October 31-November 2, 2018 Volume 28 - No. 85 • 3 Sections - 20 Pages
Trump declares he can end birthright citizenship through executive order AAPI leaders respond to proposal at odds with the 14th Amendment which guarantees “equal protection of the laws” by KLARIZE
MEDENILLA AJPress
UNITED States President Donald Trump on Tuesday, October 30 announced that he is preparing to issue an executive order that would eliminate birthright citizenship in the U.S., a concept that is widely interpreted as a
constitutional guarantee. In an exclusive interview with Axios, the president falsely claimed that, “for 85 years,” the U.S. is “the only country in the world where a person comes in and has a baby, and that baby is essentially a citizen of the United States...with all the benefits.” But 38 other countries do grant
birthright citizenship, including Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and many other countries in the American continents. Trump’s announcement a week before the midterm election was met with intense pushback from both sides of the aisle. CAYETANO’S BIRTHDAY. President Rodrigo Duterte and People’s Republic of China State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi exchange pleasantries House Speaker Paul Ryan (R- during the thanksgiving dinner and 48th birthday celebration of Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano held at the Marco Polo Hotel in
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USA
FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo congratulates Teodoro Locsin Jr. WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called new Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Thursday, October 25 to congratulate him on assuming his new post. Locsin was previously the PhilipU.S. Secretary of State Mike pine representaPompeo Photo from State.gov tive to the United Nations. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said Pompeo reaffirmed the longstanding U.S.-Philippine alliance and recognized the Philippines’ important role in the Indo-Pacific region. They discussed ongoing efforts to address regional issues such as the South China Sea, North Korea and counterterrorism. (Jose Katigbak/Philstar.com)
Malacañang photo by Robinson Niñal
Fil-Am mail bomb suspect reportedly kept list of over 100 potential targets
DATELINE Election rundown: Midterms 2018 edition A BARRAGE of texts from unknown numbers letting you know about a candidate or asking if you support a certain cause. Piles of glossy campaign ads lauding the promise of lowering taxes. News articles of the latest polls filling up your social media timelines. Election season is in full swing, and the 2018 midterm elections on Nov. 6 are shaping up to be one of the most critical elections in American history. On the right, Republicans are putting in their last-ditch efforts to secure and maintain majority in Congress in order for their agenda to have traction. On the left, Democrats are looking to unseat many Republican Senate and House seats to gain majority in at least one of the chambers. Historically, the midterm election turnout has not been great to put it lightly. The 2014 midterms saw an abysmal voter turnout at 36.4 percent national participation; young
Davao City on Sunday, October 28, 2018.
Sayoc makes first court appearance
by RAE
Cesar Sayoc Jr., the suspect who mailed the bombs to various Democratic officials last week. Photo courtesy of the Broward County Sheriff
ANN VARONA AJPress
CESAR Sayoc, the man suspected of sending at least 15 potentially explosive devices to high profile Democrats and Trump critics, had a list of over 100 potential targets, according to recent reports. The reports came as the 56-year-old half-Filipino, half-Italian U.S. citizen
appeared in federal court in Florida for the first time on Monday, October 29 where he was ordered held without bail after being arrested by FBI last Friday, October 26. Sayoc faces five federal charges— interstate transportation of an explosive, illegal mailing of explosives, threats against former presidents, threatening interstate communica-
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Barely a week after reopening, litter found on Boracay beach by NATHALIE
ROBLES
AJPress
THREE days after its reopening, Boracay island once again faced problems as visitors flocked the world-famous destination. Piles of trash were seen along its coastline while businesses and establishments were fined for violating environmental laws. Tourists and locals witnessed the improper trash disposal seen on the newly-rehabilitated island, which had been closed for the past six months. A report from The Philippine Daily Inquirer stated that first-time Russian visitors were dismayed by a pile of uncollected trash they saw on the roadside of D’Mall Plaza at
The bureau is being put in the hot seat after former commissioner Isidro Lapeña admitted magnetic lifters seized by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in August may have contained at least P6.8 billion worth in shabu. Philstar.com photo
Duterte orders military takeover of Customs by NATHALIE
ROBLES
AJPress
Island visitors walk through the temporary port set up by the Boracay Inter-agency Task Force. PNA photo by Jay Rome Pablo
Barangay Balagbag. Aside from that, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has yet to enforce
a ban on single-use plastics on the said island. Stores and restaurants still contain their food and drinks
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte announced the takeover of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on the Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Sunday, October 28, days after he fired BOC officials and executives. “They will be replaced, all of them, by military men. It will be a takeover of the Armed Forces in the matter of operating in the meantime while we are sorting out how to effectively meet the challenges of corruption in this country,” Duterte said as reported by The Manila Times. The president noted that he was forced to make the decision due to the corruption rampant in the department. He revealed his decision during the birthday celebration and thanksgiving party of former Department
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Mayor Garcetti joins Fil-Am leaders for Fil-Am History Month celebration by CHRISTINA
M. ORIEL
AJPress
LOS ANGELES — With October as Filipino-American History Month, Fil-Am communities across the United States have marked the past four weeks with various celebrations. Considered the home of the largest concentration of Filipinos outside of the Philippines, the greater LA area hosted several events this month, from a festiLos Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti visits the Philippine Consulate office on Friday, val highlighting Filipino food to a October 26 during a celebration for Filipino-American History Month hosted by speaker panel of Fil-Am personthe LA-Makati Sister City organization. AJPress photo by Ding Carreon alities inside City Hall.
Together with the LA-Makati Sister City, the Philippine Consulate hosted a reception with Mayor Eric Garcetti on Friday, October 26, marking the first time any sitting LA mayor has stepped foot inside the Consulate. “To be the first mayor in the Consulate, this is a moment of history and I’m so honored...to be a part of writing this history,” Garcetti said. Over 600,000 Filipinos are said to be living in the greater LA area, as of the last Census. “I look at Los Angeles not just as a diverse city...I often say, this
is a very Filipino city. To know Los Angeles, you have to know Filipino culture,” Garcetti remarked. LA-Makati Sister City President Abraham Lim said that the organization hosted the event to “represent the Filipino American community in recognizing and thanking [Garcetti] for his efforts in the founding of Historic Filipinotown.” When he was still a city councilmember in 2002, Garcetti pushed for the creation of Historic Filipinotown. In his remarks,
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