082319 - Northern California Edition

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DATELINE Silicon Valley elementary school named after Filipino Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, immigration activist FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.— After seeing two schools close down in the city over the past 19 years, an elementary school named after a Filipino Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and immigration activist was officially opened in a dedication ceremony on Thursday, August 15 attended by district officials, faculty and community members.

The newly-built Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary School — which will initially offer kindergarten to 4th grade due to district rezoning — is named after Jose Antonio Vargas, who has roots in Mountain View.

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Lacson pushes treaty to help Filipino convicts abroad

by ALEXIS

ROMERO Philstar.com

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, August 21, expressed hope that the life of the late senator Benigno Aquino Jr. would inspire government workers to serve with honor and to help fight the problems that beset the nation.

In his message for the Ninoy Aquino Day, Duterte said Aquino’s sacrifice “altered the course of our nation’s history and still continues to ignite the spirit of heroism among our people.”

“May this auspicious occasion remind us of what we had lost so that we may remain committed to

NEW ENVOY. President Rodrigo Duterte and House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano share a light moment with President (Speaker) of the Majlis Al Shura, Dr. Abdullah Bin Mohammad Bin Ibrahim Al-Sheikh, who paid a courtesy call on the President at the Malacañang Palace on Tuesday, August 20.

Malacañang photo by Karl Norman Alonzo

NAAC, NDC, Housing Advocates Celebrate Victory in State Capitol JOSEPH L. PERALTA AJPress

THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Monday, August 19, defended its proposal to restore the law against subversion.

According to DILG Undersecretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya, the Duterte administration is

Locsin orders diplomatic protest vs Chinese ships spotted in Sibutu Strait

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJ Press

FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Monday, August 19, ordered the filing of a diplomatic protest against China over the passage of its warships in Philippine waters.

In a tweet, Locsin directed the Department of Foreign AfFaith Bautista (at podium) addresses housing advocates and pastors as Assemblymembers fairs’ Office of Asia and Pacific Devon Mathis, Tom Lackey, Jay Obernolte and Jim Patterson look on.

Affairs to file the protest after AJPress photo by Joseph Peralta it was reported by the Armed mortgage delinquencies, was dieowners in the state.

Forces of the Philippines (AFP) The $331-M, returned funds verted by former California Govthat Chinese warships were money obtained by California as ernor Jerry Brown to plug in the spotted passing through waters state budget’s shortfalls and pay part of a settlement with the naoff southern Mindanao without tion’s five largest banks for fraud- off existing state debt. informing local authorities.

Current California Governor ulent lending practices which led This is the fourth diplomatic to millions of people losing their Gavin Newsom recently anprotest filed by the country Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. homes due to foreclosures and u PAGE A3 against China this year.

“Fire diplomatic protest over Chinese warship; drop the diplomatic crap; say it is ours period; The Anti-Subversion Act or Re- they’re trespassing,” he said. different from the dictatorship of “If we did it already, fire anFerdinand Marcos, who used the public Act No. 1700 was passed law to prosecute thousands of crit- in June 1957 during the tenure of other. We won’t run out. And former President Carlos Garcia. It don’t wait for formal intel. This ics.

“This is not the authoritarian was expanded through Presiden- is the Secretary of National Demartial law which is of the Mar- tial Decree (PD) 885 in 1976 and fense no less. Fire at will,” Loccos period where when someone PD 1835 in 1981 during the mar- sin added.

There have been 13 reports is arrested and not heard of, and tial law period, making it a subthen suddenly he’s dead. This is versive and criminal act to be af- from the AFP about Chinese a different context,” said Malaya filiated with a group and take part warships passing through Philu PAGE A4 during a Rappler Talk interview. u PAGE A3

DILG: Duterte is different from Marcos MENDIOLA AJ Press

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GONZALES Inquirer.net

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by RITCHEL

“Despite our gains in these past three years, there is still a lot that needs to be done if we are to completely eradicate poverty, corruption, and injustice that had plagued our nation even during Ninoy’s time,” the president said.

“Let his example guide us as we strive to uplift and protect the most vulnerable in our society and ensure that all Filipinos will enjoy the blessings of freedom, democracy and rule of law,” he added.

Aquino, a staunch critic of Marcos, was assassinated on Aug. 21, 1983, shortly after his plane landed at the then Manila International Airport. His death led to a series of events that culminated in

by CATHERINE

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SACRAMENTO – THE National Asian American Coalition (NAAC), the National Diversity Coalition (NDC), pastors, housing advocates and members of the state legislature’s Senate and Assembly Republican Caucuses celebrated the recent court victory on the return of the $331 million to the National Home Mortgage Special Fund with a press conference and victory rally in front of the South Side steps of the State Capitol Building last August 14, 2019.

As previously reported in the Asian Journal, the California Supreme Court denied a review of a lower court ruling that ordered the return of the money to the fund that aids distressed hom-

our solemn duty to safeguard the freedom that we now enjoy,” Duterte said.

“I also hope that Ninoy’s remarkable life as a public servant will move my fellow government workers to serve with honor, integrity, and purpose as well as inspire our youth to be of service to their country and fellowmen,” he added.

Duterte, a vocal admirer of the late dictator and Aquino’s political rival Ferdinand Marcos, said the late senator played an important role in restoring Philippine democracy more than three decades ago. He admitted that more work has to be done to solve the ills that are already present during Aquino’s time.

Group urges gov’t to again allow use of Dengvaxia

SENATOR Panfilo Lacson on Monday, August 19, called for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to pursue more Transfer of Sentenced Persons agreements with other countries, pointing out the efforts of the government to help Filipino drug convicts abroad while it is “killing people” in the Philippines.

“How do you reconcile [the fact that] here in our country we’re killing people and then we’re

by

Also published in LOS ANGELES, LAS VEGAS, NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY

Duterte to public servants: Serve with honor, integrity like Ninoy

AN official of a non-profit organization advocating vaccination has called on the government to allow the return of Dengvaxia to help curb the spread of the mosquitoborne disease.

Doctor Lulu Bravo, executive director of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, said that aside from enforcing measures to decrease the population of mosquitoes carrying dengue virus, vaccination would sufficiently address its escalation.

“Ibalik ang Dengvaxia kasi kaming mananaliksik alam namin ang naging resulta ng mga test sa Dengvaxia. Maganda ang naging resulta niyan, ayon sa pananaliksik na ginawa hindi lang dito sa Asya (The government should again use Dengvaxia because researchers like us know the re-

‘Transfer of Sentenced Persons’ to give convicts option to serve time in their home country

AUGUST 23-29, 2019

Inquirer.net file photo

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AUGUST 23-29, 2019 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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From the Front Page

Duterte to public servants: Serve... Silicon Valley elementary school named after...

PAGE A1 the historic 1986 People Power Revolution that ousted Marcos, catapulted Aquino’s wife Corazon into the presidency and restored democratic institutions.

Critics have accused Duterte of downplaying the importance of the People Power uprising because his presidential bid was

supported by the Marcoses. The president has also been accused of trying to revise history and deodorizing the image of Marcos, whose reign was tainted with allegations of cronyism and human rights violations. Despite protests from human rights advocates, Duterte had allowed the giving of a hero’s burial to Marcos and

had praised the late president in some of his speeches.

Despite his perceived alliance with the Marcoses, Duterte recently approved the sale of Marcos jewelry worth more than P700 million and has ordered agencies to ensure that the proceeds of the sale would benefit Filipinos. n

PAGE A1 sults of tests on Dengvaxia. The results were good according to research conducted not just here in Asia),” she said in an interview with Radyo Inquirer.

She explained that in the past, vaccination has already helped eradicate other diseases, including smallpox, and helped limit the existence of polio in the world’s poorest and most marginalized communities.

“Ang bakuna ang pinakamabisa para ma-control ang sakit. 250 years na tayo sa bakuna (Vac-

cines are the best way to control the disease. We have been using vaccines for 250 years now),” she said.

Bravo also urged government authorities to tap the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a network of different research units specializing in health and socio-biomedical concerns, to conduct research on Dengvaxia. She noted that NIH is capable of conducting independent and unbiased research. “’Pag ang pananalsiksik mo ay biased o kaya may prejudice o pamumulitika, hindi mangyayari

na makagawa ka ng magandang pananaliksik. Independent body ang kailangan natin dyan (If your research is biased or have a prejudice or politicized, you will not be able to come up with good research. We will need an independent body),” she said.

Dengvaxia “is the first dengue vaccine to be licensed. It was first licensed in Mexico in December 2015 for use in individuals 9-45 years of age living in endemic areas, and is now licensed in 20 countries,” according to the World Health Organization. n

Group urges gov’t to again allow...

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PAGE A1 Vargas was thrust to national prominence when he revealed in 2011 that he was an undocumented immigrant, having been brought to the United States in 1993 at the age of 12 to live with his grandparents. He has narrated his story in a 2013 film called “Documented” and in a memoir, “Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen,” published in 2018.

The undocumented Filipino journalist was among the list of individuals suggested as plausible choices for the school name.

The others were former U.S. President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, former Mountain View School Board member Gail Urban Moore, Bay Area philanthropist Ruth Clouse Chance and U.S. Navy Admiral Grace Hopper.

According to current school district Board of Trustees President Tamara Wilson, who was then Mountain View Whisman trustee, the Obamas and Vargas were neck-to-neck during the count, followed by Moore, and it all came down to a board vote.

“I believe it was four yes and one abstention on voting for Mr. Vargas as the name of the school,” Wilson told the Asian Journal.

For his part, Mountain View Whisman School District Superintendent Dr. Ayinde Rudolph related to the Asian Journal that the School Board of Trustees went into further deliberations as members wanted to also honor the other top choices.

“So they named the preschools after Barack & Michelle Obama, and dedicated the new boardroom to the former board member, which is now known as the Gail Urban Moore Leadership Center,” he said.

In his speech before a jampacked auditorium on Thursday, Vargas confessed to nerves as he was preparing the night before the dedication ceremony.

“I have been traveling nonstop all across the country. I’ve given a thousand speeches in eight years probably. I even speak to people who don’t like me, who don’t agree with me,” he said, to audience laughter. “You think that someone who gives that many speeches will be fine with this…This has been very nervewracking to write this speech,

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, documentary filmmaker and immigrant advocate Jose Antonio Vargas gives his a speech as school officials listen at the dedication ceremony for the newlyopened Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary School on Thursday, August 15.

AJPress photo by Joseph Peralta

The dedication plaque for the Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary School in the Mountain View Whisman School District.

AJPress photo by Joseph Peralta

and I think I’ve been so nervous because I have never given a speech in front of an elementary school.”

But he received advice from a new friend, who has been a teacher for a long time, and who told him that “they [the students] are safe with you if you are honest with them.”

After stating “So, I’m going to be honest,” Vargas described himself as a storyteller and told the audience how he and his friends founded Define American.

“And since I am a storyteller, Define American was founded on the power of stories and the fact that all of us, regardless of where we came from and what we look like and what we sound like, all of us have a story. We tell stories to bring people together…regardless of what makes us different, we also have many things in common,” Vargas said.

It was then when he told his story of being brought to America as a 12-year-old to live in Mountain View, about a mile away from this new school. De-

spite not speaking English all that well, Vargas managed to become friends with a student who initially remarked to him that he was weird on his first day of school.

“School wasn’t just a place where I made friends. School was a place where I was mentored and encouraged…where I was protected and mentored by teachers who didn’t just care about my grades but they actually cared about who I was and where I came from. They cared about my story,” Vargas stated, after which he introduced Jill Denny, his choir teacher, who was in the audience.

Vargas revealed to Denny that he was an undocumented immigrant, which was the reason why he could not go and join the choir as they prepared for a trip to Japan. Denny changed the plan and instead moved the trip to Hawaii, telling Vargas that “we don’t leave anyone behind.”

School, Vargas revealed, was his safe place where he always felt he belonged: a venue where PAGE A3

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Silicon Valley elementary school named after... NAAC, NDC, Housing Advocates...

PAGE A2 he enjoyed math and science, learned about geography and music, and where he learned how to read and write, the latter of which “makes me the most free and the most myself.”

“But here’s the truth. The truth is, this school is named for someone who some people think should not be here. The truth is, there was a time in our country in the early 1930s where, in the city Stockton, about two hours from here and where my cousin lives actually, there were signs outside restaurants, hotels…that actually read, ‘Positively no Filipinos allowed,’” Vargas narrated.

However, he remarked that he “would not be the human being I am without my community.”

“So when people ask me how I define American, I define American as community – the community of people who see you and make you feel home,” he said, while adding how blessed he is to have the family he was born into, and fortunate to have a family of friends and mentors whom he has met since he came to the U.S. “This school, our school, represents the power of community – how to treat people with respect, how to show gratitude… how to live your life with love, how to live a loving life of continuous education, that we can never stop learning, and we can never stop learning about and from each other,” he continued.

For Vargas, the ultimate magic in life is finding a way of connecting to another person, and he feels confident that school officials and students together will write the new story of the school.

He ended his speech by saying, “I’m so proud to say, ‘Welcome to Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary School!’ and please have a magical new year.”

Proud community, Fil-Ams Meanwhile, Filipino Americans present at the dedication ceremony expressed their pride in having a school named after Vargas.

Sarah Reginaldo, who is president of the school’s Parent Teachers Association (PTA), said she feels happy that“we are being represented in the area because a lot of Filipinos live in Mountain View.”

Reginaldo said that if she gets

asked who Vargas is and why this particular school is named after him, she will explain it this way, including to her son who will be attending this school: “When we choose names for our monuments and hospitals, we choose people who have done great things for this nation and for the world. And Jose is trying to do a lot of good things with immigration reform – there are a lot of people whose lives will be affected by what happens next.”

For her part, Aida Rivera, who is one of Vargas’s aunts, exclaimed, “No words can really describe how proud we are as a family, as a community. It is unusual to name a school after an individual who is still alive; normally it is when they have passed away that they are given this recognition. This is a great honor given to a fellow Filipino who is humble and who continues to fight for the rights of undocumented persons.”

School Board of Trustees President Wilson said the choice of Vargas shows that “no matter what your background is, if you come here and you work hard in school, you will be able to succeed. And he is one of our most successful, renowned graduates.”

The school’s principal, Vernorris Taylor, told the Asian Journal that naming the school after Vargas was a great idea to honor an individual who has been a part of the community.

“He is a local hero who has had challenges that he’s overcome.

He is someone who took a risk in a real way by coming out as an undocumented immigrant in an atmosphere that’s not necessarily friendly to undocumented immigrants. He showed what true bravery is, risking his own personal livelihood especially when he did not have to,” Taylor explained.

Initially thought as a ‘joke’ Over multiple interviews with officials at the event, Rudolph revealed to the Asian Journal that when he contacted Vargas on Twitter about naming the school after him, the latter thought it was a joke.

“I said, ‘Hey, I wanna let you know this is what’s actually occurring.’ Then he told me when he got the message that [he thought] I was joking. So, then I responded back, ‘No, it’s not a

Locsin orders diplomatic...

PAGE A1 ippine waters with neither permission nor prior notice to the government since June 2019.

Among these instances include the two warships spotted along Sibutu Strait in July and another three in August.

The Sibutu Strait in Tawi-Tawi is an internationally recognized sea lane where foreign ships have the right of innocent passage.

According to Lt. Gen Cirilito Sobejana, AFP Western Mindanao Command chief, the Chinese vessels that passed through were not hostile; however, they were not innocently passing due to the curved path they took.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier said that the Department of National Defense is “getting irritated” over the series of Chinese incursions in Philippine waters. “I hope the matter will be taken up in order to put an end to all these, because our people are asking why they (Chinese warships) are there,” he said.

Lorenzana also noted that Beijing appeared to be “taunting” Manila by having their warships deployed in Philippine territorial waters without their Automatic Identification Systems turned on and prior notice to Philippine authorities. n

joke.’ Then he checked the board minutes and he could hear the board president — she wasn’t president then — announce that she would like to name the school after him. From there, I asked him, ‘Are you okay with that? I know that this would draw attention to you.’ He said, ‘It’s perfectly fine,’” the superintendent related.

This was confirmed by Vargas.

“I actually told him, ‘I’m not dead yet.’ This usually happens when they’ve died,” Vargas told the Asian Journal, while adding that he did not pay any attention to it because he felt sure someone was going to say that the school board should not do it.

“But to me, it’s incredible that it happened,” he stated. “It’s been such a humbling experience, and I hope I don’t do anything to screw it up.”

Vargas cautioned people against putting him on a pedestal.

“That’s the thing, I don’t really want to be looked up to,” he revealed. “I am a human being, I’m imperfect, I’m totally flawed like we all are. And I think I’m just trying to do the best that I can. Hopefully, everybody can do what they can do in whatever community they’re in.”

“To me, the biggest message is, Filipino Americans have to participate and engage in America. We actually have to participate, we have to be civically-involved… so I wish my own family would do more of that as well, and hopefully more Filipinos would do that,” Vargas said. (Joseph Peralta/ AJPress) n

PAGE A1 nounced a plan to funnel the money through nonprofit organizations to help both homeowners and renters in the state who are encountering housing issues that complies with the court ruling, although details have yet to be finalized.

In the press conference, Faith Bautista, president and CEO of both the NAAC and NDC, hailed the victory as meaningful and lamented the fact that it has taken years to get this ruling.

“We’re losing people’s lives, people are suffering and we cannot make a decision. What is wrong with that? [What] we’re asking is to do it now and include the people that have been involved. And we want to work with the Governor, we want to work with all the state’s legislators to do the right thing,” Bautista said, as she also talked of advocates and homeowners who succumbed to the pressure of losing their homes and, in turn, their lives.

Steven Sugarman, general counsel of NDC, remarked that the return of the funds “can really make a big difference.”

“What we have here is a group of people who understand what the needs are, and understand how to solve it and where we need to go from here… What we really appreciate with the legislature and with all the community leaders is that there is no fatigue and the inspiration to go and make sure that the court follows through, the public follows through, that these funds will be used for the highest impact, and that homeowners will be helped.

State Senate Republican leader Shannon Grove (with mic) and State Assembly Republican Leader Marie Waldren (extreme left) express their congratulations on the court win as well their support for the coalition.

AJPress photo by Joseph Peralta

We’ll help as many as we can.

We’ll preserve them in the houses, and those who have been cut off from credit over the past few years will get access to credit.

We’ll help reverse the trends in the African American home ownership market, and the overall home ownership market,” Sugarman said.

Members of the Republican Caucuses of the State and Assembly, who supported the NAAC, the NDC and the other plaintiffs in the long court battle for the return of the funds, congratulated the groups’ effort and promised to closely monitor how the funds will be disbursed.

“Without you fighting on behalf of every California homeowner, we would not be standing here with a victory today… I also want you to know that legislative Republicans have been on your side since 2015. When the Supreme Court decision came out, [Assembly Republican] Leader [Marie] Waldren and I wrote a let-

ter to the Governor and we said, ‘Return that 331 million dollars that was stolen from homeowners!’… We want you to know that we are holding the Democrats and the Governor accountable,” State Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove told the group.

Assembly Republican Leader Marie Waldren echoed Senate Republican Leader Grove as she congratulated the group and remarked that “the actual justice has been served… and that we appreciate your steadfastness and we’re here to celebrate with you.”

“We’re very, very thankful that the courts ruled appropriately in this matter. We’re living in a very interesting time in history.

Part of what we used to call the American Dream was home ownership. And that dream is becoming fantasy for too many people.

And those of us who own homes are having difficulty retaining that privilege and that dream. So

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NAAC, NDC, Housing Advocates...

BRP CONRADO YAP. Philippine Navy personnel welcome the arrival of the BRP Conrado Yap (PS39), a newly-acquired vessel from South Korea, at Pier 13 South Harbor in the city of Manila on Tuesday, August 20. Philippine Fleet commander, Rear Adm. Giovanni Bacordo, said the ship is a big boost to the Philippine Navy’s anti-submarine warfare capability.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon Joey O. Razon

Lacson pushes treaty to help Filipino...

PAGE A1 saving drug convicts detained in another country. I’m just curious,” Lacson asked Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. during the hearing of the Senate foreign affairs relations committee.

“Going back to the repatriation of Filipino convicts, maybe you should pursue more Transfer of Sentenced Persons treaties, just like what we have with Spain. I’m just wondering if they would agree to be transferred to Muntinlupa [that is, the New Bilibid Prison] from where they are being detained abroad,” he added.

According to the Treaty on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, individuals tried and convicted in a foreign country would have the option to serve their time remaining their sentence in their home country.

Lacson’s statement came following the data released by the DFA during the meeting that showed that most Filipinos overseas were detained due to drug charges.

Normally, the DFA offers financial and legal aid to Filipinos abroad through the assistance to nationals (ATN) or the legal assistance fund (LAF).

DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola said P1 billion is allotted for the ATN while the LAF has a P200 million budget.

She added that the DFA has spent P483 million, or 48%, of its

Senator Panfilo Lacson Philstar.com file photo

ATN fund and P81 million, 41%, of its LAF from January to July 2019.

Arriola also noted that overseas Filipinos on death row due to conviction in drug cases had been provided with lawyers “since the inception of the case.”

“It’s just that many of them are drug mules or some of them, like in the case in Mexico we have constructive possession of drugs in a ship, but we make representations with the countries of destination that we ask for due process and speedy resolution of the case,” she explained.

Filipinos first, convicts second In response to Lacson’s question, Locsin said: “Frankly, I used to wonder about that. That’s why I continue to support the abolition of death penalty because I cannot see how, now that we abolished it, if we restore it, how can we appeal if we feel that there is a possibility

of miscarriage of justice in a foreign country.”

“How can we appeal for mercy or a commutation of sentence?

That’s a completely unresolved issue as far as I’m concerned,” he added.

Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, for his part, said it does not mean that Filipinos who violated another country’s laws should not be punished.

“We are not saying that they [Filipino convicts abroad] should not be punished, but since they are our nationals, we take care of them, we monitor how they are treated, we look at their condition.

So is that a way to rationalize?” said the chair of the Senate foreign relations committee.

“Cause we will never ask a foreign country, do not punish our countryman who is involved in drugs because we also will jail him here if he violates our loss.

But when you incarcerate him and you punish him, we should be allowed to take a look and pay a visit to our countryman and look at his condition or situation,” he added.

Lacson noted that a possible justification for the DFA effort to assist convicts overseas is that the government will treat them as Filipinos first and convicts second.

“If our intention is to really take care of our own nationals, it would be better if they were here. So maybe in coordination with hose foreign countries, we can pursue that path,” he said. (AJPress) n

PAGE A3 it is my hope that all of us can will band together and be the voice for those who are not here.

And we all need to realize the true blessing that home ownership brings,” Assemblymember Tom Lackey stated.

Assemblymember Jay Obernolte, for his part, said, “If you think about it, this is really a pyrrhic victory because there are tens of thousands of people who should have kept their homes with this money who were unable to and who lost their homes…But at least we are going to have this money now to help people acquire and stay in the homes that shelter them and their families. So I call on the Governor to allocate this money for the purpose it was intended for, and to help Californians acquire and keep their homes.”

“I am Vice Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee and I pledge to you in this coming year that we are going to make sure that this money gets put to the appropriate uses… I want to thank you for your fierce advocacy on this issue… I do not want to squander this money and I want to make that we return California to a place where people can aspire to own their homes and where state resources are put to their appropriate use to help them to achieve that dream,” Assemblymember Obernolte added.

Assemblymember Devon Mathis echoed his colleague’s promise as he issued a challenge to Governor Newsom by saying: “Do the right thing, put

the money where it’s supposed to go, and we are gonna be here to hold him accountable.”

Other Republican legislators who stopped by to make brief remarks or congratulate the group included Senator John Moorlach, Senator Ling Ling Chang, Senator Patricia Bates and Assemblymember Jim Patterson.

Pastors, advocates and Republican leaders also called on the Governor to give collective groups like the NAAC and NDC the opportunity to give their input to the process of allocating the money and putting it to the most effective use to help distressed homeowners in the state.

“We are on your side and we will continue to be an advocate for the plan that you are delivering here and will be delivering to the legislature in the future.

There are individuals and organizations who fought this fight, and know this space. You understand the difficulties and opportunities, and you’ve also vetted the very programs and organizations that could put this $331 million to work and probably triple or quadruple it as a result of those partnerships. And yet, unfortunately, for some unknown reason, you have been left out of the mere discussion of what to do with the $331 million,” Assemblymember Patterson said.

Patterson added that the money “belongs to the people of California and it needs to be spread to those who are in need of it and be utilized by the programs and individuals who have a heart and a passion for this, and have

been doing this good work for homeownership for a long, long time.”

Pastor Jin Sung, who called on all the women present to stand in front with her as she made her remarks, called on the state government to be more inclusive and be more knowledgeable about the needs of the state’s homeowners.

“We would like to respectfully ask Governor Newsom to respond to our request to not only meet, but to collaborate so that advocacy goes to a different level, and thus the economic empowerment dreams of California can be realized… We not only want our voices heard, but we want our voices implemented and impacting the communities that are very, very underserved, who may not have access to any of the programs we advocate for,” Pastor Sung said.

Sung added that the NAAC, the NDC and pastors from different regions, who were among the plaintiffs in the suit, want to be the voice of the community and continually advocate for Californians through programs that offer technical assistance, credit repair, downpayment assistant, and other support structure that can be used by homeowners.

After the press conference and rally, members of the coalition decided to have a stand-in in front of the Governor’s office to demand inclusion in the decision-making process of the disbursement of the funds before heading off to meetings with both Democrats and Republicans in the state legislature. n

PAGE A1 in activities meant to overthrow the government with the open or covert assistance and support of a foreign power.

During President Corazon Aquino’s term, she issued Executive Order 167, series of 1987 repealing PDs 1835 and 1975 and reviving RA 1700.

However, in 1992, then President Fidel Ramos signed RA 7636 repealing RA 1700. Under this, subversion is no longer a criminal offense but sedition remained a crime.

The DILG stressed that reviving the law would help crush the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), which has been in a long-

standing on-and-off peace process with the Philippine government.

“If we revive the Anti-Subversion law, we will be able to dismantle the urban mass movement in the cities that fuels the armed struggle in the mountains. We will be able to stifle their so-called ‘legal front organizations’ that provide sustenance to the underground mass organizations. It will be the beginning of an inevitable end,” DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año had said on Thursday, August 15.

Malaya also said the DILG wants to prioritize coordinating with Congress in outlawing CPP membership — a move that they expect would choke funding and

mass support for the guerrillas, as stated by Rappler.

He cited Mindanao currently under Duterte-style martial law as the case study to look at when analyzing the revival of the antisubversion law.

“We have seen how martial law is implemented in Mindanao under this administration. There is no closure of Congress. There is no arrest of political opposition,” Malaya said.

He added that prosecution is not their priority, but ending Asia’s longest-running communist insurgency is.

“The government must be given the tools to end this,” Malaya said. n

DILG: Duterte is different from Marcos

BI to deport nabbed American, British sex offenders

by Neil

ArwiN MercAdo Inquirer.net

THE Bureau of Immigration is set to deport the recently nabbed American and British sex offenders who have pending cases in their home countries.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente identified the sex offenders as American national Shane Edward Scism, 45, and British national William James Neville Ireland, 68.

Scism is wanted in New York in the United States for his failure to register as a sex offender while Ireland is wanted in the United Kingdom for pedophilia back in 1996.

The immigration bureau arrested Scism in Marikina City last August 16 pending his arrest warrant released by the State of New York last July 30.

Ireland, meanwhile, was arrested last August 14 in Lubao, Pampanga following his inclusion in the UK National Crime Agency’s wanted list and the Interpol’s red notice as he faces seven counts of indecent assault of a female and two counts of gross indecency with a child.

“We will immediately deport them as their continued stay in the country poses a serious threat to our women and chil-

Bureau of Immigration

dren. Both are undesirable aliens who must be expelled from our country without delay,” Morente said in a statement.

Further, Morente said that the two will be included in the immigration’s blacklist and will be banned from re-entering the country.

BI intelligence officer and FSU chief Bobby Raquepo found that Ireland arrived in the country

Inquirer.net file photo

back in October 2013 as a tourist in a move to avoid questioning from British authorities.

Meanwhile, Scism arrived in the country in 2017 to relocate and escape his liabilities in the United States.

Scism and Ireland are both detained at the BI’s detention center in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig while they wait for their deportation. n

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Dateline PhiliPPines

Sara on presidency: Leave it to God

by CatheRine

talaveRa ManilaTimes.net

AMID fresh talks of her possibly succeeding her father president Rodrigo Duterte in 2022, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on Saturday, August 17 said she would leave the presidency issue to God. This, after Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo said having another Duterte as president would not be surprising, given the prevalence of political dynasties in the country.

Duterte-Carpio, who heads the Hugpong ng Pagbabago regional political party, said she was not opening or closing the possibility of her running for president in the next elections. “We live a life that is controlled

by God. I am not open or closed, basta kung saan ako ilagay ng Diyos doon ako (where God leads me there I’ll be),� Duterte-Carpio told The Manila Times in a text message.

The Davao mayor has been touted by several key figures of the administration and its allies as the president’s possible replacement when he steps down in 2022.

But the President had warned his daughter against seeking his post, saying the presidency could “destroy� her.

The president’s eldest daughter

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio

Manilatimes.net photofile photo

earlier told The Times that she was “not thinking� about seeking the presidency.

But she later said she would decide by January 2021.

On Friday, August 16, Robredo said she was keeping her options open for a possible presidential bid in 2022, while acknowledging that “another Duterte� could emerge as president. “If you ask me now, I have no plans, but I am leaving everything open,� Robredo said in an interview with Bloomberg. “I wouldn’t have run for the vice presidency if I didn’t feel I was ready for the presidency.�

“A lot can still happen. If you look at the history of many of our elections, one year spells a lot of difference. When I ran for the vice presidency, filed my certificate of candidacy in October of 2015.

Two months before that, it was still not in the plan,� Robredo said.

The vice president said being president “is a destiny.�

The president had said he did not want Robredo to be his successor. “I don’t think she can ever be ready to govern a country. Reason? Incompetence,� the Chief Executive said. n

be information, we just want to inform the students so they won’t be victimized by deceitful recruitment,� he told reporters in an interview.

The military official said troops would also be deployed in schools in the provinces.

He maintained the sending of troops would not curtail academic freedom. “It’s a way of checking in coordination with local authorities, if there is no need for the military, then we won’t go there anyway, we are not deploying soldiers as if we will be guarding a mall or something like that,� Detoyato pointed out.

He said soldiers would hold civil-military operations only in schools where NPA recruitment had been reported.

Detoyato said the deployment of soldiers would not be permanent, as he slammed leftist groups

who used the issue to “poison� the minds of students.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s peace adviser on Tuesday, August 20, backed the proposal to increase police visibility in schools to deter the recruitment efforts of leftist groups.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Carlito Galvez Jr. said the police “should not be restricted to enforce the law.� “The PNP (Philippine National Police) is mandated to serve and protect, if it is not allowed to enter a certain area, it will deprive them,� Galvez told reporters.

Galvez, said the presence of policemen in campuses would “deter� the recruitment of college students by the NPA. “We have to allow. Kasi if we will not allow it, the people will be deprived of the security. Lalo na ngayon, andaming recruitments

Military to deploy troops in schools

by Dempsey

Reyes Manilatimes.net

THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday, August 20 said it would deploy troops in universities and colleges to counter the recruitment program of groups suspected to be linked to the New People’s Army (NPA) in schools.

But Col. Noel Detoyato, AFP public affairs chief, said soldiers who would be deployed in schools would not be armed and would respect academic freedom.

Detoyato said the deployment would be arranged between the Department of National Defense and the Department of Education. “The best way to combat a man with the wrong information is a man with the right information.

So, what we will only bring during deployment in schools would

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O PINION Subversion as a crime

FEATURES

OVER three decades have passed, but memories remain indelible of how the Marcos dictatorship used anti-subversion laws to crack down on political dissent.

This is the biggest problem faced by proponents of the revival of laws against subversion. Led by Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, a former military chief and Army commander, the proponents stress that any revival of the law would target mainly those waging an armed struggle nationwide to overthrow the government and the democratic way of life, specifically the New People’s Army.

Because the NPA is taking instructions from the Communist Party of the Philippines, the proponents want the CPP outlawed again, as it was under the original anti-subversion law or Republic Act 1700, passed in 1957. And if the mother unit is outlawed, according to the proponents, so should its political arm the National Democratic Front as well as communist front organizations that represent various sectors.

The left-leaning front organizations, currently in the political mainstream, are actively indoctrinating and recruiting youths, according to the proponents of the anti-subversion law who want to put a stop to such activities. Along with the revival of the law, the proponents want police presence in state-run universities.

Youths like to explore new ideas, and the spirit

of exploration is particularly strong during the university years. If they tend to succumb to “indoctrination” and embrace certain ideas, it’s unlikely that police presence on campus will prevent them from doing so. Considering the rebellious streak in the typical college student, any state security clampdown will likely even have the opposite effect, driving the youths closer to what authorities will consider as subversive. Policy makers must consider this as they deliberate on proposals to deploy police personnel in university campuses.

Because of recent developments, there are also valid concerns that a new anti-subversion law may be used against political opponents of the administration. Already, members of the opposition as well as clergy and the legal profession have been slapped with sedition charges, based mainly on the say-so of a man whose story changes dramatically depending, it seems, on his circumstances.

Martial law in Mindanao has been nothing like the martial law of the dictatorship. Proponents are insisting that this will also be the case in the revival of the anti-subversion law. They will have to contend with constitutional guarantees against laws that impinge on civil liberties. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS THE United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has defined “public charge” as an individual who is likely to become primarily dependent on the government for subsistence, as demonstrated by either the receipt of public cash assistance for income maintenance or institutionalization for long-term care at government expense.

This has been a policy of the U.S. government: to make sure the foreign national who is filing for immigration benefits will not be “pabigat” to America.

The USCIS further stated that since the 1800s, Congress has put into statute that individuals are inadmissible to the United States if they are unable to care for themselves without becoming public charges. Since 1996, federal laws have stated that foreign nationals generally must be self-sufficient.

On August 14 of this year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published the Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds final rule which provides guidance on how to determine if someone applying for admission or adjustment of status is likely at any time to become a public charge.

I interviewed Filipina immigration lawyer Atty. Lou Tancinco about this “Final Rule” to help us better understand this new ruling of the Trump administration.

Q: Atty. Lou, how does this “final rule” published by the DHS determine if someone applying for admission or adjustment of status is likely to become a public charge at any time in the

Will you be a ‘pabigat’ to America and be denied a green card? An attorney explains the Trump Administration’s expanded ‘public charge’ ruling future? What is the difference between this new ruling and what have been followed by the USCIS for so many decades?

A: Prior to this new rule, an applicant for green card may submit an Affidavit of Support accomplished by the Petitioner or a co-sponsor to indicate that the applicant will not be a public charge. This was sufficient under the prior rules. Now with the new public charge rules, an affidavit of support is just one of the factors taken into account. Instead, a totality of circumstances will be examined and the USCIS may now look into other factors such as employability, age, health and prior receipt of public benefits by the applicant as indicative that the applicants are more likely to become a public charge and be denied the green card application. Another difference, is the expansion of the meaning of public charge. This rule redefines the term ‘‘public charge’’ to mean an alien who receives one or more designated public benefits for more than 12 months in the aggregate within any 36-month period (such that, for instance, receipt of two benefits in one month counts as two months).

This rule defines the term ‘‘public benefit’’ to include cash benefits for income maintenance, SNAP, most forms of Medicaid, Section 8 Housing Assistance under the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance, and certain other forms of subsidized housing.

Q: What kind of applicants will be directly affected by this new ruling published by the DHS? A: Those who will be directly

TODAY (Wednesday, August 21) is a day to remember, to honor and to celebrate the lives of Filipino heroes. One of them is Ninoy Aquino, whose assassination is the reason for today’s holiday, his death setting off a series of events that brought our nation out of the shadow of martial law and whose legacy we still strive to live out.

The other hero is Gina Lopez, who served as secretary of the environment and natural resources before her colleagues in government denied her confirmation. But long before that, she had been an environmental champion, as well

affected are the applicants for immigrant and non-immigrant visas or those seeking to apply for green cards or immigrant visas through adjustment of status or through consular processing.

Also important to note, are green card holders who are seeking admission or have been out of the country for at least 180 days and re-entering the U.S. They will be examined also if they are considered public charge.

Q: Any kinds of applicants exempted from this new ruling?

A: The published regulation excludes from the public benefits definition: public benefits received by individuals who are serving in active duty or in the Ready Reserve component of the U.S. armed forces, and their spouses and children; public benefits received by certain international adoptees and children acquiring U.S. citizenship; Medicaid for aliens under 21 and pregnant women; Medicaid for school-based services (including services provided under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act); and Medicaid benefits for emergency medical services.

Q: The USCIS website says “Any alien who, in the opinion of the consular officer at the time of application for a visa, or in the opinion of the Attorney General AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION for admission or adjustment of status, is likely at any time to become a public charge is inadmissible[…] In determining whether an alien is excludable under this paragraph, the consular officer or the Attorney General shall at a minimum consider the alien’s(I) age; (II) health; (III) family

status; (IV) assets, resources, and financial status; and (V) education and skills .” Let’s break this down. What if the applicant has been working in the United States with a working visa, and had been approved for a green card, had a work authorization and had been paying all required taxes taken from his or her paycheck. And then an emergency happened — whether it be losing a job, or a medical emergency, which made the applicant access publicly funded benefits just at the time he could already apply for adjustment of status. Would this cause him to be inadmissible and his application be denied?

A. Yes, if an applicant uses public benefits as long as the application is pending, then he or she may be considered inadmissible and application may be denied. However, Medicaid benefits for medical emergency services are exempt from the definition of public benefits.

But if this applicant continues to avail of the publicly funded medical services as defined in the regulation, s/he would likely be considered a public charge and this fact is a ground to deny the application for adjustment of status.

Q: I want to focus now on the clause that says “, the consular officer or the Attorney General shall at a minimum consider the alien’s-(I) age; (II) health; (III) family status; (IV) assets, resources, and financial status; and (V) education and skills . .”. How are these measured?

Or are these solely dependent on the impression or subjective determination of the consular

officer or Attorney General?

A: While admittedly the consular officers or USCIS examiners have wide discretion in determining public charge, there are also parameters on what weigh heavily in examining the applicants. For example on age, applicants under 18 not accompanied or following to join a parent or guardian and or applicants advanced age is a negative factor.

On the health factor, applicant’s chronic health conditions with high medical costs or that may prevent the applicant from maintaining employment are viewed as negative factors.

Q: What repercussions would this expanded public charge rule have on immigrants including the Filipino American community?

A: This new public charge rule was designed to create fear and confusion among our immigrant communities. It is targeted against legal immigrants who are forced to avoid much needed medical help at the expense of their health just to keep their families together. In short, this policy places at risk the health and safety of families throughout the nation and that includes our Filipino immigrant community.

Q: Critics of the new ruling contend that the public-charge provision has long been a weapon of racism and classism in the United States, and has been used and abused by anti-immigrant administrations throughout US history. They also argue that the mostly white Foreign Service — which is only 5.4 percent African American and 5.6 percent Hispanic — is being tasked with making such value

judgments on a mostly brown and black immigrant population. Immigrant rights advocates say this Trump Administration ruling should not just be rolled back, but that the public charge rule should totally be abolished. But would you agree that there are indeed some immigrants who abuse the system and just totally rely on the government for their needs? How should this be addressed?

A: The current rules are fine as they are and there is no need to change them. I do not want to see current public charge rule abolished but also I do not wish it be changed either. There is no need for this new public charge rule. Expanding the rules to prevent deserving immigrants from entering the United States to be with their family is simply cruel and unjust.

Q: Would this Final Ruling be in effect immediately? Is there anything the people can do to voice out their opposition to or support for this expanded public charge ruling?

A. The rule takes effect on October 15, 2019. There is a 60-day rule from publication before it takes effect. Those who are opposed to the public charge rules must contact their respective legislators to voice their opposition.

Or they can also contact and support organizations that have filed lawsuits to abolish these new rules. *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www. facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos

Remembering heroes, dead and alive

Commentary

RINA JIMENEZ-DAVID

Philstar.com photo

as the driving force behind many advocacies, including protecting abused women and children, and working with communities to promote livelihoods while protecting their natural resources.

One thing notable about Lopez was her capacity for reinvention, moving from being the pampered daughter of a wealthy family, to a missionary in the poorest parts of the world, to a homegrown activist who took on entire industries in her lifelong mission to “clean up” our world. We can do no less than follow her example and blaze our own trails even as we strive to follow in her footsteps.

Another woman warrior in a lovely, gentle but steadfast package is Sen. Risa Hontiveros. Her record in crafting, legislating and negotiating for passage a remarkable number of women-friendly

and socially progressive laws is truly astounding, especially given the misogynistic and violent bent of the Duterte administration and the silence and complacency of many of her colleagues, other women senators included.

Speaking at the “Kwentong Kabaro” (Women’s Stories) last Saturday, August 17, Hontiveros asked rhetorically: “What do we do in the face of an unrelenting storm?” Her reply: “We continue forward because the storm will end.”

Currently, Hontiveros, who chairs the Senate committee on women and children, is battling headwinds blocking passage of her priority legislation. The Senate leadership, she said, asked for each senator to list three priority bills and three “pet” bills.

Her priorities: the Sogie (sexual

orientation and gender identity and expression) Equality Bill, legalization of divorce and expanding the Solo Parents Act. Her favorites: reduction of teenage pregnancies, raise the age of sexual consent from 12 to 18, and strengthening children’s rights.

Certainly, a most daunting list of proposed controversial laws that promise a tsunami of social change. But looking back, who knew we would have, in speedy succession, an expanded maternity leave law, a “bawal bastos” law that pushes the borders of the legal definition of sexual harassment, a law addressing the problem of mental health, among many others.

Given the vocal opposition even now from her colleagues, and the firestorm in social and traditional media ignited by the case

of Gretchen Diez, a transgender woman denied use of a women’s rest room in a mall, Hontiveros certainly faces tumultuous times ahead. But as she said, it’s in times like these that one should unfurl one’s sails and power forward!

Two men — a fading male star and a failing stunt man/factotum — confront the inevitable in the film “Once Upon a Time in…

Hollywood.” The biggest thing about this ninth film by Quentin Tarantino is that it stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. Their luster is certainly far from fading, but I’m sure the movie also “spoke” to them about their fastapproaching fadeout.

In the meantime, there’s fun and frolic in this fond homage to midcentury Hollywood, not least of which are the retro dress styles

and hairdo’s and the pop music of the late ’60s. Certainly the most thunderous event of that era was the massacre of actress Sharon Tate and her house guests by a gang of anarchists mesmerized by the so-called head of their dysfunctional family, Charles Manson. This also makes a cameo appearance in the film.

“Once Upon a Time…” has an air of melancholy about it, a sense of innocence on the brink of permanent loss, of a world changing and morphing in ways unforeseen and unbidden. It is on the whole seemingly loose and lackadaisical, until events race toward the shocking conclusion. Audiences would do well to remember that it is called “Once Upon a Time,” and that some fairy tales can and do end on a dark, mordant note.

(Inquirer.net)

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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Gay, trans, cisgender: Senators lectured on LGBT

by Javier

J. ismael ManilaTimes.net

MOST people know the terms lesbians, gays and bisexuals, but what about cisgender, trans woman and trans man?

A Senate hearing on the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression (Sogie) Equality Bill turned into a lecture on different gender identities and expressions on Tuesday, August 20.

Sen. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros, who heads the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, gave an overview of different gender identities, sexual orientation, and expressions and how to respond to practical issues, such as the use of public spaces.

“Hindi lahat ng LGBT, automatic na baklang lalake at babae ang kanyang identity at expression. Malawak at mayaman ang gender identity at expression ng mga tao. Ito ang nais ipaunawa at protektahan ng Sogie Equality Bill (Not all of the LGBT automatically refers to gay men or gay women.

Their identities and expressions are wide and rich. This is what the Sogie Equality Bill wants to convey and protect),” Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros presented some of the gender identities and sexual orientation, such as cisgender or straight, referring to people whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth; gay man which means a male who develops physical, romantic or emotional attraction to the same gender; lesbian, a woman who is attracted to another woman; bisexual, a person who is attracted to both genders; and trans woman or trans man, a person whose sex assigned at birth does not match her or his gender identity.

Hontiveros also responded to questions on how the LGBT community will access public spaces,

such as public toilets.

“People can access public spaces based on their gender identities and expressions. For example, a trans woman dresses, acts, identifies and expresses herself as a woman, because she is actually a woman. She therefore will use the women’s restroom.

Those who cannot identify with our current gendered spaces can use gender-neutral/sensitive comfort rooms,” she explained.

But the senator said a strategic way to address the issue of gender and public spaces was to redesign society’s concept of public spaces.

“With the Sogie Equality Bill, we hope to transition from our current binary system of gender norms in which spaces are gendered. We must design our public spaces outside of the traditional gendered boxes and capably respond to the people’s different gender identities and expressions and eliminate the physical and social features of public spaces that promote gender-based discrimination and inequality,” Hontiveros said.

“It is important for the public to educate ourselves of the different colors of human sexuality, identities and expressions. It is one of

the best ways we can fully grasp the beauty of life’s rainbow,” she added.

The push for the Sogie bill came following the case of Gretchen Diez, a trans woman, who was barred from using the women’s comfort room of a mall in Quezon City.

Diez met with President Rodrigo Duterte Duterte in Malacañang on Monday night, August 19.

Palace Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the president expressed support to the measure.

“He’s all for it, and he’s also inclined d’un sa (to push for the establishment of a) third restroom for them. Meron silang sarili (They have their own restrooms),” he told reporters.

Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go said Duterte vowed to work with Congress to ensure the passage of the Sogie bill and other laws that seek to protect the rights and welfare of the LGBT community.

“The LGBT advocates expressed their gratitude after the meeting and are looking forward to the passage of a law that will protect them from discrimination before the President’s term ends,” the senator said in a statement. n

PAGE A5 sa mga student (Especially now when student recruitment is rampant),” he said.

Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año earlier said Executive Order 70 could be invoked to increase police presence in schools “infiltrated” by communist insurgents.

Also on Tuesday, students of

the University of the Philippines (UP) walked out of their classes and marched to Mendiola in Manila to protect academic freedom, and to assert their right to organize and protest.

Members of Gabriela Youth, Anak-Pawis party-list, and various university organizations and other sectors joined the rally, dubbed by the UP Office of Stu-

dent Regent as “UP Day of Walkout and Action.”

The rally was organized following proposals to revive the Anti-Subversion Law, which, according to Student Regent John Isaac Punzalan, would lead to extensive surveillance of students, professors and organizations that are critical to the government. n

Manilatimes.net file photo

Military to deploy troops in...

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SF The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - August 23, 2019

Friday, August 23, 2019

SF

cover story The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - August 23, 2019

Celebrating the beautiful and memorable life of Gina Lopez

by MoMar

a pail, for bathing herself and for washing her clothes. did. Leaving home, renounc“When one doesn’t have ing everything, having two to much, one treasures every three sets of clothes, and tak- little bit. I lived as the poor ing a vow of celibacy—at 18! lived, so I learned how not It’s almost like a segment of to be wasteful—a trait I carry my life was cut dead,” Lopez to this day where I use every wrote in a revealing essay bit of everything. I learned published by Rogue Magazine how to value empty containin March 2016. ers, because they can be of For the next 20 years, she use eventually,” she wrote served as a full-fledged yoga further. missionary in Portugal, India Returning to Manila and Africa, among the poor Lopez eventually decided and underserved, far from the to return to the Philippines rich enclave of her growing with her husband. Missionup years in Forbes Park. It was ary work forbade them from while doing these where she having relationships with the learned the values that would opposite sex. On the day of come in handy in her future her return, she found out that life as an advocate for the she was pregnant and that’s environment and children’s when she knew the door of rights, among others. going back to Africa and the It was while serving in missionary life had closed.

Africa when she met her Armed now with the now ex-husband, Sona with knowledge and values she whom she has two sons, learned in the two decades Roberto and Benjamin. She she dedicated to missionary lived for six years in Kenya life, Lopez decided to focus and two of those years were on uplifting the lives of the in a slum area. This was where poor in her own country, the she learned to value water.

Philippines.

She revealed that they had to She found her heart and stand in line for hours for a place in the ABS-CBN Founbucket of water and she had dation, the public service arm

G. Visaya / AJPress

TO say that Gina Lopez led a colorful life would be a severe understatement.

The former environment and natural resources secretary passed away on Monday, August 19, due to multiple organ failure after a brave battle with brain cancer. She was 65.

The second of seven children of Eugenio Lopez, Jr. and Conchita La’O, Regina Paz — fondly known as Gina — was born with the proverbial silver spoon and grew up in an environment where she was pampered and sheltered.

At the age of 18, she moved to the United States to study. It was while at the Newton College of the Sacred Heart in Boston where she learned more about spirituality, meditation and Ananda Marga, which radically changed the course of her life.

“Eventually I left home.

Not because things were not good, but because I had this urge to do something.

Looking back at it now, I still marvel at how I did all that I

Lopez was in the Bay Area in January 2019 to present the i.L.O.V.E. (Investments in Loving Organizations for Village Economies) organization to Filipino Americans, which aims to lift communities out of poverty through the creation of environmentally-conscious businesses at the grassroots level. She also launched the Quest for Love, which pairs eight loving organizations with their respective mentors to work together to support a community. AJPress photo by Joseph Peralta

of ABS-CBN. She spearheaded and instituted projects that focused on communities in crisis, educational media (TV and radio), Bantay Bata, Bantay Kalikasan, among others.

In June 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte appointed her as the secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

“Integrity, public service and common good are the key deciding factors for any decision that will be taken,” Lopez had said upon her appointment. “Any industry must bear in mind that the common good is paramount in their operations and not the money they make.”

During her short-lived stint as environment chief, Lopez ordered the shutdown of 23 mines and suspension of five others. She canceled 75 contracts for mining projects located in watersheds, as well. She was the secretary for 10 months until the Commission on Appointments voted 16-8 through secret balloting to end her tenure.

She went on to host an environmental show on ABSCBN called “G Diaries,” which focused on environmental conservation, area development and innovations.

She also became the first Filipino to be awarded the prestigious Seacology Prize in Berkeley, California back in October 2017 for her “exceptional achievement in preserving island environments and culture”.

Advocate In a statement, ABS-CBN said: “Gina was the pillar of strength that pushed ABSCBN Foundation Inc. (AFI) to achieve what seemed to be impossible. Her caring heart and selfless kind of love inspired people within and

Gina Lopez devoted her life to various environmental and social causes.

Lopez, secretary for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources from 2016 to 2017, spoke at a Greenpeace-led candlelight vigil in front of the department’s central office in May 2017 following the Commission on Appointment’s rejection of her appointment to head the agency.

beyond the organization to help and serve others.” “[She] was a champion for the environment, child protection, and the disadvantaged. She exemplified a life of service to humanity with a deep desire to improve people’s lives, rallied for social justice, and sought to bring hope and change to poor communities,” it added.

Through her advocacies, Lopez launched numerous projects such as Bantay Bata 163, Bantay Kalikasan, Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig, Sagip Kapamilya, and the reforestation of the La Mesa Watershed. She also served as the Pasig River Rehabilitation

Commission chairperson.

These are the projects that have left indelible marks in the lives of millions of Filipinos and this is the legacy that Lopez, the woman in a hurry, left.

Lopez inspired a lot of people as a champion for the environment, child protection, and the disadvantaged.

She exemplified a life of service to humanity with a deep desire to improve people’s lives, rallied for social justice and sought to bring hope and change to poor communities.

In a 2011 interview with the Asian Journal’s Balikbayan Magazine, Lopez said: Continued on Page SF3

community

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The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - August 23, 2019

Immigration Corner

September 2019 priority dates The Priority dates for the Philippines are as follows: Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

December 01, 2008

June 01, 2008

(2A) Spouse and Second Preference minor children (below 21 years old) of green card holders

July 01, 2019

Current

(2B) Unmarried sons and daughters (21 years old or older) of green card holders

February 01, 2009

August 01, 2008

Third Preference

Married sons and daughters of US Citizens

August 01, 1998

February 01, 1998

Fourth Preference

Brothers and sisters of US Citizens

January 01, 1999

July 01, 1998

LABOR CERTIFICATION:

Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

Second Preference Advanced Degree (Masters)

Current

January 01, 2018

FAMILY CATEGORY:

Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ

STILL MORE IMMIGRATION QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED THIS SUNDAY IN PART 4 OF “CITIZEN PINOY” IN CHICAGO! How can doctors, nurses, or caregivers in the Philippines immigrate to the U.S.? Can a previous petition be reopened/revived if the applicant did not appear for the interview? Can a person be refused a visa because they are depressed? Get the answers to these and more on an encore episode of — “Citizen Pinoy,”, this Sunday at 6:15 p.m. PST/EST (9:15 p.m. EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

(Advertising Supplement)

Celebrating the beautiful...

From Page SF2 “Nothing can stand in the way of a people united for a noble cause.”

“I have a deep resonance with the environment. My spiritual practice is feeling the divine, entering stillness, then feeling the Higher Worlds.

When one does this, one develops a very keen affinity with nature. Divine Energy is in Nature,” she continued.

Her program Bantay Bata 163 became the first rescue hotline for children in Asia. It also bagged the United Nations Grand Awardee for Excellence in 1997, besting 187 countries all over the world.

Among the Foundation’s major programs was Educational Television (ETV) and under it were shows that tackled the subject matters in public schools like science (Sine’skwela), mathematics (Math Tinik), history (Bayani), values educations (Hirayamanawari) and Epol/Apple (English). Through her initiatives, more than 10,000 public elementary schools nationwide received ETV sets for their school libraries.

She also founded Bantay Kalikasan, a program that advocates for the protection of the environment. Among its most notable achievements include the successful reforestation of the La Mesa

Watershed and the eventual rehabilitation of 17 estuaries or esteros of the Pasig River.

Because of this, then-President Benigno S. Aquino III appointed her in 2010 as the chairperson of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission.

Lopez recently established Investments in Loving Organizations for Village Economies (iLOVE) Foundation, as well, which seeks to lift communities out of poverty through the creation of environmentally conscious businesses at the grassroots level.

Testimonials Friends, family and netizens took to social media with tributes to Lopez and the life she lived.

In an Instagram post, former ABS-CBN big boss Charo Santos Concio mourned the death of her friend.

“This is how I will remember my dear friend, Gina... always so passionate When she is on to something, she will definitely do it with all her heart, mind and soul, whatever it takes. When she would tell me her vision... the next thing I know, she’s already in the field doing something about it. No wasted time... no wasted opportunities... for the love of the people, the country and the environment.

Gina, may your selfless heart

inspire many more!!! Thank you for the unconditional love Rest now, my friend! #MaramingSalamatGinaLopez,” Santos-Concio wrote in the caption.

“Gina’s spirit, passion and energy were boundless.

There was criticism that she was combustible, all over the place. But that’s because she wanted to do so much,” said actor Audie Gemora, who worked on several educational TV programs that ABS-CBN Foundation produced.

Ging Reyes, head of ABS-CBN’s Integrated News and Current Affairs, couldn’t agree more.

“Now we realize why she was always in a hurry to finish something; she was a woman possessed every time she took up a cause. Nothing was impossible, everything was doable,” Reyes posted on her Facebook wall.

Purpose “At an age when people are just figuring out what they want to do in life, she already knew her purpose. She left a comfortable life to devote her time and energy to help uplift other people’s lives,” ABSCBN’s chairman Mark Lopez said.

“When she returned to join ABS-CBN, she instilled in her people the same drive to help. For her, nothing can-

First Preference

Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens (over 21 years of age)

EACH month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories.

A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed below. If your priority date was “current,” but later retrogressed (or “moved backwards” and became unavailable) before your immigrant visa was issued (or before you adjusted status in the U.S.), you would have to wait until it becomes current again.

Beginning in October 2015, the format of the Visa Bulletin changed, in that a new column was added, called the “Application Filing Date.” If a person’s priority date is earlier than the Application Filing Date, they can already file for adjustment of status and work authorization (provided they are otherwise eligible and USCIS indicates on its website it will use the Application Filing Date for that month). This could allow people to obtain work authorization much sooner than before, where they had to wait for the priority date to be current (in the Visa Issuance or Final Action Date column) in order to both file for adjustment and be eligible for a green card. ***

Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 35 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bars of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California.

Each case is different and results may depend on the facts of the particular case. The information and opinions contained herein (including testimonials, “Success Stories”, endorsements and re-enactments) are of a general nature, and are not intended to apply to any particular case, and do not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or

legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

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

not be done, no effort is too small, anybody can — and should — do their part in making the world a better place,” he added.

Mark is a cousin of the former environment secretary.

According to the ABSCBN Foundation, Lopez’s family has requested that do-

nations be made to the foundation in lieu of flowers and Mass cards. A public memorial service will be held at the La Mesa Ecopark — which rehabilitated through Bantay Kalikasan — on August 22 and 23.

Though Lopez has departed, her legacy and love for social justice issues, the

environment, and her home country of the Philippines live on.

“If we in this country dream and hope the common good and commitment to integrity, I have no doubt in my heart and in my mind that our country will see the light of day,” she said in Metro Society interview.

Third Preference

Professional/ Skilled Workers

Current

July 01, 2016

Other Workers

Non-Skilled Workers

Current

July 01, 2016

(Advertising Supplement)

SF

celebrityworld The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - August 23, 2019

celebrity world

Erwan says he doesn’t feel uncomfortable watching Anne’s love scenes

By Ferdie Villar CHEF and vlogger Erwan Heussaff shot down some netizens who were commenting about his wife’s — actress Anne Curtis — love scenes in her latest movie, “Just A Stranger.”

He said that no one would have a problem with the role if it was a man portraying it.

The scene in question was posted on Instagram, showing a Anne making love with her co-star, actor Marco Gumabao. Some comments said that the actress should avoid such scenes, given that she is already married.

“Awkward na tignan ms. anne parang you should avoid scenes like this since youre married already,” one netizen commented.

However, Erwan disagreed.

“Let’s not be sexist people, if this was a married guy actor doing love scenes, no one

EMPLOYMENT

would have any issue with it,” he said. He also stressed that people should not dictate what a person must do after marriage.

“Hilarious comments. Last I checked, I’m the husband and I know how I feel (which is completely fine by the way, thanks for asking). So no need to throw around words like disrespect or dictate what a person should or shouldn’t do after getting married.”

Aside from this, Erwan was in fact, very supportive of his wife to do the film. He shared that he even actively expressed his opinion after reading the script.

“I’ve known my wife as an actress since day 1 and I have the utmost admiration for what she does. End of story. I don’t feel awkward of uncomfortable when watching these movies

(you guys commenting make it awkward),” he said. *** After a month of playing dark and somewhat multi-personality role of “Jane” in “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano,” actress Judy Ann Santos has officially exited the teleserye.

In the August 19 episode of the longest-running series, Jane and her were finally revealed to Cardo Dalisay (played by Coco Martin). This ended with Jane being killed by Amir (Arron Villaflor) in an attempt to protect Cardo.

On Tuesday, August 20, Judy Ann extended her gratitude to the show via Instagram post.

“Salamat sa opportunity na mapabilang sa pamilya ninyo... na mayakap at makakwentuhan ang mga tinuring kong tatay-tatayan sa industriya, ang makasama uli ang nag-iisang reyna ng pelikulang pilipino, makatrabaho uli ang mga staff and crew na nakasama ko noon.

Ang sarap sa pakiramdam,” she said.

“To my Dreamscape family, thank you for trusting me to play a charcter with multiple personality disorder. Hindi sya madali ah. (Ilang gabi akong hindi makatulog kakaisip kung kaya ko ba ‘to at kung paano ko ‘to gagawin.) I took on the challenge, inakap ko ng buong puso para makatulong magbigay ng karagdagang impormasyon sa mga ganitong klaseng cases ng mental health problem. Sana sa maiksing pagganap ko, sama sama nating tulungan ang mga taong may pinagdadaanan sa ganitong klaseng aspeto. Let’s not judge, instead we listen and help,” she added.

FOR RENT

Chef and vlogger Erwan Heussaff took to social media to shoot down comments about Anne Curtis’ love scenes.

Actress Anne Curtis stars in the new movie, “Just A Stranger,” with Marco Gumabao.

Judy Ann Santos’ character “Jane” in “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano” said goodbye last August 19.

Myrna Diaz Cabrera, a senior tax specialist with Fremont Group in San Francisco, will celebrate her 50th birthday on Sunday, September 1, at Smith’s Landing Grill in Antioch.

Handsome actor Geoff Eigenmann is one of the stars of the newest teleserye on ABS-CBN/The Filipino Channel, “The Killer Bride” with Maja Salvador playing the title role.

Young actress Jillian Ward is one of the lead stars in GMA 7/Pinoy TV’s teleserye, “Prima Donnas.”

She also wrote a personal message for Coco, whom she thanked for giving her the chance and trust to portray the character of Jane.

She went on: “Your passion and love for your craft is undeniable. Kahit tawa ka ng tawa sa mga eksena natin, nakita ko kung gaano ka importante sayo ang trabaho mo at pamilya mo.

“Sana nabigyang buhay ko ang papel na binigay mo sa akin. ‘Til our next project. Sana by then na experience mo ng makapagpahinga at enjoyin ang mga naipundar mo. Bilang ate ng apat na linggo sayo, masaya ko at proud ako sayo. MaramVeteran actress Chanda Romero returns to TV via the newest teleserye on GMA/Pinoy TV, “Prima Donnas.” ing salamat, Cardo Dalisay.”

SERVICES

LA-based Filipino artist unveils mural on Sacramento State campus depicting Fil-Am identity, migration

by Christina M. Oriel AJPress

A Los Angeles-based Filipino artist recently completed a new mural in the California State University, Sacramento campus.

Eliseo Silva’s “Magkasama Tayo Aangat (Together We Rise),” unveiled on Sunday, August 18, is a tribute to Filipino migration, particularly by Filipina women, in the United States and the merging of the Filipino and American cultures.

“Like my own migration story, the mural depicts a multigenerational experience that many Filipinos can relate to,” Silva told the Asian Journal.

Located on the entrance of the college’s Brighton Hall, the 22” x 48” mural was completed over the course of 10 days beginning in early August.

Vince Sales, arts curator for the Philippine National Day Association’s (PNDA) LahiARTS program, said that he pushed for a Fil-Am mural — given that Filipino Americans are the largest Asian American group in the state — to be created during the Wide Open Walls (WOW) festival in Sacramento, considered the largest mural event of its kind in the country.

“The organizer suggested that we have the mural at Sacramento State since there’s an important educational component to the mural. Sacramento State agreed, after my approach, and was receptive because of Eliseo’s body of work and the robust Fil-Am student presence on campus,” Sales shared with the Asian Journal.

One of Silva’s most famous works is the 1995 mural “Filipino Americans: A Glorious History, a Golden Legacy” at Unidad Park in Historic Filipinotown, which is one of the 10 monumental murals in Los Angeles.

After PNDA led the fundraising for the project,

community SF Anne not pressured to have kids but ready anytime it happens The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - August 23, 2019

an aunt as sister-in-law Solenn Heussaff recently announced she Philstar.com is expecting her first child with husband Nico Bolzico.

WHILE she refuses to pres“Of course, I’m excited to be sure herself and husband Erwan an aunt. Magiging tita ako so I’m Heussaff on bearing a child, very excited for Nico and Solenn. actress Anne Curtis said she is And si Erwan also sobrang ready should it happen anytime excited din kasi siyempe may soon. added family, hindi ba, and may “Feeling ko in God’s time, it baby. So nakakatuwa bagong will happen. Ayaw kong magbiblessing,” Curtis said. gay ng pressure sa sarili ko or kay It was last week when Solenn Erwan kung kailan mangyayari and Bolzico shared the news of ‘yon,” Curtis said when asked expecting a new baby. The couabout her plans on having child Anne Curtis ple has been married for almost in an interview at “Magandang Photo from Instagram/@annecurtissmith three years.

Buhay” aired on Monday, August “Sabay kaming sinabihan ni na akong maging momshie,” she 19.

Erwan. So sobra kaming happy added.

“Who knows baka next year para sa kanila because we know Curtis tied the knot with na ‘yan, di ba? It could be this it was one of the things they restaurateur and vlogger Erwan year, next year, we don’t know. were looking forward to, hinihinHeussaff in November 2017.

But let’s just say I think I’m at Meanwhile, Curtis expressed tay nila. So happy kami para sa that age naman na talaga na kanila,” Curtis shared. anytime that it happens ay ready excitement about soon being

by Krissy aguilar

“Magkasama Tayo Aangat (Together We Rise)” by Eliseo Silva explores Filipino migration in the U.S.

Catriona assures everybody she’s OK

by Krissy aguilar Philstar.com

IT’S her fifth time back in the Philippines since starting her reign but Miss Universe Catriona Gray is still as energized as ever with her advocacies.

Friday morning, August 16, we caught up with the beauty queen after she watched a 45minute life-changing cleft palate surgery of a young patient of Smile Train Philippines at Los Angeles-based Filipino American artist Eliseo Silva poses in front of his newly unveiled mural “Magthe Philippine Band of Mercy kasama Tayo Aangat (Together We Rise)” at Sacramento State.

Photos courtesy of Eliseo Silva in Quezon City.

“It’s my first time ever to Silva came to Sacramento to shops: Where I’m from? and conduct a “mural in minutes” Where I’m at?” Sales said. “The Continued on Page SF6 workshop during the organiza- visual responses to these two tion’s Filipino American Youth questions are interesting and to symbolize the duality of the Leadership Conference. He diverse and you’ll see variations Fil-Am identity. The mother’s also listened in on other workin our journeys in the U.S.” hand is holding a fan that repshops, including one on spoken Using vibrant colors and resents the rice terraces in the word, that helped inspire him intricate details and patterns, Philippines’ Cordillera region. as he created his latest work.

“Magkasama Tayo Aangat The child’s fan refer“The mural also answers (Together We Rise)” shows two ences the stripes and stars of these questions posed to the hands — that of a mother on the American flag and other students who joined our workthe left and a child on the right prominent landmarks and

Miss Universe Catriona Gray gamely grants a selfie request from a lady soldier after she was feted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Saturday, August 17. Gray received Command Plague which bears the Chief of Staff’s appreciation and recognition of her work and achievements and for representing the best of the Filipino to the world.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

figures, such as Little Manila in Stockton, San Francisco’s SOMA Pilipinas, and the late historian Dawn Mabalon.

“On one hand, a lot of Filipinas leave the Philippines as caregivers, nurses or nannies and leave their children behind so there’s a physical separa-

tion. But when they come here to America, there’s another kind of separation, which is the complete disregard for the Filipino traditions, that’s why the two hands are apart,” Silva described.

In between the two hands Continued on Page SF7

SF

people & events The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - August 23, 2019

Katrina happy being single

by AllAn PolicArPio

DHS announces final rule on Public Charge ground of inadmissibility The CTV Files

Inquirer.net

KATRINA Halili hasn’t been in a serious romantic relationship in seven years, but she doesn’t mind. In fact, she said she’s starting to appreciate life being single.

“I realized that I’m happy even if I’m solo. I’m also enjoying work. Maybe it’s because I’m becoming more mature and I know myself better,” the actress told reporters at a recent press conference.

While she’s open to dating, Katrina said she has yet to meet someone she could see herself spending time with on a long term basis.

“At this point in my life, I’m looking for something serious,” she said. “However, I’m honestly not used to dating. I prefer starting out as friends with someone; I think that’s a good foundation to have.”

Katrina’s last boyfriend

Atty. LiLLi BAcuLi coLLins, EsQ

ON August 14, 2019, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule governing the public charge grounds of inadmissibility under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The rule is set to go in effect on October 15, 2019.

What is the “new” Public Charge rule?

Katrina Halili Photo from Instagram/@katrina_halili The DHS final rule is not new, but it does change the was R&B singer Kris Lawnang ipilit.” standard by which the Departrence, with whom she has a And the ex-couple does ment determines whether an 7-year-old daughter named have a healthy coparenting applicant for adjustment of Katrence. Perhaps there’s a relationship. status or admission is “likely at chance of them getting back “I have never deprived any time to become a public together? him of seeing his daughter. charge” and therefore inadmis“Wala na. We’re just If he’s free or if I have work, sible to the United States. friends. There are people sometimes I call him up, so The final rule redefines you’re better off just as they could spend time togethpublic charge as: a noncitifriends,” she said. “Huwag er,” she said. zen who “receives a specified public benefit for more than 12 months in the aggregate within any 36-month period (such that, Francisco. All proceeds for this for instance, receipt of two There is not a one-all solution From Page SF5 project will go to Young Focus benefits in one month counts to this problem, especially see it live but you know what? as two months).” The final rule when it comes to the rest room Philippines.

It was so informative because defines a public benefit as: Besides Catriona, Miss situation, but my whole point when I advocate for a certain • Any federal, state, local, or Universe Organization Presiin that issue was that victim cause I want to have that tribal cash assistance for income dent Paula Shugart is also shaming is not right. No one firsthand experience. Without maintenance, including: in the country right now for should be subjected to that that, how can I even pull peo• Supplemental Security meetings. She had an ocular ple to the cause if I hadn’t seen type of treatment, to that Income (SSI); at Philippine Arena in Bulacan type of shame, to that type of the good it can do myself.”

• Temporary Assistance for as a possible venue for Miss discrimination, and that will Another advocacy that is Needy Families (TANF); Universe 2019. Initially, Dubai, only come from being able to very close to Catriona’s heart • Federal, state, or local Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Korea educate each other on how to is the SOGIE (Sexual Orientacash benefits programs for inwere lined up as candidate properly treat people first off tion and Gender Identity and venues but no deals have been come maintenance (often called with respect.”

Expression) Equality Bill, also “General Assistance” in the made due to pageant restricCatriona never holds back known as the Anti-Discrimination issues in each one. tion Bill (ADB). She is fervently on any issue whether social or win with our candidate Gazini When we asked Catriona political so long as she sees praying it will be passed and about the possibility of passing Ganados if the pageant were signed into law especially after that it can educate people, to be held in Manila. on her crown to the next Miss which she adds is one of her last week’s Farmers Market Finally, Catriona also put Universe in the Philippines, most important goals for the bathroom fiasco. Queen Cat an end to speculations about she replied, “I would love it. I remainder of her reign in Miss couldn’t help but voice out think we would have a celebra- her controversial post a few Universe and beyond. her concern for transwoman tion like no other but of course weeks back when she said she Incidentally, Cat also Gretchen Diez who was refelt she was at a low point in nothing is confirmed yet.” fused her basic right to use the launched 500 copies of a her life. Without pinpointing Fans, however, are of the limited edition book series female restroom. any issue in particular, she opinion that it will be more published in partnership with “It’s a conversation that nonetheless assured her foldifficult to bag a back-to-back FrontRow officials and RS we really need to be having.

Catriona assures everybody she’s OK...

State context, but which also exist under other names); • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); • Section 8 Housing Assistance under the Housing Choice Voucher Program as administered by HUD; • Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance (including Moderate Rehabilitation) under Section 8 of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937; • Medicaid, with certain exceptions, such as benefits received by individuals under the age of 21 and pregnant women (or for a period of 60 days after the last day of pregnancy); and • Public housing under section 9 of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937 In making its assessment on whether a noncitizen is likely to become a public charge, USCIS adjudicators will apply a “totality of circumstances test” that will consider: the “alien’s age; health; family status; education and skills; and assets, resources, and financial status, taking into account a broad range of positive and negative factors.”

If an applicant received a specified public benefit or benefits for 12 or more months in the aggregate within any 36-month period, beginning no earlier than the 36 months prior to the application for adjustment of status or adjustment, this will be negatively weighed

by USCIS. What can we expect to happen with applications now?

The final rule could result in significantly higher USCIS denial rates of adjustment of status applications subject to public charge determinations.

Therefore, the final rule will likely deter “individuals from obtaining vital medical assistance and meeting other basic needs, even when receipt of the benefits in questions is not penalized under the rule.”

DHS expects that the State Department will align its own public charge policy the new final rule. The State Department had already changed its public charge policy before DHS’ final rule on public charge, resulting in the rise in visa denials on public charge grounds. Moreover, the Department of Justice is also developing a rule “that will change its policy regarding inadmissibility and deportability on public charge grounds.”

There are many questions surrounding current immigration laws in the wake of policy changes and executive orders from the current Administration.

Individuals and their families should consult with a licensed and experienced immigration and deportation attorney to discuss how these policy changes may affect their existing or future cases and what their options may be. ***

lowers that it’s alright to feel that way sometimes even for her who rarely posts about personal emotions online.

“I know everyone got worried but it’s also because I don’t usually share those types of things on social media. Honestly, I just wanted to prove that no matter where you are in life, no matter what

success you achieve, there will always be moments of doubt and challenges that you need to overcome. No one becomes perfect and there is no stage in life where you won’t have any worries. I wanted to share that with people because this is me. I am not a perfect Barbie that does not go through life’s trials.”

Atty. Lilli Baculi Collins is an associate attorney with Chua Tinsay & Vega, A Professional Legal Corporation (CTV) - a full-service law firm with offices in San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento and Philippines. The information presented in this article is for general information only and is not, nor intended to be, formal legal advice nor the formation of an attorney-client relationship. Call or e-mail CTV for an in-person or phone consultation to discuss your particular situation and/or how their services may be retained at (619) 955-6277; (415) 495-8088; lbaculi@ctvattys. com; www.chuatinsayvega.com.

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Center stage ready: 20th UPAAA Grand Reunion & Convention

by Joe GaRbanzos MPH/EMBA

WEATHER forecast in San Francisco in late August is sunny and mild, for UP alums, it will a weekend of fun and new memories. A diaspora of UP alums, from all over the world, is expected to gather in the City by the Bay at the 20th UPAAA Grand Reunion and Convention on August 30 to September 2. The venue will be at the Crowne Plaza San Francisco Airport in Burlingame, CA. The center stage is ready for a grand reunion to remember.

UPAAA president, Nelsie Parrado and UPAA-San Francisco president, Sonia Delen, co-chairs of the Grand Reunion, are ready to warmly welcome alums, their families and friends. The event organizers led by the co-chairs and Kellie Sabas andtheir team, are confident that all the planning and work will deliver on the promise of a grand reunion and live up to its bold theme: “LEAP – Lead, Empower, Advance and Participate.”

Speakers and panelists The three-day event is packed with substance and style. Activities are aimed to deliver on the LEAP theme.

Each day will focus on parts of the theme. There is an impressive line-up of speakers and panelists. Top on the list is UP President Danilo Concepcion. Joining him are speakers drawn from a distinguished and accomplished list of men and women from the arts, business and community service.

The speakers include: Diosdado Banatao, Venture Capitalist & Philanthropist &, Loida Nicolas-Lewis, CEO and Philanthropist, Cris Liban, LA Metro Executive Director, Mary Lou Cunanan, Vision PH CEO; Dr. Jacquiline Romero, quantum physicist from Queensland, Australia, Maria Angelica Abad, UP Alumni Association, Dr. Gerard Legaspi, UP-PGH Executive Director, Atty. Lourdes Tancinco, Richard Javad Heydarian, international TV analyst, Rosario Calderon, UP Engineering, Benito Bautista, Film Director & Scriptwriter; Anton Juan, Ph.D., Director & Playwright- Cristeta Comerford, Executive Chef, Nerissa Fernandez, Global Head of Corporate Affairs-ABS-CBN

Global and Polly Cortes, Vice Chair, Friends of UP Foundation in America. Kudos to the Program Committee headed

by Letty Quizon & Ethel Rubio and members Elena Mangahas, Polly Cortez, Nelsie Parrado, Sonia Delen and Imay Rubio for a star-studded programming.

The Distinguished Speaker Series is open to the public.

Tickets are available at upaaagrandreunion.eventbrite.com.

For more information, visit upaaagrandreunion.com Educational topics The topics are intended to stimulate learning, rekindle past memories, create new ones, enable networking and challenge alums to further excel. They are: Leading by Example; Telling the Filipino Story through Social and Mass Media, Raising Profile of Filipinos Globally, Advancing Filipino Innovation, and a Town Hall session moderated

by Jay Gonzalez, PhD, professor, Golden Gate University is expected to be a draw. This session will be a forum to discuss philanthropy and community service.

Corporate Partners The UPAAA and UPAASF are grateful for the sponsors including MegaWorld International as presenting sponsor and ABS CBN/ TFC, Philippines Airlines, RFM Corporation, MangoTours, Tancinco Law Offices, UBS Alpha+ San Francisco Wealth Management, and individual sponsors Polly Cortez, Rosario Calderon, and Nimfa Y. Gamez.

Exhibitors include AARP, TFC and UP chapters, among others. The demographics of expected attendees were not lost to these companies. They are looking for customers. UP alums and their families are highly coveted customers.

UPAAA History and Mission The University of the Philippines Alumni Association in America was founded in 1981, to unite UP alumni associations in America and to work for the preservation of the UP System as the national center for academic excellence, freedom and service. It has a long list of accomplishment, including a Scholarship Fund, Professional Chairs and the recognition of and granting of award to alumni in the US who excel in their profession and field of expertise. It has main-

tained communication lines with the University and raised awareness among UP students that the alumni are responsive to their needs.

UPAA San Francisco The University of the Philippines Alumni Association of San Francisco, Inc. (UPAASF) organized in July 1973 in Daly City, California. Over the years it has supported the University in raising funds for significant projects and has been robust in its mission towards the sustainability of Filipino values and Philippine cultural traditions through its Annual Filipino Cultural Immersion Camp for children 8-16 years old. The 2-week summer program is open to all. The Officers and Board Directors of UPAASF are the engine of various committees which include Membership, Philanthropy, Filipino Heritage & Community Engagement, Fundraising, Communications and consistently respond, as a group or as individuals, to other calls for collaboration for the broader aspect of community- building in the Bay Area, or relief assistance to the people of the Philippines affected by natural disasters and philanthropic programs in various UP alumni chapters in the Philippines.

people & events

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The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - August 23, 2019

Black Eyed Peas coming to PH for SEA Games closing ceremony

by Reina TolenTino ManilaTimes.net

AMERICAN hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas will be coming to the Philippines to perform at the closing ceremony of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

“Yes, they will be here,” rapper Allan Pineda, more popularly known as Aple.de.Ap, said in response to a question from the media.

He said, “We’ve done a lot of sporting events but, you know, this is one of the most important for me because, you know, proud to be Pinoy (Filipino) and

it’s in my hometown and I can’t wait to deliver.”

At the House of Representatives on Tuesday, August 20, the rapper signed a pledge of support to the Philippine hosting of the games this year.

Apl.de.Ap will be performing during the opening ceremony at the Philippine Arena on November 30 and at the closing ceremony at the New Clark City on December 11.

He said in part that “I’m from Angeles City, Pampanga and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I wanted to be part of this historical moment.”

Apl.de.ap with fellow Black Eyed Peas members Will.i.am and Taboo Photo from Instagram/@apldeap

LA-based Filipino artist unveils...

From Page SF5 is a more realistic-looking woman, who stands for a Maranao princess from the folk tradition of the indigenous Muslim group in Mindanao.

Also depicted in the mural are Philippine mythology symbols, the Sarimanok, a protective, lucky bird with a fish caught in its beak, and the Naga, a serpent-dragon creature.

“Even though a lot of us try to hide and blend in once in America, this shows that there is the best of both worlds and that we should embrace all cultures,” Silva added.

Similar to his 1995 mural, it also honors the legacy of the Filipino farmworkers in central California and that their history and contributions should not be forgotten.

Silva was one of three artists who were chosen as part of the campus project during the WOW festival; the other two artists were Miami-based Hoxxoh and Jillian Evelyn, who is also from LA. “Through my work, I hope this will inspire more people to share Filipino stories and art.

A mural is a first step towards that,” the muralist said.

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The Asian Jour nal SF MAGAZINE - August 23, 2019