SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 1, 2019 Volume 29 - No. 76 • 4 Sections – 30 Pages
DATELINE
USA
FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
Hate crimes up 2.6% in Los Angeles County, highest amount since 2009
Anti-Asian hate crimes experience a slight increase according to new hate crime report
US Senate panel approves entry ban on PH officials behind De Lima detention by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
pine government officials involved in the “politically-motivated” detention of Philippine senator Leila De Lima. Durbin, who was among the U.S. senators that called for the release of De Lima earlier this week, proposed the amendment along with U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy.
UNITED States Senator Dick Durbin on Friday, September 27, lauded the US Senate Appropriations Committee THE Los Angeles County Commission on Hu- for passing an amendment that seeks man Relations (LACCHR) released its annual tal- to ban the entry into the U.S. of Philiply of reported hate crimes in Los Angeles County and presented a 2.6% uptick in 2018. California state law classifies a hate crime as any incident in which “bias, hatred or prejudice based on a victim’s real or perceived race/ethnicity, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender or sexual orientation” are a main or substantial aspect of an offense. Spoken or written hate speech, i.e. slurs and derogatory epithets, are only classified a hate crime if there is a threat of violence attached to the offense since such language on its own “is protected by free speech rights.” In numerical measures, the county experienced 521 total reported hate crimes in 2018, which is the most since 2009. Racially-motivated hate crimes comprise the largest chunk of all hate crimes (52%) and rose 11% in 2018. The report found that blacks (African Ameri- File photo shows President Rodrigo Duterte and his partner Honeylet welcoming U.S. President Donald Trump prior to the start of the gala dinner u PAGE A4 hosted by the Philippines for the leaders of the Association of Southeast
Jollibee completes Coffee Bean acquisition Palace reciprocates Trump’s admiration for Duterte: He loves him too
“Good to see the Senate Appropriations Committee pass my amendment with @SenatorLeahy today to prohibit entry to any Philippine government officials involved in the politicallymotivated imprisonment of Filipina Senator Leila De Lima in 2017,” he said in a tweet.
Palace: US panel move an ‘insulting, offensive act’ Malacañang, for its part, described the U.S. panel’s approval of the amendment a “brazen attempt” to meddle into the Philippines’ domestic affairs, saying it treats Manila as an u PAGE A2
Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states and dialogue partners at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on November 12, 2017. Malacañang photo by Ace Morandante
PHILIPPINE fast food giant Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) has completed its $350-million acquisition of American beverage and food retailer Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (CBTL), marking it as the company’s largest acquisition to date. Jollibee on Tuesday, September 24, disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) that it has completed all the necessary closing conditions for the deal, including government approvals, provided by the purchase agreement. CBTL will be the company’s second largest business after Jollibee. It will add 14 percent to Jollibee’s global sales and 26 percent to its total store network. It will also boost the share of Jollibee’s international business to 36 percent of worldwide sales. According to Jollibee, the CBTL acquisition will enable the company to become an important player in the large, fast-growing, and profitable coffee business. “[It will] bring JFC closer to its vision to be u PAGE A3
by DARRLY JOHN
ESGUERRA
Inquirer.net
A MESSAGE TO INVESTORS. President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his speech during the Golden Topper Corporate Launch at the Aseana Business Park in Parañaque City on Wednesday, September 25. Local and foreign investors can profit in the Philippines as long as they play by the rules and back government’s fight against corruption, Duterte said. Putting the fight against corruption, criminality, and illegal drugs at the forefront of his endeavors, the president assured investors that, under his tutelage, he would not tolerate abuses in the government. Malacañang photo by King Rodriguez
Palawan among CNN Travel’s most beautiful islands list
MANILA—”I think he loves him too.” This was the response of Malacañang spokesman Salvador Panelo on Thursday, September 26, to U.S. President Donald Trump’s expression of admiration for President Rodrigo Duterte. In a tweet Wednesday, September 25, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. said Trump had told him that he “loves” Duterte whom he called, “Frank Sinatra.” “You know who I mean?” “Uh.” I remembered— Duterte joined Pilita Corales in song at ASEAN. “I love that guy,” Locsin wrote. In 2017, Duterte sang during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gala dinner at the Mall of Asia SMX Convention Center, granting the re- CNN travel enthusiast Jen Rose Smith calls Palawan “a gorgeous haven of pale sand and clear Photo courtesy of DOT u PAGE A2 water.”
MANILA — The Philippine government, through the Department of Tourism (DOT), welcomed the continuous recognition of Palawan for its pristine beaches and clear water with CNN Travel recently citing the island’s allure to foreigners. “Our rehabilitation efforts to preserve the beauty of Palawan did not go unnoticed. We are thankful for this CNN citation of our tourist destinations,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said on Thursday, u PAGE A3
Henry Sy’s children top Forbes PH richest list Honasan: ‘Trust AFP to by AJPRESS A NEW generation of tycoons entered Forbes magazine’s 2019 Philippines Rich list on Wednesday, September 25, with the children of late tycoon Henry Sy nabbing the top spot with their combined net worth of $17.2 billion. The Sy siblings — Teresita (Sy-Coson), Elizabeth, Henry “Big Boy” Jr., Hans, Herbert, and Harley — replaced their father in holding the No. 1 position in Forbes’ list after the SM group patriarch passed away early this year. Henry Sy was the country’s richest man for 11 consecutive years. The Ty siblings of GT Capital — ArFormer Senate President Manny Villar remains the richest man in the Philippines, but his thur, Alfred, Alesandra and Anjanette fortune is still eclipsed collectively by the children of the mall magnate that used to hold the — also debuted on the list, placing 9th title, according to Forbes.com. The children of late tycoon Henry Sy are together worth $17.2 with a combined net worth of $2.6 bilbillion, according to Forbes’ “Philippines’ 50 Richest.” Villar, however, tops the list in terms lion. of individual wealth, with an estimated worth of $6.6 billion. This was over a billion dollars “They succeeded their father higher than an earlier estimate released by Forbes in March this year, which put the former George Ty, who built GT into a major lawmaker’s fortune at $5.5 billion.
Infographic courtesy of Philstar.com
conglomerate with interests in autos, banking, insurance, power generation and real estate,” Forbes noted. The list can be found at www.forbes. com/philippines and in the October issue of Forbes Asia. Included in the top top 10 richest in the Philippines are: • Sy siblings; U.S.$17.2 billion • Manuel Villar; $6.6 billion • John Gokongwei, Jr.; $5.3 billion • Enrique Razon, Jr.; $5.1 billion • Jaime Zobel de Ayala; $3.7 billion • Lucio Tan; $3.6 billion • Tony Tan Caktiong; $3 billion • Ramon Ang; $2.8 billion • Ty siblings; $2.6 billion • Andrew Tan; $2.55 billion. The Campos siblings — Jocelyn, Joselito and Jeffrey — entered the list at No. 23 with their combined net worth of $650 million, replacing their late family matriarch Beatrice Campos of pharmaceutical giant Unilab. u PAGE A3
adopt due diligence’ on deal with China-linked telco by PATHRICIA
ANN V. Inquirer.net
ROXAS
MANILA — Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gregorio Honasan II defended on Friday, September 27, the deal between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the country’s third telecommunications player backed by the Chinese government. Honasan, a retired Philippine Army officer, said the public should trust that the AFP did not blindly accept the deal. But he also said the disclosure of the project could have been premature. “This is not new. Kaya lang siguro baka premature ang disclosure (However, maybe the disclosure was premature). But trust our Armed Forces to adopt due diligence, hindi naman ‘yung bulag silang pumasok dyan (it’s not as if they accepted the deal blindly),” the former senator said in an interview on the sidelines of u PAGE A3
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From the Front Page
US Senate panel approves entry...
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“inferior state.” “It seeks to place pressure upon our independent institutions thereby effectively interfering with our nation’s sovereignty. It is an insult to the competence and capacity of our duly constituted authorities as such act makes it appear that this US Senate panel has the monopoly of what is right and just,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement Friday. “t is an outright disrespect to our people’s clamor for law and order. It treats our country as an inferior state unqualified to run its own affairs,” he added. However, Panelo said the Philippine government will respect the American lawmakers’ democratic processes, and will not perform any “repulsive action” for the passing of the amendment. “We shall respect their democratic processes, be these in the form of a congressional measure or an immigration policy. We shall leave it to the international community to ascertain which nation values the rule of law in accordance with the principle of state sovereignty,” he said. Panelo also reiterated that De Lima is not a “prisoner of conscience.” “She is being afforded all her rights to due process and has in fact availed of available legal remedies under our procedural rules,” he said. “We continue to mind our own business, as each nation has enough problems that its government should focus on. We hope that the Senate panel of the United States of America shares
Opposition Senator Leila de Lima, in a blue power suit, smiles and waves at well-wishers after attending the continuation of the trial of one of the trumped-up illegal drug trading cases filed against her at the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court Branch 256 on Wednesday, September 25. Senate photo
the same policy,” the spokesman added. LP welcomes US show of support The opposition Liberal Party (LP), meanwhile, welcomed the U.S. Senate’s move to bar entry to the U.S. of local officials involved in De Lima’s detention. “We do not consider the U.S. Senate’s action as an interference in the affairs of a sovereign state. Human beings everywhere – regardless of ethnicity, nationality, class, religion, or gender – must speak out against mass murder,” said LP President Sen. Francis Pangilinan. “We welcome this move of the
U.S. senators, an act of solidarity not only for Senator Leila de Lima, but for all the murdered victims, and their orphans, widows, and mothers and fathers, who are now doubly burdened by the absence of a loved one and in many, many cases a family breadwinner,” he added. According to Pangilinan, LP was encouraged that a growing number of world leaders acknowledge the unjust detention of De Lima for standing up against the mass murder of Filipinos. “This U.S. Senate action, as well as the Iceland UN resolution, shows that we are not alone in this fight,” he said. n
Palace reciprocates Trump’s admiration for... PAGE A1 t
quest of Trump. Panelo claimed that the two leaders shared “mutual admiration” due to their similar leadership style. “Let me tell you this, you know if you recall, the style of the president came much earlier than Trump. Before Trump, there was Duterte. We are all surprised that their style is the same. Of course, if you have the same style you will have a mutual admiration,” Panelo said, speaking partly in
Filipino. The two leaders, both known for their tough-talking persona, won their respective presidencies with campaigns with populist fury against political elites and a spill of controversial remarks. Then-U.S. President Barack Obama was one of Duterte’s drug war critics, causing the Philippine leader to threaten to cut ties with the country’s longtime ally. The two nation’s relationship recuperated under the presidency
of Trump, whom Duterte regarded as his “friend.” But Malacañang insisted that Duterte’s pivot to nontraditional Philippine allies Russia and China did not affect the longstanding PhilippineU.S. relationship. “The president has said that it does not mean that just because I am dealing with Russia and China, our relationship with U.S. is broken, it is still there. As long as it is beneficial to us, we’ll always be open,” Panelo said. n
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Dateline USa
LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • SEptEmbER 28-OctObER 1, 2019
A
6-year-old Fil-Am is top chess player in US at his age Chinese patrols at contested reefs signaling sovereignty OAK PARK, Illinois – A sixyear-old Filipino American chess player is now the highest rated player at his age in the whole country, according to the latest United States Chess Federation (USCF).
In the September ratings, U.S.-born whiz kid Scott Matthew Escalera ranked 22 in the under 7 group. But Escalera topped at his age with ELO 1311 with a 62 points difference against the closest
In the USCF September ratings, U.S.-born whiz kid Scott Matthew Escalera ranked 22 in the under 7 group. Contributed photo
contender, James Stewart of Connecticut with ELO 1249. His proud father, Ren Vincent Escalera, originally from Cagayan de Oro City, credited his son’s feat to his cousin Jaime Joshua Frias II. The latter trained Scott through online chess programs in winning the March 2019 Illinois K-8 State Chess. Scott, he says, truly enjoys the game and just keeps playing and learning moves. Scott was named as the most active chess player in the Academic and Fiscal Year Leaders for Regular and Dual Rated Games in the State of Illinois, playing 231 games from June 2018 to May 2019. He is currently the K1 State Champion, the only ever Kindergartener to play Board 1 at his school and district wide. Scott has won 96 trophies, 36 medals, several certificates and ribbons, and some cash and checks in the 18 months of playing chess. (Inquirer.net)
Henry Sy’s children top Forbes PH... PAGE A1 t “The Sy, Ty and Campos siblings are among the six newcomers on the list which also included three self-made entrepreneurs,” Forbes said. One of the self-made entrepreneurs is logistics and energy tycoon Dennis Uy who made the list after net assets of his Udenna group rose 28 percent in 2018. He placed 22nd on the list with a net worth of $660 million. Forbes also noted the 21 of the 50 billionaires that added to their fortunes.
“They included Manuel Villar, who remains at No. 2 with a net worth of $6.6 billion, John Gokongwei, Jr., who retains his No. 3 spot with $5.3 billion, up from $4.4 billion, and Enrique Razon, Jr., who rose one position to No. 4 at $5.1 billion, up from $3.9 billion,” it said. Meanwhile, among the listees who saw their fortunes decline is Tony Tan Caktiong (No. 7), whose net worth was down $850 million to $3 billion after his fast food chain Jollibee took a hit in July 2019 after announc-
Honasan: ‘Trust AFP to adopt... PAGE A1 t a cybersecurity forum organized by the Stratbase ADR Institute. AFP signed last September 11 a memorandum of agreement with Dito Telecommunity Corp., formerly known as Mislatel, allowing construction of communication facilities in military camps and installations. An intelligence official called the deal a “recipe for disaster” while Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana was reportedly unaware of the agreement. For Honasan, the deal was no cause for concern as other telco companies have done this since 1981. However, admitting he was not privy to details of the deal, the nation’s Information and Communications Technology chief said his department would not issue an official stand on the agreement until AFP finishes its own assessment.
Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gregorio Honasan II Inquirer.net photo by Pathricia Roxas
Dito is a consortium of Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Udenna Corp. and Chinese government-owned China Telecom. The consortium is led by Davao-based businessman Dennis Uy, an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte. n
Jollibee completes Coffee Bean... PAGE A1 t one of the top 5 restaurant companies in the world in terms of market capitalization,” the company remarked. CBTL ended August 31 with 1,180 outlets, 336 of which are company-owned while 844 are franchised. Of these, 288 are in the US, 439 in Southeast Asia (Philippines 150, Indonesia 88,
Malaysia 100, Singapore 65), 301 in East Asia (South Korea 290), 152 in the Middle East and other parts of Asia (Kuwait 36, Qatar 28, Saudi Arabia 16, Egypt 13, India 25). In 2018, CBTL booked a net loss of $21.38 million. Jollibee aims to turn its fortunes around in 12 to 18 months. (Ritchel Mendiola/AJPress)
ing the $350-million acquisition of loss-making Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Forbes’ list was compiled using information from the individuals, stock exchanges, analysts, private databases, government agencies and other sources. Net worths were based on stock prices and exchange rates as of the close of markets on September 6. Private companies were valued by using financial ratios and other comparisons with similar publicly-traded companies. n
by AJPress THE Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) on Thursday, September 26, observed that several China Coast Guard vessels patrolling in the South China Sea appear to want to be seen. According to the Washington-based think tank, the vessels are largely unarmed, except for water cannons and small arms, but are much larger than the law enforcement or most navy ships of their neighbors, making them ideal for operations that might involve threatening collisions and, if necessary, shouldering other vessels to drive them away without using lethal force. “What really sets the vessels patrolling Luconia, Second Thomas, and Scarborough apart is that it appears they want to be seen. Most commercial vessels over 300 tons are required to broadcast [automatic identifi-
cation system] AIS for collision avoidance, but military and law enforcement vessels have discretion about when and where to do so,” the AMTI noted. “CCG vessels elsewhere in the South China Sea often do not broadcast AIS or do so only when entering and leaving port. But those patrolling Luconia Shoals, Second Thomas Shoal, and, to a lesser degree, Scarborough Shoal appear to broadcast far more frequently,” it added. The AMTI said there was at least one ship broadcasting from Luconia on 258 of the last 365 days, one at Second Thomas on 215 days, and from Scarborough for 162 days. The vessels patrolling Luconia, Second Thomas (Ayungin Shoal), and Scarborough (Panatag Shoal) most often belong to the Shicha II and Zhaolai classes. The AMTI also reported that China’s Shicha II-class Haijing
3308 has been patrolling Luconia, Second Thomas, and Scarborough in the past year based on its AIS signal. This ship is one of the CCG vessels that have been harassing a drilling rig operating for Vietnamese oil and gas in the South China Sea, since June. The ship also made use of the Chinese port facilities at Subi Reef, one of the “big three” islands in the Spratlys, between patrols. “This patrol pattern highlights an important CCG objective in the South China Sea — to create a routine, highly-visible Chinese presence at key sites over which Beijing claims sovereignty but does not have any permanent facilities,” the AMTI said. It also noted that CCG vessels frequently broadcast AIS while patrolling Scarborough, but not as consistently as they do at Second Thomas and Luconia. “This may be because, un-
u PAGE A4
Palawan among CNN Travel’s most beautiful... PAGE A1 t
September 26. The island of Palawan, described as “a gorgeous haven of pale sand and clear water”, was listed by the CNN as one of the 10 ‘World’s Most Beautiful Islands’. Palawan, which was also featured in the popular Spanish series Money Heist for its postcard-ready landscape, is home to impressive limestone cave systems. CNN’s Jen Rose Smith noted that Palawan’s “most remarkable hiding place might be in
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where an underground river slips through a maze of limestone caverns.” Romulo-Puyat, for her part, lauded local government efforts in promoting sustainable tourism and practicing the carrying capacity of the country’s longest subterranean river even before it was a norm. The coastal province of Palawan hosts a multitude of tourist attractions in Puerto Princesa, El Nido, Coron, and the emerging
San Vicente, an identified tourism enterprise zone. Joining Palawan in the CNN list are Milos, Greece; Bartolomé, Ecuador; Fregate, Seychelles; St. Lucia, Lesser Antilles; Jura, Scotland; Komodo Island, Indonesia; and Kaua’i, United States. Last July, Palawan, along with Cebu and Boracay, were included in the 2019 Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards. At the T+L list, Palawan ranked second on the 15 Best Islands in the World list. (Joyce Ann L. Rocamora/PNA)
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As health care costs rise, workers at low-wage firms may pay a larger share by Michelle
Andrews Kaiser Health News
HEALTH insurance premiums and deductibles for job-based coverage edged upward in 2019, surpassing increases in both wages and inflation, according to an annual employer survey of more than 2,000 employers released Wednesday. But the results were uneven, and many workers least able to afford it were confronted with higher-than-average costs. People at companies with large numbers of lower-wage employees faced bigger deductibles for single coverage and were asked to pony up a larger share of their incomes to pay premiums than those at firms with fewer people with low earnings, according to the annual employer health benefits survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.) The survey defined companies with many lower-wage workers as those with at least 35% of employees earning $25,000 or less annually. This includes many restaurants and retail businesses, personal care service companies, and building and grounds cleaning and maintenance businesses, among others. More than 150 million people get health coverage through plans offered by their jobs. The survey found that the aver-
age family coverage ran $20,576 in 2019, a 5% increase over last year. Workers paid nearly 30% of the total, or $6,015, on average. The average premium for single coverage rose 4%, to $7,188, and workers paid $1,242 of that amount, or about 18% of the total. During the same period, inflation and wages grew at a slower rate, rising 2% and 3.4%, respectively, a pattern that has remained consistent over the past several years. The average deductible for single coverage was $1,655, an amount that has increased by more than a third in the past five years. More than 40% of covered workers had deductibles of at least $2,000 in 2019. Many workers face charges in addition to a deductible. Eightyfive percent of covered workers owed more if they were hospitalized. The amounts varied depending on the plan, from an average 20% coinsurance charge to an average $326 copayment. Twothirds of covered workers also faced a $25 copayment for doctor’s office visits, while a quarter faced a coinsurance charge of 18%, on average. As presidential candidates discuss adopting a “Medicare for All” approach that would move people into government-sponsored coverage, one of the arguments against it is that people would lose their employer-spon-
sored insurance. But employer coverage varies. “There are a lot of people who feel pretty well serviced by their coverage,” said Gary Claxton, a senior vice president and director of the Program on the Health Care Marketplace at the Kaiser Family Foundation, who co-authored the study and an accompanying article in the journal Health Affairs. “But there are a lot of people for whom it’s a little more challenging in terms of affordability and the protection their coverage provides.” Fewer workers at companies with large numbers of lowerwage workers were eligible for coverage in the first place, the survey found. Overall, 57% of companies offer health insurance to their workers. But only twothirds of workers at lower-wage firms that offered coverage were eligible for it, compared with 81% of workers at other firms, according to the survey. Companies may restrict coverage for workers who are part-time, temporary or newly employed, for example. Workers allowed to sign up for a lower-wage firm’s plan may find it takes a relatively bigger bite out of their paychecks than workers at other companies. While the total premium for coverage at these companies is less on average than premiums at companies who have few lowwage earners, workers must pay a bigger share of the cost. For family coverage, workers are on the hook for 41% of the full cost, or $7,047, compared with a 30% share for workers at other firms, or $5,968. (Workers’ share of the premium for single coverage is much less varied: 18%, or $1,245, at companies with few low-wage workers versus 19%, or $1,168, at companies with many low-wage workers.) “Costs are prohibitive when workers making $25,000 a year have to shell out $7,000 a year just for their share of family premiums,” Drew Altman, KFF president and CEO, said in a press release announcing the study’s release. One way to help reduce the costs for lower-income workers is to base the amount of their premium contributions on their wages, said Brian Marcotte, president and CEO of the National
HYBRID RICE IMPLEMENTATION. Department of Agricuture (DA) Secretary William Dar (center) and Henry Lim Biong (left), SL Agritech Corporation CEO and Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship Foundation, Inc - Go Negosyo founder and chairman, sign a memorandum of understanding at the DA central office in Quezon City on Wednesday, September 25, for the implementation of the hybrid seed program in the country. Dar said there is a need to improve rice production for farmers to increase their income through the use of inbred and hybrid seeds. PNA photo by Rico H. Borja
States target vaping with bans In California, the action is local
by AnA
B. iBArrA Kaiser Health News
STATES are piling on. Michigan took the first statewide shot at vaping early this month when it announced a ban on the sale of flavored e-cigarette products. It was soon joined by New York, and Rhode Island jumped in Wednesday. Massachusetts went further, announcing Tuesday that it would prohibit the sale of all vaping flavors and devices for four months. But in California — which prides itself on progressive policies — lawmakers this year punted on a proposal for a statewide ban on flavored tobacco products. California Gov. Gavin Newsom this month added that he didn’t have the authority to enact a flavor ban, as others states have, and instead announced funding for a new public awareness campaign and increased enforcement of the sale of e-cigarettes. In the absence of a statewide ban — and as the number of people getting sick or dying from Door hangers supporting Juul-backed Proposition C can be found across San Francisco with Photo by Hannah Norman/Kaiser Health News vaping mounts — California cit- language like “Stop Teen Vaping.” ies and counties are stepping in, products is the best way to safe- ban in place for the sale of flaincluding major population cen- guard our youth and protect the vored tobacco in unincorporated ters such as San Francisco and general public from significant areas — now wants to ban all Los Angeles. health risks,” Feuer said. e-cigarettes. A San Jose City Local governments are takDr. Tony Kuo, director of the Council member has proposed a ing the lead because they have division of chronic disease and similar measure. to, said Tom Butt, the mayor of injury prevention at Los Angeles But these communities must Richmond, Calif., which recently County’s Department of Public brace themselves for an ineviadopted a sweeping ordinance Health, said the ban on flavored table fight with Big Tobacco and that bans the sale of all vaping u PAGE A5 products starting Jan. 1. The ban tobacco products is needed in the vaping industry. response to the growing outSan Francisco-based Juul was modeled after the one San break of vaping-related respira- Labs, the manufacturer of the Francisco adopted in June. tory illnesses. most popular e-cigarette, has al“That’s where change hapThe Centers for Disease Con- ready spent millions to promote pens first, in the cities,” Butt trol and Prevention is investigat- Proposition C, a measure on said. “Some states and particu- ing 805 cases of vaping-related the November ballot that would larly Congress are really slow to lung illnesses in 46 states, in- overturn the city’s e-cigarette act on things like this.” cluding at least 12 deaths, that ban. San Francisco’s Board of Livermore’s City Council ap- have been linked to both nicotine Supervisors approved the ban proved a similar ban, and the and cannabis vaping products. in June but it doesn’t take effect San Joaquin County District At- California officials are investigat- until early next year. torney’s Office expects to pres- ing nearly 100 cases. They have Meanwhile, Livermore has to ent one to county officials for not yet been able to connect the place its ban on e-cigarette sales consideration within the next few illnesses to a particular flavor or before voters after Juul successmonths. chemical. fully pushed a referendum to Nearly 50 California jurisdicOf the two deaths related to keep the ban from taking effect. tions prohibit or restrict the sale the illnesses in California, one Residents will vote in March. of flavored tobacco products or occurred in Los Angeles County. The Vapor Technology Asare considering ordinances. E-liq“Even before that, we were sociation, a Washington, D.C.uids, which are heated in vaping monitoring the expansion of based lobbying group, said it addevices and can contain nicotine the e-cigarette epidemic among vocates for sensible regulation or marijuana, come in flavors like youth,” Kuo said. in local governments, but wants strawberry-pineapple and sweet Recent federal data funded by to keep flavors as an option for desserts. Health officials are con- the National Institute on Drug adult consumers. cerned that the flavors appeal to Abuse show that 25% of this It filed a lawsuit recently teens and preteens. year’s high school seniors and against New York’s statewide On Tuesday, the Los Angeles 20% of 10th graders report- flavor ban. County Board of Supervisors is ed vaping nicotine in the past “We stand ready to work with expected to hold a final vote on month. That’s more than double individual cities and counties on a proposal to ban the retail sale the use reported in 2017. thoughtful and effective regulaof all flavored tobacco products In addition to cities and coun- tions that restrict youth access, in the county’s unincorporated ties that already adopted ordi- preserve flavored alternatives for communities, home to about 1 nances, a handful of California adult smokers seeking to quit, million people. communities are considering and allow legal and responsible In the city of Los Angeles — flavor bans, while a few others vape small business owners the with a population of about 4 mil- are looking to follow San Fran- ability to continue to operate in lion people — City Attorney Mike cisco with an outright ban on all a regulated market,” Tony AbFeuer is also calling for action. vapes. boud, executive director of the “Enacting a citywide ban on A supervisor in San Mateo Vapor Technology Association, the sale of all flavored tobacco County — which already has a u PAGE A5
Chinese patrols at contested reefs signaling... PAGE A3 t like those other reefs which are effectively administered by the Philippines and Malaysia, China is firmly in control of Scarborough,” the AMTI said. The AMTI pointed out that
China appears to be wagering that if it can maintain a semipermanent CCG presence for long enough, regional states will eventually accede to its de facto control of those areas. “And if that strategy succeeds
at Luconia and Second Thomas (as it arguably already has at Scarborough), it will serve as a compelling blueprint for extending Chinese administration across other reefs and shoals,” it further said. n
Hate crimes up 2.6% in Los Angeles County, highest... PAGE A1 t can and Afro-Latinx) were not only disproportionately the targets of racially motivated attacks but also anti-LGBT attacks. Crimes against the LGBT community rose 20%, and 72% of these crimes were violent in nature. Regarding anti-Asian hate crimes, the number jumped slightly from 18 in 2017 to 19 in 2019. Although the Asian community were the targets in only 7% of reported racially-charged hate crimes, the LACCHR believe that underreporting of these incidents runs rampant among the API community due to “linguistic and cultural barriers, immigration status, unfamiliarity with the justice system and fear that reporting hate crimes could bring retaliation or unwanted publicity.”
“The troubling rise of these acts of hate must be met with unwavering condemnation,” said LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis at a press conference unveiling the report on Wednesday, Sept. 25. “We must come together in solidarity to combat racism and bigotry head-on. As part of this ongoing effort, we must also initiate honest conversations and build bridges of understanding with one another and tear down walls of fear and division.” Solis announced that she will introduce a motion at a Board of Supervisors meeting on October 1 “that will launch LA County’s first anti-hate initiative” which would take a look at the ways in which residents report hate crimes. While the report sheds light on some concerning trends, local
law enforcement and elected officials lament the crimes which are not being reported. According to an U.S. Dept. of Justice estimate stemmed from a national survey, 54% of hate-motivated incidents (which includes hate crimes) were not reported between 2011 and 2015. “The steady increase in hate crimes in our county is alarming. As this report shows, hate not only impacts our most vulnerable residents, but it also has a devastating impact on all families and communities. We must fight intolerance with unity. It is our duty to ensure that seeds of hate are not planted in our society by redoubling our efforts to ensure that no hate acts go unreported,” LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said. The commission noted that
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Hate crimes up 2.6% in Los Angeles County, highest... PAGE A4 t undocumented immigrants of all communities may be hesitant to report hate crimes for fear of deportation or other consequences related to their status as undocumented. But Solis said at the press conference that information on a victim’s citizenship status will not be shared with immigration officials. “There is an underreporting of crimes within the immigrant community and we know that, and that’s why it’s important for us to bolster our support with law enforcement agencies and that they are also well-trained and know that any reporting won’t be used against [undocumented victims] or deferred to ICE or other immi-
gration authorities,” Solis said. As law enforcement and lawmakers pointed out, the county’s rise in hate crimes coincides with those of other major cities and counties across the U.S. Just south of LA County, Orange County also experienced a massive uptick in hate crimes, going from 67 reported hate crimes to 165 reported hate crimes, an “alarming” 37% increase in just one year, according to the Orange County Human Relations Commission. These trends contradict the decrease in hate crimes nationally, which calls into question the enormity of hate incidents and hate crimes occurring in areas that have higher concentrations of
minorities. Those who spoke at Wednesday’s press conference made no bones about the motivations behind these hate crimes, referencing the controversial and often coarse rhetoric delivered by President Donald Trump directed at immigrants, the Latinx community and other minority groups. “All of us know fully well what is going on and this environment continues to motivate individuals to act out, be it through physical attacks or language,” Solis said. “All I can say is that words hurt and they matter, but when it’s physical, even more so. One assault on one group is an assault on all of us.” (Klarize Medenilla/ AJPress)
States target vaping with... PAGE A4 t
said in a statement. Joseph Ditre, an associate professor of psychology at Syracuse University, said it makes sense that local governments and states are seeking solutions, but added that they should consider potential consequences. “One concern would be a rise in the underground market and bootleg products,” he said. “It doesn’t take long to search the internet and find recipes to making nicotine juices that can be used in almost any vaping device,” Ditre said. Butt, the mayor of Richmond, acknowledged the possibility of a rise in black-market products, but “the alternative is to do nothing,” he said. “What we’re doing is not per-
fect, it’s not going to solve all the problems, but it’s better than doing nothing.” State Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) said statewide action would be more effective and harder for the industry to battle than local efforts. In the state legislative session that just ended, Hill introduced a bill that would have prohibited the sale of flavored tobacco products across California. Strong opposition from the vaping and tobacco industries resulted in amendments that watered down the bill to exclude menthol-flavored tobacco, flavors for hookahs and any other flavored products that existed before 2000. Disappointed with the changes, Hill decided to pull his bill from consideration this
year. Even a moderate proposal by state Assemblyman Adam Gray (D-Merced), which would have added restrictions on the sale and advertisement of vaping products, could not make it out of the legislature this year. Hill plans to come back with a stronger version, one that will include all flavors —with no exceptions. “The crisis is becoming more evident,” he said. “Addiction is more real and the deaths are becoming almost a daily event, so we have to take some action or we’re not responsible legislators.” This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation. n
As health care costs rise, workers at low-wage...
PAGE A4 t Business Group on Health, which represents the interests of very large employers, mostly with at least 10,000 employees. In 2019, about a third of those employers used a wage-based sharing formula to calculate employee costs. Though typically applied to premium contributions, such a model may also be used to determine deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums or the amount an employer contributes to health savings accounts. Deductibles are more prevalent and may be more costly at lower-wage firms than at companies with higher wages. The deductible for single coverage, for example, is at least $1,000 more
on average at lower-wage firms: $2,679 vs. $1,610. Given the likelihood of the expense of premium contributions and deductibles, perhaps it’s no surprise that many workers at lower-wage companies choose not to sign up for coverage even if it’s offered. Only a third of workers at such companies that offered health insurance signed up, the survey found. At higher-wage companies, the figure was significantly more: 63%. This year, for the first time since the Affordable Care Act was passed, workers no longer faced a tax penalty for not having health insurance. Nine percent of employers with at least 50 work-
ers that offered health insurance reported they thought the elimination of the penalty reduced the percentage of workers who signed up for coverage. In addition to being unaffordable for many people, coverage at these lower-wage firms may not be especially comprehensive, Claxton said. “Premiums are lower in lowwage companies because the coverage probably isn’t very good,” he said. “Basically, the company is saying [to workers], ‘Don’t buy it,’” said Claxton. “And they don’t.” This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation. n
LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • SEptEmbER 28-OctObER 1, 2019
A
New law allows foreign schools to establish presence, collaborate with PH universities by Darryl John
EsguErra
Inquirer.net
FOREIGN universities may now establish branch campuses in the Philippines and collaborate with local higher education institutions after President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law a measure seeking to enhance the global competitiveness of the country’s higher education. Under Republic Act 11448 or the Transnational Higher Education Act which Duterte signed on Aug. 28, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is mandated to formulate a coherent national strategy to encourage and facilitate the establishment of the most effective forms of transnational higher education programs and institutions. ThenewlawallowsForeignHigher Education Institutions (FHEIs) to engage in the business of providing educational services in the Philippines through various modes or through an arrangement with a local higher education institution in accordance with the Constitution. It allowed FHEIs to establish branch campuses in the Philippines through a local partner, at least 60 percent owned by Filipino citizens, duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Department of Trade and Industry, as the case may be. “The local branch shall be managed and administered jointly by the parties, subject to the provisions of the Constitution on control and administration of educational institutions. The local partner shall be accountable for assuring the quality of the programs offered,” the law stated. Transnational Higher Education Institutions (TNHEIs) may offer undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate degrees in the Philippines, the law said, adding that the CHEd may determine the propriety of offering other specialized courses, including Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Medicine by qualified institutions, by qualified institutions. Meanwhile, Philippine HEIs with programs recognized by CHED may also offer services offshore provided that they will preserve the reputation of the Philippines as a provider of quality higher education as well as abide by the laws and rules and regulations of the host country. The law also mandated the cre-
ation of the Transnational Higher Education Division under the CHED International Affairs Staff to formulate policies and guidelines in the operations of TNHE programs, accept and process applications of local and foreign universities for authority to operate and evaluate the performance of TNHEIs. Concerned government agencies and local government units
are mandated to expedite the processing of applications, documents, and permits for foreign universities to establish and operate education and auxiliary services in the country. Revenues and assets of nonstock, nonprofit TNHEIs which are used actually, directly, and exclusively for educational purposes shall be exempt from taxes and duties, the law stated. n
A september 28-october 1, 2019 • LA WeeKeND AsIAN JoUrNAL
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Trillanes summoned over kidnapping case MANILA — The Department of Justice has summoned former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV over the police’s kidnapping with serious illegal detention complaint against him. Assistant State Prosecutor Gino Paolo Santiago issued a subpoena against the former opposition lawmaker for a preliminary investigation on October 11
at the DOJ office in Padre Faura. “You are hereby warned that failure on your part to comply with the subpoena shall be considered as waiver of your right for investigation to verify and confirm the allegations of your complaint and the case shall be considered submitted for resolution based on the evidence on record,” Santiago said.
Last month, the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group accused Trillanes of violating Article 267 of the Revised Penal Code over the alleged kidnapping of Guillermina Lalic Barrido, also known as Guillerma Arcillas. Barrido claimed she was kept in a convent in December 2016 and barred from leaving until she signed an affidavit. Others named as respondents are Fr. Albert Alejo, lawyer Jude Sabio, a certain “Sister Ling” of the “Convent of Cannussian Sisters” in Makati City and other unidentified persons. The order named in the CIDG complaint does not exist although there is a Canossian Daughters of Charity convent in Paco, Manila. Trillanes earlier slammed the complaint against him as a clear case of “harassment and persecution of Duterte against his critics.” (Gaea Katreena Cabico with File photo shows former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV with defeated senatorial candidate Florin a report from Kristine Joy Patag/ Hilbay. Philstar.com photo by Geremy Pintolo Philstar.com)
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PCOO BUDGET DELIBERATION. Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martín Andanar (right) presents the proposed 2020 budget of the PCOO proper and its attached agencies, during the deliberation presided by Senator Richard Gordon at the Senate on Thursday, September 26. Also present during the hearing (from left) are News and Information Bureau Director Virginia Arcilla-Agtay, PCOO Assistant Secretaries Joseph Lawrence Garcia, Kris Ablan, and Ramon Cualoping III; and Undersecretaries Raquel Tobias and Marvin Gatpayat. PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan
Amended law now includes protection of sources for broadcast, online media by Ritchel
Mendiola AJPress
BROADCAST and online journalists are now covered by a bill protecting journalists from being forced to disclose their sources. According to a copy of the measure made public by Malacañang on Wednesday, September 25, Republic Act (RA) No. 11458, an amendment to RA No. 53 or the Sotto law, was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on August 30. The Sotto Law only used to cover print journalists from being compelled to reveal their sources, unless the court or Congress determines that disclosure is demanded by the security of the state. Under the new law, any media practitioner from television, radio, online, and wire service news organizations can now protect their confidential sources. “Without prejudice to his liability under the civil and criminal laws, any publisher, owner, or duly recognized or accredited journalist, writer, reporter, contributor, opinion writer, editor, columnist,
manager, media practitioner involved in the writing, editing, production, and dissemination of news for mass circulation, of any print, broadcast, wire service organization, or electronic mass media, including cable TV and its variants, cannot be compelled to reveal the source of any news items, report or information appearing or being reported or disseminated through said media, which was related in confidence to the abovementioned media practitioners unless the court or the House of Representatives or the Senate or any committee of Congress finds that such revelation is demanded by the security of the State,” the amended law read. According to Senate President Vicente Sotto III, the grandson of the late Senator Vicente Yap Sotto who was the main author of the Press Freedom Law, Duterte signing the measure “is proof that this government will never waver from its responsibility to protect journalists from legal and security threats.” He also thanked Duterte for acknowledging the law’s signifi-
cance. “I have always been and will always be a strong advocate of the freedom of information and an avid guardian of the rights that our journalists justly deserve,” Sotto said Wednesday. He also noted that the Philippine media would “always thrive in the freedoms that our forefathers have sought and successfully won to ensure democracy in our country.” Sotto was the one who introduced the Senate measure to expand the original law, saying the expansion was necessary as advances in technology had also expanded the coverage of mass media. Sen. Grace Poe, who sponsored the measure in the previous Congress, welcomed the enactment of the measure. “The freedom of the press and the right of the public to know are fortified when the media is able to gather and report news unimpaired and unafraid,” she said, noting that anonymous sources have played important roles in exposing anomalies and corruption. n
Duterte to evaluate suspension of foreign aid order - Palace by Ritchel
Mendiola AJPress
PReSIDeNTIAL Spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Tuesday, September 24, said President Rodrigo Duterte will evaluate his directive suspending aid agreements with countries in favor of the Iceland-led resolution seeking a probe into the Philippines’ war on illegal drugs. This is after the defense department made an appeal to exempt military deals from Duterte’s memorandum. “The president is a very reasonable man. If it involves national security, he might. I do not know yet, we have to wait for his thoughts on the matter,” said Panelo at a press briefing. “We will wait for the... evaluation of the secretary of national defense... I’m certain the president will evaluate it,” he added. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Tuesday, September 24, pointed out that Duterte’s order does not cover buying of key defense equipment from any particular state, as it is only for grants and loans.
He maintained that the defense department will abide by the president’s order but said he will request for an exemption for loans pertaining to defense contracts. “We are going to request for an exemption because we really need to transact business with other countries,” Lorenzana said at a forum of the Association for Philippine-China Understanding in Mandaluyong City. “We are now in the process of talking with the Australians about the building of our six offshore patrol vessels. We’re going to buy that. I will talk again with the higher ups on how we can go around the directive of the president. But we will follow the directive,” he added. In July, Iceland filed a resolution calling on rights chief Michelle Bachelet to investigate the human rights situation and prepare a comprehensive report to be presented before the United Nations Human Rights Council. The 18 countries who voted favorably for the resolution calling for a “comprehensive report”
on the human rights situation in the Philippines were Argentina, Australia, Austria Bahamas, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Fiji, Iceland, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Slovakia, Spain, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Uruguay. The 14 countries who opposed were Angola, Bahrain, Cameroon, China, Cuba, egypt, eritrea, Hungary, India, Iraq, Qatar, the Philippines, Somalia and Saudi Arabia, while the 15 others that abstained from voting were Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, Democratic Republic of Congo, Japan, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Togo and Tunisia. In light of the administrations’ strong rejection of the resolution of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Malacañang issued last August 27 the memorandum directing agencies to suspend negotiations for and signing of all loan grant agreements with the governments of countries that cosponsored and voted in favor of the resolution. n
Sandiganbayan denies anew Napoles bid to dismiss plunder case by GabRiel
Pabico Inquirer.net
lalu
MANILA — The Sandiganbayan has denied again the motion of convicted pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles seeking to dismiss a plunder case filed against her, saying the arguments mentioned were mere “reiterations of things already discussed.” According to the resolution of Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division dated September 19, Napoles’ claims that the “information” does not charge anyone, and that no main plunderer was named in the case have already been resolved. “An examination of the present motion to dismiss shows that the matters raised therein are mere reiterations of the issues raised in the motion for reconsideration filed by the same accused, which had been exhaustively discussed in several resolutions issued by this Court,” the document penned by Division chair Associate Justice Rafael Lagos said. The resolution also noted that the evidence presented by the prosecution is enough, if not rebutted by the defense, to convict the accused. “This Court maintains its conclusions that the present Informa-
Pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles
tion afforded all of the herein accused of their constitutional right to be informed of the nature and cause of accusation against them and that the prosecution was able to present satisfactory evidence, which if unrebutted can support a judgment of conviction,” Lagos added. Napoles is accused of providing P55.79 million worth of kickbacks to former Sen. Jinggoy estrada, in exchange of the latter’s move to allocate his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to various bogus non-government organizations owned by Napoles.
Inquirer.net photo
She was already convicted in a separate plunder case, this time with Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla. Revilla was acquitted in the case while his aide, lawyer Richard Cambe, was found guilty with Napoles. The main plunderer issue has been raised by Napoles’ camp several times, insisting that there is a need to name such accused. They are using a dismissed plunder case against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, where Sandiganbayan was ordered to name a main plunderer. However, Sandiganbayan in-
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A
House asked to probe swine fever outbreak by edu
Punay Philstar.com
INCREASING SIN TAXES. Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair Sen. Pia Cayetano holds a press conference with Finance Undersecretary Karl Chua and Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo on Senate Bill No. 1074, seeking to increase excise taxes on alcohol, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco products (HTPs). Senate photo
Duterte to have bilateral meeting with Putin by Christina
Mendez
Philstar.com
MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte will be speaking at the plenary session of the Valdai Forum, a first for a Philippine president, before holding bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his five-day state visit next week in Russia. “At the invitation of President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation, President Duterte will participate in the Valdai Discussion Club plenary session in Sochi on Oct. 3,” Malacañang announced on Friday, September 27. Ma. Amelita Aquino, assistant secretary for European affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), said Duterte, along with Putin and other invited leaders, will speak during the plenary session of the Valdai Forum. “The Valdai Discussion Club is one of Russia’s prominent and respected think tanks and discussion groups. It organizes annually the Valdai Forum where top Russian and international officials as well as policymakers, academics and journalists are invited,” Aquino said at a briefing in Malacañang. The Valdai Discussion Club is a think tank closely associated with Putin, whom Duterte has described as his “idol” and “hero” during the early years of his presidency. According to the chief of presidential protocol and presidential assistant on foreign affairs Robert Borje, the president’s speech will take off from the theme, “World Order Seen from the East.” “So, he is expected to give his perspective or vision of the world order as it is emerging right now
and how this relates to Philippine foreign policy. Of course, we can surmise that the president will include in his statement an explanation of his independent foreign policy,” Borje said. “And since he will be talking to specific groups particularly intellectuals, academicians, journalists from Russia, then he is expected to also provide an overview of how important Philippines-Russia relations are at this point,” he added. Duterte had moved to strengthen diplomatic ties with Russia and China, veering away from the United States and other Western countries, since he assumed office in 2016 and pursued an independent foreign policy. While Manila warmed relations with Beijing and Moscow, the President has also been attacking the U.S. and members of the European Union for questioning how he deals with the drug menace in the country. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Defense Secretary Deflin Lorenzana and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III are among the members of the official delegation. Malacañang said no member of the First Family is joining the President on the state visit. Duterte will also give a brief lecture at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, deemed as one of the most prestigious and leading institutions in Russia in the area of diplomacy and international affairs. He will also be interacting with the Filipino community, composed of 7,000 workers, caregivers and office executives.
Fourth bilateral meeting According to Aquino, the highlight of the trip will be the President’s bilateral meeting with Putin “where they will discuss the state of our bilateral relations and how both sides can further enhance and expand our cooperation in various areas.” “They will also exchange views on regional and global developments and other issues,” he said. It will be the fourth meeting of the two presidents. Duterte and Putin first met in November 2016 on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru and then the visit to Russia in May 27. They met again on Nov. 27 on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Da Nang, Vietnam. Duterte had to cut short his trip in 2017 after war broke out in Marawi. Business forum, Filcom and trade agreements Duterte and Putin will also witness the exchange of several bilateral agreements covering practical areas of cooperation such as culture, health and basic research, among others. In Moscow, the DFA said Duterte will attend the Philippines-Russia Business Forum to promote trade and investment opportunities between the two countries. It will also serve as a venue for networking between Russian and Filipino businessmen. Aside from this, the Bayanihan Dance Co. and the Philippine Madrigal Singers will showcase before Russian audiences, as well as other guests, the richness of Philippine culture through dance and music. n
MANILA — Militant lawmakers on Friday, September 27, pushed for a legislative inquiry in the House of Representatives on the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) that threatens the country’s hog industry. Through House Resolution No. 383, Bayan Muna party-list Reps. Carlos Zarate, Fernando Gaite and Eufemia Cullamat asked the House committee on agriculture and food to look into the spread of ASF. “It is now apparent that the deadly disease poses a massive threat to the whole swine industry, including the pockets of everyone involved in the business of producing and selling pork,” the lawmakers stressed. They said the country’s swine industry is estimated to have about 850,000 active sows in commercial-sized piggery farms and 600,000 active sows in backyard piggery farms scattered all over the country, producing a combined 3.5 million finishing pigs for meat consumption annually. “The infected areas are a few towns in Bulacan and some in Rizal but given the proximity of pig growers within an area, including the backyard raisers, the infection will most likely spread like wildfire. Most of the backyard growers with 30 or less heads to feed rely on pig swills and whose growing practices devoid of conformity with generally accepted operations may contribute to the spread of the deadly disease,” the lawmakers lamented. But even before their proposed investigation in aid of legislation could start, the militant lawmakers already pinned the blame on the Department of Agriculture (DA), particularly former secretary Emmanuel Piñol, for the entry of ASF in the Philippines. The House panel is set to tackle the resolution in a hearing set on Oct. 2. Bulacan livestock affected Barangay officials of Bulihan in Plaridel town have confirmed that ASF has already affected the livestock industry in their village. The revelation came as the barangay officials and five Bulacan reporters were summoned to the office of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFMS) after one of the village
officials was accused of threats and intimidation during a news coverage on the foul smell emanating from burial pits for swine affected with ASF. At the office of PTFMS, the barangay officials, led by chair Esperanza Garcia, admitted that cases of ASF have affected their village and that more than 1,000 affected livestock were buried in three pits. This is the first time that an ASF incident occurred outside Barangay Pritil in Guiguinto
town, they confirmed to Bulacan media. Bulacan officials have been silent on the issue of ASF in the province, neglecting to issue advisories on the status of the swine disease. Noel Reyes, DA spokesman, when asked on the ASF situation in Bulacan replied in a text message that reporters better inquire with the provincial swine task force. The apparent news blackout on ASF cases in Bulacan nearly
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A8 SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 1, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL
OPINION
An elusive ‘queen’
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FEATURES
DETAILS about the operations and influence of a woman tagged as a “drug queen” are trickling out, and the sources seem to be in agreement about many of the points. The inevitable question is why various law enforcement agencies have failed to arrest Guia Gomez Castro despite her years of alleged notoriety. Castro, a former captain of Barangay 484 in Sampaloc, Manila, has a sufficiently clean record to be able to go in and out of the country. This month, according to immigration records, she returned to Manila from Vancouver, Canada before leaving again on Sept. 21 for Bangkok, Thailand. There is speculation that Castro may no longer return after top officials of both the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency identified her as the “drug queen” with a stable of rogue or “ninja” cops who “recycle” illegal drugs seized during police raids. On Thursday, September 26, PNP and PDEA officials said Castro is estimated to have earned about P1 billion since 2000 from selling the recycled drugs in the streets. For their efforts, the ninja cops have received gifts including Fortuner sport utility vehicles from the alleged drug queen, the officials said.
President Duterte has often lamented the difficulty of pinning down drug traffickers, who often know enough not to have the prohibited substances in their possession. But in the case of Castro, the protection she enjoys from rogue cops must be the main reason she has eluded arrest and prosecution. There are other ways, however, of pinning down suspected drug dealers and their protectors in government. While the country lacks laws against racketeering, criminals can be prevented from benefiting in any way from the proceeds of illegal activities. They can be pursued for tax evasion, money laundering and corruption offenses. Once appropriate charges are filed, authorities must immediately seek the return of Castro to the Philippines. She must be held accountable together with the law enforcement officers who protected their “queen.” (Philstar.com)
Editorial
Philstar.com photo
Cost of living and cost of dying
Street Talk GREG B. MACABENTA THE Philippines is where my wife and I would love to retire in, but I decided to check out other so-called retirement havens for comparison. An interesting source of information is “Cheapest Destinations Blog” by noted travel writer Tim Leffel. One particular blog - “The Cheapest Places to Live in the World – 2019”- caught my interest because of the following entry: “Easy Living in the Philippines - The current president of the Philippines makes Trump look like a stable genius by comparison and Manila is one of the most traffic-choked cities in the world, but get past those factors and this can be a desirable place to live for less. There’s a deep bench of smiling workers who have a native speaker level command of the English language. So this is probably the cheapest country in the world that’s English speaking, ideal for those who don’t want to learn a new language. Beer is often a buck in a bar and you can order a round of cocktails for the table without breaking the bank. “You’ve got plenty of CO islands to choose from. The expat crowd here is even more male-dominated than Thailand, however, with an uncomfortably
large percentage of retirementaged men who have female companions half their age or less. The overall mix gets a bit younger each year though, with more digital nomads finding this a good place to do staffing and lots of adventure travelers sticking around a while after they’ve explored different islands and found one that felt like paradise.” As a Filipino American, I couldn’t help a snicker over the blogger’s left-handed compliment for Trump and whatever he meant about Duterte. I did appreciate his overall assessment of our country, although I felt uneasy about the “large percentage of retirement-aged men who have female companions half their age or less.” The statement hit too close to home. Leffel also provided interesting insights on cheap destinations in Europe, Latin America and Asia where retirees can live comfortably — in fact, in relative affluence — for half the cost of living in the major cities in the United States. I found the information particularly reassuring because my wife and I, as well as our children and their families, currently reside in the San Francisco Bay Area which, along with New York, is considered one of the most expensive U.S. cities to live in. According to Leffel, “Nepal is probably the hands-down win-
ner in terms of what you get for your money. In most categories, this would be the cheapest country to live in you could find. If two of you were set up with $1,200 a month there—the equivalent of one Social Security check—you’d be part of the wealthy elite. One person could live on half that and still be eating well.” But, he added, “Oh, and the electricity and internet both go out on a daily basis.” In Manila, we are all familiar with brownouts — but, mercifully, not on “a daily basis.” I’ve often pointed out that, on the social security pensions that my wife and I receive, we can afford a live-in maid and a driver in Manila, and probably even a regular visit of a nurse. Leffel’s blog says the same about many other countries: “When I put in cost of living estimates here of $1,000 a month for one or $1,500 for two, as an example, assume that’s leading a reasonably comfortable life without making lots of sacrifices. Obviously if you’re willing to truly live like a local who is earning half that amount, you can get by for far less. You could find plenty of places in the world where your neighbors are literally earning a few dollars a day. It doesn’t take a lot to be upper middle class if you’re earning a few hundred dollars more a month than your average local. If you can live on their terms, you can
get by on what they do. Most people who say, ‘I’m living in Mexico on $500 a month’ when they argue with me are doing just that.” And speaking of Mexico, while Leffel does not consider it “the absolute cheapest country to live in,” it should be particularly attractive to Pinoys in America. Its proximity to the US makes a trip to Mexico about the price of flying domestic. Wrote Leffel, who says he lived for some time in Mexico, “As a family of three we lived on $2,100 a month in Guanajuato when we were renting a fourbedroom apartment, before we bought a house. Now two of us will probably average $1,800 a month in expenses with paying all medical costs out of pocket, having a maid two times a week, having a handyman come to do improvements or repairs, and traveling a lot within the country. We aren’t very frugal at that level either because we don’t need to be. We can eat out constantly, go to cultural events, and enjoy life to the fullest…. Because the Mexican currency has dropped so much against the dollar, it is cheaper here now than when I first visited in 2002. The peso generally trades between 18 and 20 to the dollar now. This makes our closest neighbor to the south a screaming bargain anytime you go to a restaurant, buy a beer, take a taxi, get a haircut, or hire a carpenter.”
Another source on the cost living in Mexico states: “In general, a typical retired couple can expect to live comfortably in Mexico on about $2,500 a month, all in. This includes a nice home, plenty of dinners out, entertainment, travel, and help around the house. Cost of living, however, does vary slightly depending on where you live.” In this regard, Leffel cautioned: “Just understand that I’m talking about Mexico away from the tourist resorts. Los Cabos could cost you as much as your current home and it’s not such a bargain in Playa del Carmen or Puerto Vallarta. You need to go inland or to a beach without a lot of moneyed tourists around.” At any rate, living in Mexico for a Fil-Am sounds almost like living in Manila. What’s more, Pinoys look physically like most Mexicans. As former colonies of Spain, we also share many of the same religious traditions. And Tagalog and even the Visayan vernaculars have many Spanish words that make it easy to learn the language. Of course, the presence of relatives and old friends make the Philippines a more attractive retirement place for Pinoys like us. Note, however, that the Philippines isn’t even in the list of the 20 cheapest countries in the world to live in. But even with the relatively low cost-of-living in the Philippines, the low wag-
es and the constantly increasing prices of essentials, make them difficult for the average wage earner to afford. In sum, the cost of living in the Philippines, while not the lowest in the world, is low enough for a middle income Filipino in America to afford – in relative affluence – although not necessarily so for the average Mang Karyas and Aling Opring. But what about the cost of dying? The numbers make retiring and spending one’s last days in the Philippines even more appealing for the aging Fil-Am. According to figures sourced from the National Funeral Directors Association the average funeral in California costs from $8,000 to $10,000. That’s over P400,000 to half-a-million pesos based the average pesodollar exchange rate. In contrast, the average cost of a middle-class burial in the Philippines is between P50,000 and P100,000, depending on the choice of casket, funeral services and other trimmings. It can even be more affordable for those who arrange sakla and pusoy sessions, along with the grieving. Such a bargain prompted a mischievous advertising friend to offer an idea for a tourism ad: “It’s more fun in the Philippines. People are dying to retire here.” (gregmacabenta@hotmail. com)
A true friend is never a sycophant
Commentary
RAMON TULFO A PALACE memorandum that orders the rejection of loans and grants from countries that support a United Nations (UN) resolution to investigate the Duterte government’s war on drugs is unfortunate. “Unfortunate,” I say, because Executive Secretary Salvador “Bingbong” Medialdea, who’s probably the most incompetent presidential chief of staff in Philippine history, apparently signed it for the President without consulting the Big Boss. At least three of Medialdea’s fellow Cabinet members— Foreign Secretary Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin Jr., Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo — have contradicted the order. Locsin said the president’s order did not reject but only suspended (underscoring mine) negotiations for loans or grants
pending evaluation. Lorenzana said the memo should not have been issued at all since Australia, one of the countries that signed the UN resolution, has a defense cooperation agreement with this country and one of its largest sources of official development assistance. Panelo made the same clarification as Locsin’s. President Digong is better advised not to entrust Medialdea with signing executive orders on his behalf without first consulting him. Important decisions affecting the nation should not be entrusted to a single individual, much more so if that individual is not so bright. If there is no time for the president to be consulted and there is urgency to pass an executive order, the opinions of other Cabinet officials should be heard. Medialdea may be primus inter pares among all Cabinet officials but they are also his equal. If Bingbong doesn’t under-
stand that Latin phrase, it means “first among equals.” *** This is not the first time that Medialdea has arrogated unto himself the power of presidential imprimatur by affixing his signature to it. The other one involved his issuing a memo enjoining all government agencies to support the Phisgoc Foundation, a private entity. There was no need for that memo as the government already has the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizational Committee (Phisgoc) that funds the preparations for the games to the tune of P6 billion. Because of that memo, Phisgoc Foundation — which, I repeat, is a private entity — was able to collect close to P1 billion from private corporations. When DU30 learned that a private entity was collecting money for the games, he said that only the government should take care of the preparations for the Southeast Asian Games.
Supalpal si Bingbong. His memo has been countermanded by no less than the president himself. *** I know that with this latest tirade against him, Bingbong will retaliate by filing another libel case against this columnist with the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office. So far, he has filed three libel cases against me. Doesn’t he ever get tired of doing that? Aside wasting his time that should be spent on official pursuits, his health suffers doing that. Every time he goes to the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office, he does so on government time. Bingbong is escorted by Palace guards and other sycophants who work under him at the Office of the President. He huffs and puffs, lumbering toward the Assistant Prosecutor’s Office to sign his affidavit. One of my assistant prosecutor-friends told me, “Hirap na
hirap maglakad si Sir Medialdea (He labors in his walk)” — apparently because of his corpulent frame. When he takes the elevator to go up to the Manila City Hall’s third floor, where the prosecutors’ offices are, he rides alone as the ancient lift can accommodate only four passengers. Bingbong has the weight of three persons. *** Taking a cue from Medialdea, other government functionaries — Sandra Cam of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Caesar Dulay, Immigration Officer Erwin Ortañez, BIR Executive Assistant Don Samson — have followed suit. Former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, who was dismissed for incompetence, has also slapped me with several libel charges on my series of exposés about him. I would be a hypocrite if I said that I’m not affected by the nu-
merous libel cases. Affected but not deterred. I am doing my duty as a journalist, who exposes the warts and imperfections of society, and as a taxpayer. When Duterte, in his modest home in Davao City before he was inducted into office on June 30, 2016, asked me to join his Cabinet, I courteously turned him down. I told him I was more useful to the country as a columnist than as a Cabinet member; aside from the fact, I told him, that I was not qualified to be one. I told then-President-elect Digong I would be more effective as an outsider looking in, a fiscalizer rather than an alter ego. But I would continue to be his real friend, I told Digong, as only a genuine friend can tell him frankly when he’s wrong and praise him when he’s right. A true friend is never a sycophant, as he has no personal or vested interest to protect. I am that kind of friend to the president. (ManilaTimes.net)
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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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • SEptEmbER 28-OctObER 1, 2019
A
Only PH, China vote against UN rights resolution on Rohingya Muslims by PatriCia lourdeS Philstar.com
LOSING BATTLE. Residents help firefighters battle the fire that razed several houses along San Marcelino Street in Manila on Thursday, September 26. ManilaTimes.net photo by DJ Diosina
Contraceptive use low among sexually active Filipinos — poll by Sheila
CriSoStomo Philstar.com
MANILA — As the world faces overpopulation, the Philippines has registered low contraceptive use with a measly number of sexually active Filipinos “unfailingly” using protection during intercourse, a health survey showed. A survey released on Friday, September 27, by health maintenance organization PhilCare showed that only one in 10 sexually active Filipinos uses contraceptives. The PhilCare Wellness Index covered a total of 1,350 respondents nationwide. Of the number, 820 have indicated that they are active sexually. However, only 13.23 percent of the 820 respondents admitted that they always used protection to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). On the other hand, total of 12.84 percent indicated that they used contraception with-
out fail to prevent unplanned pregnancy. According to lead researcher Fernando Paragas of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication, the PhilCare Wellness Index also involved a series of focus group discussions, where participants from different sectors delved on problems and solutions relevant to the goal of inclusive health care. “Overall wellbeing also includes preventing the spread of diseases like STDs, so it’s important that we gather relevant information to find solutions to this problem afflicting a growing number of Filipinos,” Paragas noted. The survey used a seven-point scale method wherein the respondents from key cities in the country were asked to give their choice among options such as “always, very frequently, occasionally, neither occasionally nor rarely, rarely, very rarely and never.” The study, however, showed
House asked to probe swine...
PAGE A7 reached a bloody confrontation between Bulihan barangay kagawad Arnel Gonzalez’s group and four Bulacan mediamen. The mediamen refused to accept the apologies of the barangay officials of Bulihan after their
experience in their news coverage in Plaridel town, which they described as harrowing and lifethreatening. Pigs, frozen ham seized Provincial officers in Lingayen, Pangasinan have seized and killed 60 pigs that were illegally
Viray
ONLY the Philippines and China voted against a United Nations resolution addressing the human rights situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar. The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), during its 42nd regular session in Switzerland, adopted a resolution supporting justice and accountability for Rohingya Muslims who have fled Myanmar’s Rakhine State to escape atrocities committed by state security forces. The resolution urged the Myanmar government to sustain democratic transition by bringing all national institutions, including the military, under a democratically elected civilian government, the UNHRC said on Twitter. A total of 37 member states voted in favor of the resolution while seven other countries abstained. Two countries — the Philippines and China — voted against it. Those who abstained from voting were Angola, Cameroon, Congo, India, Japan, Nepal and Ukraine. In March, the Philippines, along with China and Cuba, also voted against a resolution at the
UNHRC to condemn the continuing human rights abuses in Myanmar. In November, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. that abstention on a similar resolution at the UN General Assembly would be the right thing to do “in deference to the Muslim and nonMuslim member states of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).” He said then that a “yes” vote would be “divisive” and would “kill” ASEAN. A report from the Independent International Fact-finding Mission on Myanmar released last week found that 600,000 Rohingya remaining in the country continue to live under the threat of genocide. The mission found that “genocidal acts” in Myanmar’s “clearance operations” in 2017 killed thousands and pushed over 740,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh. “Myanmar should turn to the international community for assistance, and the international community should continue to provide its support for genuine efforts to address impunity and to promote justice in Myanmar,” the report read. The mission called on the
that the younger generation aged 18 to 30 years old gravitate toward using protection while having sex. Some 17.56 of them were using contraceptives as protection against STDs, while 15.69 percent did so to prevent pregnancy. As for those aged 31-40, 12.05 percent used protection against STDs, while 14.33 percent wanted to avoid pregnancy. The study showed that at PAGE A6 two public officers in this case are 48.75 percent, women have the sisted that in this present resolu- the main plunderers,” the court tendency to use protection more tion, as well in the past, that there added. regularly than men at 36.52 per- is no need to name a supposed Such measures were only recent. main plunderer as it is automati- quired in the Arroyo case as all Percentage wise, more Mind- cally the public official involved the accused were public officials anao respondents were found to — in this case, Estrada and former when the crime was committed, be always using protection dur- aide Pauline Therese Labayen. and therefore, would necessitate ing sex compared to the national Sandiganbayan showed a copy the need for naming mastermind average. of the case’s information, where or masterminds. Three of 10 or 26.84 of Min- Estrada and Labayen were named “The Arroyo case did not redanao residents who claimed to as the public officials who alleg- quire the identification of the type be sexually active said they used edly conspired with Napoles. of conspiracy. The reference to contraception to prevent preg“[…] Above-named accused the identification of whether there nancy. This is more than twice Jose “Jinggoy” P. Ejercito Es- was a wheel or chain conspiracy the national average of 12.84 trada, then a Philippine Senator, was only to properly identify the percent. n and Pauline Therese Mary C. La- main plunderer,” the anti-graft bayen, then Deputy Chief of Staff court said. “The Supreme Court noted that of Sen. Estrada’s Office, both public officers, committing the even an implied conspiracy may offense in relation to their respec- be alleged, as long as the main brought into the province amid tive offices, conspiring with one plunderer is identified and duly a strict local government prohi- another and with Janet Lim Na- proven as such,” they added. The hearing of the plunder case bition meant to address risks of poles and John Raymund de Asis […]” the information cited by the is expected to resume by October ASF. 7, as the court has denied the The pigs, which were found court said. “The emphasized portions of separate demurrers to evidence inside a private compound, were beheaded and buried in Mapan- the Information above show that filed by Estrada and Napoles in such Information alleges that the July. n dan town. n
Sandiganbayan denies anew...
UNHRC to continue monitoring the situation in Myanmar, to react early on signs of human rights crises and to take all steps necessary to prevent violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. n
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL RAIL AUTHORITY RFP NO. E745-20 ON-CALL PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING DESIGN SERVICES The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Authority) is seeking to retain a bench of qualified firms to provide on-call professional engineering design services. The period of performance for this project shall be for a three-year base period and one two-year option. Requests for Proposal (RFPs) may be obtained via download at: http://www.metrolinktrains. com/doing_business. (Vendors must register on the website in order to download the document). Electronic Proposal Submittals are due at 2:00 p.m. (PST) on October 3, 2019. The contract to be awarded is subject to a financial assistance agreement between the Authority and U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) under grants issued by the Federal Transit Authority. In conformance with the Authority’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Policy and Program, the Authority has established a 20% DBE contract-specific goal on this project. Prime Proposers will be required to either meet the DBE goal or submit a Good Faith Effort (GFE) demonstrating intent to meet the goal for their Proposal to be deemed responsive to DBE Program requirements. For further information contact: Wai Shong Chan, Contracts and Compliance Administrator at chanw@scrra.net. 9/28/19 CNS-3297216# ASIAN JOURNAL (L.A.)
A10 september 28-october 1, 2019 • LA WeeKeND AsIAN JoUrNAL
Dateline PhiliPPines
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House, Senate observe ‘ceasefire’ on 2020 budget by leilA
b. sAlAverriA Inquirer.net
LEADERS of the Senate and House of Representatives have agreed to a “ceasefire” on their altercation about alleged pork barrel insertions in the proposed 2020 budget, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said. “We agreed to have a ceasefire because individual members of the Senate and the House (of Representatives) who criticize one another do not represent the institution,” said Zubiri, who met
House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez on Wednesday evening, September 25. “I’m hoping cooler heads will prevail and no further comment would be made on this particular issue,” he added of the ceasefire widely seen as a bid among Congress leaders to avoid a repeat of last year’s delay in the budget’s approval. The House passed the 2020 budget bill on Sept. 20 after the president certified it as urgent and did away with the three-day rule.
The House also formed a committee that would accept amendments to the proposed P4.1-trillion budget after the third reading approval, a process objected to by Sen. Panfilo Lacson and one that Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon found “totally anomalous.” “No matter what they call it, it’s still pork and part of the patronage system so Congress would be pliant to the whims of Malacañang,” said Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate. n
Chinese envoy blames PH government for slow delivery of commitments — Palace by PAtriCiA lourDes
virAy
sador Zhao and he told me, “Your government requirements are MANILA — Philippine govern- stringent. There are a lot of proment processes slowed the down cesses),’” Panelo said in a press the process of China’s commit- briefing. According to Panelo, Zhao told ments to the country, this is what Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jian- him that the Chinese government hua previously told presidential does not have any issues with its processes. spokesperson Salvador Panelo. “Basta kami wala kaming probPanelo recalled his previous conversation with the Chinese en- lema, sabi nila. Palagi kaming okay voy when asked for comment on kayo ang mabagal, parang ganoon the recent remarks of Foreign Af- ang dating (We have no problem fairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on our side, they said. We are alon Beijing’s delivery of assistance ways okay, it’s you that are slow, that’s what it seemed to be),” the to the country. “Kasi hindi pa kumpleto. You Malacañang mouthpiece said. In a forum hosted by the Asia know why? One time kausap ko si Ambassador Zhao (Jianhua) Society Policy Institute in New sabi niya sa akin, ‘Papaano, ang York, Locsin told former Australian stringent ‘yung mga require- Prime Minister Kevin Rudd agreements ng gobyerno ninyo. Ang ments between the Philippines daming processes (Because they and China hardly materialized. “They hardly materialized, and are not yet complete. You know why? One time I talked to Ambas- if you were to compare it with Philstar.com
Senate’s blue ribbon and justice committees will invite Albayalde during the resumption of the hearing on the supposed anomalies in the New Bilibid Prison and the alleged existence of “ninja cops.” Photo courtesy of PNP
762 policemen on drug list
by DArwin
PesCo ManilaTimes.net
Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua Inquirer.net photo
Japanese investments and official assistance, nothing,” Locsin told Rudd. Locsin added that Japan has delivered more of its promises to the country compared to China. “It seems as if Japan, if there is a thing as a rising China, apparently there’s a phenomenon — there’s a book on it — on a rising Japan. And we’re feeling that,” the country’s top diplomat said. n
THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has placed under tight monitoring 762 police officers suspected to be involved in illegal drug activities, according to PNP chief Oscar Albayalde. Albayalde confirmed on Thursday, September 26, that he submitted the list of 762 policemen to President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, September 25. The list was drawn by the PNP’s Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG). Albayalde said IMEG was created in February this year “to monitor specifically itong tinatawag nilang (what people call) scalawags in our ranks.” The PNP said 22 policemen
by Artemio
DumlAo rominA CAbrerA Philstar.com
were also being monitored on suspicion that they were recycling seized drugs. Five of the 22 policemen are in Metro Manila, National Capital Region Police Office chief Guillermo Eleazar said. “We provided him (Duterte) the names and I also briefed him on the status of these ‘ninja cops,’” Albayalde told reporters in Camp Crame, Quezon City. Policemen who recycle illegal drugs seized during police operations were tagged as ninja cops. The PNP chief said it was up to the president whether he would disclose the names of those on the list. Albayalde noted that the policemen in the list would be given due process. Those who would be proven innocent would be delisted, he added. “There is a continuing process of adjudication,” Albayalde said. Since July 2016, 448 PNP personnel have been dismissed for involvement in illegal drugs. Albayalde said he also updated the president on the status of the PNP’s campaign against illegal drugs and erring policemen. The issue on drug recycling came to fore following reports that several policemen protected “drug queen” Guia Gomez Castro, who left the country last week. On Thursday, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año dared Castro to return if she is innocent. “Sagutin n’ya itong mga paratang sa kanya at kami rin magko-conduct din kami ng investigation even discreetly to
know kung totoo ito, sino mga contacts n’ya. Alam mo naman basta drugs kailangan tapusin natin ‘yan (She should answer all the accusations against her and we will conduct an investigation if this is true, who are her contacts. If it’s drugs we need to end it),” Año told reporters. Albayalde admitted that the controversy affected the morale of the police officers. Also on Thursday, Sen. Richard Gordon said it was possible that rogue policemen involved in illegal drugs helped Castro escape to prevent her from becoming a witness against them. “It could be a diversionary tactic or a way of eliminating a possible witness against senior [PNP] officials,” Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, said in a chance interview. Castro, the former head of Barangay 484, Zone 48 in Sampaloc, Manila, left the country on September 21. Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director Aaron Aquino said Castro bought seized crystal meth, locally known as shabu, from rogue policemen. “‘Di makaka-operate ‘yan kung wala talagang timbre sa malalaki (She cannot operate without the blessing of influential people),” he added. Detained Sen. Leila De Lima said Castro’s leaving the country “is questionable.” “Flight will always be associated with guilt. When one is innocent, he or she is fearless to confront the accusations against him or her,” De Lima added. n
Duterte creates National Council Against Child Labor by DArryl John
esguerrA
Inquirer.net
MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the creation of the National Council Against Child Labor to strengthen government efforts for the protection of children’s rights. In his Executive Order No. 92, signed September 17 and released Friday, Duterte reorganized the National Child Labor Committee which was created through a memorandum of agreement between various government agencies in 2011 as part of the Philippine Program Against Child Labor (PPACL) initiative. The newly-created council will be chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment and co-chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Develop-
ment. Two representatives from the employers’ sector and nongovernment organizations will likewise sit as members of the National Council Against Child Labor. EO 92 directs the council to formulate a framework, national action plan, and programs for the effective enforcement of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuses, Exploitation and Discrimination Act. The presidential order likewise tasked the council to create Technical Working Groups anchored on the strategic directions of the PPACL framework. All government agencies are instructed to support and assist the National Council Against Child Labor in fulfilling its mandate. n
Bello cancels ‘midnight deal’ in HK LABOR Secretary Silvestre Bello III has ordered the cancellation of what he called a “midnight deal” entered into by a recalled labor official in Hong Kong and a supplier of an online system used for the reporting and processing of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the autonomous Chinese territory. The decision came after a fact-finding team presented the findings of its probe on alleged irregularities in the procure-
ment of database service for OFWs at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (Polo). Bello also ordered a formal probe of former Hong Kong Labor Attaché Jalilo de la Torre to determine if he had any administrative and criminal liability. Last month, Bello constituted a fact-finding team to look into issues involving Polo officials and systems providers Employeasy Limited and Polaris Tools in Hong Kong. (Tina Santos/Inquirer.net)
Palace slams report on killings of PH eco warriors MANILA — Malacañang on Wednesday, September 25, blasted the environment and rights advocacy group Global Witness following its report that blamed the Duterte administration for the rise in the number of killings of environmental defenders in the country. “The Palace considers the UKbased group Global Witness as a purveyor of falsity and a subservient machinery for political propaganda. There is nothing new (in) its sham assertion which mimics the recurring chants of the usual derogators of PRRD,”
presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement. In its report, Global Witness said the Philippines was the deadliest country in the world for environment defenders after it recorded 30 killings in 2018. In 2016, 113 killings were recorded. “(President Duterte’s) aggressive rhetoric against defenders, coupled with the climate of violence and impunity fostered by his drugs war, has only made things worse,” senior Global Witness campaigner Ben Leather said. (Leila B. Salaverria/Inquirer.net)
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SHOWBIZ&STYLE
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Journal ‘Meeting Rosie’: A young Filipina American Angel bares plans after unveils art exhibit dedicated to grandma ‘General’s Daughter’ By Jan
Milo Severo Philstar.com
Rhizomes
AFTER her teleserye “The General’s Daughter,” Kapamilya actress Angel Locsin will be busy arranging her wedding with film producer Neil Arce. Speaking with reporters during the recent thanksgiving press conference of the series, Angel said she will be preparing for her wedding but she assured that she will go back to working before she ties the knot with Neil.
Prosy AbArquezDelAcruz, J.D. YSABEL Grace Simon opened her first solo art exhibit, “Meeting Rosie,” on Sept. 5 at the Philippine Consulate in New York. It was on exhibit from Sept. 2 to 20. ‘Umuulan ba?’ Is it raining? Rosie would ask Ysabel 10 times each day in August, the hottest month of 2019 in Los Angeles. Temperatures reached the 90s, yet the question persisted from Rosie. Is she recalling her days of looking after Ysabel after school? When Ysabel was under 10 years old, she spent afternoons at her Grandma Rosie’s house, doing homework. She got picked up from Miriam College (formerly Maryknoll) and her family visited Rosie on Sundays for meals together. When it rained, Rosie and Ysabel would watch the rains in silence, savoring each other’s presence. Rosie asked and asked again, “Is it raining?” Was her feeble, fragile mind trying to recall her past with Ysabel? “I grew up surrounded by schizophrenia. There was no stigma around mental illness, it can be fixed, like a common cold,” Ysabel stated while she saw those patients regularly and meeting them became a normal part of her childhood. The exhibit’s theme narrative read: “Rosie was born in 1936, in Cabanatuan, as Rosie Tanaka to a Filipina mother and a Japanese father. After she lost her sister and father during World War II, she with her mother escaped her hometown, changed her last PAGE B2
Jerry Sibal, Consul Arman Talbo, Consul General Claro Cristobal, Ysabel Simon, her parents Dodjie Simon and Dr. Elisa Simon and Edwin Josue.
Artist Ysabel Simon with Consul General Claro S. Cristobal
Ysabel Simon’s “Meeting Rosie” series showcased at the Philippine Consulate in New York.
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Angel Locsin
Photo from Instagram/@therealangellocsin
B september 28 - OCtOber 1, 2019 • LA WeeKeND AsIAN JOUrNAL
EntErtainmEnt
ABS-CBN chairman Mark Lopez, president and CEO Carlo Katigbak, chief operating officer for broadcast Cory Vidanes, head of international production and co-production division Ruel Bayani, Electric Entertainment chief executive officer Dean Devlin, actor Christian Kane, “Off Tropic” co-executive producer Francis de la Torre, and line producer Steve Lee. ABS-CBN photo
ABS-CBN levels up to Hollywood production by Lisbet
esmaeL ManilaTimes.net
HOMEGROWN media and entertainment giant ABS-CBN will soon make a name in the Hollywood production industry after clinching a deal to co-produce a U.S. crime drama. In a statement on Tuesday, September 24, the company said it sealed a partnership with California-based film and TV outfit Electric Entertainment for the crime series “Off Topic,” which will air in the U.S. via the cable firm WGN America. Electric Entertainment is the producer of hit television series, “The Librarians” which premiered its fourth season in December 2017, and “Leverage,” which aired from 2008
to 2012. The company has also produced movies including “Bad Samaritan,” which ran in cinemas in 2018. “This is a first of many strategic partnerships and collaborations with partners from all over the world and we are very thrilled that we are partnering with a formidable team to line produce the U.S. series for them,” ABS-CBN head of international production and co-production division Ruel Bayani said. Filipino-American producer Dean Devlin, chief executive producer of Electric Entertainment, said they are banking on the Lopez-led broadcast company’s expertise in the field for the U.S. drama, which will be set in Cebu. Shooting will start in November.
“We chose to partner with ABS-CBN because they have been so instrumental in the development of talent here both in front and behind the camera. I think they have the most experience and they have just been amazing partners. This is going to change the way people perceive the entertainment business in the Philippines,” Devlin said. The series’ production, which is targeted to start in November, will star a Filipina actress as the female lead, alongside American actor Christian Kane. ABS-CBN’s international coproduction division has other partnerships and collaborations with other companies from all over Southeast Asia, the United States, and Europe.
Antoinette named UN environment ambassador
THE United Nations Environment Programme has designated Antoinette Taus as National Goodwill Ambassador for the Philippines. Antoinette is an award-winning actress, singer, TV host, environmental advocate and founder of the non-profit organization CORA. She is the UN Environment Programme’s first National Goodwill Ambassador for the Philippines. The designation was made at a ceremony marking World Environment and Health Day in Manila on September 26. Antoinette Taus was conferred in a ceremony marking World Environment and Health Day in PAGE B3 Manila on Thursday, September 26. Photo courtesy of DOH
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Ask Alexa for a job at McDonald’s MCDONALD’S Corporation is now working with a voice millions know and love. Alexa can now assist with the first step of a McDonald’s restaurant job application, helping drive talent attraction worldwide through the McDonald’s Apply Thru skill. The world’s first voice-initiated application process, the McDonald’s Apply Thru, is available on Wednesday, September 25 as part of the recently launched Made at McDonald’s global hiring campaign that seeks to drive applications worldwide. “We must continue to innovate and think of creative, and in this case, ground-breaking, ways to meet potential job seekers on devices they are already using, like Alexa,” said McDonald’s Executive Vice President & Chief People Officer, David Fairhurst. “Alexa has many of the qualities we look for on our teams — friendly, responsive and fun. I am looking forward to having our application process simplified with Alexa.” Thanks to Alexa, starting a job application is as simple as saying “Alexa, help me get a job at McDonald’s.” Applicants can also use any device with
the Google Assistant built-in by saying, “Ok Google, talk to McDonald’s Apply Thru.” As the Apply Thru is further developed for the Google Assistant, the Action will be activated by simply saying, “Ok Google, help me get a job at McDonald’s.” The voice experience is available on Alexa and Google Assistant devices in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and the U.K. and is expected to roll out to other countries in the coming months. After opening McDonald’s Apply Thru, all users need to jump-start their application process is to answer a few basic questions ranging from their name, job area of interest and location. Potential applicants receive a short text message shortly thereafter with a link to continue their application process. “Alexa makes life easier, and we’re thrilled to see McDonald’s utilize voice to create a simpler, more convenient job application process for customers,” said Steve Rabuchin, Vice President, Alexa. “With Apply Thru, customers can start the process for a job at their nearest McDonald’s
restaurant – all they need to do is ask.” This move is part of the company’s larger Made at McDonald’s campaign, which highlights all the opportunities a first job, part-time job, or lifelong career at McDonald’s can create. A recent survey said more than 128,401 McDonald’s crew members have gone on to become nurses, 489,302 have made a career teaching and 2,403,460 have become entrepreneurs. With McDonald’s Archways to Opportunity education program, eligible employees at participating U.S. restaurants receive an opportunity to earn a high school diploma, receive upfront college tuition assistance, access free education and career advising services and learn English as a second language so they are set up for future success. Later this year, McDonald’s said it intends to launch a career navigation app in the U.S. that will allow eligible employees and the communities in which McDonald’s serves the chance to explore careers at McDonald’s and in other industries like healthcare and IT. (Advertising Supplement)
‘Meeting Rosie’: A young Filipina... PAGE B1 name, and lived in the big city where she helped her mother sell sandwiches to augment their income. Rosie had to start school as an older child. She worked hard, graduated top of her class, and became a nurse in the field of mental health. After the birth of her fourth child, she built a halfway house, first of its kind, to care for people with mental health problems. She worked until she couldn’t. She never even took vacations. After the halfway house’s 50th anniversary, Rosie officially retired in August 2018 and joined her daughter to live in the U.S.” “Do you know the significance of rains?” I asked Ysabel. Shaking her head for a no, I chimed in: “Rains are God’s blessings to us, a form of undeserved grace. Your name is Ysabel Grace, the middle name is a constant reminder that God is always blessing you.” “Ysabel’s new series entitled ‘Rosie’ was made under the guidance of the renowned NYbased American artist Howardena Pindell. Howardena’s works are part of the collections of the NYC Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Harvard’s Fogg Art Museum, Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Yale University Art Gallery, and many more. Howardena was also awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in painting,” Dodjie Simon said, describing the impressive body of work of his daughter’s mentor. She is more blessed to keep getting what she wanted. She secured the exhibition space for her first solo exhibit with her dad. When she was training to audition at the Fame High School in La Guardia, she spoke about her mom being supportive and got admitted. Even her brothers are fondly talked about as she got the support she needed from them. Joshua mounted the paintings, while Ely helped in outreach. “Ysabel Simon’s recent paintings on view at the Philippine Center show the love she has for her grandmother. Isabel is a wonderful painter who can capture the essence of her subject’s spirit through strong drawing and the careful manipulation of paint. I have watched her develop the work over the year. I call her a ‘master of hands.’ Her painting of hands and their expression surpasses anyone I know. The expression on her grandmother‘s face and the gesture of the hands brings the paintings to life. They
reveal her deep respect for family and for life,” said Professor Pindell of Stony Brook University. Child of privilege and propitious future? When Ysabel graduated in Chatham Middle School in New Jersey, she received an Outstanding Achievement in Fine Arts. That summer of 2012, she enrolled at the Art Students League of New York in Manhattan. She would do figure drawing and paint for four to five hours. After lunch, she took the subway to Queens and at Bridgeview School of Fine Arts, to paint for three to four hours or more. “I would cook dinner and sleep [on] the living room couch, as my mom was working and she had the bedroom in our apartment. I was given a map and I figured out the trains all by myself. I brought all my stuff, carrying my art box with art pads, portfolio, about 20 pounds, [on] the subway,” she recounted. I sensed no resentment, just a feeling of accomplishment on her part, “I had no complaints, it did not feel like work, it was fun.” She prepared for a three-part audition to get into the “The Fame School” (Fiorello H. La Guardia High School). It consisted of Part I: three drawings (live model, still life, composition in cray pas); Part II: written Q and A and an essay; and Part III: art portfolio and academic records. When her mom asked how the audition went, “I don’t know,” was all she said. A few days later, her dad received a call. Ysabel got wind of how voices quieted down. It was a call informing her dad that she was not accepted. Her choices would then be: Baruch High School or go back to New Jersey for high school. But, her brother was going to New York for college, while her parents would be working there too. She got quiet. Her dad quickly put the rejection call into perspective, “God has another plan.” Ysabel prayed for God’s plan to manifest in her favor. True enough, her character was tested, as the rejection call later became an acceptance call. Had Ysabel imbibed this rejection as a deficiency in her identity, what would have happened? Instead, her parents knew how to guide her with: “Leave it to God as God knows!” Thirty minutes later, the director admitted the mistake and called to inform Ysabel was accepted. She even excelled dur-
ing the audition for high school admission. Sounds of screams, then a dinner to celebrate. Her propitious future: ebbs and flows Ysabel went to New York. She took the train to high school from their apartment. It took her 45 minutes to an hour, one hour and a half to two hours, both ways on the train. She was so driven that she did not mind. I posed another question to her, “Are you not a child of privilege? How do you feel about that status in life?” Without any hint of being entitled, she wisely responded, “Yes, I am a child of a privileged family. We are blessed with so much. We don’t deserve all these things. I am living from the fruits of the hard work that my parents have done, [and still do] and my dad never lets me forget that part of our Filipino culture: to be humble and Godfearing.” Ysabel wanted her first solo exhibit to be about mental health awareness and destigmatizing it — it can be managed and it is simply a result of a chemical imbalance in the brains. She witnessed folks get well under her grandma Rosie’s care, and under the care of her licensed psychiatrist mom’s Elisa, who was then practicing in the Philippines. Ysabel consented that I share her self-diagnosed depression. It was a result of pursuing three semesters of computer science and devoting zero time to painting while in college. “My mom kept tabs on me, I showed no interest in going to classes, until my Mom and I developed a plan: change majors, change universities, and even go abroad,” she said. “We then talked to my dad.” “I went to Florence, Italy. Andi Nufer was my teacher. She emphasized to us to lower our threshold for happiness. After the Santa Croce’s bells rung, our class started. She asked that we go to the courtyard, and listen to nature before class. She taught us to appreciate sunshine, birds, flowers, blue skies so that when we encounter a big moment, we would be filled with deeper levels of happiness,” Ysabel learned abroad. She is now taking multi-disciplinary studies, majoring in business, Asian and Asian American Studies and studio art. She has an interest in languages, studying French, Italian, Japanese and Korean, and is also fluent in Tagalog. PAGE B3
Angel bares plans after... PAGE B1 “Meron po akong four pending movies pa sa Star Cinema na kailangan ko pong gawin bago matapos ‘yung contract ko. Ayoko munang pagusapan kasi, ako kasi hanggang wala pa dyan sa harap ko, ‘di pa siya talaga tuloy eh,” Angel explained. “So after ‘The General’s
Daughter’ aayusin ko muna ‘yung health ko ulit, sa dami ng binagsak ko and also papagaling muna ulit ako and aayusin ko po ‘yung kasal ko. I think ayon ‘yung mas malaking challenge, mas mahirap na challenge na papasukin ko. Good luck na lang po talaga sa akin,” she added. Nonetheless, Angel’s fans can
expect her to go back to TV or film months after her brief break in showbiz. “Ako kasi five years ‘yung break ko kaya gusto ko magtrabaho ulit. Pero I think for a few months, may aasikasuhin lang ng personal tapos back to work again bago ang kasal,” the actress revealed.
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Features
LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • SEptEmbER 28 - OCtObER 1, 2019
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Ken wows fans in Thailand by Lhar
Santiago ManilaTimes.net
AFTER NEARLY 25 YEARS, THIS FAMILY’S AMERICAN DREAM IS FINALLY REALIZED. Jean (center) was petitioned by her sister in 1994. Life in America had always appealed to Jean and her family. Eventually, in 2013, she came to the U.S. as a tourist with her daughter. The trip was a graduation gift for her daughter who was an honor student. They risked everything and decided to overstay, along with Jean’s husband, Milo (left). When the petition became current, leading U.S. immigration lawyer Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel (right) pursued Adjustment of Status for the family. Based on their eligibility, Jean’s petition was transferred from the Philippines to the U.S., where she and her family was interviewed. Watch how after almost 25 years of waiting, Jean and her family are now living the American Dream with no fear nor worries, on a brand-new episode of CITIZEN PINOY – on Sunday at 6:15 pm (PST) on TFC. (Advertising Supplement)
An American Dream, almost 25 years in the making, on a brand-new episode of Citizen Pinoy SOME people are hesitant to file family-based petitions, especially those by siblings because the wait is “too long.” However, this case demonstrates that slow and steady will get you where you want to go. Jean was petitioned by her sister in 1994. After several years, Jean and her family came to the US and overstayed. Almost 25 years later, the priority date on
that petition became “current.” After risking everything when they came and overstayed, the family wanted to make sure that they had the best possible lawyer to help them with their case. They retained the services of the Law Offices of Michael Gurfinkel. Leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Gurfinkel was able to have the case transferred from the Philippines to the U.S., where
Jean and her family were able to adjust status and finally get their green cards in June 2019. Watch how after almost 25 years of waiting, Jean and her family are now living the American Dream on a brand-new episode of CITIZEN PINOY – this Sunday 6:15 pm PST/EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers). (Advertising Supplement)
Antoinette named UN... PAGE B2 Long a fixture in the entertainment industry in the Philippines, Antoinette has spent much of her life in the media spotlight. At 11, she already was a regular presence on stage and onscreen and has since starred in blockbuster films and top rated television shows, including one of the country’s longest-running soap operas, “Anna Karenina.” Today, she works with international media networks such as National Geographic and CNN on projects centered around humanitarian and environmental issues. Combining her popularity with her longstanding dedication to the planet, Antoinette founded CORA in 2016, a non-profit organization to help foster action for sustainable development through volunteerism. Antoinette is also the Chief Executive Officer and founder of The Sustainable Planet, a social enterprise centered on
improving the lives of indigenous peoples and those living in poverty in the Philippines. “Antoinette is as passionate a voice for the environment as they come. We are extremely pleased she will be helping us raise the profile of the range of environmental challenges and opportunities facing the Philippines. Global issues like climate change and plastic and air pollution are impacting all countries, and we are lucky to have advocates like Antoinette standing strong for the planet,” said Dechen Tsering, Regional Director for the UNEP’s Office for Asia and the Pacific. “When we protect the planet, we are protecting the people that we love. Each action as an individual has the power to create amazing change, but just imagine what we can achieve if we take action together,” said Taus. “The key to solving our most urgent global issues is already in every single one of us. But we need to
act now, as one people, for our one planet.” As Goodwill Ambassador, Antoinette will continue to work closely with the youth, local communities and media partners to raise awareness on environmental issues and mobilize Filipinos to take climate action for people and the planet. It can be recalled that Taus was also a member of “G Squad,” a group of celebrities assembled by former Department of Environment and Natural Resources secretary Gina Lopez as part of her travel show “G Diaries.” The UN Environment Programme is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. (Philstar.com)
‘Meeting Rosie’: A young Filipina... PAGE B2 A family of artists Ysabel is the niece of Ben Cabrera, the National Artist of the Philippines whose paintings are housed at the BenCab Museum in Baguio. Cabrera has been a household name for almost a half-century now. Paul McCartney owns one of his paintings. Evelyn Mandac, the only Filipina who has sung with the New York Opera, is Ysabel’s aunt. Her dad Dodjie Simon has composed over 65 songs, music and lyrics, one of which is “Ikaw Lamang,” created for his muse, Elisa (his wife), and popularized by Zsa Zsa Padilla and revived by Janno and Jaya in the Philippines. Dodjie is also an author of “A.I. Hacked,” a book on artificial intelligence that was successfully launched. Aside from a lineage of artistic and intellectual genes, Ysabel developed her artistic talents and aesthetic sensibilities through arts exposure, sheer hard work, and discipline. I met her when she was a 17-year-old high school student at Fiorello H. La Guardia High School of Music, Art and Performing Arts. She went with me to interview Ronald Cortez, a seasoned realist painter featured in my book, “Even The Rainbow Has a Body.” Both seasoned painter and student painter easily shared their portraits, what they have done – portraits and sculptural images stored on their iPhones. They asked questions about these images, what they are trying to achieve and the artistic process. Ysabel asked how to paint a series. Ronald responded: “Just like the rice painting, I had three to four in a series. It allowed me to change canvasses, to focus on another view. I can’t afford to rest, it prolongs the process
so I move to [paint] another canvas.” She asked about motivation, to which Ronald said, “Let the bees, trees, and the birds teach you to paint.” I then asked Ysabel during our recent interview if she believed “art is a highly sophisticated storage system for understanding communication with cultures over a period of time and if these Rosie paintings could speak, what would they say? “It is about sharing of human experiences, an exchange of perceptions. I want the viewer to know more about mental illness. I did these series of paintings from October 2018 to August 2019. I already knew it would be a series. I remember Ronald giving me advice on how to do a series. He helped me,” Ysabel answered. In 2016, I chose Ysabel to create the artwork for my first book cover. She drew inspiration from my muse, my granddaughter. Ysabel shared her intentions in completing the book cover: “As legacies are intended to be passed on to the next generation, there is no better image that reflects the promise of new beginnings and hope than a child’s face. Children remind us of the choice to believe in the part of humanity’s innate creativity, resilience, goodness, and beauty in man in the midst of the constant push and pull between mediocrity and excellence, old and new, good and vile. One part of our self is what we inherit, the other is what we make of it, thus only half of the child’s face is shown.” Shortly after, she drew an oil portrait of her grandmother, called “Tinik,” a fishbone hanging out of her grandma’s mouth while eating her dinner. She entered a citywide competition and won. Tinik was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
from June to October 2016. The image of Tinik was e-broadcasted in Times Square for a whole week. Ysabel was asked by her high school to represent them during a Times Square interview. The awards ceremony was held at the Met. The fragility of life Her brother Joshua shared his insights and feelings: “Meeting Rosie’s portraits represent how we have seen our grandmother progress, from taking care of us, sharing her experiences, teaching us, to what she has become. We did not see the slow progression of her disease [Alzheimer’s]. When I saw her, it was heavy on me; spending months taking care of her, just as she spent time taking care of us when we were young. Our whole family became caregivers taking care of our grandma, and the heaviest load fell on Ysabel Grace, as both my mom and I were at work. Grandma is now under full-time care, 24/7 with supervision from a trained nurse back in the Philippines.” Multigenerational aficionados, art collector, filmmakers, doctors, community friends, students and family members, including her Tita Joy and mom Elisa from California, came to see the exhibit. “This is an amazing art exhibit for a young Filipina American. The consulate and the Philippine Center supports young Fil-Am artists – I want them to know this is their home to reach their potentials and truly, [they can] make this an exhibition space for their artworks,” Vice Consul General Armand Talbo remarked. Loida Nicolas-Lewis wrote on the exhibit’s souvenir book: “Wow! A prodigy at such a young age of painting! Our Own Renaissance Painter!” Loida is a NY-based art colPAGE B4
WHEN it comes to performing, Ken Chan never disappoints his audience. He always comes out on stage prepared. Whether singing or dancing, Ken refuses to shortchange his audience, having said so many times it is because of his fans he is where he is right now. He believes he owes them his best performance. Last week, Ken went to Thailand with two other GMA Network actors Alden Richards and Dennis Trillo. The working trip was part of promotions for their respective soaps, which are scheduled to premiere over there. The three performed before a big audience and Showbuzz’s source swears that they were welcomed with wild cheers and deafening screams. They seem to have captured the hearts of Thais instantly. When it was Ken’s turn to perform, the crowd erupted in applause all over again because it turned out he chose to sing a very popular Thai song. “I really studied that song in Thai. It took me two months to memorize the lyrics and the melody. What I appreciated was when Miss Anne, the owner of the network, joined me on stage for a duet to the delight o f the aud ience. Afte r the performance, Thai fans were commending me for singing a Thai song at tama raw ang pronunciation ko ng mga salita kaya lalo akong natuwa,” Ken shared. During his duet, scenes from “Destiny Rose,” which is due to air in Thailand very soon were being flashed on a screen behind them. “Alam naman nating marami ring transwomen sa Thailand kaya tiyak a lot of them will be able to relate to Destiny Rose. Even Miss Anne said that story raw niya ang Destiny Rose. Transwoman kasi siya. Ako naman, sobrang napaka-special sa akin ng series na yan because that’s where people took notice of me. Diyan nagstart gumanda ang career ko. It’s because of Destiny Rose that I had ‘Meant To Beh,’ ‘My Special Tatay’ and now ‘One Of The Baes’.” And speaking of “One Of The Baes,” upon Ken’s return to the
Ken Chan
Philippines, he buckled down to work on the series right away. The rom-com series premieres on September 30 right after “The Gift” so Ken and co-lead Rita Daniela are busy promoting the show. Last September 23, Ken, along with members of the supporting cast went to the Seafarer’s Center in Manila to meet and greet those with official business at the maritime office. They gave out water on that hot day along with series posters and taught the “OOTB (One Of The Baes)” dance steps to the seamen who had so much fun with them. “With what we do in ‘One Of The Baes,’ I can now relate to the kind of work that they have. Hindi siya biro. Sa training pa lang, mahirap na. That’s why I have more respect for our seamen now,” Ken enthused. Naturally, “One Of The Baes” is the most physically challenging series Ken’s ever done. They shoot many of their scenes in a real maritime school in Bataan. “We go there early because we do the drill with the maritime students. We actually do the real thing. Pag mainit ang araw, sobrang pawis kami pero tuloy lang.” One of the scenes that Ken
Photo from Instagram/@akosikenchan
cannot forget was when he was asked to dive deep into the ocean. A double was available but Ken opted to do it himself. “Tumalon talaga ko sa dagat na wala akong diving gear. No oxygen, no goggles. Basta’t ‘yung suot ko lang. It was so deep, around 20 to 25 feet. That was the first time na sumisid ako ng ganu’n kalalim. Challenging talaga pero sobra kong na-enjoy.” Despite the breathtaking scenes, Ken is also excited for televiewers to enjoy the comedy of OOTB. “It will leave you laughing so hard and that’s what’s good with our show. Masaya siya talaga. When you come from work or school so stressed-out, watch OOTB and you’ll be so entertained, you’ll go to sleep smiling,” Ken promised. On September 30, the GMA Primetime block is offering a good and varied line up starting with “24 Oras” at 6:30 p.m., then an action-packed series with “Beautiful Justice,” followed by the very inspiring and heart-warming The Gift, finally ending the weeknight with One Of The Baes. “With this kind of line-up, I can tell our viewers talaga, ‘Happy watching mga Kapuso’,” Ken quipped.
B4 SEPTEMBER 28 - OCTOBER 1, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL
FEATURES
‘Meeting Rosie’: A young Filipina... PAGE B1 lector, philanthropist, billionaire, and a community leader in civil rights and empowerment for the Filipino American community. She got a Jack and Jill of America Anniversary Award from the Jack and Jill of America Foundation, dedicated to working on issues affecting African American children and their families. She elaborated later in an email: “I wrote it [the feedback] because painting or drawing
the portrait of a person requires great concentration and particularity. Ysabel’s ability to depict and paint in oil the different moods, expression, and attitude of her Grandma in several stages of her life as a senior citizen is remarkable and awesome.” Recall that Renaissance Art was a period around the 1400s to 1500s, which paralleled with the developments in philosophy, literature, music and science? Recall that Leonardo da Vinci had
painted Mona Lisa roughly around 1503 to 1507, and Michelangelo sculpted the Pieta in 1499. Ysabel completed nine oil paintings of Rosie and four lithographic prints (made in editions) as part of the Rosie series (only two out of the four lithograph works were showcased in the exhibition) in a year, which were then showcased in Sept. 2019. “The process of lithographic printmaking requires you to be familiar with the subject. Drawing and printing again and again. I must have worked on Rosie’s face more than 50 times for just one print, “ Ysabel stated. This writer was blessed with an unsolicited gift of Rosie #1, a lithograph. I cherish this as it has become a topic for conversation in my family. Ask Ysabel who her favorite painter is and she will point you to Gustav Klimt inside the Neue Gallery near the Met, whose portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, “Woman in Gold,” was painted in 1903 to 1907, inspired by 6th Century Byzantine, after Gustav visited the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. “It is a painting created without modeling. It reflects the richness, luxury, Japanese lacquer work, an epitome of refinement and nobility, while lavished in gold,” as described by Susanna Partsch in her book, “Gustav Klimt’s Painter of Women.” Ysabel went for more than the second mile and became integrated into the community of caring folks, the true and beautiful supportive members of a very diverse New York community. Footnote: Writer’s trip was subsidized by the Delacruz’s family budget, to support this young Renaissance artist, an old soul, in a post-millennial generation. *** Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D. is a writer, after having retired from a 27-year public service at a state health agency. She served as LA Civil Service Commissioner, appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, as part of a five-member board. She supports the slow food movement and buys organic produce at Los Angeles Farmers Market. Her essays have been published in the Los Angeles Times, Philippine News, Taliba and Amerasia Journal. She wrote this in 2007 and has updated it in 2019. She has been writing for the Asian Journal for 11 years now and occasionally contributes to Balikbayan Magazine. She authored her first book, “Even the Rainbow Has a Body,” an anthology of 31 distinct artistic legacies of Filipino, FilipinoAmericans and Italian Americans.
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MOONLIGHTING
When love dies
by MYLAH DE
LEON
WHAT people call love between a man and a woman is a season…and if it is at its flowering, this season is a feast of greenery; at its waning, it is only a heap of rotting leaves. The death of love is like the death of a loved person. It leaves behind the same grief, the same emptiness, the same refusal to accept the truth… even if you expected it and caused it, wanted it out of selfdefense or sagacity. When it happens you feel mutilated, you feel as if you’re only left with one eye, one ear, one arm, one leg, one lung, half a brain and you do nothing but invoke the last half of yourself. The person with you don’t even recall his faults, the torment he inflicted on your soul, the sufferings you went through on his account: the regret gives you the memory of a valuable treasure, in any case something whose merits largely exceed his demerits – nor it is a relief to understand that this represents an insult to logic, an affront to intelligence, and masochism attains psychiatric heights. You wasted a piece of existence that nothing and nobody can reimburse you – a love that languishes without remedy. You keep it and you try to heal it. That is why even if it is in a state of coma, you try to postpone when it will breathe its last breath: you detain it and you silently implore it to live one more day, one more hour, one more minute. That is why, even when it has stopped breathing, you hesitate to bury and in certain cases, you expect to resuscitate it…rise…walk!! Then slowly it passes and within one moment we reach a stage. We reach the stage when it happens in a day in our lives, in the social or sentimental relations that cost too much grief…worn-down grief like it can remake what is worn out, you say with forced hopes, and even if you bleed to death...you wait. Even if precariousness of the relationship has frozen in an
Image Spa
The author and the General
eternal wait for improvement, you postpone your decision, your impulse to cut what hangs from a thread…an episode that rips out the remains of your forced optimum… and act that erases the residue of your forced hope – something that makes you conclude: no, no, it is not sturdy thread…it is an extremely slender one... it practically doesn’t exist. Enough with patience, enough with hoping. Then you stretch your hand and cut it: you who must make the choice. You are irresolute and I am indomitable. Epilogue Why do some people experience enduring love (which lasts a lifetime) while others are only destined to love for a short time. Why are those who separate, either by choice or by fate, love after equated with joy, when it is everything as well. Devastation, balm, obsession, granting and receiving distorts, heals and excessive value and losing it again. It intoxicates, distorts and shames one. It is a recognition of what you are not
but might. It sears and it heals. In fact, it can seem like truth. Love is asked to carry intolerable burdens, not seen from outside. I’ve learned that love can be hard service, giving you all and maybe finding you all, like your glimpse of transcendence…or agreement. Love at any age takes everything you’ve got. “Love tested by its indulgences to weakness, or its blindness to unworthiness can turn to scorn.” Anton Chekov said this and you wonder why love and hate are near each other. Opposite and alike, and interchangeable. But hate is a burning poison that dehumanizes us. How can I be anything but appalled by it. I have hated and I know it is evil, but it is part of truth, even if I know well that hate is a consuming fire, poisoning every part of us that has to be met. But why moan over love and its humanity… the pain of losing good is the measure of its goodness. *** E-mail Mylah at moonlightingmdl@ aol.com.
Thread Lift: Erasing aging signs from head to toe
IMEE ONG-MAGHANOY I HAVE talked about “Thread Lift” in my column before. It is one of the topics I have enjoyed discussing because I really fi nd the process of facelift via PDO threads to be groundbreaking. It is a state-of-the-art cosmetic procedure that I never would have imagined possible but here we are. The procedure involves the insertion of very fi ne surgical (and biodegradable!) sutures into the soft tissue just beneath the skin. It uses Polydioxanone or commonly known as PDO which has a long safety record in surgery in South Korea and has been used for decades in orthopedics (to treat frozen shoulders, tennis elbow, golfers elbow and etc.), and in cosmetic for skin tightening, skin rejuvenation, and face lifting. This synthetic polymer is highly versatile and was originally used as a mono- or multifi lament thread. Biodegradation of PDO occurs through a process of hydrolysis over a time period of between six to eight months. Thread Lift is frequently used to lift and re-contour the mid and lower face. It is more commonly known as a non-surgical facelift. No incisions are necessary; instead, we insert threads in your skin using a needle and then pull them to tighten your skin. It’s known to lift sagging facial skin for a more youthful appearance that can improve the appearance of cheeks, brow, jawline and labial folds through soft tissue manipulation. The process targets the dermis and Subcutaneous tissue using different threads for treating different areas. Another benefit of this procedure is that it is a less expensive alternative to facelifts. Also, it takes less time to perform and have a much less recovery time. Imagine this procedure and think: If this can be done on my face, will it work on my body? ABSOLUTELY! The above mentioned process is also possible in a Body Thread Lift: A non surgical, no-incision procedure using polyladioxanone, a naturally occurring substance that has been used in Medicine for over 25 years – inserted into the skin or the subcutaneous fat of the specific area to be treated, using a fi ne needle to elevate t he t issue and lift problem areas. Polydi-
Before and after three weeks of treatment. Elasticity improved and abdominal area is tighter. It is recommended that patients need one to three treatments in a four-week interval.
oxanone naturally encourages collagen production of the skin, meaning your skin will gradually improve, even after t he absorption of the threads. T h is pract ica l ly mea ns that this “time-erasing procedure” is also capable of “threading down” to our gravity-fighting body zones such as the abdomen, chest, arms and buttocks. The loss of skin’s fi rmness due to aging is mostly seen in these areas. Thus, making thread lift a great solution. It is a revolutionary aesthetic treatment that promises to reverse the signs of loose skin, restore youthful defi nition and bring spectacular lifting effects, similar to those delivered by surgical lifting procedure, but with zero recovery time. Body Thread Lift is used for tightening up certain areas of the body prone to sagging skin, ach ieves remarkable l i f t i ng results without going under general anesthetic or any post-surgery discomfort. It is minimally invasive and perfectly ideal for those who prefer a walk-in-walkout procedure. For optimum aesthetic results, Body Thread Lift is often used in combination with RF which adopts RF radio frequency to achieving skin tightening. Body T hread Lift is much less time-consuming t han a traditional lift and depending on the area of concern, it can be performed using PDO Thread technology – for progressive sk i n restorat ion and ton i ng – or using instant lifting COG Threads. Body Thread Lift can target the entire face or certain areas
of facial and body skin, including: face, neck, décolletage, arms, abdomen, buttocks, inner thighs and knees. Among the main benefits of Body Thread Lift treatment is that PDO and COG Threads involve no incisions – thus, they leave no scars or marks; hence, no downtime and the patient may resume his normal lifestyle i m med iately a f ter. You may experience some light bruising or redness which will subside within a few days following the treatment. Due to t he biodegradable suture material of the threads, wh ich may last si x to eight months, no complications have been observed. Because of the stimulation of collagen production, the result may last up to two years. Now t hat moder n T h read Lifts, such as Body Thread Lift, are not just for the face, we are no longer limited to injectable compounds to address sagging skin on areas such as our tummy, buttocks and thighs. The best part is that both face thread lift and body thread lift are available at my clinic. We would love to “turn back time” for you and restore your sk in starting in the face and below. *** Imee is an established aesthetician, a business owner and a managing partner for Image Spa MD and CEO of Image Body SPA. She has a degree in Biology and Doctor of Dental Medicine. Image Spa is now one of the most reputable medical spa facilities in LA and has branches in Rancho Cucamonga and Encinitas for Image SPA MD and iSkin in West Hollywood. Imee has been in the aesthetics industry for over 20 years. (Advertising Supplement)
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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • SEptEmbER 28 - OCtObER 1, 2019
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B september 28 - OCtOber 1, 2019 • LA WeeKeND AsIAN JOUrNAL
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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 28 - OCTOBER 1, 2019
COMMUNITY Journal
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California Department of Public Health issues PH flag carrier receives new Four Star Major Airline rating advisory urging everyone to refrain from vaping Health advisory warns about imminent public health risks
Photo courtesy of latimes.com
SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a health advisory urging everyone to refrain from vaping, no matter the substance or source, until current investigations are complete. The health advisory follows an executive Manilatimes.net file photo order signed by Governor Gavin FLAG carrier Philippine Air- nizing airlines in four categories: haul aircraft. Newsom last week to confront lines (PAL) has received the Four Global Airlines, Major Airlines, “Only a small, single digit per- the growing youth epidemic and Star Major Airline 2020 rating Regional Airlines and Low Cost centage of these airlines reached health risks linked to vaping. from the Airline Passenger Ex- Carriers. the prestigious APEX Four Star As of September 24, 2019, “We are elated by this industry Airline status,” said APEX Chief CDPH has received reports that perience Association (APEX), a U.S.-based air travel organiza- recognition. More importantly, Executive Officer Joe Leader. 90 people in California who have we wish to thank our passengers “All of us at APEX take extraor- a history of vaping were hospitaltion. This is PAL’s second consecu- for validating PAL’s brand of ser- dinary pride in giving full power ized for severe breathing problems tive award from APEX. In 2018, vice. Their feedback and ideas to airline passengers as the ulti- and lung damage, and two people the Filipino airline garnered the help us make PAL a more formi- mate source of validated truth in have died. Across the U.S., there association’s Four Star Major dable competitor. This accolade airline ratings worldwide.” are more than 500 reports of lung will make us work even harder Regional Airline 2019 rating. In June, PAL surged to a global damage associated with vaping PAL’s latest rating is the result to further improve the over-all ranking as the 30th Best Airline across 38 states and 1 U.S. terriof a comprehensive survey of 1.4 passenger experience in all our in the World, thus earning the tory, and more reports are coming million airline customers, con- flights,” said PAL President and World’s Most Improved Airline in nearly every day. ducted through app-generated COO Gilbert Santa Maria. Award from the London-based “We are seeing something that To achieve this feat, PAL has Skytrax rating organization. In we have not seen before,” said Dr. neutral, third-party passenger feedback collection and insights pursued various initiatives such 2018, the same rating body cer- Charity Dean, Acting State Public validated and certified by APEX. as the introduction of a brand- tified PAL as a Four Star global Health Officer. “There are numerFrom July 2018 to July 2019, new fleet of high-technology air- airline for the first time. ous unknown factors at this time, respondents rated key aspects of craft, the expansion of its flight APEX is a non-profit commu- and due to the uncertainty of the the inflight experience of nearly route network featuring more nity that aims to elevate the air exact cause, it is our recommen600 airlines, such as seat com- convenient nonstop routes to key travel experience. Headquar- dation that consumers refrain fort, inflight meals, cabin service, global centers and tourist mar- tered in New York City, the or- from vaping until the investigation inflight entertainment and WiFi kets, and the roll out of service ganization is composed of the has concluded.” connectivity. More than 1.4 mil- innovations such as an all-new world’s leading travel industry CDPH, along with other states, lion flights were rated by passen- Premium Economy cabin and stakeholders, including media, the Centers for Disease Control gers to produce this year’s APEX upgraded Business and Econ- airlines, and other aviation-relat- and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Official Airline Ratings, recog- omy Class products on its long- ed firms. (ManilaTimes.net). n Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), local health departments, and healthcare providers are working hard to investigate what is in the vape materials that is making people sick. Although CDPH regulates manufacturers of cannabis vaping products to ensure they are as safe as possible for those who choose to vape, CDPH warns that all individuals put themselves at risk any time they inhale a foreign substance into their lungs. The risk of vaping for any individual may include serious illness and death. “Vaping is not just a concern for youth; the vaping cases under investigation affect youth and adults alike,” said Dr. Dean. If you experience difficulty breathing after vaping, contact your doctor immediately. You may also experience other symptoms including: cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, fever, and weight loss. If this happens to you, do not discard any used vaping cartridges you might have, as CDPH is interested in testing the remaining substance in used cartridges. Those cartridges are being collected by local health departments and sent to CDPH labs for analysis. In California, licensed cannabis retailers are required to sell products obtained from a licensed
cannabis manufacturer that have been tested by a licensed laboratory. Cannabis products sold by licensed sources are tested for a variety of chemicals, pesticides, microbial impurities, and heavy metals. Illegal cannabis dispensaries sell unregulated and untested cannabis products and absolutely should not be used. CDC continues to warn that any tobacco product use, including ecigarettes, is unsafe. Furthermore, use of cannabis and tobacco products remains especially unsafe for youth, and for pregnant or breastfeeding women. The Governor’s executive order directed CDPH to launch a $20 million statewide digital and social media public awareness campaign to educate youth, young adults and parents about the health risks associated with vaping nicotine and cannabis products. CDPH is also tasked with developing recommendations to reduce smoking among young adults and teens by establishing warning signs with health risks where vaping products are sold and on product advertisements. For more information on the risks of vaping and today’s health advisory, read “Vaping Related Lung Illness: A Summary of the Public Health Risks and Recommendations for the Public.” n
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Tax & Stock Tips VictoR Sy, cPA, mBA
DIVERSIFICATION – investing in different stocks in different sectors – avoids that old danger zone of putting all your eggs in one basket. Loading up on just one stock puts you at great risk. Let’s discuss diversification and three different approaches to diversification for different types of investors. 1. Passive method: Buy market indexes or mutual funds This approach may work for you if you have very little time to understanding stocks. That’s dangerous. The solution: Buy a lowcost index funds. These are simply funds invested across large collections of companies. Popular indexes include the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the Nasdaq 100. Investing in an index fund allows you to buy a single ticker symbol that diversifies investments across all of the companies in a given index. 2. Active method: Buy individual stocks This approach may work for
Tapat Sa Batas Atty. RheA SAmSon ANG L1 nonimmigrant visa classification ay nagpapahintulot sa U.S. employer na maglipat ng mga empleyado mula sa kaakibat na kumpanya sa ibang bansa papunta sa kumpanya sa U.S. Ito rin ay nagpapahintulot sa kumpanya sa ibang bansa na walang kaakibat na kumpanya sa U.S. na magpadala ng executive o manager sa U.S., o empleyadong may specialized knowledge tungkol sa operasyon at mga proseso ng organisasyon upang makapagpatayo ng kumpanya sa U.S. May dalawang klase ng L1 visa o intracompany transferee: (1) L1A visa para sa intracompany transferee na nagtatrabaho bilang manager o executive; at (2) L1B visa para sa intracompany transferee na may specialized knowledge sa kumpanya. Ang empleyado ay masasabing nagtatrabaho bilang executive kung mayroon siyang kakayahang gumawa ng mga
Community Journal
Diversification - Three approaches for different types of investors
you if: • You have a deep understanding of stocks, financial statements, and methods for valuing stocks. • You have time to regularly read quarterly and annual financial statements. • You are willing to spend five to 10 hours a week analyzing companies. In other words, you should be willing to comb through financial statements and exercise patience. 3. Balanced method: Buy index funds and some individual stocks This approach may work for you if you have a basic understanding of stocks and are willing to do limited research to identify good companies to invest in. Another approach to portfolio diversification investors can adhere to is to find a middle ground between making big bets on just a handful of stocks and index fund investing. Warren Buffett strongly encourages the bulk of investors to pursue extreme diversification by investing in index funds. He said that diversification is protection against ignorance. How Many Stocks Should You
Own? Consider 15 to 20 stocks to go along with index funds. Personally, I own a lot more because I love shopping for undervalued stocks with upsides of more than 15%. Bottom Line: There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to portfolio diversification. Deciding how many stocks to own is ultimately a personal decision. A right strategy for one investor could be disastrous for another. Take inventory of your skills, time, and willingness to tolerate volatility and decide what works for you.
The Prophetic Voice ReVeRend Rodel G. BAlAGtAS
LAST Wednesday, a group of parishioners and I kicked off our celebration of 40 Days for Life with a rosary procession to an abortion clinic near our church on Arden Avenue. As we were walking and praying, I realized that it takes a great deal of courage nowadays to profess and defend publicly our Catholic morals and beliefs, especially the value *** Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude of human life in all its stages. from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State It’s hard to do it in a society that University with an MBA. Vic worked with puts a higher value on personal SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV - Andersen choice. Some people would argue Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation and fight with us as we defend the lives of unborn babies, but in Pasadena, California. we must not fear and be discouraged. We must remain steadfast *** He has 50 years of experience in in what we believe is morally defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, FTB, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies. He is publishing a book on his expertise - “HOW TO AVOID OR SURVIVE IRS AUDITS.” Our readers may inquire about the book or email tax questions at GENERALLY, in California, vicsy@live.com. property acquired by a spouse prior to marriage is considered separate property under family code section 770 while those transferee na pumupunta sa U.S. acquired after marriage are conpara magtayo ng bagong kumpa- sidered community assets under nya ay mabibigyan ng hanggang family code section 760. How do isang taon na L1 visa. Kapag ang you characterize real property paglipat ng mga employado ay purchased prior to marriage but sa isang U.S. employer na may- with the mortgage principal paid roon nang business operation, down using community income ang mga L1A o L1B intracom- or funds during the marriage? pany transferee ay mabibigyan The community in this situation ng hanggang tatlong taong visa. acquires a pro tanto interest in Para sa L1A employees, maaari the ratio that the payments on the silang mabigyan ng pagdaragdag purchase price made with comna extension na dalawang taon, munity funds bear to the total hanggang maabot ang maximum payments on the purchase price limit na pitong taon. Para sa L1B and any appreciation should be employees, maaari silang mab- apportioned accordingly. Marigyan ng pagdaragdag na exten- riage of Moore (1980) 28 C3d sion na dalawang taon, hang- 366, 371, 373, 168 CR 662, 664, gang maabot ang maximum limit 665. Other expenses associated na limang taon with the property are not considered in the calculation such *** The L1 nonimmigrant visa as mortgage interest, taxes, and classification allows a U.S. em- insurance. In essence, the real ployer to transfer employees property would accumulate both from one of its affiliated foreign a separate property and a comcompany/office to one of its com- munity property component by panies/offices in the U.S. It also the date of separation. The apallows a foreign company which propriate remedy in this situation does not yet have an affiliated where separate property is subUS office to send an executive sequently paid with community or manager to the U.S., or one funds is “apportionment.” The process of apportioning with specialized knowledge relatu PAGE C3 between the separate and com-
L1 intracompany transferees desisyon na may malawak na epekto sa kumpanya. Ang empleyado ay masasabing nagtatrabaho bilang manager kung siya ay may kakayahang mangasiwa at magkontrol ng trabaho ng mga empleyadong propesyonal, o kaya siya ay may kakayahang pamahalaan ang organisasyon, or isang departamento, subdivision o bahagi ng organisasyon. Ang empleyado ay masasabing may specialized knowledge kung mayroon siyang special knowledge ng mga produkto, serbisyo, pananaliksik, kagamitan, pamahalaan, o ekspertong kaalaman sa mga proseso at pamamaraan ng kumpanya. Ang L1 employer o U.S. employer ay kailangang may qualifying relationship sa kumpanya sa ibang bansa – maaaring ang US employer ay parent company, branch, subsidiary, o affiliate ng kumpanya sa ibang bansa. Ang L1A o L1B intracompany transferee ay kailangang nagtrabaho na sa kumpanya sa ibang bansa ng isang taon sa loob ng tatlong taon bago siya lumipat sa US employer. Ang L1A o L1B intracompany
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Walking the talk
right. We must “walk the talk” and “walk the walk.” In other words, we cannot remain timid or shy about our belief in the sanctity of human life. Praying in front of an abortion clinic, for example, is a concrete way to walk the talk. Of course, we can pray during Mass or in private for the end of abortion in our society. But I discovered one’s conviction on the right to life of unborn babies grows deeper as one participates in pro-life projects and events, such as seeing the anti-abortion movie, “Unplanned,” and participating in a discussion about it. This Sunday’s Gospel on the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus reminds us not to ignore the poor in our society. The poor are not only the homeless person that we see by a freeway exit or in city streets. The poor are the unborn children who cannot defend their lives. I realize that not all of our
friends share our belief and conviction about the evils of abortion. They insist on the right of women to choose what to do with their bodies. I pray that we can respectfully disagree and listen to one another’s moral perspectives and opinions. I invite everyone then to come to my parish, Incarnation Church in Glendale, for a movie screening and discussion of the movie, “Unplanned,” on Friday, October 11, at 7:00 PM in the school auditorium. There, you will meet people who will answer your questions and pray with you as we all grapple with the issue of abortion. Let’s keep peace in our hearts and relationships while we defend the right to life in all its stages! Blessings to all! *** Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.
DO I have a community property interest in a house which my spouse acquired before our marriage? Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth URSUA ReyeS munity property component is laid out in the Marriage of Marsden. In that case, the court determined the ratio or percentage in which the mortgage loan principal was reduced during the marriage and applied that percentage to the appreciation of the real property during the marriage. The community property component would then consist of the reduction in the mortgage loan principal during the marriage plus the portion of appreciation during the marriage applying the ratio discussed above. In the Marriage of Marsden, the real property was purchased by the husband for $38,300 prior to the marriage. The original mortgage was $30,000. By the time the husband got married, the house was now worth $65,000 while the mortgage has gone down by $7,000. Both the appreciation of $26,700 and the mortgage reduction of $7,000 would be separate property since
it occurred prior to marriage. Marriage of Madsen (1982) 130 CA3d 426, 181 CR 910. During the marriage until the time of trial, the property has appreciated another $117,500 (property now valued at $182,500) while the mortgage has further declined by $9,200 up to the date of separation. The ratio at which community funds paid down the mortgage ($9,200) during the marriage to the original purchase price ($38,300) amounts to 24.02%. This percentage of the property appreciation during the marriage of $117,500 ($28,223.50) plus the reduction in mortgage balance during the marriage ($9,200) would constitute the community component of the real property. The rest was the husband’s separate property. The husband in that case was awarded his separate property component of the real property plus one half of the community property component. The Marsden apportionment method is also applicable to situations where a community real property is later transmuted into one spouse’s separate property through execution of a quit claim by the other spouse but is subsequently paid using community funds. Marriage of Broderick
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Community Journal
Automatic time deductions for missed meal breaks are illegal
Q: I am a full-time hourly employee. While we were told that we have a 30-minute unpaid lunch break every day, we usually cannot take breaks due to the heavy workload. But the employer still deducts 30 minutes for lunch from our work hours. Is this legal? A: No. If you did not take your full lunch break, you should not be deducted 30 minutes. In fact, not only should there be no deduction, your employer should also pay you an additional one hour at your regular hourly rate for not providing you a 30-minute meal period. California law requires employers to provide a 30-minute uninterrupted meal period to employees for every 5 hours of work. Merely offering or allowing a meal break is not enough. The employer must affirmatively perform the following obligations: • Relieve the employee of all duty for 30 minutes within the first 5 hours of work. • Give employees the freedom to leave the workplace during breaks. • Relinquish control over the employees’ activities during breaks. • Employees should not be impeded or discouraged from taking breaks. In light of these rules, the employer fails in its legal duty to provide meal breaks if: 1. Employees were not relieved of ALL duties but required attend to work-related issues while on breaks. 2. Employees are required
Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr. to remain on the work premises where their breaks are interrupted. 3. Meal breaks are not scheduled and employees are merely told to take a break when not busy, even though work is continuous and always busy. Companies who ignore break time rules eventually learn the hard way that they cannot sacrifice the employees’ welfare for the company’s bottom line. A group of Kraft Heinz Food Co. employees sued their employer for failure to provide meal breaks. The employees alleged that they were underpaid all wages, including overtime wages, owed to them, due to improper calculations of their hours worked. The employees alleged that the company’s software automatically deducted, without any punch-in or punch-out, a 30-minute meal period for shifts longer than six hours. The employees claimed that this employer-instituted rounding policy in the company’s time-keeping system caused a record that meal periods were taken even though they were not. The employer did not inquire into whether a meal period was actually provided to the employee or not.
The employees also claimed that their employer manually edited their time records, without their consent, in order to reflect that they took breaks in 15- or 30-minute periods. This practice caused the employees to be underpaid. The employer did not pay the employees for those hours when they should have been provided meal periods but were not. The employer has agreed to pay at least $3 million to settle these claims. About 4,000 production and packaging workers are said to benefit from the settlement. Employers whose business necessities prevent them from giving lunch breaks cannot simply ignore the lunch break law as if it does not exist. Lawsuits such as the above case continue to serve as an important lesson to employers that the needs of the business do not justify violations of lunch break laws. *** The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at no-cost. You can contact the office at (818) 2910088 or visit www.joesayaslaw.com” www.joesayaslaw.com. [C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. is an experienced trial attorney who has successfully recovered wages and other monetary damages for thousands of employees and consumers. He was named Top Labor & Employment Attorney in California by the Daily Journal, consistently selected as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, and is a Presidential Awardee for Outstanding Filipino Overseas in 2018.] (Advertising Supplement
Seniors raid retirement account but still require Chapter 7 relief CLIENTS are seniors. Wife is 67 and had just retired from a lifetime of being a registered nurse. She has social security benefits of $2100. Husband is 67 and has social security of $700. So together, they have social security of $2,800. They don’t own a house. They live with their daughter and they pay her rent of $1,000. The $1,000 covers utilities, except food. Daughter is a single mom with two daughters aged 10 and 8. She works as a hairdresser. I understand that she makes about $2K a month after deducting rent of $200 for a station. She has her own clientele. So she takes home about $1800 a month. She makes some extra income by selling her clients hair products including shampoos that are sold only through hairdressers. She makes another $300 a month profit on those products. For a single mom with two kids, her net income of $2100 is hardly enough to make ends meet. So, the $1,000 of rent that clients give to daughter is more of a contribution to their household of three adult and 2 young children. Their household’s income is therefore $2,800 from clients’ social security plus $2100 from net income of daughter as a selfemployed hairdresser. So the household income for this family becomes $4,900, less rent of $1,400,yields a net of $3,500 for necessary monthly living expenses for a family of 5. Clients are paying for two cars of about $400 each. They decide to return one car but keep the other, thereby cutting car ownership expense by $400 a month. They return the 2016 Honda accord, but keep the 2014 Camry, which has 3 more years of payments to go. Clients seem to be doing ok if you don’t dig further into their financial situation. I check their 2016 tax returns and it immediately jumps out that there was $37k retirement account liquidation. $25K was a liquidation of wife’s 401K and $12K was a liquidation of husband’s IRA. In addition, there was $48K of disability pay that went to wife. So, I’m wondering where did $48K plus $37K went to. I asked them what happened to the $85K of disability and retirement account liquidation that you received last year? They said that all of the $37K of retirement account was used to pay credit cards, and the $48K of disability was used for living expenses and whatever was left over
Debt Relief
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ployee is considered to be working in a managerial capacity if the employee is able to supervise and control the work of professional employees and to manage the organization, or a department, subdivision, function, or component of the organization. An employee is considered to have specialized knowledge when he has special knowledge of the employer’s product, service, research, equipment, techniques, management, or an advanced level of knowledge or expertise in the organization’s processes and procedures.
Atty. LAwrenCe yAng probably another $20K was also used to pay credit cards. I said you’re kidding right? Why use retirement and disability to pay credit cards when both sources of funds are completely exempt in Chapter 7. In other words, if they filed Chapter 7 last year, they would still be able to keep their $37K of retirement accounts, plus still keep the $20K of disability in cash. So now, they would still have $57K of cash in the bank. My next question is so how much do you still owe of credit cards after paying $57K? They said that they still owe about $100K of credit cards! $100K of credit cards requires at least $3K of minimum monthly payments. Even if wife were still working as a registered nurse, she would gross about $8K a month and net about $6,500. $3K a month or credit cars is almost 50% of wife’s net take home pay if she were still working. But now her social security of $2100 is not even enough to cover the $3K to keep the $100K of credit cards current. I told them that they should have come to see me last year before using up their retirement accounts and disability. They would have saved the $57K and still discharged all of their credit cards. But now of course they can still discharge all f the $100K of credit cards left after they paid off $57K, but all of the $57K is gone! “Yes, we really regret liquidating our retirement accounts and using the rest of the disability to pay the credit cards…” If we still had the $57K today, after discharging the $100K, we would probably just pay off the car loan of $12K on the 2014 Camry so we don’t have to pay the $400 anymore. So the lesson here is that you should never use your retirement accounts to pay off your debts. At this time, retirement accounts up to $1.2M are exempt in bankruptcy. In other words, you can keep as much as $1.2M of retirement accounts as exempt assets when you file Chapter 7! That’s a lot of retirement account money! Even at a measly 5% income in a managed portfolio, you can use $60K a year without reducing the $1.2M
The L1 employer or U.S. employer must have a qualifying relationship with a foreign company – U.S. employer may be the parent company, branch, subsidiary, or affiliate of the foreign company. The L1A or L1B intracompany transferee must have been working at the foreign company for at least 1 year within the 3 years immediately preceding his admission to the US. L1A or L1B intracompany transferees entering the US to establish a new office will be allowed a maximum initial stay of
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K-1 fiancé(E) visa: Getting significant other to the United States SEVERAL options exist for a US citizen to bring his/her foreign-national fiancé(e) to the United States. One popular option is to marry the fiancé(e) in the country in which he/ she resides, and file an I-130 immigrant petition, with the fiancé(e) to undergo consular processing for an immigrant visa when the I-130 petition is approved. However, this option often is not advisable in that the US-citizen petitioner would have to learn and comply with complicated, countryspecific marriage license requirements, or legal barriers to marriage may exist to the UScitizen petitioner in the foreign country (as in the case of the Philippines, which in some circumstances will not recognize a foreign divorce judgment). In such cases, the best way to get your fiancé(e) to the US is via a K-1 Fiance(e) visa. The K-1 Fiancé(e) visa allows a fiancé(e) to enter the US for 90 days to allow marriage to take place. By having the marriage take place in the US, couples are able to bypass the foreign country’s license requirements and/or other impediments to marriage imposed by a foreign law. To be eligible for the K-1 Fiancé(e) visa petition, the following are required: 1) the petitioner must be a US Citizen, 2) the petitioner must have an intent to marry the fiancé(e) within 90 days of his/her ar-
Legal Advice Atty. DArriCk tAn rival in the US, 3) the petitioner and fiancé(e) must have the ability to marry (i.e. any previous marriages were terminated by divorce or death), and 4) the petitioner and fiancé(e) must have physically met each other within 2 years of filing the K-1 Fiancé(e) visa petition (certain exceptions apply to this fourth requirement). Minor unmarried children of the fiancé(e) may also come to the US under a K-2 visa classification. Upon arrival in the US, the fiancé(e) can immediately apply for authorization to work in the US. He/she does not have to wait until marriage to apply for work authorization. The work authorization issued to the fiancé(e) is valid for 90 days after entry. This provides the fiancé(e) the ability to immediately seek lawful employment. Once married, the spouse of the US citizen can file an I-485 application for adjustment of status (from K-1 to permanent resident), and remain in the US while the application is pending. At the same time the I-485 application is filed, the fiancé(e) may apply for an extended work
authorization. Upon approval of the I-485 application, the fiancé(e) is granted a conditional green card that is valid for 2 years, after which he/she can apply to remove the conditions on the green card. The K-1 Fiance(e) status automatically expires after 90 days. If marriage with the US Citizen who petitioned the fiancé(e) does not occur within that time, the fiancé(e) begins to accrue unlawful presence. Also, the fiancé(e) will be precluded from adjusting to permanent resident status in the US if he/ she marries another US citizen (however, he/she may be able to become a permanent resident through consular processing with a provisional waiver). If you are a US Citizen who is planning to marry your foreign national fiancé(e), or you are someone who arrived under a K-1 Fiance(e) visa whose marriage did not take place, it is recommended you consult with an experienced attorney. *** Darrick V. Tan, Esq. is admitted to practice law in California and Nevada. Mr. Tan is a graduate of UCLA and Southwestern University School of Law. He is a member of the Consumers Attorney Association of Los Angeles and is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Philipp ine American Bar Association. *** LAW OFFICES OF DARRICK V. TAN, 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Tel: (323) 639-0277.
Do I have a community property interest... PAGE C2 t
(1989) 209 CA3d 489, 257 CR 397. In litigation, the community interest in the situations mentioned about is proven through expert witness testimony typically by a of principal! That extra income in forensic CPA. addition to social security makes Since California case law allows for a comfortable retirement. Just the creation of a community interdon’t get sick. Pray to our God est in real property acquired prior for good health as you retire and to marriage, one has to consider long life! Read Psalm 91 “…who- vehicles to protect themselves ever remains under the protection if you own property and you are of the Almighty…God says ‘I will contemplating of getting married. save those who love me and will There are several ways of avoiding protect those who acknowledge the creation of a community interme as Lord. When they call to me, est on your separate real property. I will answer them; when they are One, you can sign a prenuptial in trouble, I will be with them. I agreement. Two, the parties can will rescue them and honor them. execute a postnuptial agreement I will reward them with long life; I if the parties are already married. will save them.” How do you know this is true? Because the Bible is the word of God, and God doesn’t lie! Of course, this Psalm was actually written maybe 3000 years ago by Moses, who was really close to our God. So that’s good enough. Pray to our God, the God of Moses and Israel, cry to him in your distress, and your cry for help will reach his ears in his sanctuary! I think it must have been the prophet Samuel who said this in Psalm 18. When you cry to our Lord in your distress, He hears you! That is really good to know, is it not? So let’s say you got sued for breach of contract for backing out of the marriage proposal that you made of to Kim Jung Un’s sister. She sues you for $1.0M. Your 401K $1,122,000; yes that’s right; your retirement account is over $1.1M. You don’ have to go to N. Korea and ask your brother-in-law that never was for his forgiveness for not marrying his sister. You just file a Chapter 7 in Los Angeles and you discharge or wipe out the $1.0M lawsuit while keeping intact your 401K of $1.1M. Sounds good, right? No; sounds great in fact. Only in America can you do this. But will it stop your brotherin-law from aiming his nukes at LA? Well, that’s another story. If you need debt relief, set an appointment to see me. I will analyze your case personally. “I will save those who love me and will protect those who ackcnokwledge me as Lord…I will reward them with long life;” Psalm 91h *** 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 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789 or 1000 S. Fremont Ave., Mailstop 58, Building A-10 South-Lower Level Suite 10042, Alhambra, CA 91803. (Advertising Supplement)
L1 intracompany transferees
ing to the organization’s interests for the purpose of establishing a U.S. company/office. There are 2 types of L1 visas or intracompany transferees: (1) L1A visa for intracompany transferees who work in a managerial or executive position; and (2) L1B visa for intracompany transferees who work in positions that require specialized knowledge. An employee is considered to be working in an executive capacity if the employee is able to make decisions of wide latitude without much oversight. An em-
LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 28 - OCTOBER 1, 2019
Three, the parties can execute a transmutation agreement with a waiver of any family code section 2640 reimbursement claim. If your divorce case involves complex issues of asset distribution, it is best to retain the representation of competent counsel. *** 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 is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail “mailto:kenneth@kenreyeslaw. com” kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com (Advertising Supplement)
C4 SEPTEMBER 28 - OCTOBER 1, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL
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Feast of San Lorenzo Ruiz in Chatsworth, CA The Archdiocese of Los Angeles Filipino Ministry invites you to the San Fernando Region celebration of the feast day of the first Filipino Saint, San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila. This festive occasion will take place on Saturday, September 28, 2019 at St. John Eudes Church, 9901 Mason St., Chatsworth, CA 91311. Procession will start at 10:30 a.m. Eucharistic celebration will immediately follow at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Joel Henson, director of Ongoing Formation of Clergy, Archdiocese of Los Angeles as the main celebrant. Reception, fellowship and program to follow immediately after the mass. For further inquiries, please contact Patty Santiago (818)472-4288, Dominic Mendoza (818) 687-4890 or Mia Macalino (818) 517-4300.
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Asian American Drug Abuse Program to host annual benefit in Los Angeles Back by popular demand, the legendary Kalapana and special guest Michael Paulo will be performing once again at the Asian American Drug Abuse Program (AADAP)’s annual benefit on Saturday, October 5. Kalapana emerged as one of the most popular bands on the Hawaiian music scene in the 70s, producing a steady stream of hits. Their 1975 debut album was hailed as one of the best of the mid-70s Hawaiian renaissance. Tracks like “Naturally,” “Nightbird,” “The Hurt,” “You Make It Hard,” and “When the Morning Comes” became household tunes and still enjoy frequent play on contemporary Hawaiian radio. Musical trends have come and gone, but Kalapana’s many hits have remained Island classics. This promises to be an unforgettable experience, as it pays tribute to the late Malani Bilyeu, founding member and Hoku Awardwinning artist. Performing as Kalapana will be: DJ Pratt (lead guitar, vocals), Gaylord Holomalia (keyboards, vocals), Kenji Sano (bass, vocals); accompanied by: Todd Yukumoto (saxophone & flute), Garin Poliahu (drums) and John Valentine (vocals, guitar); and special guest Michael Paulo (saxophone). Aratani Theatre is located at 244 S. San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. The program will begin at 6 p.m. with a VIP reception, followed by the concert at 7 p.m. and a dessert reception and meet-and-greet at 9 p.m. For more information, please visit www. showtime-AADAP.org.
Filipino American History Month celebration in Carson, CA The City of Carson, California will be holding its annual Filipino American History Month celebration on Saturday, October 5 from 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. It will be at the Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center (801 E. Carson St. Carson, CA 90745). For more information, please call (310) 830-9991.
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Beatrock Music’s 10 year anniversary in Los Angeles Beatrock Music, an artist-driven, independent West Coast Hip Hop record label announced their entire lineup for their 10 Year Anniversary concert on Sunday October 6, 2019. Since 2009, the label has released a prolific catalog and has amassed a dedicated fanbase around the globe. To celebrate their 10 Year anniversary, Beatrock Music will host an all-day music festival, partnering with community organizations to produce programming fit for Hip Hop fans of all ages. Fans can expect a day of music and arts programming, with live performances from Beatrock Music artists including: Klassy, Ruby Ibarra, Bambu, Prometheus Brown, Rocky Rivera and more. Parents are welcome to bring kids and can enjoy the live-art activation led by artist Bodeck Luna. Attendees can also enjoy food and merchandise for purchase from local artisan vendors. The 10 Year Anniversary will also feature local community organizations, utilizing the event to amplify the work and increase the impact of each organization’s mission. As an added treat, the concert will feature a special guest performance from G. Yamazawa, a National Poetry Slam Champion, Cultural Diplomat for the Department of State and Kundiman Fellow. The Beatrock Music 10 Year Anniversary celebration takes place on Sunday October 6, 2019 (12 p.m.-8 p.m) at Bootleg Theater (2220 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90057). All ages are welcome. Tickets are available at BeatrockMusic.com.
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Palaris Colleges Alumni 4th International Reunion in Las Vegas, NV All alumni of the Palaris Colleges are invited to attend the 4th International Reunion to be held at the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada from October 11 to October 13. Let us rekindle friendships, reminisce, renew acquaintances and create new memories! For more information, please contact Lumen Mendoza, executive chair, at (408) 718-9729 or send email to lumen_mendoza@yahoo.com; or Claver “Butch” Soriano, PCAA president, at (412) 805-1944 or send email to clasor@aol.com.
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Savor Santa Ana food festival Orange County’s premier all-ages sidewalk food festival featuring more than forty tastes from downtown Santa Ana restaurants, Savor Santa Ana, returns Saturday, October 12 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. At Savor Santa Ana, sample tastes from unique, local and Michelin-rated restaurants and bars throughout downtown Santa Ana. Live musicians and local youth performance groups will perform in pop-up shows along the sidewalks, and a trolley will provide free rides around downtown. The theme will be “Fall Food Carnival,” featuring fire dancers, mystique, and fall food flavors. This marks the seventh Savor Santa Ana festival for downtown Santa Ana, serving thousands of visitors since 2014. Organizers expect to sell the 150,000th tasting ticket this October, a milestone reminiscent of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the City of Santa Ana this year. Savor Santa Ana tickets are just $10 for 5 tasting tickets. Tickets are available online for pre-purchase at savorsantaana.com, and are available cash-only onsite at Savor Santa Ana.
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FACCGLA hosts immigration discussion in North Hollywood, CA The Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles (FACCGLA) Panel Discussion and Mixer will be on Immigration and Business Law on Wednesday, October 16. Featured location for this month is the beautiful stone gallery of Stoneville USA. Event starts at 6:00-6:30 p.m. to tour the Stone Gallery, 6:30-7:15 p.m. Networking, 7:15-9:00 p.m. Speakers and more networking. Tickets are online; NO CASH payments will be accepted at the door. Visit www.faccgla.org for the EARLY BIRD Discount available until 10/11 11:00 p.m. Regular prices are $20 for Members and $30 Future Members. Stoneville USA is at 12906 Saticoy St, North Hollywood, CA 91605.
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West Ranch High School presents the Wildcat Classic in Valencia, CA West Ranch High School is proud to present the 11th annual Wildcat Classic, a daylong display of musical artistry on Saturday, October 19. More than 20 high school bands from the Santa Clarita Valley and around the region will gather for the Southern California School Band and Orchestra (SCSBOA) Marching Band Competition. The Wildcat Classic will take place at Valencia High School’s football stadium, located at 27801 Dickason Dr. in Valencia. Tickets are $12; parking is free. Each high school band will compete by division followed by an astounding showcase performance of the three-time state champion West Ranch Band and Colorguard. The day-long event culminates in an awards ceremony with trophies presented in each division as decided by a panel of SCSBOA judges. The performance schedule will be announced prior to the event. Vendors will be on site with plenty of delectable food and drink options as well as gifts and apparel for the music enthusiast. For additional information, please contact West Ranch Music Director Jason Marshall at 661-222-1220 x 646 or jmarshall@hartdistrict.org or visit www.westranchmusic.com.
Sikad cycling ride in Las Vegas Hosted by the Nevada Bicycle Club, in collaboration with charity institution Gawad Kalinga to give care, Sikad 2019 will be held on Saturday, October 19 at the River Mountain Trail Loop. The mission of the charity fun ride is to end homelessness through community building efforts in the Philippines. Gawad Kalinga is a nation building movement that hopes to end poverty for millions of Filipinos. Its template begins with restoration of dignity as a human being by bringing the poor out of their homelessness. But that is just the start.GK uses its resources to allow the poor access to basic services and opportunities that will turn them to productive citizens. It’s values formation component is a key element that promotes the effectiveness of all of its other programs. SIKAD NG BAYAN is an annual bike ride that supports GK program to include building schools, homes and community centers. This is the third annual SIKAD NG BAYAN - Las Vegas hosted by Nevada Bicycle Club. It will begin at the Railroad Pass Casino & Hotel at 2800 S. Boulder Hwy, Henderson, NV with the trail at the River Mountain Loop Trail & Acaia Park — course 1 is 9 miles; course 2 is 35 miles; course 3 is 50 miles. Register now at www.nevadabicycleclub.com/sikad2019. Free jersey & buffet w
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LUMBANANS USA. Members and friends of Los Angeles-based Lumbanians USA are herein pictured during their farewell-to-summer picnic at the Schabarum Regional Park in Rowland Heights on August 24, 2019 to kick off their scholarship and medical fund raising for their townmates in Lumban, Laguna. The annual fund raising mission is being led by Connie Gangcuangco, President; Robert Reyes, Vice-President; Arceli Lacbay and Rexie de Leon, Treasurers; Sylvia de Ramos and Eda de Lumban, Secretaries; Eddie Llamoso, Auditor; Deo Lacbay and Luchie Aladines, PRO-Los Angeles; Leema Maglipon and Mely Bautista, PRO-San Diego; and Estelita Abadines and Kristy Espiritu, Advisers. (Photo by Pete Gangcuangco)
L1 intracompany transferees PAGE C3 t 1 year. If the transfer of employees is for an already existing U.S. entity, the L1A or L1B employees may be allowed a maximum stay of 3 years. For L1A employees, extension of stay may be granted in increments of up to an additional 2 years, until the employee has reached a maximum limit of 7 years. For L1B employees, extension of stay may be granted in increments of up to an additional
2 years, until the employee has reached a maximum limit of 5 years. *** ATTY. RHEA SAMSON is a Partner at LINDAIN & SAMSON LAW FIRM. Atty. Lindain and Atty. Samson are both licensed to practice law in California and in the Philippines. Both Attorneys were also professors. LINDAIN & SAMSON LAW FIRM aims to provide excellent and efficient legal representation to clients, and support clients in achieving their
goals and dreams. As professors, Atty. Lindain and Atty. Samson wish to educate the younger generation, as it is through education and continuous study that one can achieve success and serve others. Please visit our office: LINDAIN & SAMSON LAW FIRM 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1710, Los Angeles, CA 90010 Call or text us: (213) 381.5710 Email us: attorneys@lindainsamsonlaw. com. (Advertising Supplement)
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Safeguarding your petition PH economy seen to expand by 7% to 8%
Immigration Corner ATTY. MICHAEL GURFINKEL, ESQ
IN A previous article I discussed some tips, strategy, and suggestions to safeguard your familybased petition. Here are more suggestions and observations: 5. Notify NVC of beneficiary’s marriage or divorce/annulment. Sometimes, a person is petitioned by their U.S. citizen parent while they are still single, and they later get married. In other cases, a person is petitioned by their U.S. citizen parent when they are married, and their marriage is later terminated by divorce, annulment, or death of their spouse, making them “single” or unmarried. If there is a change in the beneficiary’s marital status, they should notify the NVC, as there is at least a 12-year difference in the waiting time between married and single children of U.S. citizens. I had one consultation, where the child was petitioned in 2000 as married. However, over the course of time, the marriage was annulled. As a result, the person was now considered unmarried or single. There was still a wait of several additional years if they were still married. However, as a result of the termination of the marriage, the priority date for single children of U.S. citizens was already current. But they were unaware of the conversion of the petition classification and could have immigrated to the U.S. years ago as the single/unmarried child of a U.S. citizen. On the other hand, if a person was petitioned as single, and later
Part 2 These are only a few tips and got married, they are considered married and subject to the prior- suggestions while you are waiting ity dates of married children. They for your priority date to become should not try to sneak through as current. If you have issues with “single,” as that would be consid- any of these items, you may want ered fraud. Instead, they should to seek the advice of an attorney notify the NVC of the marriage, now, rather than risk “losing” your and although it will require ad- petition. Also, when the priority date finalditional waiting time, at least they will now be placed in the proper ly becomes current you may also want to seek the assistance of an family classification. 6. Monitor the priority date. attorney in connection with either A person’s priority date is based eligibility for adjustment of status on the date the petition was filed. or consular processing, especially That becomes their “place in line” in this era of Trump, where the for a visa. They then have to wait government is getting very strict, for their priority date to become looking at public charge issues, current, in order for them to be and whether perhaps an elderly eligible to receive their immigrant parent may become dependent on visa or green card. But the waiting the U.S. government, thereby justitime can be anywhere from 2 to 30 fying a visa refusal, etc. *** years. If your petition was filed and approved, you should continue Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorto monitor your priority date. For ney for over 35 years and is licensed, my part, each month I publish the and an active member of the State Bars of California and New York. All immigramonthly Visa bulletin on my web- tion services are provided by, or under site, Facebook, etc., which shows the supervision of, an active member of the current priority dates being the State Bar of California. Each case processed. There are also numer- is different and results may depend on ous other sites, including the State the facts of the particular case. The Department, that has the monthly information and opinions contained Visa Bulletin. Make sure your pri- herein (including testimonials, “Success ority date has not already passed Stories”, endorsements and re-enactments) are of a general nature, and are and has been current. not intended to apply to any particular There have been some situa- case, and do not constitute a prediction, tions I’ve encountered where a warranty, guarantee or legal advice reperson may have been petitioned garding the outcome of your legal matby a brother or sister in 1990, and ter. No attorney-client relationship is, or they say they are “still waiting.” shall be, established with any reader. WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com But the NVC is already processing Follow us on Facebook.com/Gurfinbrothers and sisters who had been petitioned in 1998. Therefore, this kelLaw and Twitter @GurfinkelLaw Call Toll free to schedule a consultaperson’s visa had been available tion for anywhere in the US: 1-866-487for years, but they did not monitor 3465 (866) – GURFINKEL their priority date, and were totally Four offices to serve you: unaware that their visa was availLOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW able for years. YORK · PHILIPPINES
Business Quote of the Week “Trust the young people; trust this generation’s innovation. They’re making things, changing innovation every day. And all the consumers are the same: they want new things, they want cheap things, they want good things, they want unique things. If we can create these kinds of things for consumers, they will come.” — Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group
Potential growth in next 3 years, says Diokno
by LAWRENCE
AGCAOILI Philstar.com
MANILA — The country’s economic growth potential is projected to rise even further in the next three years as the economy has been transformed into one of the most resilient economies in the region and the world by a long list of structural reforms, according to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno. “At present, the Philippine economy’s potential growth is estimated at 6.5 percent, more than twice what it was in the early 1990s. The potential growth is projected to rise even further in the next three years, matching the government’s growth target of seven to eight percent by 2022,” Diokno said in his keynote address at the Philippines Investment Forum organized by Euromoney. As of the second quarter, Diokno said the Philippines has recorded 82 consecutive quarters of uninterrupted economic growth as it managed to sail through even the toughest external challenges from the Asia financial crisis and the global financial crisis.
Philstar.com file photo
“The Philippines has come a long way from being Asia’s sick man. In fact, today the Philippines is recognized globally as among the fastest growing and most resilient economies in the world that enjoys even brighter prospects ahead,” Diokno said. According to Diokno, the transformation did not happen overnight and was a product of a long list of structural reforms that started way back in the 1990s.
The BSP chief said vital reforms from 2016 onwards are expected to unleash more growth potentials for the Philippines. He said among these positive game changers are tax reforms, the liberalization of rice importation, the national ID system, universal healthcare, universal access to tertiary education, the Ease of Doing Business Law, relaxation of the Foreign Investments Negative PAGE D2
‘Property sector to keep growing beyond NCR’ by TYRONE JASPER
C. PIAD
Manilatimes.net
THE Philippine real estate industry “will continue to grow” outside Metro Manila, thanks to ongoing efforts to decentralize business operations in the capital and relocate some of these to the regions, according to the Lobien Realty Group Inc. At The Manila Times Philippine Model Cities and Municipalities forum at the New World Manila Bay Hotel in Manila on Wednesday, September 25, Lobien Realty Chief Executive Officer Sheila Lobien said “regional heavyweights outside of NCR (National Capital Region) will continue to grow and increase their economic activities.” Among these, she added, are
Pampanga, Cebu and Davao. Lobien also said there was “continuous development” of office spaces and business hubs in Clark, which mostly cater to business process outsourcing offices and multinational firms. Clark is also well-positioned with the expansion of the Clark International Airport and Manila-Clark Railway projects, she added. With its current office stock of 1.51 million square meters, Clark offers rental rates lower than other business districts, according to the Lobien Realty chief. She described Cebu as “home to the biggest masterplanned developments in the Visayas,” with “numerous options for office, commercial and residential PAGE D2
Lobien Realty Group Inc. Chief Executive Officer Sheila Lobien delivers a speech during The Manila Times Philippine Model Cities and Municipalities forum at the New World Manila Bay Hotel in Malate, Manila on Wednesday, September 25. ManilaTimes.net photo by Gerard Seguia
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More Chinese, ASEAN tourists targeted
‘More effort needed to ease doing business in PH’ ALTHOUGH the Philippines has done much to make doing business in the country easier, an officer of P&A Grant Thornton said it still had to do more, and local government units (LGUs) could play a key part in this. At The Manila Times Philippine Model Cities and Municipalities forum at the New World Manila Bay Hotel on Wednesday, September 25, Eleanor Roque, head of the professional services company’s tax advisory and compliance division, said LGUs play an important role in promoting ease of doing business (EoDB) in the country. “We have a long way to go,” she said. “Everybody is moving. This is [a] race to [reach] No. 1.” In the World Bank’s 2019 EoDB
MANILA — The proposal by seven conglomerates to upgrade, operate and maintain the aging Ninoy Aquino International Airport made headway on Friday, September 27, after clearing an important hurdle, moving closer to President Rodrigo Duterte’s desk for his approval. In a tweet report, BusinessWorld said the P102-billion offer of the so-called “NAIA Consortium” was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority- Investment Coordination Committee, or NEDAICC. The proposal still needs to se-
submit counterbids to compete against a proponent’s unsolicited proposal. The NAIA Consortium is composed of Aboitiz InfraCapital, AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Alliance Global Group Inc., Asia’s Emerging Dragon Corp. Filinvest Development Corp., JG Summit Holdings Inc. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. Under its revised proposal, Philstar.com file photo the consortium intends to undertake in three phases upcure one last approval from the grades and rehabilitation works NEDA board, which is chaired by at the gateway during the first Duterte, before it can proceed to four years upon getting clearthe Swiss challenge process. ance to start work. (Ian Nicolas In a Swiss challenge, the govCigaral/Philstar.com) n ernment invites companies to
C. piad
Manilatimes.net
Philstar.com file photo by Catherine
talavera
Philstar.com
MANILA — The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) continues to strengthen its promotions in the Chinese and ASEAN markets as it recently participated in a regional trade expo. The agency said it joined the 16th China ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) in Nanning, Guangxi, China from Sept. 21 to 24 for the 16th China ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO). The annual event is organized by the People’s Republic of China together with the ten ASEAN countries in support of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). “As the marketing and promotions arm of the Department of Tourism, the TPB is onboard to mainly showcase the potential of the Philippines as a destination of choice for trade, investment and tourism and to promote the country to China and other ASEAN members as a viable source of quality products and services,” the TPB said. General Santos City, also
known as the City of Charm, was the main feature of the Philippine pavilion, an investment area where investment promotion agencies can meet with potential investors. China remained the country’s second largest source market from January to July this year, registering a 35.55 percent increase in arrivals to 1.04 million from 766,079 arrivals in the same period last year. Earlier this month, TPB also led a Philippine business mission in the cities of Chongqing, Changsha and Shenzhen in China. “The Philippine business mission aims to boost tourist traffic from China with recently opened direct flights from Chongqing to Cebu, Changsha to Kalibo and Shenzhen to Manila and Cebu and to showcase destinations in the Philippines to the Chinese market,” TPB said. Delegates from various government entities, travel agencies, hotels/resorts and airlines were part of the business mission. Apart from targeting the Chi-
nese market, the Philippines is also eyeing to strengthen its reach in the ASEAN market. Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr. earlier emphasized that the Philippines should strengthen its promotions in the ASEAN region give the potential to tap these markets brought by improving connectivity. “We have to be more aggressive here in ASEAN,” Bengzon said, noting the need to be present in the short haul markets, particularly Southeast Asia. “When you talk about the ability of the Philippines to compete or when you talk about the ability of the Philippines to get a share of the source market, when you look at Southeast Asia, we have a bigger chance,” Bengzon added. This potential may be driven by the high penetration rate when it comes to the low cost carriers in the region, according to Bengzon. From January to July this year, arrivals from the ASEAN region declined 2.97 percent to 310,081 arrivals from 319,564 arrivals in the same period last year. n
‘Property sector to keep growing beyond NCR’ PAGE D1 t crease its GRDP (gross regional needs.” domestic product), as infrastrucThe province also has “several ture projects start to kick in in infrastructure on the rise to ca- that region.” ter [to] increasing demand in the As of the third quarter, total real estate sector,” Lobien said. provincial office supply reached On Davao, the company CEO 329,595.21 sqm of which was upbeat, saying it still had a 223,202.14 sqm are vacant. Avlot of available areas for develop- erage rental rate is P580 per ment. sqm. Various infrastructure projects Townships outside the NCR are being implemented there, are also seen to increase, she including the Davao Airport and said, identifying Baguio, Pamother roads, she added. panga, Bulacan, Iloilo, Laguna, “Davao should be able to in- Cavite, Cebu, Dumaguete, Davao
and Bacolod. In Metro Manila, new office supply is at 1.07 million sqm as of the third quarter, with 51 percent already leased. Lobien earlier said the Metro Manila office property market was expected to grow by approximately 2.4 million sqm in the next three years, thanks to the emergence of the offshore gaming industry As of 2018, office spaces in Metro Manila cover 8.85 million sqm. n
Service Delivery Act of 2018. The EoDB law mandates the prescribed processing periods: three working days for simple business transactions; seven for complex ones; and 20 for highly technical processes. Should the government unit or agency fail to complete processing within the prescribed period, it shall be penalized and the application would be automatically approved. First-time offenders will be slapped with a six-month suspension; and second-timers, a fine of between P500,000 and P2million, a six-year prison term and dismissal from service, among others. Roque also said LGUs should also strive in increasing their tax collection efficiency and set up an online facility for tax payment. (ManilaTimes.net) n
report, the Philippines ranked No. 124 out of 190 economies, slipping 11 notches from No. 113 in 2018, after scoring only 56.68 out of 100. According to Roque, it takes a much longer time — usually a month — in the country to process the documents required to start a business, compared to only one day in Singapore. These documents include barangay (village) clearance, community tax certificate and business permit. She said the determination of initial capital, classification of business and tax rates and coordination with various government agencies also added to the delay. Citing these concerns, the P&A official said LGUs should “streamline the steps for registering,” in accordance with Republic Act 11032, or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government
by tyrone Jasper
NAIA consortium’s proposal clears NEDA-ICC hurdle
PH economy seen to expand by 7%... PAGE D1 t List (FINL), and the revised Corporation Code. “At the moment, the Philippines is on the verge of becoming an upper middle-income economy. And with the continued reform momentum, we are paving the way to become a high-income status economy by 2040,” he said. Diokno cited the incremental capital-output ratio has steadily declined to just 3.9 percent from 9.5 percent in 1992, while the economy’s total factor productivity has increased to two percent from only half a percent in the 1990s.
“These numbers mean that we are now able to produce more goods and services with the same amount of input – thanks to the long list of structural reforms we have implemented in the past,” he said. Diokno said there is additional solid push for the economy’s productive capacity to expand further as the massive infrastructure spending under the Build Build Build program ushers in the golden age of infrastructure. “The ability of the government to invest more for the country’s future is well supported by a healthy fiscal situation. The budget deficit and the public debt are both man-
ageable,” the BSP chief said. Diokno also cited the withintarget inflation that is now within the BSP’s two percent to four percent target after being breached at 5.2 percent last year due to elevated oil and food prices as well as weak peso. Diokno said the government is working hard to a achieve the much coveted A rating from debt watchers for cheaper borrowing costs and for more fiscal space to fund infrastructure projects and social services. “We are keen on hitting the minimum rating within the A territory over the next two years or so,” he added. n
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Privately run gaming sector Globe inks agreement with American Tower unit seen to yield P300-B revenues edotco Group Sbn. Bhd., involves building 150 towers in Region 4A (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon provinces, or LISTED Globe Telecom Inc. announced on Tuesday, Septem- Calabarzon); and the second, with ber 24, that it had signed another Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc. and Froncommon-tower agreement, this tier Tower Associates Philippines, time with a unit of American covers establishing towers and other passive network infrastrucTower Corp. In a statement, the Ayala-led ture in Cebu, Subic and Davao. “There is a significant need to telecommunications giant said that under the deal, Transcend accelerate our infrastructure build Towers Infrastructure (Philip- [in northern Luzon] for our cuspines) Inc. would establish an tomers to fully enjoy the benefit initial 150 towers in northern Lu- of a digital lifestyle,” Globe Chief Finance Officer Rizza Maniegozon. This agreement is the third Eala was quoted as saying in the Globe signed. The first, with ISOC statement. Meanwhile, the Department of Infrastructure Inc. and Malaysia’s by lisbet
K. esmael ManilaTimes.net
by Paolo
RomeRo Philstar.com
MANILA — The government does not have to look far to raise additional revenues and can seize upon an untapped “goldmine” that can generate up to P300 billion yearly in fresh revenues, Senate Minority Leader Frankin Drilon said. At the Senate committee on finance’s hearing on the proposed budget of the Department of Finance (DOF), Drilon said if only the government does not dillydally on the plan to privatize the gaming industry, the government can increase its tax collection yearly. He urged Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez to move faster on its plan to privatize the gaming industry, currently being regulated and operated by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). Once the gaming industry is privatized, Dominguez told Drilon that it could yield around P300 billion in additional revenues “with no effort.” The senator said the revenues the government can generate
Philstar.com file photo
from privatizing the gaming industry would be a lot higher than the taxes it expects to raise from the new round of sin tax on alcohol and e-cigarettes amounting P37 billion on the first year. The government is hoping for Congress to raise taxes through the proposed excise tax on alcohol and e-cigarettes and the Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (CITIRA). “I think if you privatize the gaming industry, you will realize 10 times more than what you can get from the sin taxes on alcohol and e-cigarettes,” Drilon said. He added: “It is a rich source of revenue which I strongly feel is not being tapped properly. Do not
let go of the low-hanging fruit that can generate huge revenues.” He said the law that he authored, the Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations Governance Act, allows the President to amend the charter of stateowned corporations, including PAGCOR and PCSO, without going to Congress. Drilon and Dominguez agreed that PAGCOR should not act as both regulator and operator, with the senator seeing a possible “conflict of interest,” while the finance chief described the situation as “anomalous.” “All over the world, in all jurisdictions where there is a gaming PAGE D5
BSP approves P3-hike in ATM fees by mayvelin
U. CaRaballo ManilaTimes.net
THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has allowed some banks to increase their automated teller machine (ATM) fees by P3, a senior official said on Wednesday, September 25. “There were some [applications from] banks that got approved already, but only [a] P3increase [on top of] the current P15 [maximum fee],” central bank Deputy Governor Chuchi Fonacier told reporters in an interview. She said the banks wanted a higher increase, but the BSP approved only P3. Fonacier declined to identify the banks. “I cannot mention which banks because we have this kind of requirement that when they do apply for an increase, they will be the ones who will inform the clients,” she explained. Fonacier added that there are steps that banks must observe
Filipinos withdraw money from automated teller machines inside a mall in Makati. ManilaTimes.net photo by Justine Ruth Bitancor
before they could raise ATM fees. “They [must] inform their clients and they should also submit proof to us that they have engaged their clients,” she said. Earlier, lawmakers raised concerns over the lifting of the moratorium on ATM fees that has been implemented since 2013.
They warned that this could jack up ATM charges to as much as P15 to P30 for a single interbank withdrawal from the current P10 to P15. The BSP said the looming adjustments should encourage the public to consider using other modes of banking transactions like electronic channels. n
Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is looking to release within this quarter its draft common-tower policy that targets to free telcos from expensive tower deployment. Dominant telcos PLDT Inc. and Globe had long blamed red tape for the slow deployment of cell sites, saying at least 20 permits were needed to construct one tower. Currently, the Philippines has more than 17,000 such sites. The government wants to raise this to 50,000. Globe shares decreased by P58 or 3.08 percent to finish at P1,826 apiece on Tuesday. n
Measure on PH land use pushed by anna leah
e. Gonzales ManilaTimes.net
THE National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is hoping that the National Land Use Act (NaLUA), which seeks to harmonize sector-specific land use policies and institutionalize land use planning, will be passed in the 18th Congress. “Having a comprehensive land use policy can lead to better landscapes for the next generation. We need a NaLUA in the Philippines in order to curtail the adverse effects of the improper land use planning and management,” NEDA Undersecretary for Regional Development Adoracion Navarro said at The Manila Times Philippine Model Cities and Municipalities forum at the New World Manila Bay Hotel on Wednesday, September 25. “In general, the effect of improper land use planning and management is uncoordinated and unsustainable use of the country’s land, which is manifested by urban sprawl or uncontrolled development that encroaches on agricultural land, thereby endangering our food security, and also encroaches on other fragile areas,” she explained. Navarro admitted that while several bills on national land use have been filed, none of them hurdled the final approval stage. “In the 17th Congress, it was passed at the Lower House, but not discussed in the Senate,” she said. “The major concern in the Senate is we were not even given the chance to be heard. It wasn’t scheduled for deliberation in the 17th Congress, so hopefully with [a] greater push this time around, we will have a schedule for de-
Undersecretary Adoracion Navarro delivers a speech during The Manila Times The Philippine Model Cities and Municipalities forum at the New World Manila Bay Hotel in Malate, Manila on Wednesday, September 25. ManilaTimes.net photo by Gerard Seguia
liberations so that we will know what are the senators’ concerns and address them,” she added. So far, 12 NaLUA bills have been filed in the House of Representatives and four in the Senate in the current Congress. “Since we felt last year that we will be having a hard time pushing for NaLUA at the Senate by December [last year], we were already conducting land use policy coversations with the objective of sort of coming up with an executive version of the NaLUA bill, something that we can feed to the 18th Congress,” said Navarro. Among the salient points of the draft of the NEDA Board’s National Land Use Committee are the establishment of an institutional mechanism (National Land Use Council and Regional/Provinvial/ City/Municipal Land Use Policy Committee), which will integrate efforts related to land use, land use development and manage-
ment, as well as resolve land use conflicts; formulating, reviewing, adopting, and approving of physical framework and land use plans both at the national and local levels; and providing major considerations and parameters on land use planning. The draft also seeks to identify and describe areas of special concerns and provides guidelines and prerequisites for their proper and rational delineation; mandates the inclusion of sustainable land use education; and provides sanctions and penalties for land use-related violations. “As of today, no public consultations on the NaLUA, both at the Senate and Lower House, has been conducted by the legislators, but we have presented this to the Cabinet and the President reaffirmed his strong support on this, but he asked that further consultations with government agencies be done,” said Navarro. n
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PH urged to step up efforts on trade secret protection Improvements in train performance by LoueLLa
desideRio Philstar.com
MANILA — The Philippines should step up efforts to raise awareness on the need to protect trade secrets among businesses as the digital age makes stealing this information easier and the country ranks low in the region in trade secret protection, research organization Geneva Network said. Philip Stevens, executive director of Geneva Network which is focused on innovation, trade and development policy, told reporters on Tuesday, September 24, there is a need for the Philippines to undertake reforms for protecting trade secrets which include a company’s customer list, business methods and plans, through legislation. “Trade secrets need to be recognized as IPR (intellectual property right). Laws need to exist,” he said. In its report titled “The importance of IPR on progress,” Geneva Network said it is important to increase awareness on trade secret protection among the business community. Geneva Network made the recommendation as it cited data from
to be felt by end of Duterte term
secrets. Stevens said clearing out the ambiguities would need to be done by the Philippines to have better protection of trade secrets which have become more vulnerable to being stolen due to digitalization of information. “You can steal information by just using a thumb drive,” he said. Geneva Network’s report said having effective trade secret laws which cover technical information, confidential Philstar.com file photo business information and the 2019 International IP Index of know-how, would allow a busithe US Chamber which showed ness owner to use the legal systhe Philippines, along with Indo- tem to protect their secrets. “For governments, effective nesia and Thailand had the worst performance in terms of protect- trade secret laws are an important ing trade secrets in the Southeast part of a well-functioning national Asian region through its 0.5 score innovation system. For businesses, protecting trade secrets has out a perfect score of three. Other countries in the region become increasingly important covered by the index had higher to investment decisions and sucscores like Singapore (1.75), Ma- cess,” the report read. Apart from having trade secret laysia (1.25) and Vietnam (1.25). Geneva Network’s report also laws in place, Stevens said compasaid that while the Philippines’ IP nies in the Philippines should also law includes protection of undis- include trade secret protection in closed information as IPR, it does their priorities by putting in place Metro Manila subway project not define it, which leaves uncer- measures to prevent confidential by Richmond meRcuRio tainty around protection of trade information from being stolen. n Philstar.com
Joint exploration of natural resources with ASEAN pushed by danessa
RiveRa Philstar.com
MANILA — Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi is pushing for joint exploration of natural resources with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to boost the region’s energy security. Citing International Energy Agency (IEA) projections, Cusi said the region is projected to become an emerging heavyweight in global energy as it is poised to rise as the world’s fourth largest economy by 2030. “IEA projections indicate that from our 2018 level of nearly $40 million for the period 20192040 we must almost double the amount of our energy investments annually to sustain the region’s energy needs,” Cusi said. “Additionally, these upshoots in demand are driving energy import levels upwards, escalating concerns about our energy security. This, again, puts emphasis on the importance of building up energy infrastructure and resources, and
strengthening energy efficiency measures even further,” he said. Cusi said ASEAN member countries have shared borders, making it imperative to jointly explore available resources to help augment regional energy security. “While accelerated progress in Southeast Asia may pose some challenges, ultimately, we find strength in numbers. With a united ASEAN working towards the realization of full energy connectivity and market integration, I am confident that we would attain our vision of energy security, accessibility, affordability, and sustainability for all,” he said. Discussions on possible joint exploration of resources have already started among ASEAN members. “It’s ongoing. A technical working group has already been formed,” Cusi said. This follows the Philippines’ proposal to include oil exploration and development as the eighth sub-sector network in
the updated ASEAN Plan of Action for energy cooperation, and for the ASEAN Council on Petroleum during the 37th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM37) earlier this month. Cusi also called for the further strengthening of energy relations among ASEAN membercountries on a myriad of energy issues, which included, among others, innovations in renewable energy, climate change mitigation, and microgrid utilization. Apart from conducting joint exploration with ASEAN members, the Philippines is also looking to jointly explore prospects in the West Philippine Sea with China. Both countries are forming a framework for joint exploration in the West Philippine Sea in the spirit of cooperation and reaching a common goal of the possibility of joint exploration activities in the disputed waters. This follows the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by President Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November last year. n
MANILA — The riding public will get to try and experience new major train projects as well as improvements on existing ones before the term of President Duterte ends, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said. Tugade, in an interview with CNN’s “The Source” on Wednesday, September 25, assured that various railway projects seen to ease Metro Manila’s traffic congestion would be partially operable before end-2022. Among these projects is the P357-billion Metro Manila subway, which will be the Philippines’ first underground railway. Tugade said partial operability of the subway, which will consist
Philstar.com file photo
of its first three underground stations, is targeted to be completed by the first quarter of 2022. Aside from the subway, the transport chief said other major railway projects which would be partially operable before end2022 are the LRT-1 extension to Cavite, LRT-2 extension, PNR Clark Phase 1, and the MRT-7. “Also, those who fall in line and are on the roads will get to ride a better MRT-3. You will get to try that,” Tugade said. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has vowed to fix and restore the MRT-3 to its original and high-grade design state by the third quarter of 2021 once ongoing rehabilitation works of Japan’s Sumitomo-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are completed. With the help of the railway projects, the DOTr expects road
traffic to be decongested. The agency, under the Build Build Build program, has embarked on a campaign to build new railways and rehabilitate existing ones with the goal of expanding railway infrastructure throughout the country to 1,900 kilometers by 2022 from the current 77 kilometers in operation. The government also plans to bolster the country’s fleet of operational train cars by more than five times by the end of the Duterte administration to boost connectivity and enable better and faster services across all rail networks nationwide. The target is to grow the country’s rolling stock fleet to more than 1,200 by 2022 from 221 operational train cars, also known as light rail vehicles or coaches, in 2016. n
Privately run gaming sector seen to yield... PAGE D3 t industry, the government only limits its role to regulatory, the state is never involved in gambling itself, because of the basic conflict of interest since you are regulating yourself,” he said. “This is not the business of the state to run a gaming industry,” he added. For his part, Dominguez said: “As soon as I joined (the government), that was the area that we
looked at immediately as a source of fund and as a way of correcting a situation that we call anomalous, where you are regulating yourself.” “I am not saying that PAGCOR will lose money. They will just be a regulating and a collecting agency,” he said. By privatizing the gaming industry, Drilon said the loopholes and corruption could be prevented, citing the corruption issues in
the PCSO. “If you look at the operating expense of PAGCOR and the PCSO, there are a lot of items there where you wonder where it is going,” he said. “With this privatization, you will be able to check on many of the income leakages all over the place,” he said. “This is something that can put order and correct a lot of things that had gone wrong because of the current setup.” n
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