103020 - San Diego Edition

SAN DIEGO

We’ve got you covered from Hollywood to Broadway... and Online!

OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2020

T h e F i l i p i n o –A m e r i c a n C o m m u n i t y N e w s pa p e r

Serving San Diego Since 1987 • 16 Pages

Tel: (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 • Email: info@asianjournalinc.com

Also published in LOS ANGELES • ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE • NORTHERN CALIFORNIA • NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY • LAS VEGAS

USA

DATELINE AARP survey: Health care motivating Asian American voters in 50-plus segment, 41% identify as Democrats FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

WHAT issues are top of mind for Asian American registered voters over the age of 50 going into Election Day? Health care (93%), jobs and the economy (89%), education (87%) and national security (87%) are among the concerns Asian American voters rated as “extremely” or “very” important, according to findings released by AARP, the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for Americans 50 and older, on Wednesday, October 21.

550 East 8th St., Suite 6, National City, CA 91950

Several Fil-Am candidates seek public office across the country

by Klarize

Medenilla AJPress

ALTHOUGH Filipinos have been in this country since before the United States’ conception, the first election of a Filipino American didn’t happen until the 1950s.

In 1954, the late Peter Aduja became the first Filipino American elected into public office when he served as a representative for the Hawaii State Leg-

islature. The Republican official hailed from Ilocos Sur and, like many Filipinos, served in the United States Army for World War II. For nearly 20 years, Aduja was the only Filipino elected official in the U.S. until 1973 when Filipino American engineer and “energy czar” Larry Asera of Vallejo, California served in a variety of elected positions, including deputy secretary of state and chief legislative consultant to the California State Legislature.

Until very recently, elected officials in the U.S. were overwhelmingly white, straight, elderly and male. Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, it was a novelty to see a woman or person of color in any elected position. Before that, it was nonexistent.

But the influx of Asian immigration to the U.S. in the 1980s and 1990s ushered in a new generation of Filipino Americans that came from families looking to assimilate their U.S.-born children in the Ameri-

u PAGE 3

NAAC, City of San Diego forge partnership to help SDPD buy their own home through downpayment assistance

u PAGE 4

by Momar

G. Visaya

AJPress

BLUE RIDGE FIRE. Members of the Corona Fire Department battle the Blue Ridge Fire on Monday night, October 26, after a brush fire broke out on the west end of Corona in Riverside County and quickly spread into Orange County. The fire threatened homes in Yorba Linda and burned about 8,000 acres.

Photo courtesy of the Corona FD

PHYSICAL DISTANCING. Churchgoers in pews inside the Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish in Barangay San Manuel II, Dasmarinas City, Cavite are separated by gray straw ropes to ensure physical distancing during a Mass on Thursday, October 29. The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has allowed 30 percent capacity in churches, mosques, and other places of worship in areas under the general community quarantine (GCQ).

PNA photo by Gil Calinga

Silverado, Blue Ridge fires continue to rage Among Asian countries, Trump gets in Southern California 2nd highest approval rating in PH

by AJPress

TWO wildfires broke out across Southern California on Monday, October 26, prompting tens of thousands of residents to evacuate their homes.

The Silverado Fire, which started near Irvine after 6:45 a.m. on Monday, has swept through 12,600 acres as of Tuesday in the Santa Ana Mountains at Santiago Canyon and Silverado Canyon roads. As strong winds have contrib-

u PAGE 3

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

UNITED States President Donald Trump has received the second-highest level of support from the Philippines, according to a recent survey of Asian countries by German market and consumer data company Statista.

The country gave Trump an approval rating of 58%, closely following behind Mongolia’s 62% rating.

THE National Asian American Coalition (NAAC) and the City of San Diego have forged a partnership in order to help San Diego Police District officers in purchasing their own homes by providing them with downpayment assistance.

As part of NAAC’s Homebuyer Down-Payment Assistance Program, this new program hopes to assist SDPD police officers (non probationary PO-I or higher) who do not currently own or have previously owned a home in the City of San Diego.

NAAC and the City of San Diego have joined forces on this project with contributing bank partners, including

u PAGE 3

“According to a yearly poll by Gallup, approval of U.S. President Trump is varying widely across Asia, with Mongolia and the Philippines exhibiting the highest level of support. The poll asked approximately 1,000 persons over the age of 15 per country if they approved or disapproved of U.S. leadership,” Statista said.

“Other countries with a majority of people approving of the U.S. president were Nepal and Myanmar,” it added. “The least

u PAGE 4

First-time Fil-Am voters share why they’re motivated to vote Report: Duterte among AJP world leaders with a big stake in US election Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte

by

ress

ELECTION Day is a few days away and some new voters exercised their voting power by casting their mail-in ballots or heading to the polls in person.

Whether they’re Gen Z voters, new citizens or those who want to finally express their civic duty, the Asian Journal spoke to several Filipino American voters about what issues motivated them to participate for the first time.

Charisse Arboleda, 41 Employee | New York Voting method: Mail-in ballot and dropped off at Brooklyn Board of Elections (L-R) GET OUT THE VOTE. Fil-Ams Charisse Arboleda, Jon Jon “JJ” Augustavo, Julienne On speaking out: “Trump’s Buenaventura, and Orly Medrano share their experience voting for the first time.

incompetence, racism and treatment of women and people of color are the main reasons for my determination to speak out through my vote. This government’s COVID-19 response (or lack thereof) and Trump’s attacks on scientists and Dr. Fauci are some of the most disturbing issues that came up when the pandemic started. I believe Biden/Harris align most with my values.”

On motivating others: “I convinced a friend to register to vote a few months ago and sent her a link that was easy to follow so she can do so. I also donated to a few campaigns in swing states like SC, AZ, KY. I called

u PAGE 4

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

AS the world will be closely watching the United States election, some countries will be watching more closely than others, according to the Associated Press.

“A number of world leaders have a personal stake in the outcome, with their fortunes depending heavily on the success — or failure — of President Donald Trump,” read an article by AP reporter Josef Federman released on Thursday, October 22.

Malacañang photo by Ace Morandante

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was among the world leaders seen to benefit from a Trump victory.

“Regarded by some as Asia’s Trump for his unorthodox political style and brash language, Duterte has nurtured friendly ties with the U.S. leader and even called on American Filipinos to vote for Trump,” Federman wrote.

“Trump, in contrast to Obama, has not publicly raised alarm over the Philippines’ deadly anti-drug crackdown. The tough-

u PAGE 4

2

OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2020 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

Dateline USA

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

New survey: AAPI registered Fil-Am doctor cautions voters in 10 battleground states against large gatherings highly motivated to vote ahead of flu, holiday season

by AJPress HEADING into the last week of October, Los Angeles County reached the milestone of 7,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 300,614 positive cases.

On Monday, October 26, the LA County Department of Public Health confirmed eight new deaths and 861 new cases of COVID-19.

Since the beginning of the month, cases have increased from around 940 new cases per day to, as of last week, almost 1,200 new cases per day. This increase, while not as steep as seen in July, is cause for concern.

To prevent the future spread of COVID-19, Filipina American Dr. Jasmine Eugenio, a pediatrics specialist at Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center, reminded the community to minimize contact with non-household members,

especially as the holiday season approaches.

“Whether it’s Halloween or especially for Filipinos, Christmas is important to have the whole family there, unless you actually live with them, it’s not a good idea to have any gatherings with people that are outside of your home,” Eugenio told the Asian Journal.

With Halloween this Saturday, October 31, the Health Officer Order prohibits large-scale gatherings like carnivals, festivals and haunted house attractions. Doorto-door trick or treating is not recommended. Meanwhile, the health department advises in favor of online parties, car parades, drive-in theaters, or outdoor meals.

While the optimal situation is celebrating solely at home with one’s household, those who host or attend a private gathering must follow public health protocols, such as: physical distancing outdoors, limit to three households

and wearing cloth face coverings when not eating.

Eugenio also warned about a possible “twindemic” as flu season begins to not overwhelm the health care system.

“The problem with having both is that they can co-exist in one patient — that doesn’t mean that if you get COVID, you’re not going to get the flu. You can get both at the same time,” Eugenio said. “COVID and flu are spread the same way as respiratory illness. While there’s no vaccine for COVID yet, it’s important to get a flu vaccine.”

She also reminded the community to continue to observe measures like wearing a mask and frequently washing hands.

She added, “It can be overwhelming but we have to remain very vigilant to make sure we protect ourselves and our loved ones.

We have loved ones who can get infected if we are not careful.”

WITH less than a week to go until Election Day, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) registered voters in 10 battleground states are favoring former Vice President Joe Biden and are highly motivated to cast their ballots, according to a new survey.

As of September, 59% of AAPI voters in key states prefer Biden, the Democratic nominee, while 33% President Donald Trump, based on a survey called “AAPI Voters and the 2020 Elections” presented by GarinHart-Yang Research Group, the National Education Association and the Majority Institute.

When asked about job approval rating, 64% of AAPI voters “disapprove” of the current president’s performance.

Meanwhile, 47% of voters had a “positive” view of Biden, a 4% increase since July, while 34% view him negatively.

“One of the more important numbers for any incumbent, especially the president, is the approval rating — their vote share usually corresponds to their approval rating,” said Fred Yang of Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group said during a virtual presentation of the results hosted by the NEA and the Pilipino American Los Angeles Democrats on Monday, October 26.

The survey was conducted online and in English from September 16-24 among 875 registered AAPI voters in Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. It builds on a previous survey the groups did in the same states in July.

“The API electorate has historically and often been overlooked and under-resourced in targeted electoral campaigns,” said Carrie Pugh, political director at the NEA. Among the Biden supporters, 65% were from the Blue Wall consisting of Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota. 56% were from the Southwest consisting of Arizona, Nevada, and Texas, while 60% were from the South consisting of Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.

On the other hand, 28% of the Trump supporters were

from the Blue Wall, 35% were from the Southwest, and 31% were from the South.

Sen. Kamala Harris, Biden’s running mate, got a favorability bump from July to September with 43% “positive” after she was announced on the ticket.

Though the survey did not present disaggregated data, 26% of respondents are of Chinese descent, 21% Indian and 15% Filipino. Other communities surveyed include Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese and other South Asian groups.

The 10 states represent about a third of the total count of AAPI registered voters in the country, which is around 6.4 million.

The survey also found that 54% of the AAPI electorate favor the Democratic Party ticket in six states with Senate races, while 35% favor the Republican side. For Congress, 56% favor the Democrats, while 34% favor the Republicans.

Voter motivation Heading into the election, 55% of voters are “extremely motivated” to vote compared to previous election years.

“Voters, in particular AAPI voters, are actually voting the way they’re polled,” Yang said.

Breaking the enthusiasm by age, 67% of voters over the age of 65 showed the most motivation, compared to 45% of voters between 18 to 34 years old.

The survey also asked the AAPI voters who did not vote in the 2016 elections and found that 38% of them now are extremely motivated.

Of those who said they were “not at all motivated,” the non2016 voters had the highest rate at 6%, followed by the age group of 18 to 34 years old with 4%, and the 35 to 49 bracket with 3%. Meanwhile, the 50 to 64 age group and 65 and up were tied at 2%.

That motivation has been illustrated so far as over 500,000 more absentee ballots and early votes have been cast by AAPI voters this cycle than in 2016, and 34% of voters previously didn’t vote four years ago, Pugh said, according to Catalyst data.

“When you look at these numbers in these key battleground states, there really is a potential

for the AAPI electorate to be the margin of victory,” she said.

Key issues The survey also asked the respondents about the national issues they considered important.

The four issues that received the highest rates were jobs/economy (91%), health care (89%), COVID testing (86%), and fairness/equality (85%).

“At least on issues, if not other factors, the AAPI electorate is pretty much in line with the rest of the country,” Yang said.

Of those who answered jobs/ economy, 54% considered it an extremely important issue while 37% said it was very important.

Of those who answered health care, 57% said it was extremely important, while 32% said it was very important.

For COVID testing, 53% said it was extremely important, while 33% said it was very important. Meanwhile, for fairness/equality, 54% said it was extremely important, while 31% said it was very important.

The other issues rated were equal opportunity (84%), COVID recovery (83%), national security (81%), education (81%), environment (77%), racial discrimination (74%), taxes (74%), gun control (71%), and police discrimination (69%).

Method of voting As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the country, the survey asked the voters their preferred method to vote.

Thirty-five percent of the AAPI electorate said they would vote in person. On the other hand, 30% said they would vote by mail and 17% would vote absentee/return by mail.

The majority of the electorate also said they trust voting in person, with 59% saying they trust it “a great deal,” while 32% trust it “a fair amount.”

At the end of the survey, respondents were given a box to write comments and largely commented on the importance of having AAPI-specific data, according to Yang.

“A significant number of respondents at the end of the survey understood the uniqueness of this research and expressed themselves that way,” Yang said. (Ritchel Mendiola/ AJPress)

(818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 • http://www.asianjournal.com

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2020

From The Front

Silverado, Blue Ridge fires continue to...

PAGE 1 t uted to the spread, about 5% has been contained with no structures lost, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. However, two firefighters, ages 26 and 31, were critically injured on Monday.

As of press time, Southern California Edison was investigating whether one of its power lines contributed to igniting the Silverado fire.

Meanwhile, the Blue Ridge Fire, which began in Yorba Linda after 1 p.m. on Monday, has scorched 15,200 acres across Orange and San Bernardino coun-

ties. It was spreading near Chino Hills, prompting some residents to flee.

About 70,000 homes were under mandatory evacuation in Irvine, while 8,000 homes in Lake Forest and 2,500 in Yorba Linda.

Fil-Am resident Nathaniel Epstein of Baker Ranch in Lake Forest evacuated with his wife, who is pregnant, on Monday morning ahead of the evacuation order.

“We decided it would be best to leave to my in-laws because they live south away from the fires,” Epstein told the Asian Journal.

“Since my wife is pregnant, we

thought it would be best to be prepared and get ready to leave since we live along the area of the fires.”

Arleen Delos Santos-Aquino and her family stayed on Monday night at their home in Lake Forest’s Whisler Ridge, but could continue to see the fire across the Silverado Canyon.

“It’s very nerve-racking . But what can we do? No time to cry.

Pack the essentials and those what can’t be replaced and evacuate if necessary,” Delos Santos-Aquino told the Asian Journal. (Christina M. Oriel /AJPress)

COLLABORATION. Photo shows the key players of the partnership. From left: David Nisleit, Chief, San Diego Police Department; Detective Jack Schaeffer, President, San Diego Police Officers Association; San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer; Councilmember Chris Cate (on podium); NAAC/NDC executive director Faith Bautista and Mechanics Bank SVP Fred Lambright.

Contributed Photo

NAAC, City of San Diego forge partnership to...

PAGE 1 t Mechanics Bank and Pacific Western Bank.

“Public safety is our number one priority,” San Diego City Councilmember Chris Cate told the Asian Journal. “Assisting our San Diego Police Officers with purchasing a home in the City of San Diego helps them establish roots in the communities they serve, and provides them with an additional incentive to join and stay with the San Diego Police Department.”

The program is looking at down-payment assistance in the form of a five (5) year, zero percent (0%) interest, subordinate loan to the qualified applicant and this down-payment assistance loan can be any amount between $10,000 and $50,000.

NAAC is a HUD-approved home counseling agency and the nation’s leading Asian American

nonprofit advocating against foreclosures, advocating for greater economic and small business development and in advancing the growing economic and social power of Asian Americans.

Faith Bautista, president and CEO of NAAC and CEO of the National Diversity Coalition (NDC), has been at the forefront of providing comprehensive counseling and preparing clients for mortgages in diverse communities throughout California.

“Helping San Diego police officers is paying back to what they do for our people’s safety. They deserve to be helped and NAAC is here to make that happen,” Bautista told the Asian Journal.

Appointed by President Trump’s Administration in 2017, Bautista is currently serving a 4-year term as one of the five members in the U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial In-

stitutions (CDFI) Fund Community Advisory Board, and a member of the advisory boards for Federal Communication Commission on broadband adoption and diversity, and for the California Utility Diversity Council.

The program is established with initial aggregate funds of $750,000, with $500,000 coming from Pacific Western Bank and Mechanics Bank and $250,000 City of San Diego allocation.

A collaboration among a nonprofit, city government, banks and the police department, the program has received extremely positive response with Cate saying that “Police officers feel valued that we are investing in them.”

“It’s a wonderful collaboration. Our partnership was just recognized by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association.

We received a Golden Watchdog Award,” he added.

3

Page

Several Fil-Am candidates seek public...

PAGE 1 can mainstream.

Fast forward to 2020 in a post-diversity American culture and society when the push for people of color — particularly women of color — in leadership positions is at its utmost urgency.

Filipino Americans are the second largest Asian American group but are still widely underrepresented in all elected positions across the board. But there is a strong contingent of Filipinos from all walks of life looking to rectify the diversity gap.

Marvin Lim, Georgia State House of Representatives Marvin Lim, who immigrated to Atlanta from the Philippines at the age of 7, is gunning for District 99 of the Georgia House of Representatives. Representatives serve two-year terms in the legislature and are not subject to term limits.

In June, Lim, a civil rights and violence prevention attorney who has worked with the ACLU, won the Democratic primary with 61% of the vote and is unopposed going into the general election.

Gina Ortiz Jones — Texas’ 23rd Congressional District Filipina American U.S. Air Force veteran Gina Ortiz Jones is currently running to represent Texas’ 23rd District in the House of Representatives after narrowly losing the same ticket in 2018 to the Republican incumbent Will Hurd.

But with Hurd opting out of re-election this year, Ortiz Jones, 39, has a viable chance at being the first openly gay woman of color to represent the Lone Star state. She is currently in a tight race against Republican candidate Tony Gonzales, a former Navy cryptologist, for the district that spans from San Antonio to the Texas-Mexico border.

In a recent debate with Gonzalez, Ortiz Jones — whose mother is from Pangasinan, Philippines — argued that healthcare is the most pressing issue in the “medically underserved” district and vows to fight for a “public option so that people will have access to quality affordable health care, even if they’ve lost their job.”

“We need leaders that are going to make sure that we’re doing everything possible to protect PAGE 7

Rep. Gina Ortiz Jones (Texas-23)

Marvin Lim, a civil rights attorney, runs unopposed for District 99 of the Georgia House of Representatives

Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Virginia)

TJ Cox (D-Calif.)

Assemblymaker Rob Bonta

Todd Gloria for San Diego mayor

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes

Godfrey Plata, a public education advocate, seeks the CA Assembly District 53 seat

4

OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2020 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

AARP survey: Health care motivating...

PAGE 1 t The findings come some eight months in the pandemic, as the Asian American community has experienced the effects of COVID-19, whether through hate crimes, business downturn, or being disproportionately high rates of infection.

Going into specific health-related topics, 58% of voters said addressing the coronavirus is a top priority, while 54% said securing the future of Social Security is “extremely” important” and 53% want to see lower health care costs.

“To win, candidates must really talk about the issues that matter to the 50-plus voters — voting safely from home, preventing cuts to Social Security and Medicare and lowering drug prices,” said Joseph Liu, director of campaign strategy and management at AARP on Wednesday, adding, “If the polls are to be believed, they may be the biggest swing vote casting their ballots for candidates, taking COVID as seriously as they are, regardless of party or political labels.”

The data are based on results from the 2020 Asian American Voter Survey — released in September by APIAVote, AAPI Data and Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC — and AARP’s “National Survey of Older Voters During COVID-19: Asian Americans” conducted in March.

With Asian Americans comprising the fastest-growing racial and ethnic voter bloc in the United States, individuals in the 50-plus segment, particularly those who are foreign born, are

ABISO NG PAMPUBLIKONG PAGDINIG CONSORTIUM NG COUNTY NG SAN DIEGO PINAGSAMANG TAUNANG ULAT SA PAGPAPAHALAGA SA PAGGANAP 2019-2020 Ang abiso na ito ay ibinigay sa pagsasagawa ng Konseho ng mga Tagapangasiwa ng pampublikong pagdinig ng 9:00 a.m. sa Nobyembre 17, 2020 sa Silid 310 ng the County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA tungkol sa Piskal na Taon (FY) 2019-20 ng Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER).

Kailangan na maghanda ang County ng CAPER bawat taon na naglalarawan sa programang natupad sa huling piskal na taon ng Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Home Investment Partnerships (HOME), at Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) na mga programa. Ang “Pang-lungsod” na County ng San Diego “ CDBG at mga Programa ng ESG sa pondo sa pabahay at mga aktibidad sa pagpapaunlad sa komunidad sa mga unincorporated na mga lugagar at sa animn na nakikilahok na mga lungsod (Coronado, Del Mar, Imperial Beach, Lemon Grove, Poway, at Solana Beach). Ang San Diego County HOME Consortium na Programa ay nagbibigay ng mga pondo para sa mga aktibidad sa pabahay sa CDBG at ESG na Programa sa mga lugar sa anim na Consortium na lungsod (Carlsbad, Encinitas, La Mesa, San Marcos, Santee, at Vista).

Iniimbitahan ng publiko na dumalo sa pampublikong pagdinig upang magkumento sa CAPER. Maari ring magbigay ang publiko ng mga kumento sa kasulatan sa 15-na raw na peryodiko ng pagkumento na magtatapos sa Nobyembre 17, 2020. Ma-aaccess ang CAPER sa www.sdhcd.com.

Ang mga kasulatang mga kumento ay dapat naka-address sa Housing and Community Development Services, Community Development Division, 3989 Ruffin Road, San Diego, CA 92123, (858) 694-8724, o mag-email sa: Marco.Delatoba@ sdcounty.ca.gov. Ang mga bingi o hirap sa pagdinig ay maaaring makipag-ugnay sa departamento sa (866) 945-2207. Sa mga nangangailangan ng tulong sa pakikilahok sa pagpupulong (hindi Ingles ang pananalita, may kapansanan sa pagdinig, atbp) ay dapat makipag-ugnay sa tauhan nang hindi bababa sa limang araw bago ang pagpupulong na iminungkahi ang espesyal na mga kaayusan.

PAMPUBLIKONG SERBISYONG ANUNSYO SA COVID-19 Dahil sa Coronavirus na sakit (COVID-19) na pampublikong emerheniysa sa kalusugan, ang County ng San Diego ay nagsasagawa ng mga ilang pagbabago kaugnay sa mga pagpupulong ng Konseho ng mga Tagapangasiwa upang maprotektahan ang kalusugan ng publiko at maiwasan ang pagkalat ng sakit nang lokal. Maaaring makita ng mga miyembro ng publiko upang mailahad ang kanilang pampublikong kumento nang online: Mga Opsyon sa Pampublikong Kumento 10/30/20 CNS-3409655# ASIAN JOURNAL

the ones leading in voter registration and turnout.

The results found that voter registration among eligible Asian American voters increases with age, with the 45-64 segment at 58%, 6574 at 60% and 56% for those over 75. In contrast, the 1824 segment is at 45% and 24-44 at 52%.

“Among Hispanics and among Asians, the foreign born are the more reliable segments of voters. They are the ones turning out at higher rates on Election Day,” said Angela Houghton, senior research advisor of multicultural research at AARP. “They are predominately an immigrant electorate.”

Going into the party identification, 41% of older voters identified as Democrats, while 33% said they are Republicans and 26% independent. But the majority identify as “moderate” (58%), while 26% say they’re “conservative” and 16% identify as “liberal.”

“Looking back over the midterm elections as well as the 2016 presidential election year, we didn’t see a lot of change in terms of party identification in this group of voters,” Houghton said. “There’s more cohesion around an ideology with this group of voters than there is in a party identification.”

Despite the enthusiasm and party identification, a majority of voters are not being engaged or contacted by the Democratic or Republican parties or community organizations.

The findings did not show the breakdown of support for the presidential candidates or any other races, but Asian American voters largely said they are looking for an elected official that “exhibits integrity, honesty, and moral character” (56%), “understands deeply the day to day issues of ordinary Americans” (52%), and “prioritizes getting things done above the political party ideology” (52%).

“One of the things that have been continuing to plague the AAPI community is that we’re invisible and that also comes true when it comes to elections and political parties as well.

We constantly have to make the case through data,” said Daphne Kwok, vice president of multicultural leadership for AAPI audience strategy at AARP. “They need to hear what are our issues, what are our concerns…and that we all need to be taken seriously

From The Front Page

and that our needs need to be addressed and spoken to.”

Meanwhile, the 2020 Asian American Voter Survey, which tapped Asian American registered voters 18 and older, further disaggregated findings by the subgroups. Sixty-two percent of Fil-Am voters said they are “more enthusiastic” than they were in previous cycles, the highest level of support compared to the Chinese, Indian, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese groups surveyed.

When asked who they are “inclined to vote for” in the presidential race, 54% of Asian Americans are leaning toward former Vice President Joe Biden, while 30% would back a second term for President Donald Trump. Among Fil-Ams, 52% back Biden, while 34% support Trump — the second highest support among the groups after 48% of Vietnamese voters who said they would re-elect the current president.

Safe voting plan The data sets found that more older voters plan to vote in person (51%) compared to 46% who will opt for the mail or absentee ballot option.

Given the COVID-19 pandemic and influx of disinformation on social media and other sources, AARP is advising older voters to make a plan to safely vote — either by mail-in ballot or in-person by following measures like wearing a mask to the polls — and to be cognizant about news consumption. Seventy-six percent of voters prefer traditional news sources, while 50% look at candidate debates and town halls to make voting decisions and 42% seek conversations with friends and family.

When asked about voter safety, 46% said they “worry often” about any interference this November, while 40% relayed concerns about health and safety at the polls.

“We’re living in the middle of a pandemic and there’s been a lot of misinformation and disinformation campaigns out there about voting absentee, and is it going to be safe to go to the polls? We’re seeing these competing concerns,” Houghton explained.

Liu added that the most effective ways to combat misinformation in the older segment are trusted messengers, like ethnic media, and repetition.

“The more you call out the falsehoods, cover the stories and correct the record, the more informed our community will be,” he said. “So covering these issues is so important and don’t stop telling the truth between now and the election.”

First-time Fil-Am voters...

PAGE 1 t a close friend in AZ to ask if she’s voting. She said yes and voting for Biden.”

Jon Jon “JJ” Augustavo, 35 Filmmaker | Los Angeles Despite being eligible to vote in previous election cycles, this is Augustavo’s first time voting in a presidential election after seeing the current administration. The filmmaker is using his platform to help get out the vote and has directed a video for MoveOn adapted from Carlos Bulosan’s poem, “If You Want To Know What We Are.” Voting method: Mail-in ballot Participating for the firsttime: “A feeling that the current person in power does not represent what I stand for as an American. The person in charge goes against everything I believe I was promised and taught this country was supposed to be. A common decency and care for your fellow American, white, brown, immigrant, legal/illegal — I always believed as Americans we fought for one another no matter what, but this president is only creating division.

Honestly Yang and Bernie were my first choices but at this point I’m [with] anyone that ain’t Donald.”

Maisha Mason-Belden, 50 Stylist | Los Angeles Voting method: Mail-in ballot On the issues: “Issues like [the] national economy, especially post COVID, freedom to practice my religion, response to civil disobedience, and public health insurance / issues are all [at the] top of my priority list. And it seems that the candidate that aligned most with my values is the Republican candidate…[But] I am very confused [by] both parties. It seems like they both just want power and position and [are] not at all concern about what the people really need. My decisions are based on my personal life experiences.” Mason-Belden has since

voted, but did not reveal her final choice.

Julienne Buenaventura, 18 Student majoring in dance | Queens, NY Voting method: Drop off absentee ballot at early voting site Motivation to vote: “The climate crisis, COVID response, justice for the BIPOC community, women’s rights (abortion, funding of Planned Parenthood), LGBTQ+ rights. Joe Biden aligned most with my values. I converse with my friends/family or in school about current events, I watched clips of the debates on YouTube, and recently I’ve been getting a lot of information from reputable sources on Instagram.”

Orly Medrano, 52 Hospitality employee, Uber driver | Washington, DC After 16 years of living in the United States, Medrano became a citizen this past July during a naturalization ceremony attended by Vice President Mike Pence.

One of his sons is an Army medic at Fort Carson in Colorado, while the other is a cargo specialist in the Army Reserve.

Voting method: In-person on the first day of early voting Making a choice: “I just observed what’s been going on and listened to news on TV and social media. I was excited to vote for the first time and I voted [on] the first day of early voting in Washington DC. I encouraged friends to do the the same by posting on social media. I voted for the re-election of President Donald J. Trump because I believe in the issues of law and order, upholding the Constitution, and the economy.”

Elijah Paschal, 18 Freshman at Cal State University, Long Beach On exercising voting right: “There is nothing more beautiful and inspiring than seeing a group of people band together in hopes of achieving a common goal for the betterment of our future. Taking part in the most important election in the history of this country has shown that every vote will and does matter.”

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

Report: Duterte among world...

PAGE 1 t talking Duterte once said in a speech that Obama could ‘go to hell,’” the article added.

The AP also noted that a Joe Biden victory “could potentially bring a more adversarial relationship” between the Philippines and the U.S. The Philippine government has reiterated several times that Duterte and Trump are “good friends.”

In April, Duterte received a phone call from Trump to discuss how the two countries could collaborate on efforts to contain COVID-19.

“Both leaders agreed to continue working together as longtime allies to defeat the pandemic, save lives, and restore

global economic strength,” the U.S. Embassy in Manila said on April 21.

“The two leaders also discussed how the United States and the Philippines can continue building upon the string and enduring economic, cultural and security ties binding the two nations,” it added.

In February, Duterte said he believed that Trump “deserves to be re-elected” for understanding and respecting the Philippines’ decision to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

“It is President Trump’s circumspect and judicious reaction to the termination of the VFA that made PRRD give the following remarks: ‘President Trump is a good President and he deserves

to be re-elected,” said then-presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo.

Duterte ordered his government to send the U.S. a notice terminating the VFA on Feb. 7.

The VFA, which came into force in 1999, covers the conduct of U.S. soldiers in the Philippines.

Among the provisions of the deal include lax visa and passport policies for U.S. troops, and the rights of the U.S. government to retain its jurisdiction over its military personnel when they commit crimes in the Philippines.

In June, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. announced that the Philippines has suspended the VFA termination “in light of political and other developments in the region.”

Among Asian countries, Trump gets...

PAGE 1 t support – in the single digits – came out of Laos.”

Statista noted that overall, the world did not approve of Trump’s administration, with the U.S. president receiving a global disapproval rating of 42% compared to his median approval rating of 33%.

“Overall, the world disapproved of President Trump: His administration’s global approval rating was at a median of 33%, compared with a disapproval rating of 42 percent,” it said.

“Median approval was lowest in Europe at 24%, followed by Asia at 32%,” it added.

Below is the list of approval ratings Trump received from different countries in Asia: • Mongolia, 62% • Philippines, 58% • Nepal, 54% • Myanmar, 53% • South Korea, 41% • India, 34% • Japan, 34% • Pakistan, 27% • Indonesia, 21% • Malaysia, 19% • Laos, 8% Earlier this year, a Pew Research Center survey found that 77% of Filipinos said they are confident that Trump would do the “right thing” concerning world affairs, while 19% believed otherwise.

“The Philippines showed the most positive review for the U.S. president among 32 other countries surveyed, which collectively displayed little support for him. A median of 64% respondents say they do not have confidence in Trump, while only 29% say they do,” the Asian Journal reported in January.

“Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. has previously said that the Philippines and the U.S. continue to share amicable ties, even with certain American lawmakers criticizing PH President Rodrigo Duterte’s human rights record and the latest U.S. Senate resolution to put sanctions on local government officials involved in the arrest and detention of opposition Senator Leila De Lima,” it added.

A recent Associated Press report said that Philippine

Infrographic by Statista.com

President Rodrigo Duterte was among the world leaders seen to benefit from a Trump victory.

“Regarded by some as Asia’s Trump for his unorthodox political style and brash language, Duterte has nurtured friendly ties with the U.S. leader and even called on American Filipinos to vote for Trump,” AP reporter Josef Federman wrote.

The article also noted that a Joe Biden victory “could potentially bring a more adversarial relationship” between the Philippines and the U.S.

Several Fil-Am candidates seek public...

PAGE 3 t people’s lives and livelihoods and holding them accountable when they don’t do that. And I look forward to making sure that we get this pandemic under control but also make sure our economic recovery is inclusive as possible,” she said.

The race for Texas’ 23rd District is monumental this year because the currently Democrat-heavy House can potentially swing right with all seats up for grabs this election cycle.

TJ Cox, California’s 21st District Elsewhere in Congress, Filipino American Rep. TJ Cox (D-Calif.) is seeking re-election two years after he narrowly beat Republican incumbent David Valadao for the district centered in Fresno, California.

The 2020 race for the 21st District has been racked with mud-slinging from both sides.

Cox’s campaign has been playing up Valadao as a “yes-man who who voted with [President Donald] Trump 99% [of the time],” and Valadao’s campaign has been painting Cox as an outof-touch millionaire whose financial controversies make Cox “the single most corrupt member of Congress.”

Cox’s win was monumental, not just for visibility of Filipino American leadership, but for the nation’s congressional landscape in general. Cox’s victory helped Democrats take one of the seven House seats in California that Republicans lost in the historic 2018 midterm elections.

It was also a particular surprise for the district which hasn’t seen a Democratic representative since 1981.

In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Cox called out his opponent as “[House Minority Leader] Kevin McCarthy’s pet project,” noting that McCarthy has been trying to win back the seats his party lost two years ago.

But Cox stressed that policies that McCarthy and his cohorts endorse — including “limiting healthcare access and a woman’s right to choose, tax cuts for the very wealthy” — aren’t the causes that benefit the rural,

overwhelmingly Latino constituency.

On the East Coast, longtime Rep. Robert Scott (D-Vir.) is seeking re-election after nearly 30 years of legislating for the district in southern Virginia. Scott, who is African American and Filipino (from his maternal grandmother), also chairs the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Scott is generally seen as a safe vote for Democrats; the district has almost consistently voted for Democrats in the primary and general elections.

Todd Gloria, San Diego mayor Another Filipino American looking to shake things up is Democratic California State Assemblymember Todd Gloria who, as previously reported in the Asian Journal, is currently running to become mayor of San Diego (part of which he currently represents as an assemblymember).

Gloria, 42, was the second person of Filipino descent ever elected to the California Legislature after the first, Assemblymember Rob Bonta, who is currently running for re-election for California’s 18th Assembly District (Alameda).

“He deeply cares about people, their safety and their welfare. He is a true leader and a professional and he gets things done,” Bonta recently said of Gloria.

If he elected, Gloria would be the first person of color and the first openly gay person to be elected as mayor of San Diego, an ethnically diverse city of more than 1.4 million.

Both Todd and Bonta (who has served his post since 2012) made strides for the Filipino American community in California, and there’s another Filipino American in the Los Angeles-area looking to increase visibility of the community in the legislature.

Godfrey Plata, CA State Assembly (District 53) Organizer and former teacher Godfrey Plata won the primary election in March and is currently running a progressive campaign for California’s Assembly District 53 (Koreatown).

If elected, the tenants’ rights activist would be the only renter in the State Legislature which has tried and failed to address the state’s mounting housing problem. In the vein of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Plata’s grassroots campaign envisions massive bureaucratic changes to the government that prioritizes at-risk, underserved communities.

“There’s so much money at the table that is controlling the way in which we elect people and the way we make decisions,” Plata told the Asian Journal in February. “Lots of people want to know, “What do you want to change?’ But people aren’t thinking enough about what is the process of making change.

I really want to shine a light on that and explore how we can expand our leadership and make our leadership work for us, not the other way around.”

Sean Reyes, Utah Attorney General On the other side of the political spectrum, Sean Reyes, attorney general of the historically conservative state of Utah, is also running for re-election for his post that he’s held since 2013.

A Trump ally, Reyes recently spoke at the Republican National Convention on Aug. 27 where he said in a 4-minute speech that he interacts “with some of the most marginalized victims on earth and they love America. They love President Trump because he’s fighting for their freedom and America’s freedom.”

“I’m a proud American and proud descendant of warrior ancestors, women and men alike, from my Hawaiian, Filipino, Japanese and Spanish heritage,” Reyes said. “My father demonstrated his warrior spirit over 50 years fighting a dictator in his homeland, the Philippines. Barely escaping with his life, he started anew in America.”

Back in April, Trump endorsed Reyes’ re-election, saying in a tweet that Reyes is “a fighter and hard worker for the Great State of Utah. He is a big supporter of our [Make America Great Again] Agenda — Strong on Crime, the Second Amendment and Loves our Law Enforcement….”

(818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 • http://www.asianjournal.com

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2020

Dateline Philippines

5

Majority of Filipinos believe climate change will affect their lives — Harvard study

by Gaea

Katreena Philstar.com

Cabico

MANILA — Seven in 10 Filipinos expressed concern they will be affected by the impacts of climate change despite having low level of awareness on the issue, a study of Harvard University’s humanitarian research center suggested.

The research published by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative on October 20 showed that 71% This photo taken last June 26 shows members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community protesting against the anti-terror bill in Mendiola Street, of Filipinos believed they would Manila.

Philstar.com photo be at least “somewhat affected” by the impacts of climate change.

Some 46% feared they would get harmed, injured or sick and 22% would suffer loss of income.

Other likely impacts include damage to crops (20%), damage

Manila signs ordinance prohibiting gender discrimination

by Franco Luna Philstar.com

MANILA — Manila City officially joined the list of local governments with ordinances against gender-based discrimination Thursday after Manila City Mayor Francisco Domagoso signed Ordinance No. 8695 prohibiting discrimination on the basis of a person’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression or SOGIE. The city’s anti-discrimination ordinance also mandates establishments operating in Manila to create their gender-neutral toilets come 2023 and creates a Gender Sensitivity and Development Council in the nation’s capital city to oversee the implementation of the ordinance. The ordinance takes effect immediately.

“In our small step, we can at least make you feel that discrimination in Manila will not work.

Discrimination cannot work because of social status - the poor, the middle class, the rich, the gay, lesbian, women and men,” Domagoso said.

“Every young man in Manila should feel the same right and proper respect for his fellow man and the people who grow up in

the city of Manila in their respective fields of undertaking,” he added.

Penalties for any violations include: • For the first offense: A fine of not less than P1,000 or imprisonment of six months or both at the discretion of the court; • For the second offense: A fine of not less than P2,000 or imprisonment of six months and one day to eight months or both at the discretion of the court; • For the second offense: A fine of not less than P3,000 or imprisonment of eight months and one day to one year or both at the discretion of the court; “Subsequent violations shall be punished by a penalty of one year imprisonment and fine of not less than P5,000. Complaints may be filed before barangays as they are mandated to establish their respective LGBTQI Complaint Desks,” the city public information office said in a statement.

Manila, the nation’s capital city, is the 26th city and 39th local government in the Philippines to sign an anti-discrimination policy.

The Philippine Anti-Discrimination Alliance of Youth Leaders in its Twitter account said that

its call for similar legislation on a national level remains.

The SOGIE Bill is still pending in Congress after its initial filing two decades ago.

What about the Pride 20?

To recall, 20 protesters from groups Bahaghari, Gabriela and the Children’s Rehabilitation Center were arrested by elements of the Manila Police District in late June for taking part in a community-organized protest against the controversial and hotly-contested anti-terror bill.

Cops said their arrests were due to quarantine violations and had nothing to do with the bill being protested, which the Philippine National Police continues to staunchly defend on its social media pages.

In videos of the incident that have since gone viral on social media, police are seen refusing to answer the media when asked which quarantine guidelines were violated by the protestors being arrested.

“They were not informed of any charges when they were accosted. What a way to commemorate pride in [the Philippines, national police!]” Cristina Palabay, secretary-general of rights monitor Karapatan said

u PAGE 9

to house and property (19%), and infeasibility of farming and change of livelihoods (18%).

The HHI study also found that around 70% of those living in Metro Manila were particularly concerned about the impacts of climate change on health, while around 57% of residents of Davao region were concerned about its effects on their household income.

Meanwhile, those living in Eastern Visayas, a region frequently battered by cyclones, were most concerned with the impacts of the warming of global temperatures on farming (40%) and on their homes (41%).

The study was based on data collected from a nationally representative random survey of 5,184

adults and was conducted between March and April 2017.

Vincenzo Bollettino, HHI Resilient Communities program director, stressed the data, although collected three years ago, “continue to be relevant today as the impacts of climate change have only worsened.”

Climate change and disasters Meanwhile, 42% of the respondents believed that disasters they had experienced were due to climate change, while 30% agreed disasters were “somewhat” due to the phenomenon.

Nearly a third thought climate change slightly caused or did not cause at all the disasters they had experienced.

The Philippines is an archipe-

u PAGE 9

6

OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2020 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

Opinion

Losing the battle

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

Features

IN the battle for hearts and minds, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict lost this one. The inter-agency task force continues to receive flak for advising celebrities about the perils of fraternizing with the Gabriela party-list. The group has been tagged by the NTF-ELCAC as a front of the Communist Party of the Philippines–New People’s Army.

The advice was given by one of the two NTF-ELCAC spokespersons, Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, chief of the military’s Southern Luzon Command. He gave the advice to movie star Liza Soberano, best known for her role in the latest remake of “Darna,” and former Miss Universe Catriona Gray, with a reference to actress Angel Locsin and her activist sister Ella Colmenares, whom Parlade implied had joined the New People’s Army in Quezon.

His advice might have been shrugged off, but it included a warning that Soberano could suffer the same fate as Josephine Anne Lapira, a 22-year-old biochemistry student of the University of the Philippines-Manila, who was killed in an encounter in November 2017 between government forces and the NPA in Batangas.

Soberano had spoken at a webinar sponsored

by Gabriela Youth, to mark the International Day of the Girl Child on Oct. 11. She was introduced as a young woman influencer. She and her de-

fenders have invoked her right to free expression, especially since the topic of her talk at the webinar was women and children’s welfare.

The NTF-ELCAC, created in December 2018 as President Duterte gave up on formal peace negotiations with the CPP and National Democratic Front, has a multipronged approach to achieve its goal. A number of the approaches, including the provision of “responsive” basic services to make communities “conflict-resilient” as well as the improvement of infrastructure, livelihood and poverty alleviation are intrinsic elements in addressing the root causes of insurgency.

Other aspects, however, need finessing, particularly in the area of countering rebel messaging.

The NTF-ELCAC has received the heaviest flak in its strategic communication aspect, wherein it has been accused of “red-tagging” or linking certain groups to the CPP-NPA. The latest imbroglio of the task force is the takedown of its anti-CPP-NPA streamers from

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

strategic spots in the city of Manila and the province of Cavite on orders of Mayor Isko Moreno and Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla.

Both Malacañang and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, meanwhile, have advised Parlade

to keep his mouth shut unless he has evidence to link individuals or groups to the rebel movement.

In this controversy, if the NTF-ELCAC fails to see who’s losing in the battle for hearts and minds, the task force is in trouble. (Philstar.com)

Decisions 2020: Trump vs Biden on plans to heal and rebuild America from the pandemic The Fil-Am Perspective Gel Santos-Relos HOW do we start rebuilding our lives and our nation amid the continued threat of the coronavirus pandemic, more than nine months after it has become a health emergency around the world?

Here is what the two candidates for commander-in-chief have to say. Donald Trump’s plan is “Let’s Go Back,” while Joe Biden wants to “Build Back Better.”

On his website, the former vice president details a plan called, “Build Back Better.”

Biden believes this is no time to just build back to the way things were before, with the old economy’s structural weaknesses and inequalities still in place.

This is the moment to imagine and build a new American economy for our families and the next generation.

An economy where every American enjoys a fair return for their work and an equal chance to get ahead. An economy more vibrant and more powerful precisely because everybody will be cut in on the deal.

In this time of crisis, Joe Biden has a plan to create millions of good-paying jobs and to give America’s working families the tools, choices, and freedom they need to build back better.

That starts with a real strate-

Commentary

Marc Ang ADMISSIONS and promotions based on race/gender (instead of merit) have the potential to destroy society.

I challenge everyone to not look at this as a left-right issue, which oversimplifies and prevents us from exploring the nuances of an issue.

I also challenge everyone not to look at this as a race issue, though I will certainly explore effects on subgroups in this article. While Prop 16 disproportionately affects Asians in college admissions, it would have an equally detrimental effect on Black Americans, currently “overrepresented” in public sector jobs.

We are honored to work with

gy to deal with the pandemic.

We can’t solve the jobs crisis until we solve the public health crisis. Trump may have forgotten about COVID, but COVID hasn’t forgotten about us.

On March 12, April 27, and June 11, Biden laid out a comprehensive strategy to get the pandemic under control and effectively reopen the economy — an approach that will both protect the health and safety of our people and boost economic activity. He will start implementing that plan on Day One. Biden will also provide further immediate relief to working families, small businesses, and communities. He will also: Provide state, local, and tribal governments with the aid they need so educators, firefighters and other essential workers aren’t being laid off.

Extend COVID crisis unemployment insurance to help those who are out of work.

Provide a comeback package for Main Street businesses and entrepreneurs.

And, Biden will immediately put people to work by enlisting them to help fight the pandemic, including through a Public Health Jobs Corps.

But that’s just the start. The Biden economic recovery plan for working families will build our economy back better.

Whenever America has had its back against the wall, we have acted together to lay the foundation — through public investment and a strong social contract — for the American people to pull together and push forward.

The Biden plan will mobilize

the American people in service of four bold, national efforts to address four great national challenges. As President, Biden will: Mobilize American manufacturing and innovation to ensure that the future is made in America, and in all of America.

Mobilize American ingenuity to build a modern infrastructure and an equitable, clean energy future.

Mobilize American talent and heart to build a 21st century caregiving and education workforce which will help ease the burden of care for working parents, especially women.

Biden will soon announce a plan to make it far easier to afford child care and to ensure aging relatives and people with disabilities have better access to home and community-based care; to elevate the pay, benefits, and professional opportunities for caregivers and educators; to create millions of good-paying new jobs in these areas with a choice to join a union; and to free up millions of people to join the labor force and grow a stronger economy in return.

Mobilize across the board to advance racial equity in America. We’ve seen again this year the tragic costs of systemic racism. Biden believes that addressing those costs has to be core to every part of the economic agenda, and also a distinct priority in its own right.

As president, he will pursue a dedicated agenda to close the racial wealth gap, to expand affordable housing, to invest in Black, Latino, and Native

American entrepreneurs and communities, to advance policing and criminal justice reform, and to make real the promise of educational opportunity regardless of race or zip code.

Building back better means an updated social contract that treats American workers and working families as essential at all times, not just times of crisis –– with higher wages, stronger benefits, and fair and safe workplaces. We’ve seen millions of American workers put their lives and health on the line to keep our country going.

As Biden has said, let’s not just praise them, let’s pay them — a decent wage, at least $15 per hour, and ending the tipped minimum wage and sub-minimum wage for people with disabilities, and strong benefits so they can live a middle-class life and provide opportunity for their kids.

This starts with passing the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, providing public service and federal government workers with bargaining rights, and taking other steps to make it easier for workers to organize unions and collectively bargain.

Biden will also address discrimination and harassment in the workplace, and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act as the next step in efforts to ensure women are paid equally for equal work. He will pass universal paid sick days and 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave. And he has a plan to ensure that every American has access to quality, affordable health care, by providing

a public option and lowering costs for care and for prescription drugs.

Building back better means helping small businesses and entrepreneurs come out the other side of this crisis strong, while demanding more from corporate America. We’ve seen the second bailout in 12 years for big corporations and Wall Street. And we’ve seen the Trump administration provide all the tools necessary to help big businesses and well-connected cronies, while small businesses had to jump through hoops and many couldn’t access the relief they needed.

Biden will ensure that corporate America finally pays their fair share in taxes, puts their workers and communities first rather than their shareholders, and respects their workers’ power and voice in the workplace. And Biden will help small businesses manage through the pandemic and recover, so that millions of entrepreneurs can get back on their feet and carry this economy forward.

To see this agenda through, Joe Biden will make new, bold investments and speed up the timetable for many of the 10year investments he has already announced. He will pay for the ongoing costs of the plan by reversing some of Trump’s tax cuts for corporations and imposing common-sense tax reforms that finally make sure the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share.

Today’s elevated unemployment will mean lower demand, which will mean lower growth for our economy (which relies

on consumption). A robust jobs agenda will increase demand.

That is why many economists agree that if we fail to make far-reaching, productive investments, it will undermine not only our long-term growth potential, but also our long-term fiscal situation.

Additionally, for communities of color that are experiencing disproportionate rates of unemployment, and for young people entering the workforce, getting to full employment as fast as possible is critical to their futures and all of America’s future.

Those who argue we can’t afford these investments are the same people who doled out trillions in giveaways to the wealthy and corporations the past three years. Now they’re saying there’s no money left for working families? Joe Biden fundamentally rejects that notion. ***

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.

***

Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABSCBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@icloud. com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel. Santos.Relos.

Prop 16 is racist and kills merit-based achievement a multicultural team, including African American University of California Regent, Ward Connerly and key social media influencers like Indian American Vijay Chokalingam, who in 2015, exposed the flaws of affirmative action by getting admitted as an African American to college.

Our team also includes principled and passionate community leaders in the Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Chinese, Filipino, Hispanic and Black communities, who offer fresh perspectives and creative solutions on a proposition that could potentially divide us further, or unite us in ways never before.

We recognize this unique moment in the national mood and hope to spark a nuanced discussion on what “equality” truy means. Spoiler: It should not just be a shallow slogan that ushers in poorly thought-out legislation that actually creates

*less* fairness.

Whether or not the proposition passes, my goal is community education and we will fight all the way to the Supreme Court if needed, to stand against systemic racism (macro), and to share the real stories of the effects on specific individuals and in turn, diverse subgroups (micro).

Equal opportunity does not mean equal outcomes The biggest myth in today’s society is that if everyone were given equal outcomes, all society’s ills would be absolved.

Freebies bring entitlement and disgruntlement. Instead, I encourage equal opportunities, where hard work is the prerequisite for certain outcomes, allowing anyone regardless of gender or race, to do the work and achieve success. Prop 209, passed in 1996, created today’s environment, a generation of

high quality scholars and professionals. In 2020, bureaucrats are actually taking these outcomes for granted, to “fix” something that isn’t broken, with a “solution” that is actually a problem.

Wouldn’t you want your doctor who is operating on your body to be the best and most vetted, regardless of race or gender? Interestingly enough, one of the real-world outcomes for Prop 209 was increased percentages of minorities and women in colleges and in professional fields. And an added bonus is no one would look at a UCLA or UC Berkeley graduate and question if they got in because of some shortcut or a flawed point system. It is incredibly insensitive and dangerous to put someone in a group where they are clearly behind their peers.

This would cause a slowdown in the group’s advancement if the class teaches to the person far-

thest behind, or it would ignore that child, breeding stigma and resentment.

Filipinos are now seen as affluent and “privileged,” when hard work and perseverance (not shortcuts) have brought them up the ladder from humble beginnings.

Eastvale has one of the highest per capita incomes in Southern California’s Inland Empire because the city itself is home to many Filipino American nurses working double shifts for 3 days of the week and then taking on a *second* job or starting a side business to supplement their income. Many have come from poor families but are now strong contributors to society and are able to afford luxuries once seen as unattainable.

In fact, there is a dynamic of resentment that many Fil-Ams feel, that people back in the mother country don’t appreciate

the hard work required in America. This is what makes America special: the ability to achieve.

Chinese Americans have had a similar story, experiencing the worst discrimination in the past but have now moved up thanks to a stellar work ethic.

Who would be the bureaucrat in charge of determining demographic breakdowns?

Remember our state legislature and government positions are in flux, with elections every 2 or 4 years for key positions.

Who would have the power to decide what the percentages of whites, blacks, Latinos and Asians are? Who would decide point systems such as “likability” for certain races that would influence final decisions, as we seen in Harvard? This is a dangerous slippery slope if we give a government bureaucrat such power for social engineering.

u PAGE 8

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

ADVERTISING AND ADVERTORIAL POLICIES ASIAN JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS, INC. Publisher

ROGER LAGMAY ORIEL Chief Executive Office

Main Office: 1210 S. Brand Blvd Glendale, CA 91204 Tels: (818) 502-0651 e-mail: info@asianjournalinc.com http://www.asianjournal.com

San Diego Office: 550 East 8th St., Suite 6, National City, CA 91950 Tel (619) 474-0588

With offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York/New Jersey, Las Vegas, San Diego, Philippines

CORA MACABAGDAL-ORIEL President MOMAR G. VISAYA Editor-in-Chief San Diego Asian Journal

Asian Journal Publitions, Inc. (“AJPI”) reserves the right to refuse to publish, in its sole and absolute discretion, any advertising and advertorial material submitted for publition by client. (“Client’s Material”) Submission of an advertisement or advertorial to an AJPI sales representative does not constitute a commitment by AJPI to publish a Client’s Material. AJPI has the option to correctly classify any Client’s Material and to delete objectionable words or phrases.

Client represents and warrants that a Client’s Material does not and will not contain any language or material which is libelous, slanderous or defamatory or invades any rights of privacy or publicity; does not and will not violate or infringe upon, or give rise to any adverse claim with respect to any common law or other right whatsoever (including, without limitation, any copyright, trademark, service mark or contract right) of any person or entity, or violate any other applible law; and is not the subject of any litigation or claim that might give rise to any litigation.

Publition of a Client’s Material does not constitute an agreement to continue publition.

Client agrees and covenants to indemnify AJPI and its officers against any and all loss, liability, damage, expenses, cost, charges, claims, actions, uses of action, recoveries, judgments, penalties, including outside attorneys’ fees (individually and collectively “Claims”) which AJPI may suffer by reason of (1) Client’s breach of any of the representations, warranties and agreements herein or (2) any Claims by any third party relating in any way to Client’s Material.

AJPI will not be liable for failure to publish any Client’s Material as requested or for more than one incorrect insertion of a Client’s Material. In the event of an error, or omission in printing or publition of a Client’s Material, AJPI shall be limited to an adjustment for the space occupied by the error, with maximum liability being ncellation of the cost of the first incorrect advertisement or republition of the correct advertisement.

Under no circumstances shall Asian Publitions, Inc. be liable for consequential damages of any kind.

ASIAN JOURNAL PUBLITIONS, INC. publishes the Los Angeles Asian Journal, published twice a week; Northern California Asian Journal, Las Vegas Asian Journal and the New York / New Jersey Asian Journal which are published once a week and distributed to Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange Counties, Northern California, Las Vegas and New York and New Jersey respectively.

Articles published in this paper do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher. Letters to the Editor are welcome. Letters must contain complete name and return address. The materials, however, are subject to editing and revisions.

Contributions and advertising deadlines are every Mondays and Thursdays. For advertising rates and other informations, please ll the L.A. office at (213) 250-9797 or the Las Vegas Sales Office at (702) 792-6678 or send us an email at info@asianjournalinc.com

(818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 • http://www.asianjournal.com

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2020

Jason Tengco (center) with former Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden

Fil-Am millennial Jason Tengco shares his role building coalitions with the Biden campaign, importance of voting

by Rae

Ann Varona AJPress

AS protests over police brutality and the killings of Black Americans by police officers grew in cities across the United States, President Donald Trump drew criticism for having U.S. Park Police and National Guard troops clear a path using tear gas, so he could take a photo in front of the St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. Jason Tengco, coalitions chief of staff for the Biden campaign, had just finished his graduate degree in May from the University of California, Berkeley, and was on a road trip with his fiancé when he learned of the photo-op incident.

“I already knew that we couldn’t afford another four years under the current president, but that was the day that I told myself that I wanted to jump back in and get involved in the campaign myself,” Tengco told the Asian Journal.

Having lived in the capital for almost eight years, Tengco recalled the countless times he walked by Lafayette Park where the protestors had been gathering, and realized that he wanted to be fully invested in making sure former Vice President Joe Biden would be elected as the next president.

Despite already having a job offer lined up in California’s Bay Area, Tengco emailed out his resume to people he knew on Biden’s campaign, and from that,

came his role as chief of staff of the coalitions team.

“Joe Biden really understands that we cannot take any community for granted, that we all need a seat at the table, that our issues matter, that our concerns matter, and that we need this coalition of voters not only to win in November, but also when we do win, this will be the governing body to help Joe Biden when he’s in the White House to really push his agenda,” said Tengco.

The coalitions department was announced in May and signaled the Biden campaign’s efforts to ensure that the diversity of the campaign mirrored that of the country.

“We’re really proud of the team that we’ve assembled,” said Tengco, adding that it’s one of the most diverse coalition of leaders working on issues ranging from building the country back up after the coronavirus pandemic to climate change and immigration.

Involved are nearly 30 people in its national staff representing nearly 20 coalitions focused on different sectors and minority groups like AAPIs, African Americans, Latinos, the LGBTQ community, seniors, veteran and military families, young Americans, and students among many others.

“I almost feel like I’m sort of a connector in a lot of ways, just making sure the trains are running on time,” Tengco said of his role.

With campaigning largely go-

ing online due to the pandemic, Tengco said the campaign has built a robust digital organizing program that includes efforts like phone banking in different native languages, especially in key states.

“You might not always have someone on the other end of the line who understands or speaks English very well, so in order to reach voters and to talk about the issues that Joe Biden is trying to really advocate for, we have to make sure that we speak in their language,” said Tengco.

“We are so lucky to be able to have really strong leaders with Filipino Americans for Biden who have been helping us organize digitally and reaching voters, knowing that we’re not doing as much in person,” he added.

Another big part of the campaign has been making use of surrogates who are typically celebrities passionate about Biden’s candidacy and who speak on behalf of the campaign.

Asian American Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan, for example, joined the Biden campaign as a surrogate after also being a part of Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016. Before that, she served as public diplomacy ambassador under former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and continued as an envoy under the Obama administration where she worked with Biden and Clinton.

“It’s been such a pleasure. I

u PAGE 8

GUESTS MUST BE 21+ TO ENTER THE CASINO. PLEASE PLAY RESPONSIBLY.

7

8

OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2020 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

Fil-Am millennial Jason Tengco shares...

PAGE 7 t absolutely love the team that the campaign has built,” said Tengco.

“We have great teamwork and really that passion to get things done.”

Prior to becoming the coalitions chief of staff, Tengco served as the National Asian American and Pacific Islander Outreach Director during Clinton’s 2016 campaign, and as deputy director of the White House Initiative on AAPIs during the Obama administration.

He also recently served as Senior Advisor to the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), the largest national affiliation to promote the welfare of the approximately four million Filipinos throughout the U.S, after serving as its executive director.

Tengco’s interest in political activism sparked while studying at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he obtained his B.A. in political science.

Growing up, discussions on identity and culture wasn’t something his parents engaged in — an experience not uncommon among second generation Fil-

Ams whose parents encouraged them to focus more on studies.

It was through meeting fellow second generation Fil-Am students who were going through the same struggle of learning about their identity and roots that later fueled his passion for civic engagement, especially in the FilAm community.

“I’ll always remember this quote that I learned in college: No history, No self. Know history, know self,” said Tengco.

On supporting Biden When it comes to supporting Biden, Tengco said Biden’s track record is telling of his commitment to the Fil-Am community.

Biden has publicly courted the Fil-Am community during his campaign, most recently sending out a tweet for Filipino American History Month in which he praised the community for its “immense contributions” to the U.S. and for their service in the military or as frontline workers.

One major accomplishment attributed to the Obama-Biden administration, Tengco said, has been the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which protects immigrants

ANNOUNCEMENT

brought to the U.S. illegally as children from deportation, and gives them work authorization.

Tengco added that Fil-Am representation in political leadership was another area Biden helped amplify in his career.

Some Fil-Am leaders under the Obama-Biden administration include Nani Coloretti, who as deputy secretary of Housing and Urban Development, was the highest-ranking Fil-Am in the administration; and Judge Lorna Schofield who became the first Fil-Am federal judge.

“Vice President Biden wants to continue to build off of that significant progress and make sure that we have diverse, talented individuals in his administration,” said Tengco.

There was also the fact that the Obama-Biden administration made an effort to recognize the contributions of Filipino World War II Veterans, something that Tengco was personally invested in.

“That issue for me as a college student actually was the reason why I got into student organizing.

It was the reason why I got into politics — that issue opened by

Jason Tengco

Contributed photo

eyes to social justice,” said Tengco.

On getting out the vote Tengco has long been an active advocate for voter empowerment, especially in the Fil-Am community.

In an op-ed he wrote for the Asian Journal in July 2019, he highlighted that only 50% of el-

LEGAL NOTICE

ANNOUNCEMENT

Invitation to Bid Soltek Pacific Construction is requesting Bids from certified DVBE, WBE, MBE, SBE, WOSB, SLBE, ELBE and Section 3 Business Subcontractors and Suppliers for ALL TRADES & MATERIALS on the

Project No: S-16013 childreN’S Park imProvemeNtS Bid date – tuesday November 3, 2020 before 2:00 Pm

Assistance is available from Soltek in obtaining necessary equipment, supplies, or materials. Assistance is available from Soltek in obtaining bonding, lines of credit or insurance. Soltek is actively pursuing SLBEELBE subcontractors/vendors for trades including the following divisions: 03-concrete, 04-masonry, 05-metals, 06-synthetic decking, 07-thermal & moisture protection, 08-openings, 09-finishes, 10-specialties, 11-equipment, 12-furnishings, 13-water feature, 22-plumbing, 23-HVAC, 26-electrical, 32-exterior improvements

Bids to be submitted via fax at 619-296-4314 or email at estimating@soltekpacific.com Below is the direct link to view the plans and specs on our website or through planetbids available at no cost:

Ang Celadon sa 9th & Broadway, ay isang 250-unit na pamayanan na matatagpuan sa San diego, ay magbubukas ng waitlist nito sa nobyembre 2, 2020. nag-aalok ang property na ito ng abot-kayang halagang studio, at mga 1br apartment na may mga renta mula $ 619- $ 960 bawat buwan. Ang mga paunang aplikasyon para sa waitlist ay tatanggapin simula Lunes Nobyembre2, 2020 ng 9 AM. Ipapamahagi sa lahat mga paunang aplikasyon simula sa nobyembre 2 sa pamamagitan ng contactless pick-up sa lokasyon ng property, kahilingan sa pamamagitan ng telepono, o kahilingan sa pamamagitan ng email. ang tanggapan ay matatagpuan sa 929 9th ave sa San diego. ang mga oras ng opisina ay lunes at biyernes 9 am-5 pm at martes hanggang Huwebes 10 am-5 pm. ang tanggapan ay sarado sa publiko sa panahon ng covId-19. Kasama sa mga amenities ay isang community room na may kusina, lugar na paglalaba, air-conditioning at propesyonal na pamamahala sa lugar. para sa karagdagang impormasyon tumawag sa amin sa 619-955-8814. nalalapat ang kita at iba pang mga paghihigpit. bukas para sa Seksyon 8 . eHo.

https://soltekpacific.app.box.com/s/bmkwbasso6ls68phh4kvimb7h91fuylc https:// www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=24128&BidID=76552 Sd#0004

Contact: Jason Aviles javiles@soltekpacific.com Phone: (619) 296-6247 Fax: (619) 296-4314 By submitting a bid, the Subcontractor represents that it has reviewed the standard subcontract and consents to its use without modification and agrees to execute SPC’s standard AGC subcontract with SPC’s standard Attachment A thru N if awarded by SPC. Any listing of Subcontractor pursuant to Public Contract Code Section 4100 et seq. is expressly contingent upon Subcontractors’ acceptance to

SD#0002

LEGAL NOTICE CASE NUMBER: 37-2020-00032333-CU-PTCTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner CAMILO ANDRES GARCIA VALENCIA filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: CAMILO ANDRES GARCIA VALENCIA to CAMILO YUNG. 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 12/01/2020 8:30 AM, Dept. C61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. C-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 16, 2020 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Lorna Alksne Judge of the Superior Court AJ 675 OCT. 30, NOV. 6, 13, 20, 2020 AJSD 675

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2020-9016669 Triple L located at 901 Plaza Boulevard, National City, CA 91950. Registrant: Leah M. Ollman, 1041 Alberta Place, San Diego, CA 92103. And Lissa Goldman, 17 Shir Hashirim, Elkana, Israel 44814. This business is conducted by General Partnership. REGISTRANT HAS BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE ABOVED NAME AS OF 10/15/1986. Signature Leah M. Ollman. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 10/07/20. AJ 668 10/16/20, 10/23/20, 10/30/20, and 11/06/20.

AJSD 668

igible Fil-Am voters exercised their right to vote in the 2016 election.

“The AAPI community is extremely diverse,” said Tengco.

“We represent over 50 ethnicities. We speak over a hundred different languages and we are not monolithic. We are different across communities, and this

campaign gets that.”

In his op-ed, he urged Fil-Ams to pay close attention to what the candidates were saying on issues like immigration, which affects Fil-Ams. He wrote that more than 300,000 Filipinos in the Philippines were hoping to be reunited with relatives in the U.S. Another estimated 310,000 Filipinos in the U.S. are undocumented, including 5,000 who benefited from the DACA program.

With Election Day coming soon on Tuesday, November 3, Tengco joins others in encouraging people to exercise their right to vote.

“It’s so important to be able to elect a president who not only knows what he’s doing, but also knows how to make sure that we can leverage the resources of the federal government to really protect our communities,” said Tengco.

In support of Biden, Tengco added: “He has this real commitment to making sure that workers have the resources, the essential services, and the protective equipment that they need. That is something that impacts Filipino Americans — Filipino nurses and health care workers and our own Kababayan.”

LEGAL NOTICE CASE NUMBER: 37-2020-00005726-CU-PT-CTL TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner ROLANDO RUVALCABA ARIAS filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: ROLANDO RUVALCABA ARIAS to ROLANDO RUVALCABA. 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 11/16/2020 8:30 AM, Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. C-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: SEPT. 23, 2020 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT DANIEL F. LINK Judge of the Superior Court AJ 672 OCT. 23, 30, NOV. 06, 13 /2020

CASE NUMBER: 37-2020-00032107-CU-PT-CTL TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner KATIE HICKEY ON BEHALF OF CHILD MINOR TALLIS WALDERS filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: TALLIS ELIZABETH WALDERS to TALLIS ELIZABETH HICKEY WALDERS. 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 11/02/2020 8:30 AM, Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. C-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: SEPT. 23, 2020.

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Lorna Alksne Judge of the Superior Court AJ673 OCT. 23, 30, NOV. 06, 13/2020

AJSD 672

AJSD 673

CASE NUMBER: 37-2020-00035460-CU-PT-CTL

CASE NUMBER: 37-2020-00037634-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner ANITA MARTINEZ filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: ANITA MARTINEZ to CACHO ALLEEN ESCOBAR MARTINEZ. 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 11/19/2020 8:30 AM, Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. C-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. 06, 2020 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Lorna Alksne Judge of the Superior Court AJ 671 OCT. 23, 30, NOV. 06, 13 /2020

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner SHERIELAINE LAYSON EDQUILANG filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: SHERIELAINE LAYSON EDQUILANG to SHERIELAINE EDQUILANG ADVIENTO. 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 12/02/2020 8:30 AM, Dept. C-61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. C-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. 19, 2020 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Lorna Alksne Judge of the Superior Court AJ 674 OCT. 30, 2020, Nov. 6, 13, and 20, 2020.

AJSD 671

AJSD 674

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2020-9016598

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2020-9016520

BABE’S BEAUTY CO. located at 3041 F STREET UNIT B, SAN DIEGO, CA 92102. Registrant: DESIREE BABE GONZALES, 3041 F STREET UNIT B, SAN DIEGO, CA 92102.

This business is conducted by INDIVIDUAL. REGISTRANT HAS NOT YET BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME ABOVE. Signature DESIREE BABE GONZALES. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 10/07/2020.

AJ 669 10/16/20, 10/23/20, 10/30/20, 11/06/20.

Farmdale Independent lIvIng FacIlIty located at 7217 Farmdale Street, San dIego, ca 92114. registrant: annabelle SIngSon QuIntoS, 7217 Farmdale Street, San dIego, ca 92114. this business is conducted as Individual. regIStrant HaS begun to tranSact buSIneSS under tHe aboved name aS oF 09/01/2020. Signature leaH m. ollman. Statement filed with recorder/county clerk of San diego county on 10/02/20. aJ 670 10/23/20, 10/30/20, 11/06/20, and 11/13/20.

AJSD 669

aJSd 670

(818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 • http://www.asianjournal.com

Majority of Filipinos believe...

PAGE 5 t lagic country vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. It is subject to frequent flooding, cyclones, sea level rise and drought.

From 2000 to 2019, it experienced 304 disasters, which range from geophysical, hydrological and meteorological events, according to a report of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Scientific evidence suggests that certain areas of the world will experience an increase in flooding and storm events as a result of climate change. The warming of the world’s temperatures is also expected to increase the risk of droughts.

To prepare for natural disaster, 53% said they had undertaken some form of preparedness activities in the past five years. These include participating in training programs and evacuation drills, storing emergency food and supplies, tying ropes on their homes, preparing emergency kits and monitoring weather updates.

“Previous experience with disasters, education level and health status are all important associations that increase the odds

of participation in disaster preparedness activities,” the study read.

Findings of the study also suggested that adaptation to climate change and disaster preparedness are “inherently associated and potentially mutually reinforcing.”

“Policies and programs would arguably benefit from a more unified intervention framework that links climate change adaptation and disaster preparedness,” it said.

Awareness, perception Sixty percent of the respondents said they had not heard of and did not feel well informed about climate change, showing a low level of public awareness about the issue among Filipinos.

Only 12% felt “extremely well-informed,” while the rest were “somewhat informed.”

The Bicol region, one of the most disaster-prone areas in the country due to its location, had the highest percentage of people who never heard of climate change at 38%.

The HHI research also found that nearly half (47%) of the respondents believed that climate

change was due to both natural and human factors. For 32% of the respondents, it was solely due to human activity, while 20% thought it was purely due to natural processes.

Among the top consequences of climate change for Filipinos include increase in temperature (46%), shifting of seasons (42%), heavier rains (23%), more variability in weather patterns (21%), more intense tropical cyclones (13%), more frequent cyclones (7%), more frequent flooding (6%) and delayed onset of the rainy season (4%).

They also reported that deforestation (21%), increased poverty (13%), poor waste disposal (12%), increased population (11%) and worse infrastructure (5%) as the factors contributing to heightening the impact of disasters.

The UN-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded in its 2018 report that global carbon dioxide emission must drop 45% by 2030 and reach “net zero” by 2050 to cap temperature rise at 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Manila signs ordinance prohibiting...

PAGE 5 t in a statement. International rights monitor Human Rights Watch said the arrests during the Pride rally only showed why the 20 were right to oppose the controversial bill, “which would make it much easier for police to arrest critics of the government.”

Despite calls for him to take action, the Manila City chief executive stayed mum as the Pride 20 spent days in police custody.

“Dito sa Maynila, walang mahirap, walang middle class walang mayaman. Walang bakla, walang tomboy, walang lalake, walang babae. Lahat ay mama-

mayan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, sa Maynila pantay pantay,” Domagoso said.

(Here in Manila, there is no poor or middle class or rich.

There is no gay, tomboy, male or female. All of us are citizens of the City of Manila, and in Manila we are all equal.)

Prop 16 is racist and kills...

PAGE 6 t One may start with good intentions, but how about the successor? Can we count on them to be truly fair with no bias?

Outdated designations What if you were of mixed race, say half black and Latino (common in our multicultural melting pot)? Which race do you identify with? Which race would be worth more likability or intersectionality points? Which race is most favorable at a given time, for the best outcome to get into college or a job? I sympathize with the young adult who grows up thinking their race is inferior and would undermine

their future opportunities. What a terrible message to send to a child, causing emotional issues that would distract them from achievement.

Simplicity will actually foster higher quality and less racism I’m not just Asian. I’m Chinese and Filipino, but that nuance is missed by shallow surveys. As a society, we were already moving in a direction of color-blindness, but this now regresses us from that progress, while simultaneously suffering the effects of diminished quality of professionals in key industries because we didn’t choose the best of the best. We instead picked top pro-

fessionals based on race or gender and maybe in the process, lost the cure for cancer? Merit is the only true equalizer. ***

Marc Ang is a Southern California community leader, currently serving as the president of community organizations Asian Industry B2B, People Encouraging People and Chinese American Citizens Alliance (Orange County). He is also Director of Outreach for Californians For Equal Rights, dedicated to the fight against systemic racism, specifically, ACA5, now Proposition 16 on November’s ballot. His events have drawn thousands of attendees from all walks of life, in the areas of promoting veterans, the autism community, anti-human trafficking, health and wellness and business advocacy.

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2020

9

10

SAN DIEGO

OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2020 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

JOURNAL

10

O C TO B E R 3 0, 2 0 2 0

Comic-Con Museum celebrates Fil-Am creators in the arts B

by RITCHEL MENDIOLA / AJPress

EFORE films can be created, there is a key part of the pre-production process that requires planning out scenes: storyboarding.

Think blueprints, except it’s a sequence of drawings that covers the major shots, angles, and actions of a film. A storyboard essentially conveys how the story will flow, what will happen in a particular scene, and acts as a guide in producing the final work.

For the Filipino American History Month, the Comic-Con Museum in San Diego coordinated with Los Angeles-based non-profit Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) to invite an online panel of emerging and veteran Filipino American storyboard artists who were all excited to share their experiences with storyboarding: • Ian Abando, a storyboard artist who worked on popular animated films such as “Despicable Me 2,” and “Minions”; • Gabby Capili, who works at Walt Disney animation studios and has created a series of animated shorts called “All My Friends” as well as an interactive short called “Dennis the Dinosaur”; • Jay Oliva, an executive producer, director, and showrunner for several animated series as well as the founder and CEO of Lex and Otis animation studio.

He directed “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns” 1 and 2, and worked as a storyboard artist for live-action films such as “Man of Steel”; • Bobby Rubio, a storyboard artist who made his directorial debut with the Pixar animated short “Float”, which features CGI Filipino characters; and • Josie Trinidad, who served as a storyboard artist on “Tangled” and “The Princess and The Frog,” as well as head of story for “Wreck It Ralph 2.”

“As a storyboard artist, usually we’re the first person to actually plan out the shots. The director

will have ideas, but they bring in a storyboard artist and they basically plot out everything from the choreography, the camera move, the acting. We draw it all out and then we run it by the director,” said Oliva.

“We’re kind of like the unsung heroes of the films because we’re pretty much the first directors to kind of give the story life after the writer has basically written the script,” he added.

Origin story For the panelists, becoming a storyboard artist was never the dream. It was more of a slow burn love affair developed through their many experiences.

“I wanted to be a comic book artist,” Rubio shared. “I went to Comic-Con every year in San Diego growing up.”

In line with his dream, Rubio went to study at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and started an animation program. He got an internship at Disney as an animator and got to work in the show Treasure Planet.

“After Treasure Planet, 2D (animation) kind of went away so I had to go another route,” he said.

“Disney helped me out and I went to story internship. From there, I got a job at Avatar: The Last Airbender at Nickelodeon — that was amazing and then I started to love storyboarding and I wanted to pursue that even more. And then Pixar eventually called, so I went to Pixar,” he

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Josie Trinidad, head of story for “Ralph Breaks the Internet.”

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Animation Studios

Ian Abando

added.

Abando, who wanted to be a comic book artist as well, admitted to hating storyboarding at first.

“In my last year in (CalArts), I teamed up with some people and we worked on a short together and that’s when I fell backwards into storyboarding.

I filled the role in the team because they needed an illustrator at the time and I hated it,” he said.

But after getting a job offer on the first season of “Adven-

ture Time” in Cartoon Network, Abando slowly realized that this is where he’s supposed to be.

“I think the more that I got into it, I realized that, even when I go to museums and look at art, I feel like I’ve always been drawn to sequential art.

I couldn’t explain why I liked movies, but I think I was more drawn to storytelling than I was (with) the brunt work of design, and I just followed that path and here I am,” he said.

Trinidad, meanwhile, grew up wanting to become a Disney animator. However, getting a job was rough for her.

“For a while, I thought I might become a lawyer and take the LSAT because I couldn’t find a job, but thankfully, (at) the last minute, I was able to get a job drawing the toy art on packaging so I did that for a few years,” she said.

“And then (I got) an internship at Disney — a story internship, which is one of the best ways to get your foot in the door,” she added.

Trinidad recounted how she felt intimidated at first, especially as the only other woman in a story department of about 40.

She admitted feeling unsure, wondering to herself if she really belonged there, but learned to push through despite all doubts and worked hard.

“I worked hard and I made sure that when I board sequences, I really connected with the material and put myself into them, and it worked! I ended up working on my first film at Disney with Ron and John, who did ‘The Little Mermaid.’ They were my heroes, and then they gave me my first film at Disney, ‘The Princess and The Frog,’ and I’ve been there ever since,” she said.

Capili, after switching majors twice, discovered that she wanted to be in animation.

“I ended up moving to France to learn to draw and then applying to CalArts,” she said.

However, she still had a hard time deciding which path to take on while studying.

“In my fourth year, I figured out that I like making comics. I like writing. Storyboard artists do both of those things, but just on a film essentially, so that’s how I settled into it,” said Capili.

For Oliva, on the other hand, he never even wanted to become an animator.

“I vaguely thought of the idea of going into animation when I first saw the making of Empire Strikes Back, like the stop motion, and I was like this is amazing. And then I realized how tedious it was, so I thought, no, I don’t want to do that,” he said.

“So anyways, I was in college and I took all the communication arts classes because I loved film but I never wanted to be in film because I hated being in front of [the] camera.

There was a class that was for animation and here’s the thing, I never wanted to be an animator.

Never. Because making a duck walk or doing cloth animation was like the last thing I wanted to do. But I (still) took the class,” he added.

Jay Oliva

Bobby Rubio

It was in his animation class that he was discovered — by the director of the Spiderman animated series, no less. He was offered a job after the director saw his storyboards and came in as a storyboard revisionist.

“As a revisionist, you basically fix storyboards. The storyboard artist turns it in and you have to fix it before it ships overseas to be animated, so you’re the last line of defense,” Oliva explained.

It took him a while, but with the help of his director, Oliva realized the mechanics of storyboarding.

“What happened was, I was riding a bike. At some point, my brain clicked and I realized whenever Spiderman was in trouble: downshot. Whenever the hobgoblin is like, I have you now, Spiderman: upshot. I realized that there was a language to film, there’s a language to the shot that was kinda decoded. I never realized that, and so from that point on, I became a sponge,” he said.

“I think in about six months since I became a storyboard artist, I did my first storyboard for the show. They liked it, and then the following year, I was hired as a board artist at Sony,” he added.

A field of never-ending learning According to Trinidad, the best thing about storyboarding is that it’s a collaborative effort.

“It’s way more satisfying to be able to work in a room of people and throw out ideas. I love that we laugh a lot in the story room.

We get to know each other really well and these folks become your best friends. You work really closely with directors and writers and editors and you get to see the different parts of the filmmaking process,” she said.

“At the end of the day, it’s very fun and very collaborative and you feel like there’s an immense amount of pride,” she added.

Oliva echoed this sentiment, adding that with storyboarding, the experience was always different.

“Animation is not a one-person thing. You’re collaborating with so many talented people

and everybody’s so generous and nice and very willing to share and help you out,” he said.

“Storyboarding is hard and I hate it. I die a little with every storyboard that I do because I literally put so much into it that I think I lose a little bit of my life.

But on the flipside, everyday is different. Even though I’m storyboarding a fight sequence, it’s always different,” Oliva added.

He stressed that storyboarding is a constant learning experience.

“The thing with storyboarding, it’s a learning process.

You’re always learning. You’re always a student, and you never feel like you’ve mastered it. And the idea is that, for me, even though I’ve been doing this for about 25 years now, I still feel like I’m learning new stuff.

There’s still stuff that I see from everybody that I’m like, that’s really cool. That, to me, is what makes storyboarding so gratifying,” Oliva said.

Abando agreed, saying, “Storyboarding and filmmaking is very difficult. I like that it’s a never-ending challenge you’re never supposed to master.”

Fil-Am representation Last year, Rubio made a splash after releasing “Float,” an animated short about a father who tries to keep his infant son’s special ability to float a secret. It was a monumental event in that it broke new ground as the first Pixar work to feature Filipino American animated characters.

“It’s great that ‘Float’ got out there, doing well and representing Filipino American community. I get so proud of it because I get messages from people who are finally seeing themselves up there. They send me pictures of their family members and themselves, and they see themselves up there represented on the screen, super excited and proud of that moment,” Rubio said.

“I know all of us in this panel want to push forward with more Filipino American representation. I feel like we’re coming up and our stories are coming out there. ‘Float’ is the start of something great and that’s awesome. I’m super proud of that,” he added.

u PAGE 11

(818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 • http://www.asianjournal.com

Benjie on the vital need for sensitivity in effective comedy

by Iza Iglesias ManilaTimes.net

PRIOR to joining Philippine showbiz, Benjie Paras had an illustrious career as a professional basketball player for 14 long years. Hard court fans should know he is the only athlete to ever win both Philippine Basketball Association’s Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors in a single season (1989).

But with his classic wit on and off court, Paras received invitations to star in numerous local films and television shows even before retiring in 2003.

Thirty years since entering showbiz, Paras indeed experienced a lot of changes in the industry, most especially when it comes to his expertise, the comedy scene. According to him, there are many topics that were once considered funny, but may now be considered offensive.

“Hindi na kasi katulad ng dati na may tinatawag na ‘dark comedy.’ Doon pwede ka magbanggit lagi ng kung ano-ano, pwede mong lokohin yung mga kasarian ng ibang tao. Ngayon kasi hindi na pwede eh,” Paras told The Manila Times.

This lesson helped him to continue his very own horror-comedy show which he originally conceptualized, a first for his career, “Ghost Adventures 2.” Premiering on October 31 in TV5, the first installment of the show first aired in 2019 through

Veteran comedian Benjie Paras GMA photo

Viva Entertainment’s Sari-Sari channel.

“Before taping, may script kami and then tinitignan namin kung may parts na makakaoffend kami ng viewers kapag binanggit namin yung isang topic. Tapos pag-aaralan. Pero kung hindi naman, itututloy lang namin para makapagpasaya,” Paras elaborated.

In “Ghost Adventures 2,” famous Ghost Whisperer Par Jack (Paras) opens his new business, the Day Scare Center to help the dead’s soul peacefully cross over to the afterlife. But aside from helping dead souls, he also has a mission to look for

Features

his dead wife’s soul, whom he believes has become a lost soul.

Helping Par Jack at the Day Scare Center are his two reliable sidekicks Nik (Pio Balbuena), who is responsible for the Ghost Clients, and Bur (Billy Villeta), who handles the Living Clients.

Also joining them are Empoy Marquez, Andrew Muhlach, Madz Red and Kylie Verzosa.

On the inspiration in creating this show, Paras enthused, “Noong bata pa lang ako mahilig na ako sa mga palabas na may combination na nakakatawa at horror. So naisip ko bakit hindi gumawa ng isang show na at least pang bata at para sa lahat.”

“Yung mga napapanood ko dati ay yung human being able to talk to a ghost tapos kapag nagkaproblema, paano niya maitatawid. Nakita ko rin kay Jennifer Love Hewitt yung ‘Ghost Whisperer’ isa na rin yun sa inspiration. So naisip ko yun pero gagawing comedy, very light. Kasi kung gaga­wing seryoso, baka naman matakot yung iba, lalo na mga bata,” he added.

According to the 52-year-old comedian, he is excited to offer this show he conceptualized on free TV. “Ang goal namin ay magpasaya ng mga tao. Sigurado kami na yung sitwasyon natin ngayon na instead na bumigat ang pakiramdam nila, kahit papaano gumaan at mapapatawa namin sila,” he ended.

Nadine Lustre dares to be vulnerable in ‘Wildest Dreams’ by

Christina Alpad ManilaTimes.net

NADINE Lustre is not the person to rest on her laurels.

While she has already captivated her fans with a string of hit TV series and movies, she always strives to do something more for them — be it giving all out performances on stage to creating her own makeup line, or raising the often trivialized mental health issues that need to be acknowledged and so much more.

And this year — during a very

tumultuous time for everyone — the soon to be 26-year-old (her birthday falls on Saturday, October 31) has come up with another “more” for her loyal fans — a brand new album titled “Wildest Dreams,” which she completed during the lockdown.

Granted this is not Lustre’s first album in the technical sense, there are nonetheless many significant firsts in Wildest Dreams. The album, set to be released on her birthday, is the multi-talented celebrity’s first full album since releasing her eponymous EP in 2014.

Additionally, Wildest Dreams is one of the first major projects Lustre has pursued since she took on reigns of her own career, and broke away from her former management company. More notably, this is her first full album under Careless Music, the record label which her longtime screen partner and ex-boyfriend James Reid co-founded.

But perhaps among these many firsts, Wildest Dreams is the first album which Lustre says fully embodies who she is

u PAGE 12

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2020

11

Coleen welcomed her first child with husband Billy Crawford last September. Her dad, Jose, introduced his daughter Alison Louise on Facebook last October 20.

Photo from Instagram/@coleen

Coleen in awe of having son and baby sister at the same time by

Niña V. Guno Inquirer.net

COLEEN Garcia may be a first-time mom, but there is more than one baby in her family.

In her Instagram post on Thursday, October 29, she proudly showed her baby sis-

ter alongside her own infant son Amari, and expressed awe at the fact that both she and her dad were raising babies together.

Coleen welcomed her first child with husband Billy Crawford last September. Her dad, Jose, introduced his daughter Alison Louise on Facebook last

Oct. 20.

The actress revealed that she knew she would have another sibling from her father through a message from God. “Around March of last year, during worship at @favor. church, I was in tears after God so clearly told me that my Dad

u PAGE 12

Comic-Con Museum celebrates...

PAGE 10 t In recent years, audiences saw great strides in Hollywood attempting to represent marginalized communities in both film and television, but there is always room for more improvement and inclusivity.

Oliva, for one, shared he is currently working on “Trese,” an upcoming anime series on Netflix, based on the comic books by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo. It tells the story of Alexandra Trese, who protects Manila from threats of the supernatural kind such as tikbalang and kapre.

“Doing this series, it was more like a love letter to the stories my parents told me. Because this was about Filipino mythology and folklore,” Oliva said.

According to him, Rubio’s “Float” opened the doors for more opportunities to represent and celebrate Filipino stories on a global platform.

“So we’ve got a Filipino story set in Manila. The characters all look Filipino, and Bobby (Rubio) paved the way with his short to kind of let Netflix see, hey you know what there’s a lot of interest in Filipino stories and I gotta say, this makes me the most proud,” Oliva said.

The online panel was put together by Davey Patacsil, manager of membership programs at Comic-Con Museum, and Christine Pasalo Norland, member of the programming department at Comic-Con Museum. It was moderated by Erwin Magbanua, the principal librarian of Chula Vista Public Library.

Further engagement Though the pandemic has altered live events — including the popular Comic-Con International which was held in a virtual version this year — it has also allowed for more engagement with viewers who are not physically present in San Diego and to get a jumpstart on its online

programming.

The upcoming Comic-Con Museum, which is slated to open next summer in Balboa Park’s South Palisades area, is a way to continue the connection to pop culture throughout the year and to highlight artists and contributors who “represent a wide range of cultural, racial and ethnic diversity,” Melissa Peterman, vice president of development at the Comic-Con Museum, told the Asian Journal.

“That includes, of course, the nation’s Filipino American population, which has strong ties in the San Diego area and in many other communities across the nation,” she said, as reflected in the month’s programming and the release of “fun books” each week. One of the books with Fil-Am creators, included Ruth Ilano, Ramon Gil, Len Peralta, and Gabby Capilih, who exhibited their creative styles in drawing activity, a cut-out card game, puzzle, and Word Play.

12

OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2020 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

How married life has expedited ‘adulting’ for Sarah Geronimo

Despite lingering pandemic fears, Tinseltown’s Popstar Royalty no longer afraid to make mistakes by

Rito P. Asilo Inquirer.net

DOES Sarah Geronimo prefer a baby girl when she and hubby Matteo Guidicelli finally decide to start raising kids of their own? Sarah’s answer to this question seemed to suggest so during our recent online chat with Viva’s prized possession.

It’s easy to glean insights into the 32-year-old Popstar Royalty’s closely guarded private world when you talk to her with her defenses down, thanks to the virtual platform that keeps any cordon sanitaire at bay.

This we pleasantly realized when we accepted an invitation from the no-frills, no-gimmicks PR team of Virtusio International handling the coveted virtual event for Manulife, one of the singer-actress’ carefully handpicked endorsements.

As a screen moppet, Sarah acted in episodes of “Penpen de Sarapen” and “Ang TV” even before she reached grade school age. Then, she appeared as one of the feisty kids in “Sarah …

Ang Munting Prinsesa” at age 7 before she won the TV singing tilt “Star for a Night” at 14.

Knowing how she began working at a very young age, it was fascinating to see Sarah’s nurturing instinct instantly kick in when we asked her if she would encourage her future kids to pursue a career in the

performing arts.

“Iniisip ko po lahat ’yan … araw-araw (laughs),” she admitted to Inquirer Entertainment.

“Paano kaya kung nagkaroon na ako ng mga anak? How do I raise them well? Because as a parent, you’re responsible for molding their beliefs and helping shape character. How do I balance giving in to what they want but, at the same time, making sure that it is what’s best for them?

“Show biz may not be something I’d encourage them to pursue, but if ‘she’ decides what she wants to do and says to me, ‘Ma, gusto ko ring maging singer, dancer and actor,’ I will definitely support my kid.”

At this point, Sarah began talking about the fleeting nature of time and the opportunities she missed as a result of working at a very young age.

“Gusto kong unahin n’ya muna ang pag-aaral. Nakikita ko kasi minsan ang mga pamangkin ko, and I go, ‘Ay, matatanda na pala sila—20plus na. They’ve all grown up, ang bilis ng panahon,’” Sarah, who’s the third of four siblings, mused. “Sandali lang ’yung time na mag-aaral ka. Then, after that, you can do whatever you want in life—mag-motocross, play the piano, whatever—sige, gawin mo. But it’s important to get a degree first.”

That’s why Sarah said it

Sarah Geornimo with husband Matteo Guidicelli

Photo from Instagram/@matteog

wasn’t hard for her to rally behind Manulife’s “enabling people to live every day better” edict. She explained, “Now that I’m married, unti-unti ko na kasing natututunan lahat— how to handle my finances, take care of my own money and invest it somewhere, with the help of my husband. We’re learning together and it’s a continuous learning process. Kasi, hindi dahil may edad ka na, alam mo na ang lahat.

“Married life has expedited ‘adulting’ for me. I had to learn how to handle a budget and decide where to invest my savings. Kasi ang mama ko is the kind of mother who would do everything for her kids para hindi na sila maistorbo. Ganun s’ya ka-loving sa mga anak nya.”

The lockdown was particularly crucial to Sarah’s learning curve. “Eto, buhay pa naman ako. I’m still sane (laughs),” she quipped when asked how the long lockdown played out for her. “Maraming struggles ang dinulot ng pandemic. To some, physically, but for many people, the difficulty was mental and emotional. That’s why I’m thankful that all my loved ones are OK. What we’re going through right now is a reminder that life is too short.

“I work from home most of the time these days, so na-enjoy ko ang pagkain lately. But I’m very lucky that my partner in life has a very active lifestyle, which helps keep my weight in check. Malaki ang influence n’ya sa akin to stay fit and eat healthy.”

She has also discovered exciting things about herself, Sarah disclosed. “There are many changes in my life … new discoveries about myself that make me go, ‘Ah, ganito pala ako.’

Like, I never thought I’d ever learn to cook my own food.”

Sarah’s special dishes include kare-kare (“The shortcut version, but it’s delicious,’ she pointed out) and pinakbet.

“They say that baking is hard, pero kinakaya, even the precision of measured ingredients,” she added. “When I forget an in-

u PAGE 13

Ivana Alawi

Photo from Instagram/@ivanaalawi

Ivana opens up about sexual harassment experiences

by Jan Milo Severo Philstar.com

KAPAMILYA actress Ivana Alawi recalled her experience as a harassment victim, saying that women should always be respected no matter what they wear.

During the recent virtual press conference of her upcoming horror film “Sitsit,” Ivana said she experienced many harassment encounters before when she used to work as a model in events.

“I’ve experienced this before, when I worked in events, when I used to do modeling,” Ivana said.

“I’ve experienced so many harassment. Not just catcalling. I’ve experienced people touching my body without permission. This is not right.

Doon ako palagi sa tama,” she added.

The so-called new “Pantasya ng Bayan” said that everyone should be respected.

“Respect people, kahit babae ‘yan, lalaki ‘yan. We need to be respected. No matter kung ano ‘yung suot, dapat niri-respeto

mo,” she said.

“Especially mga babae, they deserve to be respected and they deserve to be loved. Women are very strong, women bring life to this world. Dapat niri-respeto sila.”

Ivana stars alongside Paulo Avelino and Jake Cuenca in the movie “Sitsit” to be available on iWant TFC on October 31.

Jake and Ivana’s desire for money and sex will corrupt their minds and summon evil into their lives in the back-toback horror flicks for the movie series “Sitsit,” streaming on iWant TFC on October 31.

“Sitsit” presents two different stories in “Scorpio” and “Aswang” about people who, out of desperation to escape their misery and turn things around, take the easy way out and end up attracting evil elements that will manipulate them and could tarnish their souls completely.

In “Scorpio,” named after the Zodiac sign, Jake and Dido Dela Paz portray Danny, a lustful aging photographer who fears living a lonely life with no one to love. To get the woman

he loves and is obsessed with, he takes a mysterious potion that will turn him into a young handsome man to win her heart.

“Aswang,” on the other hand, follows a money-hungry prostitute named Joyce (Ivana) who is desperate to escape her life after being used and abused by different people. One day, she meets Nala, a stray dog who becomes her companion for life and ends up turning all her insecurities and worries into life-changing opportunities.

In Filipino myths, the word “sitsit” or “pssst” signifies a calling of an individual or object that is usually accompanied by a bad omen when one responds to such call. The two horror flicks, however, provide a darker twist and a modern take on Filipino folklore elements “aswang” and “gayuma,” as the characters summon evil spirits due to their selfish desires.

“Scorpio” is directed by Ato Bautista, while “Aswang” is directed by Erin Pascual. Actor Paulo Avelino, meanwhile, co-produced “Aswang.”

Coleen in awe of having son and...

PAGE 11 t was gonna have another child, and that he was going to be given a new beginning,” she said.

“I felt Him say that things were gonna get crazy—in a good way, [of course]. Don’t know how to explain it, but it was so clear, specific, and out of the blue.”

She said it came as a surprise because her father, Jose Garcia, had been single for 15 years “and was always the most cynical person when it came to his personal life.”

When she told her dad about it, she said he refused to “believe or accept it.”

But then events happened according to what she heard of

God’s plan. “Months after, he met the woman he ended up marrying, which was already a miracle on its own,” she said.

“Never would have imagined that my Dad and I would be raising our babies at the same time!” Coleen gushed. “But God’s just awesome like that.

Way-maker, miracle worker, promise keeper.”

Nadine Lustre dares to be...

PAGE 11 t and the kind of music she wants to share with the world.

How so? Well, Lustre penned several songs in the album herself — a gift she only recently tried using again.

“A lot of people don’t know this, but I’ve been so insecure about my writing. I tried writing songs a couple of years back, when I was younger and I wasn’t successful so I kind of closed that book, put it aside and told myself that I’m not going to touch that book again,” she shared at the media launch of her album.

She further revealed that while the lockdown ultimately led to the album’s completion, she and her producers at Careless Music have been conceptualizing Wildest Dreams since September 2019.

Asked if she had doubts about the project along the way, Lustre replied, “Yes, because I haven’t done this before. I always doubted my writing but then, I’m very blessed because the Careless guys [Reid and co-founder Bret Jackson] were always there to support me and push me to right direction.”

The artist even admitted that the beginnings of her songwriting process for the album was one of the toughest times she experienced.

“It was really hard for me to just to express myself through emotions because I was just so used to keeping everything in and not showing vulnerability,” the often-misunderstood personality elaborated. “But I guess something inside of me realized that in showing vulnerability, maybe I can inspire people and let them know that I also go through a lot of things — self-doubt, judgment, and fear — like everyone else. I want to inspire and help people so I had to put that in.”

Wild dreamer

The 26-year-old is ready to reveal her ‘truest’ self as a recording artist.

Photo from Instagram/@nadine

Despite all the challenges she has publicly endured in her young life, the fighter eventually overcame her writer’s block and is now excited to release her music.

In an exclusive interview with this section’s online show, “The Manila Times CSI: Celebrity, Style, Inspiration”— which premieres tonight at 8 p.m. across The Manila Times’ digital platforms — Lustre was able to share where she got the inspiration for her album.

“I dream vividly so every time I wake up, I always remember my dreams, I always write them down,” she revealed, adding she believes dreams are messages from every human’s higher- and inner-self or the unconscious mind.

“I believe it’s them telling us you have these things that you don’t want to think about, but while you’re sleeping, we will give you that and remind you of these things.”

She also remembered a special hiking trip where she finally decided on the title of the album and its carrier single, which readers can find out from watching tonight’s show.

When “TMT CSI” asked Lustre why it took some time for her to finally “own” her music, she freely opened up, “Music has always been there… It’s just that, in my career, I was doing other things. There was no space or chance for me to show everyone who I really am as a person and as an artist kasi I always have to portray these roles and be a certain person. But for my music, all I have to do is really be myself and show everyone what I’m going through.”

To be sure, the public will get to know more about the real Nadine Lustre through her album, and she guarantees that. Her aura today certainly shows how music has set her free — her thoughts, emotions and unfiltered personality, in song.

(818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 • http://www.asianjournal.com

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2020

Filipina American artists show ‘love of LA’ with new digital gallery

by

Christina M. Oriel AJPress

THOUGH museums, art galleries and performance venues remain closed for now, that hasn’t dampened the creative spirit in Los Angeles.

To spotlight the artist community, which has been largely affected by the pandemic, The Music Center in Downtown LA recently launched “For The Love of LA,” a virtual art series featuring over 35 artists posted every Tuesday over a 13-week period. Whether photography, painting, dance or music, each artist employs an art form to illustrate the vastness and diversity of the city at this moment.

“We created The Music Center’s ‘For the Love of LA’ as a way to shine a light on the resiliency and creativity of artists across our region. To do that, we partnered with local arts and cultural leaders to serve as guest curators who selected the artists featured in the series,” Daniel Soto, program manager of programming and community engagement at The Music Center, told the Asian Journal.

With the greater LA area home to over 600,000 Filipino Americans, it was important for the performing arts center to include artistic representatives from the community. The series includes three Filipina American artists — Valerie J. Bower, Christine Hipolito and Anna Luisa Petrisko — curated by Jennelyn Tumalad.

“As a civic institution, it’s our duty to serve the residents of Los Angeles County through the arts, and part of that means amplifying the voices of those who make up our community,” Soto said, adding, “In working with our brilliant guest curator Jennelyn Tumalad, we talked about the power of seeing oneself reflected in the world through art, and what it means for The Music Center to highlight the work of three Filipina American artists. Petrisko, Bower and Hipolito use different strategies and mediums in their work and together they reveal how varied and complex the Filipino American community is.”

As guest curator for the series, Tumalad wanted to challenge viewers to experience and engage with the artists’ pieces beyond looking at them from a distance through a computer or phone screen.

“I figured what people are experiencing right now is: fear for what’s next, loneliness from this pandemic, uncertainty, and a desire to feel seen and connected. The best way I could think to get people to feel a sense of joy, inspiration, and connection was to curate from the heart,” Tumalad, an arts program producer and educator, told the Asian Journal. “As I mention in my curatorial statement, Los Angeles really represents a time and place where I felt seen and empowered as a Filipina American.”

The three artists’ works were unveiled throughout October in

line with the observance of Filipino American History Month.

Valerie J. Bower — “We Are Essential (Mahalaga Tayo)” When thinking of the ‘essential’ workers in the Fil-Am community, one automatically thinks of its contributions to the health care field. However, the immigration history of Filipinos to the U.S. since the early 20th century shows that Filipinos have also been an integral part in the food and agriculture industry, and the West Coast labor movement. The vital workers of today still include the farmworkers, grocery store attendants, restaurant servers, and food distributors who ensure that the community has food on their tables and is nourished.

In “We Are Essential” (Mahalaga Tayo), a 92-page zine of black and white photos, photographer Valerie J. Bower pays homage to the history of Filipinos in essential food work — from the manong generation in Delano, California to the last remaining Filipino farming community in Orosi to volunteers delivering warm meals and groceries to families in need. She also captures the action inside markets selling food staples and items that help the diaspora stay connected to the culture and homeland.

“When I include all of these images acknowledging the past, in addition to the current Filipino food workers, I’m trying to say that ‘We’ve been here, even if you haven’t noticed,’” Bower told the Asian Journal. “No matter where we are in the world, there is a need to keep our culture alive through language, traditions, and especially food.

In shooting my project, I realized how vital these workers are in order to have our foods from the homeland. With these familiar products, recipes, and fruits and vegetables of the Philippines, we’re able to maintain a sense of identity and cultural heritage.”

Christine Hipolito — “Desire Portals” Artist Christine Hipolito infuses her Filipina identity with mediums, such as painting, sculpture and graphic art. For “Desire Portals,” Hipolito presents 14 drawings with prompts that invite the viewer to download and share them. They include a dream cultivation and a joy offering — small forms of self-care and introspection in a world of chaos.

“The themes for the prompts are ideas that I’ve thought about the most this year. I see a couple of the prompts as tiny spells for self-care. The Dream Cultivation prompt, for example, is a shortened spin-off of a spell that I remember reading about and I wanted to share that because it feels accessible and tender,” Hipolito said in an interview with Tumalad.

For the multifaceted artist, for the love of LA means embracing how art and expression are weaved into daily life.

“For the Love of L.A. is about

How married life has...

PAGE 12 t gredient, I just try again hanggang maka-tsamba. Then, I get even more encouraged to up the ante.”

Matt keeps Sarah company in her more “domesticated” endeavors. “As for baking, I started with bread,” she recalled.

“Pero ‘yung isang bread na pinatikim ko kay Matt, naluwa pa n’ya sa tigas (laughs). So, inulit ko hanggang lasang tinapay na s’ya—from texture to taste. I also learned to make cakes and even Korean-style cream cheese in garlic bread—ang sarap! Never kong naisip na kakayanin kong mag-bake ng masarap na cake.

At ako pa ang umuubos (laughs).”

Even when there are challenges to hurdle, Sarah says she appreciates the kind of life she has.

“Mas ginaganahan ako sa buhay, mas masarap bumangon sa umaga. Before all this, I used to get up at 11 a.m. Now, I wake up at 5:30 or 6 a.m. to bake. ’Pag sinipag ako, I run with my husband. O, ’di ba (laughs)?

“I’ve also learned not to take things for granted. I’m thankful for the gift of life and the opportunities that come my way, kasi we tend to think na, ‘OK lang, nandyan lang naman ’yang mga ’yan.’

“But you look at things differently when you see people you know lose jobs at hirap na hirap sa buhay. You become even more grateful for what you have … more contented kung anong meron ka, regardless of the trials that come. The coronavirus has connected all of us in a lot of ways.”

Black and white photos from Valerie Bower’s “We Are Essential” series shows how Filipino Americans are integral in the food and agriculture industries.

Photos courtesy of Valerie Bower

13

Multidisciplinary artist Christine Hipolito

Photographer Valerie Bower

Anna Luisa Petrisko contributes a karaoke-inspired video called “Ulit Ulit” to the “For the Love of LA” program.

Photo courtesy of The Music Center

One of the screens from Christine Hipolito’s “Desire Portals” series

Courtesy of The Music Center

celebrating and nurturing our creative communities, and how much art and expression is a critical part of life—and we feel it and see it, especially during times of crisis. I feel that this platform is a vehicle that continues to help artists and creatives thrive, especially within the Angeleno community,” she said.

Anna Luisa Petrisko — “Ulit Ulit” Pre-pandemic, karaoke and

the outward display of musical talent are normal activities at large family gatherings.

For this series, Petrisko, a multidisciplinary artist, recorded a music video for “Ulit Ulit,” a take on the disco and karaoke culture she grew up around.

With a saturated tropical background, Petrisko sings as the lyrics, which she co-wrote with her mom, are displayed at the bottom of the screen. Sister

verbs like love, touch, listen, call and punish!” Petrisko said in an interview with Tumalad.

Also on The Music Center’s website, Petrisko shares a “Mahalaga” playlist of Tagalog songs from the 70s to today. She recommends a meditation before listening.

“For The Love of LA” is available on The Music Center’s website (musiccenter.orgg) or on Instagram @MusicCenterLA.

Santos (Oscar Miguel Santos) provides the instrumental track and is seen playing the guitar in the video.

“It’s very special because this project has been part of a larger personal mission of mine to learn Tagalog and to spend more time with my elders.

Making ‘Ulit Ulit’ became this embodied way of doing both of those things, meanwhile having fun and learning some essential

14

OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2020 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

CerarMist, Helping Communities Create SafeZones

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

Trick or... Treat Yourself to a Week of Free Apple Fritters, Blueberry Muffins and Cinnamon Rolls

McDonald’s keeps the sweets coming post-Halloween, offering new McCafé Bakery items for free with coffee purchase from Nov. 3 - Nov. 9

Pastor Steve Richardson Good News Church Long Beach, CA

Pastor Jock Lewis Christian Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church Los Angeles, CA

Call Today 1-800-871-0980

or visit www.CerarMistOne.com info@CerarMistOne.com MON - SAT 9:00AM - 6:00PM

HALLOWEEN has always been a day to treat yourself... but let’s be honest. The way 2020’s been going, one day isn’t enough. In fact, at the very least, we think this year calls for a full week of treats after the holiday. That’s why we’re giving away our new Apple Fritters, Blueberry Muffins and Cinnamon Rolls for free* with purchase at participating McDonald‘s nationwide from Nov. 3 through Nov. 9.

To get in on this spellbinding deal, simply purchase a McCafé Premium Roast Coffee or Iced Coffee – any size, at any time of day on the McDonald’s App. No tricks here… just sweets to pair with our beloved coffee, which always includes milk and creamer options made with real dairy from dairy farmers in the U.S. Since you deserve more than one moment to revel in the free bakery goodness, you can redeem the offer once per day, every day of the week! That’s right – whether you’re declaring it an Apple Fritter Friday, a Cinnamon Roll Saturday or a Blueberry Muffin Monday – we’ve got you covered.

The new trio is available all day nationwide starting today, marking the first new baked goods to join our core U.S. menu in over eight years. These additions give customers more ways to experience the breakfast they love at McDonald’s, building upon our 50-year legacy of innovation with iconic fan-favorites such as the Egg McMuffin®, Breakfast Burritos and McGriddles®.

So, upgrade from Halloween leftovers and satisfy those sweet cravings by opening your McDonald’s App, selecting your favorite McCafé coffee and letting us

treat you. Offer is redeemable in restaurants or at the Drive Thru, exclusively with the deal in the App. *Offer valid 1x/day 11/03/20 through 11/09/20 at participating McDonald’s. McD App download and registration required.

McDonald’s USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to nearly 25 million customers every day. Ninety-five percent of McDonald’s 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women.

McCafé coffees, including lattes, cappuccinos and mochas, were added to the U.S. national menu in 2009 and quickly expanded to include blended-ice frappés and smoothies as well as limit-

ed-time seasonal offerings.

Since 2017, we’ve evolved the McCafé menu to offer delicious options more than ever before, including espresso beverages, like Americanos and bakery items, such as our pies, cookies and limited-time Donut Sticks.

We’ve also made McCafé more convenient and accessible, introducing McDelivery, Mobile Order & Pay, and McCafé in grocery stores.

In 2019, a renewed commitment to McCafé features refreshed branding to celebrate ten years of giving customers the cup of goodness they deserve.

For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter @McDonalds and Facebook www.facebook.com/McDonaldsUS/.

(Advertising Supplement)

(818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588 • http://www.asianjournal.com

SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL • OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2020

15

16

OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 5, 2020 • SAN DIEGO ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (619) 474-0588

SEAFOOD CITY FPFC