081920 - Southern California Midweek Edition

August 19-21, 2020 Volume 30 - No.65 • 2 Sections - 14 Pages

Fil-Am Democrats kick off DNC week ready to elect Biden-Harris ticket

by CHRISTINA

M. ORIEL

AJPress

AS the Democratic National Convention kicked off virtually this week, Filipino American Democrats are doubling down on their support for the presumptive nominee, Joe Biden, and his running

mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris.

Some 400 “Filipino Americans for Biden,” representing a national multigenerational coalition of volunteers, came together on the eve of the convention to rally behind the Democratic ticket and share their plans to boost civic engagement in their local communities as the November elec-

tion nears.

“It is a real war for the soul of America,” New York-based philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis, who serves as the spokesperson for the group, said. “On one hand, to make it white again, and on the other hand with Biden and Harris, let us make

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USA

DATELINE Foreign cruise operators rehire Filipino sailors FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

THOUSANDS of Filipino seafarers are bound for European and Mediterranean itineraries as foreign cruise operators begin to rehire them.

As reported by the Philippine Star, migration and recruitment consultant Manny Geslani noted that several cruise companies such as TUI Cruises, a German company in which Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) holds a stake; Hurtigruten, a private company based in Norway; and Hong Kong-based Genting Cruise Lines have already relaunched.

An RCL spokesman also confirmed that the TUI vessel Mein Schiff 2 carrying 1,200

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Mayor Garcetti extends relaxed parking enforcement until Oct 1.

LOS ANGELES — Mayor Garcetti today recently extended relaxed parking enforcement across the City of Los Angeles until October 1, making it easier for Angelenos to stay home whenever possible without being concerned about a ticket.

“Angelenos shouldn’t be penalized for staying home, avoiding unnecessary trips, and doing their part to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “All of us have a role to play in defeating this virus and saving lives, and no one should worry about facing extra financial burdens when they’re keeping their family, friends, and community safe during this crisis.”

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REPATRIATED OFWs. Some 386 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) arrive via Qatar Airways flight QR3150 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) in Pasay City on Monday, August 17. Eight remains of OFWs, four of whom were killed in the recent bombing in Beirut, also arrived at NAIA Terminal 1.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

As the 2020 US election ramps up, experts assess the Asian American electorate

With the selection of the first Asian American VP candidate, policy experts highlight importance of data disaggregation, visibility in politics

by KLARIZE

MEDENILLA AJPress

AS the contentious 2020 election looms in the balance of a disaster-ridden year, the coronavirus pandemic is undoubtedly the top priority among voters.

For Asian Americans, the issue is twofold: in addition to a health crisis, it is also a social justice issue.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a string of anti-Asian sentiments and acts of hate plaguing the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, according to previous reports by the Asian Journal.

As the pandemic rages on, so do the social and political implications of the crisis, making it the driving issue for the AAPI electorate this coming election.

The national party conventions signal the election’s vicinity, when the major party candidates become more than just media fixtures and potential leaders of the “free” world; and, the stakes are higher in an election taking place during a global pandemic.

In other words, things become real once the conventions roll around.

As a way to gauge the AAPI community’s place in the national conversation, the National Council of Asian Pacific Islanders (NCAPA) held a press briefing highlighting the crucial role AAPI’s play in elections and the magnitude of AAPI visibility in national politics.

AAPI groups hope that with the selection of Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who is half-Indian American and the first AAPI vice presidential candidate in American history, will punctuate the importance of the AAPI community on a national level.

“Whether you’re a Republican or Democrat, it is a

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Metro Manila, nearby provinces back to GCQ

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

PHILIPPINE Rodrigo Duterte announced on Monday, August 17 that the government will relax quarantine measures in Metro Manila, beginning Wednesday, August 19.

The provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal were also placed under a general community quarantine (GCQ) that will last on August 31.

Other areas placed under GCQ are Nueva Ecija, Batangas, Quezon in Luzon; Iloilo City, Cebu City, Lapu Lapu City, Mandaue City, Talisay City, the municipalities of Minglanilla and Consolacion in Cebu province in the Visayas.

Under GCQ, nearly all industries will be allowed to reopen and restaurants will be allowed to resume dine-in operations.

Religious activities, meanwhile, will be allowed to resume at 30% capacity.

The rest of the country is placed under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque stressed that Filipinos should observe home isolation to avoid contracting the novel coronavirus.

“Ang general rule pa rin po talaga, kung hindi naman magta-trabaho eh huwag na pong lumabas. ‘Yun po talaga ang general SWAB TEST. A Philippine Coast Guard personnel gets specimen samples from one of the 400 rule natin (The general rule is if you will overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) during a swab test shortly upon the OFWs’ arrival via Qatar not work, do not leave your home. That’s Airways flight QR3150 on Monday, August 17. The OFWs arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International

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Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) in Pasay City.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

Filipino human trafficking survivors urge California New novel coronavirus Legislature to amend migrant workers’ protections bill mutation detected in PH Two Filipino caregivers who were trafficked share their stories and urge all Filipinos to support anti-trafficking legislation the United States on the P-1 visa reserved for athletes traveling to participate in sporting events.

LIKE thousands of Filipinos, When Guanzon arrived in the Angela Guanzon was attracted to U.S. by the recruiter (who had the promise of America. brought more than 10 other FilipiSo when she got the opportu- nos), she realized that the recruitnity to find gainful employment er’s promise that she would give through a recruiter, she didn’t Guanzon a legal work visa once ask any questions. It’s notoriously she arrived in the U.S. was a lie. difficult to uproot and the reGuanzon said that she immeSince being rescued, Jayson De Guzman is a Angela Guanzon, a human trafficking survivor cruiter made it sound so easy: all diately was told that she owned survivor advocate against forced labor and from the Philippines.

Guanzon had to do was come to u PAGE A4 human trafficking.

Photos courtesy of CAST Los Angeles

by KLARIZE

MEDENILLA AJPress

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

A MUTATED strain of the novel coronavirus has been found in the Philippines, which could be more infectious than the original variant, Filipino genomic researchers reported.

The G614 strain was detected along with the original D614 genotype in the positive samples collected from Quezon City, home to approximately 2.9 million residents, according to the Philippine Genome Center (PGC).

“We now report the detection of the D614 variant among nine randomly selected COVID19 positive samples collected in

Quezon City in July. In the month of June, both the D614 as well as the G614 have been detected in a small sample of positive cases,” the PGC said in an August 13 bulletin.

“Although this information confirms the presence of G614 in the Philippines, we note that all the samples tested were from Quezon City and may not represent the mutational landscape for the whole country,” it added.

In July, researchers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and Duke University in North Carolina published a study in the scientific journal Cell, noting that patients infected

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A August 19-21, 2020 • soCal AsIAN JOuRNAL

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Foreign cruise operators rehire...

PAGE A1 people departed Hamburg for a short cruise on July 24. Only the balcony suites were available.

Meanwhile, Carnival expressed hope that it can resume cruises

by September 6 out of Hamburg, Germany with AIDA Cruises’ AIDAPerla.

Costa Cruises’ Deliziosa, a European cruise line owned by

Carnival, will start sailing again around Italian ports by the first week of September 6 with only 50% capacity. It will also be limited to Italian citizens.

Ports in the United States remain closed until September 30 as ordered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Some cruise lines have sus-

Mein Schiff 2 departed from Hamburg with 1,200 guests aboard in late July.

Photo courtesy of Cruise Industry News

From the Front Page

pended sailing beyond that date.

These include Carnival’ Princess Cruises, as well as RCL and Norwegian Lines — both of which set their cruises after October 31.

The newspaper also said the bulk of over 50,000 repatriated Filipino cruise ship crews may have to wait a few more months before Carnival, RCL, and Norwegian Lines resume operations after September.

These three cruise operators comprise 70% of the cruise ships all over the world, making them the world’s largest cruise operators.

Filipino sailors hope more of them would be recalled as cruises resume itineraries in Europe, the Star report added.

“Filipino seafarers are still hoping that as cruises start in Europe, more cruise lines will recall the Filipino crews which comprise a third of a cruise ship’s crew complement. That number can range anywhere from 500 to 800 overseas Filipino workers,” the article read. (Ritchel Mendiola/AJPress)

Filipino Americans for Biden and Harris released social media graphics ahead of the Democratic National Convention from Aug. 17-20.

Fil-Am Democrats kick off...

PAGE A1 America, America again and why it has become the No. 1 country in the world.”

The group entertained Andrew Yang, a Taiwanese American tech entrepreneur who ran in the Democratic primary, as a guest speaker at the virtual convening on Sunday, August 16. “I love Filipino Americans,” he proclaimed, before sharing that his college friends are of Filipino descent.

Niceties aside, Yang bared what’s at stake in less than 80 days.

“The truth is that our alternative is Donald Trump for four more years, which would be an epic catastrophe. We’re talking about the possible disintegration of our way of life between now and then,” Yang told the attendees.

GOTV efforts Several Fil-Ams will be serving as convention delegates this week, such as Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA); Rep. TJ Cox (D-CA); Daly City, California Vice Mayor Juslyn Manalo; Artesia Councilmember Melissa Ramoso; Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, chair of the Democratic Party of Hawai’i; and Maria Castaneda, secretary-treasurer of 1199SEIU in New York, to name a few.

Though they won’t be physically present in Milwaukee, the delegates are participating remotely in caucus meetings, policy roundtables and get-out-the-vote training.

“What we’ve been working on the last several months has been truly a labor of love. Across the

nation, we’ve never had such a coordinated campaign of Filipino Americans for a presidential election and because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re able to organize effectively and efficiently so it’s important that we’re all here and then win in November,” Ramoso, who also serves as national cochair for Fil-Ams for Biden, said.

Representatives of the group recognize the sense of urgency in spreading the Biden-Harris platform to eligible Fil-Am voters across the country, especially in battleground states, tapping into millennials and Gen Zers, and eliminating the excuses that have prevented many from voting in elections past.

“The Filipino vote matters in this country…Many of our families came here because we believed in the American ideals of freedom and democracy that we did not have in the Philippines,” said Vida Benavides, an advisor for the group who has done similar work for previous Democratic presidential campaigns.

“So within that context…we’re not going to take ‘I’m too busy’ to vote…You’re here to be part of the social fabric of this country that we are so much part of.”

The coalition is also reaching across the aisle to Fil-Ams who identify as Republicans but have become disillusioned with President Donald Trump’s leadership.

“Many Filipinos are Republicans and so I [wanted] to show them that your loyalty to your party ends where your loyalty to

your country begins. Our country is at stake in this election because this president that we have is truly bent in destroying whatever we believed in so it was very important for me to find these wellknown Republicans that they are voting for Biden,” Nicolas Lewis said.

First 100 days If Biden and Harris are elected, the Fil-Am supporters sounded off on what policies should be prioritized, including recovery for a post-COVID-19 country and a pathway for citizenship for Dreamers.

Nicolas Lewis added that the new administration should look into current U.S.-Philippine relations as well as the alleged human rights violations during President Rodrigo Duterte’s term.

“All I’m saying is that a government of Biden and Kamala should look again in the human rights violations and the extrajudicial killings and the passage of the [Anti-Terror] law in the Philippines, and do something about it,” she said.

Fil-Ams for Biden also plan to shift gears as a transition group that will push for qualified FilAms to work at various levels of the administration.

“We will be at the table and we will be demanding our seats at the table when it comes to governance,” said Benavides. “Of course, Filipinos are on the frontlines and we will also continue to be on the frontlines of the government.” n

As the 2020 US election ramps up, experts assess...

PAGE A1 benchmark of progress, and it is a reminder that diversity should be embraced, not feared,” Gregg Orton, national director of NCAPA, said in the briefing held on Wednesday, Aug. 12. “But it is also important to recognize that as important as it is for governments to look like the people they represent, it’s also important for policies that they create be inclusive as well.”

Getting Congress to approach legislation inclusively — that is, to propose bills and measures that address the issues of the oftignored AAPI community — has been an ongoing struggle for AAPIs for years. There are presently 17 AAPI members in Congress, meaning that AAPIs currently serving in either chamber make up nearly half of the number of congressional AAPI’s in history.

(Since 1957, a total of 45 AAPIs have served as representatives and senators.)

But although AAPI representation in Washington is better than ever before, unifying the entire community as a political bloc continues to be an uphill battle.

Finding ways to combat antiAsian racism in relation to the pandemic chief among the pressing issues that call for solidarity across ethnic and racial lines.

One hate crime tracker reported 1,500 anti-Asian harassment, bullying and violence signaling AAPI lawmakers and political coalitions like NCAPA to push for legislative solutions.

“It’s critical that political leaders recognize and address the needs of our diverse AAPI community,” said Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), who last week organized a forum with the congressional Black and Hispanic caucuses to work on legislation to address the “alarming uptick” in anti-Asian attitudes and harassment ahead of the Novem-

ber election.

The term AAPI itself is a controversial aggregate in itself that is used to describe the vast population of not just Asians and Pacific Islanders but also Native Hawaiians. Disaggregating data to reflect the concerns of the hundreds of culturally disparate ethnic groups under the AAPI label has been a cause for concern for years as the community continues to widen and diversify within itself.

In a pandemic that also has catalyzed a trend of anti-Asian sentiments across the U.S., the need for disaggregated data is especially crucial. The Filipino American community, for example, has been struggling to find answers to how the virus affects their own with many turning to whatever paltry data is available.

“These are critical disparities that we only know because certain states have elected to disaggregate their public health data by race and ethnicity,” Chu remarked, adding that there should be larger federal effort to disaggregate medical and health data.

The pitfalls of reaching for numerical paydirt, however, leads to fallacious media reports utilizing weak data to attempt to answer crucial questions about specific communities, like the Los Angeles Times story in July that reported a 40% mortality rate among Filipinos, a conclusion based on an unsubstantiated and rough list of 48 COVID-19 patients from the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles.

The lack of nuanced data is further couched in the lack of language accessibility for the Asian ESL population, of which about one-third of AAPI and Asian immigrants are limited English proficient. The disproportionality of this has led to difficult outreach efforts to the AAPI community, making it more difficult for AAPI subgroups “to access critical resources,” Chu said.

“The information gets conglomerated as a general Asian American or Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander so for us, providing health care and for those who are the ground workers in the grassroots, it’s really hard for us to use that very, very lump sum data to really target the specific vulnerability of people who need more attention,” Katrina Dizon Mariategue, acting executive director of the Southeast Asia Action Resource Center, told the Asian Journal.

That being said, while prioritizing disaggregated observations of the massive AAPI community is important, so is the notion of a unified racial bloc that leads with cultural solidarity internally and externally, said Sefa Aina, Board Chair of Empowering Pacific Islander communities, who previously worked with President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs. “Our number one priority [in Obama’s advisory commission] was to get federal agencies to disaggregate data internally, [but] we understand that there’s a lot of issues that cross ethnic lines,” Aina told the Asian Journal, urging communities to make the effort to simultaneously work to increase the visibility of their unique needs while investing in issues that don’t directly affect their own.

Dizon Mariategue mirrored Aina’s remarks, emphasizing that neither race-wide unity nor fighting for individualistic visibility of subcultures are mutually exclusive.

“Disaggregated data is very important for a number of Asian American groups, but I believe that the collecting of this data and the relevance of this data also shouldn’t hinder the ability for our organizations and groups to also work together collectively,” Dizon Mariategue said. “We can collect this necessary data but still work as a broad Asian American identity as well.” n

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A

Trust, fear and solidarity will determine the success of a COVID vaccine

by Arthur

Allen Kaiser Health News

THOUSANDS of letters stuffed with money flooded Jonas Salk’s mailbox the week after his polio vaccine was declared safe and effective in 1955. Everybody wanted his vaccine. Desperate parents clogged doctors’ phone lines in search of the precious elixir; drug companies and doctors diverted doses to the rich and famous.

Some of the first batches of the vaccine were disastrously botched, causing 200 cases of permanent paralysis. That barely dented public desire for the preventive. Marlon Brando even asked to play Salk in a movie.

Eight years later, with polio a fading threat, the first measles vaccines went on sale. Measles had killed more than 400 children the year before and caused permanent brain damage in thousands more. Interest in the vaccine was modest.

Its creator, Maurice Hilleman, was never lionized as Salk had been.

“People felt, ‘What’s the big deal? I had measles; why does my kid need a vaccine?’ It was a very difficult sell,” said Walter Orenstein, an Emory University professor who headed the national immunization program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1988 to 2004.

When a coronavirus vaccine becomes available, will it be met with a roaring ovation, like the polio vaccine, or communal yawning, like the measles shot?

Or some strange hybrid of the two? Americans’ trust in authority, affordable access to the vaccine and a sense of solidarity will determine the result, said Orenstein and other public health veterans and historians.

Perceptions of particular diseases — and vaccines — reflect the seriousness of the diseases themselves, but popular values, culture, human risk assessment and politics all play important roles. Acceptance of public health measures — be they face masks or vaccines — is never entirely determined through a rational balancing of risk and benefit.

We can see that in the history of national campaigns for new vaccines meant to vanquish a scourge. No disease was more feared in the mid-20th century

than polio. With the possible exception of AIDS, no disease since has been as feared until the arrival of COVID-19.

The polio vaccine was one of the few the public greeted eagerly. Diseases like measles and whooping cough were familiar childhood afflictions. In most years they killed more children than polio, but polio, which put people in iron lungs and leg braces, was visible in ways that an infant’s death certificate, tucked away in a drawer, could never be.

Vaccines are often a hard sell, since they prevent rather than cure disease and seem scary even though they are generally quite safe. Since vaccines must be widely used to prevent outbreaks, successful vaccination campaigns rely heavily on trust in those who sell, recommend and administer the medicines.

And trust in science, government and business has not always been in steady supply.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, when public health laws were in flux, authorities battling smallpox epidemics would often send vaccinators out with police to enforce the jab. They’d enter factories where cases had been reported, lock the doors and frog-march the workers through a vaccination line. The workers’ resistance was not unmerited; the vaccine sometimes caused swollen arms, fever and bacterial infections. Vaccination could cost a week’s missed wages.

Authorities had learned their lesson by the 1920s, when the diphtheria vaccine came on the scene, as James Colgrove notes in his book “State of Immunity: The Politics of Vaccination in Twentieth-Century America.” Diphtheria was a much-feared killer of children, and publicity campaigns run by public health officials, insurance companies and charities sought to educate and persuade rather than coerce.

Polio terrified Americans, peaking in 1952 with more than 57,000 cases. In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, himself a polio patient, had begun a national scientific program to battle the disease, backed by millions of Americans’ contributions through the March of Dimes.

The result of this national quest, uniting government and the people, was Jonas Salk’s

inactivated polio vaccine. It cemented a powerful post-World War II trust in the U.S. scientific and medical establishment that would endure for many years.

Social solidarity was also important.

Vaccines prevent the circulation of a disease among the unvaccinated via what scientists call herd immunity — if enough people are vaccinated. When a reliable rubella vaccine became available in 1969, states quickly required childhood vaccination, even though rubella was practically harmless in children. They wanted to protect a vulnerable population — pregnant women — to prevent a repeat of the 1963-64 congenital rubella epidemic, which resulted in 30,000 fetal deaths and the birth of more than 20,000 babies with severe disabilities.

The embrace of the rubella vaccine, as historian Elena Conis of the University of California-Berkeley notes in her book, “Vaccine Nation: America’s Changing Relationship With Immunization,” marked the first time a vaccine had been deployed that offered no direct benefit to those who were vaccinated.

Still, it took a combination of fear, solidarity — and coercion — for Orenstein and his colleagues at the CDC and state public health agencies to drive childhood vaccination rates for measles, whooping cough, rubella and diphtheria to 90% and above in the 1990s to assure herd immunity.

Shame was also a tool. Orenstein remembered testifying to the Florida Legislature when it was considering a tougher vaccine mandate. He showed them that disease rates were lower in neighboring states that had tighter mandates. It worked.

What’s different now? In a politically divided nation, trust in science is low and experts are distrusted, politicians more so. Childhood vaccination efforts are already beset by large numbers of hesitant parents.

And efforts to fight the COVID epidemic in the United States have been clumsy and chaotic at best, leaving Americans to doubt the competence of their governments and institutions.

There is still fear. “Maybe I’m an old-fashioned fool, but PAGE A4

ADDED PROTECTION. Market vendors and customer wear a face mask as well as face shields at Kamuning Market, Quezon City on Monday, August 17. Face shields in some areas are now required such as business establishments, public markets, and supermarkets as additional safety protection other than the face mask to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

Mayor Garcetti extends relaxed parking...

PAGE A1 Relaxed enforcement is extended for the following categories: • Residential street sweeping • Expired registration • Overnight/Oversize parking districts • Peak/rush hour and gridlock zone parking restrictions • Ticket/tow for oversized/ overnight parking Enforcement continues for: • Metered parking • Time limits within preferential parking districts for vehicles without a valid or re-

cently-expired permit • Posted time limit zones in residential and commercial areas • All posted Temporary NoParking signs • Blocking emergency access areas • Colored curb zones • Parking restrictions for City-owned lots In addition to these steps, Angelenos will not face parking fine increases when failing to pay a ticket. Residents will also be given extended grace periods for residential and commercial drop off or

pick up; granted extensions on all deadlines for payments; and offered temporary permits that can be printed at home for those who have renewed their permit but will not receive the new hangtag before their current permit expires.

Vehicles displaying recently expired permits within preferential parking districts will have a two-week grace period following the expiration to renew. On October 1, parking enforcement will begin again, with the exception of street sweeping enforcement, which will resume at a later date. n

New novel coronavirus mutation detected...

PAGE A1 with the G614 variant had a higher viral load compared to those infected with D614.

However, they said that the G614 variant does not appear to be deadlier nor does it have an impact on disease severity.

“There is still no definitive evidence showing that carriers of the G614 variant are actually more transmissible than those with D614, and the mutation does not appear to substantially affect clinical outcomes as well,” the PGC added.

It also said that continuous monitoring of the new strain

“must be done in order to better understand the evolutionary trajectory of SARS-CoV-2 to inform containment, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies.”

Philippine Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, for her part, stressed that more evidence is needed to declare that the G614 variant is the dominant variant spreading in the country.

“We still need a lot of evidence for us to say that the virus here is mutated, that it is the one that is spreading in the country,” she told reporters in English and Filipino.

“What we know so far is that

the G614 and D614 are the strains we have in the Philippines but it is not yet conclusive because the study of the Philippine Genome Center was just in the Quezon City area. So it needs to be expanded so that we can see it well,” she added.

Vergeire also pointed out that there’s “no solid evidence” yet confirming that G614 is more transmissible.

“Whatever strain there may be in the Philippines for SARS CoV-2, we just continue to enforce strictly and properly the minimum health standards,” she said. n

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Cooling centers available at Cerritos Park East amid heat wave

TO provide the community with a free, indoor air-conditioned location during the current extreme heat weather conditions, the City of Cerritos is opening a cooling center at Cerritos Park East (13234 E. 166th Street). The cooling center will be open Tuesday, August 18 through Sunday, August 23 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Space is limited. Visitors should bring their own water.

The following safety rules and procedures will be followed:

• If you have COVID-19 symptoms (cough, fever or difficulty breathing), entry will not be allowed.

• All visitors and staff must wear a face covering at all times.

• Hand sanitizer, soap/water or disinfectant will be available to all visitors and staff.

• All high-contact areas inside are cleaned and disinfected according to guidance provided by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

• All visitors and staff must practice physical distancing at all times – keep at least 6 feet away from one another. Family members arriving from the same household are exempt for this rule.

• Staff may limit the number of visitors inside at any time to maintain physical distancing.

The cooling center meets all County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health safety protocols. For more information, call (562) 407-2611. n

PH Navy’s first missile-capable warship to be tested in Hawaii

by Michael

Punongbayan Philstar.com

REMINDERS. Tarpaulins welcome passengers at the entrance of the MRT-3 North Avenue Station in Quezon City to remind them of a “no face mask, face shield, no entry” policy and safe physical distancing measure on Tuesday, August 18. The MRT-3 management imposes the health protocols to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

Metro Manila, nearby provinces back...

PAGE A1

our general rule),” he said.

More public transport routes, PUVs in NCR The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said there will be more public transportation routes and public utility vehicles (PUV) available in Metro Manila during GCQ. “The LTFRB will be opening up additional routes for PUV, UV, and buses. We have done so on the commitment that we’re going to open up every week,” LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra III said.

He added that it will continue until “there are enough routes running on the roads.”

Delgra also reminded the riding public that face shields are now required in all forms of public transport across the country, on top of wearing face masks, physical distancing, and other health and safety protocols mandated by the government.

Cebu Pacific to resume domestic flights Local airline Cebu Pacific announced on Tuesday, August 18 that it will be resuming some of its domestic flights during the GCQ. “Cebu Pacific and Cebgo will resume domestic passenger flights to and from Manila on

August 19, 2020,” the airline company said in its advisory.

Cebu Pacific will resume the following domestic flights: Luzon • Cebu - Clark - Cebu every Tuesday and Saturday • Manila - Cauayan - Manila every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday • Manila - Legazpi - Manila every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday • Manila - Masbate - Manila every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday • Manila - San Jose - Manila every Tuesday and Saturday • Manila - Virac - Manila every Monday and Friday Visayas • Manila - Bacolod - Manila every Tuesday and Thursday • Manila - Boracay - Manila every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday • Manila - Cebu - Manila 10 times weekly • Manila - Dumaguete - Manila every Wednesday and Thursday • Manila - Iloilo every Tuesday • Iloilo - Manila every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday • Manila - Kalibo - Manila every Wednesday and Saturday • Manila - Roxas every Thursday • Roxas - Manila every Thurs-

THE warfare capabilities of the Philippine Navy’s new and very first missile-capable warship will be tested at the 2020 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) naval exercise that began yesterday in Hawaii, USA. BRP Jose Rizal, with a crew of 125 sailors, is participating in the international naval exercise scheduled from Aug. 17 to 31.

Philippine Navy chief, Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo, said the RIMPAC 2020 is an important exercise because the frigate will be given a chance to apply its capabilities in the drills and activities of the event.

He noted that the four dimensions of naval warfare that include anti-air, anti-surface, anti-submarine and electronics will be used

day and Saturday • Manila - Tacloban - Manila twice daily Mindanao • Cebu - Davao - Cebu every Tuesday • Manila - Butuan - Manila every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday • Manila - Cagayan de Oro Manila 18 times weekly • Manila - Cotabato - Manila once daily starting Aug. 24 • Manila - Davao - Manila every Monday and Wednesday • Manila - Dipolog - Manila once daily • Manila - General Santos PAGE A1 - Manila every Monday and $12,000 for transportation to the Thursday • Manila - Ozamiz - Manila U.S. and expenses for the visa. every Tuesday, Thursday, and The recruiter, who turned out to be a trafficker, said that Guanzon’s Saturday • Manila - Pagadian - Manila salary would be $600 a month with $300 deducted each month 10 times weekly • Manila - Zamboanga - Ma- for her debts. It would take more nila every Wednesday and Fri- than a decade to pay her off.

Guanzon was then sent to work day Cebu Pacific will also oper- 18-hour days at a retirement ate Cebu - Clark - Cebu every home in Long Beach, CaliforTuesday and Saturday as well nia. She had to work seven days as Cebu - Davao - Cebu every a week without any days off and the housing that she was promTuesday from its other hubs.

“We also intend to operate ised turned out to be a floor in the limited international routes, hallway, and food would be table namely: Manila-Dubai-Manila, scraps.

This experience is so alarmingly Manila-Seoul (Incheon), Tokyo familiar to many foreign workers (Narita)-Manila, Manila-Singapore-Manila, and Manila-Tai- who were swindled and then expei-Manila,” the airline said. n ploited by traffickers. Sometimes victims don’t immediately recognize that they’ve been caught in a trafficker’s scam, but even if they do, escaping is not exactly simple.

Traffickers often threaten victims by saying they’ll call the police or warn them that if they get stopped by law enforcement, they

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by officials from the Philippine Consulate General to Honolulu, Hawaii, led by Consul General Joselito Jimeno.

Capt. Jerry Garrido, task force commander and skipper of BRP Jose Rizal, talked with the consul general via telephone after the mooring of the ship.

He thanked the consul general for the warm welcome as he considered the exercise an opportunity to “provide the Philippine Navy with the latest training and techniques in modern naval warfare.”

The Philippine Navy said the exercise will give a unique training opportunity for the participating nations to enhance their proficiency to integrate into an international force and improve readiness to contribute to a wide range of potential coalition operations. n

Filipino human trafficking survivors urge...

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL RAIL AUTHORITY IFB No. JO137-21 TRACK AND TIE REHABILITACION SERVICES

QSPCMFN %&"-*/( 8*5) */463"/$& $-"*.4

and tested by personnel.

“It is only through constant use will any imperfections of our boat be revealed,” he said in a radio interview in mixed English and Filipino over dzBB on Sunday.

“While still under warranty we should observe whatever imperfections that will come up,” he said, and that they just have to bring it to the contractor if anything needs fixing.

Bacordo said also key is the strengthening of multilateral relationships among the different participating navies from various countries.

The BRP Jose Rizal arrived at Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor on Saturday where the crew conducted a manning-the-rail exercise and rendered salute to the USS Missouri and USS Arizona in honor of the fallen heroes of World War II. The contingent was welcomed

The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Authority) is seeking Bids for a Job Order Contract (JOC) for TRACK AND TIE REHABILITATION SERVICES. The total value of the work to be performed under the contract shall not exceed $4,900,000, and the term of the contract shall not exceed one year.

Beginning August 7, 2020, Invitations for Bid (IFB) documents may be obtained via download by visiting Authority’s website at https://www. planetbids.com/portal/portal. cfm?CompanyID=13821&BidI D=75692 Electronic Bid Submittals are due at 2:00 p.m. on August 28, 2020. The contract to be awarded will be funded in part by grants under the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transportation Administration and is subject to a DBE Participation Goal of 13.07%.

Bidders must possess a valid Class “A” General Engineering California Contractor’s License at the time of contract award.

All listed Subcontractors must also possess a valid California Contractor’s License for the type of work to be performed at the time of contract award. Payment of prevailing wages and compliance with all required employment and training programs established by the State of California Department of Industrial Relations is required.

Compliance with Davis-Bacon regulations will be required.

For further information contact: Yamil Ramirez Roman, Contract and Compliance Administrator at email RamirezY@ scrra.net.

8/19/20 CNS-3389087# ASIAN JOURNAL (L.A.)

will be arrested since they don’t have any I.D. (By this point, victims like Guanzon will have had their passports or any documentation taken away.)

“We don’t know anyone here, we don’t know where to go and sometimes you have to try to reason with yourself that, with a trafficker, at least we have a roof where we can sleep and we have food to eat,” Guanzon shared in an Instagram Live event hosted

by Freedom United and the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST) on Thursday, August 13.

Guanzon spoke to a fellow trafficking survivor Jayson De Guzman, who is also Filipino and was recruited by the same trafficker.

The two became family in their shared crisis, providing support to each other.

“We became like brother and sister,” Guanzon recalled during an emotional moment during Thursday’s event. “The experience was bad, but I’m glad Jayson was there with me because it also helped me go through the day.”

De Guzman’s experience mirrored Guanzon’s story with the recruiter “showing her true colors” by the time it was too late to turn back. Like Guanzon, De Guzman found himself stripped of his documents and vulnerable to the recruiter.

“I didn’t really understand what my rights were, so I just had to depend on my trafficker and what she was telling me to do,” De Guzman said, noting that he met Guanzon at the same retirement facility in Long Beach.

In California, thousands of foreign workers are trafficked into forced labor every year. Because of its economic promise, it attracts more temporary foreign workers than any other state, and many of these workers travel through third-party foreign labor contractors (FLC).

Some FLCs are legitimate recruiters, but many of them take advantage of workers in the Third World who, by the time they’re locked into their unlawful employment in the U.S., depend on the traffickers for food, shelter and visas.

California lawmakers have at-

tempted to mitigate worker exploitation for years. In 2014, SB 477 was designed to establish a robust system of oversight for FLCs by requiring the following: registration of FLC; penalizing of California employers for use of non-registered FLC; transparency and honest disclosure of the working terms, conditions and fees before workers are recruited and transported and penalties for violation of these requirements.

SB 477 was signed into law in 2016, but there was an error in the way the law was enforced into “existing legal provisions for farmworkers” Freedom United said.

That means that as it is, the bill allows for a loophole that would limit the bill’s scope to only apply to non-agricultural workers on H-2B visas, meaning that SB 477 would only protect about 3% of migrant workers on temporary work visas.

Along with CAST, Freedom United is urging California to close the loophole by amending SB 477, starting out by putting forth a petition to garner wider support across the Golden State.

Guanzon and De Guzman were lucky in that there was eventually a light at the end of the tunnel. Two years into their unlawful employment, the FBI stepped in when a neighbor noticed that neither ever had a day off; in criminal court, they both testified against their trafficker, who got a five-year prison sentence.

But both Guanzon and De Guzman emphasized that so many victims, particularly Filipino victims, are still trapped in forced labor situations with the COVID19 pandemic tightening the hold that traffickers have on their victims.

As advocates for CAST, both De Guzman and Guanzon urge Californians to sign the petition to amend SB 477.

“There’s a lot of our impact by telling our story and by sharing our story,” said De Guzman.

“Public action is the best way to make social change, and we need to show that in California, we all care about our immigrant workers and we need more people to advocate on their behalf.” n

Trust, fear and solidarity will determine the success...

PAGE A3

I think that most people will welcome a vaccine, if the rollout is done right,” said David Oshinsky, a professor of history at New York University and author of “Polio: An American Story,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning history. “Most people are desperately afraid of COVID. A minority thumb their noses, many of them for political reasons.

How will this change when there’s a vaccine that [hopefully] changes the health risk equation to some degree?”

Recent surveys show as few as half of Americans are determined to be vaccinated against COVID19. Those numbers could change depending on a number of hardto-predict factors, said Conis of Berkeley.

“A lot of people will be really eager to get it,” she said. “A lot will be hesitant, not only because of misinformation but because of

a lack of trust in the current administration.”

When a coronavirus vaccine is introduced, it may be sold as personal protection, even for young, healthy people. But those who suffer most from the virus are usually older or sicker. An effective vaccination campaign may try to instill a sense of solidarity, or altruism, as well as a more general sense that without vaccination, the economy can’t get back on its feet.

“I’m not clear if people accept that solidarity,” Orenstein said.

“People look more for what’s good for themselves than what’s good for society.” That said, the risk of COVID-19 to young people is “not zero. That’s one of the major ways to sell this, in a sense.”

This KHN story first published on California Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation. n

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Dateline USa

SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • AUgUSt 19-21, 2020

Dateline PhiliPPines

A

6.6 earthquake hits central PH 25 more Filipinos abroad contract COVID-19 TWENTY-FIVE new cases of the novel coronavirus among Filipinos across the globe have been reported, bringing the total number of infections to 9,933, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday, August 18.

It also recorded 16 new recoveries, raising the number of recovered Filipinos to 5,860.

Meanwhile, the death toll remained at 726 as there were no reports of new fatalities due to COVID-19.

“On this last day of MECQ (modified enhanced community quarantine) in Manila, the DFA reports no new COVID-19 fatalities among Filipino nationals abroad. Meanwhile, 25 new cases and 16 new recoveries were recorded in the Middle East/ Af-

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

A MAGNITUDE 6.6 earthquake rocked the Masbate province on Tuesday, August 18, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.

Phivolcs initially reported a magnitude 6.5 earthquake but later upgraded it to magnitude 6.6.

The tectonic quake was located five kilometers south, 17 degrees west of Cataingan town at 8:03 a.m.

Intensity VII (Destructive) was felt in Cataingan.

Intensity V (strong) was felt in the city of Masbate, and the towns of Almagro and Tagapulan, Samar, while Intensity IV (moderately strong) was felt in Palanas, and San Jacinto, Masbate; City of Sorsogon, Sorsogon; City of Legazpi, Albay; San Andres, Quezon; Mapanas, and Palapag, Northern Samar; Barugo, Dagami, Dulag, Julita, La Paz, Palo, and Tanauan, Leyte; City of Sagay, Negros Occidental.

Intensity III (weak) was felt in Baybay city and the towns of Isabel, Javier, and Kananga, Leyte; Ormoc City; Mulanay, Quezon; and Iloilo City.

Intensity II (slightly felt) was reported Guinayangan and Lopez, Quezon; President Roxas, Capiz; Patnongon, Patnongon, San Jose de Buenavista, and Tibiao, Antique, while Intensity I (scarcely perceptible) was recorded in Lezo, Aklan; and Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental.

The following instrumental intensities were also recorded: • Intensity V - Masbate City, Masbate • Intensity IV - Palo, Leyte; Iloilo City; Roxas City, Capiz; Naval, Biliran; • Intensity III - Bago City, Negros Occidental; Malinao, Aklan; Pandan, Antique; Jamindan, Capiz; Ormoc City • Intensity II - Gumaca, Quezon; San Jose de Buenavista, Antique; City of Sipalay, Negros Occidental; Valderrama, Antique; Sipocot, Camarines Sur; Talibon, Bohol; San Francisco, Cebu • Intensity I - Malay, Aklan; and Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental One fatality The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) reported that one died and 36 were injured due to the quake

LOOK: Damages brought by the magnitude 6.5 earthquake that struck Cataingan, Masbate at 8:03 this morning, August 18,2020.

Photos by PRC Masbate - RCY of Cataingan NHS

that struck Masbate.

Citing initial reports from the PRC, PRC-Masbate chapter Administrator Marie Jane Oxemer told Inquirer.net that a resident of Brgy. Alimango in Cataingan, Masbate died from the tremor.

The fatality was later confirmed as retired Police Senior Superintendent Gilbert Sauro by Cataingan disaster officer Venus Rojo.

According to Rojo, Sauro died after he was pinned down under his collapsed house.

Duterte wants to visit quake victims Malacañang, for its part, said President Rodrigo Duterte wants to visit the earthquake victims, though it is still unclear whether his close-in security would allow him.

“Siguradong-sigurado po ako na gusto ni Presidente pumunta at siguro po makikipag-away pa’yan sa (Presidential Security Group) kung talagang siya”y pipigilan (I am very sure that the President wants to go and maybe, he would even argue with PSG if they would prohibit him),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.

“Instinctively, ang Presidente gusto na lumipad papuntang Masbate pero (the President

wants to fly to Masbate but) whether or not he will be allowed, titignan po natin (we’ll see),” he added.

Roque also gave assurance the national government will provide aid for the quake victims.

“Ang mga Pilipino, dahil nga sa dami ng bagyo at lindol at pagputok ng bulkan na nangyayari sa’tin, laging handa na tayo. At dahil laging handa tayo, tingin ko naman napa-preposition na nga gaya ng sinabi ko yung mga humanitarian assistance (Because of experiencing so many typhoons, earthquakes, explosions, we have always been prepared. And because we have always been prepared, I think humanitarian assistance has already been prepositioned),” he said.

“Huwag po kayo mag-alala.

Yung mga pagkain, mga blankets, mga resettlement areas, lahat po ‘yan ay naka-preposition na po ‘yan at sanay na sanay na po tayo magbigay ng ganiyang tulong sa ating mga kababayan (Don’t worry. Food, blankets, resettlements areas, all of those areas have already been prepositioned. We are used to giving help to our citizens),” the spokesperson added. n

rica and the Asia and the Pacific,” the agency said.

Overall by region, Europe — which comprises 18 countries — has recorded 1,146 Filipino cases, including 492 undergoing treatment, 559 recoveries and 95 deaths.

The Middle East and Africa, covering 27 countries, has reported 6,906 cases; of which, 2,338 are undergoing treatment, 445 deaths and 4,123 recoveries.

The Asia Pacific region, which spans across 20 countries, has 1,090 cases, with 358 under treatment, 724 recoveries, and eight deaths.

The Americas — covering seven countries like the United States — have 791 reported cases, with 159 undergoing treatment, 454 recoveries, and 178 deaths.

“To date, the Middle East remains to be the region with the most number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad, including daily new cases, recoveries, under treatment, and fatalities,” the DFA noted.

“In comparison, the Asia and the Pacific region records the lowest numbers in all categories, except in the total number of recoveries, where the Americas ranks last with only 454 recoveries,” it added.

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, the number of COVID-19 cases has risen to 169,213 after the Philippine Department of Health recorded 4,836 additional cases on Tuesday. The official tally of fatalities is at 2,687 while the recoveries stand at 112,861. (AJPress)

Citing ‘terrorist-tagging’, Muslim petitioners file latest legal challenge vs anti-terrorism law MANILA — Another petition from residents of Mindanao, citing “Abu Sayyaf Group-tagging” of Moros, was filed against the much-feared anti-terrorism law on Monday at the highest court of the land.

This is the 28th legal challenge against Republic Act 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 and the fifth petition challenging the anti-terrorism law filed by Mindanaons.

Among the petitioners are Main Mohammad, an Islamic worship leader or Imam; inmate Jimmy Bla from Zamboanga, who is currently detained in the Metro Manila District Jail Annex; a lawyer from Sulu and lawyers from the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates.

The petitioners said that while the goal of the law is laudable, “its terms are overbroad and subject to abuse, and its enactment is illtimed.”

As with previously filed pleadings, they asked the SC to issue a temporary restraining order to restrain the government from implementing the law and declare several provisions of the law as unconstitutional.

They also asked the SC to set the petition for oral arguments. Earlier filed petitions have been set for oral arguments, at the earliest, on

the third week of September.

‘Abu Sayyaf Group-tagging’ In making their case, the petitioners told the court of the circumstances of arrest petitioner Bla and detention of Mohammad. Both have been “randomly tagged” as members of the Abu Sayyaf Group.

Mohammad, an Imam, was arrested in August 2017 and was detained for nearly two years at the Special Intensive Care Area, for those charged as members of the ASG. A court dismissed the case against him in April 2019 after the government’s witness failed to identify him as a member of ASG. Petitioner Bla remains in detention, since he was arrested in February 2018, also after he was tagged as a member of the Abu Sayyaf.

Petitioner Nazr Dilangaldn, an engineer in Cotabato City, was detained for five days on the basis of an “unverified list containing more than 700 names of suspects in the Marawi siege.” He was later told he is being pointed to being an alleged key recruiter of the MauteAbu Sayyaf. He languished in jail for two years before the case was dismissed against him.

“Petitioners Mohammad, Bla, and Dilangalen have been criminally charged to be members of

the ASG or Maute groups, and even with the cases of Mohammad and Dilangalen having been dismissed, they continue to face a real and credible threat of prosecution under the Anti-Terrorism Act because of the pernicious practice of tagging persons as terrorist based solely on their religion.,” the plea read.

The petitioners explained that ASG-Baiting or ASG-Tagging “is the act of labelling a random Moro to be a member of the ASG,” with the link alleging a participation to a terrorist act.

“The longstanding and ingrained practice of ASG-tagging against Moros whose rights are perpetually violated reinforces the real and credible threat posed by the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020,” they said.

The law’s enforcement would make Mohammad, Bla and Dilangalen—previously tagged to be members of the ASG or the Maute—“vulnerable to being rearrested and detained on mere suspicion of being ‘terrorists.”

“This is because the Anti-Terrorism Act has removed the protections that the petitioners relied on in their defense against the indiscriminate apprehensions and unfounded criminal prosecutions made against them,” they also said. (Philstar.com)

OpiniOn & Features

A August 19-21, 2020 • soCal AsIAN JOuRNAL

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Reinfection

FOR the second time, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año has tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019. Año himself announced this as he went into self-isolation. Cabinet members who interacted with him in recent days have also undergone selfquarantine.

Año’s case deserves careful study by epidemiologists, who are still unsure if surviving COVID-19 infection gives the patient immunity, and how long the immunity lasts. Catching measles, for example, gives lifelong immunity, but the common cold keeps recurring, and there is still no cure or vaccine for it. Dengue can recur, with subsequent infections potentially riskier. In certain viral afflictions, however, the next infections are milder than the first.

Another possibility is that the results of Año’s previous tests were wrong, and that he actually had not yet rid himself of COVID-19. This can pose problems for the reliability of existing tests for the COVID-causing SARS-coronavirus-2, and aggravate the risk of community transmission. There is also no definitive study on whether the antibodies developed by COVID survivors make

them completely free of SARS-CoV-2, and whether the survivors remain capable of passing it on to others.

Amid all these uncertainties, and in the absence of a vaccine or cure, the best defenses against SARSCoV-2 infection remain the health protocols already prescribed by scientists: physical distancing; cough and sneeze etiquette; wearing of face mask and, where appropriate, a face shield; regular handwashing with soap and water, or else disinfection of the hands with alcohol or sanitizer; avoiding touching the face with unwashed hands, and staying home as much as possible.

In the meantime, public health experts must study Año’s case thoroughly because of its implications on health safety protocols as the country continues the gradual reopening of the economy.

The possibility of reinfection is on top of reports that a mutated COVID strain has been detected in Quezon City, which appears to be more infectious than the original. The last thing the country needs is the emergence of a more virulent strain of COVID. Every effort must be made to determine if this can be ruled out.

(Philstar.com)

Editorial

As Trump tries to sabotage USPS and mail-in voting, this is what we should do to cast our votes and make sure they count to protect the sanctity of our elections

The Fil-Am Perspective Gel SantoS-ReloS ELECTION FEVER is heating up this August as the two major political parties hold their respective national conventions for the next two weeks to formally nominate the next presidential and vice-presidential candidates. The members of each party will also work together to adopt the official platform which will be our guides as voters in choosing the direction they plan the steer the country to and how to get there.

We may watch the live-streaming of the Democratic National Convention scheduled for August 17-20, 2020 from Milwaukee, Wisconsin (www. demconvention.com), while the Republican National Convention will kick off on August 24-27, 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina (www.2020gopconvention.com).

These political conventions are happening amid the coronavirus pandemic and the worst economic recession we are now living in since the Great Depression. As voters, we will have the opportunity to discern conscientiously who among the candidates share our core values and aspirations, and how these values and aspirations are reflected in their statements of their principles, goals, and strategies to help solve our economic hardships, as well as the moral, social and cultural division that has been threatening our Union.

As we Americans look forward to this very important and consequential civic exercise of casting our votes for the 2020 presidential election on November 3, most of us are daunted by the threat of COVID-19, which has now infected close to 22 million people

around the world, with a death toll of 777,150 people and counting.

Most developed nations have successfully defeated the virus and have slowly and safely started to open their countries again, but the spread of the virus in the United States continues to be in the uptick under the Trump presidency. The number of confirmed cases has gone up to almost 5.5 million, killing more than 171,340 people.

Despite the pandemic and with the urgency of the times, we are empowered to continue exercising our constitutionally protected right to vote through what many generations of Americans have been doing since the 1760s during the time of the Civil War — voting by mail. Spearheaded by the Republican Party led by President Abraham Lincoln, they wanted Union soldiers to be able to exercise their right to vote from the battlefield.

For many years thereafter, these mailed-in ballots have been helpful for people who could not go to the polling place on election day. Mail-in-voting has increased voter turnout, especially in places where people can be challenged to go to the polls because of the weather, their work schedule, or other health, logistical and personal reasons. Even President Donald Trump and his family have been casting their votes through mail-in voting.

We are now on the battlefield, at war with COVID-19, and We, the People, will want to make sure we cast our votes and have them counted in this democracy to chart our future.

However, as the cash-strapped 108-year-old USPS anticipates the

surge in mail-in ballots, Trump has repeatedly refused to sign any legislation with a bailout provision for the essential service. “‘The Postal Service is a joke,’ said the President in May. His administration nixed a bipartisan attempt to provide $13 billion to the Postal Service in March and previously recommended measures to privatize parts of the service,” Fortune reported.

In June, Trump appointed a new Postmaster General for the USPS — Louis DeJoy, a Trump ally and Republican donor —who implemented drastic cost-cutting measures that cripple operations and slow down the delivery of mail. No overtime. No new hiring. The removal of mail sorting machines, the very machines that are responsible for sorting ballots.

USPS mailboxes in our neighborhoods, where we conveniently drop off our ballots, are seen and confirmed to be hauled away in trucks in many states.

On Friday, August 14, USPS warned 46 states that it can’t guarantee delayed mail-in ballots will be counted!

“Lawmakers from both parties and postal union leaders have sounded alarms over disruptive changes instituted by DeJoy this summer,” CNN reported. “Democrats claim he is intentionally undermining postal service operations to sabotage mail-in voting in the November election — a charge he denies.”

The Inspector General is now investigating Trump’s new USPS appointed chief DeJoy. “DeJoy still owns at least a $30 million equity stake in his former company — a USPS contractor — and that he recently bought stock options for Amazon, a USPS competitor.

These holdings likely create a major conflict of interest,” ethics experts told CNN. How ironic and blatantly hypocritical is it that at the same time he was attacking mail-in voting, Trump’s own absentee ballot to vote in Florida’s primary election on Tuesday, August 18, was en route to Mar-a-Lago. How can this president allow and even promote mail-in-voting in Florida, while demonizing and stopping voting by mail in other states, especially those that tend to vote Democratic?

In response to this national emergency, Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California announced on Sunday, August 16, that “she would call the House back from its annual summer recess for a vote this week on legislation to block changes at the Postal Service that voting advocates warn could disenfranchise Americans casting ballots by mail during the pandemic,” the New York Times reported.

Former President Barack Obama posted a message on Twitter on Friday, August 14, saying, “Everyone depends on the USPS. Seniors for their Social Security, veterans for their prescriptions, small businesses trying to keep their doors open.

They can’t be collateral damage for an administration more concerned with suppressing the vote than suppressing a virus.”

“If you’re in a state where you have the option to vote early, do that now. The more votes in early, the less likely you’re going to see a last minute crunch, both at polling places and in states where mail-in ballots are permitted.

Then tell everyone you know,” he added.

Meanwhile, many Americans find help by going to the website https://represent.us/how-to-vote2020/, which posted a state-bystate interactive guide to help Americans vote safely.

“Get prepared to #VoteSafe by seeing if you qualify to vote by mail in your state and requesting your ballot early to avoid flooding election officials. Then, share this page with your friends and family to help them #VoteSafe,” the site reads.

The website has laid out important deadlines for each state, but reminds us of the rule of thumb: “The earlier you request and return your ballot, the better.”

MEANWHILE, this advice has been shared on social media to make sure we vote and that our votes are received and counted: 1. Request a mail-in ballot.

2. Do not mail it.

3. Google your supervisor of elections to see where you can drop off your mail-in ballot. It’s usually NOT THE POLLING PLACE. All states allow this!

Here is what you’re accomplishing by doing this: 1. Your ballot gets in on time no matter what happens to the USPS. 2. You don’t have to worry about standing in long lines and risking infection. You’re just stopping by to drop it off.

3. You still voted! Hooray!

Also, when you drop it off, find out how to track it online to make sure it is verified. California, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado have systems that can track your ballot just like tracking a package from Amazon.

All CA vote centers (which are open for weeks to a month before election day) have ballot drop-

community now numbers over 4 million (2018 American Community Survey) yet the majority of our community (69%) are foreign-born or immigrants. This means that immigration played a huge part in shaping our community. Immigration is the selective recruitment of Filipinos where priority is given to the highly educated and skilled. We have heard of the term, “brain drain” where the brightest, most highly educated and trained Filipinos are recruited away from the Philippines to work in another country, such as the United States.

Through selective recruitment, aka immigration policy, more than 2/3rds of our community are among the most educated, most skilled, and the most motivated among Filipinos. They mostly come from middle-class families who can take advantage of educational opportunities in the Philippines, and leverage these for jobs abroad created by labor shortages in different sectors. My brother, a civil engineer and computer programmer with experience in the petrochemical industry, was able to immigrate with his whole family (wife and three children) due to a severe labor shortage of computer programmers to fix the Y2K bug, a couple of years before our calendars turned over into the year 2000. Around the same time, I met a group of Filipino teachers in science and math, fresh off the boat, so to speak, who were recruited to fill shortages of math and science teachers in Los Angeles County.

These are not individuals who experienced racial bigotry growing up. They do not come from families who have been historically denied educational opportunities and jobs. And who had to struggle against discrimination, poverty, and a history rooted in slavery.

There is an ironic twist in our historical confrontation with American style white supremacy. At the turn of the 20th century, America sought to annex the Philippines as a colonial territory. Filipinos who had just declared independence from Spain resisted that effort. We lost that war. As a fig leaf for their intentions, the U.S. declared a policy of “benevolent assimilation.”

This led, among other things, to the establishment of a nationwide system of public education, and the recruitment of thousands of white teachers to teach at these schools. Americans even established a public university, the University of the Philippines (1908) to give Filipinos access to American style higher education. Since the early decades of the 20th century, Filipinos were being given access to educational opportunities that were being denied African Americans by Jim Crow laws.

To be sure, the policy of Benevolent Assimilation was racist at its core since it presupposed that we were subhuman, illiterate savages no different from African Americans. Ample evidence of this is provided in a book, which I coauthored, “The Forbidden Book,” a collection of editorial cartoons from the Philippine-American war period. Contrary to our depiction as subhuman savages, by mainstream American media of

the period, we had an educational system that included the University of Santo Tomas, a European style university founded 30 years before Harvard. We had painters like Juan Luna who were winning awards in Europe, writers like Jose Rizal, whose work was admired even by the Spanish. His two novels, “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo,” were unfortunately thought to have incited the rebellion against Spain, and Rizal was arrested and executed him for them.

The American style educational system did turn us into docile colonials for American purposes, a model minority that they could hold up against African American demands for freedom and equality.

This disparate treatment between African Americans and Filipinos, plus the selective recruitment of Filipinos via immigration, is largely responsible for the disparate conditions between Filipino and African American communities today. The wedge created by the model minority image enabled Filipinos to occupy that liminal space between white privilege and white supremacy, African Americans meanwhile continued to be kept across that border defined by white supremacists.

Filipinos in America have been spared the worse effects of white supremacy by our initial resistance against white America’s efforts at empire. But we have a brotherhood with African Americans that extends back to the Philippine American war when black soldiers broke ranks with their

Filipinos and the model minority myth

Commentary

enRique

de la CRuz

COMMENTING on my previous essay entitled “Utang na Loob,” (published in the Los Angeles Asian Journal issue on July 29, 2020), a family friend wrote: “Why did Asians rise a bit higher than Blacks? Is it their thirst for a good education, a lot of self-esteem and pride in their heritage as well as close family ties that encouraged them to target a higher vision?”

To this, I am tempted to just give a short answer. The idea that Asians, particularly Filipinos, are “better” than blacks is a key ingredient of that kool-aid that we have been drinking as former colonial subjects. It is a wedge intended to divide us in the manner of “divide and conquer” from other communities of color As former colonial subjects of the United States, tutored via an American style educational system — which historian Renato Constantino singles out as the main reason for the miseducation of Filipinos — we have a baked-in inferiority complex about white Americans. So it feels good to hear that we are better than Blacks, and eagerly subscribe to the “model minority” myth.

This is the idea that Asians,

despite a shared history of racial discrimination with blacks and Native Americans, have been able to overcome their marginalization due to a strong work ethic and family values. And have become America’s model minority.

When the idea was first proposed in the mid-1960s, amid protests for civil rights led by African Americans, it was intended to minimize the demands of African Americans, by saying: “Look, if Asians can rise above their oppression and marginalization, then African Americans can too — under the current system — if they adopt the values that make Asian Americans successful.” This is a well-worn but dangerous cliché that white privileged America has fomented upon blacks, and Native Americans to minimize their demands for equality. It is not only misleading, it drives a wedge between Asian Americans and African Americans. For Filipinos who have been miseducated into thinking that their culture is inferior to white western culture, it feels good to hear that there are others in America, Blacks, who are inferior to us. We eagerly and uncritically drink the kool-aid.

I do not dispute that our community today, exudes an image of success, and that on a per capita basis, we are doing better than African Americans. But I do not believe that we have overcome in the sense that our values have enabled us to transcend racial oppression and marginalization.

Let me explain. Statistically, our

off boxes too! Many government buildings have them as well, so there’s no need to wait until election day when it’s crowded to drop them off. The list of dropoff sites is always posted on each county’s voter info website.

NEWSFLASH: USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced on Tuesday, August 18, that all changes being made to the Postal Service will now be suspended until after the November 3 elections. However, he also needs to return all the mailboxes hauled back to the neighborhoods so the people, especially the seniors, can conveniently drop off their ballots. The sorting machines should also be returned to speed up mail delivery process, and overtime pay as well as new hiring should be authorized to support surge in mailed in ballots so our votes will all be counted.

“At least 20 Democratic attorneys general across the country are launching a multi-pronged legal effort to push back on the recent changes that disrupted mail delivery across the country and triggered accusations that Trump and his appointees are trying to undermine mail-in voting,” CNN reported.

VOTE! SEND YOUR BALLOTS EARLY, AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE COUNTED. Our livelihoods and the future of this nation that we love depend on this process. *** 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.

A political cartoon from June 10, 1899 that bore the caption, “The Filipino’s First Bath.

McKinley - ‘Oh, you dirty boy!’”

Image from “The Forbidden Book” (2004)

white counterparts and defected into the Filipino rebel army.

One such noted soldier is David Fagan, of the 24th Regiment of the U.S. Army. Fagan’s heroic exploits with Filipinos even drew notice from the New York Times. He was our “General Lafayette,” in our war against American imperialism.

Our robust presence here today, where our communities are able to flourish in the space opened up by historic civil rights legislation passed in the 1960s, is owed to African Americans and their allies who dared to confront racism and white supremacy. We have to be critically wary of suggestions that it is our family values and work ethic that set us apart from African Americans. Those are the myths in that kool-aid calculated to divide us from other communities of color.

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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From egg sandwiches to burgers Chef Alvin Cailan returns to LA with new meat shop, releases first cookbook on upbringing as American-born Filipino

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by

Christina M. Oriel / AJPress

AST December, Alvin Cailan put a down payment on the former Chego spot inside Far East Plaza in Los Angeles’ Chinatown without the immediacy, or a defined concept, to occupy it.

One possibility was a 12seat steakhouse offshoot of his “Amboy� project — based on his childhood nickname referring to an American-born Filipino — with select cuts of meat paired with Filipino-inspired side dishes.

Cailan, the chef behind breakfast sandwich empire Eggslut, had been living in New York for nearly four years, running his first full-service eatery called The Usual at the Nolitan Hotel, while traveling across the country in search of the perfect hamburger as documented in First We Feast’s “The Burger Show,� a digital series on YouTube and Hulu. “The plan was always to be bicoastal, having a presence in New York and LA,� Cailan told the Asian Journal in a recent interview.

Then, the pandemic hit, prompting the closure of his 125-seat restaurant that was built on the premise of “Ameri-

Cailan at Amboy Quality Meats & Delicious Burgers in Chinatown, Los Angeles

can comfort food cooked by the children of immigrants� and that had garnered glowing

Contributed photo

reviews, especially for its fried chicken, in magazines like The The butcher shop features 4 types of burgers Contributed photo Continued on Page 2

The elements of creating the perfect pan de sal sandwich.

Excerpted from AMBO Recipes from the Filipino-American Dream Š 2020 by Alvin Cailan. Photography Š 202

by Wyatt Conlon. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcou

entertainment Chef Alvin Cailan returns...

T h e A s ian Jour nal MDW K M A G A Z I NE - Augus t 19, 2 0 2 0

From Page 1 New Yorker and Vogue.

The move back to LA became a chance to test out another idea relating to the “Amboy” brand that would make sense under the safer at home order. What he brought home were lessons from New York on how to pare down operations, a stark contrast from his previous projects.

“As a chef, I realized I am more of a small batch guy who likes to have control over every dish that comes out and the prep involved,” Cailan said.

His footing in Chinatown’s Far East Plaza spans back to 2015 when he juggled running Ramen Champ on the second floor as Eggslut continued to attract buzzing lines at Grand Central Market a mile away.

A year later, he occupied a space on the ground floor for Unit 120, an incubator that housed pop-ups for fellow Fil-Am chefs like Isa Fabro’s IsaMADE and the Valencia brothers’ LASA, while operating Amboy as a takeout window for Filipino dishes and barbecue.

(LASA permanently took over the space in 2017 when Cailan moved east.)

Despite LA’s closure of indoor dining and warnings of a looming meat shortage nationwide, Amboy Quality Meats and Delicious Burgers opened up in the plaza this past May as a “micro-steak boutique” reminiscent of the butchers and delis Cailan frequented in his adopted city.

“It’s the way of life back east to talk to someone who is knowledgeable about fish, cheese, bread or meat,” Cailan said, noting that LA’s Chinatown has several poultry shops, but limited options for raw meat.

The shop, operating from Wednesday to Sunday, features meat sourced from smaller producers Cailan has forged relationships with over the years.

The options range from the signature Amboy filet cut from the short loin ($11 per person) to a Brazilian-style picanha steak ($20/pp). There are also other items for purchase like a half dozen organic brown eggs or bottled dry rubs.

Cheeseburger Lumpia Excerpted from AMBOY: Recipes from the Filipino-American Dream © 2020 by Alvin Cailan. Photography © 2020 “AMBOY: Recipes from the Filipino-American Dream,” Cailan’s first cookbook

by Wyatt Conlon. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. is set to be released on August 25.

Bibingka (Coconut-Rice Cake)

Filmmaker and writer Alexandra Cuerdo (center) developed a friendship with Cailan (2nd row, center) while filming her food documentary “ULAM: Main Dish” and the two worked together to write the forthcoming cookbook. In the photo, they are joined by (L-R) Rey Cuerdo, John Floresca, Angela Gomez, Johneric Concordia, Christine Araquel-Concordia, and Chase and Steff Valencia.

Photo courtesy of Alexandra Cuerdo

“We’re not like a full-scale whole animal butchery but we do carve out meat and we pull the best steaks that we can out of that…Being able to explain where the meat comes from and how to cook it is something you can’t get much of in Los Angeles,” Cailan said.

With his digital show and past pop-ups devoted to burgers, it was a seamless play to have variations of a grilled patty, cheese and toasted bun on the menu.

Bearing distinct “regional influences,” the four choices range from the no-frills Ordinaire ($8) to the DH Burger

($17) that packs a 10-ounce dry-aged beef blend, caramelized onions, provolone cheese, garlic confit mayo and burger pickles in between a toasted custom bun. Two types of bundles are available for those who want to cook and assemble burgers at home.

“We have a great selection of burgers for really any type of mood. That, I learned by eating at some of the best and longest-running burger places across the country. You can’t really just survive off of one kind of burger. You have to be flexible and cater to everyone and not just a trend,” Cailan

mused.

On cultivating an Amboy In reaching his level of celebrity, a cookbook was bound to be an imminent milestone in Cailan’s career. A deal was inked back in 2016 with the basis of “modern” Filipino recipes and his involvement in the national push for the cuisine’s visibility.

However, leaving LA and starting to outline a structure led to a self-reflection on how he came to this point, as a child of immigrants from the Philippines, taking that leap to attend Oregon Culinary Institute and subsequently having to cut his teeth at various fine dining establishments.

“I wanted to talk about what I wanted to talk about, which was being a brown kid from a neighborhood where no one really makes something of themselves because the education system wasn’t funded properly,” Cailan said of growing up in Pico Rivera. “There are struggles in creating your own path to success that’s not traditional and the flavors and recipes that got me through those times.”

The final iteration is “AMBOY: Recipes from the Filipino-American Dream,” with co-author Alexandra Cuerdo, set to be released on August 25 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Cuerdo met Cailan at a 2015 NextDayBetter event themed around the burgeoning, next-generation Filipino food scene in LA. After the chef’s keynote speech, she privately pitched him the idea of a Filipino food documentary, which would later become “ULAM: Main Dish,” released in 2018.

“When Alvin came to me with the book, it was a slam dunk. After working with [him] on ULAM for five years, I have deep respect for him as a chef and creative. So I wanted to do it right,” Cuerdo told the Asian Journal. “Through the telling of Alvin’s unique story, I hope I can add another narrative to our history — a voice that is unapologetic and unafraid, that proudly celebrates our culture, and that paints a picture for the bright future of Filipino cooking around the world.”

The 13 chapters tread between an autobiography and cookbook as anecdotes give a sense of how the recipes appeared in Cailan’s life, whether they were learned from his par-

ents and lola to those creations served at his restaurants.

“It’s a culmination of what it means to be an Amboy — being Filipino and cooking modern or new American cuisine and really making a career out of it but always having the Philippines in mind and heart,” he said.

Early on in the preface, however, the authors caution that readers expecting the secret recipe behind the Instagram-worthy egg sandwiches will be “extremely disappointed.”

“But this is not a story about a shiny, subway-tiled egg restaurant and its campaign to be America’s next major food chain,” Cailan writes.

(Though he rarely speaks now about the expansion of Eggslut, it’s worth noting that the sandwich shop has four locations in the LA area and one in Las Vegas, and has expanded internationally to London, Seoul, Tokyo and Kuwait.)

A later chapter covers the company’s origins and then the subsequent accolades and fame it summoned, such as Cailan being named LA’s Rising Star Concept Chef in 2014 and the celebrities who became frequent customers. One familiar recipe is for “The Slut” — a coddled egg on top of a smooth potato purée, poached in a glass jar and served with toasted bread — a dish that Calian said “changed [his] life” after food critic Ruth Reichl wrote that it was “the most decadent breakfast,” forever charting the course of his food truck and later the first brickand-mortar location.

The rawness unearths during the Q&As between Cailan and Cuerdo, based on a month of interviews that felt “like therapy,” they said. One particular angle never captured in the buzzy headlines or “best of” lists were the long hours put in and the relationships fractured while building Eggslut.

“We went deep. Old wounds, old fears, how to handle success, how to handle heartbreak. I asked about it all. Alvin was an open book.

After that intense process, something clicked. The book wasn’t ‘The Eggslut Cookbook’ or even the Alvin Cailan story.

It was something greater,” Cuerdo described, adding that she suggested the book’s final title to place the story into the context of “the eyes of a

Filipino American intimate with sacrifice and struggle.”

Despite Cailan’s training in fine dining, the cookbook promises to be accessible for any level of cook. “Anyone could cook through this book.

You don’t have to be a chef.

Nothing is too crazy,” he said.

One caveat is that there are instructions on how to build a fire pit to roast a lechon for a backyard party.

What will resonate with many Fil-Ams, or even children of other immigrant groups, is having to scrape together a meal based on available ingredients as their parents worked.

The ingenuity of this amboy left with pan de sal, canned meats, Costco-sized frozen dishes and American condiments comes out in the formula of building the “ultimate pan de sal sandwich; in the cheeseburger lumpia based on memories of sneaking Kraft Singles as lola rolled the wrappers; or while watching his family caretaker “Auntie Cita” make bibingka (coconut rice cake) with Philadelphia Cream Cheese.

“When I show other first generation Filipino Americans [these creations], they all relate to them. They have done some things similar and I think that this is a cool angle because you don’t read that in the Filipino books before me,” Cailan said.

What Amboy will look like once indoor service and larger gatherings resume is something to anticipate. For now, it’s bringing the experience home to quarantine chefs, whether through the cookbook recipes or weekly meat supply, or amplifying fellow Fil-Am restaurants nearby.

“There are plenty of options to support local restaurants, but there’s something different when you’re actually supporting your own kababayan, the Filipino Americans who own restaurants,” Cailan said.

“If you make that your priority like you would ordering tacos, then I think we’ll be able to at least weather this storm. Just keep us a part of the conversation and don’t forget we exist.”

Amboy Quality Meats & Delicious Burgers is located at 727 N. Broadway No. 117 in LA’s Chinatown. “Amboy: Recipes from the FilipinoAmerican Dream” (August 25) is available for pre-order at nowservingla.com.

Ogie Diaz confirms LizQuen got offers from GMA, TV5, Viva

By Jan

Milo Severo Philstar.com

KAPAMILYA TV host and talent manager Ogie Diaz revealed that GMA7, TV5 and Viva expressed their interest to have Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil on their roster of stars.

In his YouTube channel, Ogie said in his latest video blog that they will consider the offer once ABS-CBN fails to give LizQuen a project.

“GMA expressed their interest. TV5 also and ‘yung Viva. Nagbigay sila ng kanilang interes. This is a good problem for us pero siyempre priority muna namin ang ABS-CBN,” Ogie said.

“Kapag wala talagang maibigay na ang ABS-CBN at in-allow naman silang lumipad sa ibang bakuran, doon pa lang kami magko-consider.

Pero at least napakagandang problema nito para sa amin.

Actually hindi ito problema.

Isang ano lang ito, isipin,” he added.

Ogie, however, said that the Kapamilya network has no plans of letting the love team go.

“Actually, ang LizQuen ay isa sa mga hindi binibitawan ng ABS-CBN. As per Tita Cory Vidanes, nung nakausap ko, gumagawa naman daw sila ng

Enrique Gil with Liza Soberano

paraan kung paano maitatawid ‘yung mga love teams na pinoprotektahan nila at sinesecure talaga nila. Alam naman natin ang KathNiel, nandiyan iyan.

Ang LizQuen andyan din,” he said.

Ogie also confirmed that LizQuen have an upcoming movie with Star Cinema that will reunite them with blockbuster director Cathy GarciaMolina.

“One time last week, merong pinitch sa aming movie si Inang Olive (Lamasan) sa Star Cinema. Both are excited to do the movie provided that the pandemic curve will flatten,” he said.

Ogie earlier confirmed the news via a tweet by ABSCBN’s MJ Felipe.

“Ogie Diaz confirmed that

Photo from Instagram/@enriquegil17

Liza Soberano is doing a movie with Enrique Gil under Star Cinema. Cathy Garcia Molina will be directing the movie,” MJ wrote.

“Diaz said that they would just like to wait for the cases of COVID-19 to flatten before they begin filming. Quen and Liza liked the pitch,” he added.

Liza and Enrique, popularly known as LizQuen, last teamed up for the movie “Alone Together” directed by Antoinette Jadaone.

Their last series together, “Make It With You,” was cut short due to the pandemic.

LizQuen and Cathy’s last movie project together was the 2017 film “My Ex and Whys.” The film earned P400 million worldwide.

entertainment

T h e As ian Jou r n al MDWK MAGAZ IN E - A u gu st 1 9 , 2 0 2 0

Matteo on being ‘imperfect’ for Sarah: ‘Everyday, I try to be the best for her’ By cha lino Inquirer.net

Lot, Stock & Barrel acted fast after Coachella and other events were cancelled amid pandemic

The growing Los Angeles small business received support from PACE and U.S. Bank BEnjAMIn Lee Phillips and partner Florence Tang cofounded Lot, Stock and Barrel in 2014 after taking a leap of faith and leaving their careers in corporate America to follow their passion for design, apparel and retail.

The company is a full-service design studio and retail shop offering custom tailoring and embroidery design and development, and specialty garment production. Over the last six years, the business has grown from a two-person enterprise with a conceptual retail space in downtown Los Angeles to a 10-person team with a showroom in West Hollywood and design studio in Hollywood.

Lot, Stock and Barrel has collaborated with brands including Levi’s, Madewell, Asos, nordstrom and Barneys.

It has also partnered with entertainment and music festival companies such as Hulu, netflix, Amazon and Coachella by providing custom tailoring, promo materials, and on-site, personalized embroidery.

Prior to COVID-19, the company was gearing up for another busy year of entertainment events and music festivals, starting with Coachella in April. Then everything came to a screeching halt due to the pandemic.

The effects were immediate: invoices and purchase orders with retailers were shut down; employee hours were cut back; contracts were lost; and the retail storefront was closed down. As a result, the company was sitting on sup-

plies and inventory that could not be returned. Money was not coming in and expenses, including rent for two locations, were building up.

As a company that was completely bootstrapped from the get go and had never taken any investment or financial partners, Phillips and Tang were determined to get through the pandemic on their own. Like other small businesses, they made major adjustments to their operations in order to survive and stay relevant. Undertaking small production for specialty clients, offering curbside pick-up, and providing drop-off for long term clients helped keep the company afloat for a time. Despite their own financial struggles, Phillips and Tang even began producing and distributing masks at no cost to friends and colleagues in the retail and restaurant industries.

But as the months passed, things began to become more strained and the partners realized they might need a bit of help. After an exhaustive internet search, Phillips found PACE and connected with Business Manager Wai Ling Chin who recommended that he apply for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL).

PACE received grant funding from U.S. Bank’s $1 million Market Impact Fund to support its business counselors who are working hard to help small businesses that were impacted

by COVID-19, like Lot, Stock and Barrel, with relief and recovery efforts.

Phillips said that his experience with PACE was the com-

Chin Chin Gutierrez

plete opposite of those he has had with larger agencies, “To be frank, I was surprised to get so much help and support.”

He was astonished about the level of service he received from Wai Ling who provided step-by-step guidance throughout the PPP loan process – reminding him of submission deadlines and helping him complete forms.

As a result of PACE’s assistance, Lot, Stock and Barrel received its PPP loan in the second round of funding. The capital has enabled the company to retain its 10 employees and recoup manufacturing and supply investments.

As the country progresses through additional stages of re-opening, Lot, Stock and Barrel is working hard to get back to “as normal as possible.” Although events are a ways off, the company is focused on devising more creative ways to launch online product collaborations as well as increase partnerships. One positive aspect of the pandemic is that it has given the company more time to focus on their own private label and designs. The key to success, said Phillips, is “being agile, creative and as flexible as possible.”

When asked to share words of wisdom to aspiring entrepreneurs, Phillips said, “Don’t sacrifice your vision.

Don’t pay attention to what everyone else is doing. Be your own guide and focus on your vision and passion.”

(Advertising Supplement)

Photo from Instagram/@akosilolitsolis

Actress-turned-Carmelite nun Chin Chin Gutierrez asked to pray for Philippines amid COVID-19 pandemic

By Jan

Milo Severo Philstar.com

FORMER actress Chin Chin Gutierrez is now a full-pledged nun, according to veteran showbiz columnist Lolit Solis.

In her Instagram account, Lolit said she’s happy that Chin Chin fulfilled her calling.

“Ang gandang balita na ngayon ay isa ng full pledged Carmellite nun si ChinChin Gutierrez. Magandang balita dahil mula sa glittering world ng showbiz heto si Chinchin Gutierrez isang mahusay na actress pero mas pinili ang spiritual

growth,” Lolit wrote.

It was March last year when rumors circulated that Chin Chin became a Carmelite nun and is now reportedly known as Sister Lourdes.

“Nuon pa balita na pumasok si Chinchin sa kumbento, isang malaking hakbang papunta sa sisterhood at heto ngayon, isa ng madre ng Carmellite mission,” Lolit said.

“Isang mahusay na artista na mas pinili ang maging madre upang masilbihan ang spiritual needs ng tao,” she added.

Lolit then asked for Chin Chin to pray for the country in

the midst of the pandemic.

“Pray for us Sister Chinchin, iyan ang kailangan natin ngayon, ang dasal ng mga tulad mo.

Pray for us,” Lolit said.

Before becoming a nun, ChinChin was an award-winning actress known for her roles in “Maalaala Mo Kaya: The Movie,” “Sa Aking Mga Kamay” and “jose Rizal,” to name a few.

She was also an environment advocate and the founding chairman and president of the ecological foundation Alaga LAHAT, which she created in 2006.

Andi marks Philmar’s birthday: ‘I am truly lucky to have you’ By ryan

arcadio Inquirer.net

AnDI Eigenmann penned a heartfelt message to celebrate her partner Philmar Alipayo’s birthday on Monday, August 17.

“Malipajun na katauhan sa ako one and only mahal (Happy

birthday to my one and only love)!” Eigenmann said on her Instagram page alongside photos of her and Alipayo with her daughters Ellie and Lilo.

She then expressed her gratitude for being able to live “life to the fullest” with Alipayo.

“I am truly lucky to have

you as a partner, and as such an awesome dad to the kids!”

Eigenmann said. “I hope slowly achieving our dreams together will be a wonderful gift for you, [especially] because we are sad not to celebrate your day with you this year.”

“Dili na kami makahoyat mo Continued on Page 5

WHILE speaking about the growth of his career as an actor, Matteo Guidicelli also commended his wife Sarah Geronimo for her work ethic and dedication in perfecting her craft as a singer.

Guidicelli had a meaningful discussion with entertainment journalist G3 San Diego about his road to show business, from being a race car driver to a model-turned-actor, as seen on San Diego’s Instagram post on Monday, August 17.

The actor said that at the beginning of his career, he was concerned about “what project would make you sikat (famous)?” But now that he has established his career, he chooses to be more dedicated to projects and activities that could change another person’s life.

On marriage, Guidicelli revealed that he always imagined himself getting married “young,” around at least the age of 25. He said he wanted to be a “one-woman man” just like his father.

San Diego commended the actor’s dedication to “fight” for his relationship with Geronimo. Reminiscing on how he pursued his wife, he revealed that at first, it was “very very hard to approach” Geronimo because there were always a lot of people around her.

Guidicelli called himself “the biggest torpe in the world” during his first few attempts to approach the actress. The actor said that “every single day is a dream” now that Geronimo is his wife.

San Diego also asked the actor what quality he thinks he possesses that made him succeeded in pursuing the pop star royalty.

“I’m so far from perfect,” Guidicelli replied. “Every single day I try to be the best for her.”

Instead of going into details about his qualities as a husband, the actor explained

why he is “extra proud” of Geronimo for turning into the woman that she is now. Guidicelli said that the audience does not see how hard the pop star works to perfect every performance she does.

“For two days G3… she’s been inside the studio for two days, she’d only come out for a meal. She’s recording for ‘ASAP,’” Guidicelli said.

“That’s why she’s so good at Continued on Page 5

community T h e A s ian Jour nal MDW K M A G A Z I NE - Augus t 19, 2 0 2 0

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA (Continued from last week’s article…)

Zinc needs an ionophore. It is a substance able to transport the zinc ions through the lipid or fat membrane in the cell so that the zinc can do its job of stopping the virus from stealing the resources present in the lungs and replicating itself to critical mass and creating a cytokine storm. That is the tipping point. You don’t want to get there. This is when all hell breaks loose.

Think of an ionophore as an ice cutter boat chugging along cutting through sheets of ice, in this case, the cell membrane, to bring in the zinc cavalry and stop the offending virus from replicating itself and eventually killing you. Okay, that’s mixed imagery. But you get the point.

The most well known, ionophore is Plaquenil aka hydroxychloroquine that is commonly used to treat malaria and rheumatoid arthritis for the last 60 to 70 years around the world. It is commonly used in Africa and in other nations with swampy areas where mosquitoes thrive.

But trust the media to do a lying spin on the medicine to drive a sinister agenda.

Hydroxychloroquine’s use has been highly politicized by the mainstream media claiming that the medicine is ineffective especially after President Trump touted its efficacy back in April.

But truth, like sunlight, is the best antiseptic. The medical community’s pushback against the agenda-driven narrative has been extremely strong and gaining ground daily as more and more doctors worldwide are testifying to its effectiveness particularly during early onset.

There’s a reason why big pharma and the media might be behind the trashing of hydroxychloroquine. And if you think it is about the money, you hit the bullseye. Always

EMPLOYMENT

How to defend yourself from COVID-19 Part 2 of 2 installments

“… Oh, to go back to the comforts of the past, pre- pandemic, To breathe freely, sans the mask…

Back to the touchy feely hum of life Never again will I take it for granted …”

—MAM follow the money to find your answer. No one owns the patent on hydroxychloroquine, so no one stands to make big money off of it.

Sometimes you just have to chuckle and see God’s goodness and sense of humor in all this. Isn’t GOD just wonderful in all His designs and blessings? In classic literature, there is the concept of Deus ex Machina or what men who trust in God’s mercy and love, call divine intervention. God has a direct hand on how this story is unfolding.

The presence and use of affordable, effective hydroxychloroquine is one such act of God’s intervention in this sordid human event called the Covid19 pandemic. Petty bureaucrats who manipulate and withhold its availability and usage for political reasons should bear the cosmic consequences of karmic retribution now and forever for the tens of thousands of deaths that could have been prevented had they done what is right.

Curious and want to learn more about this controversy?

Do a search of the practicing physician, Dr. Zelenko, a Hasidic Jew of New York who has helped heal hundreds of afflicted people, probably thousands by now, using this simple, low-cost regimen. Dr. Zelenko first drew attention to hydroxychloroquine early during the pandemic.

The whole regimen done at home costs about $20.00 give or take. Contrast that with the

other newfangled medicine being touted by those with ulterior motives costing thousands of dollars. The current payment structure for those hospitalized because of the virus incentivizes hospitals to get as many cases as possible. This is definitely not a good thing and should be rectified.

If you are wondering if this is no longer about public health but really all about profit and more importantly, the power to skew the results of the coming election, you are right on the money.

There is a push to make hydroxychloroquine, a tried and tested medicine a readily available OTC. Though readily available in other countries, it seems that in some states, local government has overstepped its boundaries as usual and are only making it available in hospitals. By then, it may be too late. The FDA and the DHS should be taken to task because of their piss poor handling of hydroxychloroquine availability and use.

The use of this ionophore should be between the doctor and his or her patient. And if you have no known co-morbidities and are convinced of the efficacy of this medicine in getting a winning advantage over this virus, stand your ground and invoke your ‘RIGHT TO TRY.” Be aware though that there are cases where co-morbidities exist particularly for people who live in nursing homes and for people 65 years old and

EMPLOYMENT

Will incorporating a separate property business during marriage make it community property?

YOU own a successful business, as a sole proprietor, prior to marriage. You later meet the love of your life and decide to marry her. Years into the marriage, you decide to incorporate the business. A common question when the couple later divorces becomes 1) did your separate property business become community property by virtue of incorporating it during the marriage? 2) Was your separate property business “transmuted” to community property by incorporating it during the marriage?

No community property presumption Family Code §760 defines “Community property” as “Except as otherwise provided by statute, all property, real or personal, wherever situated, acquired by a married person during the marriage while domiciled in this state is community property. However under Marriage of Koester, the Court held that the community does not “acquire” a separate property business simply because the business is incorporated during the marriage. The mere incorporation of a business operated by spouse is not a change in its character, for purposes of division of community estate following divorce. In Koester, the Court stated that he incorporation simply effects

a change in the legal form under which the business is conducted and property does not change its character merely because of a change in form or identity. Marriage of Koester (1999) 73 CA4th 1032, 1035, 1038, 87 CR2d 76, 79, 81. The Court in Koester also stated that “In contrast with the way title is taken when a married couple own residential property, the incorporation of a sole proprietorship business is typically done for reasons extrinsic to the marital relationship. To say ... that an asset was ‘acquired’ by the community ... because some aspect of corporate formation took place during the marriage is to elevate semantics over substance” No transmutation Incorporation of a sole proprietorship business during the marriage can trigger a family code § 2640 tracing right of reimbursement only when it is also accompanied by an unambiguous express written transmutation of the business to community property as required

by Family Code § 852. Marriage of Koester, supra, 73 CA4th at 1036–1037, 87 CR2d at 79–80 & fn. 5. Under Family Code §852, a transmutation of real or personal property is not valid unless made in writing by an express declaration that is made, joined in, consented to, or accepted by the spouse whose interest in the property is adversely affected. In Koester, the act of changing the legal form under which a business is conducted does not meet the requirements of family code § 852 for a valid transmutation.

Marriage of Koester (1999) 73 CA4th 1032, 1037, 87 CR2d 76, 80 & fn. 5. Incorporation of a sole

*** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, APLC. This article is not a solicitation. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration.

He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APLC is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com. Visit our website at Kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com.

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older, who have diabetes, heart condition or any other condition that poses risks and complications. Talk to your doctor but do your own research so you can decide on a wise course of action.

And then there is Quercetin. Although unconfirmed as to its efficacy, there is anecdotal evidence that Quercetin, available over the counter, has some qualities of an ionophore. This is one way of getting around the obstacle

of being hospitalized first before you can gain access to hydroxychloroquine, if you suspect the virus has penetrated your defenses.

Quercetin which is a substance from concentrated apple, blueberry and other fruit peels is getting traction among an increasing number of people because of its ability to facilitate zinc ions through the cell membrane. Take them according to instructions.

GOOD LUCK though on

finding it in store or online.

People are snapping these off the shelves, just like that very odd toilet paper mania that swept the country.

I have taken to drinking tonic water which contains quinine. Schweppes is one brand but anyone can take Walmart’s generic Great Value brand as well. Do your research on why taking tonic water is beneficial during this pandemic. Quinine is the key.

Continued on Page 5

Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrsUA reyes

EMPLOYMENT

SCHOOL

proprietorship business is typically done for reasons extrinsic to the marital relationship.

Although the mere act of incorporating a separate business during the marriage does not change the character of the business to community property, the community may still acquire an apportionment interest if the value of the business substantially appreciated during the marriage due to the labor and hard work of the managing spouse during the marriage. The apportionment calculation is done using the formula in the Pereira or Van Camp case where the contributions of effort and return on capital are separated from the value of the business.

Census 2020 will help thousands of Filipino families thrive in the Inland Empire

HOW does the census influence our lives? How do the many vital government and federally-funded programs impact our families, friends, and many “kababayans” in the Inland Empire? Do you know someone who relocated and is unemployed?

Have you been laid off work and have no insurance to cover the required immunizations of your children for school?

Virginia Balanga, an Army veteran and LA County Public Health Services nurse retiree, experienced financial hardships when she was a young mother without work.

“When my family relocated to California after serving in the U.S. Army, I was out of work. I relied on the WIC and Nutrition Program — For Women, Infant & Children — to help supplement food for my family especially for my growing children. The public health centers and children’s immunization programs helped my family and children complete the required physical examinations and immunizations for school.

WIC and other federally funded programs helped take care of some of the burdens of being unemployed,” she said.

After a couple of years of helping poor, oppressed, and marginalized families in the Philippines, Nicole Dumaguindin decided to return to the Inland Empire where she was born.

“When I moved back to Riverside after two years of non-profit community health work in the Philippines, the CalWORKS, a federally funded public assistance program, helped me and my family obtain financial stability and create a strong employment foundation,” Dumaguindin recalled. “The CalFresh helped put nutritious food on our table and cash aid helped with the expenses for my newborn son Jayden. As a new working mom with my husband still in the Philippines, the program relieved me from a lot of economic stress that could have worsened my postpartum depression. A little over a year after enrolling in the program, I am fortunate to have the resources and be self-reliant enough to transition out of CalWORKs.” At present, Nicole continues her passion in community work as a community health promoter for the Asian Pacific Counseling & Treatment Centers – Riverside Center.

Edwin Ramoran, a Bayanihan Desert community organizer in the Low Desert, felt isolated, exhausted, and overwhelmed during this pandemic. He said: “My mother is a stroke survivor, and I have become her primary home health caregiver. During the donut hole period of pre-

Virginia Balanga, an Army veteran and LA County Public Health Services nurse retiree

scription coverage, we needed more cash to cover vital medicine to manage her heart health.

During this pandemic, my mother and I applied and are now receiving invaluable food assistance through CalFresh. We are hoping mom will qualify for Medi-Cal soon so we can get some support through the Riverside County’s In-Home Supportive Services program. This coming October 15, we look forward to enrolling mom in Medicare Part D for more assistance in paying for expensive medication. Reliefs in the shape of these vital programs help us get through the everyday struggle of pain management for mom. Alleviating her pain and discomfort have relied on the economic support from these federally funded programs especially after the passing of my dad last year.” In addition to being a full-time caregiver to his mom, Edwin still finds time to continue his non-profit work with the Bayanihan Desert Community and as a commissioner of the Human Rights Commission for the city of Palm Springs.

Together with NEFFCON-IE, Virginia, Nicole and Edwin are very grateful for the more than $700 billion in federal funding that was allocated in FY 2015 based on CENSUS data. Do you know that when you participate in the census, at least $1,000 per person a year is at stake to help fund community programs for seniors, children, and families; build better roads and schools; create jobs; improve housing; and much more?

Let us ensure that all people living in California are counted – “huwag kalimutan bilangin ang mga bagong panganak, mga matatanda katulad ng ating mga lolo at lola, at ang ating mga kababayan na walang matirahan (Remember to count newborns, seniors like our grandparents, and neighbors without permanent homes).” Participate in the 2020 Census now by filling it out

Nicole Dumaguindin, a community health promoter for the Asian Pacific Counseling & Treatment Centers – Riverside Center.

Edwin Ramoran, a Bayanihan Desert community organizer

How to defend...

From Page 4 Also, do yourself a favor and tune out television and 95% of mainstream media.

Do it for your mental wellbeing. All you hear is scare propaganda and quite possibly fudged, massaged numbers, according to a concerted script using the same verbiage.

Modern media puts Goebbels to shame. We cut cable years ago, saved money and have relative peace of mind seeking reliable information and wholesome entertainment elsewhere.

Cultivate a hobby if you can.

Millions have done so. Don’t be left behind.

Then there is the mandatory use of masks when in public

and the sad and sorry concept of social distancing. The jury is still out on this. We shall see in hindsight what the effects truly are on health and human behavior over the long term.

When we are well past this, and we will be after November 03, 2020, we shall also know how this period of our human story has affected our way of life, as we know it.

As with anything that tries men’s souls, just remind yourself often: THIS TOO, SHALL PASS. ***

Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com

online at my2020census.gov or by calling 844-330-2020 (English) or 844-478-2020 (Tagalog).

Together, let us help build thriving communities in the Inland Empire!

The National Ecumenical Forum for Filipino Concerns in the Inland Empire (NEFFCON-IE) is an organization comprising of people of faith who believe in the dynamic presence and integration of Filipinos and FilipinoAmericans in the U.S. Church and society. People of faith are called to be faithful citizens.

(Contributed by Virginia Balanga, Nicole Dumaguindin, Edwin Ramoran and Naida Castro of NEFFCON-IE) (Advertising Supplement)

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T h e As ian Jou r n al MDWK MAGAZ IN E - A u gu st 1 9 , 2 0 2 0

Matteo Guidicelli with wife Sarah Geronimo

Photo from Instagram/@matteog

Matteo on being ‘imperfect’ for Sarah...

From Page 3 does. She’s a perfectionist.”

“Kung alam lang ng mga tao (If only the people knew) how hard[working] and passionate she is,” he added.

The actor disclosed that when Geronimo is up on stage,

he is constantly amazed by how good she is.

“Every time I see her perform on stage I’m like ‘wow that’s my wife,’ like I forget that’s the person I live with,” he said.

The celebrity couple tied

the knot last February through an intimate wedding ceremony. However, the event was marred by controversy after the actor was accused of punching his wife’s bodyguard during a commotion at the reception.

Andi marks Philmar’s birthday...

From Page 3 ban na kaw mahal (We can’t wait to go back to the island so we can be together, love)! We

miss you sooo much, and we love you!” she added.

Eigenmann is currently staying in Manila with Ellie and

Lilo, while Alipayo is in Siargao.

Ellie is her daughter with Jake Ejercito, while Lilo is her first child with Alipayo.

T h e A s ian Jour nal M D W K M A G A Z I NE - Augus t 19 , 2 0 2 0

ISLAND PACIFIC FPFC