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Volume 11 – Issue 34 • 16 Pages
JUNE 15-21, 2018
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Pres. Duterte urges Filipinos to be like DATELINE USA Alumni elect first Fil-Am heroes for ‘meaningful, lasting change’ member of Harvard FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
board of overseers
GERALDINE Acuña-Sunshine has been elected to Harvard University’s Board of Overseers, along with five others, the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA), announced. She is the first Filipina to be a member of the Board of Overseers Geraldine Acuña-Sunshine is the first The board is Filipina to be on Harvard’s Board of the university’s Overseers. Photo from Harvard.Edu second-highest governing body, which advises Harvard’s top administrators and its primary function “is to encourage the University to maintain the highest attainable standards as a place
by CATHERINE
S. VALENTE ManilaTimes.net
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, June 12, joined the nation in celebrating the country’s 120th anniversary of its independence, calling on Filipinos to emulate our heroes to bring “meaningful and last-
ing change” in the society. In his Independence Day message, Duterte said Filipinos should value the sacrifices of our heroes, saying “this historic day forms the foundation of the liberties we enjoy today.” “I join the Filipino people in celebrating the 120th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine In-
dependence… Through the patriotic fervor shown by our forefathers, we have freed ourselves from colonial subjugation and proved to the world that we stand united as the pioneer of republican democracy in Asia,” Duterte said. “May solidarity and heroism exhibited by our ancestors fuel our
desire to spur meaningful and lasting change in our communities as we collectively battle the social ills of corruption, illegal drugs and criminality that impede our progress as a nation,” he added. The president said the country’s journey to freedom was achieved
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‘PH-US alliance a model for peace in Asia’
WASHINGTON – The Philippine-U.S. relationship stands as a model for ensuring peace and stability across the IndoPacific and America is proud to call the Philippines a friend and ally, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. u PAGE A4 In a statement released in Washington on the eve of Philippine Independence Day, Pompeo congratulated Filipinos on the 120th anniversary of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Photo from State.gov their country’s independence proclamation. On this special occasion “we remember and honor our The Philippine Consulate General in New York hosted a national day celebration T h e s i g n e d on Tuesday, June 12 to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the declaration of proclamation by u enduring alliance,” Pompeo said. The alliance, Pompeo said, was “underpinned by a Philippine Independence. Photo shows Deputy Consul General Kerwin Tate (second New York State Governor shared history, rich people-to-people ties and a strong from left) receiving a proclamation signed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Andrew Cuomo. represented in the event by Aries dela Cruz (center), the governor’s Manhattan Regional Photo courtesy and growing spirit of cooperation on trade and secu- representative. Joining them were (from left) Consul Arman Talbo, Vice Consul Khrys of Aries dela Cruz TRUMP said Wednesday, June 13, that u PAGE A3 Corpuz and Vice Consul Tanya Ramiro. AJPress photo by Momar G. Visaya North Korea was no longer a nuclear threat, upon returning to Washington from his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that while there was still “a great deal of work to do”, the U.S. hopes to reach “major disarmament” within the next 2-½ years. by ANTHONY Q. ESGUERRA Arriving in Washington, Trump tweeted, ling the WPS),” Cayetano told reporters. by DAXIM LUCAS Inquirer.net In a text message, BSP Gover“Just landed — a long trip, but everybody Inquirer.net The Foreign Affairs chief assured the nor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said last can now feel much safer than the day I took FOREIGN Secretary Alan Peter Cayet- Filipino people that government forces are THE decision of the U.S. Fed- night’s move by the U.S. central office. There is no longer a Nuclear Threat ano slammed Senator Antonio Trillanes conducting patrols in the West Philippine eral Reserve to raise interest rates bank to hike its key Fed funds from North Korea.” IV and Magdalo Representative Gary Ale- Sea. In a following tweet, he lauded his meet- jano on Thursday for “endangering” the “I myself saw the pictures and reports on in the world’s largest economy rate by 25 basis points — which ing by tweeting: “Before taking office people country’s security when they alleged that the latest patrol. So I’m a hundred percent will weigh on the Bangko Sentral historically has the tendency to were assuming that we were going to War President Rodrigo Duterte has stopped the sure that what Congressman Gary Alejano ng Pilipinas’ own the upcoming weaken the peso by inducing indiscussions on whether it will vestors to shift their funds to dolwith North Korea. President Obama said patrols in the West Philippine Sea. is saying is a lie,” he said. that North Korea was our biggest and most Last week, Alejano said he received in- further tighten monetary policy lar-denominated assets — will “It is very irresponsible of Senator dangerous problem. No long - sleep well Trillanes and Congressman Alejano to say formation that the Duterte administration to combat stubbornly high local be “a relevant development to inflation. na walang patrol (that we stopped patrol-
North Korea ‘no longer a nuclear threat’, says Trump ‘Major disarmament’ goal by 2020, says Secretary of State Pompeo
Cayetano slams Trillanes, Alejano Fed hike to weigh on BSP for ‘endangering’ PH security policy as peso slips to P53.27
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PHILIPPINE GRADUATION IN NEW YORK
Honoring the accomplishments of Filipino, Fil-Am graduates THE Philippine Consulate General in New York (PCGNY) hosted the 6th Annual Philippine Graduation (PGRAD) last June 9 at the Philippine Center’s Kalayaan Hall. The PGRAD is one of the PCGNY’s legacy projects for the Filipino-American youth. Thirty one graduates of bachelors and masters degrees were part of PGRAD Class of 2018, finishing various programs in Social Studies, Law, Women’s Studies, Health and Medical Sciences, Media and Communications, Mathematics, and Information Technology. In his welcome remarks, Deputy Consul General Kerwin Tate congratulated the graduates and parents for their academic achievement, and wished them success in their professional and personal lives. The Class of 2018. Filipino and Filipino-American graduates of Bachelors and Masters degree celebrate as one community at the Philippine Graduation Opening Keynote Speaker Aries Dela Cruz, hosted by the Philippine Consulate General in New York.
PCGYNY photo
Manhattan Regional Representative for the Office of Governor Andrew Cuomo, impressed upon the newly graduates the value of edication to Filipinos, and the responsibility of having knowledge in our world today. He shared that every influential man or woman had one thing in their hands that changed the course of history. He urged everyone in the audience to use their degrees for purposes that embody their values. New York Assemblyman Brian Barnwell, represented at the event by Ms Erika Dioquino, relayed his congratulations to the celebrants, and recognized their contributions to New York, acknowleding that “a great state is only as good as its constituents.” During the intermission, City College of New York Baruch College’s Fusion Modern
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From the Front Page
Pres. Duterte urges Filipinos... PAGE A1
through the Filipinos’ sweat, blood, and the ultimate act of selfless sacrifice. “By cherishing the sovereignty that is borne out of the sweat and blood of our heroes, we stand firm and unwavering in our conviction to create a brighter and better future for all Filipinos-regardless of their status in life,” Duterte said. “Inspired by the sacrifices of those who have bravely stood before us, may we also find the courage to defend our cherished democratic ideals now and in
the years to come,” he added. Duterte on Tuesday, June 12, took part in the main Independence Day rites in Kawit, Cavite, where Philippine independence was first proclaimed in 1898. Last year, the president skipped the Independence Day rites at the Rizal Park, with his spokesman saying the Chief Executive was attending to the nation’s “challenges.” Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni Robredo” instead led last year’s Independence Day rites while Duterte was represented by Foreign Affairs Secretary
Alan Cayetano and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea. It could be recalled that Duterte had called off the hosting of the traditional Vin d’Honneur for the diplomatic corps at Malacañan Palace to attend to matters concerning Mindanao, which has been placed under martial law. It was June 12, 1898 when Philippines’ first president, General Emilio Aguinaldo, proclaimed the Philippines’s sovereignty at his ancestral home now known as the Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine. n
Cayetano slams Trillanes, Alejano for... PAGE A1 stopped the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from patrolling the disputed West Philippine Sea. But Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque belied Alejano’s claim, saying that “it’s impossible.” The AFP also denied re-
ceiving such an order from the Palace. To illustrate his point, the secretary, who is fond of using analogies, said that what Alejano and Trillanes did was like a bank telling everyone that they’ve shut down their security systems and dismissed its secu-
rity guards. “They endanger our security and standing sa dispute na ito,” Cayetano said. The Duterte ally also jeered Alejano, who earlier said he was running for the Senate in 2019, for using the issue in the South China Sea for political gains. n
Fed hike to weigh on BSP policy as peso... PAGE A1 consider when Monetary Board reviews the policy stance.” The BSP raised its overnight rates by 25 basis points last month in response to the spike in domestic prices of consumer goods and services that brought the inflation rate to a five-year high of 4.6 percent in May. Some market watchers and economists believe that another interest rate hike is needed to definitively address the inflation threat, but the central bank remains noncommittal to another round of policy tightening. The recent U.S. Fed rate hike, however, will provide the BSP additional impetus to hike rates to buttress the peso and, consequently, help contain inflation. “As a small, open economy, we can’t really be oblivious to Fed actions,” Espenilla said. On Thursday, June 14, the peso slipped to a fresh 12-year low of P53.27 to the dollar from the previous trading session’s close of P53.23. This was its weakest since June 29, 2006, when the currency hit P53.55 to a dollar.
On Thursday, June 14, the peso slipped to a fresh 12-year low of P53.27 to the dollar from the previous trading session’s close of P53.23. This was its weakest since June 29, 2006, when the currency hit P53.55 to a dollar. Inquirer.net photo
Total volume was heavy with $796.45 changing hands, compared to last Wednesday’s volume of $773.17 million. Market said the peso’s weakness was due to Thursday’s US rate hike and the weak trade data released by the government last week. Espenilla earlier said the policymaking Monetary Board “will be evaluating a very rich and broad range of information at its policy meeting next week.” “We’ll be examining closely all the potential drivers of future in-
flation through the various transmission channels as affected by global developments, expectations formation, and uncertainty,” he said. “It’s a fairly complex environment that we need to navigate.” The BSP will have its policysetting meeting on June 20. Last week, BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo’s statements that the country’s inflation rate was easing, based on the latest data, which showed monthon-month price increases moderating. n
HISTORIC HANDSHAKE. Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un made history Tuesday, June 12, becoming the first sitting U.S. and North Korean leaders to meet and shake hands, as they seek to end a tense decades-old nuclear stand-off. The two men strode toward each other and shared the momentous handshake beneath the white-washed walls of an upscale hotel in neutral Singapore, before sitting down for a half-day of meetings with major ramifications for the world. Photo courtesy of the Department of State
North Korea ‘no longer a nuclear threat... PAGE A1 tonight!” But Trump’s judgement of his meeting was countered by Democrat lawmakers who said North Korea should still be seen as a threat — arguing the agreement was short on detail. “One trip and it’s ‘mission accomplished,’ Mr. President?,” tweeted Rep. Adam B. Schiff (DCalif.), adding that North Korea was still in possession of its nuclear missiles and that the promise was still vague. “North Korea is a real and present threat. So is a dangerously naive president.” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), also highlighting North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles, said the U.S. was still in danger. “What planet is the president on?,” asked Schumer on the Senate floor. “Somehow President Trump thinks when he says something it becomes reality. If it were only that easy, only that simple.” But House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) said Wednesday that Trump deserves credit for the meeting which was the first to have happened between a North Korean leader and sitting U.S. president. “The status quo was not work-
ing with North Korea,” Ryan told reporters. “The president should be applauded for disrupting the status quo.” Acknowledging North Korea’s volatile past, he added that the U.S. should be “under no illusion of our experiences with North Korea” which he called a “terrible regime.” “They’ve done terrible things and they’ve been deceitful in the past,” said Ryan. “But it’s really important that we disrupt the status quo like the president has,” he added. He further said that he was “encouraged” by the denuclearization negotiations being done between North Korea and Pompeo, also adding that “We should be under no illusion that it’s going to be fast.” Trump and Kim at the Tuesday, June 12 meeting signed a broad statement calling for a “firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.” Trump described the meeting in earlier tweets as “an interesting and very positive experience.” While not much detail was provided for the denuclearization process, he said they were starting the process “very, very quickly.” One sudden step already taken
has been Trump’s announcement that the U.S. military would halt joint military exercises with South Korea which have taken place since the 1970s and have long aggravated North Korea. “We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money,” said Trump. “Plus I think it is very provocative. South Korean President Moon Jae-in — seemingly caught by surprise — responded by saying, “At this moment, we need to figure out President Trump’s accurate meaning and intention.” North Korea’s state-run media was quick to report on the meeting — hailing the summit a success. The nation’s Rodong Sinmun vaguely reported the nuclear dismantling process as a “stepby-step” process. Official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Kim saying “Singapore is clean and beautiful and every building is stylish as he heard of i the past, adding he is going to learn a lot from the good knowledge and experience of Singapore in various fields in the future.” Among the U.S. Delegation was Department of State Secretary Mike Pompeo; White House Chief of Staff, General John Kelly;
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Palace: Trump-Kim summit augurs well for peace, stability by Nestor
Corrales Inquirer.net
ThE historic summit between the United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “augurs well” for peace and stability in the region, Malacañang said on Wednesday, June 13. “We welcome the landmark summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore,” P re s i d e n t i a l S p o k e s p e r s o n
harry Roque said in a statement. “This development, which has underscored in the strongest terms the value of diplomacy and peaceful dialogue, augurs well for the peace, security and stability in the region and the world,” Roque added. Trump and Kim met in Singapore on Tuesday in what the U.S. leader described as a summit that helped bring back the world from a possible “nuclear catastrophe.”
Trump said there have been “lot of progress” after the talk as the two leaders signed a document, which has not been made public yet. Roque said the Philippines was ready to support outcome of the summit, saying it was “the beginning of a process.” “history has indeed been written. At the same time, this is but the beginning of a process. The Philippines is ready and willing to lend its support toward bringing it to fruition,” he said. n
MOA SIGNING. President Rodrigo Duterte witnesses the ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and state and local universities and colleges at the Malacañan Palace on Wednesday, June 13. The MOA is on the launching of the implementation of the Republic Act No. 10931 or the ‘Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.’ Joining the President are Albay Second District Representative Jose Salceda, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian and Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque. Malacañang photo by Rey Baniquet
Honoring the accomplishments of...
PAGE A1 Dance Group performed a pop number that energized the crowd. Achieving their dreams New York University graduate of Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy, Global Public health, and Sociology Janelle Micaela Panganiban was awarded a Special Personal Letter by Governor Cuomo and a Special Citation by Assemblyman Barnwell, after earning her Summa Cum Laude in all her programs. She is a member of the Gaddang indigeous tribe in Isabela, Philippines. Also among PGRAD’s Class of 2018 is Chiara Abaquin who graduated magna cum laude from Boston College – Lynch School of Education with a double major in Applied Psychology and Elementary Education. “I just wanted to learn as much as I could. I always did my best but it was not my end goal to be magna cum laude,” she shared. Chiara was presented with the Patricia M. Coyle Award, which is “given to the graduating senior in Elementary Education who is a clear thinker in her field, able to translate the theories of child development and learning into the practice of teaching young children with enthusiasm and love; a person who is a thoughtful, reflective teacher; perceptive and sensitive to the needs of the children.” The young educator has set her sights for the harvard Graduate School Education this August, for the intensive Master of Education program in Mind, Brain, and Education. Alongside the Coyle Award, she was granted the Matthew R. Copithorne Scholarship, presented to
graduates “exhibiting the qualities of character, industry, and intelligence who plan to do graduate study at harvard or MIT”. At the awarding ceremony, Chiara said she didn’t even which awards she won. “It was a real honor, everyone among my cohorts is competitive and they all come from different backgrounds. It is so nice to be given the privilege to be with them onstage and receive these awards,” she shared. Looking beyond 2019, Chiara is hoping to finish her masters program and gain teaching experience here in the United States before going back home to share everything that she has learned. “I was hoping to get into teaching here for a bit and get more into curricular work because the curriculum in Massachusetts is so strong. After a couple of years working here, I plan to go back to the Philippines,” she said. Chiara graduated at the top of the Multiple Intelligence International School (MIIS) Class of 2014, where she was an active member of the International Relations Organization, the fencing varsity team, and the MI Stage and public speaking club. She was also the Student Council Vice President, as well as the Team Captain for the Mathematics Teachers’ Association of the Philippines (MTAP) Math Challenge. her parents Ramon and Mary Joy Abaquin run the Quezon Citybased private school, which was founded in 1996. It is the first educational institution in the Philippines that has based its approach on the multiple
Chiara Abaquin (third from right) and her sister and parents Ramon and Mary Joy Abaquin at the Philippine Consulate in New York with Vice Consul Khrys Corpuz (left) and Cultural Officer Olivia Magpile (right). AJPress photo by Momar G. Visaya
Ms Janelle Panganiban receives a Special Letter from Governor Cuomo awarded by Manhattan Regional Representative Aries Dela Cruz. Photos courtesy of PCGNY
‘PH-US alliance a model for... PAGE A1
rity.” The Philippine embassy is holding an independence day reception on Tuesday, June 12, at the famously expensive Trump International hotel in downtown Washington. But the party might lose some
of its shine because of the U.S.North Korea summit in Singapore which has drained Washington of many top-level officials who could have been in attendance. The threat of demonstrations outside the hotel by opponents of President Duterte has also not helped any. n
intelligence framework of harvard-based cognitive psychologist, howard Gardner. The MI approach, which is implemented in the United States and other countries, backed by recent research on how children learn, is responsive to the needs of the 21st century. “Education is key to national development so that Filipinos have an option and they could be competitive globally,” Chiara’s mom Joy said. “The kids who come out of our school, their mindset is to go out and come back.” The school is one of only five international schools in in the Philippines accredited by the Council of International Schools. (Momar G. Visaya)
Google doodles ‘world renowned marine life’ in PH to commemorate Independence Day GOOGLE joined in the celebration of the 120th anniversary of Philippine independence with a doodle highlighting one of the country’s best known features – it’s “world renowned marine life.” The doodle shows sea creatures wrapped with the colors of the Philippine flag.
A click on the doodle will open search results for Philippine Independence Day. Google had previously doodled the jeepney, the “Bayanihan” (togetherness), and the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite to commemorate past Independence Day celebrations in the Philippines. (ManilaTimes.net)
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World newspaper group honors Ressa, 2 other women editors by AureA
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MONSOON SEASON. A man shields himself from the continuous rainfall brought about by the southwest monsoon at the Baywalk in Roxas Boulevard, Manila on Wednesday, June 13. PNA photo by Avito Dalan
North Korea ‘no longer a nuclear threat... PAGE A2
National Security Advisor, Ambassador John Bolton; Press Secretary Sarah Sanders; U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines, Sung Kim; and Deputy Assistant to the President for Asian Affairs, Matthew Pottinger. Rocky G7 Trump’s meeting with Kim followed what turned out to be a difficult G7 Summit in Quebec last Friday, June 8, where Trump met with group leaders of the six other industrialized nations. Amidst an ongoing trade war with allied nations, Trump threatened to stop trades with countries that did not remove tariffs on U.S. goods — a move he said was a “very profitable answer.” “We have a tremendous trade imbalance,” said Trump during a Saturday press conference following the G7. “With one country, we have $375 billion in trade deficits.” Trump has imposed tariffs on aluminum and steel from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union in recent weeks. Just days before the G7, Trump in a tweet, accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron of “charging the U.S. massive tariffs and creating nonmonetary barriers.” Further adding fuel to flame, Trump tweeted Saturday that he had instructed U.S. representatives not to endorse the G7 com-
munique that had been made out at the summit. This, after Trudeau said that Canada would go through with retaliatory tariffs on July 1. He said he told Trump that “it would be with regret but it would be with absolute clarity and firmness that we move forward with retaliatory measures on July 1, applying equivalent tariffs to the ones that the Americans have unjustly applied to us.” “Canadians, we’re polite, we’re reasonable, but we also will not be pushed around,” said Trudeau. Trump also at the G7, called for Russia to be readmitted into the G7, despite Russia’s occupation in Crimea. “I think it would be an asset to have Russia back in,” said Trump at a press conference at the summit. “I think it would be good for the world. I think it would be good for Russia. I think it would be good for the United States. I think it would be good for all of the countries of the current G7. I think the G8 would be better.” Formerly part of what was the G8, Russia was suspended from the group in 2014 as the majority of the group’s member countries united against its occupation of Crimea — the first breach of a European country’s borders since World War II. “I would say that the G8 is a more meaningful group than the G7, absolutely,” said the U.S.
president, blaming his predecessor for Crimea’s annexation. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that talks of letting Russia back in were not on the table. “We agree that a return by Russia to the G7 format cannot happen as long as there isn’t any substantial progress in regard to the problems with Ukraine. That was a common view,” said Merkel at a press conference Friday, June 8. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau echoed the consensus on Saturday, June 9 and said that Trump’s request was “not something we are even remotely looking at.” French President Emmanuel Macron said to journalists Saturday that Russia would be able to rejoin the summit if Moscow were to honor the Minsk agreements which were meant to end the crisis in Ukraine. “For four years, we have been saying we will extend again if and when the Minsk agreements are respected,” said Macron. “We will, but only when and if the Minsk agreements are respected. So it’s up to Russia now. As soon as the agreements are upheld, we will open the game. And that’s really my wish. I’d like to have a G8 in Beatrix next year and that will be because the Russians fulfill the conditions of the Minsk agreements.” (Rae Ann Varona/ AJPress)
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THREE women journalists from three different countries including the Philippines have been cited by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) for their contributions to press freedom and to their organizations in advancing journalism practice. Veteran media personality Maria Ressa, co-founder, chief executive officer and executive editor of online news site Rappler, was awarded the Golden Pen of Freedom while the Women in News Editorial Leadership Awards were given to Barbara Kaija, group editor-in-chief of New Vision Press and Publishing Company Ltd. in Uganda, and Noura al Hourani, lead Arabic editor at Syria Direct, a non-profit journalism organization that operates out of Jordan. The Golden Pen of Freedom is an annual award that recognizes the outstanding action, in writing or deed, of an individual, group or institution in the cause of press freedom, while the Women in News Editorial Leadership Award cites an exemplary contribution of an editor from Africa, the Middle East and North Africa to her newsroom and, under her helm, the contribution of her newspaper to society. The Golden Pen of Freedom award, given during the opening ceremony of the 70th World News Media Congress and 25th World Editors Forum on Wednesday, June 6, recognized Ressa’s unwavering commitment to the values of a free press as well as her determination to continue exposing stories of vital importance for democracy in the Philippines amid intense pressure and personal attacks from the government and its supporters. The Women in News Editorial Leadership Award, on the other hand, was given during the gala dinner on Thursday, June 7. In presenting the award to Ressa in front of over 700 publishers, CEOs and editors-in-chief from the global news industry, Dave Callaway, World Editors Forum president and editor and CEO of The Street, said, “We stand in solidarity with Maria Ressa and her news organization as they press on despite the challenges they have to face.” Callaway called on the Philippine government to “pause before it considers its next move” and “take stock of what its actions mean for the democratic future of the country and its millions of people.” “A free media is the sign of a strong, confident political system, one that trusts its people and has understood the electoral
Veteran media personality Maria Ressa, co-founder, chief executive officer and executive editor of online news site Rappler, was awarded the Golden Pen of Freedom while the Women in News Editorial Leadership Awards were given to Barbara Kaija, group editor-in-chief of New Vision Press and Publishing Company Ltd. in Uganda, and Noura al Hourani, lead Arabic editor at Syria Direct, a non-profit journalism organization that operates out of Jordan. Photo from www.wan-ifra.org
bargain. Encouraging criticism and participation ensures accountability, something President Duterte should understand,” Callaway said. “We hope the Golden Pen also deters those who seek to undermine media independence and the profession of journalism by showing the solidarity that the award represents. When all else fails, we should know that we have each other to rely upon if we are to continue making the kind of impact, breaking the sort of stories and shining our light into those dark corners in a way our communities have come to expect,” he added. In her acceptance speech, Ressa vowed to “hold the line” as she pointed out that “you don’t really know who you are until you’re forced to fight to defend it.” “Then every battle you win or lose, every compromise you choose to make or to walk away from, all these struggles define the values you live by and, ultimately, who you are. We at Rappler decided that when we look back at this moment a decade from now, we will have done everything we could: we did not duck, we did not hide,” she said. Rappler is currently facing legal cases related to ownership, taxes and even cyber-libel. Last January, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revoked Rappler’s license of incorporation, a decision the company continues to fight as it will lead to the shut down of the news site due to alleged foreign ownership. The laureates from Africa and the Middle East also had to deal with difficulties in pursuing their profession, including motherhood and other family duties, patriarchal culture and political turmoil, among others. “This acknowledgment by WAN-IFRA is recognition for all
women in the media in Africa.” “My win is a win for all women in the newsrooms at Vision Group and all women in the media in Uganda. I am humbled to join the few women laureates in newsrooms in Africa and I pray that this will grow into a large army and large voice for the voiceless in our society,” Kaija said. For her part, Al Hourani said: “Today, we must strive to empower women at all levels and ensure that they are properly represented in leadership roles –politically and professionally, especially in the Middle East. I am incredibly grateful to Syria Direct for providing me with my first opportunity to lead, and I want to thank WAN-IFRA for your support and encouragement for women to be role models.” WAN-IFRA, a global network of 3,000 news publishing companies and technology entrepreneurs with 80-member publisher associations representing 18,000 publications in 120 countries, works to protect the rights of journalists around the world to operate free media. It also provides professional services to help their businesses prosper in a digital world as well as perform their crucial roles in open societies. This year’s three-day congress, which concluded Friday, tackled gender issues or the need for balance in hiring men and women in the media but also having more female news sources being quoted, leadership and creative strategies for print, online and social media platforms, new trends, fighting mistrust and misinformation as well as safety and security of journalists around the world. During the Women in News Summit, men and women leaders from the US, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia shared programs and ideas to ensure gender equality in newsrooms. n
US wary of taking arms against China’s domination — study by PAtriCiA lourdes Philstar.com
VirAy
CHINA’S expanding militarization in the South China Sea might complicate the ability of the United States to fulfill its treaty obligations with its allies in the region, including the Philippines. According to a study published by the U.S. Congressional Research Service titled “Maritime Territorial and Exclusive Economic Zone Disputes Involving China: Issues for Congress,” Beijing’s control over the East China Sea and South China Sea could have implications for security in the Asia Pacific. The U.S. and the Philippines have been treaty allies since 1951 after signing a Mutual Defense Treaty. The U.S. congressional study noted that China’s domination in the region would complicate the ability of the U.S. to operate its forces in the Western Pacific. U.S. forces currently operate in the region to maintain regional stability, conduct engagement and partner-building operations, respond to crises and execute war plans. “Developments such as these could in turn encourage countries in the region to reexamine their own defense programs and foreign policies, potentially leading to a further change in the
region’s structure,” the report read. This pronouncement comes should crisis or conflict arise between China and Taiwan or other U.S. allies such as Japan, South Korea and the Philippines. The report also noted some observers’ conerns that China may be using the maritime disputes raise doubts among U.S. allies in the region over the dependability of Washington as an ally or partner. The U.S. congressional study also warned that Beijing may be driving a wedge between Washington and its regional allies and partners “to weaken U.S.-led regional security architecture and thereby facilitate greater Chinese influence over the region.” Beijing, on the other hand, has been insisting that its military installations on man-made islands in the South China Sea are not directed to any country. In the past months, China has deployed anti-cruise ship missiles, surface-to-air missile systems and electronic jamming equipment on its bases in the Spratly Islands. Beijing had also landed a nuclear-capable bomber on Paracel Islands, its largest outpost in the Paracel Islands. This has pushed the US to disinvite China from the Rim of the Pacific Exercises, the largest multinational maritime exercise.
Beijing has since called out Washington for “playing up” the maritime dispute over the South China Sea. “We urge certain people in the U.S. to give up all the meaningless hyping up surrounding the situation and do more in a responsible way to enhance trust and cooperation between regional countries and promote regional peace and stability,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. Meanwhile, European countries have started to assert freedom of navigation and challenge China’s increasing militarization in the disputed waterway. During the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore earlier this month, France and the United Kingdom expressed commitment to continue to sail in the contested waters. In fact, France has sailed at least ships through the South China Sea last year, according to French Minister of Armed Forces Florence Parly. “We believe negotiations are the way to go. Meanwhile, we should be clear that the fait accompli is not a fait accepted,” Parly said in the defense and security summit. “Europeans have started to mobilize more widely in support of this endeavor... I believe we should broaden this effort even further,” she added. n
Alumni elect first Fil-Am member of Harvard... PAGE A1 of learning. [It] exerts broad influence over the University’s strategic direction, provides essential counsel to the University’s leadership on priorities and plans,” according to Harvard’s website. Acuña-Sunshine, ’92 cum laude and President of Sunshine Care Foundation for Neurological Care and Research, an international NGO that searches
for innovative ways of delivering health care to impoverished rural areas in the Philippines, and encouraging international collaboration in the fields of medicine, public health, and science to find the cure for rare neurodegenerative diseases. Acuña-Sunshine earned a bachelor’s degree in government studies at Harvard College and her master’s at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
The other elected members were Retired United States (US) Navy Vice Admiral Philip Hart Cullom, Md.; Boston Ballet Executive Director Meredith “Max” Hodges; Holland & Knight LLP Partner Marilyn Holifield; Intuit Inc. Executive Vice President Diego Rodriguez; and National Congress of American Indians Policy Research Center Director Yvette Roubideaux. n
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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 15-21, 2018
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Ombudsman probes Calida security firm’s contracts opment Corporation,” Nisperos said. She added that government SOLICITOR General Jose contracts worth P261.39 million Calida is facing an investigation have supposedly been awarded before the Office of the Om- to Visai. “The foregoing shows a clear budsman in connection with his family’s security agency that had conflict of interest,” Nisperos contracts with the government, said. Morales said the complaint is according to Ombudsman Conunder fact-finding investigation chita Carpio-Morales. “Ibig sabihin, kliyente mo ang NEDA dahil ikaw ay may security agency na nakipag-kontrata sa iyo and at the same time, kliyente mo ang NEDA dahil ikaw ang magre-represent sa kanya sa husgado or kaso na ilalahad sa iyo. So iyan ang tinitignan ng mga investigators [You mean, NEDA is your client because it has a contract with your security agency and at the same time, NEDA is your client because you will represent it in courts or in cases that it presents to you. So that is what investigators are looking at],” Morales told ABSCBN’s TV Patrol in an interview. NEDA is the National Economic and Development Authority. On May 10, private citizen Jocelyn Acosta-Nisperos filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against Calida. Nisperos alleged that, among others, the solicitor general violated Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees when he supposedly “failed to completely divest his business interests in his family corporation” upon assuming his post. She later filed a letter following up the Office of the Ombudsman’s action on the complaint. According to the letter, which was filed on June 1 and addressed to Morales, the 2016 General Information Sheet of Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency Inc. (Visai) supposedly showed that Calida owned 60 percent of its capital stock. “Visai then acts as the security agency of at least six [6] government agencies, namely the Department of Justice [to which the Office of the Solicitor General is attached], the House of Representatives, the National Economic and Development Authority, the National Anti-Poverty Commission, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation and the National Parks Develby Reina
TolenTino ManilaTimes.net
HOPING FOR A CATCH. Intermittent torrential rain did not deter this fisherman from trying his luck on Wednesday in Manila Bay. Days of downpour soaked Metro Manila and other areas in Luzon. ManilaTimes.net photo by DJ Diosina
IBP can’t seek reversal of Sereno ouster — Palace by alexis
RomeRo Philstar.com
MANILA — The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) has no legal standing to seek the reversal of the Supreme Court ruling ousting former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Malacañang said. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the IBP, the national organization of lawyers in the country, was not affected by the high court’s decision. “For now, a motion for reconsideration can be filed. But for me, they (IBP) do not have a standing because the one who was affected (by the ruling) is the chief justice,” Roque told staterun radio station Radyo Pilipinas. Roque said the IBP should just respect the decision of the SC, which marked the first time justices booted out a sitting chief justice. “I think the decision will not change. Lawyers, as officers of the court, should be the first ones to encourage the people to respect and not to question the decision of the highest court,” the presidential spokesman said. Last month, the SC, voting 86, invalidated the appointment of Sereno because of her failure to file about ten statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs). In its 153-page ruling written by Associate Justice Noel Tijam, the high court said Sereno is not eligible to become the
Former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno
Philstar.com photo
chief magistrate because of lack tice filed her SALNs “is undeniably a question of fact.” of integrity. Sen. Risa Hontiveros said The court acted on a quo warranto petition by the Office of the Sereno is seen as an asset to the Solicitor General, the govern- opposition even if she has yet to ment’s chief lawyer, but Presi- discuss the possibility of her rundent Duterte claimed to have no ning for the Senate next year. Speaking to reporters during involvement in the effort to unthe Independence Day gathering seat Sereno. Sereno claimed that the jus- of opposition-leaning Tindig Pilitices who backed the petition de- pinas, Hontiveros said they have stroyed the judiciary and violated not formally asked Sereno to join their oath to defend the Constitu- the opposition slate for the 2019 midterm elections. tion. “I think the focus of Tindig PilThe IBP has asked the SC to reverse its ruling, saying the high ipinas now is for her motion for court acted beyond its authority reconsideration on the quo warwhen it decided to remove Sere- ranto petition to be approved,” no. The group maintained that she said, referring to Sereno’s impeachment, a power vested in appeal on the SC decision that Congress, is the only means to ousted her. “If that will fail – hopefully not remove a sitting chief justice. IBP also argued that the SC is – then that will be the ripe monot a trier of facts and determin- ment for us to talk about other ing whether the former chief jus- plans,” she added. n
Concom proposes reelection for Duterte under federal setup seek reelection only if the new constitution will allow it. In the proposed provision for the executive branch, “both the president and vice president shall be eligible for reelection to one term.” Pimentel added there are proposals to give state employees who will be affected by the transition the option either to accept new assignments in new federated regions or opt for early retirement. The Concom is also discussing on how and when powers will be given to officials in the federated regions, including taxation issues in each region that will be created. Pimentel said they are proposing the creation of 18 federated regions, giving Negros Island a separate region. The Concom is set to discuss today the transitory provisions that will serve as the basis for Former senator and Concom member Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said they are now identifying the transition to the new constithe concerns that need to be threshed out in the transitory provisions, including the term tution under the federated govextension of the president. Philstar.com photo ernment. n said they are now identifying the concerns that need to be threshed out in the transitory provisions, MANILA — The consultative including the term extension of committee (Concom) has pro- the President. Pimentel also explained the posed to prohibit a term extension of President Duterte but prohibition of term extension wants to allow him to seek reelec- aims to allay fears over possible tion under a federal government. extension of the Duterte adminFormer senator and Concom istration as claimed by critics. Pimentel clarified Duterte can member Aquilino Pimentel Jr. by RobeRTzon
RamiRez
Philstar.com
Binay camp slams Ombudsman THE camp of former Vice President Jejomar Binay on Wednesday, June 13 slammed Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales for her decision not to pursue the cases filed against former lawmakers and government officials in connection with the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam. A few days ago, the Ombudsman said she will no longer be pursuing the cases against the previous administration who benefited from the PDAF scam. She justifies this by citing the alleged absence of evidence and lack of time, even if an affidavit has been signed by Janet Napoles naming these high-profile allies and personalities. “It seems that the Ombudsman is no longer hiding her hypocrisy and double standard. But the Ombudsman can and will always find time against the former Vice President, even if the complaint lacks basis in fact,” Joey Salgado, Binay’s spokesman, said in a statement. “Clearly, the Ombudsman intends to spend her last days in office pursuing her personal and political agenda against former
VP Binay while being a true-blue Yellow protector to the end. It’s selective justice, pure and simple,” Salgado added. He issued the statement after the Office of the Ombudsman’s Field Investigation Office recommended the filing of graft charges against Binay and other individuals behind the sale of a property owned by the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. According to the Ombudsman, the FIO recommended the filing of charges for alleged violation of Sections 3(e) and (g) of the AntiGraft and Corrupt Practices Act against Binay, former Senior Vice President Wendel Avisado and former Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas executives Del de Guzman, J. Miguel de Jesus, Enrique Lagdameo, Pedro Destura, Dale Corvera, Maximo Edralin Jr., Remedios Petilla, Roberto Pagdanganan, Harmes Sembrano, Mildred Garay, Manuel Jose Dalipe, Leo Lasacar, Danilo Asiaten, Lutgardo Barbo, Jose Mari Pelaez, Ireneo Aquino, Jose Eduardo Delgado, Henry Dy, Jose Ma. Gastardo, Pepito Carpio, Nemesio Miranda Jr., Jaime Semana, Wilfredo
Chato, Alan Zulueta, Jorge Banal Sr., Efren Edgard Dieta, Rodolfo Tamani, Von Carlo Yacob, J. Rizal Pangilinan, Salud Bagalso, and Amado Espino Jr. Investigators also recommended the filing of charges against Alphaland Makati Place, Inc. President Mario Oreta and former Bureau of Internal Revenue officers Teodoro Galicia, Mark Anthony Panganiban, and Romeo Tomas. The Ombudsman said its investigators found that the BSP National Executive Board authorized on June 2, 2011 the sale of the property in Malugay Street, Makati City to AMPI for P600 million. The Ombudsman said the property was undervalued “considering that under the Omnibus Loan and Security Agreement between BSP and AMPI, the Malugay property was mortgaged for P1.7 billion.” The Ombudsman said former BIR officials certified that the sale was exempt from payment of capital gains tax, resulting in a P63million loss in tax collection for the government. (ManilaTimes. net)
and that “they’re still gathering documents.” Calida has explained that he resigned from Visai before his appointment as Solicitor General. Also in the complaint which she filed on May 10, Nisperos alleged that Calida “unconstitutionally instituted quo warranto PAGE A7
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JUNE 15-21, 2018 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL
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FEATURES
OPINION 120 years of independence THE country celebrated its Independence Day on Tuesday, June 12 as another country is occupying a Philippine reef, patrolling the Philippines’ maritime exclusive economic zone, and confiscating the catch of Filipinos fishing in a shoal within that EEZ. As part of its responses, the Philippine government even allows a Chinese military plane — possibly used to patrol the South China Sea — to refuel in Davao. This weakness aptly reflects the circumstances surrounding the event 120 years ago that is being celebrated today: the founders of the Philippine republic’s declaration of independence from foreign rule as an American naval armada sat in Manila Bay, while Spain was negotiating the sale of its colony to the United States for $20 million. For the next half-century, the Philippines would be a commonwealth under the U.S. Clearly, declaring independence must be supported by realities on the ground. Aside from political independence, a sovereign state must be able to protect that sovereignty by developing minimum
credible defense capability. While defense alliances are important, they should not mean dependence on others for one’s own defense. It’s a healthy foreign policy; even the country’s allies will appreciate it. The Duterte administration has issued statements in this direction, but it must be backed by the necessary resources. National defense — even minimum credible defense — does not come cheap. An independent foreign policy, backed by minimum credible defense capability, is best supported by a robust economy. China managed to become a 21st century military power because of its phenomenal economic growth within the past four decades. A prosperous state can afford to stand on its own feet, becoming as self-reliant as globalization will allow it, and undoubtedly independent. (Philstar.com)
Editorial
Philstar.com photo
Trumps attacks long-time US allies, praises and advocates adversaries and dictators nation’s history durI NEVER thought that ing 9/11. They sent one day would come The Fil-Am their own troops to when the leader of the offer their ultimate Free World, the bastion Perspective sacrifice when they of democracy, the dejoined the U.S. lead fender of human rights wars in Iraq and Afwould attack the allies ghanistan. of the United States, GEL SANTOS-RELOS Trump accused only to sing praises our allies of beand advocate for the cause of the very countries that attack ing unfair in their trade dealings with the United States’ democratic values, America, betrayed them by not honoring America’s commitment in the Paris institutions and processes. Well, it just happened. The 45th accord to protect the environment and president of the United States made it fight against global warming, would happen. Donald J. Trump made it hap- not work with our allies during the G-7 pen, and his loyal fans and political al- summit just before heading to Singapore, vowed to break away from the lies are cheering him on. Since the campaign and especially North American Free Trade Agreeafter becoming president, Trump es- ment (NAFTA), withdrew from the calated his attack against the allies of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). He the United States who have stood with spoke ill of the leaders of our allies, atus even during the darkest times of our tacking them personally.
But as Trump alienates the U.S. from the allies of the United States, he has become cozy with our adversaries and dictators who do not value democratic principles, human rights, and basic decency. Trump wouldn’t call out Russian President Vladimir Putin even after Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Elections and continued meddling in the 2018 and 2020 elections. It took him forever to impose new sanctions for Russia’s meddling not only in our elections but also in our power grids. He would hail Putin for being a strong leader and would want to nurture a relationship with our number one political foe. And, he even advocated to include Putin back in the G-7 group despite the sanctions! During the campaign, Trump would lambast China for bad business prac-
tices, currency manipulation, etc., but when elected, he invited President Xi JinPing to Maralago and bonded with him, and even expressed that maybe America should emulate China’s ending term limits for president. Then, he lifted sanctions against Chinese company ZTE to “help save jobs for China”. And just last June 12, six months after his kindergarten playground fire and fury war of words against North Korean President Kim Jong-un, Trump legitimized the young dictator by meeting with him in Singapore for the historic summit, the first time a sitting U.S. president met and shook hands with the North Korean dictator. He sung praises for Kim and honored him without getting much in return for the U.S. other than to talk about the promised denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, without details about time
frame and measure of compliance and fulfillment of such promise. Don’t get me wrong. I am very much for peace talks. BUT what is really troubling here is the kind of diplomacy and international relations Trump has been breaking and forging, and the true spirit behind these actions. Could Trump supporters please make sense of this? How would this help the United States of America? How would these help American workers, farmers and manufacturers? How would these actions help our economy? How would these actions earn the respect of the world for America? *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www. facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
Will there be war with China? Let’s hope not
Opinion
RICARDO SALUDO RECENTLY, two defense experts from opposite sides of the world spoke of war with China. In Washington, Admiral Philip Davidson, the new chief of the Pacific Command in Hawaii, wrote to the U.S. Congress that with its three man-made islands in the Spratlys, “China is now capable of controlling the South China Sea in all scenarios short of war with the United States.” Then, in Manila, Arroyo-era Defense Secretary and National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales raised the possibility of Chinese invasion. “China does not have a history of invading other countries, but it is not averse to using military might to settle territorial conflicts,” he wrote to Rappler. “A Chinese invasion is not unthinkable.” Gonzales cites a possible Beijing concern over President Rodrigo Duterte ending his term in 2022, which may then lead to a new leadership hostile to China. If there were an invasion, he predicted that “within hours, the Chinese can destroy most of the country’s defense facilities and probably some of our cities.” Let’s assess these comments and see if they hold water. Today, we look at the invasion scenario, and next Tuesday, war prospects in Asia. In this assessment, it’s crucial to set aside biases and leanings for or against certain countries, so one can coldly weigh the geopolitical, security, and other factors in play.
Will the Chinese invade? Gonzales cited Beijing’s fear of Duterte’s successor reversing his friendship with China. Can it happen? Well, it did when thenPresident Benigno Aquino 3rd ended his predecessor Gloria Arroyo’s cordial relations with Beijing. Arroyo had eased tensions by, among other things, quietly dealing with Chinese fishermen caught in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. But Aquino did the opposite, sending a navy frigate to arrest Chinese fishermen in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, which he lost in the ensuring confrontation with China in April 2012. To counter Chinese encroachment, Aquino forged the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) in 2014, to escalate American military deployment in the country, and give U.S. forces access to our bases. President Duterte has stalled EDCA implementation, rightly fearing that U.S. forces in the country would attract foreign attack. Indeed, if America had facilities in the archipelago, they would have been threatened by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in his 2016-2017 brinkmanship with the U.S. over his nuclear and ballistic weapons. The Philippine threat to China So, will China invade if it looks like the next administration would revive EDCA and allow the Philippines to become a platform for the 60 percent of U.S. naval assets Washington wants to move to the region under its Pivot to Asia policy? From our country, nuclearcapable cruise missiles can strike most of China and all of
the South China Sea, where vital commodities pass, including 80 percent of Chinese oil imports. Indeed, fear of the U.S. military buildup in the Philippines probably led the People’s Liberation Army to turn reefs into man-made islands ready for PLA use. That the U.S. aims to use Philippine bases in conflicts elsewhere in Asia can be gleaned from its first EDCA facility at the Cesar Basa Air Base in Pampanga, closest to potential flashpoints in Korea, Taiwan, and the Senkaku/Diaoyutai islands, held by Japan but also claimed by China. The Pampanga facility is not as helpful as other bases earmarked under EDCA, especially where the Philippines needs U.S. assistance most: maritime frictions in the Spratlys, to which the Puerto Princesa air base is closest; and disaster relief in the Visayas and Mindanao, where Cebu and Cagayan de Oro are best situated. If EDCA can provoke Chinese attack, why doesn’t President Duterte abrogate it? He can do that on his own, since EDCA is not a treaty, but an executive agreement, as the Supreme Court had long affirmed. Maybe Duterte is keeping EDCA as an option, even allowing some construction, to serve notice he can let U.S. forces in if the Chinese move too aggressively. For now, though, China relations are solid, while EDCA is stalled. Attack, maybe; invasion, no But if the Philippines does let U.S. forces deploy massively, China will respond. For starters, there will be warnings about harboring forces threatening China. Economic pressure comes next.
The Philippines recently filed a protest against the reported taking by Chinese coast guard of the catch of Filipino fishermen on Scarborough Shoal if the incident is “established,” a spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte said on Friday, June 8. Philstar.com photo
Chinese aid, credit, and investment will dry up, and trade restrictions will multiply. So might curbs on overseas Filipino workers, including more than 120,000 in Hong Kong. The PLA can escalate deployment in waters around the Philippines, even the Pacific, including Philippine Rise. Meanwhile, cooperation on such concerns as drugs, transnational crime, and piracy might grind to a halt. And China’s immense diplomatic clout, as the leading trading partner and funding source of most nations, could further put the squeeze on the Philippines. This scenario is not specu-
lation; the U.S. did worse to Cuba for half a century after the island nearly hosted Russian nuclear missiles in 1962. Don’t expect easier treatment if we bring in American forces capable of nuking China and blocking its access to oil and gas — a war strategy urged by the 2016 U.S. Army-sponsored RAND think-tank report, “War with China: Thinking Through the Unthinkable.” The report also warned that primary wartime targets would be American aircraft carriers and air bases in Asia. That would include facilities in Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Puerto Princesa, Basa Air Base, and Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Eci-
ja, if EDCA goes ahead. Will Beijing mount an invasion, too, as Washington tried but failed in Cuba? No, mainly because America and its allies would wage full-scale war to prevent the Philippines falling into China’s hands and becoming its regional military platform. Against Western and Japanese naval and air forces, any invading force would be crushed even before it landed. Given the foregoing scenario, the Philippines must keep foreign forces out, enhance ties with all powers, and build our own defense capabilities. Exactly what President Duterte is doing. (ManilaTimes.net)
The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal.
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NEW MACTAN-CEBU TERMINAL TO BOOST TOURISM
PH opens ‘awesome’ international airport by Ralph
VillanueVa ManilaTimes.net
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, June 7, inaugurated the Terminal 2 of the Mactan Cebu International Airport in Cebu City, which the Department of Transportation plans to transform into the “world’s friendliest airport.â€? The 65,500-square meter terminal increases the airport’s passenger capacity to 12.5 million. The president admitted the airport was awesome. “It is exciting to see that we have come this far in letting our kababayans and visitors see and experience real and lasting change. As one of the finest airports in Asia, this facility showcases the best of what the Philippines has to offer,â€? Duterte said in his speech during the inauguration event. “I was awed when I started to walk towards this place. The airport is very beautiful. I am jealous because I was mayor of Davao for 23 years, I suppose that I’d also like the DavaoeĂąos to enjoy an airport as beautiful as what you have here,â€? he said in his speech. The Mactan-Cebu International Airport is the second largest airport in the country and one of the busiest. Terminal 2 is part of the Duterte administration’s Build, Build, Build infrastructure program. “The construction of this world-class transportation facility shows that government and our private sector partners are committed to provide our people with the necessary infrastructure
President Rodrigo Duterte takes a tour inside the Mactan-Cebu-International Airport (MCIA) Terminal 2 during its inauguration in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu on Thursday, June 7. MalacaĂąang photo by Ace Morandante
that enable them to live more comfortable, productive and meaningful lives,� Duterte said. Saying the airport is a “catalyst for inclusive countryside development,� the president commended the Department of Transportation, Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority and the GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. for the construction of the new terminal. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the new terminal would boost Cebu’s potential in improving the economy. “Cebu plays a very strategic role in our development efforts. Our National Tourism Development Plan of 2016 to 2022 recognizes it as a top destination and valuable international gateway. Now more than ever, Cebu will continue to help the country provide greater access to markets and promote seamless travel,� Puyat said also on Thursday. “Our national target of 12-million inbound visitors and 89.2 do-
mestic travelers in 2022 are now within closer reach as we move to upgrade gateways develop more destinations and uphold international domestic standards,� she added. Terminal 2 has an architectural design inspired by Cebu’s island heritage. The new terminal is expected to transform MCIA into a world-class facility and resort gateway. Construction of the P17.5-billion project started in June 2015. “For the past two years, MCIA’s demand has exceeded the physical capacity of its terminal. With the addition of Terminal 2, not only will we be able to sustainably cope with the steadily increasing number of passengers, we will also be able to open Cebu to more international flights,� airport president Louie Ferrer said. Ferdinand Pecson, executive director of the PPP Center, said passengers can expect quality service. n
Ombudsman probes Calida security firm’s contracts PAGE A5
proceedings against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno despite the express mandate under Article XI, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution that an impeachable officer can only be removed through impeachment, then refused to institute a similar quo warranto case against Associate Justice Teresita LeonardoDe Castro for the same grounds used against the Chief Justice.� She earlier asked Calida to file a quo warranto petition against de Castro. Calida denied the request.
On May 11, voting 8-6, the Supreme Court granted Calida’s petition for quo warranto, ousting Sereno as chief justice. “By filing the baseless and illegal quo warranto petition with the Supreme Court, respondent is inducing the Supreme Court to sustain an illegal act and a violation of the Constitution. Respondent is therefore guilty of Section 3[a]of RA 3019,� Nisperos said in the complaint. RA 3019 is the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. This law’s Section 3(a) prohibits a public officer from per-
suading, inducing or influencing another public officer to perform an act constituting a violation of rules and regulations duly promulgated by competent authority. Nisperos also accused Calida of malversation, alleging that he diverted P1.8 million in public funds to a person with whom he allegedly had “an illicit relationshaip.â€? She further accused him of violating Article 208 of the Revised Penal Code as she alleged that he “has exhibited total bias in favor of the Marcoses‌â€? n
FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS Madaba,Mt Nebo,Petra,Aqaba,Jordan
(Tiberias, Ceasarea, Haifa, Meggido,Magdala, Nazareth, Cana, Mt Carmel, Capernaum, Mt Beatitude, Jericho, Bethany, Mt.Tabor, Mount Zion, Mt. of Olives, Old & New Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Qumran, Masada Dead Sea,Allenby Bridge, Madaba, Mt Nebo Petra, Aqaba Jordan)
NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 15-21, 2018
Golez, former national security adviser; 71 by FRances
Mangosing Inquirer.net
FORMER National Security Adviser Roilo Golez spent his last hours on Monday, June 11, defending the Philippines’ sovereignty in the South China Sea. In an interview on dzRH radio early on Monday, which he also posted live on his Facebook page, Golez, a former Philippine Navy officer and member of the House of Representatives, urged the Duterte administration to be transparent in its dealings with China, following a series of aggressive moves by Beijing in the South China Sea, including deploying weapons on reefs claimed by Manila in the Spratly Islands and landing long-range bombers on Woody Island in the Paracel archipelago, from where the country is within the planes’ fighting range. Golez also spoke about the Filipinos’ concerns over the landing of a People’s Liberation Army Air Force transport plane last week in Davao City, President Duterte’s hometown. ABS-CBN said ANC was supposed to interview Golez early Monday about the South China
Oct 19, 2018 (Fri) Day 2 – Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv/ Tiberias Ćž "/ 4" )" / **&$/ 1&,+ +! 201,*0Çž 4" 4&)) *""1 ,2/ ), ) $2&!"Çž 4%, 4&)) " 4&1% 20 !2/&+$ ,2/ 01 6 &+ ,)6 +!Ç˝ "+',6 1%" - +,/ *& 3&"4 ,# 1%" "!&1"// +" +Ç˝ " 4&)) 0-"+! ,2/ Ćœ /01 +&$%1 in Tiberias. Dinner and overnight (D). Beach Holy Eucharist Oct 20, 2018 (Sat) Day 3 – Tiberias/ Meggido/ Nazareth/ Cana/ Mt Tabor We will have short stop in Meggido and the Plains of We will have short stop in Meggido and the Plains of Armageddon, known in Hebrew as Meggido, a giant fortress and City built by King Solomon.
+ 1%" "4 "01 *"+1 ,,( ,# "3") 1&,+Çž &1 &0 /"#"//"! 0 1%" 0&1"0 ,# 1%" ČŠĆœ + ) 11)"Č‹Ç˝ /,* 1%"/"Çž 4" 4&)) ,+1&+2" ,2/ !/&3" &+1, Nazareth, where we will have Mass in the Church of the Annunciation ,the Cave of the Annunciation and and visit Joseph’s Work0%,- +! %"+ 4" 4&)) *,3" ,+ 1, + ,# )&)""Çž 4%"/" 2/ ,/! -"/#,/*"! &0 Ćœ /01 *&/ )"Çż % +$&+$ 4 1"/ &+1, 4&+" 1 1%" 4"!Č’ ding feast. We will invite couples to Bless their marriage vows,Con1&+2" 1, ,2+1 ,/ Çž0&1" ,# "020 / +0Ćœ $2/ 1&,+Ç˝ Ćž "/4 /!Çž 4" will head to Tiberias. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias. (B/D). Oct 21, 2018 (Sun) Day 4 – Tiberias/Mount Beatitude/ Multiplication / Primacy/ Capernum/Boat Ride “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heavenâ€? Early AM departures to Mt. Beatitude Drive up to Mount Beatitudes, visit the site of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus preached to the people., Eucharistic Celebration . "+',6 0 "+& , 1 /&!" /,00 1%" " ,# )&)"" 1, -"/+ 2*Çž %,*" ,# 2/ ,/! !2/&+$ %&0 *&+&01/6Ç˝ Ćž "/ 3&0&1&+$ 1%" 6+ $,$2" where he taught, proceed to Tabgha, the site of the miracle of the ), 3"0 +! Ćœ 0%"0Ç˝ %"+ 1, 1%" %2/ % /&* 6 ,# 1 "1"/0Ç˝ Č› Çž Čœ Oct 22, 2018 (Mon) Day 5 – Magdala 2)) ! 6 /"1/" 1Çž , 20 4&)) + )2!" -/,$/ *0 0"! ,+ 1%" %&01,/&Č’ ) +! ")&$&,20 3 )2" ,# 1%" $! ) 0&1"0 More info coming up as we get closer to the dates Çž 0/ ") Č” Ç—Ç•Ç•Çž &0 ,3"/&"0 #/,* +"4 / % ",),$& ) !&$ are creating excitement in the area where Jesus began his ministry. The village is called Magdala (Migdal in Hebrew), and it’s the %,*" ,# /6 $! )"+"ǽȋ %" )&3"! %"/" +! 0%" *"1 "020 %"/" and she continued with Him. Yes, it’s that place The most important discovery in Magdala has been a synagogue dating back to the 1&*" ,# "020Ç˝ ,/!&+$ 1, / % ",),$&010Çž &1ȉ0 1%" Ćœ /01 ,+" !&0 ,3Č’ "/"! &+ 1%" )&)""Ç˝ Oct 23, 2018 (Tues) Day 6 – Jordan Valley/ Jericho/ Bethany/ Jerusalem Mass at the Church in Bethany Ćž "/ /" (# 01Çž 4" %" ! 1, "/& %,Çž 1%" ,)!"01 &+% &1"! &16 &+ 1%" 4,/)!Ç˝ &"4 1%" ,2+1 ,# "*-1 1&,+Çž 4%"/" "020 0-"+1 ǙǕ days fasting in the desert. We will visit the ancient ruins of the wall. We will continue to Bethany and will have mass to celebrate Holy 2 % /&01 1 1%" %2/ % ,# 1Ç˝ 7 /20Ç˝ %"+ 4" 4&)) 3&0&1 1%" -Č’ 1&0* ) 0&1" &+ &3"/ ,/! +Ç˝ -,+ //&3 ) &+ ,2+1 ,-20 *" +&+$ Mount of the Watchmen/Sentinels, is a mountain in northeast Je/20 )"*Ç˝ +',6 1%" Ćœ /01 3&"4 ,# "/20 )"*Ç˝ Ćž "/ 1%" ! 6ȉ0 1,2/Çž 4" will check in at our hotel in Jerusalem (B/D) Oct 24, 2018 (Wed) Day 7 – Jerusalem (Old City)/ Via Dolorosa/ Mount Zion Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher “And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place ,# 0(2))Çž 4%& % &0 ))"! &+ 1%" " /"4 ,)$,1% ǽȋ Č› ,%+ Ç–ÇžÇżÇ–ÇœČœ We will enter the Old City of Jerusalem and will follow the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) and say the Station of the Cross to the holiest shrine in Christendom, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, 3&0&1 ,)$,1% +! 1%" ,* ,# 2/ ,/!Ç˝ Ćž "/ * 00Çž 4" /"12/+ 1, the hotel for breakfast. Ćž "/ /" (# 01Çž 4" 4&)) "+1"/ 1%" )! &16Çž 0&+$ %6*+ &+ 1%" Church of St. Anne and view the Pool of Bethesda. Then we will 3&0&1 1%" % -") ,# ) $")) 1&,+Çž &1%,01/ 1,0 Č›4%"/" 1%" 0,)!&"/0 -) 6"! 1%" *" ,# &+$0Čœ +! 1%" / % ,# 1%" ČŠ " ,*,Č‹Ç˝ Dinner/Overnight
Oct 25, 2018 (Thurs) Day 8 – Jerusalem Mass at the Holy Eucharist Church of St Peter in Gallicantu ČŠ %" ,/! " *" Ć? "0% +! !4")1 *,+$ 20ǽǽǽȋ Č› ,%+ Ç–ÇżÇ–Ç™Čœ " 4&)) 4 )( 1, 3&"4 1%" ,*" ,# 1%" , ( #/,* 1%" ,210&!"Çž +! visit the Western Wall,( Wailing Wall ) the only part of the Herodian Temple still standing and the most sacred place in the world for "40Ç˝ %"+Çž 4" 4&)) !/&3" 1, 1Ç˝ &,+Çž 1, 3&0&1 1%" --"/ ,,*Çž /"Č’ 3"/"! 0 1%" 0&1" ,# 1%" 01 2--"/Çž 1%"+ 02/3"6 1%" ,/*&1&,+ "6Çž +! 1%" %2/ % ,# 1Ç˝ "1"/ &+ ))& +12Çž %" 0&1" 4%"/" "1"/ !"+&"! "020 1%/"" 1&*"0Ç˝ Ćž "/ 1%" ! 6ȉ0 1,2/Çž we will return to our hotel for dinner and overnight. Jerusalem (B, D) Oct 26, 2018 (Fri) Day 9 – Mount of Olives/ Gethsemane/ Bethlehem/ Jerusalem (New City)/ Ein Karem Mass at the Church of Nativity ČŠ *,2+1 &+ ,# ,!Çž /" "&3" *"Çž *,1%"/Çž 4&1% *6 %&)!ǽȋ Č› /,1,Č’ "3 +$")&2* ,# *"0 Ç—Ç—ÇżÇ˜Čœ " 4&)) //&3" 1 1%" ,2+1 ,# )&3"0Çž 1, "+',6 +,1%"/ 3&"4 ,# "/2Č’ salem, visit the Chapel of Ascension, Pater Noster Church and the ,*&+20 )"3&1 țȊ ,! 4"-1Č‹Čœ 0 + 12 /6Ç˝ "51Çž 4"ȉ)) 4 )( 1%" )* 2+! 6 , ! 1, 1%" /!"+ ,# "1%0"* +"Çž +! 3&0&1 1%" , ( ,# $,+6 +! 1%" %2/ % ,# )) 1&,+0Ç˝ + 1%" Ćž "/+,,+Çž 4"ȉ)) !/&3" to Bethlehem, a city whose name is recognized around the world. Ćž "/ ")" / 1&+$ 00 1 1%" %2/ % ,# 1&3&16Çž 4" 4&)) 0"" 1%" +$"/Č€ 3&0&1 1%" %2/ % ,# 1Ç˝ 1%"/&+"Çž 1%" /,11, ,# 1Ç˝ "/,*" +! 1%" %"-%"/!0ȉ &")!0Ç˝ Then we will return to Jerusalem (New City), to view the Temple Model to see how it looked during the time of Jesus. Here, we will gain a better understanding between the old and new cities of "/20 )"*Ç˝ - +"51 &0 1/&- 1, &+ /"*Çž &/1%-) " ,# 1Ç˝ ,%+ the Baptist, to see the Visitation Church, where Mary proclaimed %"/ # *,20 ČŠ $+&Ćœ 1Č‹Ç˝ " 4&)) "+! ,2/ ! 6 6 /"12/+&+$ 1, ,2/ Hotel. (B/D) Oct 27, 2018 (Sat) Day 10 – Jerusalem/ Dead Sea/ Qumran/ Masada Mass at the Church of all Nations Ćž "/ /" (# 01Çž 4" 4&)) ")" / 1" * 00 1 1%" %2/ % ,# )) 1&,+0 and then we will drive to Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth. Visit Qumran; see the caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered. Continue to Masada, visit Herod’s fortress and the Jew’s last 01/,+$%,)! $ &+01 1%" ,* +Ç˝ "12/+ 1, "/20 )"* #,/ !&++"/ and Overnight (B, D) Oct 28, 2018,(Sun) Day 11 – Jerusalem/ Allenby Bridge/ Madaba /Jordan/ Mt. Nebo/ Aqaba Mass at Mount Nebo On this day, we head to Allenby Bridge and cross into Jordan. We 4&)) $, 1, 1%" -1&0* ) &1" 1 "1% +6Çž 4%& % ,-" ,%+ 2)
3&0&1"! &+ Ç—Ç•Ç•Ç•Ç˝ %"+Çž &1ȉ0 ,+ 1, ,2+1 " ,Çž 4%"/" ,0"0 3&"4"! 1%" /,*&0"! +!Ç˝ 2/ +"51 01,- 4&)) " 1%" %2/ % ,# 1Ç˝ ",/$" &+ ! Çž 4%& % %,010 1%" # *,20 *,0 & * - ,# 1%" ,)6 +!Ç˝ Then we will drive down to Aqaba. Overnight in Aqaba (B/D). Mov"+-& ( "0,/1 Ç” "0&!"+ "Ç˝ Oct 29, 2018 (Mon) Day 12 – Aqaba/Petra Mass at Stella Maris Church – Aqaba Ćž "/ /" (# 01Çž 4" 4&)) ',2/+"6 1%/,2$% 1%" &.Çž 2+1&) 4" $"1 ,2/ Ćœ /01 $)&*-0" ,# 1%" % 7+"% Č› /" 02/6ČœÇ˝ %"+ 4&)) 4" 4 )( !,4+ 1, visit the Temple and view the many caves all around the Theater. At the end of the tour, we will drive back to Aqaba for overnight and !&++"/ Č› ČĄ ČœÇ˝ ,3"+-& ( "0,/1 Ç” "0&!"+ " Oct 30, 2018 (Tues) Day 13 – Aqaba/ Jerusalem We Cross the Jordanian Border to return to Jerusalem. Dinner/ Overnight Oct 31, 2018 (Wed) Day 14 – Jerusalem /Yad Vashem Museum/ TLV/ LAX Ćž "/ /" (# 01Çž 4" 4&)) 3&0&1 1%" ! 0%"* 20"2*Çž&0 0/ ")ȉ0 ,Ć› & & ) *"*,/& ) 1, 1%" 3& 1&*0 ,# 1%" ,), 201Ç˝ 1 &0 !"!& 1"! to preserving the memory of the dead; honoring Jews who fought $ &+01 1%"&/ 7& ,--/"00,/0 +! "+1&)"0 4%, 0")Ć? "00)6 &!"! Jews in need; and researching the phenomenon of the Holocaust in particular and genocide in general, with the aim of avoiding 02 % "3"+10 &+ 1%" #212/"Ç˝ Ćž "/ 1%" "01"/+ ))Çž ! 0%"* &0 1%" 0" ,+!Č’*,01Č’3&0&1"! 0/ ")& 1,2/&01 0&1"Ç˝ "12/+ 1, 1%" %,1") #,/ )2+ % +! /") 5 1&,+ &+ -/"- / 1&,+ #,/ ,2/ /"12/+ Ć? &$%1 ( 1, 1%" Ćž "/ !&++"/ 4&)) " 1/ +0#"//"! 1, 1%" &/-,/1 #,/ ǖǿǕǕ * )&$%1 ,3 ǖǞǗǕǖÇ? Č› %2/0! 6Čœ
Former National Security Adviser Roilo Golez Inquirer.net photo
Sea dispute, but the interview fell through because Golez “felt unwell.â€? Golez died hours later, according to his son, ParaĂąaque Vice Mayor Rico Golez. He was 71. True patriot “We lost a true patriot. He was an indefatigable defender of the West Philippine Sea,â€? acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio said in a text message, using the local name of the waters within the Philippines’ 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea. “He embraced lawfare as a peaceful means of assert-
ing our sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea. His death strengthens our resolve to carry on,� Carpio said. The Armed Forces of the Philippines mourned the death of the former naval officer, who was also a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. In a statement, Col. Edgard Arevalo, spokesperson for the military, said Golez was “a sailor, a patriot, and a public servant whose contributions to the Filipino nation and its people extended throughout his lifetime.� Sen. Francis Pangilinan, president of the opposition Liberal Party, remembered Golez as a “true freedom fighter, being one of the few solid voices defending the country’s territorial rights.� Indomitable “’Di ka pasisiil’ (You’re indomitable), his motto in his social media account, truly fits him,� Pangilinan said. “He was a true statesman who will be sorely missed, especially during these trying times in our country’s history,� said Sen. Francis Escudero, who had served in the House with Golez. n
PH not conceding rights in Scarborough — Palace by catheRin
s. Valente ManilaTimes.net
MALACANANG on Thursday, June 14, insisted that the Philippines was not conceding to China the country’s traditional fishing rights at the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal amid the controversial fish-taking incident in the area. In a press conference, Palace spokesman Harry Roque even described as “fish thievery� the actions of Chinese Coast Guard officers getting the catch of fishermen who passed by the shoal, located only 124 nautical miles off Zambales. “We do not concede (to China),� Roque told reporters, amid a warning by Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio that the Philippines may lose its legal right to fish in Panatag if it would concede to China’s narrative that it only allowed Filipino fishermen there “out of goodwill.� “So for lack of better word let’s call it pangungotong in Tagalog, which is fish thievery. I have never really addressed it as barter, but there’s a possibility given the language barrier that they consider it as a barter but from our point of
view it is not. I hope that’s clear,� he said. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China has only been allowing Filipino fishermen to fish in Panatag Shoal “out of goodwill.� Roque said he didn’t care if Filipino fishermen were allowed to fish in Panatag Shoal out of China’s “goodwill,� as what matters is that they now had access to the shoal’s resources. “Actually, I don’t care what the reason is. But as counsel for the fishermen, they are able to fish now under the administration of President Duterte. To me as their counsel, as their former counsel, that’s what matters,� Roque said, who was the former counsel to fishermen who protested China’s harassment in Panatag during the previous administration. “Because when we sue China, that’s for violation of the right to life and the right to livelihood. They have now a livelihood. I live it here for now,� the Palace official said. Filipino fishermen had asked for the government’s help amid complaints that Chinese coast guards have been forcibly taking their
best catch in Panatag Shoal off Zambales. Malacaùang urged Beijing to prevent the unacceptable situation from happening again. The Chinese should not take a single kilo of fish from the Filipino fishermen, according to Roque. Beijing, in turn, has committed to investigate the alleged misconduct of its coast guards and impose sanctions if allegations were proven. It also assured the Duterte administration that it has no policy of harassing Filipino fishermen in the South China Sea. China seized control of Panatag Shoal, an area within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, following a standoff between the Philippines and Chinese vessels in 2012. Beijing prevented Filipino fishermen from entering the shoal, prompting the Aquino government to seek United Nations arbitration. The Hague-based arbitration court nullified China’s sweeping claims in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), saying it violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights by building artificial islands and interfering with fishing activities. n
Pilgrimage to Some of ITALY’s Highlights and Miracles of the Eucharist Nov 12, 2018 to Nov 22,2018 Spiritual Director REV.JOEL BUGAS
OCTOBER 18 to Nov 1, 2018 SPIRITUAL CHAPLAIN: REV. ANTONIO FLORES Oct 18, 2018 (Thur) Day 1 – Lax to Tel Aviv, Israel / +0Č’ 1) +1& Ć? &$%1 #/,* 1, "+ 2/&,+ +1"/+ 1&,+ ) &/-,/1Çž ") 3&3Çž 0/ ")Ç˝ Č› " )0 0"/3"! &+Č’Ć? &$%1Čœ
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Day 1 – 12 Nov 2018 – (Mon) Day 2 – 13Nov 2018 – (Tues)
- USA - ROME - Rome -,+ ,2/ //&3 ) &+ ,*"Çž our Tour Escort will wel,*" 20 1, 1 )6Ç˝ ,*" &0 the heart, home and the spiritual capital of over one billion Catholics all ,3"/ 1%" 4,/)!Ç˝ Ćž "/ short panoramic orienta1&,+ ,# 1%&0 1"/+ ) &16 1, 20 ,* + 1%,)& 0Çž 4" 4&)) have our dinner and overnight rest at this great ancient City.
Č› Çž Čœ Day 3 – 14 Nov 2018 (Wed) – Rome / Papal Audience/ Rome
This morning before we continue with our tour, we will % 3" - ) 2!&"+ "Ç˝ %"+ Ćž "/Çž 4" 4&)) 3&0&1 1%" # Č’ *,20 ,)&0"2* +! 0"" 1%" ,/2*Çž 1%" /"3& ,2+1 &+ and the Pantheon, one of the best preserved ancient monuments in the world. Celebrate the Holy Eucharist at St Peter Basilica St Joseph Chapel .Short stop in Trevi ,2+1 &+Çž "#,/" %" !&+$ 1, ,2/ ,1")
Č› Çž Čœ Day 4 – 15 Nov 2018 (Thurs) – Rome / Basilicas We will visit the Vatican Museum this morning and the Sistine Chapel to admire the awesome masterpieces of Michaelangelo, +! "3"+ + &"+1 /""( +! ,Č’ man artists. the largest church &+ ,* + 1%,)& &0*Çž 1Ç˝ "1"/ȉ0 Basilica. Holy Eucharist at ST Mary ',/Çž ,)),4"! 6 3&0&1 ,# 1%" Č’ silica. We continue to visit the rest ,# 1%" * ',/ 0&)& 0 4&1%&+ 1%" 4 ))0 ,# ,*"Çž +! 1Ç˝ ,%+ 1"/Č’ an, St Paul Outside the Wall. We will also pray at the Scala Santa or the Holy Stairs. St. Helena transported the steps from Jerusalem; the same 01"-0 1% 1 %/&01 0 "+!"! 1, /" "&3" &) 1"ȉ0 2+'201 ,+Č’ demnation.
Č› Çž Čœ Day 5 – 16 Nov 2018 (Fri)–Rome /San Giovanni Rotondo Ç—Ç•Ç–Ç? &0 1%" Ç–Ç•Ç•1% ++&3"/0 /6 ,# 1%" 01&$Č’ matization of St Pio. Church Will have Monthly Pastoral Program of Activities for the whole year . + &,3 ++& ,1,+!,Çž 1%" %,*" ,# 1 Č’ !/" &, ,# &"1/") &+ #/,* Ç—Ç? 2)6Çž ǖǞǖǛ 2+Č’ 1&) %&0 !" 1% ,+ Ǘǘ "-1"* "/Çž ǖǞǛÇ?Ç˝ +',6 1%" !/&3" $,&+$ 1, + &,3 ++&Çž Ćž "/ 4" check in our Hotel. We visit the Shrines of St Padre Pio of Pietralcina as well as the places associated 4&1% %&* Çž 02 % 0 1%" %/&+" ,# 2/ !6 ,# / " 1% 1 contains his tomb. Here, we spend some time meditat&+$Çž 0"" %&0 /,,*Çž %&0 ,+#"00&,+ ) ,5 +! 1%" /2 &Ćœ 5 that gave him his supernatural Crucifying stigmata, Cel" / 1" ,)6 2 % /&01 Č› ,1") / + / !&0, Čœ
+ &,3 ++& ,1,+!, (BB,D) Day 6 – 17 Nov 2018 (Sat) – SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO This Morning we visit the new and Modern Basilica of St Padre Pio, See his uncorrupt body .Celebrate Holy Eucharist Spend some time meditating in this awesomeBasilica.
Č› ,1") / + / !&0,Čœ Day 7–18 Nov2018 – (Sun) – San Giovanni Rotondo / Lanciano /Loreto Ç˝ " //&3" 1 + & +,Çž # *,20 #,/ 1%" &/ )" ,# the Eucharist. Near the Piazza Plebiscito, the Miracle is inside the Sanctuary of the Eucharistic Miracle. The mira)" 1,,( -) " !2/&+$ 1%" Ç?1% "+12/6 when a Basiline monk doubted the " ) /"0"+ " ,# ,2/ ,/! &+ 1%" 2 % /&01Ç˝ " #,2+! %&*Č’ 0")# %,)!&+$ 1%" %,01 1% 1 % ! % +$"! &+1, " ) )"0% +! 1%" &+" ,+ 1%" )1 / % ! % +$"! &+1, " ) ),,!Ç˝ We continue our pilgrimage to the great Marian shrine ,# ,/"1, 1, 0"" 1%" # *,20 0 /"! %,*" ,# 1%" *,01 ,)6 *&)6Çž "020Çž /6Çž +! ,0"-%Ç˝ &+ " ǖǗǞǙ 1%" %,)6 %,*" % 0 ""+ ), 1"! &+0&!" 1%" 0&)& ,# ,/"1,Ç˝ ")" / 1" ,)6 2 % /&01 &+ + & +, DINNER AND OVERNIGHT IN Assisi Day 8 –19 Nov 2018 – ( Mon) Loreto/ Assisi ,! 6 4" "5-),/" 1%" %&))1,- &/1%-) " ,# 1 / + &0 ,# 00&0&Ç˝ + 1%" /6-1 ,# 1 / + &0 0&)& )&"0 1%" 1,* ,# one of the most humble and beloved Saints of all times, 1Ç˝ / + &0 ,# 00&0&Çž ,)6 2 % /&01 1 1%" /6-1 ,# / + &0 "" 1%" 0&)& ,# 1 ) /"Çž 4&1% %"/ &+ ,//2-1 body, and the little Church of St. Damiano and its Cru&Ćœ 5 #/,* 4%& % "020 0-,(" 1, / + &0 ,21 %&0 *&0Č’ 0&,+ &+ ǖǗǕǛǿ ČŠ ,Çž / + &0Çž +! /" 2&)! *6 %,20"Çž 4%& % 0 6,2 0"" &0 # ))&+$ &+1, /2&+ǽȋ " 3&0&1 1%" 0&)& ,# 1Ç˝ Mary of the Angels, located in the lower plains of Assisi, and the place where the miracle of the Eucharist of Assisi 1,,( -) " &+ ǖǗǙǕǽ %" 0* )) %2/ % ,# 1%" ,/7&2+ ,Č’ ) &0 &+0&!" 1%" 0&)& &10")#Ç˝ ,-" ,+,/&20
$/ +1"!
a plenary indulgence for those entering this humble %2/ % ,+ 2$201 Ç–01 +! Ç—+! "3"/6 6" /Çž 4&1% ,+#"0Č’ sion, reception of the Eucharist and no attachment to venial sins. (BB,D) Day 9 – 20 Nov 2018 – (Tues) – Assisi / Siena / Florence We will spend half day in Siena. Begin in the old town center with a visit to the Basilica of San Domenico. Built &+ 1%" ǖǘ1% "+12/6Çž &1 &0 1/" 02/" %"01 ,# 1%" "+ &0Č’ sance art and dedicated to St Catherine of Siena. You will learn about the city’s history while admiring it’s cathedrals, Museum, and libraries .Also you will admire the famous piazza del Campo, one of Europe’s great *"!&"3 ) 0.2 /"0Ç˝ ,+1&+2" 1, ),/"+ "Ç˝ Č› Çž Čœ " 01 /1 4&1% $2&!"! 4 )(&+$ 1,2/ ,# ),/"+ "Çž 1%&0 # 0Č’ cinating city with its Piazza, the Cathedral of Santa Maria !") &,/"Çž &,11,ȉ0 ")) ,4"/Çž 1%" -1&01"/6 ,# 1Ç˝ ,%+ the Baptist. "01 ,# 1%" ! 6 #/"" Č› Çž Čœ Day 10 – 21 Nov 2018 (Wed) – Florence / Rome " 3" ),/"+ " /,2+! Ç— //&3"! ,*" )*,01 !&++"/ time (BB.D) Day 11 – 22 Nov 2018 (Thurs) – Rome / USA End of our wonderful Pilgrimage .
Please call QTS Tour and Travel NOW at 1 (714) 288-0800 or (714) 761-6280 1095 N Main St. Suite O, Orange, CA 92867
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June 15-21, 2018 • neW YORK AnD neW JeRSeY ASIAn JOuRnAL
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An Asian Journal Magazine
The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY J u N E 1 5, 20 1 8
Fil-Am graduate inspired by father’s memory to pursue cancer research Fil-Am biomedical student Benjamin Nittayo will go on to UC Davis in the fall for a PhD
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by aJPress
by Klarize Medenilla / AJPress
WITH Father’s Day coming up this Sunday, June 17, you may wonder how we came to celebrate this holiday for fathers and father figures. The annual observance — which falls on the third Sunday of June — was inspired by Mother’s Day in the early 20th century. A West Virginia church hosted the United States’ first event in honor of fathers on July 5, 1908. During a Mother’s Day church service on June 20, 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington was struck with the idea of creating a special holiday to honor fathers because her mother died while giving birth to her six child, leaving her father to take care of them. The state of Washington observed the first Father’s Day on June 19, 1910. It wasn’t until 14 years later in 1924 when President Calvin Coolidge recognized Father’s Day and encouraged states to observe it too. In the 1920s and 30s, there was a national movement to get rid of Mother’s and Father’s Day and instead have a one “Parent’s Day,” according to History.com. Many fathers were not receptive to the day because they felt that the holiday was “emasculating,” while others didn’t like that the gifts given to them were likely bought with the fathers’ own money and was another attempt at a commercialized holiday. In 1956, Congress officially recognized the day with the passage of a joint resolution. Ten years later, President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed the third Sunday of June to be recognized for the holiday; in 1972, President Richard Nixon permanently established the observance of the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day in the United States. Today, Father’s Day is celebrated all over the world, with several countries similarly marking the third Sunday in June for fathers as well. In time for the day for dads, here are some interesting facts: • Father’s Day is the busiest day of the year for collect phone calls. • Over 87 million cards are sent each year making father’s day the fourth-largest greeting card occasion of the year. • Though Dodd’s petition for the holiday wrote it was “Fathers’ Day,” the U.S. Congress used the term “Father’s Day” when they established the day as an official holiday. • The rose is the holiday’s official flower. A red rose is worn in your lapel on Father’s Day if your father is living, and a white rose is worn if he has passed away. • In 2011, there were 2.6 million households led by a single father, a 900 percent increase from the 1960s. • The necktie is considered one of the most popular gifts for Father’s Day. Neckties are believed to have dated as far back as 221 B.C. when Chin Shi Huang, China’s first emperor,” and his “terracotta army” were discovered, each replicate was wearing a necktie, according to History. com.
T’S not easy to comprehend the unexpected trials and tribulations life throws at us.
Grief through the loss of a loved one is one of the the most difficult, confusing emotions to deal with and understand, and it takes work to process certain experiences and to, somehow, make good out of tragedy. Filipino-American Benjamin Nittayo, a recent graduate from Cal State Los Angeles, took a tragedy and decided to serve the world in a magnificent, selfless way. After his father passed away from acute myeloid leukemia, Nittayo, 24, was motivated to pursue cancer research to help develop vaccines, therapies and treatments for cancer patients. “Once I had that experience, I knew I wanted to find ways to help advance cancer research and medical research in general,” Nittayo shared with the Asian Journal in a recent interview. His path toward a career in health care began at Pasadena Community College (PCC). As a student, he clocked in more than 700 volunteer hours at hospitals like the Adventist Health Glendale and the Methodist Hospital of Southern California in Arcadia, shadowing doctors and having plenty of facetime with patients undergoing illnesses that ranged from benign to acute. Although he appreciated the work and learned a lot from volunteering, the experience of working long hours and its physical and mental toll discouraged him from a career as a clinician, and it wasn’t until he began research in college that his ambition to work in biomedical research really came into focus. “It took a big toll on me. I’d be at the hospital from four to eight hours and the day would just drag,” Nittayo said. “I was
History and fun facts about Father’s Day
always looking for some other alternative, and then I started doing research and I said maybe I can make a career out of this, and a lot of people do.” It was around the time that he transferred to Cal State LA that his father was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and, eventually, got a bone marrow transplant which was rejected by his body, resulting in graft versus host disease (GvHD). Just as he was about to undergo a second bone marrow transplant, he caught a flu virus in the winter of 2015 that turned the MDS into “full-blown leukemia.” The doctors told the Nittayo family that he had six more months, but passed away about a month later. During his father’s last few weeks, Nittayo spent as much time as he could with his 3father, dropping out of school to accompany him while he had blood infusions. “We both knew, in a way, that this wasn’t going to end well but we just talked about whatever was on our mind,” Nittayo said. “We never really acknowledged it, but I think he knew in his mind that it wasn’t going to end well. So we just talked, and one thing he really wanted me to do was to go back to school.” Nittayo recalled, “I was with him in the last moments, and I told him, ‘I love you,’ but at that point I don’t know exactly what he understood, but then he told me that he loved me, too, and I think that was the last coherent thing he told me.” Building on his father’s request, Nittayo went back to school and, this past May, graduated from Cal State LA with a Bachelor of Science in Biology Nittayo during the commencement ceremony at Cal State LA on Thursday, May 24. Photo by Anibal Ortiz/Cal State LA.
Benjamin Nittayo with his late father
with a minor in Microbiology. But Nittayo didn’t just finish school doing the bare minimum. In addition to amassing hours of volunteering, Nittayo was a research intern at the City of Hope in the Department of Experimental Therapeutics through the competitive Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy. He also received two research fellowships through Minority Opportunities in Research (MORE) programs and also served as vice president for the Cal State LA Cancer Research and Awareness Society. “Ben is an inspiration to me, the members of my research lab group, and many others here at Cal State LA,” Nathan J. Lanning, a professor whose lab Nittayo
worked in, said in a Cal State LA newsletter. This fall, Nittayo will begin the journey to a Ph.D. at UC Davis, which awarded him the Floyd and Mary Schwall Fellowship in Medical Research to fund his studies. “[My dad] told me, ‘You know you gotta do something that you really want to do,’ so I chose to do this,” Nittayo said, acknowledging that his experience with his father solidified his aspirations in medical research. “[My dad] taught me that to always work hard and to complete every job and don’t leave until you’re finished. That’s something he’s always told me, and that’s something I always try to do.”
Illustration by John Michael Carreon
Jon Jon Briones excited to work in new musical Anne Curtis debuts new movie in international stage by ruben V. nePales
revival of “Sweet Charity,” which debuted on Broadway in 1966. Theater legend Bob Fosse directed LOS ANGELES—For his first play after his acclaimed Broadway his then wife, Broadway sensation Gwen Verdon, in the musical based debut as The Engineer in “Miss Saigon,” Jon Jon Briones costars in on Federico Fellini’s film, “The “Sweet Charity,” the classic musical Nights of Cabiria.” With choreography also by by Neil Simon, Cy Coleman and Fosse, dialogue by Simon, and Dorothy Fields. music by Coleman and Fields, Jon Jon tackles the role of Herman in Reprise 2.0’s production the original production featuring such musical classics as “If My of “Sweet Charity” in Los Angeles, Friends Could See Me Now” and where he and his family live. “Where Am I Going,” earned nine While appearing as the Tony nods. Fosse also directed showstopping The Engineer in and choreographed the 1969 New York, he managed to shoot movie adaptation that memorably scenes as Modesto Cunanan, the father of Andrew Cunanan (Darren starred Shirley MacLaine as Charity. Criss) in FX’s crime anthology The coming production, series, “The Assassination of Gianni opening on June 20 at UCLA’s Versace: American Crime Story.” Freud Playhouse, is Jon Jon’s Jon Jon made his mark in the role return to the LA theater scene and was praised by critics. In “Sweet Charity,” Jon Jon joins following his well-received turn as Georges in East West Players’ hit Laura Bell Bundy (whose credits include “Legally Blonde,” for which production of “Birdcage.” Jon Jon she earned a Tony nomination, and appeared in that musical, fresh “Hairspray”) as Charity, and Barrett from his triumphant take of The Engineer in the West End revival Foa (“NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Avenue of “Miss Saigon,” for which he Q” and “The 25th Annual Putnam cinched a Laurence Olivier Award County Spelling Bee”) as Oscar. nomination. Jon Jon and his cast mates Three-time Tony winner have been rehearsing for this Inquirer.net
by Katrina Hallare Inquirer.net
Jon Jon Briones as The Engineer in “Miss Saigon”
Kathleen Marshall, who was behind such Broadway hits as “Anything Goes” (with Sutton Foster) and “The Pajama Game” (Harry Connick Jr.), directs Jon Jon, Laura and Barrett in the latest revival of “Sweet Charity.” The musical marks Reprise 2.0’s return to the UCLA’s Freud Playhouse. More details of “Sweet Charity,” which runs until July 1, on www.Reprise2.org. Excerpts from our e-mail interview with Jon Jon: What are you looking forward to about being in this musical?
Inquirer.net photo
I’m very excited to be working with this talented company headed by Tony-winning director/ choreographer Kathleen Marshall and our stars Laura Bell Bundy and Barrett Foa. And I’ve always wanted to do a show for Reprise. I’m so happy that they’re back. Herman, your character, is described by Wiki as “the authoritarian owner of the Fandango Ballroom.” Is he as fun and wicked as your Engineer in “Miss Saigon”? Herman is different, but they’re equally fun to play. It’s
ANNE Curtis’ upcoming action movie “BuyBust” will make its debut on the international stage. The Subway Cinema, which operates the critically acclaimed New York Asian Film Festival, announced on its official website that the Erik Matti flick has been chosen as this year’s closing film. “BuyBust” tells the story of drug enforcement agent Nina Manigan, who goes to the dangerous slums of Manila, where the illegal drug trade is rampant. She suddenly finds herself trapped in the area when an operation suddenly goes wrong. The film also boasts having 309 stuntmen and 1,278 extras
while filming. “This is the toughest shoot I’ve ever done. And yes, this is ambitious,” Matti wrote in a Facebook post back in November. The New York Asian Film Festival, now in its 17th year, features the best films from selected countries in Asia. This year’s festival will run from June 29 to July 15.
Continued on Page 4 Anne Curtis plays a drug enforcement agent in “Buy Bust”
Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ The USCIS announced it will start a task force of several dozen lawyers and immigration officers to start reviewing cases of immigrants who obtained U.S. citizenship through fraud, such as where they had been ordered deported, and later used fake identities to get green cards and citizenship. If fraud is discovered, the USCIS would seek to revoke their citizenship and have the person removed/ deported. In the past, some people obtained immigration benefits/ green cards through fraud. For example, a person: • may have been petitioned as single, but was actually secretly married. They nevertheless proceeded to get a green card and later U.S. citizenship. • may have obtained a green card through employer sponsorship, but never worked for that employer. Again, they may have been able to later obtain citizenship. • entered the U.S. under an assumed name, and obtained a green card under that assumed name. When filing for U.S. citizenship, they asked to have their name “changed” to their real name, and then may have started petitioning their family. • may have been ordered deported/removed, and either never left the U.S. or snuck back
Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAGlAyA [Select a handful of those things in your bucket list that have the highest chance of coming to fruition given your time frame. In tech speak, this means before your life’s energy goes into ‘low batt mode’ and life has run out of sockets to plug into.] TheRe is a dumbing down going on in modern society in the last 30 years or so currently
USCIS to start denaturalizing and deporting people who obtained citizenship by fraud in under a different identity. They then obtained a green card and citizenship under that assumed identity, without disclosing the previous deportation. In the past, USCIS may have addressed these situations on a case to case basis, as they arose or came to USCIS’s attention, such as when the citizen later petitioned a family member, or filed for any other kind of immigration benefit. Under this new policy, USCIS will be actively reviewing citizenship cases to determine if anyone obtained citizenship through fraud. And USCIS now has modern technology to assist them in that effort. For example, it has been reported that hundreds of thousands of old fingerprint records for people who had been deported or had criminal convictions had NOT been uploaded to their database to cross check immigrants’ identities when they apply for U.S. citizenship. Now, those fingerprints have been uploaded into their database. Therefore, when a person had been deported or convicted of a crime, they were finger printed. When they later apply for U.S. citizenship, even under an assumed identity, they are also fingerprinted. Now the USCIS will be better able to match the fingerprints and catch the person’s fraud. The Trump administration is getting more and more
An Asian Journal Magazine
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The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY J u N E 1 5, 20 1 8
tough and strict when it comes to immigration. In the past, denaturalization was extremely rare, and mostly used to denaturalize Nazis who lied about their war past. Now, USCIS will be going after other U.S. citizens who obtained citizenship through fraud. If you are a green card holder, but there are issues concerning your eligibility (or the way in which you got your green card), you should definitely seek the advice of an attorney before filing for U.S. citizenship, to make sure it is safe and you are eligible to naturalize.. ***
Michael J. Gurfinkel is licensed, and an active member of the State Bar 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. The information contained herein including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and reenactments) is of a general nature, and is not intended to apply to any particular case, and does not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorneyclient relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader. WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: (866)—GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES
AFTER 13 YEARS OF WAITING FOR THE FAMILY TO BE REUNITED, THE U.S. EMBASSY STILL DENIED THE RELEASE OF THEIR VISAS. MISERY AND REDEMPTION ON AN ENCORE EPISODE OF CITIZEN PINOY! Tatay Lando (2nd from right) went to the US to provide a better life for his family. After 13 years, the petition became current in 2016. However, when his son, Allan (left), and his grandson, Chean (2nd from right) went to the U.S. Embassy for their interview, some doubtful details came up in Allan’s paperwork that caused the Embassy to deny their visas. Father and son left the Embassy heartbroken and traumatized over the incident. Immediately, Tatay Lando sought the help of leading US immigration attorney MICHAEL J. GURFINKEL. Watch how hope was renewed, and a family was happily reunited after many, many years on an encore episode of CITIZEN PINOY – on Sunday at 6:15 pm (PST) on TFC.
Asia Society names 2018 Best Employers for Asian Pacific Americans
NeW YORK — Goldman Sachs was named “overall best employer” as part of Asia Society’s 2018 Best Asian Pacific American (APA) employer Awards, followed (Advertising Supplement) by KPMG and Colgate-Palmolive. The global investment bank was also recognized as best employer for developing workforce skills. “We believe we perform at our best when we foster an environment that maximizes the (Third of a series) potential of all of our people and reflects the communities and cultures in which we operate,” said Suzzanne Yao, co-head of the Asian Professionals Network at Goldman Sachs. Now in their ninth year, the awards honor employers There is an overwhelming accelerated by mass media at the forefront of promoting volume of information often and the internet. They feed and developing Asian Pacific manipulated to suit an agenda. the masses with an endless American (APA) talent. Awardees Ironically, this does not cycle of news, opinions and are selected based on the quality necessarily lead to the desired entertainment that are meant of their APA workforce initiatives wisdom of the mind and heart. to follow an agenda set by the and the results from Asia Society’s Their platforms — television, annual Asian Corporate Survey, global masters of media and tech companies. Continued on Page 5 which measures the experience
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“...Humility, like darkness reveals the heavenly lights. - Henry David Thoreau
of APAs at Fortune 500 and other large companies. More than 2,800 APA employees participated in the 2018 survey. The digital media company BuzzFeed, a newcomer to the survey, won best employer for “APA employee resource groups (eRG).” edwin Wong, BuzzFeed’s senior vice president for research and insights, and the executive sponsor of APOP, the company’s Asian-affinity eRG, says a third of all U.S. BuzzFeed employees have attended at least one of its events, improving company-wide understanding of the diversity of the Asian culture and experience. “Adding to the success, the vast majority of our Asian workforce are also saying this eRG has increased their sense of belonging at BuzzFeed in our annual employee satisfaction survey,” Wong added. Other best employer winners include: • Chevron for “marketing &
support to the APA community;” • Discover for “promoting APAs into senior leadership positions;” • KPMG for “sponsorship;” • Marriott for “LGBT Asian employees;” and • Medtronic for “promoting APA women.” Asia Society will present the awards on June 20 in New York City, in conjunction with the 2018 Corporate Insights Summit. Finalists and winners are chosen based on a combination of employee survey results (80 percent) and scores from a blind panel of expert judges (20 percent). employees of Asia Society are not involved in the awards decisions. Below is the full list of 2018 award winners. Best Employer Awards Overall Best employer for APAs: Goldman Sachs Distinguished Performance: KPMG Continued on Page 5
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An Asian Journal Magazine
The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY J u N E 1 5, 20 1 8
‘Unang Handog’: an impressive assemblage of Filipino artistry in the Bay Area
On the PEP Front
People, Events, Places BoBBy T. yalong A sEEmingly colossal assemblage of Filipino artists mobilizes in full force to collectively showcase nothing but only the paramount magnum opus from among their masterpieces that best represent their innate creative aptitudes and idiosyncratic personalities. Traditionally mounted for the art pieces to meet an audience (and possibly potential art collectors and buyers) an art exhibit like this has played a fundamental element in the market for as early as the 17th century. Aptly steered by a common vision and an ambitious quest for international recognition, sixteen established and multiawarded Filipino artists, who identify themselves as “Viajeros,” unequivocally bonded together with the prime intention of bring the Filipino artists’ distinct brand of excellence to the world. “Unang Handog” by Viajeros prides itself with a supreme collection of convolutedly tortuous subjects and diverse themes meticulously rendered in a wide range of media and limitless creativity. Viajeros’ initial exhibit is slated to open on Friday, June 22, 2018 and will run until July 6 at the Philippine Consulate in san Francisco. spearheaded by its founders Emil Bauto de leon and Xander Calceta, other participating artists Continued on Page 5
Apolinario Neil Resuma Folloso is an engineer and was a college instructor at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Lopez Brach before he migrated to the U.S. in 2009.
Ina Jardiolin started out with oil painting and drawing, then dabbled in printmaking and sculpture, but ultimately came back to paints and pens, but with a twist.
Coco Torre is a Bacolodborn, Manila-based artist who uses his canvas as social commentary.
Humor and devotion from scenes of everyday life—these are some of the principles behind Danny Castillon Doce’s artworks.
J a n e A r r i e ta E b a r l e cu r re n t l y h ea d s t h e marketing of Fabe-Castell, Dong-A and other brands all Jesse Mariñas is an under the distributorship award-winning U.S.-based of Crown Supply Corp. artist.
Emil Bauto is a visual artist whose work leans more on landscape, seascape, still life and figurative.
Ernesto M. Verroya is a painter whose expertise ranges from realistic to conceptual art to surrealism and futurism.
Jun Aquino is currently the President of the SKP Samahan.
Jun Impas is a multiawarded artist who learned to draw at the age of seven.
Jon Jon Briones excited to work... From Page 2 not a matter of life and death for Herman, but his wants and frustrations are as real. And it’s just nice to be doing a comedy for a change. If you have seen both stage and film versions of “Sweet Charity,” what was your reaction? i’ve only seen the movie
version of “sweet Charity,” and i loved it. i saw it in the mid-’80s. i’m a big fan of both Bob Fosse and neil simon’s work. And shirley maclaine was amazing in the role of Charity Valentine. Have you seen Federico Fellini’s “Night of Cabiria,” on which the original Broadway musical, “Sweet Charity,” was
based? i have not seen Federico Fellini’s “night of Cabiria,” but i intend to. The legendary Bob Fosse directed and choreographed both original stage and movie versions. Are you excited to do some Fosse moves onstage? Fortunately, i don’t have to
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dance in this show (or maybe i do). i’ll leave the dancing to the real dancers. Have you worked previously with anyone in the cast? This is the first time i’ll be working with everyone in the company. We just had our first read-through of the show yesterday, and i can say that we have an amazing cast! What do you enjoy about performing in Los Angeles? lA is my home and most of my friends are here. it’s just so nice to perform in front of friends, and lA audiences are great! They really know their theater.
Christian Baustista works smart to stay current by Bot Glorioso Philstar.com
WiTH the steady barrage of new singers who initially got to showcase their musical talent through social media or singing searches, it no longer came as a surprise for Christian Bautista to find the music scene filled with artists whose presence cannot be simply ignored and who can possibly outshine those who came ahead of them. But the question is, how long can they last in an industry where longevity is fleeting? it is an aspect that impacts artists from different times and genres. Christian, who found his way to musical stardom in 2003, doesn’t feel bad about having to share the limelight with today’s newbie singers. He is aware that there is one or two who will stand out every year and he is only too willing to support them while he continues to work hard to keep his music playing and stay relevant in the music scene. “There are new artists every year and it’s really a common thing to find a (singing) contest in whatever channel,” began Christian during an interview with The sTAR after the mini presscon held Tuesday night for the Dubai leg of 3 stars, 1 Heart, which he is headlining with Regine Velasquez and Julie Anne san Jose. it will be held on June 16 at the Dubai World Trade Center. “The challenge is to always (know) how to reinvent yourself every year, how to be relevant, how to set yourself apart and to support the new artists because when i was new, i was
Christian Bautista
supported by my idols Regine, gary Valenciano and martin nievera. it’s a cycle that you can’t stop because i, too, was nurtured so that’s how i look at it.” Christian said that new artists should expect that it’s going to be easy at first then it’s going to be hard as days pass by. There will be times when projects pour in or seldom come. “so when it’s hard, keep on fighting for your dream. learn from people, get good partners who believe in you that will strengthen you, and pray.” To recall, Christian was among the lucky few who carved a niche in the music scene after placing fourth runner-up in star in A million. That was exactly 15 years ago but Christian remains secure in his place, with music aficionados from indonesia also swooning over him. That’s why, curious minds couldn’t help but wonder how the Asia’s Romantic Balladeer manages to stay popular to this day. “i don’t think there’s a secret. i think you just have to keep on working hard and working smart as well because you can work so hard yet achieve so little but if you work hard and work smart, you can easily jump over all obstacles. Whatever that is, you got to do what you gonna do to reach the goal you want whether through this strategy or that strategy. “you also have to put out great material all the time, be grateful and respectful. i’m not perfect but whenever i have an imperfect day Continued on Page 6
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Mindanao: The Story of Tabunaway, Mamalu and Their Descendants, featuring Kinding SIndaw will be at La Mama Experimental Theatre Club with performances on June 21 to 24, 2018. The show’s concept, script and choreography is by Potri Ranka Manis, who is also directing it. For more information, visit www.lamama.org/mindanao or call (212) 352-3101.
‘Mindanao: The Legend of Tabunaway, Mamalu and Their Descendants’ at La Mama Theater in NYC
FOR their 25th anniversary year, Kinding sindaw Heritage Foundation, inc. will premiere mindanao: The legend of Tabunaway, mamalu and Their Descendants at la mama E.T.C from June 21 to June 24, 2018, with concept, choreography and direction by Potri Ranka manis. mindanao The legend will focus on the resilience of the indigenous peoples and the sultanates of the southern Philippines as passed through generations of oral tradition in the legend of the brothers Tabunaway and mamalu. mindanao The legend will bring you into the lives of Tabunaway and mamalu, two brothers who nurtured the land through rituals that depict the cycle of life. Their colorful way of life is reflected through dance, chants, and the Kulintang gong music of the ancestral mindanao
tradition-bearers. mountains and rainforests caught in the winds of fierce typhoons of this spirited land are brought to life through the power of scarves, apir (fans), and silat martial arts movements. Woven into mindanao The legend, is the history of the lumad and the moro indigenous peoples who descend from Tabunaway and mamalu. For centuries, the descendants of Tabunaway and mamalu are repeatedly invaded and sieged by foreign forces. yet, they remain steadfast and rise from the ashes as they uphold the undaunted spirit of their ancestors whose resilience keep them unconquered. mindanao The legend will run from June 21 to June 24, 2018, at 7Pm, with matinee shows on June 23-24 at 2Pm for a duration of 2 hours with intermission. Watch it at
the Downstairs at la mama. Admission is $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and students, $10 first 10 tickets of each performance. For more ticket info, please go to www.lamama.org/mindanao or call (212) 352-2101. To support the work of Kinding sindaw, join us and other distinguished guests in the Premiere Benefit night of Kinding sindaw’s 2018 production, mindanao, The legend, on Friday, June 22, 2018, at 6:30 Pm-10:00 Pm, at la mama ETC, 44 East 4th street, new york, ny. The Premiere Benefit night will have a cocktail formal reception and an opportunity to bid on unique silent auction items. To obtain tickets for the Premiere Benefit night at $150 each, please go to lamama.org/mindanao or contact malaika Queano at 917-8173966 or email us at malaika@ kindingsindaw.org.
Health@Heart
Are you a pescatarian?
do not have neocortex.” What are the health reasons? Evidence-based data show PHILIP S. CHUA, that those who regularly eat MD, FACS, FPCS meat, especially red meat and processed meat, have increased What is a pescatarian? A pescatarian or pescetarian is death rate from overall causes, risk for cardiovascular, metabolic a person who opts to eat fish and other seafoods and vegetables, but (diabetes/thyroid diseases, etc.), Alzheimer’s, and cancer. Fish not meat. No pork, beef, chicken, provide omega-3 fatty acids, which or any other meat from animals. are healthy and cancer-preventive, Many pescatarians also eat eggs like vegetables, some fruits, nuts, and other dairy products, besides nuts, whole grains, legumes (beans, and spices, which are anti-cancer foods. Red meats contain a lot source of protein). Those two words are a neologism constructed of saturated fats, choline, and carnitine. Eating fish raises highas a portmanteau of the Italian word pesce (fish), derived from the density lipoproteins (HDL), the good cholesterol. Latin word piscis, and the English What are the supporting term for vegetarian. The origin of statistics? the name pescatarian dates back Among other scientific to 1993. reports that confirm recent Why do people turn clinical findings, here is one from pescatarians? almost two decades ago: “1999 There are various reasons or meta-analysis of five studies circumstances why individuals comparing vegetarian and nonbecome pescatarians: health, vegetarian mortality rates in financial, environmental, socioWestern countries found that in civic animal causes, religious, etc. comparison with regular meatInefficiency of meat sources or eaters, mortality from ischemic scarcity of meat, besides cost, is heart disease was 34 percent another reason. Others prefer to eat only free-range cattle, chicken, lower in pescetarians, 34 percent lower in ovo-lacto vegetarians, 26 and pigs, and most in the United percent lower in vegans.” States and most countries are Can pescatarian diet help not. The amount of energy and maintain good health? environmental impact necessary Yes, individuals on pescatarian to feed a cow, a chicken, or a pig significantly exceeds its nutritional diet could achieve excellent health as long as they live a healthy values, so these individuals prefer lifestyle. Fish, eggs and other to eat wild-caught fish instead of dairies, legumes, and nuts, are farmed carnivorous fish that need food input of other fish. Others use enough as sources of protein for this no-meat diet as a transition to one to have good nutrition on pescatarian diet. The opposite is vegetarianism. true among meat eaters as the Is pain or cruelty to animals data above and below show. a factor? Abstinence from red meat, Yes, many pescatarians and especially processed meats (and anti-cruelty-to-animal advocates processed food items in general) is feel for the animals and consider the pain or death inflicted on these healthier. Which are the healthiest fish animals as cruel and unnecessary, since humans can survive without to eat? Considering factors like animal meat. Scientists have chemical contamination, their food found that unlike humans and sources, levels of the bad omega 6 other animals, “fish do not have ratio to the good omega 3, species neuro-physiological capacity for a conscious awareness of pain…fish endangerment, the following
The bucket list
have been cited as the best fish to consume: Wild-caught salmon, Artic char, Atlantic mackerel, black cod, sardines, milkfish (bangus), rainbow trout, anchovies, rock fish, pacific halibut, and regular, light, small tuna, like those is cans. The fish on the “do not eat list” by experts because of those factors listed are: Tilapia, and catfish (which are scavengers high in omega 6), Atlantic cod (high in mercury), and more so albacore (giant) tuna, which eats little fishes contaminated with mercury and other chemicals. Other fish to avoid: Swordfish, king mackerel, shark, bigeye tuna (often used in sushi), marlin, Gulf tilefish, orange roughy and swordfish. Farmed salmon, other farmed fishes and seafoods, are notoriously contaminated with pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, etc. Chilean Sea Bass, an excellent and expensive fish I relish, is among the “not to eat” list only because it is among the endangered species. Iranian Beluga fish is also on the “protection list.” The most expensive caviar and also the most expensive food on earth is Almas, the caviar from Beluga (about $34,000 per kilo or 2 pounds, 3 ounces). There are many other fishes on the endangered list. How about eating red meat occasionally? Anyone who eats red meat, even only once a week, or less, is a meat-eater and does not qualify to be called as pescatarian. The two main criteria are: diet basically including fish and vegetables and totally meatless. How about cancer risks among meat eaters? Like most cancers, like breast and colon cancers, pancreatic cancer is significantly impacted by diet, like those high in saturated fats. A pescatarian diet started early in life and sustained faithfully would lower the risk for the development of cancers, besides cardiovascular and metabolic Continued on Page 6
put up a show For 2018, the Perseids are From Page 3 friend, is a 64,000 dollar question. projected to peak on the night What have we got to lose? The of August 12 and the early print and the internet — are used news, for the most part, is fake. morning hours of August 13. largely, as propaganda tools to The alphabet networks have lost Mark these dates. Pray for good advance an agenda. Ad revenues credibility as they shill for their weather. There is a new moon for their bottom line are fine and liberal agenda. Most celebrities and the darkness will create dandy but the real goal behind are nothing to celebrate about. As ideal conditions to watch these mass media and tech companies’ their masks fall off, their oversized shooting stars. existence these days, when they egos are cut down to size, their Check out the Griffith Park provide news and information, is veneer of respectability cracks. Observatory in Los Angeles, if the manipulation of the mental You realize these so-called stars you leave anywhere close. Their and behavioral control of the do have feet of clay after all, just reason for being is watching the masses. What is the ultimate like you and me. So dump them. night sky. goal? It is the pursuit of power to So here’s one for the bucket Before midnight, dress produce changes in the mind and list for those who are innately appropriately and lie down heart to preserve the status quo. curious about the origin of life and on camping blankets on the And what is the status quo? That life itself and want some honest ground keeping a thermos of hot the elite continue to be so … to goodness entertainment chocolate and some munchies So mind what you watch. that brings a life perspective. If within reach and wait eyes wide If you think the promotion and you really want to be in awe open. Bring bug spray. There will furtherance of your well-being of something greater than be streaks and flashes of colors drive the large media companies’ against a backdrop of velvet black agenda these days, I have a bridge yourself, go star gazing heavenly bodies — real stars — the sort firmament as the Perseids, like in the Sahara I can sell you. that burns out after billions of celestial clockwork, hit the earth’s So what is one then to do years. It promises to be quite an atmosphere, as they have done so for news and entertainment experience. for thousands of years. these days if you’re just a normal, Start small by watching Come to think of it, like average human being just meteor showers. They occur meteors, we are made of dust minding your business? all the time but they are visible and our life is just a brief flash on I would say GO ROGUE. Go au an infinite timeline. If we do this naturel. Cut off the cable. Minimize to human eyes on cloudless, moonless nights. Meteors may often enough, we may come to plugging into the internet. If be the residual particles of the realize how great is our God who you need information, use Bing seemingly infinite cycle of creation has fashioned each one of us out or Duckduckgo as your search and destruction as the universe of ordinary dust to create a unique engines instead of Google that continues to expand in the last person capable of reflecting the has lately been behaving as the beauty of the creator within a Master of the Universe employing 13 billion years during an event lifetime. algorithms that filter out ideas that called The Big Bang, according to the best educated estimates by The experience can show to go against their globalist agenda. cosmologists. us the vastness of the universe Disengage from social media Meteors are made of dust and and how little we are in the slowly or go cold turkey. It is your ice ranging in size from a grain great scheme of things. If social choice. You have the power. of sand to a corn kernel, hurtling media has the power to bloat Social media produces no through space at great speeds our egos, the opposite is true of product. It is no more than a and burning up quickly in a spray this exercise. Patiently waiting for data collection agency that sells of colors as they enter earth’s shooting stars all in God’s perfect and repackages information atmosphere. timing, can grind our egos into you provide to them via your Thoreau once said that dust. This can make us humble postings and sells them to humility like darkness reveals enough to ponder the heavenly the highest bidder, whether a lights. We can then begin to political entity seeking votes and the heavenly lights. And it is true when you become a night sky appreciate our life and the lives of thereby power or commercial watcher. If your circumstances those in our immediate orbit and companies wanting your live the rest of our lives praising business. Test it by searching for permit it, and you have family and friends that are up to it, do God. any widget to buy and lo and That’s what watching meteor behold, within minutes, there are this one thing that others have suggested we do before we kick showers even once during our pop-up ads of similar widgets the bucket. lifetime can do for us. It can give driving you nuts. Schedule time to hie off to a us an inkling of how great God is Talk about online stalking!!! It safe place (a public park, a friend’s and how blessed we are. is disconcerting, to say the least. mountain cabin, a boat at sea or When we’re ready, willing and We fume quietly or rage and even a cemetery) far from the able, we may even go bolder and rant for the most part about city lights at night with friends include the adventure of seeking the death of our privacy. But or family or any kindred spirit to the Northern Lights in the freezing take comfort. Life is a series of set up camp between July 17 and cold of the Arctic zone. But that’s action and reaction much like a another entry on the Bucket List pendulum. One day, when people August 24 to view the Perseids, the most popular and spectacular for another day. are fed up enough to set things of meteor showers. Next week: Another idea to in motion to rein in the undue This summer, it is show time. consider for The Bucket List… influence of these amoral tech *** giants, these obtrusive entities will The Perseids is a celestial treat for those who take the time and Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is have to be broken up to smaller wait patiently in darkness. Experts SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. bits so they cannot be a danger say that there is an average of 70 To send comments, e-mail monette. to society much longer. Will this meteors per hour guaranteed to maglaya@asianjournalinc.com happen in our lifetimes? That, my
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An Asian Journal Magazine
The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY J U N E 1 5, 20 1 8
‘Unang Handog’: an impressive assemblage... From Page 4
Maria Pureza Escaño is a multi-media painter, sculptor, writer and inspirational speaker.
Orlando Distor describes his style as pointlistneo-impressionist, characterized by elongated brushstrokes, almost wormlike.
include Maria Pureza Escano, Jun Impas, Jun Aquino, Jessie Marinas, Coco Torre, Raul Roco, Jr., Ronald Cortez, Orlando Distor, Jane Arrieta Ebarle, Neil Resuma Folloso, Ernesto Verroya, Art Zamora, Oying Madrilejos, Danny Doce, and Ina Jardiolin. Since “Unang Handog” isn’t only an exploration of the Viajeros’
Ronald Cortez is a self13 Oying Madrilejos, Jr. has taught artist, born in closely been associated Taytay, Rizal and is now with ethnic pop art. based in New York.
prima opus while each art work is indubitably a piece de resistance, it also characterizes the artist’s individual perspicacity and his ultimate ingenuity based from his innate predilection from his own artistry. Inspired from cultural civilization’s tradition of offering the first and best harvest to a deity
Calendar of Events across
Xander Calxeta is a Filipino visual artist who specializes in oil painting.
or revered idol as a gesture of thanksgiving and allegiance the show’s title was fittingly coined. “Unang Handog” will have a repeat run of exhibit at Solaire-Manila in December and in 2019 in New York and Toronto, Canada. For comments and suggestions, please email to: gemini0646@yahoo.com.
America
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Columban missionaries’ Dancing for the World celebration in Glendale, CA Join the celebration of the centennial year of Columban missionaries with Dancing for the World (DFTW) on Saturday, June 16 in Glendale, CA. Since Columban missionaries have received so many blessings during this past century for which we wish to give thanks to God, this year’s DFTW celebration with a Mass of Thanksgiving. It will be a multi-cultural Mass, reflecting the variety of traditions and languages in the countries where Columban missionaries serve, as well as the cultural diversity of our supporters in California. This Mass, which will be the Vigil Mass for Sunday, will be celebrated at 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 16, at the Glendale Civic Auditorium located at 1401 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale, CA 91208. Afterwards, there will be a social, followed by dinner and dancing, so please bring your dancing shoes! There will also be a raffle with several tantalizing prizes. As you can imagine, it’s going to be a faithfilled and a fun-filled evening! First prize is a trip for two (2) to Hawaii; Second Prize is a cruise for two (2) to Alaska; Third prize is $500 cash; Fourth prize is a trip for two (2) to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. For $2.00 ticket you can win these amazing prizes. The dinner and dance is also available for forty dollars ($40.00). You can contact Ariel Presbitero (323-691-5262) or Carmencita Enriquez (213-880-5075) for tickets and other information.
JUNE 19
Asian Foster Family Initiative information session in Los Angeles To learn more about how to possibly become a foster parent for Filipino children in the LA foster care system, join the informational orientation session on Tuesday, June 19 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This will be conducted in Taglish. It will be held at the Korean American Family Services (3727 W. 6th St. #320, Los Angeles, CA 90020). Parking lot available behind the building. Refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP as soon as possible to alicelee@kfamla. org to reserve your place.
J U N E 2 1 -3 0
SIPA presents Filipino Summer Program (Session 1) in LA Join SIPA’s Filipino Summer Program that showcases LA youth the beauty of Filipino culture and history. Every single day students will learn and gain a better understanding of different aspects of the Filipino culture and community, such as Filipino food, Pilipinx cultural dances, Filipino Martial Arts, etc. The last day of the program will be a SIPA Summer Party where the families can come join SIPA as we celebrate the end of the program with food, music, and fun! Youth ages 6-15 are eligible for the program. Those over the age of 16 can volunteer. Participants do not need to be Filipino. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are served for all students! Session 1 is from June 21-30 (excluding Sundays). Registration ends on Thursday, June 14 at 11:59 p.m. Drop-Off of children begins at 8 a.m., and pick-up ends by 6 p.m. at SIPA Office (3200 W Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026). The application and more information is at bit.ly/sipasummer18.
J U N E 28
United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley, Van Nuys, CA United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley’s 8th annual Valley Mega Mixer Register early for a unique networking opportunity on Thursday, June 28! At the 8th annual Valley Mega Mixer, connect with hundreds of business decision makers in one night! The event will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. at at Anheuser-Busch (15800 Roscoe Blvd., Van Nuys, CA 91406). In order to attend, register through the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles (FACCGLA) where members pay only $20 online by June 27, $30 at the door. Non-members pay $40. Includes light appetizers. Register online at http://faccgla. org/8th-annual-valley-mega-mixer/.
J U LY 4
Grand Park + The Music Center’s Fourth of July Block Party in Los Angeles Grand Park + The Music Center’s Fourth of July Block Party returns as the county’s largest free July 4th celebration from 3 to 9:30 p.m. Featuring picnicking, games, art-making, music, dancing and a stunning fireworks show high above Downtown L.A., Grand Park + The Music Center’s Fourth of July Block Party is the ultimate summer holiday celebration. The highly popular event offers activities for all ages including soccer, tag, bubble fun and chalk art. Two stages featuring DJs and live musical performances will entertain audiences throughout the celebration. Fireworks begin at 9:00 p.m. from the roof of The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and soar nearly 500 feet, making them visible throughout Downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods. The event offers a multitude of dining options from more than 40 vendors including the return of gourmet food trucks. Grand Park + The Music Center’s Fourth of July Block Party will encompass the entire park, from Grand Avenue to Spring Street, plus the surrounding streets.
If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com
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The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY J u N E 1 5, 20 1 8
PCGNY participates in PH Independence Day celebrations in Passaic, New Jersey
PASSAIC, NJ – The Philippine Consulate General in New York joined the Filipino Community in the Greater Passaic area at activities NEW YORK – “Even the to commemorate the 120th Rainbow Has a Body” – Prosy Anniversary of the Proclamation of Abarquez De La Cruz’s collection Philippine Independence held at of stories and essays about the Third Ward Park in Passaic, New Filipino-Americans in visual Jersey on Sunday, June 10. arts, culinary arts, music and Acting Head of Post and performance arts – was launched Deputy Consul General Kerwin at the Philippine Center Lobby Orville C. Tate, Consul Arman Gallery last May 23. The event R. Talbo and Vice Consul Tanya was organized by the Philippine Faye O. Ramiro led the Consulate Consulate General New York in General’s contingent to the event. celebration of Asian-American High-level New Jersey Chef Romy Dorotan (L) indulges the author, Prosy Abarquez Dela Cruz (R) in her questions on his culinary journey. Heritage Month. government officials including Consul Arman Talbo in his U.S. Congressman William James met his wife, Amy welcome remarks congratulated Pascrell, Jr., Passaic Mayor Hector Besa, that he began delving the author for aiming the Lora and Deputy Mayor Edwin into Filipino cuisine, and they spotlight on Filipinos in nonGarcia, Assemblyman/Council started their first restaurant, traditional fields. He noted that President Gary Schaer, Councilman Cendrillon in Manhattan in 1995. Filipino-Americans are gifted Hiram Munk, Councilwoman After 13 years of acclaimed artists and have the generosity to cooking, the couple closed it and Zaida Polanco, Board of Education share their talents in any part of President Pete Rosario graced opened Purple Yam in 2009. the world they go. the auspicious occasion. Also in Self-taught realist painter Ms Abarquez Dela Cruz attendance at the program was Ronald Cortez draws his shared her inspiration in telling Jersey City Council President inspiration from the ordinary the stories of the artists featured Rolando Lavarro. and the mundane. He revealed in her book. She said that each that his compositions are from of the personalities has moved the top view perspective, such her and compelled her to make as tablescapes and mise en place their talents known through her of a farmer’s lunch, making the book. She mentioned that many viewer look at the ground and of the artists did not have formal pay attention to what’s usually training in their field, and yet have being taken for granted. He Ronald Cortez, a former seaman who blossomed to become mature in feels that it is the artist’s role discovered his talent in art, pays tribute to their craft. to make art observers see the humble and lowly subjects, bringing them to Romy Dorotan, chef-owner life in his realist paintings. beauty in common objects and of the influential Purple Yam not until it was explained by her surroundings. restaurant in Brooklyn, is an then-11-year old son that she During the Q&A, the author economist by training. He was fully understood its meaning. The was asked about the title’s exposed to the culinary arena rainbow is ethereal, but each artist meaning. She revealed that it in his early years, but he was featured in her book has a body was Filipino National Artist for From Page 3 more accustomed to preparing of work that gives the rainbow Literature NVM Gonzalez who American food. It was when he Noteworthy Performance: life. gave her the phrase, but it was Colgate-Palmolive Best Employer for APAs to Develop Workforce Skills: Goldman Sachs Distinguished Performance: Chevron Noteworthy Performance: KPMG Best Employer for APA Employee Resource Groups: BuzzFeed Distinguished Performance: 3M Noteworthy Performance: AT&T Best Employer for LGBT Asian Employees: Marriott Consul Arman Talbo (6 from left), concurrently the Manager of the Philippine Center, hosts the launch event of Ms Prosy Abarquez Cruz’ (6th Distinguished Performance: from right) book “Even the Rainbow Has a Body”. All photos by PCGNY BNY Mellon Noteworthy Performance: Medtronic Best Employer for Marketing & Support to APA Community: Chevron Distinguished Performance: Medtronic Noteworthy Performance: Marriott Best Employer for Promoting APAs into Senior Leadership Positions: Discover Distinguished Performance:
Distinct artistic legacies shared at book launch
The New Jersey officials in their remarks were all praises for the Filipinos in New Jersey and thanked them profusely for their immense contributions to the community. Mayor Lora underscored that in Passaic County, there is not one resident not educated by a Filipino teacher, cared for by a Filipino doctor and nurse and assisted in any way by a Filipino. Even responding emergency teams of the fire department and police would always have a Filipino member. Congressman Pascrell lauded the Filipino community’s efforts at integrating and assimilating with mainstream society. He was very thankful for the Philippine Day Organizing Council Inc. (PDOC) for organizing this event every year and specially commended PDOC’s founder, the late Mr. Carlos B. Sinnung, for introducing him to the Filipino community and for encouraging its members to be active participants in community building.
Deputy Consul General Tate expressed the Philippine Government’s appreciation that the contributions of Filipinos and Filipino Americans in American society are being recognized. He reiterated the Philippine Consulate General’s continued support in encouraging members of Filipino American groups to be upright citizens and fighters of peace and freedom. As part of the program, a wreath laying ceremony was held at the marker installed at the Third Ward Park in honor of the Filipino and American soldiers and guerillas who fought side by side in defense of freedom in many wars. After the wreath laying ceremony, there was a Catholic Mass to end the formal program. Food stalls were on hand for those who wished to savor delicious Filipino food. Entertainment from local Fil-Am community singing and dance talents were enjoyed by the attending public in the afternoon.
Asia Society names 2018 Best Employers... Goldman Sachs Noteworthy Performance: 3M Best Employer for Promoting APA Women: Medtronic Distinguished Performance: Marriott Noteworthy Performance: Goldman Sachs Best Employer for Sponsorship of APAs: KPMG Distinguished Performance: AT&T Noteworthy Performance: PG&E Best Practice Citations Asian Pacific American Employee Resource Groups: AT&T, BuzzFeed, Chevron, Credit Suisse, Nielsen Community Commitment: AT&T, Freddie Mac, KPMG, Marriott, Medtronic, Proctor & Gamble, Walmart Employee Growth & Advancement: Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Freddie Mac, Medtronic Market Opportunities: Chevron, Freddie Mac, Goldman Sachs, KPMG, Marriott, Medtronic LGBT Asian Employees: 3M, Goldman Sachs, Marriott, PG&E, Prudential Profit & Loss Leadership
Development: Chevron, Credit Suisse, Medtronic, Nielsen Promoting Asian Pacific American Women: AT&T, Credit Suisse, JPMorgan Chase, Medtronic Recruitment and Selection: Goldman Sachs, IBM, KPMG, Medtronic, Nielsen, Prudential Retention: AT&T, Chevron, Goldman Sachs, KPMG, Prudential Sponsorship: AT&T, KPMG, Marriott, Proctor & Gamble, Prudential Founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd, Asia Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works to address a range of challenges facing Asia and the rest of the world. Asia Society has cultural centers and public buildings in New York, Hong Kong, and Houston, and offices in Los Angeles, Manila, Mumbai, Tokyo, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, Washington, D.C., and Zurich. Across the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, Asia Society provides insight, generates ideas, and promotes collaboration between Asia and the world. (Advertising Supplement)
Christian Baustista works smart to...
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From Page 4
or whatever, I try to be better — the drive has to always be there.” However, the singer never denied about feeling tired and burnt out sometimes. “That’s one of the reasons why I launched the last album Kapit, (then he proceeded to sing) ‘Kapit, ‘wag kang bibitaw kapit…’. It’s like telling myself, ‘C’mon man, fight.’ And that song is nominated for an Awit award so whether it wins or not, it was nominated; it was chosen. It created an impact kahit papaano.” Whenever that burnt out feeling creeps in, Christian said he prays, asks advice from mentors and loved ones, and he takes time out to rest in order to go back and work fully-recharged. Did he expect to reach this far in his career? “No, it wasn’t part of the plan. I was just a simple guy kasi so I
Are you a pescatarian? From Page 5
If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, email us the details (title, description, time & date, location, etc.) at info@asianjournalinc.com. And for consideration in our print calendar, please send submissions at least three weeks before the date of the event. To be included in our online calendar/ e-newsletter, please allow at least two to three weeks' notice. The Asian Journal would be delighted to list your event in our Calendar of Events.
didn’t know I will reach all of this,” answered Christian who took up and finished a landscape architecture degree at the University of the Philippines Diliman. If ever there is a chance to, the Kapuso singer would love to dabble in it “or I would do both (singing and landscape architecture) kasi ‘yung landscape architecture is on a per project basis so pwede halimbawa if I do it with a license, pwede mag-showbiz for a season then landscape (designing) on the side.” He even recalled a time when Erik Santos asked him to do a draft for his place. He, too, did the landscape of their family home garden in Imus. “That was many years ago but it excites me thinking about doing it again.” What also excites Christian these days is for Pinoys in Dubai
diseases, together with a healthy lifestyle. A diet high in processed meat (sausages, luncheon meats, etc.) may increase the risk of carnivores developing pancreatic cancer by almost 70 percent, reported a recent major study that was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.A study showed “an average of 41 cases of pancreatic cancer were diagnosed per 100,000 people each year among those who ate the most processed meat compared with 20 cases among those who ate the least.” This research, which included 180,000 individuals, also found that individuals who ate even non-processed red meats, including pork, beef, and any other red meats, had a 50 percent higher risk of having cancer of the pancreas. While this is 20 percent lower compared to those who
ate processed meats, 50 percent increase in the risk is still too high for comfort, since pancreatic cancer is a very painful and fatal disease, with no known cure. Scientists think the culprit carcinogen (cancer-causing agent) may not be the saturated fat in red meats but the nitrate-based preservatives and the cooking method, like charcoal grilling and broiling. Apparently, the cooking method and the nitrate preservatives each play a great role as carcinogens. While the saturated fat in fresh (no preservative) red meat appears not to be linked to pancreatic cancer in this study, other studies have shown that people who eat red meat regularly have a higher risk for developing cancer of the colon, breast, and other cancers in general, compared to those who minimize eating red meat. Red
to experience the one-of-a kind concert series 3 Stars, 1 Heart following its successful regional stints in Cebu and Dagupan. The repertoire is basically the same. However, this time around, more OPM songs are added in the song line-up for the benefit of Pinoys who have been staying in the Middle East for a long time now. The concert production team, GMA Pinoy TV, also granted the song requests of our kababayan for Christian, Regine and Julie Anne to sing onstage. “We granted two songs na duet pareho and there were three most requested songs that we got through social media. The Top 3 are Perfect, I Can and Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang. Julie and I will duet in Perfect, Regine in I Can, and the three of us will do Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang.” meat also causes a quick rise in the cholesterol blood level, a condition that increases the risk for the development of heart attack and stroke. The pescatarian diet is becoming more and more popular today, especially among the young and educated group who are more health conscious and updated on current health data. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. For more data, visit philipSchua. com; Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com (Advertising Supplement)
An Asian Journal Magazine
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The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY JuNE 15, 2018
An Asian Journal Magazine
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The Asian Journal N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY JuNE 15, 2018