091523 - San Diego Edition

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Pfizer and Moderna are pushing the new COVID booster. Should you get it? The CDC is about to decide

A SMALL percentage of Americans got the most recent COVID-19 booster shot, and even fewer probably realize the federal government is preparing to recommend yet another shot as early as Tuesday, September 12. Until a week or two ago, William Schaffner read that indifference as a sign the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should advocate vaccinating only those most at risk from the virus.

But then Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, changed his mind.

Members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices won

API Equity Budget in jeopardy as California faces $20 billion deficit

SACRAMENTO — The state’s $247 million API Equity Budget, set to expire next year, may not be renewed as California faces an unprecedented $22 billion budget deficit, said California Asian and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus Chair Assemblyman Evan Low Sept. 8, on the sidelines of the first AAPI Leadership Summit.

“I need our community to understand hard facts and truth. In reality, we are in the midst of an economic collapse. There were years of extraordinary revenue when the API Equity Budget was created in 2021.”

Senate panel to craft PH map in response to China’s 10-dash line

MANILA — Senator Francis Tolentino said the Senate’s special panel on maritime and admiralty zones is aiming to craft a Philippine map that will counter China’s 10-dash line claims.

“[We are] trying to craft our own map. This is a response to the ten dash line so we can’t finish this in one hearing,” Tolentino told reporters in a press conference on Wednesday, September 13.

The panel’s first hearing was to be conducted on Thursday, September 14 where lawmakers are set to tackle the establishment of maritime zones.

Tolentino, who also sits as the chairperson of the said panel, said they also invited resource persons from Beijing University.

“[W]ala pang nag oo. [Pero] gusto rin natin makita u PAGE 2

DepEd told: Stick to historical facts on ‘Diktaduryang Marcos’

MANILA — The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) on Monday, Sept. 11 condemned the Department of Education (DepEd)’s directive to change “Diktadurang Marcos” to simply “Diktadura” in the Grade 6 Araling Panlipunan syllabus under the new Matatag curriculum.

Yanking out the Marcos family’s identity from the grade school lessons on Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship is distortion and sabotage of truth about one of the darkest periods in Philippine history, the teachers’ organization said.

“Ferdinand Marcos Sr. ruled the Philippines with an iron fist, suspending civil liberties, suppressing dissent and

Maria Ressa cleared of tax evasion charges

NOBEL Laureate Maria Ressa and Rappler Holdings Corporation (RHC) were acquitted by a Pasig Regional Trial Court, over charges of tax evasion.

The latest court ruling now acquits both Ressa and RHC of all tax evasion charges that were slapped against them during the time of then president Rodrigo Duterte.

The Pasig RTC cleared Ressa and RHC of the case involving their supposed failure to declare tax in 2015.

Ressa’s lawyer, Francis Lim, said that Pasig City RTC Branch 157 acquitted both her client and RHC of violation of Section 255 of the National Internal Revenue Code (Tax Code).

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committing numerous human rights violations during his regime,” ACT chairman Vladimer Quetua said in a statement.

“To reduce his oppressive rule to a mere Diktadura” is a disservice to the countless victims of his dictatorship and an affront to the pursuit of historical accuracy and truth,” he added.

While DepEd has yet to comment on the memo, a supposed copy surfaced in digital spaces over the weekend.

Dated Sept. 6, 2023, the agency’s Bureau of Curriculum Development memo stated that the directive was made after an “arduous” review and revision under the scrutiny of experts, a review of stakeholders and, allegedly, public consultations.

The measure was met with strong

MANILA — At least 34,000 fatalities and 114,000 injuries are expected in case an earthquake similar to the one that struck Morocco hits Metro Manila, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said on Monday, September 11.

Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol issued the warning following the magnitude 6.8 temblor in Morocco, which killed more than 2,000 people.

Philippines

now world’s top rice importer – USDA

MANILA — The Philippines has overtaken China as the world’s top importer of rice, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In its latest “Grain: World Markets and Trade” report, the USDA projected that Philippine rice importation will reach 3.8 million metric tons in marketing year 2023-2024 while China’s imports will drop to 3.5 million MT.

Farmers’ group Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) agreed with the USDA’s forecast.

“I can see the need for a large volume of imports next year, probably in the range of

the USDA forecast, because domestic supply is not catching up with demand. More imports are needed next year to offset the decline in imports in the third quarter of this year,” FFF national manager Raul Montemayor said when sought for comment.

In the same report, the USDA said the Philippines is holding off its rice importation this year due to skyrocketing rice prices resulting from India and Vietnam’s rice export ban.

“In 2008, the Philippines continuously bought larger volumes as prices escalated; this year, it is delaying purchases, awaiting lower prices. In the past week, prices started to decline from their

capability to address maritime challenges by training its personnel on navigation, law enforcement, and ship maintenance. PCG deputy commandant for administration Vice Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan and U.S. Ambassador MaryKay Carlson led the ceremonial turnover and blessing of the facility at the PCG’s Fleet Training Center of Excellence in Balagtas, Bulacan, on Monday, September 11. “The building serves as an important instrument for the enhancement of the capabilities of our sailors,
The West Valley Fault is already ripe T he F ilipino –A meric A n c ommuni T y n ewsp A per SAN DIEGO Serving San Diego Since 1987 • 12 Pages Also published in LOS ANGELES • ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY LAS VEGAS SEPTEMBER 15-21, 2023 550 East 8th St., Suite 6, National City, CA 91950 Tel: (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 • Email: info@asianjournalinc.com DATELINE USA FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA u PAGE 3 u PAGE 4 u PAGE 3 PCG gets P250 million training facility
US government
from
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‘Morocco-like quake could kill 34,000 in Metro Manila’
Jacob Lazaro Inquirer.net
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neiL Jayson servaLLos Philstar.com
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more than 180,000
Oct. 30
THE United States has turned over to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) a P250-million facility in Bulacan province that will help enhance its DRONE FOR THE ELECTION. A Quezon City Police District (QCPD) police officer presents to the media a drone that will be used for the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), during the distribution of body-worn cameras and the launch of the District AntiCrime Reaction Team Task Force at the QCPD Grandstand in Camp Karingal, Quezon City on
Thursday, Sept. 14. The Philippine National Police will deploy
police officers to guard voting centers nationwide in the
elections.
PNA
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photo by Joey O. Razon
More than 400 rice retailers receive P15,000 each during the payout of government subsidy to help them cope with the impact of the price cap on rice in Marikina City on Wednesday, September 13.
California Asian and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus Chair Assemblyman Evan Low (left) with Reps. Ro Khanna and Ted Lieu, both Democrats from California, and
Photo by Walter Bollozos CAPILC Vice Chair Sen. Dave Min, are shown Sept. 8 at the AAPI Leadership Summit. EMS photos by Sunita Sohrabji Nobel Laureate and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa and her online outfit have been acquitted by the Court of Tax Appeals four of tax evasion cases filed against her. Photo By Mike De Juan

PCG gets P250 million training...

which will fortify the PCG’s mandate,” Gavan said.

The two-story building covers 3,900 square meters and includes classrooms, laboratories, equipment rooms, dining facilities, a galley, offices, a technical library, and workstations.

“This building and the training it will facilitate mark an important advance in the (PCG’s) ability to safely operate and maintain [its] assets that preserve maritime safety, protect the marine environment, enforce maritime laws, and defend Philippine sovereign rights in the waters around the Philippines, including in the West Philippine Sea,” Carlson said, adding that the facility was also designed to train vessel operations and maintenance for the 12 multirole response vessels from Japan.

The facility “took many years” to complete due to a change in location and delays brought by the pandemic, Carlson noted.

Bigger budget

Lawmakers have also promised to help the PCG boost its capabilities, with Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri saying on Tuesday, September 12 that senators were unanimous in calling for an increase in the proposed 2024 budget for the agency, especially amid the ongoing tension with China in the West Philippine Sea.

Speaking at the briefing on the Department of Transportation’s

to the Philippine Coast Guard of the Balagtas Technical Training Center in Bulacan province. Photo courtesy of U.S. Embassy

proposed budget, Zubiri gave the PCG the Senate’s commitment to increase its budget, including funding for development projects in the Kalayaan Group of Islands.

PCG commandant Adm.

Artemio Abu admitted to senators that the proposed budget of P24 billion was “too little” as they needed to hire an additional 4,000 personnel and buy law enforcement and security remotecontrolled weapon systems and handguns. Earlier on Monday, Carlson also led the christening and commissioning ceremony for two Cyclone class patrol vessels— the BRP Valentin Diaz and BRP Ladislao Diwa—given by the United States to the Philippine Navy.

Senate panel to craft PH map...

Meanwhile, top military officials of the Philippines and the United States were to visit three sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) on Wednesday, September 13 ahead of an annual meeting.

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. and US Indo-Pacific Command head Adm. John Aquilino will be joined by Carlson during the visit to Lal-lo Airport and Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta. Ana, Cagayan, two of the newly added Edca sites facing Taiwan, and Basa Air Base in Pampanga, one of the five original Edca sites where a 2,800-meter runway worth $24 million is being constructed.

—with a report from Melvin Gascon n

yung views nila e, diba? Kung ano yung – bakit cina-claim nila ito. Gusto natin malaman sa kanila mismo kung bakit gumawa sila ng ten dash line. Hindi naman pwedeng tayo tayo lang nung nag meeting doon, diba? Gusto rin natin makita yung punto de vista nila nang sa ganon yung gagawin nating batas e angkop sa tinatawag ng panahon, the call of the times,” said Tolentino. ([N]o one has confirmed their attendance yet. [But] we also want to hear their views, right? What is it – why do they claim it? We want to know why they made a ten dash line. We can’t be the only ones in the meeting. We also want to know their point of view so that the law we will make is appropriate to the call of the times.) This all comes amid China’s territorial claims over nearly the entire South China Sea, including the West Philippine

Sea which is well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. China’s newly-released standard map now asserts,

through a 10-dash line, that its territory extends through Taiwan and India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin region. n

Philippines now world’s top rice...

peaks,” the USDA said.

Global rice prices have reached their highest in 15 years after the latest export ban policy of India, the report noted.

India, which supplies around 40 percent of the global rice trade, banned the export of nonbasmati white rice in July, leading to higher global prices and tighter global supply.

“Top rice exporter India has sent shockwaves through the global rice market since its July export ban on milled white rice and subsequent August export tax on parboiled rice and minimum export price for basmati. Global importers have shifted to the next largest suppliers, Thailand and Vietnam, sending their export quotes surging to the highest levels since 2008,” the USDA added.

Thailand and Vietnam are the top two sources of imported rice in the Philippines in 2023.

Based on the Bureau of Plant Industry’s Sept. 7 data, rice imports have already reached 2.33 million MT, with 4.46 percent sourced from Thailand and 89.85 percent from Vietnam.

No to Balisacan at DA

Farmers’ groups on Wednesday, September 13 opposed the possible appointment of Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan as chief of the Department of Agriculture.

Balisacan has doused speculation that he is being tapped to replace President Marcos as DA secretary.

“He has long been an advocate of unlimited imports, tariff cuts, easing of subsidies that will lead to the demise of the Filipino farmers. He has

never sided with local producers, case in point, he is one of the proponents of the reduction of rice tariff,” Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura executive director Jayson Cainglet told The STAR Marcos should appoint a pro-farmer, not “market-oriented and pro-liberalization like Balisacan,” Montemayor said.

“Balisacan thinks like (Finance) Secretary Benjamin Diokno. They always resort to importation,” he noted. Reduce tariffs

The Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) supports the proposal to temporarily reduce tariffs on rice imports.

On Sept. 7, the Foundation for Economic Freedom filed a petition to temporarily reduce imported rice tariffs from 35 percent to between zero and 10 percent. This proposal was endorsed by the Department of Finance and the National Economic and Development Authority.

“We believe that the temporary lowering of tariff, coupled with other calibrated measures to be taken by this administration’s economic team, will result in the long-term stabilization of the prices of rice and improve the inflation situation,” FFCCCII president Cecilio Pedro said in a statement.

Earlier this week, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) also expressed support for the removal of import duties for rice.

“Since we’re short of rice, when we import, we hope there won’t be tax so you lower down the cost of rice,” said PCCI president George Barcelon. – Bella Cariaso, Catherine Talavera n

SEPTEMBER 15-21, 2023 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 2 From The FronT Page
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Inquirer.net photo
AMERICA’S GIFT. United States Ambassador MaryKay Carlson on Monday leads the turn over DIVING GEARS. Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco visits one of the exhibit booths during the opening ceremonies of the first-ever Philippine Tourism Dive Dialogue held at Fili Hotel at Nustar in Cebu City on Thursday, Sept. 14. The two-day event allows stakeholders from the public and private sectors to discuss measures to address challenges in the dive industry and further bolster the sector. PNA photo by Yancy Lim

Pfizer and Moderna are pushing the new COVID...

him over to the argument that the vaccine be recommended for all Americans above 6 months of age, he said in an interview. The committee, which sets U.S. vaccination policy and helps determine insurance coverage for vaccines, will vote on the question Tuesday as it weighs the benefits of updated vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. The FDA, the CDC’s sister agency, approved the two booster shots for use on Monday, September 11.

who suffered most during the pandemic — minorities and other disadvantaged groups — unable to get vaccinated if they want but can’t afford to.

“The last thing we need are financial barriers that would enhance disparities,” Schaffner said.

A 1993 law requires the federal government to pay for childhood vaccines recommended by the ACIP, and more recent legislation requires coverage of adult vaccines within 15 days of an ACIP recommendation.

boosters, and different strains of the virus.

Christopher Ridley, a Moderna spokesperson, said the updated vaccine was well matched to current viral strains, adding, “We encourage people to get vaccinated for COVID when they get their annual flu shot.”

with vulnerable individuals. With that in mind, England has announced the new booster would be offered only to people who are 65 or older, in nursing homes, or immunologically vulnerable — or who work or live with members of those groups.

DepEd told: Stick...

Students of the Marikina Elementary School in Marikina City attend a two-hour class orientation before the formal school opening on Aug. 23, 2023. The STAR / Walter Bollozos opposition from the education sector, students and critics who believe that this was yet another effort of the Marcos family to burnish their names at the expense of thousands killed, tortured and imprisoned during the late dictator’s martial rule.

“DepEd bears a solemn responsibility to provide students with an accurate and comprehensive understanding of their country’s history. By attempting to sanitize and whitewash the term Diktadurang Marcos,’ it is failing in its duty to promote critical thinking and historical consciousness among Filipino youth,” Quetua said.

“We call on DepEd to immediately retract this directive and ensure that the Grade 6 Araling Panlipunan Curriculum accurately reflects the historical truths of the Marcos dictatorship. We urge them to uphold the principles of truth, justice, and accountability in teaching history, crucial for the development of informed and responsible citizens,” he added. n

‘Morocco-like quake...

for another major earthquake, according to Bacolcol.

“The last time it moved was in 1658. Based on our study, the recurrence interval is between 400 and 600 years. If we will base the 400 (years), 1658 plus 400 years, that would be around 2058. So we do not expect it to be exact – by 2058, it could be earlier or it would be after – but the closer we are, the higher the possibility that a magnitude 7.2 earthquake will happen,” Bacolcol explained.

Under a magnitude 7.2 temblor, intensity 8 is expected to be felt in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, the Phivolcs said.

“Ground rupture is possible in Marikina, Pasig, Makati, Quezon City, Taguig, Muntinlupa as well as the provinces of Bulacan and Laguna,” Bacolcol said.

The projected death toll was

part of a study conducted in 2004 by the Japan International Cooperation Agency on preparedness for a 7.2 earthquake or “the Big One” along the West Valley Fault.

“Our basis of casualties was based on the number of collapsed buildings, the population, the stability of the houses and the intensity of the shaking,”

Bacolcol said.

He said the extent of the damage from a 7.2 quake would depend on the distance from the epicenter.

“If you are near the epicenter, the damage is more on residential areas and mediumrise buildings,” Bacolcol said.

He said the country needs to be prepared for the Big One.

“We need to have necessary preparations even if the quake’s epicenter is near or far. We have to develop an emergency plan,”

Bacolcol said. n

Not all vaccine experts see it quite as Schaffner, a nonvoting liaison representative to the ACIP, does.

“I don’t plan to get it myself,” said Paul Offit, 72, the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He’s had two boosters and got COVID last year. Another vaccine might increase his protection against mild infection for a few months, but like most Americans’ immune systems, his is already familiar enough with the virus to protect him from serious disease, Offit believes.

Some of Schaffner’s scientific colleagues argue the government should be recommending the shot only for frail, older, sick, and immunocompromised people. Over 95% of the U.S. population are already COVIDimmunized through vaccination, infection, or both, and the risks of serious illness for healthy younger people are not great.

Schaffner doesn’t disagree. But lots of not-necessarilyvulnerable Americans do want the shot for themselves and their children, and, without a CDC recommendation, insurance companies wouldn’t have to pay for the vaccine.

It’s “pretty awful” that Pfizer and Moderna, the two main COVID vaccine producers, have decided to charge up to $130 a shot, compared with $30 last year for the booster, which was produced under government contract, said Kathryn Edwards, a professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt and a member of an ACIP working group on COVID. (Pfizer spokesperson Amy Rose said the price was “consistent with the value delivered” and reflected higher expenses to provide the shots commercially.) But a partial recommendation could leave the very groups

Pfizer and Moderna continue to make billions of dollars in sales of COVID vaccines, although they are producing fewer doses.

Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel told investors in August that the company expected its global COVID vaccine sales to be $6 billion to $8 billion this year, depending on uptake in the U.S. Pfizer expects about $14 billion this year.

Within a few years, both companies expect to be producing combination vaccines protecting against influenza, COVID, and possibly respiratory syncytial virus. About 170 million flu vaccines were distributed last flu season in the U.S., so a combination product could lock in a large market for COVID vaccines as well.

Despite broad recommendations for the updated COVID booster shot released last fall, only 17% of the U.S. population got it — and about 43% of those 65 and older. How many will get the vaccine this season is uncertain, as is the benefit of the shot. A study of the new Moderna vaccine showed that it increased antibodies to various COVID strains, though it wasn’t clear how much protection against disease it would offer, nor for how long.

The new vaccine is unlikely to be a “game changer,” said John Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College. For healthier adults and children, “it’s a boost in protection for a few months,” Moore said. Who exactly will benefit most is impossible to predict because the U.S. is “not a cookie-cutter population.” Its people have by now been exposed to a bewildering combination of vaccines,

Fearmongering has distorted the threat of the virus, Moore said. He is skeptical of the significance of the recent uptick in COVID hospitalizations, and criticized social media posters who have raised fears about new viral strains that don’t seem to pose any fundamental challenge to the new vaccines.

“Editorial FOMO drove summer surge worries,” Moore said, using an acronym for “fear of missing out.” Despite worrying comments and tweets by physicians such as Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, about a new COVID variant called BA.2.86, “it turned out to be a real nothingburger,” Moore said.

Even Ashish Jha, who coordinated the Biden administration’s COVID response until returning to his post as dean of the Brown University School of Public Health this year, agrees there is some ambiguity in the issue. While he recommends that 20-year-olds get the booster, “a reasonable person” could disagree.

Unfortunately, such discussions in the current environment are clouded by “nonsense and bad information” that causes confusion and hurts people, he said in a recent podcast interview.

Whether truly needed or not, the vaccines, proponents say, are safe enough that even the small benefit of taking them will outweigh the risks. The major, though rare, serious side effect of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines — myocarditis, which particularly affected men in their teens and 20s — appears mainly to have occurred during the first two-shot series.

Paradoxically, those who most need protection from COVID are often likely to have weakened immune systems that fail to generate the hoped-for response to vaccination.

So the vaccine is arguably most relevant for healthy people who come in frequent contact

“Any efforts to promote the new boosters should focus squarely on those at high risk,” said Norman Hearst, a family physician in San Francisco. While recommending the vaccine for older patients, he said he wouldn’t advise a booster for young males because of the rare risk of myocarditis and the negligible benefit. “The question is all the other people in between.”

In a commentary last November, infectious disease doctors Shira Doron and Monica Gandhi said vaccination campaigns should be radically honest about the limited value of vaccines for long-term protection against infection. Such a campaign might advocate vaccinating children because even though it won’t protect durably, “it might prevent the rare case of severe disease.”

Meanwhile, the vaccine makers have their own plans for publicizing the vaccines. In its call with investors last month, Moderna said it was focused on increasing sales and solidifying Moderna’s market share with branded promotion. Its “awareness campaigns” will tout ACIP recommendations and “connect COVID-19 with seasonal flu vaccines with the goal to drive consumers to get vaccinated this fall,” a company official said.

Moderna is co-sponsoring tennis’ U.S. Open this year and aired a video at the event Sept. 8 honoring Arthur Ashe, the only Black man to win Grand Slam titles, whom it credited with helping destigmatize HIV by revealing he had the virus.

The video presentation suggested that Moderna, like Ashe, has done well by being bold. (Arthur Allen/KFF Health News)

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces indepth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism.

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City of San Diego offers free disposal of unwanted mattresses and box springs

Participation in MRC ‘Bye Bye Mattress’ program keeps bulky items out of the landfill

SAN DIEGO – Disposing of unwanted mattresses and box springs is now as easy as 1-23, and it’s free! As part of the City of San Diego’s participation in the Mattress Recycling Council’s (MRC) Bye Bye Mattress program, San Diegans can drop off mattresses and box springs at the city’s new collection site, located on the east side of the entrance to the Miramar Landfill on Convoy Street.

In addition to diverting bulky items from the landfill, the program also reduces illegal dumping and helps the city achieve its Zero Waste Plan goals. Hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday (the site is closed on Saturdays and Sundays). Mattresses and box springs must not be severely damaged, wet, twisted, frozen, soiled or infested with bedbugs. Assistance with unloading is available.

“The MRC Bye Bye Mattress program moves us another step closer toward our city’s goal of Zero Waste,” said Councilmember Joe LaCava, chair of the City of San Diego Environment Committee. “By introducing mattress recycling, we also continue our progress toward our climate action goals. This new program will benefit residents and strengthen our city’s sustainability objectives through waste reduction.”

“We are thrilled to announce our participation in MRC’s Bye Bye Mattress program,” said Matthew Cleary, assistant director of the Environmental Services Department for the City of San Diego. “By dropping off mattresses and box springs at our new collection site, residents are helping reduce waste, as the city collects these bulky items to be recycled instead of them ending up in the landfill, or worse, on the side of the road.”

ESD ensures City of San Diego residents have a clean and safe environment. The department pursues waste management strategies that emphasize waste reduction and recycling, composting and environmentally sound landfill management. ESD is also responsible for collecting and disposing of refuse, recyclables, household hazardous waste and green waste.

The MRC is a nonprofit organization created by the mattress industry that operates a mattress recycling program in states with mattress recycling laws.

“We’re thankful to the City of San Diego for joining our collection network and helping us make recycling used mattresses easier for residents,” said Mike O’Donnell, MRC’s Chief Operating Officer. “Together, this impressive network is collecting more than one million mattresses each year that are recycled right here in California.”

The MRC’s Bye Bye Mattress program is funded through a $10.50 recycling fee that is collected when a mattress or box spring is purchased in California. The fee is used to establish free dropoff locations and collection events throughout the state, and transport collected units from these sites to companies that dismantle the discarded products and recycle the materials. The materials are broken up into four main components (steel, foam, fibers and wood), which are used to make hundreds of new products such as carpet padding, construction rebar, insulation, filters and mulch.

For more information about recycling in San Diego, please visit RecyclingWorks. com. To learn more about mattress recycling, visit ByeByeMattress.com.

(City of San Diego Release) n

California Coastal Commission kicks off Coastal Cleanup Month culminating in the 39th annual CA Coastal Cleanup Day

SAN FRANCISCO – September 1st marked the beginning of Coastal Cleanup Month in California.

Cleanups will be held throughout the state during the month with the highlight being the 39th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday, September 23. More than 50,000 volunteers are expected to gather at locations across California during the month, where they will help remove hundreds of tons of trash from beaches, creeks, rivers, lakes, and neighborhoods. California Coastal Cleanup Day is the state’s largest annual volunteer event. Since 1985, over 1.7 million volunteers have helped remove more than 26 million pounds of trash from California’s beaches and inland shorelines. The event, which is part of the International Coastal Cleanup, organized by the Ocean Conservancy, serves as a vital opportunity for community members to help remove plastic pollution from the environment before the winter rains arrive and wash much of that debris out to the ocean through stormwater systems, creeks, and rivers.

In 2020, the Coastal Commission introduced a self-guided cleanup model in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Californians cleaned their neighborhoods, parks, and local natural areas to help prevent the flow of trash from the streets to the ocean. While 2023 marks the return to full capacity cleanup sites on the traditional single-day event on September 23, the Commission maintains its commitment to encouraging cleanups throughout the month so the event is accessible for those that may not be available that Saturday morning or for whom traveling to their nearest cleanup site may prove difficult.

No matter the circumstances, Californians continue to show they care deeply about the environment by supporting the cleanup year after year. In 2022, over 38,000 volunteers turned out over the course of September, including at over 500 cleanup sites on September 17, 2022. Together they removed over 300,000 pounds of trash and recyclables, covering well over 3,000 miles of California’s shorelines – all in a matter of hours.

“For generations, Californians have demonstrated their love and dedication to our coast during Coastal Cleanup Day,” said the Commission’s Executive Director Dr. Kate Huckelbridge. “The Coastal Commission is incredibly proud to provide an outlet for all Californians to express that dedication each year. We see how devoting only a few hours on a Saturday in September translates into a year-round commitment to the protection

and preservation of our coast. We are grateful to all who share in this goal!”

California Coastal Cleanup Day has long been known for its innovative publicity campaigns and event posters. The 2023 cleanup continues this tradition with a campaign that speaks directly to the collective impact that volunteers have each year. Volunteers at Coastal Cleanup Day are never alone – they are one of dozens or hundreds at their cleanup site, one of thousands across their county, one of tens of thousands in the state, and one of hundreds of thousands around the world taking part in the same effort at essentially the same time.

Created by San Francisco-based ad agency Barrett Hofherr on a pro bono basis, this year’s campaign features images of larger-than-life volunteers helping to clean up in iconic locations across California. This year’s theme, “You’re Bigger Than You Think,” speaks to the enormous effect that volunteers can have when they come together to accomplish a common goal.

To find out how to join the effort, the Commission has an interactive map of cleanup locations in every corner of the state, which is available at www.coastalcleanupday.org. Publicity posters and event materials are also available at this site. Please check the website for updates and share u PAGE 7

API Equity Budget in jeopardy as...

“But we’re coming out of the COVID pandemic, and we haven’t recovered yet. We don’t have the resources we previously had,” Low told this reporter, noting that he expects no additional funding for the API Equity Budget next year.

The Democrat, who represents portions of California’s Silicon Valley, encouraged a more holistic approach to combating hate violence. “We need to tackle the underlying factors — poverty, affordable housing, a lack of good-paying jobs — factors that make people resort to hate,” he said.

In an historic move in 2021, California created the threeyear API Equity Fund, allocating $166.5 million to combat the rise of hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community. An additional $40.5 million was allotted last year, and California Governor Gavin Newsom added another $40 million in June. The 2023-2024 allocation for the API Equity Budget was initially set at $10 million. But state legislators and community leaders successfully lobbied for additional funding.

While the community has always faced xenophobia, the rise in hate incidents and attacks has grown to more than 11,500 over the past three years, according to data reported by the web portal StopAAPIHate. Nearly 40 percent of the incidents occurred in California, overwhelmingly targeting women and girls, often on or near public transportation.

Community activists believe the rise in attacks was fueled by former President Donald Trump blaming China for causing the COVID-19 pandemic, and also the U.S.’s increasingly fraught relationship with China.

Anti Asian hate crimes were not a focus of the twoday summit, the largest-ever gathering in California of AAPI Leadership, which was organized by the California Asian and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. But several speakers addressed the issue during their formal remarks, and on the sidelines of the meet, in interviews with this reporter.

Senate Vice Chair Dave Min, D-Irvine, is the sponsor of SB 434, legislation that would require the

Rep. Judy Chu, D-California, chair of

Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus 10 largest public transit agencies in California to collect data on street harassment experienced by transit riders, with a focus on riders from underrepresented communities and those lacking sufficient English proficiency. The measure was passed by the Senate; the Assembly Sept. 8 voted on a third reading of the bill.

The API Equity Fund has allocated funding to the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University to create a survey by December 2023 that can be used by public transit agencies to collect and report harassment data.

In an interview, Min said he would like to see a “modest amount” of the additional funding allocated to public transit agencies to report and collect data for the Mineta survey. “It is important that we understand how often harassment takes place and where, he said, noting that the cost to administer the survey is “not that high.”

Reps. Ted Lieu and Ro Khanna, both Democrats from California, kicked off the second day of the summit Sept. 8 morning, tackling the issue of anti-Asian hate violence head on.

“The greatest challenge the AAPI community faces is the shocking rise in hate crimes, particularly attacking our grandparents, our children. But the community has fought back,” said Lieu, referencing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law on May 20, 2021.

“We are living in two different

factual universes, in which one is based on ‘alternative facts,’” he said. “There is more outward expression of hate against minority communities.”

He noted that — even in the progressive state of California — there was a bill prohibiting foreign ownership of land. Texas and Florida, among other states, have floated bills prohibiting Chinese citizens from purchasing land in their states. Florida’s law went into effect July 1, prohibiting Chinese citizens from buying homes or land in the state.

Last year, Sen. Melissa Hurtado, a Democrat from Bakersfield, introduced SB 1084, a bill prohibiting foreign governments from owning land in California. The bill passed the Senate on a 31-0 vote, and a 75-0 vote in the Assembly. Newsom vetoed the bill last September.

In response to a question, Khanna said: “(former president Donald) Trump is continuing his blaming and shaming, and may continue talking about banning all imports from China. The responsibility is on us to speak up. People must understand that our relationship with Asia defines the 21st century.”

Rep. Judy Chu, a Democrat from California who also chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, told this reporter: “Trump will not stop himself. He’s got three years of anti-Asian hate violence squarely on his back.”

“The community must be prepared for anti-Asian assaults in 2024,” said Chu. (Sunita Sohrabji/ Ethnic Media Services) n

Maria Ressa cleared of tax evasion...

PAGE 1

of their Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDR) worth P2.45 million. According to the accusation, it resulted in a value-added tax deficiency of P294,258.58.

It is said to have not included the surcharge and interest, to the damage of the government.

A PDR is a form of a security, which gives the

holder rights to the delivery or the sale of shares of stocks. It is usually not any evidence of ownership of any corporation.

Last January, the Court of Tax Appeals had likewise acquitted both Ressa and RHC of four tax evasion charges, after the prosecution had failed to prove them guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Ressa, 59, is out on bail when she was convicted in 2020 for cyber libel.

To this day, she said that the cases were politically motivated. (by Francis Earl Cueto/ ManilaTimes.net) n

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Dateline USa
It will be recalled that in November 2018, the Duterte Administration had accused Ressa of failing to declare “correct and accurate” information, with regards to their quarterly sales receipts, with the issuance and sale of RHC
SOAKED. Motorists slow down at a flooded portion of Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City on Tuesday, Sept. 12. A sudden heavy downpour early afternoon caught motorists and pedestrians alike by surprise as weather was fine until noontime. PNA photo by Ben Briones
PAGE 1 California Asian and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus Chair Assemblyman Evan Low File photo/www.coastal.ca.gov
the

Dateline PhiliPPines

VP Sara lauds Marcos for backing OVP budget

VICE President Sara Duterte on Monday, September 11 thanked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for vouching the 2022 Confidential Found (CF) given the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

In a statement, Duterte also cited Malacañang, particularly the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES), Defense Secretary Gilberto ‘’Gibo’’ Teodoro Jr., and Marikina Second District Rep. Stella Quimbo for their part in defending OVP’s budget.

“I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and to several officials of his administration who stood by the Office of the Vice President as it faced the storm of attacks on the 2022 confidential fund,” she said.

“These efforts are genuinely appreciated because they help counter the lies told by Rep. France Castro and the Makabayan bloc in Congress on the 2022 OVP CF,” she added.

‘Duterte has no plans for politics’

my sleep lately and I ride my big bike around or outside the city,”

Duterte said.

Duterte thanked Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin for explaining the legal basis of the CF while calling out her critics for insisting that it was in violation of the law.

Bersamin last week said the transfer of P221.424 million CF to the OVP was authorized by Special Provision 1 under fiscal year 2022 Contingent Fund as it authorizes the Office of the President to approve releases to cover funding requirements of new or urgent activities that need to be implemented.

The president, the Palace executive added, is “authorized to approve releases to cover funding requirements of new or urgent activities of NGA (national government agencies), among others, that need to be implemented during the year.”

Meanwhile, Duterte slammed Sen. Ana Theresia ‘’Risa’’ Hontiveros for failing to provide proof “to support their dirty imagination.”

“I have believed the lies they peddled to the public will eventually lose their charm and the OVP and DepEd (Department of Education) will persist, be vindicated, and realize their aspirations for the Filipinos and the country,” she said. n

Congress seeks creation of West Philippine Sea Authority

MANILA — Amid calls for a focused and more organized handling of West Philippine Sea (WPS) affairs, a lawmaker has proposed the establishment of a “West Philippine Sea Authority” under the Office of the President.

In his House Bill 9027, Parañaque City Rep. Gus Tambunting said the “specialized authority” would be dedicated to the “protection, management and sustainable development of the maritime resources and territories within the WPS.”

The proposed body would also be instrumental in “upholding the Philippines’ sovereign rights, protecting its maritime resources, and contributing to regional stability and cooperation,” he said.

“This proposed act seeks to address the complexities and challenges associated with the WPS by outlining a clear framework for the establishment and operation of the West Philippine Sea Authority,” he added.

He said the West Philippine Sea encompasses a significant

portion of the country’s exclusive economic zone and “holds vital economic, environmental and strategic importance for the Philippines.”

The creation of such body, he said, has become more urgent with China’s heightened aggressiveness in asserting its claim in waters and land features within Philippine territory.

He cited the Chinese’s repeated attempts – using water cannons and dangerous maneuver – to stop Filipino vessels from delivering supplies to a military outpost on the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.

Tambunting said his proposed legislation is aligned with the 2016 landmark ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration which affirmed the Philippines’ maritime entitlements and invalidated China’s expansive maritime claims.

Senators, meanwhile, are inclined to approve a bigger budget for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), which has figured prominently in tackling China’s provocations in the West

Philippine Sea.

“We have good news. The Senate is one and united that we will assist your budget this coming budget hearing. We will increase your funds (for 2024) whether confidential or intelligence funds or funding that will properly equip you for your needs in the WPS and protection all over our country,” Senate President Juan Miguel said on Tuesday, September 12 at a public hearing of the Senate committee on national defense chaired by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.

He lauded PCG officers and personnel for sacrificing their lives “to keep our men secure and safe in the West Philippine Sea.”

The PCG wants an additional allocation of P1.307 billion for next year. Its budget for this year amounts to P21.9 billion.

“You (PCG) are doing your job, we will do our job. That is the most important. I will be meeting with the Coast Guard, Navy, Army and military on their wish list to help you. Whatever

MANILA — Former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo may have egged her political ally, former president Rodrigo Duterte, to once again dip his fingers in politics after he stepped down from office last June 30, 2022.

But former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea said Duterte has not contemplated a political comeback after spending 40 years of his life in politics.

“Nothing, he has no plans for politics,” Medialdea, who was Duterte’s long-time legal counsel, said in Filipino.

Sen. Bong Go said that Arroyo encouraged Duterte to go back to politics.

“I’ll talk to my family about it,” Duterte was reported to have quipped after Arroyo asked him to get back to politics during a dinner over the weekend in Manila that was also attended by Go, former Senate president Vicente Sotto III and Medialdea. But according to Medialdea, who has remained close to Duterte, he doubts if the former president will run again, not even for senator in 2025 as has lately been talked about.

Duterte has lately taken the time to do the things which he did not get to do when he was president.

“I’ve been catching up with

He also lamented that old age, now that he is 78, has been catching up with him so that it limits his movements. “It is old age. Old age catches up with me.”

Meeting

Go said Arroyo, through her staff, invited Duterte who was in Manila at the time to an informal meeting on Saturday night.

“In the said meeting, former president Arroyo also convinced former president Duterte to become active in politics again,” Go said.

Pictures of the meeting among Arroyo, Duterte, Sotto, Medialdea and Go were sent to reporters.

Go described the meeting as “a simple greeting and happy meeting happened with the leaders who served the people in different positions or capacities during the previous administrations. They looked back on the times they spent together in government.”

The senator said the meeting coincided with Duterte’s medical appointment in Manila.

Tatay Digong and I happened to be together then after I accompanied him to his medical check-up at the hospital, as I used to do with him,” said Go, who served as special assistant to the president during Duterte’s

term as mayor and president. “And since former president Duterte rarely goes to Manila these days, with the help of former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea, former Senate president Tito Sotto also wanted to personally say hello to his friend Duterte,” Go added.

NOTICE TO PROPOSERS

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of San Diego (City) is seeking to receive Electronic Proposals for the below named Request for Proposal (RFP).

Contract Number: H2326266

RFP Title: Design of Fairmount Avenue Bridge Rehab East/ West Consultant Fee Range:

Between $1,000,000 and $1,400,000

Pre-Proposal Meeting Date: Monday, September 25, 2023, at 11:00:00 AM

Proposal Due Date: Thursday, October 19, 2023, at 4:00 P.M.

The solicitation may be obtained from the City’s website at: https://www.sandiego.gov/ cip/bidopps It is the policy of the City of San Diego to encourage equal opportunity in its Construction and Consultant contracts. Bids or proposals from local firms, small, minority-owned, disabled, veteran-owned, and women-owned businesses are strongly encouraged. Consultants are encouraged to subcontract with and/or participate in joint ventures with these firms. The City is committed to equal opportunity and will not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, gender expression, gender identity, religion, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, or disability; and will not do business with any firm that discriminates on any basis. Proposals shall be received no later than the date and time noted in the solicitation which can be found at the following site: City of San Diego’s Electronic Proposal Site – PlanetBids at: https://www.planetbids. com/portal/portal. cfm?companyID=17950.

& Contracting Department

Thursday, September 14, 2023 9/15/23

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Former president Rodrigo Duterte Presidential Photo / Roemari Lismonero

Transparency vs graft

Corruption has become endemic in the Philippines, a fad, and is on the rise in every agency of government, and eradicating the scourge could not be accomplished within a lifetime. This is according to the official mandated to lead the campaign against corruption, Ombudsman Samuel Martires.

Defending the proposed 2024 budget of his office, the ombudsman attributed the problem to the fact that “money becomes power, and if you have power, talagang sikat ka (you are really famous).” He lamented that Filipinos have lost respect for God and themselves. While his assessment is accurate, Martires has courted controversy. For someone who recognizes the seriousness of the corruption problem, critics have been disheartened by suggestions from the ombudsman that go against efforts to promote transparency and good governance.

Editorial

Employees. Although Martires’ move did not stop officials from making public their SALNs, it was used by key public officials to withhold the release of their asset statements since 2017, beginning with then president Rodrigo Duterte.

In September 2021, he had pushed for five years in prison for anyone who would make “commentaries” on the statements of assets, liabilities and net worth of government officials. Martires had barred access to the SALNs even by the media without the approval of his office –a move that critics said went against provisions of Republic Act 6713, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and

Commentary

THE 2022 elections gave us the very first vice president from Mindanao—Sara Duterte, heir apparent to former president Rodrigo Duterte, another first Mindanawon to be elected to the country’s highest political position.

Sara, however, seemed to have outdone her father in getting more “firsts” to describe her vice presidency. She is the first VP to be given a concurrent position as secretary of one of the most important and well-funded departments in the Cabinet, the Department of Education. Yet, by her own admission, she is not an educator or an education expert.

But since her running mate, President Marcos, thought she is a mother, she should know a thing or two about education; ergo, she got the job. This is also the first time that being a mother is a qualification to be an education secretary.

This time, Martires wants Congress to stop the mandatory publication by the Commission on Audit of its initial reports on government agencies, ostensibly to prevent public prejudgment of these offices. The COA reports are accessible on its website, and concerned agencies are given a chance to explain issues raised regarding their utilization of public funds.

If a country suffers from endemic corruption, transparency should be among the indispensable weapons wielded against the scourge. The suggestions of the ombudsman go against this. It has often been said that those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear. Graft busters have enough problems trying to get past bank secrecy

laws that have turned the country into a money laundering haven. The constitutional body that is supposed to be a vanguard against corruption should be leading the charge against opaqueness in the utilization

The VP’s many ‘firsts’

looking at education makes her believe she is entitled to hefty confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) to do surveillance activities within Department of Education (DepEd) schools and offices. This is another first. No other secretary of education before her got a windfall of a budget allocation for some opaque funds, like the CIF. And it was given to her with nary a whimper of protest from the majority-run houses of Congress. When she defended her budget for CIF as VP for 2024 last week, she had the extraordinary privilege of presenting it without question. After her presentation, House Senior Deputy Majority Speaker Sandro Marcos, the president’s son, put a stop to the interpellation of the Makabayan bloc by saying, “In line with the long-standing tradition of giving the Office of the Vice President parliamentary courtesy, I move to terminate the budget [hearing] of the Office of the Vice President (OVP).”

their colleagues in the minority bloc. This is also another first associated with the VP and her allies.

But the younger Duterte is also the first to enjoy her own security force as VP. Past vice presidents were secured and protected by the Vice Presidential Security Detachment. But last June 24, 2022, the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group was created and activated as a separate unit from the Presidential Security Group.

increase from the number of security personnel hired during Robredo’s entire term.

of people’s money. Martires already has a sound appreciation of the gravity of the problem. Instead of aggravating corruption with measures rolling back transparency, the ombudsman should be part of the solution. (Philstar.com)

Commentary

There are other firsts to add to her unprecedented record as VP/secretary of education. She is the first to frame education as a national security concern. Is this perhaps a way to somehow fill her longing for the post of defense secretary that was not given to her? This perspective of G ideon L asco

IN my previous column, I set myself up for the difficult task of identifying ways forward amid the current political dispensation, arguing that while we cannot lose track of structural violence that has held back our country, spaces and pockets of reform exist regardless of whoever is in charge.

One place to start is with the president’s campaign promises. As observers pointed out, he was actually quite progressive in some of his views on social issues—at least during the campaign—and his pronouncements can be invoked to advance some belated, badly needed change. Let me discuss a couple:

Divorce, for instance, remains illegal in the Philippines, notwithstanding the demonstrable harms of the status quo to families, especially

Two members of the Makabayan bloc in Congress were quite enraged, they were not even allowed to explain why they voted no to the motion of the president’s son. One of them, Rep. France Castro, was still talking but her microphone was already put off. This was evidence of the lack of courtesy among the majority members of Congress toward

women and children; harms that then candidate Bongbong Marcos recognized when he said that “there are cases where divorce is called for.” Candidate Marcos also spoke in favor of decriminalizing abortion in cases of rape and incest, and hinted at supporting gender equality and nondiscrimination laws.

He has since stayed largely silent on these issues, but his professed openness to them has contributed to a political climate in which lawmakers and government officials feel free(r) to advocate for them. A divorce bill is making unprecedented progress in Congress and I see no incentive for the president to expend political capital on an issue that a majority of Filipinos are already open to (53 percent of Filipinos support legalizing divorce, according to a 2017 Social Weather Stations survey)—especially if this openness will translate to advocacy and activism.

In the realm of drug policy, the president has acknowledged

In 2022, the Commission on Audit reported that the OVP engaged 433 security escorts for Duterte in her first year in office. In a statement, the OVP defended the deployment of this huge number of security personnel, by saying that the “security and protection of the VP is a fundamental task that it will inevitably perform … when the vice president and the president face the misfortune of having a relationship strained or broken by political differences …” The statement went on to cite the strained relationship that Sara’s father, the former president, had with his vice president, Leni Robredo. If this is so, is the current VP scared of her former running mate, and now the president?

But the extraordinary number of security personnel leaves more questions than answers.

A news report noted that this number is a 455 percent

Perhaps this is the biggest “first” of VP Sara. Last week, she admitted her office received over P221 million as CF from the Office of the President in December 2022. However, this budget entry was not in the national spending program for last year. This is the first time a very high-level office of the government managed to “squeeze” or divert some funds from the approved budget of 2022 (presumably approved the year before, in 2021), something that lawyer Barry Gutierrez considers illegal and unconstitutional. Gutierrez, together with the Makabayan bloc representatives, also think so. Gutierrez is Robredo’s former aide.

When people earn several “firsts” in their careers, they are usually applauded and given citations or awards. Not so with this one. The VP’s many “firsts” speak volumes of how positions of power are blatantly used to normalize corruption and further reinforce executive impunity. (Inquirer.net)

* * *

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

* * * Comments to rcguiam@gmail.com

What can we do?

that there is a need to depart from Rodrigo Duterte’s punitive regime, and senators as diverse as Risa Hontiveros, Robinhood Padilla, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa have called for drug “decriminalization” (albeit with very different interpretations of what the term means). This is admittedly a more uphill battle than even getting a divorce law, but there is certainly a more conducive environment for drug reforms today than in the time of Duterte.

From my conversations with government officials, I have also learned that many of them actually want some of these reforms but they cannot act motu proprio; they need the public behind them—especially if they’re up against political and economic powers that be. Lending our voices—as opposed to abstaining because we think it’s pointless—can tilt the discourse. Indeed, I cannot help but wonder if, had the outcry against the continued detention of Leila de Lima been louder and more sustained, she

would have been free by now. At the local level, there is also so much that is being done, including baby steps toward sustainability championed by the likes of Baguio City’s Benjamin Magalong and Iloilo City’s Jerry Treñas. Joy Belmonte’s righteous (and rightful) indignation against Willie Gonzalez, the former policeman who pulled a gun on a cyclist, is a reminder that local chief executives can sometimes take leadership in national issues, especially when Malacañang abdicates from that mandate.

What of ordinary citizens?

In a recent conversation with University of the Philippines Los Baños academics Agnes Rola and Helen Dayo, they reminded me of the case of Majayjay, where residents repudiated their elected officials’ dubious water deal, back in 2014, by voting most of them out of office. Like the activism of the Sibuyanons that has successfully blocked mining on their island (at least for now) and the environmental

advocacy of the Palawaños that’s at the heart of protecting what’s left of their island’s forests, the case of Majayjay shows that far from dead, civil society is very much alive, especially in issues that people actually care about.

If there is any effort on the part of the opposition to learn from the 2022 elections and build a broader coalition, these issues must be at the core of building something that eschews fandoms and espouses a longterm political movement.

But for such spaces to be claimed, there must be recognition that electoral outcomes are not the only political outcomes that matter. Better officials are highly desirable (we can surely do without vexatious intelligence funds and power-tripping appointees), but better laws, better policies, better programs are better than nothing—and we do not need to wait for 2028 to fight for them.

We can already demand for these policies and programs. We can already support

nongovernmental organizations and people’s organizations who are doing good work. We can support—both now and in 2025—local officials who show signs of independence and innovation. And we can support journalists, academics, and activists who facilitate these initiatives by exposing good and bad practices alike. There must also be a recognition that claiming these admittedly limited spaces is impossible without issues-based (as opposed to personalitiesbased) coalition-building. If we can somehow muster the same enthusiasm for some key issues as for the candidates we fervently supported, we may yet achieve something; perhaps not victory, but at least, progress. (Inquirer.net)

* * *

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

* * * glasco@inquirer.com.ph

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Vice President Sara Duterte Photo from Favebook/@MayorIndaySaraDuterteOfficial

Marcos leads father’s 106th birth anniversary rites

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos

Jr. on Monday, September 11 led the commemoration of the 106th birth anniversary of his late father and namesake in their hometown of Batac, Ilocos Norte.

The chief executive said the best way to honor the memory of his father is to “stay true to the passion” of being of service to the Filipino people.

“There is still a lot left to be done,” he said in Filipino during the Marcos Day celebration.

“What’s important is making life better for the Filipinos.”

Recalling how the late

leader served as his mentor, the president praised the elder Marcos for “the peace and order that he fought and stood for, the development that he inspired our own citizens to build, and the dreams that he left in the hearts of many.”

“He remains a true Filipino and Ilocano icon, whose exceptional mind matched the nation-loving spirit that he possessed and he had demonstrated,” Marcos Jr. said.

“So, as we remember and pay tribute to his memory, let this gathering serve as a testament to

California Coastal Commission kicks...

the unwavering pursuit of unity that he so passionately espoused for our people. In his memory, may our actions from this point on be directed by the desire to preserve and share the rich heritage of our province, of our nation,” he added.

He then called on young leaders and government officials to emulate the values, ideals, and vision of his father for the Philippines and the Filipino people.

“It is not necessary for us to hold ceremonies, parades, or the like, to give credit to the efforts and sacrifices of ‘Apo Lakay’ and those who have gone before him who share a deep and committed love for the Philippines,” he said.

The president led a wreathlaying ceremony at the monument of his father, which was followed by a celebration of a Holy Mass and the launching of the Don Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU)-Philippine Rice Research Institute Rice Paddy Art.

“It was the first state university that my father built. It was his life-long dream to build a good university for our people here in Ilocos Norte. And from those beginnings, the research that has come out of MMSU has been exemplary. Of course, added to that, we also have PhilRice; the PhilRice offices are also here in Batac,” he said. (ManilaTimes.net) n

Congress seeks creation of...

political affiliation we are from, majority or minority, we are united to support you,” the senate president said.

He also expressed appreciation for the support of the U.S. and other allies for the Philippine position on the South China Sea issue.

“We can’t do it alone, we need help from allies. We welcome American help. Australia, Japan, South Korea and the European Union – they have offered help, not only in terms of equipment, but also in economic assistance. They know another country can have us hostaged,” he said in Filipino.

Like Zubiri, Estrada said the country should accept offers of assistance from other countries.

“Let’s use and accept, whether we admit it or not, we need help from friends. Given our defense circumstance now, we are not in a position to refuse. If our allies

U.S., New Zealand, Australia,

Japan and South Korea give us something, let’s accept it,” he said.

Also on Tuesday at the hearing on the budgets of the PCG and other agencies attached to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), PCG commandant Admiral Artemio Abu said the Coast Guard’s proposed P24.019 billion next year “is really not enough for us to do what is expected of us in doing the functions of the Coast Guard all over the country.”

“The Coast Guard is adhering to the direction of the President to have a sustained and continued presence in the West Philippine Sea, and that’s over and above the traditional functions of the Coast Guard in addressing maritime incidents, in conducting patrol missions, not only in West Philippine Sea, but all over the archipelago,” Abu said.

Abu said the PCG would also need a “conservative” P144-

million intelligence fund from its current P10-million allocation that has remained unchanged since 2009, P600 million for fuel requirements and P563 million for retrofitting, dry-docking, repair and maintenance of PCG vessels.

“Among the DOTr-attached agencies, I think the one most active in putting their lives on the line is the PCG,” Zubiri said, as he asked Abu to provide the Senate his “wish list” for the Coast Guard.

DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista said the executive only approved P24 billion of PCG’s request of P70 billion for next year.

“We welcome any increase in the PCG’s budget for the acquisition of floating and air assets. The PCG only has small vessels for its floating assets, the biggest at only 97 meters. It needs more floating vessels to fulfill its mandate to protect the maritime assets of the country,” Bautista said. (Philstar.com) n

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9017533

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9018042

SJA Investigations located at 2211 Bancroft St, San Diego, CA 92104.

Registrant: Santiago Julian Alves, 2211 Bancroft St, San Diego, CA 92104. This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 08/30/2023.

TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 06/19/2022.

Signature: Jesus Ivan Camacho Davila. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/22/2023.

AJ 1248 09/08, 09/15, 09/22, and 09/29/2023 AJSD 1248

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9018400

Mayra’s Cleaning Services Pro located at 702 R Ave Apt#7, National City, CA 91950.

Registrant: Mayra Ramona Iriarte Villanueva, 702 R Ave Apt#7, National City, CA 91950. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT

Signature: Santiago Julian Alves. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/31/2023.

AJ 1249 09/08, 09/15, 09/22, and 09/29/2023 AJSD 1249

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9017264

Infinite Pathway located at 4921 Dafter Pl, San Diego, CA 92102.

Registrant: Benjamin Ian Jackman Hill, 3880 Rosecrans St, San Diego, CA 92110. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 08/21/2023.

Signature: Benjamin Ian Jackman Hill. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/21/2023.

AJ 1250 09/08, 09/15, 09/22, and 09/29/2023 AJSD 1250

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9017919

Grelaz Complete Auto Repair located at 107 Broadway, Chula Vista, CA 91910.

Registrant: Roger Lazarte, 411 S. Siena St, San Diego, CA 92114. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 04/01/2004.

Signature: Roger Lazarte. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/30/2023. AJ 1251 09/08, 09/15, 09/22, and 09/29/2023 AJSD 1251

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9018361 Precious Sessions located at 5450 San Onofre Ter, San Diego, CA 92114. Registrant: Carolina Serrano, 5450 San Onofre Ter, San Diego, CA 92114. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 09/06/2023.

Signature: Carolina Serrano. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 09/06/2023. AJ 1252 09/08, 09/15, 09/22, and 09/29/2023 AJSD 1252

(818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 • http://www.asianjournal.com 7 SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 15-21, 2023
SON HONORS FATHER. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. offers flowers at the monument of the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. in Batac, Ilocos Norte, on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023, in commemoration of his 106th birth anniversary. Malacañang photo
your cleanup experience on social media using the hashtag #coastalcleanupday. Follow statewide efforts on Facebook at facebook.com/ CaliforniaCoast, Twitter twitter. com/TheCACoast and on Instagram at instagram.com/ thecaliforniacoast/. (CA Coastal Commission Release) n
PAGE 5 PAGE 4
LEGAL SERVICES LEGAL SERVICES LEGAL SERVICES
Nails For Less & Salon located at 1021 Highland Avenue, Suite B, National City, CA 91950. Registrant: Yvonne Nguyen, 12662 Belle Fleur Way, San Diego, CA 92128. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 01/01/2023. Signature: Yvonne Nguyen. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/23/2023. AJ 1247 09/08, 09/15, 09/22, and 09/29/2023. AJSD 1247 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9017405 a. Ivan Camacho El Caballero Del Exito located at 1490 Santa Diana Rd #9, Chula Vista, CA 91913. b. Ivan Camacho located at 1490 Santa Diana Rd #9, Chula Vista, CA 91913. Registrant: Jesus Ivan Camacho Davila, 1490 Santa Diana Rd #9, Chula Vista, CA 91913. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN
HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature Mayra Ramona Iriarte Villanueva. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 09/06/2023. AJ 1253 09/08, 09/15, 09/22, and 09/29/2023 AJSD 1253 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9018359 21st Century Auto Detailing located at 1833 Corte Galeana, Chula Vista, CA 91914. Registrant: Jesus Andres Conde, 1833 Corte Galeana, Chula Vista, CA 91914. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 01/11/2018. Signature: Jesus Andres Conde. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 09/06/2023. AJ 1254 09/08, 09/15, 09/22, and 09/29/2023 AJSD 1254 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9015992 Mr G General Repair And Maintenance Service located at 414 Vista San Lucas, San Diego, CA 92154. THE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME REFERRED TO ABOVE WAS FILED IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY ON: 04/01/2022, and assigned File no. 20229007694 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IS BEING ABANDONED BY: Romel R. Gelacio, 414 Vista San Lucas, San Diego, CA 92154. This Business is Conducted by: A Married Couple Signature: Romel Gelacio. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/01/2023. AJ 1255 09/15, 09/22, 09/29, and 10/06/2023. AJSD 1255 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9018843 a. Christine’s Movers located at 2291 Dunlop St. Business Unit 20, San Diego, CA 92111. b. Christine & Stella Logistics INC located at 2291 Dunlop St. Business Unit 20, San Diego, CA 92111. Registrant: C & S Logistics INC, 1947 Dartmoor Drive, Lemon Grove, CA 91945. This business is conducted by Corporation. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 09/13/2023. Signature: Arslan Turganov. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 09/13/2023. AJ 1257 09/15, 09/22, 09/29, and 10/06/2023. AJSD 1257

EMPLOYMENT

LEGAL SERVICES

LEGAL SERVICES

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9015994

All Hands Residential Care Home located at 489 Berland Way, Chula Vista, CA 91910.

Registrant: Romel Gelacio, 489 Berland Way, Chula Vista, CA 91910.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVE.

Signature: Romel Gelacio. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/01/2023.

AJ 1230 08/25, 09/01, 09/08, and 09/15/2023. AJSD 1230

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9017328

SAFA International

Market located at 8360 Camino Santa Fe #D, San Diego, CA 92121.

Registrant: SAFA INC., 8360 Camino Santa Fe #D, San Diego, CA 92121.

This business is conducted by Corporation.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 08/21/2023.

Signature: Bashir Ahmadi.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/21/2023. AJ 1234 08/25, 09/01, 09/08, and 09/15/2023.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9016620

CriAgave located at 753 Duval St, San Diego, CA 92102.

Registrant: Peter Contreras, 753 Duval St, San Diego, CA 92102.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 08/10/2023.

Signature: Peter Contreras. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/10/2023.

LEGAL SERVICES

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

FICTITIOUS

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9016422

Lieutenant Air located at 5893 Greycourt Avenue, San Diego, CA 92114.

Registrant: Charyna Maree Sevilla Delos Santos, 5893 Greycourt Avenue, San Diego, CA 92114. This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVE.

Signature: Charyna Maree Sevilla Delos Santos. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/08/2023. AJ 1231 08/25, 09/01, 09/08, and 09/15/2023. AJSD 1231

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9017078 ECKO Entertainment Productions located at 1218 Farmerville Street, Chula Vista, CA 91913.

Registrant:

a. Elvis Bautista Lansangan, 1218 Farmerville Street, Chula Vista, CA 91913.

b. Olivia Gatdula Lansangan, 1218 Farmerville Street, Chula Vista, CA 91913. This business is conducted by a Married Couple.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 08/15/2023.

Signature: Elvis Bautista Lansangan. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/17/2023.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9017239 Fast and Fair Flooring located at 4120 Ocean View Blvd, San Diego, CA 92113. Registrant: Felipe Herrera, 4120 Ocean View Blvd, San Diego, CA 92113. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 08/18/2023. Signature: Felipe Herrera.

filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9017040

Pride Surf Skate Snow located at 5035 Newport Avenue, Ocean Beach, CA 92107.

Registrant: 2CLEVEL INC., 4620 Tivou Street, Ocean Beach, CA 92107. This business is conducted by Corporation. REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVE.

Signature: Carl Allen Cadwell. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/17/2023.

AJ 1232 08/25, 09/01, 09/08, and 09/15/2023. AJSD 1232

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9017532 Honey Donuts located at 10718 Woodside Ave, Santee, CA 92071.

Registrant: Qui Van Do, 9901 Leavesly Trl, Santee, CA 92071. This business is conducted by an Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 03/29/2006.

Signature: Qui Van Do. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/23/2023.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9017697

Five Star Licensing Services located at 4630 Border Village Ct #201-D, San Ysidro, CA 92173.

Registrant: Sandra Navarrete, 232 E Quintard St, Chula Vista, CA 91911. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 07/01/2017.

Signature: Sandra Navarrete. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/25/2023.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9015373

Concrete Connection located at 379 N. Johnson Ave, El Cajon, CA 92020.

Registrant: Susanna M. Sanchez, 379 N. Johnson Ave, El Cajon, CA 92020. This business is conducted by an Individual. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 04/01/2016.

Signature: Susanna M. Sanchez. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 07/24/2023.

AJ 1237 08/25, 09/01, 09/08, and 09/15/2023. AJSD 1237

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9017996

Cash Star USA located at 610 Del Sol Drive #338, San Diego, CA 92108.

Registrant: Heather Samantha Vargas, 610 Del Sol Drive #338, San Diego, CA 92108.

This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVE.

Signature: Heather Samantha Vargas. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/28/2023.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9017654

Speed Drafts located at 9415 Lavell Street, La Mesa, CA 91941.

Registrant: Nathan Lynd, 9415 Lavell Street, La Mesa, CA 91941. This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME.

Signature Nathan Lynd. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/25/2023. AJ 1238 09/01, 09/08, 09/15,

SEPTEMBER 15-21, 2023 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 8
CASE NUMBER: 37-2023-00037324-CU-PT-CTL TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Rameez Ali and Aishath Mohamed Didi on behalf of minors filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Alisha Rameez to Alisha Aysha Rameez b. Misha Rameez to Misha Aysha Rameez THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 10/12/2023 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county. Asian Journal: AUG 30, 2023 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 1246 09/01, 09/08, 09/15, 09/22/2023. ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120). If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner. To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, drivers license, passport, and other identification, a certificate copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issues the legal document that need to be changed to determine if a certificate copy is required. A certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be obtained form the Civil Business Office for a fee. Petitioners who are seeking a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for information on obtaining certified copies. If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions. If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions. A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date. Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court. AJSD 1246 CASE NUMBER: 37-2023-00038894-CU-PT-CTL TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner EDDIE WEI QUAN filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. EDDIE WEI QUAN to Eddie Wei Quan. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 10/23/2023 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. C-61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county. Asian Journal: SEP. 08, 2023 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 1256 09/15, 09/22, 09/29, and 10/06/2023 ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120). If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner. To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, driver license, passport, and other identification, a certificate copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issues the legal document that needs to be changed, to be determined if a certificate copy is required. A certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be obtained form the Civil Business Office for a fee. Petitioners who are seeking a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for information on obtaining certified copies. If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions. If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions. A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date. Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court. AJSD 1256
Registrant: Melissa Nefalar, MS, LMFT, 1604 Cheyenne Dr, Chula VIsta, CA 91915. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVE.
Melissa Nefalar. Statement filed with Recorder/ County Clerk of San Diego County on 07/21/2023. AJ 1233 08/25, 09/01, 09/08, and 09/15/2023. AJSD 1233
BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9015299 a. Chula Vista Holistic Family Therapy located at 680 Old Telegraph Canyon Rd Suite 201, Chula Vista, CA 91910. b. Chula Vista Holistic Wellness Retreats located at 680 Old Telegraph Canyon Rd Suite 201, Chula Vista, CA 91910. c. Chula Vista Holistic Family Therapy & Wellness located at 680 Old Telegraph Canyon Rd Suite 201, Chula Vista, CA 91910. d. Chula Vista Therapy located at 680 Old Telegraph Canyon Rd Suite 201, Chula Vista, CA 91910.
Signature:
AJ 1235 08/25, 09/01, 09/08, and 09/15/2023. AJSD 1235
AJ 1236 08/25,
09/08,
09/15/2023.
09/01,
and
AJSD 1236
and 09/22/2023. AJSD 1238 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9017322 a. San Diego 360 Photo located at 4414 Delta St. Apt. 6, San Diego, CA 92113. b. San Diego 360 Photo Booth located at 4414 Delta St. Apt. 6, San Diego, CA 92113. c. SD 360 Photo located at 4414 Delta St. Apt. 6, San Diego, CA 92113. d. SD 360 Photo Booth located at 4414 Delta St. Apt. 6, San Diego, CA 92113. Registrant: Jahaziel Sanchez, 4414 Delta St. Apt. 6, San Diego, CA 92113. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 10/01/2022. Signature: Jahaziel Sanchez. Statement filed with Recorder/ County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/21/2023. AJ 1239 09/01, 09/08, 09/15, and 09/22/2023. AJSD 1239 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9017309 Rohr Mobility located at 4745 Wilson Ave Apt 7, San Diego, CA 92116. Registrant: Mark P Rohr, 4745 Wilson Ave Apt 7, San Diego, CA 92116. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME. Signature Mark P Rohr. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/21/2023. AJ 1240 09/01, 09/08, 09/15, and 09/22/2023. AJSD 1240 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2023-9017867 LMC Industries located at 8117 Dorchester St, Spring Valley, CA 91977. Registrant: Luis Miguel Gabriel Chavez, 8117 Dorchester St, Spring Valley, CA 91977. This business is conducted by Individual. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 08/29/2023. Signature: Luis Miguel Gabriel Chavez. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 08/29/2023. AJ 1241 09/01, 09/08, 09/15, 09/22/2023. AJSD 1241
AJ 1242 09/01, 09/08, 09/15, 09/22/2023. AJSD 1242
08/18/2023. AJ 1243 09/01, 09/08, 09/15, 09/22/2023. AJSD 1243
Statement
AJ
09/15, 09/22/2023. AJSD
1244 09/01, 09/08,
1244
AJSD 1245
AJ 1245 09/01, 09/08, 09/15, 09/22/2023.

Savoring wellness: ‘We Cook Filipino’ puts heart health on the menu

HEART disease, a pervasive concern in Filipino-American communities, serves as the poignant backdrop to Jacqueline Chio-Lauri’s culinary odyssey. Her upcoming book, “We Cook Filipino: Heart-healthy Recipes and Inspiring Stories from 36 Filipino Food Personalities and Award-winning Chefs,” was born from a deeply personal place.

Jacqueline’s own family history of heart ailments, coupled with her husband’s battle with chronic hypertension, set the stage for a transformative approach to cooking.

“I was afraid my heart would stop while I was sleeping. I’m not the only one with this anxiety,” Jacqueline reveals. “In adulthood, my husband was diagnosed with chronic hypertension, which reawakened my anxiety.

To manage it, I focused on something I could control—my cooking, and making sure the food I prepared at home helped manage, if not reverse his condition.”

She found herself on a mission to prove that Filipino cuisine, often criticized for its rich and flavorful dishes, could be both delicious and heart-healthy. The belief that food should nourish not just the body, but the spirit, lies at the core of her culinary philosophy.

“I don’t remember one meal when there wasn’t a vegetable dish and fruits on the table,” Jacqueline recalls, reminiscing about her Lola’s

teachings on having a balanced diet. This foundation, rooted in balanced nutrition, became the guiding principle for her culinary exploration.

To address the prevailing concern of heart disease in Filipino-American communities, Jacqueline sought to bridge the gap between delectable Filipino fare and heart-healthy living. She delved into extensive research, collaborating with Dr. Youssef Roman and others from Virginia Commonwealth University. Together, they authored an academic paper addressing the health disparities among Filipino Americans.

“The truth is, just like other cuisines, Filipino food can be as healthy as the cook wants it to be.”

“Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of deaths globally,” she adds. “I wanted to create this book to give us a nudge to take care of our hearts and well-being (we Filipinos are good at taking care of others but often suck at taking care of ourselves), and to show that we can do so without giving up the food we love or the food we grew up on because Filipino food can be as delicious and healthy as we want it to be.”

As anthologist, editor, and lead author of “We Cook Filipino,” Jacqueline brings together a diverse array of contributors, each waving the Philippine flag in their own corner of the globe. From James Beard Awardees to Michelin Star recipients, they collectively present a mosaic of perspectives that showcase the adaptability and potential of Filipino cuisine.

“This beautiful book is filled with stories and recipes from the heart, that are good for your heart too,” praises Food Network and PBS food show host, Ellie Krieger. “It is a moving and meaningful showcase of how delicious and healthful Filipino food can be.”

The book’s power lies not just in the 51 recipes featured, but in the stories that accompany them. Contributors share what brings them joy, even in the face of personal struggles, underscoring that emotional wellbeing is as vital to heart health as a balanced diet.

Among the chefs and food personalities who contributed their heart-healthy Filipino recipes were 2023 James Beard Awardee Margarita Manzke, two-time Michelin Star Awardee Roger Asakil Joya, IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) award-winning writer Liren Baker, James Beard Award 2022 finalist Carlo Lamagna, James Beard Award 2023 nominee for Journalism u PAGE 10

Vegan Bicol Express (Spicy Squash and Jackfruit Stew in Coconut Milk)

Some believe that Bicol Express, a creamy, fiery pork stew, has its origins in a Bicolano vegetable dish called gulay na lada (vegetable with chili peppers). Legend has it, however, that the birthplace of Bicol Express is actually Manila, and that it is named after the train that plies the tracks between the nation’s capital and the Bicol region. The recipe below is a vegan version of Francis’s mom’s original spicy pork belly Bicol Express. He’s made some changes by using healthier ingredients, and langka (jackfruit — a widely grown fruit in the Philippines and a widely used meat substitute worldwide) instead of pork. He says the flavor of this dish takes him straight back to childhood!

PREPARATION TIME: 50 minutes

YIELD: 6 servings

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 large yellow or white onion, diced small

2 cups (480 ml) low-sodium vegetable stock

3 cups (720 ml) light coconut milk

2 20-oz (600 g) cans young jackfruit, rinsed, drained and cut into cubes

2 lbs (900 g) kabocha squash, chopped into ½-inch cubes

2 tablespoons vegetarian oyster/stir-fry sauce or 4 tablespoons

coconut aminos

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 lb (500 g) green beans, cut about an inch long

10 Thai bird chilies, sliced on the bias (reduce if you don’t want the dish very spicy)

(818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 • http://www.asianjournal.com 9 SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 15-21, 2023 9 SAN
JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
DIEGO
u PAGE 10

‘A Very Good Girl’ to be released in US on Oct. 6

Film stars Dolly de Leon, Kathryn Bernardo

ABS-CBN announced on Tuesday, September 12 that its latest film, ‘A Very Good Girl’ to be released in United States theaters on Friday, October 6. The film stars Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award nominee Dolly de Leon (“A Triangle of Sadness”, “Verdict,” “Historya ni Ha”) and Asian Box Office Superstar Kathryn Bernardo (“Hello, Love, Goodbye” and “Barcelona: A Love Untold”).

Directed by Petersen Vargas and written by Marianne Mancol, Daniel Saniana and Jumbo Albano, “A Very Good Girl” features two selfmade women and follows them as they navigate their lives around each other. After a heartless firing triggers a chain of unfortunate events, Philo (Bernardo) plots a meticulous revenge against retail mogul, Mother Molly (de Leon), aiming to dismantle her empire and seize the ultimate payback. This time, there is no mercy.

This marks ABS-CBN’s continued commitment to making Filipino content accessible on a global scale. This also celebrates the 30th anniversary of Star Cinema – a film studio, film & television production company, and film distributor based in the Philippines.

The official U.S. trailer of ‘A Very Good Girl’ can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=jFfzQYNY0AE.

ABS-CBN Corporation is a media and entertainment organization in the Philippines. The company is primarily involved in the production of entertainment, feature films, news and information, and audio content for domestic and international audiences. ABS-CBN produces content and distributes its programs, feature films, and music on different platforms such as cable and satellite TV, domestic free TV through various partnerships with local broadcasters and third-party digital platforms, as well as traditional box-office releases. ABS-CBN also distributes content through its streaming service, iWantTFC, and through co-production and syndication agreements with international streaming platforms, broadcasters and cable and satellite programmers. Related businesses include artist

and talent management as well as concerts and events. Star Cinema, also known as ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc, is the foremost Filipino film production and distribution outfit. Star Cinema is currently celebrating its 30-year anniversary. The company, founded in 1993, has produced more than 200 films in various genres, all of which are geared to suit the preferences of Filipinos of all ages and walks of life, wherever they may be in the world. ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. aims to deliver quality film entertainment to the Filipino moviegoer while strengthening market leadership, profitability, and internal organization.

City of San Diego’s Enhanced Hot Spot Program reaches momentous milestone

More than 1,000 tons of trash removed from city streets and sidewalks

SAN DIEGO – In less than a year since its launch, the City of San Diego’s Enhanced Hot Spot Program has reached a significant milestone: Hot Spot crews have removed more than 1,000 tons of waste from areas near and around homeless encampments. That amount adds up to nearly 4.5 times the weight of the Statue of Liberty.

“Through this program, we

are providing an enhanced level of service,” said Renee Robertson, Director of the City’s Environmental Services Department. “Our Hot Spot crews are busy seven days a week making San Diego sidewalks and streets cleaner and safer for everyone.”

The City’s Environmental Services Department (ESD) dispatches Hot Spot crews to

Bea’s love for farming

BEA Alonzo remains to be one of the prettiest faces and most accomplished actresses of her generation.

Being in the industry since she was 15, it was but natural for Alonzo to branch out and try other endeavors — including hosting, singing and later on, vlogging.

But beyond her creative hats, Alonzo is also involved in an industry not commonly explored by her contemporaries: farming.

The actress said she has her mom to thank for influencing her to get into farming.

She recalled that it was actress Isabel Rivas, also a farm owner, who told her that a farm land near the latter’s property was for sale.

“I was much younger in 2011 so initially, I thought of it as a long-term investment. But when we started developing the land, when I got the chance to know the farmers who helped us in planting and building the rest of the farm, I fell in love with farming, too.

“I got more into it when I saw my trees growing and when I started to get harvests from them.”

That parcel of land eventually became Beati Firma — which translates to “Blessed Farm” from Latin. The 16-hectare farm boasts of mango and other fruit bearing trees. Surrounding the property are almost 5000 mahogany trees.

“We also have livestock like cows as well as chickens, peacocks and local horses. We’re trying to keep it as a sustainable

farm and we’re very proud that until today, we haven’t sprayed [harmful chemicals] to our crops,” Alonzo shared.

Apart from that, Alonzo is also a proud owner of a rice field in Botolan, Zambales. Her hands-on experience in farming also afforded Alonzo an understanding of farmers and their struggles.

“As a farmer, it’s heartbreaking to see the crops you’re growing hit or damaged by typhoons. It takes us years to grow our mango trees so it’s very sad to see them knocked down. In my rice field, one of the challenges is the rising cost of seedlings.”

As such, it was easy for Alonzo to agree to partner with Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) as its celebrity endorser for the 2022 Census of Agriculture and Fisheries (2022 CAF).

The 2022 CAF is the seventh of a series of decennial agricultural censuses and the sixth of the decennial census of fisheries in the country since 1903.

The census is important as updated information on agriculture and fisheries shall enable economic development planners to respond to the challenges and opportunities in these sectors for our country to grow and prosper.

The 2022 CAF started on September 4 with 15,841 enumerators and 5,430 census supervisors nationwide conducting surveys on agriculture and fishery households, agriculture operators, aquaculture operators, fishery operators, and barangay officials.

Using Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI), these enumerators are gathering data that will provide government executives and policymakers a basis for formulation of programs and policies for betterment of the situation of the agriculture and fisheries sectors in the country.

Minerva Eloisa Esquivias, Deputy National Statistician of PSA, Alonzo gives a valuable contribution to raise awareness on the ongoing census as farmers, unaware of the activity, would often shy from census supervisors.

“I was very happy to do it. I didn’t think twice because this is very dear and close to my heart.

I am aware of the challenges that farmers face,” Alonzo finally said when asked why she accepted this new role. n

Pinais na Pinaputok (Seabass, Vegetables and Rice Baked in Banana Leaf)

This recipe combines elements of pinais (cooking in a pouch) and pinaputok (filling the cavity of a whole fish with stuffing)

PREPARATION TIME 30 minutes

YIELD 4 servings

Ingredients:

remove waste and large litter from the public right of way in areas most heavily affected by waste discarded by unsheltered people. Code compliance officers direct the work of clean-up crews throughout neighborhoods to address known and discovered “hot spots” that pose a public health or environmental concern.

The Enhanced Hot u PAGE 11

¾ teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 4 sea bass fillets

2 Asian eggplants, roasted, see below

4 scallions, finely chopped

2-inch (5-cm) piece fresh ginger, grated

4 medium tomatoes, diced

A few sprigs thyme

4 banana leaves, each 12 inches (30 cm) long, washed and blanched, or equivalent size parchment paper or foil

2 cups (about 400 g) cooked rice blended with riced cauliflower Olive oil, for drizzling

SAWSAWAN DIPPING SAUCE

4 calamansi, halved, or 1 lemon, cut into wedges

1 teaspoon bagoong guisado shrimp paste (45 mg sodium/teaspoon)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).

2. In a small bowl, mix the salt, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper to make a seasoning mixture. Season the fish with a pinch of the mixture. Set aside the rest.

3. Mash the eggplant with a fork. Sprinkle with a pinch of the seasoning mixture and stir.

4. In a bowl, combine the scallions, ginger, tomatoes, thyme and the remaining seasoning mix.

5. Place a quarter of the riced cauliflower mix about 3 inches (7 cm) from the edge of a banana leaf and spread to make a shape about the same size as the fish fillet. Top with a quarter of the mashed eggplant. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the tomato mixture from Step 4 over the eggplant. Lay a fish fillet on top of the mixture and cover with 2 more tablespoons of the tomato mixture. Drizzle with a few drops of olive oil. Fold the top and bottom edges of the leaf up and over and tuck the sides under the package or secure with cooking twine or the spine of the banana leaf. Repeat with the remaining fish.

6. Place the packages in a baking pan on the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes. Open one and check if the fish is opaque. If not, rewrap

PAGE 9

and bake for another 2–3 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for a minute before serving.

7. To make the sawsawan dipping sauce, combine the calamansi juice with the bagoong. Open the fish packages and serve with the sawsawan on the side.

How to roast whole eggplants

Prick all sides of the eggplants with a fork or paring knife.

On an open flame: Cook directly on a gas stove over medium-high heat or over-the-fire grill turning it every 5 minutes until all the skin is charred and the eggplant is collapsed, tender and wrinkled.

In the oven: Preheat the oven broiler to maximum. Place pierced eggplants under the broiler on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Roast until they start to blacken, about 12–15 minutes depending on the eggplant size. Turn the eggplants over. Roast for another 10–15 minutes or until the eggplants are collapsed, completely tender and wrinkled. Slit the eggplants open and scrape the flesh out. Set aside and discard the skin.

PER SERVING

CALORIES 437KCAL / FATS 7.24G / SATURATED FAT 1.4G /PROTEIN 32.45G / CARBOHYDRATES 66.35G / FIBER 11.3G

SODIUM 608MG/ SUGARS 13.52G

*Reprinted with permission from WE COOK FILIPINO by Jacqueline Chio-Lauri, Tuttle Publishing, 2023, ISBN: 978-0-8048-5466-5.

Vegan Bicol Express...

1 bunch green onions, finely chopped, for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers

2. Add the garlic and onion, stirring. When the onion is transparent, pour in the vegetable stock and coconut milk. Stir. Leave to boil uncovered for about a minute. Lower the heat to medium.

3. Add the jackfruit. Stir then cover. Leave to simmer for about 15 minutes.

4. Stir in the squash, stir-fry sauce or coconut aminos, and pepper.

5. Simmer uncovered for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by half, stirring once in a while.

6. Stir in the green beans and the chili. Turn

the heat to low. Simmer, covered, for another 10 minutes, or until the beans are the desired texture.

7. Garnish with the green onion and serve with half a cup of cooked rice per serving.

PER SERVING WITH RICE

CALORIES 420KCAL

FATS 21.17G

SATURATED FAT 5.37G

PROTEIN 9.45G

CARBOHYDRATES 51.34G

FIBER 6.63G

SODIUM 524MG

SUGARS 10.86G

*Reprinted with permission from WE COOK

FILIPINO by Jacqueline Chio-Lauri, Tuttle Publishing, 2023, ISBN: 978-0-8048-5466-5.

*Photo © Rezel Kealoha

Savoring wellness: ‘We Cook...

PAGE 9

Jennifer Fergesen, Bocuse d’Or World Championship finals representative William Mordido, IACP Food Photography finalist Rezel Kealoha, James Beard Award semi-finalists Amormia Orino and Paolo Mendoza, among others.

“We Cook Filipino is the health and culture vision I have dreamt about as a Filipino-American preventive cardiologist,” Dr. Kyla Lara-Breitinger, MD, MS, Preventive Cardiologist at Mayo

Clinic, affirms. “It is inspiring in the best way.”

As the October release of “We Cook Filipino” aligns with Filipino American History Month, Jacqueline’s intention is clear— to offer a book that nourishes not only the body but also the soul and spirit of a community. With a vision that extends beyond the book’s release, Jacqueline aims to collaborate with organizations and schools, spreading awareness about heart-healthy Filipino cuisine and creating a

movement towards a healthier, more vibrant community.

In “We Cook Filipino,” Jacqueline Chio-Lauri doesn’t just offer healthy spins on traditional favorites; she extends an invitation to a healthier, heartful way of life. Through her culinary journey, she shows us that flavorful Filipino dishes can be allies in our quest for wellbeing. With each page turned, we’re reminded that taking care of our hearts can be a delicious, joyful endeavor. n

SEPTEMBER 15-21, 2023 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 10
*Photo © Rezel Kealoha The A-lister at home in Zambales. Photo from Instagram/@beaalonzo

Paris welcomes Daily Malong at 2023 Fashion Week

PARIS – Daily Malong, a name in the Filipino fashion industry, is proud to announce its presence at 2023 Paris Fashion Week, where it will introduce its vibrant new collection, Rooted and Current. This is in preparation for Daily Malong’s rebrand transition set to release in October 2023 reflecting the team’s commitment to celebrating and promoting indigenous weaving from the Philippines, a belief passionately held by its founder, Lydia Querian inspired by rivers and mountains from her research journey to the communities.

Under the tagline “Indigenous is the Future,” Daily Malong is set to launch its latest collection, “Rooted and Current.” This innovative line is harmoniously informed by a blend of ancestral knowledge and modern fashion trends, resulting from extensive research conducted amongst indigenous and weaving communities in the Philippines.

“Rooted and Current” encompasses a creative and wearable line, bringing contemporary relevance to the timeless beauty of Filipino indigenous weaving from many different ethnolinguistic groups. Each piece in the collection, from intricate weaves to bold embroideries, tells a unique story, drawing deeply from oral tradition and innovation. This collection is more than just a fashion statement –it’s a celebration of cultural heritage and a testament to the inspiring fusion of past and present.

“Daily Malong’s mission is to bring the indigenous cultural inspiration from the Philippines to the global stage,” said Lydia Querian, founder of Daily Malong and the driving force behind Karayan. “Through ‘Rooted and Current,’ we hope to offer a fresh perspective on fashion, one that respects and draws from our ancestral knowledge while staying in tune with modern trends.”

Paris Fashion Week attendees will have the opportunity to experience firsthand the effortless elegance of Daily Malong’s collection at Le Salon des Miroirs on September 29 and 30. The brand invites everyone to join them in their journey of exploring the beauty of indigenous Filipino culture and its significant role in shaping the future of fashion.

Daily Malong is a BIPOC and Filipinx woman-owned fashion brand with a powerful purpose. Its team of creatives is on a mission to empower indigenous communities in the Philippines, sharing their legacy of ancestral knowledge with Filipinx diasporic communities across the globe.

Founder Lydia Querian spearheads its vision, driven by the resounding belief that “Indigenous is the future.” In her steadfast dedication, Lydia envisions a world where the invaluable practices of indigenous communities are woven into the fabric of the future. By marrying the timeless wisdom of the past with the opportunities of the present, Daily Malong stands as ambassadors of traditions, protectors of the environment, and champions of change.

Every piece of clothing Daily Malong creates is made with handwoven indigenous textiles serving as a living testament to the resilience of the diverse weaving communities across the Philippines. These textiles, when donned today, bear the weight of history and the narrative of ancestral lineages across the Philippines. They bridge generations, offering both wearers and weavers a profound connection that transcends time. Through this connection, we navigate the challenges of societal adversity, work towards climate preservation, and endeavor to restore balance to our environment.n

Succession planning: The cornerstone of family business legacy and prosperity

IN family enterprises, a sobering truth prevails: With each generational transition, the odds of a company’s survival diminish. This fact isn’t mere conjecture; it’s a hard-earned lesson observed in countless family businesses worldwide. In this article, we delve into the pressing importance of succession planning for family businesses, exploring its impact on longevity, wealth preservation, and overall business health.

The unpredictable urgency of preparedness

In the fast-paced world of business, we often become ensnared in the pursuit of growth and success, sometimes neglecting the harsh reality that life can throw unexpected curveballs our way. These curveballs, as we’ve seen, aren’t limited to health-related issues; they can manifest as freak accidents, unforeseen events, or even the insidious threat of an unknown virus, as vividly exemplified by the story of a couple in their early 60s.

What was initially expected to be an idyllic getaway transformed into a frantic race against time. While enjoying a European vacation, the founder suddenly fell victim to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, vomiting, and an unrelenting fever.

What followed was an urgent hospitalization, intubation, and grim advice from medical professionals. Miraculously, survival was granted, but it came at an exorbitant cost—his active deal-making role was forever altered, and a once-vibrant leader deeply engaged in the family business was now confined to a wheelchair, incapacitated.

Two crucial business

lessons

This poignant narrative underscores two crucial lessons for businesses.

Firstly, it highlights the inherent unpredictability of life. For family enterprises, it serves as a stark reminder that success isn’t solely measured by sales, expansion, and growth; it also hinges on preparedness for the unexpected. In this light, a robust succession plan becomes more than just a strategy; it becomes a lifeline. It ensures business continuity, mitigates risks, and safeguards the legacy and prosperity of the enterprise, even in the face of life’s harshest uncertainties.

Secondly, it underscores the paramount importance of proactive preparedness. This readiness is akin to building one’s own Noah’s Ark, enabling a family business to weather life’s unpredictability with resilience and foresight.

The transformative power of succession planning

Imagine a scenario where adversity strikes with relentless force, as exemplified by the sudden incapacitation of the business founder mentioned above. This time, however, armed with a meticulously crafted succession plan, the family’s preparedness shines through. It not only ensures the business’s survival but empowers it to thrive and endure in the face of adversity.

It epitomizes the indomitable spirit of readiness, a strategic fortification that steels the business against any eventuality.

In this narrative of unpredictability, a wellprepared succession plan transcends its conventional role as a mere document.

It metamorphoses into a lifeline, a steadfast cornerstone of business continuity, and a vigilant protector against unforeseen risks. Most profoundly, it is a guardian of the cherished legacy and prosperity that family enterprises hold dear. This shield safeguards them from the ferocity of life’s most relentless storms.

In conclusion, as family businesses navigate the intricate terrain of entrepreneurship, it’s imperative to recognize that

preparedness is not a sign of pessimism but a hallmark of prudence. Succession planning transcends mere administrative tasks; it evolves into a dynamic strategy, a fortress that strengthens the business’s foundations, secures its legacy, and ensures a resilient future. Ultimately, it serves as a strategic investment in the enduring success of the family business, an unwavering bulwark against the unpredictable ebb and flow of life’s tumultuous tides.

Catch the succession planning webinar this

September

To mark the beginning of your transformative journey, founders and family members should listen and participate in our upcoming inaugural webinar series, “Stewardship + Succession + Wealth = Legacy: A Family Guide to Building and Sustaining Your Wealth.” The series, scheduled for September 16, 18, and 19, promises invaluable insights into safeguarding your family business for generations to come. Seats are very limited, so we encourage you to secure your slots now by calling Doms at 09178981493 or emailing him at dlagco@ wbadvisoryasia.com. n

City of San Diego’s...

PAGE 10

Spot Program – created to address quality-of-life concerns such as neighborhood litter – started as a pilot in the fall of 2022 and was an immediate success. In the first eight weeks, crews removed more than 140 tons of waste at 900 spots/locations. The program became permanent in the spring of this year.

Hot Spot crews work around and directly adjacent to homeless encampments, but do not assist or conduct encampment abatements or directly address active or inactive encampments; encampments are addressed by separate ESD crews and outreach workers.

ESD ensures City of San Diego residents have a clean and safe environment. The department pursues waste management strategies that emphasize waste reduction and recycling, composting and environmentally sound landfill management. ESD is also responsible for collecting and disposing of refuse, recyclables, household hazardous waste and green waste.

(City of San Diego Release) n

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Photos courtesy of Daily Malong
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