072920 - Southern California Midweek Edition

July 29-31, 2020 Volume 30 - No.56 • 2 Sections - 14 Pages

Duterte rejects reported US plan to return to Subic

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

THE United States will not return to its former naval base in Subic Bay in the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte said.

During his fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 27, the Philippine leader said that he would not allow American forces to reestablish a military base in the country.

According to the chief executive, it will put the country in harm’s way in case there is conflict.

“I will just put on record my thoughts. I have nothing against

DATELINE

America, I have nothing against China but if you put bases here, you will double the spectacle of a most destructive thing just like Manila during the Second World War,” Duterte said before limited attendees composed of members of Congress, the Cabinet and other distinguished guests at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.

“Kaya maglagay-lagay ka ng (That’s why when you put) base at this time, this will ensure if war breaks out, because there would be atomic arsenals brought in, this will ensure the extinction of the Filipino race,” he added.

Duterte also said that the Filipino nation claims its rightful place in the community of sovereign states, adding that his administration is bent on pursuing an independent foreign policy.

“We worked without fail to protect our rights in the South China Sea, neither beholden nor a pawn to anyone. We broadened the boundaries of Philippine diplomacy. We built productive ties with everyone willing to engage us on the basis of equality and mutual respect,” he said.

Subic Bay was one of the largest U.S. naval facilities in the

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SONA 2020. President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his 5th State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives Complex in Quezon City on Monday, July 27. the President’s priority legislation which includes the passage of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or Bayanihan II and the passage of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises or CREATE Act, which is part of the Philippine Program for Recovery with Equity and Solidarity or PH-PROGRESO, the proposed stimulus package for our economic recovery.

Malacañang photos

Filipino lawmakers, key public figures react to SONA 2020

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

New foreign students taking all online courses may not be allowed to enter the US UNITED States immigrant officials recently announced that new foreign students will not be allowed to obtain visas to the United States if their courses are completely online this coming fall semester.

The clarification on Friday, July 24 from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program comes after the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) previously retracted from its previous memo restricting all international students from staying or coming back to the country if their universities moved to all virtual classes.

If an international student was not enrolled in a U.S. educational institution as of March 9 and are intending to pursue courses online, he or she “will likely not be able to obtain” a

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All communities should participate in the US Census despite Trump’s memo on reapportionment Leaders indicate that the directive does not exclude undocumented immigrants from the count ALL communities, regardless of citizenship status, are encouraged to respond to the U.S. Census despite President Donald Trump’s July 21 policy memo on reapportionment, civil rights advocates and census experts urged in an ethnic media conference call on July 24.

The memo, issued July 21, instructs the Commerce Department to eliminate undocumented immigrants from census data used for reapportioning Congressional Districts for the next decade.

“One thing to make clear is that the President is not asking for undocumented immigrants to be excluded in the Census. A great

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by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

SENATE’S SONA LOOK. A total of 17 senators, donning face masks led by Senate President Vicente Sotto III (3rd from left, topmost), opens the 2nd regular session of the 18th Congress on Monday, July 27. It opened hours before President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his 5th State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the House of Representatives in Quezon City.

PNA photo by Gil Calinga

A DAY after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City, several Filipino lawmakers and key public figures publicly reacted to the points highlighted in the chief executive’s speech.

Senator Grace Poe noted that reviving the death penalty without judicial reforms

would put the “innocent poor with scant resources” at risk.

She lauded the country’s efforts in saving lives and preventing deaths in its fight against the novel coronavirus, but stressed that the government “must also protect the lives of the defenseless and disadvantaged from the peril of injustice.”

“Without the needed reforms in our justice system, the innocent poor with scant resources to wage a decent defense in court

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‘I was defending freedom of the press’ -Drilon

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

PHILIPPINE Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon denied that he was defending the Lopez family, owners of media network ABS-CBN, after President Rodrigo Duterte called him out in his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 27.

“I was defending freedom of the press, not the Lopezes. The closure of the ABS-CBN sent a chilling effect. As I said before, for democracy to thrive, we need free press and to allow journalists to exercise complete freedom to do their mandate of reporting facts without fear,” Drilon, a known member of the opposition party, said.

He added, “I was defending the 11,000 people Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and their families who would lose jobs amid the Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III leads the posthumous welcome for the 54 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who died in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the Balagbag ramp of the Ninoy Inquirer.net photo

No new applications for DACA will be accepted as Trump admin reviews program

by CHRISTINA

M. ORIEL

AJPress

NEW applications will not be accepted for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program has prevented certain young undocumented immigrants from being deported, the Department of Homeland Security said in a memo on Tuesday, July 28.

This move comes despite the Supreme Court ruling on Thursday, June 18 that said the Trump administration’s effort to end the Obama-era program was “arbitrary and capricious” in that it violated the Administrative Procedure Act. Effective immediately, as the department undergoes a “comprehensive review” of DACA, no new or pending applications will be considered.

“I direct DHS personnel to take all ap-

propriate actions to reject all pending and future initial requests for DACA, to reject all pending and future applications for advance parole absent exceptional circumstances, and to shorten DACA renewals consistent with the parameters established in this memorandum,” Chad Wolf, acting Secretary of Homeland Security, wrote in the memo.

Though renewals for the program are still allowed, they will be granted for one year instead of two years.

The DHS will “limit the period of any deferred action granted pursuant to the DACA policy after the issuance of this memorandum (and thereby limit the period of any associated work authorization) to one year,” read the announcement.

Earlier this month, Judge Paul Grimm of the U.S. District Court for the District of

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Aquino International Airport on Tuesday, July 28). Of the total, some 39 died due to coronavirus disease 2019.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

9,305 overseas Filipinos infected with COVID-19

by AJPRESS

ONLY one new case of the novel coronavirus was recorded in the overseas Filipino community, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday, July 28.

This brings the total number of infected individuals to 9,305.

The agency also logged in six new recovered persons, raising the official tally of recoveries to 5,426. Meanwhile, the death toll increased to 655 with the two new fatalities reported.

“Today, the DFA reports a lone confirmed COVID-19 case

in the Middle East, six new recoveries recorded in Asia and the Pacific, and two new fatalities in the Middle East as well,” said the DFA. Overall by region, Europe — which comprises 18 countries — has recorded 1,091 Filipino cases, including 488 undergoing treatment, 508 recoveries and 95 deaths.

The Middle East and Africa, covering 27 countries, has reported 6,636 cases; of which, 2,381 are undergoing treatment, 383 deaths and 3,872 recoveries.

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From the Front Page

Duterte rejects reported US plan...

PAGE A1

world before the Philippine Senate voted to terminate the longstanding Military Bases Agreement with the United States in 1991, effectively shutting the naval installation down a year later.

“And, we redefined our relationships with our most important partners, placing the country in a far better position to advance our interests in an evolving regional order and

emerging global problems,” Duterte added.

Following the president’s address, other administration officials have expanded on the reported plan for the U.S. Navy to return to Subic Bay. Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said there will be no American presence at the base.

“There will be no U.S. base in Subic. I can assure you about

that,” he said as reported by Philippine News Agency.

Meanwhile, Navy Chief Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo warned of the effects if the U.S. returned, arguing that it would make the Philippines a “legitimate target in the unlikely event of war.”

“That is way beyond just having U.S. Navy ships conducting repairs or other commercial activities in Subic,” Bacardo said according to Manila Bulletin. n

‘I was defending freedom of the...

PAGE A1

pandemic, not the Lopezes.”

According to Duterte, Drilon “linked the anti-dynasty system with oligarchy and the topic was my daughter and son.”

Duterte’s daughter is Sara Duterte-Carpio, Davao City mayor. His sons, meanwhile, are Paolo Duterte, 1st District of Davao City representative; and Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, Davao City vice mayor.

“This happened after the Committee on Franchise voted 70-11 to deny the grant of franchise to ABS-CBN. Obviously, [Drilon] was defending the Lopezes that they are not oligarchs,” Duterte said.

Broadcast journalist Karen

Davila, meanwhile, took to social media to slam the president for mentioning Drilon in his SONA. “No senator or private company deserves to be mentioned at the opening of the president’s SONA,” she said.

“This is about the state of the country, where we are, where we are going, not about personal vendettas or feelings.

People are hungry and jobless.

People are looking for inspiration,” she added.

Another veteran broadcast journalist, Ces Drilon, said Duterte’s statement is him “justifying the closure of ABS-CBN by demonizing the Lopezes.”

Several celebrities and neti-

zens also expressed their disappointment over the SONA. “Ang SONA na walang sustansya (The SONA that has no substance),” tweeted actress Agot Isidro.

“The president started his 5th SONA, amid the increasing number of #COVID19 cases in the Philippines, with a rant against Drilon and Lopez family of ABS-CBN,” one netizen pointed out in a tweet.

“He said wala siyang kinalaman sa ABS-CBN shutdown (He said he doesn’t have anything to do with ABS-CBN shutdown); but he discussed it first as his accomplishment lol.

How can we even trust you,” another user wrote. n

DRENCHED. A phalanx of anti-riot policemen stands along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City as rain pours down on Monday, July 27. Policemen have been deployed in the area to secure the 5th State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo Duterte at the Batasang Pambansa complex in the afternoon.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

Filipino lawmakers, key public figures react...

PAGE A1 will be the ones at risk in any attempt to revive the death penalty in the country,” Poe said Tuesday, July 28.

The statement came after Duterte, in his SONA, called on Congress to reinstate the death penalty in the Philippines for drug-related charges.

Senator Risa Hontiveros also called out the president for bring-

ing up the death penalty in the middle of the pandemic.

“I cant believe I need to say this: but the death penalty is not a solution to the pandemic,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Hontiveros pointed out that Duterte should be prioritizing the economy as well as the Filipinos who lost their jobs amid the pandemic.

“The president uttered the same incoherent statements that did not present a health and economic roadmap that could lead us through this pandemic. Issues of unemployment and hunger were not directly addressed,” she said.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, on the other hand, showed his support for the death penalty.

“Having served as a law enforcer in my previous life I have good enough basis to believe that the reimposition of the death penalty is a deterrent to crime and an encouragement for victims to come forward and seek justice. Just like the AntiTerrorism Act of 2020, timing is of no moment when we are dealing with heinous crimes and crimes against humanity,” he said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto expressed disappointment with Duterte’s SONA, noting that it was neither reassuring nor hopeful.

He also said that Duterte failed to give much detail on how to fight the war against COVID-19.

“I think the president economized in spelling out his antipandemic program, which is what Filipinos were expecting to hear more from him. He could have made it detailed and nuanced, in a language that is comforting, assuring and emphatic,” he added.

Former adviser to the COVID-19 task force Tony Leachon echoed this sentiment, saying he was expecting more from Duterte’s SONA. “I was expecting that...60% of the [discussion would be on] the health crisis: the granular plan regarding detection, testing,

isolation and quarantine, and then [transition] to the economic recovery plan, [around] 20 to 30%, and then the 10% would be other matters,” he told ABSCBN. Leachon added that he was hoping for “a review of the national action plan” that would be “inspiring, powerful, [and] engaging.”

Palace rates Duterte’s SONA 9 out of 10 Malacañang gave the President’s SONA a near perfect grade.

“Sa akin po, nine out of 10 ang grado ng Presidente (For me, the president’s grade is nine out of 10),” said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.

His only complaints that hindered him from giving the speech a perfect score were the length and lack of “quotable quotes.”

“Well, sa akin naman po, siguro ‘yung sa pagsulat ng speech, number one, mahaba. One hour and 40 [minutes]. Eh meron na ngang pre-SONA (For me, the speech was lengthy. It lasted for one hour and 40 minutes. We already had pre-SONA [fora so it could have been shorter]),” Roque noted.

“Kung ako ang nagsulat diyan, mas marami akong ilalagay na quotable quotes sa simula at sa ending ng speech (If I were the speech writer, I would have included quotable quotes in the beginning and ending of the speech),” he added.

Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go also gave Duterte’s SONA a positive review, saying it was “inspiring” as it articulated the government’s plans, goals, and vision for a better future for Filipinos.

“The president was able to clearly lay down measures in his speech that will strengthen the fight against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, address the immediate needs of the people to overcome the hardships, and sustain the gains of the administration in fulfilling its promise of a comfortable life for all,” he said. n

9,305 overseas Filipinos...

PAGE A1 The Asia Pacific region, which spans across 18 countries, has 873 cases, with 232 under treatment, 635 recoveries, and six deaths.

The Americas — covering seven countries like the United States — have 705 reported cases, with 123 undergoing treatment, 411 recoveries, and 171 deaths.

“To date, [the] Middle East remains to be the region with the most number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, recoveries, under treatment, and fatalities among our nationals,” the DFA noted.

“While Asia and the Pacific has the least numbers in all

categories compared to other geographic regions, except total number of recoveries wherein the Americas ranks lowest with only 411 recoveries,” it added.

The agency also assured that its personnel in Foreign Service Posts “continue to actively monitor the status of the Filipino community abroad and work to safely repatriate more of our stranded nationals home.”

Meanwhile, back in the Philippines, the total number of infected individuals has reached 83,673 after the Department of Health confirmed 1,678 new COVID-19 cases. The death toll has risen to 1,947 and the number of recovered patients to 26,617. n

New foreign students taking all...

PAGE A1 visa to study in the country.

Further, a student on a visa who has been enrolled as of that March date but left the country “likely remains eligible for a visa since the March 2020 guidance permitted a full online course of study from inside the United States or from abroad.”

The memo also said that students seeking a visa if their school is offering a hybrid program — meaning a mix of online and in-person course — will be subject to approval from the U.S. Department of State.

“However, per the March 2020 guidance, nonimmigrant students seeking to enroll in a program of study that includes inperson and online components beyond the limitations…are able

to maintain F-1 or M-1 nonimmigrant status if pursuing such programs during the fall 2020 school term,” it read.

Several colleges and universities, as well as technology companies and 20 state attorneys, previously filed lawsuits after ICE announced non-immigrant international students would have to leave the U.S. or take “other measures” like transferring to a university with in-person instruction.

More than 1 million university students in the U.S. come from overseas, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE).

Data released by Open Doors last December revealed that 3,320 international students enrolled in the U.S. in 2019 were Filipino. (AJPress)

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SEINE FISHING. Five men use fishing net called seine off Pampanga river, in Barangay San Juan, San Luis, San Fernando, Pampanga on Monday, July 27. The net hangs vertically on the water with the bottom edge held down by weights and the top edge buoyed by improvised floats from their boats. Aside from farming, fishing is a primary source of livelihood for locals.

PNA photo by Ben Briones

All communities should participate in the US...

PAGE A1 deal of media coverage suggests that those immigrants will not be counted, and that is not what the policy memo is asking for,” said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association for Latino Elected Officials (NALEO).

The Trump Administration asserts it intends to use “administrative data” from other departments to calculate the number of undocumented immigrants in the Census final count, and calculate population numbers for the purposes of reapportionment without them.

Public interest lawyers have said that this policy memo is unconstitutional, and three separate lawsuits have been filed in federal courts to challenge it. States with large immigrant populations could lose Congressional seats.

Vargas warned that excluding “undocumented immigrants” after the Census is finalized amounts to “nothing more than cooking the numbers, or making up an entirely new data set on which to base the most important element of our democracy.”

Vargas and other experts say that the federal government’s data will be “very imprecise,” in part because the 2020 Census does not contain any question regarding citizenship or immigration status and because the data collected by other federal departments is generally inaccurate.

According to a new report by the Migration Policy Institute, the process the administration proposes could incorrectly “lump together” as many as 20 million U.S. citizens with unauthorized immigrants due to matching errors.

“Such errors are likely to be greater in low-income urban and

rural communities, thereby exacerbating any undercount that may occur in those communities and reducing their voting power relative to more affluent communities,” the MPI report noted.

The goal of community organizations regarding the Census has not changed in spite of the memo, said John C. Yang, President and Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ).

“There is no immigration status question whatsoever in the Census and we encourage people to respond online, on paper or by telephone, especially if they don’t want an enumerator to knock on their door,” Yang said. “And I remind them that the deadline for responding is still October 31.”

Yang, who is also an attorney, reiterated that “Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution makes clear that apportionment is based on all persons in the United States,” and makes no distinction between citizens and persons.

“The suggestion that somehow undocumented immigrants are not people or persons just flies in the face of logic, legislative history and policy of the United States for several hundred years,” Yang added.

Nevertheless, the memo has deepened uncertainty and fear which will further inhibit many communities from responding to the Census, especially those in Florida and Texas which have provided no state funds for census outreach.

“We are still having to address the fear of the citizenship question that was pushed by the Administration early on,” said Nestor Lopez, a census organizer from the Texas border county of

Hidalgo.

The challenges in Hidalgo County are compounded by a persistent undercount of the area for at least the last two decades, the lack of internet connectivity in many of its communities and the pandemic, which crushed plans for person-to-person interaction, Lopez added.

He and other activists have had to switch strategies from in-person activities to online outreach and rely on local voices and celebrities “to share our message.”

Data based on response rates by geographic area show that minority and poor regions consistently show lower response rates to date.

California’s response rate so far is 63.8% and this year, the state has invested at least 2 million dollars in specific outreach towards counting tribal populations in the state.

Marilyn Stephens, Assistant Regional Manager for the Southern District of the U.S. Census, highlighted precautions the Bureau is taking as enumerators begin knocking on doors for the next phase of the census. “Staff has been issued masks, sanitizer and clear instructions and training, they cannot enter a home, they must practice social distancing.”

But, she noted, “people can still avoid the visit by self-responding now.”

The specialist uses a simple message to encourage communities to participate: “The only message that I tell people is this: It takes less than 10 minutes to fill out the Census and it guarantees 10 years of services and representation. Everyone must be counted.” (Pilar Marrero/Ethnic Media Services)

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Bernie Sanders introduces ‘Masks for All’ legislation

VeRMONT Senator Bernie Sanders on Tuesday, July 28 introduced new legislation to provide masks for every American as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

The senator — a former presidential contender whose platform was largely on ‘Medicare For All’ — said the reusable masks would be free of charge for people in the United States.

“Masks save lives, period. Today i am introducing legislation to provide high-quality, reusable masks to every person in this country free of charge. This is a no-brainer,” Sanders wrote in a tweet on Tuesday.

His proposal has received support from over 30 Democratic members in the Senate and House.

The Masks for All Act is cosponsored by Senators kamala Harris (D-CA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Gary Peters (D-Mi), and Senators

Tammy Baldwin (D-Wi), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Doug Jones (D-AL), ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (DMD), and elizabeth Warren (DMA). Representatives Ro khanna (D-CA), Lori Trahan (D-MA), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) introduced the Masks for All Act in the House, with more than two dozen cosponsors.

“We are the only high-income country in the world where infections and deaths are skyrocketing instead of falling. Nearly 150,000 are dead and 1,000 more are dying every day. That is an absolute scandal,” said Sanders in another statement. “Dozens of my colleagues and i are proposing that we do what our public health experts and scientists say we must do. This is not a political or par-

tisan issue. Providing all of our people with high-quality, reusable masks without cost could save tens of thousands of lives and avoid hundreds of billions of dollars in economic harm.” in addition, the legislation provides pick-up sites for additional masks at convenient community locations that are already providing essential services, such as Post Offices, pharmacies, schools, public transportation stations, and COViD-19 testing sites. Finally, the bill would provide needed surgical masks and N-95 respirators to all workers in health settings.

To do this, the Masks for All Act would use all available authorities, including the Defense Production Act. Thirty states across the country have enacted requirements that people must wear face coverings while in public in order to slow the spread of the virus. (AJPress)

BUSINESS AS USUAL. Vendors sell fresh fish and other seafood at the Area G Market, Barangay San Juan in Dasmariñas City, Cavite on Tuesday, July 28. The Department of Agriculture says it continues to ramp up efforts to ensure food security amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

PNA photo by Gil Calinga

LA County records 51 new deaths, 2,708 new cases of COVID-19 Viral racism, microaggressions and cancel

LOS Angeles County has 51 new deaths and 2,708 new cases of COViD-19, officials announced on Tuesday, July 28.

To date, LA County Department of Public Health has identified 178,642 positive cases of COViD-19 across all areas across the county, and a total of 4,426 deaths. in the coming days, the department said it will start receiving results from a backlog of cases due to reporting delays.

Of the confirmed cases, 2,051 arer currently hospitalized and 29% of these people are confirmed cases in the iCU. There are a total of 2,621 confirmed and suspect cases that are currently hospitalized and 18% of these people are on ventilators.

The hospitalization data is incomplete due to data from three hospitals not included in today’s update.

Of the 51 new deaths, 21 people that passed away (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena) were over the age of 80 years old, 12 people who died were between the ages of 65 and 79 years old, 11 people who died were between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, five people who died were between the ages of 30 and 49 years old, and two people who died were between the ages of 18 and 29. Forty-four people had underlying health conditions including 20 people over the age of 80 years old, 10 people between the ages of 65

and 79 years old, nine people between the ages of 50 and 64 years old, three people between the ages of 30 and 49 years old, and two between the ages of 18 and 29 years old.

Testing results are available for nearly 1,675,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive.

“To the many people across our communities who are mourning a loved one lost to COViD-19, we send you our heartfelt condolences,” said Barbara Ferrer, director of public health. “As individuals, and as a community, we must collectively commit to continuously practice the behaviors that slow the spread of COViD-19. Compliance with public health directives, containment of the virus, and collaboration across all sectors are key for us to move into the long-term recovery that we all want to see happen as soon as possible.”

Public Health underscores the new set of three Cs: Compliance, Containment and Collaboration to move LA County forward through its recovery journey and protect the long-term health and well-being of residents and the workforce.

Compliance: Businesses must comply with Health Officer Orders and implement the strict infection control practices and distancing guidelines in place to protect the workforce and the public. Residents must continue

to wear face coverings, maintain physical distancing, avoid gathering with people they don’t live with and continue washing their hands and cleaning high- touch surfaces.

Containment: Adequate testing and case investigations are critical tools to contain spread.

Case interviews and contact tracing of people who are positive or exposed are isolating and quarantining must continue. Businesses and employers must do their part and alert the department to outbreaks at their work sites.

Collaboration: Collaborating across all sectors and government is imperative to ensure clear messages to the public, uninterrupted supply chains for testing supplies and personal protective equipment, and unity in strategies for re-opening with as much safety as possible.

Ninety-two percent of people who died from COViD-19 had underlying health conditions.

Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 4,133 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 48% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 25% among White residents, 15% among Asian residents, 11% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific islander residents and 1% among residents iden-

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v. accountability culture: Unpacking recent racist encounters against Filipinos in the US

by Klarize

Medenilla AJPress

Like so many pet owners, Filipino American Alex De Ocampo takes his dogs on a regular route in his neighborhood.

The neighborhood in question, Mount Washington, is a microcosm of Los Angeles: left-leaning, socially progressive and, most importantly, gentrified. As a resident for the last decade, the Los Angeles native considers the inclusive, artsy neighborhood his home.

On Wednesday, July 22, De Ocampo took his dogs down the familiar dirt road like any other morning in the neighborhood in which he’s lived for seven years.

But it was anything but ordinary.

De Ocampo, a voting rights activist in Los Angeles, told the Asian Journal that while walking, he saw a woman complaining to sanitation workers who were collecting trash about bullet casings that she allegedly found in a neighborhood trash can.

“She literally stopped in front of their truck and went over to them while not wearing a mask and started loudly talking about these bullet casings that had been left and that ‘colored people’ had left,” De Ocampo said.

De Ocampo said that he was shocked by the woman’s usage of the word “colored” — a loaded blanket term with historical divisive connotations that’s often used to denigrate brown folks — and pulled out his phone to film this woman’s behavior.

Like so many folks who’ve recorded recent incidents with white and white-passing people, de Ocampo wanted to film this interaction because “this is not right, what she’s saying.” But before he could start filming, the woman began to approach de Ocampo and told him, “‘Hey you, colored person. There’s a lot of you colored people coming in this neighborhood causing problems.’” “i felt like i was in the Twilight Zone, like, is this really happening to me right now? She just called me a colored person so i started filming because it was getting weird and she was getting close to me,” he said.

De Ocampo then began filming which caused the woman to put her mask on and she began asking him a variety of questions: “Who are you? Where do you live? Do you live here?” (The video is available to view on De Ocampo’s instagram.)

Historically, Mount Washington was known as an artists’ hub, the Laurel Canyon of Northeast Los Angeles. Over the last few decades, gentrification has made Mount Washington among the more affluent neighborhoods in Los Angeles, but its reputation as a liberal haven remained.

Black Lives Matters signs and pro-immigrant slogans are peppered throughout the neighbor-

hood of charming mid-century bungalows that line the winding roads; famously, former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has resided there since his mayorship.

But, increasingly, more and more these types of incidents — ranging from microaggressions to blatant verbal abuse to physical attacks — have been occurring in the famously blue state of California.

De Ocampo noted that this kind of behavior (and worse) is more common to other areas of the country that have more complicated histories of racism. As Californians, especially Angelenos, he said that it’s easy to think “oh, it’s not gonna happen to me, but you don’t realize that it can happen anywhere to anyone. it happened in my own neighborhood and it was technically one of my neighbors. That’s where it was jarring for me.” (De Ocampo mentioned that after the encounter, he saw her go into her home which is not far from his own in the neighborhood.)

More than 800 hate incidents against the Asian community have been reported by the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Committee (A3PCON) since the middle of March, as the Asian Journal previously reported.

Anti-Asian sentiments are on the rise as the COViD-19 crisis, which started in China, continues to disrupt the entire world.

Filipinos, in particular, have been targeted in racist and xenophobic attacks, many of which were filmed and went viral on social media. Most recently, a family in Carmel Valley was harassed by a white man — who turned out to be a CeO in the tech space — who hurled unwarranted racist expletives at a family that was celebrating a birthday.

But many of the incidents were catalyzed by women. The generic catch-all name “karen” has been used to describe these assailants: white or white passing women who go out of their way to bother people of color.

These so-called karens have gone viral all across California from Oceanside, Torrance and Los Angeles to San Francisco and the Bay Area.

But the umbrella term of “karen” — a humorous caricature of a specific brand of white (or white-passing) entitlement, a selfish individual expressing no empathy and often self-victimizes — can negate the severity of these seemingly low-risk incidents.

While a majority of the recorded and reported harassment against Filipinos are mainly relegated to verbal abuse and microaggressions, the emotional and psychological impact of being called colored or told to leave the country is significant. “it made me feel like i was a stranger in my own community,” De Ocampo said of his experi-

ence on Wednesday. “it cuts you,” he continued. “i don’t care how strong you are as a person and how well you know that words don’t hurt, but it does. i was in this moment, this place and then she sees me and places this judgment and suddenly this is who you are in this moment: you’re just this colored person. [it was as if she was saying,] ‘You’re below me.’ it was a really tough situation in that sense.” even amid the anti-Asian incidents that are being captured and spread throughout social media, there’s still skepticism within the Filipino community over whether or not racism still exists, especially racism targeting Filipinos.

Historically, Filipinos were among the targeted groups by racist policies, lawmakers and civilians but in the 21st century — in what people falsely call post-racial America — Filipinos are still a community of color subject to racist attacks of varying degrees.

As previously written in the Asian Journal, Filipinos have a tendency to follow the model minority myth common among Asian American cultures, this idea that full assimilation with white America is the way to get ahead.

“Filipinos who think that racism isn’t going to impact them or their careers or anyway that they live have to really take a step back and really think about that,” De Ocampo said, noting the invention of smartphones as a way to accelerate public awareness. “in this current time, we are being made targets of microaggressions and racist rants and we have seen it.”

The civil unrest that has fomented following the reigniting of the Black Lives Matter has kickstarted what critics call “cancel culture,” the act of exposing individuals for indecent, harmful or bigoted misconduct and swiftly getting them fired from their jobs. Others like to call it “accountability culture” that ensures consequences are served to these aggressors.

Semantics aside, “cancelling” someone isn’t the true answer.

For De Ocampo, the situation is much more complicated than simply exposing or doxxing someone for being racist. “i have some apprehension on that because i feel like we should have a dialogue with individuals that have done these things and not be completely punitive,” De Ocampo said in response to whether or not he’d like to see the woman in the video face consequences.

“She knew what she did was wrong. i haven’t made any decisions, but i think that there needs to be this balance that she needs to really realize what she did was hurtful and to possibly have a dialogue to figure out a way to heal,” De Ocampo said. n

No new applications for DACA will be accepted...

PAGE A1

Maryland ruled that the Trump administration must restore DACA to “pre-September 5, 2017 status” after new applications weren’t being accepted after the high court’s ruling.

Former President Barack Obama announced the executive order in June 2012, which has shielded approximately 800,000 undocumented immigrants, called “Dreamers,” who arrived in the U.S. as children from deportation. They must have arrived in the U.S. before the age of 16 and be under the age of 30 when the DHS implemented the policy that year.

Aside from being able to stay in the U.S., recipients, who could renew every two years, were able to work legally which

allowed many to pursue higher education and pursue other career goals. in 2017, President Donald Trump first moved to end the program, arguing that Obama overstepped his authority in introducing the policy. “i do not favor punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents. But we must also recognize that we are nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws,” Trump said in an announcement back then and called on Congress to address the immigration issues.

At least 16,000 DACA recipients are of Asian American or Pacific islander (AAPi) descent, civil rights organization Asian Americans Advancing Justice

said.

Between 2012 and 2017, 3,880 Filipinos were granted DACA protection, according to the U.S. Citizenship and immigration Services (USCiS), as previously reported by the Asian Journal.

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, Filipino Dreamers argued that the fight is not over until there is a legal pathway for them to become citizens.

“We will continue to fight until DACA recipients like me have a permanent pathway to citizenship,” Raymond Portolan, a Filipino Dreamer living in Atlanta, Georgia, previously told the Asian Journal. “We dodged a bullet, but DACA was and always will be a temporary solution to a greater issue.” n

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Dateline USa

SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • JULY 29-31, 2020

Dateline PhiliPPines

A

Gordon warning: PH faces international PDEA supports lethal injection only for big-time drug lords shame if it opts out of treaty vs death penalty said, noting that convicted highprofile inmates have found ways to give orders to people involved MANILA — The Philippine in the illegal drug trade.

The PDEA chief said drug proDrug Enforcement Agency backed President Rodrigo tectors and coddlers who were Duterte’s renewed push for the found guilty of manufacturing, re-imposition of death penalty trafficking and pushing of illeby lethal injection but only for gal drugs should be covered by death penalty. big-time drug traffickers.

“Tougher penalties will send In his fifth State of the Nation Address Tuesday, July 28, a clear message and force them Duterte called on Congress— to have second thoughts before which is dominated by his al- smuggling and trafficking illelies—to reinstate death pen- gal drugs,” he said.

Instead of reinstating capialty by lethal injection for drug tal punishment, the Commiscrimes.

PDEA Director General Wilkins sion on Human Rights said the Villanueva said the absence of country needs to implement a death penalty enabled drug ped- comprehensive approach in Inquirer.net photo dlers to continue their illegal ac- addressing the drug menace, which is “anchored on restorWhy are we not making the justice tivities even in detention.

“Execution by lethal injection ative justice instead of merely system work?” he said.

In Filipino, he said the reason is for big-time drug traffick- imposing punishments without reviving death penalty worries ers and not for the street-level regard for human lives and huhim is the practice by law enforc- pushers. I strongly suggest that man rights.”

Sotto: Isolating drug lords beters of planting evidence. “You just seized drugs weighing one kiput drugs there, you plant it. How logram or more should be the ter than restoring death penalty Similar to Villanueva, Sendoes it go?” he said. “That’s what threshold amount,” Villanueva worries me,” he said in Filipino.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III earlier said the return of capital punishment in the country would have a “better chance” in the upper chamber should it apply only to high-level drug trafficking.

Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, an unflinching ally of Duterte, said he was happy that the President made a new plea for death penalty’s return.

Duterte’s call for the revival of the death penalty will “boost” its chances of approval in Congress, said Dela Rosa, Duterte’s first national police chief and architect of the infamous Oplan Tokhang which is being blamed for hundreds of extrajudicial killings. n

by Gaea

by Christia

Marie Inquirer.net

raMos

MANILA—The Philippines risks falling in disgrace if the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte decided to opt out of an international treaty, ratified by the Philippine Senate, which bars signatory countries from imposing the death penalty.

Sen. Richard Gordon made this warning on Tuesday, July 28 following Duterte’s renewed push for the revival of capital punishment, which had been abolished in the Philippines in 2006.

Gordon, chair of the Senate justice committee, said reviving the death penalty would not be easy since the Philippines is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the 2nd Optional Protocol.

“There is an international agreement which we signed, the 2nd Optional Protocol,” said Gordon at an online interview.

“All countries who signed it cannot issue the death penalty and that is ratified by the Senate,” he said.

“So that cannot be easily done,” Gordon added in Filipino, referring to the push for the death penalty.

During his penultimate State of the Nation Address on Monday, Duterte called anew for the reimposition of capital punishment for crimes involving illegal drugs.

“I reiterate the swift passage of the law reviving the death penalty by lethal injection for crimes specified under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002,” the President had said.

Sen. Richard Gordon

Asked if he thought the administration would opt to pull out from the treaty to clear the way for the revival of the death penalty, similar to the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute, Gordon said “constitutional issues” would be raised if the President chose to do so.

“There will be a constitutional issue there because this was ratified,” said Gordon. “We will earn international opprobrium unfairly to our people,” he said, referring to another word for disgrace.

Duterte has long been pushing for the reimposition of the death penalty, saying it would be a deterrent to crimes involving illegal drugs.

But Gordon said he believes otherwise.

“My position has always been clear, I don’t think the death penalty works,” he said.

“I don’t think it will be a deterrent. Especially because the public must see the justice system work.

LA County records 51 new deaths, 2,708 new...

PAGE A1 tifying with other races. Upon further investigation, 94 cases reported earlier were not LA County residents.

It’s important if someone thinks they could be positive for COVID-19 and are awaiting testing results, to stay at home and isolate until they receive results . If the results are positive, infected people need to self-isolate for 10 days and 24 hours after symptoms and fever sub-

side. If a person tests positive for COVID-19, they should plan on receiving a call from a public health specialist to discuss how to protect themselves and others, to find out where they may have been, and who they were in close contact with while infectious.

Public Health has a dedicated call line for confirmed cases of COVID-19. If you are positive for COVID-19 and have not yet connected with a public health

specialist or need more information on services, call toll-free at 1-833-540-0473. Residents who do not have COVID-19 should continue to call 211 for resources or more information.

If someone receives a negative test result, they must continue to take every precaution to avoid contracting the virus or spreading the virus to others. A negative test result indicates only that a person wasn’t positive at the time they were tested. n

Katreena Philstar.com

CabiCo

ate President Vicente Sotto III said he will support death penalty but only if it zeroes in on high-level drug traffickers. But he stressed that isolating bigtime drug traffickers is a better option than reviving death penalty Sotto filed a bill a bill seeking to establish regional penitentiaries where drug lords can be transferred from the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa.

“Remove them, the high-level drug traffickers, from national penitentiary and proceed with regional rehabilitation or penitentiaries and confine these guys in a separate establishment or penitentiary,” the Senate president said.

“It’s similar to death penalty because they are isolated and it will have the same effect,” he added.

Death penalty was abolished in the Philippines in 1987. It was reintroduced six years later and then outlawed again in 2006. n

A JuLY 29-31, 2020 • SoCal ASIAN JOuRNAL

Editorial THaT was a long to-do list presented by President Duterte yesterday as the 18th Congress opened its second regular session. in a reminder of the raging pandemic, physical attendance at his penultimate State of the nation address was drastically limited, with fewer than 30 lawmakers present. as expected, addressing the public health and economic crisis spawned by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic dominated the priority measures enumerated by the President, with the exception of the renewed push for the restoration of the death penalty

To-do list for Congress

through lethal injection for drug offenses.

Congress has a lot on its plate. in addition to the often contentious deliberations on the next national budget, it is expected to pass the second edition of the Bayanihan to Heal as One act.

For the economic stimulus package, it must discuss CREaTE and FiST – acronyms for providing tax incentives and other forms of assistance so companies, financial institutions and distressed enterprises can recover from the pandemic. in addition, the President is asking Congress to create new departments for overseas Fili-

pino workers and for disaster resiliency, as well as a national Disease Management authority and the Boracay island authority. He also reminded lawmakers of the long pending national Land Use bill. also in the to-do list for Congress are measures on national housing development and rental housing subsidy. The President also wants to institutionalize the Medical Reserve Corps, establish a Coconut Farmers Trust Fund, modernize the Bureau of immigration and Bureau of Fire Protection, and amend the 2016 law on continuing professional development.

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With his new emphasis on paperless governance, the President wants Congress to pass the internet Transaction act. He is also pushing for the advanced nursing Education act, the Uniformed Military and Uniformed Services Personnel Separation, Retirement and Pension act as well as the Rural agricultural and Fisheries Development Financing Systems act.

That’s a lot of legislation ahead, even for measures that are not expected to be as contentious as the budget bill and the revival of capital punishment. Congress must hit the ground running.

(Philstar.com)

Philstar.com photo

What US President Donald Trump can learn from Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s 5th State of the Nation Address in the age of coronavirus

The Fil-Am Perspective GEl SantoS-rEloS FiLiPinOS all over the world can’t help but compare and contrast U.S. President Donald Trump and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. For many of us Filipinos in america, their similarities in terms of their leadership style, the image they want to project, the rhetoric, their relationship with the international community, the laws championed, facts and the truth have left us feeling exasperated especially during the age of the coronavirus pandemic. after all, we call both countries our home — our Motherland and our adoptive country, the United States of america.

BUT let us be more specific in our comparison in the context of the 5th State of the nation address or “Ulat ng Bayan.” Just like the “State of the Union address” (SOTU) here in america, citizens look to the speech from the president as his statement of accountability to the people and the nation.

We expect our leaders to give us the truth of where we are as a nation, where we are going, and how to get there, especially in the context of the promises delivered when they were just running for office, courting the nation to accord them the public trust to run the government as its Chief Executive and Commander in Chief.

Let’s go straight to the point on the issue of the coronavirus pandemic. One thing that Trump can learn from Duterte amid the threat of COViD-19 is to prioritize the life, safety and well-being of the people

more than political and personal selfish interests.

“To open up the economy to pre-COViD-19 levels at this time is not an option because whatever good it can produce will only be gobbled up or be outweighed by the bad it will generate,” Duterte said in his SOna. “Buhay muna bago lahat” [Life first, above all others].

Duterte laid it out that the global war against COViD-19 will take longer than expected. The Philippine president also took responsibility for the failure of his administration to mitigate the spread of the virus early in the battle. “i must admit that our actions have been far from perfect — totoo iyan, i admit it. There could be improvements here or there, but all of us in government, including myself, assure you that we will not stop until we get things right and better for you,” he confessed.

This is something we never heard from the President of the United States. Donald Trump has never taken responsibility for his administration’s failure to act proactively despite facts, information and warning from his own intelligence agencies and the World Health Organization, but instead shifted the blame to everyone else but himself, even up to now. as the coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 4.4 million americans, killing over 151 thousand people, and continues on an uptick, Trump continues to push states to re-open the economy and students to go back to school.

Worse, the Trump administration threatens to withhold additional funding for schools that

refuse to re-open and cut unemployment benefits for those who refuse to go back to work amid the threat to their life because of the pandemic.

We know that moving closer to the november elections, the intention of Trump is to create an impression that we are back to normal, that the economy is booming, the number of jobless americans are down, that the stock market indices are going up — all of these in the service of his bid to be re-elected no matter what the cost, even if it means the lives of the american people he has sworn to protect and defend.

Trump continues to deny scientific facts, disregard advice from and even denigrate health officials and scientists, defy safety measures such as social distancing, wearing mask, push people to go back to work and children to go back to school just because of his tunnel vision that sees only one thing: to be re-elected. and because his focus is off tangent to the safety and wellbeing of the people, Trump has failed up to now, to manufacture and distribute more PPEs (personal protective equipment) most needed especially by our frontlines in the hospitals. iCU beds in many hotspots have been filled above capacity.

Testing is still not as wide scale, not as available as it should be, yet he continues to lie to the american people that we do the most testing, better than Europe, without breaking down to the number of tests per capita - number of tests done per million of america, not in general absolute terms.

Our‘utang na loob’to Rep. John Lewis

Commentary

EnriquE

OpiniOn & Features

dE la Cruz

Engaging in a conversation about the current fight against racism, discrimination, and police brutality is most likely a difficult conversation among Filipino families. There is a reticence among Filipino americans who were born and educated in the islands, to participate in militant political activities such as protests here in the United States although they might be more open to it in the Philippines.

During the 1970s and 1980s when i was actively organizing protests here against the Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines, i had always wondered how i could bridge through this reticence for it was obvious that they disapproved of Marcos’ abuses of power. in part, some of them feared retaliation against their families back home. But a better part of their reticence seems to derive from a sense of hiya, a trait or value that expresses a sense of demure shyness and humility tied to a collective sense of duty. [note: there are stronger senses of this term, as in “walang hiya” shameless. also, nakakahiya, shameful, while mahiyain suggests demure shyness.]

There is no exact Western translation for this value. Hiya seems to be at the core of this reticence to participate in protest activities, since it may be perceived as ingratitude to our host country.

Hiya is at the base of that instinctive reaction among parents who caution their children especially

their american born children to desist from getting involved in protest activities. To be sure, there is a concern for their safety, but for immigrant parents, this is layered with a sense of “hiya” that as immigrants, we cannot be actively involved in social disruptions in this our adopted country.

To do so would somehow signify our dissatisfaction with the economic benefits and freedoms, that we have enjoyed by being here — liberties and benefits that we would not otherwise have, if we remained the Philippines.

But there is another social value among Filipinos that should override this sense of hiya. This is the value expressed by the phrase, utang na loob. it acknowledges a sense of debt, or indebtedness, which is non-monetary, but a debt none-the-less, possibly for social favors extended one’s way in the past. Utang na loob requires that the favor be reciprocated, or at least paid forward. it is precisely because of the liberties and benefits that we have enjoyed by being in america that we have a debt, an utang na loob to support the present fight against racism, discrimination, and police brutality. in an earlier essay, i mentioned that our ability to gain access to elite educational institutions and jobs commensurate to our education most likely derived from federally mandated affirmative action programs and the Civil Rights act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination based on national origin (as well as discrimination based on race, gender, and religion). The fact that we can purchase homes in neighborhoods that we can afford, derives

directly from the liberty guaranteed by the Fair Housing act of 1968. The immigration Reform act of 1965 overturned the Tydings–McDuffie act, which limited immigration from the Philippines to no more than 50 a year, and enabled Filipinos to immigrate in much more significant numbers; it enabled those who became U.S. citizens to sponsor family members under its family reunification provisions. all these laws have enabled us to immigrate and establish large and prosperous Filipino american communities. Today we number over 4.1 million according to 2018 census estimates.

But all these did not come for free. The landmark civil rights legislation of the 1960s, was purchased with blood and struggle led by african americans. Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis along with thousands of african americans put themselves in harm’s way to open a space for liberties and benefits which communities of color live under today.

But because of white supremacist beliefs, and a culture of white privilege, american society continued to begrudge african americans (and native americans) equality and the civil liberties that were grudgingly extended to immigrants from asia. asians appear to have been able to position themselves in that liminal space between white privilege and racism.

Unlike asians, Blacks have always been seen on the other side of this boundary, defined by their skin color, and their history as former slaves.

The Civil Rights act of 1960 sought to erase this boundary by forbidding discrimination based

What a shame! The United States of america — the richest and the most powerful nation in the world — seems to be so powerless in arming the nation with the battle gear we need to defeat the virus. Why? Because our president’s focus is on defeating his political enemies more than COViD-19! and so, i think Duterte’s admission of culpability is a step to the right direction, which hopefully will help re-calibrate his approach in the fight against the pandemic. as Duterte delivered his SOna, the virus has infected an additional 1,657 people, which according to the Department of Health, has brought the case count to 82,040, killing 1,945. While some 26,446 patients recovered, the number of those whose lives will be taken because of the pandemic will continue to grow.

My mother, siblings, in-laws and the rest of our families still live in the Philippines and they just share how stricter the safety measures have been there compared to what we have here in the United States. as economically disadvantaged as the Philippines may be compared to the United States, Duterte did not yield in to pressure from the business community to open immediately, unlike Trump.

Though the draconian measure has been unpopular, the enhanced quarantine rules were implemented with the goal of slowing down the spread of the virus by making people stay at home as much as possible. Per household, only a few are given a “pass” to go out to buy groceries, medicine, and

other essential tasks. and there is a schedule in a week when they can come out to do essential errands. Bawal ang pasaway. in contrast, Trump is even the one urging people to disobey safety measures implemented by local government officials, mocking those who follow, labeling conformity as a sign of weakness.

Duterte and the local government likewise focus on how to help the Filipino families survive this medical crisis, regularly giving away bags of groceries with rice, sardines, etc. while acknowledging in the SOna that there were issues with the distribution of cash aid to the poorest Filipinos. in the SOna, Duterte requested for rent and loan payment deferrals from property owners and banks; additional funding for micro, small, and medium enterprises; and skills training programs for thousands of overseas Filipino workers who returned home. in contrast, the Trump administration even petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to kill the affordable Care act — aka Obamacare — without offering an alternative after all these years. This move will scrap health care coverage for so many americans during the pandemic.

Lately, Trump’s minions in the Republican Senate are moving to cut the expiring $600 weekly federal unemployment bonus to $200 a week. This $200 flat benefit would last for about two months as states make the transition to a system that would grant unemployed people 70% of the

wages they made before they lost their jobs, nBC news reported.

The unemployment insurance benefits and the federal unemployment bonus all go to the basic needs of poor hardworking american families who could not find jobs with living wages especially during the pandemic. The money that they get from the government is the money they already earned and contributed toward their unemployment insurance. This, and the bonus all help stimulate the economy during these trying times.

Much is yet to be discussed when it comes to the Trump and Duterte administrations’ response to the need for more testing, contact tracing, and a bigger plan to prioritize health care in both countries, based on science and facts. i will leave the discussion in future articles.

For now, continue to speak up and speak out and tell your representatives in Congress about what really matters to you. america should continue to be the government of the people, by the people, for the people, but we all need to do our part to protect our health, safety, well-being, especially when this is not the primary goal of the current president of the United States of america. ***

on race, and famously recognizing their right to vote. Today, half century later we now recognize that it is one thing to legislatively prohibit discrimination, it is quite another, and much more challenging to eliminate the beliefs and attitudes at the foundation of white supremacy and white privilege. Even though abraham Lincoln decreed the abolition of slavery, the ideology that justified it, white supremacy, could not be rooted out, as it was able to hide behind the curtain of white privilege, a cultural remnant from america’s slave owning past. i call it racism lite.

The very public murder of george Floyd has torn a large hole in the curtain of white privilege. it reveals police abuse, with malice and impunity. it reveals that the confederate flag is the standard of white supremacists. it reveals that the monuments to confederate generals are meant to honor those that are willing to lay down their lives in order to preserve white supremacy. More importantly, it reveals the pervasiveness of white privilege, and how it protects white supremacists. in light of these protests, we are now seeing pushbacks from these individuals. a white couple from St. Louis threatened peaceful BLM marchers going through their neighborhood with guns and assault rifles (Washington Post); a Florida man murders 2 women who attended a george Floyd rally (Fox news); a heavily armed militia group made a public showing in Louisville (USa Today). george Floyd’s murder has sparked a protest movement that underscores persistent racial inequalities in today’s america. The present historical moment mirrors the struggles of the 1960s in the sense that the key issues remain

largely the same — as reflected by the recommendations of the 1968 Kerner Commission Report. But we have moved forward.

Participants in today’s protests are much more diverse, organizationally, individually, geographically, and demographically. The demographic composition of event participants ranges from the young to the elderly, from the many ethnic communities — people of color — to anglos. geographically, protest activities are no longer confined to black or minority neighborhoods. in Southern California, we see then held in Hollywood, and upscale cities like Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. neither is it confined to just major cities. Smaller towns across america, and countries around the world are echoing the demands of the Black Lives Matter movement. Media and entertainment personalities including corporate america have expressed sympathy and support.

The maker of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream has posted an unequivocal statement, at its website:“We Must Dismantle White Supremacy: Silence is not a Option.” This is unprecedented.

We are at an inflection point in america’s fight for a more perfect union, for equality — against racism and white supremacy. The passing of Congressman John Lewis, an icon of the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and 1960s, marks this historical inflection point. Congressman Lewis likes to tell the story of when he was growing up, his parents used to admonish him to not get involved in protest activities; they were share croppers, beholden to a white landlord. This is like hiya.

Filipino immigrant parents feel beholden for the economic oppor-

tunities that they enjoy in america, protesting smacks of ingratitude. Rather than just focus on the opportunity to work the land, John Lewis saw injustice and discrimination, and dedicated his life to that struggle. it is because of him, together with Martin Luther King, Jr., and thousands of african americans and their allies in the 1950s and 60s, that we, Filipino americans, reside in a space with economic opportunities and civil rights. Rather than hiya, we really owe. We have a huge utang na loob that we need to pay forward.

We cannot continue to rationalize our apathy, dahil sa nakakahiya.

We have a burden, an utang na loob from past civil rights struggles. We need to pay it forward by supporting the ongoing protests against racism and police brutality. in doing so, we pay tribute to the life and dedication of Congressman John Lewis.

How can we help: Educate ourselves on the issues: conversations with family and friends (socially distanced, of course, in a backyard would be perfect). Listen to Black voices to understand their perspective.

Donate: there are expenses for educational materials, leaflets, posters, and the like. Bail, for peaceful protesters who get arrested. Check out blacklivesmatter.com.

Peacefully protest or support protesters if you are able to do so (they need signs, leaflets, etc., drinking water, and even COViD19 masks). There are websites (blacklivesmatter.com, blmla.org) which provide information about these protests.

Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community.

You may contact her through email at gelrelos@ icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos.

••• Enrique de la Cruz is Professor Emeritus of Asian American Studies at Cal State University, Northridge.

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

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Fil-Am culture critic, author Jia Tolentino on the gifts and curses of the internet in the time of a pandemic, racial reckoning The renowned best-selling writer talks about her release “Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion� and how the COVID-19 crisis props up capitalist structures

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by

Klarize Medenilla / AJPress

- ITH the year more than halfway over, the maelstrom that is the year 2020 continues to impose an unabating state of dread underscored by confusion, anger and despair.

A year that began with the plausible fear of nuclear war with Iran to the awareness of a new mystery virus that catapulted a full-blown pandemic that has, unless you’re a penguin in Antarctica, turned the world upside down. With more than 150,000 people dead (and counting) from COVID-19 and the further politicization of the virus, which by its nature is apolitical, doesn’t show much hope for the future.

Civil unrest continues to ravage the United States following the re-emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement that has Americans across the country reconfiguring the ways in which systems and institutions slight people of color, especially Black Americans.

And, all of this is occurring in a generation obsessed with personal branding, a culture that espouses a very narrow view of wellness and success through algorithms and optimization: the corporatization of self-care, the

transparent way that capitalism has monetized “being yourself,� and an attention economy that pushes a toxic image of productivity.

These topics form the foundation of the popular New York Times bestseller, “Trick Mirror: Reflections of Self-Delusion,’’ by celebrated Filipina American writer and journalist Jia Tolentino of The New Yorker magazine, who last week embarked on a second book tour to celebrate the release of the paperback version of her debut book.

A voice of a generation, Tolentino’s book navigates and tries to make sense of the ways that systems of power exploit people’s insecurities — or, in more nefarious cases, procure such insecurities. And, to be a millennial or a Gen Z-er in 2020 is to be a case study of a digitized world that seeks to prop up more and more funhouse mirrors that further distort the self into oblivion.

And during a global pandemic that has people depressed, angry, confused and frustrated while quarantining in their homes, it is perhaps the most opportune moment for this distortion to reach unprecedented levels of influence. “One of the things that is really important for people that were sort of raised on the internet, whose industries are being shaped by the internet and people who could use the internet para-professionally is separating the internet’s incentives from your own,� Tolentino explains in a virtual interview with Rabbi Aaron Potek of the Washington, D.C. synagogue Sixth & I on Monday, July 20. “Trick Mirror,� which was released in August 2019, comprises nine sweeping essays that intertwine relevant critique of these deeply rooted cultural issues (and the ways they con people into delusion) and Tolentino’s personal life and her upbringing as the daughter of

Filipino immigrants in Houston, Texas.

The densely-packed book remains a modern Bible, a thought-provoking salve to the confusion many felt after the 2016 election for an entire generation that grew up in a world rocked by war, financial crises

Author and writer Jia Tolentino and her best-selling book, “Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self Delusion.� (inset) Photo by Elena Mudd / courtesy of Penguin Random House

and surveillance capitalism.

But the point was never to categorically answer questions because, as Tolentino points out, that’s almost impossible.

Particularly, the point isn’t to denigrate the emergence of the internet and social media. The first chapter of “Trick Mirror,�

called “The I in Internet,� is a sweeping critique of how the modern computer became a vehicle for nefarious business practices and for people to present a particular brand of themselves.

The internet’s incentives, ToContinued on Page 2

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T h e A s ian Jour nal MDW K M A G A Z I NE - J ul y 29, 20 2 0

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‘Wowowin’ co-host Donita Nose tests positive for COVID-19

By Jan

Milo Severo Philstar.com

KAPUSO TV host Donita Nose, real name Ogie Solano, was the latest victim of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the entertainment industry.

According to a “24 Oras” report, the “Wowowin” co-host is said to have expected the disease after having diarrhea, cough and fever in the past week.

“Actually, kinakaya ko pa ‘yung one week na may fever, may ubo, pero kaninang umaga, paggising ko, may slight na akong hirap sa paghinga… Sabi ko, parang hindi na maganda,” Donita said.

“Parang nakita ko lahat ’yung mga symptoms ng COVID is parang nandoon siya,” the singer added.

“Mag-isa akong lumalaban dito ngayon, as in wala akong kasama, magsi-CR ako, ako lang.”

Donita said that although alone at battling the virus, the comedian knows that many are praying for recovery.

“Sabi ko nga kahit mag-isa lang ako dito, I know hindi ako nag-iisa, sa mga dasal, sa lahat.

Kasi alam kong maraming nagmamahal sa akin.”

‘Wowowin’ co-host Donita Nose

Donita advised COVID-19 patients to not be ashamed to come out because it is for their own good.

“Ang hirap kasi nang susunduin ka ng ambulansya sa bahay niyo, tapos pagtitinginan ka ng mga kapitbahay mo. Sinundo ka ng may naka-PPE. Alam na nila ‘yun. Pero huwag kayo mahiya, kasi hindi naman ito nakakahiyang sakit, e. Hindi natin gusto ‘to. Walang may gusto nito.

Talagang kung tatamaan ka, tatamaan ka.”

Donita also asked fellow Filipinos to not take the virus for granted because although careful not to get it, the comedian still ended up being positive for

COVID-19.

“Huwag niyo gawing biro ‘yung paglabas-labas. Kahit sa mall, kahit malalayo sila, huwag talaga. Kasi ako, alam ko ‘yung mga precautions na kailangan gawin — malayo ako sa mga tao, pero ito, tinamaan. Ang hirap. Doble ingat kayo talaga.

Kung hindi niyo naman kailangan lumabas at mag-mall, huwag na talaga. Huwag na. Huwag niyo nang hintayin na maranasan niyo ‘yung nararasan dito ng mga pasyente.”

Donita was the latest to suffer from the disease in local showbiz, after Michael V., Sylvia Sanchez, Iza Calzado and Christopher de Leon.

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By ratziel

San Juan Philstar.com

KAPAMILYA performer AC Bonifacio on Tuesday, July 28 was recognized as the second prize winner of K-pop girl group Blackpink’s official dance cover contest for their song “How You Like That?”

The dancer immediately trended afterward, with fans saying “Congrats AC” for her achievement.

“IDK WHAT TO DO THE WHOLE TEAM AND I ARE TOGETHER CRYING IDK WHAT TO DO WAIT WAIT WAIT,” AC reacted to the good news in an Instagram story.

Scene from AC Bonifacio’s “How You Like That?” dance cover.

The 17-year-old’s winning Photo screengrabbed from Youtube/AC Bonifacio solo dance cover posted at now has over three million the beginning of the month YouTube views.

Why Pokwang shed tears those behind the show have begun the Zoom conference when Ria “zoomed” in, catching Pokwang by surprise. Ria is IS there life after the a bona fide Kapamilya (a Star “demise” of the Kapamilya franchise? Oh yes, there is, and Magic talent) and Pokwang has remained a Kapamilya at heart Pokwang is proving it. even if her ABS-CBN contract “Salamat may trabaho na has expired. tayo,” Pokwang greeted Ria Produced by Antonio “Mr. Atayde during the virtual story T” Tuviera’s company, Rise and conference for Rise and Shine Shine is a feel-good daily mornwhich they will co-host with ing show set to premiere next Pauleen Luna-Sotto on the month. The show will be aired Kapatid Network TV5. from the network’s Reliance Usually seen bursting with Studio where strict protocols comedic laughter, Pokwang will be observed. broke into tears during that The show’s PR girl told storycon and no director was Funfare, “There will be color around to shout “Cut!” It was coding inside the studio...yelfor real.

Marietta Subong in real life, low and red lines for the hosts, and black and white lines for Pokwang is turning 50 on Aug. the director and cameramen.

27 and she’s the bread winner of her growing family with Malia There won’t be crossing of the lines, and physical distancing Francine (born January 2018), her daughter with American ac- will be enforced. Everybody must wear PPEs (face mask, tor Lee O’Brian, as the youngface shield and medical gowns, est. Like most actors, Pokwang etc.) including the make-up was rendered jobless by COVID-19 and earned her keep artists who, unlike before the pandemic, are not allowed to by selling a kind of sauce that leave the make-up room.” she had created. Even in crisis, Will Pokwang and Ria usher the kind-hearted comedienne into TV5 other “jobless” Kamanaged to distribute food pamilya stars? (bread, noodles, etc.) among Well, why not? the frontliners near her place in The good news is that the Antipolo City. That’s why she shed tears of joy (and gratitude) Kapatid Network is opening its arms to them. In a STAR report when she learned that her TV5 (July 20, 2020, TV5 may absorb show was officially confirmed. displaced ABS-CBN talents), Pokwang, Pauleen and

By Ricky

Lo

Philstar.com

“Trick Mirror” is now available in paperback version.

Photo courtesy of Jia Tolentino/Instagram

Fil-Am culture critic, author...

From Page 1 lentino says, are “to make us feel as if it’s normal to self-broadcast to an audience that is hypothetically increasing indefinitely until the end of time” and that the top most influential properties on the internet “want us to use it compulsively and wants us to feel superior to other people and wants us inferior enough that we get more addicted that way.”

Tolentino points out that in her writing and reporting of the internet, “I have tended towards the critique because the utility side is so obvious.”

She continues, “It’s magic and really parts of it are incredibly wonderful and especially now during the protests, the whole world is changed because of the way that videos of police brutality were all over the internet and completely unavoidable in a way that has really changed the conversation and the whole discourse around policing and racism in a way that’s really incredible.”

In-community discourse on racism, many of which wouldn’t have occurred without the internet, Tolentino says, is also one of the things that have sparked from the protests and the movements for police abolition.

Anti-Blackness within the Asian

Photo from Instagram/@donitanose

American community, on which the Asian Journal has previously reported, is pervasive and relevant to nearly every Asian community in the United States.

Understanding what it means to be Asian American, however, is the first step to unpacking the community’s (and the specific cultures that exist within that broad term), tenuous race relations, especially with the Black community.

“One of the most salient parts of being Asian American is that knowing you’re kind of an invented group identity and, for me, learning that I could benefit from the same systems that were punishing me at the same time,” Tolentino says, pointing out the radical origins of the term “Asian American,” which was first documented in 1968 by a coalition of Asian American college as a response to the labor strikes and civil rights battles of that time.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it more difficult to engage within the community in a meaningful way, but understanding the origins of Asian American solidarity movements and the history of Asians in the United States is a start, Tolentino says.

Many Asian Americans today are grappling with the desire to stand in solidarity with Black Americans who are calling for

systemic change while also fighting for their own respects in a time when anti-Asian sentiments are also rampant due to the false association between the COVID-19 virus and the Asian community.

As Tolentino writes in her book, social media has perfected the ways it encourages people into adopting hasty, fallacious ways of thinking, that more than one thing can be true at once: Black Americans are being slighted in ways that the Asian community is not, and the Asian community is also facing its respective slights, Tolentino shares.

“I find a lot of grounding in just the actual history of how you know this term of Asian American was meant to be a radical term and it still can be, especially for young people,” Tolentino offers. “It feels like that this is a weird position on the bullshit racial hierarchy of the United States where you have an advantage that you can use on other people’s behalf, but it doesn’t mean you have to ignore whatever you face in your own life.”

“There’s such a long tradition of Asian solidarity within the civil rights movement that now it’s the time for our own version of that,” she remarks.

Pauleen, Pokwang and Ria promise feel-good mornings in their new show.

chairman Manny V. Pangilinan/ MVP announced that the network would need more people as it beefs up its entertainment content creation.

“We are revving up our entertainment content creation and will need creatives, talents, directors, scriptwriters, cameraman, etc.,” said MVP. “If they are willing and able to work with us, we’re prepared to offer alternative jobs for the relevant displaced workers over time.”

If ever, a big move from Bohol Avenue to Reliance in Mandaluyong City will duplicate the “exodus” of big stars to TV5 years ago, lured by astronomical TFs (talent fees), but only for the “prodigals” to troop back to Bohol Avenue.

This time, however, I doubt if TV5 will offer a similar “bait.”

The bottom line is, as Pokwang aptly put it, “Salamat may trabaho na tayo.”

By the way, aside from Mr. T, also producing shows for TV5 is former Negros Occicental Congressman Albee Benitez who is consulting a top talent coordinator for suggestions.

Albee is the builder of the theme park Magikland in Silay City (near Bacolod City) and the producer of Magikland The Movie which is an official entry in the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) in December.

Photo courtesy of TV5

Angel in the spotlight Vail Kabristante ManilaTImes.net

entertainment

By GeorGe

AFTER the irrevocable shutdown of ABS-CBN, exDarna Angel Locsin is taking it upon herself to vigorously lead a noise barrage around the streets of South Triangle, Quezon City.

This is seen against the backdrop of the fabled towering network that had seen better days and now looming largely in ghostly silence.

Pictures from said barrage show Angel and her empathizers clearly violating pandemic protocols. Invoking tolerance, the national police has so far been friendly and minimizes their movements about the place.

To be frank, not a few souls have expressed full respect and admiration for Angel to have led the noise barrage almost singlehandedly, while her big boss Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez 3rd has left them in a huff for America probably healing himself now from the ignominious hubris of his own making foisted on him by an overwhelming vote of 70 Congressmen who were in favor of his network’s closure.

The charismatic actress, however, is positively getting the moral support of other remaining bosses like the humbled Cory Vidanes and Carlo Katigbak, the network’s President and CEO, who to the last day at the inquisition has remained satisfyingly cool, and dignified knowing fully well the alleged and accumulated violations thrown his way were inordinately committed several decades back.

This was even long before

T h e As ian Jou r n al MDWK MAGAZ IN E - Ju l y 2 9 , 2 0 2 0

Ogie dismisses fake news about his ‘death’

By Katrina

Hallare Inquirer.net

Angel Locsin

Katigbak took over the same position in 2016 from Charo Santos-Concio who held the same post previously for five years since 2012. Offhand, it was short of a calculated move for Charo to retire and make a clean breast of the company’s alleged deceitful maneuverings, albeit she’s not totally off the hook yet considering that a massive investigation is underway.

It is such a pity Angel cannot get the active and full support of other high-profile talents in her league despite her innuendos on social media for them to speak up. What she gets in return are unsavory remarks from some of them.

The would-be Darna Jane

SINGER and actor Ogie Alcasid over the weekend dismissed an online article which stated that he was found dead inside his vehicle.

“Pls do not believe this. It is fake news,” the singer-songwriter said in an Instagram post on Sunday, as he shared a screenshot of the article. “[I] did not want to show the name of the person who posted it but [I] just want to inform everyone that [I] am ok,” he assured his fans and followers. “Magmahalan naman po tayo (Let’s love each other).”

Alcasid’s wife, “Asia’s Songbird” Regine Velasquez, likewise Photo from Instagram/@therealangellocsin thumbed down the bogus news item.

De Leon and Toni Gonzaga “Bakit naman kailangan have lashed back at her on gumawa ng ganitong balita?” social media, saying far from Velasquez said in a separate being indifferent to her cause Instagram post. they have their own personal “Alam namin at [tanggap] reasons to keep silent, adding na namin na parti na ng aming the protocols of the prevailing buhay ang pagusapan kami pandemic have virtually limited mahirap pero kasama talaga ito anyone’s mobility. Meanwhile, sa trabaho namin.”

Coco Martin has deactivated his (Why do people need to social media account and since start this kind of news? We then has remained incognito. know and have accepted that Despite some embarrassthis is a part of our lives, for us ing flaks Angel is getting, the to the subject of rumors, this is charismatic pied piper in her is hard for us when it comes to our determined to bring her noise jobs.) barrage to the halls of Congress “May pamilya po kaming in time for the SONA. maaaring mag alala kung ito ay As the line of a Broadway mabasa nila. Kaya pakiusap po musical “Hello Dolly” goes, wag naman,” she added.

“Damn the torpedoes! Full (We have families who may speed ahead!” start to worry if they read this.

Fear, uncertainty take a toll on Vice Ganda’s performance

that good,” Vice said. “I had to acknowledge, first, that I wasn’t happy.”

WHILE the planned third And he wasn’t the only one installment of Vice Ganda’s in the same mood. That’s why hit movie franchise “Praybeyt he tries his best to cheer on Benjamin” has already been his cohosts. “I felt we needed announced as one of the to reset. Before we resumed entries in this year’s Metro airing, I urged everyone to Manila Film Festival (MMFF), just let it all out—cry what we the comedian himself is unsure wanted to cry about, shout when or how shooting can to our hearts’ content, vent take place amid the COVID-19 our anger. But after that, we Ogie Alcasid Photo from Instagram/@ogiealcasid pandemic. should regain our focus,” he To be produced by Star related.

Cinema and Viva Films, Though he’s thankful that “Praybeyt 3” is among the “It’s Showtime” continues to first four entries to make it to air, doing the program without this year’s MMFF roster based a live audience simply isn’t the on the merit of their scripts. same.

“I don’t know how we will be “I miss the energy of the able to shoot,” the 44-year-old ‘Madlang People,’ our crowd.

Kapamilya star admitted. “But The fun simply isn’t the same.

Vice Ganda the bosses told us that they’ll Sobrang layo. I miss the kulitan Photo from Instagram/@praybeytbenjamin find a way.” with my cohosts,” Vice said, taken a toll on his performance adding that not having the What he’s sure of, howas a comedian. “I was sad and spontaneous reactions from a ever, is that movies won’t depressed. I was worried and be specially geared toward live audience is challenging. scared. It affected my work children. “Unlike my previous “Because you don’t know if because I felt I couldn’t permovies, which were fantasy your jokes are havey or waley.” form to my full potential,” he and comedy, this one hindi One of the things Vice has said. “It’s hard to make people realized from the recent spate masyadong pambata. I don’t laugh when your mind is prethink minors will even be alof troubles that have befallen occupied with other things.” lowed to go out and watch a his network and the whole Vice was dissatisfied with movie,” he said. “So, it doesn’t world is that life and health his showing when the varihave to be super wholesome. always come first. “Sometimes, But definitely, it’s still going to ety program “It’s Showtime” we can be so focused on work returned on air via livestreambe a family movie.” or money or social media. ing on the Kapamilya Channel Meanwhile, he revealed Now, we have to let go of on cable last June 13. “I felt that all the uncertainty and those and protect ourselves. so bad the first few weeks, fears over the pandemic and Value yourself first, because if because I myself knew the per- you lose that, everything else the nonrenewal of ABS-CBN’s formance I was giving wasn’t franchise, have inevitably will be useless,” he said.

By allan

PolicarPio Inquirer.net

Iya ‘kinder and more patient’ with postpartum body after baby no. 3

By Katrina

Hallare Inquirer.net

TV host and actress Iya Villania has been “kinder and more patient” with her body this time, a week after delivering her third child.

In an Instagram post on Monday, July 27, Iya proudly showed off her postpartum figure, as she shared before and after photos of what her body went through.

“Crazy what a mother’s body goes thru! Being so much kinder and patient with my body this time,” Villania shared.

“My body isn’t where I want it to be but I’m okay with that. It will take time and I’m in no rush,” she added.

So far, Iya joked that her current diet includes “baked goods and ‘ulam’ (dishes),” thanks to people who send food over to her home, and that her current workout routine is “round the clock breastfeeding.”

A known fitness enthusiast, Iya shared: “Work starts this week but waiting it out another week before I really get

Iya Villania

moving and ease back into my regular grind.”

“Reminding myself that recovery is just as important and enjoying every minute of it,” she said about her recovery,

Photos from Instagram/@iyavillania

but later mused: “But I can’t wait to sweat again!”

Iya and husband Drew Arellano welcomed their third child, Alana Lauren on July 18, 2020.

That’s why I am asking to not do it.)

Regine assured her family and friends that Ogie is in good health.

“To our families and friends, this is a fake news Ogie is home safe and healthy.”

While Ogie said that he

is fine, he previously faced a health scare as he tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after taking a rapid test.

But a swab test result showed that he was negative for the dreaded respiratory illness.

Bankruptcy: Get out of debt, community get your finances back in order How to obtain custody and visitation rights for unmarried dads

T h e A s ian Jour nal MDW K M A G A Z I NE - J ul y 29, 20 2 0

Minding Your Finances

clusive presumption. Instead, it “shall establish the paternity of a child and shall have the same force and effect as a judgment for paternity issued by a court of competent jurisdiction” and trumps §7611 presumptions Atty. Kenneth discussed below. A post 1996 UrsUA reyes voluntary declaration of paternity “shall be recognized as a ESTABLISHING parentage basis for the establishment of rights for Moms is a lot easier an order for child custody, visithan establishing one for unmar- tation, or child support.” Family ried Dads. Moms can establish .Code §§ 7573, 7644; Kevin Q. this by simply showing proof v. Lauren W., supra, 175 CA4th of her having given birth to the at 1132, 95 CR3d at 485; In re child. Family Code §7610.

J.L. (2008) 159 CA4th 1010, Establishing parentage 1019, 72 CR3d 27, 33. rights, including custody and Another way of establishing visitation rights, becomes more presumed father status is if you problematic with unmarried fall under any of the categories Dads because proving yourself listed (a) to (f) under family as the biological father does code §7611: not automatically make you (a) He and the child’s natural the natural father of the child. mother are or have been marUnder the family code, there ried to each other and the are competing presumptions of child is born during the marpaternity which allows the non riage, or within 300 days after biological father to be deemed the marriage is terminated by the natural father of the child. death, annulment, declaration A typical situation is when of invalidity, or divorce, or after boyfriend gets girlfriend prega judgment of separation is nant. Girlfriend for some reason entered by a court. decides to exclude boyfriend (b) Before the child’s birth, from baby’s life so she breaks he and the child’s natural up with boyfriend, does not give mother have attempted to the boyfriend any information marry each other by a marriage about her delivery, and does not solemnized in apparent complistate the boyfriend as the father ance with law, although the in the birth certificate or decides attempted marriage is or could to name someone else as the be declared invalid, and either father. Girlfriend does this beof the following is true: cause her parents disapprove of (1) If the attempted marthe ex boyfriend. riage could be declared invalid One way a presumption of only by a court, the child is born Paternity is created is by execut- during the attempted marriage, ing a voluntary declaration of or within 300 days after its paternity. A Voluntary declaratermination by death, annultions executed before 1997 give ment, declaration of invalidity, rise to a conclusive presumption or divorce. of paternity and can be over(2) If the attempted marcome only by blood or genetic riage is invalid without a court tests ordered on noticed motion order, the child is born within by the mother or presumed 300 days after the termination father must be made within of cohabitation. three years of the date of execu(c) After the child’s birth, he tion of the voluntary declaration and the child’s natural mother Family.Code. § 7576; Kevin Q. have married, or attempted to v. Lauren W. (2009) 175 CA4th marry, each other by a marriage 1119, 1133, 95 CR3d 477, 485 solemnized in apparent compliIf the voluntary declaration of ance with law, although the paternity is executed after 1996, attempted marriage is or could it is not characterized as a conbe declared invalid, and either

of the following is true: (1) With his consent, he is named as the child’s father on the child’s birth certificate.

(2) He is obligated to support the child under a written voluntary promise or by court order. (d) He receives the child into his home and openly holds out the child as his natural child. (e) If the child was born and resides in a nation with which the United States engages in an Orderly Departure Program or successor program, he acknowledges that he is the child’s father in a declaration under penalty of perjury, as specified in Section 2015.5 of the Code of Civil Procedure. This subdivision shall remain in effect only until January 1, 1997, and on that date shall become inoperative. (f) The child is in utero after the death of the decedent and the conditions set forth in Section 249.5 of the Probate Code are satisfied.

An alleged biological father who does not meet any of the § 7611 conditions for presumed father status has no constitutionally-protected “liberty interest” in establishing a parentage relationship with a child as against the rights of a presumptive father who has an extant parentage relationship with the child. Dawn D. v.

Super.Ct. (Jerry K.) (1998) 17 C4th 932, 940–942, 72 CR2d 871, 876–877.

The facts get even more complicated if the girlfriend, whom boyfriend gets pregnant is married to another man because the law provides a conclusive presumption of paternity to the husband of the girlfriend. Under Family Code §7540, the child of a wife cohabiting at time of conception with her husband, who is not impotent or sterile, is “conclusively” presumed to be a child of the marriage. This conclusive presumption may be challenged by showing that the husband was sterile. It may also be challenged by filing a motion for blood or genetic testing under

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

Barrister’s Corner

Atty. rAymond BUlAon LIKE most people, you’ve worked hard and have done your best to pay all your bills on time. But in life, at one time or another, we all find ourselves in a a situation where debt can be overwhelming.

Many people feel hopeless and powerless over their debt problems. Debt problems can easily spill over into other areas of your life- your marriage, family and your business if you are self-employed. If you are currently in debt, rather than allowing your money problems to affect your life in such a dramatic way, filing for bankruptcy protection may help you get your life back on track.

If you’ve suffered a job loss, are facing foreclosure or have bills you can no longer afford to pay, Congress has enacted bankruptcy laws that can help you get your finances back in order. I know that the mere thought of bankruptcy makes most people nervous so they avoid exploring their options until it’s too late.

This is unfortunate because in a lot of cases, people could Family Code §7541 but this has to be done within 2 years of the childs birth. In addition, only persons with standing can bring this motion which is limited to the husband, child, mother and a presumed father as listed in Family Code §7611 and 7612.

Even absent a recognized rebuttal, the court has discretion as a matter of due process not to apply § 7540 conclusive presumption of paternity when it would not further the statute’s underlying policies of preserving the integrity and stability of an extant marital family, protecting children from the stigma of “illegitimacy,” and promoting individual rather than State responsibility for child support ... as where the ostensible § 7540 presumptive father never developed a parental relationship with the

have turned their situation around much sooner had they acted sooner. Some people wait too long to file bankruptcy even when it is their only option. In the process, they use up hard-earned assets like their retirement plan and savings accounts. In the end they realize that this was nothing more than a temporary fix to a lingering problem. Sooner or later, these people realize that they would have been better off filing bankruptcy before losing everything that they had worked so hard for. Don’t let this happen to you!

If you’ve come to the end of your financial rope and don’t know what else to do, at least find out what your legal options are before things get worse. You don’t need to keep living paycheck to paycheck while digging a deeper financial hole every single month.

Yes, bankruptcy may be a scary thing for a lot of people who don’t understand the process but once they’ve taken the time to find out how it works and how it could help them get out of debt, they often realize that it’s actually not as difficult as they first thought.

Bankruptcy is a beginning, not the end.

Dealing with financial problems can result in stress, fear and embarrassment. With the current economy in turmoil, more and more people are

filing for bankruptcy protection. The stigma that once surrounded bankruptcy has almost disappeared. Once you consult with a bankruptcy attorney, you may soon discover that the law is actually on your side and that you just need to let the legal process work for you.

If you need help in getting out of debt, call my office at 866-477-7772 to schedule a free confidential consultation.

Since 1998, I have successfully helped more than 6,000 clients in solving their debt problems.

If you have not read my book, “What You Need to Know Before Filing Bankruptcy”, you can download it free of charge at www.beforefilingbk.com.

For a free evaluation of your case, please call our office at Toll-Free 1-866-477-7772 to schedule a free consultation. *** NOTE: Due to the virus lockdown, I am currently offering consultations via phone or video. Please call the office to schedule your appointment with me. Questions? Email me at gethelp@rjb-lawoffices.com. ***

child and the only established parent-child relationship is with a third person. Brian C. v. Ginger K. (2000) 77 CA4th 1198, 1200–1201, 92 CR2d 294, 296; In re Kiana A. (2001) 93 CA4th 1109, 1115, 113 CR2d 669, 675.

Procedurally, the ex boyfriend should file a Petition for Parentage as soon as the child is born. While the case is pending, the ex boyfriend may seek temporary visitation order although this may be on a limited or even monitored basis. If successful in proving parentage, the ex boyfriend may be granted custody and visitation rights. However, the ex boyfriend would also have the obligation of paying child support based on California guidelines.

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, APC. This article is not a solicitation. *** Attorney Kenneth Reyes is a graduate of Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyer’s Association (AILA) and the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Immigration and Family Law Sections. You may contact Atty. Reyes at (213) 388-1611 or via e-mail at kenneth@ kenreyeslaw.com. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APC. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA. (Advertising Supplement)

*** Please note that this article is not legal advice

EMPLOYMENT

FOR RENT

None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped over 5,000 clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call RJB Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1-866-477-777.

(Advertising Supplement)

Gary V’s ‘Shout For Joy’ music video on Instagram’s list of best practices

By Dolly

Anne CARvAjAl Inquirer.net

AS Gary Valenciano is about to turn a year fiercer on Aug. 6, he can’t help but get sentimental. Gary celebrates the joy of being given a new lease on life after his health scare two years ago. He was diagnosed with cancer after undergoing a cardiac bypass surgery. Gary V went through five procedures and his diabetes made it all the more difficult. But he survived and is now cancer-free. That chapter of his life made the OPM icon aware of the importance of having an insurance plan. For him, insurance means assurance that you have a partner to help you during emergencies. So it’s only fitting that AIA Philam Life (AIAPL) tapped Gary V to be its brand ambassador, to inspire us Pinoys to protect ourselves so we will have peace of mind, especially during this pandemic.

As Gary V’s hit song goes, huwag tayong “‘Di Na Natuto” after life’s trials so just like him, we will become Mr. or Ms. Pure Energy and be ready, willing and able to let the universe bring it on.

Here’s my chat with Gary V: What’s the most creative thing you did during quarantine?

My music videos! “ASAP” challenged us to create our own music videos and I heard one of them, “Shout For Joy,” was noticed by Instagram International as they mentioned in an online webinar. After Taylor Swift and John Mayer, that video came in third on a list of best practices on Instagram. I was so thrilled.

If you would compose a song to cheer Pinoys up during this health crisis, what will the title be?

I actually just recorded a song, entitled “Pwede Pang Mangarap,” produced by Thyro. It is meant to encourage people to buy from small and medium enterprises to boost the economy. I am also writing a ballad to inspire people to carry on amid the health crisis.

What’s the best and hardest part of being Gary V? The best part is that I have a wonderful family who loves me and God who will never leave me. I have been blessed with many supporters for my 37-year career.

And despite everything that’s happened to me with my health, I’m still alive and able to do what I love, which is to step up onstage to perform.

Also, that I have the equipment, my Genesis team, and the means to come up with something new and different online. I may not have the biggest numbers, but at least I can constantly feed peo-

entertainment

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Sarah on married life with Matteo: ‘Forever’s not enough’

By Deni Rose M. AfiniDAD-BeRnARDo Philstar.com

IF pop star Sarah Geronimo is to choose among her songs as the theme of her married life with actor Matteo Guidicelli, it would be one of her first hits, “Forever’s Not Enough.”

During Sarah’s virtual press launch as new endorser of Filipino vitamin C brand Fern-C early today, Sarah not only introduced herself as “Sarah Geronimo-Guidicelli” but also shared her life as a “mabuting maybahay” (good wife).

Gary Valenciano Inqurier.net photo “Kamusta po ang buhay maybahay? Masarap po, something about the norple with something that will masaya. Nakakapanibago rin mal way of just clicking your inspire them, or things they po. May mga adjustments na remote and seeing ABS-CBN never knew about me—stuff kailangang gawin of course that show people how human no matter where you are in the world, watching the news, dahil may asawa na tayo,” I am.

Sarah shared.

The hardest part is that my entertainment and teleseryes She also mentioned that health is hard to maintain and that have become part of the last weekend, she and Matteo Filipino culture. control. Also, there are ideas What made you say “yes” finally went on a honeymoon in my head, but I don’t know in time for her 32nd birthday. to AIAPL? if I’ll still be able to accom“Last Saturday po, I just Because its track record plish them, or if I’m meant speaks for itself. People have celebrated my 32nd birthto be the one to execute day,” she said. entrusted their lives into the them. However, I would love According to her, she feels hands of AIAPL. They make to contribute the ideas for blessed to have marked her sure to provide the services somebody else to execute. birthday despite the ongothat people need ever so But the hardest thing for me ing novel coronavirus disease badly, especially during this now is to be able to do what 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic others do, which is to go into time of COVID-19. a place, fearless because of good health, because even if I’m fully protected, my system and entire body have already been compromised because of diabetes and other health challenges. So I have to really watch myself. Another tough thing is privacy. Being a public figure, people always think that they own a piece of me.

Everyone thinks it is so easy to just make a video to greet someone or agreeing to all the invitations, forgetting that sometimes I get tired, too.

What are your sentiments about the ABS-CBN shutdown?

At first, we were all devastated, but because of my faith, I know that God has His reasons and I just really need to trust His will. What pains me the most is that the network had been cleared by all the government organizations and yet its franchise was denied. ABS-CBN has allowed me to become like an ambassador when I’m given the chance to perform for OFWs (overseas Filipino Workers) for TFC (The Filipino Channel)—a way of bringing a piece of home into the homes of Filipino workers abroad.

So my heart goes out to them because that was basically the only thing that they would look forward to when coming home from work.

Yes, you can watch the shows online, but there was

because she still has a job, is in good health, and of course, has the love of her life by her side.

“Ay s’yempre po, may asawa na po tayo, eh priority na po natin ang asawa na po natin. S’yempre hindi lang po ‘yung health and also giving importance sa health ng mga tao sa buhay ko po. Importante po kasi ‘yun eh, especially ‘pag may pamilya kang inuuwian. It’s very important na healthy ka. You can better protect them if you yourself is better protected.”

She said that every day, she makes sure to start her day with a prayer to acknowledge and pay gratitude to the Lord for all the blessings.

“Especially ngayon, pinagpapasalamat ko ‘yung life na binigay ng Panginoon and also pinag-papasalamat ko ‘yung life na binigay for my loved ones. I draw inspiration from that.”

When asked what her favorite breakfast staple is, she said, “Eggs!”

When asked if she eats her eggs “silog” style (or with meat and rice), Sarah quipped: “Ay, sosyal po kasi ‘yung asawa ko, truffle eggs!”

In an Instagram post Sun-

Sarah Geronimo with husband Matteo Guidicelli Photo from Instagram/@matteog

day, Matteo greeted his wife by sharing a photo from their honeymoon.

“Happy birthday my lovely wife. I’m so proud of you. You deserve all the happiness and positivity that life has to offer. Whatever dreams you want to achieve, I’m here by your side. You are so beautiful. Happy birthday!” he wrote.

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