061320 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition

JUNE 13-16, 2020 Volume 30 - No. 46 • 2 Sections – 18 Pages

Gyms, hotels, museums, campgrounds DATELINE USA Beyond protests: Pinays now allowed to reopen in LA County on how the Filipino FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

American community can help maintain the BLM momentum

FOR a lot of people, the moment that shifted the current incarnation of the fight against police brutality was when people across the world en masse gathered in the name of George Floyd.

Since the massive Black Lives Matter protest in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 6, the movement’s momentum has only increased, calling for a long overdue reexamination into policing practices and the deeply-rooted anti-blackness that informs them.

The killing of George Floyd was the last straw in a country that, since the 2012 killing of unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, has undergone a social justice transformation that has defined and emboldened a generation that has finally had enough.

But if Martin’s killing and the ensuing formation of Black Lives Matter as a campaign catalyzed a cultural transformation into a “woke” era, the killing of Floyd has triggered an allencompassing metamorphosis that is forging recalibrations of standards and practices of law enforcement as well as other industries such as u PAGE A3

UCLA to offer Pilipino Studies as a minor starting fall 2020 STARTING in the fall of 2020, UCLA will now offer Pilipino Studies as a minor under the Asian American Studies Department (AASD), a major move for the historically diverse university.

Announced on April 29, the Pilipino Studies Minor Program is open to undergraduates, who may contact the AASD Student Affairs Officer to declare the minor, will encompass a wide range of courses related to Filipino language, history, diaspora issues, anthropology and geography.

Like other Asian American studies programs, the Pilipino Studies Minor Program will offer comprehensive social justice points of view and explore the global Filipino community’s relationship with concepts like capitalism, racism, colonialism u PAGE A4

by CHRISTINA

M. ORIEL

AJPress

NEARLY three months since the coronavirus upended daily life and forced strict measures to be enacted, Los Angeles County moved forward with the third phase of easing restrictions on Friday, June 12.

Under the modified health order, gyms, fitness

facilities, hotels, lodging, short-term rentals, museums, galleries, zoos, aquariums, day camps, RV parks, campgrounds, outdoor recreation areas and pools were given the green light to reopen under certain guidelines.

The ‘new normal’ includes limited capacity at attractions like museums and zoos, advanced reservations for campgrounds, face coverings for athletes when not playing, and leaving hotel rooms

vacant for 24 to 72 hours after a guest has departed for cleaning.

California state officials last June 5 announced that counties could start to reopen gyms, day camps, bars and certain professional sports.

“We ask that businesses take the time they need to fully implement the directives before they open… and that they provide a copy of their implementau PAGE A2

DACA recipients brace for Supreme Court ruling amidst pandemic and nationwide protests

by RAE

INDEPENDENCE DAY COMMEMORATION. Kawit Mayor Angelo Emilio Aguinaldo leads the flag-raising ceremony during the commemoration of the 122nd Philippine Independence held at the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite on Friday, June 12. This year’s celebration carries the theme, “Kalayaan 2020: Tungo sa Bansang Malaya, Nagbabayanihan, at Ligtas (Kalayaan 2020: Towards a Free, United, and Safe Nation)”.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

ANN VARONA AJPress

AMIDST a pandemic and nationwide protests, recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program take on added uncertainty as they anxiously await a decision that may determine whether they can continue to stay in the U.S. for the foreseeable future.

Created in 2012 under then-president Barack Obama, DACA provided deportation protection for roughly 650,000 young unauthorized immigrants, called “Dreamers,” who arrived in the U.S. as children.

Of California’s 200,000 DACA recipients, about 85,000 call Los Angeles home. Between u PAGE A2

Gateway landmark to be erected in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown later this year

by AJPRESS LOS Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown will soon have a gateway structure to welcome visitors into the neighborhood and to honor the contributions of Filipino Americans in the city.

The Historic Filipinotown Eastern Gateway Project, named “Talang Gabay: Our Guiding Star,” will be placed along the stretch of Beverly Boulevard that designates the neighborhood. It is set to be unveiled sometime later this year, though an official date has yet to be announced.

Designed by Fil-Am artist Eliseo Art Silva — whose work includes the “Gintong

Kasaysayan” mural in HiFi’s Unidad Park — the renderings show a dark green gateway with yellow sides bearing symbols including, the parol (star-shaped lantern), the gumamela (hibiscus flower), and the sarimanok (a legendary bird in Maranao art that symbolizes good fortune).

After years of planning and community input, Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell’s office worked with the city’s Board of Public Works, under the leadership of Commissioner Jessica Caloza, and Silva for the design.

“Once completed later this year, Historic Filipinotown will have a landmark that authentically showcases the beauty and Daytime view of the Historic Filipinotown Eastern Gateway Project Photo courtesy of the Office of Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell u PAGE A4

Pacquiao denies talking about Filipina American in SoCal targeted in racist tirade while running for president with Arum exercising, told to return to ‘whatever Asian country’

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

PHILIPPINE Senator Manny Pacquiao on Tuesday, June 9, denied that he discussed his supposed plans to run for president with his former longtime promoter Bob Arum.

“We talked about Crawford, but we didn’t talk about politics,” he told ABS-CBN News’ Dyan Castillejo.

His statement came after Arum revealed that Pacquiao had confided to him about his intention to run for the presidency.

“I did a Zoom telephone call u PAGE A4

by CHRISTINA

M. ORIEL

anymore.”

“Next time you talk to me like that, you’re going to get your…

A FILIPINA American in South- kicked by my family. They’re ern California was verbally ha- gonna…you up,” the woman says rassed and subjected to a racist using expletives, before Sherry tirade this week by a white wom- picks up her phone to turn the an while working out at a public camera toward her. park.

The video — which has reached In a viral video posted on social over 869,000 views on Facebook, media on Wednesday, June 10, as of this writing — reveals an the victim, who is only identified older white woman reacting anas Sherry, is seen using the steps grily and accusing Sherry of takat Wilson Park in Torrance, Cali- ing up room on the stairs. She fornia to exercise. then suggests that Sherry “go As she starts doing lunges, somewhere else where you could another woman’s voice can be go to a gym.” heard off-camera, saying, “Listen The interaction escalates as the to me. We don’t play games here woman unleashes more expleAJPress

Philippine Senator Manny Pacquiao Photo from Instagram/@pacquiaomanny

tives and a racist rant.

“Get the (expletive) out of this world…Get the f*** out of this state. Go back to whatever (expletive) Asian country you belong in,” the woman shouts. “This is not your place. This is not your home. We do not want you here.”

As the woman walks away, she calls Sherry an “ignorant teenager” and questions, “who wears black in the California sun?”

Despite the woman’s assumption, Sherry is an adult, according to Samantha Baker, one of Sherry’s friends who shared videos of the incident on Facebook.

Another friend, Rachel Tennell, also posted a statement on behalf

of Sherry on Twitter.

“I never imagined that my story would reach so many people, and I am happy to know that it may shed some light on the work that needs to be done in this country,” the statement read. “As a Filipino American, I believe that all people of color should be treated with humanity, dignity, and respect.

I stand in solidarity with all oppressed people who face discrimination and violence just because of their ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender non-conformity, and sexual orientation. I hope my experience lends itself to the fight for justice and equality.” u PAGE A3

A june 13-16, 2020 • LA WeeKenD ASIAn jOuRnAL

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From the Front Page

DACA recipients brace for Supreme Court...

PAGE A1 t 2012 and 2017, at least 4,655 Filipinos in the U.S. were granted DACA protections, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

In September 2017, President Donald Trump announced plans to rescind DACA, claiming that its adoption was unlawful and that courts did not have the power to review its decision. Several lower courts blocked his rescission, allowing the program to continue albeit on a less stable foundation.

Last fall, the White House brought the case to the Supreme Court, which is expected to make a decision anytime this month.

“Dreamers have been waiting anxiously to see whether the Supreme Court will [decide] to end the DACA program or allow DACA recipients to remain in the United

States,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis said on Wednesday, June 10.

As the U.S. faces the COVID-19 pandemic with over two million confirmed cases and over 116,000 deaths, Solis added that more than 200,000 DACA recipients nationwide have been serving as essential workers. At least 1,700 have been working directly in the health care sector.

The biggest question now is whether the Supreme Court has jurisdiction to review the DACA decision and whether Trump’s basis for rescinding the program was lawful.

As it stands, Dreamer advocates say that it’s best to be prepared for the worst, but add that there’s still much that can be done to ensure Dreamers continue to pursue their goals and aspirations.

Daniel Sharp, chief at the Los Angeles County Office of Immigrant Affairs, said on

Wednesday that even in the worst-case scenario, the vast majority of DACA holders are not in any imminent risk of deportation.

“Even if the Supreme Court allows this administration to end the program, there is a small percentage of DACA holders who have a final order of deportation from before they obtained DACA,” said Sharp.

Speaking at a virtual summit for Dreamers on Thursday, June 11, Sharp again said that deportations would likely not be immediate especially given the backlog of cases immigration courts have been experiencing even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Currently, over 1.1 million people are awaiting their day in court, with 95,000 in Los Angeles alone. The 85,000 DACA holders would almost double the number of cases u PAGE A7

FOOD AID FOR STRANDED PASSENGERS. A religious group distributes food supplements and food packs to the stranded passengers staying in front of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 (NAIA-1) in Pasay City and at the center island near the airport on Thursday, June 11. The stranded passengers whose flights were canceled by airlines have been waiting for days now for their flights to be rescheduled so they can go home to their provinces.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

Gyms, hotels, museums, campgounds...

PAGE A1 t tion plan for all their employees,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of the LA County Department of Public Health. “And as this weekend begins, please remember that a safe recovery journey relies on every single one of us, businesses and residents.”

The reopening on Friday came as the county health department confirmed 20 new deaths and 1,633 new cases of COVID19, bringing the total to 2,832 deaths and 70,476 positive infections. To date, 17% of total deaths were individuals of Asian descent.

Ferrer reminded residents to continue physical distancing, wearing cloth face coverings and observing other infection control measures as businesses start to open their doors once again.

“If at any time, the county’s rate of infection and other key metrics demonstrate a rapid acceleration of new cases that threatens to overwhelm the healthcare system, the Department of Public Health and the Board of Supervisors may need to limit future re-openings or

close reopened sectors,” the county said in its guidance.

CrazyFIT, a gym in San Fernando, quickly shifted toward online classes and training once safer-at-home measures took effect last March. But by Friday, it was prepared to welcome members back inside its facility by putting safety protocols in place, such as limiting class sizes and providing sprays and wipes for equipment and hand sanitizer stations throughout the gym.

“We’re making sure that we’re doing a much better job, not just around cleaning as staff, but to instill a culture within our members and community to let them know to be mindful of the safety, well-being and health of not just yourself, but everyone else,” Filipino American owner Crizam Carlos told Asian Journal.

He added that workouts have been reprogrammed so there is “less changing and sharing of equipment” amongst individuals. Classes have been reduced to at most nine participants so they can be spread out 6-feet apart.

“We also want to remind peo-

ple to quarantine themselves if they feel sick, have traveled recently or have been in contact with someone who was ill,” Carlos said, adding that workouts will still be available online for those who can’t physically come into the gym.

County officials announced the latest slate of reopenings on Wednesday and only announced safety measures the day after.

Many businesses that fall under the allowed categories aren’t rushing to reopen by this weekend.

“My first source of information on what’s going on in the county is usually other business owners,” Carlos said. “It’s good to have the community of other entrepreneurs so we spread the news quickly because the requirements are always changing.”

Professional sports without live audiences and music, film and television production were also allowed to reopen on Friday.

However, nail salons, tattoo shops, bars, wineries, movie theaters and theme parks continue to be closed in the county. n

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A

Beyond protests: Pinays on how the Fil-Am... Filipina American in SoCal targeted in racist...

PAGE A1 t

retail, entertainment, health care and more.

What separates this current uprising with past efforts to eradicate police brutality is the emergence of concrete, legislative solutions to the issues that protesters have been calling for, even before the killing of George Floyd.

Twenty-seven year old EMT Breonna Taylor was gunned down in her own home on March 13 by police who had a no-knock warrant on the home. On Wednesday, June 10, the Louisville City Council unanimously voted in favor of a ban on no-knock search warrants called Breonna’s Law, which also requires all officers serving warrants to wear body cameras that remain turned on at least five minutes before and after a warrant is served. (As of press time, the officers who killed Taylor have not been arrested.)

In Seattle, peaceful protesters have taken over the boarded up Seattle Police Department and cornered up several city blocks to establish the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), a “protest haven” (with no cops in sight) for speakers, artists, musicians to use their talents in the service of fighting police brutality.

In Los Angeles, amid calls to defund the police department and fire LAPD Chief Michel Moore, the city has committed to diverting money from the police department, investigating “officer misconduct” at recent protests and investing more funding toward community programs to uplift “communities of color.”

These significant benchmarks are proving that this pivotal moment in protest is the most comprehensive civil rights campaign of the 21st century, and non-black communities are realizing there’s more to solidarity than just reposting a black square or retweeting a Martin Luther King, Jr. quote on Facebook and calling it a day.

The highly publicized protests present a moral exercise in attention and endurance, and in an age when trending topics change at the blink of an eye, maintaining a higher degree of fortitude that could lead to greater changes in the name of fairness and equality for the black community.

In addition to participating in rallies and protests, activists and community leaders have been urging people to get involved in other ways, too. Donating to organizations that are dedicated to fighting against police brutality, abuse of power and unjust practices that disproportionately put Black individuals at a disadvantage are among the base-level ways that people can contribute.

“I recently had told someone that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing,” Jollene Levid, a Filipina American Los Angeles-based organizer, told the Asian Journal in a Zoom call.

“Every mass movement in our history that has changed the way a state or government or a country has been run, including the Philippines and the toppling of Marcos. People have found a way to contribute in ways that go beyond what you see as a normal protestor on the streets,” Levid shared.

Right now, the interest in combating police brutality and abuse of power is still hot. But like every major social, political and cultural issue of the Trumpian era when headlines and breaking news change at the speed of light, interest can wane just as quickly as it waxes.

The impact of meaningful refusal In the acclaimed 2019 book “How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy,” Oakland-based artist and Stanford professor Jenny Odell discusses the various ways that attention can be reworked in ways that can best serve a myriad of contemporary conundrums on personal and allied levels, not least of which includes protests and social justice movements.

One of the tenets Odell (who happens to be Filipina American) discusses in her best seller involves the art of refusal. In the context of social reform, the art of refusal encapsulates rejecting an oppressive, inhumane status quo with the goal to enact just policies and practices.

Providing examples of successful strikes and protests like the longshoremen’s strike in the 1930s and the organized sit-in demonstrations of young black college students in the 1960s, Odell stresses the importance of disciplined stamina and durable thresholds of our attention plays into the art of protest.

The author writes that to undergo a successful demonstration, individuals must begin with fine tuning their attention which “undergirds every other kind of meaningful refusal: it allows us to reach [transcendentalist Henry David] Thoreau’s higher perspective and forms the basis of disciplined collective attention that we see in successful strikes and boycotts whose laser-like focus withstood all attempts to disassemble them.”

By achieving clarity and effective organizing, protests — and any collective form of refusal — can withstand, even in an age when virtue signaling and optical allyship (the mere appearance of solidarity without any action to show for it) often cloud the movement itself.

The reason that the longshoremen and farm workers of the 1930s were able to make significant moves was their endurance and denial to budge when their demands weren’t squarely met.

However, nowadays much of our lives and our attention are relegated to timelines, feeds and endless walls of media and, in turn, our collective span of attention has significantly narrowed.

Mental stamina, i.e. the ability to devote enough time and interest in any given singular issue, is more difficult than ever.

Like procedural television, the plot of each week’s struggle could change at the blink of an eye; this week the topic of the country is centered around police brutality but next week it could be about something completely different.

Filipinos who are hesitant to see the efficacy in protest should look at the history of revolution in the Philippines, Levid added.

She alluded to the smaller peaceful protests in 1972 that were a direct response to thenPhilippine President Ferdinand Marcos’ declaration of martial law, smaller protests and calls for prayer that didn’t tangibly shift the Marcos’ violent regime.

It took intentional and careful maneuvering and utilization of entire communities to establish the People Power Revolution which, in 1986, provided a robust campaign of civil resistance against the violence and corruption caused by the Marcos regime.

For the movement to have been successful, it required strength, stamina and a deep understanding of refusal to endure to finally force Marcos to depart.

“Think about how history will reflect the folks that are in the streets now, and think of the People Power movement in the Philippines who were called out by Marcos as agitators and anti-patriotic rebels. But we look at them now as heroes,” Levid said.

In addition to directly donating to organizations, participating in protests and being more conscious voters, perhaps the most crucial first step for the Filipino American community lies in the long overdue in-community conversations about anti-blackness: where it comes from, identifying it, and coming up with solutions to reverse it.

That starts at the base level, such as with the people at the fore of our lives, Levid said.

“I do think that [fighting] antiblackness in the Filipino community takes a conversation first, starting with the people in your life that you have to call out, like that racist uncle that everyone has,” Levid shared. “And then do it in a way so that the goal is changing the way they think, which is a lot harder than giving them the middle finger and walking away. It’s much harder because you’re basically organizing your own family, but it’s so important for our community.”

In regards to Filipino solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, there is a propensity to shift focus and lean into distractions and drifting from the core of the movement because of the notion that the push to defund the LAPD bears no relation to the community itself, which Levid and other activists argue, is not the case.

“I would encourage Filipinos to think about the world that they want,” Levid recommended, noting the universality of protests in regards to how a government that places more capital value on police over public education, health care and immigrant rights. “After this uprising, a lot of people see protest and revolution as destruction when it actually offers us this opportunity to be architects of a new world.”

Reimagining law enforcement in ‘a new world’ All things considered, the current wave of Black Lives Matter demonstrations sweeping the nation seem closer to threatening the current incarnation of policing, and that is primarily due to the robust focus placed on the central purpose of holding accountable officers who commit extrajudicial killings and defunding the police.

The latter has taken a significant hold in the last two weeks of protest. In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti this week announced the city would slash the LAPD’s budget and divert $250 million to youth jobs, health initiatives and “peace centers” for those who’ve been victims of discrimination. ($150 million of that $250 million comes from the LAPD budget.)

Garcetti’s move proves the efficacy of the unrest; in April, Garcetti had signed off on a 7% spending increase for the LAPD that included raises and bonuses for certain officers.

But a large part of the call to defund the LAPD includes slashing the LAPD’s cut of the city’s Gen-

eral Fund.

The General Fund, which is a separate funding reserve that diverts certain amounts of taxpayer money to different government agencies, currently allocates 54% toward the LAPD, more than half of the entire budget.

Among the issues that people can get involved with include the push for the People’s Budget, which not only diminishes the LAPD’s allocation of the city’s general fund, but also would place more funds and resources in other areas of city life like reducing LA’s ongoing housing problem, creating more community youth programs, bolstering public education, small business recovery programs and free healthcare for residents.

“I would ask people, before they make any judgment calls, to think about what our community needs because the possibilities are endless,” Levid said.

LAPD Police Chief Michel Moore said in January that violent crime in the city has decreased, saying then that “it’s one of the safest times in Los Angeles,” according to an LAist story.

And since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, crime has dropped 23% across the city. As the People’s Budget states, instead of allocating more taxpayer funds into officer overtime pay and “aggressive, arrest-driven policing initiatives,” Levid said, suggesting that Filipino Angelenos think about their ideas of a government that puts more investment in the community.

“California has the fifth largest economy in the world and is u PAGE A4

PAGE A1 t Following the incident, Sherry filed a crime report with the Torrance Police Department.

Torrance Mayor Patrick Furey in a statement said the incident is being investigated by police.

“Public safety is a high priority in the City of Torrance,” Furey said. “And, all visitors to our open spaces should always feel safe and free to exercise while practicing social distancing without conflict.”

On Friday, June 12, hundreds descended on the same park to exercise and speak out against racism.

Sherry is reportedly one of three known individuals who have been victimized by the woman. In another video posted on Thursday, the same woman was caught on video confronting a man parked next to her.

“I’m not a racist person, but you know what, you need to go home,” the woman says, adding, “I don’t care about your Facebook or your video. Do you know how many people can’t stand you being here?”

The man recording the video proceeds to get out of his car to document the woman’s car model and license plate number.

“You are going to go to real jail now,” the woman says, then uses a mock Asian accent. “You understand me, China man?”

Another Filipina American in Torrance named Kayceelyn Salminao tweeted that she was physically attacked by the woman last October and filed a police report.

Salminao told the Asian Journal that she was using the restroom at the Del Amo Fashion Center when a janitor accidentally opened an

unlocked stall the white woman was in. The woman reportedly started yelling and cursing at the janitor, according to Salminao.

She stepped in to try to de-escalate the situation, but as she washed her hands, the woman allegedly shoved her to the ground.

“The woman points at me and says, ‘You better not get up or else,’” Salminao recounted to the Asian Journal, adding that when she stood up, the woman grabbed her by the hair, pushed her head down and punched the back of her head “multiple times.”

Salminao’s husband came into the restroom to get the older woman off of her, she said. She and the janitor then walked out of the restroom to speak to mall security and police officers about the altercation.

“I remember when she was walking down the hallway and she was like, ‘You guys are all going to get it, you guys are all going to (expletive) get it,’” Salminao added.

Salminao said she filed a report and pressed charges but nothing transpired afterward.

“When I first saw that video of Sherry, I was shocked, like ‘Oh my gosh, this is that same woman that attacked me.’ I told my husband and showed him. He agreed with me because that was the same face and voice you won’t forget,” Salminao said.

“Then seeing the other video made me even more angry. This woman is still out here in our community, harassing other people,” she added.

Since her recent tweet speaking up again about the 2019 incident, she said she was asked to come

An unidentified white woman was caught on video again hurling hate-filled and racist remarks towards a man. This comes after she was filmed verbally harassing a Fil-Am woman named Sherry who was exercising at a Torrance park.

in and give another statement to the police department. She is still adamant about pressing charges.

“Being Filipino American, we’re all in this together…People of color feel all the racism as well,” Salminao said. “We should come together as one and tell everyone that this is unjust and these people need to be held accountable for all their actions.”

An online petition with over 8,000 signatures has been started demanding police press charges against the woman, who has not been identified, given the three separate occasions.

Over 1,800 racist incidents toward Asian American and Pacific Islanders have been reported across the country since March, according to the Stop AAPI Hate Reporting Center. n

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A june 13-16, 2020 • LA WeeKenD ASIAn jOuRnAL

UCLA to offer Pilipino Studies as a minor...

PAGE A1 t and politics.

According to Melany De La Cruz-Viesca, associate director for the Asian American Studies Center (AASC), the idea of the Pilipino Studies minor program came from undergraduate and graduate students who were a part of the AASC and the Committee for Pilipino Studies (CPS) in the early 1990s. CPS was a part of the greater Asian Pacific Languages and Cultures Campaign (APLCC) and it worked to secure funding and lecturers for Tagalog-language classes.

“The Asian American Studies Department has been home to the Pilipino Studies Concentration for Asian American Studies Majors, so establishing and housing a new Pilipino Studies minor there is a welcome development that builds on those resources and sense of purpose,” she said. “A training in Pilipino Studies gives students the historical knowledge and critical thinking skills to imagine how to serve Pilipin[o] communities and fill the gaps in the existing literature, where the history, culture, and contributions of Pilipinos in America is sorely lacking.”

In a Zoom event hosted by the UCLA Pilipino Alumni Association on Thursday, June 12, founding members of the CPS as well as AASC faculty

gathered to share the long history behind the formation of the Pilipino Studies minor program and the importance of the class itself.

“Pilipino American Studies was really a pipe dream,” said Enrique de la Cruz, who served as assistant director of the AASC in the 1990s and was pivotal to the creation of the bachelor’s degree program in Asian American Studies. “It was really hard to imagine because there were a lot of questions on how it will work in an academic setting.”

But the campaign to expand the academic offerings for Asian studies and language classes took off with the help of vigorous campaigns in the 1990s and the aughts to also secure funds and lecturers for Vietnamese, Hindi and Thai languages as well.

Though it took almost three decades for the minor to come to fruition, the years that led to the program’s establishment were spent formulating curricula and garnering more support.

When the Asian American Studies Department (AASD) was established in 2004, professor Lucy Mae San Pablo Burns also joined with “a special emphasis on Pilipino American Studies and Performance Studies.” San Pablo Burns was the first Pilipino

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Beyond protests: Pinays on how the Filipino...

PAGE A3 t the richest state, so why do we have to struggle to pay our bills, house the highest population of homelessness in the country and give our kids a proper education?” Levid shared. “I would ask people to think about that first. That’s a crucial conversation that I think we should all have within our families and communities because everyone will have a role, whether that’s moving their unions, churches and other groups to support the People’s Budget.”

Back to education But as with every major cultural reckoning, this moment starts with information. Concepts like police abolition, the lionization of law enforcement in the U.S. and institutional racism and anti-blackness have been heavily researched by writers and academics According to Levid, reading at the rate of a book a week is a regular organizer practice that is crucial to expanding one’s world view and can serve as an important first step for those who want to get involved and learn more about issues like antiblackness and the history of institutional racism in America.

Specifically, black writers can serve as a jumping off point, Levid shared.

Among the authors — who have authored both fiction and nonfiction books — that Levid recommends for everyone, especially Filipinos, include Octavia Butler (“Kindred,” “Parable of the Sower”), Angela Davis (“Women, Race and Class,” “Are Prisons to make the same mistake you Obsolete?”), Alice Walker (“Hard did in 2016. Please vote wisely Times Require Furious Dancing,” sa (on) #Halalan2022,” she James Baldwin (“If Beale Street added.

Could Talk”), bell hooks (“All “So, Pacquiao is planning About Love”) and Toni Morrison to run for president this 2022 (“The Bluest Eye,” “Beloved”). elections? I hope Filipinos won’t make the same mistake again, 2016 elections was a nightmare and it still haunts me up to this day. We don’t want another homophobe, who’s clearly ill-equipped, lead this country,” another user tweeted.

“I salute Pacquiao’s compassion for the people, and as our pride as an athlete, but not his capability of running for the presidency. Pls. vote WISELY this 2022. We should take (into) consideration the future of our country when voting for the next leader,” said another. n

American studies professor to meet with the AASD, and soon after professor Victor Bascara (current chair of the AASD) joined the department in 2007.

“The students and movement ebbed and flowed with spurts of energy and focus through the years,” De La Cruz-Viesca told the Asian Journal in an email. “The students worked with many faculty, staff, alumni and community supporters through the years.”

With the establishment of the Pilipino Studies Minor Program, De La Cruz-Viesca hopes that it will spur more cultural developments in the Los Angeles area dedicated to the Filipino American community.

She brought up the accomplishments of Japanese American students who’ve gone on to create community institutions like the Japanese American National Museum and non-profits in Little Tokyo, projects that began because of robust efforts from Japanese American students at UCLA and other local universities.

“The minor program really represents for Filipino students, who are still largely second-generation, a way to build our knowledge base and resources for the community,” De La Cruz-Viesca said. (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

Pacquiao denies talking about running...

PAGE A1 t with him (Pacquaio), ‘Bob, I’m gonna run in 2022 and when I win, I want you there at my inauguration,” Arum said.

However, the 41-year-old senator stressed they only talked about a potential showdown with Terence Crawford, the undefeated WBO welterweight titleholder.

“Yes, we discussed the fight against Terence Crawford. Wala namang problema, maganda ‘yun (There’s no problem with that, it’s going to be a good fight),” Pacquiao said.

He added that he will only return to the boxing ring once a vaccine for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been developed. “[Lalaban tayo] pagka-may vaccine na ‘yung coronavirus. Depende naman pagka

safe na ang mga tao at para for my own good (I’ll only fight if there’s already a vaccine for the coronavirus. It will depend on if it’s safe for the people and it’s also for my own good),” he said.

‘Vote wisely’ Arum’s statement about Pacquiao’s political plan sparked concern among Filipino netizens, who questioned his capability to run the country and who urged Filipinos to vote wisely.

“Pacquiao is thinking of running as president in the 2022 elections. Hindi pagkatao ang pinaguusapan dito (His personality isn’t the one up for discussion) but his capability.

He can’t even defend his stand during debates,” one Twitter user posted.

“May this be a reminder not

Contemporary selections that may offer perspectives that are especially applicable to the current movement include “Stamped from the Beginning” by Ibram X. Kendi, “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo, “The New Jim Crow”

by Michelle Alexander, “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nahesi Coates, “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson, and “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo Mimi Ladell, a Filipina American teacher and librarian based in Bayonne, New Jersey, mirrored Levid’s sentiments on the importance of reading in the effort to stand in solidarity.

“Education, education, education,” Ladell shared in an interview with the Asian Journal. “It’s the root of all successful movements and the best way to start if you want to get involved. It takes longer than and requires more mental investment, but it’s worth it. Nobody can take your knowledge away.”

In the digital world, there is an infinite reservoir of content that purports to be informational but lacks credibility. Facebook is the capital of this digital world, but as numerous investigations have proven, rife are fake news and misleading information on the platform with little to no regulation of facts.

“It sounds like bias because I’m a librarian,” Ladell said with a laugh. “But it’s true that the more you read, and the more variety you have in what you read opens up your world and helps you come up with your own, allinclusive perspectives, especially [in regards to] issues like race and the culture surrounding policing.”

If libraries aren’t an option because of the safer-at-home mandates that may still be in place, Ladell recommends buying

books from national black-owned bookstores like Mahogany Books, Burgundy Books, and The Little Boho Bookshop.

Some Southern Californiabased bookstores that also have online stores include Eso Won Books, Reparations Club and Malik Books in Los Angeles; Shades of Afrika in Long Beach, “I’d really encourage people to research alternatives to some popular marketplaces that offer swift and free delivery and opt to purchase books from independent, black-owned stores,” Ladell shared. “Because I think people need to be cognizant of the ways that corporations like Amazon contribute to anti-blackness through crooked labor practices that really put workers of color at a disadvantage.”

For those who don’t want to opt for reading, Ladell also recommends the following documentaries that inform the Black American experience through the lens of racism: the phenomenal documentary 13th directed by Ava Duverney which explores the history of anti-Black racism in the U.S. (available on Netflix); Raoul Peck’s “I Am Not Your Negro,” which envisions an unfinished James Baldwin book; LA 92, which looks back on the Rodney King trial ensuing riots; and “The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till,” a reexamination of Emmett Till, the black teenager who was murdered in 1950s Mississippi.

“And this goes beyond just sharpening your individual knowledge. It also helps us become more prepared to educate others within our community.

Because that’s kind of what I think the Filipino community ought to concentrate on now: educating our own community,” Ladell said. (Klarize Medenilla/ AJPress)

Renderings illustrate the Historic Filipinotown Eastern Gateway Project, named “Talang Gabay: Our Guiding Star,” which is set to be constructed this year.

Photos courtesy of the Office of Councilmember Mitch O’ Farrell

Gateway landmark to be erected in Los Angeles’...

PAGE A1 t storied history of the Filipino community,” O’Farrell, whose district includes the neighborhood, said in a statement.

The announcement for the project came alongside the celebration of the 122nd Philippine Independence Day on Friday, June 12.

“The Eastern Gateway pays tribute to both the legacy and the bright future of the Filipino American community in the City of Los Angeles,” the release added.

An estimated 10,000 Filipino Americans continue to reside in the neighborhood, while over 600,000 Fil-Ams are said to live in the greater Los Angeles area.

“The key to building and enhancing the beautiful neighborhood we all know as Historic Filipinotown has always been community. The community has worked hard and was committed to bringing the Eastern Gateway to life, and with Councilmember O’Farrell’s leadership, we are finally making it happen,” said

Caloza in a statement. “Being the first historic cultural designation in the U.S. for the Filipino American community means so much to us in Los Angeles.

As a first-generation Filipina American, I am so proud to see us celebrate and recognize our diversity and continue building it into the fabric of our city.”

Silva, whose work includes the iconic “Gintong Kasaysayan” mural featuring Fil-Am figures like Larry Itliong, was tasked with creating design renderings for the gateway, which will span across Beverly Boulevard, near his aforementioned mural at Unidad Park.

“This magnificent new gateway will welcome everyone to Historic Filipinotown. It’s a fitting tribute to the many courageous men and women on the front lines — brave warriors such as our numerous Filipino health care workers. The gateway not only signals that Filipino Americans have finally arrived, it also symbolizes the valor of the front-liners in our city,” Silva said.

O’Farrell committed $152,000 for the gateway in 2018, according to a release, and subsequently committed a total of $452,000 through cost savings on another project. The gateway is included in the Board of Public Works’ plans to “improve the 1st Street Bridge with seismic retrofit and lane enhancements,” the release said.

Historic Filipinotown became the first designated area honoring Filipinos outside of the Philippines when thencouncilmember Eric Garcetti proposed a city resolution in August 2002.

Though Filipinos in Southern California have since settled in other enclaves, such as Carson, Cerritos and West Covina, Historic Filipinotown was considered one of the first areas where Filipinos settled in the early part of the 20th century.

In addition to the gateway, O’Farrell has championed other cultural projects, such as the street light installations featuring Filipino designs to improve pedestrian safety. n

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Dateline PhiliPPines

A

PH tourism industry gears up for recovery PH growth in second quarter ‘really bad’

by MoMar

G. ViSaya

AJPress

TRAVEL and tourism are among the economic sectors badly hit by COVID-19 and as the rest of the world prepares to reopen and countries are working hard to get their respective economies back on track, all eyes are focused on how recovery can be done.

In the Philippines, industry officials are confident that the country can get back on its feet.

“We share the optimism of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) who expressed confidence in the recovery of the Philippine tourism industry,” shared Philippine Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat in a kapihan that focused on the tourism industry’s efforts and programs to guide its stakeholders.

Puyat also thanked the tourism industry’s partners both in the government and private sectors for the help and support they have been giving to jumpstart the recovery process.

“If there is one silver lining in this pandemic, it is seeing an even stronger sense of bayanihan between the government, the private sector and our stakeholders,” she said.

Depending on when travel restrictions are lifted, the United

Nations specialized agency warns that international tourist arrivals could fall by between 60% and 80%.

Puyat said that in a webinar with the UNWTO last week, its Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili expressed his confidence that the Philippines can restart and recover.

The secretary also cited a Forbes Magazine report which included the Philippines in a list of rising stars in travel, among with six other countries that have the potential to become a major tourist destination in the postCOVID world.

The article said that with more than 7,500 islands, “this massive archipelago has something to offer for even the most finicky of tourists.” The Philippines is joined by Ethiopia, Iran, Myanmar, Georgia, Slovenia and Tunisia in the list of “highly underrated nations” that have yet to become world-class destinations.

“Tourism isn’t just a headcount of visitors. More importantly, it is an industry that creates jobs and supports communities,” Puyat said.

Tourism in the New Normal To mitigate this unprecedented global downturn in the industry, DOT has resorted to what Puyat referred to as aggressive marketing campaigns.

Its ‘Wake up in the Philippines’ campaign included video advertisements of the country’s picturesque attractions, 360–degree underwater virtual tours and instructional cooking videos featuring Filipino chefs.

DOT hopes to sustain its “slow but sure” approach in reopening the tourism industry and regaining the confidence of visitors both international and domestic.

The department also issued travel advisories through its dedicated website www.philippines. travel/safeph, to help travelers with up–to-date and reliable information about travel protocols and health measures in place; the establishments open to accommodate OFWs and essential workers along; requirements for stranded tourists and OFWs and new policies and updates in the tourism industry.

Among the new policies that Puyat mentioned is about these accommodation establishments needing DOT certification in order to operate, based on guidelines set forth by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

According to IATF-EID’s Resolution No. 43 of the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine,

by Catherine

S. Valente ManilaTimes.net

THE Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) will “look really bad” in the second quarter of the year as the lockdown imposed in Luzon and other parts of the country shuttered 75 percent of the economy, President Rodrigo Duterte’s chief economic planner said on Thursday, June 11.

In a virtual press briefing, Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Chua said the shutdown of most businesses due to the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) resulted in the further contraction of gross domestic product (GDP). \“Yung April and May will look really bad because the ECQ basically shut down 75 percent of the economy…Kaya ang ating (That’s why our) GDP projection for the second quarter will be worse than the first quarter,” Chua said.

He added that easing community quarantine restrictions reopened up to 75 percent of the economy. Only a quarter of the economy, comprising tourism and leisure activities, remained closed. \“Ang maganda po ‘yung ating prospects ay mas lumilinaw na po as we entered the third quaru PAGE A7 ter (The good news here is that our prospects are now clear as we entered the third quarter),” Chua said.

“So bumabalik na po toward normalcy ang ating ekonomiya (Our economy is returning to normalcy),” the Cabinet official added.

Reviving the economy rests on the implementation of government’s rescue measures and controlling the spread of the virus to avoid another strict lockdown, Chua said.

“Our recovery is very uncertain pero pwede po natin gawing mas klaro ‘yung direction (but we can do it because we have a more clear direction now)… the government will proactively implement the recovery program,” he told reporters. “Yung mas importante (What’s more important) is the cooperation of the entire nation,” he added.

RETURNING OFWS. A Philippine Coast Guard personnel assists returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) upon their arrival via Gulf Air GF-154 The country’s GDP contracted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1, in Pasay City on Sunday, June 7. The OFWs underwent reverse transcription- by 0.2 percent in the first quarter polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR) tests as pre-requisite for returning Filipinos.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan of the year due to the combined

effects of the Taal Volcano eruption in January and of the ECQ. Earlier, Malacañang said it expected a “V-shaped” economic recovery in the third quarter even if the country would continue to grapple with the impact of the coronavirus crisis.

A V-shaped economic recovery refers to a sharp decline fol-

lowed by a quick and sustained recovery.

“We expect of course the economy to shrink even more during the month of April because the whole month of April was basically under ECQ and the first two weeks of May as well.

We definitely expect a big con-

u PAGE A8

A6 JUNE 13-16, 2020 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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OPINION

Freedom in a pandemic

FEATURES

THE country marks the 122nd anniversary of the declaration of independence today as millions of Filipinos wait for the end of nearly three months of home confinement to contain a killer pandemic. The special day is an opportunity for paying tribute to the frontliners who are leading the fight against the coronavirus. Several of them have given up their lives in this battle.

Health officials say quarantine measures have helped slow down the coronavirus contagion. But the measures have also led to the loss of millions of jobs and livelihoods, many of which may no longer be regained.

And for Michelle Silvertino, her inability to get a bus ride from Metro Manila to her hometown in Bicol took a tragic turn. The 33-year-old housemaid reportedly walked from Cubao, Quezon City to Pasay, and then stayed on a footbridge along EDSA for five days in hopes of getting a bus ride to Calabanga in Camarines Sur. On Friday last week, however, the single mother was found dead after suffering from high fever and shortness of breath due to tuberculosis. Silvertino was buried without a coffin in Pasay. She left behind in Calabanga four children aged 3 to 11, whose father abandoned them a long time ago.

Silvertino’s tragedy highlights the continuing aspiration of those who declared independence from Spain on June 12, 1898, for a better life for Filipinos. There are millions of other Filipinos who have been forced to leave their children behind to find employment in urban centers or overseas. In this pandemic, even this effort to earn a living has become uncertain as hundreds of thousands of Filipinos return from abroad after losing their jobs.

Workers displaced in Metro Manila and other urban centers are also left with no choice but to return to their hometowns. It will take a long time before the country can be significantly liberated from poverty. Still, today’s Independence Day rites should include a commitment to ease the suffering in this pandemic of the neediest sectors, and prevent another tragedy like the one that befell Michelle Silvertino. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

Protest peacefully, join rallies? Choose your battle and protect yourself from COVID-19 because Trump won’t cover you

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS “THIS country was founded on protest — it is called the American Revolution,” former President Barack Obama said during an online roundtable event with his former attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr. and activists from Minneapolis, voicing his support for George Floyd peaceful protesters and calling for police reform.

“Every step of progress in this country, every expansion of freedom, every expression of our deepest ideals have been won through efforts that made the status quo uncomfortable,” said Obama, “And we should all be thankful for folks who are willing, in a peaceful, disciplined way, to be out there making a difference.”

The right to protest peacefully is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

BUT these are very complicated and challenging times like no other because of the continued threat of the coronavirus pandemic, which has topped 2 million confirmed cases of infected people in the

United States, killing more than 116,000, with a spike and second wave seen this summer as states start to open up.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said more than 130,000 people could be affected by July 4, and that number could rise up to 170,000 deaths

by October.

America’s top epidemiologist Dr. Anthony Fauci warned that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over, and the people should continue to practice social distancing, wear masks and protective gear, avoid crowds to mitigate the spread of the virus.

However, following the brutal killing of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, protests have erupted from all over the country to fight against racial injustice, racism and police brutality. Friday, June 12 marked the 18th consecutive day of the protests in different states.

While aware of the risks of congregating in this time of a pandemic, protesters deemed it important to air their grievances and demand for change. While protesters rally peacefully, wear masks, and practice social distancing, the altercation that follows the intrusion of looters and anarchists and the police caused challenges in keeping the distance as planned.

The American people have been hoping for President Donald

Trump to be a true leader in uniting the country and avert further protests, but alas! Trump continued to stoke racial divisions, and even defended the harsh response to protests, threatening to use the military to quash the rights of the American people, instead of protecting them and their rights as mandated by the U.S. Constitution. He would not heed advice to change his rhetoric, saying this works for him politically.

Leaders of the Republican Party, 83 former U.S. Defense Officials — Republicans, Democrats, and Independent — and both civilians and military personnel declared that “Trump has betrayed his oath to the Constitution.”

Trump’s supporters used these protests as an argument to weaken the severity of the threat of COVID-19, echoing his assertion that America should re-open despite the undeniable threat as shown by the rising percentage of people being infected and the percentage of hospitalization rate.

YET, Trump couldn’t wait to resume his campaign rallies to be surrounded by his loyal worshipping fans, which were suspended by the COVID-19 shelter in place and social distancing safety orders.

Initially, Trump wanted North Carolina to be the venue of his comeback campaign rally, but Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said on June 2 that it’s “very unlikely”

the state can permit a packed Republican National Convention in Charlotte to go forward this summer.

As the National Public Radio (NPR) reported, Gov. Cooper wrote Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel saying, “The people of North Carolina do not know what the status of COVID-19 will be in August, so planning for a scaleddown convention with fewer people, social distancing and face coverings is a necessity.”

NPR reported that President Trump shot back that evening on Twitter, saying Cooper is “still in Shelter-In-Place Mode,” and “we are now forced to seek another State to host the 2020 Republican National Convention.”

And so The Guardian reported that “Trump returns to his cherished campaign format of fronting adoring crowds that he will hold a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma next Friday, June 19, in the 19,000-seat BOK Center despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”

And as previously reported, Trump campaign says the president wants to see a big crowd and would not want them to be wearing any mask, just as he and Vice President Mike Pence refused to wear masks even in public gatherings.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has said people still need to employ social distancing and “mini-

mize time spent in crowded environments.”

Yet to overcome this impediment, The Guardian reported that “the Trump campaign is asking supporters to sign a waiver that makes clear the campaign is not responsible if anyone gets ill from crowding with thousands of others in an enclosed space.”

“By registering to attend, supporters ‘are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present’, the waiver states, adding that attendees and guests “voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree to not hold the Trump campaign, the venue or other organizers liable.”

The CDC just issued a warning on Friday that large gatherings in confined places pose the highest risk for spreading the coronavirus.

According to the CDC website, the risk of COVID-19 spreading at events and gatherings increases as follows: • Lowest risk: Virtual-only activities, events, and gatherings.

• More risk: Smaller outdoor and in-person gatherings in which individuals from different households remain spaced at least 6 feet apart, wear cloth face coverings, do not share objects, and come from the same local

area (e.g., community, town, city, or county).

• Higher risk: Medium-sized in-person gatherings that are adapted to allow individuals to remain spaced at least 6 feet apart and with attendees coming from outside the local area.

• Highest risk: Large in-person gatherings where it is difficult for individuals to remain spaced at least 6 feet apart and attendees travel from outside the local area.

MGA KABABAYAN, ingat po tayo. Let us follow what health officials advise us to do to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus and protect ourselves from being infected and/or be carriers of the virus that will infect the more vulnerable. Remember the virus knows no political party affiliations.

RESIST the temptation of giving in to the dangerous demand of Trump that uses people to be his pawns to make him look good politically, at the expense of your life and safety.

GOD BLESS US ALL. *** Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel. Santos.Relos.

Is there hope for America to transform its racist culture?

Rhizomes

PROSY ABARQUEZDELACRUZ, J.D. “I have witnessed with great concern the disturbing social unrest in your nation in these past days, following the tragic death of Mr. George Floyd. We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life. At the same time, we have to recognize that ‘the violence of recent nights is self-destructive and self-defeating. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost’.” – Pope Francis, June 3, 2020 “But what we know and what we have seen — is that America can change. That is the true genius of this nation. What we have already achieved gives us hope — the audacity to hope — for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.” – Former President Barack Obama EVER, a 5-year-old, joined her mom and dad at rally on Sunday, June 7. She was joined by her uncle, his partner, and another

friend; yet to her, all are uncles whom she gives hugs to, including an auntie, a white woman sister. The three who joined her family are young whites concerned about #BlackLivesMatter.

“Grandma I wanted to say to the police: Take care of people, don’t kill them.” She watched the news about George Floyd and was restless the day after, that we talked about what happened at Sunday’s rally.

She held a poster: “Respect the Existence or Expect Resistance.”

“My mom made that, Grandma, what does it mean?” she asked. “It means if I am not listened to and respected for who I am, I can fight back.”

Moments later, when one of her grandparents was half listening, she said, “Lolo, you are talking over me.” I was surprised by her statement, but both of us paused and listened.

“You know I love you so much,” I told her. “Grandma, I love everyone in my family,” she responded.

Her mom and her dad have an extended circle, knitted together by her dad’s multicultural social skills that easily make every-

one feel as if family, while her mom’s openness to all cultures are friends who are part of their adventures.

On Instagram, @coriput wrote on June 7, “Today felt powerful.

We’re affecting change faster than I ever thought possible. I know I will never know and fully understand the plight of my black brothers and sisters. But they are my family and always, through thick and thin, I am here to fight as hard as I can to make sure that they and we never have to feel the pain of another life lost unjustly.”

Unrequited revolutionary love Bishop Frank Nubuasah of Botswana described George Floyd as perhaps teaching the coronavirus how to infect people.

“One of the things I cherish most about you was your very infectious smile. It was as if the coronavirus learnt from you how to infect people. Your heart was very big and accommodated people. It was always, okay with you to reach out to one more person.

Yes, you would run a mile for anyone. Run you did for me on a number of occasions, but that i

a story I will tell some other time.

My heart is heavy as I sit in my prayer corner to write you this missive knowing well that others will read it but you will not. We humans through a representative of ours made sure that your eyes were closed and would not open again. That is however not true, your eyes will remain forever seeing the fire you started at death. The revolution that your sacrificial death inspired and the new movements and alliances against racism, classism, and discrimination are growing. You lit a fire that is burning for peace and change. So, my friend, when you hear the chant, ‘yes, we can’ know that we are doing it in your name and for you. Gone, but very much here! On the mother continent we would call you, the living dead,” Nubuasah said as reported by Vatican News on June 9.

Eight minutes and forty-six seconds — that is how long Derek Chauvin, a uniformed policeman in blue, had knelt on the neck of George Floyd, a 46-yearold black man who allegedly paid cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. A convenience store staffer called 911 and police responded.

Chauvin had knelt on Floyd’s neck, stopping his ability to breathe. Floyd kept saying 16 times: “I can’t breathe,” the Seattle Times described on June 9, a statement from “an outsized man who dreamed equally big, unswayed by the setbacks of his life.”

This was slow murder by suffocation using the force of kneeling down on someone’s neck.

Racism has always equaled death, lynchings using a rope, now death using a knee, and before that, bullets. Much like Joseph Santos Ileto who was murdered by a self-described white supremacist, Buford Furrow, Jr., who mistook him for a Latino and shot him on the back not once, not twice, not thrice, but nine times. The family did not respond with vengeance, but instead they went to different schools to share the story of their brother and to teach high school students about hate crimes’ prevention.

Virulence of hatred from white supremacists has had such intensity leading to loss of lives yet, blacks still rise, with optimism and hope that America can change. It is such a revolutionary

love that blacks do not seek vengeance but over and over again, offer white America an opportunity to listen and to really change for four centuries now.

“Seventeen minutes after the first squad car arrived at the scene, Mr. Floyd was unconscious and pinned beneath three police officers, showing no signs of life,” a report said. The officers even misled the firefighters after checking with them as to the location and it took another five minutes to give George Floyd first aid. By that time, he had died.

We often wondered when will white folks un numb themselves from being complicit with racism?

“What would cross your mind,” Fr. John Cordero asked, who delivered a powerful homily at the Mass for Peace and Justice on June 9, viewed by nearly two thousand, challenged us: “What are the reflexes of our minds, where does our mind go when we hear #BlackLivesMatter – difficult conversations [that] we must have? Especially with ourselves. Are we always going

u PAGE A8

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

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Dateline PhiliPPines

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 13-16, 2020

A

DACA recipients brace for Supreme Court...

PAGE A1 t needed to be heard.

Sharp added that the vast majority of DACA holders have the right to see an immigration judge to fight their deportation case. He also strongly encouraged recipients to file their DACA renewal applications, even if expiration is not immediate.

“No one has a crystal ball,” said Sharp. “We don’t know what a decision will be until we see the decision.”

Protecting the DACA dream The Los Angeles Office of Immigrant Affairs hosted a virtual Protect the Dream summit on Thursday to address the possible outcomes of the Supreme Court decision and to provide Dreamers with resources on how to protect their academic and professional goals, regardless of how the Supreme Court rules.

Entrepreneurship was something Dreamer advocates encouraged, given the drive undocumented individuals have shown in the past years.

In 2018, there were 808,199 counted undocumented entrepreneurs according to the New American Economy, a bipartisan research and advocacy organization. That’s roughly 8% of the nation’s total undocumented population. In 2016, undocumented entrepreneurs generated about $15.2 billion in business income.

It’s worth noting that the actual count of undocumented entrepreneurs may be much higher given that many venture into landscaping, food sales, and street vending.

Immigrants Rising, an advocacy organization for undocumented youth, has been focusing on entrepreneurship by providing resources like webinars, entrepreneurship funds, and guides on how to successfully launch businesses. The organization recently launched an online training course on its new immigrant entrepreneurialism centered site, UndocuHustle.org.

Iliana G. Perez, director of research and entrepreneurship at Immigrants Rising, shared how she saw her parents — despite being immigrants — find livelihoods in each building their own small businesses.

“My dad worked as an employee doing landscaping for

many years before realizing he could actually do it on his own and didn’t have to be working low wages for long hours. He could actually be his own boss,” said Perez.

She recalled her mom, also a small business owner, using language translation apps to interact with online customers.

“We’re so fortunate in the state of California and in LA, to have so many organizations that provide a lot of support in multiple languages,” said Perez.

Having been undocumented in the U.S. for 25 years and a DACA recipient herself, Perez too pursued working as an independent contractor in social media marketing and data analytics.

“There are lots of different ways to incorporate as a business,” said Perez. “This is a legal possibility for anyone, regardless of immigration status.”

Advocates also encouraged Dreamers and other undocumented individuals to go forth with pursuing higher education, highlighting the many resources available to them to help them achieve their academic goals.

“Our undocumented and DACA students are an integral and valued part of our student community,” said Francisco Rodriguez, chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District. “These extraordinary and talented students have sacrificed hard work to better themselves, their families, their communities, and indeed this country.”

Within the community college district are nine Dream resources centers providing key services including mental health support, financial aid, legal support backed by a strong referral network, and a DACA/Immigration task force.

The University of California, Los Angeles has also dedicated resources at its Labor Center including its Dream Resource Center, Global Solidarity Project, and its Re:Work Institute for Worker Justice.

“It can be confusing with all these national policies changing and folks being confused on what they mean,” said Anthony Ng, director at the UCLA Labor Center and DREAM Resource Center.

“We want to make sure that immigrant communities are accessing these resources because they help improve the quality of life of our families, ourselves, and of our communities here in LA,” added Ng, who is also a DACA recipient.

With AB540, eligible undocumented students can pay in-state California tuition at public colleges and universities. This is in addition to the state’s free community college tuition for the first two years students attend full time.

Despite being unable to vote, undocumented youth have long been joining voices pushing for policy changes in the U.S. which advocates encourage more of.

United We Dream, the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the U.S., has been active in mobilizing undocumented immigrant youth to not only participate, but lead in legislative advocacy.

As thousands in the past couple weeks have taken to the streets and social media in support of black lives and against police brutality and systemic racism, so too have undocumented young people.

“We need to show up in solidarity with black folks, including black immigrants, against police brutality,” said Juliana Macedo do Nascimento, state and local policy manager at the organization, who is also a DACA recipient herself.

When it comes to DACA, United We Dream has been updating information on the impending decision and has been encouraging people to sign up for its day-of-decision webinar events that can be found on UnitedWeDream. org. Once the decision comes out, the organization said it would be ready to provide more content and information on what options are available.

With the presidential election fast coming in November, Macedo do Nascimento further encouraged undocumented youth to use their voice in events, advocate for local and state policies, and encourage those who can vote to do so whether in their social circles or through canvassing.

“We are in this country. This is our home. This is one way we can take care of it,” said Macedo do Nascimento. n

The Philippine government received a new batch of 150,000 COVID-19 testing kits from the People’s Republic of China last May 10.

Photo courtesy of DFA

Duterte pursues stronger ties with China AS the Philippines marked its 45th year of diplomatic relations with China, President Rodrigo Duterte stressed the need for pursuing stronger ties with Beijing amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“As the entire world continues to face challenges to security and stability and the rule of law, and with the rise of nontraditional and emerging threats such as the COVID-19 pandemic, further strengthening PhilippinesChina partnership takes on even greater significance,” he said in a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping dated June 9.

“We must forge on and ensure that the potential of our special ties is fully realized,” he added.

Duterte also described China

as a “valued friend” and assured that the Philippines remains committed ”to preserve and build on the gains of our close partnership for greater peace, progress and prosperity for our nations.”

This, despite the maritime dispute over the West Philippine Sea between the two countries.

China, aside from refusing to acknowledge the arbitral ruling that invalidated its sweeping claim to the West Philippine Sea, also continues to conduct reclamation activities and put up military facilities in it.

Meanwhile, Duterte continues to forge stronger relations with China, receiving flak from his critics for having a softer stance against its aggression over the contested waters.

He marked the two nations’ anniversary as an “auspicious

time” to reaffirm their shared aspirations and the principles that they have committed to uphold as enshrined in the Joint Comminique 45 years ago.

“These same sacrosanct principles for peaceful co-existence and mutually beneficial cooperations will remain our lodestar, as we continue to work together as partners under our Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation,” Duterte added.

Malacañang said that the Philippines-China’s ties are enjoying a “renaissance” under the Duterte administration.

“We hope that this renaissance will lead to better relations resolving all the disputes that we have between our two countries, increase economic ties, increase prosperity for both Philippines and China,” said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque. n

PAGE A5 “Accommodation Establishments (AEs) may operate only upon the issuance of a Certificate of Authority to operate by the DOT.” Domestic Tourism Domestic demand is expected to recover faster than international demand according to a UNWTO Panel of Experts survey.

The majority expects to see signs of recovery by the final quarter of 2020 but mostly in 2021.

Based on previous crises, leisure travel is expected to recover quicker, particularly travel for visiting friends and relatives, than business travel.

“Like everyone here on the panel, we are very optimistic that we will be able to rise above this situation,” said Jojo Clemente, president of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines.

Clemente added that they have also been meeting with their counterparts for market updates, citing Korea and Australia and saying that they still want to visit the Philippines when it becomes possible.

At the kapihan, Puyat mentioned that she is traveling to Boracay this week along with fellow secretaries Eduardo And (DILG) and Roy Cimatu (DENR) to see the possibility of reopening the island to tourists.

“Titingnan namin ang (We will look at the) health protocols doon,” she said, citing the importance of health and safety protocols in the country’s tourism destinations.

She also mentioned that Boracay has zero cases of COVID-19 and that they are looking at “travel bubbles” or “travel corridors,”

especially since the country has 7,641 islands.

“We can actually look at particular islands that are zero COVID or practically very minimal Covid because it is safe for domestic tourists to go to that place, and eventually we can open it to foreign tourists,” Puyat explained.

Cesar Cruz, president of the Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA) echoed Puyat’s sentiments. His organization, composed of about 400 tour operators and travel agency members, has been planning to jumpstart domestic tourism through various activities, including virtual events.

“We are looking forward to having these travel bubbles as we reopen our domestic tourism so we can all bounce back,” he said. n

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

PH tourism industry gears up...

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Remittances drop in March — BSP On commemoration of nation’s independence,

by Mayvelin

U. Caraballo ManilaTimes.net

MONEY sent home by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in March dropped from a year ago, data showed after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced that such inflows could contract by 5 percent.

Personal remittances — personal transfers, whether in cash or kind, and capital transfers between households — totaled

$2.65 billion in March, up 1.10 percent from $2.62 billion in February, but down 5.2 percent from $2.79 billion a year ago.

The latest figure brought the first quarter tally to $8.21 billion, a 1.5-percent rise from $8.09 billion in the January-to-March period of the previous year.

This came as BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno announced an adjustment in its OFW remittances growth estimate this year.

“Despite being resilient in past

crises, OFW remittances are seen to contract by 5 percent, a reversal from the 3 percent growth in the November 2019 projection,” Diokno said.

He said the downward adjustment in the central bank’s projection was “due mainly to large repatriation of workers and major economic disruptions in host countries.”

Next year, remittances are expected to bounce back by 4 percent, Diokno added. n

UN expert stresses importance of journalism to court set to rule on cyber libel case vs Ressa

by Kristine Joy

Philstar.com

Patag

MANILA — Days before the Manila court hands down its verdict on the cyber libel case against Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, a United Nations expert sought to tell the court of the role of journalists and freedom of expression.

UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression David Kaye sought to file a brief of amici curiae to the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 46 on Thursday, June 11.

Amici curiae means “friend of the court.” Rappler said the brief was filed on Thursday. Since this brief was unsolicited, the court needs to admit it first, and it must do so before it hands down its verdict on the case Monday, June 15.

The ruling was originally set to be promulgated on April 3, but was postponed as courts drastically reduced operations to restrict movement and minimize risk of COVID-19 transmission.

In the separate motion for leave to file the amicus curiae brief, Kaye said the document “will provide this Honorable Court with greater understanding of the role of journalists and the special protection that all Members States must accord.”

Decriminalization of libel Kaye also noted that the Human Rights Committee “urges States to consider the decriminalization of defamation.”

“The Committee recommends that in dealing with defamation cases, ‘a public interest in the subject matter of the criticism should be recognized as a de-

Robredo reminds: Our freedoms are connected

by Kristine Joy

Philstar.com

Patag

MANILA — As the country commemorates the anniversary of the proclamation of the Philippine Independence, Vice President Leni Robredo reminded that our freedoms are connected.

“In what we are seeing in the world today — in the face of a pandemic, threats against rights and freedoms, in burning passion against oppression and disregard of dignity of an individual or race — it becomes clear to many: Our freedoms are connected,” Robredo said in Filipino in a taped video message.

“True freedom is freedom for others. At this time when there is a threat to freedom of one, we need to resist, because what is being threatened is freedom of all,” she said.

The Philippines is commemorating the 122nd anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence amid a public health emergency, and a looming new law slammed by multiple sectors as prone to abuse and infringing

Vice President Leni Robredo Philstar.com file photo

on freedoms. Across the globe, protests against racism are continuing.

The vice president said that to secure personal freedoms, from sickness and danger, it should be done for all.

“If we want our own freedom to progress, we need to make the system fair because the energy of the economy flows through all: From daily wage-earner, to sell-

ers of vegetables at the corner, to big business; from the margins to center,” she said.

“If we want personal freedoms to express our opinions, we need to secure this for all—because the societal structures that may oppress freedom of others may be use for you,” Robredo also said.

She said that this may be the same ideals that moved our forefathers in fighting the colonizers.

“Fair rights, dignity and freedom of an individual to reach his goals. Let us always strive to embody these ideals,” she added.

While Robredo did not particular cite the controversial anti-terrorism bill in her message, she earlier slammed the “appalling” railroading of the proposed measure. “The spaces of abuse are really serious, that’s why we are strongly opposing it,” she said on June 7.

At the University of the Philippines, Diliman, protesters have gathered—despite rain and threats of charges—to oppose the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 that is up for President Rodrigo Duterte. n

PH growth in second quarter...

Maria Ressa

fense,’” he added.

Members of the Philippine press have long rallied for the decriminalization of libel, a law that has been carried over from 1932.

The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility said in 2014 that the “libel provisions of the RPC have been problematic for free expression and press freedom since 1932...which has been used in many instances to silence journalists.”

The media watchdog monitors libel cases against reporters across the country.

Continuous publication rule Kaye warned that the application of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 “to individuals years after the posting of an article, under the guise of online continuous publication, raise particular concerns under the right to freedom of expression.”

“Such application may significantly chill freedom of expression by not clearly delineating to either authorities or online writ-

Philstar.com photo

ers when a violation of the law has occurred,” he said.

The case emanated from a complaint filed by businessman Wilfredo Keng assailing an article the online news site first published in May 2012 or four months before the cybercrime law was instituted.

But the Department of Justice cited the “multiple publication rule”—noting that the story was updated on Feb. 19, 2014—and indicted Rappler, Ressa and Santos on cyber libel charges.

Ressa and Santos, however, argued that there was no substantial change made in the article when it was updated in 2014, but the court said that their argument is “evidentiary in nature which the defense should prove during trial.” “‘Continuous publication’ deployed as an argument to extend the statue of limitations in the online context, unduly penalizes online speech more harshly than print media,” the UN expert said. n

PAGE A5 traction but the economic planners are very vigilant. We foresee a V-shape of economic recovery,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said.

“There will be a steep decline in GDP for the second quarter perhaps but we expect a very strong rebound courtesy of the Build, Build, Build Program and very prudent fiscal policy as well as prudent monetary policy which means we’re using public spending as a tool for recovery and we’re also using money supply as a tool also for economic recovery,” he added.

Good position Chua said the Philippines had a very good financial position to pay its debt obligations.

“We have been using our borrowings for productive activities.

Post returns are actually much higher than the interest that we are paying so the answer is yes we have a strong financial position to meet our obligations and still recover from this crisis,” he explained.

Chua said the Philippines also had a very good credit rating of BBB+, which is a notch below the A rating.

“We have been very prudent in showing the international community that we can also provide the funds to support our economic recovery. We did tax reform, three packages passed already and that is fueling confidence that we can actually repay our loans,” he added.

The World Bank last month approved a $500-million loan that would be used to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on

poor and vulnerable households, and to provide financial relief to small and medium enterprises.

In April the World Bank also approved a $500-million loan to enhance the country’s disaster preparedness policies, planning, and investments for public health emergencies at the national and local government levels.

A $100-million loan to help meet urgent healthcare needs in the wake of the pandemic and bolster the country’s public health preparedness was also approved.

The Asian Development Bank’s total lending to the Philippines , meanwhile, has reached $2.6 billion so far this year. These include those for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps, Covid-19 response and support to other programs. n

Is there hope for America to transform...

PAGE A6 to make it about ourselves? Let’s have an open-minded discussion with our own conscience.”

He made us remember how the shepherd stops to look for that one lost sheep and abandons the ninety-nine to look for the stray one. What about the prodigal son, he said, when that prodigal son came back, the family rejoiced?

But the other son was resentful.

“Are we resentful when the country cares for the living, vital, Black children? Why does it have to be about ourselves, our resentments?”

“Why not look at eight minutes forty-six seconds, and realize, “I saw a man die before my eyes,” Fr. John Cordero asked.

This is the first time I have heard a convergence of my views on racism as a social construct from the Catholic Church but also a moral stance on the value of a living, human life, not just a fetus.

I truly believe this is a leap forward, influenced by Pope Francis and also by St. John Paul II, who once said: “Racism is one of the most persistent and destructive evils in the United States.”

Fr. James Martin wrote, “As a Jesuit priest, I stand in solidarity with the people lost to armed violence this year, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many others. I stand with those who stood with them in life and with those who now stand with them in death.”

I virtually attended the first memorial held for George Floyd with a eulogy by Rev. Al Sharpton. He asked folks to consider silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, but I couldn’t. I kept sobbing.

Rev. Sharpton also examined all the series of injustices that befall on black Americans: education inequities and for Whites to get their knees off their necks; for job discriminatory practices and for whites to get their knees off their necks, and for rundown housing and lack of affordable ones and for whites to get their knees off their necks. Yet, the current appointee for the Secretary of Housing is Ben Carson, a black man. Though black, he has not removed the structural barriers to HUD’s housing to make federal housing units affordable to Blacks nor build more housing units to curb homelessness.

Fifteen minutes Imagine being beaten up, like Rodney King. It was March 7, 1991, when Rodney King was brutally hit by the baton and boots of four police officers a total of 56 times. Three of them were white.

Imagine the savagery of beating another human being recorded by a grainy video 29 years ago.

How long did this savagery last?

Even with that ocular proof, two white policemen were pronounced guilty and sentenced to

a mere 30 months in prison and two were acquitted. It touched off riots in LA claiming fifty-two lives and estimated multimillions in structural damages of vandalism and looting.

Rodney King lived with broken bones, neurological and psychological damage. LA City admitted liability and paid the civil damages of $3,800,000 but, not a single cent was paid by the uniformed guilty policemen.

One must ask: Is there hope for America to transform its racist culture?

America has created economic structures based on slavery. Even a move away from slavery to freedom was corrected by a Civil War with thousands of lives lost.

Today, 14 Confederate statues remain and many states are now taking steps to take them down.

Former Pres. Harry Truman believed in 1948, “The people have often made mistakes, but given time and the facts, they will make the corrections.” Truman must be referring to himself for in 1911, he used racial slurs in private, as attested to by Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America: The Battle for Better Angels, Truman wrote to his future wife, Bess: “I am strong of the opinion that negroes ought to be in Africa, yellow men in Asia and white men in Europe and America.”

Yet, when “he [Truman] saw the police beating to the face of a newly discharged black soldier had blinded the man, “My God,” Truman said, “I had no idea it was as terrible as that! We’ve got to do something!”

On July 26, 1948, he issued Executive Order 9981 and ordered the desegregation of the armed forces and another for fair employment practices in civil service.

From 1911 to 2020, what has America done for Black families?

Even the most articulate President Barack Obama wrote: “A lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one’s family, contributed to the erosion of black families – a problem that welfare policies for many years may have worsened. And the lack of basic services in so many urban black neighborhoods – parks for kids to play in, police walking the beat, regular garbage pickup, and building code enforcement – all helped to create a cycle of violence, blight, and neglect that continues to haunt us.”

He wrote that in 2008, it is now 2020 and still, these issues persist, added to that, this coldblooded murder of blacks at the hands of uniformed policemen.

Are you numb to all that is happening? Are you examining your conscience? Are you still

conditioning your support based on broken glass shards, that had they not broken those windows, you might support the loss of black life? Are you still stuck in figuring out how to defend the indefensible actions of four policemen who stood by, one of whom is Asian, and Derek Chauvin who murdered George Floyd, using the force of his knee on his neck?

Putting ourselves in Derek’s shoes, is there room for us to justify his actions by saying perhaps he was not trained by the Police Academy to have empathy towards others and has not freed himself from his biases?

I say not, as he, Chauvin coldly took out a vital human life, without a threat to his own.

I end with: “Grandma, I wanted to say to the police, take care of people, don’t kill them,” as my five-year-old granddaughter said.

But it is not enough to simply say that.

We must upend the policy actions that have spawned these inhumane actions for centuries now. What was even more terrifying was the cold attitude of Chauvin staring down at George Floyd, as if he was a hunted prey.

Black Americans have long been hunted down as prey by racist white policemen, not all policemen, and to our collective shame, in this instance, includes an Asian American.

We, folks of color, have also been tainted by a racist culture in America especially the Filipinos who voted for Trump, ignoring his racist slurs, tweets, and treatments of folks of colors, and it is up to us, family by family, to rigorously examine how our actions, thoughts, and beliefs have contributed to solidifying the racist culture in America.

Do we care more about black lives to create a better future for all of their children and our children and grandchildren?

Come November, we must say, next, moving forward to new anti-racist federal policies under a new president. *** Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D. writes a weekly column for Asian Journal, called “Rhizomes.” She has been writing for AJ Press for 12 years. She also contributes to Balikbayan Magazine. Her training and experiences are in science, food technology, law and community volunteerism for 4 decades. She holds a B.S. degree from the University of the Philippines, a law degree from Whittier College School of Law in California and a certificate on 21st Century Leadership from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She has been a participant in NVM Writing Workshops taught by Prof. Peter Bacho for 4 years and Prof. Russell Leong. She has travelled to France, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Costa Rica, Mexico and over 22 national parks in the US, in her pursuit of love for nature and the arts.

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WKND

Comedian Jo Koy taps Filipino-founded streetwear brand Illest for exclusive collaboration

by Rae

The Statue of Liberty versus public charge

Immigration Corner

THE Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor has always been a symbol of immigration and of welcoming immigrants to the U.S. The USCIS has used the Statue of Liberty as its own symbol. Approval notices have an orange colored picture of the Statue of Liberty torch in the background, and the “help” search tool on the USCIS website is named “Emma” after poet Emma Lazarus, whose poem, “The New Colossus,” is commemorated on a bronze plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty.

The main theme of that poem is to welcome immigrants to the U.S., offering them freedom from oppression and poverty in their home countries, and provide opportunities and a better life in America. Among those the Statue of Liberty welcomes to the U.S. are the poor, huddled masses, wretched refuse, and homeless: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

The new public charge policies of the USCIS and Embassy

directly conflict with the Statue of Liberty’s welcoming message and purpose, and it would now seem hypocritical for USCIS to use the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of its functions.

Under these regulations, being poor, wretched, or homeless is a negative factor, which could result in a person’s green card being denied and/or them being prohibited from entering the U.S. We don’t want the poor and wretched anymore. They are not welcome.

The main focus of public charge is to evaluate if a person is young, able-bodied, educated, able to work, able to speak English, has a great credit score, etc. If there is reason to believe that it is more likely than not the person will not be self-sufficient, and instead depend on taxpayers for care and support, their immigrant visa or adjustment of status could be denied.

With these new public charge policies in effect, I would advise that you seek the assistance of an immigration attorney to help you navigate this new minefield, versus trying to do it on your own. The new public charge policies and forms are lengthy and complex. As you can see, they were designed to nullify the message on the Statue of Liberty of welcoming the poor.

If your family member’s green card is denied on public charge grounds, it could be extremely

difficult to later reverse or overturn that denial. Having an attorney assist you at the outset could greatly increase your chances of success, as an attorney can help you evaluate the public charge issues, income requirements of the sponsors, and fill out the various new and lengthy forms, etc. *** 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, Twitter @GurfinkelLaw and YouTube: US Immigration TV Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: 1-866-487-3465 (866) – GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES ∙ SAN FRANCISCO ∙ NEW YORK ∙ PHILIPPINES

time, said Mark Arcenal, Illest’s founder and creative director.

Arcenal was supposed to join the filming in the Philippines but had his flight cancelled due to the recent Taal Volcano The collection includes two limited edition designs available on both black t-shirts and hoodies. eruption earlier this year.

Photos courtesy of Illest Arcenal and Jo Koy were vibrant promotional motion Much of the collaboration already friends before the colgraphics. planning happened via Face- laboration and had talked about

doing a collaboration product, but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago did they feel the urge to put something out.

In making the designs, Arcenal looked to incorporate key elements from the show and Philippine culture, a big element being the jeepney.

“From there, I just put it

together and we just kind of went for it,” said Arcenal. “He trusts us.”

Filipino-owned For followers of Illest, the use of the jeepney aligns with the brand, given it’s history of being loved in the auto scene both in the U.S. and abroad,

ann VaRona

AJPress

JUST in time for Philippine Independence Day, iconic Filipino-founded streetwear brand Illest has come out with a Philippine-proud collection in collaboration with Filipino American comedian Jo Koy. Released on Friday, June 12, the collection was part of an exclusive merchandise partnership with Jo Koy whose latest Netflix special “Jo Koy: In His Elements” premiered the same day.

The collection was also the first to bring streetwear and the comedy world together, and the first in the company to bring Philippine imagery onto its shirts.

“The Philippines is a stomping ground of Illest in a way.

There are so many tie-ins that make this a very authentic and organic collaboration which is something we really strive for,” Peter Philipp Wingsoe, CEO of Illest North America, told the Asian Journal ahead of the collection’s drop.

“It just made so much sense for us to be a part of that because we are such a big part already of the Filipino community,” he added. “It’s so important that we’re authentic about everything we do and I don’t think that it gets more authentic than this.”

The collection consists of two limited edition designs available on both black t-shirts and hoodies. One of the designs features a centered jeepney illustration and Jo Koy’s name drawn in it — the same illustration Illest used in creating the

LifestyLe Consumer Guide Community marketpLaCe

Jo Koy dons the sweatshirt made under his collaboration with streetwear brand Illest.

Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ

(Advertising Supplement)

PAGE B2

Mediterranean Superfoods Are Health Heroes

By Grace O You have probably heard of the Mediterranean Diet. Besides conjuring visions of sipping chilled prosecco overlooking a sparkling sea, this way of cooking and eating is a heavily plant-based diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, herbs, fish, lean meats (in moderation) and monounsaturated oils, such as olive oil.

It’s a true farm-to-table diet that relies on locally produced/caught/raised foods. In a number of studies, people who live around the Mediterranean in Southern Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and Greece, as well as countries such as Croatia, Israel and Morocco, and live a mostly agrarian life tend to have lower incidences of heart disease, stroke and cancer.

As Dr. Andrew Weil says in his book, Eating Well for Optimum Health, “The traditional Mediterranean diet exists in a particular cultural context, in which people get more physical activity than most Americans and enjoy strong social and family bonds around meals. Eating together and taking pleasure in food are central to these healthy societies.”

The good news is that you don’t have to live on a remote Greek island to enjoy the benefits of a Mediterranean diet. In fact, it’s one of the easiest diets to follow, because the essential ingredients are delicious and readily available to most Americans virtually all year long.

Garlic is a key element of the Mediterranean diet.

It aligns with the FoodTrients ideal of promoting health and longevity with delicious eating. It helps cells fight against oxidative damage, and is a good source of vitamin B6, which helps regulate hormonal activity and boosts the immune system.

Garlic enhances chicken, fish, vegetable, whole grain pilafs and spreads like my Garlic-Rosemary White Bean Spread.

Garlic and rosemary are two ingredients with powerful nutrient profiles. Garlic has been used for centuries as an anti-microbial agent and for its heart health properties, due to the naturally occurring

sulfuric compound allicin. Let garlic sit for 2-10 minute exposed to oxygen after chopping to allow for the enzymatic reaction producing allicin to occur. Additionally, rosemary contains compounds that may improve concentration and stimulate the immune system. Together, these Mediterranean flavors blend nicely in this simple white bean spread perfect for sandwiches or crudité platters.

GARLIC AND ROSEMARY WHITE BEAN SPREAD YIELDS 2.5 CUPS

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup cooked cannelloni beans (or 1 can, drained and rinsed) 1/4 cup olive oil, plus additional for topping 2 Tbs. white wine vinegar

6 large garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped 1 Tbs. packed fresh rosemary, roughly chopped 1 tsp. sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Add all ingredients in a food processor, secure lid, and process for 1 minute. Turn off processor, open lid and scrape down the sides. Secure lid and pulse until smooth. Spoon spread into a small dish or jar and drizzle with additional olive oil and a sprig of rosemary before serving.

Chef Note: Be careful not to over-process the spread as texture may become gummy.

ABOUT GRACE O

GRACE O is the creator of FoodTrients, a unique program for optimizing wellness and longevity. She is the author of two award-winning cookbooks—The Age Gracefully Cookbook and The Age Beautifully Cookbook, which recently won Gourmand’s ‘Best in the World’ Award for Innovation. She is a fusion chef with a mission to deliver delicious recipes built on a foundation of anti-aging science and her 20years in the healthcare industry.

Visit FoodTrients.com to learn more. Email us at info@FoodTrients.com

B June 13-16, 2020 • LA WeeKenD ASIAn JOuRnAL

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Comedian Jo Koy taps Filipino-founded...

PAGE B2 and the vehicle being an iconic Philippine mode of transportation.

It isn’t uncommon to see Illest stickers plastered on the bumpers and windows of cars driven by young enthusiasts.

The company even came out with a Philippine flag sticker.

The brand grew in popularity and has been seen on celebrities and artists like Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning

rapper Kendrick Lamar, Filipina-Canadian actress Shay Mitchell, and Grammy-winning singer The Weeknd among others.

Among other collaborations Illest did that may be resonant with the community was a crossover project with Filipino food favorite, SPAM. It was in 2013 that Illest really grew in the Philippines when it started being sold at The Rail, a go-to retailer of

streetwear with locations in Makati, Alabang, Tagaytay, and Cebu among others.

Despite carrying many U.S. based streetwear brands from San Francisco’s HUF and Diamond, Illest has remained a sought after brand regularly outselling other brands, said Wingsoe.

As for future collaborations with other Filipinos artists and brands, Arcenal said he’s been working with some local brands in the Philippines where streetwear has been finding its own local voice.

“Both Jo and I went to the Philippines a couple years ago and it kind of opened our eyes to see how everything changed.

We definitely love giving back and we love talking about the Philippines and trying to get people to go with us whenever we go,” said Arcenal. “We definitely celebrate the culture.”

The Illest x Jo Koy collection can be found on both IllestBrand.com and JoKoy.com.

Pieces range from $45 to $85.

“I’m exceptionally proud of the ILLEST team during this time. They rose to the occasion, were extremely agile, flexible and rolled with the punches,” said Wingsoe. “We’ve had to pivot and adapt our business and with the team’s hard work, our online sales in the USA have grown exponentially in the past 3+ months since the lockdown. This collaboration with Jo Koy is another example of the team’s focus and resilience to be the best (to be ILLEST) no matter what the circumstances are.”

Anita Linda

Photo courtesy of Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino

Anita Linda bows out at 95 By iza igLesias ManilaTimes.net

PHILIPPINE cinema’s oldest actress Anita Linda, Alice Buenaflor Lake in real life, died on Wednesday, June 10 at the age of 95.

The news was confirmed by director Adolfo Alix Jr. who paid tribute to the multi-awarded veteran actress on Facebook.

“This is a very sad day for me.

I am trembling as I am gathering my thoughts… She is like my lola (grandmother) and part of my family,” Alix said.

“The great Anita Linda passed away this morning at 6:15 a.m. at 95. Prayers for her soul. My condolences to her family and her children, Francesca Legaspi and Fred Osburn,” he added.

Alix worked with Linda in various movies, including “Presa” and what is now Linda’s last official film, “Circa,” in last year’s Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino.

The award-winning filmmaker partnered with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) in June 2019 to mount “Sandaan: Dunong ng Isang Ina,” an event to honor the veteran actress’ contributions Philippine cinema.

FDCP Chairman and The Sunday Times Magazine columnist Liza Diño-Seguerra also expressed her admiration for the veteran On Philippine Independence Day, Jo Koy’s actress. collection with Illest was unveiled.

“I just heard about the passPhoto courtesy of Illest ing of the Great Anita Linda from director Adolf Alix Jr., and it’s heartbreaking. Last year I posted my memorable encounter with her. A once in a lifetime chance na makadaupang palad siya,” she shared.

“This was what she said to me, ‘Liza, life has been good

to me. Matanda na ‘ko, malabo na ang mga mata ko, hindi na ako masyadong makarinig. Pero hanggang ngayon, nandito pa rin ako. Ayokong iwanan ang buhay dahil masarap mabuhay,”’ Diño recalled.

“It was such a humbling experience to have been able to spend a moment with one of the country’s living treasures. To Miss Anita Linda, the industry is blessed to have you po.

Thank you for being an inspiration to all of us. Your words will forever be in my heart. Paalam po.

Hanggang sa muli.”

Eight-decade career It was in the early 1940s when Linda was discovered by director Lamberto Avellana while watching a stage show at Avenue Theater. Her early acting years mostly took place on bodabil (vaudeville) since the Japanese war forced film studios to close down.

When the war ended in 1947, Avellana wasted no time in casting Linda for Premiere Productions’ “Sekretong Hong Kong,” after which she landed her first lead role in the movie, “Alyas Sakim” (directed by Moises Cagin) that same year.

In 1951, Linda portrayed the title character in Gerardo de Leon’s “Sisa,” a film based on the tragic character in Jose Rizal’s novel Noli Me Tangere. She won her first acting award for the role, then called the Best Actress Maria Clara Award, from the precursor of the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (Famas) Awards.

De Leon cast Linda anew for “Sawa sa Lumang Simboryo” (1952), which earned her a Famas Best Actress nomination.

In the 1970s, Linda further gained critical acclaim in maternal

roles for Lino Brocka’s “Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang” (1974); “Isa Dalawa Tatlo” (1974); which won her a Famas Best Supporting Actress Award; and “Jaguar” (1979), which earned her a Gawad Urian Best Supporting Actress nomination. Jaguar was also nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival.

In 1982, Linda was honored with Natatanging Gawad Urian ng Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, the highest award the film critics’ group bestows. She continued to reap recognitions through the ‘80s and ‘90s, among them, a Gawad Urian Best Supporting Actress award for “Takaw Tukso” in 1987; and in 1998, her second Famas Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Star Award for the same category in Mario O’Hara’s “Ang Babae sa Bubungang Lata.”

Linda portrayed an aging actress in the O’Hara classic, while her Famas award set a record for the oldest actress to ever win a Famas at age 74.

Beyond her 80s and 90s, Linda remained active in the movie industry.

She garnered widespread acclaim in 2008 for her role in Alix’s independent film “Adela.”

Portraying a lonely woman celebrating her 80th birthday all alone, she was named Best Actress by the 10th Cinemanila International Film Festival (Southeast Asia Film Competition); the Young Critics Circle; and in a tie with Judy Ann Santos, by Gawad Tanglaw Awards. The New York Times film critic Stephen Holden further praised Linda’s performance as “quietly transfixing.”

ABS-CBN’s Mario Dumaual reported that the actress’ daughter, Francesca, told him her mother succumbed to heart failure.

Catriona’s Miss Universe pin sold for P250,000 at auction for COVID-19 testing

by Cha Lino Inquirer.net

THE candidate pin that Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray wore in the competition ended its auction bidding at P250,000.

The proceeds will be used for COVID-19 testing of underprivileged citizens through actresses Anne Curtis and Angel Locsin’s Shop & Share initiative.

The online auction for Gray’s pin began on June 6 and ended on Thursday, June 11, according to Shop & Share’s website.

Its starting bid was P20,000. A personal handwritten note from Gray is to be included with the pin as well.

“In December 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand, Miss Universe Philippines, Catriona Gray debuted the ‘slow-mo turn’ and Ibong Adarna gown,” the website stated. “The Philippines sash was secured over

Catriona Gray and the official candidate pin she used when she competed and eventually won Miss Universe 2018.

Photos courtesy of Shop & Share

her heart with this pin.”

The pin is “of very high sentimental value” to Gray and she “wants to share its significance to another, to benefit her countrymen just as she dedicates her title of Miss Universe,” the website added.

Curtis and Locsin‘s online shop sells pre-loved items from

celebrities in order to raise funds to cover the expenses of the COVID-19 test kits for underprivileged Filipinos.

The project originally began in 2009 as a way to help Typhoon Ondoy victims. Locsin and Curtis revived the project to “help flatten the curve” in the country.

Gab to those battling depression amid pandemic: ‘You’re not alone, friends’

by Cha Lino Inquirer.net

MUSICIAN-actor and mental health advocate Gab Valenciano talked about what it is like to deal with depression during the COVID-19 crisis, in the hopes of reaching out to those who are going through the same ordeal.

Valenciano stressed that those who have depression “are not alone in this fight,” as seen on his Instagram page yesterday, June 9. He highlighted the importance of surrounding oneself with “the right people” and consciously making an effort to “be better.”

Valenciano, who has been vocal about being diagnosed with clinical depression among other mental health concerns, described how depression affects an individual.

“It can easily be mistaken as

severe sadness. When in reality, it really isn’t,” he explained. “It is defined as a severe feeling of despondency and dejection.”

Despondency, as pointed out

by Valenciano, is a “loss of hope or courage,” while dejection is “a state of gloom, disappointment and low spirits.” “[Combine] the two and multiply it by ten, that is depression,” he said.

Valenciano explained that people with depression have different types of “triggers.” Some are triggered by past events, current affairs, the uncertainty of the future or traumatic memories. He added, “But then, sometimes, there is no trigger.”

Despite the challenges that depression might bring, Valenciano stressed that what counts is what PAGE B3

Gab Valenciano

Photo from Instagram/@gabvalenciano

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 13-16, 2020

Health@Heart

ADMITTING TO DRUG USE RESULTED IN LIFETIME BAN FROM ENTERING THE US! Junior (left) was looking forward to joining his wife, Marissa (center), in the U.S. Marissa filed the petition and all the necessary paperwork was in order, including an interview at the U.S. Embassy.

However, they received the news that Junior was banned from entering the U.S. for life due to drug use. The couple was heartbroken.

They were wondering if Marissa had to give up a good job in the U.S. just to be with Junior back in the Philippines. Marissa consulted one other lawyer, who gave up based on the medical documents from St. Luke’s, saying they could not defend Junior’s case. Fortunately, friends and family had seen an episode of Citizen Pinoy where the case was like Junior’s. A consultation with leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel provided hope and the much-anticipated reconsideration and visa issuance. See how a couple is finally reunited for good on an encore episode of CITIZEN PINOY on Sunday at 6:15 pm (PST) on TFC. (Advertising Supplement)

Vhong praises ‘Eat Bulaga’ for ‘new normal’ measures

by Deni Rose M. AfiniDAD-BeRnARDo Philstar.com

“IT’S Showtime” host Vhong Navarro praised “Eat Bulaga” for showing adaptability and resilience during this time of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

In an online teleconference with the media last Wednesday, the actor admitted that he checked out “Eat Bulaga” last Monday, when their rival noontime TV show on GMA piloted their “new normal” measures to prevent COVID-19 spread.

Vhong Navarro “Ngayon, ang sinasabing Photo from Instagram/@vhongx44

kompetisyon, parang wala nang kompetisyon kasi sa nakikita ko, ang lahat ngayon ang gusto lang magpasaya. Nakikita ko ‘yung ‘Eat Bu laga,’ nasilip ko sila nung isang araw, tina-try talaga nilang magpasaya kahit kulangkulang sila,” Vhong said.

“At ganun din ang ‘Showtime.’ Kahit kulang kami, ‘di pa talaga full force, nagpapasaya pa rin kami ng tao. Kumbaga, tulong-tulong ang ‘Eat Bulaga’ at ‘Showtime’ na magpasaya ng tao dahil alam nilang kailangang-kailangan nilang makalimot pansamantala sa mga PAGE B5

Gab to those battling depression amid...

PAGE B2 an individual does after identifying the mental health issue. “[Depression] and your state of mind will never define you,” Valenciano said. “It can affect you, it can impact you, but never define who you are in this world.”

Valenciano admitted that he still had moments when he would isolate himself from time to time,

but after a few days of “recharging” he would always “choose to be better the next time around.”

“You are not alone in this fight, my dearest friends,” he said. “The road is dark, the way is unclear, but your heart is beating which means you’re meant to be here.”

The actor also chose to view this challenging period as “an opportunity for us to understand

each other more. To empathize and help one another.” He acknowledged that the road to healing is not easy, but that “baby steps are still steps.”

“Keep stepping towards the light at the end of the tunnel and one day, you, we, slowly but surely, will get there,” said Valenciano. “Believe this and you will win.”

B

Latest on COVID-19

safety for COVID-19.

In a large registry research involving 15,000 COVID-19 patients, published in Lancet, showed “all of PhiliP S. Chua, the hydroxychloroquine and chloMD, FaCS, FPCS roquine groups had higher rates of in-hospital mortality (16-24%) SINCE the first COVID-19 case than the control group (9%). They was detected and confirmed on also had higher rates of ventricular January 20, 2020 (144 days ago) arrhythmia during hospitalization in the United States (in the State (4-8%) versus controls (0.3%). of Washington) in a man who re- A study involving 1,438 COVID turned from Wuhan, Hubei, China, patients in New York revealed the on January 15, 2020, and the of- same “no benefit” results. In view ficial declaration by WHO of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States has had around 2.1 million cases and almost 115,000 deaths; the Philippines, about 23,000 cases and more than 1,000 deaths.

Worldwide, there are almost 7.3 million cases and about 420,000 deaths.

Remdesivir running out Since drug manufacturer Gilead released the first dose (50,000 vials) of the FDA-approved experimental intravenous antiviral drug Remdesivir the week of May 4, 2020 of its promised donation of 1.5 million doses, there has been a snag in the production and confusion in the distribution of this cure of COVID-19 to various hospitals in the USA. The current supply is projected to run out by the end of June, unless Gilead successfully ramps up its production, or another drug maker comes up with another curative drug.

There are various antiviral drugs and medications being studied in other countries. Vaccines appear not to be forthcoming soon, but anticipated to be available within a couple of years.

Hydroxychloroquine not effective, hazardous!

The hype about hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as a preventive or curative drug for COVID-19 appears to be dying down as dozens of reports from reputable medical centers show that this famous anti-malaria, anti-lupus, anti-arthritis decades-old drug (solo or in combination with Azithromycin) was not effective in preventing or curing COVID-19, and may have even contributed to some COVID19 cardiac deaths from fatal arrythmia (Torsades de Pointes, QT prolongation) in about 10 percent or more. Dr. Anthony Fauci, an epidemiologist and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was against the use of HCQ from the very beginning, suggesting randomized, double-blind clinical studies on the drug first to find out its efficacy and

of the multiple dozens of trial studies on hydroxychloroquine around the world, the World Health Organization had temporarily halted hydroxychloroquine trials due to safety concerns. By this mid-June, the data results from the HCQ reviews of the WHO Solidarity Trial and other ongoing trials will be released. The final verdict on HCQ for COVID-19 will be out soon.

How does SARS-CoV2 get to a person PAGE B5

B June 13-16, 2020 • LA WeeKenD ASIAn JOuRnAL

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4 ways filing for divorce can How to avoid residency audits when you move to a tax-free state benefit your immigration case

your new locality.

• Change vehicle registrations.

• Update address on bills.

• Join social clubs in your new state.

VictoR Sy, • Join business associations cPA, mBA & in your new state.

RogeR L. oRieL • Change affiliations to religious groups in your new HERE are 10 tips to avoid state residency audits when you move • Update your estate-planto a tax-free state: ning documents to reflect the • Get a driver’s license in laws of your new state. your new state.

• Update your trust, will, and • Register to vote in your healthcare directives to include new state. trustees and agents in your new • Open a bank account in state.

Tax Tips

*** 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.

Green card holders unable to return to US due to COVID-19 Tapat Sa Batas Atty. RheA SAmSon ANG mga lawful permanent resident (LPR) o green card holders na nasa ibang bansa at hindi makapag-biyahe pabalik ng U.S. dahil sa COVID-19 pandemic ay kailangang maging handang magpakita ng mga dokumento sa Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Officers tungkol sa kanilang ties sa U.S. Kailangan din silang magpakita ng ebidensiya na wala silang intensyong mag-relinquish ng kanilang US permanent resident status noong sila ay nagbiyahe sa ibang bansa.

Para sa mga LPR, ang pananatili sa labas ng U.S. ng mahigit na 180 araw hanggang isang taon ay nagbibigay ng pagpapalagay na ang permanent resident status ay inabandona na.

Maaari silang tanungin ng CBP Officers tungkol sa kanilang intensyon noong sila ay umalis, ang dahilan sa pagbiyahe sa ibang bansa, gaano katagal ang inilaan sa pagbiyahe, iba pang mga pangyayari na nakapagpatagal ng panahon na sila ay nasa labas ng U.S., at bakit hindi sila nakabalik ng napapanahong paraan. Samakatu-

wid, ang mga LPR na natigil sa ibang bansa dahil sa COVID-19 pandemic ay kailangang magdala ng ebidensya sa kanilang pagbalik sa U.S. na ang hindi napapahahong pagbalik ay dahil sa COVID-19. Maaari nilang ipakita na walang mga paglipad papuntang U.S., na mayroon silang well-grounded fears of travelling, o dahil sila ay nagkaroon ng COVID-19.

Ang mga LPR ay kailangang magbigay ng ebidensiya na sila ay nagpanatili ng permanent resident status, katulad ng mga sumusunod: (1) Ang LPR ay may residence o tirahan pa sa U.S. dahil pinanatili niya ang kanyang bahay o inuupahang apartment; (2) Ang LPR ay may financial ties sa U.S. sa pananatili ng bank accounts, credit cards at investments; (3) Ang LPR ay pinanatili ang kanyang home o renter’s insurance, health insurance, at life insurance; (4) Ang LPR ay nag-file ng tax returns sa kanyang U.S. address; (5) Ang LPR ay pinanatili at binayaran ang utility bills na nasa kanyang pangalan; (6) Ang LPR ay pinanatili ang kanyang pag-aari ng kotse at mayroon pa rin siyang valid US driver’s license.

Ang mga LPR na stranded sa ibang bansa dahil sa pandemic ay maaaring magtagumpay sa mga paghahadlang dulot ng kanilang prolonged absence sa pamamagitan ng paghahanda ng dokumentasyon.

Kailan-

gang sila ay magdala ng kopya ng flight cancellations, doctor’s note, U.S. tax returns, lease contract o mortgage, employment certificate, bank statements at credit card statements sa kanilang paglakbay pabalik ng U.S. pagkatapos ng matagal na kawalan dahil sa COVID-19. *** Lawful permanent residents (LPRs) or green card holders who are abroad and cannot travel back to the U.S. due to the COVID-19 pandemic should be prepared to present documents to the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Officers of their ties to the U.S. They should also present evidence that there was no intention to relinquish permanent resident status in the U.S. during the travel abroad.

For LPRs, absences of more than 180 days to one year may create a presumption that the permanent resident status has been abandoned. They can be questioned as to their intentions at the U.S. port-of-entry by CBP Officers, such as the reason for their trip abroad, how long they intended to be absent from the U.S., any other circumstances on their absence, events that prolonged their absence, and why they could not return in a timely manner. Hence, LPRs who were stuck abroad due to COVID-19 pandemic should carry evidence upon their return that failure to timely return PAGE B6

COUPLES get divorced for various reasons. California is a no fault state. The reasons why a couple is getting divorced are often irrelevant to the issues of the family law case. Divorce is often a difficult and negative experience for most families. However, getting divorce may have some unintended benefits in the immigration law arena. Four situations in which filing for divorce can be beneficial to your immigration case are as follows: 1. Married Sons and Daughters of US Citizens If you were petitioned for legal permanent residence by your US Citizen parent as a married son or daughter 21 years old or over, you are classified in immigration law under family sponsored third preference (F3) which usually carries a long wait time. The wait

Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth URSUA ReyeS time for Filipinos for example is currently 22 years. The priority date is normally the date the petition was initially filed by your US Citizen parents. If you get divorced, you revert back to single status and your category automatically becomes reclassified to first preference (F1) where the waiting time is substantially shorter. For example, for Filipinos the wait time under F1 category is 10 years shorter than F3 category.

This means if your parents filed

your immigration petition 12 years ago, then you can adjust to a green card now instead of waiting another 10 years.

2. Married Sons and Daughters of Legal Permanent Residents If your parents are legal permanent residents, getting divorced will convert you back single status making you eligible to be petitioned by your legal permanent resident parents under the family based second preference (F2b) category if you are 21 years old or older or under the family based second preference A (F2a) if you are under 21 years of age.

For those who married after they were petitioned by their LPR parents (F2A and F2B), the petition is automatically revoked under operation of law the moment PAGE B6

Client still liable for retail lease of $2M despite selling business 3 years ago THE middle-aged client owned a retail business for some time.

The business was located in a good location so the lease was for $10,000 a month. The company that he owned, which operated the business, signed a lease for 20 years worth $2 million.

Three years ago, client sold the business to a third party. So he doesn’t operate the business anymore and he doesn’t own the business anymore. However, he personally guaranteed the commercial lease and landlord did not release him from the lease when he sold the business. Since the business was sold three years ago, the client did not hear from the landlord since the new owner had been paying the lease. A couple of days ago, the landlord emailed the client and asked him for the rent payment for March, April, and May 2020.

Is client still liable on the lease? Yes, of course he is. He did not have the landlord release him for his personal guarantee on the lease, so he is liable for the unpaid balance of the lease of close to $2 million!

Aside from this $2 million “surprise” liability, the client also owes about $50,000 of credit cards. But he doesn’t own a house, so in this way, he

Debt Relief

Atty. LAwRence yAng is fortunate because he can do a Chapter 7 and wipe out the $2 million unpaid lease, and the $50,000 credit cards for a fresh start in life without accumulated debt.

Other client concerns What are his other concerns?

1. Does his wife have to file Chapter 7 also with him? No. 2. Will the wife be negatively impacted in any way by his Chapter 7 filing? No. 3. Can he travel in and out of the country if he files Chapter 7?

Yes, of course.

4. Should he be in LA to attend the hearing? No. Right now because of COVID-19, hearings are done telephonically or by Zoom.

You can attend the hearing even if you are abroad. This is the way until the virus is gone.

5. Can he keep the car lease?

Yes. 6. Will his credit score improve after filing Chapter 7? Absolutely. The score will be 500 upon

filing, 620 on the first or second year after. Over 700 if new debts are handled properly on year 3 or 4. By the tenth year, no record of filing in a credit report and is automatically removed.

7. Can he buy a car after Chapter 7? Yes, as soon as you get the discharge, you will be able to get a car loan but the interest rate is higher. To buy a house, wait two years.

8. Can he get into business again after filing Chapter 7? Absolutely. There is no restriction or limit. Walt Disney filed Chapter 7 twice before Disney business became successful.

Disclaimer: None of the foregoing is considered legal advice.

Each case is different. *** Disclaimer: None of the foregoing is considered legal advice. Each case is different. *** 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 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789 or 1000 S. Fremont Ave., Mailstop 58, Building A-10 South, Suite 10042, Alhambra, CA 91803.

(Advertising Supplement)

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Latest on COVID-19...

PAGE B3 The SARS-CoV2 virus that causes COVID-19 is transmitted by droplet from the breath, speech, cough, or sneeze of an infected person to anyone within at least 6 feet, especially to seniors, even more rapidly to seniors with health issues or to those with compromised immune system. Young children could also get infected.

With one sneeze by an infected individual, it is estimated that there are 40,000 viral molecules that is sprayed with a trajectory that could reach up to 9 feet, and remain airborne an hour or so, depending on the airflow or wind. The virus is plastered against the mucous membrane of the eyes, nose, and mouth, the reason goggles and face covering are important. To survive, the virus needs a host, a human in this case, to survive and replicate. The virus has a predilection for the respiratory system, so it goes down the breathing pipe and eventually to its main target, the lungs.

What kills the COVID-19 patient Once the virus enters the host, it replicates rapidly. In the trachea,

EMPLOYMENT

bronchi, and the lungs, severe inflammation takes place, to which the body’s immune system reacts, causing the release of body mediators called cytokines, in response to the injury. A cytokine storm results, which in itself leads to multiorgan damage. The inflamed lungs thicken and solidify (pneumonia) and their swollen air sacs loaded with fluid losing their ability to do release of harmful carbon dioxide and absorb/provide oxygen for the body. Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome sets in and kills about 13-15 percent of patient above 80 years old. The others, more stoic and/or younger, survive with ventilatory support. Majority without.

The other mode of death is cardiac in origin.

It has been noted that COVID-19 patients, especially the elderly or those with previous heart condition, also develop inflammation of the heart, myocarditis, poor ventricular function (cardiomyopathy), and finally heart failure and cardiogenic shock among about 20 percent of them. This widespread clinical findings around the world among COVID-19 patients (inspired by data from Wuhan,

China) led to the standard practice of testing the Troponin level on admission of COVID-19 patients, and if needed, doing other cardiac tests. The elevated Troponin level was associated with poorer recovery and higher mortality (at least 69.4 percent) compared to 13.3 percent among those who are Troponin negative. Doing this test could save countless lives among COVID-19 patients.

Reclosing after re-opening The experts believe a second or more waves of COVID-19 is possible, as what happened in the 1918 pandemic that wiped out more than 50 million people around the world, and the other pandemics (SARS, MERS, etc.) thereafter.

In Singapore and South Korea, which had aggressively dealt with COVID-19 very early and had strict measures and contact tracing, there was a strong resurgence in crowded dormitories. The same recurrence in China, Japan, and Italy. COVID-19 reinfection was found in Wuhan recently among those with flare-ups up to 50 days after recovery. Reclosing after re-opening (due to resurgence) is imposed in South Korea and Lebanon, among others.

Days after North Carolina relaxed some of its stay-home rules,

EMPLOYMENT

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 13-16, 2020 a new high of 443 cases in one day was confirmed. The various protests going on where people do not wear masks and do social distancing could cause more COVID-19 infections, evidence to be obvious within the next 2 weeks. The potential wave or waves of COVID-19 resurgence will depend on people’s behavior and discipline. We are the transmitters/spreaders of this killer virus, and ONLY WE, the people, can stop it. The government cannot. And we cannot blame anyone else. This current pandemic might go beyond this year and early 2021 before it ends. In the meantime, it behooves each one of us to be wise, responsible, and prudent in following the guidelines, to stay safe.

Going against the government will not help. Each of us has a vital role to play to defeat this invisible killer and put an end to this great human tragedy. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, a Public Health Advocate, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. Websites: philipSchua.com and FUN888.com; Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com.

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Vhong praises...

PAGE B3 problema nila at magbigay papremyo para makatulong sa mga nawalan ng trabaho.”

Since V hong and his “It’s Show t ime” co-hosts w i l l be back to work beginning this week, the show, he said, has also setup “new normal” guidelines and measures for everyone’s sa fet y. T hese i nclude dividing their production crew into teams that would alternate in working from home and from the studio.

T h e c om e d i a n a d m i t t e d that he is sad that their show, pending ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal, cannot go on-air to compete with “Eat Bulaga’s” timeslot on free TV. But he is glad that their show will return on-air starting June 13 via the new Kapamilya Channel available on Sky Cable channel 8 and channel 167 (high-definition), Cable Link channel 8, GSAT Direct TV Channel 2, and other Ph i l ippi ne Cable Telev ision Association-member cable TV stations.

Navarro shared that his sadness stems not only from losing

EMPLOYMENT

their free TV platform, but also because many of his fellow Kapamilya stars and employees from other shows have not yet returned to work.

“S’yempre malungkot, ‘ di lang ‘yung outlet, nalungkot ako ‘di lang sa programa pero pati du’n sa iba pang shows na ‘di pa nakakabalik. Bilang artista, co-host, ramdam ko sila… Sila, umaasa lang din sa trabaho nila para buhayin ang pamilya nila.

So, nararamdaman ko ‘yung lungkot nila na i-meeting kayo via Zoom para sabihin na ‘Sorry guys, hanggang dito na lang muna tayo’.”

Due to the pandemic, Vhong said he learned to appreciate h i s job a nd fel low worker s more.

“Dahil sa nangyaring pandemic na ‘to parang ‘yung trabaho sa isang saglit pwedeng mawala kahit napakatagal ka na r’on kasi wala s’yang pinili eh. Ang kumpanya pwedeng magsara, pwedeng mawala, malugi, at may matatamaan at matatamaan. So, ang akin lang, dapat mahalin talaga natin ang trabaho natin.”

B June 13-16, 2020 • LA WeeKenD ASIAn JOuRnAL

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

Can I get a green card if I had How long should employers provide reasonable accommodation a previous marriage petition denied based on fraud? to disabled employees?

ELIZABETH Carter worked at Dunn-Edwards, the paint store, when her medical condition prevented her from lifting more than 20 pounds. She could, however, still continue to perform most of her essential duties. Her employer thus provided modified work duty by allowing her to ask co-workers for help whenever she needed to lift anything heavier than 20 pounds.

Carter was later informed by the employer that she had exhausted the company’s 90-day modified-duty policy. Carter was told to obtain medical release allowing her to lift up to 65 pounds, or take a leave of absence. Because she could not obtain such a release, Carter took a medical leave of absence. However, when she tried to return to work, she still had the 20 pound lifting restriction. As a result the company fired her.

Carter sued the employer for disability discrimination, failure to accommodate, failure to engage in the interactive process, failure to prevent discrimination and harassment in violation of the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), and retaliation. Carter contended that the employer’s policy of accommodating employees’ disability for only 90 days without engaging in further interactive process and without performing an individual assessment was illegal.

The employer countered that Carter was terminated because she could not perform the essential functions of her job. The employer claimed it was not able to provide Carter any other reasonable accommodation besides a leave of absence.

The case was decided

Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights atty. C. Joe sayas, JR. via arbitration. The arbitrator found for the employer on Carter’s claims for retaliation for requesting a disability accommodation, and failure to prevent discrimination and harassment. Additionally, the arbitrator found the company’s 90-day policy was lawful.

However, the arbitrator found in Carter’s favor on her claims of disability discrimination, wrongful discharge in violation of public policy, failure to accommodate, and failure to engage in the interactive process.

The arbitrator ruled that the company discriminated against Carter by not re-assigning her essential lifting functions to other employees.

California law prohibits discrimination based on disability or medical condition. The employer has a duty to provide reasonable accommodation to disabled employees to enable them to work despite their disability. Depending on the employee’s specific restrictions and the employer’s circumstances, an example of reasonable accommodation would be to make facilities accessible to and usable by disabled individuals; offer part-time or modified work; or providing extension of a medical leave.

In Carter’s case, the employer had a duty to engage in interactive process and find out whether reasonable accommodation would allow her to perform the job duties. It appears that the employer was initially able to

provide reasonable accommodation by allowing Carter to ask for help whenever she needed to lift anything more than 20 pounds. The employer eventually took away this accommodation, reasoning that it could only accommodate Carter for 90 days.

This, however, is contrary to FEHA law. The employer’s duty to accommodate may extend beyond 90 days, if such accommodation will allow the employee to perform the essential functions of her job.

Even though the arbitrator found the 90-day cut-off lawful, the arbitrator nevertheless ruled that the employer should have continued to provide reasonable accommodation by re-assigning Carter’s heavy-lifting tasks to other employees.

The Daily Journal reports that Carter was awarded damages totaling $80,880 for loss of income and emotional distress. The arbitrator also awarded Carter attorney fees and costs, bringing the total award to Carter to $974,219.74. The employer is currently seeking to overturn the arbitrator’s decision. *** 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) 291-0088 or visit www.joesayaslaw.com. [For more than 25 years, C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. 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 past Presidential Awardee for Outstanding Filipino Overseas.]

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Filing bankruptcy: Is it good or bad for you?

Minding Your Finances atty. Raymond Bulaon YOU have probably heard many times in your life that “bankruptcy is bad” and that you should never do it. But what exactly does “bad” mean?

If “bad” means being dishonest, cheating the system and avoiding responsibility for debts you intentionally acquired with no intentions of ever repaying, then YES, at least from a moral standpoint, I would say that it is “bad” in that respect. But the fact that someone decides to file bankruptcy is only part of the story.

People file for bankruptcy for all kinds of reasons. Most of the time it is due to circumstances beyond their control. They have lost their job, their business failed, they got sick, went through a divorce, etc. In other instances, they have simply made some poor financial decisions (who hasn’t?) and now they just need a way to start over.

No two bankruptcy cases are the same, and so it is unfair to judge people who file bankruptcy without really knowing the reasons behind it. Unfortunately, family and friends are sometimes too quick to do so without even understanding the process themselves. Because of this, a lot of people who need help suffer needlessly in silence for fear of being humiliated.

If you are one of the millions of

people laid off due to the coronavirus outbreak, filing bankruptcy can help you gain a sense of control over your finances during this difficult time. This is one of those unforeseen events and as much as you would like to pay your debts and do the right thing, if you don’t have enough money coming in to pay the bills, bankruptcy may be your only hope.

The government and many creditors have done what they can to provide a safety net (stimulus payments, temporary suspension of payments, etc.) but I have a feeling this will not be enough for a lot of people considering the uncertainty and instability of their finances. So, while the help may keep you afloat for a few months, you should also have a plan in place in case things don’t get better anytime soon. In other words, expect the best but also prepare for the worst. This is not being negative; it’s being practical.

If you are considering bankruptcy as a possible option for you in the near future, it is best to consult with an experienced attorney who can help you prioritize how you spend the limited resources you have. For example, it may not make sense to waste your money on bills that will eventually be erased if you do decide to file bankruptcy. If you have a retirement plan such as a 401K or an IRA that you are thinking about cashing out or withdrawing from in order to pay your bills, seek professional advice before doing so.

In bankruptcy, these retirement plans are exempt and beyond the reach of creditors. If you take money out now, the money may no longer be exempt. Cashing

them out can also have tax consequences. The point is to make sure you understand the consequences of whatever you’re doing. Most financial decisions take careful planning, and this is the worst time to make irreversible mistakes.

Whether bankruptcy is good or bad for you requires a careful evaluation of your income, assets, and your ultimate objective in filing. If advisable for your situation, bankruptcy can provide tremendous relief and an opportunity to start a new life free from the stress and burden of debt. Everyone faces a financial hardship at some point in life. Don’t allow the negative opinions of others to stop you from doing what you must do to protect yourself and your family. Remember that bankruptcy is not inherently bad or good; it is only a tool that most people need for financial recovery when they are no longer able to help themselves.

For a free evaluation of your case, please call our office at Toll-Free 1-866-477-7772 to schedule a free consultation. Let us help you. *** NOTE: Due to the virus lockdown, I am currently offering consultations via phone or video. Please call the office to schedule your appointment with me.

Questions? Email me at gethelp@rjblawoffices.com. *** None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped over 5,000 clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call RJB Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1-866477-7772.

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Green card holders unable...

PAGE B4 was due to COVID-19. They can show that they were unable to return because there were no flights out of the country to the U.S., well-grounded fears of travelling, or that they have contracted COVID-19.

LPRs should also present evidence that they have maintained permanent resident status. The following are some of the evidence that the LPR did not abandon or relinquish his lawful permanent residence in the U.S.: (1) The LPR maintained residence through ownership of a home or renting of an apartment; (2) The LPR has financial ties to the U.S. as shown by maintaining bank accounts, credit cards and invest-

ments; (3) The LPR maintained and kept home or renter’s insurance, health insurance, and life insurance; (4) The LPR filed tax returns at U.S. address; (5) The LPR maintained and paid utility bills in his name; (6) The LPR maintained car ownership and valid U.S. driver’s license.

LPRs stranded abroad due to the pandemic should be able to overcome the hurdles of their long absence as long as they are prepared with documentation. They should bring copies of flight cancellations, doctor’s note, U.S. tax returns, lease contract or mortgage, evidence of employment, bank statements and credit card statements when travelling back to the U.S. after prolonged trip

abroad.

***

ATTY. RHEA SAMSON is the principal of SAMSON LAW FIRM, P.C. She has been a member of the State Bar of California for over 15 years and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines for over 20 years. Atty. Samson received her Legal Management degree from the Ateneo de Manila University and her Juris Doctor degree from the Ateneo Law School.

She was a Professor for over 10 years, teaching Obligations and Contracts, Labor Laws and Social Legislation and Taxation Law. Atty Samson is the author of The Law on Obligations and Contracts (2016), Working with Labor Laws-Revised Edition (2014) and Working with Labor Laws (2005).

SAMSON LAW FIRM, P.C., 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1710, Los Angeles, CA 90010; Phone: (213) 274-4561; Email: info@ samsonlawfirmpc.com.

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DEAR Attorney Tan, I recently married a U.S. Citizen, who is my second husband. He has filed an immigrant visa petition and green card application for me. My husband recently received from USCIS a Notice of Intent to Deny the petition that he filed on my behalf. The Notice indicated that the immigrant visa petition could not be approved since the USCIS had determined that I previously entered into a fraudulent marriage to get a green card several years ago. My ex-husband previously filed an immigrant petition on my behalf several years ago, which was denied since USCIS determined that I only married him to get a green card. My second husband and I truly love each other. What are my options? —In Love but Out of Status Dear In Love but Out of Status, Under INA Section 204(c), a person who “attempted or conspired to enter into a marriage” in order to receive permanent resident status in the U.S. is prohibited from obtaining USCIS approval of an immigrant visa petition. Simply stated, Section 204(c) prohibits approval of any immigrant visa petition if there has been a finding of “marriage fraud” in a prior marriage-based petition.

Based on the above law, your case seems at first glance like an “open-and-shut” case in favor of denial. However, you still have hope of getting a

The Prophetic Voice ReveRend Rodel G. BalaGtas IF there is one thing that the COVID-19 pandemic has made us do, it’s to spend more time in prayer. I know that this is true for me. Every day, even in the middle of the night, I would talk to God about my thoughts, fears, and innermost desires.

In my prayers, I would talk to him as a Father, who takes care of our needs and protects us. After all, he created us, and he wishes nothing to harm us. I would also speak to him as the Son, Jesus, who redeemed us and showed us the Father’s will.

And then, of course, I would call on him as the Holy Spirit to ask for the gifts of consolation, peace, faith, courage, wisdom, and strength.

Last Sunday, we celebrated the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. We remembered that we have a Triune God and a Trinitarian faith. At the beginning of every prayer, we invoke

Legal Advice atty. daRRiCk tan green card—a person can apply for and get his immigrant petition approved despite the prior finding of “marriage fraud” under certain circumstances.

You may ask, how is this possible? Isn’t Section 204(c) straightforward? Not quite. The answer lies in the fact that USCIS must independently examine the prior finding of “marriage fraud” in considering the subsequently filed immigrant visa petition.

Before invoking the Sec. 204(c) bar to approval of a subsequent visa petition, USCIS must make an independent determination of fraud based upon the record, including but not limited to any evidence gathered during adjudication of the prior visa petition, but may not parrot or rely on the conclusions made by other adjudicators. USCIS must have “substantial and probative” evidence of “marriage fraud.” Matter of Tawfik, 20 I. & N. Dec. 166, 168.

The determination is to be made by the USCIS district director while adjudicating the subsequent visa petition. Matter of Samsen, 15 I. & N. Dec. 28, 1974 WL 29995 (B.I.A. 1974). The district director should not give conclusive effect to the determinations made in the prior proceedings, but should reach his

The mysteries of our Catholic Christian faith the name of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

It’s how God chose to reveal himself to us in the Scriptures.

He is One God but Three Persons—one of the mysteries of our faith. We may not be able to explain this dogma thoroughly.

Still, it is how God communicated himself to us throughout the history of salvation.

This Sunday, we’re celebrating another mystery of our Catholic faith: our belief in the presence of Christ in Body and Blood. Although for other Christians, this is incomprehensible, we claim to understand it as Christ’s way of making himself present to us and continuously offering himself as the bread of eternal life.

Fr. John Kavanaugh, SJ says it right: “Corpus Christi, the body and blood of Christ, is the marriage of God and us. This union took place not only in the Incarnation; it is reenacted in our Eucharists, whereby Godi in Christ is made one with our very flesh, the living sign that

4 ways filing for divorce...

PAGE B4 you get married and cannot be reclaimed by a divorce. In theory, it can be argued that filing a subsequent petition after your divorce under the same category inherits the previous petition’s priority date under 9 FAM 42.43 N10 and 8 CFR 204.2(h), Part 205. However, success of such argument is not clear since the old petition was automatically revoked the moment you married. The best thing that can be done in this situation is to have your LPR parent repetition you as an F2A or F2b even if you are unable to reclaim the previous petition’s priority date.

3. Conditional Legal Permanent Residents in failed Marriages For those who obtained their legal permanent residence status through marriage based petition by their US Citizen spouse of less than 2 years marriage, the legal permanent residence status conferred is usually a “conditional legal permanent residence” valid only for 2 years. The couple would need to sign and file a joint petition to remove this condition prior to the expiration of the 2 years or the conditional legal permanent resident spouse would fall out of status.

The problem arises when the marriage is in trouble. Often it becomes difficult to obtain the cooperation of the US Citizen spouse specially when the couple has separated. US Citizen spouse often refuse to sign the I-751 for or appear at the I-751 interview if one is set by the USCIS. Filing for divorce would terminate the marriage and allow you to file a “waiver” of the joint petition to remove the conditional LPR status based on entering into the mar-

own independent conclusion based on the evidence actually before him. Matter of F-, 9 I. & N. Dec. 684 (BIA 1962).

Therefore, in cases such as yours in which the USCIS has indicated it intends to deny the subsequent immigrant visa petition due to the prior finding of “marriage fraud,” new evidence can be submitted that demonstrates that the prior finding of “marriage fraud” was incorrect—i.e., evidence that shows that the prior marriage petition was based on a bona fide marriage, or that explains that the prior denial was based on an incomplete or inaccurate assessment of the facts. In cases in which the subsequent immigrant visa petition has already been denied, this new evidence should be submitted as part of a motion to reconsider. I recommend that you seek an experienced attorney to assist you in properly presenting the law and facts to the USCIS adjudicator to address the Section 204(c) bar. *** 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 Philippine 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 (Advertising Supplement)

riage in good faith. Terminating the marriage by filing a divorce is a requirement in order to file the “waiver.” It is important to time this correctly as soon as the marriage starts falling apart because by terminating the marriage early on, you might be able to file the waiver before the expiration of your 2 year conditional LPR thus allowing you to extend your LPR status in 1 year increments until a final decision is made in your case.

4. Married Aliens in Non-Immigrant Visas and those without Status For those who enter the US as a non-immigrant and are separated from their spouse but still married, filing a divorce would open up opportunities in case they meet a new significant other who is a US Citizen and who can petition them as an immediate relative. This is usually the fastest of process in obtaining legal permanent residence. In countries such as the Philippines where there is no divorce, many people come to the US to start a new life after they have been separated from their old spouse (often still married to them). Even if the alien over stays their status as a visitor, the alien can still adjust to that of a legal permanent residence if petitioned by a US Citizen spouse. If the alien was never inspected, the alien can still adjust to legal permanent residence if they are grandfathered under INA 245(i) and there are no special restrictions on their status.

To be grandfathered under INA 245(i), the alien must have been a beneficiary of a legal permanent residence petition filed no later than April 30, 2001.

Finally, a common concern of divorcing immigrants is “What

God is with and for us now and always.” (The Word Embodied: Meditations on the Sunday Scriptures Orbis Books, Maryknoll, New York (1998), pp. 69-71) Now that we have reopened our Church, we thank God for this opportunity to go to Communion again. Although the pandemic has not allowed us to drink from the cup to receive the Blood of Christ, this does not mean that we don’t receive the person of Jesus fully. The host, what we call the bread, and the chalice of the Precious Blood, each in themselves, contain the totality of the glorified, resurrected Jesus Christ, body, blood, soul, and divinity.

We pray that this pandemic will end soon so that we can all come back to Mass to the Mysteries of our Faith that brings wholeness, peace, healing, strength, and wisdom. *** Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California. happens if my spouse refuses to sign the divorce papers?” The truth is you do not need your spouse’s signature to obtain a divorce in California. You only need to provide your spouse notice that you filed a divorce by personally serving your spouse the divorce petition and summons. In countries that are members of the Hague Convention, special procedures need to be followed to effect service. So yes it is possible to divorce your spouse even if your spouse is in a country that does not recognize divorce among its citizens such as the Philippines.

For some immigrants, filing for divorce opens up opportunities in this land of milk and honey. *** 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, APLC This article is not a solicitation. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes was President of the Philippine American Bar Association for 2005. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Mr. Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. 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, APLC is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com; visit at www.kenreyeslaw.com (Advertising Supplement)

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