September 19-21, 2018 Volume 28 - No. 74 • 3 Sections - 20 Pages
DATELINE
USA
FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
LA County Sheriff highlights department reform transparency in re-election campaign
Up for re-election as LA County Sheriff, McDonnell shares achievements in fighting human trafficking, ensuring public safety and public trust on immigration front
IN the decade of #BlackLivesMatter and zero-tolerance immigration policies under President Trump, trust in law enforcement has never been more contentious. Finding a balance between achieving public safety and ensuring public trust has been the goal for Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), which for the last four years has been headed by Sheriff Jim McDonnell, who is up for re-election in November. McDonnell kicked off his career in law enforcement after he graduated from the
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Kavanaugh vote cancelled after sexual misconduct allegations emerge
Senate postpones Kavanaugh vote after Palo Alto University professor alleges Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were both in high school
Trigger warning: this story contains mild details of an alleged attempted rape. ON Sunday, Sept. 16, a psychology professor at Palo Alto University Christine Blasey Ford went public with her allegation that Brett Kavanaugh, a nominee for the Supreme Court, tried to force her into having sex with him in the early 1980s. Ford, through the Washington Post, came forward following a blistering story published on Friday, Sept. 14 by The New Yorker’s Ronan Farrow and Jane Meyer about a complaint by an unnamed woman that Kavanaugh allegedly sexually assaulted her when she was 15 years old. (Kavanaugh
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Number of people in Philippines affected by Typhoon Ompong reaches over 800,000 by RAE
ANN VARONA AJPress
THE number of people in the Philippines reported to be affected by the recent Typhoon Ompong — known internationally as Typhoon Mangkhut
— has reached over 800,000, according to the latest National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) report released Tuesday morning, September 18. According to Philippine National Police numbers, the death toll reached
74 on Tuesday, though that number is expected to rise. Most of the deaths have been coming from the Cordillera Administrative Region which as of Tuesday, had 60 fatalities. Both Metro Manila and the Ilocos Region had one death recorded each, Central Luzon
had two, and Cagayan Valley recorded 10. From the total of affected 3,237 barangays in the NCR, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and Cordillera Ad-
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Duterte’s fearless forecast: Reds ‘will be over’ by 2019 by NESTOR
CORRALES Inquirer.net
THE communist rebels “will be over” by next year, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday, September 18, as he claimed that more rebels were now surrendering to the government. “I think, if God will have mercy, the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines) will be over by second quarter of next year,” Duterte told soldiers at CPP founding chair Jose Maria Sison Camp Melchor F. Dela Inquirer.net photo Cruz in Gamu, Isabela. The Chief Executive was in Isabela for a post-disaster meeting after typhoon “Ompong” (international name: Mangkhut) battered the province. Duterte in November last year terminated peace DAY AFTER TYPHOON OMPONG. Residents collect bamboo timber from the garbage washed ashore during the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong, talks with the communists after the CPP and its armed at the Manila Bay on Sunday, September 16. “Ompong”, which barreled through northern Luzon, left the Philippine Area of Responsibility
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on Saturday night.
PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan
Life term for ‘The Butcher’ Jovito Palparan Jr. Palparan found guilty of kidnapping UP students by RAMON
EFREN LAZARO Philstar.com
MALOLOS — The retired Army major general dubbed “The Butcher” by human rights groups will spend the rest of his life in prison. Jovito Palparan Jr. and his two co-accused soldiers were found guilty Monday, September 17, of kidnapping and serious illegal detention involving two University of the Philippines students who have been missing for 12 years. The defendants were also ordered to indemnify the family of the missing with
P100,000 in civil damages and P200,000 as moral damages. As the verdict of Malolos Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 15 Judge Alexander Tamayo was read, Palparan shouted at the judge, “Duwag ka (You’re a coward)!” adding,“Tarantado! Gago! (Jerk! Stupid!).” His counsel and security soldiers tried to calm him down as the judge warned Palparan of contempt of court. The cases against Palparan and his coaccused — Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado and Former Army general Jovito Palparan is escorted by soldiers from the Malolos Regional Trial S/Sgt. Edgardo Osorio — were filed by Er- Court in Bulacan, where he was found guilty last Monday, September 17, of the kidnapping linda Cadapan and Connie Empeño, moth- and illegal detention of UP students Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan in 2006.
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Philstar.com photo by Michael Vargas
Trillanes is ‘OA,’ showing ‘paranoia’ — Palace BI ends Australian nun’s extended stay by DARRYL JOHN
ESGUERRA
by CATHERINE
MODESTO ManilaTimes.net
Inquirer.net
MALACAÑANG on Tuesday, September 18, dismissed as “paranoia” the claim of “OA” Senator Antonio Trillanes IV that his house was being watched by intelligence personnel. The remark came after Trillanes sent to media photos and CCTV footage of a car purportedly manning his house. “Talagang yung behavior niya highly suspicious. May hallmarks of suspicious activity. Pinapacheck namin ngayon — nakuha namin ang plate number, mukha. Hindi lang to bastabasta harassment o pananakot lang (His behavior is highly suspicious. It has hallmarks of suspicious activities. We are
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque
having it checked now — we already have the plate number, face. This is not just harassment or threat),” Trillanes said in a press briefing. However, Presidential
Inquirer.net photos
Spokesperson Harry Roque insisted that the senator, who has been holed up in his Senate office after the revocation of his amnesty, is just getting
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THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has denied a plea to extend Australian nun Patricia Anne Fox’s missionary visa, which expired on September 5. The bureau said in a statement that it had declined the request of 72-year-old Fox, the superior of the Notre Dame De Sion, a congregation of Catholic nuns, “due to her pending deportation order.” The denial was contained in a two-page order signed on Thursday, but released to the media on Sunday, September 15. “Our legal team saw that approving the extension of her missionary visa will be incon-
sistent with the findings cited in her deportation order,” BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said in the statement. “The BI already saw that Sister Fox violated the conditions of her stay and is considered undesirable, hence a deportation order was previously issued against her,” she added. Sandoval said Fox, who the BI had accused of violating her visa privileges by allegedly engaging in political activism, was required within 15 days upon receipt of the order to downgrade her visa to tourist visa. A tourist visa is valid for 59 days, said Sandoval. The decision came 28 days after Fox filed for a visa extenAustralian nun Patricia Anne Fox sion.
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ManilaTimes.net photo
A September 19-21, 2018 • SoCal ASIAN JOUrNAL
http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797
From the Front Page
Life term for ‘The Butcher’ Jovito... PAGE A1 ers of missing UP student activists Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño, who were snatched in Barangay San Miguel, Hagonoy, Bulacan on June 26, 2006. The complainants were supported by militant groups Desaparecidos, Karapatan, and End Impunity Alliance as well as by members of the National Union
of People’s Lawyers. Defense counsels said they would appeal the cases and ask the judge to keep them under military custody, but Tamayo said the accused were now convicted and custody should be transferred to the Bureau of Prisons. Palparan, Anotado and Osorio were heavily guarded by at
least 10 Army soldiers inside the courtroom and at least six other soldiers outside the door of the Bulacan RTC Branch 15. Members of militant groups held an indignation rally against the three convicts outside the RTC building while a phalanx of policemen was deployed against the demonstrators, who lined up on the pavement pictures of their missing relatives, friends and colleagues believed abducted during the time of when Palparan was still in active service. Upon learning of the verdict, the bereaved kin welcomed the outcome and offered Tamayo a “taas kamay na pagpupugay (arms raised in salute)” for his decision. Cadapan also appealed to the Army soldiers to produce the bodies of Sherlyn and Karen. Palace, military respect ruling Malacañang respects the court’s ruling on Palparan’s case and expressed hope that the victims’ families will get justice. “We respect the decision of the court and we would want justice to be done to the victims,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said at a press briefing in Benguet. “As it has been and always will be, the position of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is submission to the majesty of the courts and respect for the rule of law,” the military said in a statement issued after learning of the court ruling on Palparan’s case. AFP spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo said the military “also respects whatever legal recourse are available to and will be availed (by those convicted) under the law and the Rules of Court.” He noted that the AFP has yet to receive and see a copy of the decision of the court on Palparan, Anotado and Osorio. Warning to state forces For senators, Palparan’s conviction should serve as a warning to state security forces on violating human rights. Sen. Francis Pangilinan said Palparan’s conviction should send a strong signal to the AFP, the Philippine National Police (PNP) “and the rest of those in government that sooner or later, the law and our justice system PAGE A3
Number of people in Philippines... PAGE A1 ministrative Region (CAR), a total of 218, 492 families, or 893,944 families were reported affected, according to the NDRRMC. As of Tuesday, a total of 236,060 individuals were reported being served by 1,780 evacuation centers. The number broke down to 162,339 reported being served inside the evacuation centers, and 73,661 being served outside. Furthermore, a total of 1,264 houses were recorded damaged with 130 classified as totally damaged, and 1,134 being partially damaged. The NDRRMC also reported Tuesday that agricultural damages reached PHP14.3 billion in the regions of Ilocos, Cagayan, CAR, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon. In CAR alone, the damage as of Monday, September 17 was PHP2.8 billion, affecting approximately 171,932 farmers and much of the regions rice and corn. Not yet recorded are the number of farmers affected in the other regions. “Mababago pa ‘yan (That will still change) because those are just estimates,” said Office of Civil Defense Spokesperson Edgar Posadas in a Monday press briefing. “We have procedures on a more structured assessment later on as we are focused right now on response.” World’s strongest storm of 2018 Sustaining Hurricane wind speeds of up to 170 miles per hour, the 550-mile wide storm
President Rodrigo Duterte interacts with his supporters upon his arrival at the Provincial Capitol in La Trinidad, Benguet on Monday, September 17 where he presided over a situation briefing to discuss the disaster response measures on the aftermath of Typhoon ‘Ompong.’ Malacañang photo by Robinson Niñal Jr.
remains the world’s strongest storm this year so far. After hitting its hardest in the Philippines’ northern province of Luzon on Saturday, Ompong made way south to Hong Kong and Macau, before downgrading to a tropical depression in China where state news media reported four people dead. On Monday, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte met with families of some typhoon victims in the CAR province in Benguet where around PHP25,000
worth of goods and burial assistance were distributed, according to Special Assistant to the President Bong Go. Another PHP20,000 in cash was distributed to families. Outside the Philippines, condolences were sent including by U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, who tweeted on Saturday, “Our thoughts are with those affected by Typhoon Ompong. The U.S., as a friend, partner, and ally of the Philippines, stands ready to assist.” n
BI ends Australian nun’s extended stay
PAGE A1 Only 10 years allowed The BI also noted that a memorandum of agreement between the bureau and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines states that foreign missionaries could stay in the country for only 10 years. Fox has worked in the country for 27 years. Fox has pending appeal before the Department of Justice (DoJ) since September 3, hoping to nullify the BI’s July 19 deportation order against her. Sandoval said the BI was still awaiting the DoJ decision before starting deportation proceedings,
but clarified that it may grant Fox the temporary visitor’s visa “without prejudice to the resolution of her appeal to the DoJ on her deportation.” Fox’s camp has accused the BI for “prejudging” the nun’s case, after the president ordered her probe for supposedly displaying “disorderly conduct” and having a “foul mouth.” The DoJ gave Fox a temporary reprieve after it reversed the BI’s visa cancellation order against her for “lack of legal basis.” On April 16, the BI detained Fox overnight at its facility for supposedly attending protest rallies and “fact-finding missions.”
On April 23, BI’s Board of Commissioners ordered the forfeiture of Fox’s missionary visa and downgrade to tourist visa. It also issued a directive to the nun to leave the country within 30 days from the receipt of the order. She filed a motion for reconsideration, but it was denied by the commissioners. On May 25, Fox filed a petition for review against the bureau’s April 23rd order before the DoJ. Asked about the BI decision on Fox, Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. defended the bureau, saying “we’re complying with legal processes.” n
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Life term for ‘The Butcher’ Jovito...
PAGE A2 will hold to account violators of human rights.” He also expressed hopes that the whereabouts of Cadapan and Empeño will be known. Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito welcomed the conviction even if he thought it was long overdue. “Once the conviction becomes final, to be fair, he must be jailed at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP),” Ejercito said, referring to Palparan. Sen. Risa Hontiveros said the verdict showed that the long arm of the law will eventually reach human rights violators. “You may be able to temporarily escape and hide from accountability; you may be able to bribe your way for temporary freedom; you may be able to hide behind those in power, but justice and history will catch up with you,” Hontiveros said in Filipino. ‘Long-overdue verdict’ The seven-man militant Makabayan bloc at the House of Representatives hailed the penalty imposed by the Malolos RTC against Palparan for the disappearance of Cadapan and Empeño. “This is a long-overdue verdict for him. This then should be taken as a strong warning to other human rights violators, then and now, that reckoning day will eventually come,” Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said. “Now that Palparan et al. have been found guilty, other human rights violators should be next,” the progressive lawmaker said vaguely, without giving specifics but most likely referring to what they called the strongman administration of President Duterte. “Our fight to call for justice for the victims does not end with this guilty verdict. We demand Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan and all the disappeared be surfaced. We must continue to fight and call justice for all the victims of violence,” ACT Teachers par-
ty-list Rep. Antonio Tinio said. “Accountability for these human rights violations is urgent, especially where the victims are children and their teachers and schools, national minorities, the Moro people and marginalized sectors,” the legislator from party-list ACT Teachers added. Anakpawis party-list Rep. Ariel Casilao called on other human rights victims to come out. “May this serve as a warning to military officials who are presently wreaking havoc on the lives of the people, especially in the martial ruled Mindanao, against the lumad, farmers and other marginalized sectors,” he said. Casilao also demanded justice for another victim of enforced disappearance, Jonas Burgos who, in April 2007, was snatched by military men that allegedly involved then Army intelligence chief Eduardo Año, now acting secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government. He said there were more than 1,200 victims of extrajudicial killings and thousands of other human rights abuses under the nine-year presidency of incumbent Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, which was touted as Oplan Bantay Laya counter-insurgency program. ‘Justice still served’ Justice might have been served late to Palparan, but the main point is that it was still served, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Monday. The Bulacan court issued a warrant of arrest for Palparan in 2011 but he went into hiding for three years. He was arrested in 2014. Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA) executive secretary Fr. Edu Gariguez said Palparan deserves to be given the guilty verdict because he committed a “monstrous crime
DATELINE USA
of killing and torturing those who are in progressive movements working to defend the rights of the poor.” “I have personally investigated the spate of killings in Mindoro orchestrated by (Palparan). I was also targeted by him for liquidation. The guilty verdict is justice served. He should be made accountable for his crime,” Gariguez added. Ordinary inmate Palparan will be treated “just like any other ordinary inmate” once he is turned over to the NBP to serve his sentence. “Makikipagsiksikan siya sa RDC (He will be crammed inside the Reception and Diagnostic Center),” Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) chief Ronald dela Rosa told reporters yesterday. Palparan will be processed at the facility for 60 days, according to the former PNP chief. “On his first five days, he will be in isolation… Medical, psychological and other check-up procedures will be administered to him,” Dela Rosa said, adding Palparan would also be briefed about the rules inside the NBP. In the next 55 days, Palparan will be assessed as to which facility he will be jailed at. ‘Step forward for justice’ Rights groups welcomed the Bulacan court’s decision to convict Palparan. “This is a step forward for justice, though partial, for so long as Karen and Sherlyn remain missing and numerous other violations remain unresolved,” Karapatan deputy secretarygeneral Roneo Clamor said. “This case has dragged on for so long, adding to the pain of the victims’ relatives and to the benefit of Palparan who is detained at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City. (With Alexis Romero, Michael Punongbayan, Paolo Romero, Delon Porcalla, Evelyn Macairan, Ghio Ong, Rhodina Villanueva, Ding Cervantes, Mayen Jaymalin) C
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“drama” in the Senate. “OA po yan. Uwi na kayo dahil hindi naman tama na taong bayan ang nagbabayad ng inyong board and lodging dyan sa Senado. (That’s [overacting] OA. Go home already. It’s not right that the people are paying for your board and lodging there at the Senate),” he said.
Palmdale to Burbank Project Section Open House Meetings September, 2018 Please join us at one of the upcoming Open House Meetings THE INFORMATION SHARED WILL BE IDENTICAL AT EACH MEETING LAKE VIEW TERRACE, SHADOW HILLS AND SUNLAND-TUJUNGA Monday, September 24, 2018 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Presentation at 6:00 p.m. Angeles National Golf Club 9401 Foothill Boulevard Sunland, CA 91040
PACOIMA / NORTHEAST SAN FERNANDO VALLEY* Wednesday, September 26, 2018 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Presentations as follows: English at 6:00 p.m. Spanish at 7:00 p.m. Hubert H. Humphrey Recreation Center 12560 Filmore Street Pacoima, CA 91331
PALMDALE Thursday, September 27, 2018 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Presentation at 6:00 p.m. Chimbole Cultural Center 38350 Sierra Highway Palmdale, CA 93550
ACTON / AGUA DULCE Saturday, September 29, 2018 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Presentation at 10:30 a.m. High Desert School 3620 Antelope Woods Road Acton, CA 93510
*English/Spanish Meeting: The Pacoima / Northeast San Fernando Valley meeting will be conducted in English and Spanish. English presentation starts at 6:00 p.m.; Spanish presentation starts at 7:00 p.m. Simultaneous translation will be offered during both presentations.
*Join Us Via Webcast: The Pacoima / Northeast San Fernando Valley meeting will also be offered as a live webcast. The live webcast presentation starts at 6:00 p.m. To participate in the live webcast, go to:
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Trillanes opted to stay at the Senate after President Rodrigo Duterte issued Proclamation 572, declaring the amnesty he received as void from the start and ordering his arrest. The president has assured Trillanes, one of his fiercest critics, that he will not be arrested without a warrant. ■
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Trillanes is ‘OA,’ showing ‘paranoia... PAGE A1 paranoid. “First it’s drama. And now it appears to be paranoia. I think it’s very clear that the President has left the matter to the RTC and so has the Supreme Court,” Roque said in a Palace briefing. Roque earlier called out Trillanes for allegedly making a
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Kavanaugh vote cancelled after sexual misconduct... PAGE A1
was 17 years old at the time.) amid the controversy that could affect the Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote, committee chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley (r-iowa) formally postpone the vote on Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, canceling a committee meeting on Thursday morning when the vote was scheduled. The scandal that has gripped Capitol Hill since last week began on Thursday, Sept. 13 when Sen. Dianne feinstein (D-Calif.) revealed that she received a letter in July from a constituent that was marked “ConfiDEnTial” that detailed an assault that occurred at a small party in suburban Maryland. “Kavanaugh physically pushed me into a bedroom as i was headed for a bathroom up a short stair well from the living room. They locked the door and played loud music precluding any successful attempt to yell for help,” the letter reads. according to ford, an enibriated Kavanaugh held her down while laughing with his also drunk friend, later revealed to be Mark Judge, classmate of his at the Catholic all-boys school Georgetown Prep. Kavanaugh kept his hand over ford’s mouth, which instilled fear that “he may inadvertently kill me,” the letter added. The letter says that she was able to free herself and escape, but that the event that happened three decades age has been a source of trauma and distress for her. “it is upsetting to discuss sexual assault and its repercussions, yet i felt guilty and compelled as a citizen about the idea of not saying anything,” the letter read. Senators — including some republicans like Sens. Jeff flake of arizona and Bob Corker of Tennessee — are urging to delay the confirmation vote until after the Senate Judiciary Committee hears a testimony from ford. “if they push forward without any attempt with hearing what she’s had to say, i’m not comfortable voting yes,” flake told Politico on Sunday after the Post story was published. “We need to hear from her, and i don’t think i’m alone in this.” Moderate republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine echoed that request in a tweet on Monday, saying that “Professor ford and Judge Kavanaugh should both
testify under oath before the Judiciary Committee.” Articulating sexual assault in the wake of #MeToo as the national reckoning on sexual assault, consent and abuse of power continues to unfold, ford joins a legion of women and men who have publicly accused authority figures in academia, the hospitality industry, Hollywood and Washington among other sectors of sexual violence and harassment. The Kavanaugh allegations mirror the highly publicized 1991 allegation against Supreme Court Justice (then-nominee) Clarence Thomas by attorney anita Hill who alleged that Thomas has continuously sexually harassed her when he was her supervisor at the U.S. Dept. of Education and the Equal Employment opportunity commission. While ford’s and Hill’s cases are similar in nature — a woman coming forward with a traumatic experience of sexual assault by a Supreme Court nominee — there are many differences. ford’s allegation emerges in the era of #MeToo, the broad cultural movement which promotes more nuanced conversations and actions surrounding sexual assault and the exploitation of power. it’s also a campaign that seeks to give survivors of sexual violence space to tell their truths and to impose tangible consequences on those who are found to be abusers. Hill’s allegations actually caused Thomas’ popularity among americans to jump (from 52 percent, it peaked at 58 percent, according to Gallup, after Hill testified in october 1991). Hill faced tough questioning from the Senate which eventually allowed Thomas to be sworn in as a Supreme Court justice, a position he still holds. But the allegations against Kavanaugh are looked through the lens of #MeToo and Time’s Up, a key contextual variable that could potentially put his nomination in jeopardy. from the jump, Kavanaugh’s nomination has been riddled with controversy and concern over his uncertainty regarding his views on executive power, abortion and roe v. Wade and the failure of the White House to release documents that recorded Kavanaugh’s employment in George W. Bush’s White House. after ford came out publicly as Kavanaugh’s accuser, more
than 200 women signed a letter in support of ford for “bravely stepping forward.” The women are alumnae of ford’s high school — Holton-arms, a private girls school in Bethesda, Maryland — from the graduating classes between 1967 to 2018. “We believe Dr. Blasey ford and are grateful that she came forward to tell her story,” reads the letter, which was also signed by Veep actress Julia louis-Dreyfus, who attended the school in the late 1970s. The letter called for “a thorough and independent investigation” into the alleged sexual assault before the Senate can “reasonably vote” on Kavanaugh’s nomination. it added that ford’s experience with Kavanaugh is “all too consistent with stories we heard and lived while attending Holton. Many of us are survivors ourselves.” Kavanaugh has denied the allegations, but on Monday White House spokesman raj Shah said in a statement that Kavanaugh “looks forward” to the opportunity to “clear his name” and is ready to testify. The alleged key witness of the event, Mark Judge, has denied the allegations through the new York Times, claiming that he “never saw anything like what was described.” in an email to Grassley, Judge said that he does not want to testify under oath before the committee if such a hearing would transpire, saying in an email to Grassley, “i did not ask to be involved in this matter nor did anyone ask me to be involved...i do not wish to speak publicly regarding the incidents described in Dr. ford’s letter.” as of press time, ford has not responded to requests from the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify in a public hearing. Grassley (r-iowa) said that the hearing would only include Kavanaugh, ford and himself, but top Democrats have been demanding a wider fBi investigation to gain more knowledge of the alleged incident. “We have two diametrically opposed stories,” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-new York) said on the Senate floor. “My view: Professor ford is telling the truth. But if you don’t want the hearing to be just a ‘he said, she said’ affair, an independent investigation, a background check by the fBi, is essential.” (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)
CAGAYAN RELIEF GOODS. A composite team of soldiers and policemen unloads relief goods for distribution to families affected by Typhoon Ompong at the Tuguegarao Airport in Cagayan province on Tuesday, September 18. PNA photo by Oliver Marquez
Gov. Brown signs sidewalk vending bill by AJPress California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill on Monday, September 17 that prohibits criminal penalties for sidewalk vending and treating vendors like other businesses in the state. The Safe Sidewalk Vending act (Senate Bill 946) — introduced by state Senator ricardo lara (DBell Gardens) in february — allows municipalities to establish permit programs for vendors, and they may require sidewalk vendors to obtain a business license and abide by state tax laws, just like other businesses. The governor’s signature comes after both the state assembly and Senate passed the bill with bipartisan support. it was then given to Brown in late august for his consideration. “With Senate Bill 946 we can start seeing sidewalk vendors for who they are – women and se-
niors, single parents, and microbusiness owners taking that first step to starting their own business,” said lara in a statement. “Governor Brown’s signature validates that thousands of sidewalk vendors are an important part of our economy, whose hard work supports their families and gives California its unique flavor.” lara introduced SB 946 in response to stories of arrests and harassment of vendors, such as the incident last year when iCE agents detained a sidewalk vendor and mother of four in rancho Cucamonga after she was arrested for selling corn. an immigration judge ordered her release after community protests. Vendors who were previously convicted under local anti-vending laws may petition the court for dismissal of the sentence. a recent survey of los angeles vendors found that 80 percent
are women and many are seniors. Earlier this year, the City of los angeles voted to abolish criminal penalties for vending and create a permit process. SB 946 had support from more than 60 groups including the los angeles Street Vendor Campaign members East l.a. Community Corporation, Public Counsel, the l.a. food Policy Council and leadership for Urban renewal network. “i feel very emotional with the news of Governor Brown signing SB 946,” said Caridad Vasquez, a los angeles sidewalk vendor and a leader of the los angeles Street Vendor Campaign. “now the thousands of vendors can come out of the shadows and contribute to our economy openly as the small businesses we are.” With Brown’s signature, the law will become effective on January 1, 2019. n
Duterte’s fearless forecast: Reds ‘will be...
PAGE A1 wing, the new People’s army (nPa), allegedly failed to reciprocate peace overtures from the president. But even with the absence of a peace negotiation, Duterte has called on the communist rebels to surrender as he offered them housing units and jobs. “This time they are coming down, at nagsu-surrender ng armas at pati ‘yung mga leader nila nag-surrender (firearms are being
surrendered and their leaders are also surrendering),” Duterte said in front of the military. The president, whose campaign promises include ending the decades-long armed struggle in the Philippines, has repeatedly said communism as well as terrorism have always hindered the growth of the country. “The development of our nation has always been hindered by insurgency and terrorism,” he noted.
Duterte’s latest remarks about the communists came days after CPP founding chair Jose Maria Sison said Duterte could be ousted “anytime between now and middle of next year.” The president has recently accused the communists of conniving with the Magdalo Group – rebel soldiers who railed about anomalies in the armed forces of the Philippines (afP), and his political rivals to overthrow him. n
LA County Sheriff highlights department reform...
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los angeles Police academy in 1981. after 28 years at the laPD, where he held every rank save for chief of police, he was appointed as the police chief of the long Beach Police Department, which saw a 20 percent decrease in crime under his watch and improved community relations. in 2014, McDonnell became the first person outside the laSD to be elected the la County Sheriff in more than 100 years. He inherited a department rocked by jail abuse and corruption scandals which resulted in low public support after the sentencing of then-Sheriff lee Baca and Undersheriff Paul Tanaka. in the last four years, McDonnell said that his prime objective as head of the county’s law enforcement is to earn back that public trust and ensure internal accountability and transparency while also effectively keeping neighborhoods safe. “i’m proud of the work we’ve done,” McDonnell shared with the asian Journal in a recent interview. “We’ve held countless community forums talking about what our role is, especially as it relates to immigration, and what it’s not in an effort to be as transparent as we can and to educate the public and let them know that we’re here for them and we’re here to be able to protect everybody.” The laSD is the largest sheriff’s department in the country and operates the largest system of jails in the world. With that kind of impact, McDonnell and his department worked with the office of Governor Jerry Brown on the implementation of sanctuary state laws. last year, McDonnell’s laSD came under fire from immigration activists when it was revealed that the department was allowing agents from the U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement (iCE) into its jails. according to McDonnell, iCE has access to inmates in custody, and not those in pre-trial, who account for half of the jail popu-
lation. By allowing iCE into jail facilities, it keeps them from patrolling the neighborhoods, McDonnell said. “By doing that we were hopeful that would prevent iCE from having to go into the community to locate the person they could’ve taken into custody in a jail environment without risk to anybody else and in an orderly fashion,” McDonnell explained, adding that if iCE was patrolling the streets rather than apprehending individuals in jail, “they could potentially, not only arrest the individual they’re looking for, but if there are additional undocumented people in the environment, they’re potentially subject to investigation and deportation as well, and many of them would be people working hard and trying to make a living. We didn’t want to subject them to that.” Before McDonnell came to the laSD, the department had employees who were cross-designated as iCE officers per the 287(g) program, but McDonnell terminated that program as well as the practice of sharing witness information with iCE officials. in 2017, the laSD booked and released around 120,000 individuals, and 1.05 percent of those inmates were transferred to iCE, and in 2018, that number is decreasing to just under 1 percent according to laSD statistics. McDonnell stressed the importance of a department that makes it safe for victims within the undocumented community to come forward to the laSD without fear of being turned over to iCE; he noted the increase of U visas — nonimmigrant visa for victims of crimes — since improving community relations. “We don’t ask the immigration status in the process because it’s critical to us to not be viewed as an extension of immigration. We are a public agency that’s there to protect everybody,” McDonnell affirmed.
Combating human trafficking has also been a major goal for McDonnell’s department. in november 2015, McDonnell’s laSD established the Human Trafficking Bureau which has a team of 35 detectives focused on three primary objectives: rescue the victims, apprehend the traffickers or pimps and go after the johns who solicit these victims, who are typically girls between the ages of 12 and 14. Since 2015, the laSD has rescued more than 260 victims and arrested more than 1,200 traffickers for a variety of charges from pimping and pandering to gun charges and drug-related issues. “it’s a work in progress, but i’m very proud of the work we’ve achieved so far,” McDonnell said of his department’s efforts in combating human trafficking. “We truly have some of the best and the brightest working in this specialty.” if re-elected, McDonnell said that he would make it a priority to continue building community relations and to build a dialogue between the department and the public on how best to protect the vast communities of the county. “We want to be able to educate the community what we’re seeing as far as threats, trends, patterns or various types of crimes, and to be able to educate them on how to avoid being a victim of a crime and how to report them,” McDonnell said. “That’s always been a big deal to us, and i look forward to the opportunity to work with specific communities, like the asian community, on how best to serve and protect them from becoming victims of crimes.” McDonnell earned most of the votes in the June primary, garnering 47 percent of the vote. He faces retired la County Sheriff’s lt. alex Villanueva — who earned 33 percent of votes in the primary — in the runoff election on Tuesday, nov. 6. (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)
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Dateline PhiliPPines
Pacquiao: Rematch with Mayweather a ‘big possibility’ by AbAc
cordero, PAolo romero Philstar.com
MANILA — Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao said there’s a “big possibility” that his rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. will push through. “We’ll just talk about the timing, the month, and what will be the agreement, the conditions (for the fight),” Pacquiao told Senate reporters on Monday, September 17. “It’s being arranged and discussed,” added Pacquiao. He said he wants to fight in December, and regardless of his next opponent, whether it’s Mayweather or someone else, everything should be finalized this week. Sources said Mayweather, who is in Japan, is visiting the country for the second time in four
months. Unless his schedule changes, he will be in Manila this weekend. Mayweather blew into town last May for a personal engagement, working on an endorsement deal and a business venture with a local ride-sharing company. The flamboyant American also visited Palawan, and spent a couple of days at the beach. But he never got the chance to meet Pacquiao. Those handling Mayweather’s second visit could not tell whether the richest athlete in history will use the chance to work the details of his rematch with Pacquiao. The two boxing superstars had a chance encounter during a rave concert in Tokyo last Saturday, and the rematch of their record-breaking showdown in 2015 was discussed.
“Malaking laban ‘yan (It’s a big fight),” said Pacquiao, who earned more than $100 million for fighting Mayweather despite a shoulder injury. Mayweather won on points and stayed undefeated as a boxer. Last year, he fought and defeated UFC king Conor McGregor then retired with a 50-0 record. Pacquiao said based on the fan reaction to their Tokyo meeting, a rematch will once again make headlines, not mentioning a lot of money. “He (Mayweather) said ‘easy fight, easy fight.’ I said, ‘Let’s get it on. Let’s go back to the ring. Let’s fight,’” said Pacquiao when asked about their exchange in Tokyo. Aside from Mayweather, other candidates are British idol Amir Khan, Kell Brook and Mikey Garcia. n
Pangilinan questions Mindanao martial law after series of blasts by GAeA
KAtreenA Philstar.com
cAbico
MANILA — Consecutive bombings in Mindanao raise questions on the effectiveness of the imposition of martial law there, Sen. Francis Pangilinan said on Monday, September 17. Pangilinan’s statement comes on the heels of separate explosions in General Santos City and in Midsayap, North Cotabato Sunday. Seven people, including a three-year-old child, were hurt when a bag containing improvised explosive device went off in Barangay Apopong, General Santos City, which is geographically but not administratively in South Cotabato province. Only about eight hours after the blast in General Santos City, another improvised explosive device was set off inside a videoke in Barangay Poblacion 4, Midsayap, North Cotabato. The bombings in General Santo City and Midsayap was preceded by the August 28 and September 2 deadly IED attacks in Isulan, capital town of Sultan Kudarat. “This places under question the effectiveness of the martial
law declaration in the entire Mindanao. What’s the point of such a declaration by government if it is incapable of preventing such bombings?” Pangilinan said. The Liberal Party president then urged the public to be vigilant and alert at all times. Drilon: Check how intelligence funds are used Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, also of the Liberal Party, told reporters there is a need to revisit the utilization of the intelligence budget. “The first corner is to see where the intelligence fund is being utilized and that is why I think it is about time that we activate the committee on intelligence fund,” Drilon said. Drilon was referring to the Select Oversight Committee on Intelligence and Confidential Funds, Programs and Activities, which he said would allow lawmakers “to find out behind closed doors how the budget is being utilized.” Asked whether martial law is necessary in Mindanao, Drilon responded: “The implementation is what is important. This is basically intelligence work.” In a controlled briefing led
Sen. Francis Pangilinan
Philstar.com photo
by Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo last week, President Rodrigo Duterte claimed that martial law in Mindanao had reduced crimes in the region. “It has lessened criminality by and large. And the only way to do that is to conduct a survey among the people of Mindanao,” Duterte said when Panelo asked whether he believed martial law had addressed security issues in Mindanao. n
Trillanes charged with sedition
by cAtherine
VAlente ManilaTimes.net
SENATOR Antonio Trillanes IV is facing yet another complaint, this time of sedition. Labor Undersecretary Jacinto Paras filed a case of inciting to sedition or inciting to coup d’etat against Trillanes, who is still under Senate custody over an amnesty row with the Duterte administration. In his complaint that he filed before the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office on Friday, September 14, Paras cited Trillanes’ seditious remarks against President Rodrigo Duterte and the current administration during his recent interviews at the Senate. “He maligned the president by calling him insane, murderer, stupid, corrupt, incompetent thereby encouraging the soldiers to lose trust and withdraw support to their Commander-in-Chief, who is the president and by doing this, Trillanes will be able to lead in the murder of the president and overthrow his government,” he
said in an interview. Paras argued that Trillanes’ statements against Duterte could not be covered under freedom of expression, citing “The People of the Philippine Islands v. Isaac Perez, G.R. No. L 21049, December 22, 1923, the Supreme Court.” “Criticism, no matter how severe, on the Executive, the legislature and the judiciary is within the range of liberty of speech, unless the intention and effect be seditious,” the complaint read. “Trillanes’ intemperate use of profane, foul, vile, seditious words or language, and resort to scurrilous libels against the president or the government, his ardent call on the military and the police to disobey the order of the latter, as well as his stealthy proposal to the Armed Forces to launch a coup… constitute the crimes of inciting to sedition and proposal to commit coup d’etat,” it said. Under the country’s Revised Penal Code, inciting to sedition refers to a crime committed by
someone who “incites others to the accomplishment of any of the acts which constitute sedition, by means of speeches, proclamations, writings, emblems, cartoons, banners or other representations tending to the same end.” The charge can also cover those who “utter seditious words or speeches, write, publish or circulate scurrilous libel against the Republic of the Philippines or any of the duly constituted authorities thereof, or which tend to disturb or obstruct any lawful officer in executing the functions of his office, or which tend to instigate others to cabal and meet together for unlawful purposes, or which suggest or incite people against the lawful authorities or to disturb the peace of the community, the safety and order of the government.” The sedition case is the latest among the opposition senator’s legal woes, which include the withdrawal of his amnesty and a libel case. PAGE A7
A6 SEPTEMBER 19-21, 2018 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL
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OPINION
Justice, but still no closure
FEATURES
TWELVE years after student activists Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño disappeared in Bulacan, their families are getting justice. On Monday, September 17, Malolos Regional Trial Court Branch 15 Judge Alexander Tamayo convicted Jovito Palparan of kidnapping and serious illegal detention and sentenced the retired Army major general to life in prison. Convicted together with Palparan were Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado and S/Sgt. Edgardo Osorio. Palparan, who was dubbed “The Butcher” by human rights advocates, has denied ordering the kidnapping, detention, rape and torture of the two University of the Philippines coeds in June 2006 when he was the infantry division commander in Central Luzon. He has also defended his methods, likened by critics to a dirty war, which he employed against insurgents. There is still no closure for the families of Cadapan and Empeño, who are among the desaparecidos in this country. Unwilling to give up on the possibility that the two victims might still be alive, and unable to give them a formal farewell, the relatives remain suspended in a limbo of sorrow. With his continuing insistence on his innocence, Palparan is unlikely to provide the grieving relatives any clue regarding the two victims’ fate. Hurling invectives yesterday at the judge, Palparan is set to appeal his conviction all the way to the Supreme Court. It could take another 12 years before final judgment is rendered. At least his offense does not allow him to post bail while his case is on appeal.
Besides the search for justice, Palparan’s conviction should inspire a reassessment of the military mindset and methods in fighting insurgencies. Palparan’s counterinsurgency methods enjoyed support from a certain segment of the population. He was singled out for praise in the State of the Nation Address of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo during her presidency. He became a party-list congressman representing Bantay. When Palparan was first ordered arrested by the Malolos court, military officers were suspected to have helped him hide for three years until he was nabbed in the city of Manila. Violent methods and egregious violations of human rights in quelling rebellions tend to have diminishing returns. Such methods have contributed to making the communist insurgency in the Philippines one of the longest running of its kind in the world. The ideology may now be unrecognizable, but the unrest and discontent behind the armed dissent are still there. Punishing those who engage in dirty wars is just a laudable step in ending the rebellion for good. (Philstar.com)
Editorial
Philstar.com photo
Admiral John McCain and the unprecedented PH Dollar Remittance Program PeaceMaker FORMER SPEAKER JOSE C. DE VENECIA, JR. (Part 2 of 3)
OUR original plan anticipated the exponential growth of the job market and the dollar remittances from overseas Filipinos. We tinkered with the formula and expanded its scope. We raised the national target to $300 million a year in remittances and sent then President Ferdinand Marcos an urgent memorandum explaining the ambitious plan and its mechanics. On the accompanying note we summed up the proposal: “How to raise an additional yearly $300 million or more for the CB-PNB complex to finance Philippine economic and infrastructure development and service RP foreign debts, etc. and to totally dry up the black market.” Black market dollars had been known then to finance soft-goods smuggling to the Philippines through Sabah, and worse, subversion activities in Southeast Asia.
President Marcos asked us to see him for an additional briefing. “Your proposal looks excellent but I need further study,” the president told us. We told Marcos that the dollar-remittance agreement with the United States would be “immediately beneficial to Philippine economic, political, security and defense interests – and we were recommending its urgent implementation.” We thought Manila needed to allay Washington’s fears about the program’s possible harmful impact on the U.S. economy. In later years, we remembered something we told the U.S. and Philippine governments that proved to be prescient: “It is our view that the American turnover of dollars to the CB-PNB will in fact constitute and ensure a ‘return flow’ of dollars to the United States because 95 percent of Philippine dollar reserves are deposited in U.S. banks. The remittance program, far from stopping the flow of dollars across the Pacific, would in fact enlarge it.” We could not have said it better then. Our series of presentations impressed and eventually persuaded the succeeding
Foreign Ministers Narciso Ramos and Carlos P. Romulo, the succession of Central Bank Governors (Alfonso Calalang, Andres Castillo, Gregorio Licaros) and Manila-based U.S. officials, but we now faced a greater hurdle. Washington predictably asked for further data; it wanted a greater scrutiny of the program before it could give official U.S. concurrence. In particular, it asked us to identify the sources of the dollar remittances. We replied with a memo identifying the following possible sources: • $25 million in additional dollar remittances to PNB from some 14,000 Filipino retirees living in the Philippines; • $27 million yearly in additional PNB dollar remittances and “X” dollar amounts in dollar bonds to be purchased by some 10,000 to 12,000 Filipino seamen employed worldwide by the U.S. Navy; • $45 million in yearly contracts awarded by the U.S. government to Filipino contractors for expansion, repair and modernization of U.S. base facilities in the Philippines, which sum should be deposited with or serviced by CB-PNB; • $100 million yearly repre-
senting U.S expenditures to support the U.S. base complex in the Philippines and which sum should be absorbed by CB-PNB; • $100 million yearly in peso expenditures of some “two million” U.S. seamen at liberty in the Philippines through multiple entries. Following further refinement that incorporated American concerns, the program evolved in 1969. By then, we had identified more dollar sources such as PNB remittances from Canada and CB-PNB-Development Bank of the Philippines, proposed dollar bond-selling programs for Hawaii, Canada and the U.S. mainland. The program had taken on a convincing format. Giving the program the highest priority, the finance officials and us worked out approval in mid-1969 during the presidency of Richard M. Nixon. We vividly remember the crucial meeting where the final U.S. action was indicated, presaging concurrence by the State Department, the Pentagon and the U.S. Treasury. This came at a conference between PNB President Roberto Benedicto, Minister James Wil-
son and Allan Ford, the political-military officer of the U.S. Embassy in Manila, William Pieace of the U.S. Treasury and us. In succeeding talks, the procedure to carry out the plan was finessed. The talks involved the government’s top economic, foreign affairs and military advisers and the country’s leading bankers. We gave them a full briefing on the program’s details and strategy. Those who sat in on the meeting with the president at various stages were Foreign Secretary Carlos P. Romulo, who succeeded Narciso Ramos, foreign Undersecretary Jose D. Ingles, Finance Secretary Eduardo Z. Romualdez, Central Bank Governor Alfonso Calalang, Roberto S. Benedicto, Representative Pablo Roman (chairman of the House Committee on Banks), DBP Chairman Gregorio Licaros, Defense Secretary Ernesto Mata, Justice Secretary Claudio Teehankee, Presidential Economic Staff Director General Placido Mapa Jr., Labor Undersecretary Raoul Inocentes, PNB Assistant Vice President Isidro Villanos, Pastor Alvarado, and ourself. The registry was a veritable who’s
who of Philippine economic and political braintrust. Due to our spadework at home and abroad, our brainchild was moving to such success that Roberto S. Benedicto, Marcos’ closest ally and classmate, proposed that it be called the “Marcos Dollar Plan,” because Marcos was running for reelection in 1969 and his team viewed the program as a political asset. (One of my assistants quietly protested and proposed that it simply be called the “Philippine Dollar Plan” without names mentioned, including mine). One afternoon, we were asked by the Monetary Board at the old Central Bank to explain the program’s details and its potential impact on the national economy. We repeated the data we had earlier supplied Washington on the sources of dollars. We spoke for three hours, answering their questions and putting to rest all their doubts. We were well prepared. When we gained the Board’s unanimous approval, we saw our work of over a year coming to full fruition. (To be continued next week)
Amnesty granted cannot be revoked
INTROSPECTIVE
TONY KATIGBAK TENSIONS have been running high in the Philippines these past few weeks, or to be completely honest, these past few years. For a country that was promised that corruption would be stamped out and that peace and order would be restored, it’s ironic to note that the complete opposite seems to have happened. In the past few years the death toll has increased dramatically, violence is even more prevalent than ever, corruption looks to be at an all time high, prices have skyrocketed, and there is less peace and order than there has been in a very long time. It’s sad that we have placed ourselves in a position wherein the peso is reaching all new lows and there doesn’t look to be any reprieve in sight. A position where our countrymen can’t even afford the basic goods and necessities they need to survive and where a super typhoon threatens our shores and the lives of count-
less Filipinos. And instead of being front and center and promoting relief operations, as the government should be, they are instead still arguing amongst themselves. To be quite frank the song has remained the same and it is getting quite tiresome. There is no synergy in the way politicians work in the Philippines. Let’s face it no one is perfect, and many politicians have made mistakes, but it seems that whenever we elect new officials they are more intent to taking apart what their predecessor built instead of improving on it. Don’t get me wrong – that’s not to say that past mistakes should not be fixed – but the reality is we never seem to be moving forward, we always remain rooted in the past. Currently what is under contention now is the amnesty of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. President Duterte has claimed that the amnesty granted to Trillanes is invalid and has been seeking to have him arrested. When this blew up all over the news (and continues to do so) it felt like 2007 all over again. Is this still where
we are? With everything else that is happening are we back to the military uprisings that happened over a decade ago? Does the president truly feel this is where he should channel his energy when so many Filipinos are suffering? The priorities of the current administration are quite mindboggling. President Duterte has claimed that Trillanes’ amnesty should be void because Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin signed it instead of the president, at the time Benigno Aquino. Former president Aquino, however, has said that the amnesty process for Trillanes followed the same procedure that all former presidents used including Corazon Aquino, Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada, and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He said that if this amnesty is seen as invalid then all the amnesty grants by his predecessors should be invalid as well. However, despite President Duterte’s earlier claims about who signed Trillanes’ amnesty, what appeared on Proclamation No. 527 is that the amnesty was invalid because
Trillanes did not apply for amnesty. His application appears to be lost and this was the basis for the president signing the proclamation. However, during his privilege speech in the Senate, Trillanes showed photo and video evidence of him filing the application so now many are wondering why the Department of National Defense can’t seem to find the papers. Former National Security Adviser Jose Almonte said that Trillanes should not be punished solely on the basis that his application can’t be found and that an investigation into the missing papers should commence right away. There is obviously no love lost between President Duterte and Senator Trillanes. The latter has been quite vocal about his issues with the current Commander-in-Chief and has been pushing, for quite some time, for an investigation into some of the president’s activities like his alleged P2.4 billion bank accounts and the Davao Death Squad. He has not been afraid of calling the president a mass murderer and has not backed down from statements against the admin-
istration. Naturally this makes him a prime target as one of the main, and one of the loudest, voices of dissent. It’s not surprising that the president does not like him, but I feel he has devoted far too much time trying to find ways to get “rid of him.” Does he feel threatened because the senator does not appear to be afraid of him like many others? Although Trillanes is fighting for his legal rights and preserving the amnesty he was granted, he has also said that he is not afraid of being arrested because he is not afraid of the president. I think that the administration should tread carefully when it comes to pursuing this. At present there seems to be no legal basis for revoking the senator’s amnesty and unless they can prove, legally, that there is a reason to void it then perhaps they should take a step back. I’m hoping we are not heading for a constitutional crisis if the administration continues to push for what they want despite no legal precedence or standing. In the end, I think it’s more important for the government
and for our president to focus on the real problems facing our country and channel his efforts into addressing these instead of going head to head with those who oppose him. We’ve all experienced hard times before but these days it just seems to be getting worse and worse. The government needs to find ways to address the soaring inflation, the crippling rice shortage, and the increase in violent crimes. If the president really wants to do good things for the Philippines, and I believe that he does, than he needs to let go of all his wild paranoid destabilization fears and get to work. People are angry and they want improvements. There will always be voices of opposition because things aren’t improving, they are only getting worse. If the president really wants to silence his opposition then he needs to focus on what really matters. New strong economic policies and revisiting policies that may not work are what is needed to address untamed inflation, not giving all his attention to would-be “plots” and “conspiracies.” (Philstar.com)
The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal.
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Dateline PhiliPPines
SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • SeptembeR 19-21, 2018
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De Lima wants convicts out from testifying in drug case against her by KRistine Joy
Philstar.com
BUGDET HEARING. Senator Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, quizzes resource persons during the hearing on the budgets for 2019 of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the Mindanao Development Authority (MINDA) and the Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA) on Tuesday, September 18. Legarda said that despite the work of the said government agencies, armed conflict and poverty persist in the region. “We have failed to bring the richest part of the Philippines to the fruition of its dreams,” she said. Senate photo by Joseph Vidal
To end mining, Duterte says Congress must repeal law allowing it by Alexis
RomeRo Philstar.com
MANILA — Congress has to repeal the Philippine Mining Act to put an end to mining, which has caused environmental destruction and triggered deadly landslides, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday, September 17. During a post-disaster meeting in Benguet, Duterte blamed mining for the landslides, which he said has “contributed a lot of heartache to the Filipino people.” “If we cannot end mining because of the law, to end mining... Congress will have to abrogate the law,” Duterte said. “Mining has been operating in this country uncontrolled,” he added. Typhoon Ompong has left
more than 60 people dead, most of them in landslides that hit the Cordillera region. Duterte said the Philippines faces a “double whammy” because of the landslides triggered by mining, noting that the country’s location makes it vulnerable to typhoons. “The mining industry, it has not contributed anything substantial to the national economy...I admit we earn P70 billion a year...In the end, how much do you lose in the process?” the president said. Duterte said it is time for the environment department to “take a second look” at the “dangerous open pit mining.” Last July, Duterte said he was keen on banning open-pit mining, saying the method has caused massive environmental
destruction and landslides. In 2016, the environment department under former secretary Gina Lopez implemented a ban on open-pit mining, believing the tailings spills associated with the mining technique has caused disasters. She also ordered the closure of more than 20 mining companies that violated environmental regulations. Last year, Duterte disregarded a recommendation of the interagency The Mining Industry Coordinating Council to lift the ban on open-pit mining, saying the method is destroying the environment and displacing fishermen. Duterte said the Philippines should “make a stand” on mining within the year but did not elaborate. n
Trillanes charged with...
PAGE A5 Duterte’s Proclamation 572, dated August 31, 2018, said the amnesty granted to Trillanes was null and void from the beginning. Paras, a former lawmaker, previously said the charges stemmed from Trillanes’ alleged efforts to prod soldiers to rebel against
Duterte and for supposedly calling the President “insane.” Trillanes is facing possible arrest after Duterte voided his amnesty over two failed military uprisings in 2003 and 2007. He has been holed up in his office at the Senate since Tuesday last week. The president’s son, for-
mer Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, meanwhile, filed last week a libel case against Trillanes, a year after the senator accused him of corruption. Trillanes, in 2017, claimed Paolo and brother-in-law Manases Carpio were involved in a scheme to extort money from ride-hailing firms. n
PAtAg
MANILA — Sen. Leila de Lima has asked the Muntinlupa court to disqualify convicts as the state prosecution’s witnesses in the drug case against her. De Lima asked Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 206 to disqualify 13 of the prosecution’s witnesses for being convicted of crimes with moral turpitude that, she said, goes against the law on state witnesses. De Lima cited Section 10 of the Republic Act 6981, or the Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Act that states that a state witness may be admitted to the program if “he has not at any time been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude.” The senator pointed out that the prosecution has presented witnesses who are convicted of crimes: • Nonilo Arile: Murder, kidnapping
• Jojo Baligad: Murder • Herbert Colanggo: Robbery with Homicide • Engelberto Durano: Frustrated murder, murder • Rodolfo Magleo: Kidnapping for ransom • Vicente Sy: Illegal sale and delivery of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) • Hans Tan: Robbery, direct assault with murder • Froilan Trestiza: Kidnapping • Peter Co: Illegal sale and delivery of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) • Noel Martinez: Kidnapping for ransom • Joel Capones: Homicide • German Agojo: Illegal sale and delivery of methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) • Jaime Patcho: Kidnapping for ransom According to the Supreme Court, crimes of moral turpitude include robbery, murder, homicide, extortion and violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act. “Despite this fact, they were
still admitted, albeit illegally, as State Witnesses and granted immunity under the Witness Protection Program of the government,” her motion read. “Their exclusion from the information is therefore illegal and without bases. Even if they testify, they cannot avail of immunity that was granted illegally and that is void ab initio,” the motion further read. The court has yet to act on her plea filed last September 3. The Department of Justice initially charged De Lima with illegal drug trade. State prosecutors, led by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Ong, later amended the charge sheet and charged the senator with conspiracy to commit illegal drug trade. She has been accused of allowing the proliferation of drugs inside the New Bilibid Prison, during her stint as justice secretary. De Lima has been detained at Camp Crame since February last year. n
A September 19-21, 2018 • SoCal ASIAN JOUrNAL
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Philippines makes investment pitch to China firms at CAEXPO by LOUELLA
DESIDERIO Philstar.com
National Capital Region, but also in provinces. “There is no better time to The Philippines made an invest in the Philippines than investments pitch to Chinese now. We are, so to speak, open firms attending the 15th China- for business,” Trade Undersecretary Nora Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Expo (CA- Terrado said in the same EXPO) citing opportunities in event, there are opportunities manufacturing, food produc- for Chinese firms to invest in tion, tourism, startups, and in- the Philippines in manufacturfrastructure and the country’s ing, food production, tourism, favorable economic prospects. the startups scene and infraSpeaking at the Philippine structure. She said manufacturing is Promotion Conference during the CAEXPO, Philippine Con- an area of partnership for Chisul General for Guangzhou in na and the Philippines. “We continue to look for inChina Marshall Louis Alferez said now is the best time for vestors and partners in the secChinese firms to invest in the tor of parts manufacturing like Philippines given the country’s electrical bicycles, electric vestrong economic growth which hicles, light vehicles, and even could not be seen just in the u PAGE B4
Remittances recover in July 2018 by LAWRENCE
AGCAOILI
Forex buffer enough to cover deficits — BSP BSP assistant governor Francisco Dakila said the country’s balance of payments (BOP) deficit is “financeable,” while the current account (CA) shortfall is manageable as the country’s gross international reserves (GIR) remain well above international standards. File photo by Philstar.com by LAWRENCE
AGCAOILI Philstar.com
Philstar.com
PERSONAL remittances from overseas Filipinos bounced back in July, rising by 4.5 percent to $2.67 billion from $2.56 billion in the same month last year, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). This brought the first seven months’ tally to $18.46 billion, $529 million higher than the $17.92 billion recorded in the same period last year. Personal remittances consist of cash and non-cash items that flow through both formal or via electronic wire and informal channels such as money or goods carried across borders. “The rise in personal remittances during the first seven months of 2018 was supported by an increase of 2.8 percent and four percent in remittance inflows from land-based workers with work contracts of one year or more and sea-based workers and land-based workers with short-term contracts, respectively,” BSP Governor Nestor Espenilla said.
“The rise in personal remittances during the first seven months of 2018 was supported by an increase of 2.8 percent and four percent in remittance inflows from land-based workers with work contracts of one year or more and sea-based workers and land-based workers with short-term contracts, respectively,” BSP Governor Nestor Espenilla said. Photo by Edd Gumban/Philstar.com
On the other hand, the BSP chief said cash remittances coursed through banks rose by 5.2 percent to $2.4 billion in July from $2.28 billion in the same month last year. He said cash remittances sent by land-based workers grew by 4.5 percent to $1.9 billion, while those from seabased workers expanded by 7.8 percent to $511 million. The cash remittances for July came mainly from the US,
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THE ballooning trade and current account deficits arising from strong imports are still manageable as the country’s foreign exchange buffer remain sufficient, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said. BSP assistant governor Francisco Dakila said the country’s balance of payments (BOP) deficit is “financeable,” while the current account (CA) shortfall is manageable as the country’s gross international reserves
(GIR) remain well above international standards. Dakila said the GIR level stood at $77.5 billion as of end-June and is enough to cover 7.1 months’ worth of imports of goods and services. “Reserves remain to be in a very comfortable level. The international norm is just between three and four months so we are pretty much above the international norm,” Dakila added. The GIR is the sum of all foreign exchange flowing into the country. It serves as buffer
to ensure that the Philippines would not run out of foreign exchange that it could use to pay for imported goods and services, or maturing obligations in case of external shocks. The buffer is also the major source of funds of the BSP to smoothen the volatility of the peso in the foreign exchange market. The central bank has been active in the market to check sudden and sharp movement of the peso that recently pierced the 54 to $1 mark to hit its lowest level in almost 13 years. Dakila said there are others structural
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Pernia: Pinoys’ inflation sensitivity ‘understandable’ by BEN
O. DE VERA Inquirer.net
THE country’s chief economist has assured the public that the government is moving to arrest high consumer prices even as he noted that a confluence of domestic and external shocks were putting pressure on inflation. In an e-mail to the Inquirer on Saturday, September 15, Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said “it’s quite understandable why people (including my family) are now so sensitive to rising prices, especially of food
and other basic needs, as we all have been used to relatively mild inflation.” Data provided by Pernia, who also heads the state planning agency National Economic and Development Authority, showed that headline inflation averaged 2.8 percent during the term of former President Aquino, while it rose to an average of 3.2 percent under the Duterte administration thus far. Across six administrations starting with former President Corazon Aquino’s, Pernia noted
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NEDA Secretary Ernesto Pernia
Photo by Jam Sta. Rosa/Inquirer.net
QTS Tours & Travel: The gateway to your getaway The story of how QTS Tours & Travel came about is quite interesting, to say the least.
It all started when a nurse named Lourdes “Lulu” Alo was approached by her uncle with a favor: Organize a pilgrimage to Europe for him and some close friends. The trip she arranged not only went off without a hitch, but everyone who went had a great time. Soon, she began to realize that this could one day become her main venture and by 1991, Quantum Travel Service was open for business. Lulu has since organized numerous pilgrimages every year to many religious sites in Europe - from France and Spain to Poland and Hungary - both well-known and off-thebeaten path. Thanks to her nursing background, she still organizes tours and pilgrimages for nursing continuing education classes. Today, the company has evolved even further. Now
known as QTS Tours & Travel, the advent of the Internet has further expanded the company’s clientele nationwide. In fact, about 30 percent of QTS Tours & Travel’s cruise customers live on the East Coast - Lulu has arranged tours and pilgrimages originating from locations like Chicago, Illinois and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. QTS Tours & Travel has even been invited by the Italian Government Tourist Board on several occasions, to recognize the company’s efforts in promoting tourism to their country. From the travel company’s office in Orange, California, Lulu oversees the managerial aspects of the business. She is both Certified Travel Counselors, bound by a professional Code of Conduct and Ethics. Their mission statement, simply put, is “To give the best possible service and to do business based on honesty and knowledge.”
Lulu even go the extra mile to ensure that their customers get the best service possible, by occasionally joining pilgrimages and tours themselves. Their firsthand experiences have taught them a lot about levels of service provided, efficient scheduling, and several other “intangibles” which can make a tour or pilgrimage more enjoyable! QTS Tours & Travel strives to provide the best service possible, and they work with their customers with that goal in mind. Upcoming pilgrimages include one in Italy from Nov. 12-23, 2018 and Jordan from June 10-23, 2019, among others. QTS Tours & Travel is located at 1095 N. Main St Suite 0, Orange, CA 92867. For further information, please call (714)288-0800
B SEPTEMBER 19-21, 2018 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL
Business news
Do you have enough withholding? THE new tax law could have an impact on how much your employer should withhold from your paycheck. Too little withholding from your paycheck could mean large unexpected tax bill as you file your tax return in 2019 for Tax Year 2018. If you have not done so, it is time to have a paycheck check up to avoid having too little and too much withholding. Do you need a paycheck check-up? If you are unsure, do it anyway. • Paycheck checkup: You may want to consider to run paycheck check-up if you have enough withholding from your pay or income if you are in any of this category: 1) you are a family with two income, 2) you work more than two jobs, 3) you work for part of the year, 4) in the past you either have large tax bill or large tax refund, 5) your tax return is complex, 6) you are considered high income taxpayer , 7) itemizes deduction, 8) you have children who claims child tax credit in the past, 9) you have older dependents including children with age at least 17 or older. Remember that as you file in 2019 for your 2018 tax return, you have no more personal ex-
you provide information. The IRS does not save your What’s record as you enter information New in the calculator. Your personal information is NOT also required like SSN, address, or bank account numbers. • How to change withholdArlene Al-os, ing: Utilize the result from the CPA, MBA withholding calculator in comemptions, there is an increase pleting the new Form W-4 Emin standard deduction, there is ployees Withholding Allowance a limited deduction and you can Certificate and submit to your no longer claim some of the de- employer as soon as possible. • If you have more concerns ductions, and the tax rates and and questions: It is important to tax brackets changed. • Withholding calculator: It visit your tax professional on or is time to visit the IRS website. before the last quarter of 2018 to The IRS have withholding cal- avoid surprises in your tax bill. culators in their website to help *** estimate your 2018 income tax. The withholding calculator com- Disclaimer: Any accounting, business or tax pares your current tax withhold- advice contained in this communication is ings and helps you decide if you neither intended as a thorough, in-depth need to change your withholding analysis of specific issues, nor a substitute with your employer. Visit https:// for a formal opinion, nor is it sufficient to apps.irs.gov/app/withholding- avoid tax-related penalties. calculator/. TIPS: Have the fol*** lowing information available as you process the withholding cal- Al-os & Associates Accountancy culator: current paystubs, 2017 Corporation provides accounting and tax Form 1040, list the changes in services to individuals, corporations, LLCs your 2018 tax situation and cal- and business entities. The Firm has a niche culate a full-year impact, and in defending taxpayers audited by the IRS have these changes reflected and other governmental agencies. in the withholding calculator as (Advertising Supplement)
Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrsUA reyes whether one or both spouses are parties to the debt or to a judgment for the debt. Family Code § 910(a) and (b). The community estate are the property and earnings accumulated during the marriage. In other words, your entire community property can be liable to creditors of your spouse for debts accumulated even prior to marriage. The community estate liability is not limited to debts incurred for the benefit of the community. Under Family Code § 910, the community may be liable even to debts incurred by one spouse exclusively for his or her personal benefit. However, where community property is used to satisfy child
Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond
The bucket list Ask for help (15th of a series)
Monette AdevA MAglAyA
WE live in the Age of Information. You could say it is both a blessing and a curse to live during what could very well be “the best of times, the worst of times” as Dickens would probably describe it, to have so much information available at our fingertips. We have terabytes of available information on our smartphones and computers. It is amazing wizardry indeed! All we need is the correct phrase and spelling to look up something and VOILA, there it is. What is the downside? We think we know everything there is to know about practically everything. Secondly, we feel lost without our mental crutch, our smart phones. Third, we are susceptible to groupthink — to think like the herd does, as trends and memes proliferate in the internet. There is a serious need to dig for the truth. Raw knowledge is not the same as wisdom as it applies to how we live our lives. We still need our thinking caps to process and filter information and cull out only those golden nuggets of wisdom we could use to live our lives the best way we can. We junk the rest. Our minds and the collection support arrears arising from a previous marriage at a time where of life experiences in our memthe spouse has separate property ory banks function as the kidto satisfy it, the community has a neys to filter out the lies and all right of reimbursement from the useless information. The Pareto debtor spouse’s separate property up to the amount of community property used to satisfy the support obligation. What then is exempt from your PAGE B1 t spouse’s premarital debt? A sources of foreign exchange, non debtor spouse’s “earnings” including remittances from overduring marriage are not liable seas Filipinos, that usually pick for debts incurred by the other up in the fourth quarter of the spouse before marriage under year in time for the Christmas Family Code § 911(a). This does holidays. “Come the fourth quarter of not include income received from passive investments through. the year, we have a lot of inflows The non debtor spouse’s earnings expected,” he added. He said, the markets have alcannot be garnished to satisfy the debtor spouse’s pre marital debt ready anticipated additional rate as long as it is deposited in a sep- hikes by the U.S. Federal Rearate account and not comingled serve. “When you do shift from a with other community property. In addition, community liability structural CA position and we for a debt “incurred during mar- are now in a deficit, then some riage does not include “the peri- adjustments to the exchange od during which the spouses are rate is anticipated to take place. living separate and apart” before That is what we are seeing when u PAGE B3 we have quite a strong imports,”
Divorce and legal separation as a form of asset protection from your spouse’s creditors COUPLES have different spending habits and different philosophy in handling marital finances. Some spouses are conservative in managing their finances and stick with a budget while other spouses do not even set budgets. What is your exposure if your spouse is a shopa-holic and runs though his/her credit card like there is no tomorrow? What if your spouse has a gambling problem and continues to get in debt to finance his/her gambling habits or what if your spouse has child support arrears from a previous relationship? To add insult to injury, what if you are the primary bread winner in the family working two jobs at the hospital while your spouse philanders around for other prospects. Generally, the community estate is liable for a debt incurred by either spouse before or during marriage and prior to separation. The liability accrues regardless of which spouse has management and control of the property or
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”Don’t be shy about asking for help. It doesn’t mean you’re weak, it only means you’re wise.” — Anonymous 80/20 rule applies: 20% of stuff matters and the remaining 80% is chaff and should be trashed if we want our mental faculties to remain healthy and functioning for a long time yet. With all these ever evolving gadgets and gizmos, most people these days think that they have the smarts to handle practically every life situation. This may be true — but only up to a point. Life, as we know it, is not so cut and dried. Self-confidence is good but not when it makes you arrogant and cocky believing that you are better than anyone else. Life has a way of knocking you down off your high horse. A bruised and battered ego is a good starting point to learn humility and gratitude. This is when the soul begins to grow. The downside of the Age of Information? Because we have become self –reliant, we feel we don’t need anyone else. We don’t want to ask for help when we are stumped with a problem or a situation that is beyond our abilities to deal with. Society expects us to find our way with the wherewithal and smart tools we have. Before the advent of GPS (Global Positioning System),
most men (yes, men) wandered aimlessly about trying to find an address, refusing to admit to themselves that they are lost. Ask for directions? Bah, humbug! Why was this so? The short answer: EGO. Most do not want to be perceived as weak or inept or lacking in common sense. Most women seem to be just fine asking strangers or people at gas stations for directions and the men who give the directions seem just happy to oblige. GPS technology is a blessing. However, there is a caveat about complete reliance on it. No technology, at this time, no matter how sophisticated can replace good old common sense. You still need to process the information provided to find the best route for yourself. GPS is a great tool when the freeways are clogged and you need alternate routes to your destination. That said, never relinquish your chief navigator position. Navigating our own life’s journey is not that simple however. There are twists and turns in life that throw us out of our smug self-sufficiency. We find ourselves needing help, either from our fellow men or more than
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Forex buffer enough to cover... Dakila said. Dakila added the exchange rate would settle at some point as it shifts from one equilibrium to another. Redentor Paolo Alegre, head of the BSP’s Department of Economic Statistics, reported on Friday, September 14, the country’s current account deficit amounted to $3.09 billion or 1.9 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the first half of the year. Data showed the CA shortfall from January to June already matched the projected $3.1 billion CA deficit for 2018 and almost 25 times the $133 million deficit equivalent to 0.1 percent of GDP booked in the same period last year.
The wider shortfall was attributed mainly to the widening deficit in the trade-in-goods account and lower net receipts in the primary income account, which more than offset the higher net receipts in the trade-in-services and secondary income accounts. The trade-in-goods deficit widened 27.9 percent to$23.3 billion as imports of goods jumped10.7 percent to $48.7 billion while exports of goods slipped 1.6 percent to $25.3 billion. As a result, the country’s balance of payments position (BOP) yielded a deficit of $3.3 billion in the first half of year, more than four times higher than the $706 million recorded in the same period last year.n
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BUSINESS NEWS
How does the bankruptcy means test work? WHAT is the means test in bankruptcy? It’s a method for calculating what your household income is for the purpose of determining if you qualify for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 of the bankruptcy code. By household income, we mean the combined income of husband and wife, if the debtor is married, unless they are separated. The means test is a relatively new concept introduced in the new bankruptcy code of 2005. Before that new bankruptcy law took effect, there was no such thing as a means test. Before 2005, the general rule was if the household income were less than the monthly necessary expenses, a debtor would probably qualify for Chapter 7. Under the means test, debtor’s average income for the last six months, if less than the median income for the household for the state, would prima facie qualify debtor for Chapter 7, without any presumption of abuse arising. Each state has a different median income. For example, in California the median income for a single person is about $48,000 a year. So, if you are single and make less than $48,000 a year, then you would automatically
Debt Relief
ATTY. LAWRENCE YANG qualify for Chapter 7. However, this does not mean that single persons making more than $48,000 would be disqualified from Chapter 7. This is so because the means test provides for amounts that may be deducted from gross income given the cost of living in the state. Hence, a single person making $70,000 a year with a mortgage payment and a car payment would probably still qualify for Chapter 7. What happens if one’s income is so high that the means test is breached? A presumption of abuse is marked in your means test and the U.S. Trustee (UST) would have their say about the presumption of abuse matter. The UST position would be: show me documentary evidence why you qualify for Chapter 7. It is possible to overcome the presumption of abuse and still get a Chapter 7 discharge even
if your income is a lot more than the state median income if you can prove to the satisfaction of the UST that you do indeed qualify for Chapter 7. If you are short on your documentation, the UST will file a motion to dismiss your Chapter 7 case based on abuse of bankruptcy law. This gives you a chance to argue why you are eligible for Chapter 7 discharge despite the objection of the UST before the bankruptcy judge in charge of your case. I would say that it’s difficult to convince the judge if the UST has filed its motion to dismiss, unless you have good and complete documentation to support your case for getting a Chapter 7 discharge. For instance, you give $500 a month to your favorite charity. With this deduction, you pass the means test for Chapter 7, but the UST files it’s motion to dismiss as they object to your claim of charitable deduction. You argue that you do indeed give $125 in cash to your church every week, with a grand total of $500 a month. Without this deduction, your disposable income is $500 a month, dislodging you from Chapter 7 and tracking you into Chapter 13
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Divorce and legal separation as a form... PAGE B2 t
a dissolution or legal separation judgment. Family Code. § 910 (a) and (b). Debts incurred by either spouse after separation are the debtor spouse’s separate obligation, neither chargeable against nor reimbursable from the community estate. As a result, the community estate is not liable for debts accumulated by your spouse after your date of separation. So if your spouse continues abusing his/her credit card after the date of separation, the community assets such as savings during the marriage or real property are no longer liable for those debts accumulated after separation. Those post separation debts are the debtor spouse’s separate debt. A spouse’s separate property is not liable for the other spouse’s debts, no matter when they were incurred. Family Code. § 913(b)(1). Therefore, any savings or real estate that you accumulated prior to marriage will not be liable to your spouse’s debt whether your spouse incurred the debt prior, during, or
after marriage. A spouse’s spending and financial irresponsibility is a common cause of marital break ups. Sometimes, the non debtor spouse has to make the difficult decision of filing for divorce and dissolving the marriage or filing for legal separation as a means of self preservation and to preserve whatever is left of the community estate from total destruction from the debtor spouse. Obtaining a divorce judgment or a legal separation judgment is also a way to protect at least 50% of the community property from the other spouse’s creditors provided the judgment effects an equal distribution of community property and the parties are actually separated in good faith. There would be less of an argument from the other spouse’s creditors that the Divorce Judgment or Legal Separation Judgment was obtained solely to avoid satisfying a judgment debt also known as fraudulent transfer. Making this move is a personal decision that only the non-debtor spouse can make.
*** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation.
*** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kureyeslaw@gmail.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com. (Advertising Supplement)
SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 19-21, 2018
Calendar of Events across
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SIPA hosts 8-session Entrepreneur Training Program (ETP) in Los Angeles The Entrepreneur Training Program (ETP) is an 8-session skills building training program designed for startup entrepreneurs covering the A to Z of starting and running a successful business. This is open to all! If you want to start your own business and don’t know where to start or how to start, this program was made FOR YOU! Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to learn from the experts and from business owners themselves on how to build the business of your dreams! Program details: One time fee of $100 covers food and beverage and training materials for all 8 sessions; 5 FREE slots are available for College/University students and low income families; FREE Parking on site. Parking lot is accessed on Robinson St.; Includes FREE one-on-one business counseling with SIPA’s counselor, Fidji Victoriano; and you will receive a Completion Certificate at the end of the program. The eight sessions will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the whole month of September 2018: September 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25 and 27 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Program will be held at the SIPA Multipurpose room at 3200 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 (through Robinson St. entrance). For any questions or to register in person, please contact Fidji Victoriano at (424) 235-5011 or e-mail at fvictoriano@esipa.org. This program is brought by Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) in collaboration with the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce Hollywood (FACCHO) and the support of Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program (APISBP) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
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Sto. Tomas Batangas Association of Southern California to celebrate 36th anniversary The Sto. Tomas Batangas Association of Southern California will celebrate its 36th anniversary & coronation Night on Saturday, September 22 at the Los Serranos Country Club (15656 Yorba Ave. Chino Hills, CA 91709). Music will be provided by The Midnight Motion Band. For attendance, please call Willie Manacsa at (818) 400-7391, Offie Villanueva at (626) 9608407), Mylee Moncada at (818) 322-9429, Rosalie Nasu at (909)631-9356 or Rosie Sancianco at (951)898-7628.
Celebration of the Feast of San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila in Lake Balboa, CA Come celebrate with us! The Archdiocese of Los Angeles Filipino Ministry San Fernando Region invites all to the 10th regional celebration of the feast of San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila on Saturday, Sept. 22 at St. Bridget of Sweden Church (7100 Whitaker Ave and Gault, Lake Balboa, CA 91406). It starts with a procession at 4:00 pm. and mass at 5:00 p.m. The Principal Celebrant is Rev. Fr. Albert Avenido, Moderator & Chaplain, Filipino Pastoral Ministry- Archdiocese for Los Angeles. A reception and program follows right after mass at the School Parish . For a schedule of the nine-day novena masses prior to the event, please call Patty Santiago at (818) 472-4288 or Alex Quadra (818-624-4684 or a.e.quadra@att.net).
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Tau Alpha Grand Reunion in Las Vegas Tau Alphans everywhere, join D’Argos Adventure in Las Vegas on September 23-26, 2018. Experience O’le Las Vegas, the Birthplace of the Mob. Most of the four-day event will be held at the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino on Fremont St. The “Meet & Greet” á la Western style, will be on Sunday, September 23; followed by a Family Picnic on Monday, September 24 at the Madeira Canyon Park in Henderson; a subsequent Nightcap in the Golden Nugget on the evening of September 24; D’Fabulous 50s Nostalgia Dinner-Dance will be in the Golden Nugget and the Gala Dinner/Fraternity Ball will be on Wednesday, September 26 at the Golden Nugget, Bel Air Rooms. There will be a privately hosted Bon Voyage Brunch on September 27. Tau Alpha is the 3rd oldest fraternity in the University of the Philippines. Chartered in 1932 as the College of Engineering Fraternity. Contact Art F. Jorge, chairman of the 2018 Tau Alpha Grand Reunion, at artnmyr@yahoo.com.
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United Architects of the Philippines - Southern California chapter hosts UAP president in Monterey Park, CA The United Architects of the Philippines - Southern California Chapter, Inc. (UAPSOCAL) a chartered member by the UAP, the only accredited architectural professional organization recognized by Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) of the Philippines, will host the national president of UAP who will be in Los Angeles in connection with the induction of the incoming chapter officers and new members on Wednesday, September 26 from 7 to 11 p.m. at Monterey Hill Steak Restaurant (3700 W. Ramona Blvd., Monterey Park, CA 9175). Interested UAP corporate members, Filipino-American architects, designers, and allied professionals are welcome to attend the event and join the prestigious organization. For more information please contact Jun Joaquin at (323) 675-5042 / (323) 907-3050 or email at uapsocalchapter@ gmail.com.
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Laoguenian Association of Southern California to hold induction ball in City of Industry, CA The Laoaguenian Association of Southern California, Inc. (LASC) will hold its induction of new set of officers on Saturday, September 29, 2018 at the Pacific Palms Resort & Hotel (1 Industry Hills Parkway, City of Industry, CA 91744). The new inductees are headed by Mario Medina, president-elect. Music will be provided by Willie Manacsa & The Midnight Motion Band. For other related questions, please call Sonny Siazon, past president & adviser, at (714) 720-3913.
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Remittances recover in July... PAGE B1 t
Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany. For the first seven months, cash remittances inched up three percent to $16.6 billion from $16.09 billion in the same period in 2017. In particular, cash remittances from land-based and sea-based workers totaled $13.1 billion and $3.5 billion, respectively. More than 79 percent of the total cash remittances came from the U.S.,
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Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Japan, UK, Qatar, Canada, Germany, and Hong Kong. The BSP has set a four percent growth target for both personal and cash remittances this year. Beneficiaries of remittances emerge as one of the winners of the continued weakening of the peso against the dollar. Remittances continue to boost personal consumption, helping sustain a steady growth. Per-
sonal remittances accounted for 10 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and 8.3 percent of gross national income (GNI) last year. ING Bank Manila senior economist Joey Cuyegkeng said the capital inflows and the hawkish BSP would moderate or offset the weakening bias resulting from the current account deficit, while moderating private sector growth with higher financing costs. ■
These are the seasons when going down on our knees and doubling down on prayers begging for help from above are the best of any one’s lifetime. This is a time of building a deeper, more personal relationship with the loving God of our beings, who the psalmist described as the one “who knit us in our mother’s womb,” so that we are each “fearfully and wonderfully made.” All we need to do when lost and helpless, is to
ASK for HELP. After all, prayers, heartfelt and unceasing, are the most powerful force in the universe. To borrow from the slogan that a sportswear company who seems to have lost its way at the moment: JUST DO IT. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com
The bucket list
likely, from God, when everything we have tried, has failed spectacularly. Don’t be too proud to ask for help. Sometimes, we go through seasons of darkness when it seems the universe is conspiring against us and everything that is happening weighs us down. We feel helpless as though a Category 5 hurricane is tossing us about like a rag doll and there is no end in sight.
B SEPTEMBER 19-21, 2018 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL
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Philippines makes investment... Pernia: Pinoys’ inflation sensitivity...
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trucks and buses,” she said She said Chinese firms are also welcome to invest in the Philippines’ light industry manufacturing like high-end garments, bags and items related to non-polluting textile manufacturing for exports, as well as component manufacturing, and building materials. In food production, she said China and the Philippines would benefit in processing high-value food and fisheries and also in capturing markets such as halal. Halal is the prescribed process of preparation of products in accordance with Islamic law. With more Chinese tourists visiting the Philippines due to the improving ties between the two countries, Terrado said tourism also offers investment opportunities. Chinese tourist visits increased 52.65 percent in the January to April period this year at 481,218 visits. “We continue to invite China to partner with us in tourism particularly in resorts development and hotels,” Terrado said. As the Philippines wants its
EMPLOYMENT
startup community to grow, she said this is an area which Chinese firms can consider. “The Philippine startup community has targeted 500 startups for funding and by 2020, we would want to have 20 startups that have scaled up and this is where we think Chinese venture capitalists can play a role,” she said. As one of the growth areas for startups in the country is fintech, there are opportunities for Chinese firms as the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) is planning to transform the Cagayan Special Economic Zone into a fintech solutions and blockchain hub. CEZA administrator and chief executive officer Raul Lambino said the agency is committed to grant licenses to an initial 25 fintech firms or those planning to operate virtual currency exchanges, engage in cryptomining and blockchain production and initial coin offerings overseas and locate at the Cagayan Special Economic Zone. As the government is pushing for infrastructure development, this is likewise a sector which Chinese firms looking to make
investments can look at. Apart from available investment opportunities, Terrado said the Philippines could serve as Chinese firms’ gateway to the ASEAN market which has a population of more than 600 million individuals. She said investing in the Philippines would also allow Chinese firms to take advantage of benefits such as duty free entry of goods to markets such as the US and the European Union (EU) through the US Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and EU GSP Plus, as well as to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) composed of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland via the EFTA free trade agreement. For her part, Li Kang, vice chair of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Committee said she is hopeful Chinese companies would find opportunities in the Philippines to further promote stronger ties between the two countries. “China and Guangxi regard Philippines as an important partner,” she said. n
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that “only P-Noy’s administration had the mildest average and peak inflation rates and, of course, better than Duterte’s.” Under Corazon Aquino, inflation averaged 10.5 percent and peaked to 21.2 percent in Aug. 1991; Fidel Ramos’ term had average inflation of 8.1 percent and a peak of 13.9 percent in Feb. 1994. Joseph Estrada’s term saw the rate of increase in prices of basic goods averaging 7.1 percent, with a peak of 10.7 percent in Jan. 1999. During now House Speaker Gloria Arroyo’s term as President, headline inflation averaged 4.7 percent, peaking at 10.5 percent in Aug. 2008. During the P-Noy administration, the highest inflation rate was 5.2 percent posted in June and Oct. 2011; so far under President Duterte, August’s over nine-year high of 6.4 percent was the fastest. “But we must remember that P-Noy’s [administration] was lucky as that was still the aftermath of the global financial crisis that broke out in 2008, leading to low global interest and infla-
tion rates. In turn, they facilitated the strengthening of macroeconomic fundamentals, the fruits of which, admittedly, have been carried over to the current administration and which we’re building on,” Pernia said. As for the current elevated inflation environment, Pernia explained: “The US economy, arguably the global economic leader, has been normalizing since toward the end of the Obama administration and continuing with Trump’s as manifested by the series of Fed funds rate increases. Such normalization is spilling over to other countries, including ours.” Locally, “consumer optimism used to be high until the particularly sharp spike in prices of the last two or three months,” Pernia noted. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ latest consumer expectations survey showed that the overall confidence index (CI) reverted to negative territory— which meant that pessimists outnumbered optimistic consumers—during the third quarter of the year, ending eight straight quarters of positive readings. The CI for the July to Septem-
EMPLOYMENT
HOME AGENCY
REALTOR
ber period fell to -7.1 percent from 3.8 percent in the second quarter. On a personal note, Pernia said: “There’s also a textbook explanation of today’s diminished optimism or pessimism, referred to as the ‘revolution of rising expectations’ (Alexis de Tocqueville, 1856). This seems especially true with a rapidly growing economy and higher disposable incomes (helped by tax exemption for those earning monthly P21,000 or below, free tuition in state universities and colleges, free irrigation, etc.), as well as given easier and faster communication with information and communications technology and social media that quickly raise general awareness.” Pernia was referring to the relief brought about by the passage of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act, as well as recent moves increasing government subsidies to students and farmers. The economy grew by an average 6.3 percent in the first half, below expectations but still among the fastest in the region. “The above is merely an at-
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People and Events Monrovia Unified Elementary celebrates reopening as creative arts school WILD Rose fourth-grade students grooved to and sang “Can’t Stop the Feeling” in celebration of the renaming of their school as Wild Rose School of Creative Arts during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 7. The school now integrates visual and performing arts across all core curricula to enhance learning. Students can explore their interests while honing their creative outlets in various fields, including vocal music, show choir, dance with California Dance In-
stitute, ceramics, and band. Fifth-grade student Joshua Menlove, who participates in theater, dance and arts lessons, told fellow students, community representatives, parents, and school leaders during the ceremony that he is excited about attending a school dedicated to the visual and performing arts (VAPA). “I am happy that there are more opportunities here at Wild Rose for kids to show their talents,” Menlove said. “We can improve our skills so that when we
are older we can choose what we like to learn.” Monrovia Unified Board of Education President Terrence Williams lauded the school’s new focus. “We want our students to explore their passions and interests so that they have a clear vision of the college majors and careers they want to pursue after high school,” Williams said. “It all starts here – where many of our students will receive their first exposure to the arts and move
All Voting is Local announces campaign to recruit poll workers for Election Day ‘Be the difference, be a poll worker’ aims to confront chronic shortage of Election Day workers
WASHINGTON – A critical shortage of election workers nationwide causes long lines and frustration at the polls, endangering the democratic process. All Voting is Local is tackling that challenge by launching on Thursday, September 13, a campaign to recruit poll workers for Election Day. “Be the Difference, Be a Poll Worker,” highlights the vital role that election workers play and aims to recruit people to meet the demand. The campaign includes digital, radio and billboard ads to recruit a diverse group of poll workers to serve in locations with the greatest needs in four target states: Arizona, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The effort is a core piece of All Voting is Local’s mission to identify and fix systemic barriers
that stand between voters and the ballot, particularly for communities of color. “Poll workers are the backbone of our elections,” said Hannah Fried, Campaign Director for All Voting is Local, a collaborative campaign of national civil rights organizations. “But a critical shortage of trained election day workers threatens the integrity of the voting process. When polling places don’t have enough trained workers, voters face long lines and burdensome delays that threaten their ability to cast a ballot. Together, we can fix this problem by ensuring this vital position is properly staffed at every polling location, no matter who votes there, so our democracy can work for us all.” Election administrators nationwide report that recruiting
poll workers is a major concern to running effective elections. During the 2016 election, nearly 65 percent of jurisdictions nationwide reported that it was “very difficult” or “somewhat difficult” to recruit enough poll workers, according to a study by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. All Voting is Local’s poll worker recruitment campaign at www.beapollworker.com urges people to give voice to their community by serving as election workers. The website directly links interested workers to their local jurisdiction to sign up for the job, describes the essential tasks involved in being a poll worker and offers resources for more information. To learn more, please visit: www.beapollworker.com. ■
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importation barriers earlier approved by the economic team, to ease high consumer prices. In August, prices of fish and seafood jumped 12.4 percent year-on-year; rice, up 7.1 percent; vegetables, 19.2 percent; and meat, 7.6 percent. When August prices were compared to levels in July, vegetable prices increased the most at 4.9 percent month-on-month, followed by rice at 2.1 percent, and fish and seafood 1.7-percent rise.
Pernia noted that inflation was actually declining monthon-month since February before again rising in August. After the 0.9 percent monthon-month inflation increase in January, it declined to 0.7 percent in February, 0.5 percent both in March and April, and was flat from a month ago in May. However, by June, consumer prices inched up by 0.6 percent month-on-month, 0.5 percent in July, and again rose to 0.9 percent in August. ■
Pernia: Pinoys’ inflation sensitivity...
tempt to put things in perspective. It’s absolutely no excuse for the inflation affecting everyone, and that’s why we’re urgently proposing several cogent measures and reforms through an executive order to address and tame inflation back to our target range of 2-4 percent soonest,” Pernia said. Last week, Pernia said that President Duterte was set to soon issue an EO, containing measures mostly removing food
fourth-grader Melissa Monjarforward in their education and din depicts a bear, the school’s careers with confidence in mascot, reading a book with their potential.” the tagline “Bears Strive for Wild Rose has garnered Excellence in Reading.” multiple honors for its strong Additional live performances VAPA program and highly included an opening from stuqualified educators and staff, dents in kindergarten through including state recognition as grade five, singing “The Staran Exemplary Arts School and Spangled Banner” and a hipGold Ribbon School, and a hop dance routine. Golden Bell from the California “The success of our stuSchool Boards Association. Wild Rose School of Creative Arts students do a final “I am thrilled that Wild Rose performance to “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” showcasing dents is the reason behind is now able to offer this expe- their dancing and singing skills to the Monrovia everything we do,” Monrovia rience that can so powerfully community. Wild Rose celebrated its reopening as a Unified Superintendent Dr. and positively impact the lives school of creative arts with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Katherine Thorossian said. on Sept. 7. “We are so excited to have a of thousands of students,” said The school incorporates opporschool focused on visual and Dana Elliott, a Wild Rose fourthand fifth-grade combo teacher. tunities for students to produce a performing arts, providing a “The arts enrich academics, as variety of artwork for public dis- venue for our earliest learners well as life, allowing us to express play. Halls are lined with work to build their foundation in core ourselves, and giving our stu- demonstrating integration of arts subject skills, while extending dents the well-roundedness with in multiple subjects. At the front their thinking and developing of the school, a banner created by their creative talents.”■ which to take on the world.”
How does the bankruptcy means...
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instead. The UST asks for proof that you actually give $500 a month to your church. Since you donate in cash, there is no documentary proof of your weekly donation. You submit a picture of your hand putting $125 of cash into the cash box of the church every Sunday for one month. The UST pretty much says that they don’t believe your picture evidence. The UST says that your income tax returns for 2017 do not claim any charitable donation. You argue that your CPA was drunk when he prepared your tax returns. Will the bankruptcy judge side with you or the UST? I think the odds are against you. The UST and federal judges are well qualified in what they do. If you can’t pass the means test for Chapter 7, no matter how hard you try, you should really consider filing Chapter 13 instead. Chapter 13 lets you reorganize your financial resources in such a way that you pay possibly only a small portion of what you owe. For example, you owe $50,000 of credit cards. In Chapter 7, you don’t have to pay the $50,000; the discharge order just wipes them out. In Chapter 13, you might have to pay $200 a month for 60 months, or $12,000. If you complete all 60 payments of $200 each, the court will discharge or wipe out $38,000 of your credit
cards. I have a senior client who couldn’t file a Chapter 7 because she had sold her house to her brother in law for $120,000 below market price. I advised her against Chapter 7 unless she wanted to risk losing her house. She did this because when her husband died two years ago, she could not afford to make the mortgage payments anymore. Her brother-in-law allowed her to stay in her house, which now belonged to him, for as long as she wanted, without rent. This was a verbal agreement. The client was 74 years old. The arrangement worked for her because even if she just rented a room, she would have to pay at least $500 a month. So, if she lived another 20 years, living in her house rent free would be like getting back $120,000 over 20 years. Even if she passed the means test with flying colors since her only income now was social security of $1,300, there was a big chance that the Chapter 7 trustee would invalidate the sale of the house to the brother in law since it was sold below market price only two years ago. If this happened, it would be a big disaster because she would lose the roof over her head immediately and she would have nowhere to go. The court confirmed her Chapter 13 plan recently where she paid only $152/month for 60 months. If she completes her
Chapter 13 plan payment, the court will discharge $53,000 of her $60,000 credit cards. In other words, her Chapter 13 plan, approved by the court, will discharge 90 percent of her credit cards if she pays 10 percent of those cards over five years. There is no interest accruing during the five years because with Chapter 13, credit cards cannot charge interest. All payments go to the reduction of principal. People have different kinds of financial hardship, but they all benefit from a total elimination of debt in Chapter 7 or partial elimination of debt in Chapter 13. Either way, they end up with no debt eventually. I can say with certainty that 100 percent of my clients are better off with no debt after a bankruptcy discharge. They all become productive again and are much happier living their lives debt free. Most, if not all, have rebuilt their credit after only a couple of years. *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in bankruptcy, business, real estate and civil litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 1000 S. Fremont Ave, Mailstop 58, Building A-1 Suite 1125, Alhambra, CA 91803 or at 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789. (Advertising Supplement)
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cover story The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 19, 2018
One long ride through history The evolution of the automobile in the United States
by Nathalie
Robles / AJPress
IF one would imagine a time when there were no cars to take people places, one would have to travel way back in time to be able to fully perceive what it is like. The invention of the automobile has been a game-changer throughout the course of history. The said machinery amped up the meaning of convenience to a whole new level that was deemed impossible back then. Let us take a long ride back to how it all started. The first vehicle in the United States that came close to the automobile was arguably built by Oliver Evans in 1805. The built and structure that Evans created was described as amphibious and therefore could traverse by land and water via wheels and paddlewheels respectively. Years after, the first American bicycle was manufactured in 1878 at the Weed Sewing Machine in Hartford, Connecticut. It is called the “Columbia Bicycle” according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an agency under the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the executive department of the United States. The NHSA issued a timeline that showed the evolution of
vehicles and automobile industry from its invention up until the present. It was around 1885 when the first seat belt was patented by Edward J. Claghorn of New York. The seatbelt, like its purpose to this day, was intended to hold the passengers in place should the car collide with something, thus reducing the impact of a forceful slam. For other scholars, the first American car was the Duryea automobile built by the Duryea Motor Wagon Company. It was first demonstrated in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1893. Frank and Charles Duryea founded the company and built a one-cylinder “Ladies Phaeton,” with four wheels and no roof, making it an open-air car. It was regarded as the first successful gasoline engine vehicle. Not long after, the same company created a second Duryea in 1894 and another one on Thanksgiving Day in 1895. Roughly that year as well, the Duryea Motor Wagon Company started the commercial production of the first American car, as stated in the Encyclopaedia Brittanica. Due to the demand for the manufacturing of the said machinery, the country had to regulate the use of the automobile, especially on roads and
highways. It was the same year Connecticut created the first statewide traffic laws. The new laws regulated motor vehicles, limiting their speed to 12 miles per hour (mph) in cities and 15 mph on country roads. After a year, the Oldsmobile was otherwise known as the Olds Motor Vehicle Company from Detroit, Michigan dominated the marketplace. The said company was established in 1897 but only gained popularity in 1902. The Ford Motor Company launched in a converted factory and built its first American car, the Model A that same year. The Ford Company gave birth to the idea of the assembly line, which operated by giving each worker the responsibility for one task. Up until this time, employees were assigned multiple tasks on building automobiles and walked around the plants to accomplish them. William Durant formed General Motors — another automobile manufacturing company in 1908. Meanwhile, the Ford Motor/ Cadillac Company introduced the Model T and in its first year sold over 10,000 cars. General Motors then bought the Cadillac Automobile Company in 1909 for $4.5 million. In 1910, to further promote driver and pedestrian safety, the State of New
York introduced the very first drunk driving laws. It penalized drivers for operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, hence the term driving under the influence (DUI). The Ford Motor Company continued its success as it sold the Model T in 1914. With the assembly line, the Highland Park, Michigan plant produced 300,000 cars in 1914, resulting in Ford to lower the price of the Model T for 14 consecutive years, making the car affordable to the middle class. Contrary to the common belief that Henry Ford invented the automobile, historical accounts proved otherwise. He and his company invented the assembly line so automobiles could be accessible to more Americans. In 1920, three automobile companies rose to the ranks — Ford, General Motors and Chrysler became the “Big Three” car manufacturing companies. Ford, in particular, garnered over eight million registrations. Since then, that year was considered the peak of growth in car ownership. By the end of the decade, the number of registrants tripled to 23 million. As the automobile industry grew, several other industries soon followed. There was a great need for the vulcanized
rubber to be used in car wheels. Roads, highways and bridges were deemed necessary so the state and government had to fund public infrastructure for easier transport. As the government got involved, the Federal Highway Act of 1921 came into the picture. Gas stations and mechanic shops became necessary. The oil and steel industries boost in numbers as the demand for automobile increased. Long drives were deemed possible so truck stops and motels began to line major highways. To further regulate the roads and streets, the threeway traffic light with colors - red, yellow and green was introduced in the United States in 1930. Not long after, airbags were invented in 1951 as protection for drivers and passengers. Airbags are used to reduce the impact of an automobile crash. In 1966, the Congress established the Department of Transportation whose stood by their mission to, “Serve the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future.”
Two years after, the Federal Safety Standards for cars took effect as a means to protect drivers against unreasonable risk of crashes occurring as a result of the design, construction or performance of motor vehicles. The establishment of NHTSA followed suit in 1970. Its primary role is to reduce deaths, injuries and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes. They are able to accomplish such by setting and enforcing safety performance standards for motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment. They also receive grants from the State and local governments to enable them to conduct effective local highway safety programs. Five years later, the government ordered that the national maximum speed limit is set at 55 mph. As one backtracks how the U.S. automotive industry developed, one can help but wonder how invention seemed to be faster these days. More and more technological advances are discovered daily and who knows what would appear before our eyes in the near future. There is no harm in looking back at how the humankind progressed. After all, that is the only way one can see how far they have come.
Haggling your way for the best car price How to choose the right vehicle for you Tips and hacks on how to negotiate when buying a car
ACQUIRING an automobile to take you places can be a necessity, luxury or privilege. It could even be all of the above. Through the years the automobile industry has been creating ways to provide convenience to transport people from one place to another. However, the acquisition of a car proves to be more difficult than it seems. Car salesmen are a force to reckon with. While some may be honest enough to help you get a vehicle that is both great in quality and price, there are some who are equipped with the necessary charms and convincing prowess to entice buyers with less than desirable options. Here are some some tips how you can develop negotiation skills so that you can get your money’s worth in purchasing a car: Make use of online resources Technology has aided us in more ways than one. The information out there in the world wide web allows us to live life more conveniently than those who came before us. Such holds true as this recent societal breakthrough works in our favor when we decide to purchase an automobile. Car prices, features and preliminary deals are now made available online. Even rankings of different car models whether it be used or new are displayed so buyers would easily identify which car, truck, minivan, standard utility vehicle (SUV) on the market should they test drive. Buyers should then utilized the said resources to its full extent to ensure that the purchased car would be well within the budget without looking like it is. Autotrader, a known online marketplace for cars conducted a study in 2016 that analyzes the activities of the average car buyer. The said study showed that at this day and age, a lot of people are using technological devices as means to further ensure that they will acquire the best model with the least price. Statistics showed that car buyers who shop online spend 59 percent of their time researching for automobiles that would appeal to their liking. The actual research process includes looking through car prices, finding actual cars listed for sale, comparing different models, finding out the the current car’s worth, and locating a dealer or getting the dealer information. Have a pre-approved financing offer It is necessary to acquire a pre-approved financing offer from a bank, credit union, or other lender before walking into a dealership. Such offer would help you garner incentives to try to find you a better deal on the automobile you desire. A exemplary credit rating would also entail a great financing deal. Learn to make
use of that. If you have not check you credit score. Now is the best time as any. Ensure an appropriate timing Learn to take advantage of a skill called foresight. Just like majority of businesses, car dealers and salespeople have sales goals at the end of a specific period. May it be the end of the week, month, quarter, semester or year, once they hit specific figures, incentives, commissions and bonuses are in order. If you decide to purchase an automobile at this time frame, you might be in luck as some dealers are trying to reach certain figures. Explore other dealerships Do not be confined with only one dealership. There are more options out there that you have yet to walk into. Who knows maybe you will score a better deal on the second or third store you check. Never settle for something far from what you want. Once you decide to walk into a certain dealership, you must most certainly be equipped with the necessary knowledge and preparation beforehand. Offer a realistic amount Once you started talking about how much you are willing to pay, you have to make sure that it is within a realistic amount. Factoring in the negotiation that is to occur, it would eventually be reduced to your desired price, if everything goes as planned. Negotiate in small intervals If the salesperson offers an amount far from the perceived one, ultimate the two parties would try to meet halfway. Once the dealer decreases the price, increase your offer with only a small interval. For instance, if he brings down the offer $500 less, raise your offer a bit let’s say for only $250 or less. Use your expressions wisely
A business transaction like this requires utmost confidence to be able to get the best out of what you paid for. Offer an amount without breaking a sweat or stuttering. However, be polite and respectful still. After all, both you and the salesperson would only want the best deal, regardless if it is for your own self and not for each other. Reject bad deals but leave your contact information If the you and the dealer failed to compromise on an offer and you seem to think there is a better deal elsewhere, politely decline and leave a contact number. The dealer might call back and have something better. Or not. Either way, never settle for a deal far from your perceived realistic one. Check the payment breakdown and paperwork Once you get a deal you want, check the payment breakdown and see if there are questionable prices for the items the purchase includes. There are certain incident where dealers charge more for the add ons to make up for the losses they had in the negotiations. Same goes with the paperwork. Make sure there are no loopholes before you sign a deal. Otherwise, all the hard work in negotiating boils down to nothing. Negotiation in any form can be tedious and tricky. Salespersons in automobile shops would often appear calm, endearing and friendly but it could often be a strategy to establish rapport with the purchasing party. Once the salesperson connected with the buyer, haggling for a lower price would prove to be a lot more awkward and anxiety-inducing. However, such decision should be made with proper preparation. Haggling can be a battle of its own — but the end game is always to win. (AJPress)
by Ritchel
MeNdiola AJPress
BUYING a car is a huge decision. Next to a home, it’s probably the second most important purchase anyone can make. But with the influx of new car models and designs being constantly introduced on the market, how do you pick the right one? When choosing a car, the one you want isn’t necessarily the one you need. Consider your current lifestyle and whether or not the car you plan on purchasing can accommodate that or not. Coupe: If you want a car that makes a statement, a coupe is perfect since it typically has the most expressive design. It’s a two-door passenger vehicle that features either two or five seating spaces across one or two rows. A coupe’s rear seats are usually not spacious enough for adults, often reserved for light items only — making it unfit for families. Convertible: This is another type of car that makes a statement. Unlike a coupe, however, a convertible is a passenger vehicle that allows its user to alternate between open-air and enclosed modes thanks to its retractable roof. This is best suited for individuals or couples. Sedan: Four doors are definitely a requirement when you have kids or planning to have some. A sedan’s rear seats can normally accommodate at least two adults or three small children — making it the perfect vehicle not only for individuals but also regular-sized families. Hatchback: This type of vehicle generally offers an SUV-like space without the dynamic and fuel-economy compromises of larger vehicles. It has a cargo area usually connected to the cabin, allowing the user to fold down the second seating row and create more cargo space in the process. A hatchback is spacious
Photo from car-brand-names.com
enough to accommodate up to five people — perfectly suited for individuals, couples, and regular-sized families. Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV): If you want a vehicle that puts a special emphasis on cabin space and cargo capacity, an SUV might be for you. Because of its size and built, it can can transport between five and nine people — perfect for families and those who enjoy going on off-road trips. However, an SUV generally get poor gas mileage so it is not the best vehicle to use for daily commutes. Minivan: This vehicle is ideal if you want a good balance between passenger space and cargo capacity. A minivan tends to be associated with comfort and size since it can carry up to nine passengers, making it perfect for large families. Station wagon: A station wagon is basically a sedan with a roof that extends rearward over the cabin and cargo area, allowing the vehicle to fit in more cargo in the back. This vehicle is ideal for regular-sized families and people who like to do outdoor activities. Pickup truck: If you need to haul equipment, materials that would dirty up the interior, or cargo too tall to fit in an enclosed vehicle on
a daily basis, a pickup is the most popular choice. This can theoretically be a family vehicle but you’re better off with a minivan or an SUV since those offer comfort like none other. Other factors you have to consider before purchasing a car are: your location and driving style. According to Unhaggle, if you need a family vehicle but you live in a heavily-populated urban area, a hatchback or sedan would probably suit you best since these vehicles are relatively easy to maneuver in congested streets and park in tight spaces. On the other hand, if you live in a sparselypopulated suburb, a station wagon or a compact SUV might serve you better since your location can handle their slightly bigger size. If you’re a driving enthusiast who wants to savor every aspect of the driving experience, then a coupe or a convertible are likely to satisfy you the most as they emphasize quickness and handling prowess. If you’re more into comfort, a sedan would serve you better. The ultimate key here is to write down your preferences and connect the dots. This’ll help you in choosing the right vehicle that can cover your practical bases and accommodate your life.
Darren Criss is first Fil-Am to win lead actor Emmy Actor recognized for his ‘American Crime Story’ role
nanan in the second installment of Ryan Murphy’s “American Philstar.com Crime Story: The Assassination LOS ANGELES — “The Asof Gianna Versace” in 2018. sassination of Gianni Versace” He beat out Antonio Banderas star Darren Criss, who is of Fili- (“Genius: Picasso”); Benepino descent, has become the dict Cumberbatch (“Patrick second Asian-American actor Melrose”); Jeff Daniels (“The to claim an acting award at the Looming Tower”); John Leg70th Emmy Awards on Sepend (“Jesus Christ Superstar”); tember 17, after Riz Ahmed’s and Jesse Plemons (“Black win last year for “The Night Mirror: USS Callister”) for the After,” a notable back-to-back award. outcome. “The Assassination of GiCriss has won an Emmy for anni Versace: American Crime Outstanding Lead Actor in a Story” also won the Emmy for Limited Series or Movie for star- Best Limited Series. ring as serial killer Andrew CuBorn to a Cebuana mother by deNi Rose M. afiNidad-beRNaRdo
and a father of English, Irish, and German descent, Criss was raised in California. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Michigan. The 31-year-old is best known for portraying Blaine Anderson in the hit musical comedy series “Glee.” His cover of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” became “Glee’s” fastest-selling single that reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified “gold” in America. Likewise, he was nominated for an Emmy in 2015 for composing the song
Darren Criss
“This Time” for “Glee’s” finale. Apart from being a TV actor and singer, Criss co-owns the musical theater company StarKid Productions, for which he famously portrayed Harry Potter in the musical “A Very Potter Musical.” In 2012, he made a Broadway debut when he replaced Daniel Radcliffe in the play “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Try-
Photo from Instagram/@darrencriss
ing.” In 2015, Darren’s duet with Filipino Tony Award-winning singer-actress Lea Salonga of the Disney classic “A Whole New World,” which Salonga recorded for the animated movie “Aladdin,” went viral on social media. Darren is engaged to his girlfriend of more than seven years, Mia Swier.
Angelica Panganiban moves on from alleged ex-boyfriend John Lloyd Cruz by Jan
Milo Severo Philstar.com
KAPAMILYA actress Angelica Panganiban said she already moved on from her last relationship, which according to reports was with actor John Lloyd Cruz, and is now ready to be in a relationship with the right man. In an interview with the media after the press conference of her new show with Zanjoe Marudo “Playhouse,” Angelica said: “Feeling ko naman maaliwalas na maaliwalas na ko. Masayang masaya na. Feeling ko talaga na cleanse na ko.” Now that her workload has been lessening with her movie’s shooting coming to an end, Angelica said she is ready to commit in a relationship. “Ngayon kasi patapos na ‘yung pelikula, so gumagaan na ‘yung load ng trabaho ko kaya naiisip ko nang mag-jowa. Noon kasi workaholic ako e, ngayon kasi na parang konti na lang, ‘pag napapahinga na ko,
Angelica Panganiban
naiisip kong ‘okay sige ready na ‘ko,’” Angelica said. The versatile actress is now linked to actors Zanjoe, Carlo Aquino, JC Santos, and JM de Guzman, but she said no one is courting her right now. “Hindi naman sila nagsasabing gusto nila ko, so mahirap ‘yung ako yung magsasabing ako yung nagsasabi kung sino
Photo from Instagram/@iamangelicap
pinakamalapuit sa puso ko. Nakakahiya,” she said. When asked if it is okay for her to make the first move for a man, Angelica said she sees no problem with it at all. “Ako hindi ko nakikitaan ng problema kapag babae ang unang nag-approach sa lalaki, kapag siya ‘yung unang nagaya, ganyan. Parang feeling ko
entertainment
The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 19, 2018
kasi ‘di ba dapat kung wala ka namang masamang intensyon, ang gusto mo lang makilala at lumabas kasama ‘yung taong ‘to, bakit hindi mo gawin, ‘di ba?” she said. “PlayHouse” will revolve around the theme that love is a choice — it is a person’s will to choose someone repeatedly, but it may also change in an instant. In the series, Angelica and Zanjoe are two college lovers who will eventually get married. Nonetheless, their dream of having a long-lasting love will be tested by struggles that will eventually lead to their split. Apart from the two, teen stars Kisses Delavin and Donny Pangilinan will also bring “kilig,” to viewers, while other stars include Kean Cipriano, AC Bonifacio, Ariella Arida, Dexter Doria, Nadia Montenegro, Ingrid Dela Paz, Jomari Angeles, Malou De Guzman, Smokey Manaloto, and Maxene Magalona.
Erik Santos celebrates 15 years in the entertainment industry by ricky lo Philstar.com
“MY 15 years in the business have been colorful,” said Erik. “There were ups and downs but I can say I am fulfilled as a singer and as a person as well. All those years were full of hope, love and gratitude.” Admittedly, along the way, Erik has made mistakes that taught him lessons of a lifetime. “I am a very sociable person and my big mouth at times gets me into trouble,” he confessed. “There was one instance where I unintentionally offended an Erik Santos is celebrating his 15 years in showbiz important person in my life. chronicling his ups and downs, and marking the I did everything to iron out mistakes that taught him lessons of a lifetime. Continued on Page 4 Philstar.com photo
Continued on Page 4
Fil-Am contributions take front and entertainment center during Filipino American Erik Santos celebrates 15 years... History Month in October The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 19, 2018
From Page 3 things with him.” (Conversatio ns knows who the “offended” VIP is but would rather keep it confidential.) Asked what he liked most and didn’t like most about showbiz, Erik replied, “I like everything about the industry
because it helped me reach my dreams of becoming a singer. I love the fun, the friendship I was able to build, the glitz and glamour and everything that comes with it. I also love the fact that I am able to do what I love to do the most which is singing. I also get to travel
DALY CITY, Calif., — October is celebrated as Filipino American History Month across the U.S. because the earliest documented Filipino presence in the U.S. was on October 18, 1587 in Morro Bay, California. It was the late Dr. Fred Cordova and his wife, Dr. Dorothy Laigo Cordova, founder of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FAHNS), a community-based organization whose mission is “to promote understanding, education, enlightenment, appreciation, and enrichment through the identification, gathering, preservation, and dissemination of the history and culture of Filipino Americans in the United States,” who first introduced October as Filipino American History Month back in 1992. In 2009, the United States Congress had passed subsethe world and meet different quent resolutions recognizing people because of this job. Few October as Filipino American things I don’t like in the indusHistory Month, urging people try are complex behaviors of across the U.S. to celebrate the some individuals and unprofes- significant contributions of Filisionalism.” pino Americans to the enrichAs in his previous shows, ment of the country. Erik has a hand in drawing up TFC takes part in four the repertoire. celebratory events during the “I am very hands-on with meaningful month of October. this concert. For the reperOn October 6, Saturday, toire, I scrutinize everything. the City of Carson will have the We carefully chose the songs kick-off ceremonies for their based on my branding, genre 9th Annual Filipino American of music and what my audiHistory Month festivities. The ence likes. We made sure that day starts at 8 a.m. by the Dr. the people who will watch the Jose P. Rizal Monument outside concert will enjoy and hopefully the Carson Community Center be inspired. We want them to on 801 E. Carson St. in Carson, feel that the time, money, and California. This will be followed effort they spent were all worth by a wreath-laying ceremony, it.” and a program that highlights And the three songs that their leadership awards in three mean so much to him? categories: Community Leader1. This Is The Moment. “This ship, Youth Achievement, and song jumpstarted everything Heroism. for me. I owe everything I have Headliners for the program in my career to this song.” are singers Fe de los Reyes and 2. I Believe I Can Fly. “This Miguel Vera. Other performsong has been my best ers are the CSU Long Beach weapon. It was my audition Filipino American Coalition, piece when I joined Star In A Shane Selloria, Jason Farol, Million, and this was also the Kindreds of Carson, and former song I sang during the Wildcard “Fil-Ams Got Talent” chamcompetition.” pions Charishma Marquez, 3. Pagbigyang Muli. “I can Shekinah Austria, and Therese say is my biggest original hit Masangcay. Keynote speaker that is why this song is so speis Asian Pacific Studies Profescial to me.” sor Dr. Mary Talusan-Lacanlale.
Consul General Adelio Angelito Cruz and Councilmember Elito Santarina will also grace the kick-off. Daly City celebrates Filipino-American History Month via Kasayahan sa Daly City at the Marchbank Park from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be food trucks, a family fun zone, arts and crafts, a jump house, a beer garden, several vendor booths, a bubble machine, and
entertainment from homegrown talent. Parking is free at the DC Station Garage on 2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard, and Marchbank Park is accessible on the second floor. This is a free event, and everyone is invited. Entertainment throughout the day will be provided by Melvinsings! Maddie B, Kariktan Dance Company, American Continued on Page 5
Asian Songbird Regine Velasquez to perform R30 concert on Oct. 14 at Pala
PALA, CA — Asian songbird Regine Velasquez will perform her popular R30 concert, celebrating her 30 years in show business, at 6 p.m., Sunday, October 14, in the Events Center at Pala Casino Spa & Resort. The R30 concert follows the Filipino singing star’s career from a promising contestant in talent competitions to her rise as the reigning Asian queen of pop. A special guest will be her husband, Ogie Alcasid, who is an accomplished singer, songwriter and stand-up comedian. Velasquez will perform all of her international hits including “Urong Sulong,” “Isang Lahi,” “Kung Maibablik ko Lang,” “You Made Me Stronger,” and “What Kind of Fool Am I” as well as “I’m Telling You” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” which won the Grand Prix Award in the 1989 AsiaPacific Pop Music Competition that earned her recognition as “Asia’s Songbird” from the Asian media. Regine Velasquez 6:00 P.M., Sunday, Oct. 14 Pala Casino Spa and Resort Events Center Tickets: $125, $98, $78, $68 Tickets on sale, with no service charge, at 10 a.m., Friday, August 24, at the Pala Box Office, www.palacasino.com and 1-877-WIN PALA (1-877946-7252). Tickets also are available at www.startickets. com and 1-800-585-3737. Pala is located in Northern San Diego County; from San Diego/Riverside, take I-15 to Highway 76 east five miles; from Los Angeles County and Orange County, take I-5 south to Highway 76 east, then travel 23 miles. Pala is 15 miles north of Escondido, 12 miles south of Temecula. Address: 11154 Highway 76, Pala, CA 92059 Telephone: 1-877-WINPALA (1-877-946-7252) Web site: http://www. palacasino.com Additional Shows and Events Coming to Pala: • Fall In Love Vietnamese Concert, 7:30 p.m., Saturday,
September 1, Events Center. Tickets, $100, $60, $50, $40, at www.startickets.com. • Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, 8 p.m., Friday, September 7, Starlight Theater. Tickets, $75, $65, $55 at www. startickets.com • KC and The Sunshine Band, 8 p.m., Friday, September 14, Starlight Theater. Tickets, $70, $65, $60, at www. startickets.com. • Ken Jeong, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, September 22, Starlight Theater. Tickets, $40, $35, $30, at www.startickets. com. • Billy Ocean, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, October 6, Starlight Theater. Tickets, $60, $45, $35, at www.startickets.com. • Oktoberfest, 1 p.m., Saturday, October 13, Starlight Theater. Tickets, $45, at www. startickets.com. Pala Casino Spa & Resort includes a Las Vegas-style casino with 2,250 slot machines, 84 table games, eight poker tables and a 15,000square-foot smoke-free casino area; a 507-room hotel; five swimming pools with two hot tubs and 14 luxury cabanas; a 10,000-square-foot, full-service spa and salon that features 17 treatment rooms, two cabanas and a state-of-the-art fitness center. Pala also offers 10 restaurants and 40,000 square feet of meeting and convention
space. Pala Casino Spa & Resort is an AAA Four-Diamond Award winner for 15 consecutive years. . Its state-of-theart Pala Spa was named the number one spa in the casino industry and number two spa in North America for 2017 by Spas of America. The ranking marked the twelfth consecutive year that Pala Spa has been ranked in the Top 100 and Top 10. The new Pala RV Resort opened May 23, 2016, and offers 100 parking sites for RVs and trailers from 55 to 70 feet and full-service amenities for RVers. Pala RV Resort has been rated a perfect 10/10*/10 by Good Sam, the national RV Resort rating publication for three consecutive years. Trailer Life and MotorHome magazines awarded Pala RV Resort its Gold Awards for 2016 and 2017 as Best RV Resort Casino and Best Campground Resort. On June 15, 2018, the RV Resort received the Platinum Reader’s Choice Favorite Snowbird Destination for California award from RV West, the national online RV magazine. Pala Casino Spa & Resort was voted Best Casino in San Diego by the public in the 10News.com annual A-List poll sponsored by KGTV-TV 10 News in San Diego. For more information, visit http://www. palacasino.com.
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entertainment 5 Fil-Am contributions take front... The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 19, 2018
From Page 4
Center of Philippine Arts, Rudy Kalma, Mike Dayao, Guji, and more. Headliners to perform at the TFC Hour are “Queen of Freestyle� Jocelyn Enriquez and rapper and spoken word artist Ruby Ibarra. For more information about this event, call (650) 991-8001 or go to their Facebook events page here. “12 Million� – a glimpse into the Filipino diaspora through story and song, will be shown in Los Angeles and in the Bay Area on October 20 and 27, respectively. Through artistic expressions of music and drama, the show will offer a glimpse into the real-life experiences of Filipinos from across the globe. “12 Million� will be shown in at the Aratani Theater at Little Tokyo on 244 San Pedro St., Los Angeles, CA on October 20, and at the Terra Nova Theater on 1450 Terra Nova Blvd., Pacifica, CA on October 27, 2018. For tickets and other inquiries, visit www.anglahiexploits.com. On October 27, the 9th Annual Larry Itliong Day Celebration will be held at the Veterans Park, 22400 Moneta Avenue, also in Carson, California. The event is from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. with the 2018 Larry Itliong Labor Awards as highlight of the day. Speakers for the day are: Johnny Itliong, director of the Larry Itliong Foundation through Education, and son of labor leader Larry Itliong; Fernando Chavez, founder of the Chavez Law Group and son of union leader and labor organizer Cesar Chavez; and Historian Roger Gadiano, who is also a member of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) – Delano chapter. Silakbo sa Mik Tinig, a local group who performs socially relevant raps about immigration, women, and demilitarization will be performing on that day. An expression of culture and the recognition of Filipino American contributions take centerstage in these various cel-
ebrations of Filipino American History Month this October. Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kasayahan-sa-dalycity-tickets-49059261572 for more information on the Daly City Filipino American History Month celebration. To learn more about the City of Car-
son’s Kick-Off and Larry Itliong Day Celebration, call (310) 952-1743 or http://ci.carson. ca.us/content/files/Recreation/ upcoming/phiamerihistory.pdf. And visit http://www.anglahiexploits.com for more information about “12 Million.�
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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 19, 2018