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OCTOBER 16-22, 2020
T h e F i l i p i n o –A m e r i c A n c o m m u n i T y n e w s pA p e r
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DATELINE FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
Bay Area Fil-Am father in desperate need for Filipino stem cell donor
People of color, including Filipinos, are less likely to find a stem cell match on national registry
1210 S Brand Blvd, Glendale, California 91204
IMF: PH to suffer biggest blow from COVID-19 in region by ritChel
Mendiola AJPress
THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday, October 13, downgraded its gross domestic product (GDP) forecast for the Philippines
this year following the slowdown in private investment and consumption due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. In its October 2020 World Economic Outlook (WEO) report, the multilateral lender said the country’s GDP is expected to contract by -8.3 per-
cent, which is a decline from its -3.6 percent projection in June. The contraction is deeper compared to Thailand’s -7.1 percent, Singapore’s -6 percent, and Indonesia’s -1.5 percent. China and Vietnam are
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ALAMEDA, CA — In a year marred by crises of varying proportions, everything feels a little bit precarious. Political divisions layered over a global health crisis and the quick erosion of socioeconomic normalities continue to shake the public consciousness.
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‘This is what we needed this year’: Fil-Am Laker fans react to the team’s 17th championship title Lacson sees no virus K M Sen. Panfilo Lacson
by
larize edenilla AJPress
LOS ANGELES — When it became clear that the Los Angeles Lakers would clinch their 17th NBA Championship, Josemaria Esteban began to cry tears of joy. The 38-year-old registered nurse in Northridge is a lifelong fan of the Lakers and, in
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Senate photo
response in P67-B DPWH projects by dona
z. PazzibuGan Inquirer.net
MANILA, Philippines — How can the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)’s funding of P67 billion to construct “multipurpose buildings” next year help the country recover from the economic slump due
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INFLATABLE TOYS. A vendor of inflated toys crosses the pedestrian lane on Scout Ybardollaza Street, Barangay Sacred Heart, Quezon City on Wednesday, October 14. Many ambulant vendors brave the streets even during a heavy downpour to sell their merchandise. PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler
Rules approved for PH’s anti-terror law by ritChel
Mendiola AJPress
Los Angeles City Hall was lit up in purple and gold on Sunday night, October 11 to celebrate the Lakers’ 17th championship, after they beat Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA finals. “This championship win means so much to our city and the people who call it home,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said. Photo courtesy of the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti
THE implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (ATA) have been completed and approved by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC), the Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Wednesday, October 14. “The ATC has approved today (Oct. 14) the IRR of the ATL crafted by a technical group led by the DOJ. We will disseminate copies to Congress and to law enforcement agencies as required under the law, and will
publish the IRR online and in a newspaper of general circulation in the next few days,” said Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra. The IRR will be effective once it has been published and registered with the Office of the National Administrative Register (ONAR) at the University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City. Justice Undersecretary Adrian Sugay said the DOJ clarified the anti-terror law’s provision on warrantless arrests in the IRR. “Yes we clarified what it means and what other laws should be followed. We clarified
CHECK-IN. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat tries the process to check-in during the inspection of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in BGC Taguig City on Wednesday, October 14. Puyat also underwent a swab test at the hotel to comply with the government health protocol. PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan
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COVID-19 cases in Philippines Utility boxes depicting Filipino Abakada alphabet pop up in SF’s SOMA neighborhood rise to 346,536 with nearly 2,000 new infections by Christina
M. oriel
AJPress
THOSE walking down Folsom and Howard streets in San Francisco’s South of Market (SOMA) neighborhood can get a brief lesson in the Abakada alphabet, which was once taught as part of the Philippine national language. Entitled the “We Live Here” project, 10 utility boxes depicting letters from the alphabet were recently unveiled during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, October 6 along the two streets in the neighborhood as the city celebrates October as Filipino American History Month. The project, which comes after years of advocacy, aims to
teach the community about the alphabet, as well as to amplify the work of FEC Galing Bata, an after school program of the Bessie Carmichael School PreK-8/ the Filipino Education Center. “For over a century, Filipino American organizations have been serving the BIPOC community of the SOMA. This project serves as an example of community empowerment through education. Historically, the different Filipino American organizations have been providing services that instill vital linguistically and culturally responsive services and resources in the SOMA to address the needs of immigrant and multi-racial families, and FEC Galing Bata and
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by Gaea
Katreena Philstar.com
CabiCo
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health reported 1,910 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to over 346,000. To date, the new coronavirus has infected 346,536 people in the Philippines, of which 13% were active cases or people still undergoing treatment or quarantine. This was the second consecutive day that additional COVID-19 cases were fewer Artist Mel Vera Cruz designed 10 utility boxes with letters from the abakada alphabet and than 2,000. Wednesday’s figure Tagalog words in SF’s SOMA neighborhood, which were recently unveiled to the public. was based on the submission of Photo courtesy of SOMCAN
all but 11 testing laboratories. Latest data from the department showed that 624 or 33% of the newly-reported cases were from Metro Manila. It was followed by Cavite (219), Batangas (104), Rizal (91) and Negros Occidental (63). The DOH also reported 78 new deaths due to COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 6,449. Most of the additional fatalities were from Metro Manila (35) and Calabarzon (12). Meanwhile, the number of recoveries is up by 579, raising the total to 293,860. Total recoveries accounted for around 85% of the country’s confirmed
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