090520 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition

SEPTEMBER 5-8, 2020 Volume 30 - No. 70 • 2 Sections – 18 Pages

DATELINE

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

69% of Tagalog-speaking households in LA County have filled out 2020 Census, but lag behind response rates of some Asian groups WITH the 2020 Census response rate for Tagalog-speaking households in Los Angeles County at 69.6%, Filipino American community members are still encouraged to fill out their questionnaires before the deadline at the end of September.

Heading into the final month, households identified as Tagalog/Filipino-speaking responded at a higher rate than the county’s 62.2% average, according to data compiled by the census unit at the LA County CEO’s office.

Asian American groups combined are responding at higher rates than the county and statewide (67.6%) averages.

“Our Asian American communities are doing slightly better than the county and statewide rates in census tracts with about 50% Asian population, and we’re seeing the average response rate around 71.6%,” Jason Tau PAGE A2

Get ready for COVID-19 vaccine distribution by November, CDC tells states THE Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sent a letter out to state officials this week asking them to prepare to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine by November 1, two days before the presidential election.

“CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities, and, if necessary, asks that you consider waiving requirements that would prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by Nov. 1, 2020,” CDC Director Robert Redfield wrote to states in a letter obtained by news company McClatchy.

In three planning documents obtained by the New York Times, the CDC details how health officials should go about shipping, distributing, and handling two vaccine candidates labeled “Vaccine A” and “Vaccine B.” According to the guidelines, health care professionals and essential workers, including long term care facility (LTCF) residents and staff, would be prioritized.

They also ask states to identify critical populations such as those at increased risk for severe illness, persons over 65 years of age, u PAGE A4

Pemberton asks Olongapo court to dismiss Laude family appeal

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

CONVICTED U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton on Friday, September 4, asked the Olongapo Regional Trial Court Branch 74 to dismiss the motion for reconsideration filed by

“The motion for reconsideration is asking the Court to treat Pemberton differently from all other persons convicted by final judgment without any legal basis and in flagrant violation of the equal protection clause,” she said. u PAGE A2

the family of slain transgender woman Jennifer Laude to block his early release.

Pemberton’s lawyer, Rowena Flores, filed a six-page opposition asking the court to deny the appeal as it lacked merit and the family lost the personality to assail the court’s order.

Fil-Am hairdressers discuss LA County’s new reopening orders, safety protocols for salons

by KLARIZE

MEDENILLA AJPress

MASKS FOR THE MASSES. Muntinlupa City Mayor Jaime Fresnedi (3rd from left), and other city officials, receive the “Masks Para sa Masa” and personal protective equipment (PPE) and hygiene kits from Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade (5th from left), Department of Health (DOH) treatment czar Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega (4th from left), and National Policy Against COVID-19 Deputy Chief Implementer Vivencio Dizon (6th from left). The Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) team visited the city to monitor the response of local government units against the coronavirus disease 2019. The turnover was held at Plaza Central in Muntinlupa City on Friday, September.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

THIS week, Los Angeles County began allowing certain hair salons and barber shops to operate indoors.

Effective Wednesday, Sept. 2, hair salons and barber shops may resume indoor services as long as they don’t exceed 25% occupancy and the business owners fully comply with safety protocols: 6 feet of physical distancing and face coverings for employees and customers.

“If your hair salon or barbershop has been operating outdoors please continue to do so and use your 25% occupancy for those services you’re not able to provide outdoors. All other current restrictions remain unchanged at this time,” LA County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis said in a news conference on Wednesday.

Although LA County remains one of the worst counties in the state in terms of viral mitigation, both business owners and officials have been frantically finding ways to re-open businesses and salvage the economy.

When the COVID-19 crisis hit and the subsequent u PAGE A4

Report: Filipinos barter possessions PH House OKs Marcos Day bill for food as pandemic continues

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

WITH the coronavirus pandemic hitting the Philippines hard, Filipinos have started flocking to Facebook groups to trade their possessions for food, a report by Agence France-Presse (AFP) found.

“Online bartering groups have provided a lifeline to…Filipinos hit hard by the country’s months-long virus restrictions that started in March and have sent the economy plunging into a deep recession,” it said.

According to AFP’s tally, at least 98

groups are operating across the archipelago, of which some have tens of thousands of members.

“Nearly all of them started during the pandemic as many Filipinos resorted to the ancient trading practice to feed their families,” the report said.

One of the affected Filipinos who resorted to the barter system was Lorraine Imperio, a mother of two whose husband works part-time at a doughnut shop in Manila. She traded possessions such as a baby’s down jacket and a Ralph Lauren hoodie for six kilograms (13 pounds) of u PAGE A2

Bebot Filipino Soul Food in Long Beach to continue community kitchen efforts despite destructive fire

by CHRISTINA

M. ORIEL

AJPress

Inside the damaged Bebot Filipino Soul Food in Long Beach, which had just opened its doors last fall.

Photo courtesy of AC Boral

THE past few months have brought numerous hurdles for Filipino American chef AC Boral and his Long Beach restaurant Bebot Filipino Soul Food — from the closure of indoor dining to a recent destructive fire — but nothing can dampen the service of providing savory meals to community members affected by the pandemic.

At around 3 a.m. on Monday, August 17, an electrical fire broke out inside Bebot, causing inte-

rior damage to the restaurant and other businesses in the strip mall along Fourth Street. No injuries were reported as Boral and staff had left the space some six hours before after wrapping up the day’s work.

“What we lost was really big and it was definitely devastating and traumatic for me, my family and staff to have this happen,” Boral told the Asian Journal in a recent interview. “But at the end of the day, what we lost was just a space and personal property.

Those things can be replaced and u PAGE A3

A MEASURE seeking to declare September 11 as a special non-working holiday in Ilocos Norte to commemorate the birth anniversary of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, has been approved on its 3rd and final reading by the House of Representatives.

HB 7137, authored by Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Ria Fariñas, Ilocos Norte 2nd District Rep. Angelo Marcos Barba, and Probinsyano Ako Rep. Rudys Caesar Fariñas, garnered 197 affirmative votes, nine negative, and one abstention on Wednesday, September 2.

The bill was endorsed by the committee on Local Government as a consolidation of Barba’s HB 2218 and the Farinas siblings’ HB 4595.

According to Barba, HB 2218 is a salute to “a brilliant man whose vision for the country remains unparalleled.”

“His extraordinary display of leadership and incomparable brilliance serves as an inspiration to his fellow Ilocanos. He is a man of vision, action and wisdom,” he said in the explanatory note.

Palace distances itself Malacañang, for its part, said it will let the Congress decide the proposed measure’s fate.

“Rerespetuhin po ng Presidente kung ano po ang magiging desisyon ng mga policy-maker sa Kongreso (The President will

respect whatever the decision of Congress’ policy-makers would be),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on Thursday, September 3.

“Iyan naman po ay katungkulan ng Kongreso. Rerespetuhin po kung ano ang magiging desisyon ng Kongreso (That’s the Congress’ job. We will respect whatever Congress’ decision would be),” he added.

In 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Proclamation 310 which declared Sept. 11 as a special non-working day in Ilocos Norte to mark Marcos’ birth anniversary.

The proclamation stated that the Ilocano community would be given the opportunity to commemorate “his life and contributions to national development as a World War II veteran, distinguished legislator, and former president.”

Marcos, the 10th President of the Republic of the Philippines, was born on September 11, 1917 in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte.

Various groups protest Lawmakers and various progressive groups expressed dismay over the approval of HB 7137.

Albay 1st District Representative Edcel Lagman, one of the nine legislators who voted in the negative, said Marcos does not deserve a holiday commemorating him.

“In the same manner that the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos is not truly entitled to be buried u PAGE A3

A september 5-8, 2020 • LA WeeKeND AsIAN JOUrNAL

69% of Tagalog-speaking...

PAGE A1 t jima, principal analyst with the LA County CEO office’s census unit, said during a press briefing on Thursday, September 3.

Disaggregated data from the county further shows that the FilAm community lags behind other Asian-speaking respondents, such as Japanese (72.7%), Chinese (72.1%) and Vietnamese (71.9%) households.

Despite the progress among

Asian Americans, officials and community organizations are doubling down on the final push for responses in certain census tracts and in historically undercounted communities, which stand to lose vital resources if they don’t fully participate in the count.

“However, this does mean that almost three out of 10 households in these tracts still have not responded. So, we really need to

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From the Front Page still do a lot of work in this last less than four weeks,” Tajima said.

The U.S. Census Bureau is ending all counting efforts, which include door-knocking, phone banking and other digital outreach, on Sept. 30, a month earlier than previously planned.

LA County continues to be the hardest-to-count region in the United States and COVID-19 has made in-person collection efforts more difficult, especially for communities of color, which have traditionally been reached at local gathering places, such as markets or places of worship.

The decennial count, which can be completed by mail, on the phone, or online, guides how federal agencies distribute more than $675 billion in funds each year.

“For one, we want to be able to provide enough services for everyone [who] are residents in the county and two, businesses and government can plan where to create more jobs,” Fesia Davenport, acting county CEO, said on Thursday, adding, “The funding that makes this county function is basically in many ways dependent on the census.”

In-person efforts for non-response follow-ups began on August 11, but communities continue to be hesitant to open their doors for fear of contracting COVID-19 or are unsure if the census taker is legitimate.

“If they have the ID and whatnot, then it’s pretty clear what Census Bureau workers look like and they can actually call the local regional office to make sure that person is indeed a Census Bureau representative,” said June Lim, Demographic Research Project Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Los Angeles.

Officials continue to remind county residents that it’s not too late to fill out the census before September 30 as taking 10 minutes to respond will provide lasting effects for the next 10 years.

“Not filling out your census literally means you are throwing away money for your neighborhood and for your community, and that’s why we need everyone to fill out the census form and be counted today. Not tomorrow, not next week, not next month — we don’t have that kind of time,” Davenport said. “Communities and families are running out of time to be counted and to be heard.”

(Christina M. Oriel / AJPress)

Pemberton asks Olongapo court...

PAGE A1 t

Pemberton’s camp explained that the private complainant has already lost the personality to participate in further proceedings in this case since the judgment debt awarded to the private complainant has already been paid and satisfied.

“Allowing the private complainant to still seek any affirmative relief from the Court in relation to Pemberton’s criminal liability, when he has already served his sentence in full, is not in consonance with basic precepts of fairness and equity,” the defense added.

On Thursday, the Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) suspended Pemberton’s release after Laude’s sister, Marilou LaudeMahait, asked the court to direct Pemberton to complete his sentence.

“BuCor respects the court processes and will wait for the resolution of the filed motion for reconsideration,” BuCor spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag said.

“The normal release process is on hold. Pemberton remains under custody of BuCor at its extension facility in Camp Aguinaldo (in Quezon City),” he added.

On Tuesday, September 1, the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court ordered Pemberton’s release, saying that the convicted American serviceman had served the minimum of his sentence for killing Laude on October 11, 2014.

Members of youth groups hold a rally in front of the Department of Justice on Thursday, September 3 to show their opposition to the court ruling ordering the release of Joseph Scott Pemberton.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Rene Dilan

According to the court, Pemberton has served a total of 2,142 days or over five years and eight months in prison. He has also accumulated a good conduct time allowance (GCTA) of 1,548 days or more than four years.

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

“Accused Pemberton has a total accumulated time served with entitled of GCTA of 10 years, one month and 10 days which is more than the 10-year maximum penalty imposed by this court and affirmed by the Court of Appeals (CA),” the court said.

“Thus he is now entitled to

be released for he had already served the ten (10) year maximum of his penalty,” it added.

The order was signed by Presiding Judge Roline GinezJabalde.

Pemberton was convicted of homicide on December 1, 2015, for killing Laude in 2014.

He was sentenced to up to 10 years imprisonment.

The Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ), for its part, said it will be filing its own motion asking the Olongapo court to reconsider its order for the U.S. Marine’s release.

“We hope that the OSG (Office of the Solicitor General) will join the DOJ in our motion,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said. n

Report: Filipinos barter possessions for food...

PAGE A1 t rice.

She also bartered a pair of Nike slip-on shoes for chicken.

“It’s so difficult nowadays.

You don’t know where you’ll get the money to settle the bills for groceries,” she was quoted saying.

“With bartering, it’s easier to convert them into food,” she added.

Citing information aggregator iPrice Group’s recent study, AFP said the Google search volume in the Philippines for the keywords “barter food” soared 300% in May from April as lock-

downs were enforced.

“Its analysis of 85 popular Facebook barter groups, with more than two million members in total, found food and other groceries were among the most sought-after items,” AFP reported.

“People post photos and specifications of the goods they want to swap, indicate what they want in return and then negotiate via the comments section,” it added.

Jocelle Batapa Sigue, who launched Bacolod Barter Community four months ago, attributed the influx of barter groups

to the pandemic.

“Without the pandemic, I don’t think the barter community would be popular,” she said.

Charles Ramirez, who runs a 14,000-member bartering site in the capital, echoed this sentiment.

“People are realizing that while they have no money, they have accumulated a lot of material things (they can swap),” he said.

“It’s a depressing feeling, of course, having to let go of things you have accumulated just to be able to survive,” he added. n

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Dateline USa

Bebot Filipino Soul Food in Long Beach...

PAGE A1 t we can still find a home and still do what we do.”

Since COVID-19 hit Los Angeles County, prompting the closure of indoor dining, Bebot had been closed to the public.

However, its kitchen was transitioned to prepare meals and grocery bags for front-line workers, senior citizens, migrant and undocumented families, and other vulnerable residents through the Filipino Migrant Center and Long Beach Community Action Partners. The restaurant was also recently chosen to participate in the city’s Great Plates for Seniors program.

From what started with providing 10 meals spun off to delivering 1,600 meals weekly just before the incident.

Following the fire, a GoFundMe page was set up with a $25,000 goal that will go toward subsidizing lost wages of Bebot’s staff and finding a temporary space to run the community kitchen operations. As of this writing, the fundraiser has raised close to $15,000.

Boral emphasized that the funds won’t be for rebuilding and reopening the physical restaurant itself — which is more likely to happen by next spring — because insurance will take care of that.

The Saturday after the fire a bake sale at fellow Fil-Am business Romeo Chocolates was held to raise additional funds.

“Just because our restaurant burned down doesn’t mean the needs of the community have gone away,” he said. “In the grand scheme of things, it’s more important for them to get fed than for me to mope around.”

Boral, known for his brunch pop-up series Rice & Shine and a brief stint operating lunch counter Baon in Downtown LA, opened Bebot in Long Beach last fall and was set to celebrate its one-year anniversary this September by restructuring Bebot Community Kitchen into a non-profit and testing out creative alternatives to serve customers, such as selling

PH House OKs Marcos... in the Libingan ng mga Bayani because of the gross repressions and corruption during the Marcos martial law regime, he does not also deserve a ‘President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos Day’ as proposed in House Bill No. 7137,” he said.

“The birthday of the one who has arrogated and abused power, defiled human rights, and betrayed the people’s trust must not be celebrated by a legislated holiday,” Lagman added.

Bayan Muna Rep. Eufemia Cullamat also voted no to the proposed measure.

“Anong klaseng pagiisip nito na dapat kailangan pagdiwang ang isang magnanakaw ng kaban ng bayan at mamamatay tao? Ito ay napakalaking kalapastangan ng ating kasaysayan (What kind of thinking is this that calls for the celebration of a plunderer of the country’s coffers and a killer?

This is a big desecration of our history),” she said.

“Hindi nito nirerespeto ang hatol ng kasaysayan at ang mga biktima ng Martial Law ni Marcos. Hindi kailanman makakalimutan ng taongbayan ang ginawang kahayupan at kalapastangan ng panahon ni Marcos (This disrespects history’s judgment and the victims of Marcos’ Martial Law. The people will never forget the atrocities and abuses of the Marcos regime),” Cullamat added.

Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite, for his part, stressed that the proposed bill was an injustice to Marcos’ victims.

“Isang malaking injustice ito sa mga pinaslang, ikinulong, mga human rights victims noong panahon ng diktadurya na ngayon ay parang nakalimutan na sa kasaysayan (This is a big injustice to those who were killed, detained, and those who became humanrights victims during the time of the dictatorship that we are now seemingly forgetting),” he said.

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate, meanwhile, urged the public to oppose this historical revisionism.

“Huwag nating hayaan itong

ann VaRona AJPress

FILIPINO-American immigration activist and journalist Jose Antonio Vargas and FilipinaAustralian entrepreneur Melanie Perkins landed on Fortune Magazine’s all-new expansive 40 Under 40 lists that were released Wednesday, September 2.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the many calls to end social injustice and racial inequality that shaped this year, Fortune stepped away from its single list of 40 influential changemakers and presented 40 individuals in five categories of finance, technology, health care, government and politics, and media and entertainment.

“It’s been a year of monumental change,” the magazine wrote When the pandemic hit, Fil-Am chef and entrepreneur AC Boral turned his restaurant Bebot in its announcement. “The coroFilipino Soul Food into a community kitchen, which served meals to Long Beach residents in need each week. Despite a fire that forced the restaurant’s closure, Boral is still looking to navirus pandemic has touched every aspect of our lives—funcontinue the giving back efforts through a temporary location. damentally altering the ways in which we work and socialize.”

Describing the individuals selected this year, Daniel Bentley, senior editor at Fortune, said in a video that they “stood up for racial justice, they stood up for inequality, stood up against policy or took a stand to help with the coronavirus.”

Jose Antonio Vargas, Government and Politics Vargas was among leaders in the government and politics category for founding Define American, an organization aimed At around 3 a.m. on August 17, firefighters responded to a call that the building, where Bebot at shifting conversations around Filipino Soul Food is located in Long Beach, California, was on fire. immigrants and identity in the take-home meal kits.

“Because we can’t create an emotional connection with diners in a dining room, you have to do that in other ways so the little touches that would go into these meal kits will set us apart,” Boral said. “I had a good game plan going, but I’ll take this time to take care of myself, try to be a good citizen, and make the best of it until I figure out our next steps.” n

Photos courtesy of AC Boral

itinutulak na rebisyonismo na gustong pabanguhin ang pangalan ng mga Marcos (Let us not allow this revision they are pushing just to change the image of the Marcoses),” he said.

“Naitala na sa kasaysayan na si Marcos ay hindi bayani, siya ay diktador, siya ay mandarambong, siya ay mamamatay-tao at hindi ito mabubura lamang sa pamamagitan ng ganitong paglalabas ng isang batas na i-celebrate ang kanyang birthday as Marcos Day kahit sabihin natin na sa isang probinsya lang yan (It was written in history that Marcos is no hero, he’s a dictator, he’s a plunderer, he’s a murderer and this can’t be easily erased merely by issuing a law that will celebrate his birthday as Marcos Day, even if we say it is just in the province),” Zarate added.

Karapatan and Kabataan Partylist likewise slammed the bill.

“The bill seeks to deodorize the image of a murderer, a plunderer and a criminal. It is a grave disgrace to the memory of martial law victims and survivors, who have been violated many times over by the Marcos dictatorship,” said Karapatan Secretary-General Cristina Palabay in a statement.

Meanwhile, Kabataan Partylist said: “Tila nakalimutan na ng [197] na kongresistang pumanig sa panukalang batas na ito ang daang-daang tao na pinatay, inaresto, pinahirapan, at naging desaparecidos noong panahon ng Martial Law (It seems like the [197] legislators who sided with this bill have forgotten the hundreds of people who were murdered, arrested, tortured, and who became desaparecidos during Martial Law).”

“Walang pagsidlan ang galit ng mga kabataan sa pagsampal ng ating Kongreso sa alaala ng mga mamamayang nasawi noong panahon ng pamamasista ng diktadurang Marcos; mga kabataang makabayan na nagbuwis ng buhay (The youth is boiling with anger at Congress for dishonoring the memory of our countrymen who died during the Marcos dictatorship; patriotic youth who lost their lives),” it added. n

A

Filipinos Jose Antonio Vargas, Melanie Perkins make Fortune’s new 40 Under 40 lists

by Rae

Boral plans to reopen Bebot again early next year.

PAGE A1 t

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • SEptEmbER 5-8, 2020

Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist and immigration activist

Melanie Perkins, CEO and co-founder of Canva, an online graphic design and publishing tool

U.S. through media and storytelling.

Having moved to the U.S from the Philippines at the age of 12 as an undocumented immigrant—an experience Vargas first wrote about in an essay for New York Times Magazine in 2011—Vargas went on to accomplish a string of accolades.

“The risk paid off,” wrote Fortune before highlighting Vargas’ Pulitzer Prize for his coverage on the Virginia Tech shooting, his Time magazine cover for his story on immigration, his autobiographical documentary film “Documented,” which aired on

CNN, his Emmy-nominated special “White People” created for MTV, his 2018 memoir “Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen,” and his production of the hit Broadway show “What the Constitution Means to Me.” On Twitter, Vargas said that he was “honored” to be included in Fortune Magazine’s 40 under 40 list as an undocumented entrepreneur.

Melanie Perkins, Technology Among entrepreneurs listed in the technology category was Perkins who made headlines last u PAGE A4

A september 5-8, 2020 • LA WeeKeND AsIAN JOUrNAL

Dateline USa

University of California system can no longer use SAT, ACT scores for admission, judge rules

by Rae

ann VaRona AJPress

THE University of California (UC) system will no longer be able to use SAT and ACT scores in evaluating its applicants for undergraduate admissions or scholarships, a superior court judge ruled this week.

The ruling on Monday, August 31 comes long after critics of the tests claimed they inadvertently favored students from wealthier families over disadvantaged minorities, especially those with learning disabilities.

The problem, critics say, has been magnified amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To be sure, COVID-19 has disrupted the testing process for many students,” wrote Judge Brad Seligman, noting that the university was unable to present an estimate of how many students were likely to take the tests this year.

“But the barriers faced by students with disabilities are indisputably significantly greater than those faced by non-disabled students,” continued Seligman.

The 10-campus UC system announced in May that it was suspending the standard test requirement until Fall 2024, giving the Board of Regents three years to develop a new test that “better aligns with the content the university expects students to have mastered for college readiness.”

The decision, however, allowed individual UC campuses to decide whether or not students could submit their scores if they wanted to under a “test optional” policy.

Three campuses—UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Cruz—decided that they would not use the test scores at all, while six others decided to adopt the test optional policy.

UC San Francisco offers only graduate and professional education programs, and thus does not consider the SAT or ACT in its admissions.

In allowing students to submit test scores to supplement their applications, the judge wrote that students with disabilities would still be at a disadvantage as chances of taking standardized tests with or without accommodations at this time “are almost nil.”

“Unlike their non-disabled peers, they do not have the option to submit test scores; even if they did, their chances of obtaining necessary test accommodations are virtually non-existent,” Seligman wrote.

“They get no second look or ‘plus factor’ that non-disabled students are afforded in the admissions process,” he added.

In a statement on Tuesday, a UC spokesperson said that “UC respectfully disagrees with the Court’s ruling,” and was looking at what next steps to take.

“University admissions officials and faculty are best positioned to determine appropriate admissions decisions and procedures, taking into account the individual needs and priorities of a particular campus,” the UC said.

With over 280,000 students enrolled and over 227,000 faculty and staff employed across its 10 campuses, UC said that it “remains committed to enrolling a student body that reflects the broad diversity of cultural, racial, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds characteristic of California.” n

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REMINDER. A large tarpaulin bearing the steps for the safe physical distancing of customers on Friday, September 4 at Zabarte Subdivision on Quirino Highway, Fairview in Quezon City. Business establishments are allowed to operate anew under the general community quarantine in Metro Manila amid the coronavirus pandemic.

PNA photo by Oliver Marquez

Filipinos Jose Antonio Vargas, Melanie Perkins...

PAGE A3 t year after becoming the third richest person in Australia under the age of 40 as the founder of Canva.

In 2016, Perkins was included in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list.

Perkins’ passion for graphic design grew from a side job of teaching graphic design to students with traditional programs like Photoshop and InDesign, to eventually founding Canva, a free online design platform which Fortune described as a

“viable competitor to the likes of Adobe.”

Even amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the Sydney-based company managed to close a $60 million funding round in June, and is now valued at $6 billion and employing workers not only in Sydney, but in Beijing, China and Manila, Philippines.

Aside from the over 20 million global users who sign on to Canva’s platform each month, some 85% of Fortune 500 companies have signed up for the product.

With many classrooms now moving online due to the pandemic, the company has also dedicated free tools and creative resources for teachers that integrate with Google Classroom to help them better engage their students and foster their learning experiences.

“What’s more, Perkins has become one of Australia’s most successful tech entrepreneurs and one of the world’s youngest female tech unicorn founders,” Fortune wrote. n

Get ready for COVID-19 vaccine distribution by...

PAGE A1 t those living in group settings, and those with limited access to vaccination services, to receive the first available doses of vacDarrick V. Tan, Esq. cine.

“The COVID-19 vaccine landLicensed in California for scape is evolving and uncertain, over 17 years and these scenarios may evolve Licensed in Nevada for as more information is available,” over 12 years* UCLA, Bachelor of Arts, Political reads one document, adding that Science with Cum Laude honors the planners should assume that Southwestern University Law more vaccines would be available School, Juris Doctor for distribution early 2021.

Admitted to U.S. District Court, President Donald Trump has Central District of California before suggested that a vaccine Member, American Immigration would be available by the end of Lawyers Association this year through efforts of his Member, Consumers Attorney “Operation Warp Speed,” an iniAssociation of Los Angeles tiative the White House formed Former Member, Board of Governors, Philippine American to accelerate obtaining a vaccine

by January.

Bar Association *Inactive During the Republican National Convention at the end of August, Trump said a vaccine would be ready “before the end of the year or maybe even sooner.”

Dr. Moncef Slaoui, former director of the CDC’s office of public health preparedness and current chief scientific advisor to Operation Warp Speed, told

NPR’s All Things Considered on Thursday, September 3 that sending out the guidelines was the “right thing to do” in the event a vaccine does become available.

“It’s a matter of planning,” said Slaoui, adding that the operation has been performing “very well” and “even better” than he was hoping.

Slaoui added, however, that having a vaccine ready by October or November was “extremely unlikely” but not impossible.

“There is a very, very low chance that the trials that are running as we speak could read before the end of October, and therefore there could be—if all other conditions required for an emergency use authorization are met and approved,” said Slaoui.

“I think it’s extremely unlikely but not impossible.”

He also confirmed that the two vaccines outlined in the guidelines were being developed by Pfizer and Moderna.

With safety being a major concern, Slaoui said vaccines would not be introduced before clinical

trials were completed. Completion would include an assessment by a data safety monitoring board independent of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. government, and those involved in the operation.

Slaoui also said he understands the concerns surrounding the fact that the announced distribution date is just days before the national presidential election. Skeptics worry that the push for a vaccine is fueled by the urge to get good news out right before election day.

“I get the point,” said Slaoui, adding that he learned about the letter sent to the states on the news.

The letter, he said, “is one that says we need to be prepared as of.”

“I do think there is a possibility that the clinical trials—albeit very low, as I said before, extremely low—but there is a possibility that the trials read out before the end of October,” said Slaoui. “It would be irresponsible not to be ready if that was the case.” (Rae Ann Varona/AJPress)

Fil-Am hairdressers discuss LA County’s new...

PAGE A1 t lockdown measures were imposed, hair salons, barber shops and other grooming services were among the first businesses ordered to shut down, disrupting many residents’ aesthetic routines.

The nature of these services — hairdressing, nail artistry, massages and esthetician amenities — relies on physical proximity, and in the era of social distancing in a COVID-19 world, it’s become more difficult for consumers to maintain their grooming habits.

But it’s even more difficult for those that provide these services.

Throughout the seven months of quarantine, salon employees and owners have seen their businesses suffer due to the dramatic loss of regular clientele and have expressed frustration over the inherent uncertainty of a global pandemic.

Although most stylists are approaching these new relaxed measures with caution, they are also feeling the financial and emotional hardships of being in the hairstyling industry.

Maisha Mason-Belden, a Filipina American hairstylist based at the Allen Pacheco Salon in Santa Monica, said that she became unemployed when the citywide safer-at-home order was first put in place on March 17.

As the pandemic continued to rage on and lawmakers felt pressure to institute economic reopenings, the state allowed certain grooming services to re-open in July, as previously reported in the Asian Journal. But almost as soon as those services reopened, they were, again, ordered to close due to high transmission of the virus throughout the state.

“The July re-opening — and then closing — was very confusing. By the time I got my clients ready to see me to get their hair done, [Gov.] Gavin Newsom announced another shutdown,” she explained. “This pandemic has affected my business greatly and clients are hesitant [to] come back to the salon.”

In terms of the safety protocols and the “skeleton staff” that now operates the salon, Mason-

Belden noted that she and the other stylists had to take on an added number of responsibilities since the salon furloughed many assistive employees.

But despite the government’s wavering response to salon operations, Mason-Belden noted the importance of the safety precautions that are currently in place: having clients wait in their cars rather than in the lobby, regularly disinfect products, using disposable haircutting capes and frequent handwashing.

“We all chuck it up to the ‘new norm’ of things in working in a hair salon,” she remarked, noting that she has gotten used to the frequent sanitization practices and is guided by the possibility that she may get sick.

“It’s inconvenient, sure, but we’re all okay with it as long as we keep working,” she said.

According to LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn, the county will “re-evaluate” conditions for increasing salon capacities after Labor Day, but many shop owners like Mason-Belden continue to be guided by the still alarming positive case and death numbers.

Although numbers have plateaued, many are worried about viral transmission as more people decide to congregate over extended periods, like Labor Day weekend.

Chaie de Jesus, a Filipina American hairstylist at Nova Arts Salon in Downtown LA, said that the pandemic has shifted her entire schedule, which included regular work trips to San Francisco and New York, not to mention her long list of loyal clients she sees in LA. Among the things she misses from pre-COVID times was the vibrant culture of the beauty salon.

“I loved being in the salon because you have your friends and co-workers to share energies with but with our guidelines in the salon, we can’t even congregate anymore,” de Jesus told the Asian Journal.

Before the county allowed for indoor services to resume, many salons were hosting outdoor services similar to the “al fresco”

option for restaurants.

But de Jesus, who has asthma and has severely limited her personal time outside the house, has instead been meeting clients one-on-one as a way to safeguard herself, her wife and their 15-month-old baby.

Around the beginning of summer, de Jesus said that clients began asking her if she was taking appointments. Soon after, she began seeing clients one-by-one, either traveling to their homes and working in their backyard or inviting them to her driveway. As the appointments began to stack up, de Jesus said that she developed a personal intensive sanitation routine.

In addition to wearing a mask, de Jesus arrives at appointments with 80% rubbing alcohol and a UV sanitizer (which kills 99.9% of bacteria and germs, she said) and ensures that she doesn’t use the same tools on each of her clients in a day. These were on top of the state mandates for stylists to have clients arrive to appointments with their hair already washed and dried and prepared for cutting.

“You have to just take all those precautions because you’re working so close to a client and it wasn’t easy but once you have the routine down, it becomes a part of you,” de Jesus shared.

She expressed skepticism about the new allowance of indoor services with 25% capacity and said that house calls “for me is the best way to do it” because “clients feel so much safer at home” or meeting on a one-onone basis.

So far, de Jesus is booked until the first week of October and plans to move forward with these house calls, which she sees as a happy medium where she is able to operate safely and be able to serve her clients.

“The mere fact that I can make someone feel good during quarantine is my favorite part because it’s been really depressing, so I try to go above and beyond for my clients. Everyone is suffering, and I still want to take care of people and serve my purpose,” de Jesus added. n

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MTRCB hit over plan to regulate Netflix

trade committee on the proposed Internet Transactions Act on Thursday, the MTRCB urged the MANILA — “Ridiculous” and Senate to craft a policy granting an “idiot regulation.” them the authority to regulate onThese were some of the com- line streaming services, including ments given by officials yester- Netflix. day on the plan of the Movie and MTRCB chair Rachel AreTelevision Review and Classifica- nas underscored the need to regtion Board (MTRCB) to regulate ulate streaming service platforms content of popular online movie streaming platform Netflix.

Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano called the plan “mind-boggling” and “ridiculous.”

In a post on his Facebook page, Cayetano said the proposal was an example of bureaucratic thinking that gives government workers a bad name.

He said with Filipinos already faced with so many problems, “this is what MTRCB wants to prioritize?”

“What makes this even more mind-boggling is that, in the first place, MTRCB has no jurisdiction over Netflix and other online content,” Cayetano pointed out.

Cayetano believed that such plan goes against the government’s general direction of increasing transparency.

“MTRCB is focused on the outdated mindset of information regulation and censorship. What decade are you in?” he added.

Cayetano said the agency, if it wants to be relevant in this time of pandemic, should focus on improving the entertainment industry which has been lagging behind its neighbors in the region despite so many talented actors, directors and writers.

He vowed to confront MTRCB officials during deliberations of Congress on the 2021 proposed national budget that will start next week.

“Congress will give them a chance to explain how they came up with this ridiculous idea,” he said.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. also opposed the plan of MTRCB to regulate content on Netflix and other online streaming services.

“Enough already with idiot regulation. If it’s on Netflix the whole world’s watching the show and it’s tuned to general patronage.

Enough already with displaying ignorance. It’s embarrassing,” Locsin said in a post on Twitter on Thursday.

During a hearing of the Senate by edu

Punay Philstar.com

PED XING NO MORE. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) worker covers with black paint the pedestrian crossing at the corner of Edsa-Timog Avenue, in Quezon City on Thursday, September 3. The DPWH has put up a footbridge in the area.

Photo by PNA by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

PH nurses lowest paid in Southeast Asia

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

A RECENT study by an information aggregator revealed that Filipino nurses receive the lowest salary compared to their Southeast Asian peers. iPrice Group recorded the salaries of mid-level front-liners in seven countries within Southeast Asia via Economic Research Institute-powered company Salary Expert, and found that experienced Filipino nurses only earn around P40,381 ($807.62) per month, while their Southeast Asian neighbors earn at least P62,000 ($1,240).

Nurses in Vietnam, the next lowest paid nurses in Southeast Asia, receive a salary of P62,200 ($1,240) monthly.

Highest paid nurses in the regions are from Singapore, surpassing their peers by 486% as they earn around P236,400 ($4,720) per month. This is followed by nurses in Malaysia, who earn around P97,000 ($1,940).

Nurses in Thailand with the same credentials earn about P83,000 ($1,660) per month while nurses in Indonesia take home P79,000 ($1,580).

Other Filipino front-liners The study, which measured the wage gaps among the ASEAN countries and analyzed earnings vis-a-vis the rise of online spending, also found that Filipino medical technology workers earn around P29,444 ($588.88) monthly, which is lower than the P57,000 ($1,140) salary of their

peers in Vietnam.

Med tech workers in Malaysia earn 178% more than their Filipino counterparts at P82,000 ($1,640) monthly, while med tech workers in Singapore receive a monthly salary of P210,000 ($4,200).

On the other hand, Filipino front-liners in other fields like supermarket clerks, delivery truck drivers, warehouse workers and security guards earn more than Vietnamese employees.

Filipino truck drivers, for instance, earn about P23,300 ($460) monthly while Vietnamese drivers receive P17,000 ($340).

Local supermarket clerks earn about P13,300 ($266) monthly, higher than the P10,000 ($200) in Vietnam.

Filipino warehouse employees earn 54% more than their peers in Vietnam. Likewise, local Security guards earn 34% more than their Vietnamese peers.

“However, this does not put these Filipino employees at a comfortable spot. Again, looking at countries with similar costs of living, non-healthcare Filipino front-liners still don’t earn as much,” iPrice noted.

The group pointed out that Malaysian supermarket stock clerks earn 174% more than Filipino stock clerks, while Thai and Indonesian delivery truck helpers both earn about 107 percent more than Filipino delivery helpers.

The data aggregator concluded that local front-liners are barely making ends meet while risking their lives, citing data from the

Philippine Statistical Authority which said that the average household expenditure of Filipinos is about P19,917 ($298.34) per month.

“They certainly deserve more than a day of appreciation,” iPrice said on Wednesday, September 2.

Salary raise Malacañang, for its part, recognized the need to raise the salary of public hospital nurses and other healthcare workers.

“Pagdating po sa mga nurses sa gobyerno, ang solusyon po diyan ay siguro baguhin ang classification ng nurses sa salary standardization law (SSL) nang mailagay ang mga frontliners natin sa mas mataas na salary grade (When it comes to Filipino nurses, the solution there is to change the classification of nurses in the SSL so our frontliners can be placed under a higher salary grade),”Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on Thursday, September 3.

He also urged private hospitals to raise the salary of their nurses to keep them from seeking employment abroad.

“Ngayon pong maraming nurses na gustong umalis, siguro naman iyong mga pribadong ospital magbibigay rin nang mas mataas na sahod para engganyuhin na manatili sa Pilipinas ang mga nurses (Now that there are many nurses who want to work abroad, perhaps private hospitals will also give a higher income to entice nurses to stay in the Philippines),” Roque said. n

to ensure that all video platforms operating in the country are complying with Filipino contemporary values.

She said the regulation, if approved, would not be as stringent as what is being done in South Korea.

MTRCB’s legal affairs division

u PAGE A8

A6 SEPTEMBER 5-8, 2020 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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OPiniOn

A chance for PhilHealth reforms

FeatURes

A YEAR and another corruption scandal ago, Ricardo Morales was appointed president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. The retired Army brigadier general was moved from the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System to PhilHealth amid reports that the state insurer had paid for kidney treatments of dead patients at the Wellmed Dialysis Center.

The National Bureau of Investigation has filed criminal charges for corruption and fraud against 21 PhilHealth accreditation officials over the “ghost” dialysis claims.

Roy Ferrer lost his post as PhilHealth president and CEO. Now Morales himself is out of the post and has been recommended for criminal indictment by the Senate committee of the whole, which includes all members of the chamber, in connection with new PhilHealth anomalies. Resigned and incumbent PhilHealth officials have said a syndicate or “mafia” is behind the continuing anomalies in the agency.

This is the challenge now facing Dante Gierran, a lawyer and accountant who once headed the NBI, and is now tasked to undertake the cleansing in PhilHealth that was assigned to Morales. The challenge is daunting.

Morales, who is battling cancer and wished Gierran good health in the top PhilHealth post, has said it would take about three years and an external management team to clean up the agency. Morales says PhilHealth is “not configured” for clean and efficient management. He points to hospitals, working in collusion with PhilHealth insiders, for the rot in the agency.

Gierran is assuming the PhilHealth post amid high expectations that he can carry out the long overdue honest-to-goodness housecleaning. The problem is complicated by the disclosure of Rodolfo del Rosario Jr., who resigned as PhilHealth senior vice president for the legal sector, that the regional directors of the agency who have been the same time identifying, prosecuting and penaltagged in the scandal have political backers.

Gierran will have to navigate this minefield as izing those behind the anomalous activities.

In this pandemic, it is a national tragedy that one he implements structural reforms that will plug opportunities for stealing PhilHealth funds while at of the most critical agencies in the COVID response

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

is mired in a corruption scandal. The agency badly needs to regain public confidence. A new chief should pave the way for the long overdue overhaul of PhilHealth. (Philstar.com)

America’s ideological divide: This Pew Research study examines why certain viewers trust Fox News The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS EXASPERATED — this is how many Americans, like myself, feel as a divide deepens among the country’s residents, especially since President Donald Trump first ran for office and is now running for a second term.

What is more troubling is not just about ideology and policy differences. While it may seem that we are all going through the same experiences as one people living in the United States in this chapter in our nation’s history, about four out of 10 Americans see the world and current events so diametrically different from the majority of us are witnessing and perceiving.

In our discourse with some people that has increasingly become vile and toxic, we ask ourselves: Where have they been for the past four to five years? It is as if they are living in their alternate universe experiencing different kinds of values, culture and politics. This lens alters the visions of how our elected and appointed officials are running this country, and how we should vote to steer our beloved country in the right direction for the common good.

Debates online and in-person get heated as “fake news” is

quickly branded against those who do not belong to each other’s universes. Each side desperately tries to make the other know and understand what is really going on in America and aroound the world.

One common difference among us will be where and how we get our news. One group, which is a majority of Americans, get informed by different news sources, both domestically and internationally. This is what the “other side” refers to as “Mainstream Media” (MSM), which Trump has been branding and denigrating to be “fake news” since he started to run for president.

The other side, which many Filipinos in America belong to, watch and have faith only in Fox News, as well as a few other smaller conservative online websites and radio commentators.

When he was elected, Trump used the bully pulpit of the office of the President of the United States to amplify this branding.

In his first interview after he got elected in November 2016, Trump admitted to journalist Lesley Stahl, the 13-time Emmy award-winning “60 Minutes” correspondent, whose work has spanned decades, made the disclosure Monday when she asked him why he would relentlessly attack the press as “fake news.”

“He said you know why I do it? I do it to discredit you all and demean you all, so when you write negative stories about me

no one will believe you,” Stahl disclosed during an interview with Judy Woodruff of “PBS NewsHour” at a journalism award presentation in New York in May of 2018.

Fox News is the news cable network launched by Rupert Murdoch in 1996 that pushes conservative ideology.

According to Pew Research Center: “While Democrats in the United States turn to and place their trust in a variety of media outlets for political news, no other source comes close to matching the appeal of Fox News for Republicans.”

I would like to believe that all of us are coming from a good place in our hearts, united in our hope and prayers for a better, brighter future for all Americans.

However, for as long as we look at the world so differently and for as long as are divided, it will be so hard for this great nation to realize the goal set forth by our Founding Fathers, which put the foundation for all of us to work together toward a more perfect union.

So what has been happening in the minds of this who live in this alternate universe?

Let me share with you the Pew Research Center’s Election News Pathways project, which focuses on what Americans hear, perceive and know about the 2020 presidential election and how these attitudes relate to how and where they get news.

An unusual taipan

Demand and Supply BOO CHANCO I FREQUENTLY get asked whether Ramon S. Ang is running for president in 2022. I have asked him the same question and the answer is a big fat NO! So, why is he so visible and so gung-ho about investing big money on infrastructure projects at a time when other taipans and captains of business and industry are cocooning away from public view?

Why indeed?

For a while I thought he would reconsider his Bulacan airport project. It would be understandable if he did, given how badly the aviation industry had been hit by COVID travel restrictions. Cebu Pacific mothballed over a dozen of their planes in Australia, including seven brand new A321s. Even NAIA has excess capacity these days.

But when I texted him, he said nothing has changed. He intends to break ground this year and preparatory work on the land

had started.

Still, I wonder about the banks that had committed to fund the airport project before COVID. Will they review their numbers, specially the significantly reduced size of the potential market postCOVID? I texted RSA again about the timetable for the completion of Skyway Stage 3 that connects the South with the North Expressways. Yes, he said, he hopes to complete construction by December this year.

He once told me about his plan to put up a BRT that will run on that Skyway from Balintawak to Susana Heights. I texted him again to ask if that is still pushing through.

Yes, he said, and they are now in the process of seeking clearances from national and local government agencies. He is excited about that one too.

Indeed, after they finally inaugurated the final segment of TPLEX some weeks ago, RSA is focusing on building two more expressways.

San Miguel is allocating P121.8 billion in the next four years to build the 420-kilometer South Lu-

zon Expressway Tollroad 5 (SLEXTR5) and the 19.40-km. Pasig River Expressway (PAREX).

“As we said before, San Miguel is fully committed to helping our country overcome this crisis. A big part of that is to continue and not hold back on new investments. These projects will deliver hundreds of thousands of jobs and put money in the hands of the Filipinos—sustaining and boosting our economic recovery, even as we build for a much better future,” RSA said in a press statement.

“SLEX TR5 will take four years to complete, and PAREX, three years. By that time, the pandemic would have been far behind us…

Our Bulacan airport project would also be complete. So, imagine: within five years, the Philippines will be transformed and be better than ever,” he said.

The Toll Regulatory Board recently designated SMC’s proposed SLEX TR5 and PAREX as certified toll road projects.

SLEX TR5 is a 420-kilometer, four lane expressway starting from SLEX TR4 in Brgy. Mayao, Lucena City, Quezon up to the Matnog Ferry Terminal in Sor-

Here are “Five Facts About Five News” and how Americans feel about it. Quoting Pew Research published in April 2020: 1 Around four-in-ten Americans trust Fox News. Nearly the same share distrust it. Among all U.S. adults, 43% say they trust Fox News for political and election news – similar to the shares who say they trust CBS News (45%) and PBS (42%), according to a November 2019 survey.

At the same time, 40% of adults say they distrust Fox News – the highest share out of the 30 media outlets asked about in the survey, ahead of CNN (32%) and the Rush Limbaugh radio show (29%).The vast majority of adults (94%) have heard of Fox News. And as of last November, 39% said they had gotten political news there in the past week – tied with CNN among the outlets asked about.

2 Republicans trust Fox News more than any other outlet.

Democrats distrust it more than any other outlet. Around twothirds of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (65%) say they trust Fox News for political and election news.

No more than a third of Republicans say they trust any of the other news organizations asked about in the survey, including network sources such as ABC News (33%), CBS News (30%) and NBC News (30%). Conservative Republicans are especially likely to say they trust Fox

News: Three-quarters say this, compared with around half of moderate or liberal Republicans (51%).

As of November, six-in-ten Republicans said they had gotten political news from Fox News within the past week. This, too, was far higher than the share of Republicans who said they had recently gotten political news from other sources.

Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 61% say they distrust Fox News for political news. That’s considerably higher than the shares of Democrats who distrust other outlets, including the Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity radio shows (43% and 38%, respectively) and Breitbart News (36%) – though this also reflects the fact that Fox News is more wellknown to the public than these other outlets. Liberal Democrats are far more likely than conservative or moderate Democrats to say they distrust Fox News (77% vs. 48%).

While most Democrats distrust Fox News, that doesn’t mean they universally tune it out. Around a quarter of Democrats (23%), including 29% of conservative or moderate Democrats and 15% of liberals, said in November that they had gotten political news from Fox News in the past week.

3. On an ideological scale, the average Fox News consumer is to the right of the average U.S. adult, but not as far to the right

as the audiences of some other outlets. As part of the November survey, the Center grouped the audiences of 30 news outlets on a scale based on the self-described ideology and partisanship of those who said they had gotten political news from each outlet in the past week. (You can read more about this classification system in this Q&A.) Based on this scale, the average audience member for Fox News is more likely than the average U.S. adult to be conservative and Republican. But the average audiences for four other outlets in the study – the Daily Caller, Breitbart News, and the Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh radio shows – are to the right of the average Fox News viewer.

4. People who cite Fox News as their main source of political news are older and more likely to be white than U.S. adults overall.

Americans ages 65 and older account for around four-in-ten of those who say their main source is Fox News (37%), compared with 21% of all adults, according to the November survey.

And around nine-in-ten who turn to Fox News (87%) identify their race and ethnicity as nonHispanic white, compared with 65% of all adults.

5. Those who name Fox News as their main source of political news stand out in their views on key issues and people, including President Donald Trump. Fox News consumers tend to have

sogon.

PAREX, on the other hand, is six-lane, elevated expressway traversing the entirety of the Pasig River starting from Radial Road 10 (R10) in Manila up to the South East Metro Manila Expressway (SEMME) at Circumferential Road 6 (C-6). It will be under a 30-year Build-Operate-Transfer scheme.

Targeted for completion in 36 months, PAREX will provide faster east to west access to the business districts, Makati, Ortigas and BGC. I texted him once more to ask the question bugging many people about PAREX… will the expressway be built over Pasig River so as to cover it completely?

No, he said. They will build the expressway along the river easement which is supposed to be public domain.

Additionally, RSA texted back, they will remove garbage along the Pasig River estimated at 300,000 tons. They will accomplish what several administrations failed to do… clean up the river.

Lest SMC’s shareholders wonder if RSA is putting too much of their money in projects the government should undertake, he said they are also doing a lot of things to boost San Miguel’s abil-

ity to compete in the new environment.

These include: making supply chains more resilient, updating operating and selling models, keeping its cost base appropriate and manageable; increasing efficiencies and rationalizing spending, and protecting its cash flows and pro-actively managing its working capital.

But San Miguel is hurting, just like other corporations. Its Petron subsidiary, the country’s largest oil refiner and marketer, had a loss of P14.2 billion in the first six months of the year as against the P2.6 billion net income it booked in the same period last year.

Unlike the smaller oil players that buy from the spot market for petroleum products, Petron refines crude oil. Petron effectively provides the country with a strategic buffer supply, but doing that makes them more vulnerable to a slump in demand, poor refining margins, and collapse in prices.

San Miguel Foods was also hit by volatile input costs and supply glut in poultry which pushed down poultry prices to unprecedented lows along with the African Swine Fever, which also adversely affected hog and feed volumes.

San Miguel’s power business

posted volume growth, but was offset by weaker prices amid increasing competition. But the food and beverage, and the packaging business grew their revenues.

I guess RSA takes a strategic long-term view. We will not always be mired in this economic downturn. When the economy turns around, they will be ready.

Is RSA running for president? I don’t think he is that crazy.

But yes, RSA would probably make a better president than any of the politicians salivating for the position. He has foresight, knows how to manage projects and seems to understand what Filipinos need to have better lives. Best of all, he is an engineer, not a lawyer… a doer and not a talker.

RSA’s view of money is so different from ordinary taipans and politicians, and that’s difficult to explain. In a word, he isn’t greedy.

Money for him must serve a social purpose. He sees hungry people in Tondo, he feeds them not once or twice, but daily. He thinks he is DSWD, DPWH, DOTr rolled up into one.

He is a very unusual taipan.

(Philstar.com)

u PAGE A9

*** Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is bchanco@ gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @boochanco

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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A

Lonely Planet names 3 Philippine sites among parks with ‘surprisingly spectacular diving’

by Rosette

Adel

Philstar.com

MANILA — Travel guide book publisher Lonely Planet recently cited three diving sites of the Philippines in its article where it featured national parks with “surprisingly spectacular diving.”

“At the thousands of dive sites scattered throughout the Philippines, you’ll be enchanted by the more than 1,200 macro and pelagic species that live in these waters,” Lonely Planet writer Angela Ballard wrote in her article titled “6 national parks around the world with surprisingly spectacular diving.”

“The incredible biodiversity of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in SNACK DELIVERY. A vendor pushes his bike loaded with plastic bags containing snacks along the ascending portion of Panay Avenue in Quezon City on Thursday, September 3. With most of the public transport suspended, people have started using alternative modes of transport, such as bikes and e-scooters, to go to their destinations.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

Duterte calls for deeper solidarity vs terror

by CAtheRine

VAlente ManilaTimes.net

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has called on his fellow world leaders to build a “new order” in combating terrorism as the world continues to confront the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Duterte made the call in a speech delivered during the 2020 Aqaba Process Virtual Meeting on Covid-19 Response hosted by Jordanian King Abdullah 2nd on Wednesday, September 3.

“The COVID-19 pandemic compels us to break with the past. Insisting on the old ways that have perpetuated inequalities within and between nations is simply untenable,” Duterte said.

“Let us seize this historic opportunity to build a new order: one that is more secure, just, and humane — where there is no room for the barbarity of terrorists and extremist forces. And one that is fair, equal, and sustainable — where progress and prosperity are enjoyed by all,” he added.

During the two-hour virtual meeting, Duterte called for “more openness, deeper solidarity and stronger cooperation among nations” to move toward economic recovery while also combating terrorism and violent extremism.

He emphasized that all na-

tions, including the Philippines, were fighting the same “invisible menace.”

“Our urgent common response was to close down borders and impose limits to mobility and trade. The repercussions, as we are seeing now, are grim and far-reaching. We have economies in recession, institutions in crisis and societies in state of uncertainty,” Duterte said.

“As insecurity rises, the fear of the ‘Other’ and the unknown heightens. This brings out man’s darkest tendencies to look inward and go at it alone. But the path to recovery requires more openness, deeper solidarity and stronger cooperation among nations,” he added.

The President also pointed out that while the Philippines continues to fight the pandemic, terrorists take advantage of the country’s increased vulnerability.

Terrorists had carried out deadly attacks, the latest of which were the twin suicide bombings in Jolo, Sulu that left 15 people dead and 75 injured.

The Abu Sayyaf — a group notorious for bombings, kidnappings and beheadings is believed to be behind the blasts.

“Covid-19 has not quarantined terrorists. Local terrorist groups, such as the Abu Sayyaf, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the New People’s

Army of the Communist Party of the Philippines have been emboldened: they exploit the situation to serve their nefarious activities,” Duterte said.

He noted however that the Philippines’ resolve to fight terrorism has gotten “stronger.”

He vowed to intensify cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), the United Nations and other international partners, including Jordan.

“Now, more than ever, our resolve is stronger: we will not let up in our fight against terrorism.

And we will not allow Covid-19 to bring our people to their knees,” the President said.

“Admittedly, we face monumental challenges under present circumstances. The path before us is clear: we will enhance cooperation with Asean, the United Nations and other international partners like Jordan,” he added.

Duterte vowed to continue to work on “narrowing deep-seated inequalities” as an integral part of the country’s whole-of-nation strategy on countering terrorism and violent extremism.

“It is more so now when the global economy, ours included, has slumped. Resources are shrinking, while inequities are worsening,” he added.

The President said that the key to shared prosperity was the free

u PAGE A8

Palawan earned it the UNESCO World Heritage Site status,” she added.

Among the dive sites mentioned are Puerto Princesa City’s Amos Rock, Washing Machine and Black Rock.

Ballard encouraged travelers to “experience 600 species of fish, 360 species of coral, 11 species of sharks and 13 species of dolphins and whales, along with manta rays, barracuda, nudibranchs, pipefish, and seahorses.”

The writer also urged tourists “to see a boatload of sea life” at world-renowned Moalboal island in Cebu.

The Department of Tourism celebrated these citations and welcomed this as “positive

news.”

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the citation is something to be proud of especially for the tourism stakeholders of Tubbataha, Palawan, and Cebu.

“This fortifies our status as one of the premier diving sites in the world, and very timely with the scheduled staging of the second edition of the Philippine Dive Expo (PHIDEX) 2020,” Puyat said.

In July 2017, Puyat’s predecessor Wanda Tulfo-Teo named French celebrity freediver Guillaume Néry an ambassador of Philippine freediving in a bid to promote the country as a top freediving destination in Asia. n

UN rights chief hits ‘politicization’ of COVID-19

by PiA lee-BRAgo Philstar.com

MANILA — The United Nations human rights chief expressed serious concern over the “increasing politicization” of the COVID19 pandemic and efforts to blame its effects on political opponents and smear campaigns against journalists.

Michelle Bachelet, UN high commissioner for human rights, said attacks on journalists to silence them also constitute an attack on all civil society.

She urged all countries to do more to protect journalists, especially during the COVID-19 crisis, as their work helps save lives.

Speaking at an event in support of press freedom in Geneva, the high commissioner noted that around 1,000 journalists have been killed in the last decade – and that nine in 10 cases “are unresolved.”

Her comments, on the eve of the trial of alleged accomplices of extremists who killed 12 people at the French satirical weekly magazine, Charlie Hebdo in 2015, were echoed by political cartoonist Patrick Chappatte.

Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the work of the media is paramount, Bachelet continued, as their reporting is “an essential tool for officials to quickly learn where measures are being inadequately applied,” and what concerns are most important to people.

Without naming them, she said that several countries had seen

“increasing politicization of the pandemic and efforts to blame its effects on political opponents, have led to threats, arrests and smear campaigns against journalists who maintain fact-based information about the spread of COVID-19 and the adequacy of measures to prevent it.”

“When journalists are targeted in the context of protests and criticism, these attacks are intended to silence all of civil society and this is of deep concern,” Bachelet said.

“Journalism enriches our un-

derstanding of every kind of political, economic and social issue; delivers crucial – and, in the context of this pandemic – life-saving information; and helps keep governance at every level, transparent and accountable,” she added.

In June, the UN Human Rights Office said human rights violations documented in the Philippines have been exacerbated by harmful rhetoric emanating from the highest levels of government, which the report described as “pervasive and deeply damaging.” n

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No environmental impact study needed on Manila ‘beach nourishment’ — DENR

quired to secure an ECC. The environment official earlier said covering a stretch of the bay with “white sand” will serve MANILA— The project to give as an awareness campaign to Manila Bay a makeover by pourprotect the environment and aling “white sand” on its shoreline low people who have never expedoes not have to go through the rienced the popular white sand process of preparing an environbeaches in Boracay El Nido and mental impact study and obtainBohol to have one in the capital. ing a compliance certificate, the But it was met with criticism Department of Environment and from environmental and fishNatural Resources said. erfolk groups, saying it will not Projects in the country that make Manila Bay cleaner and may affect the environment need may even affect the natural ecoto go through the Environmental system and coastal integrity of Impact Statement (EIS) process the waterway. and get an environmental comFishers group PAMALAKAYA pliance certificate (ECC), envisaid a better solution is to grow ronmental lawyer Gloria Estenzomangroves and seagrass inRamos said as a response to the stead. move of the DENR to fill Manila “Lahat ‘yan ginagawa natin.

Bay’s naturally dark shoreline We’re addressing it all at the with “white sand” as part of the same time. Pero di mo naman government’s program to rehapwedeng ma-comply ‘yan at all bilitate the degraded waterway. the same time,” Antiporda said, But DENR Undersecretary adding the department is planBenny Antiporda said the “beach ning to spearhead a mangrove nourishment” project is not covplanting project on the bay in coered by the country’s EIS sysordination with the city governtem. ment of Manila.

“It is a rehabilitation project, (We’re doing all of that. We’re not a construction project. It’s addressing it all at the same time only a beach nourishment [projbut you cannot comply everyect] in which we’re beautifying thing all the same time.) it,” Antiporda told Philstar.com Pulverized rocks in a phone interview Thursday.

The plan is to cover one hectAntiporda, however, said the are of the baywalk with “white crushed dolomite boulders will sand” at 1-meter thick, Antipornot “disrupt” the coastal ecosysda said. tem.

The “white sand” was actually “Kami sa DENR pinag-aralan made of crushed dolomite boulnatin ‘yan. In the first place ‘yung ders that were transported from mga ginamit dyan, especially Cebu province to Manila. Dolo‘yung sand, ‘yung dolomite boulmite is a mineral composed of ders na ‘yan it contains calcium calcium magnesium carbonate. carbonate and if you will look sa When asked where the dolocorals, calcium carbonate din. So mite was sourced, Antiporda said it will not disrupt the coastal ecothis was handled by the Department of Public Works and Highways, the implementing arm of the project.

Dolomite is being mined in Brgy. Pugalo in Alcoy town, Cebu.

A notice of award issued by the Department of Public Works and Highways on Dec. 27, 2019 showed that P389.8 million was awarded to MAC Builders/Dragonhart Construction Enterprise Inc for the “beach nourishment, coastal restoration and enhancement of Manila Baywalk Area.”

The project to clean up Manila Bay—known for its amazing sunset views and garbage-strewn, Workers on Thursday, September 3, prepare the white sand at the Manila Bay, which has been murky waters—began in January under rehabilitation since January 2019.

Philstar.com photo by KJ Rosales last year. n

by Gaea

Katreena Philstar.com

CabiCo

system,” Antiporda said.

(We studied it. In the first place what we used, especially the sand, the dolomite boulders it contains calcium carbonate and if you will look at corals, it’s made up of calcium carbonate.

So it will not disrupt the coastal ecosystem.)

Certificate of non-coverage Projects or undertakings which are seen to have significant adverse impact to the quality of the environment are covered by the country’s EIS system, according to Memorandum Circular 2014005 of the DENR-Environmental Management Bureau. These projects include “proposed major expansion, rehabilitation and/or modification of existing projects as well as resumption of projects that have stopped operations for a prolonged period.”

An environmental impact assessment evaluates the likely impacts of a project on the environment and the surrounding communities and includes mitigation and preventive measures to address the identified consequences of a project.

An ECC, meanwhile, is issued by the EMB to a project’s proponent certifying that the proposed undertaking has complied with the requirements of the EIS system and has committed to address environmental impacts.

Antiporda said the project obtained a certificate of non-coverage (CNC), which is issued to projects that are deemed unlikely to cause significant adverse impacts on the environment. This is issued by the EMB to certify that the undertaking is not covered by the EIS system and is not re-

MEGA CONTACT TRACING CENTER. Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian (center, in barong) shows Chief Implementer of the country’s National Policy Against COVID-19, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. (left, in blue polo shirt) how their contact tracing system works, at the Social Hall of the Valenzuela City Hall on Tuesday, September 1. The city implements a “contactless” system that enables contact tracers to attend to emails on all incoming and outgoing requests and queries and call those possibly exposed to the virus.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

Duterte calls for deeper solidarity...

PAGE A7 t

movement of goods, capital, and services, complemented with appropriate social safety nets.

“This is why we in Asean are drawing up a comprehensive recovery plan anchored on strengthening economic cooperation and supply chain connectivity,” Duterte said.

“We will build on existing platforms to ensure unimpeded trade in the region. We will work toward more regulatory coherence to promote Asean as an investment and trade hub. We will expand the digital economy to boost growth and create em-

ployment. And we will harness technology to allow businesses — especially MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) — access to regional and global supply chains,” he added.

Duterte thanked King Abdullah 2nd for convening the meeting.

“Reviving the economy is, therefore, vital. Economic selfsufficiency may seem a logical response to the supply chain disruption we saw at the start of the pandemic. It may sound rational to those who perceive themselves to be on the losing end of globalization. But economic

independence is not the answer.

It is a mirage. It seems like a real solution, but it is in fact an impossible proposition,” he said.

“Let us commit ourselves to enduring partnership and cooperation. For indeed, together, we shall prevail,” the President added.

The Aqaba Process meeting gathered leaders and heads of international organizations for an exchange of views on strengthening international cooperation in light of the increased vulnerability of many countries to radicalization and violent extremism resulting from the pandemic. n

MTRCB hit over plan to regulate...

PAGE A5 t chief Jonathan Presquito noted that in South Korea, all contents of Netflix go through prior review.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon also opposed the plan of the MTRCB to regulate streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Instead of regulating streaming platforms, MTRCB should continue to allow Netflix and other media to self-regulate content, Drilon said.

“It’s very impractical. There are thousands of shows on Netflix alone – how will MTRCB review each one? Can the MTRCB review every single content that can be accessed through the internet?

What will they do about virtual

private networks that allow users to access content from other countries? If they insist on it, then taxpayers will be paying MTRCB only to stream movies and shows 24/7, 365 days,” he said.

In such a setup, reliance on self-regulating mechanisms would suffice, Drilon said.

He said the MTRCB is a martial law creation under Presidential Decree 1986 and has been institutionalized as a tool for censorship.

He said the industry has achieved the maturity that PD 1986 sought to instill and can ably self-regulate content.

The MTRCB was created with the expectation outlined in PD 1986 that “through the participation of industry leaders, the

industry can eventually self-regulate after it has demonstrated its maturity, self-reliance and dependability,” he said.

Sen. Grace Poe, who used to head the MTRCB, also criticized the plan of the agency.

She said the MTRCB’s main role is classification, and “at some point, it should give way to self-regulation.”

“As it is, there isn’t enough manpower or even resources to view or evaluate every single program on cable. I think it’s counterproductive and ridiculous to suggest regulating Netflix and other streaming services.

I am personally against it,” she said. (With reports from Helen Flores, Paolo Romero/Philstar. com)

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A

House deliberates on 2021 national budget by divina

nova Joy dela ManilaTimes.net

CRuz

THE House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations begins deliberations on the proposed P4.5 trillion national budget for 2021 at 1 p.m. on Friday, September 4.

The committee, chaired by Rep. Eric Go Yap, will hear the briefing on sources of financing, expenditure levels and the budget proposals of agencies and a review of the previous years’ performance.

Invited are members of the Development Budget Coordination Committee, composed of the Department of Budget and Management, National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Finance, and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The hearing will combine the physical meeting at the House Session Hall and virtual meeting via Zoom. This will be livestreamed on the official Facebook page of the House of Representatives.

Deputy Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte said that only a maximum of 50 people will be allowed to physically attend the hear-

ing. Representatives from each agency will be chosen by their respective departments. The rest of the resource speakers and lawmakers will join deliberations via teleconferencing.

“The leadership really has to make sure that aside from being transparent and deliberative, kailangan ng safety. So, ili-limit lang talaga ang tao, but at the same time it does not mean naman na naka-Zoom hindi sila magpaparticipate. However, kung may issue na kailangan personal (silang makausap), pwede silang ipatawag,” Villafuerte said.

(The leadership really has to make sure that aside from being transparent and deliberative, the hearings must be safe. That’s why the number of people present has to be limited, but at the same time it doesn’t mean that those participating through Zoom cannot participate. However, if there are issues in which they must be personally present, they can be summoned.)

Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano has urged the public to participate in the budget deliberations by voicing out opinion and con-

cerns through social media.

“We are the House of the People. We will be discussing the people’s money so the people should have a voice. They should be able to give us their opinion, tell us what they want us to prioritize, and witness the process firsthand. This also goes to show our transparency and accountability to our constituents,” he said.

Meanwhile, the minority bloc vowed to scrutinize the budget to ensure that spending will be properly allocated to programs and sectors in need amid the pandemic and to “eliminate items that are unnecessary and superfluous.”

“Let me stress that while we are grateful to the Executive for preparing this budget and we respect the work they have put into it, we as legislators are duty-bound to review the budget, reassess the priorities and line items, if necessary, and reMASS TESTING. Tricycle drivers and vendors in Makati City undergo a free swab test held at the Makati Coliseum on Wednesday, September allocate funds to other programs 2. It was organized by the city government of Makati, led by Mayor Abby Binay.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan and projects that we believe require additional financial resources,” Minority Leader Bienvenido Abante said. n

UP, DLSU listed among top universities in the world MANILA — The University of the Philippines and the De La Salle University were the only higher education institutions from the Philippines included in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2021.

For the second consecutive year, UP placed in the 401-500 bracket among the 1,500 universities across the globe in the annual rankings released Wednesday, September 2.

“UP is largely seen as one of the best Filipino universities in national rankings and among the top institutions in Asia. Recent improvements include academic reputation and international faculty ratio,” UP’s Times Higher Education profile read.

Meanwhile, DLSU stayed in the 1001+ bracket.

“Acknowledged as a premier university in the Philippines, it serves as a significant resource

for the country and rest of the global society by developing leaders and achievers in business, public service, education, science and technology, and the arts,” DLSU’s profile read.

Times Higher Education assessed universities worldwide based on performance indicators in areas of teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

The University of Oxford topped the 2021 rankings for the fifth consecutive year.

The following are the top 10 universities in the world, according to the Times Higher Education: 1 University of Oxford in the United Kingdom 2 Stanford University in the United States 3 Harvard University in the United States 4 California Institute of Technology in the United States 5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States

University of the Philippines

De La Salle University Philstar.com file photos

by Gaea

KatReena CabiCo

Philstar.com

America’s ideological divide: This...

PAGE A6 t an especially positive view of the president, which may not be a surprise given that 93% of those who name the network as their main source of political news identify as Republican or lean to the party.

One striking example is in perceptions of Trump’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak. In a March 2020 survey, 63% of those whose main source of political and election news is Fox News said Trump is doing an excellent job responding to the outbreak. No more than a quarter of those who cited other news outlets as their main source of political news said this. Fox News regulars were considerably more likely than Republicans overall to describe Trump’s handling of the outbreak as excellent (63% vs.

47%).

In the November 2019 survey, 71% of those who cited Fox News as their main source of political news gave Trump a very warm rating on a “feeling thermometer” ranging from 0 to 100, where 0 represents the coldest, most negative rating and 100 represents the warmest, most positive. Among all U.S. adults, just a quarter gave Trump a very warm rating (between 76 and 100).

Fox News viewers also had a notably negative view of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. More than eight-in-ten of those who named Fox News as their main source of political news (85%) gave Pelosi a very cold rating on the thermometer – between 0 and 24.

That was more than double the share of all U.S. adults who gave Pelosi a very cold rating (41%).

HERE IS THE PROBLEM: An earlier research done by Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind in May of 2012 that surveys the level of awareness of Americans on international issues with reference to the news media source they subscribe to finds that “People who watch no news at all can answer more questions about international current events than people who

watch cable news.”

As reported by Poynter: “The largest effect is that of Fox News: all else being equal, someone who watched only Fox News would be expected to answer just 1.04 domestic questions correctly for a figure which is significantly worse than if they had reported watching no media at all. On the other hand, if they listened only to NPR, they would be expected to answer 1.51 questions correctly; viewers of Sunday morning talk shows fare similarly well. And people watching only The Daily Show with Jon Stewart could answer about 1.42 questions correctly.”

BUT FOX isn’t the only problem here. According to Poynter’s report on the study: “Interestingly, the results of the poll controlled for partisanship. MSNBC, Fox and talk radio consumers answered more questions correctly when their political views aligned with those of the outlets they preferred. Moderates and liberals who watched only Fox did worse than conservatives who watched it. This mirrored the results at MSNBC, where a conservative viewer could be expected to answer an average of .71 international questions correctly, for example, and a liberal viewer could be expected to answer 1.89 questions correctly. “None of the other news media had effects that depended on ideology,” says the report.”

As Filipinos in America, how do you feel about these studies?

What can we do to build bridges among us instead of walls so we can do our part in helping our beloved adoptive country move toward a more perfect union? *** 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.

6 University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom 7 University of California, Berkeley in the United States 8 Yale University in the United States 9 Princeton University in the United States 10 University of Chicago in the United States n

PH jobless rate eases, but Metro Manila left behind

by RomaR

miRanda Inquirer.net

MANILA— The number of jobless Filipinos went down nationwide in July after lockdown measures were eased, but a disproportionate rise in unemployment in the key economic center of Metro Manila disrupted what could have been a broad recovery.

A tenth of people in the labor force did not have a job in

July, down from a record-high of 17.7% in April when movement restrictions were enforced, preliminary data from Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed. The current rate translated to 4.6 million people out of jobs for the month.

Similarly, the proportion of workers looking for more work— the underemployment rate— decreased to 17.3% in July from 18.9% in April as on average, employees, most of whom were

stuck from home, worked for about three hours longer.

In total, 45.9 million Filipinos were part of the labor force or those people aged 15 years and up actively looking for work, up from just 41 million in April.

“What we are seeing is that, of course, the easing of quarantines helped but there are also other reasons (for the decline),” National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa said in Filipino during a virtual briefing on Thursday. n

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The Asian Journal

WKND Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ DEAR Atty. Gurfinkel, I was petitioned by my sister in 1990, and immigrated to the U.S. in 2013. Unfortunately, I had to leave behind my eldest child because she had aged out.

I have been hoping and praying something could be done for her. Could she be covered by the Child Status Protection Act? Is there anything else I can do to bring my child to the U.S.?

Very truly yours, GN Dear GN, First, I would like to point out an issue or problem I see com-

LifestyLe Consumer Guide Community marketpLaCe

Why did you wait so long? How Spyros Bros awed and impressed

mon among many Filipinos who consult with me. They wait years before consulting or taking steps to do anything for a family member left behind. I’m not trying to be critical: I’m just trying to point out that if a person has any question or issue, they should consult with an attorney or take action immediately, rather than waiting. The problem does not get better by ignoring it.

In your situation, you immigrated seven years ago, leaving behind a child. That is seven wasted years of separation.

As far as eligibility under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA), there is a complicated mathematical formula to determine a child’s age, which basically involves subtracting the processing time of the petition from the child’s age when the

priority date is finally current (or visa is available).

If you immigrated to the U.S. in 2013, and filed an F-2B petition for your child right away, the child could now be close to immigrating under your petition, without regard to the CSPA. That is because right now they are processing single adult children of immigrants who were petitioned in 2012. Instead, you let seven years go by, hoping or waiting for something to happen.

While I cannot determine your child’s CSPA eligibility without considering and reviewing all the information and documents, other possible options are for you to finally file a petition for your child (even though you’ve already lost or wasted approxiPAGE B2

LEADING U.S. IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY MICHAEL J. GURFINKEL ANSWERS YOUR IMMIGRATION QUESTIONS VIA ZOOM ON AN ENCORE “SOCIAL DISTANCING” EDITION OF CITIZEN PINOY. Under the new “normal” in the time of the pandemic, Citizen Pinoy continues its public service by providing relevant information and updates on immigration. On the first episode of “Your Tanong, My Sagot: Social Distancing Style,” Atty. Gurfinkel answers questions from Kapamilya in New Jersey, Guam, and California. Find out if an employer of an assisted living facility can petition someone in the U.S. with a tourist visa; or if the petition for a child with Down Syndrome can be expedited; or if the USCIS will excuse green card holders who are out of the country for over six months due to the pandemic. Get answers to these and more on an encore episode of CITIZEN PINOY: Your Tanong, My Sagot – Social Distancing Style this Sunday, September 6 at 6:15 pm PST/EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

(Advertising Supplement)

America’s Got Talent judges

By MoMar G. Visaya AJPress

FILIPINO talents across the diaspora have graced the stage of NBC’s America’s Got Talent (AGT). Marcelito Pomoy wowed the judges and the audience for AGT: The Champions last season and Angelica Hale made history as the first contestant to earn Golden Buzzer wins in the two seasons she joined. The all-male hip-hop dance group called Junior New System also made it to the semifinals of the show.

For Season 15, fans are earnestly looking at The Spyros Bros, who have mastered the art of incredible and elaborate diabolo (Chinese yoyo) tricks. Merriam Webster describes the diabolo as “an hourglass-shaped top that is balanced and spun on a string stretched between the tips of two sticks.”

The duo, composed of FilipinoAmerican brothers Marco Angelo and Marc Albert, are all set for the show’s semis this week.

“We have more insane tricks we haven’t shown yet and a secret danger element to reveal. We don’t want to spoil, but it’s once again something that AGT has never seen before,” Marc told the Asian Journal.

Equally excited, Marco promised that they are going to step up their game and they plan to keep the surprise and the wow factor going.

“That’s the hardest part. We need to find new, fresh tricks the audience and judges have not seen,” he said. “The semifinals is where the men are separated from the boys.”

The brothers delivered a riveting and captivating audition piece which was aired last June 16.They combined various elements of juggling, dancing and acrobatics to PAGE B3

Win or lose, the brothers have won the hearts of millions of kababayans worldwide, and for that, they are thankful. Their message to fans: No matter what hardship you are going through, you will be able to achieve anything as long as you put your mind and body to it. Hard work, passion and your belief in God will get you anywhere you want.

Photos courtesy of Spyros Bros

Marco told the Asian Journal that waiting for the verdict during the quarterfinals was harder than their performance. “Being picked for the Dunkin’ Save and not knowing whether you’ll be voted in or save by the judges is equally nerve wracking. It could mean the end of the road for us. That our dream is over. The thought alone is real scary,” he said.

B SEPTEMBER 5-8, 2020 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

EntErtainmEnt

Stepping out of hiS mother’S Shadow

Hilda Koronel’s son creates a path of his own

By MoMar G. Visaya AJPress

SebaStian Reid, born and raised in Manila, is the youngest child of award-winning actress Hilda Koronel. He is the man behind Sébre Studio.

Reid went to Xavier School in San Juan and moved to the South bay in California at the age of 14.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in Game art from Full Sail University in 2019 and plans to take further studies in the future. “i’ve been drawing since i can remember and i’ve been an avid gamer since 5 years old,” he shared. “i’ve always been inspired by Japanese pop culture like manga, anime, and heavily influenced by paranormal horror and various mythologies and folklore.”

He intends to use his startup and raise funds so he can become more efficient in serving newcomers with big ideas. Right now, he takes on clients that come his way for promotion or small fees in exchange, but expansion to a larger audience and business model is the plan. He is hoping to use the funds toward equipment, software licenses, and auxiliary education, among others. “the idea behind the business is for me to be able to take on part-time client-based freelance art services focused for creatives who are starting out in the industry,” he shared. “i don’t plan to take on the industry competition by accepting all clients, but i will do my best to help the ideas that i can stand behind.” being an artist and having experience in the game production pipeline, Reid realized that a lot of indie developers or creators struggle to find help. Most of them, like him, are most likely jacks of all trades. as an illustrator and game creator, Reid hopes to learn from the stuff he creates which is why he maintains a blog (journal) to take notes of the things he liked or disliked in a game he made.

He also wants to be transparent with his process and he would like to teach his clients and visitors to accept their form

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Sharon quashes KC-Piolo reconciliation rumors: ‘So much fake news coming out’

By Katrina

Hallare Inquirer.net

MeGaStaR Sharon Cuneta has quashed rumors that her eldest child KC Concepcion has reconciled with actor Piolo Pascual.

“So much fake news coming out…,” the Megastar said in an instagram post on tuesday, where she shared a video of her and Piolo singing.

“Lots of stuff has been coming out on several SocMed platforms about this boy, my eldest, me. all lies,” the veteran singer-actress added. “i DO nOt KnOW WHat iS OR HaS been GOinG On. nO One teLLS Me, &i DOn’t aSK.” Sharon also defended Piolo, whom she affectionately calls as “PJ”, saying that she “loves” him and has been friends with him over the years.

She also complimented Piolo’s son iñigo, who she described as “respectful and sweet to me.” “i do not & will not have a problem with Piolo at all in any area of my life or in our family,” said Sharon. a netizen, @mintflavah, told Sharon that there has been “fake news” circulating that KC is pregnant with Piolo’s child.

Sebastian Reid with his wife, Heidi Faith, and his mom, award-winning actress Hilda Koronel. “there’s fake news circulating of art and roll with it and nur- homepage to cater to viewers that she’s preggy and getting who are new to his site. He hopes married, and the comment secture it. “i struggled to see that my to be able to attract scouters and tion is off on Youtube, afraid of work does not look like other’s possible clients. the young man has a multiple simply because i’m me and i’m different. it didn’t mean that my dreams: to become a creator, illustrator, video game developer, art was “bad”,” he said.

Looking forward, he hopes 3D artist and printer, voice actor PAGE B1 to be able to gain enough trac- and mentor. but life is a learning process mately seven years, had you filed tion which he can use to mentor and he knows he has so much it right away). also, if there is an people who feel stuck or lost. “i have been an artist since more to learn and that is why he employer in the U.S. with a job i was 3 years old and a gamer is keeping his options open as related to her education, skills, since 5 (PS1), so it really takes far as learning more things go. in or experience, the employer time. i’m not the best in the field, the end, he hopes to eventually could petition her for a green card. a petition by an employer especially since i stopped draw- help others along the way. “i know, i’m a big dreamer. might take approximately 2 to ing for 7 years, but within the last year, i have had to re-learn a lot but i know that if i keep seeking, 3 years. but the point or lesson i want of fundamentals and concepts i will eventually arrive at fulfillto elevate myself back to be- ing my dreams. they’re all con- to make is that if you have quesing artistically active,” he said. nected at one point or another,” tions, issues, or concerns about your immigration situation, eli“the key is to really find peace he said. in the end, he hopes that his gibility, or possible immigration and fulfillment in the process of creating, not to focus on the end website can create a community benefits for your family, don’t of creators and learners and be wait years and years before firesults.”

He also dabbles on web de- able to assist the seekers and be- nally consulting with an attorney to determine the best option. Do sign as he worked on his own come a mentor to dreamers.

KC Concepcion

being bashed,” a netizen said in the vernacular. in response to the comment, Sharon simply laughed off the rumor.

Meanwhile, another netizen, @rltrmarissafe, likewise told the Megastar about the rumors that her eldest daughter and Pascual are set to marry.

“Wala din akong kaalam-alam (i do not know anything), as God is my witness,” Cuneta replied to

Photo from Instagram/@itskcconcepcion

the netizen. it was in October 2010 when Piolo confirmed that he and Concepcion are in a relationship.

However, KC, in an interview on “the buzz” in november 2011, confirmed that she and Piolo have parted ways. in an interview with G3 San Diego, KC looked back on her romance with Piolo, describing it as “very real” since it was her “first announced relationship.”

why did you wait so long... not waste years, which translates to additional years of family separation. instead, consult with an attorney as soon as you have the issue or question.. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 35 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bars of California and New York.

All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different, and results may depend on the facts of the particular case. The information and opinions contained herein (including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and re-enactments) are of

a general nature, and are not intended to apply to any particular case, and do not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

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

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How Spyros Bros awed and...

PAGE B1 produce a great performance, one that opened the door for them in the NBC reality show competition and earned for them a standing ovation from the judges.

“We pulled it off. We’re excited and exhilarated,” Marc said after the performance.

“We worked 4 to 8 hours a day just to get to this point. This was not an audition to us, this was our grand finals. Diabolo is our life and passion, we’ve done it our whole lives and it has changed our whole lives,” Marco added.

The brothers told us that they prepared for their audition piece for two months and practiced every single day, whether it is in the dark, it is windy or in the rain, or even on uncomfortable ground.

They had to work extra hard for the live quarter-final rounds which started a couple of weeks ago. This time, they delivered another epic performance, more than enough for the judges to swoon and express a little fear for their own safety at the same time.

“The joy and enthusiasm you bring to the show is special,” said actress Sofia Vergara, who shielded her face a couple of times.

“I’ve never seen a diabolo in my life until I met you guys and it gives me fear, I feel like you will break my teeth or something bad is going to happen.”

“It was quite incredible,” echoed fellow judge Heidi Klum who said she loved how the brothers were able to maximize the space at Universal. Except when that space was the “space right in our face,” she remarked.

“You are precision, you make diabolo look so easy and you make judging look so dangerous,” said Howie Mandel.

Finding an opening, Marc was able to give out a piece of trivia after their performance. Host Terry Crews mentioned Klum’s comment that the diabolo was not like a yoyo which was attached to a string.

“It is a giant yoyo that flies. Fun fact: the small yoyo was invented by a Filipino and we’re Filipino.

His name is Pedro Flores and that’s how it all ties in,” he said.

Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson drove some of his viewers to the brothers’ performance which was uploaded on YouTube, as evidenced by the comment section.

“Last night, the Democrats’ convention lost in the ratings to a variety show called “America’s Got Talent.” A pair of jugglers from the Philippines wearing glow-in-thedark headbands did a yo-yo demonstration. That out-rated “Doctor” Jill Biden. By a lot,” he said.

Road to fame Born and raised in Queens, New York, Marco and Marc lived with their family in Floral Park.

The brothers were around 8 to 10 years old when the diabolo piqued their interest and curiosity.

They first tried it at the China Pavilion of Epcot Center and found it so unique and fun to play with.

They were amazed that unlike the yoyo, the diabolo is not attached to the string and it can be thrown into various places like onto the sticks, in the air, juggling multiple diabolos and doing athletic moves with it.

They moved back to the Philippines in 2012 and continued mastering the craft.

They settled in Santa Rosa, Nueva Ecija, the hometown of their parents Alberto and Maritess Betito, and went to Holy Cross College for high school and Wesleyan University for college. Marc took up Electronics Communications Engineering and Marco studied Fine Arts.

“We wanted to learn about our culture, language and family heritage,” Marco said, adding that he remembers how hot it was in Cabanatuan City and calls it “possibly the hottest city in the Philippines.”

“New York is filled with so much diverse culture but it felt like we didn’t know much about our own besides the lumpia and tinikling,” Marc said.

Marco turned 26 on August 29, and shares his birthday with his idol Michael Jackson. On the same day seven years ago, he won a talent show in the Philippines called “Talentadong Pinoy” with a Michael Jackson tribute performance.

The brothers joined PINASikat on the noontime show Showtime, another talent search in the Philippines, in 2015 and won.

From then on, they set their sights higher and wished to perform their act internationally and put AGT on their radar. It wasn’t an easy route though.

Marco was born with Language Processing Disability and grew up with ADD but with enough family support and his own strength and determination, he was able to overcome such adversity.

He shared that he dreamt of joining AGT when he was only 14 years old.

“It was always our dream to join AGT,” Marc, who is two years younger than Marco, echoed. “The actual question was when were we ready. We wanted to join because we wanted to show the world our talent & share our story of how we

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 5-8, 2020

B

Anne, Erwan’s baby Dahlia turns 6 months old: ‘Lifetime of smiles in half a year’

By KAtrinA

HAllAre Inquirer.net

ANNE Curtis and Erwan Heussaff on Wednesday, September 2, once again shared new photos of their daughter Dahlia Amelie as she turned six months old.

“A lifetime of smiles in half a year,” the celebrity chef wrote in an Instagram post as he shared adorable snaps of his little girl.

The “It’s Showtime” host, in her own Instagram post, shared photos of Dahlia beside a red, white, yellow and pink floral arrangement.

Anne said she couldn’t help having “mixed emotions” as her daughter turned six months old.

“Mixed emotions of excitement to seeing her grow and experiencing all her milestones BUT also wanting to keep her as my little baby,” Curtis said.

“I feel like it was just yesterday

After this season of AGT, the brothers plan to travel and entertain people all around the world, and possibly pursue their respective masters degrees.

Photos courtesy of Spyros Bros

overcame hardships in our life.”

Early this year, auditioning in front of the judges became an actual dream come true for them.

This happened last March at the Pasadena Convention Center.

Among the words they used to describe the experience: “super exciting but also nerve wracking” and “cool and really fun experience.”

What people see on television is a four to five minute performance and not the ton of hard work poured into it. The brothers adhere to a process in order to craft each performance.

“It takes countless hours of rehearsals and endless thinking and brainstorming. We have to choreograph our own moves, edit our own music, and watch film as well,” Marc shared. “The process is gruesome. Hard physical work for at least 4 hours a day. It takes several weeks to perfect each performance.”

Simplified further, it’s like the famous response to the question “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” Practice, practice, practice.

“It involves a lot of blood, sweat and tears. We have to battle minor cuts and sprains. We had sleepless nights thinking of the routine and how to improve it,” Marco said.

The AGT experience For their live quarterfinals performance at the Universal Studios Hollywood last August 18, the brothers knew they had to show something different from their audition piece.

And just like every performance they do, they have to conquer their nerves first.

“Everybody gets nervous, even the professionals,” Marco shared.

“Question is how do you manage it. We have a warm up routine that we use which involves physical, mental and the spiritual.”

“Right before we perform, we always pray to God. Praying to God calms the nerves and helps us focus before our performance,” Marc said.

But for them, waiting for the verdict was more nerve wracking than the actual performance even if they delivered a standing-ovation-worthy act.

“We didn’t want to go home.

But when they finally called our name, we felt super relieved and happy,” Marc said.

Asked if they have a favorite judge, Marc picked Simon Cowell.

“Whatever he says is validation.

The judges are really friendly and down to earth. After the performance they are always interested in interacting with us,” he said.

Cowell also serves as an executive producer in the show.

For Marco, “All of them. But Howie and Simon are very important to be there to judge us.

They’ve been on the show for the longest time and they are the validation for the entertainment value we bring to the show.”

There is no secret to the success that they are enjoying now. In fact, it can be summed up in two words: hard work.

Spyros Bros is a testament to how focusing on one’s passion and mixing it with hard work and perseverance could open a lot of doors.

Marc and Marco are thankful to their fans, particularly the Filipinos in the diaspora who have been supporting them. Win or lose, they have earned the love and adulation of their followers.

“We are here to represent our culture and raise our flag. We are here to share our story of overcoming bullying and that we can all achieve great things no matter what, through hard work and believing in God,” Marc said.

“Their support and votes inspires and motivates us more,” Marco added. “To the youth, we

hope we can inspire them to find their God given talents and pursue them. Despite the hardship of life, we hope we can still bring pride and joy to our people.”

(America’s Got Talent airs Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.)

Anne Curtis and Erwan Heussaff’s daughter, Dahlia Amelie Photo from Instagram/@annecrustissmith

that I gave birth and held this sweet little girl in my arms for the first time… and just like that, half a year has gone by,” she added.

“I guess, now I understand when mums and dads say ‘you’ll always be my little baby’ – because that’s what she’ll always be to me. My

little Dahlia Amélie.”

Dahlia is Anne and Erwan’s first child, who was born on March 2 of this year in Australia.

The couple tied the knot in New Zealand back in November 2017, after six years of dating.

Kim will remain a Kapamilya, next project is with Xian again

ference for “Love Thy Woman” yesterday, Sept. 2, Chiu reInquirer.net vealed that she will remain a WORKING outside of ABS- Kapamilya.

CBN has not entered Kim Chiu’s “Sa ngayon, nasa Kapamimind, more so now that she is lya network pa naman ako all poised to partner again with with ‘Love Thy Woman’. May real-life boyfriend Xian Lim in ibinigay sa aking project that, her next Kapamilya project. of course, I am very happy to During the finale media con- do it sa Kapamilya network pa

By Alex

BrosAs

rin. Still, (I’m a) Kapamilya,” she said.

(For now, I’m still with the Kapamilya network [through] “Love Thy Woman”. I was given a project that, of course, I am very happy to do, still for the Kapamilya network. Still, I am a Kapamilya.)

PAGE B6

B SEPTEMBER 5-8, 2020 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

9 tactics to survive an IRS audit Tax Tips Victor Sy, cPA, MBA & roger L. orieL YOU have just received an invitation to the offices of the Internal Revenue Service. They want to examine your return.

Don’t panic. All these years, you have stashed funds for a rainy day. This is a rainy day.

Here are tips to cover you from the rain: 1. Prepare. This is the best line of defense against the IRS. If they want to verify your contributions, bring canceled checks and statements from charitable organizations.

2. Schedule the audit to your advantage. Do not be bullied by their ten-day letter. If feasible, schedule your appointment just before a three-day weekend when they are eager to go out on vacation. Schedule it near the end of the month when auditors are under pressure to close their inventory of open caseloads. Postponing an October or November examination to the holidays is not bad idea either.

3. Schedule your appointment early in the morning or late in the afternoon. An early morning appointment could get you an auditor who is still fresh and probably in a good frame

Tapat Sa Batas Atty. rheA SAMSon ANg green card holder ay maaaring mag-file ng N-400 Application for Naturalization kung ang kanyang green card ay may 5 taon na bago ang filing (3 taon kung ang green card ay nakuha dahil sa kasal sa U.S. citizen at sila ay nagsasama pa din). Ang aplikante para sa naturalization ay kailangang magpakita na sa statutory period na 5 taon bago ang filing, siya ay may good moral character (gMC).

Kung ang aplikante ay kusang hindi nagbigay ng suporta sa kanyang mga anak sa loob ng statutory period, maaaring masabi na siya ay walang gMC. Kailangang magpakita ang aplikante ng extenuating circumstances para sa hindi pagtupad ng obligasyon na magbigay ng child support.

Kasama sa obligasyon ng child support ang mga child support order sa ibang bansa o sa labas ng U.S. Ayon sa mga korte, kahit walang court order para sa child support, ang mga magulang ay may legal at moral na obligasyon para magbigay ng child support sa kanilang

of mind. In a late afternoon appointment, the auditor may want to leave the office before traffic builds up.

4. Don’t be afraid to go to Appeals. Your chances of winning there are better than the examination level.

5. Don’t bring unnecessary documents. This is not the time to come extra prepared. I have seen taxpayers bring documents for travel & entertainment when all that is being verified are interests and contributions. If the auditor decides to go on a fishing trip, you will be tempted to show excess bait that you just happen to bring along.

6. Auditors always request tax returns for the previous and succeeding years. That’s standard operating procedure.

But that doesn’t mean that you should provide what you cannot find right away. Stall to give you time to evaluate those returns with your tax accountant.

7. If you do get the (mis)fortune of being confronted by an unreasonable auditor, do not be afraid to intimidate back. Ask for another auditor.

Most employees of the IRS are reasonable and professional.

Treat them nicely. They are likely to reciprocate. But be wary of young agents who are still trying to impress their superiors or are on a mission to pay back an oppressive and cruel world when they were growing up.

Payback time. Personally, I have had my best wins with veteran auditors. I have had my most

terrible moments with young, minority auditors who carry police badges. (This is merely my own personal experience over 40 years of dealing with the I.R.S. and may not reflect yours).

8. Don’t be afraid to transfer your case to another IRS office if you have moved since you last filed the return under audit.

Some auditors in some offices have bad attitudes.

9. If an agent goes to your place of business in a field audit, do not feel sorry for placing the auditor in a small poorly ventilated room with stale air, if that happens to be the only available space. You cannot help it if the Revenue Agent feels so uncomfortable that he’ll beg to wrap things up and go home. (Folks, there is no law that requires you to welcome them in an embassy suite). *** 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.

Child support and naturalization

mga anak. Ayon din sa mga korte, ang hindi pagbigay ng suporta ay nagpapakita na ang aplikante ay walang gMC. Kung ang aplikante para sa naturalization ay may arrears o pagkukulang sa pagbigay ng child support, o ang kanyang binigay na child support ay hindi naaayon sa court- ordered child support, kailangan niya ipakita kung magkano ang kanyang arrears, kung gaano siya katagal na hindi nagbayad ng child support, at ang dahilan sa hindi pagbayad ng child support. Ang mga sumusunod ay maaaring maging konsiderasyon sa hindi pagbayad ng child support: (1) ang aplikante ay walang trabaho at walang pinansyal na abilidad para sa pagbayad ng child support; (2) mga dahilan kung bakit walang trabaho ang aplikante; (3) ebidensya ng good-faith effort para magbigay ng child support; (4) kung inakala ng aplikante na wala na siyang obligasyon na magbigay ng child support dahil tapos na ang obligasyong ito; at (5) kung ang arrears ay dahil sa miscalculation ng courtordered support at arrears.

Kung ang aplikante ay makakapagpakita ng extenu-

ating circumstances sa hindi pagbayad ng child support, maaari pa ring magkaroon ng determinasyon ang USCIS na siya ay may gMC. *** A green card holder can apply for naturalization if he has held permanent resident status for at least 5 years prior to the filing (3 years if green card was based on marriage to a U.S. citizen and applicant is still married to U.S. citizen). An applicant filing for naturalization must show that during the statutory period of 5 years prior to filing he was a person of good moral character (gMC). If the applicant has willfully failed or refused to support his dependents during the statutory period, he cannot establish gMC unless he shows extenuating circumstances. Child support obligations may also include child support obligations and child support orders abroad.

Even if there is no court-ordered child support for the applicant for naturalization, the Courts have held that parents have a legal and moral obligation to provide support for their dependents, and a willful PAGE B6

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

Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrSUA reyeS CONSIDER this common factual situation. You are over 21 years old and your US citizen parent petitions you while you are inside the United States.

Since this is a preference category, you have to wait many years for your priority date to be current. As the years go by, your petitioning parent dies which in turn revokes the petition. Can you still apply for your green card when your priority date becomes current?

Under Section 204(l) of the immigration and nationality act, you may apply for a green card despite the death of the petitioner once your priority date becomes current as long as 1) you were in the United States at the time of the Petitioner’s death, and 2) you continuously resided in the United States until the present time when you apply for adjustment of status. This provision does not apply to beneficiaries that are outside the United States.

This provision also applies to both approved and pending Petitions.

This avenue is available to all family based petitions as outlined in INA section 204(l)(2).

This includes 1)immediate relative petitions and 2)preference family petitions such as unmarried sons and daughters of us citizens, spouses and unmarried sons and daughters of lpr, married sons and daughters of us citizens, and brothers and sisters of us citizens.

Derivative beneficiaries of pending or approved employment- based immigrant visa

Can I qualify for a green card despite the petitioner’s death?

petitions are also covered by this section. This includes the spouse and unmarried children under age 21 of an individual who was sponsored under the employment-based category.

If you fail to meet the requirements of INA 204(l) because you did not continously reside in the US since the death of the Petitioner, you may still try to reinstate the Petition under 8 CFR Sec. 205.1(a)(3) Humanitarian Reinstatement.

The DHS (Dept. of Homeland Security) may exercise discretion “for humanitarian reasons” to reinstate the petition and to allow the Affidavit of Support requirements to be satisfied by the qualifying I-864 of a spouse, parent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, grandparent, or grandchild or legal guardian of the beneficiary, as long as the petition was “approved” prior to the Petitioner’s death.

DHS discretion does not mean “guaranteed” approval.

The case will be evaluated on a case by case basis. Some of the factors that the DHS may consider are 1) disruption of an established family unit; 2) hardship to US citizens or lawful permanent residents; 3) beneficiary is elderly or in poor health; 4) beneficiary has had lengthy residence in the US; 4) beneficiary has no home to go to; 5)undue delay by USCIS or consular officer in processing petition and visa; 6) and Beneficiary has strong family ties in the United States.

The beneficiary must be prepared to show proof of the original I-130 that was filed, proof of I-130 approval if approved, a copy of the Petitioner’s death certificate, proof of substitute sponsor’s relationship to the beneficiary, and meet all the I-864 requirements. *** 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 ma tte r may ma ke 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)

Client maxes out credit cards to $75K during pandemic as unemployment benefits are insufficient Debt Relief

Atty. LAwrence yAng WHO would have thought that we would have to go through a pandemic of these proportions in our beloved America during our lifetime?

It’s not even mildly implied in the Nostradamus quatrains.

Certainly, there was a reference to the September 11 attack by a man in a turban.

But nothing mentioned by Nostradamus about 200,000 dead Americans with 6 million infections so far even as operation warp speed promises to deliver a vaccine by November 1, two days before

the election. No, that news of vaccine distribution by November 1 has absolutely nothing to do with the November 3 election. Whatever reference, that any thinking idiot may infer is purely coincidental.

There is no truth to the fact that there are 200,000 dead Americans killed by the virus.

I mean, this is the kind of daily gaslighting, we as Americans have to endure every day. It is really exhausting. And, our Black brothers and sisters are still getting shot and killed by law enforcement just because of their skin color. We are reliving the great Depression, the Spanish f lu, and civil unrest all at the same time.

Client makes $100K yearly pre-COVID This client is young in his mid-30s. Pre-Covid, he was grossing $100,000 a year.

That’s pretty good. But postCOVID, in April, he lost his job as an IT manager. He got furloughed permanently.

Not long after, his employer folded up. He tried getting another job as an IT manager and sent out hundreds of resumes. He got several interviews conducted by Zoom but none of those became a firm job offer.

Finally, he applied for unemployment benefits and got the maximum of $450 a week. For unknown reasons, the PUA never came through, which would have given him another $600 a week. It’s the luck of the dice. Most PUA goes through very quickly in a day or two, but 10% end up in limbo. That’s just the way it works.

Bills keep coming even as income disappears Unfortunately, the bills keep coming. Monthly expenses do not stop when your income disappears. When push comes to shove, you have your credit cards to rely on. Just go ahead and use them to the max. The client is about to max out his credit cards at $75,000. His back is against the wall. The rent has to be paid. He got a two-month rent deferment but has to resume rent payment again. You can’t kick the bucket down indefinitely.

He’s been using his credit cards for food and to stock up on groceries — the basic necessities of life still continue every single day. Unemployment benefits are simply not enough to live on.

Obviously, he can’t pay any of the minimum payments on the $75,000 credit cards. The EDD money is for surviving this pandemic.

It’s ok to use credit cards to survive this pandemic So, it’s ok to rely on your credit cards to supplement

your income during these extraordinary times. Use them for your food and other necessities. Later on, when the vaccine arrives, which the CDC says is coming before November 3, thanks to operation warp speed and when things get hopefully back to normal and the economy is rebooted and you get your job back, let’s see how we can restructure or get rid of the credit cards that you have maxed out.

In this client’s case, he has decided to discharge the $75,000 with a Chapter 7 petition now. The timing is right because when he gets his job back that pays $100,000 a year, then the option would be reorganization and partial payment of the $75,000 with Chapter 13. If he were back to making $100,000 a year, he would probably pay a portion of the $75,000 over five years since he would not be able to satisfy the chapter 7 means test. That would definitely show a presumption of abuse since he is single and has no dependents. So for him, the timing now is right for a Chapter 7 wipeout of the $75,000 credit cards. That will give him a fresh start in life with no accumulated debt. When he starts making the $100,000 again, he will be able to save a lot of money since he won’t have to debt service $75,000 of cards. That’s at least $2,200 of minimum credit cards payments a month, or a savings of $26,400 a year, or $53,000 in two years! That’s a lot of savings that the young client can start investing in a diversified portfolio or just an index fund and target growth of 6% to 8% a year.

What did Bill gates say about being born poor? He said if you are born poor, that’s not your mistake. But if you die poor, that’s your mistake. So choose to not die poor is what is he saying. It’s all about making the right choices and decisions at the right time. This is the right time to get rid of the accumulated debt. Seriously. You will not regret it. *** Disclaimer: None of the foregoing is considered legal advice. Each case is different. *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes i n B a n k r u p t c y, B u s i n e s s , R e a l 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.

(Advertising Supplement)

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 5-8, 2020

B

Angel admits being cheated on before

By Niña

V. GuNo

Inquirer.net

ANGEL Locsin gave words of wisdom to women who have had to deal with infidelity.

The actress and activist opened up on how she dealt with her experience of an unfaithful partner in writer G3 San Diego’s vlog on Monday, Aug. 31, as reported by Inquirer Bandera on Wednesday, September 2.

However, she declined to name who this partner was.

San Diego broached the topic Youtube vlogger Lloyd Photo from Instagram/@lloydcafecadena of cheating while discussing the teleserye “The Legal Wife,” where Locsin’s character Monica struggles in her marriage because of a third party.

When asked how someone could cheat on someone as beautiful and sexy as the actress, Locsin “It is with a heavy heart shared with everyone. My fam- replied, “Wala naman sa itsura

By KatriNa Hallare and great sadness that we an- ily and I ask for your prayers, ‘yun. Karamihan ng mga kababaiInquirer.net nounce the untimely demise of respect, and privacy during this han, kapag naloloko, sinisisi ‘yung sarili… Pero mali ‘yun eh.”

FAMED YouTube vlogger our beloved brother Lloyd Cafe time,” the post further read.

(It has nothing to do with looks.

Lloyd Cafe Cadena has passed Cadena,” the post read.

Known for his highly engagaway, according to a post on No cause of death was men- ing YouTube vlogs, Cadena’s Many women, when they are his official Facebook page on tioned in the post. channel currently has 3.06 cheated on, blame themselves…

Friday, September 4. He was “May he be remembered million subscribers, as of this but that’s wrong.)

“Kailangan ma-realize ng mga 26. for all the joy and laughter he writing.

YouTube sensation Lloyd Cadena passes away at 26

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

Angel Locsin

kababaihan na ang ganung gawain, hindi mo fault ‘yun. Hindi mo fault na masama ang ugali ng isa.

Hindi mo fault kung walang loyalty ‘yung isa,” she stressed.

(Women need to realize that that behavior is not your fault. It isn’t your fault if the other [person] has a bad attitude. It’s not your fault if they don’t have loyalty.)

She explained, “Totoo na sa

EMPLOYMENT

FOR RENT

FOR SALE

Photo from Instagram/@therealangellocsin

isang problema, dalawang tao ‘yung involved pero sa kasalanan, isa na lang ‘yun eh. ‘Pag mali, mali pa rin ‘yun kasi.”

(It’s true that in a problem, two people are involved, but the wrongdoing, that’s only one person. When it’s wrong, that is still wrong.)

“Maraming babae ang nabuPAGE B6

B SEPTEMBER 5-8, 2020 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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Ageism and the rights of older workers Reinstatement for surviving (especially in these COVID-19 times) beneficiaries of an I-130 petition

THE U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently announced the settlement of an age discrimination lawsuit against Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a NASA field center located in Pasadena, CA. JPL is NASA’s primary planetary spacecraft center.

It designs and makes planetary robotic spacecraft and operates NASA’s Deep Space Network.

In the lawsuit, the EEOC accused JPL of systemically laying off employees who were over 40 years old in favor of retaining younger employees.

Older employees were passed over for rehire in favor of less qualified, younger employees. These conduct violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).

Rather than prolong the litigation, the parties agreed to settle, with JPL paying out $10 million in damages to dozens of older JPL employees. JPL also agreed to retain an EEO monitor, a diversity director and a layoff coordinator to monitor compliance with the ADEA. With this, JPL is tasked with ensuring that it takes no further action in the recruitment, hiring, layoffs, and terminations of employees that may result in disparate impact age discrimination. The EEOC will monitor compliance with this agreement.

Age discrimination has always been an unwelcome reality in the workplace.

However, with the COVID-19 situation, it is fast becoming the case du jour. The American Bar Association Journal writes: “Older workers historically have faced greater

The Prophetic Voice reverenD roDel G. BAlAGtAS AS I often say, we’re living in a polarized society. There are so many conflicts and divisions in our country today, especially during this presidential election campaign.

Protests and riots continue to arise, such as those in Portland, Oregon, and Kenosha, Wisconsin, causing more violence, killings, differences of opinions, and deep divisions among politicians and citizens.

When will we ever unify ourselves as a country? When will peace reign in our society? Many say until justice and equality prevail. Others say until lawmakers protect the sanctity of human life in all stages and respect every person’s dignity by giving them access to jobs, housing, and medical care.

Whatever our opinions are, we need to pray for peace and reconciliation in this country. We need to pray that whoever we elect as the next president and vice president will unite national and local leaders.

The work of unity is a Christian

Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr. age discrimination in firings, layoffs, and hiring during economic downturns, with EEOC data showing a spike in age discrimination claims during and after the Great Recession of 2007-2009. … Experts expect the toll of the current recession will be even heavier, given the much bigger total job losses . . . and widespread concerns about older employees facing greater health risks from COVID-19.”

How COVID-19 affects older workers Employers may use the pandemic as an excuse to fire older and higher paid workers, claiming business necessity.

Other employers may urge older employees to stay home to prevent the risk of infection while bringing back younger workers. This is potentially illegal.

Generally, employers must not exclude older employees from the workplace without their consent even though employers may claim it is for their own good.

The law requires employers to evaluate employees on the basis of their abilities and not their age. Employers cannot use age-based stereotypes or unsupported generalizations about the qualifications or job performance of persons who are 40 years or older. The law also protects against forced retirement based on advanced age.

Age discrimination may exist where an employee’s age was a motivating reason in the denial of an employment benefit such as hiring, promotion, compensation, provision of a discrimination-free workplace, and freedom from termination.

Most age discrimination claims are based on the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (which prohibits discrimination against workers age 40 and older); the Americans with Disabilities Act; the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (which mandated paid sick leave and family leave); the Fair Labor Standards Act; and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act. Age-discriminated employees who can prove their case may recover back pay, reinstatement, damages for pain and suffering, attorneys’ fees and court costs, and punitive damages if a non-governmental employer acted with malice or reckless indifference. *** 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 monetary 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.]

(Advertising Supplement)

On working for reconciliation, peace, and unity

responsibility. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus’ prescription on fraternal correction attests to it.

Whenever offenses occur in a Christian community, its members must take the crucial task of reconciling the parties involved.

They should do it based on love and concern for its members.

Indeed, our love for one another is the basis of any work of reconciliation. St. Paul reminds us about it in the Second Reading (Romans 13:8-10): “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not covet; and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.”

Let’s not allow our differences to destroy the love and unity among us. As they say,

let’s agree to disagree, but still, maintain peace and respect for one another.

It takes a great deal of courage and maturity to work for reconciliation, peace, and unity among us. Who says that this work is easy? But remember what Jesus told Peter in the Gospel last Sunday. “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

Hence, the work of unity and reconciliation involves the ability to carry the cross of humility, restraint, compassion, mutual respect and understanding, and the ability to listen to one another. All these things involve losing one’s life for the sake of Christ. And whenever we fulfill this work, heaven and earth unite, for whatever is bound or loosed by the community on earth is also considered bound and loosed in heaven. *** Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.

Kim will remain a Kapamilya...

PAGE B3 Meanwhile, Star Magic’s Johnny Manahon has come up with an announcement allowing his talents to work with the Kapuso network (GMA) or TV5.

When asked about her reaction to this, she said, “Siyempre, iba-iba naman ‘yung mga perspective namin.” (Well, we have different perspectives.)

“Si Mr. M, binibigyan lang din kami ng chance kasi ‘yung iba wala namang work. On my side, sobrang lucky ako that ABS still [gives] me projects para manatili sa Kapamilya network,” she explained.

(Mr. M, he gives chance to those who doesn’t have work.

On my side, I am so lucky that ABS still gives me projects so I can stay in the Kapamilya network.)

So, what’s next for her?

“Madami pa naman. Meron kaming… may niluluto sila for us and it’s gonna be exciting.

Kim Chiu

Photo from Instagram/@chinitaprincess

DEAR Attorney Tan, My US Citizen mother filed an I-130 immigrant petition on my behalf, which has a priority date in February 2000 and which has been approved.

She filed the I-130 petition after I came to the US in 1999 as a tourist from the Philippines.

Since my arrival, I have lived in the US and have been out of status. Since I was petitioned as an unmarried adult daughter, I was advised that I had to wait several years to get a green card. Recently, my mother passed away. Can I still get a green card through my mother’s petition? -H.P. Dear H.P., When your mother passed away, the I-130 that was approved on your behalf was revoked by operation of law pursuant to 8 CFR Section 205.1.

However, depending on the facts of a particular case, all is not lost. You may be eligible to get a green card pursuant to INA Section 204(L).

Under INA Section 204(L), relief from an automatic revocation of an I-130 petition is available to certain surviving relatives.

Surviving relatives who are eligible to seek 204(L) relief include a 1) principal or derivative beneficiary of an I-130 petition that was filed by a deceased permanent resident or U.S. Citizen, and 2) derivative beneficiary of an I-130 petition that was filed by a permanent resident or U.S. Citizen where the principal beneficiary has died.

Section 204(L) relief is also available to derivative

Legal Advice Atty. DArriCk tAn beneficiaries in I-140 employment-based petitions where the principal beneficiary has died.

Another requirement for Section 204(L) relief is that the person seeking relief must have “residence” in the US. What is meant by “residence?” It is your primary home or principal actual dwelling place. At least one beneficiary must have resided in the U.S. when the petitioning relative died, and must continue to reside in the U.S. when seeking Section 204(L) relief. It is worth noting that all beneficiaries of a petition can benefit from Section 204(L) relief as long as at least one of the beneficiaries meets the residence requirement. Further, although “residence” is required, Section 204(L) does not require actual physical presence in the U.S. when the relative died.

In your case, it appears that you are eligible to obtain a green card. You are a principal beneficiary of an I-130 petition filed by your US Citizen mother.

Further, you appear to meet the residence requirement in that you have been in the US since your arrival in 1999—you resided in the US when your mother passed away, and currently reside in the US. A check of the USCIS visa bulletin indicates the

priority date for the I-130 petition filed by your mother on your behalf is current, so you can file an I-485 adjustment of status application, requesting reinstatement of the I-130 petition filed by your mother pursuant to Section 204(L).

As a sidenote, Section 204(L) relief is also available if one’s relative died while the I-130 was pending, not only after the I-130 petition was approved. Section 204(L) relief therefore is broader than Humanitarian Reinstatement of a petition under 8 CFR Section 205.1, which can only be requested by the principal beneficiary when the petitioner him/herself has died, and after approval of an I-130.

Relief under Section 204(L) is discretionary, and can be denied if factors in support of relief are not presented properly. It is accordingly recommended that you seek the assistance of an experienced attorney. *** Darrick V. Tan, Esq. is admitted to practice law in California and Nevada.

Mr. Tan is a graduate of UCLA and Southwestern University School of Law. He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Consumers Attorney Association of Los Angeles. He has also served on the Board of Governors of the Philippine American Bar Association. *** LAW OFFICES OF DARRICK V. TAN, 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Tel: 323-6390277. Email: info@dtanlaw.com (Advertising Supplement)

Ken opens up on filming upcoming movie ‘My First and Always’ amid COVID-19

By Ian

BIong Inquirer.net

KAPUSO actor Ken Chan admitted that he and the crew went through a lot of struggles in shooting a film while adapting to the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chan is set to star alongside singer-actress Rita Daniela in their first film together titled “My First and Always” by director Louie Ignacio, who wrapped up shooting on Aug. 31.

“Maraming proseso ang pinagdaanan para sa pelikula namin ang ‘My First and Always’,” the actor disclosed to fans on Instagram on Wednesday, September 2. (We went through a lot of things for our movie, “My First and Always”.)

Following COVID-19 health protocols, those involved in the movie also had to undergo swab testing as they visited several locations and filmed outdoors.

“Dumaan sa SWAB test ang lahat ng aming cast & crew. Sa bawat shooting days naman may mga nakabantay na DOH at IATF para sa kaligtasan ng lahat,” he added.

(The entire cast and crew underwent swab testing. All of our shooting days were closely watched by the Department of Health and the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases.)

The actor also thanked production company Heaven’s Best Entertainment for making it possible to make a quality film even in the middle of a pandemic.

“Sobrang blessed kami dahil sa Heaven’s Best Entertainment @hbeproduction Sa kalagitnaan ng pandemya ay nakagawa kami ng isang kalidad na pelikula,” he said.

(We are so blessed to have Heaven’s Best Entertainment that even in the middle of a

ing. Xian and I are excited. We are about to start on it so it’s a surprise to all our solid supporters.)

Chiu’s Jia character in “Love PAGE B4 Thy Woman” gets intense as she personally investigates failure to provide such support the death of her father, Adam shows that the naturalization Wong, played by Christopher applicant lacks GMC. If the applicant for naturalde Leon. ization has not fully-paid child support pursuant to a court order and has arrears, the applicant must show how long there was non-payment, the current arrears due, and the circumShe admitted that the pain ‘yung tao na para talaga sa ‘yo, stances for the non-payment helped her in her craft and that mare-realize mo na how petty and arrears. The following she won an acting award because ‘yung mga pinagdaanan mo, ‘yung circumstances may be considof it. mga iniyak mo.” ered by USCIS in determining Locsin added that the difficult (When you find the person who GMC despite the child support experience gets washed away by is meant for you, you will real- arrears: (1) applicant’s unemfinding the right person. For her, ize that what you went through ployment and financial inabilit is fiance Neil Arce. and what you cried about was so ity to pay child support; (2) She said, “Kapag nahanap mo petty.) cause of the unemployment Kami din, excited na rin kami ni Xian. Malapit na rin kaming magsimula so it’s a surprise to all our solid supporters,” she disclosed, careful not to divulge too much about the upcoming project.

(There are a lot. We have… they are cooking something for us and it’s gonna be excit-

Angel admits being cheated on...

PAGE B5 bulag na ‘Ah baka kasi ganito, kasalanan ko kaya ako naloko.’

Pero hindi, kapag manloloko, manloloko talaga.”

(Many women get blinded and say “Maybe it’s like this, it’s my fault I was cheated on.” But no, a cheater is a cheater.)

filed by a deceased relative

Ken Chan with Rita Daniela

pandemic, we were still able to make a quality film.)

He also expressed his gratitude to everyone who helped make the film possible, especially the director and his “RitKen” love team partner. “[Sa] aking ‘Choy’ @missritadaniela, isa lang masasabi ko, napakahusay mong aktres!

Salamat din sa pagaalaga mo sa akin ah…mahal kita alam mo yan!” Chan emphasized.

(To my Choy, Rita Daniela, I only have one thing to say, and it is that you are a great actress!

Thank you also for taking care of me. I love you, you know that!)

Photo from Instagram/@akosikenchan

Ignacio, meanwhile, de scribed their last day of shooting as “bloody” as he updated fans of the crew’s journey in Pagsanjan, Laguna, via several Facebook posts.

Despite the “10 long days” of shooting, the director seemed to have enjoyed creating the film as seen in several clips and photos he shared of their shoot in the serene waters of Pagsanjan.

The premiere date of “My First and Always,” which was initially titled “My First, Your Last (Luis Loves Luisa),” has yet to be announced.

Child support and... and financial inability to support dependents; (3) evidence of good-faith effort to reasonably provide child support; (4) whether the nonpayment was due to an honest but mistaken belief that the duty to support minor child had terminated; and (5) whether the nonpayment was due to miscalculation of court-ordered support and arrears.

If the applicant for naturalization is able to show extenuating circumstances, a failure to support dependents will not adversely affect GMC determination. *** 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 degree from the Ateneo de Manila 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.

(Advertising Supplement)

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