OCTOBER 19-22, 2019 Volume 29 - No. 80 • 4 Sections – 30 Pages
DATELINE
USA
FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
New committee seeks to ensure all Filipinos are counted in 2020 census Fil-Am leaders in Los Angeles launch Filipino Complete Count Committee of LA County
IN an effort to combat an undercount of the Filipino community, Filipino American leaders in the Los Angeles area have established a new outreach endeavor to ensure a full count of Filipino residents in the United States in the 2020 census. On a bright morning in Unidad Park in Historic Filipinotown, the Filipino Complete Count Committee of LA County (FCCCLC) was launched on Saturday, October 12 with the comprehensive mission to increase Filipino participation for the decennial count scheduled for April 1, 2020. “We need to make the concerted effort to count every single member of our Filipino community,” Executive Director of the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) and co-chair of the FCCCLC Aquilina Soriano Versoza said at the committee’s launch. Distributed to every household in the U.S. every 10 years, the census survey asks the u PAGE A4
Asian American group disappointed in Newsom’s veto of bill protecting imprisoned immigrants from deportation WITH California being a “sanctuary state” where law enforcement officers are prohibited from assisting in federal immigration enforcement, it came as a surprise when a bill prohibiting state prisons from allowing federal immigration arrests was vetoed. California Governor Gavin Newsom returned the bill without his signature on Saturday, October 12 — a day after he signed into law, legislation that would close all privately owned and operated prisons as well as private immigration detention facilities by 2028. “I am concerned that provisions in this bill would negatively impact prison operations and could hinder and delay needed transfers between facilities for myriad situation-specific reau PAGE A4
VP poll protest recount: Robredo maintains, increases lead over Marcos by TETCH
TORRES-TUPAS Inquirer.net
MANILA, Philippines–Vice President Leni Robredo has maintained and even increased her lead against former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) said in a decision released late Friday, October 18. “Based on the final tally, after revision and appre-
ciation of the votes in the pilot provinces, protestee Robredo maintained, as, in fact, she increased her lead over protestant Marcos. After the revision and appreciation, the lead of protestee Robredo increased from 263,473 to 278,566,” the PET said in its ruling. The pilot provinces–Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental—were chosen by Marcos, son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, as areas where
he said he was cheated most. Rule 65 of the PET, composed of Supreme Court justices, states that if the tribunal is “convinced that, taking all circumstances into account, the protestant or counter protestant will most probably fail to make out his case, the protest may forthwith be dismissed.” Although acknowledging Robredo’s lead, the u PAGE A2
Lawmaker: ‘Abominable’ should be banned by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
A MINORITY lawmaker in the Philippines on Thursday, October 17, said the animated film “Abominable” should be banned from the country’s movie houses, stressing that it will have a “negative bearing on our integrity as a country and a nation.” “The movie ‘Abominable’ should be banned, or if it’s already showing in our movie houses, immediately stopped,” said Agusan del Norte 1st district Rep. Lawrence Fortun in a statement. “Amid calls to boycott the movie, the MTRCB (Movie and Television Review and Classification Board) cannot just stand [on] the sidelines, and instead, proactively address what could mislead our children, even adults, into believing a foreign country’s claim prejudicial to our national interest to be true and controlling,” he added. “Abominable,” a joint production by DreamWorks and China’s Pearl Studio, tells the story of a Chinese teenager helping a yeti return to his home. The animated film drew controversy after it showed in one of its scenes a map showing China’s nine-dash line claims in the South China Sea. Vietnam, one of the u PAGE A5
RALLYING SUPPORT. President Rodrigo Duterte congratulates 44th Philippine Business Conference and Expo (PBC & E) Chairman Ramon Ang who was recognized for organizing the past PBC & E during the 45th PBC & E at The Manila Hotel on Thursday, October 17. Duterte made a renewed call to the business sector to help his administration address corruption and red tape, which have been plaguing the country for decades and affecting its growth. He told the country’s business leaders that he needs their input to better serve the country and “thereby fulfill what I promised to the people.” Malacañang photo by Robinson Niñal
De Lima identifies ‘persecutors’ who should be denied US visas by RITCHEL
MENDIOLA AJPress
Nearing her 1,000th day of most unjust detention (960th on Friday, October 11), Senator Leila M. De Lima draws everyone’s attention with her composed and dignified demeanor as she arrives at the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court to attend the resumption of hearing on the fake illegal drug charges filed against her by the vindictive Duterte regime. Senate photo
SENATOR Leila De Lima on Thursday, October 17, listed the names of the people behind her detention in 2017 at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center after two American senators proposed to deny U.S. visas to those supposedly responsible for her imprisonment. De Lima, who is a staunch critic of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war against illegal drugs, denied the drug charges against her, claiming that the charges were politically-motivated. On September 27, U.S. Senators Richard
Durbin and Patrick Leahy proposed an amendment that seeks to ban the entry into the U.S. of Philippine government officials involved in the “politically-motivated” detention of De Lima. The amendment was adopted at the Committee level. According to De Lima, Durbin and Leahy would not stake their names and reputations if they did not believe in her innocence and causes. “It will not be presumptuous to assume that these U.S. senators must have verified the information they received about my situation u PAGE A5
Duterte rewards Yulo, other Filipino medalists Bill seeking to decriminalize PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has thrown in additional incentives for world champion gymnast Carlos Yulo, gold medalist boxer Nesthy Petecio and other Filipino athletes, his longtime aide said on Wednesday, October 16. The president met Yulo, Petecio, pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, champion weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz and silver medalist boxer Eumir Felix Marcial during a courtesy call in Malacañang on Wednesday, said Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go. In a text message, Go said Yulo, Petecio and Obiena would get P1 million each as an additional reward from Duterte. Yulo bagged the gold medal President Rodrigo Duterte strikes his signature pose with the Filipino athletes who have brought home medals from various international at the 49th Artistic Gymnastics competitions during their meeting at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacañang on Wednesday, October 16. Malacañang photo by King Rodriguez u PAGE A2
marital infidelity filed by EDU
PUNAY Philstar.com
MANILA — House lawmakers are pushing for the decriminalization of marital infidelity, saying the law is unfair to women. Led by Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, the Makabayan bloc filed House Bill 1144 seeking to repeal Articles 333 and 334 of the Revised Penal Code, which penalize adultery for wives and concubinage for husbands. Brosas said the law on adultery and concubinage is discriminatory against women in terms of evidence and penalties.
“There is inequality in gender and discrimination against women in this law. There is a need for more evidence to prove concubinage by a husband than to prove adultery by the wife,” Brosas told The Star. Brosas said such unfair treatment of women under the law covering marital infidelity must be corrected. “The husband needs only to prove that his wife engaged in a sexual act with another man, while the wife needs to show that her husband’s sexual intercourse with another woman was done under ‘scandalous circumstances,’” she said. u PAGE A2