102822 - San Diego Edition

Fil-Am basketball player Remy Martin gets second chance at NBA draft

FILIPINO American basketball player and NCAA champion Remy Martin may already have a second chance at being in the NBA, only five months after not being selected for the NBA draft.

Minor league basketball team Cleveland Charge has just selected Martin in the second round of the G League Draft. The sixfoot 24-year-old Burbank, California native was the eighth player selected in the second round, and the 37th player overall. Notably, he was the only member of the Jayhawks –University of Kansas’ basketball team – who was selected.

The Charge is the G League affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Martin’s selection by the Charge means that he may be called up during the season to fill in for injured players, something that has happened with other members of the G League.

Remy Martin’s collegiate career Martin previously played for four years at

Blind Fil-Am civil rights lawyer running for city council in West Covina, California

A blind Filipino American longtime civil rights lawyer is running for City Council in District 4 of West Covina, California in the Nov. 8 election.

Ollie Cantos has been Special Assistant in the Office of the Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) since 1990. He has been working remotely since the start of the COVID pandemic.

Cantos is also the board chairman of the disability rights organization RespectAbility, the first disabled Asian American to chair a national disability group.

Blind since birth (he has no vision in his left eye and can barely see from his right eye), he is the son of Filipino immigrants. He grew up in West Covina from his preschool years and was the victim of daily bullying and taunts by other kids.

White House hosts Fil-Am History Month celebration

by Klarize Medenilla AJPress

vast Filipino American community. In mostly pre-recorded segments shared in the virtual event on Thursday, Oct. 20, the White House event brought together artists, community leaders, Filipino American White House officials, and other advocates who highlighted historical milestones and current issues of the Filipino American community. Jason Tengco, the White House Liason for the Office of Personnel Management), emceed the

virtual event and shared a statement from President Joe Biden, saying, “When Filipino American history is preserved and shared, the millions of Filipino Americans [who] helped build this country can see themselves in the story of America.”

(Neither Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris were present at the event.)

Filipinos are the second-largest Asian subgroup

Philippines set to loosen travel restrictions to boost tourism

by Xave GreGorio Philstar.com

MANILA — Even as the threat of more contagious and vaccine-evasive variants of the coronavirus hangs over the country, the Philippines is on track to loosen travel restrictions further by dropping testing and vaccination requirements.

Tourism Secretary Maria Christina Frasco announced on Tuesday, October 25 that “stringent protocols” including RT-PCR testing prior to arrival in the Philippines and the requirement for foreigners traveling to the country to be fully vaccinated will be scrapped.

Frasco said unvaccinated foreign travelers will be allowed entry into the country as long as they present an antigen test taken 24 hours before arrival into the country or take an antigen test upon arrival.

“We are optimistic that with all of these restrictions being lifted by the Marcos administration, that

Pacquiao announces plan to return to politics

by paolo roMero Philstar.com

MANILA — Former senator and world boxing icon Manny Pacquiao has expressed his intention to return to politics, citing his “passion” to serve the people.

Pacquiao, who ran for president last May, disclosed his political plans when he and K-pop superstar Sandara Park were guests at the South Korean weekly variety “Knowing Bros” on Saturday, October 22.

Exploring, unpacking API neglect in the US health care system

by Klarize Medenilla AJPress

A HUNDRED years ago, in the 1920s, the state of California began a public health initiative to “expel” Filipinos from the Golden State.

Amid a tuberculosis outbreak that impacted hospital occupancy, the California State Board of Health at that time called Filipinos who were hospitalized with the disease “one of the worst problems at the present time.”

Following a visit to Kern General Hospital, Edythe Thompson, director of the State Bureau of Tuberculosis, in 1933.

Thompson had written, “Here, as in many of the other general hospitals, the beds on the tuberculosis service were nearly all filled with Filipinos. These people seem to have more complications than other races.”

Thompson and other officials at that time reported that Filipino patients — many of whom were part of the historied Manong Generation of laborers — called for “much more nursing than a white patient” and were “disturbed mentally” and possessed “many superstitions [that made] life very miserable for white patients around them.”

“I joined (the presidential race) because I want to instill discipline in our people. When it comes to corruption, I want to curb corruption and then for our country to progress,” Pacquiao said in Filipino when asked by one of the hosts of the show, which features a high school classroom setting.

Park translated the questions for Pacquiao, who was also asked by host and comedian Kim Young Chul if he wanted to enter politics again.

Politicians among ‘persons of interest’ in Percy Lapid slay

by Franco Jose c. Baroña , WilliaM B. depasupil and Francis earl cueto ManilaTimes.net

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) chief said on Monday, October 24 there are 160 persons of interest or possible suspects, including the chief of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), in the killing of radio commentator Percival Mabasa, more popularly known as Percy Lapid. PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said the list also includes politicians and police and military personalities. He did not identify

Lawmakers back Marcos Jr. policy on voluntary mask use for indoor areas

by GaBriel paBico lalu Inquirer.net

MANILA — Several lawmakers from the House of Representatives have backed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s policy allowing the voluntary use of face masks even in indoor settings, with some saying that this rule has long been overdue.

In a statement on Tuesday, October 25, Quezon 3rd District

Rep. Reynan Arrogancia said that the Philippines is already long overdue for a voluntary masking protocol amid the COVID-19 pandemic — except in crowded areas, mass transportation, and healthcare facilities.

Instead of stringent masking protocols, Arrogancia said that the health authorities should focus on providing the public bivalent COVID-19 vaccines, or

T he F ilipino –A meric

n c ommuni

y n ewsp

EARLY TRAVELERS. Passengers going to different provinces wait for their buses inside the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, a public transport terminal in Parañaque City, on Thursday, Oct. 27. Less than a week before All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, many people are returning to their respective provinces to visit their departed loved ones. PNA photo by Gil Calinga

Philippines set to loosen travel...

this can only redound to the benefit of the lives of millions of Filipinos that serve to benefit as well the reinvigoration of the tourism industry,” Frasco said in a press briefing.

The DOT has yet to announce a date when these new protocols will be effective.

She added that the overarching direction of the administration of President

Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is to let the country “convey an openness and a readiness to the world to receive tourists and investments.”

Asked about concerns over the XBB and XBC variants — the first cases of which were detected last week and have reached the level of local transmission — Frasco said these were not the first variants of the coronavirus.

“In the end, we simply cannot go on in a pandemic perspective because we have to give our country an opportunity to thrive while maintaining basic health protocols on one hand and safeguarding and protecting livelihood and the economy on the other,” she said.

The easing of travel restrictions were announced along with the plan to make masking optional indoors.

Pacquiao announces plan...

PAGE 1

“It’s (political plan) still there. My passion to help people is still there,” the former senator and retired boxing champion said. Portions of the show can be viewed on YouTube.

Pacquiao, the only boxer who won 12 major world titles in eight weight divisions, is in Korea to promote his charity fight with Korean martial artist DK Yoo set on Dec. 10.

Proceeds from the bout, he added, would be set aside for livelihood projects for the poor in the country. n

White House hosts Fil-Am History Month...

1

in the United States, and as of the most recent Census Bureau data, 4.2 million Filipinos live in the U.S. — and that population continues to grow.

As previously reported in the Asian Journal, the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) first officially observed October as FAHM in 1992 to coincide with the first arrival of Filipinos in the 16th century and the birth month of labor leader Larry Itliong.

In 2009, former President Barack Obama became the first sitting president to acknowledge October as FAHM. In 2015, the White House celebrated its first official FAHM celebration, as previously reported by the Asian Journal

The event opened up with a recording of rapper Ruby Ibarra, who has been a vocal proponent for Filipino American issues, especially the representation of Filipinos in mainstream American culture.

The celebration then introduced panels of government officials and community leaders who spoke about the growing significance of the Filipino American community throughout history.

“Our numbers are significant enough that we cannot be overlooked as one tiny bit of the population,” said Nani Coloretti, deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, who is the highest-ranking Fil-Am in the current administration. “We are everywhere. And so the role Filipino Americans can play in this very diverse country is really to lead and to lead with values first.”

The White House consists of several Filipino American officials, including Gina Ortiz Jones, the Department of Defense’s undersecretary of the Air Force.

Ortiz Jones shared her Filipino family’s long legacy of military service and emphasized that her family motivated her to pursue public service as a Filipina lesbian.

“On my day-to-day, when I lead, I think about the fact that I’m honored to be the first woman of color to serve as an Under Secretary of any military department, the first out lesbian to serve as an Under Secretary of any military department,” Ortiz Jones, who is also an Iraq war veteran, said during the panel discussion, adding that she “certainly” wants “to make sure I’m not the last.”

In terms of learning about Filipino American history, many guests highlighted how scant Filipino American history actually is in American classrooms. Despite Filipinos being integral to the U.S. military, conversations about American imperialism, and the labor movement, Filipinos are largely left out of history books.

“We’re part of U.S. history, but we’re not,” said Luisa Blue, a member of the President’s Advisory Commission on AANHPI issues.

In more recent times, Filipinos have been integral to the tech and entertainment workforces, essential contributors in medicine and hospitality, and the small business sector — an exclusion made starker by the recent attacks on Asians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When you have unfortunate instances like the rash of anti-AAPI hate, hopefully, the telling our stories encourages people to see how critical our contributions have been to this country,” Ortiz Jones said.

But despite the disturbing uptick in violence toward Asian Americans, there have been recent milestones in Filipino American representation, which all panelists and guests agreed helps bring the Filipino American community out of the shadows and places our issues on the front lines.

“When Fil-Ama have a seat at the table, everyone benefits,” California’s first Filipino American Attorney General Rob Bonta said. “It’s not just about having a seat at the table; it’s about using our seat. The manongs and manangs – they didn’t sit idly by, and neither should we.” n

Former senator and world boxing icon Manny Pacquiao Philstar.com file photo

FREEDOM! Some of the 124 persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) jump for joy after receiving their release orders at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City on Wednesday, Oct. 26. The Department of Justice freed a total of 357 PDLs nationwide from different prisons in the country. PNA photo by Avito Dalan

An abortion rights question on the California ballot revives the debate over ‘viability’

AS California voters decide whether to amend their state constitution to explicitly protect abortion rights, lawmakers still do not agree on whether the amendment would enshrine those rights, which by state law allow abortion up to 24 weeks, or expand them, permitting abortions at any point in pregnancy, for any reason.

During the legislative debate over the amendment, dubbed Proposition 1 on the November ballot, there were several awkward moments after a question from Republicans stumped Democrats — most notably when Assembly member Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) posed it point-blank before the final vote in June. “California law generally bars the performance of an abortion past the point of fetal viability,” he said. “Would this constitutional amendment change that?”

The floor went quiet. For a full 30 seconds, no one said anything. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon whispered with Democratic colleagues, asked to have the question repeated, and then promised to answer later. He never did.

Viability has long been a controversial concept, plaguing ethicists on both sides of the abortion debate since it was embedded in the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.

The Supreme Court justices wrote that a woman’s right to privacy was protected only up to viability — the point when a fetus is capable of “meaningful life outside the mother’s womb.” The court said that occurs between 24 and 28 weeks after conception.

Since then, many doctors have bemoaned the legal and political bastardization of the medical concept, arguing that viability is much more complex than gestational age alone. But the public has clung to it, and both opponents and supporters of abortion rights have looked favorably on restricting access to the procedure later in pregnancy.

Current California law incorporates the viability limit from Roe, allowing abortion for any reason through most of the second trimester and after that only if the patient’s or fetus’s health is in danger.

But the constitutional amendment outlined in Proposition 1 doesn’t contain the word “viability.” Even among legal scholars, there is no consensus about whether that means the viability standard in place now will remain if Proposition 1 is approved or if time limits on abortion will be eradicated in California.

“It at least opens the door,” said Mary Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California-Davis, with courts likely making the final interpretation of Proposition 1 after the vote, if it’s approved.

The V-word debate revived

When Assembly member James Gallagher (R-Chico) spoke during the final floor debate in June, his voice wavered with emotion.

He could not support the constitutional amendment, he said, “because of what’s missing from it.”

He choked up at one point talking about his twin boys, who were born 2½ months premature and almost needed heart surgery in utero. “They were alive, and they were people,” he repeated throughout his speech, pointing at the lectern for emphasis each time, as he recounted his wife’s pregnancy at 18 weeks, 23 weeks, and 30 weeks.

With no time limits on abortion, Gallagher said, the amendment got the balance wrong between the rights of the mother and the fetus.

“We can do better,” he said.

Proponents of Proposition 1 have said the intention was only to preserve the status quo. But in various committee hearings, supporters at times seemed confused by the language of their own bill and scrambled to answer definitively when asked whether the amendment would preserve the viability limit or discard it.

But physicians involved in drafting the amendment, like Dr. Pratima Gupta, said no mistake was made: The word viability was left out on purpose.

“Every pregnancy is individual, and it’s a continuum,” said Gupta, an OB-GYN in San Diego. People come into pregnancy with a range of preexisting health conditions, she said, including diabetes, anemia, high blood pressure, and obesity. They may not have much money or access to good medical care, with the latest technology. All these very nuanced factors determine whether a fetus is viable, she said, not some arbitrary number.

“If I see a patient who has broken their bag of water at 23 weeks of pregnancy, that doesn’t mean that it’s viable or not viable,” she said, explaining that the fetus may survive premature delivery at this stage in some cases but not in others.

Doctors who consulted on the amendment were following the lead of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the leading advisory group for OB-GYNs, which removed the term viability from its guidance on abortion in May. The term has become so politicized that it barely has any medical meaning anymore, the group said, and deciding whether and when to have an abortion should be left to the patient and doctor.

Strangely, the demise of Roe v. Wade has freed doctors from the vagaries of the viability framework as it was outlined in that ruling. Physicians seem to be saying that if the Supreme Court could put an end to 50 years of constitutional protections for abortion, the court could take all the flaws of the decision with it.

“In a world where there is no Roe, I think you’re seeing California legislators trying to write into law a kind of blank slate, a better idea of what reproductive autonomy could be that isn’t just Roe Part 2,” Ziegler said.

Why women get abortions later in pregnancy

In recent years, at least three other states — Colorado, New Jersey, and Vermont — and Washington, D.C., have removed gestational age limits from their abortion laws.

Abortion opponents argue that if California follows suit, it will be a free-for-all, with women lining up for abortions when they’re eight months pregnant.

“We already currently have abortion up to 24 weeks. Why do we need to push it beyond that?” said Jonathan Keller, president and CEO of the California Family Council, a religious nonprofit. “Aren’t we able to say that that is a step too far, even for California?”

Research indicates such scenarios are highly unlikely. Abortions at or after 21 weeks represent only 1.2% of all abortions, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And studies show the reasons women seek abortions at that point vary, from medical complications that threaten the life of the patient or fetus to, increasingly, legal and logistical barriers.

“It may be that they’re delayed because there are lots of restrictions they have to comply with; it may be because they need to travel for an abortion,” said Elizabeth Nash, a policy analyst at the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights. “It may be that they can’t get time off of work. Or it was a wanted pregnancy and something happened.”

Still, even in California, which positions itself as an abortion sanctuary, voters become more uncomfortable with the procedure the later a pregnancy gets. An August poll found that only 13% of likely voters said they were OK with abortion through the third trimester.

But a different poll found that on the question of securing abortion rights in general, 71% of California voters said they would vote for Proposition 1.

“The politics of viability have changed,” law professor Ziegler said.

With the Supreme Court toppling the federal right to abortion, and more than half the states banning or trying to ban the procedure, she said, “these viability arguments — that had obviously been compelling for decades — don’t land the same way.”

The polls indicate that voters are not inclined to nitpick. Ziegler predicted they’ll accept the ambiguity in Proposition 1 and let the courts sort out the details later.

This story is part of a partnership that includes KQED, NPR, and KHN.

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. n

Fil-Am basketball player...

Arizona State University, before transferring to the University of Kansas as a super-senior. At KU, Martin averaged 8.6 points a game for the Jayhawks, who won Big 12 regular-season, postseason tourney and NCAA titles.

Martin shined in the NCAA Tournament, hitting four threepointers and scoring 14 points in KU’s 72-49 win over North

Carolina in the title game. Additionally, he had an important blocked shot in the second half of the game. After the game, he received the Midwest Regional most outstanding player award. Martin’s time with KU earned Martin the welldeserved support of fans and spectators who look forward to his bright future in basketball.

(Christyanne San Juan/Inquirer. net) n

SECURITY CHECK. A security guard inspects passengers’ belongings with a K-9 sniffer dog at the entrance of Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), a public transport terminal in Parañaque City, on Thursday, Oct. 27. Before passengers board their respective buses going to different provinces, dogs will sniff their luggage for possible objects that are prohibited by law, such as bombs or drugs, according to the security personnel assigned at the terminal.

PNA photo by Gil Calinga

Minor league basketball team Cleveland Charge has just selected Martin in the second round of the G League Draft.

Photo from Instargram/@chargecle

Lawmakers back Marcos...

shots that are believed to provide better protection against the dominant Omicron variant.

“Our country is long overdue for relaxing the safety protocols. The COVID bulletins show the factual and evidentiary bases of the pandemic spread being severely limited despite the detection of new variants,” he said.

“What the country needs is more of the bivalent booster vaccine supplies, availability, and accessibility to anyone who wants them,” he added.

Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua aired the same sentiments, saying that it seems health officials are “overly cautious”.

According to Chua, there is a need to lift the mask mandate as the country opens tourism sites and educational institutions.

“Health authorities seem to be unnecessarily overly cautious and have needlessly delayed further relaxing of Alert Level One public health safety protocols. They should instead make more of the bivalent booster vaccines available and readily accessible now and more so in the coming weeks. The boosters are the better alternative to maskwearing,” he said.

“It would be better to get bivalent boosted than to always have to wear face masks,” he

added.

Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co meanwhile stated that the relaxed masking protocols would lead to improved public health and a higher output for the economy.

“The lifting of some mask mandates indoors I believe is quite justified. Further calibrated lifting of COVID restrictions plus the economic impact of the 2022 and 2023 national budgets will result in more economic growth,” Co said.

“With the continuing reopening of the economy and lifting of COVID restrictions, I expect gross domestic product or GDP to further improve in the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2022,” he claimed.

Just a little over a month after he made the wearing of face masks optional in uncrowded outdoor settings, Marcos is slated to make masking indoors voluntary too.

In a press briefing earlier, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said that the President would make outdoor masking optional, as stated during Tuesday’s cabinet meeting.

However, she said that wearing of face masks will still be highly encouraged for unvaccinated individuals, persons with comorbidities, and senior citizens. n

Exploring, unpacking API neglect in...

Systemic racism and inequities in health care manifests differently these days; hospitals now wouldn’t get away with explicitly turning patients away solely on the basis of race and ethnicity.

But the lack of nuance in empirical research and slow progress in data disaggregation for the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community is a specific form of discrimination rooted in disregard and negligence.

According to Pew Research, more than 70% of Asian Americans were born outside the United States, with many having limited English proficiency and familiarity with the American health care system.

According to the National Insitute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), Asian patients reported experiencing difficulty while trying to navigate simple procedures like following doctors’ instructions as well as more complicated protocol like coordinating care for terminal illnesses and cancer.

For example, according to Dr. Grace Ma, associate dean for NIMHD and founding director for the Center for Asian Health, Asians possess the highest mortality rates of liver and stomach cancers, two of the most preventable cancers.

But Ma said that Asians have the lowest rates of cancer screenings and are usually diagnosed at later stages compared to patients of other racial backgrounds.

“Cancer patients, especially those with infection-related diseases, may experience shame and stigma that could affect their job and others may look down on them,” Ma said in a recent lecture. “We have so few linguistically competent practitioners, and cultural barriers prevent many from seeking help.”

She added, “Culturallytailored messages are important.”

Data disaggregation is an oftdiscussed topic in API circles but there’s yet to be considerable action and policy that enforces

data disaggregation in all research settings.

In short, disaggregation of data involves breaking down data and information into smaller, more specific groupings. Instead of surveying the effects of a disease only across racial markers, disaggregation would allow us to examine the effects of a disease among Filipinos, Chinese, Korean, Indian and Vietnamese, for example.

From there, researchers could develop care solutions for these individual communities and create preventative measures that enriches understanding of the medically diverse API community.

For a populace that is as vast as the AAPI community — a grand diaspora that hails from nearly half the planet and comprises of hundreds of languages, religions, and cultures — the push for disaggregated data should be more urgent than it currently is.

Less than 1% of funding from the National Institutes of Health is granted to research endeavors that specifically cater to APIs, which is the fastestgrowing population in the U.S.

“The capacity to disaggregate data for AAPIs within the electronic health records is there, but the political will and the leadership across health care systems is still lacking,” Dr. Winston Wong, a scholarin-residence at UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity, said in an Ethnic Media Services (EMS) press briefing in September.

Wong said that the most commonly used electronic health care record system, called Epic, is a sophisticated data gatherer that can collect trillions of units of data in a single day, but those who manage that data hardly ever categorize patient information by ethnicities and subethnicities.

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic placed the medical research industry under a microscope, health data related to specific Asian communities went largely misreported, amid the high rates of crimes against

Asians and the mystery of the virus itself.

For example, the Chinese community in New York had the highest rate of hospitalizations, a data point that went largely under the radar, Wong said. Moreover, in New Jersey, the Bangladeshi community had the highest rate of COVIDrelated hospitalizations and in pockets of Arkansas, it was Marshallese community that was disproportionately affected.

“This kind of data is only identified at this point by the activists, the community providers, the physicians and nurses who care for that community because they’re providing the culturally competent and linguistically accessible care to these populations,” said Wong.

But despite underfunding and general disregard, advocacy groups and academic research bodies founded by and for APIs have decided to create the precedent themselves.

Groups like the policyfocused APIAVote and AAPI Data are among the very few organizations or researching bodies (across all industries) that actually survey specific ethnic communities, even going as far as to break down each ethnicity’s data by age, gender, political affiliation, and citizenship status.

In the health sector, the Center for Asian Health Research and Education (CARE) at Stanford Medicine is attempting to create a precedent in medical research. Founded in 2018, the group seeks to examine and develop tailored care for the communities that fall under the vast API banner.

“We are treated as one giant group, but we are also not a monolith,” said Dr. Bryant Lin, a primary care physician and co-founder of CARE, in a briefing held in September. Lin established CARE with colleague Dr. Latha Palaniappan who, like Lin, recognized in her practice the lack of sophistication in patient data gathering.

Calls to policy-makers to establish a legislative precedent that ensures data disaggregation

Blind Fil-Am civil rights...

PAGE 1

Cantos also had leadership roles at the Disability Rights Legal Center, the American Association of People with Disabilities, and the Justice Department’s Office of the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.

Cantos adopted blind Colombia-born triplets, Leo, Nick, and Steven, all of whom have become distinguished Eagle Scouts, survived COVID-19 together. (Inquirer.net) n

across all research sectors have largely gone unheard.

But in California — the state that previously attempted to expel Filipinos from even receiving health care in the 1920s and 1930s out of ignorance and lack of compassion — has become among the most progressive states in pro-API care and policy.

California, which has the largest total API community in the U.S., is one of the few government bodies that has so far that made it law to disaggregate data specifically concerning APIs.

Assembly Bill 1726, passed by former California Gov. Jerry Brown in 2016, requires the California Dept. of Public Health to break down demographic data by ethnicity for API communities. (Current Gov. Gavin Newsom last year passed the API Equity Budget, which included $10 million to improve API data collection and equity, in his 2021-2022 annual budget.)

AB 1726 allowed for organizations to home in on swiftly identifying subethnic health patterns and creating solutions for communities facing unique challenges.

In July 2020, Dr. Thu Quach, president of the San Francisco East Bay-serving Asian Health Services, found that the region’s Vietnamese community were testing positive twice as often as other communities.

Through the brokendown data, Quach and her team were able to quickly establish “culturally informed” testing and education to the Vietnamese community in the East Bay, monitoring the community by ensuring there were always testing sites and vaccine availability, Quach said at the EMS briefing. She said, “With the limited resources that we had, we were able to have targeted interventions with the most impacted group at that time, and this is why disaggregated matters — not just in identifying the problem, but in providing timely responses to address such problems.” n

Politicians among ‘persons of interest’...

them.

In a press briefing in Camp Crame, Azurin said that the personalities were among those who were criticized by Mabasa in his program.

He said that since 2021 Mabasa had censured 600 personalities, but only 160 of them could be considered persons of interest.

Asked if BuCor Director General Gerald Bantag was one of them, Azurin said, “Oo, kasama siya (Yes, he is included).”

Bantag was suspended last week following the death of an inmate in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), Crisanto Villamor Jr.

Villamor was identified by confessed killer Joel Escorial as the middleman who hired him to take out Mabasa.

The NBP records indicate that Villamor died of acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis.

Azurin said Villamor could have provided vital information that could identify the mastermind in the Mabasa slay.

Villamor died on October 18, a day after Escorial surrendered to authorities.

“It’s too much of a coincidence. It’s an unfortunate incident, but the timing is questionable,” Azurin said.

He doubted the report that Villamor died in his sleep sometime at noon.

He said the crowded and sweltering conditions at the NBP made it difficult for an inmate to take a noonday nap.

“We were almost there, isn’t it? We have the triggerman, we have the pieces of evidence, and we were almost there to talk to the middleman, and this happened,” Azurin said.

Mabasa hosted an online broadcast

program “Percy Lapid Fire” at DWBL 1242 and was a columnist for the Hataw tabloid.

He was shot while on his way home in Las Piñas City on October 3.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla confirmed on Monday, October 24 that Bantag was a person of interest in the Mabasa case.

“He has already been preventively suspended, and we have a structural inquiry on how things are being run. Let’s not preempt anything,” Remulla said.

“We are trying to get all the data possible, validate the evidence. I trust the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation], they work together with the PNP to come out with a quick solution, and at least satisfactory answers to all the questions we have on our mind,” he said.

The BuCor supervises and manages the NBP.

The broadcaster’s brother, Roy Mabasa, said the family will sit down with their lawyers to discuss the filing of charges against Bantag.

“We will evaluate if that would be useful on our side since nobody has yet corroborated the involvement of Bantag,” he said.

Remulla said Dr. Raquel Fortun has agreed to do a second autopsy on Villamor, as requested by the Mabasa family.

He also dismissed the claim of Southern Police District chief BGen. Kirby John Kraft that the case has been solved because the suspects have been identified and have been charged.

“We cannot close the case until we know the details, and we have the proper testimonies in place,” Remulla said. “We have not stopped studying all possibilities.”

On Monday, the Department of Justice (DoJ) started its preliminary investigation of the murder charge against Escorial.

Charged along with Escorial were brothers Israel and Edmund Dimaculangan and a certain “Orlando.” All three are at large.

The complaint was filed by the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and Roy Mabasa.

“They planned and executed the same upon inducement or order of a certain Crisanto Palana Villamor, also known as “Idoy,” who promised to pay them P550,000. Moreover, alias Orly/Orlando and Dimaculangan brothers joined Escorial because a certain Christopher Bacoto, also known as Jerry Sandoval, talked to his companions to help him in killing Percy Lapid,” the DoJ said.

Bacoto has been identified as the second middleman in the Mabasa killing. He is said to be in the custody of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

Remulla said he “cannot comment on the guilt or innocence” of Bantag and those who are being investigated by the police.

It was also learned that Social Welfare and Development Secretary Erwin Tulfo was scheduled to meet with Remulla on Monday to discuss the possibility of putting at least three persons under the government’s Witness Protection Program (WPP) in relation to the Mabasa case.

The DoJ earlier said Escorial could end up as a state witness if he qualifies for the WPP.

The Manila Times also learned that Villamor’s sister is one of the persons being considered as a state witness. n

Overcoming many obstacles, he became active in the civil rights arena as attorney mentor for the American Bar Association Commission on Disability Rights, vice president of the Virginia Association of Parents of Blind Children, and member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. He was named ABC News Person of the Week, for his advocacies.

Blind since birth, civil rights lawyer Ollie Cantos is running for West Covina City Council in District 4. Inquirer.net photo

Dateline PhiliPPines

COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila drop

by Janvic Mateo Philstar.com

MANILA — The number of COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) continued to decrease over the past week, the OCTA Research group reported on Wednesday, October 26.

Data from the Department of Health showed that the average number of new COVID cases daily in Metro Manila dropped from 807 from Oct. 12 to 18 to 491 from Oct. 19 to 25.

The week-on-week COVID growth rate was at -39 percent, even lower than the -7 percent reported during the previous week.

OCTA fellow Guido David said the number of COVID infections in the NCR went down from as high as 1,719 on Oct. 1.

“In analyzing the trends and available data, it seems that the wave last June in Metro Manila was driven by the Omicron BA.5 subvariant. The subsequent wave from September may have been caused by the XBB or XBC

subvariants,” David said.

“Hopefully, the downward trend will continue until the December holidays, but there is uncertainty in the trends because of the presence of other subvariants around the world,” he added.

Based on recent data, OCTA said the COVID reproduction number in the NCR went down further from 0.98 on Oct. 15 to 0.74 on Oct. 25.

The seven-day positivity rate – or the number of people who test positive for COVID out of the total tests conducted – also decreased from 14.6 percent on Oct. 17 to 11.6 percent on Oct. 24.

OCTA said healthcare utilization in Metro Manila decreased from 35 percent to 29 percent as of Oct. 24. The intensive care unit capacity remained at 23 percent.

Voluntary masking indoors

Meanwhile, the independent research group has yet to issue its position on the government’s plan to make masking voluntary in indoor spaces.

But in a separate statement, OCTA fellow Ranjit Rye expressed hope that the policy changes are based on “science and the best available advice of our health experts.”

“We must bear in mind that COVID is still with us and that we must continue to be vigilant amid the spread of new variants,” Rye told reporters.

He said sensible pandemic management is needed at this time.

Rye expressed hope that whatever changes in masking policy will not contribute to a rise in COVID infections.

On Tuesday, Octobe 25 Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco announced the government’s plan to lift the mandatory masking indoors, based on the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases.

President Marcos, who had lifted the mandatory masking in outdoor spaces, has yet to issue an executive order on the proposal. n

Seafood consumption of Filipinos decline

by Bella cariaso ManilaTimes.net

THE seafood consumption of Filipinos has declined over the years, a study showed, with poor families consuming the least.

The study revealed that the quantity of fresh fish consumed increased with the level of wealth, while the amount of processed fish consumed generally declined as wealth increased.

Based on the findings, the poorest Filipinos consumed at least 179.7 grams of fresh fish; the poor, 210.9 grams; middle income, 239.4 grams; the rich, 258.3 grams; and the richest, 287.1 grams.

The study conducted by the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Institute (DoST-FNRI) and commissioned by fishers’ group

Oceana showed that the daily protein intake of many Filipinos is only 94 grams per person, down from the 113 grams per person in 1982.

“The gap is even more stark among individual population groups that are in dire need of this nutritional intake. Only 17.1 percent among pregnant women, 19.1 percent among lactating mothers and 27.2 percent among the elderly are meeting the recommended intake,” the agency said.

“Fish and seafoods are the main source of good quality protein for Filipinos, thus, availability and accessibility must be ensured. If the situation persists and left unattended, this may result in higher medical costs for the management of illnesses as a resultant factor of nutrient inadequacy,” DoSTFNRI Director Imelda AngelesAgdeppa said.

The Cordillera Administrative Region and the National Capital Region consumed the least fresh fish per day, while Zamboanga Peninsula or Region 9 consumed the highest proportion of fresh fish per day.

Oceana Vice President

Gloria Estenzo Ramos said that restoring the ocean could feed people a healthy seafood meal a day.

“Our fisheries support communities and, in fact, the Philippines ranks second in the world with a population highly dependent on healthy and vibrant oceans for nutrition, livelihood, and coastal protection. But we need to be vigilant in ensuring that the human-induced pressures on our ocean which caused an alarming decline of fish population, such as rampant illegal fishing in our municipal waters and continuing destruction of marine habitats, are stopped,” Ramos said.

The study found that fish from aquaculture like tilapia and bangus (milkfish) offer less nutrients such as protein and iron per serving compared to a diverse option of pelagic species like galunggong (round scad), matambaka (big-eyed scad) and tuna.

u PAGE 7

UNICEF: 1 million children in the PH have never been vaccinated

MANILA — The Philippines has one million children who have not received a single dose of childhood vaccine, leaving them susceptible to transmission of various life-threatening vaccinepreventable diseases such as polio, measles, and tuberculosis, the United Nations Children’s Fund or UNICEF said Monday, October 24.

In a statement Monday, UNICEF lamented “persistent missed opportunities” that it attributed to “past governance challenges, low demand for services, and disruptions by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pointing to gains over the coronavirus pandemic, though, it said that “the number of adults and children administered the COVID-19 vaccines have shown that the Philippines can reach significant numbers in a short period of time” as it called on the government to prioritize investments and human resources “to reach zero dose children with clear and timebound strategies and targets.”

“Falling child immunization rates and the increasing number of children at risk of measles, polio and other vaccine preventable diseases must be treated as a public health emergency that needs urgent action,” UNICEF Philippines Representative Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov said.

“Lessons learned from COVID-19 highlight the need to strengthen primary health care through integrated health and nutrition services for a strong and resilient health system in the long term.”

DOH: Measles outbreak possible

Warning of an impending measles outbreak, the Department of Health also said earlier that out of an ideal international target of 95% immunization in countries, only 62.9% of children and infants in the country were fully immunized against vaccinepreventable diseases, with almost 3 million children not having measles vaccination.

In 2021, the Philippines was the top five contributor to the 18 million zero-dose children recorded around the world and the top seven contributor with the most children unprotected for measles. Per the 2022 World

Health Organization Risk Assessment, all regions in the Philippines are at high-risk for a measles outbreak.

“The Philippines has already been plagued with low coverage on protective vaccines before the COVID-19 pandemic, never having met the ideal target of 95 per cent routine coverage rate for children since the 1990s. Low coverage increases the risk of life-threatening diseases for children,” UNICEF said in its statement.

UNICEF pointed out that there were still 1.5 million Filipino children who had not received or completed their polio vaccine even after the government vaccinated some 11 million children in 2021.

“Out of 81 provinces in the Philippines, 67 are at high risk for polio infections. For cities, 71 cities out of 96 are at high risk for polio...Complete vaccination for polio according to schedule is the most effective way to protect children from this disease,” it said.

Recommendations

UNICEF on Monday also recommended increasing human resources for health in local government units to improve services. It also encouraged the use of community platforms and media including social media to address misconceptions and misinformation on vaccines. It also recommended:

• improving tracking of defaulters

• increasing vaccination visits

• establishing sustainable service delivery mechanisms through primary health care platforms

• tackling persistent stockout of vaccines.

“Access to services must be improved especially for those in far-flung areas who are discouraged to get their children vaccinated because of transportation and other costs,” it said.

“While the supplemental immunization planned for March 2023 can jumpstart vaccination efforts, in the interim, catch-up immunization and strengthening the primary healthcare delivery platforms need to be fast-tracked.” (Philstar.com)

CREEK REHAB. Workers place steel bars along Estero de San Miguel in Mendiola in Manila to support the concrete mold for drainage repair and rehabilitation on Thursday, Oct. 27. This is one of the Infrastructure projects of the government under the supervision of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

PNA photo by Alfred Frias

Fighting the new COVID strains

HEALTH experts say that the latest Omicron subvariant XBB and variant XBC have become so evasive to COVID vaccines that they might as well be new pathogens. On Friday, October 21, the Department of Health announced that “definitely,” there is now local transmission of XBB and XBC, with 81 and 193 cases, respectively, detected so far.

Epidemiologists note that XBC is a combination of the BA.2 sublineage of the Omicron and Delta variants. Both are highly transmissible. Delta caused more severe infections and a far higher number of deaths last year, although health experts attributed this to the COVID vaccination coverage still not widespread enough when the variant entered the country.

XBB and XBC, however, are proving to be more evasive to both natural and vaccine immunity. The virus strains have caused rapid COVID spikes recently in countries with high vaccination rates such as Singapore. Several governments are considering the return of mask mandates to contain the transmission.

While the fully boosted and vaccinated get more protection from XBB and XBC, the vulnerable sectors – the immune-compromised, those with comorbidities and the weak elderly – can still suffer serious infection, especially if unvaccinated, and death is still possible. There is also the risk of developing debilitating long

Babe’s Eye View

BaBe Romualdez

WHEN General Douglas MacArthur made that historic landing on the shores of Palo, Leyte on Oct. 20, 1944, he fulfilled the promise he made to the Filipino people, summed up in those three famous words: “I shall return.”

That famous line has become “immortalized” in the hearts and minds of Filipinos spanning many generations, because history tells us the liberation of the Philippines from Japanese occupation during World War II could not have been possible if not for the return of MacArthur.

Last Thursday, October 20, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the commemoration of the 78th anniversary of the Leyte Gulf Landings with a ceremony at the MacArthur Leyte Landing Memorial National Park. Joining him were U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, local officials from the province of Leyte and 31 World War II veterans awarded with U.S. Congressional Gold Medals to honor their heroism.

It was a significant occasion as it reminded us of the shared history we have with the U.S., and why our friendship has remained strong. Many Filipinos consider General MacArthur’s return as the personification of America’s commitment to the alliance, liberating us from one

On the Move

RESPONDING to gentle suggestions that he should appoint a full-time agriculture secretary, President Marcos Jr. is adamant that he will hold on to the position, saying he is “still needed there.” He explains that there are things that only a president can do that a secretary cannot. The problems in the agriculture sector are “so difficult that it will take a president to change and turn it around.” The President says that he will appoint a full-time secretary when he has properly institutionalized the functions of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and he has completed the necessary structural changes.

The President has been the agriculture secretary for almost four months. In that period,

COVID even for mild infections. Fortunately, as in the spread of the highly contagious Omicron, the world has weapons against the new COVID strains. Bivalent vaccines are now available, specifically targeting the Omicron mutations. Last Aug. 31, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an amended emergency use authorization for the COVID vaccines of Moderna and PfizerBioNTech. The amended EUA allows bivalent formulations of the vaccines for use as a single booster dose within at least two months after primary or booster vaccination. The second generation Pfizer bivalent booster is allowed for ages 12 and older; Moderna’s Bivalent is for ages 18 up.

The next-generation bivalent vaccines, unlike the monovalent first-generation shots, include an mRNA component of the original strain plus an mRNA component common to both the BA.4 and BA.5 lineages of the Omicron variant. The BA.4 and BA.5 are currently the culprits behind most COVID infections in the US, and are predicted to

circulate in the fall and winter.

Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna already have EUAs for their COVID vaccines in the Philippines. Uptake of the current boosters is believed to have slowed down as Filipinos wait for the bivalent shots to arrive. Health experts and the business community alike are pressing for the speedy

availability of the next-generation vaccines. The pandemic is not over, and another major outbreak, apart from impacting public health, can set back economic recovery. The Department of Health and the FDA should not drag their feet in securing and distributing the bivalent boosters, if possible before Christmas. (Philstar.com)

Leyte landing: Old friendships never die

of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history.

I still remember when the man dubbed as the “American Caesar” returned to the Philippines for the last time in July 1961. I had just graduated from grade school at the Ateneo when my father – a history buff who was a young major and doctor in the Philippine Army during the war – told me to line up along Taft Avenue. I waited for the open car carrying General MacArthur, his motorcade traversing the street slowly as he waved to the thousands of spectators cheering and enthusiastically waving flags, confetti pouring down from buildings.

I have been an admirer of the General since then. MacArthur was legendary in making sure his image was always perfect. He was very conscious of his bearing, even the way he stood as shown in photos, especially in that famous photo of the Leyte landing. The story goes, they took the photo three times especially because General Carlos Romulo was barely above water when the photo was first taken because of his height –“a dime among nickels,” the General would retort when asked about the photo.

October is also Filipino American History Month in the United States, and last Wednesday, I delivered the keynote address at an event titled “From Stewards to Flag Officers: Filipinos in the U.S. Navy” at the U.S. Navy National Museum.

The Bataan Legacy Historical

Society in collaboration with the U.S. Naval Judge Advocate General’s Corps and the Naval Legal Services Command organized the event which centered on Filipino Americans serving in the U.S. Navy and their vital contributions to promoting global peace and security, and as the event title aptly puts it, how they have risen through the ranks from stewards up to the level of Flag Officers.

The event was also an opportunity to give special recognition to Telesforo de la Cruz Trinidad, a Filipino sailor who was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1915 for saving other crew members when one of the boilers of USS San Diego exploded. For his courage and heroism, a future ArleighBurke class destroyer will be named USS Telesforo Trinidad in his honor.

As I said during my remarks, the decades-old alliance between the U.S. and the Philippines has significantly evolved over the years, despite the rough patches at one point or another. As President Marcos himself has described it, the relationship between the U.S. and the Philippines is long and special.

I have absolutely no doubt that the historic landing in Leyte of the “American Caesar” has left an indelible imprint not only among Filipinos who suffered atrocities during World War II, but also their children’s children who have come to understand the significance of MacArthur’s

No wonder why close to 90 percent of Filipinos look upon the U.S. as our most trusted and most reliable ally, the one that comes through during the most critical times like in November 2013 when Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) pummeled Central Visayas, killing 10,000 people. I vividly remember the call I got from Congressman Martin Romualdez, his voice quivering as he described Leyte being “completely ravaged!” He told me, “Only the Americans can help us on this.”

Hearing that, I immediately

called the U.S. military attaché who then called the U.S. Pacific Command. They immediately dispatched the USS George Washington (docked in Hong Kong at the time) to the Gulf of Leyte, equipped with choppers, water desalination equipment and personnel for the conduct of rescue and relief operations. The immediate response from the U.S. was so tearfully moving that I wrote a column titled, “Thank God for the United States!” ending it with, “God bless America!”

The sense of relief and encouragement felt by Yolanda survivors at seeing the USS George Washington was almost like the return of General Douglas MacArthur on the shores of Leyte in 1944, bringing

with it a sense of inspiration and, most of all, hope.

In 1951 when General MacArthur addressed the U.S. Congress to announce his retirement, he said: “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.”

Remembering how the U.S. has stood by Filipinos during good times and most especially during the bad, allow me to paraphrase the General’s words: “Old friendships never die; they will never fade away.” (Philstar. com)

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

*

* * babeseyeview@gmail.com

there have been some revealing tests of his caliber as a leader and manager of the agricultural sector. His boast during the elections that he will bring down the price of rice to P20 per kilo is now out of reach. His policy and managerial decisionmaking in resolving the critical sugar shortage was erratic, causing the resignation of his well-regarded undersecretary, Leaocadio Sebastian, and exposing signs of disarray in his Cabinet.

Being agriculture secretary is not a problem if there are functioning, motivated, and self-confident undersecretaries that have the “hand-in-glove” trust and confidence of the President. But no self-respecting competent undersecretary would think of being creative, innovative, and proactive, only to get the “Sebastian treatment.” What remains in DA is undersecretary Domingo Panganiban who served as

Two questions for Marcos Jr.

deputy minister of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture as early as 1984 during the dictatorship of Marcos Sr. Panganiban, at 83, is past his prime for the present challenges in Philippine agriculture.

As a matter of prudence, considering that the nation is facing food and energy crises, Filipinos, especially in media, the academe, and policy institutes, should help the President identify the key issues in agriculture and the promising initiatives that might constitute solutions.

There are many discussions of agricultural issues happening across the land. For instance, in the Future Earth Philippines Filipino SDG Hour online symposium last Friday, Dr. Ted Mendoza, an agronomist and retired professor of UP Los Baños made a provocative presentation on “Diet Change: The Filipino Answer to Climate Change and Food

Shortage.” (https://youtu.be/ K7z2XtNlAR0) He suggested that looking at the world situation, the grains fed to animals yearly can supply the food caloric requirements of 8.3 to 10 billion people. Reducing by 50 percent the grains fed to animals can feed 50 to 60 percent of the growing world population by 2050. His recommendation is for Filipinos to shift more toward a plant and fish-based diet for food self-sufficiency, environmental sustainability, and health reasons.

His presentation on the Philippine agricultural situation had the audience groping for answers to two imbalances— our rice shortage and the resource-carrying capacity deficit of the Philippines.

I thought these questions should properly be directed to Mr. Marcos as agriculture secretary and president, so I coached the questions

accordingly: Question 1: With a population of 115 million by 2023, the rice output per hectare to be self-sufficient should be 12.5 tons. The current yield is only 4 tons. This translates into a rice deficit of 17 percent. With the estimated 10 percent reduction in production due to costcutting and floods, the deficit is estimated at 27 percent, requiring the importation of 3.5 million tons per year. By 2030, with a projected population of 124 million, the Philippines will be importing 4.8 million tons of rice. What level of rice self-sufficiency should the Philippines aim for by 2030 and what creative feasible strategy would you adopt to attain this?

Question 2: Filipinos have always been told that the Philippines is rich in natural resources. If we take our population into account, this is no longer true. With an arable land area of 13.42

ADVERTISING AND

million hectares out of our total 30 million hectares, our ideal population should only be 33 million. We reached this threshold around 1965, 57 years ago. We have been in deficit since, and the demands of our population at present exceed threefold the carrying capacity of our land and natural resources. How would you mobilize the Filipino nation and people to redress this fundamental gap between population and resources?

Wouldn’t it be reassuring if Mr. Marcos can give us his thoughts on these questions? If he obliges, he might demonstrate he is indeed his best agriculture secretary.

*

*

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.

* * * doyromero@gmail.com

St., Suite 6, National City, CA 91950

(619) 474-0588

ManilaTimes.net photo

Segundo eclaR RomeRo

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the commemoration of the 78th anniversary of the Leyte Gulf Landings with a ceremony at the MacArthur Leyte Landing Memorial National Park. Joining him were U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, local officials from the province of Leyte and 31 World War II veterans awarded with U.S. Congressional Gold Medals to honor their heroism. Malacañang photo fulfillment of that promise he made. The return to Leyte became a thread that served as a strong tie that continues to bind Filipinos and Americans to this day.

Philippines jumps to 97 on Rule of Law index as region backslides

MANILA — The Philippines saw its standing on the rule of law index has improve dfive ranks to 97 from 102, going against the trend where the rule of law declined in 61% or 85 out of the 140 countries.

The World Justice Project (WJP) on Wednesday released its 2022 Rule of Law index, which noted the Philippines’ improvement in “order and security.”

Manila also ranked 13th out of the 15 countries in East Asia and the Pacific, where researchers noted the rule of law has either been “stagnant or backsliding” alongside issues like the transition of leaders and corruption in government.

The WJP surveyed 154,000 households as well as over 3,600 legal practitioners and legal experts from February to June this year to measure the rule of law in their respective countries according to factors like check and balance systems within government systems.

Income rank refers to the 38 countries identified by the WJP as “lower-middle income,” where the Philippines ranked 16th out of 38. Countries included in the list are Algeria, Cambodia, Haiti, Iran, Kenya, Morocco, Myanmar, Ukraine, and Vietnam.

Rule of law ‘recession’

The WJP also noted the rule of law has declined globally for the fifth straight year with 61% of the 140 countries seeing their index scores decrease. They said “Civil Justice” scores went down because of “continued delays, weak enforcement, and discrimination in the justice system.”

Meanwhile, “fundamental rights” scores of twothirds of countries also dwindled, as countries were found to be less effective in promoting equal treatment.

“Constraints on government powers,” which also takes into account the involvement of judiciary,

legislature, and media, also waned in 58% of the surveyed countries.

“Authoritarian trends that predate the pandemic continue to erode the rule of law. Checks on executive power are weakening and respect for human rights is falling,” WJP Executive Director Elizabeth Andersen said, adding that around 4.4 billion individuals reside in countries where the rule of law is weaker.

‘Alarming trends’

Meanwhile, the WJP also raised “alarming trends” in promoting fundamental rights of individuals around the world after the core freedoms declined from 2015 to 2021.

This includes the unfair treatment of political dissidents and the media, who the group noted have been the receiving end of “unreasonable searches, detentions, or threats, and abusive treatments.” WJP said at least 66% of the countries they surveyed have logged declining scores for its subfactor called “right to life and security” since 2015.

Meanwhile, 81% of surveyed countries also measured lower scores in “freedom of opinion and expression” and 85% saw a downturn in their “freedom of assembly and association” scores.

Back home, safety and protection of Filipino journalists are again under scrutiny following the death of broadcaster and staunch government critic Percy Lapid. While police have made efforts to check up on the welfare of journalists in the country, unannounced police visits have raised concerns on security and the right to privacy

There have also been concerns on how the state treats freedom of expression, particularly how police would treat protesters and how some cities would bar rallies and assemblies. (By Kaycee Valmonte/Philstar. com) n

Seafood consumption of...

PAGE 5

Tilapia and bangus are the commonly consumed fish by Filipinos, comprising 26 percent of total seafood consumption per individual.

“The findings should fire us up to restore the once-deep seated relationship that we had with

our ocean and make it the wellspring of health, livelihood, and well-being of our people. Let’s learn from some of our local government champions who have set the standards high for nutrition, wellness and ecological integrity as priority programs for their constituents,” Ramos said. n

ARNIS. Filipino arnis practitioners demonstrate how to fight with the use of wooden sticks at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila on Thursday, Oct. 27. Arnis, also known as Kali or Eskrima, is considered the national martial arts of the Philippines. PNA photo by Alfred Frias

LEGAL SERVICES

CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00040273-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Peter D. Chu, Esq. State Bar# 98935 Attorney For: Samar Samir Hireish filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Samar Samir Hireish to Samar Isam Hireish.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: 11/21/2022

Time: 8:30 AM Dept. C-61

Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61

San Diego, CA 92101

A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: OCT. 07, 2022

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth

Judge of the Superior Court AJ 1054 10/14, 10/21, 10/28, 11/04/2022.

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120)

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED.

Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00042522-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Vincent Roberto Vasquez filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Vincent Roberto Vasquez to Vincent Roberto Hernandez.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 12/08/2022 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 61

Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101

A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: OCT. 24, 2022

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 1063 10/28, 11/04, 11/11, 11/18/2022.

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9021419

Harris Luxury Suites LLC located at 4300 Newton Ave., Unit 43, San Diego, CA 92113.

Registrant: Harris Luxury Suites LLC, 4300 Newton Ave., Unit 43, San Diego, CA 92113.

This business is conducted by Limited Liability Company.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 06/30/2022.

Signature: Jamal Harris. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 09/27/2022.

AJ 1050 10/07, 10/14, 10/21, and 10/28/2022.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9022537

a. ISOLA LA JOLLA located at 7734 GIRARD AVE, LA JOLLA, CA 92037.

b. ISOLA PIZZA BAR LA JOLLA located at 7734 GIRARD AVE, LA JOLLA, CA 92037.

Registrant:

a. FAI Restaurant Group LP, 3736 E. Lizard Rock Pl, Tucson, AZ 85718.

b. Punto A Capo Concepts LP , 1526 E. INDIA ST., SAN DIEGO, CA 92101.

This business is conducted by Limited Partnership.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 10/03/2022.

Signature: Massimo Tenino. Statement filed with Recorder/ County Clerk of San Diego County on 10/11/2022.

AJ 1055 10/21, 10/28, 11/04, and 11/11/2022 AJSD 1055

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9022200

JS and CO located at 2630 Lightning Trail Lane, Chula Vista, CA 91915.

Registrant: Jessica Salvador, 2630 Lightning Trail Lane, Chula Vista, CA 91915.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 10/06/2022.

Signature: Jessica Salvador. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 10/06/2022.

AJ 1051 10/14, 10/21, 10/28, and 11/04/2022. AJSD#1051

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9022536

a. ISOLA PIZZA BAR located at 1526 E. INDIA ST., SAN DIEGO, CA 92101.

b. ISOLA PIZZA BAR LITTLE ITALY located at 1526 E. INDIA ST., SAN DIEGO, CA 92101.

c. ISOLA located at 1526 E. INDIA ST., SAN DIEGO, CA 92101.

Registrant:

a. Punto A Capo Concepts LP , 1526 E. INDIA ST., SAN DIEGO, CA 92101.

b. FAI Restaurant Group LP, 3736 E. Lizard Rock Pl, Tucson, AZ 85718.

This business is conducted by Limited Partnership.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 03/01/2012.

Signature: Massimo Tenino. Statement filed with Recorder/ County Clerk of San Diego County on 10/11/2022. AJ 1056 10/21, 10/28, 11/04, and 11/11/2022. AJSD 1056

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9023001

Cano Electric located at 820 Humphrey Place, Chula Vista, CA 91911.

Registrant: Hector Cano, 820 Humphrey Place, Chula Vista, CA 91911.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 10/17/2022.

Signature: Hector Cano. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 10/17/2022.

AJ 1060 10/28, 11/04, 11/11, 11/18/2022.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9022992

KNA Towing located at 4266 Del Sol Ct., San Diego, CA 92154.

Registrant: Bonifacio Garibay, 4266 Del Sol Ct., San Diego, CA 92154. This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 03/2/2019.

Signature: Bonifacio Garibay.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 10/17/2022.

AJ 1064 10/28, 11/04, 11/11, 11/18/2022.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9023303

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9022359

Deathwish Bobbers located at 3028 31st St., San Diego, CA 92104.

Registrant: Xavier Cordova, 6126 Calle Mariselda Unit #102, San Diego, CA 92124. This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 10/07/2022.

Signature: Xavier Cordova. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 10/07/2022.

AJ 1052 10/14, 10/21, 10/28, and 11/04/2022. AJSD#1052

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9022901

SAGETREE located at 1775 Sage Tree Court, Chula Vista, CA 91913.

Registrant: SDTECHNIX LLC, 1775 Sage Tree Court, Chula Vista, CA 91913.

This business is conducted by Limited Liability Company.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 08/26/2017.

Signature: Richard M. Yumul. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 10/14/2022. AJ 1057 10/21, 10/28, 11/04, and 11/11/2022. AJSD 1057

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-902204

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-902204 Billionaires Barber Club located at 6919 Paradise Valley Rd., Ste 3, San Diego, CA 92139.

Registrant: Angela Ngoc Nguyen, 5940 Kenwood St., San Diego, CA 92114.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 10/04/2022.

Signature: Angela Ngoc Nguyen. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 10/04/2022.

AJ 1061 10/28, 11/04, 11/11, 11/18/2022. AJSD 1061

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9022480

J X Cleaning And Refinishing Services located at 6377 Rancho Mission Rd #3, San Diego, CA 92108.

Registrant: Francisco Javier Reyes Vargas,6377 Rancho Mission Rd #3, San Diego, CA 92108. This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 10/10/2022.

Signature: Francisco Javier Reyes Vargas. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 10/10/2022.

AJ 1053 10/14, 10/21, 10/28, and 11/04/2022. AJSD#1053

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9021847

Manna Health, LLC located at 8320 Camino Santa Fe, San Diego, CA 92121.

Registrant: Manna Health, LLC, 8320 Camino Santa Fe, San Diego, CA 92121.

This business is conducted by Limited Liability Company.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF01/01/2021.

Signature: Jeff Hill. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 10/03/2022.

AJ 1058 10/21, 10/28, 11/04, and 11/11/2022. AJSD#1058

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9023538

Juliet Sailo Design & Alterations located at 2401 Highland Ave #6, San Diego, CA 91950.

Registrant: Juliet Sailo Sunthang, 218 Willie James Jones Ave #6, San Diego, CA 92102.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 01/01/2020.

Signature: Juliet Sailo Sunthang. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 10/25/2022.

AJ 1062 10/28, 11/04, 11/11, 11/18/2022.

1064

a. DADORA located at 1150 E ST., UNIT 2012, SAN DIEGO, CA 92101.

b. DADORA VANILLA located at 1150 E ST., UNIT 2012, SAN DIEGO, CA 92101.

Registrant: Galarraga Kowatch LLC, 1150 E ST., UNIT 2012, SAN DIEGO, CA 92101.

This business is conducted by Limited Liability Company. REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 10/20/2022.

Signature: Justin James Kowatch.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 10/20/2022.

AJ 1059 10/28, 11/04, 11/11, 11/18/2022.

Sarah featured in New York Times Square billboard

By Jan Milo Severo Philstar.com

Sarah was seen on the massive digital billboard as part of Spotify’s “Equal” campaign.

In her Instagram account, Sarah posted on Wednesday, October 26 the photo of her billboard, saying she’s honored to be the ambassador of Equal in the Philippines.

“Thank you so much @spotifyph for this opportunity!” Sarah wrote.

“So honored to be EQUAL PH’s ambassador for October. Keep streaming the Spotify EQUAL PH playlist, and let’s continue to celebrate women, no matter the day,” she added.

Earlier this week, Sarah was one proud wife to husband Matteo Guidicelli who graduated from the Presidential Security Group’s VIP Protection Course (VIPPC). He is the first celebrity reservist of the VIPPC.

Sarah was seen in the ceremony putting a pin to her husband’s uniform. n

Paul on being the new presidential adviser for creative communications

By Jan Milo Severo Philstar.com

DIRECTOR Paul Soriano is excited to work as presidential adviser on creative communications for President Bongbong Marcos.

In his Twitter account, Soriano tagged Marcos, vowing to work together for the Philippine creative industry.

“Yes Mr President @ bongbongmarcos let us all work together to make the Philippine Creative Industry even greater,” he wrote.

“Thank you for the trust and support exciting times ahead,” he added.

Marcos clarified on Wednesday, October 26 that he

“He is not there to be part of the PR machine. He is there to find ways to promote the creative industry kasi doon siya galing,” he added.

The president said Soriano will help boost the tourism industry of the country.

Pinagmamalaki natin ang galing kumanta ng mga Pilipino, ang gagaling umarte, ang gagaling sa sine… We have to project that to the rest of the world. Yan ang trabaho ni Paul,” he said.

A known Marcos supporter since the beginning of the campaign, Paul is First Lady Lisa Araneta Marcos’ nephew through her first cousin, director Gines Soriano. n

Toni finds peace with her decisions

By Jan Milo Severo Philstar.com

DESPITE all the controversies that hounded her transfer from ABS-CBN to the new station AllTV, actress-host Toni Gonzaga remains firm — she is at peace with her decision.

“From the outside, it can look many things but when you make a decision, you always have to check in with your heart if there is peace. That’s one thing na hindi mababayaran for me. [Having] peace in your heart, that for me is priceless,” the feisty celebrity said during her eponymous program’s media launch.

Still, Gonzaga bravely answered questions to clarify her exit from ABS-CBN, her home studio since 2005. It can be remembered that in February this year, Gonzaga resigned from hosting “Pinoy Big Brother” shortly after her much-talked about appearance and introduction of a former congresswoman who voted against the franchise renewal of the station.

Yung nangyari was very internal, that’s something I cannot share. Pero pag dating sa sama ng loob, kahit kanino, wala namang ganun. I choose to move forward. Instead na magtanim ng sama ng loob, maging grateful na lang tayo.”

When asked if bridges were burned in this decision, Gonzaga carefully answered, “I don’t know, hindi ko yan masasagot sa ngayon.”

She, however, added, “But I am in contact with

my bosses, we exchange messages. I think that’s good enough na we know the real story and we know the truth. I respect kung ano man yung napagusapan. Yun na lang siguro yung pwede ko mashare — we personally text ni sir Carlo [Katigbak] before everything happened. Between the two of us, I could say it that the last conversation we had was a good one.”

Next, the 38-year-old addressed speculations that she went to AllTV because it had the biggest offer.

“Normal na when you make a major decision, when you move to a new network, maraming speculations about monetary issues but we also reach a point in our lives na yung mga decisionmakings natin is not just based on what I will profit from it but where your heart is leading you.”

More than the monetary offering, Gonzaga said she was enticed with the challenge that comes in joining a new network.

“If I would compare it with the previous offers that I got, hindi mo maiisip na I accepted because the offer is this much, it’s because I like the challenge — I like to be part of something new, something that’s building and growing and also build with them.”

All those issues settled, Gonzaga is more than happy to share what her ongoing talk show “Toni” has to offer.

“It’s a reality-talk show. I’ve been doing it since Toni Talks where we feature not just celebrities but real life stories. We really tackle them and what people are going though because we realize na hindi lang naman mga celebrities ang may mga makukulay na buhay.

“Toni’s” pilot episode featured her best friend Mariel Rodriguez-Padilla where during the guesting, the host and Rodriguez reminisced the triumphs and hardship in their 18 years of friendship.

In the succeeding episodes, the inspiring story of the online seller, Joananaly Palacio, and the struggles of her journey with her son with hydrocephalus were shared. They were also chosen as a beneficiary of the profit from the live selling of Gonzaga and Rodriguez to support the medication of Palacio’s son

“Toni” also featured some of the biggest television and online personalities in the country including Bayani Agbayani, Doc Willie One, Ninon Ry, Dra. Vicki belo and Alex Gonzaga. n

Gina sings praises for Bea

By ronnie CarraSCo iii ManilaTimesnet

HAVING begun her career as a child actress, Gina Alajar — also an accomplished actress — sure knows how to tell a real actor when she sees one.

A GMA resident director for the longest time, Gina doesn’t hide the fact that she watches shows particularly teleseryes aired on ABS-CBN.

It is through taking a peek into rival shows does Gina realize how intense Bea Alonzo as an actor, well, even way ahead of her controversial transfer to GMA.

Kris getting better in US

By Jan Milo Severo Philstar.com

TALENT manager Ogie Diaz revealed that Kris Aquino is getting better in Los Angeles because of her medical treatments.

In the latest episode of “Ogie Diaz Showbiz Update” on YouTube, Ogie said that the actress has gained weight and is now weighing 90 pounds or 41 kilograms.

Ogie’s co-host Mama Loi recalled Kris’ sister Ballsy’s statement recently that her sister was not even 90 pounds.

Tumataas. Parang dati kasi naalala natin ‘di ba, nu’ng sinabi ng ate niya na she’s not even 90 pounds. Eh ngayon, 90 pounds na siya. Wow!” Mama Loi said.

Ogie said that prayers are effective for Kris.

“Nakakabuti sa kanya. So si Kris ay kumbaga nagpapalakas, nagpapadagdag pa lalo ng timbang,” he said.

Kaya jusko, napaka-effective po ng ating prayers. So continue praying for Kris’ recovery,” Ogie added.

Last September, Kris gave new updates regarding her health condition as she was then preparing for a round of chemotherapy.

Kris admitted she got close to giving up because of the pain.

“Fatigue and being forever bedridden; bruises all over my body that suddenly appear;

inability to tolerate solid food; headaches; bone-deep pain in my spine, knees, and finger joints; and my constant flares esp. in my face that just keep getting worse,” she said.

But what kept her going was thinking about how much her two sons Josh and Bimby needed her.

“Mahiya naman ako sa lahat ng mga patuloy na nagdarasal para gumanda ang kalusugan ko if I just give up,” Kris said. n

‘G-Mik’ reunion: Heart reunites with Camille

KAPUSO actresses Camille Prats and Heart Evangelista bumped into each other as ‘90s kids as they reminisced their then youth-oriented show “G-Mik.”

Camille posted on her Instagram account a photo of her with Heart, naming her Missy, the character of Heart in the 1999 show.

“Nice bumping into you, @iamhearte. Always looking so lovely, my Missy,” Camille captioned the post.

Last May, Heart also posted a photo of her and Camille bumping into a mall.

Heart described Camille as “one of the nicest in showbiz.”

“She was the first-ever actress who smiled at me when I was starting. Still lovely and kind @ camilleprats,” Heart wrote.

Heart and Camille starred in “G-Mik” along with Stefano Mori, Carlo Aquino, Angelica Panganiban and Heart’s ex-boyfriend, Camille’s brother John Prats. (By Jan Milo Severo/Philstar.com) n

Sarah Geronimo in a digital billboard in Times Square, New York Photo from Instagram/@justsarahgph

Kapuso stars Camille Prats and Heart Evangelista Photo from Instagram/@camilleprats

KAPAMILYA singer Sarah Geronimo added another feather to her cap as she was featured in a billboard in Times Square, New York.

did not appoint Soriano to boost his public relations machinery.

Iyong kay Paul Soriano, people have misunderstood,”

This file photo shows television and social media personality Kris Aquino. Philstar.com

Director Paul Soriano

Photo Instagram/@ paulsoriano1017

Toni Gonzaga joins AllTV Network with her eponymous reality-talk show. Photo from Instagram/@celestinegonzaga

Gina Alajar only has praises for ‘Start-Up’ co-star Bea Alonzo, if only for the latter’s impressive work attitude. Photo from Instagram/@ginalajar

Marcos said.

Kung hindi pa siya lumipat, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work with her,” the seasoned actress said of

her fellow cast member in GMA’s Pinoy adaptation of the Koreanovela “Start-Up.”

City of San Diego offers a ghoulishly good time with Halloween events at local recreation centers

Candy, costume contests and spooky movies among free options for families to enjoy

SAN DIEGO – It’s the “ghost” wonderful time of the year, and the City of San Diego is hosting a variety of fun and hair-raising Halloween activities at local recreation centers. There will be something for everyone, and residents are encouraged to bring family and friends for spooky fun this Halloween.

Attendees are encouraged to dig up their creepiest costumes

and visit select recreation centers throughout the city offering candy, games, movies and other tricks and treats for little ghosts and goblins to enjoy.

The participating recreation centers will also feature a fall version of this summer’s popular Parks After Dark events, activating local parks with Halloween-themed

activities for all ages. Parks After Dark events are funded using a grant from the County of San Diego and the San Diego Parks Foundation.

Events are free or require a minimal cost and are open to everyone. To view a full list of dates, times and locations, visit sandiego.gov/parks-andrecreation.

(City of San Diego Release) n

Senator Brian Jones earns perfect score on legislation affecting small businesses and their employees

EL CAJON – On its recent “CalChamber Vote Record,” the California Chamber of Commerce announced that Senator Brian W. Jones (R-Santee) was the only State Senator to receive a perfect score, concurring with the Chamber’s position on 15 major jobs, business, and economy related measures.

“Senator Brian Jones has always been a solid vote for creating and saving jobs, fighting against burdensome regulations, and strengthening California businesses,” stated Marty Wilson, Executive Vice President of the California Chamber of Commerce. “The workers and businesses in East and North San Diego County greatly benefit from the strong representation of Brian Jones.”

The 15 major measures included legislation authored by Republicans and Democrats, and bills supported by the Chamber as well as “job killer” bills opposed by the Chamber. To view the Chamber’s 2022 scorecard, visit https://advocacy.calchamber.com/wp-content/ uploads/2022/10/Alert-10-21-22-Vote-Record. pdf?sessionGUID=8590cbb2-04d0-4dac-63591ec48b12b75e&webSyncID=d4c526a2-864c5b11-c331-33630cb84388&sessionGUID=d7b 4e545-8b69-28a5-2acc-ee8ee07b054c.

Similarly, on its recent “Voting Record on Small Business Issues,” the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) announced that Jones was one of two State Senators to receive a perfect score, concurring with the NFIB’s position on 11 major small businesses-related measures.

“Senator Brian Jones was one of only two members of the Senate to earn a perfect score representing small businesses and their employees,” stated John Kabateck, California state director for the National Federation of

Independent Business (NFIB). “Brian Jones is the Senate champion for small businesses in San Diego and throughout California.”

To view the NFIB’s 2021-22 legislators voting record, visit https://assets.nfib.com/nfibcom/CAVoting-Record-21-22.pdf.

NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and memberdriven association. Since its founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today.

(State Senator Brian Jones Office Release) n

Registrar reminds voters to vote early

IF you’re a registered voter and haven’t cast your ballot yet, you’ll soon get a reminder from the Registrar’s office that you have just over one week to cast your ballot for the Nov. 8 Statewide General Election.

The Registrar sent over 1.7 million reminder postcards to registered voters in San Diego County who had not voted as of Oct. 21.

Don’t delay! If you have been holding onto your ballot, act now and vote from the comfort of your home. Sign and date your return envelope, seal your completed ballot inside and return it by mail promptly to make sure it arrives at the Registrar’s office well before Election Day.

You also have the option to use one of the Registrar’s 141 official ballot drop boxes. The new stand-alone boxes feature the Registrar’s logo along with the County seal and are labeled “Official Ballot Drop Box.”

Find one close to you through the Registrar’s online locator tool or inside your information pamphlet. Check each location’s hours of operation before heading out at sdvote.com.

The sooner the Registrar’s office receives your ballot, the sooner it is processed for the first release of election night results.

If you want to vote in person, that option is available too. You can cast your ballot at the Registrar’s office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Starting Saturday, Oct. 29, 39 vote centers will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Starting Saturday, Nov. 5, 218 vote centers will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

All vote center locations and the Registrar’s official ballot drop boxes will be open on Election Day, Nov. 8, when voting hours change to 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can find a complete list of vote center and ballot drop box locations at sdvote.com.

Learn more about voting in the Nov. Statewide General Election at sdvote.com, call (858) 5655800 or toll free at (800) 6960136.

(Trace DeFore/County of San Diego Communications Office) n

County launches respiratory virus surveillance report

THE County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency is introducing a new combined Respiratory Virus Surveillance Report that will provide San Diegans with a detailed snapshot of common respiratory illness activity in the region on a weekly basis.

The new report will be released each Thursday and contains, for now, both flu and COVID-19 activity, including cases, outbreak information and deaths. The report contains graphs and tables that allow the community to compare illness activity this year to activity during prior seasons.

The Respiratory Virus Surveillance Report replaces the separate Influenza Watch and COVID-19 Watch reports the County released previously.

“The new report paints a more comprehensive picture of respiratory illness activity in the region,” said Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “The report is a one-stop-shop for community members and healthcare providers, and we will continue to update it with new features in the future, as necessary.”

San Diegans can sign up for the report at https:// public.govdelivery.com/accounts/CASAND/ subscriber/new, or access it on the County of San Diego COVID-19 website and Influenza website (https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/ hhsa/programs/phs/community_epidemiology/ dc/2019-nCoV/status.html).

Bivalent boosters for children 5 and older

The California Department of Public Health recently updated its emergency use authorization of the bivalent COVID-19 boosters in California to include younger children. Eligibility for the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent booster now extends to individuals 5 years of age and older and eligibility for the Moderna bivalent booster now extends to individuals 6 years of age and older.

These bivalent boosters are available through healthcare providers, at participating pharmacies, and at County public health centers. Parents should visit the state’s My Turn website (https:// myturn.ca.gov) to schedule an appointment.

Bivalent boosters were designed to protect

individuals from the worst outcomes of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death. Everyone 5 years of age and older who has had their primary vaccination series is eligible to get the updated booster two months following any COVID vaccine or booster dose.

Vaccination progress

• Close to 2.69 million or 80.4% of San Diegans received the primary series of one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines.

• Boosters administered: 1,480,105 or 60.0% of 2,467,279 eligible San Diegans.

• More vaccination information can be found at coronavirus-sd.com/vaccine.

Deaths

• 10 additional deaths were reported since the last report on Oct. 13, 2022. The region’s total is 5,517.

Of the 10 additional deaths, two were women and eight were men. They died between Jan. 29, 2022 and Oct. 5, 2022. One of the newly reported deaths occurred in the last two weeks.

• Four of the people who died were 80 years or older, three were in their 70s and three were in their 50s.

• Eight received at least the primary series of the vaccine and two had not.

• All had underlying medical conditions.

Cases, case rates and testing

• 1,591 COVID-19 cases were reported to the County in the past seven days (Oct. 11 to Oct. 17, 2022). The region’s total is now 927,970.

• The 1,591 cases reported in the past week were slightly lower compared to the 1,855 infections identified the previous week (Oct. 4 to Oct. 10, 2022).

• 4,710 tests were reported to the County on Oct. 15, and the percentage of new positive cases was 4.0% (Data through Oct. 15).

• The 14-day rolling percentage of positive cases, among tests reported through Oct. 15, is 3.9%.

Data updates to the County’s coronavirus-sd. com website will be published Thursdays around 5 p.m., with the exception of holidays.

City of San Diego kicks off naming contest for new electric mini street sweeper

SAN DIEGO – With the goal raising public awareness of the importance of street sweeping to neighborhood quality of life, the City of San Diego on Thursday, October 27 kicked off a naming contest for its new 100% electric mini street sweeper and is asking San Diegans to make suggestions.

The City’s Stormwater Department plans to paint the mini sweeper blue as part of its Think Blue San Diego public outreach and education initiative. Over the next two weeks, San Diegans can help choose a name by following the City of San Diego and Think Blue on social media, including Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. They can also email thinkblue@sandiego. gov to submit suggestions.

“We’re looking for a name that best captures all that this little sweeper does to prevent pollution from reaching local waterways and the ocean,” said Bethany Bezak, the Interim Director of the Stormwater Department. “Being 100% electric, the mini sweeper helps the city reach

its mobility, sustainability and climate action goals while keeping bike lanes and other narrow roadways free of trash and debris.”

Starting Thursday, Think Blue launched a two-week social media campaign to solicit name suggestions.

Three finalists will be selected and San Diegans can go to thinkblue.org to vote on their favorite starting Thursday, Nov. 10. Voting will be from Nov. 10-23 with the winner announced in late November.

Street sweeping provides two primary benefits: Keeping the streets clean of trash and debris, which prevents flooding in our local communities, and protecting water quality. Rainfall that enters storm drains is not treated, and that runoff collects pollutants from properties and streets and carries them into local waterways. Street sweeping helps remove both large and microscopic pollutants, such as brake dust from vehicles, before they reach a storm drain. Those particles can be extremely harmful to fish and

other wildlife.

The city’s fleet of 28 sweepers routinely cover 2,700 miles of streets annually, removing 220,000 pounds of trash and debris. That’s equivalent to the weight of 23 million single use, disposable cups.

The electric mini sweeper –the only one of its kind in the city fleet – has zero emissions and its electric motor results in a significant noise reduction compared to a regular street sweeper. This allows operators to work early in the morning and late at night without disturbing residents.

Residents and visitors can help improve street sweeping efforts by moving your car on street sweeping day, taking in trash cans immediately on trash collection days, and reporting illegal dumping and other problems promptly to the city’s Get It Done application. Visit the city’s interactive street sweeping map to find out more information about routes and schedules.

(City of San Diego Release) n

Gina sings praises for Bea...

Gina plays Mrs. Choi, granny to Bea and Yasmien Kurdi, who’s responsible for helping the goodnatured Tristan played by Alden Richards. She only has praises for Bea if only for the latter’s impressive work attitude.

“Bea comes to the set early and prepared,” Gina shares.

But more than Bea’s laudable work ethic, Gina is admittedly impressed by the young actress’ positive outlook in life, “She knows exactly what she wants in life and how to get it.”

Mini sweeper offers zero emissions and less noise, helps collect trash and debris from narrow roadways like bicycle lanes

(Katie Cadiao/County of San Diego Communications Office) n

File photo/www.countynewscenter.com

California State Senator Brian Jones (R-Santee) File photo/www.cssrc.us

Pahrump Balloon Festival expected to attract thousands

COLORFUL big balloons are expected to don the bright skies of Pahrump, Nevada as the 9th Annual Pahrump Balloon Festival takes place from November 11 to 13 at Petrack Park.

The three-day event is expected to attract thousands, according to an article in the Pahrump Valley Times, where, aside from the hot-air balloons, attendees can partake of food and beverages from vendors, buy merchandise, indulge in family-friendly games, participate in karaoke and listen to music, and look at classic cars, among other things.

This year is different as Doug Dubin of Dubin Family LLC and Doug Campbell of Balloons Over Pahrump are taking the reins of the event from the Pahrump Valley Chamber of Commerce, who introduced the festival to the town many years ago and hosted the festival in years past. Dubin and Campbell decided to step in and save the festival when the chamber announced that it would not be able to host the event this year.

With a motto of “Come for the Ballons and Stay for Everything!,” this year’s event is expected to generate a lot of fun and excitement for visitors

and locals.

Opening day, which is November 11, Veterans Day, will see a sunrise service at the soccer field at the north end of the park where the American flag will be flown above as VFW Riders introduce the colors on the ground. A veteran will be singing the national anthem for everyone to hear and enjoy. The day of the sunrise service and succeeding days will see hot-air balloon launches for those wanting the experience.

According to Dubin, people will be in awe of “the beauty and the pageantry of more than 16 different designs” of balloons, some of which have never flown in Nevada, or Pahrump.

Organizers expect attendees to gawk at merchandise offered at the festival, which will include gifts for the holidays, and everything from handmade hair clips to wind chimes.

Food is another thing that festival-goers will likely enjoy, with varying cuisines competing for people’s palates, including Asian, Hawaiian, Mexican and American dishes and delights. Of course, people will be able to purchase beverages, from water, to soda and wine.

And as usual, music will

be playing at the festival, with various acts scheduled to perform. A karaoke contest is even planned for one of the event’s nights.

Tethered hot-air balloon rides are offered on a first-come, first-fly basis, while those who want to get the full experience high up in the sky can purchase balloon flights prior to the festival.

Another great event taking place in Pahrump in November

is a B2B (business to business) Expo where more than 50 local businesses are expected to participate, showcase their wares and talk about the services they offer to attendees.

Also, the event will provide “a platform for businesses to network with other businesses, build relationships, promote and market their products and services, and create business opportunities with their peers.”

According to Pahrump Valley Chamber CEO Jenney Sartin, the business climate in Pahrump is improving, and employment is trending upward.

“The energy, and excitement of the community is increasing. We want to keep moving things forward and as the reimagined B2B Expo returns, the Chamber shares the business community’s optimism for 2023,” Sartin was quoted as saying.

As you can see, the town’s chamber and long-time residents are heavily involved in trying to improve the lives of residents and businesses by putting up events that cater to the needs of the community, including these two events. While the former focuses on fun, and perhaps an introduction of exciting things that happen to Pahrump for the town’s visitors, the latter takes aim at improving connections and relationships among the town’s businesses and customers.

The town, which lies about 62 miles west of Las Vegas, keeps on improving as the years go by. Construction is ongoing for additional business ventures that are homing in on the town and its increasing number of residents.

Even with the recent increase in mortgage rates, Pahrump continues to be one of the most affordable options in Nevada, and even the United States.

Its proximity to Las Vegas is a great advantage for those looking to make the town their home. When they desire to indulge in the big city lights and watch shows, concerts, musicals or whatever fancies them, they can do so in about an hour’s drive or so.

Perhaps that is why Pahrump has always been on the radar of developers and people looking to buy homes who are priced out of markets such as Las Vegas. Now is a great time to

look at what’s available in the market.

I have been a Realtor for many decades and can guide you on your real estate purchase, whether you are looking for a forever home, a sound investment, or a second/ vacation home. Some of my clients are now reaping the benefits of their real estate purchases, with some having income via Airbnb and rentals.

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.

(Advertising Supplement)

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.

Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman (middle, standing) brought in Engr. Daniel Kulik and Engr. Anthony Declue of Solar Freedom to Manila to help provide affordable energy to all Filipino households.

Russ Bateman and Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman had a great three weeks in the Philippines where the couple also attended meetings at the famed Manila Hotel with the FPACC.

Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman (seated, extreme right) meeting with Filipino brokers in the Philippines as she promotes Pahrump, Nevada.