101222 - Southern California Midweek Edition

Koy Day

in

FILIPINO American stand-up comedian Jo Koy now has a day in his honor in the city of Los Angeles, home to the largest Fil-Am population in California.

The Los Angeles City Council proclaimed Oct. 7 as “Jo Koy Day” during its meeting on Friday.“My goal was always to tell my story and represent my culture the best way that I could. Thank you to the beautiful city of Los Angeles for declaring October 7th Jo Koy Day,” Jo Koy wrote in an Instagram post. “I’m forever grateful and I will continue to wave my flag high. Mahal Kita!”

On Friday, the LA Filipino Association of City Employees (LAFACE) held its 40th year anniversary event at City Hall and honored Jo Koy’s accomplishments in entertainment.

The night before, City Hall was the site of LA’s annual Filipino American History Month celebration, where the “Easter Sunday” star received an honor and lit up the building in

Fake news kicks into high gear ahead of midterm elections

AS the midterms approach, voters are being bombarded with disinformation in multiple languages.

People who are addicted to fake news get it from sources they trust. Trouble is, people who produce it know they are lying.

“This information has always existed,” says Vanessa Cárdenas, deputy director of America’s Voice and a policy expert on political disinformation. During an Ethnic Media Services press call last week, Cárdenas said that there’s a lot more fake news out there and it spreads quickly.

“What’s different is the way in which we are consuming information has changed, and that has created this monster that we are not able to control, and many times the platforms are not able to control,” she said.

News that misleads reaches millions via Facebook and Twitter. When Fox News peddles conspiracy theories, they play to an audience that wants to believe the message regardless of whether it is true or not.

Cárdenas said false narratives about immigration, crime, and the economy are flourishing on Fox News and its viewers

Marcos: Philippines can recover from impact of global conflicts

by ALEXIS ROMERO Philstar.com

In a video that marked his first 100 days in office, the president noted that the beginning of his administration was confronted by the impact of external conflicts and economic challenges,

Filipino immigrant killed in Los Angeles robbery

by AJPRESS

LOS ANGELES — Relatives and community members are mourning the loss of a Filipino liquor store clerk who was attacked and killed during a robbery last week.

On Thursday night, Oct. 6, Steven Reyes — a 68-yearold Filipino immigrant who worked at Tony’s Market in Highland Park, a neighborhood in northeast Los Angeles — confronted several teenagers who were taking various items from the store.

In an attempt to stop them from stealing a case of beer, Reyes was struck on the head with a scooter before the suspects, described as two teenage boys and two teenage girls between the ages of 15 and 18, fled the scene.

Reyes was found unconscious on the sidewalk outside of the liquor store as good Samaritans tried to help him. He later succumbed to his injuries and died at the hospital, according to the LA Police Department.

“I would like for people to just remember him, you know, as just your everyday Filipino uncle, your everyday Filipino dad,” Reyes’ daughter Nelle said during a vigil held outside of the store on Monday, Oct. 10.

His daughter remembered him for always doing the

by CATHERINE S. VALENTE ManilaTimes.net

PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will not interfere in the case of former senator Leila de Lima and will let the courts decide on whether the detained lawmaker will be given a furlough, Malacañang said on Tuesday, October 11.

Cheloy Garafil, officer-in-charge of the Office of the Press Secretary, made the statement after the President's sister, Sen. Maria Imelda Josefa "Imee" Marcos, urged De Lima to take the extended home furlough after she was briefly taken hostage in the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center on Sunday, October 9.

"Ang mga kaso po ni De Lima nasa korte

by KRISTINE JOY PATAG Philstar.com

MANILA — Rappler CEO Maria Ressa will be bringing an appeal of her conviction on cyber libel against to the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeals dismissed their motion for reconsideration.

“Wherefore, the motion for reconsideration is denied,” the CA’s Fourth Division says in a ruling promulgated October 10.

Ressa and former Rappler researcher Rey Santos sought reconsideration of the same CA court decision dated July 7, 2022 that affirmed Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 46’s ruling that found them guilty beyond reasonable doubt for the crime of

cyber libel.

na. So hayaan na lang po natin ang mga abogado niya (De Lima's cases are already with the courts. Let us allow her lawyers) to make the proper motion and the President cannot and will not intervene in any case that's already with the courts," Garafil said during a Palace press briefing.

It can be recalled that De Lima was last granted a furlough in June, but only a medical one, to allow her to undergo a "major" surgery from June 19 to 25.

After the hostage incident, Marcos said he would speak with De Lima and ask her if she wants to be transferred to another detention facility.

He also tasked security personnel to ensure that this incident will not happen again in any detention center.

In the same July ruling, the CA also lengthened potential prison time to six months and a day to six years, eight months and 20 days.

The CA said it found the motion for reconsideration filed by Ressa and Santos had no merit.

"A careful and meticulous review of the motion for reconsideration reveals that the matters raised by the accused-appellants had already been exhaustively resolved and discussed in the assailed Decision," the ruling, penned by Associate Justice Roberto Quiroz, read.

Concurring were Associate Justices Ramon Bato Jr. and

Germano Francisco Legaspi. Ressa, in a statement, said she is disappointed by the ruling but was not surprised. "This is a reminder of the importance of independent journalism holding power to account," she added. Her lawyer Theodore Te also found the ruling "disappointing", saying "it ignored basic principles of constitutional and criminal law as well as the evidence presented."

He said they will bring the case to the Supreme Court next.

For the legal community, this is a test case to the nascent anticybercrime law, while press freedom advocates have said the conviction highlights the problem

De Lima survives hostage-taking in jail

by FRANCIS EARL CUETO, KRISTINA MARALIT AND BERNADETTE TAMAYO ManilaTimes.net

FORMER senator Leila de Lima was briefly taken hostage on Sunday, October 9 by an inmate at the Philippine National Police (PNP) custodial center in Camp Crame where she is being detained.

She was unhurt, but the man who held her hostage and two other inmates were killed.

Police said the inmate, Feliciano Sulayao Jr., held de Lima at knifepoint in her cell where he holed up after a foiled escape attempt.

He and two other detainees

were shot dead by the police. Sulayao and two other detainees had stabbed a police officer as they tried to flee the center. All three were subsequently killed, police said.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said in a Twitter post he will visit the custodial center to check on de Lima's condition.

The former senator, who is detained on drug charges, is safe and "unscathed" and will receive "all necessary medical and

and accessories shop in Cubao, Quezon

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday,

signed

Act

by

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

Marcos won’t intervene in De Lima case – Palace

MANILA — Through unity and good governance, President Marcos says he is confident that the Philippines can recover from the impact of global

conflicts and economic shocks.

but maintained that huge problems should not be obstacles to the recovery of the country.

The eight-and-a-half-minute video was posted on YouTube by Ten17P, the film production

Marcos: Philippines can recover...

company of Marcos’ relative Paul Soriano.

“There are many more dreams that we have to focus on and fulfill. Our colleagues in the government are diligent and competent,” Marcos said in Filipino.

“Only 2,400 hours have passed. Be assured that in the coming 2,090 days, with the blessing of God, good governance and our collective efforts, we will recover together,” he added.

The video was basically a recap of the major engagements of Marcos and the accomplishments of different agencies.

Marcos started by touting the investment pledges made during his inaugural trips to Indonesia and Singapore.

He said 12 letters of intent and 12 memoranda of understanding in renewable energy, data centers, e-commerce, broadband technology, startups, government housing and agriculture were signed

during the two state visits last month.

The pledges may yield $14.36 billion or P804.78 billion worth of investments to the Philippines, he added.

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos, Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople, and Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista also appeared on the video to talk about the programs and accomplishments of their respective agencies.

An infographic posted on the social media pages of the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) also highlighted the administration’s gains in the areas of health (kalusugan), peace (kapayapaan), livelihood (kabuhayan) and education (edukasyon).

Under “kalusugan,” the OPS enumerated the giving of P1.04-billion special risk allowance to health care workers, the higher number of persons vaccinated against

COVID-19, the PinasLakas vaccination campaign and the executive order easing the face mask rule.

The accomplishments listed under “kapayapaan” were the representation of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Moro National Liberation Front and other sectors in the Bangsamoro Transition Authority and the assistance given to former rebels.

Under “kabuhayan,” the administration cited the 134,285 jobs that may be created by the investment pledges secured during Marcos’ trips to Indonesia, Singapore and the United States.

The resumption of face-toface classes, free rides and financial aid for students were listed under “edukasyon.”

Last week, Marcos said he considers the tapping of the “best and the brightest” to serve in his administration and the putting up of a “functional” government as his key accomplishments in his first 100 days as president. g

Filipino immigrant killed in Los Angeles...

right thing.

The victim’s family started a GoFundMe page and paid tribute to Reyes who was a “son, a father, a brother, a good friend and a hard worker.”

“Steven had a loving heart and cared for everyone and always made sure that his family was safe,” the page continued.

The fundraiser has raised over $40,000, as of this writing, to cover medical expenses and funeral costs.

“His work ethics were incredible and he worked so hard to be able to care and support his mother,” the page added.

Reyes moved to Los Angeles in the 1980s with limited education and worked different types of jobs, including as a handyman, according to his daughter Kaycie Reyes. He also made money playing in pool tournaments, she said.

He lived with his elderly mother near the liquor store, where he began working earlier this year.

The suspects in Reyes’ case are still at large, as of press time.

“My family forgives you for what you did. Maybe it was a mistake what you did, but please turn yourself in,” Nelle Reyes

said.

She added, “Turn yourselves in because it would really help my family gain some better peace, so that we can move on from this.” g

Fake news kicks into high gear ahead of...

see them repeated constantly as the midterm elections approach. She said the Right has created an echo chamber that reinforces and amplifies negative stereotypes about immigrants or repeats the “big lie” that Donald Trump won the 2020 election.

“We see that candidates, Republican candidates, are taking a lot of these themes and are using them in their ads. America’s Voice has been tracking TV ads for campaigns across the country and we see hundreds and hundreds of ads. We see hundreds and hundreds of emails that come from these campaigns touching on these themes,” Cárdenas said.

Disinformation creates a feedback loop that amplifies false messages to voters and politicians use them to win elections.

“It’s a political tactic. There’s no policy substance. It’s not a factual conversation. It’s not a solution-oriented conversation. It’s all about giving red meat to their base,” she said.

Added to the slew of misinformation are a raft of newly enacted restrictive voting laws. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, after the 2020 election 21 states passed 42 restrictive voting laws.

Mekela Panditharatne with the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program noted these laws “target or disproportionately impact Latino and Black voters. And we found that newly registered voters are most likely to be Latino,” she said.

Many of these new voters are being bombarded with misinformation on Spanishlanguage platforms.     Spanish radio is the news media of choice for Latinos in states like Florida and Texas. Factchequeado, a Spanish fact-checking platform, calls out fake news in Spanish language news media by using WhatsApp, a cross-platform instant messaging service popular among Latino/a communities.

Factchequeado started in April with support from the Google News Initiative and is modeled after two similar operations, Maldita.es in Spain

and Chequeado in Argentina.

It has 30 large and small media partners who collaborate as fake news watchdogs.

“We are seeing a lot of disinformation similar to the past election,” says Factchequeado Managing Editor Tamoa Calzadilla, former director of fact checking at Univision, the largest Spanish language TV network in the U.S.

Allegations of fraud in the 2020 election are common, along with other false narratives directed at Latino/a communities.

Calzadilla cited one fake story circulating on radio stations in Florida that claimed the Internal Revenue Service bought ammunition to attack people in their homes and steal their money.

Two other false narratives circulating widely in Spanishspeaking communities are “the border crisis” and race replacement theory that says U.S. immigration authorities are letting “illegals” come into the country to replace whites.

Calzadilla said that both parties spin the news but the tidal wave of disinformation about crime and especially immigration, comes from conservatives.

When radio announcers call undocumented immigrants “illegals” they are making a political statement and spreading a false narrative, too.

The hard truth is that the country is polarized and hungry for news that both influences their opinions and reinforces what they already believe.

Immigration is a top issue with Latinos right now and ideologues are exploiting it.

Some Latinos see Dreamers and new asylum seekers as immigrants just like themselves.

Others with legal status, or waiting for it, see new arrivals as cheaters trying to jump the queue.

While both parties are responsible for the current dysfunction in our immigration system, Republicans are putting all the blame on President Biden and the Democrats, a strategy that appears to be working as reporting shows GOP gains among Latino/a voters since 2020.

Disinformation is also prevalent within the Chinesespeaking community, says Rong Xiaoqing, a reporter for the Chinese-language Sing Tao Daily in New York who monitors Chinese social networks.

“The most popular one among Chinese is WeChat,” Xiaoqing said, adding a lot of these discussions happen in private groups, making them difficult to trace.

While the Chinese government censors WeChat, its intrusion into messaging around COVID was “relatively clean,” Xiaoqing explained. “It’s in the Chinese government’s interest to vaccinate people and to fight against COVID-19.”

Misinformation related to U.S. politics is another story. “Its running rampant on WeChat because it is in the Chinese government’s interest to portray that the US and its democracy has been collapsing,” she said.

There is also overlap on WeChat with narratives being pedaled in Spanish.

“The Biden administration is issuing a temporary green card to illegal immigrants. That’s their exact words, illegal immigrants,” Xiaoqing noted. “What they are actually referring to is an ID card that Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to issue to immigrants coming to the border in order to help them quickly access their file and book immigration related hearings.”

For those Chinese immigrants applying for green cards via the official process, it’s a message that can resonate. “When they see that… someone is getting it before me via a shortcut, they will not be happy.”

Earlier this year the non-profit Chinese for Affirmative Action launched the fact checking website Piyaoba.

“They do index fact checking in Chinese. Not only will they tell you ‘Oh, here’s a piece of misinformation that’s circulating on Chinese language social media platforms’, but they also dig into the arrangement of the message and its evolution through the years,” Xiaoqing said. (Peter White/Ethnic Media Services)

Steven Reyes, a 68-year-old Filipino immigrant who worked at a Los Angeles area liquor store, was fatally struck on the head with a scooter during an attempted robbery on Oct. 6. His family started a GoFundMe page to help with medical expenses and funeral costs. Photo courtesy of GoFundMe

Jo Koy Day proclaimed in...

Philippine flag colors as he was joined by Mayor Eric Garcetti and Fil-Am community leaders.

In his speech at the council chambers, the comedian — best known for his jokes about Filipino culture — shared how he uses humor to show the relatability of the community in the United States.

“I want to do a thing where I could tell the story about my mom and just let you hear about what my mom does as a mom. And then you will relate to it and realize that a mom is just a mom no matter what her ethnicity is, what her religion is, what her accent is,” he said.

Jo Koy, who has catapulted to success for his stand-up comedy and Netflix specials, noted the lack of community representation on mainstream entertainment, especially in medical shows, given that Filipinos are largely in the medical field.

“I have so many Filipino nurses in my family. I have an aunt that has about seven nursing homes and just a ton of Filipino nurses out there. They work their butts off, they take care of people 14 hours a day. They have been doing it for over 30 years. And then they go home every day after a hard day’s work and they turn on the TV and they watch about any hospitals and they don’t see one nurse being played by Filipinos,” he said.

He lamented that it shouldn’t be “normalized” and that the lack of representation makes Filipinos feel “like they are

invisible.”

Through his comedy, he said, he wants “to give that voice.” “I will continue to do it. It’s important, representation is important,” Jo Koy added.

In 2020, the city of San Diego declared Oct. 16 as “Jo Koy

Day.” On July 22 of this year, he received the key of Daly City, California and likewise had the day named after him, leading up to the release of “Easter Sunday,” the first major Hollywood studio film about Fil-Ams, which hit theaters in August. (AJPress)

Appeals court junks Ressa cyber libel appeal...

in criminalizing libel and its continued use as a tool to keep journalists in line.

On republication

Ressa and Santos argued that they merely corrected one letter in the original article published on May 29, 2012, when it was updated on Feb. 19, 2012. This, they claimed, the provisions on cyber libel — enacted into law in September 2012 — and its penalty were applied ex-post facto.

"As settled, the determination of republication is not hinged on whether the corrections made therein were substantial or not, as what matters is that the very exact libelous article was again published on a later date," the CA said.

On prescription

The CA said that the argument of Ressa and Santos that cited Wilberto Tolento v. People, a decision that settled that prescriptive period for cyber libel is 15 years "has no doctrinal value and cannot be considered as a binding precedent as it was an unsigned resolution."

It added that it cannot disregard "the stark distinction between traditional publication and online publication" since printed articles are only published once. In online publication, they said, "the commission of such offense is continuous since the such article remains there in perpetuity unless taken down."

"Thus, applying to the present case, the defamatory article published against Wilfredo Keng is continuously published in the Rappler website despite the lapse of one year from the time of its republication, and can still be readily consumed by anyone who has access to the cyberspace," it said.

The CA also said that the conviction of Ressa and Santos under the Cybercrime law "is not geared towards the curtailment of the freedom of speech, or to produce an unseemingly chilling effect on the users of cyberspace that would possibly hinder free speech."

"On the contrary, we echo the wisdom of the Supreme Court in the Disini case that the purpose of the law is to safeguard the right of free speech, and to curb, if not totally prevent, the reckless and unlawful use of the computer systems as a means of committing the traditional criminal offenses," it added.

LEGACY

Juan Miguel Zubiri

senators

photo by Avito Dalan

Koy Day” by

Angeles in honor of Filipino American comedian Jo Koy.

proclamation

joined by a Fil-Am History Month celebration by

Filipino Association of City Employees.

courtesy of LAFACE

De Lima survives hostage-taking...

psychological attention needed," the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) said on Sunday.

"The PNP has launched an in-depth investigation into the incident," appointed OPS Officer in Charge and Undersecretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil said in a separate statement.

PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said the incident occurred at around 6:30 a.m.

Cpl. Roger Agustin was delivering food to the detainees when Sulayao and fellow inmates Arnel Cabintoy and Idang Susukan attacked him with improvised knives.

The three were suspected to be members of the notorious terrorist group Abu Sayyaf.

The commotion drew the attention of another policeman, who ordered the three to stop assaulting Agustin. When they refused, the policeman then fired at the inmates, wounding Cabintoy and Susukan.

Sulayao then ran to de Lima's cell, where he tied and blindfolded the former senator, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr. said.

There was a standoff as a responding team led by Col. Mark Pespes of the PNP Headquarters Support Service negotiated with Sulayao, Abalos said.

When Sulayao requested for water to drink, Pespes saw an opening to neutralize the inmate and shot him, he said.

The incident ended at 7:18 a.m.

One other officer who was injured was in critical condition in a hospital, police said.

De Lima said the timely intervention of the police saved

her.

"After being told by the hostage-taker that since his two other companions were already dead, he's certain he would also be killed and he might just as well also kill me, I consider what happened to me as a near-death experience," she said.

"If not for the timely intervention of the PNP security force, I don't think I would have come out alive since the hostagetaker was already determined to die and take me with him," she said.

Azurin said there will be an investigation to review the security protocols inside the custodial center. He denied that de Lima was a target of the Abu Sayyaf.

"Nakita nila na ito ang magandang cover. Kung puntirya nila si Senator de Lima, siguro hindi na nila hinintay 'yung pulis (It just happened that de Lima was there. They saw it as an opportunity for a good cover. If they targeted Senator de Lima, they would not have waited for the police) ," he said, adding that the main objective of the three was to escape.

Abalos said that on behalf of President Marcos, he offered de Lima a different location in the custodial center where Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. and Sen. Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada were detained.

She said she felt "safe" where she is presently detained, Abalos said.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel 3rd said the PNP must fully explain why high-profile inmates were able to hostage de Lima.

"We worry for the safety of Sen.

Leila de Lima," Pimentel said in a text message on Sunday.

He said the PNP "should come up with a detailed report on what happened and why this happened considering that Sen[ator] de Lima is held in a separate area away from other inmates."

"We are glad with the initial report that she is OK. The wheels of justice in this country must move quicker," he said.

Pimentel added that de Lima's cases have taken too long to resolve even on the issue of bail.

"That should be resolved soon."

Sen. Ana Theresia "Risa" Hontiveros condemned the hostage-taking of de Lima "right inside" the custodial center.

"We demand an explanation and a thorough investigation of this violent incident from the PNP and the Department of Justice. We need answers," Hontiveros said.

"How can armed detainees easily gain access to the custodial cell of Sen[ator] Leila, which is deep inside the PNP national headquarters? What lapses in security must be addressed, and most of all, who is responsible for these lapses? We strongly deplore this breach of duty," she said.

Hontiveros urged the PNP to increase the security arrangements around de Lima, and "ensure that no similar incident will ever occur against her or other detainees."

Sen. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara said, "At the very least they should assure her and other prisoners of better security arrangements. They should consider her application for bail — possibly even on recognizance after a proper assessment of the risk of her taking flight."

Marcos won’t intervene in De Lima...

De Lima herself later issued a statement on that ordeal. The 63-year-old former senator was subsequently given the standard medical checkup, according to her lawyer Boni Tacardon.

Tacardon said De Lima's camp is studying possible home furlough for her as suggested by Senator Marcos.

If De Lima agrees, Tacardon said they will prepare and file a motion for home furlough for the former senator.

"Kung sakaling pumayag si Senator Leila de Lima

ay maghahanda kami ng kaukulang mosyon para ihain ito sa hukuman at hingin ang permiso ng ating huwes para mabigyan siya ng home furlough (If Senator Leila de Lima agrees, we will prepare a motion and file it to the court)," he said.

The former senator is set to attend the resumption of the hearing on one of the remaining illegal drug charges filed against her on Monday, October 10.

De Lima, a leading critic of the drug war of Marcos'

predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, has been detained at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame since 2017, on drug charges that other critics of the previous administration say were fabricated.

Asked about calls to release De Lima, Garafil said, "As I said, we'll leave it up to the courts to decide if she's going to be freed based on the evidence or merits of her case."

De Lima, a former Justice secretary, has repeatedly denied involvement in the illegal drug trade. g

Dateline PhiliPPines

Global innovation: PH struggling to keep up with other countries

by Cristina Eloisa BaCligp Inquirer.net

MANILA — The Philippines slid by eight notches in the Global Innovation Index (GII), which measures a country’s tech advancement, among oth ers, from 2021 to 2022, ending up with the rank of 59 out of 132 countries.

Data from the latest iteration of the World Intellectual Prop erty Organization’s (WIPO) GII report, which measures the per formance of countries in terms of progress in innovations (like patents produced and techno logical advancements), showed that the Philippines “fell back slightly” in the global ranking.

The WIPO noted that the slump underlined the impor tance of sustaining innovation efforts over time.

The countries were ranked based on their overall score and the average of two sub-in dices. These included one that measured how the economy enabled innovative activities (innovation input sub-index) and another that measured the result of these innovative activ ities (innovation output sub-in dex).

The Philippines had an overall score of 30.7 this year—lower than its score of 35.3 recorded in 2021.

Switzerland, which ranked first again this year, scored 64.6. Trailing behind were the United States (61.8), Sweden (61.6), the United Kingdom (59.7), and the Netherlands (58.0).

“As to technological catch-up and convergence, the past three decades were an unacknowl edged golden age that has led to unconditional and historic convergence,” the report said.

“This was thanks to increased globalization and what came with it in terms of knowledge diffusion and technology and innovation transfer, including managerial and other organiza tional and process innovations,” it added.

“All those countries that have climbed the GII innovation rankings over time, for exam ple, China, India, Turkey, the Philippines, and Vietnam, have

for various reasons (e.g., indus trial policies) been able to de velop homegrown technological capabilities; an achievement reflected in measured innova tion performance and the abil ity to participate in global value chains,” it said.

Rankings in SEAO

Still, the country maintained its position among countries in Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania (SEAO) that continue to change the innovation land scape.

Same as last year, the Philip pines ranked 11th.

This is the fourth year that the country was included on the list of innovation achievers in the region—starting in 2015, then in 2020, 2021, and this year.

The WIPO found that the Phil ippines was also among the countries in the region—along side Vietnam, Indonesia, Cam bodia, and Lao People’s Dem ocratic Republic—that have made “the greatest advances over the past decade, moving up more than 20 ranks.”

The SEAO region also con tinues to close the innovation performance gap with North ern America and Europe. Sev en SEAO economies are world innovation leaders: the Re public of Korea (6th in global rankings), Singapore (7th), Chi na (11th), Japan (13th), Hong Kong, China (14th), New Zea land (24th), and Australia (25th)

Out of the 36 countries in the lower middle-income group, the Philippines ranked fifth, re taining its performance above expectations for the level of de velopment.

India (40th in the global rank ings) ranked first among lower middle-income countries, fol lowed by Vietnam (48th), Iran (53rd), and Ukraine (57th).

2nd high-tech exporter world wide

Despite falling in the global rankings this year, the WIPO highlighted that the Philippines continues to lead in key innova tion indicators. The GII report stated that the country holds the second position worldwide in high-tech exports.

According to data from the

Philippine Statistics Authori ty (PSA), electronic products were among the top Philippine exports, with an 8.2 percent growth rate between January 2021 and January 2022.

This amounted to a free-onboard (FOB) price of around $3.2 billion (58.94 percent of total exports in January 2021) and $3.5 billion (28 percent of total exports in January 2022).

Data from the PSA also showed that the top exported electronic products in January this year included:

• Components/Devices (Semi conductors): $2.6 billion

• Electronic Data Processing: $507 million

• Office Equipment: $61 mil lion

• Consumer Electronics: $89 million

• Telecommunication: $85 million

• Communication/Radar: $44 million

• Control and Instrumenta tion: $64 million

• Medical/Industrial Instru mentation: $18 million

• Automotive Electronics: $15 million

According to the Semicon ductor and Electronics Indus tries in the Philippines Founda tion Inc. (Seipi), the electronics sector—the country’s largest exporter—shipped out $45.92 billion worth of goods in 2021.

PH slide: ‘most alarming’

In a statement last October 3, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), however, described the coun try’s current GII ranking as “most alarming.”

“We regret to see the decline of the Philippines in the 2022 Global Innovation Index (GII),” said IPOPHL Director General Rowel Barba.

“Our slide of eight rungs is most alarming. This calls for the urgent task of accelerating work at the National Innovation Council (NIC) to sustain innova tion over time,” he added.

Barba said the decline might be attributed to double-digit de clines in education and tertiary education (human capital and research), knowledge creation

Escape… almost… from PNP HQ

REMEMBER Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi? At dawn on July 14, 2003, the Indonesian bomb-maker involved in the deadly nightclub bombings in 2002 in Bali as well as several bomb attacks in the Philippines walked out of his Camp Crame detention cell together with two Abu Sayyaf members who were being held for ransom kidnappings.

One of the Abu Sayyaf bandits, Omar Opik Lasal, even gave a television interview afterwards. He narrated that they simply walked past jail guards to the fire exit, where Al-Ghozi shaved off his beard. They strolled across the camp ground to the main gate, past police rookies in training and the sentries, all of whom ignored the inmates. They boarded a taxi, and in three days, they were back in Mindanao.

Editorial

to escape from the Camp Crame Custodial Center last Sunday morning, October 9. Feliciano Sulayao Jr., Arnel Cabintoy and Idang Susukan stabbed a policeman in their attempt to flee. Another cop shot and killed Cabintoy and Susukan. The fleeing Sulayao saw an open cell door, entered and held the inmate hostage at knifepoint. The inmate, who had opened the door for her morning exercise and prayers, happened to be former senator Leila de Lima. Sulayao was later also shot dead.

Police would subsequently catch and kill the other Abu Sayyaf escapee, Abdulmukim Edris, and months later, Al-Ghozi himself. But this would not minimize the embarrassment created by the socalled great escape from the headquarters of the Philippine National Police, which occurred eight years after Khadaffy Janjalani, brother of Abu Sayyaf founding chieftain Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, also bolted the same detention facilities in 1995 by climbing through a ceiling duct. After Abdurajak was killed, Khadaffy became Abu Sayyaf leader until his death in 2006.

Little wonder then that three more detainees believed to be Abu Sayyaf members attempted

The detention facility at PNP headquarters is supposed to be reserved for high-value inmates that require maximum security. Yet terrorists with some knowledge of escaping detention aren’t the only inmates who have bolted the Custodial Center.

Even drug trafficking suspects have waltzed out of Camp Crame, apparently after paying off jail custodians.

At least this time the escape attempt was foiled, although with lethal consequences for the inmates.

On Monday, October 10 the PNP leadership announced that the chief of the Custodial Center had been sacked. And at least De Lima survived,

and might be accorded “home furlough” while on trial for drug-related charges. Beyond allowing her house arrest, the courts should speed up adjudication of the cases against her, which were

On rst 100 days, questions raised on FM Jr.’s foreign trip

worry about the most.”

“I try very hard to put an impetus into government. ‘Come on, let’s go. We need to do these things. We haven’t very much time…’ We have very many difficulties. We cannot count on other countries to help us in ways that they used to be able to help us so it is up to us.

“That kind of message I think has filtered down to not only the elected officials, not only the high officials in government, but to slowly make the bureaucracy understand, make all our officials understand that… as a government we are here to govern.”

Thus has Ferdinand Marcos Jr. essentially assessed his presidency’s accomplishments, in its first 100 days, to “put together government which is functional and which has a very good idea of what we are targeting in terms of strict economic targets [and means to attain them].”

He admitted, however, being much worried about complacency in the government. Here’s how he put it across:

“The one thing I worry about very much is coasting. It goes like this, ‘This is OK. This will do. You don’t really need to attend to this anymore. It’s going to be alright. You can all go have a holiday.’ That’s what I

On the Move

SEGUNDO ECLAR ROMERO

PERCIVAL Mabasa, known by his broadcast name Percy Lapid, assassinated at age 63, was on a hot streak. His “Percy Lapid Fire” online broadcast program at dwBL 1242 and YouTube quickly became a habit for many Filipinos who wanted sparkling scoops and interpretations of political events in the country. Created only in May 2019, it quickly raised a viewership of 132 million as it took on Rodrigo Duterte and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and their close associates.

Lapid did not fail his audience. Sitting in a studio with the usual oversized broadcast microphone partly covering his face, an audiovisual control panel at his fingertips, and a

Ironically, it’s that attitude he called “coasting” that was raised in numerous criticisms over Marcos Jr.’s second trip to Singapore – to attend the F1 Grand Prix over the past weekend. The trip (which included his wife Liza Araneta, congressman son Sandro and cousin, Speaker Martin Romualdez) wasn’t officially announced prior to their departure.

“Security reason” was the belated explanation given by the new Executive Secretary, retired Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin (more on this later).

How have the marginalized sectors, people’s organizations and advocacy groups that have been tracking the new administration’s performance assessed its first 100 days in power?

The People’s Summit 2022, a conference of these various grassroots organizations and advocacy groups, noted that when sworn in as president, Marcos Jr. “promised a comprehensive and inclusive program to transform the Philippine economy.”

After 100 days, it said, “we are nowhere near having this touted program to transform the Philippine economy and address all the systemic problems laid bare by the pandemic.”

“The people are reeling from the economic crisis, with rising inflation that has impacted food prices as their foremost

concern,” they said. “The government is deep in debt, more than P13 trillion and counting. In his three months in office, Marcos Jr. has exhibited a lack of leadership, a lack of urgency on the most pressing problems and a penchant for image-building and lavish living that is grossly offensive in light of the ongoing crisis.”

“When the people call for democratic, ethical and accountable governance,” People’s Summit added, “Marcos responds with an utter lack of prudence in public spending. He has no qualms in availing expensive accommodations and bringing along a large presidential entourage in his trips abroad, while refusing to be transparent and accountable in the way he spends public funds.”

“Meanwhile, his administration is wracked by infighting, resignations and unfilled Cabinet positions,” the group observed.

The President’s recent jaunt to Singapore has been described as “insensitive” because people in Luzon were then suffering from the severity of Super Typhoon Karding. Bersamin was sharply criticized for brushing aside the “insensitivity” issue and dismissing as “irrelevant” queries about how the trip was funded.

Replying to the questions about the money spent, he said: “Wala kaming direct knowledge kung paano ang funding niyan.

But I am sure if that was the trip of the President, you do not need to be too particular about where the funds were sourced. Kasi he was still performing his job as President when he was abroad, although that is not an official visit.”

“Now, whether it was a fully[government] paid trip or not is irrelevant,” he added.

Moreover, Bersamin pointed out, “The welfare of the First Family is of concern to the state. You may not call that state visit, nonetheless, it’s not any less covered by the law that accords importance and value to the welfare of the First Family.”

“So it’s beyond the issue,” the former chief justice said. “It’s not relevant at all to question, to ask kung sino gumastos. Basta he was doing something for us. If public funds were spent, walang problema diyan because that was also a trip undertaken for the interest of the Philippines.”

Bersamin then went on to scold the questioners: “Do not be too rigid in thinking na hindi mo dapat gastusan ng taxes, kung ginamit. You have the obligation to secure, to ensure that the President travels safely. Whose obligation is that? The government’s.”

Seemingly on second thought, the executive secretary clarified: “I’m not saying na ang ginastos nya puro public funds. No, I’m not. May kakayahan si Presidente na magbiyahe nang ganun sa sarili.”

Further defending Marcos Jr.’s trip, Bersamin bragged that other bigwigs also attended the Formula 1 Grand Prix event.

“What’s so insensitive about it? Alam niyo kung sino ‘yung mga nanuod doon? Mga ministers din tulad niya. He was even higher than all of them. It is something that would attract big people in other countries in Asia. The President was not the only dignitary there.”

Bersamin even speculated that Marcos Jr. “must have been invited [by the Singapore prime minister] because his presence might have added there some suspense and intrigue and some importance to that event.”

“Alam ninyo, our President

Why journalists matter

laptop to the side, he would dish out the latest political events and give scathing commentaries. He gave the issues a thorough 360-degree perspective, peppering his talk with nicknames he has for his live targets—e.g., “Digongnyo” for Duterte—his favorite target.

There is something about broadcasters that gets the goat of onion-skinned, unscrupulous, corrupt, and inept politicians, criminals, businessmen, and other anti-social types. Duterte, perhaps, expresses the feelings of politicians at the receiving end of what they consider “undeserved” blasts from broadcasters. On May 31, 2016, the then newly elected president said in a press conference that journalists are legitimate targets of assassination “if you’re a son of a bitch.” He cited broadcaster Jun Pala, who was assassinated in Davao City

when Duterte was mayor, as someone who “deserved it.”

It must be in the way broadcasters can use the spoken language like a scalpel, digging into the rotten core of an issue. They have a way of using innuendo and colorful codenames and clues for their targets and their shenanigans.

Writers at least will be able to review their text and moderate themselves. The sharper their pens, the more alert are their editors in saving the whole media organization from libel suits. But broadcasters can only be warned or censured at the end of a program, when they have already unloaded their daily supply of lethal verbal daggers and brickbats.

From a nation-building perspective, the assassination of a prominent broadcaster brings the public to a higher level of political awareness.

It is an altogether consuming collective enterprise as people crave answers—“Who was the mastermind?” “Why?” In this age of social media, that gives the broadcaster a new wind, as people voraciously consume his last known broadcasts to get a sense of what was worth being killed for. It is an opportune time for educating the public on things they take for granted. When someone dies a political death, people sense it is also somehow about the people and pay attention.

But why do journalists and broadcasters matter? As Walter Cronkite said in 2005, reflecting on the weak state of political and civic education in the United States, “We are not intelligent enough, we’re not educated well enough to perform the necessary act of selecting our leaders for the future. We’ve got to improve

that situation, and it’s going to be, to a large degree, up to us in television and radio, in broadcasting, to get that job done. If we fail at that, our democracy, our Republic, is, I think, in serious danger.” Journalists and broadcasters matter because they are instrumental in educating the public about those sensitive and critical issues, kept from public view, on which the wellbeing of the people and the nation depend.

Lapid throws a spotlight on the whole set of Filipino broadcasters who have helped shape the political consciousness of many Filipinos. Now we know that 197 journalists have been killed since 1986 according to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines. Journalists who die are athletes in a relay. They raise awareness about issues by

naging matinee idol eh,” Bersamin gushed before the reporters. “His presence in an event like that will be well appreciated and he might have attracted more audience. It’s not immodest, it’s not contrary to morals; private time yan.”

This is a former chief justice of our highest tribunal. Now that he’s executive secretary, how effusively he talks about his boss. (Philstar.com)

* * *

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

* * *

Email: satur.ocampo@gmail.com

risking their lives. It is not their intention that their advocacies and the issues co-terminate with them. They mean for other citizens to take up the issue and run forward with it.

We need more Percy Lapids for as we mark the 100th day in office of the Marcos Jr. administration, we need people to remind them that while we may not be able to show proof of development emerging in the first 100 days, we certainly are able to show indicators of impending catastrophes to our democracy, our development, and our sense of nationhood.

*

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

filed over five years ago. At the same time, the PNP should put a decisive end to this embarrassment of escapes, whether successful or foiled, from Camp Crame. (Philstar.com)

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Malacañang photo

Marcos: Clear policy agenda over 6 years

by Catherine S. Valente

IN his first 100 days as president, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. believes that he has successfully laid out a clear policy agenda for his sixyear term in office that focuses on health, fiscal management and turning the long-neglected agricultural sector into an engine of growth.

The Philippines is currently beset with numerous challenges, from rising inflation to worrying levels of public debt and a bruised peso, but Marcos, who won the presidency by a landslide, said he was able to manage it with the help of the "best and the brightest" members of his Cabinet.

In his latest vlog uploaded on his social media on Saturday, the President promised that he would be more persistent in fulfilling his mandate to help realize his administration's bid to give the Filipino people a better life.

"Ang maituturing kong malaking tagumpay ng ating panunungkulan sa ating unang 100 araw ay ang pagbibigay ng malinaw na direksyon at layunin sa lahat ng ating mga ahensiya ng pamahalaan at sambayanang Pilipino (What I consider a major success of my administration during our first 100 days is that we were able to provide a clear policy direction and agenda to all our government agencies and the Filipino people)," Marcos said.

Managing COVID-19

The President first cited his government's accomplishment in managing the COVID-19 situation in the country.

Through the Department of Health (DOH), the "PinasLakas" vaccine campaign was launched to raise the number of Filipinos receiving the booster shot against the coronavirus.

To show the importance of receiving an additional dose of the vaccine, Marcos received a booster shot when he visited a vaccination site at a mall in Manila on August 17.

The DOH had set a goal of vaccinating 50 percent of the eligible population with the first booster shot of COVID-19 vaccines by October 8 or the first 100 days of the Marcos administration.

However, on September 22, the DOH adjusted its target to 30 percent due to the slow uptake

on booster shots.

Meanwhile, as of October 6, a total of 73.3 million Filipinos are now fully-vaccinated against COVID-19 or those who have received their two-dose primary vaccination series.

This figure is equivalent to 93.81 percent of those who are eligible to get the first two doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

Marcos' first 100 days impressive

Around 19,211,908 of this figure received a booster shot, according to the figures released by the DOH.

Food sufficiency, economic growth

The President also reiterated that his administration's priority goals are to secure food sufficiency and spur socioeconomic growth.

PH asked: Open economy 'as much as possible'

During his recent state visits to Indonesia and Singapore, the Marcos administration promoted agricultural cooperation and encouraged trade investment in key sectors.

The President said his inaugural visits bore fruit, securing around P804.78 billion ($14.36 billion) worth of investment pledges.

Marcos also visited the United States where he secured business deals and commitments with an estimated investment value of $3.9 billion.

"Ang pagbangon ng ating ekonomiya ay ang pagbangon ng pamilyang Pilipino kaya naman puspusan ang ating ginagawang hakbang para dumami ang hanapbuhay at oportunidad dito sa bansa (The recovery of our economy is the recovery of the Filipino family, which is why we are taking steps to increase the number of jobs and opportunities in the country)," he said.

To recall, Marcos also listed in his State of the Nation Address last July 25 several economic objectives.

For this year, Marcos wants to achieve a gross domestic product of 6.5 to 7.5 percent, lower than the 7 to 8 percent set by his predecessor, former president Rodrigo Duterte, before leaving office.

But from 2023 until the end of Marcos' term in 2028, the government hopes that annual

GDP growth would hit between 6.5 to 8 percent, higher than Duterte's goal of 6 to 7 percent growth.

But from rising inflation to worrying levels of public debt and a bruised peso, the Philippine economy has yet to find an impasse.

State statisticians expect the cost of consumer goods and services to grow even faster as expensive food prices could stick by year-end.

Marcos, who appointed himself as secretary of agriculture, is already aware that the uptick in the country's inflation could be a "potential problem," Malacañang had said.

Hence, the President, during his first meeting with his Cabinet in July, discussed several initiatives to tame the rise in consumer prices.

Marcos had said he has directed all government offices to follow the "central policy" that will be crafted by his economic team.

International events such as the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia as well as rising prices for farm inputs, particularly fertilizers, have led to higher food prices in the international market.

Under Marcos' leadership and through the prompt approval of his administration's fiscal framework, the Palace said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has taken steps to "reduce socioeconomic vulnerability" and "ensure sound macroeconomic fundamentals."

"These initiatives include the Budget Modernization Bill, realignment of expenditure priorities, and the ongoing digitization of government processes," Malacañang said.

"The DBM also oversees the full devolution process, ensuring that funds are fairly distributed, and disadvantaged areas are prioritized," it added.

The DBM submitted the proposed P5.268-trillion national budget for 2023 to the House of Representatives which passed it on third and final reading on September 28.

Once they craft their own version of the 2023 General Appropriations Bill, the Senate will meet their House counterparts in a bicameral u PAGE 8

4 TIPS ON COVID-19 TESTING

Testing can help reduce the spread of the virus and help protect those most vulnerable from severe illness and death.

1. Watch for symptoms and get tested immediately.

Get tested whenever you experience symptoms like fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, vomiting, fatigue, body aches, or headaches.

2. If you test positive, isolate, notify others, and get treatment if you’re eligible.

Isolate to avoid spreading the virus and alert those you have been around you tested positive for COVID-19. New treatments can reduce symptoms of the virus when taken early. Check with your healthcare provider to see if you’re eligible.

3. Keep at-home test kits handy or find a test site near you.

You can book a test appointment, find a walk-in test clinic or buy a self-test kit from your local drugstore. Visit www.covid19.ca.gov to learn more.

4. Test before and after you travel, or after attending a high-risk event.

Spending time close to others, especially crowded indoor spaces, poses a higher risk for COVID-19 exposure. Test before and 3-5 days after you travel or attend an event, especially large events.

‘Fake news’ a problem in PH?

in 10 Filipinos agree, says Pulse Asia

Gabriel Pabico

MANILA — A new Pulse Asia survey revealed that about 9 in 10 Filipino adults, or 86%, see the proliferation of “fake news” as a problem in the country.

In a poll conducted from September 17-21, only 14% of respondents across the country do not regard fake news as an issue.

The highest concentration of respondents who believed that fake news is a problem was in Balance Luzon, at 92%, followed by the National Capital Region (NCR) or Metro Manila at 87%, Mindanao at 81%, and the Visayas at 77%.

Only 8% of respondents in Balance Luzon said that fake news is not a concern. Metro Manila followed with 13%, Mindanao with 19%, and the Visayas with 23%.

“About nine (9) out of every 10 adults (86%) are of the view that false news or fake news is a problem in the Philippines. This is the prevailing sentiment at the national level (86%) as well as in each geographic area and socio-economic grouping (77% to 92% and 74% to 93%, respectively),” said a Pulse Asia report released Tuesday.

“An overwhelming majority of the country’s adult population (90%) have read, heard, and/ or watched fake political news; internet or social media (68%)

and television (67%) are the leading sources of fake news about government and politics,” it added.

Aside from social media and television, the survey respondents said they heard or read fake news from the following media:

• radio (32%)

• friends/ acquaintances (28%)

• family/ relatives (21%)

• leaders in the community (4%)

• newspaper (3%)

• religious leader (1%)

Meanwhile, some 21% of respondents said they hear or watch fake news daily, while 26% said a few times a week; 17% said once a week; 25% said a few times a month; and 10% said never.

Regarding who is responsible for spreading fake news, 58% of respondents pointed to social media influencers as the top source. This was followed by journalists (40%), nationallevel politicians (37%), local politicians (30%), civic leaders (15%), businesspeople (11%), and academics or teachers (4%).

“Social media influencers, bloggers, and/or vloggers are seen by most Filipino adults (58%) as peddlers of fake news about government and politics. For a small majority of adults (58%), social media influencers, bloggers, and/or

Global innovation: PH struggling to keep up with...

(knowledge and technology output) and creative goods and services (creative output).

Under the innovation sub-in dex of GII, five pillars had been listed—institutions, human cap ital and research, infrastruc ture, market sophistication and business sophistication.

These enabler pillars, accord ing to WIPO, define aspects of the environment conducive to innovation within an economy.

“In promoting the export of our cultural and creative ser vices, IPOPHL commits to en gage more proactively with our

creative economy and ensure yielding positive outcomes from the creatives-based partner ships we have been forging over the years,” Barba said.

“We also see the recently legislated Creative Industries Development Act as providing a boost to bring our creative genius to the global stage,” he added.

He also said that the IPOPHL will intensify its work in “creat ing an environment that stim ulates creative and innovative activities through promoting IP protection and creating a robust enforcement regime.” g

vloggers are responsible for spreading fake political news in the country – an opinion shared by most Metro Manilans (69%), those in the rest of Luzon (67%), and those belonging to Class ABC and D (69% and 58%, respectively),” Pulse Asia said.

According to Pulse Asia, the survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 respondents, with a margin of error of ± 2.8% at the 95% confidence level for nationwide figures. It added that subnational estimates have ± 5.7% error margins for Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The proliferation of misinformation and disinformation or false information, commonly referred to as fake news, has been a growing problem in the Philippines with the widespread use of social media – where content is not immediately verifiable.

In the 2022 national elections, several observers and factcheckers claimed a notable increase in the distribution of fake news targeting several candidates.

A Social Weather Stations survey in February showed that 70% of Filipino adults think fake news proliferation is a serious problem. g

Signal Batteries

The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) is seeking quotes for Signal Batteries. Bid documents may be obtained at https:// metrolinktrains.com/doingbusiness (free registration). Electronic Bids are due at 2:00 P.M. (PT) on 10/19/2022.

For further information, contact Arisa Hicks, Contract Specialist, at (213) 452-0250 or hicksa@scrra.net

10/12/22

CNS-3629530#

ASIAN JOURNAL (L.A.)

4,000 daily COVID-19 cases seen by end-October if decreased compliance continues

by Gaea Katreena CabiCo Philstar.com

MANILA — COVID-19 infections may reach 4,000 to over 8,000 by the end of October if compliance with public health safeguards like wearing face masks and maintaining physical distancing continues to decline, the Department of Health said Monday.

DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director Alethea De Guzman said in a briefing that data as of mid-September showed that cases were expected to “follow a continuous slow downward trend.” FASSSTER, a web application for creating disease models for diseases and for visualizing syndromic surveillance, projected 1,204 cases a day by the end of the month under this scenario.

However, if compliance with minimum public health standards continues to decrease, infections may range from 4,055 to as high as 8,670

by the end of October.

The Department of Health has yet to issue new minimum public health standards since the Philippines relaxed rules on wearing face masks, but, in general, the department has emphasized vaccination, wearing masks in indoor and crowded areas, frequent hand washing, better ventilation, and separate entry and exit points in high traffic areas to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The health agency reported 16,017 cases from September 26 to October 2. The figure was 10% lower than the number of cases reported from a week before.

The country remained at low risk for COVID-19 spread.

Metro Manila, meanwhile, kept its moderate risk classification for virus transmission.

De Guzman added the projections of the Australian Modeling Network (AuTuMN) showed that “even with case increases, severe and critical

cases are not seen to exceed those previously observed during Delta and Omicron spikes.”

“However, with the emergence of a new variant, this may lead to sharp increase of hospitalization at the beginning of 2023 in the National Capital Region,” De Guzman added.

The official stressed the effects of a possibly more transmissible new variant may be minimized by COVID-19 vaccination.

Vaccination uptake has slowed down after the country immunized 80% of its target population in February 2022.

Only 26% of the target individuals have gotten booster doses.

“As we continually lift restrictions and as mobility further increases, occurrence of cases and periodic spikes are inevitable. But vaccination will be central in ensuring minimal hospitalization with severe disease and as well as deaths,” De Guzman said. g

Tulfo proposes full scholarship for nursing students

by Daniza FernanDez Inquirer.net

MANILA — Senator Raffy Tulfo proposed on Tuesday, October 11 the provision of a full scholarship for nursing students, subject to a condition.

Nursing students will receive full scholarships, provided they will serve the country for four to five years after graduation.

“How about mag-offer po kayo ng full scholarship programs sa mga nurses sa mga iba’t ibang eskwelahan, mga probinsya?

(How about offering full

scholarship programs for nurses in different schools and provinces?)

“Full scholarship po and then and’un ‘yung kondisyunes na kapag ikaw ay nakapaggraduate, you must serve at least four to five years bilang nurse dito sa ating bansa,”

Tulfo asked Philippine Heart Center Executive Director Dr. Joel Abanilla during the Senate committee on health and demography hearing.

(Full scholarship, and there is a condition that after you graduate, you must serve at least four to five years as a nurse in our country.)

Abanilla replied that

legislation would be needed for the senator’s suggestion.

Tulfo and Senator Christopher Go, chairperson of the panel, expressed support for such legislation.

Senators learned that nurses in government hospitals earn around P34,000 to P36,000 per month, lower than foreign nations could offer.

Tulfo lamented that nurses are overworked, serving more patients than the ideal 4:1 ratio or four patients to one nurse.

Earlier, the Department of Health said the country has a “shortage” of around 106,000 nurses. g

Marcos: Clear policy agenda over ...

conference committee to reconcile differing provisions in their respective budget bills.

Their harmonized measures would be placed on the President's signature by December if not earlier.

One Bangsamoro

Another major feat of his administration, Marcos said, is the unification of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) under one Bangsamoro autonomous government.

Making Bangsamoro peace process one of his top priorities, Marcos on August 12 led the mass oath-taking in Malacañang of the new members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), which serves as the interim government in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao pending the conduct of first regular parliamentary and regional elections in May 2025.

The third phase of the decommissioning of combatants and weapons of the MILF also resumed on September 27, or just nearly two weeks since the BTA Parliament began its session.

"Ang kapayapaan at pagkakaisa na bunga ng mga programang ito ay nag-maximize ng ating economic potential ng mga nasabing lugar (The peace and unity resulting from these programs maximized our economic potential of said areas)," Marcos said.

DepEd's 'significant achievement'

Albay Second District Rep. Jose Ma. Clemente "Joey" Salceda said on Saturday that the resumption of face-toface classes is Vice President Sara Duterte's most significant

achievement during her first 100 days in office, which is crucial for addressing the learning crisis and bringing the economy back to normal.

Salceda also said the actions taken to address the issue of teacher debt are a significant breakthrough. Teachers will have stronger representation in the Government Service Insurance System, which will provide additional refinancing options and more environmentally friendly lending methods.

According to Salceda, the Philippines spends around 3.2 percent of gross domestic product on education. Having funds doesn't ensure strong academic results, but having the proper amount and the correct priorities can, as he suggested to Duterte, concurrent Education secretary.

OVP's medical, burial benefits

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) said it had processed more than P134 million in medical and burial benefits and has served nearly 100,000 passengers in its free ride program under Duterte.

In a statement, the OVP said that nearly P125 million in medical aid and around P9.8 million in burial assistance were given to 13,315 beneficiaries in all seven offices of the OVP, including in its main office as of October 5.

The OVP said it has partnered with the DOH through the Medical Assistance to Indigent Patients Program, as well as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program.

Meanwhile, the OVP's Peak Hours Augmentation Bus Service or PHABS has served a

total of 98,293 people in 1,470 trips in Metro Manila, Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Bacolod and Davao City since August 3.

The OVP has also distributed a total of 3,220 "PagbaBAGo" bags that contain school supplies and hygiene kits in Limasawa Island, Southern Leyte, Jordan, Guimaras, Caramoan, Camarines Sur, Kidapawan, North Cotabato, Siquijor, Dasmarinas, Cavite and Bangued, Abra.

The program, which began when Duterte was still mayor of Davao City, aims to instill the importance of basic education and nurture the right attitude among young Filipinos to succeed in life.

Aside from the distribution of the bags, Duterte also met with the children's parents and convinced them to practice responsible parenthood and family planning.

Armed Forces highlights Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro highlighted the military's accomplishments in its first 100 days: gains in internal peace and security operations, external defense, modernization and capability development, and international bilateral and multilateral engagements.

For internal security and stability, Bacarro said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has dismantled five guerilla fronts, neutralized 310 members of the communist terrorist group (CTG) and recovered 300 firearms.

Some 58 members of the local terrorist group (LTG) have also been neutralized while 54 loose firearms were recovered, the AFP said.

On the peace process, the AFP participated in the successful oath-taking of new members of the BTA. g

LUNCH BREAK. Workers partake of pares (pair) meals at a makeshift eatery on a vacant lot along Congressional Road in Barangay Salitran

Dasmariñas City, Cavite on Tuesday, Oct. 11. The famous beef brisket dish is commonly paired with rice or noodles and soup. PNA photo by Gil Calinga

Meet the Fil-Ams working in the Biden-Harris administration

by AJPress

(Part I of II)

Gina Ortiz Jones

Under Secretary of the Air Force

U.S. Department of Defense

Hometown: San Antonio, TX

U

PON taking office, President Joe Biden promised to have an administration that reflected the United States’ diversity. In addition to having Kamala Harris as the first Black, South Asian and woman vice president, the administration has had a lot of ‘firsts’ in the Cabinet and key agency appointees. In honor of October as Filipino American History Month, the Asian Journal spoke to several Fil-Ams working across the administration — from the Executive Branch to various agencies that keep the country running.

Nani Coloretti

Deputy Director

Office of Management and Budget

Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii

Prior to the Biden-Harris administration, Coloretti worked at the Urban Institute and served the Obama administration as the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and as an Assistant Secretary at the Department of Treasury.

How has being Filipino American shaped your identity and career path?

My grandparents emigrated from the Philippines in 1927 to support the many Filipinos moving to Hawaii to work in the sugar cane fields. My grandfather was a minister and a union organizer; my grandmother was one of the first Filipina nurses in this

country; and my mom worked as a nurse and, later, as a child-care teacher. Although I did not get a chance to meet my grandfather, who passed away before I was born, my grandmother lived with us and she — along with my Aunts and Uncles — had a strong influence on me and my sisters as we grew up in Hawaii. From my family, I learned to value hard work, to focus on education, and the importance of empathy and taking care of others when you can. All of this has helped shape my career path in public service.

Why did you join the Biden-Harris administration, and what does it mean as a Filipino American?

Throughout my career, I have looked for ways to increase opportunity for everyone and make more real the American promise that if you work hard, you can move your life and the lives of others in a positive direction. The

Biden-Harris Administration has focused on equity and inclusion from Day One, and continues to deliver on its promise to support an economy that works for everyone. I am thrilled to be a part of this effort, and as a Filipina, I believe that diverse representation contributes to creating the best solutions to solve complex problems.

What does Filipino American History Month mean to you?

In my lifetime, the Filipino American population has grown eleven-fold, from under 400,000 to over 4.2 million, making it one of the fastest growing populations in the United States. I think it is important to have an annual reflection on the many contributions Filipinos have made and continue to make to this country. It is also a gift to share more about the history of and individual stories about Filipino Americans, some of the most interesting and fascinating people I know.

An Iraq War veteran, Ortiz Jones is the secondhighest ranking civilian in the Department of the Air Force and the second highest-ranking Fil-Am serving in the current administration. She made history as the first woman of color and the first out lesbian to serve as an under secretary of any military department.

How has being Filipino American shaped your identity and career path?

I’m a proud first-generation Filipina American, and growing up my mother always reminded my sister and me that we were lucky, not smart, but lucky to have been born in the United States. My uncle joined the U.S. Navy as part of the Steward program, and my mother came to this country as a domestic helper, despite having graduated from the top university in the Philippines, UP-Diliman. It’s a truly special country where my family’s story is possible, and I’ve always been motivated to serve to ensure those same opportunities are there for those who follow.

Why did you join the Biden-Harris administration, and what does it mean as a Filipino American?

I joined to serve an administration that I knew would reflect my values.

As a Filipina American, I’m appreciative of the administration’s focus on ensuring those serving reflect the diversity of the lived experiences of those being served—to include the 4 million Filipinos and Filipino Americans

living in the United States.

What does Filipino American History Month mean to you?

Filipino American History Month is a time to celebrate our contributions to American history, as well as an opportunity to think about the strategic importance of the U.S.-Philippines relationship.

As the Under Secretary of the Air Force, I see every day just how important our alliance is to the continued peace and security in the Indo-Pacific. Our countries have always had a special relationship, and I think it’s important to keep that in mind as we face our mutual challenges and opportunities.

Nani Coloretti,

Gina Ortiz Jones, Under Secretary of the Air Force, U.S. Department of Defense

Common fears about bankruptcy: True or false?community

What makes Andrea nervous and ‘think of running away from the set’

AT 44, Andrea del Rosario is perfectly content being a character actress. Never did she imagine that, at this point in her life and career, she would still get offers to play a lead role in a movie.

“I’m in my mid 40s now. I have been in the industry for almost 30 years. I did beauty pageants. I tried public service. So these days, I’m happy to get whatever role, big or small,” she said at a recent media conference for her new romance drama film, “May-December-January,” which opens in cinemas on Oct. 12.

“I was very happy, of course, when I was given this project. And of course, I got nervous. My last lead role in a movie (‘Lupe’ in 2003) was a gazillion years ago,” she quipped. “But I knew this would be a wonderful project, so I gave my full trust.”

Produced by Viva Films, “May-DecemberJanuary” is directed by Mac Alejandre and written by National Artist for Film Ricky Lee. It follows Claire (Andrea), a single mother who wholeheartedly loves and accepts his gay son, Pol (Gold Aceron). Later on, they find out that they’re in love with the same

man.

Pol is in love with his best friend, Migoy, (Kych Minemoto). But he’s forced to hide his feelings while he wraps his head around this love affair that involves two people he deeply cares about.

‘More mature’

Show biz is a place that puts a premium on youth. But Andrea is glad to see that new material and concepts are being written for actresses who are deemed “more mature.”

“I was in a workshop recently. And as the older actresses talked about their feelings and sentiments about the industry they said that there aren’t enough roles for them. I’m actually younger than them, but I will get there one day. But I’m happy to see more material being given to older actresses. And I hope writers like Sir Ricky Lee can continue doing that,” she told the Inquirer.

While she’s no stranger to intimate scenes, it has been a long while since she did one. She’s now a mother of a 12-year-old girl. She sat as vice

Minding Your Finances

Atty. RAymond BulAon

IF you are struggling with serious debt problems and the idea of filing for bankruptcy has crossed your mind, like most people, you may have some “fears” about bankruptcy that you have not been able to discuss with anyone. Usually, these “fears” stem from what we have heard about bankruptcy from co-workers, family, or friends.

I think what stops most people from even exploring bankruptcy as a possible alternative is the FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN. As humans, I think it is normal to fear things that we don’t understand. At times, however, if the fear is not based on reality, it could be crippling and completely unnecessary. Have you ever been in a situation in your life where you knew you had to do something,

but you were simply paralyzed with fear?

People with debt problems are often like that. For fear of making a mistake, they end up doing nothing! And so, months and years go by, and their situation just keeps getting worse and worse. These people have come to a point of desperation, and they find it difficult to keep a positive outlook in life. When they wake up in the morning, they don’t even look forward to their day because they know they will be facing the same problems that they always do. Their debt problems keep them up at night. They have lost the desire to even plan for the future as they see no light at the end of the tunnel.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that bankruptcy will solve all your problems in life. As a matter of fact, there are situations where

you shouldn’t even consider bankruptcy if other options are available. But if it is the right solution to your problem, fear that is not grounded in reality could keep you stuck in your situation. What “fears” am I talking about? Well, let me talk about a few of them.

Fear No. 1: “My life will never become “normal” again after filing for bankruptcy.”

Reality: That depends on what you mean by “normal”. If you consider having to live with creditor harassment, sleepless nights, and constant worrying about your finances more “normal” than filing bankruptcy and getting a fresh financial start, I can see your point. Otherwise, your concern about having an “abnormal” life after bankruptcy is invalid. Every year, more than 1 million people in the United States file for

Meet the Fil-Ams working in the Biden-Harris administration...

Camille Calimlim Touton

Commissioner

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

and career path?

Lourdes Tiglao

Executive Director for Center for Women Veterans

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Hometown: Fort Wayne, IN

My grandparents instilled in me the importance of family and service to our community, and country. It is on that foundation and in their sacrifices that a granddaughter of the Philippines is living the American dream.

Why did you join the BidenHarris administration, and what does it mean as a Filipino American?

Touton is only the second U.S. Senate-confirmed female commissioner in Reclamation’s 119-year history and the first FilAm confirmed by the Senate to lead a bureau in the Department of the Interior.

How has being Filipino American shaped your identity

I joined the administration to be in service to the American people in carrying out the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s mission of delivering water and producing hydropower for the American West.

What does Filipino American History Month mean to you?

Francey Lim Youngberg

Assistant Director for the Office of Partnership and Engagement, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Hometown: Sara, Iloilo

May we celebrate what makes us unique and recognize our shared values. public servant.

Why did you join the Biden-Harris administration, and what does it mean as a Filipino American?

Representation at the highest levels of government is critical to the advancement of underserved and underrepresented groups like Filipino Americans.

With a background across various sectors, including the military, business and health care, Tiglao’s current role focuses on policies, programs and legislation that affect women veterans. She served in the U.S. Air Force as part of the Critical Care Air Transport Team with deployments to Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, and more.

How has being Filipino American shaped your identity and career path?

As a Filipino American immigrant growing up in Indiana, I didn’t see many people like me — even when I joined the military, assimilating myself to my different environments rather than celebrating who I am. It wasn’t

Jason Tengco

White House Liaison U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Hometown: Foster City, CA

until I found that my fluency in my language being a critical asset to one of my deployments that changed how I saw the importance of celebrating my identity and all the unique assets that I bring — where I don’t shy away at bringing my full self.

Filipino Americans aren’t always well-represented in many spaces, yet we occupy a rather

unique nexus of intersectional identities, and I appreciate being able to bring that intersectional lens of being a Filipino American immigrant, a woman Veteran, and a voice for those women Veterans who find themselves voiceless because I’ve walked the same path.

Why did you join the Biden-Harris administration, and what does it mean as a Filipino American?

Even before I joined the military, I’ve felt a calling to service, so I have spent my life in various forms of service through volunteering, military service, and through veteran advocacy — whether it’s with Team Rubicon or another veteran service organization. I joined the Biden-Harris administration because I believe in the vision that the administration has set in bringing people together under a larger umbrella and giving space to the different threads of people that make up the fabric of this nation. As a Filipino American immigrant, I appreciate having the

opportunity to bring strength to that fabric by bringing not only the lens of my experiences, but also to support and inspire other Filipino Americans to feel empowered — to bring their whole selves in support of our nation. It is through our diversity of thought and experiences that we can enlighten, empower, and strengthen our nation. What does Filipino American History Month mean to you?

Filipino American History Month allows me to not only have an opportunity to reconnect with my roots, my community, and my diaspora, but it also allows me to share these very personal and inextricable parts of me that makes me who I am. This month is as much a celebration of my heritage, of the values it has instilled in me growing up in the Philippines, as it is a celebration of how far our nation has come in welcoming the diversity of the people that comprise our nation, celebrating the richness and fullness of our culture and humanity.

Before joining ICE, Youngberg’s experience includes intergovernmental relations, nonprofit management and grassroots organizing. She served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for seven years.

How has being Filipino American shaped your identity and career path?

Being a woman, a minority and an immigrant from the Philippines significantly impacted my life and career choices. Having grown up under martial law in the Philippines instilled in me how important it is to safeguard democratic ideals and values and to mentor the next generation of leaders to do the same. So, I became a lawyer, an advocate and a

My earlier career was devoted to advocating for the advancement of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the legal profession, at the Smithsonian, in accessing basic government services, and fighting for a seat at the table where decisions are made. Having served in the Obama Administration and now the Biden-Harris Administration, I am influenced by my life experiences as I strive to ensure inclusion, transparency and accountability in government.

What does Filipino American History Month mean to you?

Filipino American History month should be every day –all of us who are in leadership positions should educate the American public of the Filipino American stories that are part of the American historical narrative. When I was working at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, we put together the Filipino American Centennial Commemoration with exhibits, public programming and educational outreach in 2006 and the exhibit traveled from 2008-2012.

With over a decade of experience in public service and community organizing, Tengco serves as the primary advisor to the White House and OPM senior leadership on hiring the agency’s political appointees, manages priority projects with the Presidential Personnel Office, and supervises the processing of non-career appointments across the federal government. His resume includes the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Outreach Lead for the Biden-Harris transition team, executive director of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations, and Deputy Director of the White House Initiative on AAPIs under the Obama-Biden administration.

How has being Filipino American shaped your identity and career path?

My identity as a second-

Ditas Macrine Katague

Associate Director for Communications U.S. Census Bureau

Hometown: Sacramento, CA

An expert in multiethnic outreach and civic engagement, Katague is responsible for leading internal and external communications activities of the nation’s largest statistical agency, the Census Bureau. Prior to joining the Census Bureau, Katague was director of the California Complete Count – Census 2020 Office, the outreach and communications campaign that worked to ensure a complete population count of historically undercounted Californians.

How has being Filipino American shaped your identity and career path?

me to reach underserved populations to ensure they have a voice in decision and policy making. During my University years, I witnessed the People Power revolution and was inspired by the power that people working together can have to impact their future. My parents both instilled a sense of service to community and encouraged me to pursue a career in public service.

Why did you join the Biden-Harris administration, and what does it mean as a Filipino American?

As a Filipino American, I am drawn to work that allows

Veronica M. Valdez

Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, White House Liaison U.S. Department of Defense Hometown: Sydney, Australia

Prior to joining the U.S. Department of Defense, Valdez’s positions include the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs and the Commission Specialist to the Commission President at the Port of Seattle. She was the former Deputy Chief of Staff to the U.S. Secretary of the Air Force and served as the

Secretary’s policy advisor during official visits to Asia-Pacific, South America, and Europe.

How has being Filipino American shaped your identity and career path?

Being Filipino has always been central to my identity –speaking Tagalog, cooking and eating Filipino food, enjoying Filipino shows, and many of my close friends are Filipinos.

Having the opportunity to serve the Biden-Harris Administration at the Census

I recall growing up going to Filipino Mass on Sundays with my family and going to Filipino Saturday school to learn about heritage and culture. We also frequently performed Filipino cultural dances during festivals and my father was the Vice President of the Filipino Cultural Association.

Being Filipino American has been one of the main reasons that I’ve been interested in learning about Asia Pacific issues. I have a Master’s degree focused on Pacific International Affairs and my policy background has been focused on Indo-Pacific relations and U.S. relationships with the Indo-

generation Filipino American was fostered while I was a college student at UCLA. I remember asking my parents to tell me about my family’s history, and they shared stories of how my relatives served in local government, my paternal grandfather was a lawyer, and my maternal grandfather fought in World War II. I’ve come to realize that public service quite literally runs in my blood and that my ancestors paved the way for me to enter a career in government and community organizing.

Why did you join the BidenHarris Administration, and what does it mean as a Filipino American?

I joined the Biden-Harris administration because I believe in the President and Vice President’s vision and wanted

to a play a part in building a better America for generations to come. As OPM’s White House Liaison, I’m passionate about helping build an Administration that “looks like America” and implementing OPM’s mission of being a champion of talent for the federal government. And as Filipino American appointee, I’m committed to strengthening the pipeline for diverse communities to enter public service. What does Filipino American History Month mean to you?

“No history, no self. Know history, know self.” That has always been a favorite quote of mine since college. It reminds me how Filipino American History Month is an important time to reflect on our history, uplift our stories and voices, and celebrate our heritage and culture.

efforts to the communities who need their voices heard – including the Filipino community. Here at the Census Bureau, I hope to be a continuous voice regarding the disaggregation of data for our communities.

What does Filipino American History Month mean to you?

Bureau allows me to take the 25 years of experience leading California’s Census outreach and communications to the national level. My expertise reaching underserved populations will help connect the Administration’s policy

Pacific. Why did you join the Biden-Harris administration, and what does it mean as a Filipino American?

I joined the Biden-Harris Administration because I believe in this democracy and the values this Administration upholds. I serve the BidenHarris Administration because I want to be on the right side of history and be part of the positive change that this Administration is doing on behalf of all Americans including the Filipino American community I represent. As a Filipino American in national security, it is important to me to

I am proud to have a Filipino American History Month in addition to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May. Filipino American History Month allows me to take the time to recognize and appreciate my father who immigrated to the U.S. for better education and a brighter future for his family. This month also helps highlight the path many Filipino Americans have taken and the impact they have had on the U.S.

help build the diverse bench in the national security space and I am now in a position to do so. What does Filipino American History Month mean to you?

To me, being Filipino has always been synonymous with community so Filipino American History Month means celebrating the Filipino American community. It also means honoring our heritage and history and the many contributions our community has made to this country.

Next week’s MDWK Magazine will feature Part II of more Fil-Am officials in the Biden-Harris administration

Camille Calimlim Touton, Commissioner, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

Francey Lim Youngberg Assistant Director for the Office of Partnership and Engagement, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Lourdes Tiglao, Executive Director for Center for Women Veterans, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Ditas Macrine Katague, Associate Director for Communications, U.S. Census Bureau

Jason Tengco, White House Liaison, U.S. Office of Personnel Management

$3B entertainment hub planned for south area of Las Vegas Strip

By RealtoR Fely Quitevis-Bateman

IN major news announced this past Spring, Las Vegas will add another jewel to the glittering skyline in the Las Vegas Strip’s southern part as a major player in building arenas in the United States unveiled plans to build a major arena, entertainment hub and casino.

The Oak View Group, according to reports, have acquired 25 acres in an area just minutes away from Harry Reid International Airport. It plans to break ground and start construction by next year, and says that the property should be operational by 2026.

As with other aspects of Sin City, this new development will cater an experience for those who can afford it.

Customers, reports claim, will be able to purchase a

package for hotel and a live event, with their hotel suite key granting them access to a private club in the arena.

The hotel is likely to be able to accommodate about 2,000 guests, while the 20,000-seat arena can host concerts for major music acts and even be a home to a professional sports team.

According to a Bloomberg article, Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke said that they are “going to go after every big event that exists” and described the experience they want their clients to have as, “It’s exclusive, it’s high-end and it will be built in a way where it’s the perfect experience for those willing to spend the money to have the greatest experience in live entertainment.”

It was revealed as well that the arena will be built to the highest specifications of the National Basketball Association (NBA) as the league has indicated before that it would consider adding a team in a couple of areas, including Las Vegas, should the NBA decide to expand. The arena would be an option for the NBA, although the Oak View Group is well aware that nothing is set in stone yet.

Having an NBA team would add to the allure of Las Vegas, which already is home to professional teams in sports like women’s basketball, football, hockey, soccer and baseball.

Recently, the city’s WNBA team, the Las Vegas Aces, won the WNBA Championship by defeating the Connecticut Sun in four games, which capped off a dominant season where the team went 26-10 in the regular season and was the top seed in the playoffs.

And adding another great arena in the ever-expanding landscape of Las Vegas would be beneficial as the city has become used to hosting big events in the last few decades. Las Vegas was host to the most recent Grammy Awards, which features the world’s greatest musical acts, and will be featuring the world’s most famous Formula 1 racecar drivers in an event scheduled for late 2023. Las Vegas will also will host the Super Bowl in 2024 Live entertainment will be a major calling card for the planned entertainment hub as one of its founders is music mogul Irving Azoff.

The planned arena is expected to attract many of today’s artists as the Oak View Group has ample experience in building venues. In fact, the Oak View Group operates places in Seattle, New York and Austin, and plans to build at least a dozen more venues.

Actually, it used to be thought that when artists’ or performers’ careers were on a downward trajectory or if they are in the last legs of their musical journey, then they would start performing or getting residencies in Las Vegas. That is not the case today, as artists like BTS, Adele, Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez,

Katy Perry, Celine Dion and Lionel Richie have performed in concerts or established residencies in the various major hotels in Las Vegas. The demand fueled by the influx of tourists and money in Las Vegas will only make the city’s arenas more attractive to musical acts looking to touch base with their fans and bring an experience to them like no other.

The planned arena, according to the same Bloomberg article, will be at a reported cost of $1 billion, double the amount it took to make T-Mobile Arena, which is now the home of the Las Vegas Golden Knights hockey team.

With the renovations going on in the downtown area, and with this arena and other plans on the horizon for Las Vegas, it is a great time to consider investing in real estate property in Las Vegas and its surrounding neighborhoods. With more inventory available in the area right now due to a slowdown in sales, buyers have more options to look at and have the ability to negotiate prices with sellers.

The developments in Las Vegas will have great impact on outside neighborhoods, including Pahrump, which is about 62 miles west of the gambling and entertainment capital of the world, as more people will be looking for affordable alternatives.

The state offers great opportunities for the savvy

and forward-thinking – great returns on your investments in real estate and a host of tax benefits for Nevada residents (competitive business state tax, a county sales tax of 6.75% (not on food items), and no taxes associated with estate/ inheritance, franchise, gift, inventory/interstate commerce, corporate income and personal income).

I can definitely help you look for the best opportunities for real estate in Las Vegas, Pahrump and other areas. Now is the time to take advantage of deals in land and real estate properties. I have had decades of experience in helping people

look for that piece of real estate heaven they want to build their special place or something that their budget can afford.

My company, Precious Properties, is a full-service company that has successfully helped its clientele find the best deals since 1992. You can reach me at 775-513-8447, 805-559-2476 and 702-5384948 for more information, or send me an email at fely@ precious-properties.com or fely. precious@gmail.com. We have investors who buy houses in California and Nevada for cash and quick escrow in as short as 7 days.

(Advertising Supplement)

Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman inside the $1B Allegiant Arena in Las Vegas.

Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman with former Nevada State Senator Sue Lowden, one of the owners of the 27 acres between Sahara Hotel and Turnberry Place where former NBA player Jackie Robinson will build his proposed All Net Resort & Arena along the Las Vegas Strip.

Russ Bateman at the Las Vegas Ballpark Arena in Summerlin.

Realtor

Quitevis-Bateman

What makes Andrea nervous and...

mayor of Calatagan, Batangas from 2016 to 2019. And the bulk of her recent projects were soaps. She needed to reshift her “mindset.”

“I would be a hypocrite if I said I didn’t think twice, get nervous or think about running

away from the set… I tried other things like public service. And doing love scenes again… I had to change my mindset. It was hard. But then I was reminded: ‘You’re an actress. And when you’re an actress, your job is to arrive on the set knowing your script and execute the director’s

vision to the best of your ability,” she said.

And with Alejandre and Lee at the helm, she knew she would be in good hands. “It was just a matter of trust… I knew they had my best interests at heart and that they would make the film beautiful,” she said.

Andrea was also thankful to her younger costars who made sure she was comfortable on the set. “It was actually the other way around. I have been doing teleseryes and then boom, I have to do an intimate scene. Kych took care of me. I feel so lucky because they’re such old souls and so professional,” he said of Kych and Gold.

The film is a simple love triangle at its core. “No frills and gimmicks,” Lee said. And that’s exactly what makes the role difficult.

“Direk had to recalibrate my acting because most of my recent roles were for soap operas. The intensity and style are different,” Andrea pointed out. “The simpler the scene is the more challenging it is because you have no margin of error… Your flaws get magnified.”

Andrea has plans of relocating to the United States in the future. But for now, acting is the focus. “I always live in the now. As long as I get jobs and offers, I will continue to work. I don’t want to look too far ahead,” she said. “I might be based in Chicago. But even then, I will still probably go back and forth, like some artists do.”

“I don’t think I can completely leave the Philippines and showbiz,” she said. (Allan Policarpio/Inquirer.net)

Can I file a divorce in California if my spouse resides outside of the state?

THIS is a common question among people contemplating divorce in California when the other spouse does not live in the state. California Courts have the power to grant a divorce, annulment, or legal separation if either party is domiciled in the state.

Domicile is where a person lives and intends to remain.

However, there is an additional requirement if you are seeking a divorce rather than annulment or legal separation. To obtain a divorce in California, one of the parties must have been a resident of California for six months immediately before the filing of the divorce petition.

Responding spouses can use this requirement as a defense if the Petitioning spouse does not meet such requirement when the petitioner filed for divorce. In addition, divorce petitions may be filed in the county where at least one spouse resided for 3 months immediately prior to filing the petition.

Now apart from getting a divorce, legal separation, or annulled status, there may be issues relating to distributing community and separate

properties between the spouses and awarding support payments. In order for the California Courts to have the power to make orders, the California Courts must have personal jurisdiction over the respondent. Personal jurisdiction means the respondent has minimum contacts with California even if not physically here. Some of the factors looked at is respondents presence in the state, domicile, residence, citizenship, consent, appearance in the action, doing business in the state, doing an act that causes an effect in the state, ownership in the state, other relationship to the state. If the respondent does not have minimum contact with California, respondent may challenge any orders relating to distribution of property and support based on the court’s lack of jurisdiction.

With regards to initial child custody issues, these issues are resolved under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act. California Courts have the power to make initial custody orders if it is the child’s home state at the time the action was filed.

California may also assume power to make custody orders if California has been the child’s home state within six months before the action was filed, the child is absent form California, and a parent continues to live in California. California may also exercise jurisdiction

when no other state is the child’s home state or when all court’s having jurisdiction over the child has declined to act and deferred to California as the more appropriate place to make custody orders. California may also exercise jurisdiction if no other state would have jurisdiction over the child.

* * *

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 Board 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 700, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com. (Advertising Supplement)

Are you a lighthouse?

A LIGHTHOUSE is a standing sentinel on high ground, a guide to navigation for those out on the open sea heading in to port. As a very young girl, I learned that from my father, a ship captain in the merchant marine industry for decades.

When the seas are rough and huge waves are tossing your boat in the stormy night, that pinprick point of light blinking in the distance brings hope and faith in one’s heart that somehow if you follow the light and hold fast, you will make it home.

American lighthouses these days, except for the Boston lighthouse, are fully automated. With satellite technology, GPS and other advances, navigating seems easier for the seafarer. Still, nature can throw its hissy fits.

In days gone by however, well before technology made lighthouses poetic yet anachronistic curiosities and light keepers expendable things of the past, men struggled to keep blazing fires on the shore to help seafarers navigate their vessels to port. The light helped sailors to steer clear of rocks, shoals and reefs that threaten to wreck vessels or make them run aground in low tide. The light in the distance meant hope despite pouring rain, swells and dark clouds obscuring the stars at night.

Our lives are like a journey in the open seas. Some seasons are calm and uneventful and

we coast merrily along in the sunshine and soft breeze. Yet here is this niggling fear that things can change. And they do, in the blink of an eye. We have heard of cautionary tales and seen far too much wreckage.

There are certainly times when we experience those very dark and threatening storms of life when rough seas and tsunami-sized waves engulf us and toss us about like a rag doll. Some call it the dark night of the soul.

Through life, these can be a whole host of problems of varying difficulties in the physical, mental and spiritual realms. The hard realities of life stare us in the face. It can be the struggle to make ends meet or keep a roof over our head. It can mean the storm of sorting through, getting cut and bleeding from the sharp shards of broken relationships and heartbreak.

For many these days, this storm can be the pervasive and seemingly insurmountable struggle of trying but failing to break the demon’s grip of any form of self-imposed addictions that mutate into a stranglehold of deep depression.

It can be the final storm of facing the end of one’s mortality when the doctor gives the diagnosis of terminal illness. The meaning of the words, “Time is of the essence” hits home even if we know that death was never a matter of if, but when.

How does one come home to port from weathering all these storms of life? Do you have a lighthouse in the distance that can guide you

home through it all?

Or have you strayed so far from your faith that light has gone out from your line of sight? Are you resigned to groping and moping in the darkness and allowing the black hole of self-pity and despair swallow you whole?

But should you, if you knew that there is THE LIGHT OF CHRIST that can help you head home?

Don’t be daft. Grow a spine and fight the darkness. Fight with all your might to seek that light. Get all the help you can get. Yet in the end, it is YOU that must make the choice to seek Christ who won for us victory and eternal life more than two thousand years ago.

Or have you nurtured through the seasons of your life, no matter the weather, this blazing yet steady light and love of Christ burning within you? Do you have that megawatt light in your heart so bright that it lights the path of those in your orbit as well?

If so, praise the LORD.

Perhaps without meaning to, you have been transformed by Christ’s light and presence and became a lighthouse yourself.

Christ’s love is the illuminant that burns so bright and steady that you know that no matter what storm you may be going through, you will come home safe.

Common fears about bankruptcy...

bankruptcy to get out of the shackles of crippling debt and start a new life.

Fear No. 2: “I will never be able to buy a house or car again if I file for bankruptcy.”

Reality: Hogwash. Ask any mortgage broker and they will tell you the truth. The reality is that if your bankruptcy is at least 2 years old, most banks will still give you a loan to purchase a home if your meet all other credit requirements (i.e., good employment, salary, sufficient down payment, etc.) If buying a new or used car, having a bankruptcy on your record is not a problem provided that your case has been discharged. While it is true that you may have to pay high interest rates in the beginning, over time you will be able to rebuild your credit as you establish creditworthiness. Over time, credit card companies will also start sending you credit offers again. It is your responsibility to take care of your credit after bankruptcy and make sure that you don’t make the same mistakes again as you may have made the first time you filed for bankruptcy.

Fear No. 3: “Filing for bankruptcy is embar rassing because everyone will know that I filed.”

Reality: Wrong. Your creditors are notified by the court when you file. While bankruptcies are a matter of public record, no one will know about your bankruptcy unless they are deliberately trying to find information on you by searching court records. Co-signors are listed on the petition and are notified by the court just so they are given

notice to possibly protect their rights but other than these people, no one else but your creditors will receive a notice. Your employer is not notified unless your employer is also a creditor or is holding assets on your behalf.

These are just some of the “fears” that I see every day which may stop people from taking action to turn their situation around and protect what little they may have. My advice to you is that if you are not sure about any of the practical and/ or legal aspects of your case, you should consult with an experienced and knowledgeable lawyer who can address all your concerns and explain the advantages and disadvantages of bankruptcy filing. In a lot of cases, your unfounded “fears” may deprive you of the solution that you desperately need. If these fears are groundless, shouldn’t people be more fearful of seeing their situation get worse? Shouldn’t they be more fearful of not ever having a secure financial future, being trapped in debt for the rest of their lives?

NOTE: Due to pandemic safety concerns, I am offering free consul tations BY PHONE to anyone who needs help in dealing with their debt problems.

None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray J. Bulaon has successfully helped over 6,000 clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney eval uation of your situation, please call RJB Law Offices

1-866-477-7772.

Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya writes for Asian Journal. Email monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com for comments.

“Our lives are like a journey in the open seas.”

Andrea del Rosario Inquirer.net photo