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SEPTEMBER 13-19, 2019 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL
http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 689-5160
From the Front Page
Criminal investigation is underway over deadly... PAGE A1 “No criminal charges have been filed at this time,” a source close to the investigation told Reuters on Monday. According to the Times, the investigation will center around the possible safety measures that could have either prevented the fire or mitigated the scope of the tragedy. Early reports of the investigation found that among those safety deficiencies included the lack of a “roaming night watchman,” which is required in the event of any dangers while at sea. Authorities have suggested that smoke inhalation was “likely” the cause of death for the 34 victims. The Santa Barbara Coroner’s Office decided to forgo the traditional autopsies and instead ordered DNA analysis to identify the bodies. On Monday, September 2, the boat, which was anchored about 20 yards away from Santa Cruz Island, caught fire at around 3:15 a.m., according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. Including the ship’s crew, there were 39 people on board at the time of the fire. Emergency services responded to the scene quickly with firefighters battling the blaze as the ship sank 64 feet, officials reported. Five crew members of the Conception were able to escape
Victims of the Conception dive boat fire (L-R): Evanmichel Solano, Angela Rose Quitasol, Michael Quitasol, Fernisa Sison, Nicole Storm Quitasol. Christina Quitasol, far right, was not aboard the boat.
the destruction by jumping overboard after which a nearby boat rescued them; one of the escapees suffered a broken leg. But the tragedy claimed the lives of 34 people in what is now considered one of the worst maritime disasters in California history As previously reported in the Asian Journal, Filipino American Michael Quitasol, 63, was on the boat with his wife Fernisa Sison,
57, and Quitasol’s three daughters from a previous marriage: Evanmichel, 37; Nicole, 31 and Angela Rose, 28. The family of five had been celebrating Quitasol’s 63rd birthday on the boat. As the massive investigation continues to progress, the FBI is seeking help from anyone who may have information. Those who may have information are urged to call (800) CALL-FBI. (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress) n
Draft ruling vs Marcos poll protest divides... PAGE A1 Unimpeachable sources told The Times that Caguioa, the designated ponente of the case, circulated his 54-page draft decision on Monday. The magistrate adopted a rarely used procedure in distributing his ponencia — each set bears a water mark. Sources, however, clarified that the draft decision is not final since members of the tribunal have yet to deliberate on Caguioa’s ponencia and later cast their votes whether they agree or disagree with the recommendation. The next deliberation was set on October 1. Until the Supreme Court, sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), comes out with its final and official ruling, the case remains unresolved, the sources said.
They added that some justices tended to concur with the draft decision, while others said they intend to file their objection. Some magistrates also asked for more time to study Caguioa’s ponencia. On Tuesday, Brian Hosaka, head of the high court’s Public Information Office, said the PET had “concluded and finished the recount and revision of ballots in the three test provinces of Iloilo, Negros Occidental and Camarines Sur, involving 5,415 election precincts.” Hosaka said the tribunal “has not taken any action yet on the report of Justice Caguioa.” “The tribunal would like to again remind the parties that they are still subject to the subjudice rule pursuant to its resolution dated Feb. 13, 2018 and
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March 20, 2018. Hence, they are strictly ordered to refrain from making any public statements to the media with regards to the case,” Hosaka added. In his protest, Marcos assailed the election results in 39,221 clustered precincts. Based on date from the Commission on Elections, the 39,221 clustered precincts are composed of 132,446 precincts. Marcos lost to Robredo by only 263,473 votes in 2016. He accused her of “massive electoral fraud, anomalies and irregularities” such as pre-shading of ballots, pre-loaded Secure Digital cards, misreading of ballots, malfunctioning vote counting machines and an “abnormally high” unaccounted votes/undervotes for the position of vice president. n
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Colorful lanterns are on display along Aguinaldo Highway in Dasmarinas, Cavite on Monday, September 9. September is the start of the “ber” months where Filipinos begin their early countdown to Christmas, one of the longest and most important occasions in the country. PNA Photo by Gil Calinga
PSA: Filipina overseas workers...
PAGE A1 accounted for 14.5 percent. The survey also revealed an increase in the number of OFWs in elementary occupations, rising to 37.1 percent and making it the biggest among occupation groups of OFWs. Other large occupation groups included the service and sales workers (18.8 percent) and plant and machine operators and assemblers (13.8 percent). According to PSA, 58.7 percent of female OFWs were in elementary occupations. Cause-oriented group Lilac Center for Public Interest (Lilac) noted that the rising number of young female workers in elementary occupations, many of who were not able to finish their
elementary or high school education, had led to abuse and maltreatment. “The data on women domestic workers falling into distress and becoming victims of abuse is alarming, given that Filipino migrant labor is now steadily being feminized,” said Nicon Fameronag, Lilac president. He called for the revival of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority’s (Tesda) training regulations for the Domestic Work National Certificate (NC) 2, to reinforce the educational attainment requirement for domestic work trainees, and to stop the deployment of those with knowledge, language and skills deficiency. According to Fameronag, this
requirement must go hand-inhand with Tesda’s strict implementation of training before assessment, particularly for those who are first-time domestic workers, including the enforcement of the rule that a domestic worker trainee must present a training certificate before assessment. “Tesda’s implementation of the Domestic Work NC 2 training regulations has become lax to the point that instead of a full, no nonsense two-week training, many domestic workers now receive the so-called ‘one-day enhancement training’ package in assessment centers, where they are given a 100-percent assurance that they can receive a National Certificate 2 on domestic work the next day,” Lilac said. n
Immigrants rights orgs, advocates join forces... PAGE A1 If a legal immigrant uses benefits like Medicaid, housing assistance and/or food stamps for more than 12 months of a 36-month period, they may be deemed a “public charge,” which could threaten their chances at getting a green card or lawful permanent resident status. The rule is not retroactive, meaning that if an immigrant used these programs in the past, that won’t factor into any future public charge test to which they may be subjected. Ken Cuccinelli, acting director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), reasoned that the rule change is designed to encourage “self-sufficiency” among immigrants and favor “hard-working” individuals and families. “Throughout our history, selfreliance has been a core principle in America. The virtues of perseverance, hard work, and self-sufficiency laid the foundation of our nation and have defined generations of immigrants seeking opportunity in the United States,” Cuccinelli said in a White House press conference on Aug. 12. The Trump administration’s rules are set to take effect on Oct. 15, 2019, but pushback from legal and civil rights organizations, statewide government officials and immigration rights activists -- who say that the rule “penalizes” immigrants for using government benefits -- could change the course. Multiple lawsuits have been filed against the DHS and the USCIS for the public charge rule changes. Last week, California Attorney
General Xavier Becerra filed a preliminary injunction to get a judge to move forward with the suit, asking for an Oct. 3 hearing. “This change would dramatically change and reshape our nation’s legal immgiration system and basically institutes a wealth test into our immigration system that’s grounded in racial animus,” Connie Choi, campaign field manager for the National Immigrant Law Center’s (NILC) Protecting Immigrant Families campaign, told ethnic media outlets in a teleconference on Thursday, September 5. “Only a family of four making $64,000 a year will be deemed fully safe from this rule and an estimated 26,000 families and individuals will suffer the consequences, especially those within black, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Arab, Muslim, South Asian and Latinx communities,” Choi added. Referencing the Trump administration’s strict immigration proposals as a whole, U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) said that “the public charge rule is a part of this assault” on immigrant communities. “It puts a price tag on entering America [and] it’ll make it harder for immigrants to try to make it in this country which means more hunger and more sickness,” Chu said, adding that even before the rule has been officially applied, “it has already inspired fear in jeopardizing [immigrants’] citizenship status.” In addition to instilling fear among immigrants seeking green cards and visas, the rule change could also affect the U.S. economy. There are 35 million
legal immigrants in the U.S., according to Pew Research Center, and about 10 million utilize public benefits. A 2018 report from the nonpartisan Fiscal Policy Institute found that the economy could suffer a $33.8 billion loss if 35% of immigrants who use public benefits left those programs. “Immigrants are a net benefit to our economy and our society,” Thu Quach, director of Asian Health Services, said. “This change is wrong and humane and we are fighting this in the courts, in Congress, on the streets and at the polls in 2020.” However, the controversial rule change has sparked confusion and concern among immigrants over whether or not they are affected. Legal and civil rights leaders advise speaking with an immigration lawyer before going on or off any public benefit programs because the rule “does not apply to all immigrant communities.” Community leaders advise undocumented immigrants who may be affected by the rule change to seek legal assistance before going on or off any public benefit programs. “Above all please don’t panic, and before you do anything, speak to a community-based immigration attorney,” Amanda Lugg, director of Public Health Services in New York, advised immigrants who may be impacted. “The rule is not yet in effect and may not apply to you. And remember, it only applies to the applicant themself, not to family members, and actually it’s a very small group of people who are impacted directly.” (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress) n