082920 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition

AUGUST 29-SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 Volume 30 - No. 68 • 2 Sections – 18 Pages

USA

DATELINE LAUSD board votes to include ethnic studies classes in K-12 curriculum FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Joining the CSU, the LAUSD will now implement an ethnic studies requirement for its students

Fil-Am Republicans energized as Trump makes pitch for second term

by AJPRESS AMID the scaled-down Republican National Convention, a group of supporters from across the country, dubbed “Filipino Americans for

Trump,” met virtually to discuss why they’re continuing to support the president and what their priorities are to get out the vote until November 3.

“This is no ordinary election. This is a deci-

STUDENTS in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) would now have to take an ethnic studies course as a graduation requirement, according to a new resolution passed on Tuesday, Aug. 25.

The resolution is an expansion of existing ethnic studies curriculum, and it ensures that teaching materials at all grade levels include texts written by authors of color, particularly Black writers, an historic blindspot to curricula that predominantly favored white writers.

According to the LAUSD Board of Education, these ethnic studies curricula are expected to be implemented by the 2023-2024 academic year. u PAGE A4

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes spoke on the main stage on the fourth night of the Republican National Convention on Thursday, August 27.

Screenshot courtesy of CSPAN

Fil-Am Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes speaks on night 4 of the Republican National Convention

Fil-Am Assemblymember Rob Bonta shares how California Sen. Kamala Harris’leadership will translate to the VP seat AS Filipino American Democrats across the country have expressed excitement for former Vice President Joe Biden’s running mate, there’s one Fil-Am elected official who has experienced California Sen. Kamala Harris’ leadership up close.

When Harris was announced as Biden’s VP, state Assemblymember Rob Bonta was quick to praise the choice as it put energy back into the campaign.

“She just put lightning in a bottle when she joined a ticket and added an electricity and excitement,” the assemblymember said on Thursday, August 20 during a virtual post-convention event organized by Filipino Americans for Biden-Harris.

Harris — the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants — is the first Black woman and the first Asian American person to be on a major party’s presidential ticket.

Bonta added, “Her role is also to help with inclusion. Her presence as a woman, a biracial woman of color, as a Black woman and u PAGE A2

by MOMAR

BEAUTIFICATION. Personnel of the Manila City Hall paint the empty lightboxes as part of the redevelopment around the city on Thursday, August 27. The city government has recently opened to the public the renovated Lagusnilad underpass.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

by AJPRESS OVER 60 human rights groups are calling on the United Nations Human Rights Council to establish an independent international investigation into the extrajudicial killings and other rights violations in the Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a letter addressed to the UN body on Thursday, August 27, 62 human rights and civil society groups expressed their

The project is expected to be completed by early 2022 MEDENILLA AJPress

A NEW chapter for a longstanding organization in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown is underway.

Nonprofit organization Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) on Thursday, Aug. 27 announced it began rebuilding its new headquarters in the neighborhood that will incorporate affordable housing units.

The project, named HiFi Col-

G. VISAYA AND CHRISTINA M. ORIEL AJPress

FOLLOWING Dr. Amy Agbayani’s appearance representing Hawaii during the roll call vote at the Democratic National Convention, this week’s Republican National Convention featured a high-profile Filipino American elected official during the primetime program. u PAGE A3

Over 60 groups urge UN Human Rights Council to launch probe into EJKs, rights violations in PH

“grave concern over ongoing extrajudicial executions and other serious human rights violations in the context of the ‘war on drugs’ in the Philippines, fueled by incitement to violence and discrimination by the highest levels of government with near-total impunity.”

“We urge your delegation to ensure that the United Nations Human Rights Council responds robustly to the recent report on the situation in the Philippines by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights u PAGE A2

Fil-Am nonprofit SIPA partners with housing firm to develop new headquarters, residential building in Historic Filipinotown

by KLARIZE

sion that we have to make for the future of our country [and] the next generation and so it is important that votes are counted and your voices are heard,” Herman Martir, a pastor from u PAGE A2

Philippine Airlines named among safest airlines for travelers during COVID-19

by RAE

ANN VARONA AJPress

PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) has been named among the world’s top 10 safest airlines during the current coronavirus pandemic, according to a newly released database that looks at COVID-19 traveler health and safety protocols.

Of the over 150 airlines evaluated by Safe Travel Barometer, PAL was listed as the ninth safest for both travelers as of Friday, August 28, with a “Safe Travel Score” of 4.2 out of 5, a score held also by Hawaiian Airlines, Airasia Malaysia, and China Airlines.

The old exterior of nonprofit organization Search to Involve Pilipino Americans’ headquarters along At number one was Germany’s West Temple Street in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown. The new project, called HiFi Collective, Lufthansa, which received a score

lective, is designed to be a multifaceted facility that will include SIPA’s offices and community and entrepreneurial spaces.

The five-story building will also provide 63 units of supportive housing for the neighborhood’s homeless community through SIPA’s partnership with the housing firm Linc Housing.

HiFi Collective, located at 3200 West Temple Street, neighbors the western gateway to Historic Filipinotown, establishing itself u PAGE A4 will include office spaces, as well as supportive housing.

Screenshot from Google Maps

of 4.5. At the end of the list was Saudi Arabia’s Nesma Airlines with a score of 1.

Cebu Pacific, another Philippine airline company on the comprehensive list, received a score of 3.2.

According to Safe Travel Barometer, the travel scores are based on an independent audit of over 20 factors related to air travel, including pre-boarding, boarding, and onboard experiences.

In addition to an overall safe travel score, the database provides information on whether airlines provide other protective measures like hand sanitizer, thermal screening, and face masks, or require a health declaration form. u PAGE A3

A August 29-september 1, 2020 • LA WeeKeND AsIAN JOurNAL

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From the Front Page

Over 60 groups urge UN Human Rights Council...

PAGE A1 t

when it convenes for its upcoming 45th session,” the groups wrote.

“Specifically, we urge you to actively work towards the adoption of a resolution establishing an independent international investigative mechanism on extrajudicial executions and other human rights violations committed in the Philippines since 2016, with a view to contributing to accountability,” they added.

The groups noted that the country’s human rights situation has “undergone a dramatic decline” since Duterte assumed office in June 2016.

In a report released by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in June, it said at least 8,663 people have been killed in Duterte’s war against illegal drugs. However, human rights

watchdogs believed the actual number could be three times higher.

The groups criticized the Duterte administration for seeking to evade accountability and encouraging violent attacks against drug suspects, activists, lawyers, journalists, church leaders, trade union leaders, and Indigenous community and peasant leaders. They also cited the recent deaths of activist Zara Alvarez and peasant leader Randall Echanis.

“In the absence of further Council action, the Philippine government will likely be emboldened to continue and escalate its violent anti-drug campaign and other serious rights violations, including reprisals against human rights defenders and civil society organizations, while the pervasive fear among victims and their fami-

lies will only increase,” they said.

“Given the failure of the Philippine authorities to stop or effectively investigate crimes under international law and punish those responsibly, we urge your delegation to work towards the adoption of a resolution to ensure that the Philippines remains on the agenda of the HRC and to create an independent, impartial, and effective investigation into extrajudicial executions in the context of the ‘war on drugs’ and other human rights violations committed since 2016,” they added.

Among the 62 groups that signed the four-page letter were Human Rights Watch, Karapatan, Amnesty International, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and the Philippine Human Rights Information Center. n

an Asian woman, [shows] that we are a ticket for everyone, for all of us. People believe that because it’s true.”

The Fil-Am elected official, who represents the Golden State’s 18th assembly district, said he’s watched Harris ascend to different positions, from District Attorney of San Francisco to senator, and has “been impressed at every level.”

“Her skill set is incredible.

She has everything — on a big stage, in a room with a handful of people and everything in between, making policy and doing politics. There’s nothing she doesn’t excel at,” Bonta said, touting Harris’ record on immigration, health care and pushing for disaggregated data for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.

As the election nears, Fil-Am Biden-Harris supporters at the event recognized the urgency in getting out the vote, despite the pandemic preventing traditional campaign efforts.

For Bonta, he said November 3 is a way for the Fil-Am community to flex their voting power.

“This is an inflection moment. It has been said time

PAGE A1 t

Fort Worth, Texas, told over two dozen attendees during a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, August 26.

Wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, Martir — a member of both President Donald Trump’s advisory commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) and his re-election campaign’s AAPI council — shared how he and his wife set up a Facebook page for their affinity group last year and it now has over 32,000 followers, as of this writing. He urged participants to continue to post in the group but also to call family and friends to head to the polls on Election Day. “There are over 4.5 million Filipino Americans living in the United States and half of that are not even registered to vote so we want to make sure everyone is registered and participates in the coming election,” he added.

The group chanted “Four more years” and took turns talking about the specific issues they care about, from school choice to the economy.

Ron Falconi, mayor of Brunswick, Ohio, said the turnout of their virtual gatherings, which have been occurring weekly, contradicts the notion that FilAms are largely Democratic and progressive.

“There are many Filipinos who are conservative and believe in this president,” Falconi told the Asian Journal.

“They are devoutly religious, believe in low taxes, and are concerned about the news they see on the streets, whether it’s Portland, Chicago or now Kenosha, [Wisconsin]. But the mainstream narrative doesn’t highlight these views.”

The elected official, who is also a member of the advisory board for “Asian Pacific Americans for Trump,” said that the next 60-some days are crucial in their efforts to double down on the president’s message.

California Sen. Kamala Harris and Assemblymember Rob Bonta Contributed photo “We’re trying to get as many volunteers together as we’re and time again and it is our American community in Cali- doing various things, whethtime to step up and make our fornia and one of the largest in er it’s phone banking, going voices heard and stand at our the nation,” he said. (Christina door to door or trying to staff full height as the largest Asian M. Oriel/AJPress) headquarters,” Falconi said.

Fil-Am Assemblymember Rob Bonta shares how...

PAGE A1 t

Fil-Am Republicans energized as...

“It’s going towards reelecting the president, but at the same time, working to elect Republicans down the ballot.”

Over 11 million AAPIs will be eligible to vote in this cycle, comprising 5% of the country’s eligible voters, according to Pew Research Center.

Preliminary polling from the 2020 Asian American Voter Survey by APIA Vote, AAPI Data and Advancing Justice | AAJC showed that 54% of AAPIs were leaning toward Biden, while 29% support President Donald Trump. Of the polled voters, 16% of voters remain undecided.

Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic reaching seven months in the United States, Trump accepted the Republican Party’s nomination and made his case for reelection before an audience at the White House’s South Lawn on Thursday, August 27, the fourth and final night of the convention.

“My fellow Americans, tonight, with a heart full of gratitude and boundless optimism, I profoundly accept this nomination for president of the United States,” Trump said in his remarks, which clocked in at a little over an hour.

The convention’s culminating speech, which reportedly drew 1,500 attendees in person without the new normal practice of social distancing and mandatory masks, came in the context of another recession and as over 178,000 Americans have been killed by the COVID-19 pandemic and 5.7 million more infected.

The United States, accounts for approximately one-fifth of the world’s 24 million infections, and is the leader of the most cases, followed by Brazil at 3.7 million and India at 3.3 million, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Notwithstanding the grim statistics and the side effects of the virus on unemployment numbers and business closures, throughout the week, loyalists — from Republican elected officials to small business owners — praised the president for the past

three years and argued that he would continue to restore “law and order,” in reference to the summer of protests against racial injustice and police brutality.

“As long as I am president, we will defend the absolute right of every American citizen to live in security, dignity and peace,” Trump said.

The president also painted himself against what the country would look like under the leadership of his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, who accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination the week before.

“Instead of following the science, Joe Biden wants to inflict a painful shutdown on the entire country. His shutdown would inflict unthinkable and lasting harm on our nation’s children, families and citizens of all backgrounds…

Joe Biden’s plan is not a solution to the virus, but rather it’s a surrender to the virus,” the president said, disregarding the Democratic nominee’s released plans to manage the virus, which includes a mandatory mask mandate.

But one of the daring moments and takeaways from the president’s remarks was that the administration is “delivering life-saving therapies” and the promise of a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year.

“We are delivering lifesaving therapies, and will produce a vaccine before the end of the year, or maybe even sooner!” Trump said. “We will defeat the virus, end the pandemic, and emerge stronger than ever before.”

In July, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious diseases expert, said that he is “cautiously optimistic that we’ll have a vaccine by end of this year and as we go into 2021.”

In response to Thursday night’s speech, Biden tweeted, “From the moment COVID-19 emerged, President Trump downplayed the threat it posed, refused to listen to the experts, and failed to take action to contain its spread. Now, we’re paying the price.” n

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Dateline USa

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • AUgUSt 29-SEptEmbER 1, 2020

A

Fil-Am Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes speaks...

A year into Paula del Mundo’s mysterious disappearance, her family is desperate for answers

by MoMar

PAGE A1 t Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, whose father was an immigrant of Filipino-Spanish descent from the philippines, took to the main stage on the fourth night of the RnC on Thursday, August 27.

Reyes started his remarks by saying good evening in different languages reflective of his diverse background, including “Magandang Gabi po” in Tagalog. “i’m a proud American and proud descendant of warrior ancestors, women and men alike, from my Hawaiian, Filipino, Japanese and Spanish heritage,” Reyes said. “My father demon-

G. Visaya

AJPress

A Filipino American transgender nursing assistant has been missing for almost a year, and while her family is terribly desperate about the slow process of the search, they remain hopeful that they will be able to be reunited with her someday. paula del Mundo, 59, went missing on September 14, 2019 at the Dallas Fort Worth international Airport where she was on a layover en route to Mexico for vacation. She never made it to her connecting flight to Cozumel and hasn’t been heard from since.

“We miss her so much and too worried about her safety. it is so sad that we have not received any updates and developments regarding her reported loss,” paula’s sister Yolanda told the Asian Journal.

An intensive search was initiated by CUE (Community United Effort) Center for Missing persons last July 25 to 26, 2020. CUE is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to rescuing and finding missing persons across the United States. Funded by donations, the search assigned for paula was composed of a 12-man search team from various parts of Texas. They used various search gadgets and had K9 dogs, motorized boats, and drones.

The youngest sister, lolita, who worked with paula at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, represented the family and flew to Texas to meet the group. With no traces or remains found, the search team decided to undertake another follow-up search scheduled this october.

To saturate publicity of paula’s loss, production of weatherproof posters will be placed in strategic locations both in Fort Worth and Dallas with the benevolent support of CUE to handle this undertaking, Yolanda shared.

Malaya Movement, a human rights activist group in Texas through the initiative of Fil-Am Sarah Jalandoon, has put up a memorial landmark with plastic flowers and a laminated missing person poster where paula was last spotted by an airport surveillance camera.

According to Yolanda, through the persistent action of Caiti le Ward, the caseworker assigned

by Malaya Movement, they were able to track down the exact spot where paula was last seen. prior to the lockdown last March, a follow-up search by the family, represented by paula’s siblings, leonor a retired nurse from California, and Yolanda from new York was planned. However, due to the rising cases of CoViD19 in Texas, they cancelled their trip and instead, the family hired a private investigator to continue the search.

After more than two months of no progress, the family decided to call it off. “later, we found out, we were scammed and demanded a full refund of the one time upfront $5,000 demanded from us for the investigation services,” Yolanda said.

Mysterious disappearance paula’s sisters consider her as a force to be reckoned with, a strong and driven individual who always puts her family first.

Which is why they know that she had no plan or intention of going away from them.

At DFW, paula reportedly had changed her mind about the vacation. She texted her sister in Florida, saying that she was abandoning her travel plans and asked her to purchase a return ticket to Tampa.

“She even relayed her last messages to my youngest sister lolita, for her to get her return ticket back to Tampa. However, when

strated his warrior spirit over 50 years fighting a dictator in his homeland, the philippines.

Barely escaping with his life, he started anew in America.”

Reyes was appointed attorney general in December 2013, becoming the first minority elected statewide in Utah, ran again in 2014. in his roughly four-minute remarks, Reyes also talked about his work to stop #humantrafficking and called president Donald Trump a “fierce warrior against human trafficking.” “i interact with some of the most marginalized victims on earth and they love America.

They love president Trump because he’s fighting for their freedom and America’s freedom,” Reyes argued.

The attorney general is a cochair for both Trump’s re-election campaign in Utah and “Asian pacific Americans for Trump,” a coalition of ApA elected officials in support of a second term.

He is currently running for a third term and was endorsed by Trump who tweeted in April that Reyes “is a fighter and hard worker for the Great State of Utah. He is a big supporter of our #MAGA Agenda – Strong on Crime, the Second Amendment, and loves our law Enforcement….” n

Philippine Airlines named among safest airlines...

Paula del Mundo, a Fil-Am transgender nursing assistant, remains missing a year after being last spotted at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport where she was on a layover en route to Mexico for a vacation.

Photo courtesy of the del Mundo family

my sister was about to confirm, paula could no longer be contacted. it was tough because we feel she does not deserve to vanish and leave her family worrying for her,” Yolanda told the Asian Journal. “it was supposed to be a scheduled vacation treat to be in Cozumel, Mexico where all her travel and accommodation expenses [were] already taken care of.”

For them, it was typical for paula to make her own arrangements since she is organized and systematic in all her travels, including her last two vacation trips to the Dominican Republic.

“And the thought that she was lost in Texas than in any other state was already terrifying for us to take. She was supposed to be only passing through, in transit.

DFW Airport was only her jumpoff point to Mexico,” Yolanda said.

Hate crimes against transgender women of color were reportedly on the rise in Texas, according to the local media that talked about a string of transgender attacks in the Dallas area last year.

Airport cameras caught paula aimlessly walking through the huge DFW airport premises. She was not carrying any luggage, although the sisters know she had a yellow nautica trolley bag.

Fond memories paula is the ninth among a dozen siblings, two of whom have passed away. leonor and Erlinda are based in California, lilia and lolita live in Florida and Yolanda is from new York. Susan is in Manila, along with their eldest sister and two older brothers.

“She is my most favorite, special, and loved amongst my siblings,” Susan told the Asian Journal.

A former Tourism Attache in the Department of Tourism new York office, Susan took care of paula when she was sick, gave her medication and was by her side until she felt better. “i had to take paula with me when i was posted in london and spent one-year with me. She was hardworking, [had] never been late or absent (except when sick), and most liked by her colleagues at the travel agency in london,” she shared.

“My regret, paula never joined me in my trips [through] Europe, only a weekend [in] England’s countryside, as she refused to take off days from work. Very hardworking and prudent in spending for herself. now that paula is missing, i’m praying for her safety and God’s protection wherever she maybe,” Susan

Photo taken during Paula’s visit to New York where she celebrated her 58th birthday in June 2018. Seated, from left: Susan, Paula, Leonor; standing from left: Lilia and Lolita.

Photo courtesy of the del Mundo family

added. lilia, the nurse practitioner from lake City, Florida, said that when she and her son first arrived in the States, they stayed with their sister leonor in California.

Although a doctor in Manila, lilia took up nursing and while u PAGE A4

PAGE A1 t pAl requires flyers to take a thermal screening, and asks passengers to bring their own hand sanitizer and face masks. no information on health declaration form requirements was provided on the database.

The database also provides information on other travel categories like airports, but does not assign travel scores.

Mactan-Cebu international Airport in Cebu, philippines, for example, provides hand sanitizer and requires passengers to go through thermal screenings and to bring their own face masks.

“The fundamental premise of Safe Travel Score is to benchmark travel brands’ initiatives to reduce traveller anxiety,” explained Virenda Jain, co-founder and chief executive officer of Safe Travel. “our independent rating centered

on traveler health and safety measures establishes a baseline for travel brands, while equally offering travelers a glimpse into what they can expect in their journeys.”

Philippine Airlines safety protocols While travel to and from the philippines has remained closed to most foreign travelers due to the CoViD-19 pandemic, pAl has continued to provide regular flights between the philippines and the U.S. subject to changes.

As of August 15, domestic and international passengers of pAl are required to bring their own face shields, in addition to face masks, to be worn throughout their flights and inside airports.

According to the airline company, face shields must be of “good quality — clear and sturdy with a snug fit that covers the entire

face.”

Face masks of any kind, including “do-it-yourself masks,” are sufficient, however, stricter guidelines are put in place for certain destinations.

Travelers flying to and from Hawaii, for example, are required to wear surgical masks while those flying to and from Auckland, new Zealand, are required to wear medical-grade masks like surgical masks or n95 respirators.

Failure to bring a mask or face shield will mean being turned away from their flights. infants up to 2 years old are exempt from the mask and face shield requirements.

Travelers are also asked to bring their own hand sanitizers and are allowed to bring up to 10 pieces of 100ml hand sanitizers with a maximum content of 70% alcohol as part of their carry-on. n

A August 29-september 1, 2020 • LA WeeKeND AsIAN JOurNAL

Dateline USa

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US donates 100 ventilators to PH for COVID-19 pandemic response THE United States government on Friday, August 28 handed over 100 ventilators to the Philippines.

The turnover took place at MalacaĂąang and was led by US Ambassador Sung Kim, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. “These ventilators are part of the continued partnership between the American people and

our Philippine friends, partners, and allies. We will continue to work together to overcome COVID-19,� Kim said in a statement sent to reporters.

The press release from the US Embassy in the Philippines added that the Department of Health would facilitate the delivery of the 100 ventilators to hospitals across the country in coordination with the Office of Civil Defense and the US Agen-

U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, and USAID Philippines Mission Director Lawrence Hardy II, led the handover of the ventilators at MalacaĂąang on Friday, August 28.

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Embassy in Manila

cy for International Development. “In addition to the ventilators, [USAID] will provide clinical training and technical assistance to support health facilities to operate ventilators,� the statement read.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. announced the incoming donation on August 10, tweeting that he “received a kind offer of 100 units of Vyaire Ventilators model LTV 2200 valued at $1,557,520.00.�

According to the American embassy, the donation of “state-of the-art ventilators and associated supplies� brings the total US contribution to the country’s pandemic response to over P1 billion.

It further noted that this assistance was provided through the US State Department, USAID and the US Department of Defense.

A report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism noted that, globally, “3-5% of COVID-19 patients require mechanical ventilation.�

The health department on Thursday placed the country’s total number of coronavirus infections at 205,581 and fatalities at 3,234. (Bella Perez-Rubio/ Philstar.com)

A year into Paula del Mundo’s mysterious...

PAGE A3 t she was preoccupied with her Board review, Paula would always bring food for them to share at night and treated them to the movies.

Lolita was the one who helped Paula the most to settle in Florida. “For Paula, it was a long-cherished freedom, to live independently. Paula was able to get her apartment adjacent to her workplace. It was Lolita who encouraged her to apply in the same hospital she was working,�

Yolanda shared. “Since both of them have different shifts in the hospital, Paula would make it a point to bring food that she cooked for Lolita as Lolita, a single mother with 4 kids hardly has time to prepare her food.�

Married to a U.S. citizen, Leonor, the sister from California, was 24 years old when she left

Manila in December 1980.

On the day of her departure for the United States, and after bidding goodbye to everyone, Leonor realized that Paula was nowhere to be found. She found her in her room, alone and crying. Paula told her, “Ate Len, please don’t forget to sponsor me to come to America.�

She made a vow to petition all her siblings to join her in her new home. She made true to her promise and Paula was the first to be petitioned.

At the age of 48, Paula came to America and stayed with Len in California for seven years. Len also sponsored Paula’s nursing assistant studies and was immediately hired as a caregiver because she finished at the top of her class. Paula’s fluency in Nippongo was an asset she used in conversing with senior Japanese wives who hardly could speak

English.

The siblings regularly communicate and discuss their plans of action for Paula. They have tried all possible ways they could think of, even through, spiritual and psychic means. “We never lose hope. We never cease praying. We regularly pray the holy rosary as a family both in the U.S. and Manila with our special intention that she may be found safe. We continue to believe that one day a miracle is bound to happen,� Yolanda said.

For now, they continue to wait. “Every cloud has a silver lining. There is always light at the end of the tunnel. And as our family tirelessly pray, whatever the consequences will be, may justice be served for trans FilAms like Paula whose only wish is to reach her American dream,�

Yolanda said.

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Inquirer.net photo by Tristan Tamayo

Roach: Pacquiao wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fight this year

by Bong Lozada Inquirer.net

FREDDIE Roach is convinced that Manny Pacquiao wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be stepping in the ring for the rest of the year.

The Hall of Fame trained said in a BoxingScene.com report that Pacquiao is too occupied with his role as a Senator in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and that staging a fight in the times wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be a possibility. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fight this year,â&#x20AC;? said Roach in the report.

Mikey Garcia remains to be the pick of the Hall of Fame trainer for Pacquiaoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible next opponent, but a fight likely wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen until the pandemic is over.

Pacquiao (62-7-2) hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fought since he took a split decision win over Keith Thurman in July 2019

for the WBA (Super) World welterweight title.

Garcia (40-1), meanwhile, last fought in February 2020 taking a unanimous decision win over Jessie Vargas for the vacant WBC Diamond welterweight belt. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He will fight again, I feel, and from when Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve talked to him, he wants to fight once or twice more,â&#x20AC;? said Roach. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But the thing is, it could be anywhere from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia, anywhere.

They were talking about Mikey Garcia and I said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Yeah, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the perfect fight for Manny.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; But I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll really know until this [pandemic] is over.â&#x20AC;?

The Hall of Fame coach added that Pacquiao is more concerned with the welfare of his family than go into talks of a fight.

Roach pointed out that Pac-

quiao has been staying at home with his family. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He told me that [the pandemic is] worse there [the Philippines] than it is here,â&#x20AC;? Roach said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t leave the house because heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a senator, and his kids are all in the house. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just a bad time for maybe everybody at this point.â&#x20AC;?

If Roach sees Pacquiao in a potential match against Garcia, the eight-division World championâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s former promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank plans a super fight versus WBO welterweight titleholder Terrence Crawford.

According to ESPNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Steve Kim reported that Arum is optimistic of a Pacquiao-Crawford bout in 2021.

Roach, however, sees a match against Crawford as less than imminent.

LAUSD board votes to include ethnic studies...

PAGE A1 t

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Culturally meaningful and relevant curricula lead students to become more personally engaged and more likely to graduate,â&#x20AC;? said Board Member Kelly Gonez, who proposed the resolution. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This resolution is centered on the principle that every child in our district deserves an education that tells their story, that reflects their identity, and that challenges us all to tear down the systems of oppression, racism, anti-Blackness, anti-indigeneity and white supremacy that have stained the legacy of our country.â&#x20AC;?

The LAUSDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vote for this new requirement follows the California State University system,

which recently included an ethnic studies component in its required courses for graduation.

In addition to the inclusion of ethnic studies for high school students, LAUSDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resolution includes the integration of the studies into the PreK-8 program. It also ensures that high school students will be able to take one ethnic studies class by the 2022-2023 academic year, the board said.

For years, school districts in California have been pushing to include ethnic studies courses in academic curricula to reflect the rich, multiracial history of California. Included in that impetus is deeper studies into the ways in which racial discrimination operates in the modern world, espe-

cially in relation to the school-toprison pipeline and racial bias in the criminal justice system.

In response to the national conversation of policing in America after the shootings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the LAUSD Board of Education voted to cut the school police budget by $25 million in June. The board promised to divert those funds into school programs that support students, especially Black students and students in lower-income areas.

The LAUSD Board of Education is expected to officially implement the resolution within 180 days, the board said in a statement. (Klarize Medenilla/ AJPress)

Fil-Am nonprofit SIPA partners with housing...

PAGE A1 t as a cultural landmark in one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most ethnically diverse cities.

The buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 6,100-squarefoot ground level will house SIPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offices and a 2,700-squarefoot multipurpose room as well as a programming space, community cultural center and the â&#x20AC;&#x153;John Eric Swing Small Business Centerâ&#x20AC;? dedicated to the beloved former executive director of SIPA who passed away in June due to COVID-19.

Founded in 1972, SIPA is considered one of the oldest Fil-Am nonprofits in the country, which provides the community with services, such as youth programming, small business counseling, and arts and cultural education.

The concept for the redevelopment began several years ago as Historic Filipinotown began to gain national attention as one of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;coolestâ&#x20AC;? neighborhoods from CNN and Time Out magazine.

The facility â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which is expected to be completed by early 2022 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; was designed to upgrade SIPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offices and reflect the spirit and transformation of Historic Filipinotown.

Jessica Del Mundo, who serves on SIPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Board of Directors, told the Asian Journal that as a response to the national attention the neighborhood was getting, the organization â&#x20AC;&#x153;wanted to elevate the cultural and arts components of our community, so all those factors really influenced us.â&#x20AC;?

She continued, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Naming it HiFi Collective helps us to really spotlight Historic Filipinotown and show that what was going to be in this space was so much more than just affordable hous-

ing, and as important as that is, we wanted to have all these dynamic elements.â&#x20AC;?

Providing affordable housing to the community isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t new for SIPA, which owns â&#x20AC;&#x153;a very small portfolio of affordable housing communities,â&#x20AC;? according to Jennifer Taylor, head of real estate of SIPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Board of Directors. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no secret that the issues that face this country have a lot to do with homelessness and affordability so it only made sense for us to take the real estate that SIPA owns and make the highest and best use of this space,â&#x20AC;? Taylor told the Asian Journal, adding that SIPA found a way â&#x20AC;&#x153;to program the ground floor specific to servicing the communityâ&#x20AC;? and use their â&#x20AC;&#x153;air rights to build aboveâ&#x20AC;? the ground floor. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We wanted to be part of the solution and not part of the problem,â&#x20AC;? Taylor said.

The residents of the facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 63 housing units will also have private access to the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many amenities, â&#x20AC;&#x153;including a community room, computer lab, community kitchen, indoor bike parking, laundry, outdoor deck and offices for supportive services,â&#x20AC;? the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s representatives said.

Though the recent attention toward Historic Filipinotown is bringing much-needed attention to a previously ignored LA neighborhood, gentrification is largely seen as a negative side effect to increased exposure.

Native Angelenos, many of whom are from communities of color, are worried that with the increased construction of modern apartment complexes in the Historic Filipinotown/Echo Park area, rents will continue to rise, kicking families out of homes

theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve lived in for decades.

Although SIPA doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t handle the pricing of these new housing units in their complex, Taylor said that it is the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s priority to ensure that their units prioritize the homeless community and those hit hard by the economic downturn over the last decade, especially in recent months during the pandemic. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Given the environment â&#x20AC;&#x201D; weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the middle of a pandemic, economic crisis, political dissidence, racial revolution â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the biggest challenges would be the timing and access of individuals in other departments to keep this ball moving forward so you know that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no different than what other developers in LA are experiencing, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a really great development partner thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s keeping the timeline going as best they can given the situation,â&#x20AC;? Taylor said.

Both Taylor and Del Mundo lauded the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relationship with the organization, saying that the City of LA has â&#x20AC;&#x153;been incredibly responsiveâ&#x20AC;? and that â&#x20AC;&#x153;theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always been very helpful to SIPAâ&#x20AC;? and the greater LA Fil-Am community.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Farrell of the 13th District, which is home to Historic Filipinotown, said in a statement that HiFi Collective â&#x20AC;&#x153;hits the mark on many levels: weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re providing 63 units of housing for the formerly homeless in the area; we are collaborating with a Filipino service organization with a long-standing commitment in the community; and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re honoring John Eric Swing, whose positive contributions to Historic Filipinotown have left an indelible mark in the neighborhood.â&#x20AC;?

The Commission must be representative of L.A. Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diversity, UHĂ&#x20AC;HFWLQJ WKH UDFLDO HWKQLF JHRJUDSKLF DQG JHQGHU PDNHXS RI WKH UHJLRQ )RU WKDW UHDVRQ DSSOLFDQWV DUH DVNHG WR LGHQWLI\ WKHLU UDFH HWKQLFLW\ SODFH RI UHVLGHQFH DQG JHQGHU ZKHQ FRPSOHWLQJ WKH DSSOLFDWLRQ

Applications can be submitted online at LAVote.net and are due

by August 31, 2020**. $ OLVW RI GLVTXDOLI\LQJ FRQĂ&#x20AC;LFWV RI LQWHUHVW FDQ EH IRXQG RQ WKH / $ &RXQW\ &LWL]HQV 5HGLVWULFWLQJ &RPPLVVLRQÂśV )$4 SDJH KWWSV ODYRWH QHW GRFV UUFF GRFXPHQWV FUFBIDT SGI. 3DSHU FRSLHV RI WKH DSSOLFDWLRQ DUH DOVR DYDLODEOH XSRQ UHTXHVW 6XEPLW WKRVH UHTXHVWV E\ JRLQJ to KWWSV ODYRWH QHW RU FDOOLQJ

Rebuilding efforts began on Thursday, August 27 for Search to Involve Pilipino Americansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; headquarters in Los Angelesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Historic Filipinotown.

Photo courtesy of Linc Housing

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • AUgUSt 29-SEptEmbER 1, 2020

Dateline PhiliPPines

A

‘Duterte has no cancer’

Palace considering live press briefing to dispel health rumors

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

AID TO STUDENTS. One of the parents of a student (inset) who received the PHP3,000-cash financial assistance from the Pasay City government at the Marcela Marcelo Elementary School in Pasay on Wednesday, August 26. The amount represents the quarterly allowance of the students given by the city government. PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

Pemberton counsel seeks early release

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

An urgent motion seeking the immediate release of U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton has been filed before Judge Roline Ginez-Jabalde of the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court Branch 74.

According to Lawyer Rowena Garcia-Flores, Pemberton should have been released from prison on July 31 after serving more than half of his 10-year sentence for displaying good conduct.

This came after the Bureau of Corrections’ (BuCor) computation showed that the convicted U.S. Marine had served eight years and 10 months.

Flores pointed out that Pemberton was not given by the BuCor good conduct time allowances (GCTA) for over a year from October 22, 2014, to november 2015.

GCTA is a sentence reduction provision given to inmates who have shown good conduct during their jail sentence.

She added that GCTA credits were not given to her client for the actual time he served from Oct. 22 to December 18 in 2014, as well as for June and July this year.

Flores further stressed that releasing Pemberton beyond July 31 “would [violate] the constitutional guarantee that no person

shall be deprived of liberty without due process of law.”

Pemberton was sentenced to six to 10 years in jail by Jabalde in December 2015 for killing Jennifer Laude, a transgender Filipina woman, on October 11, 2014.

He is currently detained at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Custodial Center in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

The Laude’s camp, for its part, is opposing Pemberton’s early release.

“This is the first time that ‘good conduct’ is being claimed by a US soldier, [who] is not serving his sentence at the [national penitentiary] and who is privileged and in a solitary confinement,” said lawyer Virginia Lacsa-Suarez, the Laude family’s counsel.

She pointed out that Pemberton’s camp counted the time the U.S. Marine was temporarily held inside the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu while the case was being investigated.

Suarez further stressed that in order to show good conduct, a convict should interact with other convicts he is living with in the same cell.

“Pemberton does not deserve full credit for alleged good conduct. His conduct was never put to test as he was living comfortably in his specially made cell,” she said.

“Pemberton, who lives comfortably and only his liberty is re-

U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton: Charged in the Philippines with the murder of Jeffrey ‘Jennifer’ Laude, a transgender man who Pemberton seems to have killed upon finding Laude was not a ‘real woman,’ the U.S. military refuses to hand him over.

Photo courtesy of Olongapo City Police

stricted—cannot reasonably and justifiably claim good conduct,” she added.

Pemberton on Wednesday, Aug. 26 paid the Laude family over P4.6 million in civil damages.

He was ordered to pay the family of his victim P4.3 million for loss of earning capacity of Laude, P30,000 for exemplary damages and P50,000 each for civil indemnity and moral damages. n

Malacañang on Thursday, August 27, said it is considering the possibility of holding a live press briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte to dismiss speculations over his health.

“We’re talking about it,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said when asked if the president was willing to hold a live press briefing.

“Again, he (Duterte) is a lawyer, he knows his obligation, he took an oath as a lawyer and as president to uphold the laws of the land and the Constitution. And the Constitution only says, if there is a serious illness is there an obligation to reveal to the public the details of his health condition,” he added.

In a taped address aired on Tuesday, August 25, Duterte said that his doctor advised him to quit drinking alcohol because his Barrettâ’s esophagus was “nearing stage ‘one cancer.”

“Matagal na kami sa gobyerno, magpa-retire na lang, bakit pa namin pagsayangan? Kakaunting panahon na lang ang naiwan so walang-wala nang ganang kumain (We have been in government for long. We are nearing retirement.

Why would we waste it? We have a short time left, so we no longer have the appetite to eat),” he said.

“May pera ka naman, hindi ka na makakain kaya sabi ng doktor huwag kang kumain ng taba kasi mamatay ka. Ikaw Duterte, huwag ka nang uminom kasi ‘yang Barrett mo nearing stage one ka sa cancer (You have money, but you cannot eat because the doctor said stop eating fatty food because you will die. You, Duterte, refrain from drinking alcohol because your Barrett’s is nearing stage one cancer),” he added.

However, Roque stressed that the advice was given to the president a “long time ago.”

The spokesperson also maintained that Duterte is “fit and healthy” for his age.

“So far, he is okay. As far as I know, there is no cancer,” Roque told Cnn Philippines.

“And, as I have said, if there is cancer and if it is a serious illness, he will be reporting it to the people,” the spokesperson added.

“He is fit and healthy for a person his age.”

Roque also assured that Duterte will be transparent if his condition was serious.

“I don’t think the people should worry about lack of transparency, because the President himself will say what his condition is. But as

of now, there’s really no serious condition,” he said.

“The Constitution only says, if there is a serious illness, there is an obligation to reveal to the public the details of his health condition. So susundin po iyan ng Presidente (the President will follow that),” he added. n

A6 AUGUST 29-SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

OPiniOn

Blacklisted

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FeatURes

WITHOUT firing a single shot, the United States has sent a powerful message to China about its invalidated claims over nearly the entire South China Sea. On Wednesday, August 26, Washington announced sanctions and restrictions on 24 state-owned Chinese companies and their officials for their involvement in the construction of artificial islands in the disputed waters.

The islands now include Panganiban or Mischief Reef off Palawan. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague awarded the Philippines sovereign rights over the reef as well as Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal and Recto (Reed) Bank, ruling that the areas were within the country’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone. The PCA, which has 122 contracting party states including the Philippines and China, declared Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal a common fishing ground over which no country may exercise exclusive control.

Equally important, the PCA invalidated China’s so-called nine-dash-line territorial claim over nearly the entire South China Sea. The area being claimed, which includes the West Philippine Sea, is so vast it leaves coastal states around the West Philippine Sea with barely enough area for fishing and other maritime activities.

The 24 blacklisted Chinese companies, some of which are doing business in the Philippines, face trade restrictions in the U.S. Their officials are barred from entering the U.S. while their relatives may also face visa restrictions.

Washington announced the restrictions as China fired medium-range missiles across the South China Sea on Wednesday, in the latest effort to show strategic dominance and sovereignty in the disputed waters. Beijing has maintained it has peaceful intentions amid its militarization, and has usually responded in kind to economic moves by foreign governments against its interests.

The U.S. and Chinese economies are closely intertwined, and a shooting war between the two countries will be catastrophic for lives and liveli- ing responsible actions in the global arena without hoods. But Washington is showing that there are going to war. The PCA ruling is a powerful tool for ways of asserting international rules and demand- advancing the national interest of a country with

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

weak military capability. The ruling must not be left unused, gathering cobwebs in the toolshed.

(Philstar.com)

Amid racial injustice in the era of Trump, our generation can still fulfill the promise of America “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal”

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS “I HAVE A DREAM that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal,” civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said in his speech to some 250,000 activists from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963.

As he called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States, Dr. King said, “I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations.

Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.”

And his iconic line that is still quoted 57 years later: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Our commemoration of this day, and the message he gave to civil rights activists then, resonate with us all, in light of what has been happening over and over again in the United States.

Unfortunately, for nearly four years, the 45th President of the United States Donald J. Trump, has been leading this great nation in retrogression, away from the collective aspiration of our people to fulfill the promise of America as laid out by our Founding Fathers.

Because of Trump, racism and white supremacists have been emboldened. He stokes racial and cultural divide among different people and races in America, inflamed prejudices against people of color, provoked even more mistrust, hate, and contempt against those who are not white.

This retrogression has incited more violence against people of color, including us, Filipinos in America. Black Americans have been targeted the most throughout history.

Sunday, August 23 marked another sad day in Trump’s America, just three months after a white Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd, an unarmed Black man during an arrest, by kneeling on his neck for almost eight minutes as Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down, repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe.”

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported: “The Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back after Blake walked away from officers and was attempting to enter a small SUV with his three children in the backseat. Cellphone video of the shooting exploded across social media and ignited a firestorm of sometimes violent, destructive protests in Kenosha in the days since.

Blake lies in Froedtert Hospital, paralyzed. Sheskey is on administrative leave as state and federal agents investigate.”

Former President Barack Obama shared on social media, “To see such brutality happen again—this time, a police officer shooting Jacob Blake in the back as his young children looked on—is a reminder of how deeply ingrained unequal justice is, and how long change will take.”

“Whether Atlanta, Louisville, Minneapolis, or Kenosha, each act of brutality, each death, should sear our conscience as individuals and as a country.

What we can do is to continue channeling our anguish into organized action—to demand reforms to police practices; to elect new prosecutors and local leaders, who determine much of the tone and tactics of public safety and law enforcement; to keep giving strength to those

who’ve long felt like they were marching alone, and courage to those who are newly doing the hard work of changing their own hearts.”

The day after the shooting, Presidential candidate Joe Biden said, “And this morning, the nation wakes up yet again with grief and outrage that yet another Black American is a victim of excessive force. This calls for an immediate, full and transparent investigation and the officers must be held accountable.”

“These shots pierce the soul of our nation”, the Former Vice President said. “Equal justice has not been real for Black Americans and so many others.

We are at an inflection point. We must dismantle systemic racism. It is the urgent task before us. We must fight to honor the ideals laid in the original American promise, which we are yet to attain: That all men and women are created equal, but more importantly that they must be treated equally.”

Daunting and unsettling Trump’s America may have been, let us not lose hope that our generation can still do something toward fulfilling such promise of America. Let us take courage from the words of Dr. King, who said, “I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It

is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.”

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I will go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning, “My country ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrims’ pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of

New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that; let freedom ring from the Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” *** Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel. Santos.Relos.

Rumor-mongering will only worsen our situation

Babe’s Eye View BABE ROMUALDEZ THE Philippine rumor mill went on overdrive last week when stories started circulating in private chat groups and social media that President Duterte was flown to Singapore in a medical aircraft, with a screenshot showing a flight tracker complete with the serial number and call sign of the aircraft.

The rumor was so widespread that even international media picked up the fake news. Some foreign tabloids went so far as to claim an “exclusive” story with embellishments that include the President getting infected with COVID-19 or being admitted to the ICU of an unnamed hospital in Singapore.

Even when Senator Bong Go released a photo of the president and his family having dinner in Davao – with a newspaper headline shown to prove the date – to dispel the fake news, rumormongers persisted in making

preposterous claims that the photo was manipulated.

There is no doubt that the individuals who were propagating these rumors are people who have an axe to grind against the President or, based on unconfirmed intelligence reports, from people salivating to take power – either from the extreme right or far left. The usual suspects have been desperately wishing for regime change to happen, and thus see the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to push for another EDSA people power type of situation.

President Duterte has been very clear from the start that he will not lie about his health condition and in fairness, he did that at the very beginning of his term. He had repeatedly admitted that he was old and tired.

Clearly, the Constitution assures us the continuity of leadership following the presidential line of succession – which is why deliberately spreading rumors that aim to undermine the country’s stability is totally irresponsible.

Our current situation is already volatile as it is with this pandemic, and surely, having a strong stable government is what we need today more than ever. Let’s not add misery to those who are already suffering with jobs losses, hunger and poverty. We all know the economy is at its worst ever, with unemployment surging to a record high of 45 percent in July according to a recent Social Weather Stations survey.

The unemployment numbers raise a red flag teetering on danger as it could build up the frustration among people due to increasing hunger and poverty – a combustible formula for social unrest. Those who have a lot to lose should worry about this, instead of engaging in spreading rumors. Remember the old saying, “desperation knows no boundaries.”

Many people who have nothing to lose can potentially turn to criminality to survive. That is why instead of indulging in useless rumormongering, we should seriously look into finding ways to help those who are

suffering.

The fact is, governments worldwide are all finding it difficult to contain and control this pandemic as wave after wave of infections continue to hit them.

Not even wealthy and powerful countries have been spared from the virulence of COVID-19.

What’s happening is even worse in countries that are now going through political unrest and violence such as Mali where a military mutiny has turned into a coup, exacerbating the impact of the pandemic as destruction, displacement and death continue to escalate. The situation is also serious in war-torn Yemen where acute food insecurity is on the rise. Haiti, meanwhile, is also facing a “perfect storm” due to political instability and a fragile economy that is compounded by a limited health infrastructure.

Even here in the United States, the surge of infections has been so high because of insensitive and irresponsible people who continue to flout safety protocols like mask wearing and social distancing. Schools

are having difficulty in deciding whether to open or not due to the many students diagnosed positive with the coronavirus.

Thirty million Americans have already lost their jobs. But because the US is a wealthy country, the government can still afford to provide funding relief to the people through measures such as enhanced unemployment benefits. There are also many civic groups that are helping others by buying food from struggling restaurants and donating food items and groceries, while wealthy companies and individuals have donated millions in aid to the unemployed and for pandemic response initiatives including COVID-19 research.

All Filipinos must pull together because this pandemic is far more damaging than many realize. Our very survival as a nation depends on us. It will take time to rebuild the economy and get back to “normal,” and so we must accept the fact that this deadly virus will be around for some time.

Meanwhile, we continue to

do our job here in the United States – being in constant communication with pharmaceutical companies developing the vaccine. I know our government is also working tirelessly with other countries to make sure we will have enough vaccine supply for at least 60 percent of our people to achieve herd immunity.

We are grateful knowing there are businessmen like Manny Pangilinan, Ramon Ang, Ricky Razon and many others who are doing their part in helping. Certainly, we can use a lot more people like them who choose to use their resources for the greater good and for the greater number of Filipinos.

There is no place in this world for selfish people taking advantage of the situation.

At no other time in our history has it ever been more critical and expedient for everyone to work together and help our one and only country survive this pandemic. More than ever, we should practice our Christian faith and help those who are in need. (Philstar.com)

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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RECIPIENT. Amelia Mendoza, 68, is one of the residents who received a potted vegetable plant during the launch of the “Agri-First” program in SB Park, Matandang Balara Barangay Hall, Quezon City on Wednesday, August 26. The program promotes backyard gardening in villages amid the coronavirus pandemic.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

Locsin recommends ending ties with Chinese firms in SCS reclamation

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

PHILIPPINE Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. on Friday, August 28, said local contracts with any Chinese companies involved in island-building activities in the West Philippine Sea should be terminated following the United States’ move to blacklist firms that took part in the militarization activities in the disputed waters.

“If I find that any of those companies are doing business with us then I would strongly recommend terminating the relationship with that company,” Locsin said in an interview with CNN Philippines.

“If they were in any way involved in the reclamation, then it becomes consistent on our part to terminate any contract with them.

Of course, since the contract was already entered into, they could

sue us back... I’m very careful about validating anything China does by inaction,” he added.

This week, Washington blacklisted 24 state-owned Chinese firms including subsidiaries of the state-owned China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), which bagged Cavite’s Sangley Point International Airport project.

According to the U.S., CCCC “have engaged in corruption, predatory financing, environmental destruction, and other abuses across the world.”

“Since 2013, the PRC (People’s Republic of China) has used its state-owned enterprises to dredge and reclaim more than 3,000 acres on disputed features in the South China Sea, destabilizing the region, trampling on the sovereign rights of its neighbors, and causing untold environmental devastation,” said State

Secretary Michael Pompeo.

Malacañang, for its part, said it is hoping that the issue between the U.S. and China would be addressed “amicably and peacefully.”

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque stressed that the Philippines considers both countries as its “special friends and trading partners.”

“We hope that both partners of the Philippines will be able to draw an understanding and resolve any and all issues between them amicably and peacefully,” he said Friday.

The spokesman added that he believes the outcome of this issue would “help further enhance greater stability and security” in the West Philippine Sea. “This is what is needed for the mutual benefit and interest of everyone in our region,” Roque said n

Media Workers Welfare bill ‘will be game changer’

THE proposed Media Workers Welfare Act “will be a game changer,” ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Rowena Niña Taduran said on Thursday, August 27.

The bill contains provisions on compensation, security of tenure, hazard pay, and overtime work and night shift differential pay, among others.

“The Media Workers Welfare Act will be a game changer. All media workers will be

accorded wages mandated by law, enjoy security of tenure, will be given hazard and overtime pay, insurance and other benefits,” Taduran, a former broadcast media person, said in a statement issued on Thursday.

The bill provides for a daily hazard pay of P500 for those assigned to cover events or situations that are dangerous.

It also provides for a death

benefit of P200,000.

“They should also be provided with bullet proof vests and helmets and medical-grade personal protective equipment during hazardous coverages,” Taduran said.

The bill, which was discussed by the Subcommittee on Labor Standards, has yet to be taken up by the House Committee on Labor and Employment. (ManilaTimes.net)

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Survey: PH’s average salary among lowest in 110 countries

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

The Philippines ranks near the bottom of a recent global list of average wages conducted by an international e-commerce platform.

In a survey by Picodi.com — entitled “Average wages: in which country people earn the most?” — the Philippines placed 95th out of 110 countries with its average salary of P15,200.

It outranked other countries like Indonesia (P15,100), Cambodia (P10,500), and Nigeria (P9,100). Cuba ranked 110th with its average wage of P1,800.

Switzerland, on the other hand, topped the ranking with its average wage of P296,200.

It was followed by Luxem-

bourg (P198,500), United States (P174,800), Denmark (P173,900), and Singapore (P168,900) — making up the top five countries with the highest average salaries.

The Philippines’ Southeast Asian neighbors like Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam also outranked the country, placing 49th with P41,300, 60th with P30,700, and 80th with P20,000 respectively.

The survey, released on August 20, processed data from Numbeo, a website which surveys hundreds of thousands of citizens of various countries, asking them about the costs of living and actual earnings after taxes.

“The average wages after taxes come from the website num-

beo.com. Local currencies were converted at the average Google Finance rate for August 2020,” Picodi.com said.

The platform noted that the Philippines ranked 12th out of 16 Asian countries with its average wage.

“When it comes to Asian countries, the Philippines ended up in the second part of the ranking (12th out of 16). It was outrun by countries such as Thailand (P30,600), India (P21,600), or Vietnam (P20,000),” it said.

It added, “Following was Indonesia (P15,100), Sri Lanka (P12,800), Cambodia (P10,500), and Pakistan (P10,300). The ultimate leaders are Singapore, Australia, and hong Kong — the only countries with average wages higher than P140,000.” n

Filipino artists remember Kobe Bryant with new murals during ‘Mamba Week’ by luisa

MoRales Philstar.com

MANILA — Filipino artists have paid tribute anew to the late Kobe Bryant with two murals in Metro Manila. held as part of sportswear giant Nike’s celebration of “Mamba Week”, Bryant murals were put up at Araneta Center, Cubao and along eDSA-Kalayaan.

The mural in Cubao marks the Black Mamba’s last visit in Manila. It directly faces the historic Araneta Coliseum, where Bryant made his last appearance in the country back in 2016.

It features phrases like “Mamba Forever” and quotes Nike’s “Better” ad campaign that commemorated Bryant on his birthday.

The Araneta mural also shows a portrait of Kobe that was derived from a photo of him smiling during his last visit to Manila.

Meanwhile, the eDSA-Kalayaan mural is a little more nuanced for fans.

Called “A New Day Drawing”, the mural depicts Bryant wearing his two iconic jersey numbers 8 and 24, shooting crumpled pieces of paper into a trash bin.

Shouting “Kobe!” while shooting paper into a trash bin has been a tradition among fans of the sport and of the Black Mamba for years.

Three-man grafitti crew ARAL Filipino artists remember the late ‪@kobebryant‪ anew with new murals in Cubao and EDSACru were behind the murals. n Kalayaan during “Mamba Week.” Photos courtesy of Nike Philippines

COSPLAYING RIDER. A rider, donned in an Ironman-like suit, speeds along Tomas Morato Avenue, Quezon City on Wednesday, August 26. Some of the bikers and riders have also been seen in public wearing various stylish suits, such as the alien in the movie, Predator.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

House panel shelves Cha-cha by divina

nova Joy dela ManilaTimes.net

cRuz

The house Committee on Constitutional Amendments would defer deliberations on Charter change (Cha-cha) to give focus on coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic response, panel chairman Rufus Rodriguez said.

“The Committee on Constitutional Amendments, following the Speaker’s (Alan Peter Cayetano) suggestion, will meet in January or February next year.

We have to concentrate on the measures against Covid-19 and the 2021 proposed budget,” he added.

In July, the lawmaker said the committee would immediately convene to discuss the proposals of 1,489 mayors under the League of Municipalities of the Philippines who pushed constitutional amendments.

Rodriguez offered a solution to address one of the mayors’ calls, which is to increase the share of

local government units (LGUs) from tax collections of the national government to help fund pandemic response.

Rodriguez filed house Bill (hB) 7430 that seeks to amend Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code, to reflect the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Mandanas case regarding the internal revenue allotment (IRA).

This increases the share of provinces, cities, towns and barangay (villages) from the IRA. In the petition filed by Batangas Gov. hermilando Mandanas, Rodriguez explained that the Supreme Court declared the phrase “internal revenue” in the code as “unconstitutional and ordered it deleted from the law “along with other references to the same.”

“It basically ruled that all references to ‘internal revenue’ in connection with the computation of IRA are unconstitutional.

The ruling therefore widened the base amounts for computing IRA,” he said.

“With the high court’s ruling

and the eventual enactment of Bill 7430, LGUs throughout the country will have more money for development purposes,” the lawmaker added. hB 7430 proposes that national taxes to be used as base for computing IRA shall include the national internal revenue taxes enumerated in Section 21 of the National Internal Revenue Code collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Customs (BoC).

It would also include tariff and customs duties collected by the BoC; 50 percent of value-added taxes in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Muslim Region and 30 percent of all other national taxes collected in such region; 60 percent of all national taxes raised from the exploitation and development of the national wealth; 85 percent of excise taxes from locally manufactured Virginia-type cigarettes and other tobacco products; and 5 percent of the 25-franchise tax on horse races. n

As ABS-CBN regional stations sign off, supporters continue to push back with ‘PIRMA Kapamilya’ efforts MANILA — As a dozen of ABSCBN’s Regional “TV Patrol” programs air their last newscast on Friday, August 28, supporters of the media giant moved to intensify efforts to bring back the embattled network on air through “Pirma Kapamilya” drive.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines on Friday set up a pop-up booth along Sgt. esguerra Ave. in Quezon City for the “Pirma Kapamilya” initiative, led by a group of “concerned Filipinos moving to advance reforms via people’s initiative and referendum.”

PIRMA Kapamilya aims to grant ABS-CBN’s a “people’s franchise” through people’s initiative, as provided for under Section 32 of Article VI of the 1987 Constitution. It is being implemented by Republic Act 6735 or the Initiative and Referendum Act. The booth was set on the same day that ABS-CBN pulls the plug of its 12 regional “TV Patrol” programs, the latest casualties of the house of Representatives’ vote to kill ABS-CBN Corp.’s bid for the grant of a fresh legislative franchise.

People’s initiative Far eastern University Institute of Law professor eirene Jhone Aguila explained that the people’s initiative is anchored in the law, Republic Act 6735 or “The Initiative and Referendum Act” and Commission on elections resolution.

In a webinar hosted by Defend Jobs Philippines and NUJP on Thursday, Aguila explained that they have already drafted a petition and is now in the process of gathering signatures. The campaign would need at least 3% of voters per legislative district and

10% of registered voters across the country.

Pirma Kapamilya assured that signing is on voluntary basis and the voters will also be fully informed of the movement.

Once the requirements are met, the petition would be filed before the Comelec that would then validate signatures. After the poll commission verifies the signatures—if they match their voter registration—then a referendum will be conducted where people will vote on it. A majority of the voters or 50% and one more person is needed.

Once the results are certified, it will then be published and become a law, Aguila explained.

A Social Weather Stations survey released mid-July showed that 75% of Filipinos agreed that “Congress should renew the franchise of ABS-CBN so that it can broadcast its programs again.” Only 13% were against the sentiment while 10% were undecided.

The law professor also noted that People’s Initiative would not need approval from the Congress nor can the president veto it. “Gano’n siya ka powerful... It might seem na medyo mahirap na gawin pero confident kaming kaya natin itong gawin,” she added.

The Palace, however, asserted that the grant of a broadcasting franchise is under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Congress.

Presidential spokesperson harry Roque said that questions on whether ABS-CBN may be granted with legislative franchise through people’s initiative may be answered by the Supreme Court.

Shuttered regional newscasts The NUJP, in a separate state-

ment, noted that the forced shutdown of the regional newscasts of ABS-CBN do not only mean hundreds of laid off media workers but also millions of Filipinos are deprived of credible news source amid a pandemic.

The shutdown of the network’s free TV and radio in May had already deprived households in localities that only ABS-CBN can reach of information and news.

“The loss of the regional stations will worsen this many times over,” NUJP said.

“It is clear that democracy is under siege, by the government no less, as seen in the relentless assaults on the critical and independent media, and the continuing attacks on the people’s basic rights and freedoms,” the journalists’ group added.

The shuttering of these news programs come as community newspapers are forced to fold or reduce their pages to grapple with the debilitating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The network announced last month that it would boost investment on other business such as international licensing and distribution, digital and cable segments as well as content syndication on various streaming platforms.

The network ran to the SC to stop the implementation of the NTC’s Cease and Desist Order issued in May, but before the high court resolved their petition, the network was slapped with another CDO and eventually lost its bid for a fresh franchise at the Congress.

On Tuesday, the SC unanimously voted to junk ABS-CBN’s petition, saying it was now moot. (Kristine Joy Patag/Philstar.com)

Inquirer.net file photo

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World Bank suspends ‘Doing Business’ report twice protested by Philippines

by Ian

nIcolas cIgaral Philstar.com

MANILA — The World Bank has suspended the release of its flagship publication gauging “Ease of Doing Business” in member countries due to “data irregularities” in two previous reports, a development welcomed by the Philippines which twice contested the survey results.

In a statement on Thursday evening, the Washington-based multilateral lender said it found “a number of irregularities” that were “inconsistent” with its methodology in the 2018 and 2020 editions of its annual report.

“We are conducting a systematic review and assessment of data changes that occurred subsequent to the institutional data review process for the last five Doing Business reports,” World Bank said.

“The publication of the Doing Business report will be paused as we conduct our assessment,” it added.

The suspension culminates

sporadic years when the Washington-based lender came under attack for its annual rankings of economies on the ease, or difficulty, on opening up and operating businesses, saying they do not reflect the realities on the ground, or that the methodology used hardly represent the entire economy.

The Philippines was among the countries that have protested the accuracy of the reports, first in 2015 under the Aquino administration and more recently in 2018 by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez. In the 2019 edition, released in October 2018 and which is not a series where irregularities were found, Manila dropped 11 notches in the rankings.

“We welcome the move and it is good to have a systematic review of the metrics and methodology, which was also the subject of our complaint 2 years ago,” Lopez said in a Viber message when sought for comment on the agency’s decision.

Dominguez did not reply to similar queries.

At the time of their complaint, Lopez and Dominguez alleged that the report was “grossly inaccurate” and “understated” the findings of one indicator, that which measured access to credit of enterprises. In the 2019 edition, economic officials questioned the “drastic slide” on Philippines’ score in the metric from 30 to 5.

The following year, the Philippines jumped 29 notches to 95th place in the report, a key document followed by investors in weighing where to place their bets. The government targets to be move up of the ladder towards the upper 40% bracket.

While providing no timeline BIKE ACCESSORIES. A bicycle rider attaches an accessory on his bike on Marilaque Highway near Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City on on both the review and republi- Wednesday, August 26. Several bike accessories vendors mushroom in various parts of Metro Manila during the coronavirus pandemic to cation of Ease of Doing Business cater to those biking to work.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon report, the World Bank said it would be a thorough assessment.

“We have asked the World Bank Group’s independent Internal Audit function to perform an audit of the processes for data collection and review for open in the hospital.

The 17-bed hospital, which by romar mIranda Doing Business and the controls El Nido Mayor Edna Gacot- was funded by the Department Inquirer.net to safeguard data integrity,” it Lim said that Tourism Secretary of Health and the provincial govadded. n PUERTO PRINCESA CITY— Bernadette Romulo-Puyat would ernment of Palawan, is capable The local government of El Nido also donate lab equipment for of expansion to a 50-bed capacinaugurated a P140-million com- the town’s hospital as it eyes ity.

The El Nido Community munity hospital, the first gov- tourism reopening amid the panHospital is an infirmary facility Health’s success depends on ernment medical facility in this demic.

“We will be counting only days equipped with medical services what we call actuarial sustain- northern town that is gearing up until El Nido opens to tourists for to initially operate with emerability,” he said. to reopen its tourism industry.

He added it would be better Palawan Gov. Jose Alvarez, in our country,” Lim said, adding gency care, laboratory and X-ray if the next PhilHealth chief also a message for the hospital open- that this was part of the town’s service, out-patient care, surgical has a background in accounting ing on Friday, August 28, said a preparations leading to the new service, pharmacy, service ambulance and isolation facility. n or law. n virus testing lab would also soon normal.

Embattled Duque says ‘let the ax fall’

by TIna

g. sanTos Inquirer.net

HEALTH Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday, August 27 issued a challenge to the ongoing Senate inquiry on him, saying he would willingly face the consequences should there be evidence of his involvement in irregularities hounding the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

“If there is a single thread of conclusive evidence of my involvement on any and all issues, then let the ax fall,” Duque said in a statement.

“My public service record is an open book,” he added.

He said he welcomes the Senate inquiry “as a way of clearing my name.”

“I thank the President and secretary of justice in pursuing a cleanup,” he said.

“It pains me to be called ‘godfather’ before the Senate by a very polluted source. It hurts my family to be dragged in all sorts of innuendoes… Accountability and transparency have been my guidepost in my years in the public sector, and I have tried to reform the institution. Even under the pandemic, we try our level best to get things done,” he said.

Tenure During a recent Senate hearing, former PhilHealth antifraud legal officer Thorrsson Montes Keith said he considered Duque—who sits as chair on the PhilHealth board—as the “godfather of the PhilHealth mafia.”

Keith claimed a mafia-like syndicate had pocketed billions from the agency’s funds through various schemes.

From 2017 up to the present, Duque has been the chair of PhilHealth.

But prior to that, he served

as the institution’s president in 2001 to 2005; chair of the board in 2005 to 2009; and board member in 2016.

He maintained that PhilHealth is composed of “decent and competent public servants” despite the few “rotten eggs” in the agency.

“I suggest to Congress that a fixed term PCEO be returned because reforms are long term and I also recommend that a study be made on limiting the inclusion of department secretaries to ex-officio positions and the like,” he said.

Duque said he was also seeking a more active participation from other ex-officio members of the PhilHealth’s board of directors.

Replacement The health chief said resigned PhilHealth President and CEO Ricardo Morales and Senior Vice President for Legal Sector Rodolfo del Rosario Jr. must still participate in the investigations even if they had resigned from their posts.

“They will have to cooperate, they have to make themselves available, make all the documents available as long as the investigation is ongoing,” Duque said during the inspection of a temporary COVID-19 quarantine in Calamba, Laguna, on Thursday.

“I think they’ve said that already—that that will not exempt them from their obligations,” he said.

“The President right now is already looking for a replacement [for Morales]. We are targeting… within the week, we are hoping that there will be a new president for PhilHealth,” Duque said.

“The qualification, of course, is someone who is knowledgeable in finance because Phil-

$4-B in additional loans for COVID-19 response underway

by Ben

o. de Vera Inquirer.net

AT least a dozen more loans worth a total of $4.02 billion (over P195 billion) will be secured by the Philippines this year and in 2021 to finance response to and recovery from the health and socioeconomic crises inflicted by the COVID19 pandemic.

Citing a report from the Department of Finance’s (DOF) international finance group, 2021 budget documents showed that in the pipeline of program loans from the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) were the $500-million disaster resilience improvement program; $400-million build universal health-care program; $300-million local governance reform sector development program (subprogram 2), and the $300-million facilitating youth school-to-work transition program (subprogram 3).

The ADB’s disaster resilience improvement program will be a standby facility which will only become available and can be disbursed once an agreed drawdown trigger is met.

The three other upcoming ADB loans will be available in 2021.

In the Washington-based World Bank’s lending pipeline for the Philippines were the following: $600-million promoting competitiveness and enhancing resilience to natural disaster subprogram 2 development policy loan, $580-million

emergency social protection program, $70-million teacher effectiveness and competencies enhancement project and $400million financial sector development policy loan.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank will cofinance the World Bank’s emergency social protection program to be implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, with a $250-million counterpart financing expected to be approved by the Beijingbased lender this year.

Bilateral partners such as Japan and France will also extend three loans to the Philippines.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency’s $458.99-million postdisaster standby loan (phase 2) will be tapped in 2020.

Agence Française de Développement, meanwhile, will lend $55.14 million for the local government development program (subprogram 1) and another $110.28 million for the support to capital market generated infrastructure financing (subprogram 1), both of which are scheduled for availment next year.

Including those earlier secured by the Philippines, program loans availment for 2020 will amount to $9.15 billion or P465.25 billion, a jump from only $1.49 billion or P75.92 billion last year.

In 2021, program loans from multilateral lenders and bilateral partners will amount to $1.83 billion or P92.81 billion. n

El Nido, Palawan opens P140-M hospital as town prepares for tourism return

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WKND Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ 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 v isa, mea n i ng i m m ig ra nt visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose pr ior it y date is earlier t han the cut-off date listed below.

If your priority date was “current,” but later retrogressed (or “moved backwards” and became unavai lable) 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, t he for mat of t he Visa Bu lletin changed, in that a new column was added, called the “Application Filing Date.” If a person’s priority date is earlier t han t he Appl icat ion Fi l i ng Date, they can already file for adjustment of status and work authorization (provided they a r e ot her w i se el ig ible a nd USCIS indicates on its website it will use the Application Filing Date for t hat mont h).

This could allow people to obtain work authorization much sooner t h a n befor e, wher e 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.

LifestyLe Consumer Guide Community marketpLaCe

September 2020 Oscar-winning director praises Pinay’s performance in new Netflix film priority dates

By Deni Rose M. AfiniDAD-BeRnARDo

The Priority dates for the Philippines are as follows: FAMILY CATEGORY: First Preference

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

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

Third Preference

Fourth Preference

Philstar.com

Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

October 08, 2012

December 15, 2011

August 01, 2020

Current

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

April 01, 2012

August 01, 2011

Married sons and daughters of US Citizens

December 22, 2002

February 15, 2002

Brothers and sisters of US Citizens

September 01, January 01, 2002 2002

LABOR CERTIFICATION:

Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

Second Preference Advanced Degree (Masters)

Current

Current

Third Preference

Professional/ Skilled Workers

April 01, 2020

April 01, 2019

Other Workers

Non-Skilled Workers

April 01, 2020

April 01, 2019

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 h e rei n ( i n cl u d i n g tes ti m o n ia ls , “Success Stories”, endorsements and re-enactments) are of a general nature, and are not intended to apply to any particular case, and do not *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an constitute a prediction, warranty, attorney for over 35 years and is guarantee or legal advice regarding licensed, and an active member of the outcome of your legal matter.

No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Fo l l ow u s o n Fa ce b o o k .co m / GurfinkelLaw, Twitter @GurfinkelLaw and YouTube: US Immigration TV C a l l To l l f re e to s c h e d u l e a consultation for anywhere in the US: 1-866-487-3465 (866) – GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES ∙ SAN FRANCISCO ∙ NEW YORK (Advertising Supplement)

NETFLIX recently released the lyric video for “Rocket to the Moon,” the lead single for the upcoming animated Netflix film “Over the Moon,” directed by Oscar winner Glen Keane. “Rocket to the Moon” is sung by ChineseFilipina Cathy Ang. Based in New York, Ang will be playing Fei Fei in Netflix’s upcoming animated movie-musical “Over the Moon!” and she is very excited for this.

“With Fei Fei, it’s really important to find a voice with sincerity and openness, authentic qualities that are magnetic. When I heard Cathy Ang sing ‘Rocket to the Moon,’ you can feel the desire in her eyes. You can hear the will in her voice,” Keane said of Ang. Cathy was most recently seen in “Maybe Happy Ending” as Claire at Alliance Theatre. She was also a Forest of Arden company member in Michael Arden’s

Cathy Ang

American Dream Study.

Other credits include: “KPOP” (Ars Nova), “The Undesirables” (Eugene O’Neill), “Riot Antigone” (La MaMa), “We Are the Tigers” (Theatre 80) and “Madam Pascal and Toe Pick” (Dixon Place).

Photo from Instagram/@cathyang3

TV/Film: “Ramy,” “I-RIS,” “Before the Flood,” “Cleanup Hitter.” Voiceover: “Age of Sail” (Google).

Cathy graduated from New York University Steinhardt in 2017.

The Pinoy in Kyd the Band

By MARk

BonifAcio ManilaTimes.net

IT turns out that critically acclaimed artist Kyd the Band (aka Devin Guisande) has Filipino blood.

“It’s from my dad’s side. My great grandparents were from Manila. My great grandfather is Santiago. He was Spanish and Filipino and he was born in Manila. He ended up joining the US military at Clark Air Base which is not there anymore.

“My great grandma, she moved here and helped raised me. She was actually a kindergarten teacher. I was at her PAGE B2

American singer Kyd the Band is Devin Guisande, whose father is Filipino.

Photo from Instagram/@kydtheband

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Grace gives dad FPJ’s advocacy a push “FPJ’s lessons and values have been my guiding light,” said Sen. Grace Poe, who recently commemorated the 81st birthday of her late father, National Artist for Film Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ), by donating 50 electronic writing pads to underprivileged students.

To help students of Don

Quintin Paredes High School in Quezon City cope with the shift to online and blended learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Poe turned over the tablets to the school principal, Ernest Ferrer Jr., for distribution.

‘Serve selflessly’ Poe said the Action King, who died at 64 in December

2004, always reminded her “to serve selflessly and make a difference in the Filipino people’s lives.”

The senator was accom panied by her son Brian Poe Llamanzares and Quezon City Vice Mayor Gian Sotto during the turnover of the local brand Cherry Mobile tablets, which came at a critical time as schools intensify preparations for the new modes of learning.

“We need to provide disadvantaged students the learning tools so they will not risk falling behind amid the rise of online education,” Poe said.

Innovation, inclusion She also said linking with groups and individuals with common goals to help the disadvantaged was also FPJ’s advocacy.“As the nation deals with the pandemic, it is crucial to ensure that this crisis encourages innovation and inclusion, and does not compound learning inequalities,” the senator also stressed.

Face-to-face classes have been ruled out this year due to COVID-19, and the Department of Education has turned to alternative delivery modalities under distance learning this coming school year, the start of which has been moved to Oct. 5 for public schools. (Marinel Cruz/Inquirer.net)

Nadine Lustre, Kathryn Bernardo and Janine Gutierrez

Photos from Instagram/@nadine, @bernardokath, @janinegutierrez

Kathryn, Nadine, Janine vie for Best Actress in Gawad Urian 2020

By Cha Lino Inquirer.net

KATHRYN Bernardo, Nadine Lustre, Janine Gutierrez and Alden Richards are just some of the brightest stars nominated in several categories in the 43rd Gawad Urian this year.

Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino released the full list of nominees for the sought-after Gawad Urian Awards via Facebook on Thursday, August 27.

The awards event is scheduled this October.

The list includes the nominees for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor,

Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Music and Best Sound.

The action film “Babae at Baril”, starring Gutierrez and JC Santos, is considered to be one of the top contenders with nine nominations across the 12 categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Actress, and more.

Both Bernardo and her “Hello, Love, Goodbye” co-star Richards are nominated for the Best Actress and Best Actor category, while Maricel Laxa was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

Lustre’s nomination for “Ulan” this year marks her second time on the Best Actress nominees list. She won the award in 2019 for her performance in “Never Not Love You”.

The Best Supporting Actress category is also filled with veteran stars including Cherie Gil for “Kaputol”, Yayo Aguila for “Metamorphosis” and Meryll Soriano for “John Denver Trending”.

After “Babae at Baril”, the films “Cleaners”, “Edward” and “Kalel, 15” have eight nominations each — all of them are likewise listed on the Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Picture categories.

The Pinoy in Kyd the...

Philippine Senator Grace Poe

Inquirer.net

PAGE B1 house every day. I just used to eat a lot of lumpia and green bean chopsuey. I’ve never tried balut because I wasn’t brave enough to try it. Maybe one day,” Guisande said in a Zoom interview with Music Geek.

He just released his new EP entitled “Season 2: Character Development” on May 29 and teams up with gnash on new single “Heartbreak Anthem.”

“Over the couple of years, I’ve been touring more. Some of the tours I was on, I saw the music was very heavy, very deep and very sad at times. A lot of my music is that way too. As I begin to tour more, I saw how that kind of music impacted people. It was crazy because it felt like you’re in a room with all these people you don’t know and you’re singing this song, it’s about heartbreak, pain and going through something or dealing with something.

It’s uniting and it feels cathartic.

It just brings people together in just a really strange way. I thought it was really fascinating.

I had the concept to write that kind of song. I’ve been looking for something to bring my friend gnash in on. I had a song on his album called ‘Pajamas’ that I’ve written for him.

“Ever since that we’ve kind of connected, wrote more and became friends. I wanted to find something that we could collaborate on and something that felt like authentic to him and his message. And authentic to me and where we’ll both been musically. ‘Heartbreak Anthem’ just felt like a perfect song to do with him. I showed him the idea and he really liked it. He took it to another level and made it what it is,” he said of his single.

Previous releases in “Season 2” include: “Dark Thoughts,” “This Time Last Year,” “Easy (feat. Elley Duhé)” and “Human.”

Born into a family closely involved with the Pentecostal Church, Guisande got his start playing drums at the age of 10 and later took up piano and guitar. At age 16 he co-founded a band with his guitar-playing brother Kyle and began writing songs of his own, relying almost entirely on instinct rather than mining influence from other artists. Growing up, he was forbidden to watch movies or listen to secular music. Over the next few years, Guisande experienced a life-changing transformation as he left the church he was raised in and moved away from home.

With a batch of self-recorded songs under his belt, Guisande went to Los Angeles at age 19 and fully devoted himself to pushing forward with his music career.

But while his non-stop hustle scored him meetings with a number of industry heavyweights, he felt increasingly disillusioned by the L.A. scene and decamped to Nashville in 2013. When his brother followed him to Tennessee a year later, the two resumed the musical partnership they’d formed as teenagers. Too broke to afford beds, the siblings shared an apartment and slept on the floor, working full-time jobs all day and spending every night writing songs.

After suffering a series of false starts, the brothers linked up with

DJ/producer and frequent Scott Storch collaborator Avedon, who enlisted their songwriting talents for the 2017 comeback album from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.

He has penned tracks for artists as eclectic as hip-hop legends Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and German DJ Robin Schulz as well as gnash, NF and ROZES. Devin and Kyle were eventually signed and called themselves Kyd The Band.

Fast forward two years, Kyd the Band’s debut single “American Dreamer” amassed over 3 million streams independently while his slew of major label releases (sans Kyle who left the band amicably in 2017) landed him on playlists like Apple Music’s “Best of the Week” and “The A-List: Pop” numerous times.

Read the rest of Music Geek’s Q&A with the American artist of Filipino descent on www.manilatimes.net. Special thanks to Chen Aurelio-Cornelio and Denise Sia of Sony Music Philippines.

Can you tell us about your creative and songwriting process?

For me, I have a long list of things that I write down that are concepts or experiences of my life and in different things I wanna say. Going through a session normally, it’s just the producer and me or me and another writer and say to them “guys, I really want to say this today” or “I feel I really need to get this out.” So then we start trying to come up with another music idea. Then if the music idea feels right with the concept, we’ll go after it. It usually starts with music though.

The music then trying to find the melody and sometimes we’ll start with some music and if I haven’t found the right concept for it, we’ll just keep working until we find it. It starts with the melodies and I usually start with the chorus. The chorus I think is the most important part for me because I try to make it the most memorable part of the song. Then start writing then I track my own vocals. I co-produce sometimes and the long process of getting the song right and shaping it to what it needs to be starts.

Sometimes that takes week or months.

What inspires you to write lyrics that fans can learn from or relate to?

I would say for me like I have to think of how I listen to the song first. I decided early on that I wanted to be an artist who writes music that is honest and that makes you feel something.

In order to do that I think it first starts with me. It has to make me feel something that has to be honest and authentic for me. If it doesn’t, I don’t think anybody else is gonna believe it. That’s the first goal and if I check that box then I feel confident that somebody else is gonna relate to it. At the end of the day, I’m a human being and the things that I’m experiencing, chances are there’s a few people out there who felt the same. Even if they haven’t had the same exact experience or way of feeling that feeling, there’s only certain amount of feelings and I think we all feel them.

What is the difference between your EPs “Season 1: The Intro” which is composed of your old songs and “Season 2: Character Development” in

terms of music and the recording process?

Season 1, sonically, feels a little more alternative. It feels a little more like band-ish. And in Season 1 of the biggest difference is my brother was a part of making those songs. So then Season 2 was like the first thing that Kyd The Band as me released.

Sonically, it’s more pop-ish in a way. It is more rhythmic. In terms of what the song is about like Season 1 is like the beginning of my life. It’s like childhood. It’s my upbringing. It is how I was raised.

It’s all those things that formed me early on. And then Season 2 is all about character development. It’s about me taking that kid in that environment he was raised in and everything and all the factors and him going out to the zone and trying to figure out who I was, my purpose and just everything. It is a reaction of the story.

Speaking of your brother, how did you adjust not having him with you anymore?

It was very hard at first. Just because my brother and I had always done music. I never envisioned myself doing music without him. Music is an interesting business. You meet just a lot of people. You don’t know who to trust sometimes. So, having my brother who like at the end of the day, we’re blood. Nothing’s gonna change that. It was just nice to have that trust factor.

Also just touring. Being able to go different places and have your family with you was just really cool. Not having that, it’s a little bittersweet. The positive is now all the creative direction and control like that falls solely on me.

I’m realizing that I’m actually really like that. Just because at the end of the day I got to be alone and make the decisions on where my music could go and where I want my career to go. It’s nice to have that responsibility.

What is music to you?

That’s a big question! To put it simply, music is everything to me. It is the way that I deal with things in my life that I experienced. If I didn’t have that, I’d be in a tough spot.

What gives you more fulfillment, writing and recording songs or performing in front of a live audience?

I would probably say the live performing for people just because after touring, I’ve realized that you can see the impact that your music has on people. After shows, when I’m able to meet people, I learn so much about how my music has been a part of people’s lives. That’s the most impactful to me because music is about the music but also connecting with people. Hopefully, there is good that can be taken away from my music. That is always what I hope for so when people let me know that I think that’s the most humbling and crazy thing to me.

What is your message to your fans?

First of all, thank you for listening to my music, it means a lot.

I hope to come there soon when it’s okay to. If you are trying to find yourself and if you’re trying to find where you belong, keep going. Don’t give up. It could take some time. There’s a place and you are very important.

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

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 29 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

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Questions about family-based petitions take the spotlight on this Sunday’s ‘Citizen Pinoy: Your Tanong, My Sagot - Social Distancing Style’

LEADING U.S. IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY MICHAEL J. GURFINKEL (TOP AND LEFT) CONTINUES TO PROVIDE RELEVANT IMMIGRATION INFORMATION AND ANSWERS TO KAPAMILYA, VIA ZOOM, THIS SUNDAY (AUGUST 30). Liza of Concord, CA (center) asks if there is a faster way to expedite her son’s petition. It was filed in August 2018 and has been pending since then. From San Antonio, TX, Gio (right) would like to know if his nephew still qualifies for a visa under the CSPA because the nephew’s mother was petitioned when the boy was only two years old.

The parents were approved and arrived in the U.S. when his nephew was already 26. Many other questions regarding family petitions will be discussed and answered by Atty. Gurfinkel. Be sure to watch a brand-new episode of “CITIZEN PINOY: Your Tanong, My Sagot – Social Distancing Style” this Sunday, August 30 at 6:15 pm PST/EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

(Advertising Supplement)

THIS Sunday, August 30 the next episode of Citizen Pinoy’s “Your Tanong, My Sagot: Social Distancing Style” has leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel answering questions about family petitions.

Gio of San Antonio, Texas, asks about his nephew whose mother was petitioned when the boy was only two years old.

When the parents were approved and arrived in the U.S., Gio’s nephew was already 26

years old. Is he still covered by the CSPA? Liza of Concord, California would like to know if she can expedite her son’s petition. The petition was filed by her U.S. citizen husband with a notice date of August 2018. Even when their lawyer and her husband had been following up, even to the point of reaching out to Congress, the petition is still pending.

Other questions include: can a person get an immigrant visa

if the petitioner is now living in the Philippines; or if a green card holder can petition her boyfriend in the Philippines as her fiancé.

These questions and more will be answered on a new episode of “CITIZEN PINOY: Your Tanong, My Sagot – Social Distancing Style” this Sunday, August 30, at 6:15 pm PST/EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/ Satellite providers).

(Advertising Supplement)

Quarantine gives Gwen & David time to discover each other

By Ricky Lo Philstar.com

SINCE the quarantine was declared in March, Gwen Zamora and husband David Semerad with their year-old son Cooper have been shuttling between their house in Manila and their farm in Batangas, discovering more and more about each other in the process.

They are a mixed-blood couple and are hitting it off well.

Gwenaelle Tasha Mae Agnese Zamora is Filipino-Italian and David John Semerad is FilipinoCzech. His twin brother, Anthony, is locked down in Australia with girlfriend Sam Pinto. The brothers are PBA players.

How has the adjustment period been so far?

“From the farm to Manila? It’s a lot different, that’s for sure,” said Gwen. “We’ve been indoors a lot more. In the farm, we’ve always been outside, gardening. Also, our house on the farm is kind of indoor-outdoor, so we don’t have a full four walls around us the whole time. It’s different for Cooper because we used to work him out in the lot, in the garden. Now,

Bernadette Sembrano

Gwen and David with one-year-old son Cooper adjusting beautifully to life in their farm in Batangas. Since the quarantine last March, the family has been shuttling between their farm and their new house in Pasig City.

Photo from Instagram/@djsemerad

we’re just inside. The space is a big difference because the farm is bigger than the home that we’re in now. Space-wise, the home is bigger than the one in the farm.

Kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms. In the farm, we were focused more on experiencing the outdoors.”

The past five months, they have discovered a lot about each other and continue doing so.

“There’s always room for im-

provement, even in our relationship,” assured Gwen. “We always find that there are parts of it that keep growing. Our relationship in itself keeps growing, and our experiences keep growing. From being in quarantine together in Batangas, then back to Manila, then in quarantine again, we’ve learned so much about each other.”

PAGE B4

ABS-CBN photo

Bernadette Sembrano reflects on being retrenched as field reporter

By Niña

V. GuNo

Inquirer.net

AFTER getting a call that she was retrenched, Bernadette Sembrano reflected on her situation and how she is remaining optimistic.

The newscaster shared her sentiments on Facebook yesterday, Aug. 25, after getting a call from a superior from her public service program “Lingkod Kapamilya.”

“I was told I was retrenched.

Masakit din (It hurts too),” she

said.

It was a bittersweet day for Sembrano, who was just celebrating the fact that she had co-written a song titled “Ang sa ‘yo ay Akin.”

She shared advice from a friend who told her, “Every day good things and bad things happen and it’s up to us what we want to hold on to and what we want to stay with us.”

Sembrano said she was grateful for her years as a field reporter, stressing that she was a “changed

person.”

“Every moment I had as a field reporter, wala akong inaksayang panahon (I did not waste any time),” she said.

She also noted in her Facebook post that she will still be an anchor on “TV Patrol.”

Sembrano’s layoff comes after ABS-CBN was denied a franchise renewal by Congress in July. This has led to the media giant focusing on its digital arm. “TV Patrol” continues to stream on its own Facebook page.

B AUGUST 29 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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Karen Davila, Chiara Zambrano lament shutdown of ABS-CBN regional network group

By Cha Lino Inquirer.net

AS 12 local “TV Patrol” programs mark their final newscast today, some of ABS-CBN’s broadcasters articulated how the shutdown would affect local communities and their ability to voice out the injustices in their area.

Karen Davila and Chiara Zambrano acknowledged ABS-CBN Regional Network Group’s vital role in these communities via Twitter on Friday, August 28.

The TV network’s cancelation of programs came a few weeks after the House of Representatives denied the media company’s bid for a new 25-year franchise.

“These providers of credible news to local communities – in their language – will go dark forever,” Zambrano said. “In this endless chain of painful days, today hurts deeper than others.”

Davila revealed that the network maintained its regional news arms “even when it wasn’t profitable.”

“This is one of the most important forms of public service that [ABS-CBN] took on ahead of the rest,” she said.

According to the broadcast journalist, the media giant kept the regional network group “[to] give municipalities and provinces all over the country their own VOICE” and to provide a platform “[for] injustices in their own towns to be heard.”

Richard Gutierrez and Sarah with their two kids, Zion and Kai.

Richard and Sarah’s skills unlocked Character traits unlocked “Sarah’s patience was really put to the test, especially durPhoto from Instagram/@iamkarendavila) THE COVID-19 lockdown ing the ECQ (enhanced comnetwork has been focusing on was a period of self-discovery munity quarantine). She had putting out programs through for Richard Gutierrez and his to teach Zion his remaining wife Sarah Lahbati. lessons,” Richard shared with its digital arm.

“We realized that we were Inquirer Entertainment. “She From May until August, ABSCBN Regional continued to create also capable of becoming teach- also got better at cooking. We newscasts and shows available ers,” said Richard. Their eldest had several character traits that for viewing online. Meanwhile, son, Zion, 7, had to stop going got unlocked after our wedding “TV Patrol” continues to stream to school abruptly in March be- and during the quarantine.”

Richard and Sarah tied the on its own Facebook page and cause the government ordered a lockdown to help curb the knot in a civil ceremony on via ABS-CBN News’ YouTube spread of the deadly virus.

March 14. channel.

by MarineL

Cruz

Inquirer.net

Karen Davila

For over three decades, ABSCBN Regional had been producing localized editions of “TV Patrol,” with local and national news delivered in their own dialects and languages.

Since the National Telecommunications Commission ordered the media company to cease its operations in television and radio on May 5, the TV

Quarantine gives Gwen & David...

PAGE B3 David has nothing but praises for Gwen.

“She is a really good homemaker,” noted David. “She prepares all our meals. It’s amazing the way she takes care of Cooper and still takes care of me at the same time.

I didn’t expect these things from Gwen. I thought she’d be laidback.

She keeps us on schedule, and that’s something I needed in my life. Gwen makes it happen. She’s strict about meal time. When she cooks dinner or lunch, I have to be at the table right away. I can’t

Photo Instagram/@richardgutz

say, ‘In 30 minutes’ or ‘Wait!’

She’s strict that we eat as a family together.”

It was the family’s decision to be quarantined in their farm.

“We escaped there,” admitted Gwen, “but we were not really sure how long we’d be there. We were not really prepared. We thought we’d have time to get more belongings. We only had three days worth of stuff. We overpacked for Cooper, so he was fine. It was also great that in the farm you won’t need much. It was a good thing we got to buy from

the market. The lockdown wasn’t that strict yet. David was supposed to have work in Manila but the quarantine continued. So we just stayed there.”

It didn’t take long to adjust to farm life. They have learned to enjoy it.

Shared David, “We wake up early, around 5:30 a.m., to water the garden. Cooper also would wake up early. We’d work out in the morning and then, have breakfast. We’d have a nice lunch. We take a nap. We watch old movies.

We’d have coffee then at sunset

we walk with Cooper. After that, Gwen prepares dinner. Shower.

Then, sleep. We sleep early because there’s no electricity in the neighboring areas.”

From Taguig, the family has moved to a new home in Pasig City which David described as “100 percent bigger and better” than their previous home in BGC. “Our little home in BGC was okay for David and me,” said Gwen. “But with Cooper and the dog, it was too hard to be in a little home. We had to upgrade.

Cooper now has his own room.

You can’t compare home living to condo living.”

Cooper turned a year old last

Aug. 15. Are they raising Cooper the way they were raised by their parents?

Gwen: “My parents let me explore as I grew up, so it’s the same. If he falls, we’ll be like, ‘It’s okay. You’re okay.’ We want him to explore on his own. No scolding. The most we scold him is if he’s naughty, we put him in a corner. As much as possible we talk to him.”

David: “It’s hard to know because he’s young.”

Gwen: “But he’s showing signs that he knows. So when he’s pushing our buttons, we know he’s testing us and we talk to him.”

For Cooper’s birthday, Gwen

The government’s stay-athome order has helped Richard appreciate his time with his family even more. “Never take it for granted,” he declared. He and Sarah also have a 2-yearold son, Kai. Also as a result of the lockdown, the actor said he had to buy exercise equipment for cardio and lifting weights.

“Sarah and I did yoga together. We pushed each other to become more fit,” Richard said. accumulated a few gifts that she and David wrapped and had Cooper open them.

“It was simple because of the quarantine. We stayed home and kept safe,” related David. “My parents in Australia baked cupcakes for Cooper, and we had a video call, a Zoom party.”

Added Gwen: “We recently had a shoot for him. He was able to eat his first cake from Aprica.

He loved it. His eyes lit up when he put the icing in his mouth.

You could tell from his eyes that he was tired an hour after, but he couldn’t stop moving. When he saw another cake, I had to stop him already.”

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Tax Tips Victor Sy, cPA, MBA & roger L. orieL YES, I know, audits are serious stuff. But they do funny stuff to people like you when you are under audit, under stress. I have seen clients pretend to be cool when they are actually scared.

My advice is for you to act naturally; otherwise, the auditor may think that the return is also a fake. Here are tips to pull you through an audit—alive.

1. Be on time. Auditors get irritated if you come in late for an appointment.

2. Bring the right attitude with you. It influences people around you – especially the agent in front of you.

3. Bring credibility to the audit - your most critical armor when visiting the IRS. 4. Bring in only what is asked for. You might be inclined to give documents that are not under

Tapat Sa Batas Atty. rheA SAMSon ANG aplikante para sa naturalization ay kailangang magpakita na sa loob ng statutory period na 5 taon bago ang filing (3 taon kung ang green card ay nakuha dahil sa kasal sa US citizen at ang aplikante ay kasal pa rin sa U.S. citizen), siya ay may good moral character (GMC). Kasama sa statutory period ang panahon mula sa naturalization interview hanggang sa pag-oath of allegiance. Sa lahat ng kaso, ang aplikante ay kailangang magpakita na siya ay may GMC at nagpapatuloy ang kanyang GMC hanggang sa kanyang naturalization.

Kahit sinasabi ng batas na ang GMC ay naaangkop sa statutory period na 5 taon, hindi limitado ang pagsusuri ng USCIS ng pag-uugali at mga aksyon ng aplikante sa panahong ito na 5 taon. Ang mga aksyon at pag-uugali ng aplikante bago ang 5 taon ng naturalization application ay maaaring may epekto

EMPLOYMENT

9 dos during IRS audits question if the auditor goes fishing. You might just innocently bring the fish that she wants.

5. Jewelry. This is not the ideal time for you to wear expensive jewelry. Your tax returns could be showing losses for successive years. The auditor will probably wonder how poor you have been surviving all these lean years.

Then you walk in with jewelry galore.

6. Address auditors properly - as Mr. Smith or Ms. Jones (not as John or Ann).

7. Point out obvious mistakes early on, the ones that the auditor will surely find out.

8. Identify embarrassingly out-of-line deductions and ask the auditor to disallow them.

You heard me: disallow (she’ll disallow them anyway). Use reverse psychology. Apologize.

In the meantime, you straighten out a dent in your armor - credibility.

9. Ask your representative to go without you. You pay him to give you peace of mind. Let him

worry about it while you sleep.

Bear in mind that he can negotiate better without you in the room. Most auditors are rigid, formal, and righteous in your presence. Two professionals (the agent and your representative) have a better chance of reaching a settlement without you in the room. Personally, I can work my magic better when left alone with an agent. *** Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State University with an MBA. Vic worked with SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV - Andersen Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation in Pasadena, California. *** He has 50 years of experience in defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, FTB, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies. He is publishing a book on his expertise - “HOW TO AVOID OR SURVIVE IRS AUDITS.” Our readers may inquire about the book or email tax questions at vicsy@live.com.

Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrSUA reyeS

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Modifying down child and spousal support obligation after a divorce

DIVORCED parties are sometimes ordered to pay child support and spousal support in the divorce judgment. The support orders are generally based on the parties’ financial situation and custody arrangements at the time of the settlement or trial. However, what if your income decreases after the divorce or what if your spouse’s income increases after the divorce due to a promotion or a better paying job? Do you have the right to modify your support obligation?

If your income has gone down substantially from the time that the child or spousal support determination, you may be able to file a modification of your support obligation. Losing a job or having less income constitutes a material change of circumstances that would allow the court to modify down your support obligations.

Child support in California is based on guideline formula. One of the factors that is considered in the guideline formula is your gross income. Usually the court would look at several months or ng mga paglabag sa batas even an average of the last 12 o nahatulan ng paglabag sa months income. If your average batas at ito ay may epekto sa income has decreased, you may kanyang good moral charac- be able to modify your child supter, ang USCIS Examining Of- port to a lower amount. Bear in ficer ay maaaring humingi sa mind that there are other factors aplikante na siya ay magpakita ng extenuating circumstances o mitigating factors para sa kanyang paglabag sa batas. Ang extenuating circumstance ay kailangang bago o kasabay ng paglabag Debt sa batas. Ang pag-uugali pag- Relief katapos ng paglabag sa batas ay hindi maaaring isaalangalang bilang extenuating circumstance.

Atty. LAwrence yAng *** An applicant filing for natTHE Fair Debt Collection uralization must show that during the statutory period of Practices Act (FDCPA) is a fedfive years prior to filing (three eral law that was enacted in years if green card was based 1978 by the United States Conon marriage to a US citizen gress to protect consumers and applicant is still married from abusive debt collectors.

Note, however, that the FDto U.S. citizen), he was a person of good moral character CPA applies only to third party (GMC). This period includes collectors who collect debt for the time between the exami- original creditors. It does not nation and interview and the apply to the original creditor oath of allegiance. In all cas- itself who uses its own employees to collect debt.

PAGE B6

that come in the equation such as the amount of actual timeshare you spend with your child and the income of the other parent.

If the other parent’s income has gone down, this may adversely affect your child support obligation.

Spousal support may also be modified unless you stipulated in a divorce judgment that it is non modifiable. However, spousal support are usually calculated differently than guideline. The court will look at other factors in deciding whether to modify this.

Those factors are listed in family code section 4320.

If you are unemployed, the other party may be expected to try to impute income on you.

However in light of the recent cases in California, they would have to prove that you had the ability and the opportunity to obtain employment.

If your income has gone down or your spouse’s income has increased as a result of a new job, a promotion, or you got laid off or hours cut, it may be possible to modify both your child support and spousal support obligation. Without modifying the order, the current order will continue to be in effect and the same amount will accrue regardless of whether your income declined or

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

Statutory period for good moral character

sa desisyon ng USCIS adjudicator kung may GMC ang aplikante. Ang mga sumusunod ay maaari ring masasasabing may kaugnayan sa determinasyon ng GMC ng aplikante: (1) kanyang family ties at background; (2) kung mayroon siyang kasaysayan ng krimen; (3) edukasyon; (4) kasaysayan ng pagtatrabaho; (5) pagbayad ng buwis at iba pang obligasyong pinansyal; (6) pakikilahok sa pamayanan; at (7) tagal ng panahon na siya ay nakatira sa US. Ang aplikante ay maaaring hindi makapagpakita ng GMC kung siya ay umamin ng paggawa ng mga pagkakasala kahit siya ay hindi naaresto o hindi nahatulan na may pagkakasala o paglabag sa batas. Kasama dito ang mga pagkakasala na may kinalaman sa moral turpitude o sa controlled substance. Ayon din sa batas, maaaring magkaroon ng determinasyon na walang GMC ayon sa discretionary grounds. Halimbawa, kung ang aplikante para sa naturalization ay nakagawa

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 29 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

your spouse income increased.

It is important to file a post judgment request for order to modify support as soon as your financial situation changes. *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice.

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

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

The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, APLC This article is not a solicitation. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APLC. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com (Advertising Supplement)

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act Let’s use our beloved Pres.

Trump’s businesses as examples since he owns a lot of them. You go to Washington D.C. and stay in his hotel.

What’s the name of the hotel?

The Trump Hotel. You stay there for a week and rack up a bill of $50,000. The credit limit on your credit card used to secure your stay at the hotel only has a credit limit of $5,000. In short, you owe Pres.

Trump $45,000. He sends your $45,000 bill to a debt collector in LA. The LA debt collector calls you 20 times a day and calls you at your place of work and talks to your boss about your debt. Is this debt collector covered by the FDCPA? Sure he is because he is a third

FOR RENT

party collector.

What can this person do and not do to collect the $45,000 from you?

1. He can contact you in person, by mail, telephone, telegram, or fax. However, he may not contact you at inconvenient times or places, such as before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., unless you allow it. He may not contact you at your workplace if he knows that your employer doesn’t allow personal calls.

2. He may not use repetitious phone calls that are intended to annoy, abuse or harass you or any person answering the phone. He may not use abusive or profane language. For example, he cannot shout at PAGE B6

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Complaining of employer’s illegal Less travel, more investments conduct is protected activity Real Estate Knowledge

DR. Jan Weber worked for 5 years as a psychiatrist for the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, a public hospital in Santa Clara County. He was assigned at the hospital’s child and adolescent psychiatry department.

During his employment, Dr. Weber complained to his supervisors about substandard patient care and unsafe work conditions, including the following: • Mentally ill inmates at the hospital were being discharged with no plan for follow-up treatment and care, which led to higher rates of relapse and recidivism.

• For a psychiatrist to be assigned to a juvenile detention facility only one day every other week was not enough, as federal law requires more frequent monitoring for youth on antidepressant medication. Dr. Weber’s supervisor berated him and accused him of being “difficult,” “not a team player,” and a “trouble maker” and reduced his hours at the facility and posted him to 9 different clinical sites for a year and half.

• The hospital had “excessive productivity expectations” for doctors in the adult outpatient psychiatry clinics and inadequate security at the facilities.

• The Mental Health Urgent Care was turning away pediatric and adolescent patients seeking care for emergency mental psychiatric issues (citing the case of a teenaged girl who was turned away despite reporting hearing voices telling her to kill herself). Dr. Weber thought this may be a

Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr. violation of federal laws prohibiting patient dumping and refusing appropriate levels of mental health treatment.

• The county’s “use of pepper spray cannot be recommended from a child psychiatric perspective” as medical literature warned against it.

When his report was sent to hospital directors, he was cautioned against sending it to a “broader audience.”

When Dr. Weber was elected by his peers as vice chairman of the county Department of Psychiatry, the Chief Medical Officer refused to appoint him. He was later fired for a purported lack of productivity and unprofessional conduct.

An employee who challenges an employer’s illegal conduct, may experience demotion or termination. This is unlawful retaliation.

In a retaliation claim, an employee must prove that they engaged in protected activity.

Engaging in “protected activity” means that the employee must complain or oppose a practice which is forbidden by law. The complaint may be internal (e.g., made to managers or officers within the company) or external (e.g., made to government agencies).

Additionally, courts have held that “protected activity” includes complaints or opposition to conduct the employee “reasonably” and in “good

faith” believes to be unlawful, even if the conduct is not actually prohibited under the law.

The California Whistleblower Protection Act protects whistleblowing employees from retaliation by their employers. It provides for civil liability against any person who threatens or retaliates against an employee for making a ‘protected disclosure’ as provided by law.

This means an employer must not retaliate against an employee for providing information to a government or law enforcement agency, where the employee reasonably believes that a violation of law has occurred. The employer cannot also retaliate against an employee who refuses to participate in activities that violate the law.

Dr. Weber’s case was tried before a jury, which returned a verdict in his favor.

He was awarded $552,800 in past and future lost wages and $1,000,000 for past and future emotional distress. *** The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at no-cost. You can contact the office at (818) 291-0088 or visit www.joesayaslaw.com. [For more than 25 years, C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. successfully recovered wages and other monetar y damages for thousands of employees and consumers. He was named Top Labor & Employment Attorney in California by the Daily Journal, consistently selected as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, and is a past Presidential Awardee for Outstanding Filipino Overseas.]

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The presence of evil in the world The Prophetic Voice reverend rodel g. BAlAgtAS IS Satan real? In other words, does he exist and still influence our thoughts and actions? This is a fundamental question that often comes to our minds.

Well, I’m sure we can answer this question by merely looking at the evil things going on around us and in the world. Among them are corruption, greed, murder, drug trafficking, sexual exploitation, pornography, deceptions, lies, injustice, racism, and many more, not to mention our personal struggles of envy, malice, pride, hopelessness, and despair.

Where do these evil things come from? If we, human beings, were created “good” from the beginning, how can people become agents of these sinful ways and deeds? It’s because Satan exists and can use people to destroy the human soul and world that God created. All that he wants is to take us away from God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that Satan was

at first a good angel, made by God, referring to Lateran Council IV: “The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing.”

(391)They fell to sin by their own free choice, radically and irrevocably rejecting God and his reign.

And so, Satan and his allies would do anything even today to prevent us from building the Kingdom of God on earth through our faith in Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

In his homily on May 9, 2020, at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis warned us about Satan’s work today. He said, “The devil uses envy to try to thwart the proclamation of the Gospel. On the other hand, there is the Lord, there is the Holy Spirit who makes the Church grow, and it grows even more. This is true.

But on the other hand, there is the evil spirit that seeks to destroy the Church.”

In a Lenten sermon this year, the pope also said that the devil “mixes his own voice” with the many other voices that try to tame our conscience. He tempts us to walk alternative paths that hose of God, paths that give us “the sensation of being self-sufficient, of enjoying life as an end in itself.”

Friends, the devil exists, and his influences are even strong in this pandemic when people fall in despair, hopelessness, boredom, and anxiety. He comes to destroy the Church, families, marriages, other relationships, and even countries by sowing divisions among us. He manifests himself in our experiences of discouragement, disillusion, doubt, cynicism, and all forms of negativity.

It’s how we understand the Gospel this Sunday (Matthew 16:21-27), when Jesus told Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.” Satan was using Peter to divert Jesus from fulfilling his Father’s mission, which is love, mercy, forgiveness, reconciliation, and salvation through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, and the Church.

Let’s not make Satan win.

Let’s fight all his attempts to destroy us. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The power of Satan is, nonetheless, not infinite. He is only a creature, powerful from the fact that he is pure spirit, but still a creature.

He cannot prevent the building up of God’s reign.” (395) *** Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices...

PAGE B5 you on the phone and call you a “no good lazy and good for nothing bum! Pay the $45,000 today in certified bank funds, or the FBI will arrest you and ship you to a gulag in Siberia in a twenty-foot container with a giant cobra!” No, this kind of language is not allowed by the FDCPA. 3. He cannot threaten you with violence. For instance, he cannot tell you that he is going to send the biggest guy to separate your head from your shoulders if you don’t pay the $45,000 today.

4. He cannot use any false or misleading statements. These are examples of false statements: a) Implying that they are attorneys or government representatives when they are not. b) Implying that you have committed a crime. c) Falsely representing that they work for a credit bureau. d) Misrepresenting the amount of the debt owed. e) Indicating that papers being sent are legal forms, when they are not. f) Indicating that papers being sent are not legal forms, when they are. g) Saying that you will be arrested if you do not pay the debt. h) They will seize, garnish,

attach, or sell property or wages, unless the collection agency or creditor intends to do so, and it is legal to do so.

I) Actions, such as a lawsuit, will be taken against the debtor, when such action may not legally be taken, or when they do not intend to take such action. j) Giving false credit info about you to anyone, including a credit bureau. k) Sending you anything that looks like an official document from a court or government agency, when it is not.

L) Using a false name.

Now let’s assume a different scenario. The Trump hotel uses its own employees to collect the $45K from you. Does the FDCPA apply to these employees? No, it does not. The employee can tweet about you all they want. They can call you and tell you that they are going to nuke your house in half an hour if you don’t pay up. They can tell you that they are ready to press the big red button that will send over the swat team of the FBI and the CIA to your door in ten minutes if you don’t pay up.

But why even worry about whether the Trump hotel sends a third-party collector or uses their own employees to collect the $45,000 from you when you can file a Chapter 7 petition to

wipe out the $45,000 from the face of the earth? You can use a Chapter 7 petition to tell the collector to stop the third party collector or the Trump employees dead on their tracks!

They won’t be able to call you or even send you a collection letter. They have to shut up completely and they lose the right to file a lawsuit against you to collect the debt. At the same time, you will be able to keep all of your assets, including your house, your cars, everything in your house, and all of your retirement accounts up to $1 million. You can get a fresh start in life without having to look over your shoulder to see if there are any FBI or CIA agents chasing after you.

If you need debt relief, set an appointment to see me. I will analyze your case personally. *** Disclaimer: None of the foregoing is considered legal advice. Each case is different. *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in Bankruptcy, Business, Real Estate and Civil Litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789 or 1000 S. Fremont Ave., Mailstop 58, Building A-10 South Suite 10042, Alhambra, CA 91803.

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MArtin SAntiAgo, Broker-ASSoCiAte PENDING home sales, which measure signed contracts to purchase existing homes, increased 5.9% in August compared with July, according to the National Association of Realtors.

The usual summer slowdown in the housing market is not happening this year.

Buyers continue to show strong demand, spurred by the new stay-at-home world of the coronavirus and by record low mortgage rates. We are witnessing a true V-shaped sales recovery as homebuyers continue their strong return to the housing market. Realtors are optimistic, the economy is picking up, but few resale homes are up for sale. Fiftyfour percent (54%) of consumers believe it’s a good time to sell their home.

The continuing lack of housing supply in the state is holding up the recovery and could create even higher price inflation. A number of factors including low mortgage rates, pent up demand from the shutdown period, and migration changes are pushing up sales and prices. The big story is a growing, severe lack of home listings which may raise home prices in September.

In Metro Los Angeles, home prices rose from $553,000 last month to 666,230 via a 28.8%

jump in sales activity. In LA County, home prices rose to $653,570 which is up 7.1% from last month. In San Diego, home prices rose 6% over August to a new median price of $179,000, while Orange County saw price growth of 1.1% ($10,000) over August’s to a new home price average of $880,000. San Bernardino is the recipient of worker migration out of LA. Prices in San Bernardino rose $25,000 to a new median of $350,000, a growth of 7.7%.

Record unemployment and the COVID-19 crisis hasn’t seemed to scare buyers away from purchasing houses in the Los Angeles area. In fact, they’re buying them faster than they were in nearly all of 2019. Data shows 78% of members have seen no change in buyer interest as a result of the coronavirus. Additionally, 87% of those surveyed said it hasn’t affected the number of homes on the market.

Real estate has skyrocketed in recent years and has shown no sign of slowing down. The only thing holding back even stronger sales is the shortage of homes available. Inventory at the end of August was down 21% annually, marking the lowest supply ever recorded by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), since it began tracking this metric in 1982.

Mortgage rates marked record lows in August, giving buyers additional purchasing power.

Home prices, however, continue to push higher due to stiff competition in the market.

August sales of newly-built homes, which are also measured by signed contracts,

surged dramatically, as buyers are now looking for new, hightech, smart homes with floor plans designed for working and schooling at home. Builders are also benefiting from the severe shortage of existing homes for sale.

Millennials, long viewed as perennial home renters who were reluctant or unable to buy, are now emerging as a driving force in the U.S. housing market’s recent recovery.

Demand from millennials, who today range from their mid-20s to late 30s, has been increasingly important to the housing market since at least the middle of the last decade.

But more recently, these new homeowners have been pushing aside older generations to become an even bigger influence.

Millennials reached a housing milestone early last year when the group first accounted for more than half of all new home loans, and they consistently held above that level in the first months of this year, the most recent period for which data are available, according to Realtor.com. The generation made up 38% of home buyers in the year that ended July 2019, up from 32% in 2015, according to NAR. *** Martin Santiago is a broker associate at Compass Beverly Hills, a fullservice residential brokerage firm.

The information presented in this article is for general information only and is not, nor intended to be a formal legal advice nor the formation of a broker-client relationship. Call or email Martin at (213)788-8300 & brokermartinsantiago@gmail.com.

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Filing bankruptcy if your income has been affected by COVID-19

WHEN the virus makes your income disappear overnight, it can be very frightening to realize that you can’t go very long without it because your bills don’t stop just because your income did.

No one ever wants to file bankruptcy. But if you are one of the millions laid off and don’t even know whether you have a job to go back to or not, it might make sense, especially if you are overwhelmed with debt. If bankruptcy is appropriate for your situation, it can give you a sense of control during these uncertain times and help you get back on your feet quickly when things go back to normal.

While the government is doing its best to provide safety nets during this crisis, you are still left to figure out on your own how to survive financially. Your stimulus check may be enough to keep you af loat for a month or two, but once that’s gone, you’re back in the same situation.

For small businesses hoping to get a loan from the SBA, the money quickly ran out in a couple of weeks, and there has been no word if they’ll even get any money if Congress decides to provide additional funding.

If you have stopped paying your mortgage due to your lender agreeing to a temporary forbearance, you should realize that this relief is temporary, and that the money will still need to be paid back whether in payments or a lump sum. No such thing as a free lunch. Same thing applies to suspended rent payments due to the government issuing a moratorium on evictions for the time being.

Minding Your Finances Atty. rAyMond BulAon Once the stay at home order is lifted, you should assume that the missed rent will be due and unless you can work something out with your landlord, you can be evicted.

The best thing you can do right now is to develop a financial strategy instead of doing nothing. Some people who call my office tell me that they are not even calling their mortgage company or the lender on their vehicle because they don’t know what to say. This is the wrong approach. It is always best to maintain communication with creditors who have quicker legal remedies than others.

Your mortgage company can foreclose on your home. The lender on your car can repossess. It is important to let them know how the virus has affected your finances and see what type of assistance they can provide even if temporary.

Remember that food and health should be at the top of your priority list. If you are fortunate enough to have a bit of savings, make sure that you only spend this on essentials for daily survival. It would not make sense to waste this money paying a bill that you could wipe out in bankruptcy if you have to file later.

Don’t assume that just because you’re now unemployed or that the fact that your hours have been cut that you

will automatically qualify for bankruptcy. The court still looks at your income for the last 6 months and if you’re likely to go back to work soon making the same amount of money, it will be tough trying to convince the court that you have no ability to pay. But if you are uncertain as to when and if you’d even be able to go back to work, you may have a good argument to file bankruptcy now while the timing is right. Every situation is different and must be analyzed by an experienced bankruptcy attorney.

Obviously, if now is the right time to file bankruptcy, the sooner you do it, the sooner you can rebuild your credit and get back on your feet. If you’ve hit the bottom or about to, you may be feeling a lot of stress right now like everyone. My suggestion is to take things day by day, remember that there is only so much that you can do and to be pro-active in developing a financial strategy instead of just waiting for things to happen.

Call my office and together, we can figure out what the best strategy is for your situation. *** NOTE: Due to the virus lockdown, I am currently offering consultations via phone or video. Please call the office to schedule your appointment with me. Questions? Email me at gethelp@ rjb-lawoffices.com. *** None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped over 5,000 clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call RJB Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1-866-477-7772.

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Statutory period for good...

PAGE B5 es, the applicant must show that he continues to be a person of GMC until the time of his naturalization.

Although the law specifies that the GMC applies to the statutory period, USCIS is not limited to reviewing the applicant’s conduct during this 5-year period. Conduct prior to this period may impact the USCIS adjudicator’s decision on whether the applicant meets the GMC requirement.

The following factors may be considered relevant in assessing the applicant’s GMC: (1) family ties and background; (2) absence or presence of criminal history; (3) education; (4) employment history; (5) payment of taxes and other financial obligations; (6) community involvement; and (7) length of time in the US. An applicant may be unable to establish GMC if he admits committing certain offenses

even if he has not been formally charged, indicted, arrested, or convicted. This applies to offenses involving moral turpitude or offenses relating to a controlled substance.

The regulations also provide for a finding of lack of good moral character based on discretionary grounds. For example, if a naturalization applicant has committed unlawful acts that adversely ref lect on his good moral character or was convicted for such unlawful acts, the USCIS Examining Officer may ask the applicant to establish extenuating circumstances, or mitigating factors for such actions. The USCIS Officer must not only consider the nature and magnitude of the unlawful act but also the circumstances surrounding the conduct. An extenuating circumstance or the mitigating factor must precede or be contemporaneous to the com-

mission of the unlawful act during the statutory period of five years. Conduct subsequent to the commission of the unlawful act cannot be considered as an extenuating circumstance. *** ATTY. RHEA SAMSON is the principal of SAMSON LAW FIRM, P.C. She has been a member of the State Bar of California for over 15 years and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines for over 20 years. Atty.

Samson received her Legal Management d e g re e f ro m th e Ate n e o d e M a n i l a University and her Juris Doctor degree from the Ateneo Law School. She was a Professor for over 10 years, teaching Obligations and Contracts, Labor Laws and Social Legislation and Taxation Law. Atty Samson is the author of The Law on Obligations and Contracts (2016), Working with Labor Laws-Revised Edition (2014) and Working with Labor Laws (2005).

SAMSON LAW FIRM, P.C., 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1710, Los Angeles, CA 90010; Phone: (213) 274-4561; Email: info@samsonlawfirmpc.com.

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