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JULY 31 - AUGUST 6, 2020 Volume 13 - No. 39 • 16 Pages 133-30 32nd Ave., Flushing, NY 11354 • 2500 Plaza S. Harborside Financial Center, Jersey City, NJ 07311 • Tel. (212) 655-5426 • Fax: (818) 502-0858

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After Duterte plea, China says it will DATELINE USA Young Filipino US prioritize Philippines’ vaccine needs soldier found dead FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

near Texas Army base Third death of soldier near base within past month

A YOUNG Filipino U.S. soldier was found dead last week near the Fort Hood Army base in Texas, marking the third soldier death in the area within the past month.

Private Mejhor Morta, 26, was found unresponsive on July 17 in the vicinity of Stillhouse Lake, about 20 miles from the base, officials said on Tuesday, July 21.

“The Black Knight family is truly heartbroken by the tragic loss of Private Mejhor Morta,” said Lt. Col. Neil Armstrong, commander of 1st Bn. 5th Cav. Regt. “I would like to send my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones.”

He added, “My thoughts and prayers

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PNP chief throws support behind death penalty

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

THE imposition of the death penalty would deter crimes in the country, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Archie Gamboa argued on Wednesday, July 29.

“The PNP believes that with this kind of imposition, there would be a deterrence on crime,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the destruction of 800 kilograms of shabu confiscated in Bulacan.

Gamboa also pointed out that the death penalty would put a stop to the Philippines being a convenient spot for individuals, especially foreigners, to commit illegal drug activities.

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Beijing gave its assurance after President Rodrigo Duterte mentioned in his fifth State of the Nation Address that he “made a plea” MANILA — China said it would give pri- to Chinese President Xi Jinping to prioritize ority access to the Philippines once it suc- the Philippines when providing a COVID-19 cessfully develops a vaccine against the vaccine.

The president did not say how he sent coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

by GAEA

KATREENA Philstar.com

CABICO

his plea to Xi, although he has been effusive with praise and appreciation for China in the months since the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in the Philippines.

“The Philippines is a friendly close neighbor and we will give priority to its needs

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Thousands mobilized to urge NYC residents to respond to 2020 Census

by MOMAR

G. VISAYA

AJPress

NEW York City has launched a campaign to mobilize all households to respond to the census because of the alarmingly low response rate generated so far.

Dubbed the #GetCountedNYC Census Week of Action, it aims to significantly increase New York City’s self-response rate which was at 54% as of July 27.

This is being done in order to have a complete and accurate count and stave off the potential loss of billions in federal aid for critical programs. It could also affect political representation both in Congress and in Albany, and would result in losing up to two congressional

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DISINFECTION. Personnel of the Manila Department of Public Services spray disinfectant at the gallery of the Rizal Stadium to ensure the safety of the remaining locally stranded individuals (LSIs) who are waiting to be sent home by the government to their respective provinces on Wednesday, July 29. Earlier reports said there are LSIs who have contracted the coronavirus disease 2019 due to the large volume of persons who went to the Rizal Stadium hoping to avail of free transportation back to their respective provinces.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

Palace admits UP’s COVID-19 Australia backs US, forecast came true affirms Philippines’ South

by CHRISTINA

M. ORIEL

AJPress

THE Philippines has failed to beat the prediction of the University of the Philippines (UP), which projected 85,000 cases of the novel coronavirus by July 31, Malacanang admitted on Wednesday, July 29.

“The forecast happened and I see no reason why we should celebrate. It’s very sad,” said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.

However, he maintained that the

government’s COVID-19 response was not an absolute failure.

“I think we’ve been rather successful because we’ve limited mortality rate, and in the end that’s what matters – how many people perished because of the pandemic.

I think that strides also in treating COVID, has contributed to this fact that mortality is still way below the world threshold,” Roque said.

“We can only look at our former colonial master and look at the

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China Sea arbitral win

by PATRICIA LOURDES Philstar.com

VIRAY

MANILA — Australia joined the United States, its long-time ally, in condemning China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea. In a joint statement following the 30th Australian-US

Ministerial Consultations, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne, Australian Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper express serious concerns over “coercive and destablizing” actions in

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From the Front Page

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 appropriate 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 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.

US Embassy ignores Locsin’s threat

by DOna

Z. PaZZibugan Inqurier.net

FOREIGN Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. warned the United States Embassy in Manila of consequences unless it corrects an official statement shared on social media that wrongly referred to Sabah as part of Malaysia.

The Philippines has a historic claim over Sabah based on the ownership of the Sultan of Sulu over what used to be North Borneo. The government, however, has put

the issue on the backburner for years now.

“Sabah is not in Malaysia if you want to have anything to do with the Philippines,” Locsin warned on Twitter on Monday night, retweeting what the US Embassy posted minutes earlier.

On its Twitter and Facebook pages, the US Embassy shared the news from the US Agency for International Development (USAID). “@usaid_manila donated 500 hygiene kits to the @ dswdservers Region IX “for use by returning Filipino

repatriates from Sabah, Malaysia who arrived in Zamboanga City and Bongao, Tawi-Tawi,” the US Embassy tweeted, sharing an article and photos from the USAID. “You better edit that announcement if you know what’s good for you,” Locsin said in another tweet in reaction to the US Embassy post.

The US Embassy did not respond to media queries, nor did it correct what it had posted, which remained on its Twitter and Facebook pages as of Tuesday night. n

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President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his 5th State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives Complex in Quezon City on Monday, July 27. At the president’s back are Senate President Vicente Sotto III and House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.

Malacañang photo

After Duterte plea, China says it will...

PAGE 1 once we succeed in developing a vaccine,” Wang Wenbin, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in a briefing.

Wang said the health crisis has become a “new highlight” in the diplomatic ties between the two nations.

“Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and the Philippines have been standing together with mutual assistance, turning antiepidemic cooperation into a new highlight in bilateral relations,” he said.

The coronavirus pandemic which emerged in China late last year is showing no signs of slowing down in the Philippines, with the national caseload reaching over 83,000 Tuesday.

Vaccine ‘around the corner’?

Duterte is pinning his hopes on a coronavirus

vaccine, which he claimed would be “around the corner.”

But while laboratories across the world are racing to develop a vaccine to help end the health crisis that has infected over 16 million people globally, the World Health Organization said that COVID-19 vaccinations cannot be expected until early 2021.

Chinese biopharmaceutical companies are responsible for three of the five vaccines that have moved into Phase 3 trials, according to the country’s Food and Drug Administration director general Eric Domingo.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, “Phase 3 trials are conducted to confirm and expand on safety and effectiveness results from Phase 1 and 2 trials, to compare the drug to

standard therapies for the disease or condition being studied, and to evaluate the overall risks and benefits of the drug.”

These trials involve large groups, from 1,000 to 3,000 patients, of people with a particular disease.

The government’s task force on pandemic response earlier approved the country’s participation in clinical trials conducted by Chinese firms.

The Philippines also recently joined the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facility, which aims to help ensure fair and equitable access to coronavirus vaccines. Under the COVAX facility, vaccines will be initially delivered equally to all participating countries, initially prioritizing health care workers, then expanding to cover 20% of the population. n

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Palace admits UP’s COVID-19... Thousands mobilized to urge NYC...

PAGE 1 mess that they’re in, the United States ‘no and even England. We’re far shot from the crisis that they have in the US, in England and the rest of Europe,” he added.

There are 85,486 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, with 1,962 fatalities and 26,996 recoveries, as of press time.

UP researchers initially projected that the number of infections in the country could rise to 60,000 by the end of July. They later revised their prediction to 85,000 based on the disease’s transmission rate and doubling time.

New quarantine classi-

fications Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte will announce the updated quarantine measures on Thursday, July 30.

“As always, I can’t announce it, because it will be the president that will announce it on Thursday, if I am not mistaken. And there’s still appeals to be made by the local government units. So the recommendations are all preliminary subject to finalization on Thursday,” he told CNN Philippines.

The spokesman, however, did not provide a direct answer to the possibility of Metro Manila reverting to modified enhanced com-

munity quarantine.

“Metro Manila will be a living experiment and it’s an experiment that we believe we can be successful at, and it will be something that we can be proud of,” Roque said.

He also hinted at “major changes” in the government’s COVID-19 response.

“Definitely it’s not going to be status quo. No, it’s not going to be status quo.

Nothing will be status quo from this classification,” he said.

“Let’s just say that things will not be the same, there will be major changes in our response to the pandemic,” Roque added. n

Young Filipino US soldier found...

PAGE 1 are with them during this difficult time. Private Morta was a great Trooper and his loss is felt by every member within our formation.”

Morta lived in Pensacola, Florida before joining the Army in September 2019 where he served as a Bradley Fighting Vehicle mechanic.

Since May, Morta was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.

Morta also received three awards — the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the National Defense Service medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.

A Facebook page appearing to belong to Morta says that he is from Davao City, Philippines.

“I reached out to his sister today and they are currently in the Philippines,” Hunter Proffitt, a friend of Morta, told 25 News. “He literally came over here, he joined the U.S. Army to help move his family over here. He wanted to move his family. He wanted to make a better life for himself and then we find out that this happens.”

Morta’s body was found in the man-made lake by fishermen sometime after midnight last Friday, NPR reported. The sheriff’s department said the fishermen were in a boat near the base of the lake’s dam.

Justice of Peace Garland Potvin ordered an autopsy that had a preliminary re-

Private Mejhor Morta was discovered dead on July 17 near Fort Hood Army base.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Army

sult showing the cause of death being “consistent with a drowning,” the sheriff’s department added.

The medical examiner’s office in Dallas, Texas was performing a full autopsy report.

Morta’s death marks the third time in a month that a soldier was found dead near the Fort Hood area.

Officials said Tuesday that the incident was currently under investigation by the Bell County Sheriff’s Department.

On June 21, skeletal remains were found in a field in Killeen, Texas, about three miles from the base.

The remains were identified to have belonged to 24-year-old soldier Pvt. Gregory Scott Morales, also known as Gregory Wedel, who was missing since August 2019.

On July 1, the body of Fort Hood soldier Pfc. Vanessa Guillen was found dismembered about 20 miles east of the base, after she had been reported missing since April. Another

soldier, Aaron Robinson, was a suspect in the case and killed himself as police came to arrest him. Robinson’s girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence.

Following the death of Wedel and Guillen and before Morta’s, State Senator Carol Alvarado who represents Texas Senate District 6 said that the events could not be “ignored or overlooked.”

“Ft. Hood is broken and it calls into question the competency of their leadership. As such, an independent and thorough investigation into the leadership at Ft. Hood is well within reason,” said Alvarado, adding that her office has been working with Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia’s office in a coordinated investigation effort.

There is no indication that the deaths of Morales, Guillen, and Morta are connected as of press time. (Rae Ann Varona/AJPress) n

PAGE 1 seats in the midst of the worst economic crisis in a century, In the northeast, New York City ranks fifth among the large cities with its 54% selfresponse rate. Manchester in New Hampshire and Springfield and Lowell in Massachusetts lead the pack so far.

NYC’s rate is lower than the state and country averages, which are 57.9% and 62.3% respectively.

Among the Asian groups, Filipinos posted 51.3% selfresponse rate, behind Korean, Pakistani and Chinese.

“At its core, the census is about the fair distribution of money, power, and respect to every community based on a demonstration of strength in numbers – and when it comes to our Asian-American communities, if there are no numbers, there’s no strength,” said Amit Singh Bagga, Deputy Director, NYC Census 2020. “When it comes to how $1.5 trillion in federal funds and congressional seats are allocated across the country, we are not going to be fooled by the hate-driven sideshow of ethical bankruptcy in Washington – we will be showing up, we will be participating in the census, we will be making sure decisions about us are being made with us.”

From July 27 to August 2, NYC Census 2020 and its partners have planned a week of activities citywide to mobilize New Yorkers to selfrespond to the 2020 Census.

500 New Yorkers have al-

ready signed up to volunteer and New Yorkers can continue to join the effort at nyc. gov/censusweek.

NYC Census 2020 and over 150 volunteers will hold in-person census outreach events across the five boroughs in transit hubs, parks, playgrounds, small business corridors, and other key public areas in areas with historically low self-response rates.

Last week, the Asian Pacific American Complete Count Committee (APA CCC) hosted a briefing to detail the urgent steps being taken to mobilize more Asian New Yorkers to complete their census forms.

This means participation and promotion in local activities, parades, social messaging campaigns, and Census Mobile Questionnaire Assistance events.

Asian New Yorkers are responding at a lower rate than other groups in the city, even as New York City’s 2020 Census self-response rate continues to lag behind state and national averages.

Neighborhoods in the city with high Asian populations have posted participation rates lower than the city’s average, at 52.4%.

At the briefing, Census experts from a wide range of agencies and advocacy organizations reiterated the causes behind the low rate of participation in the 2020 Census, including language access, computer literacy, and distrust of the government.

They also noted that the

Trump administration’s latest attempt to exclude undocumented immigrants from the counts used to determine how many congressional seats each state will receive had no constitutional basis.

They emphasized that there was no question about citizenship or immigration status on the 2020 Census and all personal data collected by the census cannot be shared with anyone outside of the Census Bureau, including other federal, state and local government agencies.

Through coordinated efforts by the Census Bureau, NYC Census 2020, and community-based organizations across the city, more Asian New Yorkers will be mobilized to self-respond and advocate for their fair share of resources and representation.

The Census Week of Action is timed to increase New York City’s self-response rate immediately prior to the launch of the U.S. Census Bureau’s door-to-door enumeration, which has historically proven to be deeply flawed and unreliable in New York City.

Starting August 11, the Census Bureau will send enumerators to homes that have not yet responded. The APACCC briefing outlined the coordinated efforts across the city taking place from until August 11th to mobilize more Asian New Yorkers to complete their forms and ensure that the city and the communities get counted and

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PNP chief throws support behind...

PAGE 1 “If we compare it with other countries, especially when we apprehend foreigners, the first question is why do they do it here, because they are in a way convenient

in the absence of a death penalty,” he said.

“It has been the stand of the PNP that we are fully supportive of the imposition of the death penalty. Besides, the campaign of the Duterte

administration against illegal drugs is unprecedented and this can’t just be compared with any other administration,” he added.

According to the PNP

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Australia backs US, affirms Philippines’...

PAGE 1 the Indo-Pacific region.

“In line with the 2016 decision of the Arbitral Tribunal, they affirmed that Beijing’s maritime claims are not valid under international law,” the joint statement read.

The 2016 arbitral ruling sided with the Philippines, invalidating China’s nine-dash line claim over the South China Sea. Beijing, however, continues to reject the landmark ruling and insists indisputable sovereignty over the

contested waterway.

The top Australian and American officials affirmed that Beijing cannot assert maritime claims over the South China Sea or island groups in the area, which violate the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Payne, Reynolds, Pompeo and Esper noted that the 2016 arbitraul ruling is final and binding on both parties and stressed that territorial and maritime disputes in the

South China Sea must be settled in accordance with international law.

“They also expressed their support for the rights of claimants to lawfully exploit offshore resources, including relation to long-standing oil and gas projects as well as fisheries in the South China Sea, free from harassment and coercion,” the joint statement read.

US policy on South China Sea

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OPINION

FEATURES

To-do list for Congress THAT was a long to-do list presented by President Duterte on Monday, July 27 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 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

5

and distressed enterprises can recover from the pandemic.

In addition, the President is asking Congress to create new departments for overseas Filipino 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.

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

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

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)

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 be-

cause 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 PAGE 10

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

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • JULY 31 - AUGUST 6, 2020

Dateline PhiliPPines

BRP Jose Rizal sails for Hawaii maritime exercise THE Philippine Navy (PN) on Wednesday, July 29 formally deployed its first missile-frigate, BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), for the two-week “Rim of the Pacific” (RIMPAC) naval exercises which will run from August 17 to 31 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

In a statement, Navy public affairs office chief, Lt. Commander Maria Christina Roxas, said the send-off ceremony for the BRP Jose Rizal and its crew, the Naval Task Group (NTG) 80.5, took place at Alava Wharf in Subic Bay, Zambales.

NTG 80.5 is commanded by Captain Jerry Garrido, Jr., the commanding officer of BRP Jose Rizal, and is complemented by surface, services, and support components.

Also aboard was an AgustaWestland AW-109 “Power” naval helicopter.

Before their departure, NTG 80.5 underwent rigorous health and safety protocols prior to boarding the participating PN vessel in order to ensure the safety of everyone amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“Our participation in these

exercise marks the beginning of a new era of naval operations as we build up our capabilities for modern warfare,” said PN chief Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo, who served as presiding officer and keynote speaker for the send-off ceremony.

BRP Jose Rizal is the PN’s first warship in the inventory that is equipped with multi-dimensional warfare capabilities.

Through this year’s RIMPAC, the PN will be able to simulate and test the capabilities of this newly acquired platform and provide BRP Jose Rizal a venue to test the proficiency of Filipino naval personnel as they integrate into a wider range of operations.

Bacordo also urged the contingent to seize the opportunity to hone their skills and talents as they conduct operations in a joint and combined environment and later share their experiences with their colleagues.

“This will boost your team training and increase your operational readiness. But all of you need to observe safety

protocols. In these challenging times, it is imperative to work together, learn together and be safe together,” he added.

In light of safety protocols amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Roxas said exercises will be an at-sea event only.

“To ensure safety of all the contingents from different military forces, shore-based activities are minimized,” she added.

RIMPAC is a United Statesled naval exercise hosted by the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet and held biennially.

Described as the world’s premier and largest joint and combined naval exercise, RIMPAC is geared towards building trust and partnership with other navies, understanding the capabilities of other navies and enhancing interoperability.

“The Navy’s participation in this exercise trumpets its commitment in promoting multi-lateral cooperation leading to the strengthening of relationship and cooperation among regional and extraregional navies,” Roxas said.

(Priam Nepomuceno/PNA) n

PNP chief throws support behind...

PAGE 4 chief, a person should face death penalty if caught with 50 grams of illegal drugs and up.

“To be considered a highvalue target, you should be caught with at least 50 grams of illegal drugs. Drug users usually only buy drugs by the sachet,” said Gamboa.

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, however, disagreed with his suggestion.

“The present law says 200 grams non-bailable, paanong naging 50 grams lang death penalty (how did it become only 50 grams for death penalty)? If they insist, then forget the bill,” he said.

On Tuesday, July 28, Sotto said the passage of death penalty would have better chances if the law would be applied only to convicted drug lords.

“If it’s confined to highlevel drug trafficking, we stand a good chance of having it passed. Otherwise, I’m

telling you now, mahihirapan na pagka hindi ganoon (it would be difficult if it’s not done that way),” he said.

“Una sa lahat, walang mahirap na high-level drug trafficker, walang mahirap na drug lord, so hindi uubra yung sinasabi nilang antipoor (First of all, no high-level trafficker is poor, no drug lord is poor, so they can’t say it’s anti-poor),” he added.

Sotto also stressed that this is the way to convince fellow lawmakers who opposes the death penalty.

“So what I am saying is, regarding our colleagues who oppose the death penalty, we stand a better chance of getting them to agree if it’s confined to that group of criminals,” he said.

President Rodrigo Duterte, in his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), called on Congress to reinstate the death penalty in the Philippines for drug-related charges.

“I reiterate the swift pas-

sage of the law reviving the death penalty by lethal injection for crimes specified under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002,” he said Monday, July 27.

“This law will not only help us deter criminality but also save our children from the dangers posed by illegal and dangerous drugs,” he added.

House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez assured that the imposition of the death penalty for drug-related crimes will be thoroughly deliberated by the House of Representatives.

“We, in the House of Representatives, are committed to deliver to the President the measures needed to support his vision for the nation in the years to come. We are ready to take on the challenge,” he said Tuesday.

He added that he expects to work closely with the Senate “to smoothen the deliberations and passage of these vital bills.” n

Thousands mobilized to...

PAGE 4 get the highways, hospitals, public safety services, and representation they deserve.

The census determines the equitable distribution of $1.5 trillion in federal funds annually for education, healthcare, housing, transportation, infrastructure, and more, in addition to determining the number of seats each state is allotted in the House of Representatives, as well as the shape and size of local and state legislative districts.

NYC Census 2020 is an initiative established by Mayor Bill de Blasio in January 2019 to ensure a complete and accurate count of all New Yorkers in the 2020 Census.

For the online form, go to my2020census.gov and click the globe for translated forms in Tagalog, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and 8 other non-Asian languages. Additional language guides in 59 different languages are available at 2020census.gov/en/languages.html. New York City has launched a campaign to mobilize all households to respond to the census because of the alarmingly low response rate generated so far.

Dubbed the #GetCountedNYC Census Week of Action, it aims to significantly increase New York City’s selfresponse rate which was at 54% as of July 27.

This is being done in order to have a complete and accurate count and stave off the potential loss of billions in federal aid for critical programs. It could also affect political representation both in Congress and in Albany, and would result in losing up to two congressional seats in the midst of the worst economic crisis in a century, In the northeast, New York City ranks fifth among the large cities with its 54% selfresponse rate. Manchester in New Hampshire and Springfield and Lowell in Massachusetts lead the pack so far.

NYC’s rate is lower than the state and country averages, which are 57.9% and 62.3% respectively.

Among the Asian groups, Filipinos posted 51.3% selfresponse rate, behind Korean, Pakistani and Chinese.

“At its core, the census is about the fair distribution of money, power, and respect to every community based on a demonstration of strength

in numbers – and when it comes to our Asian-American communities, if there are no numbers, there’s no strength,” said Amit Singh Bagga, Deputy Director, NYC Census 2020. “When it comes to how $1.5 trillion in federal funds and congressional seats are allocated across the country, we are not going to be fooled by the hate-driven sideshow of ethical bankruptcy in Washington – we will be showing up, we will be participating in the census, we will be making sure decisions about us are being made with us.”

From July 27 to August 2, NYC Census 2020 and its partners have planned a week of activities citywide to mobilize New Yorkers to selfrespond to the 2020 Census.

500 New Yorkers have already signed up to volunteer and New Yorkers can continue to join the effort at nyc. gov/censusweek.

NYC Census 2020 and over 150 volunteers will hold in-person census outreach events across the five boroughs in transit hubs, parks, playgrounds, small business corridors, and other key public areas in areas with historically low self-response rates.

Last week, the Asian Pacific American Complete Count Committee (APA CCC) hosted a briefing to detail the urgent steps being taken to mobilize more Asian New Yorkers to complete their census forms.

This means participation and promotion in local activities, parades, social messaging campaigns, and Census Mobile Questionnaire Assistance events.

Asian New Yorkers are responding at a lower rate than other groups in the city, even as New York City’s 2020 Census self-response rate continues to lag behind state and national averages.

Neighborhoods in the city with high Asian populations have posted participation rates lower than the city’s average, at 52.4%.

At the briefing, Census experts from a wide range of agencies and advocacy organizations reiterated the causes behind the low rate of participation in the 2020 Census, including language access, computer literacy, and distrust of the government.

They also noted that the Trump administration’s latest

attempt to exclude undocumented immigrants from the counts used to determine how many congressional seats each state will receive had no constitutional basis.

They emphasized that there was no question about citizenship or immigration status on the 2020 Census and all personal data collected by the census cannot be shared with anyone outside of the Census Bureau, including other federal, state and local government agencies.

Through coordinated efforts by the Census Bureau, NYC Census 2020, and community-based organizations across the city, more Asian New Yorkers will be mobilized to self-respond and advocate for their fair share of resources and representation.

The Census Week of Action is timed to increase New York City’s self-response rate immediately prior to the launch of the U.S. Census Bureau’s door-to-door enumeration, which has historically proven to be deeply flawed and unreliable in New York City.

Starting August 11, the Census Bureau will send enumerators to homes that have not yet responded. The APACCC briefing outlined the coordinated efforts across the city taking place from until August 11th to mobilize more Asian New Yorkers to complete their forms and ensure that the city and the communities get counted and get the highways, hospitals, public safety services, and representation they deserve.

The census determines the equitable distribution of $1.5 trillion in federal funds annually for education, healthcare, housing, transportation, infrastructure, and more, in addition to determining the number of seats each state is allotted in the House of Representatives, as well as the shape and size of local and state legislative districts.

NYC Census 2020 is an initiative established by Mayor Bill de Blasio in January 2019 to ensure a complete and accurate count of all New Yorkers in the 2020 Census.

For the online form, go to my2020census.gov and click the globe for translated forms in Tagalog, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and 8 other non-Asian languages. Additional language guides in 59 different languages are available at 2020census.gov/en/languages.html. n

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Australia backs US, affirms Philippines’...

PAGE 4 Earlier this month, Pompeo declared a new policy on the South China Sea, challenging China’s claims in the disputed waters.

“We are making clear: Beijing’s claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them,” Pompeo earlier said.

In a press briefing after their meeting with Australia, Pompeo said Washington will continue to work with its ally to assert the rule of law in the South China Sea. Esper, meanwhile, commended Australia’s “bold” new strategy, which he described as placing themselves at the forefront as a “very capable” partner to the US. “And I think it’s important as we think forward about how do we deter bad behavior in the Indo-Pacific and how we defend the international rules-based order – in this case specifically with regard to China,” Esper said.

Australia’s freedom of navigation operations On the part of Australia, Reynolds said they also dis-

cussed freedom of navigation and overflight in the region, adding that they have a long history of sailing through the region with other countries.

The Australian Defense chief noted that the recently joined a trilateral transit with the US and Japan through the Philippine Sea. “Our approach remains consistent, and we will continue to transit through the region in accordance with international law,” Reynolds said.

Just last week, the US Navy’s USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group, five Australian warships and a Japanese destroyer conducted a trilateral naval exercise in the Philippine Sea on their way to the Rim of the Pacific Exercise in Hawaii.

Duterte ‘useless’ on West Philippine Sea While naval powers US and Australia continue to assert the 2016 arbitral ruling, President Rodrigo Duterte said he cannot do anything against China’s claims in the West Philippine Sea, which have already been legally invalidated. The West Philippine Sea is the portion of the

South China Sea that is within Philippine exclusive economic zone.

In his fifth State of the Nation Address earlier this week, the Philippine leader insisted that asserting the Philippines’ sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea would mean going to war with China.

“They (China) are in possession of the property, so what we can do? We have to go to war and I cannot afford it. Maybe some president can but we cannot. Inutil ako d’yan,” Duterte said.

Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio slammed Duterte’s remarks, pointing out that naval powers such as the US, UK, France, Australia, Japan and Canada regularly sail in the West Philippine Sea. The operations of these naval powers in the West Philippine Sea prove that Beijing is not in possession of the Philippine exclusive economic zone in the area.

“The President should not say that China is in possession of our EEZ in the West Philippine Sea because factually China is not in possession,” Carpio said in a statement. n

KINGS OF THE ROAD. Traditional jeepneys ply the Emilio Aguinaldo Highway in Cavite on a rainy Tuesday, July 28. Last month, Malacañang said the traditional jeepneys, considered as kings of the road, have been allowed to return to the road in 13 areas including Calabarzon (Region 4-A) due to the lack of public transportation amid the quarantine measures imposed to contain the coronavirus disease 2019.

PNA photo by Jess M. Escaros Jr.

No new applications for DACA will be...

PAGE 2 “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 Ameri-

can 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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‘I was defending freedom What US President Donald Trump... 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 and their families who would lose jobs amid the 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 vot-

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon

ed 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

Inquirer.net photo

ABS-CBN by demonizing the Lopezes.”

Several celebrities and netizens 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

Proposed new dept to provide complete services for OFWs: DOLE MANILA – The proposed new department for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will provide a complete package of services for the country’s modern-day heroes, a labor official said Wednesday.

“We believe in the concept of bundling of services, to underscore the needs of OFWs, our modern-day heroes to be provided services in one structure where they will be provided assistance, benefits, protection, and care,” Labor Undersecretary Joji Aragon said in a Laging Handa briefing.

Aragon added that the agency will further protect and enhance the welfare of Filipinos working abroad.

“We support the principle, spirit, and intent of this measure together with DOLE

(Department of Labor and Employment) Secretary Silvestre Bello III, we are for the stand up of Department of OFWs. Therefore, this Department of OFWs is really envisioned to make our services and programs more effective and more efficient,” she added.

Citing the House of Representatives’ passage of the measure, Aragon expressed hope that the Senate will follow suit once it completes consultation with various stakeholders.

“So the bottom line of this is we really look forward to a Department of OFWs that will be of better service to our OFW brothers and sisters,” she added.

Under House Bill 5832, the department will be headed

by a Secretary along with five undersecretaries. It will have several functions - administration and finance, foreign employment, diaspora engagements and special concerns, assistance to Filipinos overseas in distress, and policy agreements.

The agency will also gain control of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs of the Foreign Affairs Department, and all Philippine Overseas Labor Offices under the DOLE, among others.

It will also supervise the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration as its attached agency and will also absorb all employees from these offices.

(Ferdinand Patinio/PNA) n

PAGE 5 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 reopen 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.

What a shame! The United States of America — the richest and the most powerful nation in the world — seems to be so powerless in arm-

ing 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 recalibrate 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, inlaws 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. *** 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.

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • JULY 31 - AUGUST 6, 2020

COMMUNITY Journal

Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ MOST petitions (family and employment based) allow the petitioner to include the beneficiary’s spouse and minor children, but not with immediate relative (IR) petitions (spouse, parents, minor children of U.S. citizens). For IR petitions, only one person per petition is allowed. No derivatives. Separate petitions are required for each family member.

Here are some of the scenarios for U.S. citizen petitioners where this can occur: 1. When petitioning parents, separate petitions are required for each parent.

2. When petitioning minor children, each child must be separately petitioned.

3. When petitioning a spouse and children, each requires their own separate petition. If you file only for your spouse, the children are not covered.

4. Along the same lines, if an immigrant files a petition for his or her spouse and children (F-2A), one petition would cover all of them. But if the petitioner naturalizes before the visas are issued, then only the spouse would be covered by the petition, and the children “fall off” the petition. The petitioner would now need to file new petitions for each child. Al-

Immediate relatives: one person per petition ternatively, the petitioner could have filed separate petitions for each family member while still an immigrant.

5. When petitioning a teenage daughter who may have gotten pregnant and given birth, the baby (the petitioner’s grandchild) would not be included in the petition and would need to be left behind. Again, this is because derivatives are excluded in the petition.

Before you file a petition, you should make sure all the requirements are met and determine who may be covered by your petition.

Some people may have been unaware that petitions may convert upon naturalization and could be very disappointed. I remember one consultation where an immigrant petitioned his wife and three children, but before the interview at the Embassy, he naturalized.

Imagine the family’s shock and disappointment when the consul issued the visa only for the wife and told her the children fell off the petition because the petitioner naturalized. She was not happy. And she was not going to leave her children alone in the Philippines. So, he had to scramble and file new petitions to cover each of his children.

That’s why if you have any questions, or just want to make sure things are in

proper order and you meet the eligibility requirements, you should consult with an attorney who can review your case and determine the fastest and best way for you to achieve your American dream. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 35 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bars of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different and results may depend on the facts of the particular case. The information and opinions contained herein (including testimonials, “Success Stories”, endorsements and reenactments) are of a general nature, and are not intended to apply to any particular case, and do not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/ GurfinkelLaw, Twitter @GurfinkelLaw and YouTube: US Immigration TV Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: 1-866-487-3465 (866) – GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES ∙ SAN FRANCISCO ∙ NEW YORK ∙ PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

Brand new episode of ‘Citizen Pinoy: Your Tanong, My Sagot-Social Distancing Style’ airs this Sunday, August 2 EVEN in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, life goes on, and there are many individuals and families out there who are saddled with concerns about the latest immigration policies and how it affects them.

Leading U.S. immigration attorney, Michael J. Gurfinkel, hosts a series of special Citizen Pinoy episodes where he will answer questions from the public “social

11

distancing style”.

The first batch of questions from Cris of Redding, CA; Josel from Yigo, Guam; and Alice and Ben of Jersey City, NJ will be answered this Sunday, August 2.

One of the questions asks about one’s husband who is outside the U.S. for work.

Due to the pandemic, he might need to stay outside for more than six months.

Will his stay for over six

months outside the U.S. affect his status as a green card holder?

These and more questions will be answered on the first “online” episode of CITIZEN PINOY: Your Tanong, My Sagot – Social Distancing Style this Sunday, August 2, at 6:15 pm PST/EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

(Advertising Supplement)

LEADING U.S. IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY MICHAEL J. GURFINKEL ANSWERS YOUR IMMIGRATION QUESTIONS VIA ZOOM ON A BRAND-NEW “SOCIAL DISTANCING”EDITION OF CITIZEN PINOY. Under the new “normal” in the time of the pandemic, Citizen Pinoy continues its public service by providing relevant information and updates on immigration. On the first episode of “Your Tanong, My Sagot: Social Distancing Style,” Atty.

Gurfinkel answers questions from Kapamilya in New Jersey, Guam, and California. Find out if an employer of an assisted living facility can petition someone in the U.S. with a tourist visa; or if the petition for a child with Down Syndrome can be expedited; or if the USCIS will excuse green card holders who are out of the country for over six months due to the pandemic. Get answers to these and more on a brand-new episode of CITIZEN PINOY: Your Tanong, My Sagot – Social Distancing Style this Sunday, August 2 at 6:15 pm PST/EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

(Advertising Supplement)

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Health@Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS THE number of people infected with COVID-19 has risen to almost 17 million, with nearly 98,000 new cases in 24 hours worldwide, and about 660,000 deaths. There are almost 4.5 million cases in the United States, with about 16,000 new cases in one day, and about 152,000 deaths, 400 of which was last Monday, July 27. Brazil has the second highest total, with almost 2.5 million cases and 88,000 deaths, and almost 3,000 new cases. The Philippines has about 83,700 cases and almost 2,000 deaths (1,680 new cases).

In our column in March, we warned about the probability of a second or third wave of COVID-19 in the U.S., which would be caused by people’s protests and demand for their civil rights and lack of self-discipline and reckless behavior. The recent increases in the number of cases in California (466,835, with 8,549 deaths) and Florida (441,977, with 6,119 deaths) are a testament to people’s non-compliance to socially distance and wear face covers. The massive testing and high positive results are not to blame for the spikes in the number of cases. If people were more compliant and disciplined, the number of positives would be enormously less. More people tested positive because they were careless and exposed to those infected. Social distancing and facemasks have been proven very effective, together with discipline and personal hygiene. It’s time we learned!

Oral sex The rate of throat cancer in the United States has not declined, compared to most head and neck malignancies. I suspect that the statistics could also be true, when extrapolated, for other countries like the Philippines since most Filipinos are westernized in their lifestyle, habits, and behaviors.

The most logical explanation why cancer of the throat has not diminished has been attributed to the Human Papilloma virus (HPV), a bug that causes a sexually-transmitted disease. HPV is popularly known to cause genital warts and most cancer of the cervix (mouth of the womb). It has only been fairly recently when scientists discovered

COVID-19 update and identified HPV transmission through oral sex as an etiology of throat cancer.

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston reported that its research team found “the incidence of throat cancer (in the United States) to be stagnant and even rising in some populations, defying a downward trend in other head and neck cancers linked more closely with smoking.”

The American Cancer Society reports that the greatest risk factors in head and neck cancers are smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages (90% of them either smokers or tobacco-chewers and about 80% of them imbibed a lot of alcohol). The good news is that a trend analysis in head and neck cancers in the United States shows a decline the past twenty years, trailing a decrease in smoking prevalence, which started in the 1970s, by 10 to 15 years.

The bad news is that oropharyngeal cancers (which include the tonsils, base of the tongue and soft palate, and side and back of the throat) have gone up in some populations in the United States, and probably among people in other parts of the world who practice oral sex, where HPV takes its toll.

A vaccine, Gardasil, which is genetically engineered, blocks infection caused by two of the more than 100 types of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), strains 16 and 18. These two sexually-transmitted viruses are responsible for about 70% of cervical cancers. HPV, in one form or the other, afflicts about 20 million Americans.

The other strains of the virus cause painful genital warts, and sometimes, cervical cancers too.

How prevalent is cervical cancer?

In the Philippines, there are about 5,000 new cases of cervical cancer each year.

However, more alarming than that is the fact that there are between 10,000 to 25,000 women walking around (not seen by physician) who have undiagnosed pre-invasive lesions in their cervix. If diagnosed early, these women could be saved. For every four survivors of breasts cancer, there are less than 3 women who survive cervical cancer, which shows how virulent cervical cancer is.

What causes cervical cancer?

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV, also known as genital

herpes virus) accounts for most cervical cancers. At least 50% of sexually active men and women are infected with genital HPV, especially those with multiple partners.

There are about 20 million American men and women infected with HPV, many linked with abnormal pap tests, genital warts and cervical cancer. It is estimated that at least 10,000 new cases of cervical cancers are discovered annually. Between half a million to a million Americans have genital warts, transmitted through sexual contact.

Is the cure for cervical cancer?

Better than the cure! A vaccine (Gardasil) that prevents cervical cancer, vulvar and vaginal cancer that was approved by the US-FDA in 2006 was found to be “effective 100%, in the short term, at blocking the cancer and lesions likely to turn to cancer” (like the pre-invasive lesions), according to Gardasil manufacturer, Merck & Co. “To have 100 percent efficacy is something that you have very rarely,” Dr. Eliav Barr, Merck’s head of clinical development for Gardasil, told The Associated Press. The UK’s version of the vaccine is known as Cervarix.

How early should the vaccine be given?

Students in grammar school, middle school and high school should be vaccinated before they become sexually active because once they catch HPV infection there is no cure; herpes is for life. This is the recommendation of Dr. Gloria Bachmann, director of The Women’s Health Institute at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Brunswick, NJ., who said this vaccine is a “phenomenal breakthrough.”

Prophylaxis Gardasil vaccination comprehensively eliminates HPV 16 and 18 associated non-invasive and invasive cervical cancer. The vaccine also cuts down infection with HPV 6 and 11, the causes of 90% of genital warts.

How about throat cancers?

Of the 45,000 head and neck cancers in the U.S. each year, about 10,000 of them are oro-pharyngeal cancers, and tongue cancers among young adults have also increased. The evident conclusion is that the cause is the HPV virus.

“Over the last five years, 35% of the throat cancer pa-

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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 GeronimoGuidicelli” but also shared her life as a “mabuting maybahay” (good wife).

“Kamusta po ang buhay maybahay? Masarap po, masaya. Nakakapanibago rin po. May mga adjustments na kailangang gawin of course dahil may asawa na tayo,” Sarah shared.

She also mentioned that last weekend, she and Matteo finally went on a honeymoon in time for her 32nd birthday.

“Last Saturday, I just celebrated my 32nd birthday,” she said.

According to her, she feels blessed to have marked her

Sarah Geronimo with husband Matteo Guidicelli

birthday despite the ongoing novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic 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

Photo from Instagram/@matteog

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 PAGE 13

Raffy Tulfo pledges P100k to help ailing action star John Regala

By JAn

Milo seveRo Philstar.com

MANILA — Broadcaster Raffy Tulfo pledged cash donations for former action star John Regala after learning that the embattled actor is suffering from liver cirrhosis.

In his TV5 program “Idol in Action,” Raffy interviewed John after getting requests from social media users to help the actor.

Raffy told John that he will donate P100,000, groceries and medicines for the actor.

PAGE 13

Action star John Regala wearing dextrose (left) and being helped by a delivery rider after getting dizzy in Pasay City.

Photo by Bemedz Santillan Torres

tients treated at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center had no history of smoking, and that close to 90% of patients who had never smoked showed evidence of oral infection with HPV,” says Dr. Sturgis on Web MD. Vaccination against HPV among young girls and boys have been proven to be of great benefit in preventing

the infection and the related potential malignancy. The use of cling plastic wrap used in the kitchen, placed over the woman (groin to groin), has been advocated by some to prevent HPV transmission when oral sex is performed.

Mouth, tongue, and other throat cancers could be as grave and deadly as most other forms of cancers.

*** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, a Health Advocate, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States.

Websites: philipSchua.com and FUN8888.com; Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com.

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Angel in the spotlight

NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • JULY 31 - AUGUST 6, 2020

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By GeoRGe

Vail KabRiStante ManilaTimes.net

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

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

Angel Locsin

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 be-

Photo from Instagram/@therealangellocsin

fore 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 highPAGE 15

Sarah on married life with...

PAGE 12 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 Sunday, 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.

Raffy Tulfo pledges P100k to help...

PAGE 12 “Sa ngayon po, magpipledge ako. Magbibigay ako ng isandaang libong piso at bukod pa ho diyan magbibigay ako ng gamot, groceries para sa’yo. At kung ano pa po maitutulong namin, ibibigay ko pa po,” Raffy told John.

Earlier this week, Facebook users posted photos of John, asking for help for the actor after a food delivery rider helped him upon seeing him in dismal condition on his way to see the nurse who would give him his gout

injection.

John can barely speak upon mentioning in a TeleRadyo interview that the driver found him dizzy because he had not eaten well in 13 days.

A Facebook user also revealed that John is living his life alone after her wife left him.

Also in his interview with TeleRadyo, John revealed that he has liver cirrhosis.

“Malala na ang aking liver cirrhosis. Sugat-sugat na ang aking atay, at may tubig na ang aking tiyan at kai-

langang matanggal,” John said.

“Ako po ay nahihiya pero kakapalan ko na po ang mukha ko. Bawat tao naman po ay dumadaan sa ganitong sitwasyon. Sana po kung hindi naman kalabisan sa inyo, pakitulungan naman po ako. Nagpapakumbaba po ako ng labis labis.

Gusto ko lang po talagang makapaghanapbuhay.”

John won as Best Supporting Actor at the 2011 Metro Manila Film Festival for the movie “Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story.”

Photo screengrabbed from Youtube/AC Bonifacio

AC bags silver in Blackpink’s ‘How You Like That?’ dance contest

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.

The 17-year-old’s winning solo dance cover posted at the beginning of the month now has over three million YouTube views.

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people events arts culture entertainment

The sparkling rise of Sanzo: How a Fil-Am millennial is disrupting the beverage industry A by

MoMaR G. ViSaYa / AJPress

FILIPINO American has been silently but efficiently disrupting the heavily evolving and saturated market of carbonated beverages, and in this specific case: sparkling water.

Meet Sandro Roco, the 31-year-old founder of NYCbased company called Sanzo.

The global pandemic has thrown a huge curveball to everyone, derailing business plans all over and forcing some small businesses to close shop.

“The biggest thing I’d say is that the pandemic, unfortunately, caused much of our wholesale business to shut down. However, we were able to quickly shift resources to our online store, which had already been up and running. This has allowed us to grow the total business tremendously,” Roco told the Asian Journal.

For the past few months, he has been working hard to adjust to the situation and to pivot accordingly. Earlier this year, he already had about 185 retail partners in New York, about 30 in Los Angeles and 10 in Chicago.

Last week, he announced that they have begun to roll out to the first of 50 Whole Foods stores in the New York tri-state area, covering Western Connecticut to South New Jersey. Quite fitting for a product that was launched exactly a year ago.

“Now, more of the focus is on what the retail landscape looks like in a ‘new normal’ world. We don’t know all the answers yet, but we do know that it will involve a mixture of online and offline selling,” he said.

Before the pandemic, we had a chance to sit down with Roco at one of the trendy cafes in New York’s Koreatown,

Sanzo founder Sandro Roco

Sanzoʼs original flavors: calamansi, mango and lychee.

which serves his drinks. We talked about how the sparkling water market is big and growing and how he is celebrating fruits and flavors through his products.

This stretch of restaurants and bars on 32nd Street is also where the idea of his own sparkling water came about. It happened with a visit to an H Mart, an Asian

grocery a few doors down from the cafe.

“If you walk into that H Mart, the first thing you’d see is a huge beverage shelf.

Half of it has this iconic modern ‘American better for you’ products. A little down the middle is the Asian section,” he shared.

He wondered why there were little to none when he

looked for Asian flavors.

Sure, there were iconic and legacy brands, imported sodas and juices from across the region but most were too sweet for his taste.

“When you look at the ingredient panels of some of these products, you can see that it’s all sugars, concentrates, preservatives,” Roco said. “I think in general, we are now more discerning about these things.”

Since sparkling water is all the rage, he thought about using real fruit with no added sugar.

He thought about the comforting calamansi drink he had been drinking since childhood. In the instances, he had the citrus as a beverage, it was hot and almost medicinal. He wanted to celebrate calamansi more.

“The very first thought that came to mind when I was playing with the idea was calamansi. It’s the best possible version of a citrus fruit. It has the beautiful tart elements of a lime, but unlike a lime that just stays tart, it rounds up a little bit of sweetness in it,” he said. “I love the taste of calamansi so I looked for the right taste or version of a calamansi juice or calamansi ade for me.

That’s how it came to be.”

And as such, Sanzo’s original flavor was born.

He had to look at specialty farms in Florida or California for his supply of calamansi but ended up importing purée straight from the Philippines.

Next up was mango.

PAGE 15

To celebrate his first anniversary earlier this month, Sandro Roco posted this photo on Sanzoʼs Instagram and thanked the people and companies who have supported him. He ended his message with “From the basement of my parentsʼ house and the bottom of my heart, thank you. - Sandro.”

Photos courtesy of Instagram/@drinksanzo

Sanzo founder Sandro Roco with his dad, Angel Roco outside Whole Foods in Hudson Yards.

Sandro Roco enjoying some dimsum paired with his sparkling water brand, Sanzo.” His company is growing despite the curveball brought about by the global pandemic. “You have to be consistently leveling up and learning because in six months, thereʼs going to be something new to tackle,” he told the Asian Journal.

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • JULY 31 - AUGUST 6, 2020

Ogie dismisses fake news about his ‘death’ By

Katrina Hallare

PolicarPio Inquirer.net

Ogie Alcasid

start this kind of news? We know and have accepted that this is a part of our lives, for us to the subject of rumors, this is hard for us when it comes to our jobs.)

“May pamilya po kaming maaaring mag alala kung ito ay mabasa nila. Kaya pakiusap po wag naman,” she added.

(We have families who may start to worry if they read this. That’s why I am asking to not do it.)

Regine assured her fam-

Photo from Instagram/@ogiealcasid

ily 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.

The sparkling rise of Sanzo...

PAGE 14 He initially started with Philippine mangoes, then transitioned to Indian Alphonso mangoes. He said he personally felt the difference and that the Alphonso mango just had a deeper flavor to it when mixed with sparkling water.

Lychee became the third flavor, completing a trifecta of robust and unadulterated flavors, minus any sugar substitutes or sweeteners.

“I thought it was the best way to celebrate and highlight each of the fruits’ elegance. When you douse something with sugar, that overpowers the flavor,” he said.

Business venture Roco launched Sanzo in July 2019. A piece of trivia, the brand is a portmanteau of his given names: Alessandro and Lorenzo.

Before this, he went into early beta testing. His initial products were in bottles but his goal was to get into cans, but it was a bigger dollar investment so he wanted to do get it right.

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

Inquirer.net

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 singersongwriter 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 thumbed down the bogus news item.

“Bakit naman kailangan gumawa ng ganitong balita?” Velasquez said in a separate Instagram post.

“Alam namin at [tanggap] na namin na parti na ng aming buhay ang pagusapan kami mahirap pero kasama talaga ito sa trabaho namin.”

(Why do people need to

15

He had the same original flavors: calamansi, lychee and mango. Then, he upgraded the sourcing of the purees, manufacturing quality and made some tweaks in the packaging and on the labels.

A year in and despite the current situation, he saw the growth and it was better than expected.

“I self-funded the whole operation up to last December so I only just recently started taking outside investor money. That’s of note because a lot of brands come to market and they raise a lot of money before they launch so they can afford bigger blowouts and within a couple of months, they can be in 500 or 1,000 stores,” he explained.

Roco has always hoped to rally the Asian American community behind the product, from restaurateurs to owners and operators and coffee shops like Grace Street and Kabisera.

He said he wanted to take more of a bootstrap, methodical approach but even then, he has been surprised as to

how quickly people have gotten it.

“What got me even more excited is that we’ve been able to crossover into the “mainstream”, I hate using that word but for these purposes, fine. While we’re doing well at Momofuku, Grace Street or Kabisera, we’re also selling at By Chloe, this very trendy vegan fast-casual chain, or Charlie Street, an Australian hip coffee chain,” he said. “I was always hopeful that the product would be good enough to sell in these places.”

Now, he has reached a point where the company is growing despite the challenges brought about by the current world situation. He hopes to continue to grow with it, learning and unlearning lessons along the way.

“Launching a product is hard but now that we’re beginning to grow, I realized that it is also hard to scale.

You have to be constantly leveling up and learning because, in six months, there’s going to be something new to tackle,” he said.

WHILE the planned third installment of Vice Ganda’s hit movie franchise “Praybeyt Benjamin” has already been announced as one of the entries in this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), the comedian himself is unsure when or how shooting can take place amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

To be produced by Star Cinema and Viva Films, “Praybeyt 3” is among the first four entries to make it to this year’s MMFF roster based on the merit of their scripts. “I don’t know how we will be able to shoot,” the 44-year-old Kapamilya star admitted. “But the bosses told us that they’ll find a way.”

What he’s sure of, however, is that movies won’t be specially geared toward children. “Unlike my previous movies, which were fantasy and comedy, this one hindi masyadong pambata. I don’t think minors will even be allowed to go out and watch a movie,” he said. “So, it doesn’t have to be super wholesome. But definitely, it’s still going to be a family movie.”

Meanwhile, he revealed that all the uncertainty and fears over the pandemic and the nonrenewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise, have inevitably taken a toll on his performance as a comedian. “I was sad and depressed. I was worried and scared. It affected my work because I felt I couldn’t perform to my full potential,” he said. “It’s hard to make people laugh when your mind is preoccupied with other things.”

Vice was dissatisfied with his showing when the variety program “It’s Showtime” returned on air via

Vice Ganda

livestreaming on the Kapamilya Channel on cable last June 13. “I felt so bad the first few weeks, because I myself knew the performance I was giving wasn’t that good,” Vice said. “I had to acknowledge, first, that I wasn’t happy.”

And he wasn’t the only one in the same mood.

That’s why he tries his best to cheer on his cohosts.

“I felt we needed to reset.

Before we resumed airing, I urged everyone to just let it all out—cry what we wanted to cry about, shout to our hearts’ content, vent our anger. But after that, we should regain our focus,” he related.

Though he’s thankful that “It’s Showtime” continues to air, doing the program without a live audience simply isn’t the same.

Photo from Instagram/@praybeytbenjamin

“I miss the energy of the ‘Madlang People,’ our crowd. The fun simply isn’t the same. Sobrang layo. I miss the kulitan with my cohosts,” Vice said, adding that not having the spontaneous reactions from a live audience is challenging.

“Because you don’t know if your jokes are havey or waley.”

One of the things Vice has realized from the recent spate of troubles that have befallen his network and the whole world is that life and health always come first. “Sometimes, we can be so focused on work or money or social media.

Now, we have to let go of those and protect ourselves. Value yourself first, because if you lose that, everything else will be useless,” he said.

Angel in the spotlight...

PAGE 13 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 De Leon and Toni Gonzaga have lashed back at her on social media, saying far

from being indifferent to her cause they have their own personal reasons to keep silent, adding the protocols of the prevailing pandemic have virtually limited anyone’s mobility. Meanwhile, Coco Martin has deactivated his social media account and since then has remained incognito.

Despite some embarrassing flaks Angel is getting, the charismatic pied piper in her is determined to bring her noise barrage to the halls of Congress in time for the SONA. As the line of a Broadway musical “Hello Dolly” goes, “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!”

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july 31 - AuGuST 6, 2020 • NEW yORK AND NEW jERSEy ASIAN jOuRNAl

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