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NOVEMBER 4-10, 2022 Volume 16 - No.2 • 16 Pages

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AS FILIPINO AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH CONCLUDES

DATELINE

USA NYC Mayor Adams, Consul General Cato hoist PH flag

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Shopping for ACA Health insurance? Here’s what’s new this year IT’S fall again, meaning shorter days, cooler temperatures, and open enrollment for Affordable Care Act marketplace insurance — sign-ups begin this week for coverage that starts Jan. 1, 2023. Even though much of the coverage stays the same from year to year, there are a few upcoming changes that consumers should note this fall, especially if they are having trouble buying expensive policies through their employer.

In the past year, the Biden administration and Congress have taken steps — mainly

by MOMAR

G. VISAYA

AJPress

NEW York City Mayor Eric Adams on Friday, Oct. 28 joined Consul General Elmer G. Cato as they raised the Philippine flag for the first time ever at Bowling Green Park along with some leaders of the Filipino American community which celebrates

Filipino American History Month every October.

“I will say this over and over again, people talk about the immigrant population in this country. The immigrant population, we need the immigrant population more than the immigrant population needs us,” Adams said. “For the first time, we’re going to raise the flag of the Philippine community to send

 PAGE 2

‘Paeng’ death toll hits 110

by FRANCIS EARL CUETO

AND

CATHERINE S. VALENTE

ManilaTimes.net

 PAGE 7

U.S. Ambassador MaryKay L. Carlson Photo from U.S. Embassy in the Philippines’ official website

a loud and clear message that we’re going to raise our spirits, we’re going to raise our energy, we’re going to raise the greatness of this city.”

Cato cited the shared history between the Philippines and the United States which started when the first Filipinos landed in Morro Bay along the coast of California

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Consul General Elmer G. Cato of the Philippine Consulate General in New York led the raising of the Philippine flag at the Bowling Green Park on Friday, Oct. 28 to commemorate Filipino American History Month. Deputy Mayor Maria Torres Springer, the highest-ranking Filipino American in the city joined the festivities along with Commissioner Edward Mermelstein of the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs.

AJPress

THE National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Tuesday, Nov. 1 said deaths from Severe Tropical Storm “Paeng” (international name: “Nalgae”) have reached 110, with 101 injured and 33 missing.

A report from the agency said that as of Monday night, Oct. 31, 59 of the confirmed fatalities were from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which suffered massive floods and landslides.

A total of 741,777 families or 2,418,249 individuals from 6,158 barangay (villages) were affected by the storm.

Houses damaged numbered 6,542, of which 5,035 were partly damaged and 1,507 were totally damaged, for a loss of P12,415,000.

US eyes allocating $70 million for EDCA New York State Assembly Educators mull ways of teaching legacy candidate Steven Raga of Filipino WWII vets to US students sites, arms in PH MANILA — The United States is planning to allocate $70 million, or nearly P4 billion, in the next two years to implement the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), a key military deal that would allow Washington to build facilities and preposition assets in some strategically located military bases in the country.

The agreement signed in 2014 — designed to address Chinese aggression in the South China Sea and respond to natural disasters — will finally make some major headway after facing delays during the

 PAGE 4

appeals for more volunteers, donations

by MOMAR

G. VISAYA

AJPress

AS the November 8 polls draw nearer, candidates across the state continue to mobilize their campaigns and work double time to knock on more doors and meet more of their

constituents.

Steven Raga, the Democratic candidate for an Assembly seat, has been feeling the heat lately as his Republican opponent continues to ride on their party’s recent surge as they continue their push to turn

 PAGE 4

FilVetREP Chairman Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba (Ret) introduces the Honorable Erika Moritsugu, Deputy Asst. to President Biden and Senior Liaison for Asian Americans Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders at the Oct. 22, 2022 6th anniversary celebration of the Congressional Gold Medal.

Contributed photo

 PAGE 2

MORE than a dozen teachers educators, administrators and community organizers from across the country convened Oct. 22 in the first-ever “Duty to Country (DTC)” teachers’ conference in Arlington, Virginia, to explore ways of teaching American students the historical contributions of Filipino veterans of World War II.

 PAGE 4

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‘Paeng’ death toll hits...

PAGE 1 The NDRRMC said total damage to infrastructure was P760,361,175 and to agriculture, P1.3 billion with 58,086.852 hectares of crops destroyed.

A total of P50.327,122.52 in government assistance was provided to affected residents.

Severe losses from Paeng in the autonomous region prompted President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday to intensify tree-planting efforts in BARMM as he expressed alarm over massive deforestation in Maguindanao province.

Marcos made the statement after conducting an aerial inspection in Maguindanao, which reeled from flash floods and landslides unleashed by Paeng.

During a situational briefing that he presided over in the province, the President pointed out the need to plant trees to tackle flooding as he acknowledged threats of climate change.

He said areas that were not prone to flooding in the past are now being inundated, while typhoons no longer follow their path as forecast.

“That’s the problem today. Talagang may (There is really) climate change. It’s undeniable,” Marcos said.

“So, we have to include tree-planting in our flood control. Dapat kasama ‘yan. Kung gagastos tayo sa flood control, kailangan may tree-planting (That should be included. If we spend on flood control, there must be treeplanting),” he added.

During the inspection, the President said he noticed that areas badly hit by Paeng were the ones that had been deforested.

“We have been hearing this over and over again, pero patuloy pa rin tayo nagpuputol ng kahoy, ‘yan ang nangyayari nagkaka-landslide

An aerial view of the site of a landslide caused by Severe Tropical Storm ‘Paeng’ last weekend in Datu Odin Sinsuat town, Maguindanao province, on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022. The storm left at least 61 people dead in the province, and 17 remain missing.

Photo from The Office of the

ng ganyan (But we keep on cutting down trees, so landslides happen),” Marcos added.

“Mag-isip tayo ng mabuti doon sa treeplanting. Hindi maliit na bagay yan (Let’s think about that tree-planting. It’s not a small thing). I know people think that it is just for saving the environment. No, it’s to save lives,” he said.

The President earlier raised concern over the high death toll in the province saying, “That seems very high for a flooding incident.”

Latest tally from the NDRRMC indicated that most of the 110 reported fatalities, or 59, were from the Mindanao autonomous region.

In the briefing with the President, Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Bai Mariam Mangudadatu said Paeng left 61 people dead, 40 injured and 17 missing in the province.

On the other hand, BARMM Interior Minister Naguib Sinarimbo said damage to agriculture has reached P211,975,479.

He added that this could still increase as authorities continue to assess the damage from the tropical storm. g

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NYC Mayor Adams, Consul General Cato...

PAGE 1 more than 300 years before the Philippines became an American colony.

Filipinos first arrived here in New York City at the end of the Philippine-American War in the latter part of the 19th century. Most of them were students enrolled at Columbia University and New York University as well as other institutions. Others arrived later through Ellis Island and settled in the city.

They were followed by Filipino veterans returning from wars in Europe and the Pacific.

The Philippines began its diplomatic presence in New York with the establishment of the Consulate General of the Republic of the Philippines in 1946. Today, Filipinos comprise the third-largest Asian American population in the United States with over 4.5 million and in New York City, Filipinos are the fourth-largest Asian ethnic group.

“This is not only an extraordinary testimony to the immigrant success story but also proof of the enduring friendship between Filipinos and Americans. This multifaceted relationship has only deepened and strengthened over the decades, especially here in New York City,” Consul General Cato said. “We have seen the important contribution to New York City of Filipinos, particularly our doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers following the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic in the spring of 2020.”

The program also included a speech from Quimberly Villamer, a nurse who was among the thousands of frontliners as the city battled coronavirus.

“I stand before you today with pain because many of my colleagues will not be able to tell their stories themselves anymore,” Villamer said. “But I also stand before you today with gratitude. I’m immensely grateful for I was able to see the best of humanity in the worst of times.”

A nurse manager for an NYC hospital, Villamer shared heartbreaking stories about devoting five minutes of their schedules to sing to their patients and their families who were FaceTiming with them.

“Imagine a patient on a ventilator getting her dialysis clapping her hand with us. A

patient FaceTiming his family and I see his family dancing from the screen. That was the time when we couldn’t get visitors in the hospital and a bunch of exhausted frontliners were dancing their pain away,” Villamer recalled.

When New York City became the epicenter of the pandemic, Filipino nurses and other medical professionals stayed true to their oath to take care of the sick and the dying, sometimes at expense of their very own lives.

“Today, we honor the 30 Filipino doctors and nurses we lost during the pandemic, as well as other fallen heroes of New York City as we hoist the flags of both the United States of America and the Republic of the Philippines. And we also honor the city that has welcomed, nurtured, and sheltered the Filipino American community through the years,” Consul General Cato said.

Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, the first Filipino American to be a deputy mayor in the City of New York, also delivered a short speech.

“I have always believed, and my Filipino parents believed, and I know generations of strivers and doers and survivors believe that New York City is the purest distillation of the promise of this country as a land of opportunity. And so that is what we celebrate here today,” Torres-Springer said.

Mayor Adams promised that this ceremony will be held annually from now on.

“We’re not going to use this as a onetime event. Every year, we will be here to commemorate this great body of people who represent the greatness of this city,” Adams said, citing the numbers of Filipinos in the city and asking the community to harness this political power “to make sure that your voices are never ignored.”

“Bowling Green’s rich history dates back to the very founding of New York City in the 1600s,” said Arthur Piccolo, president of the Bowling Green Association. “Like so many others, immigrants came to what is now Bowling Green Park in search of a better life.

Among the city officials who joined the flag-raising ceremony were Edward Mermelstein, Commissioner of International Affairs, and Manuel Castro, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigration Affairs. g

Leaders of the Filipino American community joined Mayor Adams and Consul General Cato at the historic raising of the Philippine flag in downtown Manhattan on Friday, Oct. 29 to celebrate Filipino American History Month.

AJPress Photo by Troi Santos

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New York State Assembly US eyes allocating $70 million for... candidate Steven Raga...

PAGE 1 New York red.

Raga has a chance to make history with a win next week and become the highest and only FilipinoAmerican elected to office.

“Recently because of Zeldin picking up steam against Kathy Hochul, there’s a lot of local, more extreme Republicans that are being more vocal being more excited to vote, getting their friends and family to vote, having rallies in the district,” Raga told a handful of local media over the weekend in Queens.

The candidate mentioned Zeldin’s recent campaign event in New York City, particularly in Middle Village in Queens, and Florida governor Ron DeSantis coming to New York to campaign for the Republican candidates.

“This kind of signals that they’re targeting New York to be a possible red state sometime soon,” Raga remarked. “So we want to make sure we push back on every opportunity we can and this is one of them.”

The Democrats are now making their last-ditch efforts as early voting began on Saturday, Oct. 29. Mayor Eric Adams appeared at a campaign rally with Gov. Kathy Hochul in the Democratic stronghold of southeast Queens.

Hillary Clinton headlined a women’s rally for Hochul this week.

While New York is a Democrat state, Raga cited that Republicans have taken control of both the city and state as well.

“It’s happened before, it has happened in recent times. Governor Pataki was a Republican, and when we had Rudolph Giuliani, New York City was one of the bluest states in the country,” he recalled. “It was in a situation where there was a rise in crime, public safety was a priority issue, similar to today. So there’s a big, big chance that that might happen.”

“We need all the resources we can to make sure we have the materials out there and that’s why we’re asking for more volunteers,” Raga added, saying that he continues to raise funds so that the campaign’s in-language materials reach the targeted members of the community.

“We need volunteers for a shift pre-Election Day and especially on election day, because you can see right now if you across the street there’s a poll site and we do not have one volunteer there. And there’s going to be 100 people going there today,” he said. “We want to make sure every vote counts. We need those votes, we need those volunteers to come and sign up.”

And if community members couldn’t volunteer, Raga encourages them to donate anything from $5 or $10, which they can use to provide water and food for the volunteers.

For more information about donating and volunteering, visit ragaforqueens.com and all of their campaign’s social media. g

PAGE 1 administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, who had repeatedly expressed his disdain for the United States since he took office in 2016.

“These improvements are designed to enhance cooperative defense capacities and support humanitarian assistance disaster response activities, in ways that best meet the needs of the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] and the alliance,” US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said in a forum on Wednesday, Oct. 26.

The EDCA, she said, is “another way to operationalize” the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which binds both countries to defend each other in case of an armed attack.

Prepositioned assets and weapons will allow the United States and the Philippines to respond quickly in times of disaster or crisis.

The two treaty allies have recently seen “new energy and revived confidence” under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has been reaffirming ties with Washington, marking a departure from his predecessor who sought favor from China and Russia.

Five locations Acting Defense Secretary Jose Faustino Jr. said they had made “some progress” in three out of five predetermined EDCA sites — Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, which is closest to the Kalayaan Island Group in the West Philippine Sea; Basa Air Base in Pampanga, the home of the Philippine Air Force’s fighter planes; and Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, the country’s largest

NO TO AMERICAN BASES. Activists opposed to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the Philippines and the United States—shown here in a protest march in February 2016—may have a new reason to return to the streets following statements from US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson on Wednesday, October 26, 2022.

File photo by Grig C. Montegrande / Philippine Daily Inquirer

military camp and a frequent location of Philippine-US military exercises.

The other two areas are Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu and Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro City.

Both sides are keen on exploring additional EDCA locations “that will build a more credible posture,” Faustino said.

Counting on U.S. “The EDCA is an important example of how we can come up with implementing details to treaties we have concluded … as well as the prepositioning of materiel that contribute to the AFP modernization to enable greater interoperability, capability, development, and modernization between our defense forces,” Faustino said.

In late September, Faustino met US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Hawaii against the backdrop of tensions in Taiwan and the South China Sea to discuss various ways to step up defense cooperation, including EDCA. In the same forum, Foreign Secretary Enrique

Manalo said the Philippines is counting on the United States “to help support us in upholding our sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea which are based on international law, and also pursue to deescalate tensions while promoting an international law-based order in the region.”

Faustino said that the Philippine-US alliance “makes an important contribution to our efforts to develop our own capability, as well as to regional peace and stability, which is an essential component of the Philippines’ national interest.”

Aside from EDCA, he said they are also prioritizing the conclusion of a General Security of Military Information Agreement, which will establish the terms for the protection of classified military information “with the hope that this will streamline technology transfer for our required capabilities and ultimately improve our interoperability.”

Bilateral talks The Philippines and the United States will also hold a Bilateral Strategic Dialogue, and a “2+2 Dialogue” of senior foreign affairs and defense officials in the months ahead.

“These meetings represent important opportunities to reiterate our shared vision of the alliance and offer a platform to explore ways we can modernize the alliance to confront today’s complex challenges to our regional security interests,” according to Carlson.

EDCA was signed in April 2014 literally hours before then-US President Barack Obama arrived for a visit to Manila.

The constitutionality of EDCA was challenged in the Supreme Court, but it was declared constitutional in 2016 by the high court, which defined it as an executive agreement that seeks to implement existing treaties between the Philippines and the United States to boost defense and security cooperation.

The security pact grants the United States greater access to Philippine military bases, including the construction of facilities and storage of defense supplies.

In January 2019, thenDefense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and thenUS Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim inaugurated a warehouse, the first facility under EDCA, at Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga, to house equipment to be used in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.

—With a report from Inquirer Research (By Frances Mangosing/Inquirer.net)

Educators mull ways of teaching legacy of Filipino WWII...

PAGE 1 Hosted by the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project or FilVetRep, educators and organizers reviewed the organization’s award-winning online exhibit and curriculum and shared ideas on how to improve existing teaching resources and practical ways to adapt these materials for their students.

FilVetREP will be working closely with these educators and teachers in the next 12 months as the project reaches out to school districts in as many states as possible to ensure that this program, which is accessible for free, will be widely used and taught in classrooms.

Education program “FilVetREP’s education program, “Duty to Country – Under One Flag,” is a powerful venue to remind not only ourselves but the next generation, to carry on the legacy of

these brave soldiers and honor their service and sacrifice,” said FilVetREP Chairman Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba.

FilVetREP also celebrated the 6th Anniversary of the Congressional Gold Medal, a historic achievement when Congress honored Filipino and American World War II veterans on Oct. 25, 2017 with this highest civilian award.

Since 2017, FilVetREP has held nearly 100 ceremonies across the U.S., Hawaii and Alaska. Similar ceremonies have also been held in the Philippines.

To date, more than 5,000 veterans have been honored with this medal. On Oct. 22, seven more families received medals on behalf of their deceased fathers and grandfathers.

According to the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), there are only 2,022 Filipino Veterans who are still alive, as of April

8 this year, 236 of whom are over the century mark. Among the longest living veteran in the Washington, D.C. area, Celestino Almeda, died in last April. He was 104.

Repeal of Rescission Act Taguba reiterated that the organization is “committed to repeal the Rescission Act of 1946 – an act of Congress that tarnished the honor of our Filipino World War II veterans and brought pain and sorrow upon their lives and families for over 75 years.”

FilVetREP was formed nine years ago with three goals: to secure the Congressional Gold Medal for the 270,000 veterans who served, to develop an online interactive educational program to preserve their historic legacy, and to repeal the 1946 Rescission Act. “Having accomplished our first goal in 2016, we are currently expanding the education program, Duty to Country. Once this

is completed, we will focus our energies on a national call to action to repeal the Rescission Act,” Taguba said. “We must close this dark chapter in U.S. history and restore the honor and dignity of our heroes who were betrayed

by America’s broken promise.”

In her keynote address at FilVetREP’s 6th anniversary celebration, Erika Moritsugu, Deputy Asst. to President Biden and Senior Liaison for Asian Americans Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, commended FilVetREP for securing the Congressional Gold Medal to honor the service and sacrifice of the 270,000 soldiers who fought under the American flag, and for its continued advocacy on behalf of Filipino World War II veterans.

“We must never forget their courage and grit. We must ensure their stories are not erased from history,” Moritsugu said.

(Inquirer.net)

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OPINION

Days of grief, remembrance

FEATURES

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On these days dedicated to the remembrance of saints and our dearly departed, we pause to join in mourning those for whom the wounds of In several parts of the country, the death toll from Severe Tropical Storm Paeng surged to 98 as of Monday afternoon, October 31, with 63 still missing. Maguindanao bore the brunt of the tragedy, with at least 53 dead mostly from landslides triggered by incessant rains since Thursday night, October 27.

COVID-19 also continues its relentless march, sickening and still killing people. As of Oct. 30, the rapidly mutating coronavirus has infected four million people in the Philippines and killed 64,033, with over 50,000 of the deaths recorded since the start of 2021. Many families have yet to get over their bereavement. Worldwide, COVID-19 has infected 630 million people as of Oct. 30 and killed 6.59 million.

Elsewhere in the world, South Koreans are in shock and grieving over the deaths of 154 mostly young people in a freak crush of crowds along a sloping narrow alley in the capital Seoul last Saturday night, October 29.

The revelers were celebrating Halloween for the first time in the popular Itaewon district after two years of COVID restrictions.

A day later, Sunday night, October 30 in the Indian state of Gujarat, a newly reopened suspension bridge collapsed from the weight of a crowd of about 400 celebrating the Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals. The revelers plunged into the river 33 feet below, leaving at least 132 people dead.

Only last Oct. 6, a police lieutenant colonel dismissed last year for drug abuse stormed a childcare center in northeast Thailand and shot and slashed people with a knife, killing 35 people including 23 children. He then went home where he killed his wife and child before turning the gun on himself.

And on Oct. 1 in Indonesia, over 130 people died during a stampede amid a football match in a stadium. Probers said the deaths were caused by the tear gas fired by police breaking up a riot among supporters of rival teams.

Over in Ukraine, the Russian invasion

Editorial

ManilaTimes.net photo

that began on Feb. 24 has claimed the lives of tens of thousands on both sides, many of them Ukrainian civilians, since February. The economic hardships and impoverishment arising from the conflict are compounding global misery.

In the Philippines, thousands of families have yet to get over their grief as they yearn for justice in the deaths of their loved ones

slain in the brutal war on drugs waged by the Duterte administration. Mourning also continues for the many others for whom justice remains elusive – activists, journalists, legal professionals, environmental warriors slain in connection with their work.

In these days of saints and souls, we pray that the dead might yet rest in peace, and their families will find closure. (Philstar.com)

Providing an on-the-ground perspective

Babe’s Eye View BABE ROMUALDEZ A GROUP of journalists from Manila are here to take part in a reporting tour program organized by the Philippine embassy in Washington, DC to highlight the work that the embassy and posts are doing in accordance with

our foreign policy pillars, and to elevate the economic profile of the Philippines. On many occasions, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has stressed that he wants to boost the economic aspect of the relationship between the two nations.

A core objective of the 2022 media reporting program is to give the participating journalists – who come from broadcast,

online and print news outfits including The Philippine STAR – an onthe-ground perspective on the dynamics that underpin the relationship between the Philippines and the United States.

This is actually the second iteration of this oneof-a-kind program that we started in November 2019, which allowed journalists to engage not only with

officials from the Philippine embassy but key figures from various government agencies such as the State Department and the Pentagon. Interviews with American think-tanks and key members of the FilipinoAmerican community were also arranged, with the activities also allowing the journalists to build networks that served as reliable sources of information and,

more importantly, helped deepen their knowledge on the issues that impact relations between the longtime allies.

Our friends from the State Department and the Pentagon were appreciative of the outcome of the program in 2019 which was very successful. We would have wanted to make the reporting tour a yearly activity, but the COVID-19

pandemic interrupted our plans, which is why we’re happy that the situation has eased, allowing us to arrange the continuation of the program this year, which we have expanded to cover not only defense and security but foreign policy, trade, tourism and, of course, the people-topeople ties which underpin the relationship. Supporting PAGE 10

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.

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Dateline PhiliPPines

DOH on alert for possible disease outbreaks Disaster responsive 2023 by mayen Jaymalin Philstar.com

MANILA — The Department of Health (DOH) is on heightened alert for possible outbreaks of water and food-borne diseases in areas devastated by Tropical Storm Paeng.

DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said all DOH units were placed on heightened surveillance against possible outbreaks of waterborne and foodborne illnesses as well as influenzalike illnesses.

“With the help of our local government, we will ensure that health services are unhampered and that our health care facilities are always ready to provide services to patients seeking care,” Vergeire said in mixed English and Filipino.

The DOH previously mobilized over P31 million worth of drugs and medical supplies to regions affected

by Paeng.

Over P72.8 million worth of medical commodities are also on standby for mobilization if necessary, Vergeire said.

“Before the storm made landfall the DOH already made preparations because we know many will be affected by Paeng, so millions worth of resources and other commodities were pre-positioned for easy deployment for those in need,” she noted.

Vergeire said the DOH also deployed human resources for health (HRH) to 633 evacuation centers nationwide to ensure the continued provision of essential health care services in typhoon-affected areas.

The HRH is tasked with the conduct of screening and triage of evacuees in evacuation centers, as well

as the provision of health, nutrition, medical and psychosocial services.

Rapid health assessments have also been conducted to assess the condition of affected populations.

DOH regional hospitals have been placed on high alert to prepare for immediate deployment or augmentation, as well as to anticipate possible increases in hospital admissions.

All health facilities, including cold chain facilities and equipment, have been placed under close monitoring to ensure continued operations and all health emergency management teams and health emergency personnel in affected areas have also been deployed to actively monitor, report and respond to incidents in their respective areas of responsibility. g

national budget eyed

by Paolo

RomeRo Philstar.com

MANILA — The Senate will review and “readjust” some provisions of the proposed P5.268-trillion national budget to make it more responsive to disasters, as the chamber prepares its plenary deliberations on the appropriations measure upon the resumption of Congress session on Nov. 7, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said.

The Senate finance committee, chaired

by Sen. Sonny Angara, endorsed for plenary approval the proposed budget before Congress went into recess last month.

Senators are expected to hold marathon deliberations on the General Appropriations Bill with the aim of passing it before the end of the month.

“With the recent earthquake in Abra and now Paeng, our 2023 budget will definitely have to be reconsidered, reviewed and adjusted – not only for the rehabilitation of affected communities, but also to strengthen the capacity of the NDRRMC and related agencies and local governments,” Zubiri said in a statement, referring to the National Disaster

Risk Reduction and Management Council.

“We need to fix our fragmented disaster management efforts and adopt a whole-ofgovernment approach going forward,” he said.

Speaker Martin Romualdez also said he is open to adjustments in the budget for the same reason. “We will do everything in our power to help our kababayans recover from this disaster once again,” Romualdez said in a statement.

The Marcos administration is asking for P31 billion in calamity funds to be administered by the NDRRMC. Zubiri said the Senate is organizing relief operations across the country and that he himself would be in Mindanao, which was hardest hit and where most of the casualties were reported.

Zubiri also expressed support for the NDRRMC’s recommendation to declare a national state of calamity to allow the national and local governments access to calamity funds.

Romualdez, meanwhile, said he has asked appropriations committee chairman Rep. Zaldy Co (Ako Bicol party-list) to make a comprehensive assessment of the damage PAGE 7

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 4-10, 2022

Marcos visits father’s tomb on All Saints’ Day

by Catherine

S. Valente ManilaTimes.net

PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. visited the tomb of his father on All Saint’s Day, when millions of Filipinos flock to the tombs of their loved ones.

The President shared photos of him attending the mass for the late president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City on Tuesday, November 1.

Aside from the President,

his mother former First Lady Imelda Marcos, other members of the Marcos family, and other relatives also attended the Mass.

The President has proclaimed October 31 as a special nonworking holiday so that Filipinos will have a longer weekend to visit their dead and spend more time be with their families.

In his message for All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day on Monday, Oct. 31 the President called om Filipinos not only to remember their dead, but also heal their

hearts and renew their faith as the country recovers from the pandemic.

He described All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day as important Christian holidays that celebrate the lives of heroes of the Christian faith and the memories left by departed loved ones, adding, “both remind us to strive, live Christ-centered lives, and fulfill our life’s purpose until we meet our Creator.”

“The pandemic of recent years forced us to come to terms with our mortality. It taught us to number our days

as we realize the uncertainty of our time on Earth. It made us contemplate what it truly means to live a meaningful life and to die free of regrets and at peace with oneself,” Marcos said.

“As we gain momentum toward complete recovery, I pray that our efforts to remember the saints and our late loved ones will bring healing to our hearts.

May it likewise reinforce the foundations of our faith and compel us to live with genuine love and compassion in all of our days,” he added. g

Shopping for ACA Health insurance...

PAGE 1 related to premiums and subsidies — that will affect 2023 coverage.

Meanwhile, confusion caused by court decisions may trigger questions about coverage for preventive care or for abortion services.

Open enrollment for people who buy health insurance through the marketplaces begins Nov. 1 and, in most states, lasts through Jan. 15. To get coverage that begins Jan. 1, enrollment usually must occur by Dec. 15.

Many people who get coverage through their jobs also must select a plan at this time of year. And their decisions could be affected by new ACA rules.

So, what’s new, and what should you know if you’re shopping? Here are five things to keep in mind.

1. Some families who did not qualify for ACA subsidies now do One big change is that some families who were barred from getting federal subsidies to help them purchase ACA coverage may now qualify.

A rule recently finalized by the Treasury Department was designed to address what has long been termed the “family glitch.” The change expands the number of families with job-based insurance who can choose to forgo their coverage at work and qualify for subsidies to get an ACA plan instead.

The White House estimates that this adjustment could help about 1 million people gain coverage or get more affordable insurance.

Before, employees could qualify for a subsidy for marketplace insurance only if the cost of their employer-based coverage was considered unaffordable based on a threshold set each year by the IRS. But that determination took into account only how much a worker would pay for insurance for himself or herself. The cost of adding family members to the plan was not part of the calculation, and family coverage is often far more expensive than employee-only coverage. The families of employees who fall into the “glitch,” either go uninsured or pay more through their jobs for coverage than they might if they were able to get an ACA subsidy.

Now, the rules say eligibility for the subsidy must also consider the cost of

family coverage.

“For the first time, a lot of families will have a real choice between an offer of employer-sponsored coverage and a marketplace plan with subsidies,” said Sabrina Corlette, a researcher and codirector at Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms.

Workers will now be able to get marketplace subsidies if their share of the premium for their job-based coverage exceeds 9.12% of their expected 2023 income.

Now, two calculations will occur: the cost of the employee-only coverage as a percentage of the worker’s income and the cost of adding family members. In some cases, the worker may decide to remain on the employer plan because his or her payment toward coverage falls below the affordability threshold, but the family members will be able to get a subsidized ACA plan.

Previous legislative efforts to resolve the family glitch failed, and the Biden administration’s use of regulation to fix it is controversial. The move might ultimately be challenged in court. Still, the rules are in place for 2023, and experts, including Corlette, said families who could benefit should go ahead and enroll.

“It will take a while for all that to get resolved,” she said, adding that it is unlikely there would be any decision in time to affect policies for 2023.

An Urban Institute analysis published last year estimated that the net savings per family might be about $400 per person and that the cost to the federal government for new subsidies would be $2.6 billion a year. Not every family would save money by making the change, so experts say people should weigh the benefits and potential costs.

2. Preventative care will still be covered without a copay, but abortion coverage will vary Many people with insurance are happy when they go in for a cancer screening, or seek other preventive care, and find they don’t have to pay anything out-ofpocket. That comes from a provision in the ACA that bars cost sharing for a range of preventive services, including certain tests, vaccines, and drugs. But a September ruling by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Texas led to confusion

about what might be covered next year.

The judge declared unconstitutional one method the government uses to determine some of the preventive treatments that are covered without patient cost sharing.

Ultimately, that might mean patients will have to start paying a share of the cost of cancer screenings or drugs that prevent the transmission of HIV. The judge has yet to rule on how many people the case will affect. But, for now, the ruling applies only to the employers and individuals who brought the lawsuit.

So, don’t worry. Your no-cost screening mammogram or colonoscopy is still nocost. The ruling is likely to be appealed, and no decision is expected before the start of the 2023 coverage year.

The other court decision that has raised questions is the Supreme Court ruling that overturned the constitutional right to an abortion. Even before that decision was announced in June, coverage of abortion services in insurance plans varied by plan and by state.

Now it’s even more complicated as more states move to ban or restrict abortion.

State insurance rules vary.

Twenty-six states restrict abortion coverage in ACA marketplace plans, while seven states require it as a benefit in both ACA plans and employer plans purchased from insurers, according to KFF. Those states are California, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New York, Oregon, and Washington.

Employees and policyholders can check insurance plan documents for information about covered benefits, including abortion services.

3. Premiums are going up, but that may not affect most people on ACA plans Health insurers are raising premium rates for both ACA plans and employer coverage. But most people who get subsidies for ACA coverage won’t feel that pinch.

That’s because the subsidies are tied to the cost of the second-cheapest “silver” plan offered in a marketplace.

(Marketplace plans are offered in colored “tiers,” based on how much they potentially cost policyholders outPAGE 8

7

Aerial photos on October 30, 2022 show houses in Tuguegarao City submerged in muddy floodwaters after #PaengPH dumped heavy rains in the area.

Photos courtesy of Mark Genesis Abella / Smarter Multimedia Services

Disaster responsive...

PAGE 6 and destruction wrought by Paeng to “aid us in reviewing possible adjustments in budget allocation for repair and rehabilitation of affected areas under the proposed 2023 General Appropriations Act.” The House has already passed the proposed budget for next year on third and final reading.

Rep. Janette Garin (Iloilo), for her part, reminded government that two to three more cyclones are expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility this month and two more in December.

While the country has available funds for national disasters, these should be “used accordingly,” Garin, deputy majority leader, said.

“There really is a sense of urgency, that is why power has to be restored and so are potable water and access roads but we need to be vigilant about interpreting needs versus wants,” she said.

“We should be very careful and judicious in utilizing our funds because we all know that using these funds will not be limited to Paeng alone.

There is also the threat of eruption of Mt. Mayon whose alert level has been raised to Alert Level 2. So is Taal volcano,” she added.

“And we also have to remember the recent earthquake that took place in Abra,” Garin said.

Price freeze Meanwhile, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is reminding business establishments that a price freeze on basic necessities is currently in effect in areas under a state of calamity due to Tropical Storm Paeng.

In a Viber message to reporters on Monday, October 31, Trade Undersecretary Carol Sanchez said a price freeze is in effect in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Albay and Picgcawayan, Cotabato.

“We will continue to monitor and provide feedback on possible concerns,”

Sanchez said.

“The DTI is closely coordinating with the Office of the Civil Defense on the declarations of state of calamity,” Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said.

“Automatic price freeze shall apply to basic necessities. Establishments found violating the price freeze may be subjected to administrative cases and fines,” he added.

Pascual said DTI monitoring teams in affected regions and provinces were checking supermarkets and grocery stores to ensure availability of supply and stability of prices.

“We also encourage consumers to be vigilant and report any violation or incident of overpricing or hoarding,” Pascual added.

Under Republic Act No. 7581, or the Price Act, as amended, prices of basic necessities are automatically frozen for 60 days in areas placed under a state of calamity.

The DTI monitors basic necessities under its purview such as canned fish, locally manufactured instant noodles, bottled water, bread, processed milk, coffee, candles, laundry soap, detergent and salt.

Other agencies implementing the Price Act ensure price stability and availability of supply of products under their jurisdiction.

The Department of Agriculture is in charge of rice, corn, cooking oil, fresh, dried and other marine products, fresh eggs, fresh pork, beef and poultry meat, fresh milk, fresh vegetables, root crops, sugar and fresh fruits while the Department of Health takes care of drugs classified as essential.

Owners of business establishments found violating the Price Act face imprisonment of one to 10 years or a fine ranging from P5,000 to P1 million, or both.

The price freeze shall be automatically lifted on their end date unless sooner lifted by the President. g

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NOVEMBER 4-10, 2022 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

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Group questions Shopping for ACA Health insurance... suggestions for next admin to continue ‘bloody’ drug war MANILA — Suggestions for the next administration to continue the war on drugs despite a “damning” report from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) heaped criticisms from a rights group, saying that the anti-drug campaign has been bloody and deadly.

In a statement on Tuesday, November 1, Karapatan called out outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte for suggesting to President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. the continuation of the drug war, which was supposedly made in some of the meetings between the two leaders.

Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay claimed that the drug war only pushes for more killings and even more impunity.

“Despite the CHR’s damning report indicting the Duterte administration for failing to protect human

rights in the sham and bloody drug war, Duterte wants the incoming Marcos-Duterte administration to continue this murderous campaign,” Palabay said.

“Without doubt, this only means more killings and even more impunity,” she added.

Palabay was referring to the CHR report released midMay, where the Commission said that the administration’s drug war only encouraged impunity and failed to protect the people’s rights.

CHR remained firm on its assertions that there were many instances when law enforcers used excessive force and showed an intent to kill drug war suspects, citing that police have been using the “nanlaban” tag too much, or claims that suspects fought it out with the police.

As of April 30, the so-called Real Numbers on the drug PAGE 10

PAGE 7 of-pocket.) As those baseline silver plans increase in cost, the subsidies also rise, offsetting all or most of the premium increases. Still, shop around, experts advise. Switching plans might prove cost-effective.

As for subsidies, passage this summer of the Inflation Reduction Act guaranteed that the enhanced subsidies that many Americans have received under legislation tied to the covid-19 pandemic will remain in place.

People who earn up to 150% of the federal poverty level — $20,385 for an individual and $27,465 for a couple — can get an ACA plan with no monthly premium. Consumers who earn up to 400% of the federal poverty level — $54,360 for an individual and $73,240 for a couple — get sliding scale subsidies to help offset premium costs. People with incomes more than 400% are required to pay no more than 8.5% of their household income toward premiums.

For those with job-based insurance, employers generally set the amount workers must pay toward their coverage. Some employers may pass along rising costs by increasing the amounts taken out of paychecks to go toward premiums, setting higher deductibles, or changing health care benefits. But anyone whose share of their job-based coverage is expected to exceed 9.12% of their income can

check to see whether they qualify for a subsidized ACA plan.

4. Debts to insurers or the IRS won’t stop coverage Thank covid for this. Typically, people who get subsidies to buy ACA plans must prove to the government on their next tax filing that they received the correct subsidy, based on the income they actually received. If they fail to reconcile that with the IRS, policyholders would lose eligibility for the subsidy the next time they enroll. But, because of ongoing covid-related problems in processing returns at the IRS, those consumers will get another reprieve, continuing an effort set in place for the tax year 2020 by the American Rescue Plan Act. Also, insurers can no longer deny coverage to people or employers who owe past-due premiums for previous coverage, said Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow at KFF. This follows a reexamination of a wide variety of Medicare and ACA rules prompted by an April executive order from President Joe Biden.

“If people fell behind on their 2022 premiums, they nevertheless must be allowed to reenroll in 2023,” Pollitz said.

“And when they make the first-month premium payment to activate coverage, the insurer must apply that payment to their January 2023 premium.”

5. Comparison shopping will likely be easier

Although ACA plans have always been required to cover a wide range of services and offer similar benefits, variation still existed in the amounts that patients paid for office visits and other out-of-pocket costs. Starting during this year’s open enrollment, new rules aimed at making comparison easier take effect.

Under the rules, all ACA health insurers must offer a set of plans with specific, standardized benefits. The standard plans will, for example, have the same deductibles, copays, and other costsharing requirements. They will also offer more coverage before a patient has to start paying toward a deductible.

Some states, such as California, already required similar standardization, but the new rules apply nationally to health plans sold on the federal marketplace, healthcare.gov. Any insurer offering a nonstandard plan on the marketplace must now also offer the standardized plans as well.

Under a different set of rules, starting Jan. 1, all health insurers must make available cost-comparison tools online or over the phone that can help patients predict their costs for 500 “shoppable services,” such as repairs to a knee joint, a colonoscopy, a chest X-ray, or childbirth. (Julie Appleby/Kaiser Health News) This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation. g

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 4-10, 2022

9

Pahrump Balloon Festival expected to attract thousands

By REALTOR FELY QUITEVIS-BATEMAN

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

The three-day event is expected to attract thousands, according to an article in the Pahrump Valley Times, where, aside from the

hot-air balloons, attendees can partake of food and beverages from vendors, buy merchandise, indulge in family-friendly games, participate in karaoke and listen to music, and look at classic cars, among other things.

This year is different as Doug Dubin of Dubin Family LLC and Doug Campbell of

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

With a motto of “Come

Russ Bateman and Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman had a great three weeks in the Philippines where the Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman (seated, extreme right) couple also attended meetings at the famed Manila meeting with Filipino brokers in the Philippines as she Hotel with the FPACC. promotes Pahrump, Nevada.

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

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

The day of the sunrise service and succeeding days will see hot-air balloon launches for those wanting the experience.

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

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

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

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

And as usual, music will be playing at the festival, with

various acts scheduled to perform. A karaoke contest is even planned for one of the event’s nights.

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

Another great event taking PAGE 10

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NOVEMBER 4-10, 2022 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

Pahrump Balloon Festival...

‘THE KING AND QUEEN’. A woman lights a candle at the tomb of actor Fernando Poe Jr. (Ronald Allan Kelley Poe in real life) and his wife, actress Susan Roces (Jesusa Sonora Poe in real life) at their mausoleum inside the Manila North Cemetery on Tuesday, Nov. 1. The couple is dubbed as the “King and Queen of Philippine Movies”.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

Providing an on-the-ground...

PAGE 5 us once more in this initiative is our country’s flag carrier, Philippine Airlines, which we are happy to note is starting to soar once again and is on track to recover from the impact of the pandemic.

Naturally, the journalists who cover the Foreign Affairs and business/economic beats want to examine the current status of U.S.-Philippines bilateral relations under the administrations of President Bongbong Marcos and President Joe Biden, given the regional and global challenges that could mutually impact the two nations. Aside from the security and defense aspect of the partnership, the journalists also want to explore the mutual challenges faced by the longtime allies, including issues regarding trade and the economy, climate change, food security and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic (whose impact as we all know continues to be felt by countries all over the world), and explore areas that provide opportunities for further cooperation.

Like in the 2019 program, we arranged interactions with key officials of various government agencies, starting with Director Amy Archibald of the Department of State’s Office of Maritime Southeast Asia, Bureau of East Asia and the Pacific who delved on the importance of having a Code of Conduct to govern the activities in the South China Sea as this could lead to an “international rules-based system that would allow a free and open, prosperous Pacific.” Upholding a rules-based international holder is critical in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, and this message was also reiterated by U.S. Assistant Secretary of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink during his recent visit to Singapore.

We also arranged discussions with key executives from think-tanks such as Shay Wester, Director of Asian Economic Affairs of the Asia Society Policy Institute which tackles major policy challenges that confront the Asia-Pacific in the areas of security, prosperity, sustainability and the development of common norms and values for the region; and Greg Poling, Director of the Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency initiative of the Center for Strategic and International

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Studies.

In his latest book, “On Dangerous Ground: America’s Century in the South China Sea,” Greg Poling discusses the complex disputes surrounding the South China Sea, which has increasingly become a source of concern for the United States and its goal to maintain freedom of the seas as it intersects with U.S. national security interests.

There were also deep-dive discussions on the work of attached agencies, with the journalists engaging with Philippine Air attaché Col. Dennis Alcarde, Philippine Military attaché Col. Arthur Romanillos who spoke on AFP modernization efforts and Police Brigadier General Wilson Lopez who tackled hate crimes.

One of the topics during the meeting with Commercial Counselor Kenneth Yap was the GSP – the Generalized System of Preferences – which is the oldest and largest U.S. trade program that provides nonreciprocal duty-free privileges for over 3,500 products entering the U.S. market from 119 beneficiary countries, among them the Philippines.

Unfortunately, the GSP expired in December 2020 and no reauthorization has been issued to date, but what is surprising to note is that GSP eligible Philippine exports to the U.S. surged to more than $3.1 billion or 30 percent higher compared to 2020.

Aside from having the GSP reauthorized so that eligible Philippine exports will enjoy tax privileges again, a priority is increasing U.S. investments in promising sectors such as IT-BPM and renewable energy, among others.

We’re pleased to note that this program is appreciated by our host country, with some of our friends in Washington now thinking of organizing a similar media reporting tour program for American journalists to visit the Philippines and see for themselves the real situation on the ground. (Philstar.com) *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** babeseyeview@gmail.com

PAGE 9 place in Pahrump in November is a B2B (business to business) Expo where more than 50 local businesses are expected to participate, showcase their wares and talk about the services they offer to attendees.

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

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

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

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

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

Even with the recent increase in mortgage rates, Pahrump continues to be one of the most affordable options in Nevada, and even the United States. Its proximity to Las Vegas is a great advantage for those looking to make the town their home. When they desire to indulge in the big city lights and watch shows, concerts, musicals or whatever fancies them, they can do so in about an hour’s drive or so.

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

Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman helps those who need business financing, including loans for small businesses. For more information, call (702) 538-4948, or send email to fely@precious-properties.com or fely. precious@gmail.com.

time to look at what’s available in the market.

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

My company, Precious Properties, is a fullservice company that has served its clientele since 1992. You can reach me at 775-5138447, 805-559-2476 and 702-538-4948 for more information, or send me an email at fely@ precious-properties.com or fely.precious@ gmail.com. We have investors who buy houses in California and Nevada for cash and quick escrow in as short as 7 days.

(Advertising Supplement)

Group questions suggestions...

PAGE 8 war released by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency showed that 6,248 suspects have died in legitimate drug operations since Duterte took office on July 1, 2016.

Palabay said the drug war should not continue as CHR’s report also highlighted that justice has not been provided to most of the drug war victims’ families.

“The CHR’s report clearly states, verbatim, that ‘justice remains elusive’ for the victims of the sham drug war and their families, precisely because of the failure of domestic accountability mechanisms due to the Duterte administration’s blatant efforts to stonewall independent inquiries and investigations,” Palabay noted.

“The ICC should therefore

resume its investigations as soon as possible to prosecute Duterte,” she added.

The war against illegal drugs has been a landmark campaign of President Duterte, who ran in 2016 on a promise to rid the streets of illegal drugs in three to six months.

Duterte and his allies have earned criticism for the drug war, not only because of failing to remove drugs from the country, but also due to the campaign being bloody and violent.

However, there are some sectors that claim that the number is larger, leading to complaints against past and present PNP officials and President Duterte himself before the International Criminal Court (ICC), for allegedly committing the crime against humanity of

murder.

Last September 2021, the ICC pre-trial chamber authorized the start of the investigation of the drug war, acting upon the request of former prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.

But in November 2021, ICC granted the Philippine government’s request to stop the investigation of the drug war killings, with the latter claiming that the justice system in the country is fully functional.

As of now, there has been only one case where police officers involved in the drug war were convicted — that of teenager Kian delos Santos, who was summarily executed despite surrendering and pleading innocent, according to court findings. (by Gabriel Pabico Lalu/Inquirer.net)

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 4-10, 2022

COMMUNITY JOURNAL

11

ConGen Badajos of PCGLA sits down with Atty. Gurfinkel on brand-new, special episode of Citizen Pinoy this Sunday MANY are familiar with the word “consulate” and many Filipinos in the U.S. know that there could be a Philippine Consulate General near their area. But does the community really know what the Philippine Consulate General does, aside from issuing passports or visas to foreigners?

In this special episode, Citizen Pinoy’s special guest is Consul General Edgar Badajos of the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles. He will share a little bit about himself and his experience as a seasoned diplomat, and his role in promoting and protecting the rights and welfare of overseas Filipinos.

Viewers will also learn important and useful information on immigration, dual citizenship, passports, owning property in the Philippines, even divorce and how to get a passport under your real name if one entered the U.S. under an assumed name. Viewers will PAGE 12

LA CONGEN EDGAR BADAJOS IS SPECIAL GUEST AT CITIZEN PINOY. Leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel has Consul General Edgar Badajos of the Philippine Consulate General in L.A. as his special guest, where the latter will provide many useful information about the services and purpose of the consulate. Watch this very informative and inspiring feature on Consul General Badajos on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, November 6 at 6:30 PM PT (9:30 PM ET) through select Cable/Satellite providers, right after TV Patrol Linggo.

(Advertising Supplement)

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NOVEMBER 4-10, 2022 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

Health@Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS YES, three different viruses, not only the Three Kings, are expected to visit us this coming Christmas season. This is predicted to be a winter of tripledemic.

The three viruses include our old annual nemesis, influenza, the current COVID-19, and the returning visitor, RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus).

All these 3 are high contagious and it is possible for people to get infected with these three viruses at the same time.

The flu virus spreads rapidly during the winter months as individuals gather closer together indoors. The same is true with the SARSCoV2 virus of COVID-19 and the RSV. In general, respiratory tract infections are common the year round, but greater number of cases are noted during the fallwinter season. The flu virus can be of different variety each year, the very reason why one should get a flu vaccine each year. Vaccines are tailored to target the “viruses of the year.”

RSV is caused by the virus with that name, respiratory syncytial virus, which infects adults and more especially children, with milder symptoms for adults and older children but more severe symptoms for infants and seniors.

RSV, for emphasis, is more dangerous to infants and old people, where symptoms, including fever and wheezing, shortness of breath, are more severe.

Hospitalization may be required, though most RSV infections run their usual course of 1-2 weeks. Babies with RSV must be watched and monitor closely for hypoxemia (low blood oxygen level), which could kill. Signs of this are rapid breathing, bluish fingernail or lips, abdomen is sucking in, trying to breathe for air hunger. When any of these are noted, call 911. Rapid emergency hospitalization is required.

There is now a COVID-19, Flu, RSV combined test, to determine which viral infection is affecting the individual, and is available through physicians and hospitals. One could be exposed to COVID-19, still without symptoms, but

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Tripledemic could already be infectious to others. That’s why persons exposed to a known infected individual should test themselves with the rapid antigen home kit. This test has a 50 percent false negative yield but when positive (showing two lines on the Test Card) it is 100 percent accurate. If in doubt, a PCR test is recommended for confirmation.

The symptoms of the flu and COVID-19 could be very similar, sometimes hard to distinguish one from the other. But one unique symptom of COVID-19 is the loss of taste or smell. Also, it takes longer for people infected with COVID-19 to show symptoms (between 2 days to 5-6 days incubation period) and the infection lingering longer for COVID-19 compared to the flu.

Why do persons, who are fully vaccinated, even with booster #3 (5th shot) still get infected? The reason is vaccines do not confer 100 percent protection (more like 98 percent) and the level of immunity provided by the vaccines also depend on the person’s general health and the integrity of his/her immune system. Also, these COVID-19 vaccines wane in potency in 4 to 6 months, which is the reason for the boosters. In the future, since COVID-19 appears to linger, we might have to have COVID-19 shots every 6 months or so, like the seasonal flu shot.

Natural immunity from infection also confers some protection but not as potent, stable and reliable as immunity from the vaccines.

And waiting to get infected in order to have natural immunity is dangerous.

The give radio talk show hosts in the U.S. who were advising people against the vaccines, got infected themselves, and all five died. Before their death, they were remorseful, admitting they were wrong and strongly recommending for people to get vaccinated. In their cases, they never benefited from the natural immunity from the infection they were hoping for. While their original stand might have killed people, their reversal surely saved countless lives.

The latest boosters are the bivalent vaccines by Pfizer or Moderna, both equal in safety and efficacy,

both reformulated to target Omicron’s subvariants, including the latest (BA.46, BQ.1, BQ.1.1, BF.7). The boosters could also be mixand-match, P or M, safely.

COVID-19 patients could be infectious from 2 days up to 10 days, but the severe cases could be for as long as 20 days. Those who are immunocompromised should be isolated for at least 20 days.

Paxlovid, an anti-viral pill, is effective if taken within 5 days of the onset of symptoms. Statin drugs and blood thinners must be stopped during this treatment. The pills are taken 2 tablets two times a day. The other alternative treatment is intravenous infusion of Monoclonal Antibody at a clinic or hospital, as early as possible after the first symptom starts and the patient testing positive for COVID-19. It is not recommended for severe COVID-19.

From about 5 to 14 days after exposure to COVID-19, the body releases cytokines to fight the infection and the first symptoms start to manifest: fever of 100.5 F (38 C) or higher, dry cough (the first sign in many cases), sore throat, fatigue, headache, runny nose, muscle aches, diarrhea, and in some people, loss of taste or smell, which is not typical in cases of flu or RSV. An oximeter is helpful. The normal SPO2 (blood oxygen level) is 95-100, and below 90 is too low. If shortness of breath occurs, go to the nearest emergency room.

If using an inhaler, use it as you leave for the ER. This could be pneumonia developing.

COVID-19 update: As of November 1, 2022, 12:38 PM (CST), worldwide –635,843,256 cases, 6,595,100 deaths; U.S. – 99,374,721 cases, 1,095,315 deaths; and the Philippines – 4,005,157 cases, 64,109 deaths. In the U.S., the daily averages for the past week was 37,665 cases per day, and 348 deaths per day.

COVID-19 is not done with us yet. Maybe never.

Let us face these three winter invisible enemies with wisdom and humility, not recklessness and arrogance. *** The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities

Veteran broadcasters Korina Sanchez and Karen Davila

Photo from Instagram/@net25tv

‘Competitive environment’: Korina Sanchez, Karen Davila speak out on rumored rivalry

By Jan

Milo Severo Philstar.com

SEASONED broadcasters Korina Sanchez and Karen Davila finally shared their thoughts on their alleged rivalry.

Guesting on Sanchez’s NET25 show “Korina Interviews,” Davila attributed it to a “competitive environment.”

“Feeling ko, because workwise, parang it was such a competitive environment where we used to work. Parang they would always pit people against each other, perhaps. It would be, let’s say after Korina, nandiyan si Karen.

Napakahirap din nun for any woman ha. Kasi nga, you feel minsan either may hinahabol ka o hinahabol ka,” Davila said.

She added that she missed the opportunity to be close to Sanchez because they had different schedules.

“I mean this from the bottom of my heart. Ako sa pananaw ko, isa sa mga nasayang na panahon ko sa ABS-CBN is ‘yung hindi kita nakilala doon. Of course, you were very busy.

But I feel it was a lost opportunity for me, for

both of us,” Davila said.

Sanchez echoed her sentiment, saying she only managed to get close to fellow broadcaster and radio commentator Ted Failon.

“Sobrang busy. Iba-iba ang schedule natin.

It’s not like nakakahuntahan ko ng madalas si Bernadette [Sembrano] or even Loren [Legarda]. Talagang ang nakakausap ko lang ay si Ted [Failon] kasi siya ‘yung partner ko,” she recalled.

“Naunahan pa ng intriga. ‘Ay, ang pumalit kay Korina si Karen so baka galit si Korina kay Karen.’ Actually hindi ah. Decision ng management iyon nung pinalitan mo ako sa ‘TV Patrol.’ And there was [no animosity].

Remember when Mar ran, I even invited you?

Wala talaga ‘yun kasi decision talaga iyan ng mga boss namin nung mga panahon na iyon,” Sanchez added.

Sanchez began her career with ABS-CBN in 1986, while Davila transferred from GMA-7 to ABS-CBN in 2000.

The latter took over Sanchez’s duty as an achor on “TV Patrol” in 2004. g

ConGen Badajos of PCGLA sits down...

Atty. Michael Gurfinkel (right) with Consul General Ed Badajos of the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles.

and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who

knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international

PAGE 11 also know about the other services provided by the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles, and what areas of jurisdiction they cover.

Watch this informationpacked encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, November 6 at 6:30 PM PT (9:30 PM ET thru select Cable/Satellite providers), right after TV Patrol Linggo.

Citizen Pinoy is also available on iWantTFC. Viewers may download the free app.

(Advertising Supplement)

medical lecturer/author, a Health Advocate, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. Websites: FUN8888.com and philipSchua. com; Email: scalpelpen@gmail. com.

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Danny Javier of Apo Hiking Jo Koy nominated for Comedy Act Society dies at age 75 of 2022 at People’s Choice Awards

By Zacarian

Sarao

13

by anne

PaSaJol Inquirer.net

Inquirer.net

SINGER-COMPOSER Danny Javier has died due to a lingering illness, his close friends in show business confirmed on Monday, October 31. He was 75.

Boboy Garovillo, who was the only one still active in show business among the iconic trio Apo Hiking Society, posted a heartfelt message about the death of his friend and colleague.

“Just feeling the loss of an old faithful friend who knew what love is although sometimes it just doesn’t show. My friend lives on in his music,” he said on Facebook.

Condolences poured in from other members of the Organisasyon ng mga Pilipinong Mangaaawit (OPM).

The CompanY offered condolences to Javier’s family and to Apo, who it said “helped build the OPM”.

“The CompanY sends their deepest and heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Danny Javier.

Tight hugs to Jim Paredes and Boboy Garovillo. The APO help build OPM to what it is now. Your legacies are cemented for the ages.

Thank you for everything, Danny,” it said on Facebook.

Others who offered condolences were Medwin Marfil of True Faith, Jett Pangan, and Mitch Vales.

In an earlier interview, Garovillo said that a reunion concert among him, Javier and their third member, Jim Paredes, may no longer be

Danny Javier

possible.

Aside from Javier’s illness, Garovillo said Paredes is no longer active in the entertainment business.

Actor Richard Merk also recently asked for prayers for the healing of Javier “Dear God, please heal a very dear friend of mine APO Danny Javier. Please embrace him with your love and protection. Get well Danny,” ang bahagi ng Facebook post ni Richard.

Musician at heart A native of Abuyog, Leyte, Javier was in fact the one who coined the term OPM to stand for the organization made especially to protect the interest of Filipino singers and song writers, and their music.

While he was known as part of the singing group Apo Hiking Society, which made its mark in the local music scene in the late 70s until the late 90s, he was also a composer whose compositions made the charts.

Among his popular compositions include

Inquirer.net photo

Pumapatak ang Ulan (1978), Kaibigan (1978), Doo bidoo (1978), Kabilugan ng Buwan (1980), Blue Jeans (1981), Di Na Natuto (1985), Kumot At Unan (1991), Awit ng Barkada (1991), Just A Smile Away (1992), [3] Lumang Tugtugin (1992) and Isang Dangkal (1999).

His team up with Garovillo and Paredes produced several popular shows on television such as the long-running “Sa Linggo nAPO Sila” on ABS-CBN. The group however disbanded sometime in 2009.

Javier is a product of San Beda College and Ateneo de Manila University, he also assumed a popular fictitious character as “Pidro,” a provinciano who came to Manila seeking good fortune. The character was such a hit that he ventured into a a T-shirt business with “Pidro” images.

The musician left behind his daughter Justine Javier-Long and brother, his brother fellow actorcomedian Dyords Javier, and niece, singer-actress Mica Javier. g

Kean ‘moves forward’ after leaving Callalily by allan

PolicarPio Inquirer.net

KEAN Cipriano’s “disengagement” from Callalily last June surprised fans and prompted heated discussions online. While many respected and supported his decision to “move forward” and pursue his own artistic endeavors, others criticized him and called him “selfish.”

But amid all the bashing, Kean would rather just let his work do the talking. “I have always been output-based in whatever I do. Bash me all you want—I don’t care,” he said at a recent press conference for

his Nov. 29 concert “Pulso,” which he will topbill with Unique Salonga and Adie— two of the top artists Kean manages under his own label, O/C Records.

This piece of advice he gives young artists and his ward he personally heeds: “Don’t put all your problems on social media.”

“It’s not going to do anything for your art, for your sanity and all. I’m not the type of person who goes and rants on social media if I have issues. I’m not saying PAGE 15

Kean Cipriano Photo from Instagram/@kean

FILIPINO American comedian Jo Koy was ecstatic after he received a nomination at the People’s Choice Awards for his show “Live from the Los Angeles Forum.”

Jo Koy announced this as he greeted fans “Mahal kita!” (I love you) through his Instagram page on Thursday, Oct. 27. “Live from the Los Angeles Forum” is a stand-up set where Jo Koy spoke about “public sneezing, perseverance, the indignities of sleep apnea, and getting lost in the Philippines.”

In a separate post, he expressed his gratitude and asked fans for support by voting for him at the American award show’s website.

The comedian will be vying for the Comedy Act of 2022 award against Amy Schumer, Chris Rock, David Spade, Kevin Hart, Steve Martin and Martin Short, Wanda Sykes, and Whitney Cummings.

Last August, Jo Koy’s Hollywood comedy film “Easter Sunday” premiered in Los

Jo Koy

Photo from Instagram/@jokoy

Angeles. The movie, which was produced

by American film producer-director Steven Spielberg, tells the story of a struggling comedian who came together with his family on Easter Sunday. g

Mike de Leon first PH filmmaker to have a retrospective at New York’s MoMA

By ToTel

V. de JeSuS Inquirer.net

THE “ber” months may have been associated with the rainy season. But for 75-yearold veteran filmmaker Mike de Leon, they’re perfect occasions to say, “When it rains, it pours.”

First, there’s the monthlong retrospective in New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30, titled “Mike De Leon, Self-Portrait of a Filipino Filmmaker.” Another retrospective will happen at the 44th edition of Three Continents Festival in Nantes, France, from Nov. 18 to Nov. 27.

His first feature, the 1976 ghost story “Itim” (Rites of May), will have a theatrical screening at QCinema (Nov. 17 to Nov. 26) at Gateway Cineplex, Cubao.

Four years in the making, De Leon’s photographic memoir, titled “Mike de Leon’s Last Look Back,” has grown into two thick volumes and will have its official launch on Dec. 10 in a private event in University of the Philippines Diliman.

“It’s a happy coincidence that the much-delayed book’s publication will coincide with the retrospectives,” De Leon told Inquirer Entertainment.

“The LVN films must be included in any retrospective.

In Nantes, kahit paano,

Mike de Leon (third from left) shoots a scene with Atom Araullo and Cherie Gil for 2018’s “Citizen Jake” Photo courtesy of

kasama raw ang ‘Portrait [of the Artist as Filipino],’ but they have not released the program. I don’t know how they will do it. I was told the program will be released in early November,” he added.

Just like an appetizer, on its social media page last Oct. 24, ABS-CBN Film Restoration streamed the 1959 social-realist classic “Biyaya ng Lupa” for free.

Earlier in October, the restored versions of Lamberto Avellana’s “Anak Dalita” (1956) and Gregorio Fernandez’s “Malvarosa” (1958) were also streamed as part of its “Sagip Pelikula” project. For trivia addicts, Fernandez is the father of the late action star Rudy. In his book, De Leon described Fernandez as the most experimental director in LVN. These three restored LVN films made it to the MoMA retrospective.

“What I’m most happy and proud about is LVN’s legacy will not be forgotten, what with the book, the two retrospectives, and ABSCBN’s restorations,” De Leon said.

MoMA’s Department of Film curator Joshua Siegel confirmed to Inquirer Entertainment that De Leon is the first Filipino filmmaker to have a retrospective at the MoMA. Area of focus “Yes, absolutely [De Leon is the first]—we have shown virtually every key Filipino filmmaker, but in other contexts and individual films, rather than a whole retrospective. So, yes,” Siegel said in an email interview.

“Southeast Asia has been an area of focus for us this fall (September to November), with retrospectives of Mike de Leon, Tsai Ming-liang PAGE 15

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NOVEMBER 4-10, 2022 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

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N E W YO R K / N E W J E R S EY N OV E M B E R 4 , 2 0 22

people events arts culture entertainment

‘A WORLD WITH NO HUNGER’

ARK’s ‘Flip the Script’ raises funds to empower rural families A

by MOMAR

G. VISAYA / AJPress

S Filipino American History month drew to a close, Advancement for Rural Kids (ARK), a social impact innovator and nonprofit staged Flip the Script on Thursday, October 27 at Honeybrains New York with readings and conversations from critically acclaimed Filipino American authors.

Albert Samaha (fourth from left) reads from his book Concepcion at the Flip the Script event of ARK to raise funds for rural communities in the Philippines.

Daphne Palasi-Andreades (Brown Girls); Victor Manibo (The Sleepless) and Albert Samaha (Concepcion) pose with their books and the event’s moderators Ernabel Demillo and Vina Orden and hosts Ayesha Vera-Yu and Marisa Seifan.

The sold-out bookreading benefit challenged the Filipino American community to help solve hunger in the Philippines in just 5 weeks through its program Feed Back.

The three FilAm authors featured were Daphne Palasi-Andreades whose debut novel, Brown Girls, was shortlisted for 2022 Best First Novel by the Center for Fiction and is a New York Times Editors’ Choice; Victor Manibo a 2022 Lambda Literary Emerging Voices Fellow whose debut speculative fiction novel The Sleepless is Buzzfeed’s Highly Anticipated Thriller for 2022, and Albert Samaha a 2023 American Fellow whose latest book Concepcion was a finalist

The three FilAm authors featured were Daphne Palasi- Andreades (Brown Girls); Victor Manibo (The Sleepless) and Albert Samaha (Concepcion).

The evening’s hosts - Marissa Seifan of Honeybrains and ARK co-founder Ayesha Vera-Yu

for the 2022 National Critics Circle Award in Autobiography and received a Whitling Foundation Creative Nonfiction Grant.

Palasi-Andreades’ Brown Girls and Manibo’s The Sleepless are both debuts while Samaha’s Concepcion is his second book. All three have been receiving great reviews from critics, fellow authors, and readers.

Author Raven Leilan says Brown Girls is “an ode to girlhood, inheritance, and the good trouble the body yields” while another author, Alex Segura, says “The Sleepless will prove its name: you won’t be able to put it down.” New York’s best-selling author, FilAm Jia Tolentino, says Concepcion is “Absolutely extraordinary. A landmark

in the contemporary of the diaspora.”

An ARK team required reading, Concepcion, interweaves the personal with the intricacies of colonialism and geopolitics.

Samaha, who teaches journalism at his alma mater Columbia University delivers stories so powerful and wellresearched that they have led to the freeing of a wrongfully convicted man from prison and pushed Congress and six states to pass bills strengthening police sexual misconduct laws.

Manibo’s debut science fiction noir novel explores grief, exploitation, and deceit in a futuristic capitalist society.

Specializing in constitutional and civil rights law from Cardozo School of Law, he spends his workdays

defending immigrants from being removed from the country. As a queer immigrant and a person of color, he writes about people who live these identities and navigate the world in his fiction.

CUNY Baruch College, Palasi-Andreades’ alma mater, has picked Brown Girls for their incoming freshmen to read. She was born and raised in Queens and holds an MFA from Columbia University, where she was awarded the Henfield Prize and a Creative Writing Teaching Fellowship.

Her fiction often explores diaspora, immigration, and the far-reaching effects of colonialism and imperialism.

Emmy award-winning journalist Ernabel Demillo PAGE 15

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 4-10, 2022

Mike de Leon first PH filmmaker to have a...

PAGE 13 and Rithy Panh, but prior to this, we have mostly shown filmmakers like Apichatpong Weerasethakul in other contexts, but not in full-blown retrospectives,” he added.

Siegel said there will be nine LVN features, nine De Leon features and eight De Leon short films, which include “Signos,” “Aliwan Paradise” and the behind-thescenes documentary for Lino Brocka’s “Maynila, Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag.”

As director, De Leon has made 10 feature-length films. With the exception of the Cherie Gil-Joel Torre-Rio Locsin starrer “Bilanggo Sa Dilim” (1986), those included at the MoMA are “Itim,” “Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising” (1977), “Kakabakaba Ka Ba?” (1980), “Kisapmata” (1981), “Batch ’81” (1982), “Sister Stella L” (1984), “Hindi Nahahati ang Langit” (1985), “Bayaning Third World” (1999) and “Citizen Jake” (2018).

To be shown also are Clodualdo del Mundo Jr.’s documentaries, “Itim: An Exploration in Cinema” and “Si Boyet, Hilda, Atbp.,” which respectively tackle the making of “Itim” and “Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising.”

For those late in the game, LVN is one of the three pioneering film companies during the studio era (1930s-1960s) that De Leon’s grandmother, Doña Sisang, cofounded in 1938. When Doña Sisang passed away in 1966, its management was handed to director Mike’s father, Manuel de Leon.

In its nearly two-and-ahalf-decadeslong prodigious output, LVN Pictures produced around 350 films.

As De Leon wrote in his book, in 1961, “the studio had become a veritable movie factory, producing an average of 20 to 25 movies a year— about one movie every two weeks.”

Being the only scion who still cares about LVN’s

From left: Charo Santos, Sandy Andolong, Christopher de Leon and Jay Ilagan during a break in the filming of “Kakabakaba Ka Ba” Photo courtesy of

legacy, De Leon funded the restoration of some titles that could still be saved from the vinegar syndrome and total decay due to neglect.

Restoration In the book’s first chapter, titled “Unfinished Business,” De Leon explained, “I got involved in another aspect of cinema that continues to be my advocacy: the preservation, restoration and dissemination of the films of LVN Pictures, a studio that my family owned that made its mark as one of the three top studios during a crucial period in Philippine film history. Unfortunately, this period is largely forgotten as much as films from bygone days have disappeared.”

“If you ask young filmmakers today about vintage Filipino cinema, their knowledge would probably go as far back as Lino Brocka’s ‘Maynila, Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanang’ (Manila, In The Claws of Light),’ which I produced and photographed in 1975. For younger filmmakers, a film over 40 years old is ancient, and they might remark, ‘Hindi pa ako pinapanganak noon (I wasn’t born at the time),’” he added.

Eventually, he made those digitized LVN films, all in black-and-white, available to the public for free on YouTube and Vimeo, using the Casa Grande Vintage Filipino Cinema Facebook page as portal.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic’s intermittent lockdowns, it has been one of the most visited social media pages as people looked for good, quality and free movies from the studio era to binge-watch on.

Curated and moderated by De Leon, it has more than 50,000 followers.

In MoMA, it’s amazing that nine films from LVN Pictures will be seen again in a theater for a live audience.

For example, its first film, Carlos Vander Tolosa’s romantic musical “Giliw Ko” (1939) will be shown 83 years since it was made.

Included also are Avellana’s “Pag-Asa” from 1951, “Huk sa Bagong Pamumuhay (1953), the classics “Anak Dalita” and “A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino” (1965). Though not with LVN but Diadem Films, “Portrait” was produced by Manuel de Leon, and restored in 2014 by Cinema Artists Philippines and the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

Richard Abelardo’s “Mutya ng Pasig” (1950) opens the MoMA festival on Nov. 1, while De Leon’s most recent feature, “Citizen Jake” (2018), closes it on Nov. 29.

We asked Siegel how they trimmed the choices.

“I worked closely with Mike in making the selection and paired his own films with LVN titles with which

he had a personal connection (memories of seeing them as a child, for example) or have thematic or stylistic affinities with his own work,” Siegel said.

He added that each film will have two screenings. The capacity of the venue officially called The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters at MoMA is 200.

De Leon’s retrospective also opens doors for other Filipino masters.

“We hope to continue to feature work by Filipino film masters in the future.

I’m particularly interested in the work of Ishmael Bernal,” Siegel said.

Elusive filmmaker De Leon won’t be able to attend the MoMA and Nantes retrospectives. His followers in the Philippines would be lucky if they see the reclusive, elusive veteran filmmaker attend the local theatrical screening of “Itim” in QCinema.

Just like any true artist who lets his work speak for him, De Leon said he has never been comfortable with the spotlight. He doesn’t even want to be referred to as “master,” “acclaimed,” “iconic,” “legendary” and the most used that he cringed on—“auteur.”

“Just veteran filmmaker would do,” he said.

But in the last few days of October, there’s suddenly a deluge of requests not only for interviews, but inquiries from other festival programmers as well.

Here’s good news to those who want to own personal copies of his works: the veteran filmmaker exclusively relayed to Inquirer Entertainment that in early 2023, most of his films and shorts, including Avellana’s “Portrait,” will be released on Blu-ray and DVD in a Boxset published by Carlotta Films of Paris.

The rains will surely continue to pour for De Leon until early next year. g

Kean ‘moves forward’ after leaving...

PAGE 13 it’s wrong, but I’m not one to try and tarnish other people’s reputations. And for what?”

No inspiration and growth Kean, who runs O/C Records with his wife, Chynna Ortaleza, sees to it that he doesn’t post anything that could possibly affect their children, Stellar, 6, and Salem, 3.

“At the end of the day, I know that what I put on social media could be seen by

my kids in the future. I don’t want them to be like, ‘Ah, si daddy kung anu-anong katarantaduhan ang pinagsasabi,’” he said.

“I don’t want that for them. That’s now how I do things in life,” stressed the 35-year-old singer-songwriter.

In earlier reports, Kean admitted that he and his former bandmates hadn’t been on good terms for a while. He also said that the inspiration and growth he was looking for he could no longer find

in Callalily, for which he served as the frontman for 17 years.

Meanwhile, the band’s remaining members changed the band’s name to Lily and hired singer and theater actor Joshua Bulot as replacement.

“I’m proud and happy I got to form an entity as strong as [Callalily]; something that made a mark on millions of people.

But at the end of the day, people are people—we will look for growth and try to find ourselves,” Kean said. g

ARK’s ‘Flip the Script’ raises funds to...

PAGE 14 and 2022 Open City Fellow at Asian American Writers Workshop, Vina Orden moderated the event. They discussed topics explored by the authors in their works colonialism, immigration, identity, and the future.

The event was hosted by Marisa Seifan and held at Honeybrains, NYC’s best healthy restaurant.

The event also featured curated wines by Jhonel Faelnar, NYC-based sommelier, Wine Director to 2 Michelinstarred restaurant, Atomix, and 2020 Wine Enthusiasts’ 40 Under 40.

ARK’s Feed Back Program Through its proven community-wide vegetable solution called Feed Back, ARK is solving hunger in 5 weeks with rural communities in the Philippines during a time when food insecurity is at its height by empowering at-risk families to secure nourishing food from their backyards and create excess to exchange with neighbors and sell to nearby towns leading to much needed new income.

Through Feed Back’s 16week time frame, ARK guides and supports community leaders and program managers to set goals, create operational plans, solve structural issues, and track impact. At the end of the 16week program, ARK Feed Back leaves the community happy, united and investing in each other.

“We are solving hunger for good but we are not doing it alone. We do it in true partnership with rural communities who invest and pay for half the cost,” ARK co-founder Ayesha Vera-Yu said. “In doing so, we break the lopsided dynamic of a benefactor and beneficiary (which borrows from colonizer and colonized).”

In her short speech and video presentation, Vera-Yu talked about their venture into Negros Oriental, a province in the Visayas region. She highlighted the story of Kapitan Glory, the village chieftain, a fierce woman who welcomed Feed Back, and the inspiring idea that families could learn how to farm in their own backyards.

Kap Glory’s village was predominantly a

15

fishing community so the introduction of vegetable gardening and sharing their crops was something new to them. At the end of the program, the community was able to share with each other over two tons of vegetables as each family was bringing on over 16 pounds for their weekly exchange. On top of families supplying all the food needs of the village, they are also selling to nearby villages and towns, eliminating hunger and malnutrition.

“We take on our most value-added role as Champions and cheerleaders of families and communities who know best and who are determined to solve because they are the ones living with the problem. By believing in them, we are changing lives.

Together, we are creating a future that is equitable, just, and something our kids can be proud of,” the former investment banker turned farmer said.

Vera-Yu, who started ARK in 2009, also talked about the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the farmers and fisherfolk in the villages in rural areas of the Philippines.

The attack on Ukraine has tripled the price of synthetic fertilizers and therefore prevented farmers in many parts of the developing world from planting their crops.

Because of colonization and chemical farming, farmers in the Philippines and many places in the developing world are left with just one crop - rice or corn.

In the Philippines, a bag of synthetic fertilizer is now equal to one month’s income for a farming family during the rainy season from June to August. This is the time farmers plant their first crop and is their season of hunger.

The chronic hunger problem is now worse as there is widespread food insecurity for the entire nation, causing more people to go hungry. According to Vera-Yu, there are two billion people around the world who face seasonal hunger year after year.

With ARK’s assistance, more rural communities now want to solve this hunger problem on their own. For more details on investing in these rural families and forging a partnership with ARK, visit www.arksolves/ invest. g

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