutionary fighting spirit of its founders.

Bold, brave, and beautiful — the company and all the people behind it continue to dream, fight, and strive to see their dreams come to reality.

Philippine Ballet Theatre’s Los Angeles debut is presented

by One Global Management Company, Inc., in cooperation with Asian Journal, Balikbayan Magazine, Pageantry Global, and Asian Commodities Company. It will be held on Saturday, June 15 at 5:00 p.m. at the Church of Scientology of the Valley (11455 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood CA 91601). Ticket prices are $75 / $50 / $25.

(Advertising Supplement)

Derrick Monasterio aces ‘Rak of Aegis’ auditions

by LHAR

SANTIAGO ManilaTimes.net

YES, TV and movie hunk Derrick Monasterio is crossing over to theater! The public is definitely in for something new and fresh from the talented young actor as he essays his very first role as a thespian and in no less than one of the most successful original Filipino musicals yet via “Rak of Aegis.”

An no, he wasn’t handpicked for his celebrity. Derrick went through the rigorous auditions from the musical because he has long wanted to try out the stage.

Nevertheless, he had no idea what he was getting into. He had heard about the phenomenal musical but had not seen a single scene from the show.

When audition day came, Derrick went to PETA Theater and was simply asked to sing. He did his best and left without expecting anything.

“I was thinking, it’s alright if I don’t get the part. At least I did what I was told to do. Ang dami kasing magagaling at mga tagateatro talaga na nag-audition din.

But after a week, I got a call back and siyempre natuwa ako. They asked me to report for another audition along with the others [who emerged] on the short list. Again, I didn’t expect anything. Hindi ko na inisip because I was also busy doing two movies, ‘Kiko en Lala’ for Backyard Productions and also ‘G!LU,’ which is the movie arm of Bench,” Derrick recalled.

It was after he finished shooting Kiko en Lala that his management informed the actor he got the part of Tolits in Rak. “I felt really happy but at the same time, I also felt nervous.

Derrick Monasterio

This was the role originally played

by Gerald Napoles and ang galing-galing ni Gerald! He got very good reviews so I had to ask myself, kaya ko ba ‘yun?”

Derrick also found out he will be alternating with Pepe Herrera, another experienced theater actor, for Tolits and felt the pressure mounting even more.

“Yung mga kasama kong Tolits have been playing the role for a number of seasons already and know it like the back of their hand.

Samantalang ako, I still have to learn the songs, the dialogues and the blocking so mas ninerbyos pa ako!” laughed the humble actor.

On the first day of rehearsals though, Derrick said it helped he was working with fellow GMA Network artist and “Rak of Aegis” alumnus Aicelle Santos to calm the nerves. And as the day went on, he came to realize theater isn’t as daunting as he thought it would be.

“Theater is proving to be very enjoyable for me. Ang bait katrabaho ng mga tao specially since they knew it’s my first time [to do the stage]. Sobrang support

Photo from Instagram/@derrickmonasterio

ng lahat sa bawat isa. Wala rin akong na-feel na because I was new, I wasn’t in their league. I felt they were genuinely happy in welcoming me so ang saya lang talaga,” he enthused.

After a couple of rehearsals, Derrick was told a press conference had been scheduled but it wouldn’t be just a Q&A setup.

“We were told we were going to perform! Ninerbyos na naman ako because I was still in the process of learning my songs and felt wasn’t ready. But thankfully, my castmates were so kind and talagang naka-alalay sila sa ‘kin — sina Ate Aicelle, Pepe, everyone helped me out.”

Long story short, Derrick got through the performance without a hitch, blending in harmony with the rest of the cast as if he had long been in the musical.

“I know I can do better after that first public performance and I’m now all the more motivated to do my very best for the show,” he resolved.

Derrick Monasterio in ‘Rak of Aegis’ — something to look forward to indeed.

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COMMUNITY Journal

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 8-11, 2019

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DON'T FILE BANKRUPTCY

Filipino American groups combine forces with CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center to give back to the community )LPUN PU KLI[ JHU IL Z[YLZZM\S HUK TVZ[ 121st Philippine Independence parade and WLVWSL KVU [ RUV^ ^OLYL [V [\YU MVY OLSW 0 festival on June 8-9 at MacArthur Park VMMLY H MYLL OV\Y JVUZ\S[H[PVU [V JHYLM\SS` YL]PL^ `V\Y ZP[\H[PVU HUK OLSW `V\ THRL [OL YPNO[ KLJPZPVU MVY `V\YZLSM HUK `V\Y MHTPS` r *9,+0; *(9+ +,);: r :;<+,5; 36(5: r 469;.(., 796)3,4: r 3(>:<0;: 1<+.4,5;: r 09: ;(? 796)3,4: >(., .(950:/4,5;: r )(529<7;*@ */(7;,9 -69 469, 05-6 =0:0;! >>> )<3(653(> *64

Cultural dances, a fashion show, parade and more programming are to be expected at Kalayaan LA’s 121st Philippine Independence parade and festival at MacArthur Park on Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9 in partnership with FilAm ARTS and Levitt Pavilion.

LOS ANGELES— On June 8 and 9, the Philippine Independence Day celebrations organized by Kalayaan LA 2019 and FilAm Arts promise to be the best yet as both young and old generations of Filipinos and Filipino Americans to showcase Philippine culture as it has never been presented before. The two-day festivities will deliver with both Filipinos and the mainstream audience in mind.

The event kicks off on June 8 with a parade that will start on Mariposa and Wilshire Boulevard at 11 a.m. and make its way down to MacArthur Park, Los Angeles for the festival at 12 p.m.

The program goes in full swing from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on June 8 and 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. on June 9.

The new route, which begins at the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles, will allow more people to see the annual parade including diverse communities surrounding the iconic park.

Over 40 community organiza-

tions have committed to participate in the parade such as Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA), the Burlington School Kids, Filipino American Society of Architects and Engineers (FASAE), MALAYA, JFAV, FAME, Fil-Am Press Club of CA, Rotary Club of Historic Filipinotown, and the Historic Filipinotown Neighborhood Council.

Newly appointed Board of Public Works commissioner Jessica Caloza — who is regarded as one of the youngest commissioners of Los Angeles and the first Filipina in her post — will be the keynote speaker, together with Events Director Conrado Terrazas Cross of Council District 1 under Councilmember Gil Cedillo.

Not to be missed are FilipinaAmerican rapper Ruby Ibarra who raps in Tagalog; DJ/producer, percussionist and vocalist Gingee and performing arts programmer and DJ Rani De Leon.

Kayamanan Ng Lahi, the most prominent cultural dance troupe

in this city, with multi-awarded classical/soprano Louise Marie Cornilez, ‘Jazzipino’ artist Charmaine Clamor and Ric Ickard who also perform on June 9.

Other acts to watch out for are Korean-Am R&B artist Jinu Park and stand-up comedienne Justin Rivera and Jo Liu. Child ventriloquist Shane Seloria, the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (FASO)’s Children Ensemble under the direction of Louie Ramos and the music and magic of Cecile and Mighty will also be performing.

Los Angeles is also the best city to enjoy Filipino food which has been getting extra mileage from mainstream media. The event will have culinary delights from Big Boi and B Sweet under chef Barb Batiste as well as Fiesta Fast Food by Jun and Minda Chin and Dollar Hits for Filipino street food enthusiasts.

CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (CHA HPMC), a

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Minding Your Finances Atty. RAymond BulAon IF you’ve accumulated more credit card debt than you can handle, you may get this sick feeling in your stomach not knowing what to do about it. As a bankruptcy attorney, I find that this type of debt is the number one cause of financial problems that could lead to bankruptcy.

Not because you’re making minimum payments means that you have your debt “under control”. As I’m sure you’re already aware, the outrageous interest rates that the credit card companies usually charge insure that you’re going to be paying them for a very long time. For people with huge amounts of credit card debt, this could take decades or even a lifetime. Lots of hardearned money down the toilet.

To get out of debt, you need to be pro-active. You can take forever to chip away very slowly by making only minimum payments but imagine how much money you’d be paying in interest and the cost to you in lost opportunities. This could be money going into to your retirement plan, your kids’ education or your sav-

Tax Tips victoR sy, cPA, mBA

Look-through rule on sale of partnership interest: Under the Act, gain or loss on the sale of a partnership interest is effectively connected with a U.S. business to the extent the selling partner would have had effectively connected gain or loss had the partnership sold all of its assets on the date of sale. Such hypothetical gain or loss must be allocated as non-separately stated partnership income or loss is. Unless the selling partner certifies that he is not a nonresident alien or foreign corporation, the buying partner must withhold 10% of the amount realized on the sale. This rule applies to transfers on or after 11/27/2017 and will cause gain or loss on the sale of an interest in a partnership engaged in a U.S. trade or

Community Journal

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How to reduce or eliminate Keeping the spirit of God alive in our hearts and the world massive credit card debt ings account. Think about it.

Some people will take equity out of their home, their retirement plan or savings, etc. to avoid having to file bankruptcy.

What happens most of the time, however, is that once the credit cards are paid off, it is too tempting to start using the credit cards again. And so only within a short period of time, the credit card balances are back up again. It takes a lot of discipline to refrain from doing that once you’ve paid off the balances. Unfortunately, from what I’ve seen in my practice, very few people have that kind of personal discipline and determination not to borrow again.

While debt settlement may be a good idea in some cases where bankruptcy is not, it will only be effective if you are able to pay cash immediately to creditors while negotiating a 40-70% reduction in most cases. Of course, a lot of people don’t have that amount of cash laying around but it is a possible alternative to bankruptcy when it makes more sense.

If you are tempted to hire a debt settlement company to solve your credit card problems, here’s my advice: DON’T!

The debt settlement industry is fraught with problems and companies taking advantage of consumers who don’t know or understand what they are signing up for. Hiring a debt settlement company doesn’t mean that creditors can no longer call you or continue collection actions.

If the debt settlement company tells you otherwise, DO NOT believe them and run as fast as you can. Enrolling in a debt settlement program will often make your debt problems worse and will only prolong your financial suffering. In the end, you may still end up filing bankruptcy.

I am not saying that bankruptcy is the best solution for every situation. But if you are thinking of consolidating your bills legally, Chapter 13 is a much better option because (a) You are legally protected while making payments- that means no collection calls, lawsuits, judgments, wage garnishments or bank levies, (b) In most cases you can cut your monthly payments by half or more, (c) All kinds of debts can be included including taxes, student loans, late mortgage payments, etc., and (d ) most importantly, YOU

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Five changes affecting partnerships, S corporations and pass-through income (Part 2 of 2) is phased out for income from certain service related trades or businesses, such as health, law, consulting, athletics, financial or brokerage services, or where the principal asset is the reputation or skill of one or more employees or owners.

S corporation conversion to C corporation: Under the new Act, on the date of its enactment, any Code Section 481(a) adjustment of an “eligible terminated S corporation” attributable to the revocation of its S corporation election (i.e, a change from the cash method to the accrual method) is taken into account ratably during the 6-tax-year period starting with the year of change. An “eligible terminated S corporation” is any regular (C) corporation which

business by a foreign person to be foreign source.

New deduction for passthrough income: The new Act provides a 20% deduction for “qualified business income,” defined as income from a trade or business conducted within the U.S. by a partnership, S corporation, or sole proprietorship. Investment items, reasonable compensation paid by an S corporation, and guaranteed payments from a partnership are excluded. The deduction reduces taxable income but not adjusted gross income. For taxpayers with taxable income above $157,500 ($315,000 for joint filers), (1) a limitation based on W-2 wages paid by the business and the basis of acquired depreciable tangible property used in the business is phased in, and (2) the deduction

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OFTEN I would remind people that we, Christians, worship a triune God. In essence, this means God is one, but eternally exists as three distinct persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

I would tell them that as much as it is difficult to grasp this dogma of our faith, it’s how God, according to the Bible, chose to reveal himself to us and the world.

The Gospel this Sunday (John 14:15-16, 23B-26), for example, shows this essence and nature of God when Jesus said to his disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always…I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.”

On this Sunday of the Solemnity of Pentecost, we celebrate this essence of God and highlights the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. God sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in us so we can embody the Spirit of Jesus in the world by our baptism, discipleship, and all our works of love, mercy, peace, and justice.

The apostles, the disciples, and the Fathers of the Church taught this element of our faith. St. Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376-444) in a

Tapat Sa Batas Atty. RheA sAmson ANG U classification ay nagbibigay ng nonimmigrant status sa mga dayuhang biktima ng “qualifying criminal activity”.

Noong naging batas ang Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act of 2000 na siyang naglikha ng U nonimmigrant status, ang layunin nito ay protektahan ang mga biktima ng mga ilang krimen dahil ang mga biktima ay naglakas-loob na iulat ang krimen, tumestigo tungkol dito, at tumulong sa imbestigasyon at pag-uusig ng kaso. Kapag naaprubahan ang U nonimmigrant status, ang dayuhang biktima ay maaaring manatili sa US ng 4 na taon bila U nonmmigrant, kasama ang kanilang derivative

The Prophetic Voice ReveRend Rodel G. BAlAGtAs commentary on the Gospel of John, for example, wrote: “It was most fitting that the sending of the Spirit and his descent upon us should take place after the departure of Christ our Savior. As long as Christ was with them in the flesh, it must have seemed to believers that they possessed every blessing in him; but when the time came for him to ascend to his heavenly Father, it was necessary for him to be united through his Spirit to those who worshiped him, and to dwell in our hearts through faith.

With the Spirit within them it is, quite natural for people who had been absorbed by the things of the world to become entirely other-worldly in outlook, and cowards to become men of great courage…The strength they received from the Spirit enables them to hold firmly to the love of Christ, facing the violence of their persecutors unafraid.”

The Holy Spirit then impels us to trust, to love, to forgive, and

to hope. He urges us to pray and worship, to seek better understanding and right judgment, and to be brave to face any challenge and difficulty. He pours particular gifts to us for the service of God’s people. He inspires us to broaden and to fight for our vision of peace and justice in our society and communities. He encourages to sacrifice our lives for our faith in Jesus Christ.

We need to be conscious of this indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, which happens when we pray and contemplate; study and reflect on the Scriptures; celebrate the Sacraments and liturgy; and engage in corporal acts of mercy such as feeding the poor and providing shelter for the homeless. In this way, we keep the Risen Christ alive in our hearts and the world! *** From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (19912001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.

U nonimmigrant classification

family members. Pagkatapos ng 3 taon bilang U nonimmigrant, maaari na siyang mag-apply ng green card.

Ang dayuhan ay eligible para sa U nonimmigrant status kung maipapakita niya lahat ng sumusunod: (1) Ang dayuhan ay nagdusa ng malaking pisikal o mental na pang-aabuso dahil siya ay naging biktima ng “qualifying criminal activity.”

Ang malaking pang-aabuso ay maaaring madetermina ayon sa katangian ng pinsalang naranasan ng dayuhan; bigat ng kilos ng may kasalanan; kalubhaan ng pinsalang naranasan; at tagal ng pagbibigay-hirap sa biktima.

Susuriin din kung may pangmatagalan o malubhang pinsala sa hitsura, kalusugan, o pisikal o mental na katinuan ng biktima, kasama na ang pagpapalubha ng kanyang pre-existing conditions; (2) Ang dayuhan ay may pinanghahawakang kapani-paniwala at

maasahang impormasyon tungkol sa “qualifying criminal activity” na pinagbabatayan ng kanyang U nonimmigrant status application. Ang biktima ay kailangang may nauukol na kaalaman tungkol sa criminal activity na magbigigay daan para madetermina ng certifying officer na ang dayuhan ay magbibigay ng tulong sa imbestigasyon at paguusig ng “qualifying criminal activity”; (3) Ang biktima ay tumutulong o nagiging matulungin sa certifying agency sa imbestigasyon o pag-uusig ng “qualifying criminal activity” na pinagbabatayan ng U petition, at noong magsimula ng kooperasyon sa biktima, hindi pa ito tumanggi na magbigay ng impormasyon; (4) Ang “qualifying criminal activity” ay nangyari sa US (kasama ang Indian country at US military installations) o sa mga teritoryo ng US, o may paglabag ng US federal

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Community Journal

Ensuring that truth prevails in an employment retaliation claim DR. Sheila Hudson worked as a Senior Associate Athletics Director and Title IX Coordinator for California State University, Los Angeles. She filed a lawsuit against her employer, alleging retaliation after complaining about the sexual harassment of young female employees by the athletic director. Dr. Hudson alleged that the director used “degrading, sexist names such as, ‘Sweetheart,’ ‘Love’ and ‘Babe’” to refer to female employees. Dr. Hudson also reported gaps in pay and other areas between men and women in the athletic department.

The employer turned around and sued her for alleged invasion of privacy, accusing her of recording other employees in a meeting without their permission.

An employee who asserts his or her rights under the law, or who challenges an employer’s illegal conduct, may experience demotion or termination.

This is unlawful retaliation.

In a retaliation claim, an employee must prove that she/he engaged in protected activity.

Engaging in “protected activity” means that the employee must complain or oppose a practice which is forbidden by law (e.g. sex, race, or age discrimination). The complaint may be internal (e.g., made to managers or officers within the company) or external (e.g., made to government agencies).

Additionally, courts have held that “protected activity” includes complaints or opposition to conduct the employee “reasonably” and in “good faith” believes to be unlawful, even if the conduct is not actu-

Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr. ally prohibited under the law.

In a retaliation scenario, the employer will almost always present a different story. The employer may even create a pretext or fabricate a reason for the termination. To protect themselves, employees must gather their own evidence to establish that they are telling the truth.

Employees can document the facts in a letter or email to their bosses or to HR or to colleagues they can trust. The documentation must be done at or around the time that the important facts occurred and must contain the employee’s complaint and the employer’s response. It is also good for employees to pay attention to anyone who may have witnessed the employer’s conduct.

Some employees may think that anonymity protects them.

However, the opposite is true.

Presenting complaints in writing, even by email, if expressed in a professional manner, will make it harder for the employer to ignore the situation. More importantly, it creates a record of communications that can later be reviewed to determine the true reasons why any action was taken against the employee.

It is true that employers generally have the power to terminate employees at will. However, employers must not be

motivated by a discriminatory or retaliatory reason for doing so. In this instance, the termination becomes unlawful, and may subject the employer to liability for damages. Employees who prove they were retaliated and wrongfully terminated may recover loss of earnings, emotional distress, and in certain cases, attorneys’ fees and costs, and punitive damages.

Rather than proceed with trial, Dr. Hudson and her employer reached a settlement agreement. The employer agreed to pay $2.75 million to settle the lawsuit. As part of the settlement, the employees who accused Dr. Hudson of recording them without permission agreed not to pursue criminal charges. Dr. Hudson was required to delete any social media posts about the litigation, and she was barred from applying for jobs at any California State University. The settlement agreement also barred all parties from discussing the case with anyone else. *** The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at no-cost.

You can contact the office at (818) 2910088 or visit www.joesayaslaw.com” www.joesayaslaw.com. [C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. is an experienced trial attorney who has successfully recovered wages and other monetary damages for thousands of employees and consumers.

He was named Top Labor & Employment Attorney in California by the Daily Journal, consistently selected as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, and is a Presidential Awardee for Outstanding Filipino Overseas in 2018.]

(Advertising Supplement)

Trade war causes business slowdown & owners need debt relief from $450K

THE first clients are business partners who happen to be married to each other. They run a business that has been very profitable before President Donald Trump instigated his trade wars.

From that business, they were able to generate good profits for several years that allowed them to buy a nice house in a very good neighborhood worth $1 million. Since they bought their residence, the fair market value of the house has appreciated a lot such that today they have at least $300,000 of equity in the house.

Their gross receipts before the trade wars started were $4 million a year. That’s a pretty good volume for any business venture.

Profit margins would allow them to save at least $200,000 or $100,000 a year. That’s a decent profit margin, even though the margin is small because the volume is good. So, from the profits, they were able to realize the American dream of owning a nice house.

Here comes Trump with his trade wars, which directly negatively impact clients’ business.

At this time, business for clients is bad. With Trump’s flip-flopping, you think it’s going to be resolved, but then the next day, you think it’s just going to keep on escalating until the whole world economy grinds to a halt.

Nobody really knows what’s going to happen tomorrow.

Under the best scenario,

Debt Relief

Atty. LAwrenCe yAng Trump may be delaying resolution of his trade wars right after the Feds reduce interest rates.

With those two problems resolved, the stock market would then explode upwards. He needs to have a red-hot stock market in tandem with a strong economy, to get him re-elected in 2020. I am really hoping that this is re-

that’s a company loan, which will be resolved by the bankruptcy filing of the company itself. However, the $300,000 of credit cards is personal debt even though they were used for business, and the $100,000 other unsecured debt is also personal liability.

Thus personal liabilities total is $400,000. This situation is not that bad. The company can get rid of the $150,000 by Chapter 7 without affecting the clients as individuals. But the $400,000 is something else. They cannot do a personal Chapter 7 to wipe out the $400,000 because they have non-exempt equity in the house of $200,000. They can do a Chapter 13 to pay $200,000 out of the $400,000 over five years interest-free and knock off the other $200,000. The problem is they will need to pay about $3,500 in the Chapter 13 plan every month for 60 months. That’s not easily done when your business is going south. And even if they both start working, paying $3,500 into a Chapter 13 plan will be tough.

So what clients need is what I call a “guerilla” plan to protect their house. This is what it really boils down to. They want to keep their house with its $300,000 equity intact while keeping the $400,000 creditors at bay and preventing these creditors from attaching their residence.

What’s the “guerilla” financial plan all about? Wouldn’t you like to know wouldn’t you? You

“The FBI investigates the scam and tells the client they can get their money back if the money is still in the account.” ally what will happen, lower interest rates and a stock market boom because that would make all of us happier and richer.

The clients’ financial situation is they owe $150,000 of business credit line, $300,000 of credit cards, and about $100,000 of other unsecured debt. All of the $300,000 of credit cards was used for the business. So, they owe about $500,000 of unsecured debt. Now the problem is that they signed personal guaranties to secure the $100,000.

There is no problem with the $150,000 credit line because

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Will a domestic violence finding affect my claim for sole or joint custody of our children?

AN action under the DVPA (Domestic Violence Protection Act) seeking a restraining order often is necessary to protect parties from abuse or domestic violence perpetrated by the other spouse or significant other. At times, it is effective in preventing harm to one of the parties. At the same time, this process is sometimes abused by family law litigants as a strategy for obtaining an advantage in a child custody case. The basis for this is the presumption against sole or joint custody under California family code section 3044.

California Family Code Section 3044 (a) provides “Upon a finding by the court that a party seeking custody of a child has perpetrated domestic violence against the other party seeking custody of the child or against the child or the child’s siblings within the previous five years, there is a rebuttable presumption that an award of sole or joint physical or legal custody of a child to a person who has perpetrated domestic violence is detrimental to the best interest of the child, pursuant to Section 3011. This presumption may only be rebutted by a preponderance of the

Barrister’s Corner Atty. kenneth UrSUA reyeS evidence.

In determining whether the presumption in family code 3044(a) has been overcome, the court shall consider all of the following factors:(1) Whether the perpetrator of domestic violence has demonstrated that giving sole or joint physical or legal custody of a child to the perpetrator is in the best interest of the child.

In determining the best interest of the child, the preference for frequent and continuing contact with both parents, as set forth in subdivision (b) of Section 3020, or with the noncustodial parent, as set forth in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 3040, may not be used to rebut the presumption, in whole or in part.(2) Whether the perpetrator has successfully completed a batterer’s treatment program that meets the criteria outlined in subdivi-

sion (c) of Section 1203.097 of the Penal Code. (3) Whether the perpetrator has successfully completed a program of alcohol or drug abuse counseling if the court determines that counseling is appropriate. (4) Whether the perpetrator has successfully completed a parenting class if the court determines the class to be appropriate. (5) Whether the perpetrator is on probation or parole, and whether he or she has complied with the terms and conditions of probation or parole. (6) Whether the perpetrator is restrained by a protective order or restraining order, and whether he or she has complied with its terms and conditions.

(7) Whether the perpetrator of domestic violence has committed any further acts of domestic violence.

A person has “perpetrated domestic violence” when he or she is found by the court to have intentionally or recklessly caused or attempted to cause bodily injury, or sexual assault, or to have placed a person in reasonable apprehension of imminent serious bodily injury to that person or to another, or to have engaged

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K-1 fiancè(e) visa: Getting your significant other to the United States SEVERAL options exist for a US citizen to bring his/her foreign-national fiancé(e) to the United States. One popular option is to marry the fiancé(e) in the country in which he/ she resides, and file an I-130 immigrant petition, with the fiancé(e) to undergo consular processing for an immigrant visa when the I-130 petition is approved. However, this option often is not advisable in that the US-citizen petitioner would have to learn and comply with complicated, countryspecific marriage license requirements, or legal barriers to marriage may exist to the US-citizen petitioner in the foreign country (as in the case of the Philippines, which in some circumstances will not recognize a foreign divorce judgment). In such cases, the best way to get your fiancé(e) to the US is via a K-1 Fiance(e) visa.

The K-1 Fiancé(e) visa allows a fiancé(e) to enter the US for 90 days to allow marriage to take place. By having the marriage take place in the US, couples are able to bypass the foreign country’s license requirements and/or other impediments to marriage imposed by a foreign law.

To be eligible for the K-1 Fiancé(e) visa petition, the following are required: 1) the petitioner must be a US Citizen, 2) the petitioner must have an intent to marry the fiancé(e) within 90 days of his/her arrival in the US, 3) the petitioner and fiancé(e) must have the ability to marry (i.e. any previous marriages were terminated by divorce or death), and 4) the

Legal Advice Atty. DArriCk tAn petitioner and fiancé(e) must have physically met each other within 2 years of filing the K-1 Fiancé(e) visa petition (certain exceptions apply to this fourth requirement). Minor unmarried

“If marriage with the US Citizen who petitioned the fiancé(e) does not occur within that time, the fiancé(e) begins to accrue unlawful presence. ” children of the fiancé(e) may also come to the US under a K-2 visa classification.

Upon arrival in the US, the fiancé(e) can immediately apply for authorization to work in the US. He/she does not have to wait until marriage to apply for work authorization. The work authorization issued to the fiancé(e) is valid for 90 days after entry.

This provides the fiancé(e) the ability to immediately seek lawful employment.

Once married, the spouse of the US citizen can file an I-485 application for adjustment of status (from K-1 to permanent resident), and remain in the US while the application is pending.

At the same time the I-485 ap-

plication is filed, the fiancé(e) may apply for an extended work authorization. Upon approval of the I-485 application, the fiancé(e) is granted a conditional green card that is valid for 2 years, after which he/she can apply to remove the conditions on the green card.

The K-1 Fiance(e) status automatically expires after 90 days. If marriage with the US Citizen who petitioned the fiancé(e) does not occur within that time, the fiancé(e) begins to accrue unlawful presence.

Also, the fiancé(e) will be precluded from adjusting to permanent resident status in the US if he/she marries another US citizen (however, he/she may be able to become a permanent resident through consular processing with a provisional waiver). If you are a US Citizen who is planning to marry your foreign national fiancé(e), or you are someone who arrived under a K-1 Fiance(e) visa whose marriage did not take place, it is recommended you consult with an experienced attorney. *** Darrick V. Tan, Esq. is admitted to practice law in California and Nevada. Mr. Tan is a graduate of UCLA and Southwestern University School of Law. He is a member of the Consumers Attorney Association of Los Angeles and is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Philipp ine American Bar Association. *** LAW OFFICES OF DARRICK V. TAN, 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Tel: (323) 639-0277.

Email: info@dtanlaw.com.

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Five changes affecting partnerships...

PAGE C2 t meets the following tests: (1) it was an S corporation the day before the enactment of the new law, (2) during the 2-year period beginning on the date of enactment it revokes its S corporation election, and (3) all of the owners on the date the election is revoked are the same owners (in identical proportions) as the owners on the date of enactment. If money is distributed by the eligible corporation after the post-termination

transition period, the distribution will be allocated between the accumulated adjustment account and the accumulated earnings and profits, in the same ratio as the amount in the accumulated adjustments account bears to the amount of the accumulated earnings and profits. *** Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State University with an MBA. Vic worked with SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV - Andersen

Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation in Pasadena, California. *** He has 50 years of experience in defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, FTB, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies. He is publishing a book on his expertise - “HOW TO AVOID OR SURVIVE IRS AUDITS.” Our readers may inquire about the book or email tax questions at vicsy@live.com.

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C4 JUNE 8-11, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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How to reduce or eliminate massive credit... Trade war causes business slowdown...

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KNOW EXACTLY WHERE YOUR PAYMENTS ARE GOING EVERY SINGLE MONTH. If you cannot afford a debt consolidation because you don’t have enough income, filing Chapter 7 can also be an option to just completely wipe out your credit card and other debts.

Some people are afraid that once they file Chapter 7, they will automatically lose their home, their car, or other assets. This is not

law na nagbibigay ng extraterritorial jurisdiction para iusig ang krimen sa US federal court. Ang dayuhang biktima ay kailangan ding admissible sa US o eligible sa waiver of inadmissibility.

Ang mga “qualifying criminal activity” ay kailangang isa sa 28 na krimen na nakalista sa Section 101(a)(15)(U)(iii) ng Immigration and Nationality Act (INA): (1) abduction; (2) abusive sexual contact; (3) blackmail; (4) domestic violence; (5) extortion; (6) false imprisonment; (7) female genital mutilation; (8) felonious assault; (9) fraud in Foreign Labor Contracting; (10) hostage; (11) incest; (12) involuntary servitude; (13) kidnapping; (14) manslaughter; (15) murder; (16) obstruction of justice; (17) peonage; (18) perjury; (19) prostitution; (20) rape; (21) sexual assault; (22) sexual exploitation; (23) slave trade; (24) stalking; (25) torture; (26) trafficking; (27) witness tampering; and (28) unlawful criminal restraint. Maaari rin na ang krimen ay kapareho ng isa o ilan sa 28 na krimeng nabanggit, na labag sa federal, state o local criminal law.

The U classification affords nonimmigrant status to alien victims of qualifying criminal activity. When Congress created the U nonimmigrant status under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act of 2000, the intention was to protect victims of certain crimes who have gathered the courage to come forward, report the crime, and assist in criminal investigation and prosecution. The U nonimmigrant status allows alien victims of crime to stay in the US for up to 4 years if approved, apply for lawful permanent resident status after 3 years of U nonimmigrant status, and help derivative family members to obtain nonimmigrant status as well.

an application, which was approved! The executor called the client from Europe and said that he had determined that the client was the rightful heir to $20 million.

To liquidate the estate (turn it into cash of $20 million); he needed $150,000 from the client.

The client borrowed $150,000 from his retirement account and quickly wired the money over to the designated bank account. The executor then said he was going to bring the cashier’s check of $20 million to Los Angeles. Upon arriving at LAX, the executor calls the client and sends him a copy of the cashier’s check made payable to client, but says that the IRS has frozen the check because the IRS needs advance tax payment of $350K. Believe it or not, the client still borrows $350,000 from his retirement account and sends that over to the designated account.

The executor then disappears.

The client reports his loss to the FBI. The FBI investigates the scam and tells the client they can get their money back if the money is still in the account. Of course, the account is closed.

So that’s the story and it’s true not fiction. Once again, truth is

For a free consultation with me, please call my office Toll-Free 1866-477-7772. I have offices in Glendale, Cerritos and Valencia. *** None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped thousands of clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call Ray Bulaon Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1 (866) 477-7772.

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An alien is eligible for U nonimmigrant status if he or she demonstrates all of the following: (1) The alien has suffered substantial physical or mental abuse as a result of being a victim of “qualifying criminal activity.” Whether the abuse is substantial is based on a number of factors, including but not limited to: the nature of the injury inflicted or suffered; the severity of the perpetrator’s conduct; the severity of the harm suffered; the duration of the infliction of the harm; and the extent to which there is a permanent or serious harm to the appearance, health, or physical or mental soundness of the victim, including aggravation of pre-existing conditions; (2) The alien possesses credible and reliable information establishing that he or she has knowledge of the details concerning the “qualifying criminal activity” upon which his or her petition is based. The alien must possess specific facts regarding the criminal activity leading a certifying officer to determine that petitioner has, is, or is likely to provide assistance to the investigation or prosecution of the “qualifying criminal activity;” (3) The alien has been helpful, is being helpful, or is likely to be helpful to a certifying agency in the investigation or prosecution of the “qualifying criminal activity” upon which his or her petition is based, and since the initiation of the cooperation, has not refused or failed to provide information and assistance reasonably requested. This is shown by a certification from a federal, state or local law enforcement authority certifying the alien victim’s helpfulness; and (4) The “qualifying criminal activity” occurred in the US (including Indian country and US military installations) or in the territories and possessions of the US, or violated a US federal law that provides for extraterritorial

jurisdiction to prosecute the offense in a US federal court. The alien should also be admissible to the US or be eligible for waiver of inadmissibility.

Qualifying criminal activity must involve one or more of the 28 types of crimes listed at Section 101(a)(15)(U)(iii) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) or any “similar activity” in violation of federal, state or local criminal law. These qualifying criminal activities are: (1) abduction; (2) abusive sexual contact; (3) blackmail; (4) domestic violence; (5) extortion; (6) false imprisonment; (7) female genital mutilation; (8) felonious assault; (9) fraud in Foreign Labor Contracting; (10) hostage; (11) incest; (12) involuntary servitude; (13) PAGE C3 t Court of appeal held that because kidnapping; (14) manslaughter; in any behavior involving, but not a Domestic Violence restraining (15) murder; (16) obstruction of limited to, threatening, striking, order must be based on a finding justice; (17) peonage; (18) per- harassing, destroying personal that the party being restrained jury; (19) prostitution; (20) rape; property or disturbing the peace committed one or more acts of (21) sexual assault; (22) sexual of another, for which a court may domestic abuse, a finding of doexploitation; (23) slave trade; (24) issue an ex parte order pursuant mestic abuse sufficient to supstalking; (25) torture; (26) traffick- to Section 6320 to protect the port a DVPA restraining order ing; (27) witness tampering; and other party seeking custody of necessarily triggers the rebut(28) unlawful criminal restraint. the child or to protect the child table statutory presumption that *** and the child’s siblings.The re- an award of sole or joint physiATTY. RHEA SAMSON is a Partner at quirement of a finding by the cal or legal custody of a child to LINDAIN & SAMSON LAW FIRM. Atty. court shall be satisfied by, among a person who has perpetrated Lindain and Atty. Samson are both li- other things, and not limited to, domestic violence is detrimental censed to practice law in California and evidence that a party seeking to the best interest of the child. in the Philippines. Both Attorneys were custody has been convicted with- The presumption that an award also professors. LINDAIN & SAMSON LAW in the previous five years, after of sole or joint physical or legal FIRM aims to provide excellent and ef- a trial or a plea of guilty or no custody of a child to a person ficient legal representation to clients, contest, of any crime against the who has perpetrated domestic and support clients in achieving their other party that comes within the violence is detrimental to the goals and dreams.

As professors, definition of domestic violence best interest of the child changes Atty. Lindain and Atty. Samson wish to contained in Section 6211 and of the burden of persuasion, but educate the younger generation, as it is abuse contained in Section 6203, may be overcome by a preponthrough education and continuous study including, but not limited to, a derance of the evidence showing that one can achieve success and serve crime described in subdivision that it is in the child’s best inter(e) of Section 243 of, or Section est to grant joint or sole custody others.

Please visit our office: LINDAIN & SAM- 261,262, 273.5, 422, or 646.9 of, to the offending parent. In that the Penal Code. The requirement case, the father had a history of SON LAW FIRM 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1710, Los of a finding by the court shall perpetrating domestic violence also be satisfied if any court, against the mother. Domestic Angeles, CA 90010 whether that court hears or has Violence restraining orders has Call or text us: (213) 381.5710 Email us: attorneys@lindainsamsonlaw. heard the child custody proceed- been issued multiple times over ings or not, has made a finding the years including within the com.

(Advertising Supplement) pursuant to subdivision (a) based last 5 years. The trial court igon conduct occurring within the nored both the existing restraining order, the legal effect of such previous five years.

In Christina L v. Chauncey B, a judicial finding, and failed to 229 Cal. App 4th 731 (2014),the apply the family code 3044 pre-

U nonimmigrant classification

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true. Most Chapter 7 cases are considered “no asset” cases.

More than 99% of my clients keep everything that they have and lose nothing but their debts.

If you are trying to decide between bankruptcy or debt settlement, or if you have no idea as to what your available options might be, I can help you make the best decision for yourself and your family. I’ve helped more than 5,000 clients since 1998 and I can help you as well.

Calendar of Events across

can’t drop a nuclear bomb on the creditors with a Chapter 7 total wipe-out because clients will lose their house in the process.

You’ll have to fight a war like the Vietnam War where they build tunnels to avoid carpet-bombing and fight in the jungle. That’s the “guerilla” war I refer to in dealing with the $400,000.

Senior loses $500K to inheritance scam needs Chapter 13 debt relief The second client is going to be my oldest client at 94. Before him, my oldest client filed for Chapter 7 at age 90. This senior is still strong physically and would you believe, he still drove to my office That’s great. Unfortunately, he fell for the “you just inherited $20 million from your long lost uncle who just died.”

He received a letter and then a phone call from a European (so-called) executor of his long lost uncle. Apparently, the uncle had left an estate of $20 million with no claimants. So it was the executor’s responsibility to find his next of kin. Executor said that the client appeared to be a distant relative since they have the same middle family name.

The client was invited to file

Will a domestic violence finding affect...

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

stranger than fiction.

The client now needs Chapter 13 to handle his credit card debt.

I tell him it’s going to be a fiveyear repayment plan, which he says is too long. He says all his friends are dying very quickly one by one. A friend who was only 59 just died when he was eating lunch. So anyway, we can make it a five-year plan and he can pay more than the plan payment so he can cut it shorter. He just doesn’t want to have liens on his house, which is now worth $1 million. On the plus side, he is completely healthy.

If someone calls you saying you just won the lottery or inherited $100 million, call me first, okay? I may save you a ton of money.

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

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sumption and instead awarded joint custody to father. The Court of appeal reversed and remanded the case back to the trial court. *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice.

The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information.

This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed.

The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail “mailto:kenneth@kenreyeslaw. com” kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com (Advertising Supplement)

People and Events

Congratulations to the graduating class of Holy Family Grade School in Glendale, California!

J U N E 1 -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.

JUNE 8

Philippine Independence Day Parade and Fiesta in Historic Filipinotown, LA The Filipino American Community of Los Angeles (FACLA), the first and oldest Filipino American nonprofit organization established in 1945, would like to invite the Los Angeles community to participate in the 121st Philippine Independence Day Parade and Fiesta on Saturday, June 8 at Historic Filipinotown in Los Angeles. Community members are encouraged to either walk the parade route or ride in their vehicles. The assembly time starts at 8:00 a.m. at FACLA. The parade promptly rolls out at 9:00 a.m. and will end up back at FACLA at around 11:00 a.m. The two-mile parade route starts at FACLA located at 1740 W. Temple Street, LA, CA 90026 then heads west and makes a left turn at Bonnie Brae Street. Then the Parade turns right on Beverly Blvd. and then right turn again on Temple Street to head back to FACLA. For more information or to get involved, email filamcommunity@gmail.com or please call or text FACLA Director Adrian Lecaros at (818) 634-5564.

JUNE 9

Feast of the Pentecost at St. Lorenzo Ruiz Catholic Church in Walnut, CA The St. Lorenzo Ruiz Catholic Church invites everyone to join in the celebration of the Feast of the Pentecost on Sunday, June 9. The Pentecost commemorates the event that occurred 50 days after Easter, when believers from different cultures were gathered together and were speaking in different languages but were able to hear each other in their own native tongue.

There was a noise of strong wind as tongues of fire from the sky came to rest on each person, as the Holy Spirit descended upon them. Pentecost is a very important event in Christianity as it is considered the birthday of the early Church. The festivities will start with a Mass at 11 a.m. at 747 Meadowpass Road, Walnut, CA 91789. At the Mass, churchgoers representing about 25 cultures and languages will process in their colorful native attires and will proclaim in their own languages. Led by Pastor Rev. Fr. Tony Astudillo and presided by Bishop Gerald Wilkerson, the Mass will be concelebrated by priests from various ethnicities. After the Mass, there will be a fellowship where finger foods from different ethnicities will be served. For Information, please contact: Bong Anonas at bonganonas@saintlorenzo.org or Cara Bermejo at carabermejo@ saintlorenzo.org or call (909) 595-9545.

JUNE 15

27th annual Grand Coronation of Our Blessed Mother in Beverly Hills, CA The Heart of Mary Ministry invites everyone to take part in the 27th annual Grand Coronation of Our Blessed Mother on Saturday, June 15 at the Church of the Good Shepherd (504 N. Roxbury Dr. Beverly Hills, CA 90210). The procession will begin at 12 p.m.

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

THE baccalaureate Mass was held on Friday, June 7, 2019 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Holy Family Catholic Church with Parish Priest

Fr. Jim Bevacqua, Holy Family Grade School Principal Dr. Fidela Suelto, Vice Principal Ms. Kathy Huntley, 8th grade teacher Mrs.

Ashley Liberda, Middle School Teachers Mr. Krikor Kiladjian & Mr. Jared Soliman and Athletic Sports Director Mrs.Teresa Nelson. ■

Filipino American groups combine forces...

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major sponsor of the event, will provide free vision screening on June 9 from noon to 3 p.m. using eye mobile clinic with the worldrenowned eye care team at CHA HPMC’s Southern California Eye Institute (SCEI).

SCEI is dedicated to providing the highest level of vision care in a state-of-art facility at CHA HPMC, using the latest technology and treatments to deliver the best outcome to patients in Los Angeles and from around the world. The research institute leads vision research in diverse communities and vulnerable populations — using big data and artificial intelligence to develop novel therapies, stem cell and regenerative therapies in the U.S. and overseas — to ul-

timately improve patients’ eye health. Vision Van, a vital service at SCEI, provides screening and early detection of eye disease and vision loss of all ages and diverse. By providing greater access to eye care, SCEI at CHA HPMC aims to detect and treat eye diseases in members of our community and beyond.

This year’s media partners are leading Fil-Am publication, the Asian Journal, and the upand-coming One Down Media, a digital publisher and production company whose proprietor Graz Marciano, has successfully redefined the Filipino in today’s modern world through its fine work.

The two-day Philippine parade and festival are FREE and open to the public. The festivities are

part of the Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles’ summer concert series lineup that brings 50 free concerts to the city from June to September — in cooperation with FilAm Arts, and Council District 1 and major partners, CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, WALMART2WORLD Money Transfer powered by Moneygram, Asian Journal, and One Down Media under the leadership of Graz Moreno.

For more details about the June 8-9 event and sponsors, please visit https://www.facebook.com/kalayaanlosangeles.

MacArthur Park is located at 2230 W. 6th St., Los Angeles, CA 90057. Programming on Saturday, June 8 is from 1 to 10 p.m. and Sunday, June 9 at 12 to 7 p.m. ■

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Nothing has been happening World Bank sees PH economy growing 6.4% on my petition all these years

Immigration Corner

by ANNA LEAH

E. GONZALES Manilatimes.net

ATTY. MICHAEL GURFINKEL, ESQ DEAR Atty. Gurfinkel: I am a U.S. citizen, and petitioned my sister and her family in 1995. It has now been almost 25 years, and nothing seems to be happening on the case. Should I just keep waiting until the USCIS or NVC contacts me? Or is there something else I can be doing now?

Very truly yours, DG Dear DG: In your case, the priority date on your sister’s petition is already “current,” meaning a visa is available. You should have already received notices from the NVC to submit forms and pay fees. If a visa is available (or priority date is current) and you don’t take action within one year of visa availability, the case could be terminated, the file shredded, and the priority date will be lost.

A person’s “priority date” is determined based on the date the family-based petition was filed. For most family petitions, it could take from 3 to 25 years before a visa is available. That is why it is important for people to monitor the priority date on their petition in relation to the monthly Visa Bulletin.

Until a person’s priority date is current, there’s not much you can do except wait. However, you have to make sure the petition was APPROVED. I know of many cases where a petition was filed, but the family received nothing further from the USCIS and just sat on the case “waiting.” In some situations, they had moved but had not notified the USCIS of their new address. A request for evidence (RFE) was served and sent to the old address, giving the person 87 days to respond. They never responded and the petition was denied. Therefore, it is very important to make sure that once a petition is filed that you receive an approval notice.

Once the priority date is close to becoming current, the NVC typically starts sending out notices and forms to the last address they have on file. If the petitioner or beneficiary has moved, but has not notified the NVC of their new address, the NVC will send these notices (with one year deadlines) to the old address. If no response is received within one year, the case is terminated.

In your situation, since the priority date is already current, you definitely should not just sit back and wait. Instead you should quickly take steps to determine what is going on with your case and have the NVC process the

paperwork, so your sister can be queued up for immigrant visa interview. I would suggest you consult with an attorney who can figure out what is going on, determine the status of the case and get the case back on track before it is canceled or shredded. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 35 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bars of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different and results may depend on the facts of the particular case. The information and opinions contained herein (including testimonials, “Success Stories”, endorsements and re-enactments) are of a general nature, and are not intended to apply to any particular case, and do not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/GurfinkelLaw and Twitter @GurfinkelLaw Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: 1-866-4873465 (866) – GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINE

THE Philippine economy is still projected to grow by more than 6 percent this year on the back of strong local demand, according to the World Bank.

In its “Global Economic Prospects Heightened Tensions, Subdued Investment” report released on Tuesday, June 4, the multilateral lender retained its 6.4-percent economic growth forecast for the country for 2019, an acceleration from the 6.2 percent expansion in 2018.

It also retained its 6.5-percent growth projection for 2020 and 2021.

“In the Philippines, private consumption is rebounding amid slowing inflation and improving employment conditions,” the World Bank said.

“In addition, election-related spending in the first half of 2019 is giving the economy an additional boost and is partly mitigating the impact of weakening exports,” it added.

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THE Department of Finance aims to complete the full shift to an electronic invoicing system by the end of 2022 as part of the digital transformation in tax administration that the Duterte administration wants to embark on so the government could provide better and faster services to taxpayers.

Speaking before an economic forum in Washington D.C., Finance Assistant Secretary Antonio Lambino II said this digital transformation initiative would address the tendency of the current tax system to “overemphasize controls and monitoring over the welfare of taxpayers and the overall ease and efficiency of compliance.”

Business Quote of the Week “The companies that I really admire the most are the ones that have a deep visceral understanding of why people use their service, and they figure out ways of making money that are completely consistent with how people are feeling and what they are doing at the time.”

— Ben Silbermann, CEO of Pinterest

This aerial photo shows new skyscrapers being constructed over Manila’s financial district.

Manilatimes.net file photo

The World Bank said the Philippines was also expected to benefit from large public infrastructure projects that are coming onstream in 2020 and 2021.

The growth forecast for the country is higher than that for China (6.2 percent), Fiji (3.4 percent), Indonesia (5.2 percent),

Malaysia (4.6 percent), Papua New Guinea (5.6 percent), Solomon Islands (2.9 percent) and Thailand (3.5 percent).

Countries in East Asia and the Pacific that are projected to grow faster than the Philippines include Cambodia (7.0 percent), PAGE D2

DOF wants full PH transition to e-invoicing by end-2022

by DAXIM

L. LUCAS

Inquirer.net

He noted, for instance, that redundant data fields were currently required in tax returns that already formed part of other mandatory attachments in paying taxes.

The Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act, Lambino said, provided the government the corrective measure to do away with some of the redundancies and inefficiencies in the tax system by mandating the establishment of an e-invoicing system.

“Progress has been made in modernizing information technology services for taxpayers.

However, further reforms are needed,” the finance official said.

“The Bureau of Internal Revenue, in partnership with the government of Korea, is set to complete the development of the e-invoic-

ing system by end of 2022.”

Lambino said this digital transformation would not only improve services to taxpayers but also “result in administrative savings and make the tax bureau more resilient and easily adaptable to changes in policy and technology.”

The BIR’s digital transformation agenda, he said, included optimizing business processes, implementing an enabling infrastructure, maximizing the use of information for effective business operations and improving the digital literacy of the bureau’s workforce.

“This agenda requires a high level of commitment and the tax bureau has initiated foundational activities such as business process mapping starting this year,” he said. ■

D JUNE 8-11, 2019 â&#x20AC;˘ LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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PNB inaugurates new office of PNB Foreign investment pledges Remittance Centers, Inc. in Glendale, CA triple to P46 B in Q1

PHILIPPINE National Bank (PSE: PNB) formally opened the doors of PNB Remittance Centers, Inc. (PNB RCI) corporate office on May 30 in its new home at 225 West Broadway, Suite 301, Glendale, California 91204.

The new office is centrally located right across the West Broadway side of the Glendale Galleria between Orange Street and Central Avenue. It is the same building where the Social Security office is located. For further information, please call (213) 401 1008 Extension 201 or 302.

Several dozen guests invited for the great occasion included a few of the whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s who in the local business community, Wells Fargo Bank representatives, industry associates and some from the media. Stewart Niles of CRESA, a commercial real estate firm was there as well as Ethel Rubio, an architect and head of the UP Alumni Association group in the U.S. The event was kicked off by a ribbon-cutting ceremony, blessing of the office premises by Father Percy Juan G. Bacani, MJ â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Pastor of Precious Blood Catholic Church in Los Angeles.

Guests had a little fun grabbing lucky coins and the delicious lunch was catered by Kusina Filipina, a restaurant and catering company in Eagle Rock.

PNB RCI is an indirect, wholly-owned affiliate of PNB. It was incorporated nearly three decades ago in October 1990 as Century Finance and Remittance Centers, Inc. under then top executive Rommel Garcia.

It was licensed by the California Department of Financial Institutions as a transmitter of money abroad in 1991. Rommel Garcia, before he passed away a few years ago, was the longest-presiding President & CEO of the company overseeing many years of growth and profitability for the company.

PNBRCI currently serves as one of the biggest Philippine bankâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;affiliated money transmitters catering to the remittance needs of Filipinos in the United States. The relocation was part of the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strategy to address the financial needs of a wider customer base in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County. Through this move, PNBRCI aims to gain further traction and reach and satisfy

the remittance needs of more expatriate Filipino consumers in Glendale and its neighboring cities of Los Angeles, Burbank and even others living within a 30 to 50-mile radius.

Gracing the occasion of this strategic corporate move is Jose Arnulfo â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wickâ&#x20AC;? Veloso, President & CEO of PNB, who flew in from the Philippines for the event.

Veloso is here as well to have a first hand feel for the business climate in the front line communities that PNBRCI serves in this part of the US. Wick Veloso is a graduate of De La Salle University in the Philippines. Prior to this position, he was President & CEO of Hongkong & Shanghai Bank (HSBC) Philippines where he gained both extensive domestic and international banking experience for many years serving in various capacities both in the Philippines and Hongkong.

PNB Retail Banking Sector Head & EVP Bernie Tocmo was also there just as he had attended as an honored guest to the grand opening of the PNB Los Angeles office on Wilshire Blvd a few weeks earlier. Edith Manalad, GM/VP of PNB Los Angeles was also there for the occasion.

Also in attendance are LT Group Communications Director Claro P. Fernandez and PNB Chief Compliance Officer & FSVP Isagani A. Cortes.

Nelson Javier, now President & CEO of PNBRCI, is a stalwart PNB guy through and through and is bringing his deep and wide-ranging experience as he presides over the remittance business. Nelson is the acknowledged originator of the OPHL, Own a Philippine Home Loan program, along with then-bank officer, Bulos Ople and perhaps, a few other officers, more than two decades ago.

Philippine National Bank is one of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest private universal banks in terms of assets and deposits It has been and will continue to be a major player in the industry because of its solid track record of stability, integrity and excellent service to millions of Filipinos in the country and other parts of the world for over a century.

It provides a full range of banking and financial services to its widely diverse clientele comprised of individual depositors â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a significant segment of which are overseas foreign work-

by Czeriza

ValenCia Philstar.com

Gracing the occasion of the Grand Opening of the PNBRCI corporate office in Glendale were(LR): LT Group Communications Director Claro P. Fernandez; PNB Chief Compliance Officer & FSVP Isagani A. Cortes; PNB Retail Banking Sector Head & EVP Bernie H. Tocmo; PNB President & CEO Wick A. Veloso; PNB RCI President & CEO Nelson V. Javier; and PNB Los Angeles General Manager Editha R. Manalad.

With holy water and lit white candles held by guests and the friendly and able staff of PNBRCI, Father Percy Bacani, Pastor of Precious Blood Catholic Church in Los Angeles, blessed and sanctified the hallways and premises of the new PNB RCI Glendale corporate home on May 30, 2019.

With a pair of giant scissors, and flanked by Bernie Tocmo on the left and Nelson Javier on the right, Wick Veloso cuts the ribbon formally inaugurating and opening the new corporate home of PNB Remittance Centers, Inc. in Glendale, California.

ers and expatriates. PNB serves small and medium enterprises, domestic and international corporations and government institutions. PNBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prospects for the immediate and long term future

are positive as it looks forward to more years of serving its customers first.

For more information, visit its official website: www.pnb.com. ph. n

FOREIGN investment pledges approved by the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seven investment promotion agencies (IPAs) more than tripled to P46 billion in the first quarter of the year, with most of the proposed investments originating from Netherlands, Japan and Thailand, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported Thursday, June 6.

Total foreign investments approved by IPAs during the period jumped by more than three-fold from P14.2 billion in the same quarter in 2018.

These cover those cleared by the following IPAs: Board of Investments (BOI), Clark Development Corp. (CDC), Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB), BOIAutonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BOI-ARMM) and Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA).

Among the top investing countries during the quarter, Netherlands pledged the most at P10.1 billion, accounting for 22 percent of total commitments. Japan committed P9.4 billion constituting 20.5 percent of total, while Thailand pledged P8.5 billion, or 18.4 percent of total approved foreign investments.

By industry, manufacturing stands to receive 76.1 percent

of the total investment pledges equivalent to P35 billion. Administrative and support service activities came in second with investment commitments valued at P3.5 billion or 7.7 percent of total.

Accommodation and food service activities followed with P2.9 billion or a 6.4 percent share.

By location, majority of the approved foreign investments in the first quarter of 2019 would be intended to finance projects in Region 3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Central Luzon amounting to P22.1 billion or 48.1 percent of total. This was followed by Region 4A â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Calabarzon with P15.7 billion (34.1 percent), and National Capital Region with P6.3 billion or 13.7 percent.

Meanwhile, combined investment commitments of foreign and Filipino nationals in the first quarter of 2019 grew by 48.1 percent to P274.2 billion from P185.1 billion in the same period a year ago.

Filipinos pledged P228.2 billion worth of investments or 83.2 percent of total approved investments during the quarter.

Foreign and local projects approved by the seven IPAs in the first quarter of 2019 are expected to generate 41,837 jobs, 24 percent higher compared with the previous yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s projected employment.

Out of these anticipated jobs, 76.4 percent or 31,979 jobs would come from projects with foreign interest. n

World Bank sees PH...

PAGE D1 t Lao Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Democratic Republic (6.6 percent), Mongolia (7.2 percent), and Myanmar (6.5 percent). â&#x20AC;&#x153;Inflation is subdued or declining in most countries (Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam), allowing monetary authorities to keep policy rates steady, generally at accommodative levels,â&#x20AC;? the World Bank said, adding that domestic demand in these four would continue to benefit from favorable financing conditions amid low inflation and rising capital flows.

It, however, noted that risks to growth for the Philippines and other countries in East Asia and the Pacific â&#x20AC;&#x153;remain tilted to the downside.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;They include the possibil-

ity of a sharper-than-expected downturn in large economies, a further slowing of global trade, a possible intensification of trade tensions, and an abrupt change in global financing conditions and investor sentiment,â&#x20AC;? it said.

The report noted that policy uncertainty in the region also remained high due to the ongoing trade war between China and the United States that saw them imposing tariffs worth billions of dollars on each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goods.

Talks aimed at resolving the conflict have yielded nothing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Failure to reach a long-term agreement between these two economies could lead to a further escalation in tariffs, with broadranging global and regional consequences,â&#x20AC;? the World Bank said. n

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 8-11, 2019 D

‘Uptick in inflation won’t prevent Zobel de Ayala to firms: Invest in your workers further monetary policy easing’

by Tyrone Jasper

c. pIad

Manilatimes.net

by Ian

nIcolas cIgaral Philstar.com

THE faster-than-expected consumer price growth recorded last month would unlikely discourage the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) from easing monetary policy, London-based Capital Economics said, adding that two more rate cuts are expected this year.

Inflation quickened to 3.2 percent in May, bucking a sixmonth downtrend mainly due to an uptick in food prices. Yearto-date, inflation averaged 3.6 percent, still within the BSP’s 2 percent-4 percent annual target.

In a commentary sent to reporters Wednesday, June 5, Alex Holmes, Asia economist at Capital Economics, said the faster inflation last month “mainly reflected temporary factors and is unlikely to preclude further rate

cuts from the central bank.”

A benign inflation should also give the BSP more space to further cut the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves, Holmes said.

“Following the release, BSP Governor Diokno gave about as clear a signal of future policy as he could give, saying that ‘rate cuts are inevitable’ and that the uptick in inflation ‘does not constitute a trend,’” Holmes said.

“We continue to expect the Bank to cut rates by another 25bps at its next meeting on 20th June. And given that inflation is set to fall back, an additional cut is likely in the second half of this year,” he added.

“We are forecasting another round of cuts before the year is through, taking the [reserve requirement ratio] to 14 percent,” he continued.

In a bid to power growth amid cooling inflation and tight

liquidity conditions, the BSP in May cut its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 4.5 percent from a decade-high of 4.75 percent, and announced a threestep RRR reduction to 16 percent from 18 percent.

Diokno — who is widely seen by the market as a dovish BSP governor — reportedly said that the May reading should be taken with a grain of salt.

“One should not read too much on the uptick. One data point does not constitute a trend. That’s elementary,” the BSP chief said.

Meanwhile, BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said: “The only risk is when the uptick gets prolonged and starts generating second-round effects and higher inflationary expectations especially in the face of the heavy catch up on public spending on infrastructure in the second half.” n

Jobless rate falls to 5.1% in April by czerIza

ValencIa Philstar.com

Unemployment eased in April due to the robust growth in hirings in the services sector during the election season, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said Wednesday, June 5.

Results of the April 2019 round of the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Labor Force Survey showed the unemployment rate went down to 5.1 percent from 5.5 percent a year earlier.

The labor force – comprising members of the population aged 15 and above – grew to 72.54 million from 71.02 million in the same month last year.

The number of Filipinos opting into the workforce also increased as seen in the rise in the labor force participation rate to 61.4 percent in April 2019 from 60.9 percent in April 2018.

There were also more Filipinos gainfully employed during the period as seen in the rise in the employment rate to 94.9 percent in April 2019 from 94.5 percent in April 2018. This translates to 42.2 million Filipinos with jobs.

The number of those who are employed but are seeking more work hours have also decreased as seen in the lowering of the

underemployment rate to 13.5 percent in April 2019 from 17 percent last year.

National Statistician Dennis Mapa said the reduction in the unemployment rate entailed trimming the ranks of the unemployed by 74,000 Filipinos.

The easing in the underemployment rate, meanwhile, means 1.226 million Filipinos are no longer working part time.

He noted that among regions, employment growth was fastest in Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, Davao Region and Caraga.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said the results reflect a “vibrant labor market.”

“The April 2019 round of the LFS reflected an upbeat labor market, where unemployment rate was at a low 5.1 percent and underemployment rate at 13.5 percent; these, even with the slight uptick in labor force participation,” said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia.

The services sector, which comprised 58.5 percent of the country’s total employment, was the biggest contributor in terms of additional employment amid a more bullish business outlook in the second quarter of 2019.

“The expansion may be attributed to increased business activities in line with the campaign period for the Philippine midterm elections. Adding to this is the increase in consumer demand during summer and harvest seasons,” Pernia said.

Despite the improvement in employment figures, Pernia said the unemployment and underemployment rates need to be lowered further to meet the Philippine Development Plan targets by 2022.

“Both quality and quantity of work need to be addressed. At the same time that employment opportunities are being increased, workers and jobseekers must be enabled to improve their knowledge and skills through training and education,” said Pernia.

Government programs, which include the Government Internship Program, JobStart Philippines Program and apprenticeship, also need to be enhanced to strengthen the labor market.

Pernia also highlighted the need for a more comprehensive income protection program through a strict enforcement of work safety regulations and unemployment insurance to protect workers from unsafe working conditions and economic disruptions. n

TYCOON Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala on Tuesday, June 4, encouraged the business sector to invest in teaching employees new, “future-ready” skills and provide a conducive working environment in order to remain competitive.

At the One Step Ahead Series forum hosted by JP Morgan and Asia Society in Makati City, Zobel de Ayala underscored the importance of providing employees with a “future-ready skill set” in the time of “increased automation.”

Under technical skills, the Ayala Corp. chief executive officer said it would be helpful for companies to educate employees on programming, computer science and data science.

“Organizations have to raise skills, as well, through trainings,” he added.

According to Zobel de Ayala, there is also a need to develop the social and complex cognitive skills and soft skills of employees. The former covers leadership, creativity and communication, among others; the latter, empathy, agility resilience and more.

He said companies, besides educational institutions, also had an important role in nurturing these skill sets, adding that his holding company was contributing to this advocacy.

Under Ayala Corp.’s Professional Employment Program, Zobel de Ayala revealed that 90 percent of its graduates secure employment within 90 days.

Companies, he said, should find “new ways of doing work” to spark productivity, suggesting to implement a flexible working arrangement.

This, Zobel de Ayala added, could lead to employees’ “higher engagement” with their work.

Using “people analytics” could also help firms to better understand the needs of their employees, resulting in better human-resource management, according to him.

“We need to adopt a refreshed approach to private enterprise.

One that fully responds to critical underserved needs of society while at the same time, enables the creation of value,” the top Ayala official said.

‘Vocation education’ For his part, Mark Keese, head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s

Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala.

Skills and Employability division, affirmed the need to continue teaching employees.

He said that, apart from traditional education, there was a need to “focus on vocation education,” such as training for new technology to strengthen workers’ skill set.

Such practice is being observed in Singapore, he added.

International Labor Organization (ILO) Technical Officer Jordi Prat Tuca, meanwhile, said the United Nations’ labor agency found out that 56 percent of jobs in the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (Asean)-5 are “at high risk of automation over the next 20 years.”

Asean-5 is composed of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The ILO officer also highlighted the need to equip employees with the necessary skills, as there would be “limited opportunities”

Manilatimes.net photo by John Orven Verd

amid technology adoption.

And McKinsey and Company Associate Partner Boris Tanyu Van said artificial intelligence (AI) was vital tool to move forward in conducting business operations.

Van noted that AI was “costeffective,” which could help in reducing operating costs, adding that applying it could translate to a 12-percent increase in revenues.

A digital operating model — which focuses on “transforming” organization, technology and business — could be used as reference by the firms, he said.

The One Step Ahead Series forum, which has “Rethinking the Future of Work to Promote Inclusive Growth in Asia Pacific” as its theme, brought together public, private and civil society leaders to discuss the regional business environment amid today’s technological advancements. n

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Overhaul of property tax scheme to boost real estate market, says Dominguez

by Daxim Lucas Inquirer.net

Provinces and cities are losing an estimated P30.5 billion in revenues annually as a result of outdated real property values, underscoring the need for valuation reforms in the real property sector, according to a unit of the Department of Finance.

In a press statement, acting Deputy Executive Director Jose Arnold Tan of the Bureau of Local Government Finance said cities could have collected as much as P23.1 billion in incremental revenues from real property taxes, while provinces could have gotten as much as P7.4 billion more if their Schedule of Market Values (SMVs) were updated and aligned with international standards.

Such reforms in the real property tax system constitute the third package of the Duterte administration’s comprehensive tax reform program.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said these reforms would further invigorate the real estate market, bring in more investments and gener-

ate additional revenues for local government units.

“Essentially, real estate is the most valuable asset and biggest financial resource,” Dominguez said. “But its contribution to government revenues, particularly for local governments, has remained dismal due to outdated SMVs, poor collection efficiency and tax administration and lack of uniformity in the valuation of real property.”

Tan said for provinces alone, the P7.4 billion in foregone real property taxes could have built 551 public markets or 771 kilometers of roads or 7,542 classrooms or 2,155 day care centers.

The P23 billion in real property taxes that cities fail to collect could have built either 513 transport terminals, 339 landfills, 1,154 satellite health centers, or 3,330 low-cost resettlement projects, he added.

Tan noted only 36 percent of local government units have updated SMVs. The rest, which comprise 97 cities and 48 provinces, remained noncompliant in updating their SMVs, he said.

Moreover, only 60 percent of the regional district offices of the Bureau of Internal Revenue have updated zonal values.

Under this outdated system, overvaluation usually happens when the government pays for a piece of real property, but undervaluation often occurs when it is the government’s turn to collect, according to Tan. The system is also riddled with multiple overlapping functions as 23 national government agencies can or are required to do valuations, with each using its own system and methodology, Tan said.

This has led to disparities between market values and zonal values by 13 percent to as wide as 94 percent. Between the SMVs and private valuation, the disparity is from 187 percent to 7,474 percent, Tan said.

He said local governments often overlooked the requirement under the Local Government Code to update their SMVs and zonal values every three years because there were no existing sanctions against local officials that would compel them to comply with the law. n

Coconut industry set for rebound

by EirEEnE JairEE

GomEz

Manilatimes.net

IN a bid to revive the country’s billion-dollar coconut industry, the Department of Agriculture (DA), Philippine Coconut Authority and various industry groups have been actively finding ways to boost the local production and exports of Philippine coconuts.

The Philippines is currently the world’s second-biggest coconut producer, with 3.5 million hectares planted with the crop and produced 15 million metric tons.

The government, however, had lacked efforts in the past years to maximize local production, which in turn might boost trading grains in the export market, according to Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol.

In response, the DA, in collaboration with various industry groups from the private sector, has long been proposing for feasible solutions that could help improve the domestic demand for coconut oil.

For instance, the United Coconut Association of the Philippines has backed the DA’s constant

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push to increase coconut oil content in biodiesel from 2 percent to 5 percent — a measure that is not only for the environment, but also to give coconut farmers a market for their products.

Biodiesel is a blend of diesel fuel and Coco Methyl Ester, a derivative of coconut oil.

According to Piñol, the DA would also be pushing for the imposition of a quantitative restriction on the volume of palm olein imported from Malaysia and Indonesia. In 2017, total palm oil imports increased by 92.4 percent to 262 million kilos from 20 million kilos in 2015.

The Philippines primarily imports palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia at zero-percent tariff.

Meanwhile, most experts agreed that there was another viable option that would help boost the local coconut industry — increased demand for oleochemicals, which are comprised of organic oils like coconut oil and palm kernel oil. It is the form that is commonly used as a main component of many important consumer products that are commercially sold in the market.

Just recently, the DA announced it had begun preparations for the country’s first shipment of green coconuts to the U.S. Prior to this, the DA had also said it was poised on transforming monocropped coconut farms into “model coconut farms” that would promote diversified farming. Piñol said the initiative was part of the DA’s Coconut Industry Modernization Program over the next five years, which would mainly focus on farm diversification and utilization of modern technologies such as drip irrigation, among others.

The DA, furthermore, believes that the market value and relevance of the coconut would also bounce back as the agency’s focus would shift on value-adding initiatives for the said commodity.

These include the development of hollow blocks and roofing materials made out of coconut fiber and dirty plastic as binder, coco coir production for the growing greenhouse farming industry in foreign countries, coconut sugar, coconut syrup, coconut milk, dessicated coconut, coconut chips and virgin coconut oil. n

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 8-11, 2019 D

Find your next vehicle at Ocean Honda in North Hollywood WHETHER it’s looking to get behind the wheel of a new or certified pre-owned Honda, or simply looking to maintain their current Honda, kababayans of Southern California are sure to find all the help they need by the helpful Honda people of Ocean Honda in North Hollywood.

With five Filipino sales people fluent in Tagalog, Ilocano, Bisaya, Cebuano, and Kapampangan, fellow kababayans are further sure to feel like family when stepping in through their doors.

“We are a family-owned company, and as such, we put our Pinoy family before us,” said Mary Jo Gomez, one of Ocean Honda’s Fil-Am staff members.

Located on 5841 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood, Ocean Honda has been a go-to Honda dealership for those in the San Fernando Valley and greater Los Angeles area looking to go home with any of Honda’s acclaimed sedan, hatchback, hybrid, and SUV or crossover models.

Buyers at Ocean Honda are also offered a two-year free maintenance through their Car Doc program — their maintenance and membership program created to give customers quality car care, preventative maintenance, and other membership amenities such as discounts on service, parts, and accessories. The offer comes standard for pre-owned vehicles, which also come with two keys.

“We make sure our service is top notch and hassle-free. Kahit bumili na kayo, if you need anything else, we are still here to serve you,” said Gomez.

Easily among the most popular models among kababayan buyers are the efficient and compact Honda Civic, and the slightly bigger midsize Honda Accord — each of which comes with a number of models to choose from depending on preference.

Just this year, the Honda Civic was named the winner of the Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Award, and was named among Car and Driver’s 10 Best Cars. The Honda Accord was ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s list of Best Midsize Cars for Families and was named America’s Best Sedan by Car and Driver.

Of Honda’s SUVs and Crossovers, the versatile Honda CR-V — which remains a leader among compact SUVs — is a big hit among buyers with its sporty look, personality, and functionality.

Other model offers include Honda’s variety of battery electric, fuel cell, and hybrid vehicles; as well as its minivan and truck models.

Having been named Best Brand in the Kelley Blue Book’s 2019 Brand Image Awards, there’s a Honda vehicle for everyone and the staff at Ocean Honda are ready to help you find the perfect one.

So whether you’re in the market for a new or certified pre-owned Honda, are

Meet the Fil-Am sales team at Ocean Honda! Ricky Trajano, Joey Viernes, Francensca Sulibit and Gil Paden are ready to help you with your car buying needs. In addition to English and Tagalog, Joey speaks Ilocano, Gil speaks Bisaya and Cebuano, and Ricky speaks Kapampangan.

Rey Baldizon, General Sales Manager of Ocean Honda

looking to keep your Honda maintained, or are simply looking for accessories, make sure to stop by Ocean Honda in North Hollywood to all your Honda needs.

Check out Ocean Honda of North Hollywood by visiting www.oceanhondanoho.com, or visit them at 5841 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601. To contact their General Sales Manager Rey Baldizon, reach him at (909) 322-5400. n (Advertising Supplement)

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