101522 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition

OCTOBER 15-18, 2022 Volume 32 - No. 82 • 2 Sections – 20 Pages

DATELINE

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Updated COVID-19 booster shots expanded to 5 years and older SACRAMENTO – California Health & Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, and Director of the California Department of Public Health and State Public Health Officer Dr.Tomás J. Aragón, issued a joint statement on the emergency use authorization of the updated COVID-19 boosters in the United States.

Eligibility for the Moderna bivalent booster now extends to individuals 6 years of age and older and eligibility for the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent booster now extends to individuals 5 years of age and older. This statement follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) recommendation and has the support of the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup.

“We are happy to announce that the updated boosters are now available for children as young as 5 years old. These boosters are safe and have been formulated

Marcos: Administration ‘still in transition’

by CATHERINE

S. VALENTE ManilaTimes.net

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Friday, October 14 his administration is "still in transition" after more than a hundred days in office.

The President, however, promised that all government positions will "solidify" soon.

Marcos made the statement in answer to a query on why lawyer Cheloy Garafil is only serving as the officerin-charge (OIC) of the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS).

"We are still in transition. We talk about rightsizing all the time. We are rightsizing everything, everywhere, all the time, and this is part of that," Marcos said.

"So, that's the reason that I said I feel we are still in transition. But magso-solidify na 'yang mga position na 'yan (Those positions will solidify)," he added.

Garafil, a former journalist who was appointed chairman of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, was named OPS OIC following the resignation of Press Secretary Rose Beatrix "Trixie" Cruz-Angeles.

Marcos had said that candidates for the position of Press secretary have been cut down to three and his final decision is expected to be made public soon.

The President said he needs a press secretary who is "very experienced" in messaging and a "friend to the media."

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  PAGE A2 Malacañang photo

City of LA celebrates Fil-Am History Month

by DONNABELLE

GATDULA-AREVALO AJPress

 PAGE A2

Will COVID spike again this fall? 6 tips to help you stay safe’ LAST year, the emergence of the highly transmissible omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus caught many people by surprise and led to a surge in cases that overwhelmed hospitals and drove up fatalities. Now we’re learning that omicron is mutating to better evade the immune system.

Omicron-specific vaccines were authorized by the FDA in August and are recommended

by U.S. health officials for anyone 5 or older.

Yet only half of adults in the United States have heard much about these booster shots, according to a recent KFF poll, and only a third say they’ve gotten one or plan to get one as soon as possible. In 2020 and 2021, COVID cases spiked in the U.S. between November and February.

Although we don’t know for sure that we’ll see another surge this winter, here’s what you should know about COVID and the updated boosters to prepare.  PAGE A4

EARLY PREPS. Apartment-type niches are being spruced up at the Novaliches Public Cemetery in Barangay San Agustin, Novaliches, Quezon City on Friday, Oct. 14. All Saints’ Day, which falls on a Tuesday (November 1) this year, is one of the most revered Catholic traditions in the Philippines.

PNA photo by Ben Briones

LOS ANGELES — As part of the yearly celebration of Filipino American History Month (FAHM), three outstanding Fil-Ams have been recognized and honored for their valuable contributions to the enhancement of the community's history in the United States.

This year's honorees during the annual celebration at LA's City Hall were community leader Linda Nietes Little, the LA Filipino Association of City Employees (LAFACE), and comedian Jo Koy. Little, who owns the oldest Filipino book shop in LA County called “Philippine Expressions," has been considered one of pillars of the city's culture and arts community.

In an interview with the Asian Journal, at the sideline of the recent kick-off ceremony of this year’s FAHM, Little said she’s grateful for the recognition.

“I am very happy that all my hard work is paying off. I have worked very hard to make a difference in

 PAGE A4

Teen arrested in killing of Filipino store clerk in LA

by AJPRESS A 13-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the killing of a Filipino liquor store clerk in Los Angeles, authorities announced on Thursday, Oct. 13.

The teenager was reportedly involved in the fatal incident in which Steven Reyes, 68, was struck in the head with a scooter while attempting to stop shoplifters in the LA neighborhood of Highland Park.

The name of the teen in custody was not

released because he is a minor. Authorities said the other suspects are one male and two females.

The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying the three additional suspects in the case who remain at large.

On Thursday night, Oct. 6, Reyes — who worked at Tony’s Market in Highland Park, a neighborhood in northeast Los Angeles — confronted several teenagers who were

 PAGE A2 Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla

Inquirer.net file photo

Manny Pacquiao hints of return Marcos shuns calls for DOJ chief Remulla to quit: ‘No basis’

by JOAQUIN

HENSON

Philstar.com

Manny Pacquiao

MANILA — Retired eight-division world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao fueled speculation that he may make a serious ring comeback during a recent press conference in Seoul to promote his six-round exhibition with martial arts guru DK Yoo at the Korea International Exhibition Center in Goyang on Dec. 10.

Pacquiao arrived with wife Jinkee in the Korean capital last Monday, October 10 and they’re expected back in Manila on Friday, October 14.

“My style, my stamina and my body – if I can continue my boxing career but I’m still OK,” said Pacquiao. “Right now, I feel good. I’m excited to work hard, go back to basics where we started, sparring with Philstar.com photo caliber boxers, training hard. I’m happy

for this opportunity and thankful to have the chance to be in Seoul.”

Pacquiao, 43, has started training in General Santos City for the bout which will feature two-minute rounds and 10-ounce gloves. In pro boxing, fighters wear 10-ounce gloves starting the superwelterweight or 154-pound division and eight-ounce gloves from welterweight down. The heavier gloves cushion the impact of hard punches. Yoo, 42, has never fought as a pro although last year, he figured in a six-round exhibition with former UFC battler Bradley Scott. Yoo is known as the founder of Wartime Combat System and a master of 15 fighting disciplines. The exhibition is billed as The Champ against The Master.

Both Pacquiao and Yoo are southpaws. The Korean has a distinct advantage in height, standing 5-10 to Pacquiao’s 5-5 1/2. Pacquiao

by DAPHNE

GALVEZ Inquirer.net

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday, October 14 said calls for Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to step down from his post following his son’s arrest for drug possession have “no basis.”

“I think the calls for him to resign have no basis. You call for somebody to resign if he’s not doing his job or they have misbehaved in that job. He has done quite the contrary,” the President told reporters on the  PAGE A2 sidelines of the 8th Annual Balik

Scientist Convention.

Remulla’s eldest son, Juanito Jose Diaz Remulla III, was arrested for possession of more than P1 million worth of highgrade marijuana, or “kush,” in Las Piñas City.

But Marcos said Remulla is “very aware that he must allow the processes of the judiciary to work properly and that no one in the Executive must interfere.”

The DOJ chief earlier said he will not “intervene in nor influence” his son’s case. He also said that his son “will have to face his predicament as a fully emancipated child.” 

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FROM THE FRONT PAGE

Marcos: Administration ‘still in...

PAGE A1 "'Yung kaibigan ninyo (The one who is your friend)," Marcos said when asked about the qualities he's looking for in his next press secretary.

"Obviously we need somebody who's very experienced.

Probably a journalist or is a media practitioner. 'Yun naman ang kailangan. 'Yung marunong mag-messaging para 'yung gusto naming

palabasin, talagang lumalabas (That's what's needed, someone experienced in messaging so that the information we want to release will be conveyed)," he added.

Garafil had said changes within the OPS should be expected. She said she would meet with other OPS officials to discuss the operations within the office.

Rightsizing is among

Marcos' priorities for his administration, vowing to cut costs in the government by eradicating duplicate posts or offices.

Among his first acts as President, Marcos abolished the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission and the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, citing the need for a "just allocation of resources" due to the ongoing health and fiscal crises. 

Updated COVID-19 booster shots expanded...

PAGE A1 to provide better protection not only against the original coronavirus strain, but also against the subvariants that continue to infect many, including the youngest amongst us.

As is true of the other COVID-19 vaccine and booster doses, the updated boosters were designed to protect individuals from the worst

outcomes of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death. With the authorization of the updated booster to individuals as young as 5, we’re even closer to ensuring the whole family is protected as we head into the fall and winter when the spread of respiratory viruses is at its peak.”

Everyone 5+ who has had their primary series vaccinations is eligible to get

the updated booster 2 months following any COVID vaccine or booster dose.

In keeping with the SMARTER plan, the state is prepared to begin offering the strongest, most protective booster dose to all eligible Californians now. FRANCHISE EXPO. Members of the Philippine Franchise Association, business sector leaders, and representatives of various government We encourage all Californians agencies lead the opening of the Franchise Asia Philippines Expo 2022 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on Friday, Oct. 14. More than 500 local and global brands are participating in the event, which runs until October 16.

PNA photo by Joey Razon to talk to your doctor, go to MyTurn.ca.gov or call 833-4224255 to find a vaccine or booster appointment near you. 

Teen arrested in killing of Filipino...

PAGE A1

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.

"When officers arrived they located a victim suffering from blunt force trauma to his head," police said in a statement. "It was determined that four suspects, who appeared to be young in age, entered the business and several of them attempted to

steal various items. When a second store clerk attempted to stop the suspects a struggle ensued. The victim attempted to aid that clerk and suspect-1 struck the victim on his head with a scooter."

“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.

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.”

Anyone with information about the crime is urged to call homicide detectives at (213) 996-4184, or 877-LAPD-247.

Tipsters may also call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS. 

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

Manny Pacquiao hints of...

PAGE A1

hasn’t seen action since losing the super WBA welterweight title to Cuba’s Yordenis Ugas in Las Vegas in August 2021. “It’s a big deal,” said MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons who flew from Los

Angeles to Seoul to join Pacquiao in the promotional tour. “There were at least 50 TV cameras in the press conference. Manny’s a big deal anywhere in the world, particularly in Asia. He’s excited to be back in the gym. This is no

joke. They’re coming to fight. To be honest, I think once Manny lands a big punch, Yoo’s going down. I don’t know what Manny’s future plans are. Where he goes will depend on how he does in the exhibition.” 

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DATELINE USA

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Will COVID spike again this fall? 6 tips...

PAGE A1

1. Do I need a COVID booster shot this fall?

If you’ve completed a primary vaccination series and are 50 or older, or if your immune system is compromised, get a COVID booster shot as soon as possible.

Forty percent of deaths are occurring among people 85 and older and almost 90% among people 65 and over. Although people of all ages are being hospitalized from COVID, those hospitalizations are also skewing older.

Unvaccinated people, while in the minority in the U.S., are still at the highest risk of dying from COVID. It’s not too late to get vaccinated ahead of this winter season. The United Kingdom, whose COVID waves have presaged those in the United States by about a month, is beginning to see another increase in cases.

If you’ve already received three or more COVID shots, you’re 12 to 49 years old, and you’re not immunocompromised, your risk of hospitalization and death from the disease is significantly reduced and additional boosters are not likely to add much protection.

However, getting a booster shot provides a “honeymoon” period for a couple of months after vaccination, during which you’re less likely to get infected and thus less likely to transmit the virus to others. If you’ll be seeing older, immunocompromised, or otherwise vulnerable family and friends over the winter holidays, you might want to get a booster

two to four weeks in advance to better shield them against COVID. You may have other reasons for wanting to avoid infection, like not wanting to have to stay home from work because you or your child is sick with COVID. Even if you aren’t hospitalized from COVID, it can be costly to lose wages or arrange for backup child care.

One major caveat to these recommendations: You should wait four to six months after your last COVID infection or vaccination before getting another shot. A dose administered too soon will be less effective because antibodies from the previous infection or vaccination will still be circulating in your blood and will prevent your immune cells from seeing and responding to vaccination.

2. Do kids need to be vaccinated even if they’ve had COVID? Although children are at lower risk for severe COVID than are adults, the stakes for kids are higher than many diseases already recognized as dangerous.

Their risk shouldn’t be measured against the risk that COVID poses to other age groups but against the risk they face from other preventable diseases. In the first two years of the pandemic, COVID was the fourth- or fifthleading cause of death in every five-year age bracket from birth to 19, killing almost 1,500 children and teenagers. Other vaccine-preventable diseases like chickenpox, rubella, and rotavirus killed an average of about 20-50 children and teens a year before

vaccines became available. By that measure, vaccinating kids against COVID is a slam-dunk.

Children who have had COVID also benefit from vaccination.

The vaccine reduces their risk of hospitalization and missing days of school, when parents might need to stay home with them.

But it’s precisely because the stakes are higher for kids that many parents are anxious about getting their children vaccinated.

As recently as July, just after the FDA authorized COVID vaccines for children as young as 6 months, a KFF poll found that over half of parents of children under age 5 said they thought vaccines posed a greater risk to the health of their child than getting the disease.

And in the most recent poll, half said they had no plans to get their children vaccinated. COVID vaccination rates range from 61% among children ages 12 to 17 to 2% among kids younger than 2.

Similar to influenza, COVID is most deadly for the very youngest and oldest. At especially high risk are infants. They’re unlikely to have immunity from infection, and a small share have been vaccinated. Unless their mothers were vaccinated during pregnancy or got COVID during pregnancy — the latter of which poses a high risk of death for the mother and of preterm birth for the baby — infants are probably not getting protective antibodies against COVID through breast milk. And because infants have small airways and weaker coughs, they’re more likely to have trouble  PAGE A5

LA Board of Public Works Commissioner Susana Reyes, Executive Director and General Manager for the Bureau of Street Lighting of the City of Los Angeles Miguel Sangalang, Philippine Expressions Bookshop owner Linda Nietes-Little and LA Mayor Eric Garcetti during the City Hall celebration of Fil-Am History Month on Oct. 6.

City of LA celebrates Fil-Am History...

PAGE A1 the community and the fact that they are recognizing the things that I’ve been doing is something I am very thankful for,” she said.

Little said she would continue to provide free books to the poorest communities in the Philippines as part of her commitment to educate children even outside of schools.

“On my 85th birthday last year, I started a book project which gives free books to Filipino children. We distributed free books for the pilot provinces of Antique (in Aklan). I wanted that

Comedian Jo Koy lights up the audience with jokes before lighting up City Hall in the colors of the Philippine flag during the FAHM celebration on Oct. 6.

to be my legacy to the children.

They are poor, they cannot afford books, so we give not to schools but directly to the children. I think that will keep me busy throughout my retirement years,” she added.

Regarded as “gatekeeper of knowledge in the Los Angeles community," Little believes that books are effective tools to not only preserve the Filipino culture and heritage but also support building future leaders of our nation.

In 1984, Little’s bookshop located in San Pedro, California, pioneered in promoting Philippine books in the U.S. With more than 35 years of existence, the bookshop has a repository for Philippine writings (both in English and Filipino) in America.

LAFACE, on the other hand, is one of the premier groups pushing for minorities within civil service through mentorships to achieve even higher levels of appointments.

Established in 1982, LAFACE currently represents more than 2,700 Filipinos who work for the city of LA. Celebrating its 40th year anniversary this year, LAFACE has vowed to continuously commit to its mission of assisting Filipinos seeking employment and promotion in City service, and for the economic, educational, and cultural advancement of Filipinos and other minorities in the community.

The City of Los Angeles recently passed a resolution to recognize LAFACE’s contribution to LA’s dedicated workforce.

City of LA Public Works Commissioner and LAFACE advisor Susana Reyes, who helped spearhead this year's FAHM celebration, said, “it is important to fully acknowledge the contributions of Filipino Americans because their role as well as many other people of color have been ignored in the writing, the teaching and learning of United States history.”

“This celebration highlights promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. Values that get overlooked therefore leading to a lack of appreciation and cultural understanding,” Reyes said.

“To my fellow Filipino Americans, this is the time for reflection. This is a time and an opportunity to showcase your achievements and highlight your diverse contributions to the National History and Culture. We are going to be here. We’re not leaving. We have a place here in American History," she said.

She reminded attends that this month is a time of "reflection and remembrance" of Fil-Am history and culture.

"Let this celebration open opportunities for all people in our country to learn and appreciate more about Filipino Americans and their historic contributions to our nation. and to those who haven’t had a chance to learn and to those who haven’t had a chance to learn or hear about Filipino American History, I hope you find time to do so,” Reyes added.

For his part, Jo Koy told the Asian Journal that being part of FAHM was such a privilege. ”I love it. I am happy to be part

of it,” said Jo Koy, best known for his stand-up comedy.

Since the release of his movie “Easter Sunday” in August this year, Jo Koy has been actively promoting Filipino talents and heritage through his performances across the nation.

Last July, Jo Koy, alongside film producer Dan Lin appeared in the Rise for Comedy festival, where they raised a $75,000 donation to the non-profit Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA).

Aside from the awarding of the FAHM honorees, 2022’s FAHM celebration also kicked off a lighting ceremony led by Mayor Eric Garcetti which was held in the foreground of the LA City Hall. The ceremony also included lighting up other iconic landmarks throughout Los Angeles in the recognizable colors of the Filipino Flag.

Among these lighted locations are: LAX; 6th StreetBridge; 2nd Street Tunnel; and Union Station.

The event also featured performances of young Filipino talents: Christian Perfas and Ella Jay Basco.

The FAHM event also featured panel discussions on two relevant topics on Enhancing Public Service and Enhancement; and Presence: Historic Filipinotown and Beyond.

During the discussions, panelists Building and Safety commissioner Joselyn Geaga Rosenthal, Civil and Human Rights commissioner Abigail Zelenski and CicLAvia executive director Romel Pascual presented ideas and suggestions on how to improve the Filipino public service in the city.

Other panelists Ambiculture Advisors managing principal Jennifer Taylor, CD1 senior planning deputy Gerald Gubatan and Genever owner Roselma Samala and FilAm Arts Executive Director G Tongi, meanwhile, put forward significant concepts, action points and proposals on how to reinvest in the Historic Filipinotown.

The annual recognition of FAHM began in October 1992 after a proposal by the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) in 1991.

California officially recognized the heritage celebration in 2006, when the California Department of Education placed FAHM on its official calendar.

The month became formally recognized by California three years later, when state Senator Leland Yee introduced a resolution to declare October as FAHM, which was later passed by the California State Assembly.

In 2009, the history month obtained federal recognition when the Senate of the 111th Congress passed a formal resolution proclaiming October as FAHM. October 18, 1587 marked the first recorded arrival of Filipinos in the United States in what is now known as Morro Bay, California – a state that continues to be home to a large sub-population of Fil-Ams. Southern California has historically had the largest concentration of Filipinos and Fil-Ams; to date, about 600,000 of them live in greater Los Angeles. 

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Will COVID spike again this fall? 6 tips...

PAGE A4

breathing with any respiratory infection, even one less deadly than COVID. 3. Will I need a COVID shot every year?

It depends on the targets set by public health officials whether COVID becomes a seasonal virus like the flu, and how much the virus continues to mutate and evade humanity’s immune defenses.

If the goal of vaccination is to prevent severe disease, hospitalization, and death, then many people will be well protected after their primary vaccination series and may not need additional shots. Public health officials might strongly recommend boosters for older and immunocompromised people while leaving the choice of whether to get boosted to those with lower risk. If the goal of vaccination is to prevent infection and transmission, then repeat boosters will be needed after completing the primary vaccination series and as often as a couple of times a year.

Influenza is a seasonal virus causing infections and disease generally in the winter, but scientists don’t know whether COVID will settle into a similar, predictable pattern. In the first three years of the pandemic, the United States has experienced waves of infection in summer.

But if the COVID virus were to become a wintertime virus, public health officials might recommend yearly boosters. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people 6 months and older get a flu shot every year with very rare exceptions.

However, as with the flu, public health officials might still place a special emphasis on vaccinating high-risk people against COVID. And the more the virus mutates, the more often public health officials may recommend boosting to overcome a new variant’s immune evasion.

Unfortunately, this year’s updated omicron booster doesn’t appear to provide significantly better protection than the original boosters. Scientists are working on variant-proof vaccines that could retain their potency in the face of new variants.

4. Are more COVID variants on the way?

The omicron variant has burst into an alphabet soup of subvariants. The BA.5 variant that surfaced earlier this year

remains the dominant variant in the U.S., but the BA.4.6 omicron subvariant may be poised to become dominant in the United States. It now accounts for 14% of cases and is rising. The BA.4.6 omicron subvariant is better than BA.5 at dodging people’s immune defenses from both prior infection and vaccination.

In other parts of the world, BA.4.6 has been overtaken by BA.2.75 and BF.7 (a descendant of BA.5), which respectively account for fewer than 2% and 5% of COVID cases in the U.S. The BA.2.75.2 omicron subvariant drove a wave of infections in South Asia in July and August. Although the U.S. hasn’t yet seen much in the way of another variant descended from BA.5 — BQ.1.1 — it is rising quickly in other countries like the U.K., Belgium, and Denmark. The BA.2.75.2 and BQ.1.1 variants may be the most immune-evasive omicron subvariants to date.

BA.4.6, BA.2.75.2, and BQ.1.1 all evade Evusheld, the monoclonal antibody used to prevent COVID in immunocompromised people who don’t respond as well to vaccination. Although another medication, bebtelovimab, remains active in treating COVID from BA.4.6 and BA.2.75.2, it’s ineffective against BQ.1.1.

Many scientists are worried that Evusheld will become useless

by November or December.

This is concerning because the pipeline for new antiviral pills and monoclonal antibodies to treat COVID is running dry without a guaranteed purchaser to ensure a market. In the past, the federal government guaranteed it would buy vaccines in bulk, but funding for that program has not been extended by Congress.

Other omicron subvariants on the horizon include BJ.1, BA.2.3.20, BN.1, and XBB, all descendants of BA.2.

It’s hard to predict whether an omicron subvariant or yet another variant will come to dominate this winter and whether hospitalizations and deaths will again surge in the U.S. Vaccination rates and experience with prior infections vary around the world and even within the United States, which means that the different versions of omicron are duking it out on different playing fields.

While this might all sound grim, it’s important to remember that COVID booster shots can help overcome immune evasion

by the predominant omicron subvariants.

5. What about long COVID? Getting vaccinated does reduce the risk of getting long COVID, but it’s unclear by how much.

Researchers don’t know if the only way to prevent long COVID is to prevent infection.

Although vaccines may curb the risk of infection, few vaccines prevent all or almost all infections.

Additional measures — such as improving indoor air quality and donning masks — would be needed to reduce the risk of infection. It’s also not yet known whether prompt treatment with currently available monoclonal antibodies and antiviral drugs like Paxlovid reduces the risk of developing long COVID. 6. Do I need a flu shot, too?

The CDC recommends that anyone 6 months of age or older get an annual flu shot. The ideal timing is late October or early November, before the winter holidays and before influenza typically starts spreading in the U.S. Like COVID shots, flu shots provide only a couple of months of immunity against infection and transmission, but an early flu shot is better than no flu shot.

Influenza is already circulating in some parts of the United States.

It’s especially important for people 65 or older, pregnant women, people with chronic medical conditions, and children under 5 to get their yearly flu shots because they’re at highest risk of hospitalization and death.

Although younger people might be at lower risk for severe flu, they can act as vectors for transmission of influenza to higher-risk people in the community.

High-dose flu vaccines, also called “adjuvanted” flu vaccines, are recommended for people 65 and older. Adjuvants strengthen the immune response to a vaccine.

It is safe to get vaccinated for COVID and the flu at the same time, but you might experience more side effects like fevers, headache, or body aches. (Céline Gounder/Kaiser Health News) This story was produced

by KHN (Kaiser Health News), a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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‘Separate and unequal’: Critics say Newsom’s pricey Medicaid reforms leave most patients behind

by ANGELA

HART Kaiser Health News

LOS ANGELES — It wasn’t exactly an emergency, but Michael Reed, a security guard who lives in Watts, had back pain and ran out of his blood pressure medication. Unsure where else to turn, he went to his local emergency room for a refill.

Around the same time, James Woodard, a homeless man, appeared for his third visit that week. He wasn’t in medical distress. Nurses said he was likely high on meth and just looking for a place to rest.

In an overflow tent outside, Edward Green, a restaurant cook, described hearing voices and needing medication for his bipolar disorder.

The three patients were among dozens who packed the emergency room at MLK Community Hospital, a bustling health care complex in South Los Angeles reincarnated from the old hospital known as “Killer King” for its horrific patient care.

The new campus serves the 1.3 million residents of Willowbrook, Compton, Watts, and other neighborhoods — a heavily Black and Latino population that suffers disproportionately high rates of devastating chronic conditions like diabetes, liver disease, and high blood pressure.

Arguably, none of the three men should have gone, on this warm April afternoon, to the emergency room, a place intended to address severe and life-threatening cases — and where care is extremely expensive.

But patients and doctors say it is nearly impossible to find a timely medical appointment or receive adequate care in the impoverished community, where fast food is easy to come by and fresh fruits and vegetables are not. Liquor stores outnumber grocery stores, and homeless encampments are overflowing. A staggering 72% of patients who receive care at the hospital rely on Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program for low-income people.

“For some people, the emergency room is a last resort.

But for so many people who live here, it’s literally all there is,” said Dr. Oscar Casillas, who runs

the department. “Most of what I see is preventable — preventable with normal access to health care.

But we don’t have that here.”

The community is short 1,400 doctors, according to Dr. Elaine Batchlor, the hospital’s CEO, who said her facility is drowning under a surge of patients who are sicker than those in surrounding communities. For instance, the death rate from diabetes is 76% higher in the community than in Los Angeles County as a whole, 77% higher for high blood pressure — an early indicator of heart disease — and 50% higher for liver disease.

But dramatic changes are afoot that could herald improvements in care — or cement the stark health disparities that persist between rich and poor communities.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is spearheading a massive experiment in Medi-Cal, pouring nearly $9 billion into a fiveyear initiative that targets the sickest and costliest patients and provides them with nonmedical benefits such as home-delivered meals, money for housing movein costs, and home repairs to make living environments safer for people with asthma.

The concept — which is being tested in California on a larger scale than anywhere else in the country — is to improve patient health by funneling money into social programs and keeping patients out of costly institutions such as emergency departments, jails, nursing homes, and mental health crisis centers.

The initiative, known as CalAIM, sounds like an antidote to some of the ills that plague MLK. Yet only a sliver of its patients will receive the new and expensive benefits.

Just 108 patients — the hospital treats about 113,000 people annually — have enrolled since January. Statewide, health insurers have signed up more than 97,200 patients out of roughly 14.7 million Californians with Medi-Cal, according to state officials. And while a growing number of Medi-Cal enrollees are expected to receive the new benefits in the coming years, most will not.

Top state health officials

argue that the broader Medi-Cal population will benefit from other components of CalAIM, which is a multipronged, multiyear effort to boost patients’ overall physical and mental health. But doctors, hospital leaders, and health insurance executives are skeptical that the program will fundamentally improve the quality of care for those not enrolled — including access to doctors, one of the biggest challenges for Medi-Cal patients in South Los Angeles.

“The state is now saying it will allow Medicaid dollars to be spent on things like housing  PAGE A8

LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (LACMTA) INVITATION FOR BID LACMTA will receive Bids/ Proposals for MA95175 - IP CLUSTER ASM - DRIVER'S INSTRUMENT PANEL W/ TOUCH SCREEN, DPS70 DISPLAY CLUSTER at the 9th Floor Receptionist Desk, Vendor/Contract Management Department, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

A Pre-Bid conference will not be held. All Bids must be submitted to LACMTA, and be filed at the reception desk, 9th floor, V/CM Department, on or before 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday, November 4, 2022, at which time bids will be opened and publicly read. Bids received after the above date and time may be rejected and returned unopened. Each Bid must be sealed and marked Bid No. MA95175.

For a copy of the Proposal/ Bid specification visit our Solicitation Page on our Vendor Portal at https:// business.metro.net or for further information email Andrew Coppolo at coppoloa@ metro.net.

10/15/22 CNS-3633141# ASIAN JOURNAL (L.A.)

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OPINION

FEATURES

No ticket out of poverty

The conditional cash transfer is meant to help beneficiaries move out of poverty, by encouraging families to keep their children in school and mothers to avail themselves of reproductive health services and plan their family size.

In the latest government audit, however, it was reported that 3.8 million household beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 90 percent who have been enrolled in the 4Ps for seven to 13 years remained mired in poverty.

The Commission on Audit noted that over 3.82 million households, accounting for 90 percent of the 4.26 million active 4Ps beneficiaries, remained poor even after the distribution of P537.39 billion in cash grants as of June 30, 2021.

The COA report comes on the heels of efforts by the Department of Social Welfare and Development to cleanse the ranks of 4Ps beneficiaries, with the DSWD chief warning that the cash transfers were not meant for drinking, gambling and other vices. Last July, the DSWD delisted 1.3 million 4Ps beneficiaries who were either deemed to have left the poverty threshold or who were found to have violated the conditions of the cash transfer.

The COA report prompted senators to call for a review of the 4Ps, with at least one lawmaker expressing concern that it was merely encouraging “a culture of mendicancy.” The Philippine Statistics

Authority, which measures poverty every three years, has reported that the number of families living below the poverty threshold went up from 17.67 million in 2018 to 19.99 million in 2021, or an increase in the poverty rate from 16.6 to 18.1 percent.

A DSWD official said the COVID-19 pandemic is to blame for the higher poverty incidence. This is partly true; studies have shown that many people who had been lifted out of the poverty threshold were driven back to impoverishment by the economic disaster arising from the pandemic.

But the PSA survey also covered the period before COVID hit the country. What the COA findings indicate is that dole-outs, even if conditional, are not enough and must be complemented by many other measures to lift millions from poverty – and keep them out of it. Those measures, including drastic reforms to improve the quality of education and public health care as well as promote food security, must be implemented if the Marcos administration hopes to achieve its stated objective of cutting the poverty rate to nine percent by 2028.

(Philstar.com)

Editorial

Commentary

JONATHAN MEHTA STEIN CALIFORNIANS cannot wait any longer for fair representation. The horrific scandal currently unfolding in Los Angeles has unearthed the inner workings of morally bankrupt politicians who abuse our systems of government to elevate their own power at the expense of the people. When bigotry and power intersect, as they have here, we must address both the racism and the broken political systems that protect corrupt elected officials and enable them to hold on to power.

This week, a conversation between three LA City leaders, held during the City’s redistricting process, was leaked to the public. It revealed the leader’s racist comments and their plan to manipulate

Californians can’t wait any longer for independent Redistricting the City’s redistricting process for their own political gain.

The recordings show what the redistricting process looks like behind closed doors and has rightfully spurred disgust and distrust.

Angelenos, and all Californians, deserve more from their government than being used as pawns in a game of political chess. Luckily for us, we have solutions.

When incumbent politicians are in charge of redistricting and get to draw the political districts in which they run for reelection, they can gerrymander. This means they can choose for themselves the voters, the communities, and the community assets that will enable them to fundraise big campaign contributions and guarantee themselves reelection. This is exactly what the LA City leaders were plotting in the leaked audio recording.

California has pioneered

“WITH respect to our place in the community of nations, the Philippines shall continue to be a friend to all, an enemy to none.”

This was President Marcos Jr.’s declaration of Philippine foreign policy when he delivered his first State of the Nation Address last July 25, 2022. Within his first 100 days as president, Mr. Marcos has already demonstrated this independent foreign policy through his foreign travels in September 2022.

Mr. Marcos met with various leaders during the said travels, including Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Singaporean President Halimah Yacob, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. These engagements reiterate the strategic role of the Philippines in the international community and highlight the administration’s priority to expand Philippine relations.

Moving forward, Mr. Marcos must continue to strengthen Philippine diplomatic relations with other like-minded states by increasing official engagements.

Presenting the Philippines as a friend to states, his independent foreign policy must involve Filipinos’ most trusted countries and blocs, including the European Union.

a different way. We were the first state in the nation to establish an independent redistricting commission to draw our congressional and state legislative district maps, with a mandate in the state constitution to fulfill that role transparently and fairly. The state’s redistricting commission, run by regular folks from our communities instead of by political actors, must listen to the public and must be free of political interference. After two redistricting cycles, the state’s redistricting commission has been a massive success, hearing from tens of thousands of regular Californians, producing fair maps, and keeping our district maps out of nasty legal wrangling in the courts.

Following the state redistricting commission’s lead, cities and counties around California have adopted independent redistricting commissions, too. California

Common Cause watchdogged the redistricting processes of over 60 cities, counties, and school boards in 2020-2022. All of the most participatory, most inclusive, most transparent, and most fair processes were all run by independent redistricting commissions. All of the most manipulative, most selfserving, and least participatory processes were all run by sitting incumbents.

The City Council must move now to create an independent redistricting commission or put one before voters to approve on the 2024 ballot. And the City of LA has models all around it.

The independent redistricting commissions used by the state, LA County, and the City of Long Beach all drew new district maps with integrity and based on the will of the people.

But we should go further. Every Californian deserves voting maps that are drawn in the best interest of our neighborhoods

and communities, not of those in power. Every Californian deserves to know that when new district lines are drawn at the beginning of each decade, their voices matter and that manipulation is not happening behind closed doors.

We support independent redistricting commissions at every level of government throughout the state. This would take power back from the powerful and give it back to the people, where it belongs.

Decades of power-hungry local officials on both sides of the political aisle slicing and dicing our communities to keep themselves in power have hurt our families, our neighborhoods, and our futures.

This has resulted in unfinished neighborhoods, inequitably distributed resources, and lost potential for countless communities throughout the state – most often communities of color and immigrant

communities.

As the leaked LA tapes show, a partisan redistricting process run by incumbents lets this happen and fuels the systemic racism that deprives communities of color of the power and representation they deserve. Only an independent redistricting commission, in LA and in all communities, can ensure that elected officials are held fully accountable to their constituents, that power and resources are distributed equitably, and that our voices truly matter. (Ethnic Media Services) *** 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.

*** Jonathan Mehta Stein is executive director of California Common Cause, a nonpartisan organization working to build a California democracy that includes everyone.

Strategies for an independent foreign policy

Commentary

DINDO MANHIT

ManilaTimes.net photo

The EU is heavily involved in the Indo-Pacific through its EU Indo-Pacific Strategy for Cooperation and in the Asean through the EU-Asean Strategic Partnership and the Global Gateway program. These multilateral strategies also enhance bilateral relations with the Philippines.

At the regional level, the Philippines serves as the Asean-EU country coordinator, elevating its role in the Indo-Pacific.

The strategic partnership between the two regional organizations is further highlighted in recognition of the critical role of the Asean in the EU Indo-Pacific strategy.

The EU has proven itself as a credible partner for the Philippines, particularly in its expressed support for the latter’s arbitral victory in the West Philippine Sea. For the past six years, the EU has been an essential ally through its consistent call for a rules-based maritime order following the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The mutual interest to promote an open and rules-based regional security architecture was highlighted during the 2022 Indo-Pacific Strategy Forum hosted by the EU delegation to the Philippines last Oct. 7, 2022.

H.E. Luc Veron, EU ambassador to the Philippines, highlighted that through this strategy, the EU will work with partners, such as the Philippines, in upholding shared principles

of peace, stability, prosperity, and respect for human dignity.

Paola Pampaloni, deputy managing director for the Asia-Pacific of the European External Action Service, delivered the keynote address where she underscored the interconnectedness of Europe and the Indo-Pacific. She said that as the region becomes the center of intense geopolitical tension, the EU strategy focuses on cooperation, not confrontation, among states.

Ms. Pampaloni also discussed another pathway for further collaboration through the EU’s Global Gateway program, a 300-billion euro global infrastructure project from 2021 to 2027. Key investment areas include the digital sector, climate and energy, transport, health, and education and research.

Complementing these developments, PH-EU relations will reach new heights once Mr. Marcos sets off for his visit to Brussels upon the invitation of European Council President Charles Michel. Through these initiatives, the EU further reinforces its role as a reliable partner of the Indo-Pacific.

The first 100 days of the Marcos Jr. administration highlighted various priority areas, including foreign policy.

His visits have so far been fruitful in bringing in more investments and strengthening diplomatic engagements.

Moving forward, the administration must

President Marcos met with various leaders during the said travels, including (clockwise, from the top) Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and U.S. President Joe Biden.

Malacañang file photos

continuously build strategies to reinforce its independent foreign policy and to elevate its diplomatic relations to address various challenges. This will ensure that the Philippines

will develop long and lasting partnerships with credible and reliable allies. (Inquirer.net) *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily

reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

*** Dindo Manhit is the founder and CEO of the Stratbase Group.

The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal.

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Dateline PhiliPPines

UPD-CS faculty work to address PH’s ‘most disaster-prone country’ status THE Philippines is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, according to a recent international study. But a handful of scientists from the University of the Philippines - Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) hope to change that.

The 2022 World Risk Report warned that, out of 193 countries, the Philippines has the greatest risk, exposure, vulnerability, and susceptibility to disasters, further aggravated by a deep lack of coping and adaptive capacities.

However, timely to the release of the Report, the University of the Philippines recently conferred the UP Centennial Professorial Chair and Faculty Grant on 98 UPD-CS faculty members from the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology and the National Institute of Geological Sciences, as well as from the National Institute of Physics, Institute of Biology, Institute of Chemistry, Marine Science Institute, Institute of Mathematics, and National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology.

The conferment also came just days ahead of the UN-declared International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction last October 13.

“The Centennial Grant is a welcome acknowledgement of, and support for, the hard work that UP’s scientists and researchers put into their respective fields. It helps us to focus on the tasks at hand so that we can bring the science to where it is most needed,” said UPD-CS Dean Giovanni Tapang.

“There are a lot of research studies to understand the physical, social, and economic components of risk. Our main role as scientists is to communicate and disseminate information on hazards and their impacts, hoping these will guide efforts in disaster response,” added Centennial Grant awardee Dr. Noelynna Ramos, a professor of Geomorphology and Geohazards at the National Institute of Geological Sciences and the head researcher of the Geomorphology and Active Tectonics Research Laboratory.

"Much of the research we undertake is very meticulous and painstaking. For outside observers, they may not seem immediately important or even necessary. But patient persistence pays off, because we are eventually able to find underlying patterns that enable us to come up with practical, real-world solutions," explained Centennial Grantee and atmospheric physics expert Dr. Gerry Bagtasa. “There is much that can and should be done in terms of disaster response in the country, and I'm thankful that UP and the College of Science understand this and enable us to help address these."

The Centennial Grants are awarded annually to UP faculty members in recognition of their outstanding performance in the areas of teaching; research or creative work; and public service. In their various capacities, the Grantees’ research is helping improve our understanding of the natural world and, more specifically, the nature of natural disasters and how best to respond to them. g

NATURAL DISASTERS: SCIENCE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS. UP Officials and scientists composed of (From L-R) Dr. Mario Aurelio, Dr. Gerry Bagtasa, Ms. Jamaica Pangasinan, former UPD Chancellor Michael Tan, current UPD Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, Dr. Giovanni Tapang, and Dr. Lemnuel Aragones, conduct a press briefing on the Taal Volcano Eruption in January 2020.

Photo by Andro Sampang, UPD College of Science

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‘Separate and unequal’: Critics say Newsom’s...

PAGE A5

FRESH SUPPLIES. Various chicken cuts are sold in one of the stalls in the Kamuning Public Market, Quezon City on Friday, Oct. 14. The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that as of June 30, the total chicken inventory stood at 186.36 million birds, marking a decrease of 0.5 percent compared to stocks during the same period last year. Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Northern Mindanao accounted for a combined share of 44.5 percent of the total.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

PH among most generous countries in 2021 - World Giving Index

by KURT

DELA PEÑA Inquirer.net

MANILA — Do you still remember how the Maginhawa Community Pantry inspired Filipinos to give help to millions of people hit by the health and economic crises brought by COVID-19?

It was last year when Ana Patricia Non started the bayanihan for Filipinos hit hardest by the pandemic that brought the economy to a standstill—she placed a bamboo cart in Quezon City where people, who are strangers to each one, can give or get help.

As stressed by the coalition 1Sambayan, the thousands of community pantries—6,715 to be exact—reflected the kindness of Filipinos: “This is the Filipino people saving the Filipino people.”

Likewise, then Manila Apostolic Administrator Bishop Broderick Pabillo told Radio Veritas that the initiative was a clear representation of Filipinos’ willingness to help.

“It’s a very good way of spreading generosity and bayanihan,” he said.

This was well reflected in the latest World Giving Index (WGI), which “provides insights into the giving landscape all over the world as we emerged from the initial stages of the pandemic and began to live with COVID-19 in 2021.”

Based on the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)-initiated WGI, which examined the extent of giving last year, the Philippines, with a score of 47 percent, was 20th out of 119 countries included on the list.

CAF said the Philippines leaped from 65th in 2020, 33rd in 2018, 89th in 2017, 54th in 2016, 47th in 2015, 46th in 2014, and 30th in 2013. Back in 2011 and 2012, the country was 17th and 16th in the WGI, respectively.

PH strengths The international charity explained that the list is based on these considerations: (1) have you helped a stranger, or someone you do not know who needed help (2) have you donated to a charity and (3) have you volunteered your time.

As reflected in the WGI, the Philippines had a score of 75 percent for “helping a stranger, or someone you do not know who needed help,” 26 percent for “donating to a charity,” and 39 percent for “volunteering time.”

The 39 percent for “volunteering time” that the country got was the sixth highest, next to Indonesia (63 percent), Kenya (52 percent), Sierra Leone (44 percent), Zambia (43 percent), and Tajikistan (43 percent).

“Giving takes different forms around the globe, and even the definitions of what constitutes

charity and generosity differ across cultures,” said CAF chief executive Neil Heslop.

In 2020, the Philippines got 62 percent for “helping a stranger, or someone you do not know who needed help,” 16 percent for “donating to a charity,” and 23 percent for “volunteering time.”

CAF had said many of the countries that have been “stalwarts of our straight-forward gauge of global generosity over the past decade have fallen not just out of the top 10, but the top 20” in 2020, the year the COVID-19 crisis hit.

Heslop, however, stressed that “willingness to give was not drastically diminished, it was [an] opportunity that went missing— the chance to give that had to be sacrificed as countries locked down their people and their economies.”

World kindness Based on the WGI for last year, while the COVID-19 somehow brought giving to a standstill in 2020, the health and economic crisis “do not seem to have dampened our enthusiasm for giving.”

This, as the global WGI score for 2021 stood at 40 percent, with increased participation and giving levels for each of the considerations in the index— helping a stranger, donating to a charity and volunteering time.  PAGE A10

and nutritious food — and those things are really important — but they’re still not willing to pay for medical care,” Batchlor said.

Batchlor has been lobbying the Newsom administration and state lawmakers to fix basic health care for the state’s poorest residents. She believes that increasing payments for doctors and hospitals that treat Medi-Cal patients could lead to improvements in both quality and access. The state and the 25 managed-care insurance plans it pays to provide health benefits to most Medi-Cal enrollees reimburse providers so little for care that it perpetuates “racism and discrimination,” she said.

Batchlor said the hospital gets about $150, on average, to treat a Medi-Cal patient in its emergency room. But it would receive about $650 if that patient had Medicare, she said, while a patient with commercial health insurance would trigger a payment of about $2,000.

The hospital brought in $344 million in revenue in 2020 and spent roughly $330 million on operations and patient care. It loses more than $30 million a year on the emergency room alone, Batchlor said.

Medicaid is generally the lowest payer in health care, and California is among the lowestpaying states in the country, experts say.

“The rates are not high enough for providers to practice. Go to Beverly Hills and those people are overdosing on health care, but here in Compton, patients are dying 10 years earlier because they can’t get health care,” Batchlor said. “That’s why I call it separate and unequal.”

Newsom in September vetoed a bill that would have boosted Medi-Cal payment rates for the hospital, saying the state can’t afford it. But Batchlor isn’t giving up. Nor are other hospitals, patient advocates, Medi-Cal health insurers, and the state’s influential doctors’ lobby, which are working to persuade Newsom and state lawmakers to pony up more money for Medi-Cal. It’ll be a tough sell. Newsom’s top health officials defend California’s rates, saying the state has boosted pay for participating providers by offering bonus and incentive payments for improvements in health care quality and equity — even as the state adds Medi-Cal recipients to

the system.

“We’ve been the most aggressive state in expanding Medi-Cal, especially with the addition of undocumented immigrants,” said Dustin Corcoran, CEO of the California Medical Association, which represents doctors and is spearheading a campaign to lobby officials. “But we have done nothing to address the patient access side to health care.” *** The hospital previously known as Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center was forced to shut down in 2007 after a Los Angeles Times investigation revealed the county-run hospital’s “long history of harming, or even killing, those it was meant to serve.” In one well-publicized case, a homeless woman was writhing in pain and vomiting blood while janitors mopped around her. She later died.

MLK Community Hospital rose from its ashes in 2015 as a private, nonprofit safety-net hospital that runs largely on public insurance and philanthropy. Its state-ofthe-art facilities include a center to treat people with diabetes and prevent their limbs from being amputated — and the hospital is trying to reach homeless patients with a new street medicine team.

Still, decades after the deadly 1965 Watts riots spurred construction of the original hospital — which was supposed to bring high-quality health care to poor neighborhoods in South Los Angeles — many disparities persist.

Less than a mile from the hospital, 60-year-old Sonny Hawthorne rattled through some trash cans on the sidewalk. He was raised in Watts and has been homeless for most of his adult life, other than stints in jail for burglary.

He hustles on his bike doing odd jobs for cash, such as cleaning yards and recycling, but said he has trouble filling out job applications because he can’t read. Most of his day is spent just surviving, searching for food and shelter.

Hawthorne is one of California’s estimated 173,800 homeless residents, most of whom are enrolled in Medi-Cal or qualify for the program. He has diabetes and high blood pressure. He had been on psychotropic medicine for depression and paranoia but hasn’t taken it in months or years. He can’t remember.

“They wanted me to come back in two weeks, but I didn’t go,” he said of an emergency room visit this year for chronic foot pain associated with diabetes. “It’s too much responsibility sometimes.”

Hawthorne’s chronic health conditions and homelessness should qualify him for the CalAIM initiative, which would give him access to a case manager to help him find a primary care doctor, address untreated medical conditions, and navigate the new social services that may be available to him under the program.

But it’s not up to him whether he receives the new benefits.

The state has yielded tremendous power to MediCal’s managed-care insurance companies to decide which social services they will offer. They also decide which of their sickest and most vulnerable enrollees get them.

One benefit all plans must offer is intensive care management, in which certain patients are assigned to case managers who help them navigate their health and social service needs, get to appointments, take their medications regularly, and eat healthy foods.

Plans can also provide benefits from among 14 broad categories of social services, such as six months of free housing for some homeless patients discharged from the hospital, beds in sobering centers that allow patients to recover and get clean outside the emergency room, and assistance with daily tasks such as grocery shopping.

L.A. Care Health Plan, the largest Medi-Cal managed-care insurer in Los Angeles County, with more than 2.5 million enrollees, is contracting with the hospital, which will provide housing and case management services under the initiative. For now, the hospital is targeting patients who are homeless and repeat emergency room visitors, said Fernando Lopez Rico, who helps homeless patients get services.

So far, the hospital has referred 78 patients to case managers and enrolled 30 other patients in housing programs. Only one has been placed in permanent housing, and about 17 have received help getting temporary shelter.

“It is very difficult to place people,” Lopez Rico said.  PAGE A10

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Senate probe sought into hostage-taking of De Lima ‘Separate and unequal’: Critics say Newsom’s...

MANILA — Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is seeking a Senate probe into the hostage-taking of former Sen. Leila de Lima at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, which the lawmaker says “brought to the fore security lapses” on the part of the police.

“The incident … nonetheless reflects poorly on the police organization’s capacity to perform their mandate of preventing crimes, enforcing laws, maintaining public order and ensuring public safety,” Estrada said in Senate Resolution No. 258 filed on Wednesday, October 12.

He added: “The police organization should inspire confidence through the institutionalization of strict security protocols in PNP detention facilities, adequate training and capacity-building of its officers and personnel, and human treatment of persons under police custody, being respectful of their religious beliefs and cultural practices.”

In a separate resolution filed Thursday, October 13, the Senate minority bloc urged the PNP leadership to undertake measures

to guarantee the safety of De Lima.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III and Sen. Risa Hontiveros also want the PNP to inform the Senate on the actions taken to secure the former senator.

In his resolution, Estrada noted a portion of De Lima’s affidavit where she said that her hostagetaker complained about their treatment at the detention facility as he alleged that they are “treated like animals” and that “the food has pork.”

De Lima’s hostage-taker, Feliciano Sulayao Jr., was among three detainees at the custodial center who tried to break out last Sunday. Sulayao, Arnel Cabintoy and Idang Susukan, who were all shot dead by police, were allegedly members of the Abu Sayyaf Group and Dawlah Islamiya.

Sen. Robinhood Padilla visited De Lima on Wednesday at the PNP General Hospital in Camp Crame to reassure her that criminality and terrorism are not part of Islamic teaching.

“I wanted to stress that whatever these Abu Sayyaf members did

wrong, that was not the teaching of Islam,” Padilla said in a statement.

He added that he discussed the possibility of a home furlough for De Lima, but PGen. Rodolfo Azurin, PNP chief, said the former senator chose to stay in Camp Crame.

PCol. Mark Pespes, acting director of the PNP Headquarters Support Service, previously said that they were still trying to understand how Sulayao was able to enter the room of De Lima, who was supposedly held separately from other detainees at the custodial center.

Asked about Sulayao's complaints before his death, Pespes denied this but asked reporters to wait for the findings of the investigation.

Azurin also said that guards distributing food to the detainees in the outdoor area had already established rapport with them at that time, which might have been taken advantage of.

He added that the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group will investigate the incident to check if there were lapses that led to the hostage-taking. (Philstar.com)

PH among most generous countries in...

PAGE A8 

Helping a stranger reached its highest recorded level in 2021, with three out of five (62 percent) adults helping someone they did not know, up from 55 percent in 2020. This equates to 3.5 billion people, compared to almost three billion in 2020.

Likewise, more people than ever reported donating to charity in 2021, rising to more than one in three (35 percent) individuals all over the world. There was also an increase in volunteering to almost one in four people (23 percent), up from one in five in 2020.

Indonesia has the highest WGI score for the fifth year in a row. The country maintains its top ranking with a score of 68 percent, largely unchanged since 2020. Indonesia has the highest rate of donating (84 percent) and volunteering (63 percent) in the world.

Kenya was next with a score of 61 percent, up from 58 percent in 2020. All three of Kenya’s scores increased in 2021. The country has a much higher average score for helping a stranger, 77 percent, compared to the global average of 62 percent.

Cambodia scored the lowest of all the countries, with only 19

percent, down from 28 percent in 2020. Japan (20 percent), Afghanistan (21 percent), Egypt (23 percent), and Lebanon (24 percent) make up the rest of the bottom five in 2021.

“The reasons for Japan’s very low score are likely to be cultural in nature – what might be perceived as charity in the United States is likely to be understood as responsibility in Japan,” CAF said.

It likewise stressed that Afghanistan, Egypt and Lebanon “are experiencing widespread poverty or famine, civil unrest or war, and political instability.”

Filipino generosity As stressed in the website outsourceaccelerator.com, which discussed key Filipino values, “Filipinos are naturally helpful and generous people. They give as much as they can and extend help to family members—and even strangers—when needed.”

“This is seen through the abundance of charity drives and foundations in the Philippines, especially when calamities hit,” it said.

Based on a statement from the World Association of the NonGovernmental Associations, the country is considered to have

one of the most vibrant NGO communities, with over 60,000 NGOs registered.

As stated in the study, “Giving and Volunteering among Filipinos,” which was conducted in 1999 and 2000 through the Philippine Nonprofit Sector Project, “Filipinos tend to express their charity in a personal way.”

It found that despite the economic standstill that year, a high proportion of households claimed to have given in the past year.

More than eight out of every ten (86 percent) households said they gave to organizations in the twelve months immediately prior to the survey (1998 to 1999), while two out of three (74 percent) also gave directly to persons in need.

When it comes to volunteering, the study found that three of every four Filipinos 13 years old and over volunteered in the past year (1998 to 1999), based on 1999 population estimates.

“This is significantly higher than the incidence of volunteering in other countries, notably in developed countries such as the United States (56 percent), Canada (31 percent) and the United Kingdom (48 percent).”

PAGE A8  “There’s almost nothing available, and we get a lot of hesitancy and pushback from private property owners not wanting to let these individuals or families live there.”

Patrick Alvarez, 57, has diabetes and was living in a shed without running water until July, when an infection in his feet grew so bad that he had several toes amputated.

The hospital sent him to a rehabilitation and recovery center, where he is learning to walk again, receiving counseling, and looking for permanent housing.

If he finds a place he can afford, CalAIM will pay his first month’s and last month’s rent, the security deposit, and perhaps even utility hookup fees.

But the hunt for housing, even with the help of new benefits, is arduous. A one-bedroom apartment he saw in September was going for $1,600 a month and required a deposit of $1,600.

“It’s horrible, I can’t afford that,” he said.

Hawthorne needs help just as badly. But he’s unlikely to get it since he doesn’t have a phone or permanent address — and wouldn’t be easy for the hospital to find. The homeless encampments where he lives are routinely cleared by law enforcement officials.

“We have so many more people who need help than are able to get it,” Lopez Rico said.

“There aren’t enough resources to help everyone, so only some people get in.” *** L.A. Care has referred about 28,400 members to CalAIM case managers, roughly 1% of its total enrollees, according to its CEO, John Baackes. It is offering housing, food, and other social services to even fewer: about 12,600 people.

CalAIM has the potential to dramatically improve the health of patients who are lucky enough to receive new benefits, Baackes said. But he isn’t convinced it will save the health care system money and believes it will leave behind millions of other patients — without greater investment in the broader Medi-Cal program.

“Access is not as good for Medi-Cal patients as it is for people with means, and that is a fundamental problem that has not changed with CalAIM,” Baackes said.

Evidence shows that basic

Medi-Cal patient care is often subpar.

Year-over-year analyses published by the state Department of Health Care Services, which administers Medi-Cal, have found that, by some measures, Medi-Cal health plans are getting worse at caring for patients, not better. Among the most recent findings: The rates of breast and cervical cancer screenings for women were worse in 2020 than 2019, even when the demands that covid-19 placed on the health care system were factored into the analysis.

Hospital readmissions increased, and diabetes care declined.

“The impact of covid is real — providers shut down — but we also know we need a lot of improvement in access and quality,” said State Medicaid Director Jacey Cooper. “We don’t feel we are where we should be in California.”

Cooper said her agency is cracking down on Medi-Cal insurance plans that are failing to provide adequate care and is strengthening oversight and enforcement of insurers, which are required by state law to provide timely access to care and enough network doctors to serve all their members.

The state is also requiring participating health plans to sign new contracts with stricter quality-of-care measures.

Cooper argues CalAIM will improve the quality of care for all Medi-Cal patients, describing aspects of the initiative that require health plans to hook patients up with primary care doctors, connect them with specialty care, and develop detailed plans to keep them out of expensive treatment zones like the emergency room.

She denied that CalAIM will leave millions of Medi-Cal patients behind and said the state has increased incentive and bonus payments so health care providers will focus on improving care while implementing the initiative.

“CalAIM targets people who are homeless and extremely highneed, but we’re also focusing on wellness and prevention,” she told KHN. “It really is a wholesale reform of the entire Medicaid system in California.”

A chorus of doctors, hospital leaders, health insurance executives, and health care advocates point to Medi-Cal reimbursement rates as the

core of the problem. “The chronic condition in Medi-Cal is underfunding,” said Linnea Koopmans, CEO of the Local Health Plans of California.

Although the state has restored some previous Medi-Cal rate cuts, there’s no move to increase base payments for doctors and hospitals. Cooper said the state is using tobacco tax dollars and other state money to attract more providers to the system and to entice doctors who already participate to accept more MediCal patients.

When Newsom vetoed the bill to provide higher reimbursements primarily for emergency room care at MLK, he said the state cannot afford the “tens of millions” of dollars it would cost.

MLK leaders vow to continue pushing, while other hospitals and the powerful California Medical Association plot a larger campaign to draw attention to the low payment rates.

“Californians who rely on Medi-Cal — two-thirds of whom are people of color — have a harder time finding providers who are willing to care for them,” said Jan Emerson-Shea, a spokesperson for the California Hospital Association.

For Dr. Oscar Casillas at MLK, the issue is critical. Although he’s a highly trained emergency physician, most days he practices routine primary care, addressing fevers, chronic foot and back pain, and missed medications.

“If you put yourself in the shoes of our patients, what would you do?” asked Casillas, who previously worked as an ER doctor in the affluent coastal city of Santa Monica. “There’s no reasonable access if you’re on Medi-Cal. Most of the providers are by the beach, so emergency departments like ours are left holding the bag.”

This story was produced

by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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Atty. Gurfinkel answers immigration questions from Kapamilya in part 2 of the San Diego leg of Citizen Pinoy’s ‘Your Tanong, My Sagot’ LEADING U.S. Immigration Atty. Michael J. Gurfinkel visited San Diego, where he answered questions of Kapamilya based locally, and even from some coming from outof-town.

In Part 2 of “Your Tanong, My Sagot,”

viewers will hear answers to the following immigration concerns: • Salvie, of National City, wants to know if there is a way to speed up the petition process so that his only son’s family can join them in PAGE B2

‘Daring’ projects a ‘turning point’ for Jasmine

By Marinel

Cruz

Inquirer.net

“HE is the type of actor you would want to test your limits with,” said actress Jasmine CurtisSmith when asked what it was like to have shot a movie with John Lloyd Cruz (JLC) that contains “daring scenes” that she wouldn’t have allowed herself to do “if not for the project.”

The film, with the working title “Money Slumber,” was directed by Bor Ocampo and written by Jason Paul Laxamana, with John Lloyd as coproducer and a member of the creative team.

It wrapped up shooting in July.

“Yes, there were a lot of daring scenes, as well as scenes I’ve never done before — those that I feel I would never allow myself to do, except for this project. With JLC, you always want to try to measure up to his being a good actor, or at least to try to level up as an actor — if you’re any good at it,” she told Inquirer Entertainment during a recent interview.

Asked what she ended up discovering about Jasmine Curtis-Smith Photo from Instagram/@jascurtissmith herself after this particular project, Jasmine said: “That I’m growing as an artist. Other actors projects. It’s only after doing one would you see would understand this: there were moments when that there’s growth, definitely.”

PAGE B2 we feel stagnant because we don’t have acting

YOUR TANONG, MY SAGOT PART 2 IN SAN DIEGO. Leading U.S. Immigration Atty. Michael J. Gurfinkel answers immigration questions from Kapamilya in San Diego, in Part 2 of Citizen Pinoy’s “Your Tanong, My Sagot.” Some of the questions Atty. Gurfinkel answers are – From Thelma of Chesapeake: I petitioned my daughter who will soon be coming to the U.S. with her husband. My grandson was supposed to be included in the petition, but he aged out. How can my 35-year-old grandson join his parents in the U.S.?; From John of Van Nuys: My mother used a fake birth certificate for me because she was worried that I might age out. While I did not age out, the fake birth certificate was used in all my documents. I now want to petition my wife and baby but would like to naturalize first. How can I correct my documents for my naturalization?; From Salvie of National City: I petitioned my only son in 2011. Is there a way to speed up the petition process so that his family can join me here in the U.S.?; From Fulvio of Paradise Valley: My wife petitioned her brother in 2001, but until now, we have not heard from the U.S. Embassy in Manila. Is it possible to have his interview in the U.S. since he is now in San Diego on vacation? Watch Part 2 of “Your Tanong, My Sagot” in San Diego on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, October 16 at 6:30 PM PT (9:30 PM ET) through select Cable/Satellite providers, right after TV Patrol Linggo.

(Advertising Supplement)

Bea shares ‘next big goal’ after acquiring Spain property By nathalie

toMada Philstar.com

BEA Alonzo has no grand party plans when she turns 35 on Oct. 17. But the Start-Up star has already asked her home network GMA for a month-long leave to enjoy a wellness break and at the same time, bring her mom and family to her newly-purchased property abroad, which is an apartment in Madrid, Spain.

In a previous YouTube vlog, Bea revealed that she bought a Bea Alonzo GMA photo unit found in a building designed by famous Spanish architect Chamberi, a district described Tristan Domecq and located in as “traditional” with “aristocratic

architectural flair.”

The STAR had to ask the actress what her “next big goal” is after her what we could only imagine as a very pricey but welldeserved acquisition. It turned out Bea got so inspired by StartUp that she’s looking to start a business.

“Marami pa (goals). I want to put up my own brand and my own company. Na-inspire ako kay Dani,” she excitedly shared, referring to her character in the primetime series with Alden Richards, Yasmien Kurdi, Jeric Gonzales, among others, about PAGE B2

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Fil-Am Business Association of Glendale celebrates Fil-Am History Month THE Filipino American Business Association of Glendale (FABAGGLAC) successfully celebrated Filipino American History Month with a free event for the community on Saturday, Oct. 8.

Held at the Glendale Adult Recreation Center, the well attended event featured songs by the Holy Family Filipino Chorale, gongs music and southern dances by the Pakaraguian Kulintang Ensemble, dances by the Vessel of Mary Dance Group, strings music by the Rondalla of LA, video of tourist spots in the Philippines, food sampling and different Vendors.

The event also included presentation of Awards and Commendations from the City and Legislative Offices for Tagumpay De Leon, recipient of the prestigious NEA National Heritage Award 2021 and recognition of three successful and longstanding Glendale Fil-Am businesses - Arko Foods, Max’s Restaurant and Lou Razon Designs.

In attendance were representatives from LA Philippine Consulate Office, Legislative Offices, Glendale City Councilmembers, GUSD Board Members

Salvie (left) and Fulvio (right) ask their questions during the Citizen Pinoy “Your Tanong, My Sagot” in San Diego.

Atty. Gurfinkel answers...

and Commissioners. Program Emcees were Past Presidents Marlene Cagatao and Edith M. Fuentes. FABAG President Jo Solomonson welcomed the attendees.

Families and friends joined active FABAG

Board and Officers - May Mallari, Nelly Costanios, Cora Soriano, Josie Inacay, Jojo Fuentes, Goya Morelos, Regina Alcazar, Olivia Lopez, Marnie Lacsamana. It was a lovely and joyful cultural event. g

Erik Matti on ‘OTJ The Missing 8’ as Oscars entry: Happy but scared

By Nathalie

tomada Philstar.com

DIRECTOR Erik Matti is feeling happy but scared over the selection of his film On The Job: The Missing 8 as the Philippines’ official entry for Best International Feature at the 95th Academy Awards or Oscars.

The announcement was made during the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) closing event for the Philippine Industry Month celebration last month. Incidentally, it also happened around the same time his OTJ: The Missing 8, the mini-series version on HBO, earned a nomination for Best TV Movie or Miniseries at the 50th International Emmy Awards.

“The Oscars, of course, we’re glad we’ve been chosen. I was surprised how many government

With On The Job: The Missing 8 as the country’s official entry for Best International Feature at the 95th Academy Awards (also known as the Oscars), director Erik Matti (leftmost) says they will fight it out for the film to be noticed by Academy members.

agencies and industry people gathered together to decide on who will be sent to the Oscars.

I found out that there’s FDCP that’s part of the committee, the

The Missing 8 stars John Arcilla (left) and Lotlot de Leon.

Film Academy of the Philippines, the DGPI (Directors’ Guild of the Philippines, Inc.), the academe and the critics. There’s also the inter-guild alliance of the industry,” he said during a virtual roundtable interview on Monday.

The stark reality, however, is that the country has been fielding entries to the Oscars for many years now, but no Filipino film has ever been nominated for the category.

“Masaya pero siempre nakakatakot (we’re happy but we also find it scary) because, except for last year, we’ve always fielded titles in the Oscars and we’ve always been excited about sending titles to the Oscars. But

we know how difficult it is to be even shortlisted amongst all the countries,” shared Matti.

“The last time I read, 70 countries are already participating. Imagine 70 of those films vying for the attention of the Academy? And you just hope the Academy members get wind of your film, watch it entirely and decide it has merit over South Korea, Hong Kong, Colombia or Chile.

“There are too many films to contend with. All of these films, of course, are the pride and glory of each of those countries, and are as exciting and of value, as all the others. Lahat sila are expecting, ‘Ours is the better one.’”

Despite the scary prospect of not breaking into the official list nominees, Matti and his team are willing to wage a fight. “So, nakakatakot but then (you’re) given two choices. It’s whether to just tell yourself, okay, we’re not going to make it this year again. Or, it’s whether, ‘Let’s try and fight it out.’ Try and find a way to be noticed,” he said.

What they have learned so far is that for a movie to be noticed, the spending of big distribution companies is “anywhere between 50 to 80 million dollars,” which Matti conceded is “nowhere near the fraction of what we can afford.”

That’s why one of the first PAGE B4

Bea shares ‘next big goal’ after acquiring...

PAGE B1 the world of start-up companies.

“You know, Yasmien got inspired also.

She’s gonna put up one after our show, but I won’t announce it for her… but meron siyang business inspired by Start-Up,” she added.

As for the type of business she intends to venture into, Bea admitted she’s still carefully studying things and that it’s partly why she’s going on a month-long leave.

“We’re still trying to figure it out. Actually, that’s part of the reason why mag-le-leave din ako. Ina-asikaso namin,” she further told The STAR. Meanwhile, the Philippine remake of the hit South Korean drama with the same title is Bea’s first TV series as a Kapuso after her network transfer in 2021. Being with GMA is like a “second wind” for her.

The last time she topbilled a teleserye was back in 2017. “So, I’m happy (because) na-miss nila ako and tinanggap nila ako.

This time, (it’s) a different channel. I feel like I’m also tapping a different audience na hindi siguro ako napapanood before.

And happy ako, tinatanggap ako with warmth and open arms,” she said of the public reception to the drama’s first week of airing.

Bea also shared that she connected to her character Dani’s personality as a goal-getter.

“I’ve been in the business for 21 years and until now, I still feel the need to deliver.

I don’t relax, alam ‘yan ng mga taong nasa

paligid ko.

“Maybe that’s my nature, yun yung quality ko. I never sleep on set… kahit breaks, I never sleep on set because I keep thinking about my next scenes and what I can do to improve myself. That’s how I’m able to resonate with Dani,” she said.

Given the overarching theme of her new drama, The STAR also asked Bea about her favorite memories from her beginnings in the entertainment industry. To recall, she was only 14 when she made her showbiz debut as a member of the Star Circle Batch 10.

She looked back: “Naalala ko yung first time nakita ko yung sarili ko sa big screen… when I was 15. Dun nag-umpisa yung realization ko na artista na talaga ako… Ito talaga yung pinangarap ko. Hindi ako yung napilitan magartista or na-discover lang. I really want to be an actress. That’s my dream.”

Another fond memory of hers was being able to travel abroad for the first time, the U.S. in particular, for work.

She also remembered the first time she discovered she had fans. “Nag-noontime show ako nun. Then, there were people carrying banners bearing my name — Bea Alonzo,” she said.

She recalled wrongly assuming that these people were just being forced to hold these banners up, and that everything was staged and scripted. “So when fans approached and had their pictures taken with me, and they were saying they accepted me, they loved

me, I just couldn’t believe it! Totoo pala may fans na ako. Those are my fond memories of when I was starting out,” she said.

Bea could say that she has since changed a lot not just as an actress, but also as a person.

“Actually, malaki. It’s not just in acting but in all things, kahit sa ganitong events, concerts abroad, interviews and cover shoots. Before, pre-pandemic or maybe when I was younger, parang lagi akong may gustong patunayan (I always wanted to prove something) and I was more concerned with what people would say about me,” she said.

“Now, after the pandemic, I’m starting a new chapter in my career. Now that I have newfound opportunities, I feel like I also have this newfound confidence. Sa totoo lang… dati marami rin naman akong opportunities na sini-celebrate ng mga tao, like box-office movies, TV shows, and I really enjoyed those things.

“But the difference now is that…before, mas nag-iisip ako ng, ‘I’m not good enough,’ kasi bata ka and you’re always thinking baka mawala ‘to eventually. So, you’re always in a rush.”

Nevertheless, what Bea primarily realized over the pandemic is how time is fleeting.

“Ang daming nawala na mga mahal sa buhay during the pandemic… I know that (life) is fleeting and we don’t even know if there’s still a third wind. So right now, I just try to enjoy the moment and try to live the moment as much as possible.” g

PAGE B1 the U.S. • Fulvio, of Paradise Valley, is asking if his brother-in-law, who was petitioned by his wife in 2011, can have his interview in the U.S. since he is currently in San Diego for vacation.

• John, of Van Nuys, would like to know how he can correct his documents that all contain a fake date of birth.

• Thelma, from Chesapeake, wants to know what options are available for her 35-year-old grandson to join his parents in

the U.S. Atty.

Gurfinkel answers these questions in the second installment of “Your Tanong, My Sagot,” with Kapamilya from San Diego and adjacent areas. Watch this encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, October 16 at 6:30 PM PT (9:30 PM ET thru select Cable/Satellite providers), right after TV Patrol Linggo.

Citizen Pinoy is also available on iWantTFC. Viewers may download the free app.

(Advertising Supplement)

John (right) and Thelma (left) get answers to their immigration questions from Atty.

Michael J. Gurfinkel.

‘Daring’ projects...

PAGE B1 She continued: “JLC has a lot of creative input in this film. I’m not allowed to tell you much about the story, except that it’s all about how we handle and spend money. And the intimate scenes with JLC, kaabang-abang siya. That’s all I’ll say.”

‘Very mature’ character Jasmine also has an unreleased film titled “Real Life Fiction,” with Piolo Pascual as her leading man. On the psychological thriller directed by Paul Soriano, she said: “It’s not ‘Inception,’ but it’s also a story within a story. It’s about two artists who are creating a story.

Confusing subplots and twists are added to confuse viewers, who will have to figure out what’s real and what’s not.”

Jasmine admitted to have had a hard time with her character because “she is very mature, as well as her story. In real life, I’ve never experienced any of the things that she went through.”

While Jasmine was John Lloyd’s first choice as main cast for “Money Slumber,” the actress said she has always been Paul’s “muse.”

She explained: “‘Real Life Fiction’ is already my fourth project with Direk Paul. I’d like to say I’m his muse in his films. He directed me and Jericho (Rosales) in ‘Siargao.’ He also produced ‘Transient’ and ‘Alter Me.’ I’m hoping to work on more projects with him.”

Meanwhile, she described Piolo as “a great leading man. Just like JLC, the way he took care of me, as his leading lady, felt like, ‘Wow! Ang ganda mo!’ These men didn’t have to do it because I feel that Piolo and JLC are way above my tier when it comes to this industry.

I think that’s their way of showing respect, not only because I’m their leading lady, but also because they have genuine respect for my body of work. That’s also how I feel about them.”

The actress added: “While working with them, I needed to fight the feeling of being starstruck, the thinking that these guys are the crème de la crème and that I don’t deserve to be paired with them — that it should’ve been my sister (Anne Curtis) or Bea Alonzo, or someone more superior. It’s such a turning point for me to be treated like this by these men, especially since there are a lot of other actresses who are dying to be paired with them in any project.”

Meanwhile, Jasmine attended a recent event organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) with her longtime boyfriend Jeff Ortega.

“It’s nice to attend an event where the two of us are invited,” she pointed out, being that Jeff is the regional director of the Department of Tourism in Ilocos province and that the FDCP has an ongoing film tourism project.

Tying the knot?

Jasmine then denied reports that she broke up with Jeff at some point in their seven-year relationship. She also explained why in previous media gatherings, she refused to talk about the rumored breakup.

“At the time, I wasn’t in a good place. I wasn’t ready to share.

Ever since, I’ve been very open and honest to the press,” she declared. “I might be going through something emotionally at the time and was afraid that what I’d say would only lead to the wrong interpretation. This was because even before I got interviewed, stories were already published about the issue. I didn’t want to make the situation worse.”

“We never broke up,” she declared. “If I break up with someone, then that’s it! No more turning back.”

On whether she and Jeff are already making plans to tie the knot soon, she said: “Definitely. We’ve been talking about this early on in the relationship. This is because when we invest our time and emotions on someone, we both wish that it’s for something good.

Everything we went through — our fights, our happy moments, how we support each other in our respective careers — we all put that into consideration.”

The 28-year-old added: “We’re like an old couple. That’s why I don’t think you’d feel surprised anymore if ever we’d announce the date… para na rin kasi kaming gan’on.”

As to her dream wedding, Jasmine said: “When we were younger, I used to imagine getting married on the beach, with the sand and the sunset playing important parts in the whole thing. These days, I don’t imagine anymore. We just want a happy celebration with our respective families. They are our priority, especially our dads, because they’re already in their late 70s. We want to make sure that traveling will not be such a hassle to them.” g

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There are many things to do in Pahrump Racing, biking, shooting among recreational activities for residents, visitors

By REALTOR

FELY QUITEVIS-BATEMAN

THERE are times when the question of “What activities can we do in that place?” becomes one of the main questions when a person is considering a location to invest property in, buy a first or second home, or retire to.

This makes sense, obviously, because you would not want to move to an area where there is absolutely nothing for you to do.

Of course, aside from this, there is the question of availability, affordability and getting a good return on your investment. In this week’s article, I will focus on some of the things that you can do recreationally in Pahrump, which is located about 62 miles west of Las Vegas.

If racing or motorsports is

your passion, look no further than Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club, which is currently owned by John Morris. The place hosts various driving schools, track rentals and is the home of a private motorsports country club.

It has North America’s longest racetrack at 6.1 miles, and there are plans to expand the racetrack to over 9 miles when construction is completed.

There are 18 different configurations for the racetrack available to racecar enthusiasts, from the South Course which is just 1 mile, to the Long Course which covers all 6.1 miles.

The company’s expansion plans which made the news in February of this year has generated excitement in the

Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman helps those who need business financing, including loans for small businesses. For more information, call (702) 538-4948, or send email to fely@precious-properties.com or fely.precious@gmail.com.

community as job openings have resulted with these expansion plans, with some reports saying that “Spring Mountain will be one of the most exciting places to work and build a long-lasting career.”

Incidentally, right next to the racetrack is Spring Mountain Estates, luxury trackside homesites where homeowners will have access to all the amenities that Spring Mountain has to offer, which includes the Clubhouse Lounge, workout facility, and other services (e.g. massage therapist). What’s more, owning a home at the Spring Mountain Estates puts you minutes away from the cool, clear waters of Lake Spring Mountain where you can enjoy activities like paddle boarding, kayaking, flying on jetpack and more. There are 80 homesite lots (for home and mixed-use), 50 of which have been sold. As of now, there are 17 homes built or are under construction.

If cycling is your passion, a new bicycling group in Pahrump called Pahrump Valley Cyclists, is inviting the community to ride with them, according to the Pahrump Valley Times.

This social club gathers biking enthusiasts for fitness and for fun, and welcomes riders of all age levels and gender.

The club’s goal is to connect cyclists and allow them the opportunity to get together and enjoy group rides in Pahrump and neighboring communities.

The group’s rides can be shifted to accommodate cyclists of all levels, from beginners to the more experienced.

If walking or hiking is what drives you, there are many trails and parks in the area that are of interest. Among them are Discovery Park, Ian Deutch Memorial Park, Calvada Eye, Simkins Park and Petrack Park. These areas offer trails, opportunities for bird watching and nature-tripping, and wonderful walkways to share with the four-legged members of your family. What’s more, there are friendly residents to chat with or share a moment with as you enjoy your walk or hike.

Golf, one of the popular sports in the country, has a presence in

Gloria Estillore of Silicon Valley (right) is looking for a large commercial parcel to build at least a minimum 100-bed assisted living facility. She is in photo above with Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman.

Pahrump with the Mountain Falls Golf Club, which is co-designed by famed architecture firms Nicklaus Design Group and Cal Olson Design. It is an 18-hole golf course and country club that is capable of hosting events of all types, be it weddings, holiday parties, corporate weddings and more. It has visually striking, breathtaking views, and is a must-visit visitors to the area.

I had the pleasure of hosting the late former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos at Mountain Falls Golf Club many, many years ago.

He was impressed with it, and enjoyed playing golf at the club.

Aside from these, there are many other activities to do in the area. Sports activities include leagues for soccer, basketball, baseball and softball. Residents can indulge in tennis, bowling, martial arts (karate, jiu jitsu, muay Thai) and even horseback riding.

There are gambling establishments in Pahrump, which include the Pahrump Nugget Casino, Terrible’s Lakeside Casino, Saddle West Hotel, Casino & RV Resort, Irene’s Casino and Terrible’s Road House Casino.

When you have partaken of all the things that you want to do in Pahrump, there is Las Vegas, which is less than an hour’s drive from Pahrump. Concerts, theater shows, more gambling, shopping and dining is at your fingertips in Las Vegas.

Whether you want to consider Pahrump as your retirement place, your next residence or an investment, it has many factors going for it. Real estate prices continue to thrive in Pahrump and it is one of the many places that

In photo above are some of my big repeat investors – Dr. Pete Racoma, and Wilmer & Gerlie Comahig – who got approved for a 100-bed senior living resort on Homestead Road.

Tony and Neneth Suarez are extremely happy with their Airbnb in Pahrump, which is always fully booked. All their kids own properties in Pahrump as well. With them is Realtor Fely QuitevisBateman (middle, standing).

Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman (right) with Dr. Philip Paleracio (left) who is planning to expand his dental clinic to Pahrump. Dr. Paleracio has one of the most advanced dental facilities in Las Vegas.

housing builders are looking at, especially with the skyrocketing land prices in Las Vegas.

Pahrump’s proximity to Las Vegas and it’s having less crime and big city problems make it ideal for those looking to settle down with their family in another area, or a prospect for those wanting to invest in their future.

Now is the time to take a look at Pahrump. I can help you look for the best real estate opportunities in the area. I have had decades of experience in helping clients find the piece (or pieces) of real estate to add

to their portfolio, or that piece of land where they want to build their house or rental property.

My company, Precious Properties, is a full-service company that has served its clientele 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.

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Erik Matti on ‘OTJ...

PAGE B2 steps they’ve taken for their Oscars campaign is to not ask for funding, but to tap into the “machinery” and “global clout” of HBO. “We’re in communication with HBO because HBO is also part-owner of the film version.

So with HBO, we’re hoping we could get the North American HBO to support us, leading up to the judging and the viewing,” Matti said.

“Maybe, we’re getting a few screenings in the US to get the film around and invite some Academy members to watch it.

We’re hoping for that kind of support from HBO.” Besides that, they’re also “trying to beef up everything” in the Philippines, including The Missing 8’s first theatrical run in the country come Nov. 2 to 9.

“Because of the pandemic, we haven’t had a theatrical release in the Philippines. Maybe this time around we could show it in the theaters. Of course, the proceeds of that, we will use to send the film abroad, have as many people see it and get the word around. And hopefully, the Academy could see it and fall in love with it,” he added.

Meanwhile, the FDCP is also extending assistance through a P1 million grant. “Which was a surprise,” said Matti of the seed fund to be included in the PR and marketing campaign for The Missing 8.

They are also having talks with groups and individuals for other forms of potential support.

One thing is for sure, a selling point of the film is its narrative about a journalist who investigates the mysterious disappearance of his colleagues, and an inmate who enjoys temporary freedom just to carry out assassinations.

To recall, the film made its world premiere at the 2021 Venice International Film Festival, where it entered the Main Competition for the Golden Lion and received the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for John Arcilla.

Matti said, “This is the story of the world, the 2020s. The truth about the attack on journalists, it’s not just happening in our country, it’s happening globally — fake news, disinformation, manipulation of the news about who gets the stronger voice, platform, everything. So we’re using that (to campaign for the

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film),” Matti said.

He also hopes that the Emmy nomination will help generate buzz for the film. The International Emmy Awards will take place next month in New York City. “I don’t know if the Emmy nomination helps. The Emmys talaga, we never thought we could make it because we made a mistake. We saw the nominations of the U.S. Emmys and we thought yun na yun. Then, we realized there’s the International Emmys which comes out a few months later,” Matti said. “So, when it came out at the same time as the Oscars, we’re hoping the news of the Emmys in the U.S. could get the title, On The Job, on everyone’s radar.”

The six-episode mini-series on HBO was a reworked version that put together the first OTJ film in 2013 and the OTJ: The Missing 8. Over the pandemic, Matti said they opted pivot into converting OTJ and OTJ: The Missing 8 films into “one complete story as a series with both totally different viewing experiences because the other one is episodic, but the other one is you’re really following the case of the Missing 8.”

He further said, “We felt that even with the two formats, magkaiba naman yung feel niya.

Of course, because of the format of a series, hindi naman parang in-uproot lang yung On The Job movie and On The Job: The Missing 8 and pinaghati-hati into six (episodes). We actually switched and added some scenes in order to complete the series format.”

HBO has greenlit a Season 2 for Matti’s crime thriller. According to the director, he and Michiko Yamamoto are in the process of writing the series under Reality MM Studious, which is Matti’s production outfit with Dondon Monteverde.

It will introduce a big star as a new major character alongside characters from the original film and mini-series. “We have done research since June when we were told we might have a second season. Even without finalizing it with HBO, we started doing research,” Matti said.

“We are going into a writer’s room the first week of November to flesh out all the details of the six episodes. It’s still going to be a mini-series. We might go into production in the second quarter of next year.” g

Alexis Monsanto creates a show of confectionary fashion delights for Los Angeles Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2023 ALEXIS Monsanto, the founder and designer of Alexis Monsanto Atelier, recently unveiled his most recent collection in Los Angeles Fashion Week SpringSummer 2023, in a one-of-a-kind fashion show sponsored by Aflac Insurance Company, TGM Group of Companies, and Asian Journal.

A self-described “perfectionist”, Monsanto saw his first runway show at age 15 in Manila, and began his love affair with fashion. His passion for tailoring, meticulous cutting for his designs, and attention to the female body’s natural curves are his defining characteristics.

In his most recent collection, “Timeless Confections”, Monsanto incorporated the classic style that Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn is associated with, a collection

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which he describes as his favorite of all time. He would recall her from films like Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Roman Holiday, and Sabrina, to mention a few.

“It’s about confections, they are sweet.

Macarons are a high end confectionary.

They are subtle and soft and delicious.

They don’t scream at you. They are for sophisticated people who know what they want. So as my designs,” said the Los Angeles-based Filipino designer.

Monsanto’s collection exuded a very delicate, feminine vibe, much like Audrey Hepburn. Short, flirtatious, pleated, sheer, magnificent, and sexy skirts with bow accents. The pastel colors are feminine. The patterns and lines are exquisite and classic.

And as can be seen from the pieces in the fashion show, Monsanto beautifully

interpreted the iconic looks and beauty of his inspirations (all by the legendary Hubert de Givenchy). Feminine pleated skirts complete lovely tops with floral prints, oversized lapels, and bows. The outfits were also embellished with exquisite ballet-style heels that had silk ribbons in a variety of vivid colors.

Monsanto’s show – held at The Majestic”, an iconic edifice and architectural masterpiece in Downtown Los Angeles – was one of the main presentations in Los Angeles Fashion Week, mounted by Art Hearts Fashion.

Behind this mega fashion event is Founder and CEO of Arts Hearts Fashion, Erik Rosete, a fashion connoisseur known for producing premier fashion events across the USA. g

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A lesson on persistence Employee’s career stalls after maternity leave, and loses job after her complaint

Pastor’s Notes reverend rodel G. BAlAGtAS WE’VE got to keep moving, trusting, and persisting amidst life’s difficulties and challenges.

We’ve got to continue believing in the capacities and graces that God gives us, and we’ve got to fix our eyes on His promises for all who remain steadfast and faithful to him.

And when everything seems at odds with our desires, we’ve got to surrender ourselves to God’s will and allow him to take care of everything.

Our Scripture Readings this Sunday speak about these lessons of life. In Exodus 17:18-13, we find Moses being challenged to keep persisting.

“As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had a better of the fight.”

Thank God Moses had Joshua and Hur to support him to keep holding his staff, God’s banner, against the enemies, making his hands steady till sunset and ultimately defeating Amalek and his people.

In our Second Reading from the Letter of Paul to Timothy, Paul urges Timothy to remain faithful to what he has learned and believed, standing firm in the faith that contrasts with the teachers who had wandered from authentic belief.

“Be persistent,” Paul advises Timothy, “whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.”

The Gospel tells the parable on prayer in which a widow, symbolizing the disadvantaged, kept pleading for justice against his adversary before a judge who “neither fear God nor respect any human being.” Finally, due to her persistence, the judge answered her petition.

The moral of the story is clear:

If a dishonest judge ultimately responds to a persistent widow, our faithful God will do no less for us, his children.

Faith, therefore, lies at the heart of these Scripture readings this Sunday.

As I shared with my parishioners last Sunday the messages of the video presentation on the Called to Renew Campaign, faith is the most important treasure that we must pass on to our children.

Indeed, “We preserve what’s important.

We keep what matters. We pass on what will endure. We renew what we treasure!”

Blessings! *** 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. *** Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.

Filipina-Japanese actress Stefanie Arianne of ‘Plan 75’ shares thoughts on ‘inclusion rider’ in Hollywood contracts

By Marinel

B5

Cruz

Inquirer.net

FILIPINA Japanese actress Stefanie Arianne said she just can’t stop talking about “proper representation” of Asian artists, particularly Filipinos, on the global scene.

“If you watch Hollywood shows now, let’s say ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ you’ll see that it’s all a big joke. You know it’s just television because there’s no Filipino in the emergency room. Everyone knows that there are a lot of Filipino nurses in America. Filipinos are a lot of other things, too. We are also teachers and nannies. We are all over the place,” said Stefanie, who admitted to also having plans of setting up an acting career in Hollywood.

The actress is part of Japanese director Chie Hayakawa’s dystopian drama, “Plan 75,” which won the Special Mention award under

Stefanie Arianne Photo from Instagram/@stefanie.arianne

the Camera d’Or competition of the prestigious 2022 Cannes Film Festival in France.

The film is currently

participating in the 27th Busan International Film Festival in South Korea.

Since Stefanie is active in the promotion of Filipino artists globally, we asked the Japanbased actress what she knows about a contract provision in Hollywood called the “inclusion rider,” which provides for a certain level of diversity in casting and production staff.

American education “I’ve heard more of this in relation to American education.

Schools and universities are asked to accept a certain number of minorities, but I’ve never heard of it in Hollywood.

Whether or not it’s a good thing really depends on certain things. If the production outfit is bringing in Asians or other minorities just for the sake of bringing them in and not for representing them, then I don’t think that’s a good thing. It doesn’t solve the problem. But PAGE B6

problem DEALING WITH INSURANCE CLAIMS? We’ll take it.*

Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr. Q: I’M an account executive at a real estate company. I enjoy the work and I’m good at it. But I started having problems when I went on maternity leave, when my boss gave the majority of my best accounts to male colleagues on my team. I didn’t get them back when I returned to work.

But then those male colleagues got promotions that I also applied for but didn’t get.

My boss said it was based on the performances of their accounts; accounts that I first built up! I complained to HR, but they said there wasn’t evidence of discrimination because another woman on our team also got a promotion. At my most recent performance evaluation, my boss said the company would have to let me go because I had the lowest scores on my team.

I learned later that my boss thought he was doing me a favor by not giving me too many responsibilities that would take me away from being a mom. Do I have a claim for discrimination?

A: You may have a claim for gender discrimination against

your former employer. The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”) prohibits employers from subjecting employees to an adverse employment action due to the employee’s gender.

An adverse employment action is one that adversely affects the terms of employment, including any actions that are reasonably likely to impair an employee’s job performance or prospects for advancement. These may include your boss depriving you of your best accounts and denying a promotion because you are “a mom.” This is a characteristic of gender.

You may also have a separate, independent claim for retaliation.

FEHA also protects employees against retaliation for protected activity. A protected activity for purposes of the anti-retaliation law include an employee’s reasonable and good faith act of opposing a practice forbidden by law, such as discrimination.

When you complained to your former employer’s HR about discrimination, you were engaging in a protected activity under the anti-retaliation laws.

If the evidence shows that you were ostracized and ultimately discharged as a result of your complaint of discrimination, you may be entitled to recover lost wages resulting from the

employer’s unlawful retaliation.

In addition, a victim of employment discrimination or unlawful retaliation may recover attorneys’ fees and costs.

This legal remedy enables employees to have access to counsel, who may agree to help you on a contingency (no recovery, no fee) basis. In this way, a meritorious claim can be pursued without the employee having to pay the upfront costs of a court action. *** 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. *** The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at no-cost. You can contact the office at (818) 291-0088 or visit www.joesayaslaw.com. [For more than 25 years, C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. successfully recovered wages and other monetary damages for thousands of employees and consumers. He was named Top Labor & Employment Attorney in California by the Daily Journal, consistently selected as Super L a w ye r by t h e Lo s A n g e l e s Magazine, and is a past Presidential Awardee for Outstanding Filipino Overseas.]

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Drag Race Philippines crowns Precious Paula Nicole as first winner

By Kristofer

Purnell Philstar.com

BICOLANA drag queen and Divine Diva Precious Paula Nicole was crowned the firstever winner of “Drag Race Philippines,” earning her the title of “the country’s first drag superstar.”

Precious was victorious among the Top 4 finalists that included Marina Summers, Xilhouette, and Eva Le Queen.

The finale saw the remaining queens face off in Lip Sync Smackdowns for the Crown, where Precious went up against

Eva while Marina faced off her drag mother Xilhouette.

Precious won against Eva in a lip sync battle of RuPaul’s — host and showrunner of the original “Drag Race” — song “Sissy That Walk” while Marina narrowly beat Xilhoutte as they lip synced another RuPaul hit “Call Me Mother.”

Marina and Precious then battled to a lip sync performance of “Sirena” by Gloc 9 feat. Ebe Dancel, and while both queens had Ru-veals to up their chances, Precious’ winning move was when she pulled out the pride colors to drape around her neck.

While the show was filmed last year, two crowning moment versions were filmed for both Top 2 queens, leaving it a mystery for even the competing queens who the actual winner was until the finale aired.

At a finale viewing party held at The Cove in Okada, Precious was visibly shocked and holding back tears when she was announced the winner surrounded by all the contestants except for Gigi Era, who is in Australia.

Precious then took the stage as the first drag superstar of the Philippines and was crowned PAGE B6

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Filipina-Japanese actress Stefanie...

PAGE B5 if they do bring them in and listen to how they want to be portrayed, then it’s a really good step for representation.”

Stefanie said this change can have a huge impact on Filipino artists in particular, and Asians in general. “Asia is so big.

When we say Asians, the first thing they would imagine are the Koreans, Chinese and Japanese. They forget about us. Sometimes, people would

ask me, ‘Are Filipinos the same as Mexicans?’ since our names are so similar. So I give them the long history of Spaniards staying in our country for 300 years,” she recalled.

“It would be a good thing when the representation is right because not everyone knows our culture or our history. That’s why one of my biggest dreams is to have a film adaptation of something very Filipino like

the ‘Noli Me Tangere’ or the ‘El Filibusterismo’ but created in Hollywood,” she said. “Like Singaporeans, we speak good English. It’s easier for us to put ourselves out there.”

Asked which nationality she identifies with more, being that her father is Japanese and her mom is Filipino, Stefanie said: “I carry a Japanese passport, but I’m very much a Filipina.

My Lola is there, and Jollibee is there. Seriously, I’m ‘half,’ because there are things unique to the Philippines that I resonate with; it’s the same with being in Japan. It’s really a mixture because I grew up in the Philippines and I’m living my adult life in Japan.”

She admitted that work for starting artists in Japan isn’t always self-sustaining so most of them have to find other jobs. “I call this my ‘Hannah Montana’ life. On the side, I’m doing all these movies and interviews, while on the other, I work for a call center for kids.

I sing nursery rhymes to them.

We sing, read stories and learn English together. And, yes, I’ve been singing ABCs for quite a while now,” she recalled.

Fondest memories These days, asking Stefanie to recall some of her fondest memories while growing up in the Philippines would often make her cry. She left for Japan at age 18. “My No. 1 prayer is for my Lola, who was hospitalized recently, to get well. I told her we will still see each other and that we will eat Jollibee together when I come home. My Lola was my rock in the Philippines. Whenever I do something I really dedicate it to her, even though in the beginning she didn’t want me to pursue acting. She’s OK with it now, but back then, she was worried about me having to deal with all the chismis, scandals and paparazzi,” said Stefanie, with voice cracking.

“I also pray for more acting jobs so that I can finally be a full-time actress and be financially stable. People in the Philippines would tell me, ‘you’re probably very rich now.’

I always say being an actress is very expensive. You not only have to look like one, you also have to spend on training,” she declared. “I pray for financial stability for my sake and my family’s.” g

Do not conceal assets before filing for bankruptcy WHAT are the things that you should not do before you file for bankruptcy? First on the list of things not to do is do not hide assets.

Concealing assets What does not hiding assets mean? Let’s give an example.

You own a house with a fair market value of $1.0M in Los Angeles. You owe a first trust deed of $450,000. You also owe a second trust deed of $100,000.

Hence, you owe a total secured debt on your house of $550,000.

So your equity in the house if $450,000. You are afraid that if you file for bankruptcy, you will lose the house. Thinking that you know bankruptcy law, which of course, you don’t, you quitclaim your house to your girlfriend as a gift for all the love and affection she has given to you six months before you file for bankruptcy relief to wipe out $100,000 of credit card debt. You think that you’re really smart making this transfer to your girlfriend because you don’t own the house anymore and have thereby eliminated the risk of losing your house when you file bankruptcy.

Another method you might have heard of is to “protect the house” by forming an LLC then transferring ownership of the

Debt Relief

Atty. LAwrence yAng house to the LLC. Or, you might have thought of creating a fake trust deed of $450,000 in favor of your grandmother who lives abroad to wipe out the entire equity in your house.

At the bankruptcy hearing, the trustee asks why you transferred your house to your girlfriend as a gift. “Sir, because I really love her so much. I would die for her in the blink of an eye. So gifting her my house six months before bankruptcy was simply my expression of my love for her.”

After the hearing, the trustee files an adversary case to get the house back from your girlfriend with the intent of selling the house and using the net proceeds from the sale of the house to pay off your creditors, himself as trustee fees to administer your case, and his lawyer for all legal work to get your house back. Pretty much that will use up all of the $450,000 equity in

your house that you thought you had hidden by transferring your house to your girlfriend.

Hiding assets in bankruptcy is a crime By hiding your house from the bankruptcy court, you lost the $450,000 of equity when you could have kept your house even if you filed for Chapter 7 by claiming the entire $450,000 as exempt homestead equity, and you might have committed a bankruptcy crime, a felony punishable by a fine of $250,000 and three years incarceration.

Therefore, do not even think of concealing assets before you file for bankruptcy. You might end up in jail. *** Disclaimer: None of the foregoing is considered legal advise for anyone.

There is absolutely no attorney client relationship established by reading this article. *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in Bankruptcy, Business, Real Estate and Civil Litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789 or 1000 S. Fremont Ave., Mailstop 58, Building A-10 South Suite 10042, Alhambra, CA 91803.

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How important is it to have a living trust?

Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrsUA reyes THINKING about one’s demise is not something people want to spend time thinking about. However reality is that we all have to face this one day.

It is just a matter of whether you depart this world prepared or unprepared.

If you pass away with at least $184,500 in gross assets and you do not have a living trust (even if you have a will), your beneficiaries would have to open up a probate case before title to the assets can pass to them. When I say gross assets, I mean regardless of how much debt you owe on them. For example if you own a house valued at $350,000 at the time of your death, it does not matter that your mortgage balance is $300,000, a probate case has to be opened in order to pass title to that property. The same is true with other types of assets such as owning a business, a professional practice, bonds, equities, etc. This is a very low threshold to exceed specially in California where real estate prices, even after the economic crisis, remains in the upper end of the curve among the 50 states.

Commencing a probate case is expensive and a very slow process.

Someone qualified will have to file a Petition with the probate court to have someone appointed as executor or administrator. The Petitioner’s attorney gets paid

a statutory rate for attorney’s fees commencing with 4% of the gross estate. The probate referee will have to be paid for appraising the assets of the estate. If it is necessary to post bond, the premium on the bond would have to be paid as well. There is also the cost of administering the estate such as selling some of the assets to satisfy the estate’s obligations and to divide the estate according to the will or the intestate line of succession if there is no will. The entire process could take up years specially if certain beneficiaries and creditors file certain claims.

The probate court file would be public record.

On the other hand if you have a living trust, your estate can avoid the entire court system and court supervision.

In certain situations, the process may also save you estate taxes which may be substantial if your assets exceed a certain threshold. Basically, you and/ or your spouse can be named as the initial trustee of the trust while you are alive. The trustee is the person who manages the trust. This means you retain control of all your assets the same way as if you never had a trust. For revocable trusts, you can later on, at any time during your lifetime, revoke the entire trust if you change your mind.

The assets held in your living trust will be managed by the trustee and distributed according to your directions without court supervision and involvement when you pass away. This can save your heirs time and money. Since the trust would not be under the direct management of the probate court, your assets and their value and your beneficiaries’

identities would not become a public record. Your heirs and beneficiaries would still have to be notified about the living trust and advised, among other things, of their right to obtain a copy of the trust.

If you are contemplating setting up a trust or have an existing trust that needs to be updated because your family circumstances have changed over the years, you should set an appointment with an experienced attorney that understands and can competently advise you in the law. *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist.

He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.

He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@ kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com.

Drag Race Philippines crowns...

PAGE B5 by main judge KaladKaren.

Fellow judges Rajo Laurel, Jon Santos, BJ Pascual and Nadine Lustre were also in attendance, while main judge and host Paolo Ballesteros caught up later in full drag.

“Sobra-sobrang pasasalamat sa inyong lahat, sa Diyos, at kay RuPaul — pareng RuPaul thank you at see you soon!” Precious said after composing herself with curses, and expressing she wants to share the win with Marina.

The winning queen also shared her love for her fellow contestants, namely Marina, Eva, Xilhouette, her Divine Diva sisters Viñas DeLuxe and Brigiding, Minty Fresh, Lady Morgana, Turing, Corazon, Prince and the absent Gigi.

“Sa lahat ng mga queens na nakasama ko sa loob... para sa atin lahat ‘to, sa lahat ng queens dito sa Pilipinas na makakikilala niyo,” said Precious, teasing more was to come.

Precious’ time on “Drag Race Philippines” was highlighted by her charm and authenticity which had her voted president during the Ru-lections, her many outfits dedicated to her mother, and an entertaining impersonation of Regine Velasquez in front of “Asia’s Songbird” herself.

Many will agree one of her best moments was during the “Twinning!” episode where she transformed her youngest brother John-John, who traveled from Bicol, into a drag queen; John-John was also at the finale vieweing party to see his older

The winner of the inaugural “Drag Race Philippines” Precious Paula Nicole flanked by her Divine Divas sisters Viñas DeLuxe and Brigiding.

sibling crowned.

As the winner Precious was awarded P1 million and oneyear supply of ONE/SIZE beauty cosmetics by Filipino-American make-up artist Patrick Starrr.

In the finale the competing queens voted Lady Morgana as Ms. Congeniality of “Drag Race Philippines” where Miss Universe 2015 and guest judge Pia Wurtzbach-Alonso made a stunning return; a similar awarding took place at the finale viewing party where the sole drag queen from Mindanao took to the stage.

Later during the night, Eva and Brigiding expressed their own hopes for the future of “Drag Race Philippines,” that it wasn’t just a trend and would enter mainstream territory.

“We don’t think this is the end, it’s just the beginning of another race,” the two queens told Philstar.com, before going onstage to perform the show’s viral hit “Pop Off Ate!” with the other queens, including Prince and Corazon even though they were eliminated early.

No official announcement for a second season has been announced by HBO Go and discovery+, this despite celebrity fashion designer and rotating judge Rajo Laurel telling Philstar. com in a separate exclusive interview that Season 2 of “Drag Race Philippines” is on its way. g

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