071322 - Southern California Midweek Edition

JULY 13-15, 2022 Volume 32 - No. 55 • 14 Pages

US backs PH on West Philippine Sea, warns DATELINE USA Garcetti signs ordinance that it will support Manila on armed attacks to increase minimum FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

wage for health care workers in LA

LOS Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti signed an ordinance on Friday, July 8 into law raising the minimum wage for healthcare workers at certain private health care facilities to $25 per hour.

“The past few years have taken an unimaginable toll on our healthcare workers — often putting themselves at risk to care for the sick and their families,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “It is time we put them first. Our healthcare heroes deserve fair compensation for their critical work, countless sacrifices and incredible service to our city and its people.”

Earlier this year, the City received an initiative petition entitled Minimum Wage for Employees Working at Healthcare Facilities containing 145,574 signatures.

The resulting ordinance establishes a $25 per hour minimum wage for workers at certain privately owned facilities including hospitals, doctor groups, affiliated clinics, and nursing facilities.

This new law takes effect 31 days after the City Clerk publishes the ordinance and the wage rate will be adjusted annually

by KAYCEE

VALMONTE Philstar.com

MANILA — On the 6th anniversary of the 2016 Hague ruling, the United States reaffirmed its commitment to the Philippines and warns that it will back Manila should there be armed attacks.

“We also reaffirm that an armed attack on

Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea would invoke the U.S. mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a press statement dated July 11.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration, a United Nations-backed tribunal, ruled in 2016 that

China’s claims over the South China Sea is invalid as the claims already exceeds Beijing’s maritime entitlements.

It also ruled that some of the areas are already within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

Six years since the ruling, the Philippines

 PAGE 2

How the PH Court of Appeals ruled on Maria Ressa’s cyber libel case

by TETCH

TORRES-TUPAS Inquirer.net

 PAGE 3

MANILA — The Court of Appeals (CA) has resolved that 15 years after a story is posted online, a cyberlibel lawsuit can still be filed in court.

In a decision affirming the cyberlibel conviction of Nobel Laureate and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa and former researcher-writer Reynaldo Santos Jr., the CA said that a one-year prescription for libel cannot apply to cyberlibel cases.

The CA explained that the penalty imposed for cyberlibel – imprisonment for up to eight years – is classified as afflictive which under Article 90 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC), the prescription should be 15 years.

Libel, under Article 355 of the Revised Penal Code, is punishable only by imprisonment of six months up to four years and two months and belongs to a different

Note may show location of missing Fil-Am woman’s ‘Not our bill’: Palace says premature Suspect pleads not guilty body, but search fails INSTRUCTIONS. Grade 2 students listen to the instructions of their teacher at Delfin Geraldez Elementary School on Salvia Street in Barangay Kaligayahan in Novaliches-Fairview in Quezon City on Tuesday, July 12. The DepEd Brigada Pagbasa at Pagbilang drive is a literacy-building support given to the pupils to make learning more meaningful for students.

PNA photo by Oliver Marquez

POLICE in Oakley, California on July 7 gave the parents of missing 27-year-old Filipino American woman, Alexis Gabe, copies of notes handwritten by her ex-boyfriend that could indicate the location of her body, according to ABC7 News.

Gabe’s ex-boyfriend, Marshall Curtis Jones, wrote directions on where to dispose of her body in Pioneer, California, an area 60 miles east of Sacramento.

Investigators and hundreds of volunteers reportedly searched acres of land in Pioneer for any sign of Alexis’s body, including draining more than eight million gallons of water in a nearby pond. They didn’t find anythibng.

Gabe’s parents, however, say they believe she’s still alive and hidden somewhere.

 PAGE 4

to comment on bid to rename NAIA after alleged hate attack

by ALEXIS

ROMERO Philstar.com

MANILA — Malacañang was mum on the bill seeking to rename the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after President Marcos' father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, saying the measure is still in its early stages.

"Malacañang has no comment yet on this one. It's just been filed, after all. It has not been subjected to first reading so any reaction would be premature, if any is even warranted at this time," Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said at a press briefing last Wednesday, July 6.

"This is not a bill filed by Malacañang

so it's not our place to indicate whether it is timely or not. It was the congressman who filed it so no comment for right now, particularly, you know, its (in its) very early stages really, it's just been filed," she added.

Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves, Jr. filed House Bill No. 610 renaming NAIA to Ferdinand E. Marcos International Airport less than a week into Marcos Jr.'s presidency.

In his explanatory note, Teves said the Manila International Airport was renamed after Ninoy in 1987 during the presidency of his widow, Corazon Aquino.

Ninoy, a senator who was critical of the policies of the elder Marcos, was

 PAGE 2

Hontiveros, Padilla unlikely allies in reviving discussion on divorce

by XAVE

GREGORIO Philstar.com

Senators Robin Padilla and Risa Hontiveros

 PAGE 2

the Vatican that has not yet legalized divorce for the entire population. Divorce is MANILA — Sens. Risa only legal in the Philippines Hontiveros and Robin Padilla for Muslim couples who were are finding themselves on married under Muslim rites. the same side of the fence as they have both identified the Hontiveros has been legalization of divorce in identified by former Vice the Philippines among their President Leni Robredo as the priority measures for the 19th new leader of the opposition as Congress. she is now the highest-ranking Hontiveros and Padilla elected official from their filed different versions of ranks, while Padilla has been the measure that is deemed a vocal supporter of former rather controversial in the President Rodrigo Duterte.

Philippines, where majority But Hontiveros said she identify as Catholic and which is willing to work with any  PAGE 3 Philsdtar.com file photos is the only state aside from

against Fil-Am family

by AJPRESS

THE suspect accused of physically assaulting and throwing racist slurs toward a Filipino American family has pleaded not guilty on Monday, July 11 to two battery charges.

Nicholas Weber, a 31-year-old Sylmar, California resident, is charged with one felony count of battery with serious bodily injury and a misdemeanor count of battery. The charges carry hate crime allegations.

This comes after a May 13 incident wherein Patricia Roque, 19, and her mom Nerissa, 47, were getting late-night snacks at the McDonald’s drive-thru on Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood when a dark blue jeep, driven by Weber, hit their car from behind.

The younger Roque got out of the car and started taking cellphone videos of the damagers.

That’s when the suspect went to the side of their car and started throwing racial slurs with a mock Asian accent. The suspect threatened them by saying, “I’ll kill you,” Patricia recounted.

While waiting for the police to respond to their 911 call, Patricia called her dad, Gabriel,

who arrived in time to stop Weber who was trying to enter the car to get to Patricia.

In the process of stopping the suspect from hurting his daughter who was seated in the passenger’s seat of the car, the 62-year-old father was pushed down to the pavement by the suspect. Gabriel suffered injuries, including a broken rib and bruises on his arms.

“My family and I were victims of anti-Asian hate. What initially started off as a minor traffic collision quickly escalated to verbal and physical assaults.

We were taunted, ridiculed, and belittled because of our appearance as Asian Americans.

Specifically, the suspect called us ‘ching chong’ and made squinting eye motions as he verbally threatened us,” Patricia Roque told the Asian Journal in a previous interview.

After attacking her father, Weber reportedly turned to her mother and strangled her.

“My mom tried to intervene to stop the attack on my dad. At that point, the suspect turned his anger and hate towards my mom and started strangling her with his bare hands. We all screamed for help. We all

 PAGE 2

2 JULY 13-15, 2022 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL

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

From the Front Page

US backs PH on West Philippine...

PAGE 1 has filed over 200 diplomatic protests as China refuses to recognize the ruling.

This was also backed by a recent U.S. study on coastal state maritime claims, as noted by Blinken, that China’s claims over the disputed waters remain “plainly inconsistent with international law.”

“We call again on the PRC to abide by its obligations under

international law and cease its provocative behavior. We will continue to work with allies and partners, as well as regional institutions like ASEAN, to protect and preserve the rulesbased order,” Blinken said.

PH commemorates historic ruling In a separate statement, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo asserted that "these findings are

no longer within the reach of denial and rebuttal, and are conclusive as they are indisputable."

“We firmly reject attempts to undermine it; nay, even erase it from law, history and our collective memories.”

Manalo also said that the Philippines welcomes the support of more countries backing Manila in asserting its rights over the waters. g

How the PH Court of Appeals ruled on...

PAGE 1

classification of penalties.

Santos wrote the article in May 2012 claiming that businessman Wilfredo Keng lent his sports utility vehicle to then Chief Justice Renato Corona.

The story also cited an intelligence report that said Keng had been under surveillance by the National Security Council for alleged involvement in human trafficking and drug smuggling.

The article was re-posted in February 2014.

Ressa’s camp argued that they could not be prosecuted for cyberlibel because the law, at that time, was subject to a restraining order by the Supreme Court.

However, the CA said the Cybercrime Law was signed into law in September 2012 and became effective on October 9 that year. Although there was a restraining order, the CA said only the implementation was enjoined but the effectivity remains in place.

“The TRO issued by the Supreme Court only enjoined the implementation of the Cybercrime Law, but not its effectivity. As the law remained effective, the lifting of the TRO consequently meant that the acts committed during the effectivity of restraining order was in effect can be subsequently charged and prosecuted,” it said.

Elements of libel Is the article subject of the cyber libel case defamatory?

“Without a doubt, upon reading the subject article, one would understand in its plain and ordinary meaning that the author thereof painted Keng as someone involved in several illegal activities…thereby besmirching

Nobel Laureate and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa Inquirer.net file photo

his reputation and casting him dishonor, discredit and public ridicule,” the CA said.

When it comes to malice, the CA said the Cybercrime Law imposes a stricter standard to convict someone if the offended party is a public figure. But if the offended party is a private person, “the prosecution need not prove the presence of malice as the law explicitly presumes its existence.”

In this case, since Keng is a private person, “the law is clear that malice is presumed from the defamatory and libelous character of the statements rendered in the subject article.”

The CA also noted an unpublished story written by another Rappler reporter about Keng’s side. It wasn’t published because other news was more urgent.

The appeals court deemed such a reason as “flimsy.”

Regarding publication, the original article was posted in May 2012. The February 2014 update to the previous article corrected the spelling of the word “evasion.”

But the appeals court said, “a single defamatory statement if published several times, gives rise to as many offenses as there are publications.”

A novel implementation of Cybercrime Law The CA said public officers and private individuals who are wronged in the inordinate exercise of freedom of speech and the press “have every right to avail themselves of the legal remedies for libel.”

It said the case against Ressa involves a novel implementation of the Cybercrime Law which seeks to curb, if not totally prevent, “the reckless and unlawful use of the computer systems to commit traditional criminal offenses.”

But the CA clarified that the strict implementation and imposition of penalties of cyberlibel do not aim at curtailing freedom of expression but serve “as a major deterrent to the damaging and defaming of a person’s reputation that could be easily and successfully carried out at one’s fingertips.”

The decision affirming the cyberlibel conviction of Ressa and Santos was penned by Associate Justice Roberto Quiroz and concurred by Associate Justices Ramon Bato Jr. and Germano Francisco Legaspi.

The case is not yet final.

However, Ressa’s counsel said they would exhaust all legal remedies, including elevating the case to the Supreme Court. g

HOLIDAY. Muslim women are garbed in colorful traditional attires as they celebrate Eid’l Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice at the Blue Mosque in Maharlika Village, Taguig City on Saturday, July 9. The event is a major Muslim holiday that honors the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to Allah.

PNA photo by Avito Dalan

‘Not our bill’: Palace says premature to comment...

PAGE 1 assassinated on the tarmac of the airport in 1983, three years before the historic People Power revolt that ousted the former president.

Teves claimed that the airport project was done during the time of the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, Sr., who became the Philippines' chief executive in 1965.

"It is more appropriate to rename it (NAIA) to the person who has contributed to the idea and execution of the said noble project," the lawmaker said.

But according to the website of the Manila International

Airport Authority (MIAA), which operates NAIA, the country's premiere airport was originally a US Air Force base until 1948, when it was turned over to the Philippine government.

The fledgling civil aviation airport's facilities were nothing more than the current domestic runway and a small building as its only passenger terminal, the website said. MIAA said the first 13 years of the airport were marked by the building of infrastructure dedicated to international flights.

"The international runway and associated taxiway were built in 1953, and 1961 saw the

completion of a control tower and a terminal building for the exclusive use of international passengers at the southwest intersection of the runways.

This system came to be officially known as the Manila International Airport," the website said.

During the previous congress, Rep. Ducielle Cardema (Duterte Youth party-list) filed a measure that sought to rename NAIA back to its original name Manila International Airport.

Cardema claimed that the name of the airport had been "politicized." g

PAGE 1 pleaded for the suspect to stop,” Patricia said.

She said a bystander helped stop Weber from further attacking her family.

When the police finally arrived, Weber was taken by an ambulance to the hospital and later on, was released with a citation to appear in court last June 8 but he never did.

The court issued a bench warrant for Weber after he failed to appear for arraignment on June 8. He was arrested for an unrelated matter in Orange County and held on the warrant.

The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department, North Hollywood Division.

Weber is due back in court Aug. 19, when a date for a

hearing will be scheduled to determine if the case will go to trial.

Filipino American community members are continuing to call on the District Attorney's Office to fully prosecute the case.

The Filipino Migrant Center has created a fundraiser on its website for the Roque family’s physical and emotional recovery. g

Suspect pleads not guilty after alleged hate...

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SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • JULY 13-15, 2022

3

Hontiveros, Padilla unlikely allies in reviving...

PAGE 1 senator on common issues they are pushing for.

"We are ready to cooperate with any senator with the same advocacies for women and the Filipino family," Hontiveros said Monday in Filipino in a reply to media queries. "As in the past six years, I am always able to cross party lines and unite with other senators to push important laws."

Different, but not irreconcilable Hontiveros said she is hopeful that there is a better chance for the divorce bill to hurdle Congress this time around as the Senate panel on women, children, family relations and gender equality already tackled the proposal in the 18th Congress. The committee report from those hearings can be a basis for new discussions on the measure, she said.

While both Hontiveros’ and Padilla’s bills seek to legalize divorce in the country, the two proposals are markedly different from each other.

For one, Hontiveros’ divorce bill provides an extensive section on "guiding principles," which recognize that the family should be provided protection and assistance and provide what a divorce decree should have, among others.

Padilla’s version, meanwhile, has an "interpretation" clause which states that the measure should be "applied and interpreted in favor of the protection and strengthening

of the family."

Proposed grounds for divorce Hontiveros’ bill provides that couples can get a divorce after five continuous years of separation even without a judicial decree of separation, but couples who are legally separated for at least two years can already get divorced.

Padilla’s bill, meanwhile, has a blanket provision stating that couples who have been separated in fact for at least two consecutive years can get divorced.

Both measures reference grounds provided under the Family Code for legal separation as grounds for divorce, but Hontiveros’ version provides that physical violence or grossly abusive conduct does not have to be repeated and that homosexuality in itself is not a ground unless either or both spouses commit marital infidelity.

Both proposals also provide that couples can divorce when they have divorced overseas or when they have irreconcilable differences.

Unique to Padilla’s version is a provision which states that having a child with another person other than one’s spouse during a marriage is a ground for divorce, unless both spouses agree to this, or a child is born to them in vitro, or when the wife becomes pregnant after getting raped.

Also unique to the Padilla bill is the mandatory six-month "cooling off" period which will

be observed between the filing of the divorce petition and the start of court proceedings, except in the following cases: • Summary judicial proceedings • Sexual infidelity • Sttempt by the respondent on the life of a common child or a child of the petitioner or the petitioner themself • Or acts involving violence against women and their children Will it finally hurdle Congress?

The farthest that a divorce bill has gotten in Congress was in 2018, when it was passed by the House of Representatives in a 134-57 vote under the speakership of pro-divorce lawmaker Pantaleon Alvarez (Davao del Norte).

The measure, however, got stuck in the Senate where it did not progress beyond the committee level.

It remains to be seen whether incoming congressional leaders — often elected with the imprimatur of the president — would shepherd divorce, which is seen by advocates as a pro-women legislation.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said when he was still campaigning for the top elective post that he is open to "take the next step" and legalize divorce, but urged that the process should not be made easy. A common argument against divorce is that it would devalue marriage by making it "too easy" to end one. g

Garcetti signs ordinance to increase minimum...

PAGE 1 for the cost of living starting on January 1, 2024. This new law will benefit approximately 20,000 healthcare workers in the city of Los Angeles.

"This was a people-led endeavor that proves when we fight, we win," said Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson. "We can do more, and should do more to create a Los Angeles where everyone can thrive."

"For the last two years, our community has relied heavily on the medical community to help navigate us through the pandemic - putting their lives on the line and their families at risk. As a representative of a District that was hit hard by

the pandemic, their sacrifice inspired me to be a leader in the fight," said Councilmember Curren Price. "Working long, grueling hours and absorbing insurmountable stress, the burnout being felt from the pressures of COVID-19 has been prevalent, causing an alarming number of healthcare workers to leave the profession altogether. The approval to raise their wages demonstrates to the countless workers that they are valued, seen, heard and above all, their lives matter."

“On behalf of many of my fellow healthcare workers, I want to thank Mayor Garcetti and the Los Angeles City Council for their leadership,”

said Yecenia CardenasGomez, Certified Nurse Attendant. “Many caregivers are considering leaving the field for other work as the risks of working in a hospital have increased, and they have struggled to meet their basic needs. Our city is facing a healthcare worker shortage, and the care Angelenos receive is directly impacted by the quality and quantity of skilled healthcare workers in our hospitals. By ensuring healthcare workers earn a fair wage that reflects our vital work, Los Angeles can retain and attract the workers needed to ensure the quality of healthcare doesn't decline in our city.” g

Is your child prepared to have a fun & safe summer?

WHETHER it’s participating in a summer learning program, going to camp, or joining a new sports team, summer is an exciting time for children to learn, play, and grow through new experiences. However, if your child has not yet received their COVID-19 vaccine, they may not have the chance to enjoy this special time of year.

COVID-19 remains a public health concern and the longterm effects on children remain unknown. But, there is good news. Parents and caregivers can now get their children 6 months through 5 years of age vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines to better protect them from COVID-19. All children, including children who have already had COVID-19, should get vaccinated.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to get your child summer ready.

COVID-19 vaccines are safe.

They have undergone—and will continue to undergo—the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. Distribution of pediatric vaccinations for these younger children has started across the country, and will be available at thousands of pediatric practices, pharmacies, Federally Qualified Health Centers, local health departments, clinics, and other locations this week.

Here are some simple steps parents can take to ensure that their children are safe this summer, especially as they participate in programs with other kids: Get your child vaccinated.

Vaccination is the best defense against severe illness. Children 5 years or younger can be vaccinated with whichever vaccine is available (either Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech).

Everyone 5 years or older should also get a COVID booster when eligible. Parents can reach out to their doctor, nurse, local pharmacy, or health department, or visit vaccines. gov to see where vaccines for children are available.

Practice general safety measures. Make sure your child knows about good handwashing techniques and maintain a supply of hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol. As many young children have yet to receive a vaccine, they should continue to wear the most protective, best-fitting mask available for them.

Reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. Keep your child home if they are exposed to COVID or show symptoms of illness. Before participating in any group activity, or if you suspect your child might be ill, get your child tested. In case of a positive test, follow the CDC’s quarantine and isolation

guidance and notify the group, team, or program being attended by your child.

Keep your child home if they are exposed to COVID or show symptoms consistent with COVID. If your child has been in close contact with someone who has COVID, keep them home from their summer program for five days, get them tested, and take precautions (such as wearing a mask around others) until day 10. If your child has any of the following symptoms, you should keep them home, get them tested, and notify camp staff: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea.

Take extra precautions if your child is at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

Children with certain health issues—such as asthma, diabetes, obesity, and sickle cell disease—have a greater chance of getting very sick from COVID. Talk with your child’s health care provider to learn your options to help protect your child.

For more information on how COVID vaccines can make this the best summer yet for your family, visit vaccines.gov. (by We Can Do This COVID-19 Public Education Campaign)

4 JULY 13-15, 2022 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL

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Hospital-acquired pneumonia is killing patients. Yet there is a simple way to stop it.

by Brett

Kelman Kaiser Health News

FOUR years ago, when Karen Giuliano went to a Boston hospital for hip replacement surgery, she was given a pale-pink bucket of toiletries issued to patients in many hospitals. Inside were tissues, bar soap, deodorant, toothpaste, and, without a doubt, the worst toothbrush she’d ever seen.

“I couldn’t believe it. I got a toothbrush with no bristles,” she said. “It must have not gone through the bristle machine. It was just a stick.”

To most patients, a useless hospital toothbrush would be a mild inconvenience. But to Giuliano, a nursing professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, it was a reminder of a pervasive “blind spot” in U.S. hospitals: the stunning Bayog’s “D” Shoes stands for doorbell shoes featuring a built-in alarm that allows family members to find others who might be lost in a crowd.

Screengrab from YouTube consequences of unbrushed teeth.

Hospital patients not getting their teeth brushed, or not brushing their teeth themselves, is believed to be a leading cause of hundreds of thousands of cases of pneumonia a year in patients who have not been A Filipino American second- doorbell shoes, which feature a others to locate the person put on a ventilator. Pneumonia grader at Bradley Elementary built-in alarm that allows family wearing the shoes. is among the most common Michelle Rodriguez, PVUSD infections that occur in health School in Watsonville, members to find others, perhaps California will present his “D” elderly or young children, who superintendent of schools, said care facilities, and a majority of it was inspiring to learn that cases are non-ventilator hospitalShoes people-locator invention might be lost in a crowd.

Bayog said he got the idea Bayog was one of just a handful acquired pneumonia, or NVHAP, at the virtual Global Invention for the invention on a day his of students from the state which kills up to 30% of those Convention in August. who suffers selected to present at the global infected, Giuliano and other Kristopher Bayog, 8, is grandmother, one of just five students from from dementia, was lost briefly convention. experts said. “(Bayog’s) potentially lifeCalifornia, and 84 students during a graduation celebration.

But unlike many infections “Later that day, my father saving creation is thoughtful. that strike within hospitals, the in all, who were picked for the convention hosted by The used his car alarm to find It is important to share it with federal government doesn’t Henry Ford organization, our car because he could not the world,” Rodriguez said. “I require hospitals to report according to the Pajaro Valley remember where he parked it, am proud of our staff who daily cases of NVHAP. As a result, and that is how this idea came support a safe and engaging few hospitals understand the Unified School District. learning environment where origin of the illness, track its Bayog’s “D” Shoes invention to me,” Bayog said.

The “D” Shoes has a receiver students like Kristopher can occurrence, or actively work to also received special recognition in the Consumer Goods and in the shoe and a keychain-like innovate and have supportive prevent it, the experts said.

Fashion division at the National transmitter that sends signals opportunities to be curious and Many cases of NVHAP could be Invention Convention from to the shoe. If the transmitter is explore their interests.” avoided if hospital staffers more The Global Invention dutifully brushed the teeth of May 31 to June 3, inwhich an within 1,000 feet of the shoe, it can be activated and the alarm Convention will be a virtual bedridden patients, according to estimated 500 presenters.

Bayog’s “D” Shoes stands for in the shoe will sound, helping event in August. (Inquirer.net) a growing body of peer-reviewed research papers.

Instead, many hospitals often skip teeth brushing to prioritize other tasks and provide only cheap, PAGE 1 weeks before Gabe disappeared. “the best place to dispose of a ineffective toothbrushes, often Jones was killed last month The note says Jones told the body would be by placing it in a unaware of the consequences, when police tried to arrest him friend he was “thinking about septic tank or burying the body said Dian Baker, a Sacramento near Seattle, Washington. He killing Alexis and wanted to in a forest area.”

State nursing professor who allegedly charged at officers with know where the best place to For any information that could has spent more than a decade a knife. help investigators, call the Alexis studying NVHAP. hide a body would be.”

After Jones’ death, a friend of Investigators said that Gabe tip line at 925-625-7009.

“I’ll tell you that today the vast his gave police a note from two Marshall and the friend decided (Inquirer.net) majority of the tens of thousands of nurses in hospitals have no idea that pneumonia comes from germs in the mouth,” Baker said.

Pneumonia occurs when germs trigger an infection in the lungs.

Although NVHAP accounts for most of the cases that occur in hospitals, it historically has not received the same attention as pneumonia tied to ventilators, which is easier to identify and study because it occurs among a narrow subset of patients.

NVHAP, a risk for virtually all hospital patients, is often caused by bacteria from the mouth that gathers in the scummy biofilm on unbrushed teeth and is aspirated into the lungs. Patients face a higher risk if they lie flat or remain immobile for long periods, so NVHAP can also be prevented by elevating their heads and getting them out of bed more often.

According to the National Organization for NV-HAP Prevention, which was founded in 2020, this pneumonia infects about 1 in every 100 hospital patients and kills 15% to 30% of them. For those who survive, the illness often extends their hospital stay by up to 15 days and makes it much more likely they will be readmitted within a month or transferred to an intensive care unit.

Fil-Am second-grader gets global notice for ‘D’ Shoes invention

Note may show location of missing Fil-Am...

James Massie, an Army veteran and a patient at the Salem Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem, Virginia, gets his teeth brushed by nursing assistant Teresa Quarles in June. The Salem VA reprioritized oral care to combat non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia in 2016, and the program has since expanded across the Veterans Health Administration and is often cited as a model for all hospitals.

Kaiser Health News photo

John McCleary, 83, of Millinocket, Maine, contracted a likely case of NVHAP in 2008 after he fractured his ankle in a fall and spent 12 days in rehabilitation at a hospital, said his daughter, Kathy Day, a retired nurse and advocate with the Patient Safety Action Network.

McCleary recovered from the fracture but not from pneumonia.

Two days after he returned home, the infection in his lungs caused him to be rushed back to the hospital, where he went into sepsis and spent weeks in treatment before moving to an isolation unit in a nursing home.

He died weeks later, emaciated, largely deaf, unable to eat, and often “too weak to get water through a straw,” his daughter said. After contracting pneumonia, he never walked again.

“It was an astounding assault on his body, from him being here visiting me the week before his fall, to his death just a few months later,” Day said. “And the whole thing was avoidable.”

While experts describe NVHAP as a largely ignored threat, that appears to be changing.

Last year, a group of researchers — including Giuliano and Baker, plus officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Veterans Health Administration, and the Joint Commission — published a “call-to-action” research paper hoping to launch “a national healthcare conversation about NVHAP prevention.”

The Joint Commission, a nonprofit organization whose accreditation can make or break hospitals, is considering broadening the infection control standards to include more ailments, including NVHAP, said Sylvia Garcia-Houchins, its director of infection prevention and control.

Separately, ECRI, a nonprofit focused on health care safety, this year pinpointed NVHAP as one of its top patient safety concerns.

James Davis, an ECRI infection expert, said the prevalence of NVHAP, while already alarming, is likely “underestimated” and probably worsened as hospitals swelled with patients during the coronavirus pandemic.

“We only know what’s reported,” Davis said. “Could this be the tip of the iceberg?

I would say, in my opinion, probably.”

To better measure the condition, some researchers call for a standardized surveillance definition of NVHAP, which could in time open the door for the federal government to mandate reporting of cases or incentivize prevention. With increasing urgency, researchers are pushing for hospitals not to wait for the federal government to act against NVHAP. Baker said she has spoken

with hundreds of hospitals about how to prevent NVHAP, but thousands more have yet to take up the cause.

“We are not asking for some big, $300,000 piece of equipment,” Baker said. “The two things that show the best evidence of preventing this harm are things that should be happening in standard care anyway – brushing teeth and getting patients mobilized.”

That evidence comes from a smattering of studies that show those two strategies can lead to sharp reductions in infection rates.

In California, a study at 21 Kaiser Permanente hospitals used a reprioritization of oral care and getting patients out of bed to reduce rates of hospitalacquired pneumonia by around 70%. At Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento, better oral care reduced NVHAP cases by a yearly average of 35%.

At Orlando Regional Medical Center in Florida, a medical unit and a surgical unit where patients received enhanced oral care reduced NVHAP rates by 85% and 56%, respectively, when compared with similar units that received normal care.

A similar study is underway at two hospitals in Illinois.

And the most compelling results come from a veterans’ hospital in Salem, Virginia, where a 2016 oral care pilot program reduced rates of NVHAP by 92% — saving an estimated 13 lives in just 19 months. The program, the HAPPEN Initiative, has been expanded across the Veterans Health Administration, and experts say it could serve as a model for all U.S. hospitals.

Michelle Lucatorto, a nursing official who leads HAPPEN, said the program trains nurses to most effectively brush patients’ teeth and educates patients and families on the link between oral care and preventing NVHAP. While teeth brushing may not seem to require training, Lucatorto made comparisons to how the coronavirus revealed many Americans were doing a lackluster job of another routine hygienic practice: washing their hands.

“Sometimes we are searching for the most complicated intervention,” she said. “We are always looking for that new bypass surgery, or some new technical equipment. And sometimes I think we fail to look at the simple things we can do in our practice to save people’s lives.” g KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

CHRIST ON CANVASS. Two women look at the paintings of Jesus Christ Mall during an art exhibit at the Artablado Robinson's Place in Antipolo City on Monday, July 11. “Dungawan”, a visual art exhibit featuring works by Grupo Sining Angono, will run until July 15.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

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5

Romualdez refiles bill creating US-type CDC

by DELON

PORCALLA Philstar.com

MANILA — Incoming speaker Martin Romualdez has refiled the bill previously passed by the House of Representatives seeking to create a United States-type Center for Disease Control (CDC) medical facility to better prepare the country for future pandemics.

“We hope that with the opening of the 19th Congress, this important measure will again be prioritized by our chamber and finally be passed into law, so that the country will be better equipped should another pandemic hit us,” Romualdez said.

“We have learned our lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and this measure will ensure our stronger response and preparedness to any public health emergency,” he added.

Among the reelected Leyte congressman’s co-authors in House Bill No. 9 are his wife Yedda Marie and neophyte Jude Acidre, who both represent Tingog partylist.

The proposed “Philippine Center for Disease Prevention and Control Act” is a consolidation of 13 House bills establishing the CDC that were referred to the House committee on health during the previous 18th Congress (July 2019-June 2022).

Romualdez, the majority leader in the previous Congress, said the proposed measure would better prepare the country against public health emergencies, through health modernization and institutional reforms.

Reelected Reps. Mikee Romero of 1Pacman party-list and Paolo Duterte of Davao City have also filed their advocacy bills in the chamber, among them the putting up of a specialty hospital for poor cancer patients and e-learning centers nationwide, respectively.

“There is a need to establish a specialty hospital at the national level to further enhance the noble undertaking of the government and likewise complement the already existing cancer control law,” Romero said.

In filing HB 340, he explained that while there were provisions stipulated in the National Integrated Cancer Control Act to establish cancer centers on the regional health care level, there is still a need to create a “specialty

hospital on the national level dedicated to cancer.”

Meanwhile, the lawmakerson of former president Rodrigo Duterte believes in the necessity of establishing e-learning centers across the country, especially since the movements of students have been restricted due to the two-year global pandemic.

“It shall serve as a venue wherein people from all walks of life could have access to information and communication technologies.

This shall benefit not just the youth but also adults who seek to gain further knowledge and develop new skills,” the younger Duterte said.

He recognized the imminent need for accessibility and availability of alternative modes of learning to at least alleviate the repercussions of the pandemic not only in terms of the quality of the educational system, but also to the well-being of the students and teachers.

“To eradicate these hindrances in our educational system, this bill seeks to establish at least one e-learning center in every municipality and city in the country,” Duterte said in filing HB 453.

Legislative agenda Amid these developments, a former House official on Monday, July 11 underscored the need for both houses of Congress to support the legislative agenda of President Marcos in the next six years.

“Congress ought to support the President’s economic agenda by passing laws essential to rebuilding the economy, spurring the creation of jobs, encouraging MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) and reducing poverty,” former deputy speaker Isidro Ungab said.

Ungab emphasized the significance of having a “wellcrafted economic framework and fiscal program geared toward achieving inclusive and sustainable development, responsive to the aspirations of the Filipino people.”

The Davao City lawmaker, who used to head the powerful House appropriations committee, made the remarks as he lauded the Department of Finance’s recent launching of its MediumTerm Fiscal Framework (MTFF),

describing it as “very promising.”

“I believe this will be our country’s pivotal point towards the trajectory of resilient economic recovery. This MTFF and the government’s updated medium-term macroeconomic assumptions and fiscal program are what we need to guide us during these difficult times,” he said.

“I fully agree with the PBBM administration that this is a good game plan in facing the challenges wrought by the pandemic, the ongoing geopolitical conflicts and the high inflation rate, among others,” he added.

This developed as four lawmakers from Camarines Sur, led by reelected Rep. LRay Villafuerte, supported Romualdez’s “priority plan” to accelerate the Marcos administration’s digital transformation.

Villafuerte, his son Miguel and fellow CamSur Congressman Tsuyoshi Anthony Horibata, along with neophyte Rep. Nicolas Enciso VIII of party-list Bicol Saro, filed HB 277 aimed at enhancing further the e-government project.

The bill will “further improve the ease of doing business and brushup the country’s image as a top investment haven, while letting Filipinos continue transacting business without actually having to go to various government agencies themselves in the postCOVID 19 scenario,” according to Villafuerte Villafuerte first filed an e-government bill way back in the 17th Congress (2016-2019), or even before the pandemic struck in 2020, to improve the ease of doing business, promote greater transparency and do away with corruption in official transactions.

In HB 277, Villafuerte said “the Marcos government ought to fully utilize the newly created DICT to integrate Information and Communications Technology development in all state offices instead of having agency-specific applications.”

The four Bicol authors said the adoption of these six components of the master plan would enhance the access to and delivery of government services to bring about efficient, responsive, ethical, accountable and transparent government service. 

COVID-19 boosters are now available for

children ages 5+

Boosters can help protect the whole family against serious illness and hospitalization.

Visit MyTurn.ca.gov to find a vaccine near you.

OIL PRICE CUT. Motorcycle and trike drivers queue to fill up their fuel tanks at a gasoline station along Sumulong Highway in Antipolo City, Rizal on Tuesday, July 12. Oil companies have imposed a bigtime rollback in prices of gasoline P5.70, diesel P6.10, and kerosene P6.30.

PNA photo by Joey Razon

Boracay is among 50 of ‘world’s greatest places of 2022’

by ALEXANDER

T. MAGNO

Inquirer.net

MANILA — Boracay has made it to a Time list titled “The world’s greatest places of 2022: 50 extraordinary destinations to explore,” which was posted on its website on Tuesday, July 12.

Boracay — already a popular tourist destination for its whitesand beaches — was one of eight destinations in Asia on the list. An aerial photo of a beach on the island has this caption: “Paradise reborn.”

The seven other Asian destinations, along with their descriptions are: • Seoul: The smartest city • Kerala, India: Ecotourism hot spot • Ahmedabad, India: Higher Learning • Trans Bhutan Trail in Bhutan: Breathtaking pilgrimage • Bali, Indonesia: Resortapalooza!

• Kyushu Island, Japan: Volcanic Beauty • Setouchi Islands, Japan: Immersed in art For the full list of destinations, click this link: “The world’s greatest places of 2022.”

According to Time, it came up with the list — in which the places were not ranked — by asking its correspondents and contributors worldwide for their nominations, “with an eye

GOLDEN HOUR. A couple on a paddleboard glides through the calm waters of Boracay Island amid the soothing backdrop of the setting sun. The resort island in Malay, Aklan, is bracing for the arrival of local and foreign tourists as travel restrictions are eased.

Inquirer.net file photo by Jack Jarilla

toward those offering new and exciting experiences.”

The Time feature notes: “Many of the destinations are charting a path to economic recovery; this year paradise reopens on The Philippines’ Boracay Island, which had been closed for years due to overtourism and then the COVID-19 pandemic. Others are thriving, growing, and changing, like the luxe city of Doha, Qatar, which is opening 100 new hotels to accommodate 2022 World Cup spectators.”

In April 2018, then-President Rodrigo Duterte ordered Boracay Island — which he described as “a cesspool” —

closed to tourists, local and foreign, for rehabilitation.

It partially reopened in October of the same year.

But when the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in 2020, the island was again closed to tourism starting in March due to various restrictions.

Then-Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat announced its reopening to tourists later in Ocober. But visitors were still subject to restrictions before being allowed entry — mainly, COVID-19 testing — and there was a limit to the number of visitors. 

6 JULY 13-15, 2022 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL

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OPINION

FEATURES

Weak deterrence

Penalties are imposed to serve as a deterrent against crime. The deterrence is inevitably weakened when it takes an eternity for justice to take its course.

Snail-paced justice is among the biggest hindrances to the development of a society where the rule of law prevails. This glacial pace is again being seen in the corruption case filed against retired Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, who was indicted for illegally amassing P303 million when he was military comptroller from 1993 to 2004.

Garcia was originally charged with plunder and money laundering in 2005 and 2009, respectively.

Under a deal he struck with then ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, Garcia pleaded guilty to the lesser offenses of direct bribery and facilitating money laundering before the Sandiganbayan in December 2010.

The Office of the Solicitor General challenged the validity of the plea deal before the Supreme Court, which issued a temporary restraining order that halted the Sandiganbayan proceedings. The TRO was lifted only in 2020, when the SC upheld the plea bargain.

Last week the Sandiganbayan finally convicted Garcia and sentenced him to eight to 14 years for direct bribery and facilitating money laundering.

He has been serving his sentence for two corruption cases at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa since 2011.

The anti-graft court also ordered Garcia to

pay a total fine of P407.8 million, with corresponding imprisonment if he cannot pay. Perhaps his codefendants who are at large – his wife Clarita and their sons Carl, Juan Paulo and Timothy Mark – can come up with the enormous amount. Upon his retirement from the military, Garcia also reportedly received a “pabaon” or send-off money amounting to a whopping P165 million.

After nearly two decades of litigation, this case could still go to the SC for a final ruling. It’s the same with other high-profile cases involving billions in public funds, among them the 2004 fertilizer scam and the pork barrel scam, which involve multiple defendants.

It shouldn’t be impossible to speed up the administration of justice. Other countries can rule quickly with finality on court cases, even if prominent or notorious personalities are involved.

Apart from speeding up adjudication, the judicial system can use a merit-based system of appointment and promotion, insulated from politics and influence peddling. Owing favors to politicians and expecting help in career advancement from parties in court cases have seriously undermined the administration of justice in this country. The damage should not prove to be irreversible. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

‘Maritess’ in Malacañang

CTalk

CITO BELTRAN "Maritess” in Malacañang is currently sharing information that several factions are beginning to form among supporters of BBM and the division of sorts is happening as a result of nominations and endorsements for positions inside the PBBM administration.

“Maritess” suggests that there are now rings around PBBM much like the rings on a bullseye and PBBM in the center. The outer rings are politicians and friends, the inner rings are kamag-anaks and serous supporters during the campaign and the closest tightest ring to get through would be the president’s working team in Malacañang.

Things have apparently gotten touchy because of the nominations and announcement of certain individuals that were challenged in media and business circles last week while other and better nominees were “dropped.”

While some Malacañang officials

blamed it on poor screening or too much work, Maritess claims that some of those individuals were no strangers to the working team. This sort of thing is nothing new and has existed in other administrations and previous tenants of Malacañang.

Perhaps PBBM should keep a score card on nominators and people who regularly make recommendations and impose a one-strike policy where a bad or poor nomination results in endorsers and team members losing future opportunities to recommend or screen people.

PBBM might find it beneficial to learn from Albert Speer who wrote the book “Inside The Third Reich,” particularly about what he observed in the inner circle of Adolf Hitler. In the book, Speer referred to the formation or evolution of a “Court” composed of people who intentionally stroked the ego of Hitler while creating a tight grip on power and access to Hitler. Speer pointed out that Hitler knew about it and made the mistake of condoning or tolerating the court as it eventually led to his isolation and delusion. In current history, the same thing

is being said about Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is surrounded by a similar court composed of oligarchs and generals.

In his first week as President, PBBM gained cautious approval for selecting the highest caliber of people for his economic team. Into his second week, people noted lapses, gave mixed reviews and ultimately raised questions. This early in the game, President Bongbong Marcos needs to widen the circle around him and prevent those he trusts from creating a “court” or, worst of all, a Cordon Sanitaire that will strangle his leadership.

Whether it’s in the kitchen with mothers or with friends facing complicated situations, some people who’ve tried to give unsolicited advice or help have ended up being told: “You’re not helping” or “You’re just making things worse.”

The same could be said for people who are giving unsolicited praise or building unwelcomed monuments for the Marcoses just because BBM has become the 17th President of the Philippines. A classic example of such suck-up-ism would be the

proposal to rename the Ninoy Aquino International Airport into the Ferdinand Marcos International Airport.

The suggestion or attempt to rename NAIA is a clear example worthy of the phrase “You’re not helping” or “Just making matters worse.” While PBBM is clearly trying to prove himself through wise and prudent first moves in governance, particularly in the selection of his Cabinet members, the unsolicited act to rename NAIA stirs up controversy and places the Marcoses once again under the spotlight of criticism for something they did not initiate. Instead of “helping” to smoothen things out for PBBM’s reentry into Malacañang, the unsolicited suggestion has placed him in a bad light and made the Marcoses targets for a slew of memes and insults on social media. The legislator or legislators who came up with the bad idea obviously did not think of consequences before making the suggestion because if they did, they might have considered the aftermath.

Some of the points raised are: 1. Renaming NAIA would

be “Double Murder” because after being murdered on the tarmac at NAIA 1, removing Ninoy Aquino’s name would be tantamount to murdering his memory and sacrifice for the nation. 2. If NAIA is renamed to FMIA, nothing can stop people from referring to it as FMIA “where Ninoy Aquino was murdered.” Last weekend, someone came out with a dark and derogatory jumble of letters where he named the airport as the “Marcos Family International Airport” or MAFIA. Funny for some but certainly insulting or injurious to the family concerned, and all because of some people’s unsolicited attempt to curry favor or trying to do the Marcoses a favor they did not ask for.

On the other hand, it might be a good idea for officials in Malacañang to look into the matter in terms of ulterior motives. There is a possibility that the suggestion to rename NAIA goes beyond suck-up-ism and may be a veiled attempt to ensure that current suggestions or future possibilities of selling the NAIA complex never happens. At the moment, there is

a growing move to partition and sell NAIA to property developers and create new townships and commercial centers.

The presumption is that it will never happen during the term of PBBM if NAIA is renamed into FMIA. It is public knowledge that certain business groups and aviation-related operators want to preserve the status quo and power bloc in Philippine aviation by preserving their hold on large properties inside the huge area of the Manila International Airport. The current tenants on government land inside MIAA are paying some of the cheapest rent per square meter in all of Metro Manila and the overlords of Imperial Manila love the fact that MIAA/NAIA is just a few minutes away from their offices and residential palaces. If MIAA/ NAIA is chopped up into blocks and sold, they would all have to move to different airports and hangars outside Metro Manila.

(Philstar.com) *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

COVID caution still essential

Babe’s Eye View BABE ROMUALDEZ The news about President Bongbong Marcos testing positive for COVID-19 after an antigen test serves as a grim reminder that the virus is still very much around us and the battle against this virus continues.

Although the President has only manifested a slight fever, there is no denying that we still need to be very vigilant, especially in the wake of reports about a new subvariant that is highly transmissible and can possibly evade our acquired immunity.

In fact, a report by The Washington Post with the headline “The worst virus variant has just arrived” detailed how the latest Omicron subvariant identified as BA.5 and a closely related variant called BA.4 have swept across the United States late last year, accounting for about 70 percent of all infections, according to estimates by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Washington Post quoted

Scripps Research professor of molecular medicine, Dr. Eric Topol, who said that the BA.5 is “the worst version of the virus that we’ve seen” as it has extensive immune escape capability (meaning it can evade the body’s immune system), as well as enhanced transmissibility. The variants, the report further noted, are also “driving a case surge in Europe.”

“The greatest need is for next generation vaccines that are more broadly protective (with longer lasting immunity) and that can dampen transmission,” The Washington Post said, concluding that while there is a major research effort underway to achieve this, “the finish line is not yet in sight.”

With my resumption as Philippine Ambassador to the United States, we are ready to start discussions once again with our friends from Moderna and Pfizer. I have already alerted our team at the Philippine embassy in Washington, D.C. to set the wheels in motion for fresh talks regarding these new highly effective boosters being developed by the leading US drug companies.

Clinical trial data from Moderna regarding its “bivalent booster vaccine” have shown to be highly effective against the BA.4 and BA.5 variants which, according to Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel, “represent an emergent threat to global health.”

Pfizer is also developing a booster that is capable of neutralizing the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. The US FDA has also given authorization for Pfizer’s antiviral pill Paxlovid to be prescribed by licensed pharmacists. Paxlovid has shown to be highly effective for patients who are at high risk of severe illness, reducing the risk of hospitalization and death by about 89 percent.

President Marcos himself said he wants to enhance vaccination efforts, noting that people who have received booster shots have better immunity against the Omicron subvariants that are highly transmissible and could drive a spike in infections.

Everyone knows the vaccines developed by American companies have proven to be the most effective, with the US having donated millions

of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines to the Philippines, pledging to donate over 1.1 billion doses to countries all over the world.

During an interview with media friends, I told them that we are highly recommending for the President to speak at the 77th UN General Assembly in September. Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo has also formally recommended the President’s attendance.

We will also work with our UN permanent representative Ambassador Tonette Lagdameo in arranging side meetings with other world leaders as recommended by DFA Secretary Manalo.

Even before the elections, I recommended to President BBM that perhaps one of his first major trips abroad would be to speak at the UN. We are confident it will also be a good working trip as this would be his first worldwide exposure as president, with the opportunity to meet a number of heads of state in one venue.

We are also working towards arranging a separate bilateral meeting within the year in Washington, D.C. between President Marcos

and President Biden, who invited the President to come to Washington “as soon as our teams find a suitable date.”

While in New York, we hope to organize meetings with American investors and business organization leaders eager to meet the President and explore economic and investment prospects in the Philippines. I plan to meet Finance Secretary Ben Diokno this coming week to plot out the economic forums we plan to mount. During the pandemic, we conducted a number of virtual economic forums, later going on the hybrid format as the COVID-19 situation eased up.

In the coming year, we plan to hold more in-person types of engagements in collaboration with the new economic managers that include Trade Secretary Fred Pascual and the team from the Board of Investments, and of course the team of Finance Secretary Diokno and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Felipe Medalla.

Last March in Washington, the Philippines and the US signed a Memorandum of Understanding to further

deepen their cooperation in developing the nuclear energy program of the Philippines and ensure a resilient, inclusive and green economic growth for the country by intensifying the work in securing reliable and sustainable energy sources, including nuclear energy.

We know that foremost in the mind of President Marcos is the economic aspect of our relationship with the United States, which we hope to intensify even further as we begin our fresh mandate following my reappointment.

Everyone agrees, no single country can recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why it is important to maintain good trade and economic ties with other countries, most especially allies like the United States – a country that has always been with us at a time when we needed them most.

(Philstar.com) *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

*** Email: babeseyeview@gmail.com

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SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • JULY 13-15, 2022 7

DOH: BA.5 most dominant Omicron subvariant

by Rhodina

VillanueVa Philstar.com

MANILA — The most dominant Omicron subvariant in several regions is now BA.5, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Tuesday, July 12.

“Based on our sequencing results, we can really see more of the BA.5 as compared to other variants,” DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online briefing.

However, Vergeire noted that “we cannot conclude for all because we know that our sequencing is quite limited.”

“That depends only on who submitted samples. Thus, it is not giving us a complete picture of the entire country,” she added.

Latest available data from the DOH showed there were 60 additional BA.5 cases detected in the country, 58 from Region 6 and one each from Region 11 and Region 12.

One individual is vaccinated while the vaccination status of the other 59 are still being verified.

Of the infected, 43 are now tagged as recovered, 14 are still in isolation while the rest are being verified.

The DOH also reported that 17 more BA.2.12.1 cases were detected – six from Region 6, 10 from Region 11 and one returning overseas Filipino.

Two presented mild symptoms, one was asymptomatic while the status of the remaining 13 is still being verified.

Of these infections, 15 were tagged as recovered while the two are in isolation.

Data from the DOH also noted the detection of two additional BA.4 cases – one each from Region 11 and 12 – one fully vaccinated while the other is unvaccinated.

Both cases presented mild symptoms and have now recovered. At the moment, the exposure of these individuals is still unknown and travel histories are being verified.

So far, the country has recorded a total of 293 BA.5 cases, 87 BA.2.12.1 cases and 12 BA.4 cases.

“No matter what type of variant you have of COVID-19, and you are vaccinated and boosted, you can still get the infection because the promise of vaccination is not to block transmission of the disease but

to protect us against severe and critical infections and, of course, protection from dying from these diseases,” Vergeire said.

‘Close to peaking’ The surge of new COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) may be close to reaching its peak, OCTA Research Group fellow Guido David said yesterday.

“The indicators show a slowing down of the growth rate in cases and there is a chance that cases in the NCR are peaking or have already peaked. The trends should be clearer after a week,” David said, noting that the region’s growth rate decelerated from 57 percent on July 4 to just 32 percent on Monday.

David earlier clarified that a positive growth rate means that the average number of new cases is still increasing. It will only decrease once the surge has reached its peak and the indicator is already negative.

According to OCTA, NCR had an average of 710 new cases per day from July 5 to 11, equivalent to an average daily attack rate of 4.93 new infections per 100,000 people.

Health care utilization in the region is still at “low” 28 percent, while 20 percent of intensive care units for COVID-19 cases are occupied.

Warning Those getting re-infected with COVID-19 should not be complacent, as it may take some two to three months before complications start to manifest, infectious diseases expert Dr. Rontgene Solante warned.

“The impact of this reinfection and breakthrough infections, it will not be felt at once. We will see the effects two to three months from now, those infected not because of COVID, but because of the longterm effect of COVID which will affect the heart, lungs and other vital organs,” Solante said in Monday’s episode of The Chiefs on One News.

“We have already seen a lot of data especially with reinfection, those getting more risks for long COVID and developing complications, and with breakthrough infections, there is also the possibility of more long COVID cases,” he added.

“Right now, we are getting,

although in small numbers, we are getting people who are now required for high mechanical ventilation in some of the hospitals I’m affiliated with. We are not yet safe, and that is why we are seeing people on the ground, having severe COVID. Even if we say, there are now less cases compared to when Delta was dominant, which is expected. That severe form of COVID is not zero even with these new variants,” Solante stressed.

“It is high time for health experts and policy makers to really give a good look on how we can improve our vaccination, that is why I’m telling you, probably, the most important pathway, if there is no updated definition of the full vaccination, then let’s have it mandatory, especially for the general public to get the first booster,” he said.

The expert added that receiving booster shots is very important. “Yes, the symptoms now can be mild, because you had the primary series but then if you don’t want to get sick more, you better get the booster.”

Earlier, Solante called for booster shots to be made mandatory amid the continuing increase in COVID-19 infections and the higher positivity rates recorded in the past weeks.

Wall of immunity The optional wearing of face masks will have to wait until such time that the country has achieved a stronger “wall of immunity,” Vergeire said yesterday.

Vergeire said they have already discussed the matter with experts and even with the Office of the President, specifically on making it optional when a person is outdoors.

“But there are conditions for us to reach that point wherein we can already afford to allow a little leniency on the wearing of face masks when people are outside or in open areas, and that is only when our ‘wall of immunity’ has been strengthened,” Vergeire said at virtual press briefing.

“So now, how do we improve that wall of immunity, that is by increasing the uptake of booster shots for the general population, that is when we can say that that the population is u PAGE 8

NATIONAL ID. Philippine Statistics Authority personnel assist residents in registering for the National ID at the Barangay Pinyahan covered court in Quezon City on Tuesday, July 12. A total of 2,572 residents of the village have registered for the National ID. PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

Taming inflation a Marcos priority

by Catherine

S. Valente ManilaTimes.net

FIGHTING inflation is a top economic priority for President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., anticipating it as a "potential problem" for the country, a Malacañang official said on Tuesday, July 12.

Press Secretary Rose Beatrix "Trixie" Cruz-Angeles made the statement upon the release of the latest Pulse Asia survey results showing that the topmost urgent national concern that the majority of Filipinos want Marcos to address is controlling inflation.

"We actually discussed inflation at the last Cabinet meeting and the President himself reported this, so he is actually ahead of the publication of the survey having anticipated this as a potential problem," Cruz-Angeles said in a text message.

The Pulse Asia survey results released also on Tuesday showed that 57% of the respondents are concerned about the need to control the increase in the prices of basic goods and services.

It said inflation was the most urgent national concern of those from Metro Manila (67%), those from Mindanao (69%), and those belonging to socioeconomic classes D and E (58 and 62%, respectively).

In contrast, those residing in the rest of Luzon and the Visayas are most concerned

about inflation (46% and 62%, respectively) and workers' pay (43% and 52%, respectively) while the leading national concerns in Class ABC are inflation (48%), workers' pay (43%), poverty reduction (31%), and job creation (29%), the pollster added.

Earlier, the Philippine Statistics Authority said the country's headline inflation rate in June 2022 reached 6.1% — a three-year high since November 2018's 6.1% and October 2018's 6.9%.

On July 5, the President said he disagreed with the most recent report because "we are not that high [where inflation is concerned]," but Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno later clarified that Marcos was "referring to it as a full-year figure."

The year-to-date inflation stands at 4.4%, which is within the 4.5% to 5.5% target set for 2022 by the Development Budget Coordination Committee last week.

Meanwhile, around 20% of the 1,200 respondents want the new administration to fight graft and corruption in the government, while next on the list are the need to enforce the law (15%), fight criminality (14%), promote peace (14%), provide assistance or subsidy to those who lost their livelihood and jobs because of the Covid-19 pandemic (14%),

and address the problem of involuntary hunger (12%).

Marcos' first executive order abolished the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, deeming that it only duplicates and overlaps official functions as the country faces health and fiscal crises.

Other issues identified as urgent by less than 10% of the adult population are those related to taxes (9%), environmental degradation (7%), support for the restoration of small businesses (7%), national territorial defense (7%), welfare of overseas Filipino workers (5%), and terrorism (3%).

The Pulse Asia survey noted that two years after the first lockdown triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, only 7% of those polled said it is urgent for the Marcos administration to control the spread of the virus.

Pulse Asia conducted faceto-face interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide for the survey, where they asked participants to identify the top three concerns they believe the new administration should urgently address.

The results have a ±2.8% error margin at the 95% confidence level for national%ages, and a ±5.7% error margin at the 95% confidence level for sub-national areas of Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. g

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23 bills certified urgent by Duterte passed into law

by Alexis

RomeRo Philstar.com

WELCOME PLANT. Vendors firm up the soil of a plastic pail containing a Welcome plant at a stall inside the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City on Tuesday, July 12. Welcome plants are easy to care for as they are low maintenance houseplants since they require minimal sunlight and water.

PNA photo by Rico H. Borja

DOH: BA.5 most dominant Omicron...

PAGE 7

protected,” she added.

“There is a need to go back to that principle we advocate and that is population protection. When you say you have protected your population, you have protected the priority population which is the vulnerable and this is what we want to achieve in the coming months. When you say vulnerable, they are the ones most vulnerable to severe and critical infections of COVID-19, and these are our senior citizens, those with comorbidities, our healthcare workers and the youth sector,” the DOH spokesperson said.

Vergeire added that for this to happen, there is a need to intensify the uptake of boosters and that, according to experts, the target they’ve set is enough and most feasible until the time that we reached the 100 days of the current administration.

“This is also because we want that our efforts will have a high impact and positive effect for the country’s population,” she added.

The OCTA Research Group earlier said that the possibility of optional wearing of face masks in the country could happen once endemicity is reached and if COVID-19 metrics are in good shape.

EMPLOYMENT

No mandatory boosters The DOH yesterday brushed off the idea of making the third vaccine or first booster dose against COVID-19 mandatory.

At a press briefing, Vergeire said they do not see the necessity yet of making booster shots mandatory for the public.

“There is a need for such a proposal to be studied carefully. At this point in time, we don’t see the need to adopt such a strategy,” Vergeire said.

She said previous vaccination strategies have been successful despite not being mandatory.

“We saw that it was effective for the primary series.

Hopefully, we can do this again in the coming weeks for us to be able to improve our booster uptake,” she added, noting that there is no law in the country that permits mandatory vaccination.

For their part, senators yesterday prodded Filipinos to get booster shots for COVID-19 but bucked calls to make the follow-up jabs mandatory.

“While we have to respect the right of each Filipino to choose whether to get vaccinated or not, we should also provide them all the right information they need to make the right decision for their safety and the safety of their communities – especially now that science shows the need

to get inoculated again with booster shots,” Sen. Bong Go said.

“What should be done is to continue public health education to convince those who have not been vaccinated to get those shots freely for their sake, their family and society,” Sen. Risa Hontiveros said in Filipino.

Sen. Loren Legarda strongly urged all those qualified and eligible, based on age and comorbidities, to avail of the booster shots “to ensure our health and that of our workforce and families.”

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III was not too enthusiastic about the rollout of booster shots, which he warned was costing the country billions of pesos but is not effective against emerging variants.

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, however, expressed support to make booster shots mandatory for the adult population, as vaccines have been proven to protect people against the worst effects of COVID infection.

Sen. Nancy Binay said she supports the experts’ recommendation for a third shot but “the DOH must be aggressive with those in the priority groups, intensifying vaccination in isolated and remote areas.” g

EMPLOYMENT

MANILA — Out of the 27 measures certified as urgent by the Duterte administration, 23 have become laws, data from the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) showed.

Nearly all of the bills certified as urgent by former president Rodrigo Duterte have been passed

by Congress but only 36 of his 75 priority measures, proclamations and international agreements were enacted into law or have secured the concurrence of lawmakers, according to the PLLO. If the President certifies a measure as urgent, Congress may approve it on second and third reading on the same day.

As of June 27, three urgent measures that have not been enacted into law are the bill strengthening the financing system for agriculture, fisheries and rural development in the Philippines; amendments to Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016; and the proposed act institutionalizing anti-drug abuse councils in every local government unit.

One of the items certified as urgent by Duterte was the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade agreement among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. The agreement has to be ratified by the Senate before it takes effect in the Philippines.

Earlier this month, President Marcos ordered agriculture officials to come up with a memorandum enumerating the advantages and disadvantages of RCEP so the government could

decide on whether it would push for its ratification.

Meanwhile, the measure that aims to strengthen the financing system for agriculture, fisheries and rural development was ratified by both chambers of Congress last May and was transmitted to Malacañang for the President’s signature last June 27.

Under the Constitution, the President has 30 days to sign or veto a bill transmitted to his office.

If the President does not act on the measure within 30 days, it would lapse into law.

The amendments to the Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016 were approved by the House of Representatives but remained pending in the Senate civil service committee.

The bill institutionalizing antidrug abuse councils in every local government unit was approved on final reading by the House but did not secure second reading approval in the Senate.

The rest of the priority bills were bypassed by Congress, including measures on property valuation system of local government units; the Department of Disaster Resilience bill; internet transactions act; government financial institutions unified initiatives to distressed enterprises for economic recovery act; passive income tax and financial intermediary tax reform; amusement tax on digital platform and offshore betting stations of licensed cockpits; stiffer penalties for illegal drag racing; the rental housing subsidy bill; medical reserve corps act; establishment of a Disease Prevention and Control Authority; the Bureau of Immigration modernization act; the advance

nursing education act; creation of the Boracay Island Development Authority; institutionalization of e-governance; the Virology and Vaccine Institute of the Philippines bill; establishment of evacuation centers in every city, province and municipality; increasing the share of local governments in the national internal revenue taxes; magna carta of barangay health workers; granting of amnesty to former communist rebels; amendments to the Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016 and the bill seeking to institutionalize anti-drug abuse councils in every LGU. Other priority bills bypassed by the previous Congress were the bills on amendments to the Bank Secrecy Law; creating a unified pension system for the military and uniformed personnel; the Department of Water Resources bill; Water Regulatory Commission bill; national land use act; government rightsizing bill; magna carta for barangays; reimposition of death penalty by lethal injection for heinous crimes and plunder; the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps bill; national defense act; national housing and development bill; creation of the Environmental Protection and Enforcement Bureau; increased penalties for malversation of public funds; creation of agency for maritime workers and seafarers; free legal assistance to military and uniformed personnel and increase of minimum access volume of pork meat by 350,000 metric tons.

Last May, former Cabinet secretary Melvin Matibag said priority bills of Duterte that were bypassed by Congress would be endorsed to the Marcos administration. g

Only 2 minority senators? Risa, Koko unfazed MANILA — Senators Risa Hontiveros and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III are unfazed by the prospect of being the only two members of the minority bloc in the Senate in the 19th Congress.

There have been reports of sibling Senators Pia and Alan Peter Cayetano possibly joining the minority, but the talks still appear to be cursory and tentative with the opening of the 19th Congress just a little over two weeks away.

“If there are those willing to join us – but on the basis of my agreement with Sen. Koko that

we’ll be a true minority and we’ll be a fruitful minority, and that has been my principle from the start, so it’s not important how few we are as long as we’re the true minority,” Hontiveros said in Filipino during an online press conference.

When asked whether or not they are intimidated by the possibility of facing a 22-member majority bloc led by the presumptive Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, she replied: “Not at all.”

“We remain steadfast to do checks and balances, and be

EMPLOYMENT

SERVICES

fruitful in terms of new laws for our countrymen,” she said.

The senator admitted that they have little to offer to Cayetano to join the minority but stressed she and Pimentel were “happy” as it is.

Hontiveros earlier said the political opposition will help the Marcos administration revive the economy and repair the damage inflicted by the pandemic, but will continue to fight violence, oppression, disinformation and historical revisionism.

(Paolo Romero/ Philstar.com)

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AFTER ‘ARSENIC AND ADOBO’ AND ‘HOMICIDE AND HALO-HALO’

Mia Manansala set to release her third ‘cozy’ mystery ‘Blackmail and Bibingka’

by MoMar

B

G. Visaya / AJPress

OOK coach and author Mia Manansala burst into the literary scene last year with her smash debut Arsenic and Adobo, which would turn out to be the first installment of a quirky and fun series steeped in rich Filipino heritage and spiced with a generous helping of delicious Filipino food. in the first two books, the author teased the readers by releasing the saga’s next installment’s new chapter.

Manansala has brought a brand-new generation of cozy readers to the table, making inroads with millennial readers because she is in touch with the voice and texture of their communities. A subgenre of crime fiction, ‘cozies’ highlight quirky amateur sleuths and their crime-solving powers in small-town settings. Manansala’s books embrace conventions of the culinary cozy subgenre while also pushing past them, creating diverse mysteries that everyone enjoys.

Like its predecessors, Blackmail and Bibingka is a thrilling mystery that features these alltoo-relatable characters (hello, Titas!), relatable family dynamics, and delicious food (recipes for delicious Filipino dishes included in the back of the The covers for Manansala’s cozy novels, “Arsenic novel). and Adobo,” “Blackmail and Bibingka” and The stories “Homicide and Halo-Halo.” happen in the

She made it a quick one-two punch in the cozy mystery subgenre with her follow-up to her successful debut called Homicide and Halo-Halo.

This fall, fans who have fallen in love with her characters led by Lila Macapagal and her friends and relatives are in for a surprise: the release of the third book in what is now also called as “Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery” series.

Blackmail and Bibingka takes off where Homicide and HaloHalo ended.

Like Arsenic and Adobo, Homicide and HaloHalo ended in a cliffhanger and like what she did

small town of Shady Palms, Illinois. In a nutshell, local baker Lila Macapagal and her relatives run Tita Rosie’s Kitchen, serve delicious Flipino dishes, and solve crimes on the side as amateur sleuths.

The latest installment of Lila’s food(and murder-) filled adventures still carries Manansala’s trademark mouth-watering descriptions, laugh-out-loud one-liners, and charmingly relatable heroine.

Manansala’s style makes the series such page-turners that fans have been known to devour the books in one sitting, like a delicious bowl of halo-halo and a plate of bibingka, In an interview with the Asian Journal, Manansala revealed that her first book wasn’t originally sold as Arsenic and Adobo. The original title was Love, Loss, and Lumpia, which her editors liked but they told her it wasn’t “mystery enough.”

“So I brainstormed a list of titles that fit the usual cozy mystery parameters but also included Filipino food and sent them the list,” she shared.

“They chose Arsenic and Adobo from the list (which I love so much and made me wonder why it took me so long to come up with it) and from that point on, I followed the convention of an alliterative crime word plus Filipino food. It’s so much fun!”

Manansala’s books aka Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series are centered around Filipino food, family, and murder. Her protagonist, Lila Macapagal is thrust into the middle of a murder (like the first book) or solving a murder at a small-

Mia Manansala Photo by Jamilla Yip Photography

town beauty pageant that she’s judging in the second installment of the series.

“Filipinos tend to love beauty pageants, so I thought it’d be interesting to set a crime at one,” she said of Homicide and Halo-Halo.

“Homicide and Halo-Halo was the first book I’ve had to write under contract, so before I could even begin I had to turn in a full synopsis (the entire story of the book including the ending) to my editors,” Manansala recalled.

This is something she has to do for all her contracted books, so she always does an outline, builds her synopsis from that, and then uses Continued on Page 10

community Pechanga Resort Casino racks up four more AAA awards for 2022 Paolo Sandejas ‘honored’ that BTS member V listens to his music

10

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - July 13, 2022

Awards include two Four Diamond distinctions and two Best of nods

By Lyka

Nicart Philstar.com

KIM Taehyung, a.k.a. V of superstar K-pop group BTS, was seen playing and even singing along to a song by Filipino singer-songwriter Paolo Sandejas.

As part of the septet’s individual member solo vlog releases for seven Saturdays, V premiered his video entry on Saturday, wherein he drove around Seoul while sharing his music playlist.

In the 52-minute vlog, V vibed to the songs by Ed Sheeran, Lizzo, Willow Smith, Jamie Callum, Cautious Clay, Justin Biber, and The Weeknd Superstar K-pop group BTS’ Kim Taehyung, a.k.a. V (right), sings along to the OPM artist’s Continued on Page 12 2020 song Sorry in a vlog.

Photos courtesy of Universal Records

Mia Manansala set to release...

From Page 9 those documents to guide her while she drafts the story. When she gets stuck, she turns to the synopsis and outline saying that she does not have the time to wait for inspiration to strike.

She also talked about the “Second Book Syndrome” where authors and writers feel that writing their second book is so much more difficult than their first because, with the first book, they could take as much time as they wanted to make it “right.”

“The second book is often part of your contract and on a deadline, so you not only have to write on a much tighter timeline than you may be used to, but you also have to do it while editing and promoting your first book and dealing with increased pressure to do well. It can be overwhelming in the best times, and having to deal with it after getting laid off and during a global pandemic…I’m so proud of myself for pushing through it all and producing a solid book,” she said.

As an author, Manansala believes it is extremely important to have Filipino characters like Lila Macapagal in her books.

“I follow the Toni Morrison adage of writing the books I want to read, that I wish I could find on the shelf but can’t. There are some wonderful Filipino and Filipino diaspora writers out there, but there could always be more,” she said.

Manansala was an English language instructor at a cultural immersion language school, which closed down at the beginning of the pandemic.

She works part-time at her local library where

she spends the first half of the week writing and working with her book coaching clients, the second half doing her library job. Her weekends tend to be dedicated to writing-related activities as well.

“I work best late morning to early afternoon – after 4 or 5 p.m., my brain is mush, so I try to get all my productive work out of the way as early as possible in the day,” she shared.

Born and raised in Chicago, Manansala grew up in a multigenerational household that included her maternal grandparents, her parents Nilo and Marion, her two younger brothers, and a couple of cousins.

“It always felt rather hectic and nobody had any privacy. My father was a wonderful cook and would always make delicious feasts every Sunday, which is why all my stories focus heavily on the importance of family and food,” she said.

Manansala was quite young when she realized she wanted to write.

“I’m not sure the exact age, but I was definitely in elementary school when I discovered how much I loved reading and writing stories,” she recalled. “When I was a kid, my biggest dreams were to become an astronaut, a teacher, and a writer, so I’ve achieved two out of three!”

She is thankful and appreciative that her parents always had her back.

“They taught me the importance of family, and that it’s OK to dream big as long as you have a backup plan. They’d always been supportive of me and my creative ambitions, but they also taught me to be practical and keep my options open,” she said.

THE hit parade keeps rolling for Pechanga Resort Casino as it adds two new AAA Four Diamond Awards for 2022. This is the 21st consecutive year the 1,100room luxury resort/casino has been awarded this honor, and the 11th year for the resort’s signature restaurant, the Great Oak Steakhouse.

Hotels and restaurants must meet stringent standards of cleanliness, comfort, and hospitality to be qualify to the AAA Diamond Program, with higher levels of excellence awarded with levels three, four, and five diamond distinctions.

The resort has earned Four Diamond status every year since its opening in 2002. Only 14 other resorts in Riverside County hold a AAA Four Diamond decoration.

The Great Oak Steakhouse is the only restaurant in Temecula to receive a Four Diamond rating, sharing this distinction with only one other restaurant in the Inland Empire, five others in all of Riverside County.

“The AAA Four Diamond awards tell us that guests appreciate commitment to quality and excellence we exhibit at Pechanga,” said Tjeerd Brink, General Manager of Pechanga Resort Casino. “Accolades like these promise our guests a positive experience every time they visit – including our dining experiences, top-class rooms and suites, and our impeccable service.”

Pechanga Resort Casino was also awarded AAA’s Inspector’s Best Of award for housekeeping and for the massive, 4.5-acre pool complex, The Cove. The resort is ranked in the top 25-percent of all hotels based on cleanliness and conditions.

“This is my favorite pool area in town. It’s equipped with five spas, three pools (including a zero-edge with swim-up bar), waterslides and cabanas,” stated an anonymous AAA inspector

regarding the new four-andone-half acre pool complex.

For more than 80 years, AAA professional inspectors survey more than 59,000 hotels and restaurants throughout North America each year to determine the ratings of each. The scale is a three through five diamond rating system. AAA officials say only 4.8-percent of the 30,000 approved lodgings make the Four Diamond list.

The number is smaller yet, 2.9-percent, for the 29,000 AAA approved restaurants.

Establishments are graded in person by professional inspectors and arrive unannounced, presenting themselves as any other guest.

In order to achieve AAA Four Diamonds, the lodging establishment must be “refined, stylish with upscale physical attributes, extensive amenities and a high degree of hospitality, service and attention to detail,” according to the agency’s 39page rating guidelines book.

For restaurants must have a “distinctive fine dining, well-serviced amid upscale ambience,” according to the agency’s two-page fact sheet.

Pechanga Resort Casino is one of the largest resort and casino properties in the United States. Guests can enjoy one of 1,100 rooms and suites, a new pool complex,

15 restaurants and bars, 275,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space, expansive casino, and live entertainment every week.

Also included is Journey at Pechanga, a premier championship golf course and Spa Pechanga, one of the largest two-story luxury spas in Southern California.

Pechanga Resort Casino offers one of the largest and most expansive resort/ casino experiences anywhere in the United States. Voted the number one casino in the country by USA Today and rated a Four Diamond property by AAA since 2002, Pechanga Resort Casino provides an unparalleled getaway, whether for the day or for an extended luxury stay. Offering more than 5,400 of the hottest slots, table games, world-class entertainment, 1,100 hotel rooms, dining, spa and golf at Journey at Pechanga, Pechanga Resort Casino features a destination that meets and exceeds the needs of its guests and the community. Pechanga Resort Casino is owned and operated by the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians. For more information, call toll free (877) 711-2946 or visit www.Pechanga.com. Follow Pechanga Resort Casino on Facebook and on Twitter @ PechangaCasino.

shown us, life can throw you curveballs,” she explained.

“You need to be able to pivot and adjust so that you can still meet the needs of your clients and meet the needs of your company.”

Making a Difference Dellosa’s clients tend to be retired, or nearing retirement, with some uncertainty about what they need to do to prepare for the future. She loves helping them enhance their lives by finding options they may have missed or that they did not know existed.

“I like how our profession is client- centered, how we’re really trying to find solutions for people,” she said. “I enjoy hearing clients’ stories and learning about their life stories.

And, once in a while, they feed me too, which is nice.”

Dellosa recalls one experience in particular that had an impact on her. A client presented her with over a dozen policies, looking for guidance on how to handle them. She needed to decide whether to keep a life insurance policy on her mother.

The premiums were significant, and the policy was already in a grace period.

Reviewing the policy, Dellosa saw that her client’s mother was older, in her late 70s or early 80s, and in relatively poor health. Dellosa advised her

client to keep the policy.

A few months later, her client’s mother passed away. Her client came to her at the wake to express her gratitude, saying, “If I didn’t keep this policy, I’m not sure how I would have been able to bury my mother.”

That moment reinforced to Dellosa how important her work is, how much of an impact she can have on someone’s life.

It was one experience among many in her career.

“The journey has been great,” she said. “It’s allowed me to really help my community and people, and my friends and family as well. It’s been a privilege and honor to know that the planning I helped them put into place is being put to good use. They appreciate it, as well, so that’s another good thing.”

Now that she’s established herself as a successful professional, Dellosa admits that despite the impression her dad’s briefcase made on her as a child she doesn’t carry one herself. “I have a bag that I use to hold my papers, but it doesn’t really look like a briefcase,” she said with a laugh. Still, her profession comes with the same responsibility to her clients and community.

Briefcase or no briefcase, it’s a responsibility that Dellosa works to fulfill every day.

This article first appeared on NAIFA’s Advisor Today.

(Advertising Supplement)

Early Influences Led to a Rewarding Professional Life for Joanna Dellosa Advisor Today Four Under 40 winner Joanna Dellosa serves clients with patience, resilience, and gratitude.

J

oanna Dellosa, LUTCF, FSS, RICP, CLU, LACP, a loyal NAIFA member since 2012, has fond memories of her father heading to his office with his briefcase in hand. She recalls thinking at a very young age, “I want one of those, too. I’d look so professional with a briefcase.”

Her father was an insurance agent, and Dellosa’s early impressions of him created an image that influenced her career decisions later in life. “I had that idea in my head,” she said, “I am open to the idea of becoming an agent.”

Other less pleasant formative experiences also helped shape Dellosa’s future career path. She recalls that her grandmother passed away with no financial plan in place. Then a few years later, her grandfather passed away as well, again with no plan.

Issues with both estates created conflict within the family during an already stressful time. Dellosa wondered, “Is there a way to prevent this kind of situation with other families?”

It was then that Dellosa, now a successful financial professional and 2021 Advisor Today Four Under 40 winner, began to realize how carrying that briefcase as a financial professional comes with a lot of responsibility.

Education Builds Confidence Dellosa graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in 2008 with a degree in business administration with an emphasis on finance. She began her insurance career with New York Life and then became an independent agent after nine months. For the past 13

years, she has been a financial professional with Wilshire Group Financial Services, the same agency her father worked for in the 1980s.

Over those 13 years, education has played an important role in her career success. She has earned a host of professional credentials, including NAIFA’s LACP certification and LUTCF designation.

“I was quite young when I started in the industry, so I didn’t have as much confidence going out there and talking to clients,” she said. “The continuing education definitely helped to boost my confidence in what I’m offering my clients and how I’m doing in my practice.

I kept going because there’s never enough information that I can have and the more I know the better I’m able to help my clients. It also helped to inspire people in my office to get more educated.”

The Value of NAIFA From the LACP to NAIFA’s Leadership in Life Institute (LILI), Dellosa has experienced firsthand the value of NAIFA’s career development programs.

“NAIFA helped tremendously.

It definitely put me in positions where I could grow,” she said.

Equally important, Dellosa said, is NAIFA’s advocacy at the state and federal levels. NAIFA was instrumental in protecting producers’ independent contractor status in California, securing federal protections for individuals and small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and protecting tax benefits of life insurance policies.

“NAIFA was at the

table, helping guide the congresspeople to make those provisions,” she said.

“We’re going through so many changes. It is important to be able to keep those benefits for our clients and have those tax benefits as well. If not, they’re going to struggle, especially when they’re retiring.”

Dellosa has participated in NAIFA legislative events at the federal level in Washington, D.C., and state level in Sacramento. “Both were really educational and interesting,” she said. “To be able to go into those buildings and to meet in the different offices is a very cool experience.”

She takes every opportunity to talk to her colleagues about the benefits of being a NAIFA member. When they ask why they should join, Dellosa likens NAIFA to professional organizations for other occupations. “You wouldn’t want to work with a doctor who wasn’t a member of the American Medical Association, would you?” she asked.

She said being associated with like-minded professionals dedicated to serving their clients is also a major plus. “I love that we have a Code of Ethics that sets us apart from different organizations,” she said.

The NAIFA Code of Ethics is going above and beyond just having a license. It shows we’re always looking out for the very best interests of our clients.

That’s another key thing that helped me grow as a person.”

NAIFA’s membership promise – “Advocate. Educate.

Differentiate.” – rings true with

Dellosa. “NAIFA has fulfilled its promise with me,” she said.

Contributing in Her Community Dellosa believes participating in professional associations is important for her own growth and for protecting the insurance and financial services industry.

She holds active leadership positions in both NAIFA and Women in Insurance and Financial Services (WIFS).

She serves on the Board of NAIFA-Los Angeles and is the chapter’s national committeeperson. She is the 2022 President of WIFS-Los Angeles. She has lofty ambitions for her term in office. “I want to tighten our bonds and create greater camaraderie between the two organizations,” she said.

In her community, Dellosa spends some of her free time – when she is not doing tai chi, teaching yoga, hiking, swimming, or working to improve her golf swing – volunteering with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. She is in the speaker’s bureau for the planned-giving office, putting her professional expertise to use educating communities within the archdiocese about estate and financial planning. She also serves on her home parish’s Lectors Committee and Pastoral Council.

Patience, Resilience, and Gratitude Professionally, Dellosa is driven by a sense of purpose, a sure knowledge that her work improves the lives of everyday Americans. Her practice is centered on finding the right solutions for her clients. Her career also allows her to travel, as well as build camaraderie with other agents, both of which she finds rewarding.

A good advisor, Dellosa says, must have patience, resilience, and gratitude. They must be patient enough to delay gratification; resilient enough to adjust to changing circumstances, as the COVID-19 pandemic has shown; and grateful for where they have been and where they are now.

“As the pandemic has

Tentative map approved for ‘Beckham Heights’ subdivision in Pahrump

before any construction can happen in the area, a final subdivision map must be in that agreement.

A PROJECT inked years approved and recorded, which Beckham Heights’ location ago by a company with the Nye will be off Hafen Ranch Road, just will go before the commission at County Commission continues north of Thousandaire Boulevard. some time in the future. to show signs of development in There is also the question According to the article, the Pahrump, Nevada. of which utility will service the Recently, a tentative map was subdivision density will be about water needs in the Adaven 4.8 homes per acre. Lots in the approved for a small subdivision Management project. This must subdivision will have an average that is dubbed “Beckham be verified with the Nevada lot size of 5,639 square feet, or Heights” which will see a build of Division of Water Services and about 0.12 acres.

246 homes on approximately 51 the Nevada Department of Per the proposed plan, the acres, according to the Pahrump Environmental Protection before subdivision will have four unique Valley Times. The proposed map a final map can be approved. was approved by the commission four plans, with each model It is interesting to note that offering three unique elevations. on a vote of 4-1, per the article. the commissioners have had Homes will range in size from Adaven Management, the 2,078 square feet to 3,030 square to work with the conditions company behind the project, in the agreement, which was feet. Three of the models are had inked the development approved by a different set two-story, while one is a singleagreement known as Mountain of commissioners years ago. story.

Falls South with the commission The approval of the tentative This agreement expires in about 15 years ago that will 2029. Although the current map is one more step in the ultimately build out a total of commissioners have had 5,160 single family dwelling units. process for Beckham Heights apprehensions over the proposed Beckham Heights is a tiny portion to become a reality. However, lot sizes and have had to answer to criticism from the public about regarding the continued development of tiny subdivision lots in Pahrump Valley, they are moving forward with proposed developments as covered within the agreement.

It can be recalled that a couple of months ago, Adaven went before the commission to get approval for the construction of a roundabout that on Highway 160 at Manse Road that will change the eastern entrance into the town. That planned roundabout will provide access to the Mountain Falls South project of Adaven.

Over the years, some activities have taken place within the agreement which include donation of a 12-acre site for Floyd Elementary School, donation of water rights and necessary sewer connection, and coordination with the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints to help establish a church on Manse Road.

Additionally, there has been paving and curb and gutter work done on Manse Road, and installation of a fiber-optic line, which is in line with stipulations in the development agreement that called for certain improvements to be made to Manse Road from the highway to Hafen Ranch Road.

At that time, the estimate for Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman helps those who need business financing, including the investments done by Adaven loans for small businesses. For more information, call (702) 538-4948, or send on infrastructure was pegged at email to fely@precious-properties.com or fely.precious@gmail.com. $17 million. The roundabout is

community

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - July 13, 2022

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By RealtoR Fely Quitevis-Bateman

Celebrating the close of escrow in Pahrump are Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman (left) and her client, Dr. Philip Paleracio, who plans to build a medical building in A cannabis dispensary, The Source+, is one of the new businesses the town. opening in town along Homestead Road.

expected to add another $1.5 million to that figure.

This piece of news continues to enhance the image of Pahrump, which was originally inhabited by the Southern Paiute and mostly dotted with ranchstyle holdings over 400 hectares in size. The town has grown into an area that major retailers and real estate developers are taking a look at due to its proximity to Las Vegas.

Broader acceleration for areas like Pahrump is seen by industry analysts in order to address the needs of homebuyers as real estate and property developers eye new regions where they can set up potential projects.

That means more housing in the future, and perhaps an exodus of people looking for the right opportunities in newer markets.

Although land prices in Pahrump may not be as low as it was decades ago, it is still an affordable alternative to the rising real estate prices in Las Vegas. A recent slowdown in real estate sales may offer additional benefits to buyers who are looking for the right conditions to buy a piece of property.

Real estate in Pahrump has appreciated about 155% over the last ten years alone, according to latest data available, which puts the unincorporated town in the top 10% nationally for areas whose real estate values have appreciated exponentially. Due to this, many observers see Pahrump as being one of the best long-

Another new business that will open along Homestead Road in Pahrump is a Circle K, which is currently under construction.

term investments that people can make in the United States over the past decade and into the future.

Millions of dollars in projects are being infused in infrastructure which will benefit the town in the long run, and many big projects are being developed for the town, including the first horse racing track in the state of Nevada.

While prices are still affordable, now is the time to look for opportunities in Pahrump and neighboring communities.

Whether you are looking to settle in a new place, finding your own piece of retirement heaven, or just looking to own land or another property as an investment, Pahrump is a great find and I will help look for the best opportunities available in the market. I have been a Realtor since the 1980s and I will use

that experience and know-how to help you the right piece of real estate for your budget and needs.

Many of my clients have reaped the benefits of their investments in land and property – you could be one of the many individuals and families who can grow their real estate portfolio and net worth by looking at what’s on the market.

My company, Precious Properties, is a full-service company serving its clientele since 1992 and you can reach me at 775-513-8447, 805-5592476 and 702-538-4948 for more information, or by sending me an email at fely@preciousproperties.com or fely.precious@ gmail.com. We have investors who buy houses in California and Nevada for cash and quick escrow in as short as 7 days.

(Advertising Supplement)

community Paolo Sandejas ‘honored’ that...

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - July 13, 2022

From Page 10 and Ariana Grande, among others, while inside the car.

Filipino ARMYs, fans of BTS, were thrilled after the song Sorry by OPM artist Paolo Sandejas was included in V’s car playlist.

The song was featured

in the vlog for more than a minute, with V even singing along to the lyrics from time to time.

Paolo, meanwhile, was stoked upon learning that the K-pop idol listens to his music.

In a media statement sent via Universal Records

Philippines, Paolo gushed over being recognized by the BTS member, saying how he was at a loss for words over the “surreal experience.”

“The fact that one of the biggest artists in the world knows my name AND listens to my songs is insane to me,” said Paolo.

“This is a surreal experience, and I have no words to express how honored I am that he enjoys a song I worked so hard on,” he added.

Paolo released Sorry, a song reminiscing about what ifs, under Universal Records back in 2020. It was part of his 2020 Purple Afternoon EP and now has over 405,000 streams and counting. Likewise, he has an exclusive performance video for the said song off his online EP Launch plus a Wish Bus performance video.

Getting noticed by a BTS member comes after he was chosen as the only Filipino artist to perform at the GMA (Golden Melody Awards) in Taiwan, happened on June 24 to 26. He previously said he was happy to share his brand of music with the rest of the Asian music scene, while representing OPM. The GMA Awards is like Taiwan’s version of the GRAMMYs and since he’s going to be the first Filipino artist to ever perform there, he admitted to feeling both pressured and excited.

“While It’s definitely a lot of pressure for me to represent the Philippines and OPM as a young artist, I’m really motivated to showcase how the OPM scene has grown and diversified over the years. Despite the pressure, I couldn’t be more excited,” Paolo said in a media release.

He also said that he looks forward to performing his original songs live in Taiwan if given a chance after this Golden Melody Awards & Festival experience. “People should definitely look forward to enjoying some laidback indie tunes in my intimate virtual performance. I’m really excited to show you all the sets that I’ve put together, and I hope to one day perform these songs live in Taiwan,” he shared.

DESIGNER IN FOCUS: Toshimi Pacumbala to showcase his opulent and whimsical creations at Asia Pacific Fashion Week 2022

TOSHIMI Pacumbala has always had a passion for fashion. She had initially worked as a makeup artist and salon owner, but she had always had a special passion for and joy in creating gowns. She struggled to turn her daydreams become reality, one delicate sketch at a time, using just her minimal grasp of fashion and drawing.

When she was given the chance to create a gown for a student a few years back, she made her first venture into the world of fashion design. Over the years, both domestically and internationally, her designs have steadily but thoroughly taken over runways and pageants.

Today, she is a full-fledged member of the Philippines’ biggest and most dominant guild for fashion designers, the Designers Circle Philippines.

A self-taught designer Toshimi is a self-taught designer. But she hopes to someday pursue formal studies in fashion design. Since she primarily creates couture gowns, her favorite aspect of being a designer is that she really enjoys creating the beadwork, as well as sketching and, essentially, hand-sewing everything.

When wearing her creations, Toshimi wants her customers to feel proud and confident. Additionally, she wants people to feel unique among the crowd.

Toshimi’s love for all things opulent Although Toshimi’s clothing displays her love of all things opulent and whimsical, what truly distinguishes her is the

Based in both Cebu and Manila, Toshimi’s career shift began when she realized that fashion, not a local salon, typically has an international.

Photo by Lito Caleon/Eventologie

Toshimi Pacumbala has always had a passion for fashion.

Photo by Mark Nieto Diaz

complexity he adds to her conception of grandeur and femininity.

Based in both Cebu and Manila, Toshimi’s realization that fashion typically has an international market while salons remain local is what inspired her to take fashion seriously enough to create a career out of it. So it came to be that her salon clients would notice the clothing she had designed and inquire about it. She came to the conclusion that if her customers were interested in her designs, then others might be as well, and as a result, she made the decision to take fashion seriously.

How did her international clientele learn about her designs?

Toshimi used to compete in pageant competitions. She would also be the contestant’s outfit and gown designer in addition to doing their makeup.

She began sharing her designs on Facebook before Miss Europe Philippines invited her to serve as its official designer.

She flew to Europe in 2019 and created both the formal wear and the traditional garb of the candidates.

Toshimi wants her customers to feel proud and confident when wearing her creations.

Photo by Dia Mathess-Srinorakoot

Toshimi unveils his latest collections at APFW Toshimi decided to participate in Asia Pacific Fashion Week – an annual international exhibition of fashion collections from fastrising designers in the Asia Pacific region – because she wanted to show off her talent and since it is a once-in-alifetime opportunity.

Additionally, she believes it’s a fantastic chance to network with other designers and potential customers while also expanding the market for her creations internationally.

Asia Pacific Fashion Week will be held in the following dates and cities: LOS ANGELES 06 AUGUST 2022 | SATURDAY, 5:00 PM HOLLYWOOD ROOSEVELT (Blossom Ballroom) 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles California 90028 LAS VEGAS 13 AUGUST 2022 | SATURDAY, 4:00 PM DECADES EVENT CENTER Vegas Pointe Plaza, Unit 168, 9175 S Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, Nevada 89123 NEW JERSEY 20 AUGUST 2022 | SATURDAY, 2:00 & 4:00 PM (during “Fiesta in America”) AMERICAN DREAM Activity Center 1 American Dream Way East Rutherford, New Toshimi’s clothing displays her love of all Jersey 07073 things opulent and whimsical.

(Advertising Supplement) Photo by Allen Berame

Five benefits of establishing a revocable living trust

Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrsUA reyes THERE is never the perfect time to think about who you would like to inherit from your estate in case you pass away or at least who among your closest friends (BFFs) and family members are even deserving of inheriting from your estate. In doing so, you should also think about which vehicle you plan to use in implementing your estate plan. One of the best vehicle in implementing your estate plan is a revocable living trust. Five major benefits of establishing a revocable living trust are: 1. Your estate can avoid the time, cost, and hassle of going through the probate court process.

If you pass away without a will (intestate) in California, one of your close family would have to file a petition in probate court to probate your estate. Your estate will be divided and distributed according to the California probate code rules of intestate succession. Even if you have a will when you pass away, your family would still need to file a petition in probate court if your estate is worth over $166,250 and go through the probate process. This can become a circus if certain beneficiaries contest the validity of the Will or the distribution of the estate. Your estate will pay for attorney’s fees, probate referee fees, appraisers and other experts, CPA fees, etc. If people contest the case, your estate would end up paying legal fees to defend the estate in litigation. The entire process can take anywhere from 9 months to years depending on the contentiousness of the probate case.

With a revocable living trust, your trustee or successor trustee if you were the initial trustee, would administer the trust and distribute the estate according to the trust document without

having to open a probate court case. If the trust is funded with all your assets, it is possible to administer and distribute the trust assets without any Court involvement at all. This process is a lot faster than going through probate.

2. Your estate is not public record When you file a probate case, the public has access to your probate case file. The public will know the assets of the estate including the values of those assets. If the Will is admitted into probate, the terms of the Will is open to public scrutiny.

Establishing a revocable living trust makes your estate affairs private. Strangers do not have access to the terms of your living trust. Only certain beneficiaries and possible heirs can request a copy of the revocable living trust after you pass away.

3. You can dictate who will inherit from your estate.

If you pass away without a Will, your estate will be divided and distributed in Probate Court following the rules of intestate succession in the California probate code. Certain relatives will be entitled to a share of your estate even if you feel they are not deserving.

By establishing a revocable living trust, you can designate who you want to inherit from your estate. You can designate what and how much each one will received from your estate after you pass away. The assets distributed to each beneficiaries does not have to be equal.

The people you designate as beneficiaries of your living trust does not even have to be close family members.

You can designate anyone as a beneficiary, with certain exceptions, of your estate.

4. You can structure your estate to minimize estate taxes If your estate is valued above the estate tax exemption, establishing a trust can allow you to divide up your estate into smaller sub trusts to minimize the overall estate tax effect on your estate. It allows you to set up a vehicle for certain charitable giving which carries tax advantage and asset protection.

5. You can choose who will administer your estate after your death When you establish a revocable trust, you can appoint someone else as trustee or you can appoint a successor trustee if you are the initial trustee. The trustee will be administering (managing) the trust after you pass away without a need to open a probate court case. This allows for continuity in operating the trust and the efficient and cost effective distribution of estate assets. If you are concerned about whether you can trust any family members as your trustee, you can appoint an institution as a professional trustee to carry out the terms of the declaration of trust. These type of trustee services are often offered by banks, financial institutions, wealth management firms, and business management firms for a reasonable fee.

This minimizes conflicts within the family and prevents negligence and wrong doing by inexperienced family members. *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice.

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

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

The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, APLC. This article is not a solicitation. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APLC. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010.

Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@ kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com.

(Advertising Supplement)

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - July 13, 2022