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SEPTEMBER 13-19, 2018

T H E F I L I P I N O –A M E R I C A N C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R

Volume 29 - No. 35 • 2 Sections – 16 Pages

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Pres. Duterte discusses national issues during a ‘tête-à-tête’ with Panelo

by AJPRESS

‘TÊTE-À-TÊTE’ WITH THE PRESIDENT. Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo sits down with President Rodrigo Duterte in a televised interview in Malacañang Palace on Tuesday, September 11. The president discussed previous issues with Panelo including the rice crisis, amnesty and the supposed destabilization plot, among others.

PNA photo

DATELINE

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Duterte blames Trump for inflation as locals and leaders point back to TRAIN law DURING his speech in front of the Filipino community in Jordan last Friday, September 7, President Rodrigo Duterte blamed U.S. President Donald Trump as the cause of the current inflation in the Philippines in light of the ongoing U.S.-China trade war.

Trump recently declared he was considering tariffs on an additional $267 billion in Chinese goods.

“The inflation (that is happening in the country now) is because of Trump,” Duterte stated, as reported by The Manila Times. “When he raised the tariff and banned other items, things got messy.”

In defense of the president, presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said almost the same words in his DZRH interview, on Tuesday, September 10.

“The truth is, the economy was a mess because of the trade war between U.S. and China, and we cannot deny that. Before that,

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, September 11, addressed the country with varied matters of national importance during a “tête-àtête” with Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo in Malacañang.

Initially, the president called for a press conference at 3 p.m. without disclosing the scope of his speech. However, an hour before the said media affair, ‘MANO PO’. President Rodrigo Duterte shows a gesture of respect to Education Secretary Leonor Briones prior to the 29th Cabinet

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US National Security Adviser: ICC is ‘already dead to us’ International Criminal Court says it will continue work ‘undeterred’

by RAE

ANN VARONA AJPress

THE International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday, September 11 said that it will continue to do its work “undeterred,” after the United States criticized the court’s legitimacy.

“The ICC, as a court of law, will continue to do its work undeterred, in accordance with those principles and the overarching idea of the rule of law,” the Hague-based court said in a statement.

The statement came a day after U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton on Monday, September 10, took aim at the Hague-based court by denouncing its authority, and threatening sanctions on it if it were to proceed with investigations of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Bolton’s speech came ahead of an expected announcement by an ICC judge regarding a request to open up investigations of alleged war crimes, such as torture and illegal imprisonment, com-

THE Philippines was tagged by Irelandbased human rights group Front Line Defenders (FLD) with having the highest number of killings of activists along with Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.

In its 2017 report titled “Stop the Killings” released this week, the FLD said the six countries accounted for more than 80 percent of killings of human rights defenders.

The report said at least 60 activists were killed in the Philippines last year.

Extrajudicial killings remain the top threat facing human rights defenders in the country, according to the report.

The FLD, which probes attacks on activists in six countries, documented more than 1,000 killings since 2014.

The group said at least 474 human rights activists were slain during the Arroyo presidency from 2001 to 2010 and 139 during the term of former president Benigno Aquino III from 2010 to 2016.

The FLD also reported that 300 rights activ-

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mitted by the CIA and U.S. forces in Afghanistan since May 2003.

The court received an alarming 1.17 million allegations of war crimes from Afghans earlier this year from threemonths worth of collected material.

Bolton at a speech to a conservative group on Monday said that the ICC “unacceptably threatens American sovereignty and the U.S. national security interests.”

He added, “The United States will use

any means necessary to protect our citizens and those of our allies from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate court.”

“We will not cooperate with the ICC,” said Bolton, adding that “for all intents and purposes, the ICC is already dead to us.”

He also said that the Palestine Liberation Organization office in Washington was ordered to close, a move being seen as the Trump administration’s lat-

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Pacquiao sues Top Rank for TV rights

by ABAC

CORDERO Philstar.com

MANILA — Manny Pacquiao is mulling legal action against Top Rank Promotions and “several other individuals” over the alleged non-payment of his share in the broadcast rights of his July 15 title clash with Argentina’s Lucas Matthysse in Kuala Lumpur.

“I am initiating legal proceedings against Top Rank and all other parties based on the non-payment and attempts to restrict my future fights,” said Pacquiao.

“I have not received the U.S. rights payment for my July 15 fight

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‘PH with most activists killed outside Americas’

Meeting at the Malacañan Palace on Tuesday, September 11. Also in the photo are Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano.

Malacañang photo by Karl Norman Alonzo

Sen. Manny Pacquiao and Top Rank CEO Bob Arum

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Inquirer.net photo

SAP Bong Go claims corruption Duterte says ex-Defense allegations are ‘politically motivated’ Secretary Gazmin signed Former PH Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV

by AJPRESS

SPECIAL Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Monday, September 10, denied the corruption allegations against him amid the involvement of the family-owned CLTG Builders and Alfrego Builders in the government’s public work projects.

Go said that the said criticisms hurled against him were “politically motivated attacks” considering that there are groups clamoring for him to pursue a senatorial position.

“Did I have any involvement in these? Did I touch anything? None,” Go said, as reported by The Manila Times.

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) reported that the CLTG Builders — owned by Deciderio Go, the presidential assistant’s father — won Special Assistant to the President (SAP)

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Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go Inquirer.net photo

BOARD CERTIFIED, INTERNAL MEDICINE

Call for An Appointment

Philstar.com photo

Trillanes’ amnesty

mere cabinet member,” Duterte emphasized.

Duterte said that the amnesty PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo granted to military rebels like Duterte on Tuesday, September Trillanes should be solely de11, rendered the amnesty grant pendent to the highest-ranking of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV executive official. He expressed invalid because he claimed that the magnitude of Trillanes’ ofit was signed by then Department fense in a televised interview with of National Defense (DND) Sec- Chief Presidential Legal Counsel retary Voltaire Gazmin.

Salvador Panelo.

“So that an act of pardon, an “Look, why? You know because act of amnesty is always an act of the action now taken against him state, which cannot be done by a

by AJPRESS

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september 13-19, 2018 • LAs VeGAs AsIAN JOUrNAL

From The FronT Page

Duterte says ex-Defense Secretary...

PAGE A1 by way of a criminal complaint is a very serious one, rebellion.

Had it succeeded, it could have overthrown the government,” Duterte stated.

However, this excuse was not indicated in the leader’s Proclamation 572 that revokes the said amnesty. The reason behind the said revocation stated that Trillanes failed to comply with the application requirements thus

ordering his immediate arrest and travel ban.

The Magdalo mutineer denied the accusation that it was only Gazmin who signed his amnesty grant and not former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. He discussed with reporters that Duterte was so insecure because there are soldiers siding with the senator despite what the president did to them, specifically doubling up their salaries.

The president also denied the accusations that he is doing this to Trillanes as a way to show his critics that he can silence them.

“The fact that they are doing it every day only goes to show that I am giving them the time of their lives to just talk and talk and talk,” Duterte added.

SC junks TRO on Proclamation 572 Trillanes also doubted the legality of Proclamation 572 so he sought out the Supreme Court (SC) and filed a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the said revocation. However, on the same day, the SC junked the motion stating that the president agreed to require a warrant for Trillanes’ arrest.

“The Supreme Court has spoken. Senator Trillanes sought to restrain the implementation of the Presidential Proclamation 572. The Supreme Court denied the application for TRO,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said.

Roque reiterated that Duterte will patiently await the decision of the Makati Regional Trial Court regarding the revocation of the former naval officer’s amnesty.

“There is no legal impediment but the President has previously decided that he will await the action of the regional trial court but I do not want to preempt the President on whatever position he may have now. But that was the last position of the president,” Roque said.

Trillanes welcomes SC decision Trillanes said that the initial decision from the high court was a good sign. He noted that the decision reflected that it is indeed an independent body away from the hands of the national leader.

“This is a test case and its initial decision was a welcome development because it was a show of their independence, so far, it was a carefully worded decision by the Supreme Court,” the opposition senator said.

He also stated that the SC officials could have easily disregarded the case but they did not so he believed that it shows a promising light to his camp.

“They (Supreme Court associate justices) could have dismissed the petition altogether but they knew that we presented a strong case and the proclamation of Mr. Duterte was or is badly flawed.

But nonetheless, they gave him a face-saving way out,” he said. n

STORM WATCH. Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Senior Weather Forecaster Christopher Perez gives an update on typhoon “Mangkhut”, which is expected to enhance monsoon rains until weekend during a press conference at the PAGASA headquarters in Diliman, Quezon City on Wednesday, September 12.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

Pres. Duterte discusses national...

PAGE A1 Presidential Communications Group Undersecretary Feducia Mia Reyes-Lucas said Duterte’s press conference would no longer push through.

Palace officials told the media that the president will instead answer questions solely from his legal counsel. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. cleared out the official activities that were to transpire that afternoon, as reported by Inquirer.

“Lilinawin ko lang po, matutuloy po ‘yung pina-planong têtê-a-têtê ni Presidente at ni Presidential Legal Counsel Panelo. Ang format po pala ay it will be a close-in event with PTV-4 and RTVM, but I believe that PCOO had previously asked for the questions of the media. So your questions will be asked for you by Presidential Legal Counsel Panelo (I would just like to clarify, the têtê-a-têtê of the president and Presidential Legal Counsel Panelo will still continue. The format will be a close-in event with PTV-4 and RVTM),” Roque said.

Duterte explained the government’s plans on a hodgepodge of issues, including the situation in Mindanao, inflation, the war on drugs, EDSA traffic, tele-

communication players and the revocation of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s amnesty.

The leader said that there is a significant decline in the crime rate ever since the southern region was put under a martial law rule.

“It has lessened the criminality at large. The only way to confirm that is to conduct a survey.

Maybe they can conduct an interview,” Duterte said.

Amid the complaints of price surges in the country, as reflected from the recent inflation rate data released by the Philippine Statistics Agency (PSA), Duterte assured the public that the economic managers are on top of it and that instances like this can be deemed as normal.

“Shortages [are] always there.

The economic life is not always a bed of roses,” Duterte said.

The tough-talking leader did not spare the uniformed personnel when Panelo asked him regarding the war on drugs that his administration has adamantly focused on. He warned all the police officials that they might meet their doom if they continue with the drug trade.

“Meron ditong mga pulis na nasa droga talaga. Kapag andiyan ka sa droga ikaw ang

mauuna (There are police here involved in drugs, if you are involved in drugs, you are first to die),” Duterte warned.

Duterte assured the public that he will fulfill the promises he made during his campaign.

“I am trying to govern the way I promised. Sinabi ko sa inyo na I will fight corruption. Wala akong pinatawad dito (I told you I will fight corruption. I never forgave anybody about this),” Duterte said.

He denied any accusations that he is involved with corruption. He even noted that his salary would go straight to the Land Bank of the Philippines and that he would not receive any extra.

“Sinabi ko sa inyo na di ako makialam sa transaksyon sa gobyerno. It begins and ends with the cabinet member. Wala akong extra perks. Nagtatrabaho lang po ako (I told you that I will never interfere with the government transactions. I don’t have extra perks. I am just doing my job),” Duterte noted.

He added, “Nagpatay ako nang maraming kriminal, alangan naman pulis ko o sundalo ko ang mamatay (I ordered to kill many criminals, it’s better than having my police and soldiers killed).” n

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Pacquiao sues Top Rank for...

PAGE A1 against Lucas Matthysse that was broadcast on ESPN+,” he added.

In a press statement, Pacquiao said his legal team is asking ESPN+ (a video streaming subscription service in the United States), “to produce all documents needed to determine the net profits generated by Top Rank from distributing the (Matthysse) fight worldwide.”

Pacquiao said Top Rank and several others “until now have failed to settle their financial obligations.”

Arum’s role in the Matthysse fight was limited to broadcasting the fight.

In the press statement, the Pacquiao camp alleged that under the contract with Top Rank, the latter can only air the fight “outside of the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, and their respective territories and possessions.”

Top Rank entered into a deal

with ESPN+, and the PacquiaoMatthysse fight was broadcast inside the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico “without Pacquiao’s permission or consent.”

The Pacquiao camp said ESPN+ did not have the right to broadcast the fight inside the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Pacquiao, who won the WBA welterweight crown by knocking out Matthysse in the seventh round, said it was “a glaring violation of the terms of the contract.”

The Pacquiao camp said it has sent a letter to Top Rank, which has allegedly “refused to recognize and address” the concern of the Filipino boxer and senator.

One of Pacquiao’s lawyers claimed that instead of taking positive action to settle the issue, Top Rank “has taken positions that are inconsistent and sidestepped the legal implications of the situation.”

Top Rank claimed that the

DATELINE USA

contract was amended in early July 2018 although Pacquiao said the amendment was never signed and ratified.

Last Aug. 10, almost one month after the Matthysse fight, Arum and Top Rank president Todd duBoef flew to General Santos City to allegedly ask Pacquiao to “retroactively and without consideration sign the amendment.”

Pacquiao, who became a Top Rank fighter in 2006, did not sign.

Top Rank recently told MP Promotions that they consider the contract void, and implied that the contract was intended to apply to broadcast via PPV (pay-per-view) only. The fight was never aired on pay-per-view.

Top Rank is now claiming that therefore, the eventual broadcast

by ESPN+ inside the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico was not subject to any of the terms and conditions in the contract. ■

‘PH with most activists killed outside...

PAGE A1 ists were killed in 27 countries in 2017. The fatalities were defenders of the environment and indigenous people’s rights, especially in remote areas with little access to protection, documentation, reporting and justice.

Only 12 percent of murders were resolved with the arrest of

the suspects, according to the FLD. “In these countries where death tolls increased, corruption and collusion between states and businesses have resulted in a political system designed to keep the elites on top and the disenfranchised silent,” said Jim Loughran, head of the

FLD’s Human Rights Defenders project.

“For decades, the governments of Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and the Philippines have been using the same excuses to justify their inactions – terrorism, organized crime and drug gangs,” he added. (Philstar.com)

SAP Bong Go claims corruption allegations as...

PAGE A1 a total of P1.85 billion in government contracts from 2007 to 2017, not including the joint venture projects with Alfrego, which is owned by his half-brother Alfredo.

Go insisted that the said businesses went through the proper process of bidding. He said that he never interfered with the decision of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) let alone influenced them to choose the family business.

“Being related to me does not disqualify them to bid. These projects are publicly [bid on] anyway.

I never intervened nor influenced the DPWH on how they bid or award these projects. My office does not control DPWH, to begin with,” he said.

He said that he never once conversed with the engineers in the department.

“Ni hindi nga ako nakikiusap sa mga engineer, ‘Ito pondohan

mo’ (I don’t even talk to engineers and say, ‘Fund this’),” the secretary said.

He added, “Si DBM (Department of Budget and Management), ni minsan hindi ko sinabihan na lagyan mo ang Davao City para makapabor doon (Not once have I told DBM to allot money for Davao City).”

He also said that should there be proof that he engaged in corruption, he will immediately quit his cabinet position.

“Once you are able to prove that I spoke with anyone — secretary, regional directors, DBM — everyone who is connected in your research, if I ever did, I will resign. I will resign immediately,” Go promised.

Go clarified that the family’s construction business predates his birth. He said that he could have easily talked his way to the president but because of “delicadeza,” he chose not to.

“For 15 years, I prevented my

family from entering [the Davao] City Hall. I told them, “If you enter City Hall, I will leave [it],” Go said.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV filed on Wednesday, September 12, a resolution urging the Senate Civil Service Committee to look into the above-mentioned accusations and identify a possible conflict of interest.

“Whereas, CLTG Builders caught the attention of PCIJ’s research because it failed to complete all of its joint-venture projects within the original deadline.

CLTG also has a B license which means that it could not carry out a big-ticket project without having a partner,” Trillanes said, according to The Philippine Star.

Go was among the top likely Senate candidates in a survey by PDP-LABAN along with Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III. However, he denied any plans of running for the Senate. ■

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 13-19, 2018

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Photos by Jhay Otamias

Nietes vs Palicte fight ends in questionable split draw THE older and smaller Donnie ‘Ahas’ Nietes used his boxing craftiness to break down Aston Palicte who was on survival mode in the last round during their World Boxing Organization (WBO) championship fight on Saturday, September 8, at The Forum in Inglewood, California on ‘Superfly 3’ televised on HBO. However the scores of the judges told a different story as Robert Hoyle had it 116 to 112 for Palicte while Daniel Sandoval had it 118 to 110 for Nietes.

The third judge Max de Luca saw it 114-114 draw to end up with neither Filipino boxer get to hold the WBO world super flyweight crown. Philboxing had it 117 to 111 for Nietes.

HBO unofficial judge Harold Lederman also had it 117 to 111 for Nietes.

Palicte (24-2-1, 20KOs) used his longer reach and power punches to try to impose his will on the smaller Nietes (41-1-5, 23KOs) but the wily veteran used subtle moves to continuously land clean shots against Palicte.

Compubox numbers had Nietes ahead on the punch stats.

Nietes landed 194 of 523 total punches (37 percent) while Palicte connected on 124 of 830 total punches (15 percent).

The WBO broadcast panel of Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman and Andre Ward saw Nietes clearly won the fight commenting that “it was really a bad decision” against Nietes. (Dong Secuya/Philboxing.com)

A

Dateline USa

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US National Security Adviser: ICC is...

PAGE A1 est step in pressuring Palestinian leaders to comply with a Middle East peace plan.

The ICC responded to Bolt’s remarks by saying that the court was “an independent and impartial judicial institution” that was created to “ensure accountability for crimes that shock the conscience of humanity.”

“The court’s jurisdiction is subject to the primary jurisdiction of states themselves to investigate and prosecute allegations of those crimes and bring justice to the

affected communities,” the statement said. “It is only when the states concerned fail to do so at all or genuinely that the ICC will exercise jurisdiction.”

“The ICC, as a court of law, will continue to do its work undeterred, in accordance with those principles and the overarching idea of the rule of law,” the court vowed.

France on Tuesday backed the ICC in saying that the court should be able to operate without hindrance.

“France, with its European part-

ners, supports the International Criminal Court, both in its budgetary contribution and in its cooperation with it,” Agnes von der Muhll, the foreign ministry spokeswoman, said in a statement.

“The court must be able to act and exercise its prerogatives without hindrance, independently and impartially, within the legal framework defined by the Rome Statute,” the statement said.

‘Court of last resort’ Established in 2002, the ICC is described as a court of last resort intended to take on cases from nations unable or unwilling to carry out investigations and prosecute perpetrators.

With 123 state parties recognizing its jurisdiction, it has before been at the end of criticism with the latest coming from countries like Myanmar and the Philippines, both of which are undergoing criticism for human rights violations.

On Friday, September 7, Myanmar’s government said that it “resolutely rejects” an ICC ruling that claimed jurisdiction over alleged deportations of Rohingya Muslims to Bangladesh in a crisis described by the United Nations as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing.”

Myanmar President Win Myint described the ICC ruling as “the result of faulty procedure.” The ruling, he said, was of “dubious legal merit.”

Late last month, the Philippine government downplayed the potential impact of a new complaint filed with the ICC that called for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s indictment over alleged extrajudicial killings carried out since taking office.

Philippine presidential spokesperson Harry Roque described the new complaint as being “doomed” because the Philippines earlier this year announced its withdrawal from the ICC. Having joined the court in 2011 and thus becoming a signatory to the Rome Statute, the Philippines gave court prosecutors jurisdiction over alleged crimes done during its membership. ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced in February that she would open up preliminary examinations into the government’s “war on drugs” campaign.

In March, Duterte unilaterally withdrew from the Philippines from the tribunal, a move he said was “effective immediately.” Yet, the treaty states that withdrawals become effective a year after a country gives notice to the United Nations secretary-general. n

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Filipino family members Carlina Gamos, 67; Gerlen Gamos, 38; Joshua Gamos, 42; and Noel Gamos, 40 who operated Bay Area adult and child day care facilities have been arrested and charged with several counts of human trafficking and other labor-related offenses, the California Attorney General’s office announced on Friday, September 7.

Photos courtesy of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office

Filipino family charged with numerous violations at adult and child care facilities Most of victims were Filipino, said Attorney General Becerra

by Rae

ann VaRona AJPress

THE Filipino owners of six Bay Area adult and child day care facilities were charged last week for numerous violations including human trafficking, wage theft, possession of illegal weapons, and rape.

A total of 59 charges were filed Friday, September 7, against four members of the Gamos family — Joshua, 42; Noel, 40; Gerlen, 38; and Carlina Gamos, 67 — who while operating their four adult care facilities and two child care facilities in the Bay Area, employed and exploited mostly Filipino immigrants.

At a news conference Friday, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said that it was the workers who “helped bring this case to light.”

“It is the workers who are the greatest victims of Rainbow Bright and its operations. Most of the workers are Filipino immigrants,” he added.

Of the charges, 26 were for grand theft of wages and labor, totalling to around $8.5 million, according to Becerra. Eight of the charges were for human trafficking and violence, and three were for rape. Noel and Joshua Gamos were also accused of of-

fering female employees gifts in exchange for sex acts.

According to the complaint, the alleged abuse happened between 2008 and 2017.

The charges are a result of a yearlong investigation by the attorney general’s Office Tax Recovery and Criminal Enforcement (TRaCE) Task Force, and involving the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office; the U.S. Department of Labor; the California Department of Industrial Relations; the California Department of Social Services; and law enforcement departments in Pacifica, South San Francisco, and Daly City.

“While the employees were providing by all accounts loving care, they were doing so under egregious circumstances,” said Becerra.

The complaint said that employees at the Rainbow Bright facilities were promised a room to sleep in and food while working as live-in caregivers. They were also told that they would receive a monthly salary between $1,000 and $1,200 for eight hour work days, five days a week.

Instead, the employees were forced to work nearly 24 hours a day while employed at the defendant’s Rainbow Bright Daycare facilities, according to the

complaint. Employees were also forced to sleep on floors and garages, and were locked outside in the rain when the owners were not home. They were also threatened to be turned over to U.S. immigration officials, and had their passports confiscated by the Rainbow Bright executives.

“No worker in the United States should live in fear or be subjected to violence, abuse or exploitation at the hands of their employer,” said Becerra. “The charges against the Gamos family members are despicable. We must not turn a blind eye to abusive labor practices. Report it, and we will investigate and prosecute.”

Fourteen illegal assault weapons were also seized by agents serving the arrest warrants. Three of the assault weapons were “ghost gun” rifles, meaning they did not have serial numbers, according to a statement released

by Becerra’s office. Ghost guns allow for bypassing registration regulations and background checks.

“What’s most painful as we discuss this is is this is happening in neighborhoods,” said Becerra. “This could be happening in your backyard, in your neighborhood, with people you believe are living a regular life and being cared for.” n

Fil-Am students go viral for sneaking fake poster into McDonalds

by Rae

ann VaRona AJPress

A POSTER featuring two Filipino-Americans enjoying a McDonald’s meal has gone viral for a reason that has many internet users laughing.

Hanging on the wall of a local McDonald’s in Texas, the poster — as legitimate as it looks — was not provided by the billion dollar fast food chain, but by 21year-old Fil-Am Jevh Maravilla who decided to pull off a genius prank of creating his own poster and hanging it up on the eatery’s wall.

“I noticed there was a blank wall at McDonald’s so I decided to make this fake poster of me and my friend,” wrote Maravilla in a viral tweet that has been retweeted over 250,000 times and liked over one million times as of Friday, September 7.

“It’s now been 51 days since I hung it up,” revealed Maravilla in his Monday, September 3 tweet.

The University of Houston student said that the need for diversity and representation of Asians in the media was the main inspiration for his stunt.

“If you haven’t noticed, there isn’t a lot of Asians represented in media,” Maravilla said in a YouTube video titled, “How to Become McDonalds Poster Models.”

“And hopefully one day I could see someone like me on the big screen,” he added, alongside another photoshopped photo of himself on the movie poster of the latest blockbuster hit “Crazy Rich Asians.”

The idea came in mid-July when Maravilla and his also FilAm friend Christian Toledo were eating snack wraps at a McDonalds in Pearland, Texas. Upon

Fil-Ams Jevh Maravilla and Christian Toledo came up with the idea of hanging up a poster of them eating inside a McDonalds location in Pearland, Texas.

Photo courtesy of Twitter/@Jevholution

noticing the lack of Asians in the restaurant’s posters, the two thought it would be a great opportunity to add some new wall art.

In his YouTube video, Maravilla explained the process of taking the photo in front of their local neighborhood event center, editing the photo and having it printed at Office Depot, coincidentally finding a McDonald’s polo shirt at a thrift store for $7, pairing the shirt with a tie and badge with a title of “Regional Interior Coordinator”, and finally hanging the photo up.

The video has garnered over 900,000 views on YouTube as of Friday, September 7.

To BuzzFeed, Maravilla said, “I feel so thankful. I didn’t know how much of a difference I can make in people’s eyes. Even one

tweet can change the world.”

He added that while his parents weren’t too pleased about it at first, they finally came around.

“After the whole mission was completed, they couldn’t help but laugh. They even took a picture with my poster without me knowing they went,” said Maravilla.

And as the big question of how long until the photo comes down remains, it seems like the poster may not be coming off anytime soon.

“We take pride in highlighting diversity in every aspect of our restaurants,” the local McDonald’s owner Mariselle Quijano told CNN. “We applaud these students’ creativity and hope to see them in our restaurants again soon.” n

Duterte blames Trump for inflation as...

PAGE A1 everything was smooth-sailing and going according to plan, until the war happened to obstruct it.

They say that when the giants clash, small countries like the Philippines become as affected.

That’s what the president is trying to say.”

The TRAIN law inclusion The president said that he’s not apologizing, and that there really is inflation in the Philippines. According to him, the government is already in action to solve it, meaning he’s letting the economic managers handle the problem.

He added, “I’m no better than the rest of them (economic managers). They’re (in fact) brighter than I am.”

Filipino consumers have felt the impact of inflation, with the drastic increase in prices of goods/ services including fuel, public transport fare, and food necessities such as rice, vegetables, fish

and meat.

The head of Save the Nation movement Antonio “Butch” Valdes said in his interview with The Manila Times, that the implemented TRAIN law is a factor in the problem. He said, “I think the president is being misled by his economic advisers on the reason for inflationary price increases.

We had warned before that the TRAIN law, which increases indirect taxes, will impact negatively to the consumer. It’s tantamount to increasing the VAT (value added tax).”

He also suggested that Duterte should announce a State of Emergency rather than blaming others.

He said, “In light of present inflationary pressures caused by the TRAIN law, I strongly suggest that the president consider declaring State of Emergency on the power sector, address the scandalously high cost of electricity causing the

most debilitating burden on the Filipino population, and review the disastrous effects of privatizing public utilities, which now threatens national security.”

Valdes explained that the additional tariffs imposed on our exports affects more U.S. consumers than Filipinos. That being said, countries affected of the economic policy shifts are China, Canada and Mexico. It is quite impossible for the Philippines to be included to the fiasco.

In addition to why Trump isn’t to blame, Carlos Manapat, head of the Department of Economics at the University of Sto. Tomas, said that the impact of tariff is limited to steel and iron, which is very far from the impact of inflation.

Inflation escalated in August to 6.4 percent, the highest since 2009 under then president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, which climbed to 6.6 percent. (AJPress)

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A

D ateline PhiliPPines Duterte says he quarreled with China DND chief confirms plot by CPP-NPA to oust Duterte

by Jaime Laude

by aLexis

RomeRo Philstar.com

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has admitted quarreling with China after Chinese troops tried to drive away Philippine Navy planes flying over disputed areas in the West Philippine (South China) Sea last month.

Duterte, who has been accused of not doing enough to assert the Philippines’ claims in the area, said China accused Filipino pilots of causing trouble despite the friendly relations between Manila and Beijing.

“Kaya nag-away kami (That’s why we quarreled with each other).

We had a little bit of... not really animosity but when the Navy was approaching the area, they shouted: ‘You Filipinos, you get there, you will be causing trouble.’ They did that even if we are friends,” the president said last Tuesday, September 11.

“We have a claim there... In the eyes of the world, that’s ours, not theirs,” he added.

Last month, British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) released a video showing a Philippine military plane receiving stern warnings from the Chinese military.

The Philippine aircraft was reportedly flying over the artificial islands built by China on West Philippine Sea areas that are also being claimed by the Philippines.

Philstar.com

In this November 11, 2017 photo, President Rodrigo Duterte walks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meet at the Intercontinental Da Nang Resort in Vietnam.

Malacañang photo by Robinson Niñal

The Chinese military demanded that the Philippine aircraft “leave immediately” or “bear the responsibility for all the consequences.”

China has built artificial islands on Kagitingan (Fiery Cross), Panganiban (Mischief), Zamora (Subi), Burgos (Gaven), Kennan (Hughes), Mabini (Johnson) and Calderon (Cuarteron) Reefs, South China Sea areas located off the province of Palawan.

Despite the episode, Duterte stressed that he would not go to war with China over the dispute because it would cause the “slaughter” of Filipino troops.

“I cannot make a move to remove them forcibly, because I’ll

end up in a war, which we will be losing,” the president said.

“If I tell you ‘let’s go for it,’ will you survive? It will result in a slaughter. We thought about me.

Not just me. Even the military officials in my cabinet.”

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque downplayed the tiff, saying the president might have just lost his temper.

“It was not really a quarrel but perhaps he lost his temper, that’s a better expression. He lost his temper because of the reported warning given to our pilots flying over the area that is ours,” Roque said on Wednesday, September 12.

PAGE A7

Gov’t to limit daily visitors on Boracay MANILA — The inter-agency task force formed to oversee the rehabilitation of Boracay has cited the need to ensure that the number of visitors on the island would not exceed its capacity.

Citing a report by the task force, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said there was overcrowding in the tourist destination even if there was lack of wastewater treatment systems.

“There is an excess in existing population, non-tourists in the island; there’s an excess in existing hotels and available rooms, and there’s excess in solid waste generated. There is sufficient water supply; there is, however, insufficient wastewater treatment facilities,” Roque said in a press briefing on Wednesday, September 12.

The findings of the task force

were presented in a Cabinet meeting last Tuesday, September 11.

Roque said the Cabinet has adopted the recommendations of the task force including measures to ensure that the number of people in Boracay would not go beyond its capacity.

“Some of the recommendations adopted include, maintain the tourism carrying capacity of 19,215 persons per day; 6,405 tourist arrivals per day. Evaluate the feasibility of utilizing the extra available rooms; promote wetlands utilization for filtering out waste from both soil and water through plant uptake,” he said.

The task force also recommended maximizing open spaces for vegetation; minimizing point source pollution; conducting an information campaign in solid waste and liquid waste manage-

ment; minimizing coastal erosion; and establishing permanent monitoring facilities in designated areas.

“The most important is that they assess, that the carrying capacity for Boracay is 19,215 persons per day, including 6,405 tourist arrivals per day,” the presidential spokesman said.

Last April, Duterte ordered the closure of Boracay for six months to allow state agencies to rehabilitate it. The president has also called the island a “cesspool” and has threatened to file cases against local officials who allowed the tourist destination to deteriorate.

The closure, which started last April 26, is expected to displace about 35,000 workers and cost the economy about P1.9 billion. (Philstar.com)

MANILA — There is a plot to oust President Duterte, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana confirmed, but it is coming from the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPPNPA).

The alleged involvement of the “yellows” or pro-Aquino groups and the camp of opposition Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV has not been verified, Lorenzana said.

“The destabilization plot is true, but it is coming from the CPPNPA, which they hatched in 2016 and finalized in 2017. They have this oust-Duterte plan along with their supporters. I don’t know if other groups will be riding on this,” Lorenzana said.

Citing information from foreign sources, President Duterte disclosed the alleged ouster plot against his government by the CPP-NPA, the “Dilawans” (Liberal Party) and the group of Trillanes that is supposed to be implemented next month.

But just the same, because of the rumors, the defense department is continuously monitoring the security situation since some groups might capitalize on the current situation just to advance their personal and political agenda.

For several days now, Trillanes’ amnesty revocation by Duterte has triggered pro- and anti-government debates, with some resorting to name-calling in their social media posts.

Lorenzana likewise described as plain rumor talks going around that soldiers are now divided over Presidential Proclamation 572 that saw the revocation of the Aquino government amnesty granted to Trillanes.

His statement is meant to belie several reports that disgruntled active personnel are now throwing their support behind Trillanes.

“Within the organization (military) there is none (ouster plot of disgrunted soldiers),” Lorenzana said, adding that soldiers are in high morale because they are now enjoying good benefits, unlike before.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Carlito Galvez issued a warning to soldiers the other day not to engage in partisan political activities.

Lorenzana said Galvez issued

this reminder for the soldiers to ignore those who might be out to politicize their ranks.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said the police are still verifying the information that certain groups are planning to oust President Duterte by next month.

Atty. Kimberley Schaefer

Albayalde said the President has unlimited sources of information and the PNP is just one of them.

The information, which directly came from the Chief Executive, should be taken seriously, he said.

“We are looking into all these information. These are all serious PAGE A7

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OPINION

Everything but the TRAIN

FEATURES

WITH inflation hitting a nine-year high, the peso falling to a record low and share prices tumbling, which factors are being blamed by the administration? Malacañang points to strong demand — an explanation that also psyches the people to even higher prices ahead with the start of the Christmas season.

Meanwhile, President Duterte, returning to the country from visits to Israel and Jordan, blamed the tariffs imposed by his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump amid a trade war with China.

Washington has been silent on the statement of President Duterte. But his own finance chief had earlier said the Philippines was “sort of insulated” from the impact of the U.S.-China trade war. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. also attributed the inflation surge to “food supply shocks” as the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that food and nonalcoholic beverages accounted for the largest component of the inflation rate hike.

Economic managers have blamed everything except the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, which slapped a hefty excise tax on fuel, raising transport and electricity costs. The fuel tax under TRAIN was compounded by rising

world crude prices and the weakening peso.

Instead of considering suggestions from lawmakers and even other economists from outside the government to suspend at least certain provisions of the TRAIN law, however, the government is pushing Congress to pass the second phase of tax reforms or TRAIN 2, now with the new acronym TRABAHO or jobs, for Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High Quality Opportunities. The government has been warned about possible business shutdowns and consequent job losses due to TRABAHO, but so far, the administration is standing firm not just on TRAIN 2 but also on not touching a single provision of the first phase of TRAIN. Filipino consumers are being run over by the inflation train. This is more destabilizing than any political maneuvering, real or imagined, against the government. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

Admiral John McCain and the unprecedented PH Dollar Remittance Program PeaceMaker FORMER SPEAKER JOSE C. DE VENECIA, JR. (Part 1 of 3)

WE were out of town on speaking engagements and attending meetings in the Middle East, South Asia, and last week in Seoul when the bemedalled and popular U.S. Senator John McCain, although unable to make it twice to the U.S. presidency, passed away from cancer, and was the object of unprecedented week-long ceremonies in Washington, D.C. fit for a genuine national hero.

His plane was shot down over Hanoi at the height of the Vietnam War and languished in prison for some five years, refusing to be freed, on account of his being the son of U.S. military commander while other American prisoners would remain in Hanoi.

Once we briefly met him with a handshake in the U.S. Senate with other U.S. Senators and we promised to call on him next time and purposely to lobby for Filipino Veterans Claims pending legislation in the U.S. Congress and to inform him of our close friendship with his late father, Admiral John

Commentary

RIGOBERTO TIGLAO IN their wishful but deluded thinking that the inflation spike and the Trillanes brouhaha will be bringing down President Duterte soon, the Yellows can’t even pick a slogan that won’t hint at their lunacy.

Melito Salazar, a Board of Investments vice chairman during the Cory Aquino and Fidel Ramos administrations, very surprisingly titled his column “The end is near.” There he claimed that the Duterte administration was now in “economic and political chaos” that marks the end of any regime.

Vicente Romano 3rd, President Noynoy Aquino’s fivemonth tourism undersecretary who nearly got the country to plagiarize the Poland tourism slogan (and even logo), echoed Salazar’s take: “You know the end is near when… the economy is in a free fall. Prices of commodities are hitting the roof, beyond the reach of the

McCain, Commander of the U.S Pacific Fleet, with headquarters in Honolulu, and his mother, now the 105-year-old Roberta. His father played an important role in the historic dollar remittance and official conversion program which we designed, initiated and pushed up to completion, and which killed the dollar black market and dramatically helped enlarge the Philippine foreign exchange reserves to what it is today at roughly 80 billion U.S. dollars, along with more dollars earned by Philippine exports. (After his retirement, Admiral McCain briefly joined the Board of our public company, Landoil and its subsidiary Philippine-Singapore Ports Corporation).

We were a 31-year-old minister and economic counselor in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) during the Vietnam War. In Saigon, we, the small team of diplomats and staff, were receiving from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs our monthly salaries in dollardenominated checks, which invariably were exchanged at the black market for local Vietnamese currency to pay for our monthly housing rental and costs of living in Vietnam.

It was well known throughout Asia and in most capitals worldwide, that the black markets in foreign exchange were

rampant.

At home at the time, the official peso-dollar exchange rate was at two pesos to one dollar but the black market was almost double and continued to deteriorate, and was everywhere, from the Escolta, then Manila’s main shopping area, to Subic Naval Base in Zambales, Clark Air Base in Pampanga, Sangley Point Naval Station in Cavite, Baguio which housed the U.S.managed Camp John Hay, and Camp Wallace, in coastal San Fernando, La Union, also under U.S. operation.

At the time, if our memory serves us right, the total Philippine foreign exchange (dollar) reserves was hovering in the vicinity of $400-million, less than a billion, a miniscule, compared to our approximate foreign exchange reserves today of some $80-billion, including our intake from largely overseas labor remittances of some $25-billion to $30-billion a year.

From our diplomatic post in Saigon, we boldly proposed to the home government in 1966-67 that to throttle and eventually wipe out the black market in foreign exchange in the Philippines and elsewhere, and to dramatically and rapidly enlarge Philippine dollar reserves, that all U.S. military expenditures in the Philippines be officially exchanged

at the Philippine Central bank at the official rate, to cover all U.S. expenditures in operating Clark, Subic, Sangley Point, Camp John Hay, Wallace Field, the peso requirements of the U.S. Embassy in Manila and other U.S. consulates and offices in the country.

Appealing to the Americans to support our plan, we turned Saigon into our operating center from where we flew to U.S. military bases across Southeast Asia and the Pacific, in between trips to Manila. For a number of these journeys, from Wake Island to Guam to Okinawa, we were permitted occasional rides in U.S. transport planes by Admiral John S. McCain Jr., father of the late Senator John McCain, and son of Admiral John Sidney McCain Sr., who commanded the Fast Carrier Task Force during the critical amphibious operations in the Pacific Theater in 1944-45 that led to the U.S. victory over Japan.

We developed a close bond with the Admiral McCain Jr., then commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Command based in Hawaii that had operational control of U.S. military bases in the Philippines.

Once, while we were in Hawaii, we had a revealing conversation with the Admiral at the U.S. Navy headquarters at Pearl Harbor. The Admiral ex-

pressed the deep anguish he had felt every day as he made combat decisions while his son was being held as a prisoner of war in the Hanoi Hilton. We remembered the senior McCain worrying that his command decisions could cause harm to his son. He told us how difficult it was to separate his duties as a commander and his feelings as a father. The Admiral was worried that every attack on the enemy that he approved would cause his son to be mistreated or even executed in retaliation.

In hindsight, his concerns were justified. The Admiral’s son, the late Senator John McCain, suffered torture in North Vietnam. He was captured after his plane was shot down on October 26, 1967, and not released until March 14, 1973, when he was flown to Clark Air Base in the Philippines for medical care. This paternal purgatory lasted for five years.

Admiral McCain became Pacific Commander in July 1968 and stayed in the post until 1972.

From Guam and Wake Island to Hawaii and Okinawa, we, as chairman of the Presidential Committee on Dollar Remittances, flew across the Pacific to drum up support for the dollar remittance proposal, and occasionally Admiral McCain would let us fly on U.S. military

aircraft for these trips.

Sometimes we would go island-hopping to the Filipino communities in the U.S. bases with our team, co-chairman Labor Undersecretary Raoul Inocentes, Central Bank Foreign Exchange Director Alfredo Antiporda, and Philippine National Bank (PNB) officials Isidro Villanos and Pastor Alvarado, who were under PNB President Roberto Benedicto.

Without the generous and essential support from the Admiral at this key stage of development of the dollar-remittance program, the eventual success it enjoyed would not have occurred. To this day, the Philippines owes a debt of gratitude to Admiral McCain, as do we.

Thus did the dollar-remittance program go into motion with little fanfare, and with the splendid results the like of which we had not anticipated.

A new social phenomenon had arrived as well. The overseas job market was beginning its rapid expansion by then, led by some of the brightest, most skilled, and ablest Filipinos, who left to work abroad with lucrative work contracts. This was a wholly new phenomenon – the mass export of skilled labor, the nation’s greatest resource – and its benefits were enormous.

(To be continued next week)

Yellows like lunatics now shrieking: ‘The end is near’ poor. And nobody seems in charge on how to contain the problem.”

That “the-end-is-near” line of course is an old, old line used in so many caricatures of religious nuts wearing sack cloth shouting (with placards even): “Repent, the end is near.” So, it is befitting that these Yellows should be using this cliché.

Either he is a closet Yellow cultist, or a political opportunist with a lousy sense of timing (or just dull-witted analyst), but Senator Ralph Recto in the opening prayer of the Senate session the other day — for chrissake, in a prayer! — also portrayed the country as already in economic collapse, saying that “food is scarce, their prices high” and that “inflation is robbing our people of the full value of their wages.”

Inflation is indeed high at 6.4 percent year on year in August.

That means prices went up 6.4 percent from August 2017 to August 2018, not as some Yellows are stupidly claiming, that prices went up from July 2018 to August 2018. That means

your P100 in August last year can buy only P94 worth of goods in August 2018.

There were unique factors that pushed up the rate in August. Mainly three: the uptick in global oil prices which — in our very market-oriented oil industry — had to be reflected in higher prices for fuel (and therefore transport); the fact that June to August is the lean season in agricultural production, with harvests, especially for rice, still to come in two months’ time; and production and distribution disruptions due to typhoons. The National Food Authority in its programming apparently didn’t take into account the Duterte administration’s clampdown on rice smuggling, which was rampant during the past administration, which explains the low inflation rates at that time.

Take it from a business and economic journalist these past many years. The 6.4 percent August inflation is a spike, and will go away. More importantly, the country has been through worse bouts of inflation in the

past 40 years, and our institutions, mainly the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, whose main job precisely involves this, have learned to contain inflation, quickly and easily.

In 2008, the worst global recession after the 1929 Great Depression hit the planet, translating into a 12.4 percent inflation rate in September that year. By the end of the year though, this was contained — to the credit of President Gloria Arroyo’s P330-billion Economic Resiliency Plan —so that the whole-year rate was at 8.3 percent, with the momentum price deflation continuing into the next three years.

There were similar such spikes in 2001, 1994, 1998, and 1971 — the latter even a perfect storm of sorts as there was both an economic crisis (triggered by OPEC’s oil embargo) and a political crisis (Plaza Miranda bombing, a violent national election, mass unrest. Would you believe, the inflation rate in 1971 was 21 percent and in 1974, 41 percent, yet Marcos continued to consolidate his one-man rule

throughout that decade?

The worst surge of inflation was in 1984 when it hit 63 percent in September that year.

This was another politico-economic storm. The worldwide debt crisis broke out in 1981, we defaulted on our loans in 1983 that imports nearly ground to a halt, and then there was political volatility after Ninoy Aquino’s assassination in 1983.

Guess what, the Marcos government still managed to bring the rate down to 12 percent in September 1985 and 6 percent at the end of 1985. Amid the January snap elections, the daily anti-Marcos demonstrations, rumors of a coup, the inflation rate was just 4 percent in January 1986, right before the February 1986 revolt.

(Which belies the notion that an economic crisis triggered EDSA.) Guys, we’re not Venezuela, which is situated in a continent that for some reason has been so prone to hyper-inflation since before World War 2. The 1983 and 2008 global debt crises have so strengthened our

financial and monetary system that this very easily responds to moves to contain inflation.

It’s a characteristic mark of the Yellows to have very limited phraseology (or erudition) that they use only tired clichés as this recent “The end is near,” “Never Again” (the Jewish cry against the Holocaust), and of course “Daang Matuwid“(“Straight Path,” a reference to Islam).

In her exertions to claim that the military will go to the aid of Trillanes, a Rappler writer who’s in a time warp in the 1980s, thinking that she is still covering Gringo Honasan and his dashing comrades in the Cory regime (and not the megalomaniacTrillanes) titled her piece, “Don’t mess with the military.” She’s forgotten that that cliché had evolved into a comedic line, after the boxoffice comedy movie, “Don’t Mess with the Zohar,” where Adam Sandler played the hilarious anti-hero.

So appropriate to use that line. Trillanes is more hilarious now than Sandler. (ManilaTimes.net)

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Administration destabilizing itself – LP senators

by PAOLO

ROMERO Philstar.com

MANILA — The Duterte administration is the one destabilizing itself by its failure to stem the rising prices of basic commodities and ensure a stable supply of rice while flouting the rule of law, Sen. Francis Pangilinan said on Monday, September 10.

“The opposition does not have to do anything. On its own, either by its incompetence or corruption, the government is doing a good job of destabilizing itself,” he declared.

Pangilinan, Liberal Party president, described Duterte’s accusation of the opposition causing destabilization as “downright false” and “ridiculous,” adding that his party is committed to adhering to constitutional processes in pushing for its advocacies and does not believe that ousting the country’s leaders would address urgent problems.

“We already ousted presidents twice. If that was the solution to our problems, we should be a first world country by now,” he pointed out.

The lawmaker stressed that all Malacañang has to do to address the current inflation woes is to listen to its own allies who, like the opposition, are calling for the resignation of officials of the Department of Agriculture and the National Food Authority for causing the rice crisis.

Senators Risa Hontiveros, Bam Aquino and Francis Pangilinan

He added that instead of throwing baseless accusations at LP and the opposition, the government should listen to the cry of the people and focus on rising prices of goods and lack of jobs that would sufficiently provide for the average Filipino family.

Vice President Leni Robredo also debunked Duterte’s accusation that the LP, which she chairs, is part of an alleged plot to oust him.

“We have no connection with the Communist Party of the Philippines, we don’t have any kind of conversation with them. We know the role of the CPP in our society—they exist independently of any political party. We have different beliefs,” Robredo said.

Duterte’s accusations came after LP officials, including Robredo, expressed their support for Trillanes, whose amnesty was nullified by the President through Proclamation 572 signed on Aug. 31.

Philstar.com photo

Robredo maintained the revocation of Trillanes’ amnesty “is clearly an attempt to silence the opposition.”

“For me, whoever is the victim of abuse of power, we are one with him,” said Robredo who visited Trillanes last Thursday, September 6, at the Senate, where he has been staying after the proclamation was issued.

The president in a speech in Davao on Saturday said a supposed oust Duterte movement “will go into a high gear” next month.

Robredo lamented that the LP had been the usual whipping boy of the administration to deflect the blame for its “incompetencies.”

“It’s like blaming U.S. President Donald Trump for the weakening economy. The Liberal Party is always the one to blame for all the shortcomings of this administration. I think this is not right,” she said. ■

Duterte says he quarreled...

PAGE A5 Roque said the relationship between the Philippines and China was unchanged despite the tiff.

“Ang hindi pwedeng mapagkasunduan, isinasantabi; ang pupwedeng isulong, isinusulong (The contentious issues can be set aside. We can move forward on issues that can move forward)...

There is no change in our policy,” he added.

Roque said the next step for the Philippines and China is the signing of a joint exploration deal, a move that he said would address the impact of rising oil prices.

“It is really important to push through with the exploration so we can have energy security,” the presidential spokesman said.

Critics claim Duterte is too soft on the South China Sea row because of the development and military aid promised by China.

Duterte has repeatedly said he would not give up even an inch of the Philippines’ territory and has vowed to discuss the South China Sea row with Chinese leaders before he steps down. ■

DND chief confirms plot by CPP-NPA to...

PAGE A5 allegations. Hindi namin pwedeng palampasin itong mga information na ito. Right now we are in the process of confirming and validating this information that we got.

Hindi lang yan (Not only that), we take all the information that we get seriously,” said Albayalde.

When asked where the President could have gathered the information, Albayalde said “re-

member the President has unlimited sources of information.”

Albayalde admitted that at this time, the PNP is still in the process of validating the information.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has distanced itself from a reported plot to oust Duterte.

Fr. Jerome Secillano, CBCP spokesman and executive secretary of the public affairs commit-

tee, explained that while several bishops have been critical of the administration they would not join any move to destabilize the government.

At least two bishops – Broderick Pabillo and Deogracias Iñiguez Jr. – have supported Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and criticized the administration for voiding the amnesty granted to the senator and to have him arrested. ■

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 13-19, 2018

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VEGAS&STYLE

Journal Fil-Am Hannahlei Cabanilla wins ‘So You Think You Can Dance’

By Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

SEASON 15 of the Fox reality competition “So You Think You Can Dance” finally came to a close on Monday, September 10, naming Filipina-American Hannahlei Cabanilla as the winner.

Hailing from Anaheim Hills, Cabanilla is an 18-year-old contemporary dancer who began dancing at the age of 2 and was trained at the Orange County Performing Arts Academy.

She bested three other finalists: Jensen Arnold, a 20-year-old Latin ballroom specialist from Provo, Utah; Genessy Castillo, an 18-year-old contemporary dancer from Jamaica, N.Y.; and Slavik Pustovoytov, a 19-year-old hip-hop specialist from Poltova, Ukraine.

“This is, without a doubt, the best experience of my life,” Cabanilla said, according to Mercury News.

“I am beyond thankful for every moment I’ve had on (the show), and I know that it is something I will never forget. I’m happy to say that this experience is just the beginning,” she added.

Cabanilla had been considered to be among the front-runners

Photos from Instagram/@hannahleidazle

early on in the season. She received countless of praises from the judges and never experienced the threat of elimination whenever weekly results were announced.

Judge Nigel Lythgoe, who previously dubbed Cabanilla as this season’s “warrior princess” — making fellow judge Vanessa Hudgens proud to be a Filipina, said Cabanilla wasn’t just strong,

“she was a great performer, and not just at one style but across the board.”

Judge Mary Murphy, meanwhile, described Cabanilla as “one of the most technically sound dancers that we’ve had on the show.”

“On top of that, what I think is the key factor, is she has this amazing spirit and light inside of

her; it comes out of her in spades through her eyes,” she added.

For her encore performance, Cabanilla and ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ All-Star Marko Germar recreated their contemporary routine to “welcome Home.”

Cabanilla said the reason she chose that performance was because “[it] felt really genuine.”

“It felt like I wasn’t even dancing,” she said.

For winning the season, Cabanilla received the $250,000 prize in cash. According to The OCR, she plans on using the money to take her parents on a Greek getaway since “they’ve supported me through this whole experience and throughout my whole dance career.”

“I just owe it to them for helping to make my dreams come true,” she explained.

Cabanilla will also be featured on the cover of Dance Spirit magazine and is set to appear in a guest role on Fox’s upcoming live musical of “Rent” in 2019.

“It’s starting to feel real that my dreams are coming true,” Cabanilla said. “It’s just amazing ‘cause I still look up to the people on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ and now I’m one of them.”

Lea Salonga, Eva Noblezada to star in musical film ‘Yellow Rose’

By Ritchel

Mendiola

AJPress

Lea Salonga and Eva Noblezada

Photo by Matt Crocker

TwO “Miss Saigon” alumni are set to appear in a movie musical together.

Eva Noblezada is headlining her first feature film, “Yellow Rose,” alongside Lea Salonga.

Directed by Diane Paragas, the film tells the story of a 17-year old Filipino-American girl from Texas who is secretly dreaming of becoming a country music star.

She has to fend for herself when her mother was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). She runs away and is forced to embark on a journey to follow her dreams or face deportation with her mother back to the

B

Kelsey Merritt becomes first Fil-Am to walk in Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Increased diversity in the fashion world welcomes inclusion of Asian models

By KlaRize

Medenilla AJPress

IN the world of modeling, walking in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is a coveted dream, a rite of passage for young models everywhere.

This year, Filipina-American model Kelsey Merritt gets to live that dream as the first Filipina to be in the show, confirming the news on Friday, Sept. 7 in an elated post on Instagram. “we did it, Philippines! what an honor it is to be the first Filipino to walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2018!!! Ahhhhhh I can’t believe this! Thank you soooo much,” Merritt, 21, said in Model Kelsey Merritt announced last week on an emotional post thanking her Instagram that she will be the first Filipina to fans and management. walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

PAGE B4 Photo from Instagram/@KelseyMerritt

Heart Evangelista now in the league of New York’s best dressed

Philippines.

“So grateful to be part of this amazing film,” Noblezada said in a Twitter post.

Salonga, who is set to play the part of Rose’s aunt, tweeted: “This is actually happening! (To be totally honest, Eva does most, if not all the heavy lifting. I’m just happy to be a small part of this effort!)”

According to Variety, the cast also includes country music artist Dale watson, who portrays an underground country singer, along with Liam Booth, Gustavo Gomez (“Animal Kingdom”), Libby Villari (“Boyhood”), and Princess Punzalan.

Heart Evangelista Photo from Instagram/@iamhearte PAGE B4

by iza iglesias ManilaTimes.net

ACTRESS and visual artist Heart Evangelista is on a glamorous roll in the global fashion scene with one coup after another, effectively cementing her status a Filipina style icon.

After making the rounds of Paris Fashion week in July— with no less than “Crazy Rich Asians” best-selling author Kevin Kwan documenting her sorties in Europe’s fashion capital—she headed over to the Big Apple for New York Fashion week and made a splash anew.

Besides landing the very exclusive guest lists to preview the collections of the world’s most PAGE B4

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Globetrotting with Filipino-French Asian Americans in hip-hop entrepreneur’s lifestyle brand Oneculture discuss authenticity and making a

By Christina

cultural mark on the genre

M. Oriel

AJPress

TWO years ago Anthony Alvarez left a plum investment banking job in London to follow his childhood dream of starting his own clothing company.

An avid traveler — coupled with his passions for extreme sports, art, and music — he realized that fashion was a universal language that could lessen barriers and divisiveness.

With that mission came the founding of Oneculture, a lifestyle menswear brand that incorporates global influences each season.

“I really wanted to convey that message through the clothes, promoting culture and diversity and promoting travel without any cultural barriers,” the 25-year-old Filipino-French entrepreneur said in an interview with the Asian Journal. “This was also during a time when a lot of people were focusing on barriers, such as Brexit or Donald Trump being elected president of the United States. That’s the political side to it. So that’s how I got the name Oneculture.”

This September marks one year since Oneculture released its inaugural collection inspired

by Manila and opened a boutique in Paris’ iconic Le Marais district.

The brand’s pieces have already garnered features in publications like Vogue Paris, Le Monde (France’s leading newspaper) and GQ. Born in New Jersey, Alvarez was raised in a multicultural and multilingual household with his father being Filipino and French on his mother’s side. He moved to Paris at the age of 8 and lived there until he attended Cornell

Exploring the importance of respecting hip-hop’s uniquely racial foundation, and establishing a clear difference between cultural appreciation vs. appropriation

by Klarize

Medenilla AJPress

Anthony Alvarez, the Filipino-French founder and CEO of Oneculture, pursued his childhood dream of owning a clothing brand representing his passions for travel, sports, art, and music.

Photos courtesy of Anthony Alvarez/Oneculture

Alvarez shows the Fall/Winter 2017 collection to model and social media influencer Jasmine Sanders, also known as “Golden Barbie.”

to London where he was with another bank for two years.

“I learned a lot through those experiences. It was a lot of hours of work because...I was working seven days a week, did not get much downtime, but I think when you’re young, you conform to work as much as you can as long as you are learning,” he recounted.

But by the summer of 2016, Alvarez knew it was time to leave the finance world and take another direction.

“I wanted to continue my training and education and make sure I had a solid business background before launching my clothing brand, which was always a target dream for me,” he said.

He traveled for a few weeks to Proceeds from a T-shirt designed by Oneculture and Run the World Association went toward providing prescription glasses to over 300 students in Manila. Alvarez and the charity dive into “creative thinking,” as he personally delivered the glasses in May 2018.

PAGE B3 University, studying business and entrepreneurship.

After college, he spent a year in New York working in investment banking, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, before moving

SINCE the start of the new millennium, hip-hop has expanded to become the de facto popular music genre for the new generation. Capitalizing on the popularity and the endless creative potential of the genre, non-black rappers and producers have emerged out of the woodwork to contribute their talents to an ever-expanding industry.

Asian and Asian American rappers have contributed their own bars and beats to the ever-growing genre. Subverting the image of the reserved, subservient Asian, hip-hop artists like Dumbfoundead, Rekstizzy and the Far East Movement have garnered steady followings around the world.

Most recently, the charming raspy-voiced Nora Lum, aka Awkwafina — a rapper/actress who starred in two summer blockbusters: “Ocean’s 8” and “Crazy Rich Asians” — is recognized as a pioneer in Asian-American hip-hop for women as an unapologetically raunchy artist, disrupting the submissive Asian woman stereotype.

The boundaries of the who’s who in hip-hop have loosened up in the last few years, and in the era of diversity in all currents of entertainment, Asian American musicians are stepping up and coming together to implant their own cultural mark on the genre.

On Aug. 23, the Chinese American Museum Los Angeles (CAMLA) in Downtown LA hosted “Represent, represent! Asian Americans in Hip-Hop,” a presentation and discussion of Asian American representation in the hip-hop industry. (The event coincided with a current art exhibition “Don’t Believe the Hype: LA Asian Americans in Hip-Hop” that will be on display through Nov. 4.)

On deck were some of the Asian American hip-hop community’s most distinguished players: Chinese-American rapper Jason Chu, Filipinx-American rapper and activist Candice Custodio-Tan

A wide-ranging discussion on Asian Americans in hip-hop included conversations about disrupting the model minority myth stereotype, pursuing music and artistic careers in hip-hop and navigating cultural challenges as Asian Americans in music. From L-R: co-curator of the event Justin Hoover, co-curator Ninochka MgTaggart, Fil-Am Richie Menchavez of Traktivist, Chinese-American rapper Jason Chu, Fil-Am dancer Arnel Calvario of Kaba Modern, Fil-Am rapper and DJ Kuttin Kandi and Chinese-American DJ Phatrick.

Photos by Lowell Edward

aka DJ Kuttin Kandi, FilipinoAmerican Arnel Calvario of Kaba Modern and Filipino-American Richie Menchavez, creator and founder of Traktivist.

Each speaker shared their stories on how they came to the medium, and while each journey was singular, they all had a common theme: disrupt the model minority myth that plagues Asian Americans and, often, doesn’t leave room for creative expression.

“By the turn of every table, I am continuously calling in the often othered as I am reclaiming space and igniting the bruha within [me] who has been forgotten and shamed,” Custodio-Tan said, passionately sharing her artistic mission to unabashedly reflect her truth in her music.

She added that musical expression has allowed her to explore “healing and trauma as I challenge and address anti-black racism and the multiple oppressive micro- and macro-aggressions from individual to white supremacist heteropatriarchal institutional systems.”

Standing in solidarity with all people of color, especially with black Americans, and recognizing the foundation of hip-hop was a key touchstone of the panel.

“It’s impossible for us to be in

this community without paying homage to our black brothers and sisters who built the creative foundation on which we express ourselves,” Custodio-Tan said.

“We, as Asian Americans, must stand with the black community and other communities of color in solidarity to combat the rampant white supremacy that permeates in our world today. We can’t ignore that.”

A conversation on cultural appropriation Hip-hop began in the 1970s in black neighborhoods in the United States, and it was borne out of the need for emotional creative express amid the racial, economic, political and social realities of young African-Americans and Caribbean-Americans.

What began as simple poetry performed to the backdrop of synthesizers and beats within the black power movement has evolved into a diversified $10 billion a year industry that spawns new artists every day.

But the entrance of a wider racial pool of hip-hop artists opens the door for artists to culturally appropriate elements of black culture into their own art, whether that’s changing their hair, vocabulary or their accent. So how do you creatively contribute something PAGE B4

ğ įōíľ ÀðıÃæµįPçį ʼn æIJįıÀ ØÃĉÃæîÂ ß ğÃqPç qíß߼æÃıŎįĤÀíĽØ ÕæíŊįPdíĽIJĕ If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, email us the details (title, description, time & date, location, etc.) at info@asianjournalinc.com.

And for consideration in our print calendar, please send submissions at least three weeks before the date of the event.

To be included in our online calendar/ e-newsletter, please allow at least two to three weeks' notice.

The Asian Journal would be delighted to list your event in our Calendar of Events.

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Catriona Gray slays New York Fashion Week 2018 Globetrotting with Filipino-French...

by Jan

Milo Severo

Philstar.com

Before setting foot in the grandest pageant in the universe, Miss Universe Philippines 2018 Catriona Gray gave the world a glimpse of her winning walk as she slays the runway for designer Sherri Hill at the recent New York fashion Week.

Clad in an elegant peach dress then later a yellow one, Catriona walked confidently on the runway with fellow models, including Miss USA 2018 Sarah rose Summers. on her Instagram account, the Philippinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Miss Universe 2018 representative posted a photo of her walking on the runway, saying that she could not believe she was chosen by Sherri Hill. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My first NYfW. When I got the call back in Manila I was incredulous, to be flown to NYC to work with @sherrihill - I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe it, ako ba? Bakit ako?,â&#x20AC;?

Miss Universe Philippines 2018 Catriona Gray at the Sherri Hill fashion show.

Photos from Instagram/@Sherri Hill

she wrote. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thank you @sherrihill for the amazing opportunity and for seeing something in me! And thank you everyone back home who stayed up to 5am to support!

Mahal ko kayo sobraaaa #CatrionaforSherriHill,â&#x20AC;? she added.

Catriona will be representing the country in the upcoming Miss Universe 2018 to be held later this year in Thailand.

Asian Americans in hip-hop discuss...

PAGE B2 to a uniquely racially-founded medium without being accused of being a â&#x20AC;&#x153;culture vultureâ&#x20AC;??

Cultural appropriation is the act of cherry-picking elements of a minority culture for aesthetic reasons. In recent years, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been seen as a harmful act that frivolously accessorizes historically scorned aspects of a culture, disrespecting the struggle of the black community to hold on to those cherished aspects of their culture.

Activists postulate that the cultural appropriation of black culture by non-black individuals is a form of racism because it negates the decades of derision the black community has faced.

In other words, when black folks do it, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seen as subordinate or lesser-than, but when non-black folks do it, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seen as edgy, creative or funny.

The use of African-American Vernacular english (AAVe), or speaking with a black accent (colloquially, a â&#x20AC;&#x153;blaccentâ&#x20AC;?), by black Americans has historically and presently been stigmatized among all races â&#x20AC;&#x201D; sometimes, even its own.

Black Americans have spent the better half of post-slavery America being mocked, criticized and denied upward mobility in America for their hair, facial features, clothing, vernacular or their

regional manners of speaking, the writer Nia Tucker wrote in a 2017 article for NextShark called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sorry Asians, My Blackness is Not Your Counterculture.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have no problem with other [people of color] taking part in hip-hop and Black culture and being able to relate to the stories in the music, but the issue comes in when the culture becomes your counterculture, and is what allows you to defy whatever constrictions you feel by your own personal ethnic identity,â&#x20AC;? Tucker wrote.

Many Asian American performers have adopted AAVe in their art and have subsequently been accused of being â&#x20AC;&#x153;culture vultures.â&#x20AC;?

Lum â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who grew up in Queens â&#x20AC;&#x201D; regularly speaks with a New York City black accent and has been the subject of criticism for her manner of speaking in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Crazy rich Asiansâ&#x20AC;? which is utilized in a comedic way. fil-Am entertainer Bruno Mars, whose career was built on the heels of James Brown and Michael Jackson, has been accused of cultural appropriation in his music and on-stage persona.

And many Asian American artists and musicians recognize this. every speaker at the CAM panel addressed the need for Asian Americans in the music industry to not be afraid to tackle these issues and to formulate nuanced conversations around them.

Menchavez, whose radio station and blog Traktivist seeks to hold conversations about the Asian American imprint on music, believes in taking the discussion of cultural appropriation seriously and exploring perspectives in a nuanced way. rather than reactively defending the Asian American hip-hop community amid accusations of cultural appropriation, those in the community should listen to and address these concerns while forming their own brands of hiphop which will, in turn, establish a uniquely Asian American voice within the genre. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a community, we have to talk about that first: what does being an Asian American mean to us and what does that sound like if we want to be a collective?â&#x20AC;?

Menchavez offered at the CAM panel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happening right now is very prevalent, especially with Awkwafina, [Korean-American rapper] Jay Park and Bruno Mars. We have to talk about cultural appropriation because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s minds because there are people who say we shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be participating in hip-hop at all. So I think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something we need to think about as artists: what does it mean to be Asian Americans in hip-hop? We need to figure out what that is and, importantly, what that sounds like.â&#x20AC;?

PAGE B2 was shifting into an industry different from what he was exposed to professionally. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I was thinking about the name and message I wanted to deliver and things that really affected my life â&#x20AC;&#x201D; when I was at Cornell, when it was through my high school friends or family â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always enjoyed meeting people from different backgrounds, ethnicities and religions so I thought thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what brought the best conversations, when everybody around the table has something different to offer,â&#x20AC;?

Alvarez said.

He recounted his annual trips when he and his best friends from various parts of the world would converge and meet in one place to go surfing and connect with locals. onecultureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eventual logo was derived from sailorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; symbols and flags, creating its own language.

Given that Paris is a fashion capital, it was a natural decision for Alvarez to move back and have oneculture headquartered there. â&#x20AC;&#x153;eighty percent of our collection is manufactured in france so weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re really betting on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Made in franceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to help the economy and the manufacturers,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Though Alvarez did not receive formal design training, styling clothes has constantly been an interest. Attention to detail and recruiting the right talent on board, from a creative director to designers, were further integral steps in building the company â&#x20AC;&#x201D; both considerations he carried over from his banking background.

The design process commences with a â&#x20AC;&#x153;mood board,â&#x20AC;? a collage of images and notes from his travels that guide that particular season.

When traveling, he endeavors to see the place â&#x20AC;&#x153;with the eyes of a local,â&#x20AC;? through strolling by foot, shopping at street markets or eating at hole-in-the-wall restaurants. He also tries to catch a sports game or play in one himself, like basketball or baseball.

He then decides what kinds of items will be included, such as T-shirts, hoodies, or jackets, and relays that vision to a team of designers to â&#x20AC;&#x153;make sure the end product reflects what I had in mind,â&#x20AC;? he said. fabrics and materials are predominantly sourced from france and Italy and from trade shows that Alvarez attends at the beginning of each season. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I design pieces that I really

Willy Cartier in a F/W â&#x20AC;&#x2122;17 T-shirt with Onecultureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s logo

would like to wear, that I wish I had in my wardrobe, or what I think Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m missing in my wardrobe.

I would never approve a piece that I, or my friends, would not wear.

Usually Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m the first test then I send it to a couple of my best friends and ask, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Would you wear this?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s totally a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;yes,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; then itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a green light,â&#x20AC;? he continued.

In introducing the maiden collection, Alvarez paid homage to his paternal grandparents who were born in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States as young adults. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I grew up in a household that was very filipino,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is a very important part of my identity so I [started] the journey of oneculture in Manila.â&#x20AC;?

He played upon the â&#x20AC;&#x153;energy and busynessâ&#x20AC;? of the city that struck him from his many trips there. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whether it was the high rises or the streets, there was a sense of chaos in the architecture that I wanted to translate through the clothes,â&#x20AC;? he said, describing the scotch tape techniques to express that movement. one of the statement pieces was a rendition of the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s barong (a formal shirt made from piĂąa considered the national costume of the Philippines) in the color black and using a more comfortable, sporty fabric. He incorporated the eucalyptus tree that is found in the Philippines and put that print in the inside layer of the clothes.

In succeeding collections, comfort and functionality of the pieces are at the forefront, but the high-quality structuring and intricate detail never go unnoticed â&#x20AC;&#x201D; seamlessly fusing streetwear, sportswear and high fashion.

Though having his own company is a fresh experience, his family of businesspeople and entrepre-

Photo by Graig Labranche

neurs has been an accessible sounding board for Alvarez. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was able to apply what my family taught me and what I learned through my experiences, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m [still] learning a lot every day. I really learn something or even more than one thing daily.

My family gave me some advice from the start but nobody in my family launched a clothing brand before so there are a lot of experiences that are new,â&#x20AC;? he said.

He continued, â&#x20AC;&#x153;from them, I learned first of all, core values.

In anything you doâ&#x20AC;Śespecially [if] itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in finance or clothing, you will always be tested so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to follow the right ethics and values.â&#x20AC;?

In such an ever-changing, yet saturated industry like fashion, competing and standing out from the pack push Alvarez to persevere. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My grandpa came to the U.S. at a very young age and he still works extremely hard. He had to make a difference in the work he did and [because of that,] I was able to push myself, whether I was in university or in my investment banking experience, to work more than I thought I could. To push yourself... itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all in your mental strength and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extremely critical to work harder than your peers,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Another value his family instilled in him early on was philanthropy, so he incorporated an aspect of giving back into oneculture. for the fall/Winter 2017 season, the brand collaborated with the run the World Association â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a french non-profit promoting access to childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to design a T-shirt and in turn, a portion of the proceeds was put toward bringing prescription PAGE B4

Pilgrimage to Some of ITALYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Highlights and Miracles of the Eucharist 6SLULWXDO 'LUHFWRU 5(9 -2(/ %8*$6 ĹĄ 1RYHPEHU WR 1RYHPEHU 'D\ Ĺ&#x; 1RY 0RQ Ĺ&#x; 86$ 520( 'D\ Ĺ&#x; 1RY 7XHV Ĺ&#x; 5RPH Upon our arrival in Rome, our Tour Escort will welcome us to Italy. Rome is the heart, home and the spiritual capital of over one billion Catholics all over the world. After a short panoramic orientation of this Eternal City to us Roman Catholics, we will have our dinner and overnight rest at this great ancient City.

DINNER AND OVERNIGHT IN ROME (BB,D) 'D\ Ĺ&#x; 1RY :HG Ĺ&#x; 5RPH 3DSDO $XGLHQFH 5RPH This morning before we continue with our tour, we will have a Papal Audience.

Then after, we will visit the famous Coliseum and see the Forum, the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon, one of the best preserved ancient monuments in the world. Celebrate the Holy Eucharist at St Peter Basilica St Joseph Chapel .Short stop in Trevi Fountain, before heading to our Hotel. DINNER AND OVERNIGHT IN ROME (BB,D)

'D\ Ĺ&#x; 1RY 7KXUV Ĺ&#x; 5RPH %DVLOLFDV We will visit the Vatican Museum this morning and the Sistine Chapel to admire the awesome masterpieces of Michaelangelo, and even ancient Greek and Roman artists. the largest church in Roman Catholicism, St. Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Basilica. Holy Eucharist at ST Mary Major, Followed by visit of the Basilica. We continue to visit the rest of the major Basilicas within the walls of Rome, and St. John Lateran, St Paul Outside the Wall. We will also pray at the Scala Santa or the Holy Stairs. St. Helena transported the steps from Jerusalem; the same steps that Christ ascended to receive Pilateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unjust condemnation.

DINNER AND OVERNIGHT IN ROME (BB,D) 'D\ Ĺ&#x; 1RY )UL

Ĺ&#x; 5RPH 6DQ *LRYDQQL 5RWRQGR 2018 is the 100th Anniversary of the stigmatization of St Pio. Church Will have Monthly Pastoral Program of Activities for the whole year. San Giovanni Rotondo, the home of St Padre Pio of Pietrelcina from 28 July, 1916 until his death on 23 September, 1968. Enjoy the drive going to San Giovanni, after we check in our Hotel. vWe visit the Shrines of St Padre Pio of Pietralcina as well as the places associated with him, such as the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace that contains his tomb. Here, we spend some time meditating, see his room, his confessional box and the cruciďŹ x that gave him his supernatural Crucifying stigmata, Celebrate Holy Eucharist (Hotel Gran Paradiso) DINNER AND OVERNIGHT IN San Giovanni Rotondo (BB,D) 'D\ Ĺ&#x; 1RY 6DW Ĺ&#x; 6$1 *,29$11, 52721'2 This Morning we visit the new and Modern Basilica of St Padre Pio, See his uncorrupt body. Celebrate Holy Eucharist Spend some time meditating in this awesome Basilica. DINNER AND OVERNIGHT IN SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO (Hotel Gran Paradiso)

'D\ Ĺ&#x; 1RY 6XQ Ĺ&#x; 6DQ *LRYDQQL 5RWRQGR /DQFLDQR /RUHWR MASS AND BREAKFAST. We arrive at Lanciano, famous for the Miracle of the Eucharist. Near the Piazza Plebiscito, the Miracle is inside the Sanctuary of the Eucharistic Miracle. The miracle took place during the 8th century when a Basiline monk doubted the Real Presence of our Lord in the Eucharist. He found himself holding the host that had changed into Real Flesh and the Wine on the altar had changed into Real Blood. We continue our pilgrimage to the great Marian shrine of Loreto to see the famous sacred home of the most Holy Family, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Since 1294 the holy home has been located inside the Basilica of Loreto. Celebrate Holy Eucharist in Lanciano. DINNER AND OVERNIGHT IN Assisi.

'D\ Ĺ&#x; 1RY 0RQ Ĺ&#x; /RUHWR $VVLVL Today we explore the hilltop birthplace of St Francis of Assisi. In the Crypt of St Francis Basilica lies the tomb of one of the most humble and beloved Saints of all times, St. Francis of Assisi, Holy Eucharist at the Crypt of St. Francis See the Basilica of St Clare, with her incorrupt body, and the little Church of St. Damiano and its CruciďŹ x from which Jesus spoke to Francis about his mission in 1206: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Go, Francis, and rebuild my house, which as you see is falling into ruin.â&#x20AC;? We visit the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, located in the lower plains of Assisi, and the place where the miracle of the Eucharist of Assisi took place in 1240. The small Church of the Porziuncola is inside the Basilica itself. Pope Honorius III granted a plenary indulgence for those entering this humble Church on August 1st and 2nd every year, with Confession, reception of the Eucharist and no attachment to venial sins. (BB,D) 'D\ Ĺ&#x; 1RY 7XHV Ĺ&#x; $VVLVL 6LHQD )ORUHQFH We will spend half day in Siena. Begin in the old town center with a visit to the Basilica of San Domenico. Built in the 13th century, it is a treasure chest of the Renaissance art and dedicated to St Catherine of Siena. You will learn about the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history while admiring itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cathedrals, Museum, and libraries .Also you will admire the famous piazza del Campo, one of Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great medieval squares. Continue to Florence. (BB,D) We start with a guided walking tour of Florence, this fascinating city with its Piazza, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Giottoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bell Tower, the Baptistery of St. John the Baptist.

Rest of the day free (BB,D) 'D\ Ĺ&#x; 1RY :HG Ĺ&#x; )ORUHQFH 5RPH Leave Florence around 2PM Arrived Rome almost dinner time (BB.D) 'D\ Ĺ&#x; 1RY 7KXUV Ĺ&#x; 5RPH 86$ End of our wonderful Pilgrimage

Please call QTS Tour and Travel NOW at 1 (714) 288-0800 or (714) 761-6280 1095 N Main St. Suite O, Orange, CA 92867

EntErtainmEnt

B september 13-19, 2018 • LAs VeGAs AsIAN JOUrNAL

Globetrotting with Filipino-French...

PAGE B3 glasses to over 300 students in Manila.

In May, Alvarez and the charity distributed the glasses at an elementary school in Manila.

“We will do this in every city we [are inspired] from. I think that’s really important for the brand and culture,” he said.

The brand’s second collection for Spring/Summer 2018 was influenced by travels to Fez, Morocco.

“During my trip there, I was really inspired by the tanneries, where they dye leather there.

The twist here is we didn’t do leather, but we did cotton hoodies that we dyed in a similar way.

We used the traditional language, which is called Berber, and wrote ‘universal culture’ [on] the back of hoodie,” Alvarez said. “We revisited the traditional djellaba dress and...traditional baggy pants. Fez is very known for…palaces built with mosaics inside [so] we used a mosaic print on the bomber jacket.”

The latest capsule for Fall/ Winter 2018 is based on Tokyo, including touches from the city’s transportation to street style.

Projections show that the menswear market is poised to reach $33 billion by 2020, up 14 percent from 2015, according to a report by Digiday.

That figure is in part due to social media platforms like Instagram that make men’s style more approachable versus traditional fashion publications.

http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678

Lea Salonga, Eva Noblezada to star in...

PAGE B1

“With the increased demand for diverse Asian American stories in Hollywood, I can’t think of a better time to develop this film,” Paragas told U.S. theater magazine Playbill. “‘Yellow Rose’ has been in development for over 15 years, and we’ve selected an incredibly talented cast to help tell this story,” she added.

Paragas is producing along with Cecilia Mejia , Orian Wil-

liams (“Shadow of the Vampire”), Rey Cuerdo and co-producer Jeremiah Abraham, as reported

by Variety. “Yellow Rose” is supported by New York based Asian CineVision, the Cinematrografo International Film Festival (ABSCBN Global), and was awarded the Ravenal Foundation Feature Film Grant earlier this year by the New York Women in Film & Television.

Salonga was the first Asian woman to win a Tony Award

in 1991 for her role as Kim in the original “Miss Saigon.” She also played the roles of Éponine and Fantine in the musical “Les Misérables” on Broadway, and provided the singing voices of two official Disney Princesses: Jasmine in “Aladdin” (1992) and Fa Mulan in “Mulan” (1998).

Noblezada played Kim in the 2014 West End and 2017 Broadway revivals of “Miss Saigon,” which earned her a Tony award nomination last year.

Heart Evangelista now in the league of New York’s...

PAGE B1 Alvarez visits one of Oneculture’s manufacturers. Eighty percent of the brand’s collections are made in France.

Photos courtesy of Anthony Alvarez/Oneculture

Each collection released by Oneculture is accompanied with a video in the given location to show the clothes in motion and to illustrate “the culture around them.”

“Social media for us has been a way to promote our brand and we’ve developed followers from around the world, starting with my friends who are everywhere,” Alvarez said. “On Instagram Stories, I document a lot of my trips and we in some way help our followers travel with us and also travel with them.”

Oneculture’s emphasis on technology, along with the storefront’s location in a prominent art and fashion neighborhood of Paris, has attracted a mix of local French and international shoppers, many coming from the U.S. and parts of Asia. The target clients are generally those around 18-35 years old, like sports, and are interested in street culture.

Though Oneculture bills itself as a menswear line, women have come in to shop for the “boyfriend look” of oversized hoodies or jogging pants.

“They actually became clients even though we didn’t envision them to be initially,” Alvarez noted.

While there’s no ‘typical’ day for him — noting that his schedule is divided between alternating the creative and managerial components — Alvarez carves out a few hours to be present at the store to speak with customers.

“That’s the best feedback I can get from meeting the clients myself,” he said, adding, “it’s been Alvarez in Oneculture’s bomber jacket very exciting and…to be able to inspired by the mosaic patterns found during deliver a message to people and a trip to Fez, Morocco. seeing them appreciate it is ex-

tremely rewarding. That is what motivates me to be able to touch more people and to continue to grow.”

In the coming years, Oneculture aims to fortify its global community and brand recognition, as well as collaborate with local designers in each destination.

The rise and transition of streetwear — comprising of Tshirts, sneakers and hoodies, for instance — from a niche to mainstay has undoubtedly gotten the attention of fashion circles. It’s a path that Oneculture is seeking to put its mark on.

An article by Marc Bain in Quartz earlier this year noted that streetwear has signaled “a shift in what younger generations think of as luxury and status symbols.”

Luxury fashion houses have in recent seasons collaborated with streetwear labels, especially to capture the millennial and Gen Z markets. Some notable ones include Louis Vuitton and Supreme (the latter brand was valued at $1 billion in 2017), Jimmy Choo and Off-White, and Manolo Blahnik and Vetements. Brands like Gucci and Balenciaga are among those that have taken cues on the trend with their latest offerings.

“The youth… is directing a lot of fashion. Whatever the youth — whether it’s kids lining up at the Supreme store every Thursday for several hours or the latest Off-White — is wearing is whatever is cool,” Alvarez said. “I go to one of the skate parks in Paris and ask the young skaters what they think of Oneculture and hear their opinion. It’s how I evaluate the products.”

PAGE B6

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

famous designers, she also made it to the best-dressed picks of fashion and lifestyle magazines The Cut and Elle when she attended the Harper’s Bazaar Icons party.

A hot ticket amid the fashion week flurry, other Hollywood celebrities who made the list were Kendall Jenner, Paris Hilton, Bella Hadid, Adriana Lima, Heidi Klum, Coco Rocha, Christina Aguilera, Cardi B and Nicki Minaj.

The lone Filipina celebrity amid this blinding bunch of global stars, Evangelista was stunningly—and proudly—wearing a sleek black

avant garde creation from Filipino designer Mark Bumgarner.

The 33-year-old actress documented what must have been one for the books in her high fashion lifestyle via Instagram, excitedly sharing photos of the star-studded event. One of them saw her beside top model Grace Elizabeth, which she captioned, “With this stunner.”

Indeed, the Filipina’s inclusion in Kwan’s “real” Crazy Rich Asians feature in Harper’s Bazaar has opened many doors for her in the international fashion scene.

His article, titled “Crazy Rich

Couture,” described Evangelista as the “modern-day incarnation of Audrey Hepburn.”

The day after the issue came out, Evangelista posted on social media that Kwan’s story “[is]one of the most amazing features in [her]life.” In thanking the best-selling author, she also referred to him as “[now]a dear friend.”

Immediately after the Harper’s Bazaar story, French bag label Sequoia signed her up as endorser, and will have her attending various events in Milan and Paris for the fashion house.

Kelsey Merritt becomes first Fil-Am to walk in...

PAGE B1 The freckle-faced model joins a group of the world’s top models to showcase the brand’s latest collections. Branded “Victoria’s Secret Angels,” the young ladies wear extravagant angel wings in the televised fashion show which typically airs at the end of the year.

Merritt has been a brand spokeswoman for the top lingerie brand since May of this year, appearing in the company’s campaigns. She has also worked with Maybelline Philippines, Kashieca and Palmolive and is managed

by Wilhelmina Models in London and New York along other international modeling agencies.

Before becoming a full-time model, Merritt studied communication at Ateneo de Manila University and graduated in 2017. Throughout university, she also juggled modeling in New York, saying in May, “People often ask me how I managed to do it, and all I say is that as long as you have your priorities straight and manage your time well, then it really can be done.”

Asian invasion in the fashion industry Amid the overwhelming suc-

cess of two Asian-driven films — “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Searching” — studios and casting directors are realizing the marketability of Asian representation and diversity.

Diversity is also seeping into to the fashion world, an industry that has famously imposed strict limitations on the body types, skin tones and ethnicities represented on catwalks, magazine spreads and brand campaigns.

In the same weekend Merritt announced her casting for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Chinese-New Zealander fashion designer Claudio Li premiered an all Asian cast of models for her New York Fashion Week showcase on Sunday, Sept. 9 According to Li, the casting of 35 Asian models was intentional because it was her fashion house’s first official runway show. She told Refinery29 that the Spring/Summer 2019 collection “is all about memories of how I grew up in New Zealand as an Asian woman.”

Of the 35 models, three were Filipina models — Irka Canseco of Cebu City, Charlene Almarvez of Laguna and Charmie Pfeffer

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— joined the all-Asian cast in a spectacular show of the diversity that exists beyond the unvaried pool of mainstream models frequently strutting the catwalks.

Li hopes that her historic demonstration shifts the fashion industry from a body-exclusive world into one that embraces diversity and champions a wider definition of beauty and fashion.

“I want them to have their own personalities,” Li said of her choice to show a wide range of Asian bodies. “I feel like this collection is really connecting that with who I am, who they are, and who Asian women are. We have so many differences to show.”

On representation, Li believes that merely casting Asian women isn’t enough and that casting directors in the fashion industry should take an intersectional approach to its recruitment of women of color.

Li added: “It would be great if people can start casting Asian women not just because they’re Asian. Diversity is within each race and country, and I would like to see more of that represented.”

(702) 792-6678 • http://www.asianjournal.com

Your Immigration Solution ATTY. BEN LOVEMAN IT has been a predictably scary time for undocumented immigrants in the United States ever since President Donald Trump was elected. What was not generally foreseen though was how President Trump’s deportation force would target long-time lawful permanent residents (green card holders) and even citizens of the United States. Because of this most recent development, those with even decades old criminal records or old immigration violations should find a reputable immigration attorney to see if proactive action can be taken to ensure their status is not at jeopardy.

The new enforcement efforts include the use of criminal databases and increased immigration enforcement personnel to locate persons with old criminal histories or possible immigration violations that might make them subject to deportation from the United States. Recent news reports from across the country have revealed that all immigrants, including veterans of the U.S. armed forces, are potential targets for deportation.

These new enforcement measures are unlikely to stop in the near future. Thankfully, there are steps that people can take to ensure their safety aside from simply staying out of trouble and keeping a low profile. People who fear that they may be ineligible for U.S. citizenship, or even deported, due to an old criminal conviction should immediately consult an immigration attorney. A knowledgeable attorney will be able to determine the true impact of the conviction and to see if there might be a post-conviction remedy to remove or reduce the conviction before they are confronted by immigration officials. Similarly, people with old immigration violations can also be proactive and have an expert evaluate the seriousness of

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond MONETTE ADEVA MAGLAYA (Fourteenth of a series) [Select a handful of those things in your bucket list that have the highest chance of coming to fruition given your time frame. In tech speak, this means before your life’s energy goes into ‘low batt mode’ and life has run out of sockets to plug into.]

WHAT is your greatest fear?

Some say that for most men, the greatest of fears are the fear of death, fear of failure and fear of public speaking.

I know of someone who is deathly afraid of dogs, completely convinced that dogs are out to bite her. Telling her that her fear is baseless only drives her into raging fits. There is another I know who cannot abide the polka dot print design on anything she sees. There are a number of people who are afraid of riding boats and planes and just the thought of being in either one makes them nauseous. Weird huh? But who is to say that their fear is not valid as yours.

There are perhaps as many kinds of fears as there are people on earth but the one that

Health@Heart PHILIP S. CHUA, MD, FACS, FPCS OUR planet would be at an imminent grave risk of being destroyed, if Global Warming, more appropriately termed Climate Change, continues unabated. Although controversial and like the multitudes of problems threatening the world, this major one is caused by its intelligent inhabitant, man himself, and his careless and irresponsible behavior, especially in the last two hundred some years. Human beings are not new to self-abuse, self-destruction, and to irreverence to his environment, in spite of their education, culture, and massive data in this age of exploding informational technology and mind-boggling advances in science and medicine.

Man’s self-abuse and rape of his environment are almost certain to doom the world he lives in, unless he listens to Mother Nature and promptly starts to take a wise proactive strategy in dealing with his present ecologic dilemma.

Man cannot afford to lose this one, his only sanctuary in the galaxy.

And what’s happening is scary.

Historically, the earth’s climate has gone through various changes, from ice age to prolonged periods of heat waves.

The factors involved include the alteration in the Earth’s orbit, the

COMMUNITY JOURNAL

Trump’s deportation machine turns towards legal immigrants any potential or perceived violation and determine if a remedy exists.

There was a major change recently in the penal code in California that opened new avenues for pursuing post-conviction relief where none previously existed.

The elimination of a conviction might mean becoming eligible for U.S. citizenship, or at least eliminating the possibility of deportation. This important change is the addition of a new penal code section allowing the right to contest and potentially vacate a conviction at any time based on a prejudicial error affecting the defendant’s right to understand and consider the immigration consequences before entering a guilty plea. Former law only allowed challenges while a person remained in custody and thus severely restricted the ability to bring such challenges, especially since many people only learn of the severe immigration consequences of their conviction either directly after completing their sentence or many years after the fact.

Criminal convictions for offenses may have major immigration consequences. Convictions for offenses such as drug possession or sale, theft, shoplifting, or assault can lead to permanent bars to U.S. citizenship, permanent resident status, or relief from deportation.

For instance, the Immigration and Nationality Act states that a person who has been convicted of an “aggravated felony” is forever barred from becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen or from being granted Cancellation of Removal for Permanent Residents. An “aggravated felony” conviction also subjects a person in the United States to deportation proceedings, with little defense from removal.

Despite the severe immigration consequences that result from these type of convictions, many people, including many criminal defense attorneys and judges, are

often unaware of the consequences. The result is that people enter guilty pleas to an offense that they may think is minor (whether to avoid exposure to more serious charges, to save the cost or time of fighting the charges, etc.), only to later tragically learn that they are forever barred from U.S. citizenship, are subject to being deported, or other harsh immigration consequences.

The fact that even relatively minor offense can cause a person to be deported, likely means that there many lawful permanent residents in the U.S. who are subject to deportation proceedings without them even knowing it.

These people ae therefore at risk of having their lives destroyed if the government elects to use its vast resources to single them out for punishment.

If you or a loved one are possibly one of these people at risk, you should immediately consult with an immigration attorney.

They can determine how serious the conviction actually is from an immigration perspective and determine if any proactive steps can be taken to remove the threat before immigration officials come knocking. The same can be said for those with old immigration violations. The time to address these problems is before a real problem develops. *** REEVES IMMIGRATION LAW GROUP is one of the oldest, largest and most experienced immigration fi rms in the United States with offi ces in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Manila and China.

For more Information please call (800) 7958009 or visit www.rreeves.com.

Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com Website: www.rreeves.com. *** The analysis and suggestions offered in this column do not create a lawyer-client relationship and are not a substitute for the personalized representation that is essential to every case.

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The bucket list

Face the fear of public speaking ”...Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear — not absence of fear.” — Mark Twain many people admit to is the fear of speaking before crowds.

Psychology can dig up all the reasons for such fears deeply entrenched in the human psyche.

But whatever the reason is, there is a time during one’s life that confronting that fear that paralyzes you from fully functioning and realizing your full potential on earth needs to be addressed.

It is time for a face-off.

If you are so inclined to add this to your bucket list, try mustering enough courage to face this one fear that you think is worth conquering.

People admit that having them speak in front of a crowd is like facing a firing squad. They would rather melt away than speak up.

Experts say that there are baby steps that can be taken to conquer this.

The one thing that characterizes people who speak in public at a drop of a hat is confidence— lots of it— that it practically oozes out of their pores. It is doubtful they started out with that level

of confidence right off the bat.

Most professional public speakers probably had to start being afraid themselves until they had a winning judo match with that gnawing fear in their gut.

Mastery comes with taking baby steps, learning consistently from those that went before and were great, engaging speakers.

Choose a role model and emulate what works. First off, one must dive deep into the sea of available information and cull out nuggets of wisdom on wide ranging areas to know what to speak of. In short, read up and never stop learning.

Otherwise, one would simply be winging it with disjointed thoughts and flawed delivery. It sounds cheesy but there may be some truth to the advice — fake it until you make it. In the beginning, that is probably how it works until repetitive practice over time builds that precious confidence and the chutzpah to speak unrehearsed and extempoPAGE B6

Saving our planet degree of energy from the sun, and volcanic eruptions. The latter part of the 18th century ushered in the human factor: the industrial revolution which has contributed to more massive environmental pollution.

The human factor includes the carcinogenic fumes from cigarettes, carbon monoxide/dioxide from engine emissions, chemical contamination from the household agents (soaps, bleaches, tile and toilet cleaners, etc.) we use daily, factory polluting our atmosphere and dumping of toxic waste products into the our rivers and lakes, deforestation and destruction of our greeneries, invasion of the original habitats of animals and disturbing the natural order of things, and the environmental insults that urbanization brings with it in general. These changes in the landscape of nature have affected the health and atmosphere of our planet, causing its “body” to have a temperature that is rising like a fever from an “infection,” and at an alarmingly faster rate than what it should be. And all this because of what we, its intelligent inhabitants, have done to the one and only “life-sustaining home” we know in the galaxy.

The burning of fossil fuels, such as coals and oil, and deforestation the past two centuries have led to the “greenhouse effect,” where the toxic gasses in the atmosphere has significantly increased to the point of trapping

heat, like in a glass panel enclosure of a greenhouse, causing the earth’s temperature to climb more rapidly than ever before in its history. The resultant man-induced depletion of the ozone layer (nature’s protective “umbrella” shielding us from the harmful variety of sun rays) is likewise a great health hazard, a most plausible contributing factor in the alarmingly increasing rate of the various cancers killing people in the world today.

Although greenhouse gasses, at safe levels, are essential for life as we know it to keep our planet comfortably warm, abnormally high levels are far too dangerous for our Planet. At the present, man’s abuse of his environment has adversely affected many aspects of our life, including our means of subsistence, agriculture and aqua-culture, to mention a couple.

Data from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and NASA “show that the earth’s average surface temperature has increased by about 1.2 to 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900…the warmest global average temperatures on record have all occurred within the past 15 years, with the warmest two years being 1998 and 2005.” This indisputably means the human factor has caused this dreadful and scary phenomenon.

Indeed, as guests in this PlanPAGE B6

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 13-19, 2018

Calendar of Events across

B5

America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS S E P T E M B E R 4 -27

SIPA hosts 8-session Entrepreneur Training Program (ETP) in Los Angeles The Entrepreneur Training Program (ETP) is an 8-session skills building training program designed for startup entrepreneurs covering the A to Z of starting and running a successful business. This is open to all! If you want to start your own business and don’t know where to start or how to start, this program was made FOR YOU! Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to learn from the experts and from business owners themselves on how to build the business of your dreams!

Program details: One time fee of $100 covers food and beverage and training materials for all 8 sessions; 5 FREE slots are available for College/University students and low income families; FREE Parking on site. Parking lot is accessed on Robinson St.; Includes FREE one-on-one business counseling with SIPA’s counselor, Fidji Victoriano; and you will receive a Completion Certificate at the end of the program. The eight sessions will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the whole month of September 2018: September 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25 and 27 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Program will be held at the SIPA Multipurpose room at 3200 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 (through Robinson St. entrance). For any questions or to register in person, please contact Fidji Victoriano at (424) 235-5011 or e-mail at fvictoriano@esipa.org. This program is brought by Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) in collaboration with the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce Hollywood (FACCHO) and the support of Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program (APISBP) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

S E P T E M B E R 1 3 -1 9

Golden Jubilee Anniversary celebration for MVGFC ’68 in Las Vegas CLECSN (now MVGFC) class of ’68 in Cabanatuan City, Philippines will have its golden jubilee anniversary celebration in Las Vegas, Nevada from Thursday, Sept. 13 to Wednesday, Sept.

19. For more information, please contact Eddie C. Talusan at (415) 583-1300 or Cindy Frando Reyes at (949) 705 - 9324.

SEPTEMBER 15

Penafrancia Fiesta event in San Leandro, California In honor of the feast of Our Lady of Penafrañcia, a day of celebration will be held on Saturday, September 15 in San Leandro, California. It will begin at 9 a.m. with a 9th day rosary and novena prayer, followed by the Holy Mass at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church (2500 Bermuda Ave., San Leandro, CA 94577). At 11:30 a.m., the land & fluvial processions will happen from the church to Marina Park Lagoon. From 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., there will be a picnic, entertainment, games and vigil mass at Marina Park (14001 Monarch Bay Dr., San Leandro, CA 94577).

SEPTEMBER 16

Los Angeles Skyline Lions Club holds masquerade ball The Los Angeles Skyline Lions Club (District 4-L3) cordially invites guests to join the masquerade ball to celebrate its 15th anniversary of continued support to local and global communities, alongside the annual fall harvest festival and installation of new club officers. Please join the fun celebration on Sunday, September 16 at the Signature Banquet Hall, 11130 Balboa Blvd., Granada Hills, CA. Doors open at 4 p.m. For any inquiries, you may call PDG Sol “Sunshine” Santiago at (213) 500-1927. See you all there and be ready to unmask your night!

S E P T E M B E R 22

Sto. Tomas Batangas Association of Southern California to celebrate 36th anniversary The Sto. Tomas Batangas Association of Southern California will celebrate its 36th anniversary & coronation Night on Saturday, September 22 at the Los Serranos Country Club (15656 Yorba Ave. Chino Hills, CA 91709). Music will be provided by The Midnight Motion Band.

For attendance, please call Willie Manacsa at (818) 400-7391, Offie Villanueva at (626) 9608407), Mylee Moncada at (818) 322-9429, Rosalie Nasu at (909)631-9356 or Rosie Sancianco at (951)898-7628.

Celebration of the Feast of San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila in Lake Balboa, CA Come celebrate with us! The Archdiocese of Los Angeles Filipino Ministry San Fernando Region invites all to the 10th regional celebration of the feast of San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila on Saturday, Sept. 22 at St. Bridget of Sweden Church ( 7100 Whitaker Ave and Gault, Lake Balboa, CA 91406 ). It starts with a procession at 4:00 p.m . and mass at 5:00 p.m. The Principal Celebrant is Rev. Fr. Albert Avenido, Moderator & Chaplain, Filipino Pastoral Ministry-Archdiocese for Los Angeles. A reception and program follows right after mass at the School Parish.

For a schedule of the nine-day novena masses prior to the event, please contact Patty Santiago at (818) 472-4288 or Alex Quadra at 818-624-4684 or a.e.quadra@att.net.

S E P T E M B E R 23 -26

Tau Alpha Grand Reunion in Las Vegas Tau Alphans everywhere, join D’Argos Adventure in Las Vegas on September 23-26, 2018.

Experience O’le Las Vegas, the Birthplace of the Mob. Most of the four-day event will be held at the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino on Fremont St. The “Meet & Greet” á la Western style, will be on Sunday, September 23; followed by a Family Picnic on Monday, September 24 at the Madeira Canyon Park in Henderson; a subsequent Nightcap in the Golden Nugget on the evening of September 24; D’Fabulous 50s Nostalgia Dinner-Dance will be in the Golden Nugget and the Gala Dinner/Fraternity Ball will be on Wednesday, September 26 at the Golden Nugget, Bel Air Rooms. There will be a privately hosted Bon Voyage Brunch on September 27. Tau Alpha is the 3rd oldest fraternity in the University of the Philippines. Chartered in 1932 as the College of Engineering Fraternity. Contact Art F. Jorge, chairman of the 2018 Tau Alpha Grand Reunion, at artnmyr@yahoo.com.

S E P T E M B E R 26

United Architects of the Philippines - Southern California chapter hosts UAP president in Monterey Park, CA The United Architects of the Philippines - Southern California Chapter, Inc. (UAPSOCAL) a chartered member by the UAP, the only accredited architectural professional organization recognized by Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) of the Philippines, will host the national president of UAP who will be in Los Angeles in connection with the induction of the incoming chapter officers and new members on Wednesday, September 26 from 7 to 11 p.m. at Monterey Hill Steak Restaurant (3700 W. Ramona Blvd., Monterey Park, CA 9175). Interested UAP corporate members, Filipino-American architects, designers, and allied professionals are welcome to attend the event and join the prestigious organization. For more information please contact Jun Joaquin at (323) 675-5042 / (323) 907-3050 or email at uapsocalchapter@gmail.com.

OCTOBER O C TO B E R 7

Serenata Filipina Ver. 2 at LA’s Ford Amphitheatre “Serenata Filipina Ver. 2” is the only Filipino music concert at the famed Ford Theatres’ Summer Season. Features female OPM stalwarts: jazz diva Louie Reyes, vocal powerhouse Annie Nepomuceno, hitmaker Odette Quesada and many more, backed by a live band. Part of the proceeds benefits Philippine Patrons of the Arts USA, and other community partners. Grounds open for picnicking at 4:30 p.m., show is at 6:30pm. Tickets are $100 VIP, $70, $55, $40 and $35 for students. Buy online at www.fordtheatres.org or by calling the box office at (323) 4613673.

If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com

Features

B september 13-19, 2018 • LAs VeGAs AsIAN JOUrNAL

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Filipino-American youth convene town hall Arnold T. Gonzales, Tourism Promotions for discussion on history, culture, and action Board Officer-in-Charge, on empowering The inaugural town hall of Filipino Forward, a new initiative led by Filipino-American students, brought together a broad swath of people from different walks of life. Mothers attended with their children; professors and high-school students alike participated; first-generation Filipino-Americans and recent immigrants all took part.

The goal of the town hall was to incite discussion about youth civic engagement, to raise awareness of the importance of getting involved and to connect our culture and history to activism today. Speakers included Karl Catarata, NaFFAA youth civic coordinator; Jean Munson, writer

and organizer; Caitlin Gatchalian, UNLV student activist; Craig Valdez, AAPI outreach staffer for Congresswoman Dina Titus; and Angelyn Tabalba, community outreach for Asian Community Development Council.

The panel touched on topics ranging from shared culture— traditional foods like lechon that families pass down—to the need for greater Filipino-American representation in media and politics. Both speakers and audience members expressed a desire for more inter-generational exchange, especially in light of the family pressures and tension that can prevent youth from speaking out. The audience’s desire for

more conversations and more Filipino-American solidarity was palpable.

The youth town hall was only the start of a broader movement.

The sponsoring organizations, which included Filipino Forward, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), and the College of Southern Nevada AAPI heritage Committee, are committed to creating more community spaces to broaden civic engagement. Readers who are interested in civic engagement should contact Vivian Chang at vivian@apalanet.org or 702-2684400.

Globetrotting with Filipino-French...

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expanding the wholesale side is also a top priority as the brand progresses. This past summer, Oneculture presented at Pitti Uomo in Florence, Italy (an international fair for men’s fashion) and Liberty Fairs in New York.

“The goal for us next year is to really develop wholesale and being sold in France and globally. It’s also a great way to spread our message through our clothes being available and for people to be able to touch and feel them around the world,” Alvarez said.

The company plans on hosting international pop-ups in cities where it could reach more clientele, like Los Angeles, for example.

“The concept and the style of the clothes would please a lot of LA customers. That’s why I think LA would be an interesting market for us on a wholesale perspective,” he said.

For Oneculture, like any fashion company, it’s a cycle of forward thinking and preparing for upcoming seasons at least a year in advance. The brand has completed its Spring/Summer 2019

capsule and Fall/Winter 2019 is underway.

“What I’ve learned in this industry is that you have to project yourself six months to a year in advance,” Alvarez said. “We have to really see ourselves and predict the styles that will be in vogue then.”

Through its conscious and well-crafted collections, Oneculture goes beyond just the tangible aspect — expressing that fashion can tell stories and experiences, transcend borders and make the world not so large and isolating after all.

Saving our planet

PAGE B5 et we call home, we, humans, have not been ecology-conscious enough and environmentally friendly at all to Mother earth.

This has resulted in the gradual deterioration of our ecosystem.

What are the signs of a widespread and long-term trend toward global warming? The manifestations include unusually warmer weather and heat waves; glacier melting; Arctic and Antarctic warming; and, ocean warming, rising sea level, and coastal flooding. Aren’t the various volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, typhoons, and hurricanes, and evident weather changes not enough hints for us?

If man does not do anything about this climate change soon, the resultant impact of this global

warming, according to experts, will lead to the following “harbingers”: diseases spreading more easily, spring arriving earlier, coral reef bleaching occurring, plant and animal range shifts and population changes taking place, downpours, heavy snow falls and giant tidal waves and flooding, droughts and fires happening often.

While government initiatives by all nations around the globe are vital to the remedial solution to this potentially catastrophic dilemma that could make our world uninhabitable and wipe out civilization as we know it, our individual and concerted community discipline, behavioral modifications and proactive lifestyle changes could immensely help and positively impact on

how much longer we can keep Planet earth a safe place to live in. hopefully, our space exploration is successful soon enough in finding for another friendly planet man could colonize.

The ball is in our court. Our fate is in our hands. We better get started.

*** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com

employees and officials in promoting the Philippines all over the world

By Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

MARKeTING veteran Arnold T. Gonzales was chosen unanimously by the Board of Directors, chaired by Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat, as Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), following the resignation of TPB COO, Cesar Montano.

Gonzales graduated from the University of the Philippines in 1982 with a degree in Tourism. he finished his Master’s Degree from the De La Salle University in 1995. he has been a civil servant most of his career, spending two years in the private sector as a tour coordinator, and then rising to Assistant Operations Manager at Rajah Tours Philippines Inc. he is no stranger in the tourism sector, having been with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and TPB for 30 years, assigned to various posts in the Philippines and abroad. When he was the senior tourism operations officer/marketing specialist, he pushed the marketing efforts of the DOT at Frankfurt and Paris offices, with focus on Western and Southern europe (France, Spain, Portugal, Benelux countries, Italy, Greece, Turkey and the Middle east.) Prior to his designation, Gonzales has been serving as OIC of Domestic Promotions Department of the TPB. Gonzales was just settling in his new office as the Officer-inCharge of TPB when he sat down with Balikbayan Magazine/Asian Journal for a quick interview: Balikbayan Magazine/Asian Journal: How does it feel to be appointed as TPB’s Officer-inCharge?

Gonzales: I’m humbled and yet challenged by the new assignment. Being the OIC entails a daunting task ahead, but with the support of the employees and the private sector, I feel empowered to handle this job. I am also humbled yet overwhelmed by the positive response I’ve been receiving from everyone.

BBMag/AJ: What do you think are the challenges you might encounter as the OIC? Gonzales: One of the challenges is basically the immediate implementation of projects. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Puyat instructed us to pass through all projects to the Commission on Audit (COA) for review. Since there are a lot of projects, we’re being very careful in implementing these, to avoid any more controversies.

BBMag/AJ: What do you think should be an OIC’s best quality?

Gonzales: First and foremost, a TPB OIC should manifest exemplary leadership in managing the affairs of the office and its employees. A TPB OIC should focus on the mandate which is marketing and promoting the Philippines domestically and internationally as a major global tourism destination. he should consider certain factors in implementing a project. The project has to bring in international tourists as well as entice Filipinos to

AJPress photo by Godwin Gasacao

travel within the country.

BBMag/AJ: What are your plans and projects for TPB? Gonzales: I would not say plans, but my mission is to empower all employees and officials, ensure transparency in transactions of the corporation, and establish a work-life balance.

And, of course, ensure that no corruption will happen in this organization.

BBMag/AJ: How do you plan on accomplishing those?

Gonzales: TPB is an ISO-certified world-class organization that highly values transparency in all its transactions. We will continue to ensure that all processes are followed accordingly, and all projects will undergo proper vetting procedure before crucial decisions are made.

The public has the right to know where their taxes go so it is our duty to make sure that everything is accounted for.

We will also ensure that TPB’s resources will be allocated to projects that are in line with our mandate — this means no more sponsorships of projects such as beauty pageants, fashion shows, concerts, and unnecessary sporting events.

On empowerment for TPB employees, we have to constantly remind each and every employee of this organization’s rules and his/her role as a civil servant.

And more importantly, they have to be given the opportunity to voice out their opinions and even make important decisions to be reminded that we work as a team, and not as individuals with personal agenda. There will also be no more unnecessary reassignment of career employees as this affects their efficiency and productivity.

One of the best ways to empower is to build a work-life balance culture that will allow each and every employee to see work not as a burden, but as an opportunity for growth.

We will do this by allowing our employees to engage in trainings and activities that will not only improve their skills but also build their network toward growth and development.

With empowered employees, expect no corruption in this organization. But since corruption can also stem from poor leadership, it is my duty to lead by example, communicate and engage and treat everyone equally and with respect. The COO’s door is always open to show that we do not ostracize and there is no barrier between the management and its subordinates. We are one as a team and we will work as a team to serve the best interests of the country.

BBMag/AJ: What is your vision for TPB in 2018 in order to make it a world-class organization worthy of the Philippine brand?

Gonzales: TPB over the years has sponsored various outfits whose objectives are aligned with our mandate to market and promote the Philippines as a major global destination.

But following the directives of Secretary Puyat in promoting farm tourism, heritage, and ecotourism, we will be moving forward and focusing on projects that fuel these avenues toward tourism growth. This means projects related to fashion shows and pageants will have to take a backseat. There are exceptions however, provided that we still apply the proper procedure in vetting and evaluating proposals.

In this connection, we are in the process of finalizing our guidelines for the vetting of financial sponsorships. The guidelines will have to be ratified by the board so that whoever sits as the COO will now have to follow the process.

(Published in Balikbayan Magazine’s August-October/Autumn 2018 issue)

Kathryn Bernardo now a legit drama star A MORe mature and versatile Kathryn Bernardo brought tears, broke expectations and blossomed into a full-fledged actress in her latest big screen offering “The hows of Us” with perennial leading man Daniel Padilla.

Bernardo has been wowing moviegoers for her exemplary performance as the aspiring doctor George, who made huge sacrifices in her seven-year romance with aspiring musician Primo.

One of the most highly praised moments in the latest Cathy Garcia-Molina opus was the crucial jeepney and final scene where George had to choose between her dream and her love for Primo.

According to Direk Cathy, Bernardo winged that scene with just a single take. Netizens raved about how the film has elevated Bernardo’s artistry and how it proved her doubters wrong about what she can offer this business.

Maturity certainly becomes

PAGE B5

The latest Cathy Garcia-Molina blockbuster hit earned over P36 million on its opening day and almost P300 million on its opening weekend, the highest regular opening day ticket sales that the tandem has raked in out of the eight films that they have headlined to date. The whopping second and third day box office sales also saw a doubling of figures and sold out cinema screenings. The hows of Us is still screening in over 435 cinemas as of press time.

While their past films have focused mostly on bringing out kilig, The hows of Us brought out Bernardo’s depth and openness to take on roles that are more realistic and relatable.

The hows of Us, which opened in several countries around the world last week, will continue screening in Australia and New Kathryn Bernardo ABS-CBN photo Zealand starting September 13, Bernardo as the actress readily Singapore on September 14, and did scenes she is not known for, Taiwan, Florence and Greece on among them cracking expletives September 16. (ManilaTimes. and showing her sultry side. net)

The bucket list

raneously in public. Sometimes, the words come out so smoothly that you know without a doubt there is a higher spirit that flows in a particular speaker.

Perhaps, the same is true of any other fear that you decide to have a face--off with. The

greatest battle is with yourself when you finally decide you have had it living with the fear that threatens to eat you up and finally doing something about it. One day, you might even surprise yourself on how far you have gone with that ounce of courage you mustered early

on in order to gain mastery of a particular kind of fear Next week: Another idea to consider for The Bucket List … *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com

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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • SEptEmbER 13-19, 2018

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