061618 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition

June 16-19, 2018 Volume 28 - No. 49 • 4 Sections – 30 Pages

USA

DATELINE Californians will vote on proposal to split California in 3 states FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

‘Cal 3’ will appear on the November ballot

China preparing to replace US as economic leader — Duterte

by CHRISTINA

MENDEZ

Philstar.com

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MANILA — With China’s plan to hire thousands of English teachers from the Philippines, President Duterte said Beijing is preparing its citizens to learn English in preparation for the country’s eventual “takeover of the U.S.” as an economic leader.

Duterte, who has been criticized for leaning towards China, made the remark during the signing of the memorandum of agreement between the Commission on Higher Education and several state universities and colleges for the implementation of the Free Tertiary Education Act.

AG Sessions restricts domestic abuse, gang violence victims from gaining asylum

Fake news is a serious issue of concern for a majority of Filipinos, survey finds

A MEASURE that would divide California into three separate states was qualified on Tuesday, June 12 to appear on the ballot for the November general election, the CA Secretary of State’s office confirmed.

Proposed by Silicon Valley venture capitalist, Tim Draper, the initiative — informally called “Cal 3” — will break the state into California, Northern California and Southern California, a threat to end California’s

ATTORNEY General Jeff Sessions this week has left thousands of domestic abuse and gang violence victims at a near dead end by invalidating asylum protections they relied on for entering the United States, describing the acts of violence as “private violence.”

A Salvadoran woman who was sexually and physically abused by her husband for 15 years had her asylum grant overturned

by Sessions, a fate that many with similar experiences now fear will be theirs.

Of the 711,000 cases being brought before U.S. immigration courts, at least 230,000 involve asylum petitions from individuals coming from Mexico and Central America, according to a Reuters analysis of data from the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Most of the cases have to do with domestic or gang violence.

Under asylum law in which claims are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, individ-

AS internet usage rises among adults in the Philippines, a large majority of Filipinos are viewing the issue of fake news and false information as a serious concern, revealed a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released this week.

Looking at results from two surveys conducted from December 8-16, 2017, and March 23-27, 2018, SWS found that when averaged, 42 percent of respondents were internet users — a slight uptick from 41 percent in June 2017, but a large one throughout the years.

“The annual average proportion of Internet users nationwide was nine percent when SWS first surveyed it in 2006. It rose to 11 percent in 2017 and increased steadily to 38 percent in 2017,” said SWS about its published survey on Monday, June 11.

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by RAE

“But on the other side of things, China is going to import many teachers beginning next year and they would need… so many thousands. They want to learn English. That is in preparation for the eventual takeover of the United States. The U.S. owes so much, they did not pay. So they are all mortgaged,” the President said in apparent reference to the U.S. government’s debt to China, estimated at $1.19 trillion as of March 2018.

“So, they are preparing to talk in English so that they can communicate… In truth, the U.S. has not been paying its debts,” said Duterte.

Aside from China’s hiring of Filipino teachers, the President said the ageing countries

are also looking at hiring Filipino nurses and caregivers.

In one of his speeches, Duterte earlier remarked that the Philippines would become a province of China in the wake of criticisms over his non-confrontational stance on territorial disputes in the South China Sea. On Thursday, June 14 he expressed hope that the Philippines “in God’s time” will move forward economically, even cracking a joke about hiring foreign workers for the country’s service sector when that time comes.

He added, “Maybe in the fullness of God’s time, when we will also be rich, we would import Europeans, French and Spanish people and make them our boy” – a term that refers to house or errand boys.

“That’s what they did to us, isn’t it? We were subjugated for 400 years. Why should we not also give the courtesy in return? Let us look forward to a brighter future for our nation. We are uplifting the lives of Filipinos, I’ve said, and just keeping our fingers crossed,” the [resident said. ■

ANN VARONA AJPress

NEW VILLAGE LEADERS. President Rodrigo Duterte administers the oath taking of the newly-elected barangay captains of Region IV-A (CALABARZON) during a ceremony at the Sta. Rosa Sports Complex in Sta. Rosa, Laguna on Thursday, June 14.

Malacañang photo by Ace Morandante

Palace defends Duterte’s order to have ‘tambays’ arrested MALACANANG on Friday, June 15 defended President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to policemen to arrest bystanders if would they refuse to go home.

“The president’s tambay remarks, it simply meant he wants a strict enforcement of city ordinances as part of making our streets safe from criminals and other unscrupulous elements,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque, Jr. said in a statement.

“Tambay” is Filipino slang for “standby.”

PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde takes aim during a ceremonial “It is more of crime prevention; hence, shoot at the formal turnover of 25 patrol cars and 100 assault rifles by the the President’s remarks are for the poQuezon City government at Camp Karingal on Thursday, June 14.

Philstar.com photo by Michael Varcas lice to ask those who stay late at night

in the streets to go home,” Roque said.

Roque said that Duterte was a lawyer and knew the basis for arrests.

“Just the same, he would rather that those loitering should go home so that those people with bad intentions are thwarted,” Roque added.

Duterte made the remark in a speech on Wednesday, June 13, during the oath-taking ceremony of newly-promoted uniformed personnel.

“The criminals there, the drug users, they are not supposed to be there. My United States President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un participate in their directive is, if there are people loitering expanded bilateral meeting Tuesday, June 12 at the Capella Hotel in Singapore. about, you should go home. If you do Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead

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Philippines expresses hopes

Cayetano slams Trillanes, Alejano for denuclearization following for ‘endangering’ PH security Rodrigo Duterte has stopped the patrols in the West Philippine Sea. “It is very irresponsible of SenFOREIGN Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano slammed Senator An- ator Trillanes and Congressman tonio Trillanes IV and Magdalo Alejano to say na walang patrol Representative Gary Alejano on (that we stopped patrolling the Thursday, June 14 for “endan- WPS),” Cayetano told reporters.

The Foreign Affairs chief asgering” the country’s security when they alleged that President u PAGE A2

by ANTHONY

Q. ESGUERRA

Inquirer.net

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano

Inquirer.net photos

US-North Korea summit

by RAE

ANN VARONA AJPress

THE Philippines has commended the historic meeting of President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while affirming support for peace, stability, security, and de-

nuclearization in the region.

Acknowledging the remaining challenges, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday, June 12 said the meeting between Trump and Kim underscored the “importance and value of dialogue and diplomacy

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From the Front Page

Cayetano slams Trillanes, Alejano...

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sured the Filipino people that government forces are conducting patrols in the West Philippine Sea. “I myself saw the pictures and reports on the latest patrol. So I’m a hundred percent sure that what Congressman Gary Alejano is saying is a lie,” he said.

Last week, Alejano said he received information that the

Duterte administration 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 receiving such an order from the Palace.

To illustrate his point, the secretary, who is fond of using

Rep. Gary Alejano

Philstar.com photo

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 security 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

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EID’L FITR. A child cries to her mom during the prayer for the observance of Eid’l Fit’r at the Blue Mosque in Taguig City on Friday, June 15.

Eid’l Fitr observes the end of the holy month of Ramadan that started on May 17.

PNA photo by Avito Dalan

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Palace defends Duterte’s order...

not, I will being you to the office in Pasig,” Duterte said.

Duterte did not specify the office.

“I got you. You put them there.

Tie their hands and drop them,” Duterte said.

“You be strict. Part of confronting people who do not do

nothing and just idling around, they are potential trouble for the public,” Duterte added. (Ralph Edwin U. Villanueva/ManilaTimes.net)

Philippines expresses hopes for denuclearization...

in seeking resolution to outstanding issues among all concerned parties.”

“We strongly commend all parties for their unremitting efforts and commitment that led to the realization of this historic meeting,” said Cayetano. “The Philippines hopes that the precedent set today will provide impetus to further concrete actions towards the goals of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the establishment of lasting peace, stability and security in the region.”

He added, “The Philippines stands ready to contribute to the realization of these goals.”

Trump’s meeting with Kim during which a “firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula” was signed, has had the international community watching closely at likely outcomes.

Former Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Luis Cruz told Rappler a day before the meeting that Filipinos needed to keep a close eye on the Korean Peninsula situation while hinting at possible effects.

“Filipinos should follow very closely the development sa Korean peninsula because we will be affected in all aspects, whether social, cultural, military, peopleto-people contact, malaki ang magiging effect sa atin nito (the effects on us will be huge),” he said.

Being that the Philippines is still a United Nations Command member, Cruz said that puts the country in the position of having to send out troops if a situation called for it.

“So supposing that the outcome of these talks, the summit, is not too favorable, and if worse comes to worst, we go to

war, or the U.S. goes to war, the coalition forces will be us who send troops again, and the Philippines is included there,” Cruz told Rappler.

The UN Command sent troops out to fight the Korean War that lasted from 1950 to 1953, signing the Korean Armistice Agreement with the Chinese-North Korean Command. Cruz said the Philippines was sometimes included in the panel during North Korean and UNC negotiations.

Another outcome could call for the Philippines to be an aid in the rehabilitation of North Korea which was the case in 1953, said Cruz.

“So ang daming pwedeng gawin ng 16 countries (There are a lot of things for the 16 countries to do), like one is be observer of the peacekeeping force and the other one is they can help in the rehabilitation of

say, North Korea, which happened actually after the Korean War, in 1953,” he said.

“We stayed there for two more years to help in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of South Korea.”

In September 2017, the Philippines suspended trade relations with North Korea in compliance with a U.N. Security Council resolution made over North Korea’s string of missile tests at the time. The Philippines was the country’ fifth-largest trade partner.

Previously referring to Kim as a “fool” and having many times criticized his nuclear ambitions, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte called Kim a “hero of everybody” in April after the North Korean leader met with South Korean President Moon Jaein and vowed to work towards complete denuclearization. n

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DATELINE USA

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 16-19, 2018

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US top diplomat talks South China Sea with China

by PATRICIA LOURDES Philstar.com

VIRAY

IN his first visit to Beijing, U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo reiterated Washington’s concern over the militarization of features in the South China Sea. Washington’s top diplomat visited China after U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore.

In a press briefing, Pompeo said Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi confirmed China’s willingness to resolve the South China Sea dispute in a peaceful manner.

“As Councilor Yang mentioned, I reaffirmed our concern with respect to China’s efforts to build a militarized outpost in

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the South China Sea, endangering the free flow of trade and threatening the sovereignty of other nations and undermining regional stability,” Pompeo said.

Pompeo added that he was confident that the U.S. and China could work together to resolve the dispute “without resort to threats, coercion or intimidation.”

The U.S. has been insistent on its position against China’s expanding militarization in the South China Sea. The U.S. Department of Defense withdrew its invitation for China in the 2018 Rim of the Pacific Exercise as an “initial response” to the latter’s deployment of anti-cruise ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles and electronic jamming

equipment in the Spratly Islands.

China’s landing of a nuclearcapable bomber on Woody Island in the Paracels also caused alarm for the U.S. The Chinese Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, insisted that the weapons on the artificial islands are not directed to any country.

Beijing accused Washington of “hyping” the South China Sea issue.

“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,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said earlier this month. ■

AG Sessions restricts domestic abuse...

uals hoping to escape domestic violence can make claims that their persecution was based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or “particular social group” which has broadly encompassed those who share common characteristics of endangerment and do not have government protection.

Some successful asylum seekers who qualified under the “particular social group” category have before been victims of domestic abuse and gang violence.

In his Monday, June 11 ruling, Sessions said that asylum would generally not be granted to those who survived “private” crimes.

Narrowing the definition of who would get asylum, Sessions said, “Generally, claims by aliens pertaining to domestic violence or gang violence perpetrated by nongovernmental actors will not qualify for asylum.”

“The mere fact that a country may have problems effectively policing certain crimes — such as domestic violence of gang violence — or that certain populations are more likely to be victims of crime, cannot itself establish an asylum chain,” he added.

Individuals must now prove that their government “condoned the private actions or demonstrated an ability to protect the victims.”

Now that the decision has closed off one of the most hopeful paths for domesticviolence victims, many immigration lawyers are quickly looking at what other actions can be taken.

Reuters reported of an immigration lawyer, Rebecca Kitson, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, who had six pending cases now affected by the decision.

One of the cases involves a teenager whose father died in his arms after being shot down and killed by gang members. The father was a minister in El Salvador who often traveled within gang territories. The gangs then went on to target the young boy.

“Can’t change that they are based on gang violence,” Kitson told Reuters. “The plan is to keep fighting and hope that appeals and the federal courts will sort it out.”

Another immigration attorney Matt Cameron from Boston said that his office had a hearing scheduled Thursday for a woman who for years suffered physical abuse from the father of her children. Cameron said her case had good prospects of succeeding before Sessions made his decision.

“This person had been through a lot of counseling, a lot of preparation… It took a long time to get her to the point where she could actually talk about it,” Cameron told

Reuters. “Now you have to tell them they don’t even have a case anymore.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center in a statement called Sessions’ decision “cruel and heartless.”

“This decision strikes at the heart of longstanding protections guaranteed to asylum seekers, and will condemn tens of thousands of men, women, and children to death,” reads the statement.

“Women and children from other parts of the world who might have been able to get protection under these claims may now be deported to dangerous situations where they could very well lose their lives,” it added.

For Erika Andiola, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient and former press secretary for Bernie Sanders, the decision was personal, which she shared in a tweet the same day of the decision.

“My mother was a victim of domestic violence. We had to cross the border to be safe so that my mom, my siblings and I could be free from pain and suffering,” tweeted Andiola who moved to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 11.

“I know exactly what it takes to migrate as a domestic-violence survivor, and it hurts so much to see this happening,” said Andiola.

Sessions promised in May to

KEEP CHINA OUT. Activist fishermen stage a swimming protest along the waters of Manila Bay on Thursday, June 14, calling on China to get out of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and to condemn the harassment of Filipino fishermen in the resource-rich waters.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Russell Palma

Californians will vote on proposal...

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168-year history as a single state. According to the Secretary of State’s office, Draper had accumulated more than 402,468 valid signatures from supporters to get the radical plan on the ballot.

Supporters of Cal 3 has said that California leadership has “failed” its residents for not catering to a wide variety of communities. They say a three-way partition would allow its respective communities make legislative decisions on a wide variety of pressing issues that represent their values.

Under the measure, each state would about 12.3 million to 13.9 million people. Northern California would comprise of 40 counties, including the Bay Area and counties north of Sacramento. California would include the counties of Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey and San Benito. Southern California would include 12 counties: San Diego, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, Mono, Madera, Inyo, Tulare, Fresno, Kings, Kern and Imperial.

“The California state government isn’t too big to fail, because it is already failing its citizens in u PAGE A4 so many crucial ways,” Peggy

Grande, spokeswoman for Citizens for Cal 3, said in a statement. “The reality is that for an overmatched, overstretched and overwrought state-government structure, it is too big to succeed. Californians deserve a better future.”

The ambitious effort, however, has an uphill battle to appeal to voters. According to an April 2017 survey, only 17 percent of registered voters support Cal 3 while 72 percent of voters think that the state should be left alone.

Breaking up California would greatly affect its current position as the nation’s most populous state and the world’s fifth largest economy. It would also affect congressional representation; the addition of two new states would add four new U.S. Senators, which could sway the Senate in the Democrats’ favor.

But it could also be a disadvantage to liberals. California has 55 electors in the Electoral College, which has given the Democratic candidates a powerful advantage in presidential elections. Splitting the state could inevitably cause the Democratic Party to lose that influence.

Analysts predicted that the break would also affect majority partisanship as well. The University of Virginia’s Center

for Politics found that Northern California would remain Democrat while Southern California would likely be a swing state.

Critics have condemned the proposal for being too costly to the taxpayers and would increase political strife, allowing the increase of bureaucratic machinations.

“Splitting California into three new states will triple the amount of special interests, lobbyists, politicians and bureaucracy. California’s government can do a better job addressing the real issues facing the state, but this measure is a massive distraction that will cause political chaos and greater inequality,” Democratic political consultant Steven Maviglio told the Mercury News.

This isn’t the first time that there has been a proposal to reconfigure the state’s structure.

Most memorably, a campaign to split the conservative northern counties into its own state called Jefferson and a bid for California to completely secede from the nation each failed to gain traction.

If the measure garners a majority of yes votes, Cal 3 will be subjected to approval by the U.S. Congress before taking effect. (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

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Dateline USa

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Elderly woman goes on racist rant against Bay Area Fil-Am and family Video of elderly woman harassing a Filipino and MexicanAmerican family goes viral, Daly City mayor responds

by Klarize

Medenilla AJPress

AN elderly white woman last week harassed a Filipino- and Mexican-American family, going on a racist, xenophobic rant while waiting behind the family in the line of a Daly City, California grocery store.

Last week Filipina-American Jenny Vela posted a video on Instagram in which an older white woman mockingly addresses the multicultural family saying, “Look at all the groceries they’re buying. Steal our food, steal our money, steal our jobs.”

A man not seen in the video, presumably Vela’s husband, Alfred — who is Mexican-American — defends the family by saying, “I’ve got a family to feed,” to which the woman replied, “So what? Go back to your country.”

The husband replied, “This is our country.”

“You’re lying, you’re lying,

you’re lying, just like how you got here,” the woman retorted.

Vela’s Instagram post, which was published before she made her account private, was captioned: “I’ve never felt so angry and sad overall because I had my 5-year-old with me.”

The Vela family told ABS-CBN that they were shocked by the encounter. Jenny Vela said that she was especially taken aback because she had grown up in Daly City, an ethnically diverse city. A majority of the comments posted under the video mirrored that shock and many expressed outrage at the white woman’s comments.

“We’re thankful that everyone is able to see this, and we have a community that supports us and loves us,” Jenny Vela said of the video, which has more than half a million views on various social media platforms, as of this writing.

Alfred Vela said, “It’s not right

that we have to put up with this type of bigotry, racism, prejudice behavior, especially coming from an elderly woman.”

After the video went viral on social media, Daly City Mayor Juslyn Manalo, who is Fil-Am, said she was appalled by the act of racism and “anti-immigrant” rhetoric occurring in her city.

“Hearing the racial slurs and also the anti-immigrant sentiment was something I would have never expected at a local grocery store we all go to,” Manolo said.

“People in our community need to know that this is something Daly City, or myself as mayor, do not condone.”

The video was also posted by a friend of the family, Danika Aquino, who said that she “was told by one of the cashiers that they had took the woman in the back [of the store] and talked to her, but no one knows further information about what happened after.” n

Fake news is a serious issue of concern...

PAGE A1 t Among the internet users, an average of 67 percent saw the problem of fake news as a serious concern — 40 percent thought the issue was very serious, and 26 percent saw it as being somewhat serious.

On average, 20 percent were undecided, and 13 percent thought fake news as not being a serious problem. (Nine percent said it was somewhat not serious, and 4 percent said it wasn’t serious at all.)

The survey found that the perceived seriousness of fake news on the internet was directly related to the frequency of internet usage.

“The March 2018 survey found that 51 percent among those who seldom use the Internet said the fake news problem is serious, followed by 64 percent among those who use it a few days per week and those who use it less than an hour daily, 69 percent among those who use it 1-2 hours daily, and 77 percent among those who use it 3 hours or more daily,” said SWS. Fake news problem in media When asked how serious of a problem the spread of fake news was in media like television, radio, and newspapers, 60 percent of adult Filipinos in the December 2017 survey said it was a serious problem with 29 percent saying it was very serious, and 31 percent saying somewhat serious.

Twenty seven percent were undecided on whether the spread of fake news in media was a problem. Thirteen percent said it wasn’t serious.

Government role in fake news issue Also from the December 2017 data, 61 percent of the adult re-

The sea of humanity in blue and yellow are out very early in the morning under the searing heat of the sun to again experience the electricity that every victory parade the Golden State Warriors brings.

Filipinos join giddy Warriors fans in Oakland victory parade celebrate another National Basketball Association (NBA) victory, this time with a 4-0 sweep OAKLAND, California — For of perennial opponent, Cleveland the third time in four years, the Cavaliers.

The crowd of loyal fans, some Golden State Warriors and its legion of fans walked, strolled, coming from other states, toasted paraded, and occupied the main the Warriors, which fast becomstreet of downtown Oakland to ing a dynasty.

Once again, enterprising individuals brought out merchandise that included the usual T-shirts, pins, horns, shot glasses, caps, special edition newspapers, hotdogs, bacondogs, even flowers.

Some promoted products by giving away energy drinks, water, and posters emblazoned with their brands.

Notable additions to these items are specially designed yellow and blue-colored Warrior Antoinette Pugeda (left) and son Karl enjoy brooms being peddled for $20 by the parade view from Antoinette’s office four someone who himself was swept floors above the parade ground. off his sidewalk makeshift stall by the crowd that came out to cheer for the champion team.

And among the enthusiastic, at times rowdy, fans were Filipino Warriors diehards most of whom

by Jun

nucuM Inquirer.net

brought along the whole family to experience the joy of victory.

Advantageous view One privileged fan was Antoinette Pugeda of Hercules, California, who works in an Oakland building with an advantageous view of the start of the parade.

She brought her 12-year-old son, Karl.

“I kind of expected the sweep of the Warriors after game 3 because they won by a big margin.

I was here also last year when they won the championship and had the victory parade which was fun too. If the team stays intact, I think they will win the championship once again. They play so good together and they have that harmony when they play so I think they can build a dynasty,” Pugeda predicted.

“Even if they move out of Oakland, I will still follow them when they move to San Francisco because for me they don’t just represent Oakland but the whole Bay Area being the Bay area

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A large majority of Filipinos are viewing the issue of fake news and false information as a serious concern, revealed a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released this week. Inquirer.net photo

spondents believed that the government was serious in solving the problem of fake news. Thirty percent saw the government as being very serious, and 30 percent saw it being somewhat serious.

Undecided were 31 percent of the respondents, with eight percent thinking the government was either somewhat not serious, or not serious at all.

Fake news problem in internet Asked in March 2018 whether they saw fake news as a problem on the internet, a majority of respondents believed it was a serious problem — more so for respondents from Metro Manila and Balance Luzon where 71 percent of respondents in each area saw it as a serious problem.

In Visayas, 68 percent said fake news on the internet was a

serious problem. The problem was less serious in Mindanao, at 52 percent.

Breaking the numbers down in terms of population and area descriptors, 68 percent in urban areas saw it was a serious problem, compared to 64 percent in rural areas.

When looking at social media platforms, Facebook had surprisingly the lowest — though still high — percentage of users that saw fake news as a serious problem. Users were slightly higher on YouTube at 68 percent, followed by Viber at 75 percent, and Instagram at 77 percent.

The surveys were conducted from December 8-16, 2017, and March 23-27, 2018, and gathered results from 1,200 adults (18 years and older) through face-to-face interviews across the country. n

Sernan Pascua (extreme left) enjoys family bonding moment in the parade with wife, Randee, and daughters Alex, Romiel, Catalea, and Czarina.

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Visibly tired but relieved, the six Romero siblings from Bohol, led by sister Diding (in the back seat with cap), have an unforgettable experience back together again, to enjoy the Warriors victory parade.

Inquirer.net photos by Jun Nucum

AG Sessions restricts domestic abuse...

reduce court backlog containing those 711,000 cases. A Department of Justice spokesman said Monday’s decision would allow cases “to be more effectively and quickly adjudicated.”

Most vulnerable to the decision are those fleeing domestic and gang violence in Mexico and Central America.

Immigrants from the Philippines have throughout the past several years been less likely as an ethnic group to enter the

U.S. refugees or asylum, accounting for 0.1 percent of individuals granted asylum from years 2002 to 2011.

There have though been cases of individuals seeking asylum or United Nations Convention Against Torture (CAT) protections in regards to the Philippines current war on drugs.

The U.S. government has also been receiving increasing criticism lately towards its separating of families seeking asylum in the U.S. by illegally

crossing the border. A Honduran father recently killed himself in a detention cell after being separated from his child.

A first draft of a “compromise” immigration bill called the “Border Security and Immigration Reform Act” was released Thursday night, June 14 by the House GOP and is slated to reach the House floor next week. Republicans say it will prevent family separation, but critics say otherwise. (Rae Ann Varona / AJPress)

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Dateline USa

As Medicaid costs soar, states try a new approach

by Phil

Galewitz Kaiser Health News

MINNEAPOLIS — Sandy Dowland has been to the emergency room 10 times in the past year and was hospitalized during four of those visits. She has had a toe amputated and suffers from uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure, major depression, obesity and back pain.

But her health is not high on the 41-year-old woman’s priority list.

“I have a lot going on,” said the unemployed mother of five who lives in a homeless shelter.

She said it’s a struggle just to get herself and children through each day.

Her health bills are covered by Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for the poor.

That’s a relief for her, she said.

But state officials say Medicaid is busting Minnesota’s budget, particularly with patients like Dowland and its system of paying hospitals for each admission, ER visit and outpatient test.

To ease that financial strain, Minnesota is at the forefront of a growing number of states testing a Medicaid payment system.

It rewards hospitals and physician groups holding down costs by keeping enrollees healthy.

Under this arrangement, those health care providers are asked to do more than just treat medical issues such as diabetes and heart disease. They are called on to address the underlying social issues — such as homelessness, lack of transportation and poor nutrition — that can cause and exacerbate health problems.

It’s why North Memorial arranged for a community health worker and paramedic to meet Dowland on a recent weekday at a day care center for homeless families. They advised her on how to take her insulin, prodded her to use a patch to quit smoking and helped her apply for Social Security disability payments and food stamps.

“This is nice to have someone who I can talk to about everything in my life and give me access to the community resources I need,” said Dowland, who added that she puts off her own health needs in order to care for her children and look for housing and a job. “I appreciate the help because, at the clinic, the doctor doesn’t have

At Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis, Dr. Allison Wert examines Medicaid enrollee Rachel Rowell, who participates in the ACO. Photo by Phil Galewitz/Kaiser Health News

time for this.”

North Memorial is among 21 health systems in Minnesota participating in this new model of care, called accountable care organizations. ACOs get to share in money they save Medicaid by keeping spending under a budget and by reaching quality targets, such as averting hospital-acquired infections and controlling patients’ blood pressure and asthma.

The shift toward ACOs is occurring with Medicare and employersponsored insurance, too. But for Medicaid programs, it presents unique challenges. Medicaid enrollees, by definition, are low-income. Many have little experience navigating health systems and large numbers are homeless or dealing with mental health problems, conditions that can lead to difficulties in encouraging healthy behaviors.

“The goal [of ACOs] is really exciting to make health systems more responsive to what people need to be healthy,” said Ann Hwang, director of the center for consumer engagement and health innovation at Community Catalyst, a Boston-based consumer advocacy group. “But the jury is still out as to whether they are really moving the needle in addressing social services such as transportation, housing and food insecurity — the things we know affect people’s ability to be healthy.”

Nationwide, a dozen states are experimenting with Medicaid ACOs and 10 more are making plans for them.

About half of Minnesota’s 1 million Medicaid recipients are in ACOs, which officials said saved

the state $213 million since 2013.

Hospitals and doctors received $70 million of that.

In addition to North Memorial, other participating health systems include the Mayo Clinic and Hennepin Healthcare, the state’s largest safety-net provider based in Minneapolis.

‘Going to where the patient is’ For giant health systems that for years have competed by adding the latest technology or building sleek facilities, the ACOs are a huge shift. In effect, the ACOs push hospitals to address patients’ problems before they end up in the ER or operating rooms.

“We are learning to have to do a better job of going to where the patient is… as we now realize we

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 16-19, 2018

A

Mercito Gesta captures NABO lightweight title via majority decision victory FILIPINO boxer Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta (32-2-2, 17 KOs) on Thursday, June 14 captured the North American Boxing Organization (NABO) lightweight title against Roberto “Tito” Manzanarez (35-2, 28 KOs) via 10round majority decision victory in the main event of the Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.

One judge scored the fight a 95-95 draw, which was overruled by two scores of 96-94 in Gesta’s favor.

“I feel good, though I’m surprised he moved so much,” said Gesta, who is from San Diego. “I was really eager to cut the distance and hit him. My trainer Freddie [Roach] told me I needed to land more combinations, but it’s clear that Manzanarez is tough and can take a punch. I can’t wait for what’s next.”

“I felt I won this fight,” said Phoenix, Arizona-based Manzanarez. “I dominated more rounds than Gesta. I kept him at a distance and controlled the pace. I kept touching him with long shots. I want the rematch, but I have to check with my team to see what’s next.”

In tonight’s co-main event, Manny Robles III (16-0, 8 KOs) captured the vacant NABF Featherweight crown as he scored a ninth-round technical knockout victory against Edgar “Kid Neza” Valerio (13-1, 8 KOs) in a classic battle between two of Golden Boy Promotions’ best prospects. The fight, which was initially scheduled for 10 rounds,

Mercito Gesta lands a right hook en route to a majority decision victory against Roberto Manzanarez in the main event of Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif.

Photo by Tom Hogan-Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions

was dominated early by Robles, who used his speed and technical abilities to outbox the taller and stronger Valerio.

In the third round, Robles landed a counter left hook that immediately floored Valerio, who rose to his feet with renewed ferocity to even up the score. Robles continued his dominance until the eighth round, where Valerio landed a perfectly-timed right hook that stunned and wobbled Robles. After taking a round to recover, Robles landed a right hand that dropped Valerio, which he followed with a fightfinishing flurry to end matters in the ninth round.

“This was the most important fight of my career and I took care of business,” said Robles. “[Valerio] hurt me with that right hand because I got careless, but

thanks to my conditioning I recovered quickly. I had a great camp. I won this fight because I had a great game plan. As you can see, we had something special up our sleeve. After a couple more fights, I would love a world title shot.”

Herbert “Ace” Acevedo (15-2, 6 KOs), the latest prospect to join the Westside Boxing Club stable, scored a six-round unanimous decision victory against David Thomas (6-3-1, 2 KOs) of Orange, Texas in a super lightweight bout. Acevedo, a native of Garden City, Kansas, dominated Thomas in every round in a battle of toe-to-toe action.

“I hurt my right hand in the first round,” said Acevedo. “I landed it right on his forehead and then I was just not able to

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Mercito Gesta captures NABO...

PAGE A5 t use it. So, I stood toe-to-toe and worked the body. I pumped my jab and boxed a bit, but I made sure the win was clear with all the body shots.”

Luis Feliciano (7-0, 4 KOs) of Utuado, Puerto Rico scored a fourth-round technical knockout victory against Daniel Montoya (11-7, 8 KOs) of Tamauliopas, Mexico in a super lightweight battle initially scheduled for eight rounds.

“I feel great. We’re taking things fight by fight,” said Feliciano. “I’m focused on getting better and better. We work on everything in the gym.

That body shot I landed has been something I’ve had since the amateurs. We work on everything so that we have all the bases covered when we get to a championship level.”

Luis Arcon (2-0, 2 KOs), a Venezuelan prospect who currently resides in Indio, Calif., scored a technical knockout victory against Ricardo Fernandez (3-94) of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico at the end of the second round of a scheduled four-round super lightweight battle. Arcon domi-

Filipino boxer Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta secures the North American Boxing Organization (NABO) lightweight title after a 10-round majority decision victory against Roberto “Tito” Manzanarez.

Photo by Tom Hogan-Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions

nated Fernandez from the opening bell, dropping him in the first round and punishing him so badly in second round that the corner was forced to call a halt to the fight before the third round could begin.

“I took this fight on very short notice,” said Arcon. “I wanted to take advantage of this oppor-

tunity with Golden Boy Promotions, so I worked hard and cut the weight to make the fight happen. Hopefully I can come back again soon.”

Gesta vs. Manzanarez was a 10-round fight for the NABO Lightweight Championship presented by Golden Boy Promotions. n

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The Ojeda family of Lafayette, California led by Queen (second from right) is Frederick Tecson (left) thought a win by the Cavaliers joined by mother Jocelyn (extreme right), brother Reeve, father Francis and Louie would’ve been good, but hoped for a sweep just the (extreme left) were also in the victory parade last year. same.

Inquirer.net photos by Jun Nucum

Filipinos join giddy Warriors fans...

PAGE A4 t team. So, no matter where they go, I think the fans are going to follow,” she added.

Son Karl, who idolizes Draymond Green for being good and funny with his antics, thought that the championship series would have been a lot tighter if the Houston Rockets played for the championship instead of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Next year’s champs?

“I think we are going to be champions again next year because there will probably be more switches and the opponent would probably not get used to the changes right away. My favorite player maybe Draymond Green, but Javale McGee is my MVP,” quipped Karl.

Outside, in the crowd with a girlfriend, was Frederick Tecson of South San Francisco, who would have wanted the Cavaliers to win at least once.

“The Houston Rockets gave them a tighter, better series (during the Western Conference) and whether or not Chris Paul was injured that they would have had a chance to win the western conference title. Yes, they could have owned it. But I still think with the way the Warriors played, they would have given them a big challenge and still win the series,” Tecson opined. He said further: “I thought that the final MVP was a tossup between Curry and Durant, but KD sold him that MVP with the game 3 performance.

There’s a good chance that we’re going to be champions in the

next years as long as they keep the same core group of players.”

Sernan Pascua with wife, Randee, and daughters, Alex, Romiel, Catalea, and Czarina, of Milpitas again packed their things for the victory parade in Oakland, just like in the first two championships.

Rockets? Nah “I don’t think the Houston Rockets would have given them a better, tighter championship series because if they only had role player swingman forward Andre Iguodala, the Rockets would have been defeated just the same in five games,” Sernan claimed. Randee added, “You got to know how important Iguodala is as a player. He would not have been finals MVP for no reason the first time. The games would have been over in five if Iguodala was playing.”

Their daughters’ favorite player is Steph Curry “who makes us inspired.”

Queen Ojeda and family from Lafayette were also in the victory party last year and believed that the Warriors would still sweep the championship series no matter who the other team was.

“I think it will still be the same result if the Rockets were the ones they fought in the Finals. It would still be a sweep,” Queen asserted with father Francis nodding. “We know the Warriors can do it and remain a champion in the next years with all their talent. They can take on the other teams no matter what buildup they do. We will be back here

next year.”

Mother Jocelyn added that they were so proud of the Warriors “because they work so hard for their games. We have so much faith in them because of their intensity for the games they play.”

Queen came with Louie Rosales Ojeda and younger brother, Reeve, who adores Curry but has Kevin Durant as his Most Valuable Player.

Family reunion Seen inside the BART train after jostling their way back to the BART station were the six Romero siblings of Lila, Boho,l led by 78-year-old Serino Romero.

Sister Diding Romero, who came to the U.S.in the 1980s and currently resides in Union City, was happy that she was able to bring her newly immigrated siblings to the Warriors victory parade.

“This was something that I thought my siblings, three brothers and two other sisters who just came from the Philippines and themselves are basketball fanatics, would enjoy very much as a sibling family bonding moment,” Diding intimated.

She had to wait at least 25 years for her petition for them bear fruit. “I wanted to share with them the experience of having a champion team being toasted in a victory parade, for a team that I believe would be champions for a long time.”

The siblings sat inside the train full of boisterous Warrior fans, some of whom clearly have had a drink or two. n

As Medicaid costs soar...

PAGE A5 t

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are responsible for the patient when they are engaged with us and when they are not here,” said Robert Stroebel, who helps leads the ACO effort at Mayo Clinic.

So far, the model isn’t proving to be a panacea.

In six states using ACOs, a March federal study in found, Medicaid enrollees received more primary care services — such as doctor visits — but the program did not reduce hospital visits in most states or lower costs.

“Changing provider and beneficiary behavior may take more time than the few years this report covers,” concluded the study.

Minnesota’s experience demonstrates the challenges of changing to a new Medicaid payment system. In 2016, the latest year for which data are available, only six of the 16 ACOs were eligible to share in cost savings.

But Marie Zimmerman, Minnesota’s Medicaid director, noted the state’s program has seen a 7 percent cut in ER visits and a 14 percent reduction in hospital stays in areas where health providers participate in an ACO. “Medicaid is 20 percent of Minnesota’s population, and we have to care about getting the best deal and the long-term fiscal ability of the program and not cutting eligibility and provider rates and benefits to show sustainability,” she said.

Struggle to change behaviors The switch to ACOs accelerated efforts by hospitals and physician groups to attack so-called social determinants of health, such as the lack of stable housing and poor nutrition. But providers still struggle to change patients’ behaviors, particularly helping those with addiction and mental health problems, according to interviews with officials at several ACOs. Doctors, nurses and social workers at Hennepin dealt with that head-on during a recent routine review of their patients.

When they came to a 58-year old man suffering from alcoholism, anxiety and heart problems and living in a homeless shelter, they noted how they couldn’t get him into a primary care clinic and saw him only during frequent hospital admissions.

“Best we can hope for him is if we can facilitate a safe ending,” said Dr. Rachel Silva, a Hennepin internist, acknowledging that despite their best intentions, health providers likely would not be able to prevent his early death.

Even with teams of nurses,

John Riley, a community paramedic with the hospital system North Memorial, checks on Medicaid enrollees Sandy Dowland and 3-year-old son Brayden at a center for homeless families in Minneapolis.

Photo by Phil Galewitz/Kaiser Health News

social workers and community health workers, Hennepin officials say they struggle to keep up with many Medicaid enrollees who have addiction problems, and many patients still go to the ER out of habit or convenience rather than the organization’s primary care clinics, which are as close as across the street.

Yet, there are success stories, too. The Mayo Clinic has started a community health worker program to help at-risk patients connect to social services such as housing and transportation.

Nancy Zein, 47, a Medicaid recipient who uses the Mayo Clinic, said having weekly meetings with community health worker Tara Nelson has been life-changing for her and her mother, who is also on Medicaid.

“She’s been a godsend,” said Zein, who noted how Nelson helped her get Social Security disability payments and her mom find affordable housing for disabled adults, as well as get both enrolled for food stamps.

“It’s made such an impact on our health,” Zein said. “My mom has depression issues, and with Tara helping us with housing, it helped her depression.”

With the opportunity to share in financial savings, North Memorial has hired additional community paramedics to visit highrisk patients. Mayo Clinic has added community health workers to help patients find housing and transportation and nurses to make home visits to patients after leaving the hospital. Hennepin set up special clinics for the most challenging Medicaid patients and sends doctors to care for patients in homeless centers, jails and the county’s mental health center — to reach people who

may need help even before they are likely to end up in their ER and on Medicaid.

Nearly 20 percent of Hennepin’s adult Medicaid ACO members are homeless. In the past four years, social workers and other staff have helped more than 500 of their Medicaid patients — including in the ACO — get into public housing.

Cuts for managed-care companies The ACO model has raised concerns among managed-care companies that Minnesota and other states have used for decades to control Medicaid spending.

Those companies get a monthly fee from Medicaid for each enrollee and often require those patients to seek care with doctors and hospitals that have contracts with the managed-care firm. The companies profit if they spend less on care than they receive in the state allotment.

“We are aligned with the goals … to explore innovation and provide better delivery of care,” said Scott Keefer, vice president of Minnesota Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, which has 300,000 Medicaid members. But, he added, much of the ACO savings cited by state officials are dollars taken from managed-care company profits.

His health plan lost more than $200 million from Medicaid operations during the past two years, partly because it had to pay part of its state funding to ACOs. “We are not magically saving money.… We are moving the financial deck chairs around,” he said.

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

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DATELINE PCoverage HILIPPINES of Pres. Duterte’s war on

Beijing probing sea abuses – envoy

by RALPH

VILLANUEVA ManilaTimes.net

CHINA is investigating its coast guards who last month took the catch of Filipino fishermen at the disputed Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines said on Tuesday, June 12.

Zhao Jianhua called the catch takers “bad apples” and if it was proven that they forcibly took the Filipinos’ catch, he would “throw [them]into the South China Sea and feed the fish.”

Last week, GMA News released a video footage that was supposedly taken on May 20.

Cameras on a fishing boat captured the Chinese asking for fish from the fishermen and then sailing away when they found out that the Filipinos had not caught any.

On Monday, June 11, Romel Cejuela, a fisherman from Bajo de Masinloc in Zambales, bared that the Chinese usually took their haul from the shoal worth about P4,000 in exchange for cigarettes, noodles and water. “[If proven,] there will be disci-

pline in accordance with our own regulations. I’m not sure about the details because it will be, the investigation is being conducted by competent agencies and they have their own corresponding regulations,” Ambassador Zhao Jianhua told reporters after President Rodrigo Duterte’s speech during the 120th celebration of Philippine Independence at the Museo ni Aguinaldo in Kawit, Cavite.

“Whether [this is]forceful taking or harassment, it’s really up to the investigation. I’m sure you have noted the Filipino side’s remarks about their investigation conducted with your fishermen involved. From the remarks, I can see that it’s primarily barter trade [between the fishermen and the coast guards]if you may call it,” Zhao said.

He added that the “friendly arrangement” between the Philippines and China to allow Filipino fishermen to fish in the rich fishing grounds will stand.

“First and foremost, the friendly arrangement to allow Filipino fishermen to fish in the waters around Huangyan or Scarbor-

ough is going to be there. It will not be changed. That means they can go back and fish there freely so we will check and if there is any misconduct conducted by the Chinese coast guards, those individuals will be punished and the rules will be there,” Zhao said.

“As a rule, we do not allow Chinese coast guards to do whatever, to do anything that is harmful to the Filipino fishermen,” he added.

Zhao said there’s a “mutual understanding” not to allow large boats of Filipino fishermen to sail to Panatag Shoal, adding that both countries agreed that only fishermen will be allowed to enter the shoal.

Cejuela said on Monday that their big ships, or their “mother” ships, are allowed only up to the entrance of the shoal as their smaller boats are the only ones allowed by the Chinese to enter the shoal.

Once they fill their smaller boats, they return to their mother ships and deposit all their catch.

Then, they go back to the shoal

u PAGE A10

Duterte urged to sign mental health bill

profile U.S. personalities.

“The recent deaths of fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity MANILA — An official of the chef Anthony Bourdain have once House of Representatives is urg- more brought the issue of mental ing President Duterte to sign the health to the forefront,” House Mental Health bill into law as soon Deputy Speaker and Marikina as possible in light of two recent Rep. Romero Quimbo said on suicide incidents involving high- Thursday, June 14.

by DELON

PORCALLA Philstar.com

Quimbo is the principal author of the proposed Mental Health Act. He is a member of the bicameral conference committee which consolidated the House and Senate versions of the measure that aims to help emotionally disturbed persons.

“Apart from the messages of support and calls for greater awareness of mental health issues, what is needed most by the countless Filipinos who live with mental health problems is concrete action by the government,” Quimbo said.

“Advocates tirelessly pushed for the Mental Health Act for well over a decade and in the past year, both houses of Congress have finally passed and consolidated this important measure. Now that the ball is in its court, hopefully Malacañang will act soon,” he added.

Quimbo said inadequate government support, coupled with the stigma attached to mental health problems in society, has led to the “The recent deaths of fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain have suffering of many in the Philiponce more brought the issue of mental health to the forefront,” House Deputy Speaker and pines.

Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo said on Thursday, June 14.

Philstar.com photo

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A7

drugs wins media excellence awards THE gripping news coverage of President Duterte’s bloody war on drugs and the fight against the Islamic State-inspired militants in Marawi City, two defining elements of his presidency, have brought honor to Filipino and foreign journalists.

The Society of Publishers in Asia (Sopa), a nonprofit that champions press freedom in the Asia-Pacific region, on Wednesday, June 13 handed out its annual awards for excellent journalistic works in traditional and new media, including the reportage on the tragic plight of Myanmar’s minority Rohingya, President Duterte’s drug war and the fivemonth battle for Marawi.

“By recognizing their excellence, we hope to inspire and encourage journalists to keep producing work of the highest quality,” said Cliff Buddle, chair of the Sopa editorial committee.

Reuters Reuters, which recently won the Pulitzer Prize for its reports on the war on drugs in the Philippines, received four awards of excellence and four honorable mentions from Sopa. The reports were published by the Inquirer.

“Duterte’s war falters” by Reuters won the award for excellence in human rights reporting, and its “Duterte’s war on drugs” grabbed the excellence in information graphics award. Reuters also was a finalist for excellence in investigative reporting for “Duterte’s killer cops.”

Judges called the coverage of the bloody antidrug campaign in the Philippines “excellent and dangerous reporting on one of the biggest human rights issues in Asia.”

ABS-CBN News’ special digital report on the war on drugs written and photographed by Fernando Sepe Jr., a former Associated Press photojournalist, received the excellence in feature writing award.

“Healing the wounds from the drug war” reported on how several relatives of victims of the government’s crackdown on narcotics coped following the deaths of their loved ones and breadwinners.

Sepe, news.abs-cbn.com’s deputy editor for multimedia,

covered the crime scenes and the burials of those who fell in the antidrug campaign and reported on how their families struggled to move on.

Time photographer James Nachtwey’s “In Manila, Death Comes by Night” received hon-

orable mention in photography as his “dramatic use of black and white accentuates and underscores the horror of death and the tragedy that it spreads on the affected families” in the images of Mr. Duterte’s bloody

u PAGE A10

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OPINION

FEATURES

Momentum for peace

SAY what you will about their personality quirks; that was still a historic handshake the other day between the leaders of the United States and North Korea. It raised hopes for the end of the decades-old armed conflict on the Korean peninsula and for more stability in the Asia-Pacific.

There were in fact several handshakes between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un throughout their unprecedented summit in Singapore’s Sentosa island. Long-time Korean watchers, remembering Kim’s previous about-faces, have warned that he may simply be using his latest actions to ramp up his nuclear program even as he commits to “complete denuclearization.”

For now, however, he will enjoy the benefit of the doubt. A looming visit to the White House — and possibly to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida — may help seal Kim’s credentials in committing to the end of war between the Koreas, and the elimination of one of the most serious security threats in the world.

There is still a high potential for a reversal of the gains achieved during Kim’s summits with

Trump and, before this on April 27, with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The world is closely watching for signs of deception in Kim’s promise to stop its nuclear program. Kim may resent continuing economic sanctions on his country and backpedal on his summit commitments.

Still, the signs are encouraging, with Washington announcing the suspension of military drills with South Korea, as sought by the North, and Pyongyang reporting that Kim has accepted Trump’s invitation to visit the U.S. The momentum for peace must be sustained.

Even as the world holds Kim to his promise of complete denuclearization, his handshakes with his country’s erstwhile enemy in South Korea and staunch critic in the U.S. have raised cautious optimism for peace. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

How do you continue living when the one you love takes his own life?

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS THE deaths of celebrities Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade have once again put the spotlight on the issue of suicide, and many people wonder how people as famous, talented, rich as them could have taken their own lives.

We could all talk about it in the medical, philosophical or spiritual or emotional realms, but we are fortunate to still be detached about it if this has not happened to us — losing a person we love to suicide.

How do they — the people bereaved by someone who took his or her own life — continue to live when a big part of them has died as well? It is painful enough when people lose their parents, spouse, siblings, children, best friends to natural death or through a fatal accident or violent crime. We could only imagine how even more difficult it is if the loss was because the person we love chose to end it all and there was nothing we could do or have done about it.

A grandmother who took care of her granddaughter lost her to suicide and at first, all she could feel was hurt and anger, saying

her 14-year-old grandchild had been so selfish and did not even think about how hurt those who love her would feel. This was perhaps a coping mechanism because the anger would override the profound grief.

My ABS-CBN News colleague Charie Villa is a sister who lost her own brother to suicide because of depression, and this was what Charie wrote on Facebook to help those who grieve: “Whoever are deeply affected by the sudden and tragic deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, I know you are in grief and in a state of shock.

Especially those who are very young, fragile souls out there. I understand where you are because I have been there, too.

My brother took his own life he was 55 and I was living with him. It was heart wrenching and it still hurts when I remember, still very often since it was only two years ago. But instead of the struggle and pain you are feeling that I am sharing, allow me to focus on words that may give you hope and faith. Soon, a life full of joy and love will begin to unravel as friends and family will come to you. Yes you will recall the moment it happened and it will still be painful. But remember, their deaths have nothing to do with you. Their

illness were theirs, and we just happened to be pushed into the situation. You will miss them but remember- without their mental illness- they loved and lived the best way they can. I know it is hard because you are angry they left you. But it is over now and the anger will go away. You have a beautiful sacred life to live, so live it! Don’t be embarrassed to say their name or how they passed, honor and respect that.

And if you feel like you’re alone, you have family and friends you can reach out to. If you feel like crying, don’t be afraid to show your emotions. May you be surrounded with love and your paths be lit from hereon. Peace.”

Another friend who lost her beloved husband shares her perspective, so we may understand what the people left behind when their beloved take their own life, and a bittersweet sharing to those who are suffering from depression. She requests that she remains anonymous. Here is an excerpt of her sharing: “That’s what people always say — remember only the good memories you had with the person you lost, forget the ones that are bad and painful.

Is it really that easy? It’s easy to tell a depressed person to “reach” out, but it’s never easy for a depressed person to actu-

Finding peace this Father’s Day

ally do it.

You’re probably wondering why I’m so profoundly affected by mental illness to advocate for its awareness this much.

What I’m about to tell you is perhaps, the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do — to actually share my own personal and firsthand experience of losing someone because of mental illness.

I lived with and committed myself completely to a person with mental illness. I did the best I could to be there for him, whenever he had these depressive episodes.

But even then, he still took his own life. Even then, he still fell through the cracks and I was powerless to stop it.

It’s been three years since it happened, but I have not fully recovered from my loss. The depression and suffering never stop, even when a depressed person takes his own life.

It is only transferred (in an even more immense magnitude) to his loved ones. And they have to live with it for the rest of their lives, along with guilt, regret and the pursuit of an answer that they will never find.

I impart this message, not just to raise a collective consciousness about the issue, but especially to reach out to those who are going through the darkness

Commentary

Rhizomes FRANCISCO S. TATAD PROSY ABARQUEZDELACRUZ, J.D. “PEACE is not the product of terror or fear. Peace is not the silence of cemeteries. Peace is not the silent result of violent repression. Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all. Peace is dynamism. Peace is generosity. It is right and it is duty.” - Bishop Oscar Romero Peace is choosing love and generosity My father, Eleazar Abarquez died on April 24, 2000. Three years after his death, I found out from my mother, Asuncion, that he lost three family members (his parents and a brother) during World War II. My fraternal grandparents, who were both Filipino soldiers, were lured into the woods to look for their missing son. Apparently, it was a trap as the Japanese Imperial Army killed them. Vigan Church’s pastor refused to bury them, afraid of retaliation. After my father’s persistence and tenacity, my fraternal grandparents finally got the Catholic blessing and were buried.

Orphaned at a young age, my

A reproduction of an archival photo of the author’s late father, Eleazar A. Abarquez

father moved to Manila. Instead of despairing over the loss of his parents, he nurtured hope and resorted to higher education as a way out of poverty. He would walk, barefoot for miles, to get to school and back. Sometimes he had food, other times hunger. He wore pants made from recycled rice sacks.

He persisted, until his law degree was interrupted by an early marriage, when he met the love of his life, Asuncion. Theirs became a bond of love, which defied all sorts of financial odds, and both managed to build a home for their children. He became a labor inspector, tasked with enforcing the labor codes of the Philippines. My mother was a science and math teacher at a

Senator Daniel Ken Inouye, who represented Hawaii from 1963 until his death in 2012.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Congress

public school.

But, their dreams were larger than what their careers offered.

My mother took the initiative to immigrate first with my eldest sister, Rose, to Los Angeles, and then, the rest of us joined them.

My father was tasked with selling the fruits of their community labor: the car, house and lot.

Months before martial law was imposed, he got a promotion to become the Southern Regional Administrator, appointed by then-Director of Labor Blas Ople.

He was faced with his own dilemma, should he pursue his new promotion in his career and be away from his family or be reunited with family to start anew?

Much like choosing love in mar-

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THE way Donald Trump talks of his June 12 summit meeting in Singapore with North Korea’s Chairman Kim Jong Un seems to put totally in the shade the endlessly repeated story of the godly St. Francis making the wolf of the Umbrian city of Gubbio kneel before him. Kim, a 34-year-old dictator who has imprisoned, tortured and executed thousands, including his own uncle and half-brother, and ranted against the U.S. for years, did not have to kneel before Trump. But he allowed himself to be flattered and cajoled by the man who not too long ago threatened to “unleash fire and fury like the world has never seen” and “totally destroy” the very ground he stood on.

Trump’s critics, like Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times, suggest it was Kim who actually “snookered” Trump. Not all the optics managed to show the 71year-old former American reality TV star as the unquestioned winner in this colossal propaganda effort. A constantly smiling Trump shook hands with Kim and spoke of a “very special bond” between them, in sharp contrast to his cussed performance at the G-7 meeting in Quebec, Canada a few

of suffering from mental illness.

I’m reaching out because I’ve been there — I mean it when I say that I know what you’re going through.

I feel your pain just as poignantly and I have to live with it for the rest of my life. I have to survive through it because I don’t want to inflict and transfer that same pain to those who care about me. I don’t have it in me to pass on that kind of burden to anyone, no matter how difficult it is to live with it.

Your dark passenger will not die with you. You will only empower it even more by causing your loved ones grief, guilt, and pain.

Every time you think of taking your life, think of them and remind yourself that you are not only living for yourself. Reach out to them and tell them everything, no matter how difficult.

Acknowledging your weaknesses does not make you weak.

Self-awareness actually makes you face your demons head on and enables you to fight and exorcise them. And you have the support of your family and friends to help you through the process.

The last thing I want to see on my newsfeed is another incident of someone taking his or her own life. To normal people, it’s

just news but to people like me, it’s a painful reminder of what we had to go through and are still going through.

It doesn’t matter who I am — what matters is what I’m advocating for. Most people who lose a loved one to suicide would rather process their grief in private and shy away from public view, mostly because of their guilt. Admittedly, I’m still going through the same phase, but someone needs to speak up.

I may have chosen to be faceless and nameless, but my cause is far bigger than my identity.

Hopefully, my attempt will help avert the needless loss of another life.

I speak on behalf of every parent, spouse, son, daughter, and friend who has lost a loved one due to mental illness. Pass on this message to someone whom you think is going through a dark phase — you just might be able to save that person’s life.

We can only hope, but to at least try is better than doing nothing at all. *** 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

Has the world changed much after the summit? days earlier, where he lashed out at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other European leaders.

Looking the winner But Kim managed to look like the winner without doing much or anything at all. Before the two leaders signed the summit declaration, most of the 2,500 foreign journalists covering the event presumably saw North Korea as a backward country whose only claim to modernity was its missiles and nuclear weapons. Now they noticed a North Korean official inspect and clean the pen Kim would use to sign the Declaration, while no American counterpart did the same thing for Trump. This was not an unimportant detail.

While Trump made much of the fact that he was the first American president in history to sit down for formal talks with a North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un was the first North Korean leader to gain legitimacy for his long isolated country on the international stage, and put it on the same level as the world largest nuclear power, the United States. Trump’s critics saw this, and faulted him for conceding too much and gaining so little, and for making himself a spokesman for Pyongyang.

Not only did he give Kim a stage from which to speak to the world as his equal, he also offered security guarantees to North Korea while suspending military exercises with South Korea, which surprised South Korea and the Pentagon. Through these exercises, the U.S. has projected the strength of its military alliance with Seoul, giving Pyongyang something to denounce over the years. But at the summit, Trump declared the exercises “very expensive” and “very provocative” to Pyongyang.

No more nuclear threat?

In return, Kim “reaffirmed” the same commitment to denuclearization which North Korea has repeatedly made since 1992, without any details. He volunteered to dismantle a facility that tests engines for ballistic missiles, but this has been reported as no longer operational. And it was not mentioned in the written declaration. After the signing of the summit declaration, Trump tweeted: “No longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea. President Obama said North Korea was our largest and most dangerous problem. No longer —sleep well tonight.”

Upon his return to the US, at 5:56 p.m. on June 13, 2018 he

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Finding peace this Father’s...

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rying my mom, he chose family reunification.

Choosing new beginnings, he got a job as a counselor at the Veterans Counseling Center in Los Angeles. He counseled Vietnam veterans and as he did his work, he found healing from his loss. After retiring from his job as a counselor, he became the primary caregiver to his grandchildren born in America – Jennifer, Brian, Michael, Paul, Jason, and Jessica. He would pick them up from school, cook dinners and supervise their homework.

Even with persistent arthritis, he endured his physical pain to care for them. To pay tribute to his nurturing, Jessica wrote a poem about his daily heroic deeds.

From my father, I learned a code of conduct — contributing to the good of all and serving others, before myself.

At Christmas, my father would give generously to Catholic nuns who came to sing Christmas carols. Even if it meant giving away his last cent, he provided for their medical needs. At times, I heard my mom complain about their limited government salaries in the Philippines, and that he should limit giving away their resources. As my dad believed that God provides, he remained generous to every sampaguita vendor that we would come across when our car was stalled in Manila traffic.

It was from my father, Eleazar, that I learned acceptance of what life hands to you. Instead of negativity, he taught me to transcend challenges. How - by being generous. Year after year, I watched him give away what little he had.

And it seemed he never ran out of resources to share. The biggest beneficiaries became us, his children. Long after he died, his example still inspires and guides me. My reward is a deeper feeling of satisfaction - a blessing of peace in one’s heart.

Peace is patriotism and bravery in war I met someone who was a dead ringer for my dad. I thought for a brief moment that my father was alive when I was introduced to Senator Daniel Inouye at a UCLA event. He was kind enough to stop and get our photos taken. I told him how I learned about his bravery when I visited the Price of Freedom Exhibit in Washington, D.C. I was listening to an audio recording at this Smithsonian’s exhibit about Inouye’s bravery. It

was also reported by Robert Asahina in “Just Americans: The Story of the 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team in World War II.” “And later he found out he had been shot in the stomach, but he kept climbing up the hill. A machine gun nest was firing at him.

He threw a grenade, knocked out that machine gun nest, another machine gun nest opened up on him. A German soldier stood up with a grenade launcher, launched a grenade straight at Inouye.”

Inouye was carrying a live grenade in his right hand when the German grenade hit him, nearly severing his right arm. [Inouye] grabbed the live grenade out of his right hand with his left hand, threw it into the machine gun nest, blew up that machine gun nest, fell to the ground, crawled up the ground, then got hit a third time by another rifleman before he was knocked out.

For four days and nights they fought their way through these very dense mountains,” says Asahina, who has visited the site.

“The canopy is so dense that when you are in there in the middle of the day, it’s dark. And they were fighting there in the dark, climbing hills with the Germans firing down on them. It was one of the most heroic battles of the French campaign.”

He was the first successful senator to have accomplished for our Filipino WWII veterans, a provision in H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5), signed

by President Barack Obama, providing for 18,000 living Filipino WWII veterans, a one-time payment of $15,000 to American citizens of Filipino descent and $9,000 to Filipino veterans of WWII who are non-citizens – a total of $198 million.

Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution for the good of all Recall the internment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans, 65 percent of whom were American citizens, that was made possible

by Executive Order 4066, signed

by President Franklin Roosevelt, after WWII was declared?

Yet, with all these injustices that these Japanese-Americans faced in internment camps, they were the most decorated batallion who fought in World War II. Daniel Inouye became one of the most decorated WWII hero. The 442nd combat unit garnered over

OpiniOn & Features

18,000 individual decorations for bravery, 9,500 Purple Hearts for casualties, and seven Presidential Distinguished Unit citations.

While in camp, they lived in barracks, that were 20 x 120 ft, divided into four to six tiny apartments, with sheetrock walls, sometimes covered, sometimes not, with tar paper on the roof.

These wood shacks had gaps on the walls and on the floors, allowing heat and blistering cold to come in. They had common bathrooms that they had to walk to, traversing mud with their wooden sandals. In some parts of the West Coast, they were housed in barns where horses were kept.

These interned JapaneseAmericans taught their families acceptance and a code of behavior, called shushin, giving their lives in camp, a sense of dignity.

They recognized that shushin (perseverance, hard work and respect for authority) can now be their code of behavior to pass on.

Instead of bitterness, they passed on giri, (strong sense of duty or obligation to others) or a profound obligation to family, especially parents, a generational duty to do good to others, to look after generations to come. From their collective decision, they served others before themselves.

Instead of anger, the value of gaman (to endure adversity and to persevere) was taught by example. At times, it felt like they were passive, but while in the camps, they taught their children watercolor paintings. The art of woodmaking was also passed on. Even games of baseball were played. Dances and songs were taught. They centered on arts, spirituality and cultural values in the camps.

In Toyo Miyatake’s exhibit from October to December 2017, his black and white photos of that period showed how the Japanese Americans grew foliage and flowering plants to surround their barracks and made their living conditions bearable.

Another photo showed how they created inside the barracks, a community market of fresh fish, supplied twice a month by a Caucasian friend who sent the fresh fish from Port of San Pedro. The photo’s caption conveyed the fact that Japanese did not like the taste of the fish supplied in the camp that they made arrangements for other varieties of fish to be delivered.

The cultural values of gaman

A6L D;;>8:H D;

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8# ?D: H6N6H! ?G#

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 16-19, 2018

A

MOA SIGNING. President Rodrigo Duterte witnesses the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and state and local universities and colleges at the Malacañang 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

Has the world changed much...

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tweeted again: “Just landed—a long trip, but everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office. There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea.

Meeting with Kim was an interesting and positive experience.

North Korea has great potential for the future!”

Critics’ lament Represenative of the U.S. press reporting on the summit, The New York Times in general and the columnist Nicholas Kristof in particular, noted that the Declaration said nothing about freezing North Korea’s plutonium and nuclear programs, nothing about destroying its intercontinental ballistic missiles, nothing about inspectors returning to nuclear sites, nothing about North Korea making a full declaration of its nuclear program, nothing about a timetable, nothing about verification, not even a clear pledge to permanently halt testing of nuclear weapons or long-range missiles.

The curious thing is that while the rest of the world has swiftly weighed in on what the summit has accomplish or failed to accomplish, very few have actually seen the text of the Declaration signed by the two leaders on Sentosa island in the southern tip of Singapore. There is no substitute for a firsthand knowledge of the basic agreement before allowing oneself to be swayed by the experts, so it is necessary to see what the Declaration says. This is

what it says: Summit declaration “President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a first, historic summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018.

“President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new US-DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

“Convinced that the establishment of new US-DPRK relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world, and recognizing that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un state the following: “1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new US-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.

“2. The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

“3. Reaffirming the April 2018 Panmunjon Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

“4. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

“Having acknowledged that the United States-DPRK summit—the first in history—was an epochal event of great significance in overcoming decades of tensions and hostilities between the two countries and for the opening of a new future, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un commit to implement the stipulations in this joint statement fully and expeditiously. The United States and the DPRK commit to hold follow-on negotiations led by the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a relevant high-level DPRK official at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcome of the United States-DPRK summit.

“President Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of State Affairs Commission of the DPRK have committed to cooperate for the development of new United States-DPRK relations and for the promotion of peace, prosperity

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A10 June 16-19, 2018 • LA WeeKenD ASIAn JOuRnAL

Dateline PhiliPPines

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

Philippines 3rd largest contributor to ocean plastic MANILA — An administration lawmaker on Thursday, June 14 revealed that the Philippines has become the world’s third largest source of plastic leaking into the ocean and has among the highest trash collection rates in Southeast Asia.

“Marine pollution arising from plastic debris and other forms of garbage choking our waterways worsen our environmental problems,” Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said, referring to a report on plastic pollution by an international environmental group.

The Philippines’ ranking in terms of plastic trash was sourced from the 2015 report on plastic pollution by Ocean Conservancy and McKinsey Center for Business and Environment.

Barbers urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and other research bodies

to tap other nations’ technology for turning plastics into construction materials for the homeless.

“I urge the DENR and other research agencies of the government to reverse the cycle of plastic pollution by working with other countries to lessen, if not eliminate, its toxic impact on human health and ecology,” Barbers said.

He said this plastic pollution has been choking waterways across the country and worsens disaster, particularly during rainy season.

Meanwhile, Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo stressed the need for emergency powers to address the perennial problem of flooding.

“The government should speed up the Metro Manila Flood Control Management Project which is crucial in ending the problem of intense flooding in Metro Manila during the wet season,” Castelo,

chairman of the House committee on Metro Manila development, said.

Barbers said a recent waste and brand audit conducted on June 1 showed that six of 10 leading plastic polluters in six major cities in the Philippines are multinational brands.

The audit was conducted by Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives and Mother Earth Foundation in Malabon and Quezon City as well as in Batangas City, Nueva Vizcaya, Tacloban City and San Fernando in Pampanga.

It said that about 79 percent of branded plastic residual wastes came from food packaging, followed by household and personal care products with 12 and eight percent, respectively.

He said Filipinos should continue with garbage segregation to make it easier to redo, reuse and recycle plastics. (Philstar.com)

and fish again, Cejuela said.

“Up until now, we do not encourage commercial fishing, the large giant fishing vessels are there because we also have a responsibility for protecting the species of the fish and also the environment there,” Zhao said.

He said the friendly arrangement should be continued since the supposed catch-taking is an “isolated incident.”

“If anything happens, if the media report is somewhat true, let’s view it as an isolated incident. It should not reflect the whole picture of the bilateral relationship and should not reflect the whole arrangement with regard to the

fishing in the waters around Huangyan or Scarborough,” Zhao said.

The United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration thrashed China’s “nine-dash claim” to the entire South China Sea in a ruling at The Hague on July 12, 2016.

The ruling declared that Filipino fishermen should enjoy fishing rights at the Panatag Shoal and that the Spratly Islands, as well as the Panganiban (Mischief) Reef, Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal and Recto Bank are all within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

But Duterte set aside the ruling.

Zhao also downplayed fears

Duterte urged to sign mental...

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“Far too many promising lives have been destroyed or diminished because of unaddressed mental health care needs,” he said, citing DOH data that showed one in five adults and one in 10 children in the country have experienced mental health problems.

“The stigma attached to mental health in our society forces many to endure in silence, the actual figure is likely much higher,” he said, adding Filipinos living with mental health problems have no health facilities or psychiatrists to turn to.

“This is precisely why the Mental Health Act is needed now,” he said.

The Mental Health Act, which was approved on third reading by the House in November 2017 and consolidated by both Houses of Congress in January this year, aims to address current shortcomings in the government response to the mental health needs of Filipinos.

This is by providing a coherent, rational and unified response to mental health problems through the reconstitution and strengthening of the Philippine Mental Health Council, as well as the for-

DOH not resuming Dengvaxia program

by Mayen JayMalin Philstar.com

Beijing probing sea abuses...

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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

and concerns over the landing and refueling of a Chinese military aircraft last week in Davao City.

He said China’s aircraft followed Philippine protocols when it made a stop in Davao City.

“The landing is very simple, it’s for refueling,” Zhao added.

According to the ambassador, the plane was on its way to New Zealand for bilateral military exercises.

Malacañang on Sunday confirmed the landing of the Chinese military aircraft, saying the request for landing was “received, processed and cleared by relevant Philippine government agencies.” n

MANILA, — The Department of Health (DOH) is unlikely to resume the anti-dengue immunization campaign using the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine even if the drug provides protection to people who have been previously infected with the mosquito-borne disease.

In an interview over the One News program “The Chiefs,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the DOH has lost trust not only in the Dengvaxia vaccine, but also in manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur.

“The problem is that we have lost trust in this Dengvaxia. We have to fix a lot of things here, even Sanofi has to be held accountable,” Duque pointed out.

According to Duque, they stopped the dengue immunization campaign not only because Dengvaxia could lead to severe dengue, but also “because Sanofi has been very irregular in its reporting of their risk management surveillance.”

Duque noted that Sanofi failed to report the adverse events as part of their commitment to the risk management plan before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued the certificate of

mulation and implementation of the National Mental Health Care Delivery System.

The bill declares that every person has the right to the best available mental health care service and for those who live with mental disorders to be free from any form of exploitation and discrimination on the ground of their condition.

Crucially, the bill also provides for the establishment and operation of community-based mental PAGE A7 t health care facilities with the tarcampaign against drugs. get of eventually having one in Marawi siege each cluster municipality in the ABS-CBN News’ special digital country. n report on the Marawi siege also received honorable mention for excellence in explanatory reporting. “‘Buhay pa kami’: Dispatches from Marawi,” written by Jeff Canoy with photos by Val Cuenca, told of the five-month-long war that devastated the Islamic city.

William Pesek of Nikkei Asian Review won the award for excellence in opinion writing for his

product registration to the firm.

According to Duque, the DOH and the Office of Solicitor General are already building up a case against Sanofi.

The health chief further cited results of a US study showing that Dengvaxia provided protection and prevented 1,000 dengue cases, but the immunization also resulted in 500 incidents of severe dengue.

“The objective here is to highlight that the benefits outweigh the risks,” Duque pointed out.

Before vaccinating children with Dengvaxia, Duque said there is a need to establish if they have previously been infected with dengue.

However, the test to determine if a child had such previous infection is not yet available in the country.

The Public Attorney’s Office has implicated Duque in the Dengvaxia controversy and filed charges against him.

He dismissed the complaint as “malicious, libelous and baseless.”

Duque said he did not immediately stop the implementation of the dengue immunization program because he assumed that it is being done with regularity.

The dengue controversy, Duque said, has adversely affect-

ed the government’s immunization program.

He said the DOH recorded only a 20-percent measles immunization rate, causing a surge in cases of the infectious illness because parents do not want to bring their children for immunization.

To address the problem, Duque said, the DOH has stepped up its marketing campaign to restore public trust in other immunization programs of the government.

Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel on Friday, June 15 urged Sanofi Pasteur to admit its mistake in prematurely and recklessly hawking its controversial anti-dengue vaccine to the government.

He made the appeal after The New England Journal of Medicine published on Wednesday a study confirming that children who never had dengue infection but were inoculated with Dengvaxia had an increased risk of hospitalization and a severe case of dengue if they are infected with the virus.

Sanofi itself warned the DOH of this possibility in November last year, prompting Duque to stop the dengue vaccination program in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog and Cebu. n

Coverage of Pres. Duterte’s war on drugs wins... piece, “Philippine peso flashes warning signs for Dutertenomics.”

Public service journalism Reuters coverage of the Rohingya crisis won the Sopa award for public service journalism and the excellence in journalistic innovation prize.

Sopa cited one of the Reuters journalists currently detained for covering the plight of the Rohingya, saying his ordeal “shows the ongoing challenges facing the media, the strong commitment and courage of journalists as well the need for the whole

community to stand up for press freedom.”

Addressing the awards ceremonies in Hong Kong on Wednesday night as keynote speaker was Maria Ressa, the executive officer and editor of Rappler.

Ressa warned about threats to press freedom globally and specifically in Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines and also about the challenges faced by news organizations in the age of social media. (With reports from Inquirer Research, and ANC)

Finding peace this Father’s...

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and giri empowered the succeeding generations of Japanese – Americans – it is their way of remembering the sacrifices of their ancestors, not for themselves, but for the next generations. It marked the birth of the Japanese American National Museum that is mostly funded by federal funds, army financial resources, and private donations.

At the Japanese American Museum in Little Tokyo, I saw desert sand of various colors that are encased in acrylic boxes, with artifacts such as boots, sandals, books, accessories of clothing, etc. With one’ s imagination, one might relive what the Issei (the first generation Japanese – Americans) experienced — harsh conditions which moved Pres.

George H.W. Bush to say, ” No nation can fully understand itself or find its place in the world if it does not look with clear eyes all the glories and the disgraces of its past. We in the United States acknowledge such an injustice in our history. The internment of the

Americans of Japanese ancestry was a grave injustice, and it will never be repeated.”

The community has, since that period of internment, worked for decades to achieve redress and reparation, just like how the Filipino veterans struggled for equity. It was a movement made up of cumulative depths and levels of contributions, including solidarity campaigns from many sectors. It led to the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, authored by Inouye, authorizing redress payments to “surviving internees, and which created a public education fund to ensure that similar violations of civil liberties will not be repeated against any other group based on race, religion or national origin.”

As for the interned JapaneseAmericans, David Mas Matsumoto wrote ” We live with ghosts or spirits all around us, they are a sense of history that bonds all of us. Culture is alive and evolving.

The facts are not as important as the process of change and acceptance…For we too are simply ordinary people with a universe

passing by us and through us.”

I was fortunate to have met all these men, my father who raised me and taught me the value of generosity; Senator Daniel Inouye who taught me the value of bravery and courage; and David Mas Matsumoto who taught me the value of culture and community.

I am most grateful this Father’s Day, for having them as life examples which spoke loudly of peace! *** Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D. writes a weekly column for Asian Journal, called “Rhizomes.”

She has been writing for AJ Press for 10 years.

She also contributes to Balikbayan Magazine.

Her training and experiences are in science, food technology, law and community volunteerism for 4 decades. She holds a B.S. degree from the University of the Philippines, a law degree from Whittier College School of Law in California and a certificate on 21st Century Leadership from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

She has been a participant in NVM Writing Workshops taught by Prof. Peter Bacho for 4 years and Prof. Russell Leong. She has travelled to France, Holland, Belgium, Japan, Costa Rica, Mexico and over 22 national parks in the US, in her pursuit of love for nature and the arts.

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PAGE A9 t

and security of the Korean Peninsula and of the world.”

World-changing breakthrough This is not an insignificant breakthrough. Given the hostilities and tensions that have marked U.S.North Korean relations since the outbreak of the Korean war, this Declaration represents a worldchanging achievement for the two countries. But while denuclearization is a major component of the peace-building process, “new relations” between the U.S. and North Korea is the “key word” the two parties chose to adopt for the new reality that must be built on the Korean Peninsula. This reality will have to be built step by step, and it is perfectly understandable why Trump and his negotiators decided not to bite everything they could possibly chew.

To begin with, there was hardly enough time to pack the joint declaration with all necessary details.

The two leaders, whose countries do not even have normal diplomatic relations yet, met privately for less than an hour on a one-on-one session, with interpreters present, before breaking off for a larger meeting and then a working lunch with aides. And then they signed their joint declaration.

There is always wisdom in proceeding with caution and prudence on the details. Secretary Pompeo has the opportunity to work on those details, possibly with the support of the original team that formulated the summit declaration.

Ambassador Kim’s role This could include Ambassador Sung Y. Kim, the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, who is

one of the State Department’s top North Korea negotiators. According to the NY Times, Ambassador Kim and a small group of diplomats held a series of talks with North Korea in Panmunjon, the so-called truce village in the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.

Many of the critical comments appearing in the U.S. liberal press show the impatience of a great power, indeed a superpower, in its dealings with the government of a lesser nation-state. I suppose it can’t be helped. But it would be good for the pundits of the liberal American press to consider that since Trump decided to make North Korea America’s equal by engaging Kim at the summit, America may try to act as North Korea’s equal after the summit.

(ManilaTimes.net)

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A11

A12 June 16-19, 2018 • LA WeeKenD ASIAn JOuRnAL

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SHOWBIZ&STYLE

B1

JOURNAL Fil-Am actors discuss their start in acting, Apl. De. Ap on BEP’s new sound, replacing the impact of fighting for representation Fergie,‘music that matters’ and philanthropy Fourth annual FilAm Creative Hollywood Actors Panel featured prominent television, stage actors

by KLARIZE

MEDENILLA

AJPress

IT seems that every few years, Hollywood picks up a new social cause. In tandem with the rise of #MeToo and awareness for the overwhelming prevalence of sexual harassment and assault, minority representation and diversity has also been a hot topic circulating the entertainment industry within the last year.

With the success of “Black Panther” and the anticipation for “Crazy Rich Asians,” it’s evident that a tectonic shift is occurring in the racial makeup of Hollywood success, which has historically been synonymous with whiteness.

At the 4th annual Hollywood Actors Panel hosted by FilAm Creative on Saturday, June 9, four seasoned Filipino-American television actors shared their experiences as ethnic minorities in an overwhelmingly majority-white industry.

On the panel were Jon Jon Briones (FX’s “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace”), Ginger Gonzaga

(NBC’s “Champions”), Reggie Lee (NBC’s “Grimm”) and Ellen D. Williams (FX’s “Baskets”), all of whom agree that while studios should be more inclined to di-

versify, the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community should create the representation that it wants to see on screen.

PAGE B3

“Baskets” star Ellen D. Williams

“Grimm” star Reggie Lee

“Champions” star Ginger Gonzaga

Ellen D. Williams had a rich career on stage and guest spots on sitcoms before becoming a series regular on FX’s “Baskets” opposite Zach Galifianakis AJPress photos by Klarize Medenilla

by IZA IGLESIAS ManilaTimes.net

AMERICAN pop-dance music group Black Eyed Peas is certainly one of the most accomplished performing and recording acts in the world. They have sold an estimated 76 million records worldwide, won six Grammy Awards, played at the Super Bowl in 2011 and in every major city on the map.

Prior to becoming one of the world’s best-selling groups of all time, BEP as they are fondly called, originated in the underground hip-hop movement of PAGE B2

The Black Eyed Peas’ original trio—Taboo, Will.I.Am and Apl.de.ap Photo from Instagram/@apldeap

(L-R) Actors Jon Jon Briones, Ginger Gonzaga, Reggie Lee and Ellen D. Williams share their early experiences as actors and discuss Filipino representation in Hollywood at FilAm Creative’s 4th Annual Hollywood Actors Panel on Saturday, June 9 in Los Angeles

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B June 16-19, 2018 • LA WeeKenD ASIAn JOuRnAL

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Find Filipino comfort food at Manila Sunset Another musical showstopper for Jon Jon Briones With pancit malabon, bibingka, and puto bumbong, it’s Christmas every day!

The sunset over Manila Bay is perhaps one of the iconic images of the Philippines with its vivid and breathtaking hues. But for many Filipinos here in Southern California, Manila Sunset takes form as an establishment that represents a sense of nostalgia and comfort.

For over 30 years, Manila Sunset has been a family-owned and family-run restaurant serving dishes from back home in the Philippines that are usually not found elsewhere in the United States.

“I would say we’re proud of our history so we don’t let it slip away.

The new generation now, we saw how our parents ran it and I guess, we’re proud of it so we decided to continue. We haven’t changed the recipes,” shares Jay Halili, who is part of the second generation now running Manila Sunset’s locations.

“Consistency, that’s the key. My dad always believed in consistency.

You can’t please everybody but if you’re consistent with your recipe, you will have repeat customers and that’s our main thing.”

His father, Ben Halili, migrated to Los Angeles from the Philippines and opened Manila Sunset’s first location along Sunset Boulevard.

“My dad was trying to figure out a name. We had a restaurant called Mami’s Best but he thought that

Puto bumbong

Pancit Malabon

Bibingka, puto bumbong and pancit Malabon continue to be Manila Sunset’s popular dishes, given customers a year-round feeling of Christmas.

it didn’t depict anything Filipino so he scrapped that. And then our first location was here in LA along Sunset Blvd. He figured Manila is popular for its sunset and we’re on Sunset Blvd. — so we used the name Manila Sunset,” Jay Halili said.

He added that his father previously had a restaurant in the Philippines, where he sold items like bibingka and puto bumbong, and noticed that no one else was selling it in the U.S. With that, at Manila Sunset, it’s Christmas every day of the year.

Not only will you get into the spirit with the parols hanging on the window and the murals on the wall, but with the Filipino dishes that are popular during the season: pancit malabon, bibingkang galapong and puto bumbong. All of the dishes on the menu are made from scratch, with most ingredients being imported from the Philippines.

The bibingka, for example, takes about two days to make because

Bibingka

the rice is ground by hand then dried to reach its consistency.

In addition to those three popular dishes, the menu has arroz caldo, tokwa’t baboy, goto, embutido, and lumpiang shanghai.

There are also barbecue options like chicken, pork inihaw, lechon kawali, and more.

“We cook them to order. We don’t have it on a heat where the barbecue is sitting there all day.

When you order, that’s why there’s a little bit of wait time when you order,” Halili said.

The consistency and beloved recipes continue to make Manila Sunset a staple within the Filipino cuisine scene in the U.S., as it now has eight locations in Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, West Covina, Cerritos, Rancho Cucamonga, National City, Mira Mesa, and Seattle, Washington.

For more information, please visit Manila Sunset online at http:// www.manilasunset.com.

(Advertising Supplement)

by Ruben

V. nepales Inquirer.net

LOS ANGELES—For his first play after his acclaimed Broadway debut as The Engineer in “Miss Saigon,” Jon Jon Briones costars in “Sweet Charity,” the classic musical by Neil Simon, Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields.

Jon Jon tackles the role of Herman in Reprise 2.0’s production of “Sweet Charity” in Los Angeles, where he and his family live.

While appearing as the showstopping The Engineer in New York, he managed to shoot scenes as Modesto Cunanan, the father of Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss) in FX’s crime anthology series, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.” Jon Jon made his mark in the role and was praised by critics.

In “Sweet Charity,” Jon Jon joins Laura Bell Bundy (whose credits include “Legally Blonde,” for which she earned a Tony nomination, and “Hairspray”) as Charity, and Barrett Foa (“NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Avenue Q” and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”) as Oscar.

Jon Jon and his cast mates have been rehearsing for this revival of “Sweet Charity,” which debuted on Broadway in 1966. Theater legend Bob Fosse directed his then wife, Broadway sensation Gwen Verdon, in the musical based on Federico Fellini’s film, “The Nights of Cabiria.”

With choreography also by Fosse, dialogue by Simon, and music by Coleman and Fields, the original production featuring such musical classics as “If My Friends Could See Me Now” and “Where Am I Going,” earned nine Tony nods. Fosse also directed and choreographed the 1969 movie adaptation that memorably starred Shirley MacLaine as Charity.

The coming production, opening on June 20 at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse, is Jon Jon’s return to the LA theater scene following his well-received turn as Georges in East West Players’ hit production of “Birdcage.” Jon Jon appeared in that musical, fresh from his triumphant take of The Engineer in the West End revival of “Miss Saigon,” for which he cinched a Laurence Olivier Award nomination.

Three-time Tony winner 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?

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 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 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.

Jon Jon Briones as The Engineer in “Miss Saigon”

Inquirer.net photos

Apl. De. Ap on BEP’s new sound, replacing...

PAGE B1 the 1990s. After dissolving their initial group, Atban Klann, rappers Will.I.Am (William Adams, Jr.) and Filipino-American Apl. de.ap (Allan Pineda) recruited MC and dancer Taboo (Jaime Gomez) to form the Black Eyed Peas.

However, in 2001, a blonde vocalist by the name of Fergie (Stacy Ferguson) steered them toward a different direction in music, effectively turning their sound into mainstream success. “Elephunk,” the album, gave them gigantic hits like “Where Is the Love?,” “Hey Mama,” and “Let’s Get It Started;” followed by more chart-topping follow up EPs “Monkey Business” (2005), “The Beginning” (2010) and “The E.N.D.” (2009).

Fast forward to early 2018, Black Eyed Peas’ original trio, Will.I.Am, Apl.de.ap and Taboo, have gone back to their original sound via the new singles “Street Livin’” and “Ring the Alarm,” while Fergie is currently on leave to focus on her solo career. The tracks are noted for lengthy rap verses akin to the group’s early and more socially conscious music that talks about poverty, racism and violence.

In an interview with The Manila Times and other members of the press on June 8, frequent “balikbayan” Apl.De.Ap said the group’s eight-year recording hiatus afforded them time to seriously make music on topics that “really matter nowadays.”

“We’re very excited about this new project. We’ve done pretty much everything [as BEP]and reached to the top. We got to tour the world and now we’re back on that creative and artistic course that’s bringing out the sound of our first album again. It’s very exciting for us,” Apl.de.ap enthused.

“This time around, we have a lot of messages in our songs; they’re not just party songs [anymore].

It’s hard to write party songs with all of these negative things going on in our society—from police brutality to inequality to school shootings and gun control. So we made sure that this time around, we’re utilizing our voice to relay positive messages, and that is why I think this is one of the best projects we’ve done as Black Eyed Peas.”

The world famous FilipinoAmerican further shared how they had to reinvent themselves and pick up where they left off because of their sabbatical.

“It was almost like going back to the beginning again,” Apl.de.ap admitted. “But as in every album

we try to push the envelope and try new sounds. We’ve done a lot of pop records, electro music and went all the way to the top so what gets us excited now is going back to that raw sound—that raw Black Eyed Peas sound—along with positive messages. That’s what we’re focusing on.”

Mum on Fergie Meanwhile, Apl.De.Ap shot down rumors that “The Voice Philippines” finalist Jessica Reynoso— who sang the chorus of their single Ring the Alarm—will replace Fergie as BEP’s lead vocalist.

“Black Eyed Peas is always searching for new artists and collaborating with other female artists such as Esthero and Macy Gray, but Black Eyed Peas is not just a group—we’re a family. Jessica is now part of the family since she’s my talent, and she’s signed under my Jeepney Music Record label. We’re working towards making her career bigger, that’s why she was featured on the BEP record. You know, whenever we see talent, we want to involve them in every aspect of Black Eyed Peas.”

All the same, he neither denied nor confirmed if Fergie will still return to the group, except to say,“With Fergie on the other hand, that’s always a plan. That’s always a possibility. That’s in the future. Right now, Fergie is focused on her solo career. We’re a family, so we’re going to collaborate in the future.”

What he was willing to confirm is that BEP will start touring again in October and that the Philippines

Photo from Instagram/@apldeap

is high up in their list of destinations.

“There will be no tour if there are no Philippines. It’s a mandatory,” laughed the Pampanga native.

Apl.de.ap Foundation For his latest visit to his birthplace, Apl.de.ap was focused on his philanthropic work. He personally launched Apl.De.Ap Foundation’s latest project in the country, Creative Innovators Program, in cooperation with the British Council of the Philippines, the Department of Trade, Philippine Trade and Training Center and Thames International.

“I am an advocate for the creative industry so we will be giving out various scholarships across the Philippines to help realize ideas for the betterment of society,” the artist explained. “The aim of this program is to build the next generation of creative community leaders in the Philippines through a one-year fellowship for creative hub managers. This includes mentorship, management trainings, grants, and networking opportunities in the Philippines, Asean, and the UK.” A believer of the Filipino, Apl. de.ap. furthered, “There are so many creative people here but with not much opportunity available to them. So I would like to help out and create that opportunity and awareness. It’s a trillion-dollar industry and Filipinos are among the most creative people out there BUT why are we still broke? That’s what I want to change,” he ended.

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B

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre

by Emil

PErito

The Church of the holy Sepulchre, also called Church of the Resurrection, is a site widely believed to be where Christ was crucified and buried. To many, it is regarded as the holiest Christian site in all of Jerusalem.

After becoming a Christian and making Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire, Constantine I — also known as Constantine the Great — built the Church of the holy Sepulchre sometime during the fourth century.

In the year 326, Constantine is believed to have sent his mother helena to find the crucifixion cite in Jerusalem. Upon finding the location, she also found remains

of the cross. Seven years later, the Church of the holy Sepulchre was founded by Constantine in the year 333.

Much of the church’s structure though, was ruined during the Persian occupation of Jerusalem in 614 when Khosrau II led the Persian invasion of Jerusalem and captured the cross.

Today, the Church of the holy Sepulchre remains an important pilgrimage destination and has been so since at least the fourth century. It further serves as the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, with several Christian churches and secular entities also sharing control of the building.

Inside the Romanesque-Baroque styled church, one will find

the Chapel of Golgotha, three Stations of the Cross, an altar regarded as the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, and the Aedicule which is said to preserve the location of his tomb.

The Church of the holy Sepulchre continues to be among the most holy destinations for those of the Christian faith, and is just one of the many places included in our October 2018 pilgrimage to the holy Land, Jordan, and Dubai.

Established in 1995, Air Plus Travel specializes in religious travel. Join us in our pilgrimage in October 2018. For more information, contact Air Plus Travel at (562) 863 - 0624, or visit us at www.airplustravel.net.

(Advertising Supplement)

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.

Paboritong Hang-out place ng mga Pinoy!

Anne Curtis’ ‘BuyBust’ to close this year’s New York Asian Film Fest

by Katrina

HallarE Inquirer.net

illegal drug trade is rampant. She suddenly finds herself trapped in ANNe Curtis’ upcoming action the area when an operation sudmovie “BuyBust� will make its de- denly goes wrong.

The film also boasts having but on the international stage.

The Subway Cinema, which 309 stuntmen and 1,278 extras operates the critically acclaimed while filming. “This is the toughNew York Asian Film Festival, an- est shoot I’ve ever done. And yes, nounced on its official website this is ambitious,� Matti wrote that the erik Matti flick has been in a Facebook post back in Nochosen as this year’s closing vember.

The New York Asian Film Fesfilm. “BuyBust� tells the story of tival, now in its 17th year, features drug-enforcement agent Nina the best films from selected counManigan, who goes to the danger- tries in Asia. This year’s festival will ous slums of Manila, where the run from June 29 to July 15.

Anne Curtis

Fil-Am actors discuss their start in acting...

PAGE B1 “One of the biggest things for anyone at anytime [to do] is if you don’t see it and if you don’t see yourself represented, then do it!�

Williams, 45, said. “Write it, film it, and put it out there: there’s no excuse anymore. You can even pick up your iPhone now and create something. There’s so many outlets to be able to do that. We need to be represented more and tell our stories ourselves and not wait.�

The effort to magnify AAPI representation is still in its early stages and all panelists agree that although there has been a monumental shift in the visibility of Asian actors, the fight is just getting started. “We still have a really long way to go,� Gonzaga, 33, shared with the Asian Journal. As a FilipinaAmerican, Gonzaga — who will star in an upcoming Showtime series “Kidding� alongside Jim Carrey — believes that the fight for equal and accurate representation of minorities is one to be fought by all races. In recent years as social media has given a platform to activists and creatives alike, more people of color have been more vocal about calling out the industry for its racial homogeneity and ignorance to the impact of misrepresentation on ethnic minorities.

When the Cameron Crowe film “Aloha� came out in 2015 and emma Stone, who is white, was cast as a character of Chinese descent, members of the AAPI community did not shy away from criticizing the film for “whitewashing,� the act of casting a white actor in an Asian role. In 2016, the campaign #OscarsSoWhite was a response to the overwhelmingly white class of Oscar nominees and have called upon the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and studio heads to do two

Actor Jon Jon Briones of FX’s “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace� (far left) shares his experience in the original West End production of “Miss Saigon� in 1989.

things: diversify the industry and create more nuanced portrayals of the Asian community. “There is more of a push and I think it’s important that we’re squeaky about it and I think that public shaming is a good thing in this case and it gets us somewhere. It’s odd to not be 100 percent represented but I get how people are easily blind to it because if it’s not their cause then they’re not aware of it,�

Gonzaga continued. “It’s just so odd for so long we haven’t seen a rainbow of actors because that’s what makes stories interesting.

The whole goal in creating art is to keep chasing stories and making things different and affecting people and the only way you can do that is if you diversify your mind which diversifies stories and diversifies upbringings and ways of thinking.�

Seasoned stage actor, Jon Jon Briones first got his start on the original 1989 London production of “Miss Saigon,� and even then, he noted times when the AAPI community fought against racially insensitive portrayals of Asians.

In that original production, renowned British actor Jonathan Pryce, who is white, used prosthetics around his eyes to make himself look more Asian. “I think this was the turning point of the change because when Cameron [Mackintosh] decided to bring ‘Miss Saigon’ to Broadway,

the Asian Americans, who are aware of lack of representation, were up in arms and that’s when I realized that [whitewashing] wasn’t good,� Briones, 52, said. “That was a wonderful thing that happened, and it’s one of the positive things that happened because the community had banded together and said, ‘you should stop this, you need to change it,’ and I think from then on, Cameron made an effort to do that and to cast appropriately.�

Reggie Lee, who plays Sgt. Drew Wu on NBC’s “Grimm,� shared with the Asian Journal that, one day, he’d like to play more “human� characters who are more complex and fluid in personality and behavior rather than playing strictly archetypal roles.

Lee, 42, describes his earlier career as a slew “bad guy� characters, but the industry-wide diversity conversation continues to evolve, he wants to see more nuanced, human representations Asian characters. “I think you don’t see a lot of Asian characters living their everyday lives, you know, going through the humanity of an everyday life like breakups or death in the family or any of that stuff,�

Lee told the Asian Journal. “When are we going to get to play those roles? When are we going to be invited to the party? And I think what we have to do now is that we have to throw the party.�

Comedian and actress on NBC’s “Champions� Ginger Gonzaga (second from left) says she got interested in comedic acting as a young girl when she’d do impressions of her lola.

AJPress photos by Klarize Medenilla

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B June 16-19, 2018 • LA WeeKenD ASIAn JOuRnAL

How Christian stays relevant

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

KYBELLA: Bid your ‘double chin’ goodbye!

By Bot

Glorioso Philstar.com

can they last in an industry where longevity is fleeting? it With the steady barrage of is an aspect that impacts artists new singers who initially got to from different times and genres. showcase their musical talent Christian, who found his way to through social media or singing musical stardom in 2003, doesn’t searches, it no longer came as a feel bad about having to share surprise for Christian Bautista to the limelight with today’s newbie find the music scene filled with singers. he is aware that there artists whose presence cannot be is one or two who will stand out simply ignored and who can pos- every year and he is only too sibly outshine those who came willing to support them while he ahead of them. continues to work hard to keep But the question is, how long his music playing and stay rel-

Health & Wellness Imee Ong-maghanOy

Christian Bautista

GMA photo

evant 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. “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 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 popuPAGE B5

AS humans, our body parts — such as our eyes, ears, arms (to name a few) — come in pairs as they are made to function on both sides of our face and body. however, there’s no known function, nor a reason, to keep a “double chin.” today, we will talk about how to bid farewell to the double chin (also known as submental fat) through a procedure called KYBeLLA. And as a Father’s Day tribute, we will feature my favorite human – my husband, Richard Maghanoy. in the past, the only way to get rid of double chin is through surgery. But thanks to medical innovations, there is a way to bid ‘adios’ to this stubborn and unflattering fat under your chin. imagine my husband’s excitement when he decided to have the KYBeLA procedure done. Apart from looking good, he is actually getting rid of something that bothers him. And since the procedure is safe and non-surgical, it might just be the best gift that you can give to yourself and to any dad out there.

One of the most common problems men face is fat underneath the chin. Double chins are quite common and can cause people a great deal of embarrassment.

While double chins are often associated with weight gain, this isn’t always the cause; other factors that can cause a double chin or “submental fullness due to submental fat” include genetics and naturally looser skin due to aging. it is a common, yet undertreated facial aesthetic condition. it can detract from an otherwise balanced and harmonious facial appearance leading to an older and heavier look.

Submental fullness can impact a broad range of adults, and is not limited to people who are overweight. this condition can impact men or women of average weight. it is often resistant to diet and exercise alone.

According to a 2014 survey by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS), over twothirds of consumers are bothered by submental fullness – nearly as many as those bothered by lines

Health@Heart PhIlIP S. Chua, mD, FaCS, FPCS

ğ įōíľ ÀðıÃæµįPçį ʼn æIJįıÀ ØÃĉÃæîÂ ß ğÃqPç qíß߼æÃıŎįĤÀíĽØ ÕæíŊįPdíĽIJĕ 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.

A peSCAtARiAN or pescetarian is a person who opts to eat fish and other seafoods and vegetables, but not meat. No pork, beef, chicken, or any other meat from animals. Many pescatarians also eat eggs and other dairy products, besides nuts, whole grains, legumes (beans, source of protein). those two words are a neologism constructed as a portmanteau of the italian word pesce (fish), derived from the Latin word piscis, and the english term for vegetarian. the origin of the name pescatarian dates back to 1993.

Why do people turn pescatarians? there are various reasons or circumstances why individuals become pescatarians: health, financial, environmental, sociocivic animal causes, religious, etc. inefficiency of meat sources or scarcity of meat, besides cost, is another reason. Others prefer to eat only free-range cattle, chicken, and pigs, and most in the United States and most countries are not. the amount of energy and environmental impact necessary to feed a cow, a chicken, or a pig significantly exceeds its nutritional values, so these individuals prefer to eat wild-caught fish instead of farmed carnivorous fish that need food input of other fish. Others use this no-meat diet as a transition to vegetarianism.

Is pain or cruelty to animals a factor?

Yes, many pescatarians and anti-cruelty-to-animal advocates feel for the animals and consider the pain or death inflicted on these animals as cruel and unnecessary, since humans can survive without animal meat. Scientists have found that unlike humans and other animals, “fish do not have neuro-physiological capacity for a conscious awareness of pain…fish do not have neocortex.”

What are the health reasons? evidence-based data show that those who regularly eat meat, especially red meat and processed meat, have increased death rate from overall causes, risk for cardiovascular, metabolic (diabetes/thyroid diseases, etc.), Alzheimer’s, and cancer. Fish pro-

The author’s husband, Richard Maghanoy, before (left) and after (right) the KYBELLA treatment.

and wrinkles around the eyes.

KYBeLLA® is the only FDA-approved injectable treatment that destroys fat cells in the treatment area under the chin to improve your profile. it is a prescription medicine used in adults to improve the appearance and profile of moderate to severe fat below the chin (submental fat), also called “double chin.” it is safe and effective for the treatment of fat outside of the submental area or in children under 18 years of age. it contours submental fullness non-surgically, resulting in a slimmer tighter chin. how does KYBeLLA work?

KYBeLLA is a formulation of deoxycholic acid, a naturallyoccurring molecule in the body that aids in the breakdown and absorption of dietary fat. it is an injectable product that is placed directly into the submental fat pocket. When injected into subcutaneous fat, KYBeLLA causes the destruction of fat cells. As it dissolves the fat cells, it results in a slimmer chin and tightening of the surrounding tissue. Once destroyed, those cells cannot store or accumulate fat. After the aesthetic response is achieved, re-treatment with KYBeLLA is not expected. though treatments are customized for each patient, most people will enjoy visible results after one to two treatments, and full results are seen with an average of four treatment sessions. there is minimal to no downtime, side effects

or discomfort with KYBeLLA and the results are long-lasting. is KYBeLLA safe?

KYBeLLA has been the focus of a global clinical development program involving over 20 clinical studies with more than 2,600 patients worldwide, of which over 1,600 have been treated with KYBeLLA. Men are known to prefer painless and non-surgical procedures for cosmetic treatments. With KYBeLLA being safe and FDA approved, it’s everything they can wish for in a treatment. After all, looking good and feeling great shouldn’t just be for women. the man of the house also needs to be pampered from time to time.

What better way to do that than a great looking chin sans the fat.

With KYBeLLA, we have just the right gift!

You may visit our clinics for a free consultation. image Body Spa is located at 8709 West hollywood, CA 90048, phone: (424)382-1002. image Spa MD is located at 9227 haven Ave. Suite 120, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730, phone: (909)989-8464. *** Imee is an established aesthetician, a business owner and a managing partner for Image Spa MD and CEO of Image Body SPA. She has a degree in Biology and Doctor of Dental Medicine.

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Are you a pescatarian? vide omega-3 fatty acids, which are healthy and cancer-preventive, like vegetables, some fruits, nuts, and spices, which are anticancer foods. Red meats contain a lot of saturated fats, choline, and carnitine. eating fish raises high-density lipoproteins (hDL), the good cholesterol.

What are the supporting statistics?

Among other scientific reports that confirm recent clinical findings, here is one from almost two decades ago: “1999 Metaanalysis” meta-analysis of five studies comparing vegetarian and non-vegetarian mortality rates in Western countries found that in comparison with regular meateaters, mortality from ischemic heart disease was 34 percent lower in pescetarians, 34 percent lower in ovo-lacto vegetarians, 26 percent lower in vegans.”

Can pescatarian diet help maintain good health?

Yes, individuals on pescatarian diet could achieve excellent health as long as they live a healthy lifestyle. Fish, eggs and other dairies, legumes, and nuts, are enough as sources of protein for one to have good nutrition on pescatarian diet. the opposite is true among meat eaters as the data above and below show. Abstinence from red meat, especially processed meats (and processed food items in general) is healthier.

Which are the healthiest fish to eat?

Considering factors like chemical contamination, their food sources, levels of the bad omega 6 ratio to the good omega 3, species endangerment, the following 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 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 PAGE B5

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Features

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 16-19, 2018

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Are you a pescatarian? 5 Reasons PizzaRev is a good idea for this Father’s Day, and any day!

PAGE B4 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 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. Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com

How Christian stays...

PAGE B4

lar 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 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.â€?

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 didn’t know I will reach all of this,� answered Christian who took up and finished a land-

scape 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 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.’�

FATHER’S Day is just around the corner and as always, families all around — especially Filipino — will be celebrating it with a lot of good food. While many may be bringing out the grills for some Father’s Day celebration, why not let someone else do the cooking this year with an upgraded but classic pizza party?

Pizza has long been the center of many family gatherings all over the world. It’s a dish that many generations share — from your dad’s to even his dad’s. Almost everyone can recall great memories of breaking off a nice warm slice of pizza topped with delicious tomato sauce and gooey cheese.

A winner of numerous awards including last year’s Readers’ Choice Award for Best Pizza by the LA Daily News, PizzaRev knows a thing or two about celebrating life with pizza.

Here are five reasons you and your family should celebrate Father’s Day (and any day) at PizzaRev: 1. Dad can craft his own pizza, and so can the rest of the family — a fun DIY activity!

At PizzaRev, dad and the rest of the family can choose exactly what they want on their own personal pizza which means less time spent on indecisiveness — something dad will definitely appreciate.

While anyone can choose from

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)

any of PizzaRev’s tried and tested topping combinations, what really makes the experience fun is crafting one’s own personal pie!

Creating your own pie is simple. Start off by choosing between their crispy signature thin crust, or their thicker double dough crust. Those sensitive to gluten will be glad to find a gluten-free crust option on their menu as well.

Next, choose your sauce. At PizzaRev, sauce options go beyond just tomato. Choose between five difference sauces of organic tomato, spicy organic tomato, alfredo, sweet and bold BBQ, or plain olive oil to serve as the base to your toppings.

Now comes the part where you, dad, and the rest of the family can show their colors. Whether dad is one to keep it simple with minimal ingredients, or is one to throw almost every topping on, PizzaRev

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 heaven�

Early AM departures to Mt. Beatitude Drive up to Mount Beatitudes, visit the site of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus preached to the people., Eucharistic Celebration . "+',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"! &+ ǗǕǕǕǽ %"+Ǟ &1ȉ0 ,+ 1, ,2+1 " ,Ǟ 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

weekend? Consider booking PizzaRev for your private get together!

Aside from providing the ultimate party food and drinks, PizzaRev also allows guests to book for private events any night of the week except Tuesday. And in true party spirit, party guests can opt in for some fun karaoke!

5. Bring the pizza party home‌ or anywhere else Maybe you already have plans of celebrating Father’s Day at home, the park, or anywhere else. With PizzaRev, you and your family can have your personal pizzas delivered through their online order option, or through third party delivery services. Go ahead and set up your backyard or line up some movies, and have PizzaRev brought to you!

This Father’s Day, make it a fun one with PizzaRev — a fastcasual concept that creatively gives a distinctive ‘Craft Your Own’ pizza experience with a wide variety of beverages, beer and wine in an industrial trend setting atmosphere. Make sure to make use of the PizzaRev coupons located at the front of this issue. For bookings, email paisanosinc@ gmail.com.

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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

has him covered.

Protein toppings go beyond pepperoni and include spicy pepperoni, Italian sausage, sweet fennel sausage, beef meatballs, smoked ham, crispy bacon, grilled chicken, and anchovies. And of course, there’s vegan sausage for the meat-less eaters.

For veggies, find toppings of mushrooms, red onions, cherry tomatoes, spinach, pineapple, pepperoncinis, fennel seeds, green bell peppers, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, tomatoes, black olives, roasted garlic, cilantro, basil, arugula, and jalapeĂąos!

2. They have dessert‌ And yes, it’s a pizza!

Sure, a nice warm oven-baked cookie sounds good. But what about a nice warm oven-baked cookie pizza? At PizzaRev, you can finish off some pizza with even more pizza with their mouth-watering Oreo Pizza which consists of cinnamon, frosting, powdered sugar, caramel, and Oreo cookie crumbles.

3. Drink up!

All the pizza is bound to make you thirsty, so it works perfectly that PizzaRev has your typical soda options plus over 70 Cocacola sodas. PizzaRev also has a great variety of tap and bottled beer. And if beer isn’t your thing, they also have choices of red and white wines. Really something for everyone.

4. K-A-R-A-O-K-E Planning on having a big pizza party this Father’s Day

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 ,+Ȓ 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

B June 16-19, 2018 • LA WeeKenD ASIAn JOuRnAL

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COMMUNITY JOURNAL

A green card is still possible despite petitioner’s death LOSING a beloved family member is one of the most difficult times in a person’s life.

And this tragic event can become even more heartbreaking if it also means that you also lose the privilege of being granted permanent resident status in the U.S. (green card). This additional upsetting element is because the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) says that an approved visa petition is automatically revoked if the petitioner dies before the beneficiary is issued a green card. However, despite this automatic revocation, a person may still be eligible for their green card despite the petitioner’s death.

First, Section 204(l) of the INA says that people may still apply for their green cards from within the U.S. in certain situations, a process called “adjustment of status.”

Section 204(l) requires the foreign citizen attempting to obtain their green card to prove that they resided in the United States at the time of the petitioner’s death and that they are continuing to reside in the U.S. The ability to still be granted a green card because of your residence in the U.S. is a major benefit to many immigrants. Previously, only certain widows and widowers who were petitioned by their U.S. citizen spouse were granted the opportunity to obtain permanent resident status after the death of the petitioner.

How does a person meet the “residency” standard? As stated above, the beneficiary of the visa petition must actually reside in the U.S. at the time of their family member’s death. They will not be eligible under INA 204(l) simply by being physically present in the U.S. on the exact day that their relative passed away.

Rather, it is required that they maintained a residence in the U.S. at the time of the petitioner’s death. However, it is not required that they were physically present in the U.S. on the date

of death. Thus, an immigrant beneficiary may still be eligible for adjustment of status if they were actually abroad when the petitioner died, so long as they can establish that they were actually residing in the U.S. at the time of the petitioner’s death. It is also important to note that the

ian Reinstatement” is a request that the petition be reinstated on humanitarian grounds. If the request is granted, then the beneficiary and their spouse and children will be able to continue with the Immigrant Visa process and will be able to reunite with their remaining family members in the United States.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service will consider several different factors when making a decision on a request for “Humanitarian Reinstatement.” These factors include potential hardship to U.S. citizen or lawful permanent residents; whether there will be a disruption of an established family unit; whether the beneficiary is elderly, has strong family ties to the U.S., or is in poor health; and whether there was an undue delay in the processing of the petition.

It is undeniable that the death of a loved one can devastate a family. And for some prospective immigrants the death may also make it more challenging for them to obtain a green card. But it is important to remember that immigrating to the U.S. may still be possible despite the death of your close family member. An immigration expert can offer advice and practical solutions to being granted permanent resident status after such an untimely death.

“It is also important to note that the law does not require that they be legally residing in the U.S. at the time of death.” law does not require that they be legally residing in the U.S. at the time of death.

In addition to residing in the U.S., the beneficiary must also demonstrate that they deserve a favorable exercise of discretion and also that they have an acceptable substitute sponsor. The INA does not permit just anyone to serve as a substitute sponsor.

Rather, the INA provides a list of possible family members that may serve as a substitute sponsor, such as sibling, child, etc.

Section 204(l) of the INA is obviously beneficial to many people. Unfortunately, though, not everyone qualifies. For those beneficiaries who are not eligible to apply for adjustment of status under INA 204(l), they still have the opportunity to apply for “Humanitarian Reinstatement.”

“Humanitarian Reinstatement” provides hope for those family members living abroad who waited patiently for their opportunity to immigrate to the U.S. A request for “Humanitar-

*** Reeves Miller Zhang & Diza is one of the oldest, largest and most experienced immigration firms in the United States with offices in Pasadena, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Manila and China.

Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com website: www.rreeves.com *** The analysis and suggestions offered in this column do not create a lawyer-client relationship and are not a substitute for the personalized representation that is essential to every case.

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 16-19, 2018

C1

C JUNE 16-19, 2018 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Community Journal

The problem with undocumented workers’ use of each other’s social security SOME undocumented workers use other people’s Social Security numbers (SSN). That creates a problem. Then they use another number to file their income tax returns - their own Individual Identification Numbers (TIN). Using two numbers creates another problem, actually two problems: 1. To the IRS system – Unmatched W-2s, 1099s and 1040 tax returns take a toll on their system. IRS master data files show income from employment (W-2) and independent contractors (1099-MISC) that were submitted by employers and payers that have not been reported by workers. Forms from payers show Social Security numbers while tax returns show TIN. 2. To undocumented workers themselves - They are not credited (meaning they cannot collect later) with Social Security benefits for retirement and Medicare.

These scenarios are classified as part of identity theft but are not really because they may have been borrowed from friends and

The Prophetic Voice reVerend rodel G. BAlAGtAS I”LL say, let the seed flow from your hand into the welcoming soil and allow God’s nature to take its course. Trust that the seed will break in due time and will gradually bring out life. A branch, a leaf will suddenly appear.

Wait for several more days and you’ll see it becomes a small plant standing upright, beaming with joy and excitement to grow bigger. It might just need some tender-loving-care—watering it lightly and cultivating the soil around it. Wait for more days and months and you’ll see it grow robustly. After all, it’s not just your doing that the seed broke open and turned into a teeming plant or tree. It’s the work of the One who created it, the source of all life. It’s God who often acts quietly in our lives and in the world.

A few days ago, someone posted on Facebook a quote that goes like this: “God’s plan is always the best. Sometimes the process is painful and hard. But don’t for-

Tax Tips Victor Sy, cPA, MBA

acquaintances with their permission. Social Security numbers were not stolen. This is not your garden-variety type of identitytheft situation.

A senator criticized the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) that IRS processes tax returns with false W-2 information and issues refunds as if they were routine tax returns. The legislator also stated that IRS ignores Social Security Administration notifications of names and numbers that don’t match up. IRS had a pilot program to address this issue but it ended without further resolution.

There’s a reason for that - IRS

cannot be too strict to discourage workers from filing and paying taxes. We need more people to file and pay taxes to sustain our economy.

In the meantime, the IRS gets burdened by unmatched numbers while undocumented workers contribute to Social Security system funds that they may not use later when they retire. *** Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State University with an MBA. Vic worked with SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV - Andersen Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation in Pasadena, California. *** He has 50 years of experience in defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, FTB, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies. He is publishing a book on his expertise - “HOW TO AVOID OR SURVIVE IRS AUDITS.” Our readers may inquire about the book or email tax questions at vicsy@live.com.

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Let it go and let God get that when God is silent, He is doing something for you.”

How true! We may not be aware of it, but God silently hears our sighs, listens to our desires, opens up to our plans, and in his prodigious love he grants us our wishes. We do the planning and engage ourselves in the details of doing, and God will take care of the rest. We’ll just have to trust and let go of our fears. Yes, we say a prayer or two, invoke the Intercession of our favorite saints, but ultimately we must surrender to God who is bigger than our dreams and vision!

I can attest to God’s providence in the journeys I’ve planned. God has appreciated them, accompanied me, and kept me safe. He has respected my wishes and allowed them to come through.

He has even surprised me with meeting amazing people along the road.

This Sunday’s Gospel speaks of God’s reign. The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. It’s the smallest of all seeds. But when it grows it becomes big that even the birds would take shelter onto it. Despite the evil things and the struggles that come our way, the reign of God never ceases to

grow. It will never succumb to desperation for it has the power to defeat its enemies.

We’ve seen its power in all ages, from the ancient times, from periods of war and famine, from civilization to civilization. God’s power can never be stomped, silenced, and defeated. It may be quiet for a while—that maybe what he wanted for a while—but it time his Kingdom will triumph.

So let’s not succumb ourselves to cynicism and hopelessness.

Let’s keep our dreams, our plans, and vision. Let the almighty power of God reign in our lives. Let him take over. We do our work and he does the rest. Amen. *** From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (19912001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.

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

Thinking of filing bankruptcy?

Five questions to ask yourself ARE you constantly worried about your finances because of debts that you can no longer afford to pay? If you are in more debt that you can repay, you may be overwhelmed and don’t know what to do.

If you’ve tried to solve your debt problems on your own but nothing has worked up to this point, the prospect of filing bankruptcy may sound appealing. But perhaps you either don’t know enough about how bankruptcy works or have heard so many bad things about it that you don’t really know if it’s the right solution for you.

How can you tell whether bankruptcy is appropriate for your situation?

Generally speaking, the answer has to do with your ability to pay (or the lack thereof), your income, expenses, assets and the amount of your debt. You also need to look at the types of debt you have. For example, while most debts are dischargeable in bankruptcy, there are certain types of debts which are not.

For example, student loans, back child support and most taxes cannot be wiped out in bankruptcy.

Here are a few helpful questions to ask yourself to help assess whether bankruptcy may be a good idea. The answers to these questions will not conclusively determine that you are a good candidate for bankruptcy

Minding Your Finances Atty. rAyMond BUlAon but it is a good starting point: 1. Are you struggling to pay even the minimum payments on your credit cards and so end up paying late each time?

2. Have you started borrowing money just to be able to cover your basic living expenses such as rent or mortgage, food, gas, etc?

3. Have you lost track of how much you owe?

4. Are bill collectors calling you because you have accounts in collection?

5. Have creditors taken legal action against you (or are threatening to do so) such as filing a lawsuit, obtaining a judgment and threatening to garnish your wages or levy your bank account?

If you said “yes” to any or most of the above, you could be in a “financial danger zone” and may need to take action as soon as possible before your financial problems get worse. It may be time to face your financial reality instead of simply hoping that somehow things will just magically change.

The truth is that unlike other problems in life, debt problems usually don’t go away on their own- unless you take action. Perhaps you’ve been ignoring your pile of bills and the collection calls. But you can only do this for so long. Sooner or later, you will need to face your creditors and the consequences of your inaction.

Regardless of the cause of your present financial difficulties, what you need is a game plan to get out of debt before it cripples you. The past is no longer of any consequence unless you let it. And if you act quickly to turn things around, you will realize later that this decision often gives you more options in the long run.

If you need some straight talk about bankruptcy and get all your questions answered, I will give you a free initial consultation so we can talk about your situation. Just call 866-477-7772 and schedule an appointment. I have offices in Glendale, Cerritos and Valencia. *** None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped thousands of clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call Ray Bulaon Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1 (866) 477-7772.

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Seniors need Chapter 13 as they retire THE seniors are husband and wife aged 70 and 65. The wife is a young and healthy 65, while the husband is a healthy 70 who still looks strong. Both are still working with good income. The husband grosses about $100,000 a year and the wife grosses about $70,000 a year. With $170,000 gross for the household, there should be no financial problem, right? Wrong.

But why? They owe $110,000 of credit card debt, which uses up about $4,000 of their monthly net income for minimum monthly payments! They have been servicing these credit cards for, believe it or not, 20 years. From $20,000 it grew yearly to $80,000, then to $110,000. They never paid off all the balances despite their good income. I guess you just don’t think about the future and take the easier way out of monthly minimum payments. Let’s say the cards stood at $110,000 for the last 10 years because it certainly looks like that from where we stand right now.

That’s $48,000 a year for minimum monthly credit card payments x 10 years. That’s a cool half a million dollars right there that they transferred over to their credit card masters! And how much do they owe right now after paying half a million $ to MasterCard since 2008? They still owe the very same principal of $110,000! Now, what have they been thinking, really? That it’s ok to keep on paying $48,000 a month forever until they die?

Makes no sense whatsoever.

Even Chairman Kim Jong-un knows that there this is a bad deal for them. Indeed, this is a very bad deal. It’s time to nuke these cards to where they belong — six feet under.

Debt Relief

Atty. lAwrence yAnG

If clients had wiped these cards out in 2008, they would have $500K in their wealth portfolio right now, instead of $110K of credit card debt. But when push comes to shove, clients realize now at their age that these accumulated debts are sucking them dry. Fortunately for them, they also both have hefty retirement accounts to rely on. But even hefty retirement accounts won’t be enough to solve their financial problem. Their combined retirement accounts are close to $700,000. The rule of thumb is you can use 4 percent of that taken from income generated, without diminishing the principal and still make the $700,000 grow yearly because the track record of the stock market is a yearly growth of 7 percent annually in the last 100 years. The stock market crashed in 1929 and 2007 when the market lost 50 percent of its value. Those who did not liquidate but hung on to their equities came roaring back in the next couple of years to recover the losses and go beyond them.

Four percent of $700,000 is $28,000 of extra money for clients when they retire. The husband will be getting $2,000 of S.S., while the wife will be getting $1,500 of S.S. So, the clients will be retiring with $24,000 from S.S. for the husband, plus $18,000 for the wife for a total of $42,000 a year from S.S. plus

$28,000 income from their retirement portfolio of $700,000.

The clients will be quite comfortable when they retire with $70,000 of gross income yearly, or almost $6,000 a month. Their house mortgage is $2,500, leaving them a balance of $3,500 a month for the rest of the necessary monthly expenses of $2,000.

So, even in retirement, they will be saving $1,500 a month, or $18,000 a year, which they can add back into their retirement portfolio, right? So their retirement portfolio will keep growing until it reaches $1 million soon enough where they can draw $40,000 from a year. That’s really not bad, not bad at all.

But with the $110,000 of credit card debt, they will need $4,000 monthly for debt service. Even if their retirement income is $6,000 a month, credit card debt service wipes out almost 70 percent of their income! That doesn’t sound good, no sir, it doesn’t sound good at all.

Clients seek Chapter 7 to wipe out the $110,000 when the husband retires in one month.

But they also own a home with $300,000 of equity. This means that after their homestead exemption of $175,000, there is still non-exempt equity of $125,000.

So, Chapter 7 is out of the question. In Chapter 7, clients will lose their house even as they realize $175,000 of cash. Even Chairman Kim Jong-un knows that Chapter 7 will be a bad deal for clients. So, the client must use Chapter 13 instead to handle the $110,000 of cards without incurring any risk of losing their house. The Chapter 13 plan will allow them to pay off their credit cards debts over 60 months with-

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Can I enforce a form I-864 affidavit of support in divorce proceedings?

THE Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 requires that US Citizens sponsoring an alien for legal permanent residency execute an immigration form I864 Affidavit of Support. This is an agreement between the US Government and the Sponsor to promise to support the immigrant beneficiary seeking admission to the US at a level not less than 125% of the national poverty level. The purpose of the I-864 Affidavit is to prevent the noncitizen from becoming a public charge. The sponsor’s obligation continues until either 1) the intended immigrant becomes 2) the intended immigrant is no longer permanent resident by departing the US or relinquishing his or her residency 3) the immigrant is subject to removal or deportation but applies for and obtains anew adjustment of status based on a new affidavit of support 4) the intended immigrant or sponsor dies 5) the intended immigrant worked for 40 qualifying quarters under the Social Security Act. The I-864 affidavit is legally binding and enforceable contract between the Sponsor and the US Government. The enforceability even goes beyond this. The sponsored immigrant spouse can also enforce this contract against the sponsor and file an action to enforce the sponsor’s support obligation separately from any support rights the sponsored im-

Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrSUA reyeS migrant spouse may have under Family Code Section 4320. Erler v. Erler, 824 F.3d 1173 (9th Cir. 2016). This obligation becomes an important issue where the marriage between the Sponsor and the immigrant beneficiary breaks down and a Divorce Petition is filed. The I-864 obligation does not terminate with divorce or dissolution of marriage. Pursuant to Erler, neither a divorce judgment nor a premarital agreement may terminate an obligation of support under the I-864 affidavit. The obligation is not dischargeable even if the immigrant spouse is later supported by a third party or attempts to be self-sufficient.

Further if a Joint Sponsor also signed an I-864 affidavit, the Joint Sponsor is jointly and severally liable for the support of the immigrant spouse.

The immigrant spouse has an independent standing to enforce the obligation under the I-864 affidavit against the sponsor either in state court or federal court. In re Marriage of Kumar, 13 Cal. App. 5th 1072 (2017). This means the sponsor’s support obligation

under the I-864 affidavit may be enforced within the family law case/ divorce action. In addition, the Court in Kumar held that immigrant spouse has no duty to seek employment to mitigate his or her damages. The bottom line is that in any divorce proceeding, one has to consider whether one spouse has signed an I-864 affidavit in the past for purposes of conferring a green card to the other spouse and whether that obligation continues on. It may be a separate claim for support available to the immigrant spouse within the family law case. *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kureyeslaw@gmail.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com.

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COMMUNITY JOURNAL

Are women paid lower wages?

Q: I AM a single mom and I have worked for my employer for several years. While talking with another newly hired male co-worker whose responsibilities are similar to mine, I discovered he was making 50 cents more per hour than I am. I asked my manager why the new guy was being paid more. However, the manager reprimanded me because I was not supposed to discuss wages with other employees as this violates company policy. Do I have any rights in this situation?

A: Yes, you do. California laws prohibit gender-based wage discrimination. An employer shall not pay any of its employees at wage rates less than the rates paid to employees of the opposite sex for substantially similar work, and performed under similar working conditions.

“Substantially similar work” means that the work are work are essentially the same for the employees though they may have different titles or work at different sites. It does not mean that the employees have exactly the same job.

If differences in wages exist, the difference must be legally justified based on one or more of the following factors: a) A seniority system b) A merit system c) A system that measures earnings by quantity or quality of production d) A bona fide factor other than sex, such as education, training, or experience.

An employee who success-

entitled to damages, as well as appropriate equitable relief.

Protecting In 2014, the gender wage gap in California stood at 16 Employee cents on the dollar. This means & Consumer a man who works full time will earn 1 dollar and a woman in Rights the same situation will earn 84 ATTY. C. JOE SAYAS, JR. cents. This wage gap extends across almost all occupations in fully proves her claims may be California. Collectively, women entitled to the balance of the working full time in Califorwages, including interest there- nia lose more than $70 billion on, and an equal amount as liq- each year due to the gender uidated damages, together with wage gap. The wage gap has the costs of the suit and reason- a significant impact on the able attorney’s fees. These dam- economic security and welfare ages are recoverable even if the of millions of working women and their families. Employees who believe they are being treated unfairly by their employer because of their sex or gender would be smart to consult with an experienced employment attorney to explore how employee has agreed to work for they can uphold their right to equal pay. a lesser wage.

One contributing factor to the *** gender wage gap is pay secrecy.

If employees cannot freely dis- The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. cuss their wages with one an- welcomes inquiries about this topic. other, then they may not know All inquiries are confidential and at nothat wage discrimination exists cost. You can contact the office at (818) in the workplace. Employers are 291-0088 or visit www.joesayaslaw.com not allowed to ban wage disclo- or our Facebook page Joe Sayas Law. [C. sures. In fact, an employer must Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. is an experienced not prohibit an employee from trial attorney who has successfully disclosing the employee’s own recovered wages and other monetary wages, discussing the wages of damages for thousands of employees others, inquiring about another and consumers. He was named Top Labor employee’s wages, or aiding or & Employment Attorney in California by encouraging any other employee the Daily Journal, consistently selected to exercise his or her rights un- as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles der the law. An employee who Magazine, and is the recipient of has been discharged, discrimi- PABA’s Community Champion Award nated, or retaliated against, for for 2016.]

(Advertising Supplement) doing any of these things will be

“One contributing factor to the gender wage gap is pay secrecy.”

People and Events

Fil-Am artist to hold solo exhibit in Burbank in July

THE Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center Gallery, the municipal gallery of Burbank, is proud to present the solo exhibit of artist Lynda A. N. Reyes from July 6 to the 26, 2018.

The opening reception will be on Friday, July 6 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. The gallery is located at 1100 West Clarke Avenue, Burbank, CA 91506.

The exhibit will highlight her watercolor and oil paintings that have been featured in museum exhibits in California, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Montana and in national juried shows in Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Burbank, Sherman Oaks, Tarzana, Sta. Monica, Glendale, Brea in Orange County and in international shows in Kentucky, Canada, Maryland, Wisconsin, Colorado and New York. Paintings that have given her recognition, as well as her new works, will all be on view.

Lynda’s paintings succinctly speak to all who see it. Her paintings are highly representational and yet they invite the viewers to ponder. She says, “The subjects of my paintings ‘reach’ out of the 2- dimensional plane to make contact with the viewers. I aspire to create representational imagery that triggers a lasting smile, a longing to look and think. Through my art, I want to interact with my viewers and to share with them what I have experienced as Lynda, a mother, a wife, a friend, and a cancer survivor. When the viewers participate and feel with me what I have gone through and [am] still is going through in my daily life, only then can I say my painting is done! I believe that the appreciation of art is a very personal response to creative work and that as an artist I strive to engender this response in my viewers. My hands, mind and

heart all work in unison to spark the awe the viewers experience in their initial encounter with any of my artworks.”

Her scene paintings, whether big or small, are almost hypnotic. As the painting lures its viewers to a deep contemplation of the subject, the viewers unconsciously participate in the creative process. They relate to the scene depicted and at the same time imagine themselves participants at that moment, time and place. Her participatory approach in her paintings is indeed effective.

In one of her later oil paintings, Lynda gives a vivid and poignant statement of the piece, “There is [a] great deal of loneliness waiting to erupt in me. The ‘LACMA: Inside Looking Out’ is me. I find myself inside and always looking outside. As I reach out from the darkness of the inside and looking into the brightness of the sunlight outside, I realize I can only remain inside and merely look outside. I continue to see myself in the dark but I always aim for the light.

There is always light outside!”

As one will note in this solo exhibit, her watercolors are most fascinating and just simply captivating. The challenge to render in transparent watercolor a simple or complicated subject using one of the most difficult and unforgiving media in the visual arts is indeed Lynda’s expertise.

The swift, fluid and spontaneous brush strokes combined with the detailed meticulous rendering of human figures highlighted by brilliant colors draw attention to the otherwise subtle content of her paintings. This style is seen in watercolors of urban landscape such as “Walking Along Venice Beach”. It is a peaceful day at the Boardwalk at Venice Beach in LA in California. The viewers

are reminded of that lively side of Venice that can ignite ones creativity, spirit, fun, laughter and curiosity. In another painting, “Colorful Escapade”, a nice, inviting late night walk through colorful Fremont in Las Vegas is just simply alluring to see.

Lynda maintains her studio and gallery in Glendale, California. She has extensive expertise in the arts, and not just in painting. She is an art historian, author and educator. She has served as Juror for a national exhibit “Passion for Pigment” held at the San Fernando Valley Arts and Cultural Center. She has also served as panelist/judge for the Diamond Awards for the City of Glendale and for the Visual Arts Grants Category for the City of Los Angeles. She has taught Art History at Glendale College, Santa Monica College, Pasadena City College, East LA College and Rio Hondo College. As a California Arts Council grant artist, she was a resource person for the visual arts for the Glendale Unified School District.

Lynda is known in the international academia for her book “The Textiles of Southern Philippines” and for her published studies in Philippine ethnic art.

She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree major in painting from the CHS in the Philippines and took graduate studies on Philippine art history at the University of the Philippines. She is one of the 48 recipients worldwide of an International Fellowship Award from the American Association of University Women while pursuing her MA in Art History from Northern Illinois University.

Visit http://Lyndaanreyes.com or contact her at Lynda@Lyndaanreyes.com. For more information, visit www.burbankca. gov/cac or call (818) 238-5397.■

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • JUNE 16-19, 2018

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Permanent residence for crewmen DEAR Attorney Tan, I entered the US in 1998 as a crewman. I have recently married a US citizen and would like to get a green card. However, I have heard that since I entered as a crewman, I cannot adjust my status to a permanent resident. Is this true?

--Lost on Land Dear Lost on Land, Under INA Section 245(c)(1), a person who enters the US as a “crewman” is generally barred from adjusting his status to permanent residence.

However, analysis of this issue must begin with determining whether you are actually a “crewman,” who is barred from adjustment.

A “crewman” is defined as a person “serving…in a capacity required for normal operation and service on board a vessel, …or aircraft, who intends to land temporarily and solely in pursuit of his calling as a crewman and to depart from the United States with the vessel or aircraft on which he arrived or some other vessel or aircraft.”

INA Section 101(a)(15(D). A “crewman” under this definition is assigned a “D” visa classification, but is often issued a dual C-1 transit/ D crewman visa. Because of this, a common misperception exists that a C-1 visa classification is designated for crewmen, and that a person who entered the US under a C-1 classification is by definition a “crewman,” therefore barred from adjusting his status to permanent resident.

Legal Advice ATTY. DARRICK TAN However, it is important to keep in mind that if a person entered on a C-1 transit visa, he may not be a “crewman” and may be eligible to adjust status. Further, the facts of a particular case regardless of letter classification of one’s visa upon entry may also be considered. If you entered on a C-1 transit visa, or under circumstances that do not fit the definition of a “crewman,” you may be eligible to adjust status.

If you are considered a “crewman” under the above definition, you can still file for adjustment of status to permanent residence and get a green card in the US if you are covered by INA Section 245(i). To be covered under INA Section 245(i), one must be the beneficiary of a visa petition or labor certification filed on or before April 30, 2001. If the petition was filed between January 14, 1998 and April 30, 2001, physical presence in the US on December 21, 2000 is also required.

If you are not covered under INA Section 245(i), and are considered a “crewman” under the above definition, you would need to obtain your immigrant visa at a foreign consular post.

Traditionally, persons who were

unlawfully present in the US for more than 1 year, and who had to obtain their immigrant visa at an overseas US consulate were subject to an unlawful presence bar from returning to the US for 10 years. That person would be able to seek a waiver of the unlawful presence bar after leaving the US, but if denied, he would be left outside of the US, and away from his family for 10 years.

However, under the Provisional Waiver program, you can apply for and get a decision on the waiver of the unlawful presence bar without leaving the US. If the waiver is approved, you can leave the US with some assurance that you will obtain your immigrant visa at the US consulate post and quickly return. Spouses and minor children of US citizens are eligible for provisional waiver relief. *** Darrick V. Tan, Esq. is admitted to practice law in California and Nevada. Mr. Tan is a graduate of UCLA and Southwestern University School of Law. He is a member of the Consumers Attorney Association of Los Angeles and is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Philipp ine American Bar Association. *** LAW OFFICES OF DARRICK V. TAN, 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Tel: (323) 6390277. Email: info@dtanlaw.com.

(Advertising Supplement)

Seniors need Chapter 13...

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out any interest. In five years, they will owe zero in credit cards so they enjoy their entire retirement income of $6,000 a month without having to worry about paying another cent to MasterCard or Visa.

Senior’s business needs Chapter 7 while she needs Chapter 13 The next client is 66. She just bought a house with $200,000 down but owes $400,000 mortgage on it. The problem is that she owns two businesses that are losing tons of money. She is very worried that suppliers will start suing the company for unpaid debt.

Well, that’s easily solved with Chapter 7 for each company.

The second problem is that she personally guaranteed the lease of the warehouse for $10,000 a month and there are three more years on the lease. How many times must I tell readers that they should never personally guarantee businesses leases or business debts? The client is on the hook for $360,000 on the personal guaranty of the lease. Fortunately for her, she can do a Chapter 13 to handle that.

In Chapter 13, she will have to pay $25,000 of the personal guaranty over 60 months without any risk of losing her house. That is a great financial reorganization for her. She wipes out $335,000 of the personal guaranty if she

completes 60 payments of $500 a month to the trustee. The bankruptcy court will enter an order discharging the $335,000 soon after the completion of plan payments.

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

C4 JUNE 16-19, 2018 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Calendar of Events across

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

America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS JUNE 16

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.

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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.

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Solo exhibit of Fil-Am Artist Lynda A. N. Reyes in Burbank The Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center, the municipal gallery of Burbank, is proud to present the Solo Exhibit of artist Lynda A. N. Reyes from July 6 to the 26,2018. The public is invited to the opening reception on Friday, July 6 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. The gallery is located at 1100 West Clarke Avenue, Burbank, California 91506. The exhibit will highlight her watercolor and oil paintings that have been featured in museum exhibits in California, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Montana and in national juried shows in Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Burbank, Sherman Oaks, Tarzana, Sta. Monica, Glendale, Brea in Orange County and in international shows in Kentucky, Canada, Maryland, Wisconsin, Colorado and New York. Paintings that have given her recognition, as well as new works will all in one big venue. For more information about the artist, visit www.lyndaanreyes.com or contact her at lyndaanreyes@gmail.com. For information about the gallery, call 818-238-5397 or visit www. burbankca.gov/cac. The gallery hours are Mondays through Thursdays 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and closed on Sundays.

J U LY 7

Pangasinan Brotherhood-USA celebrates 40th anniversary in Long Beach, CA Pangasinan Brotherhood-USA (PB-USA), one of the oldest non-profit and tax-exempt umbrella organizations in the U.S., will celebrate its 40th foundation anniversary coinciding with the induction of its officers on Saturday, July 7 from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Marriott Hotel Long Beach on 4700 Airport Plaza Dr. This year’s PB-USA theme is, ”Believe it can be,” and will present the induction of new officers. Proceeds of this gala night are earmarked for the social programs of the organization that includes charitable projects, supplemental scholarship grants, Gawad Kalinga affordable homes, livelihood programs, disaster relief and youth projects, among others. For further inquiries, interested parties may call Bong B. Soriano at (909) 851-1493 and Jackie M. Ferrer at (714) 757-3502.

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

Broadway Barkada played to a sold out house at Rockwell Table & Stage in celebration of Memorial Day on Monday, May 28, 2018. It was their inaugural concert in Los Angeles, entitled “Balikbayan: An LA Homecoming Concert.” Photo shows performers: Kathrina Feigh Aranas, Emily Borromeo, Billy Bustamante, Melody Butiu, Cynthia Casasola, Liz Casasola, Chris Chatman, Joanne Coudriet, Debralee Daco, Anthony Fedorov, Bryan Geli, Glen Llanes, Jaygee Macapugay, Deedee Magno Hall, Anthea Neri, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Jennifer Paz, Nicole Santiago, Isabelle Van Vleet, Allen Lucky Weaver, Geena Quintos, Trevor Salter.

Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti launches SwimLA Ten years before LA hosts the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, city is increasing affordable opportunities for young Angelenos to learn how to swim

LOS ANGELES Mayor Eric Garcetti on Friday, June 15 launched SwimLA, an initiative to double enrollment in swim classes across all L.A. City Pools.

SwimLA ensures that every young Angeleno between the ages of 4 and 17 has an opportunity to learn to swim by increasing the number of lessons offered and expanding the availability of swim scholarships.

“Every child should have access to sports and recreation — no matter their zip code,” said Garcetti. “SwimLA will help tens of thousands of children across L.A. learn to swim — a skill that helps keep them fit, strong, and safe.”

According to the U.S.A. Swimming Foundation, 64 percent of African-American and 45 percent of Latino children don’t know how to swim. With drowning the second-leading cause of accidental death for children under 14, it’s important that kids learn to swim and know how to be safe around all bodies of water.

“Our city’s youth programming during the summer months is a critical component to healthy, thriving families,” said Council-

member Mitch O’Farrell, who chairs the Arts, Entertainment, Parks, and Los Angeles River Committee. “I want to thank the mayor for spearheading the initiative, and the Department of Recreation and Parks for keeping pools open longer to accommodate the additional swim classes.

I look forward to working with all parties involved to ensure the success of this programming.”

Last year, the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP) provided 18,000 swim classes, taught by Citycertified lifesaving professionals.

With support from partners, the Department will double the number of affordable swim classes available this summer — providing 36,000 classes. Nearly 50 City pools open this summer will increase daily hours of operation to reach this goal.

“I am privileged to oversee an aquatics division that is nationally recognized as a leading entity for swim instruction,” says City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks General Manager, Michael Shull. “Our lifeguards are equipped and eager to impart skills that partici-

pants will be able to implement for the rest of their lives, holding the same intrinsic value as a gold medal.”

As L.A. prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028, SwimLA is one of many exciting new sports and fitness programs that will be offered to young Angelenos. Mayor Garcetti is dedicated to making Los Angeles one of the healthiest cities in the world –- and it starts with SwimLA. Four-time Olympic swimming champion Janet Evans said, “Congratulations to Mayor Garcetti and the Department of Recreation and Parks for launching SwimLA. I am thrilled that young Angelenos will have increased access to affordable, quality water safety instruction, and also to see how this program will nurture the next generation’s passion for swimming and other aquatic sports. It would be the ultimate Hollywood ending to see one of SwimLA’s students develop into an Olympian, chasing gold in their own backyard in 2028.”

For more information on swim classes and to find your nearest pool, visit www.swimla.org. ■

Metallic balloon safety is worth the weight

by PAUL

NETTER | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON

I his profession, Ivan Medina doesn’t have a weight problem.

And that’s music to the ears of Southern California Edison.

That’s because Medina, senior assistant manager at Alin Party Supply, and his team make sure every metallic balloon that leaves their doors is properly attached to a weight as required by state law.

The reason that is important is the reason Medina, Paul Jeske, SCE’s director of Corporate Health and Safety, and Scott Brown, an SCE troubleman turned fire management officer, spoke this week about the power outages and safety hazards created by released balloons at Medina’s store in Lakewood.

Released intentionally or not, the balloons cause hundreds of power outages yearly for SCE — in fact, a record-high 1,094 last year that affected 1.4 million customers. And no other month, with its celebration of graduations leading the way, is usually worse than June.

“Free-floating metallic balloons that are released outdoors continue to be a problem and challenge for Southern California Edison,” said Jeske, noting that SCE experienced a one-month, all-time high of 191 outages last June. “Think about that, that’s six a day. This is a very important issue for us and these are very preventable outages.”

Weights — the best prevention — are paramount for Medina and his store won’t sell a balloon without one. Nor should any balloon seller. And he recommends extra weights to customers buying bunches.

In a store adorned predominantly with colorful graduation balloons of all sizes, Medina also recommended air-filled balloons, saying, “They are actually great.

They do not require helium, meaning they will not float.”

Which is fine with Brown, who removed many metallic balloons from power lines during his nearly 14 years as an SCE troubleman. He cited a specific incident involving the flame-retardant SCE shirt he was wearing at the party store as an example of the hazards. While removing balloons from power lines once, the balloons caught fire and burning debris from them fell on his clothes.

“If I were wearing a cotton or polyester shirt, I probably would have suffered some significant burns, so they’re very, very dangerous not only to the public but

Infographic courtesy of Southern California Edison

our employees as well,” said Brown.

He also reiterated the safety and economic impact of adrift balloons, adding, “They cause outages, traffic signals are impacted, elevators are impacted, businesses are really impacted.

So, it is very important that we keep a good handle on metallic balloons, keep them indoors and keep them tethered.”

Keeping them safely tied to a weight is part of SCE’s continued “Stay Aware. Stay Safe.” campaign. SCE also supports state Assembly bill 2450.

The bill, which has passed the Assembly and is now in the state Senate, would require in-state metallic balloon manufacturers to have a printed statement on balloons warning consumers about the dangerous risk of fire if the balloons come in contact with power lines.

And, if you see balloons in power lines, call 911 or SCE at 1-800-

611-1911 to report the problem.

Though the warnings are serious, Jeske stressed that safety and nothing else is the top priority in his secure-is-safe message regarding metallic balloons.

“We’re not anti-balloon, we’re not party poopers,” said Jeske, noting that he has three metallic balloons from Mother’s Day and his wife’s birthday on his kitchen table. “All we want is for folks to understand what the risks are and to be responsible.”

Metallic balloons safety tips Metallic balloons should always be tied to a weight.

Stores and vendors should only sell properly weighted balloons.

Balloon owners should never remove the weight Balloons should never be released outdoors.

Do not try to retrieve balloons tangled in power lines or electrical equipment.

Puncture balloons before disposing of them. ■

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C

The US Army is committed to our youth Community discusses opportunities for veterans

by Lt.

with Civilian Aide to Secretary of the Army

CoL Mark D. ripLey

MY name is Lieutenant Colonel Mark D. Ripley, the Commander of the 232 members of the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion Los Angeles. On July 13th 2018, my time as their leader will come to an end. I wanted to take a few minutes to share my thoughts and observations with the Greater Los Angeles Area From the moment I was informed of this command, to the time I assumed command, through my two years of command, a few things were evident: how open, warm and friendly the people of the Greater Los Angeles Area are; how committed the Army is to each and every soldier who volunteers to serve.

The Army’s most important asset is the men and women who volunteer to serve. They are what makes America great and they are our future.

The Los Angeles Battalion assisted 3250 young people join the Active Army and another 498 join the U.S. Army Reserves. That labor of love required countless hours of work from the recruiters and ensured our future soldiers, your sons and daughters were qualified and prepared for the transition from civilian to soldier.

I have heard rumors around the community that the Army is seen as a last chance and that we take anyone. Nothing could be further from the truth. These last two years taught me how hard it is to meet the qualifications to enlist and how those that join are the elite of younger generations.

Today’s future soldiers must be physically, mentally, morally and legally qualified to join your Army. I consider all the future soldiers’ elite because currently less than 29% of your youth meet the standards to serve.

The Army is committed to ensuring those that volunteer have the tools for success in the Army and beyond. We provide leadership opportunities, career training, technical certifications, tuition assistance, and a GI Bill that will pay for 100% of tuition to California’s public post-secondary education with additional money for books and livings expenses; not to mention full medical and dental coverage.

The Army is the country’s single largest provider of college scholarships. We have students at universities all across the country, to include UCLA, UC-Irvine, Pepperdine, and USC; as well as UC Berkley, Stanford, Harvard, Duke, and Georgetown..

Nothing makes me prouder than taking time to talk to future soldiers before they leave for training and seeing them when they return to their communities as soldiers. They truly humble me and remind me a lot of myself when I was a young man from an American/Korean family. The Army helped me get my education, see the world and meet some of great people. The end result of all the hard work is quality citizens – soldiers.

Soldiers become veterans and

Mario Guerra, Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army.

Lt. Col Ripley leading the battalion in the Torrance Armed Forces Day Parade.

Photos courtesy of Fernando Sanjurjo / U.S. Army Los Angeles Recruiting Battalion

Guests and presenters during a round table hosted by the civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army at the Columbia Memorial Space Center in Downey, California on Tuesday, June 12

A photo of Lt. Col Patrick M. Flood being awarded a valor award.

Lt. Col Mark D. Ripley

Lt. Col Ripley takes the Battalion colors from Col. Caleb assuming command of the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion in Los Angeles.

veterans are more likely to vote, volunteer, and be involved in their communities. These young men and women eventually return with career training, education and many other qualities that employers find extremely valuable. Qualities that make them vital members of the Greater Los Angeles area. n

COMMUNITY members on Tuesday, June 12 came together at the Columbia Memorial Space Center in Downey, California for a special round table with Mario Guerra, Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army. Guerra, who previously

Captain Joseph P. Davis Photos courtesy of Fernando Sanjurjo / U.S. Army Los Angeles Recruiting Battalion

served as the mayor of Downey, led a discussion on training, reintegration, education, employment and housing opportunities for U.S. Army veterans. Physical and mental health concerns were also discussed during the meeting. Other esteemed guests

present on Tuesday included Rick Rodriguez, Downey Mayor Pro Tem and RMI International CEO; RMI President Rick Rodriguez Jr., VeteranStrong CEO and President Jesse Medina, and LA Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. n

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& USCIS to start denaturalizing

Immigration Corner ATTY. MICHAEL GURFINKEL, ESQ

and deporting people who obtained citizenship by fraud

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 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 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 has been an attorney for over 35 years and 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 re-enactments) 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 attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

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

Business Quote of the Week “The biggest lesson that I’ve learned is that fashion is this tightrope where you have to be consistent but inconsistent. You need the connective thread but at the same time you need a sense of surprise.”

- Michael Kors, renowned fashion designer and chief creative officer of Michael Kors Holdings Limited

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Korean firm details $1.7-B investment proposal

in the Philippines in order to explore business opportunities here.

Based on the company’s proSOUTH Korean firm SK E&S Co. Ltd. has a proposed $1.7- posal, it would build an LNG billion package of investment terminal with the capacity of for t he Ph i l ippi nes t hat i n- up to five million tons a year, cludes—aside from a liquefied “several LNG power plants of natural gas (LNG) terminal—a more than 600 megawatts,” and number of LNG-f ired power a pipeline that stretches up to 150 kilometers connecting the plants and a 150-km pipeline.

During President Duterte’s terminal and other power plants visit to Seoul earlier this month, in Luzon.

“SK E&S is a global energy SK E&S signed with Philippine energy officials a letter of intent company running a business across LNG value chain from related to these projects.

SK E&S said in a statement upstream to downstream secthat the development of the LNG tors,” the firm said.

“We hope to have an opinfrastructure was expected to create “800,000 jobs per year” portunity to contribute to the during the construction phase. development of the Philippines’ The company added that this energy industry based on our was in response to the rapid rise vast experiences and technoin LNG demand in the country logica l prowess i n t he LNG as well as to support measures business,” it added.

SK E&S expects demand for meant to strengthen economic cooperation between Seoul and LNG in the Philippine to grow Manila, especially in the energy considering that Malampaya gas reserves—the sole source sector.

SK E&S noted that it opened of gas for several power plants in September 2017 an office t hat accou nt for more t ha n

by RonneL

W. Domingo

Inquirer.net

A customer transacts with a money changer in Manila. The peso opened at 53 to the U.S. dollar during the trading session on Wednesday, June 13, dropping to 53.26 before closing at 53.23.

Photo by Richard A. Reyes / Inquirer.net

Peso falls to 53.23:$1, a 12-year low

by Daxim

L. Lucas

Inquirer.net

THE peso fell to its weakest level against the U.S. dollar in 12 years on Wednesday, June 13 as traders digested dovish statements of central bank officials that made financial markets uncertain about another interest rate hike next week to help cap local consumer prices.

At the same time, investors also unloaded the peso and shifted to the dollar without waiting for the outcome of a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting where markets expected the world’s most influential central bank to raise its own interest rates for the second time this year.

Weakest since 2006 The peso opened Wednesday’s trading session weaker at P53 to the dollar, from the previous trading session’s close of P52.887.

The local currency dropped to as low as P53.26 in afternoon trading before closing at P53.23, the weakest since June 29, 2006, when it hit P53.55 to the dollar.

Total volume was heavy with $773.17 million changing hands, compared to $653.1 million on Monday.

BDO Unibank chief strategist Jonas Ravelas said the peso’s weakness was due to the “prospects of a rate hike in the U.S. this week” as well as the weaker trade data released by the government last week.

Higher interest rates in the United States make dollar-denominated investments more attractive to fund managers compared to

peso-denominated securities.

Inflation driver Asked to comment on the peso’s weakness, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said the Monetary Board “will be evaluating a very rich and broad range of information at its policy meeting next week.”

A weak currency aggravates inflation, as it takes more pesos to buy the same amount of goods and services from overseas, especially for oil products and raw material imports.

The inflation rate currently stands at 4.6 percent, brought to that level in May by a spate of price increases induced by the enforcement of the Duterte administration’s Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act in January, which amplified the effects of a sharp rise in world crude oil prices in recent weeks.

The TRAIN law raised the ceiling for tax-exempt income, but imposed an excise of P3 per liter for kerosene, P2.50 per liter for diesel and bunker fuel, and P1 per kilogram for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

The law also imposed an excise of P7 per liter for unleaded premium gasoline, naphtha, regular gasoline and pyrolysis gasoline.

The fuel imposts kicked up the prices of basic goods, leading to agitation for a raise in the minimum wage among labor groups and the introduction of legislation in the House of Representatives that would set a uniform base pay nationwide.

The Department of Finance

said, however, that the tax hikes contributed only 0.4 percent to the current inflation rate.

Potential drivers Omitting his usual statement that the BSP was ready to act in case of worsening inflation, Espenilla said “recent developments on inflation and economic activity are key inputs but these are certainly not the only consideration.”

“We’ll be examining closely all the potential drivers of future inflation 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,” he added.

Espenilla’s neutral comments came on the heels of BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo’s statements that the country’s five-year-high inflation rate was easing, based on the latest data, which showed month-on-month price increases moderating.

Given the dovish inflation picture being painted by the central bank, an investment strategist for HSBC said the banking giant now expected the BSP to refrain from hiking interest rates until the third quarter of 2019.

The U.S. Fed will announce its decision on interest rates on Thursday.

The BSP, on the other hand, will have its policy-setting meeting on June 20 — moved a day earlier from the original June 21 schedule — after having hiked its key overnight rates by 25 basis points during its May 10 session.

3,000 MW of power-generating capacity—are expected to be depleted by 2024.

“Thus, the Philippine government has been reviewing measures to complete LNG infrastructure by the end of 2023 to import LNG in earnest,” the company said.

The Philippines is projected to have a t hr iv ing liquef ied nat u ra l gas (L NG) i ndust r y within a few years and have a capacity of 7 million metric tons yearly by 2020, the earliest estimate when indigenous fuel from the Malampaya gas field would run out.

The forecast was from Poland-based research firm Energ y a nd Nat u ra l Resou rce Reports, which was very bullish considering that building a big-ticket LNG facility would take more than three years to accomplish.

T he domest ic i ndust r y is seen reaching such a milestone “driven by investments in new LNG capacity,” the research firm said.

San Miguel ramps up expansion With 2-yr capex of P742B

by angeLica

BaLLesteRos ManilaTimes.net

CONGLOMERATE San Miguel Corp. (SMC) is ramping up its expansion plans with more production facilities to be built, including a manufacturing plant for cooked meat brand Spam, underpinned by a two-year spending program amounting to P742 billion.

The conglomerate has programmed a total spending of P742 billion from 2017 to 2019 covering all business lines.

SMC President and Chief Operations Officer Ramon Ang said the company would build six new breweries this year with an annual capacity of 2 million hectoliters and six feed mills that will be able to produce one million tons per year.

The new facilities are expected to help bring down logistics costs, which to date constitutes 30 percent of the company’s expenditures, Ang said at the sidelines of the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting on Thursday, June 14.

“We think the brewery profitability will keep on growing double digit every year by at least 20 percent. Operating income of the beer business [is seen]to grow by 20 percent per year because we are coming from a very low profit, higher taxes, low volume [base],” he said.

Some of the identified locations for the new beer facilities are at the boundary of La Union and Pangasinan; Sta. Rosa, Laguna; the Quezon-Bicol area; Cagayan de Oro; and Zamboanga, with each establishment estimated to cost $250 million.

SMC is also evaluating possibilities to set up another facility in Luzon where demand is strong.

The feed mills, meanwhile, will be located in Mariveles, Bataan, now nearing completion; Mabini, Batangas; Cagayan de Oro, which is set for completion late this year; San Ildefonso, Bulacan; Mandaue, Cebu; and Iloilo.

For the Spam brand, SMC, under its food and beverage brand San Miguel Food and Beverage,

Inc., is in the process of setting up of a facility with an annual production of 150,000 tons for the Asian market.

“We are soon going to manufacture Spam for export. For the region, our license to manufacture Spam has been with Pure Foods for 20 years. But it was not attended to. It is only now that it was arranged to put up a plant to produce Spam for the Philippines and the region,” he said.

For its petrochemicals business, Ang said the group expects Petron Corp. to grow net income by three to four times, with volume production seen to increase to 270,000 barrels per day by 2020.

Last year, Petron’s net income jumped 30 percent to P14.1 billion. Petron has already breached the 3,000-station mark, of which 2,400 stations are in the Philippines.

In May this year, SMC raised P10 billion through the issuance of fixed-rate notes due 2020.

On Thursday, SMC shares ended flat at P140 each.

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To help solve economic Tanduay dislodges Bacardi woes, hire more women as world’s No. 1 rum

by Linda

B. BoLido Inquirer.net

BRINGING women into the labor force is not only an acknowledgement of their right to be gainfully employed but will actually be a huge boost to the economy.

A new study, “The Power of Parity: Advancing Women’s Equality in Asia Pacific (Focus: The Philippines),” found that Asia Pacific countries could raise their annual collective gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025 by as much as $4.5 trillion, “a 12-percent increase over the business as usual trajectory”, by advancing women’s equality.

Equality The study, which was undertaken by McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), the business and economics research arm of McKinsey and Company, concluded that all countries in the region would benefit from advancing women’s equality.

“Across Asia-Pacific, we estimate that 58 percent of the opportunity would come from raising the labor force participation ratio, 17 percent from increasing the number of hours women work, and the remaining 25 percent from more women working in higher-productivity sectors,” the report’s authors said.

The study, which was the subject of a recent panel discussion sponsored by Australian Aid, found that the Philippines was leading other Asia Pacific countries in terms of gender equality in work. It was at par with Australia, New Zealand and Singapore on gender equality in society, particularly on essential services such as education, maternal and reproductive health, financial and digital inclusion, legal protection and political voice.

But Kristine Romano, managing partner in the Philippines of McKinsey & Co., said some 14 percent of Filipino women were still not financially included and “women college graduates” were not making it in the workforce.

In the panel discussion moderated by broadcast personality Ces Oreña-Drilon, Romano said while some 15 percent of women in the corporate world became board members, only 3

by MigueL

R. CaMus

Inquirer.net

TAIPAN Lucio Tan’s Tanduay was named the best-selling rum in the world, edging out rival Bacardi and slew of other international brands.

The liquor firm, which undertook high-profile marketing initiatives including a partnership with National Basketball Association team Golden State War r iors, said its newfound status was based on a ranking released by think tank Drinks International.

“We have a great product to offer the world and the world finally recognized it,” said Lucio Tan, Jr., president and CEO of Tanduay Distillers Inc. Officials held a press conference on Wednesday, June 13 to announce the milestone, which was part of Drinks International’s “definitive ranking of the world’s million-case rum brands.”

Tanduay was followed in rank

by Bacardi and McDowell’s No. 1 Celebration.

Gerry Tee, head of distillery operations, noted that Tanduay

was proud of dislodging previous industry leader, Bacardi.

“It’s now our time,” Tee said.

Tanduay’s success came despite a string of challenges, including rising competition and the excise taxes implemented in 2013, said chief financial officer Nestor Mendones.

“We were able to attain this number one position despite the very difficult operating environment that the liquor industry encountered since 2013, when the govt decided to increase excise taxes by more than 100 percent,” Mendones said.

Dissolution of RCBC unit in US OKd YUCHENGCO-LED Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. obtained the approval of US regulators for the dissolution of its US subsidiary, RCBC North America Inc., which ceased operations in 2014.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange yesterday, June 13 RCBC said it had received the certificate of dissolution from the California

Secretary of State for RCBC North America.

This represents the final stage of the dissolution proceedings that started in 2014 when RCBC North America folded up, the disclosure said.

“This is in line with RCBC’s strategy to expand the accessibility of its Telemoney International remittance services through overseas partnerships,” RCBC said.

With new innovations in payments technology, more and

more banks are increasingly turning to partnerships with foreign remittance companies or financial institutions rather then investing in brick-and-mortar footprint overseas.

In the case of RCBC’s Telemoney, several partners are operating in North America, such as Paypal, UAE Exchange Canada and Aseno Remit. RCBC said it would continue serving Filipino customers in the United States, Canada and Guam through these partners.

It was pointed out that the lack of access to quality and reliable child care was a major barrier to women’s participation in the workforce or a major reason for their leaving employment.

Working arrangements Amy Luinstra, program manager and gender adviser for the International Finance Corp. of the World Bank group, presented specific examples of companies in India, Japan and Turkey that showed that providing child care was an effective way to keep skilled and experienced women employees.

Employers in those countries provided extended maternity leaves, access to expert and quality child care and more flexible working arrangements Inquirer.net photo to women employees. percent became chief executive force.

Luinstra said employers realPanelists said crucial to en- ized it was more costly to replace officers.

Romano said the Philippines suring women’s greater par- a skilled worker. Replacements could add $40 billion to its an- ticipation in the work force and would have to be trained and it nual GDP in 2025 by advancing increased productivity would be would take a while before they women’s equality and bringing providing support, particularly acquired the skills of employees more women into the work- child care, to women. who left.

“Investment in women can really pay off,” she said. It would mean higher retention rates, increased productivity and better gender diversity. Employers who adapted to the needs of women also became the employer of choice and found it easier to recruit skilled workers.

But Luinstra stressed that, as far as gender equality policy was concerned, “one size does not fit all.”

Child care should be part of a company’s overall strategy, even as she pointed out that child care support should be extended to both parents.

“Gender equality should not be just a fad but should be institutionalized,” Amor Curaming, program manager for the Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE). She pointed out that policies on gender equality were often not written down “so if leadership changes” the gains achieved could be lost.

“There is a need for continu-

ity [of policies] and a need to institutionalize [those policies],” Curaming said.

Optimal workplace She encouraged companies to undergo the EDGE (Economic Dividends for Gender Equality) assessment. EDGE is a world leading diagnostic and certification system for workplace gender equality. It is designed to help companies create an optimal workplace for both genders.

EDGE, Curaming said, would give a company a real picture of its gender equality status.

Maria Aurora Geotina-Garcia, PBCWE co-chair and PhilWEN (Philippine Women’s Economic Network) chair, said despite the report’s generally positive assessment of the Philippines, Filipino women were still significantly underrepresented in the workforce. She urged companies to “walk the talk” on women’s empowerment and to use EDGE to identify issues that have to be addressed.

by doRis

duMLao-aBadiLLa Inquirer.net

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Century Properties allots P10 billion for housing projects

by IrIs

Gonzales Philstar.com

M A N I L A , Ph i l ippi nes — Century Properties Group Inc. (CPG), the listed property company of the Antonio family, is pouring P10 billion over the next five years to expand its affordable housing portfolio.

Under its affordable housing brand PHirst Park Homes, CPG intends to launch 15 projects within the next five years, Century Properties Group investor relations head Kristina Garcia said.

“PHirst Park Homes, Inc. aims to launch about 15 projects within the next five years with a total of roughly 33,000 units.

Each site will be 15 to 20 hecta res a nd it is cu r rent ly i n various stages of land banking.

This is equivalent to around P57 bi l l ion i n project sa les value, wit h capital expenditures estimated at around P10 billion over the first five years,” Garcia said.

In May last year, CPG signed a joint venture agreement with Mitsubishi Corp. to establish PHirst Park Homes.

Capitalizing on the country’s demand for affordable housing, which has an estimated backlog dens connect residents back to of roughly 6.6 million units, the land, while indoor-outdoor the new joint venture company kitchen and dining spaces take will pursue the development of farm-to-table entertaining to projects of scale in key locanew heights. Whether you’d tions outside of Metro Manila.

CPG has been diversifying rather go for a swim in the junior its portfolio, moving from just Olympic pool or lounge on the deck, afternoons in the sun will leave you feeling refreshed and up to the local mountains, find reenergized. The Gardenhouse your spot on the beaches of Los Recreation Center is all about Angeles and Orange counties relaxation that’s in harmony or tour all the world-famous Southern California entertainwith nature.

With a home at The Preserve ment hotspots. From days spent at Chino, days always turn at theme parks to afternoons at towards new adventures. Just prestigious gardens and musemoments away, explore The ums, you’ll find you’re at the Shoppes at Chino Hills to find center of it all.

Connect with nature and hidden treasures in the shops or a new favorite meal in one of your neighbors in more than 33 the restaurants. Or take a short scenic acres dedicated to parks, drive for new experiences at playgrounds, lawns and gardens Chino Spectrum Marketplace, at The Preserve at Chino. Larger Chino Spectrum Town Cent- parks are home to team sports, er, Eastvale Gateway, Victoria picnics, group events and more, Gardens, Ontario Mills or the while smaller parks spread famous Fairplex. This exciting throughout the neighborhoods location makes it easy to head for outdoor play closer to home.

Traveling to Asia just got easier when you live at The Preserve at Chino CHINO, CA — Discover a place where you can have the world at your fingertips. Direct flights to Taipei from nearby Ontario International Airport will make it easier than ever to visit destinations throughout Asia when you live at The Preserve at Chino. This new home community by Lewis Community Developers is less than ten miles away from daily flights to the Philippines, China, India, South Korea, Japan and more aboard China Airlines – allowing you to stay connected to family and friends, travel for business and enjoy new adventures. At the end of every journey, you’ll return to a quality new home in a place where days are filled with first-class amenities, the peace of mind provided by award-winning schools and the remarkable shopping and dining that SoCal is known for. And, thanks to amazing affordability, this master-planned community

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not only stands out from the rest but also adds more flexibility to your travel budget.

Whether you’re a first-time buyer or ready to retire, your ideal home is waiting for you at The Preserve at Chino. Renowned builders CalAtlantic Homes – A Lennar Company, Richmond American Homes, William Lyon Homes, Lennar and Woodside Homes craft their homes with exceptional quality, with options for every lifestyle.

Ranging from approximately 1,380 to 2,805 square feet with up to five bedrooms and four baths, homes can accommodate even the largest of families. Priced starting in the low $400,000s, these homes are an exceptional deal, making homeownership attainable for all.

In the center of the community, The Parkhouse at The Preserve at Chino brings neighbors together in an impressive resident-only clubhouse. Whether

you’re trying to stay active in the fitness center or getting a little work done in a quieter spot at the business center, The Parkhouse supports all your goals and ambitions. Game rooms and an intimate movie theater will help you relax and unwind. A wonderful location for any event, the multipurpose room has a welcoming feel and features a connected on-site catering kitchen. Lighted tennis courts, a junior Olympic swimming pool, spa and playgrounds make the outdoors at The Parkhouse just as inviting. In addition, The Parkhouse library is a great place for students from the award-winning Cal Aero Preserve Academy across the street to finish homework and study before walking home.

Residents will also have access to the agrarian-themed Gardenhouse Recreation Center, where get-togethers happen organically. Community gar-

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purely high end residential to ot her segments such as t he first home segments and then hotels and other tourism related developments. It now has four sources of income — the vertical developments, affordable line, leisure and recreation, and tourism projects and the fourth is the commercial segment.

It recently unveiled its latest foray into the tourism and leisure segment, with Batulao Artscapes, a liveable art park and art community in Batangas, which will rise on a 142-hectare lot near the foothills of Mount Batulao.

The development will have designer homes with total sales value of P19 billion and created by some known architects and designers. The estimated total sales revenue for the entire 142 hectares is over P50 billion.

CPG is also launching a 20hectare development in Lipa, Batangas with 1,867 units valued at P2.8 billion.

As of December 2017, CPG completed 19 buildings with 72 percent of total buildings in vertical developments and 11,597 total units or 60 percent of total units in vertical developments.

For this year, CPG expects to book double-digit growth — mid to high teens, Antonio said.

Last year, the company posted a net income of P630 million, down from P726.9 million in 2016.

All year round, these colorful outdoor spaces become an extension of the backyard and bring the community to life.

Please call (877) 417-9623 or visit ThePreserveAtChino.com for more information.

The Preserve at Chino is a development by Lewis Community Developers, a member of the Lewis Group of Companies. The Lewis Group of Companies has successfully developed more than 55,000 residences, 10,000 apartments and over 14 million square feet of retail, office and industrial space. Founded in 1955, the company is one of the nation’s largest privately held real estate organizations.

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