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NOVEMBER 6-12, 2020 Volume 14 - No. 1 • 16 Pages 133-30 32nd Ave., Flushing, NY 11354 Tel. (212) 655-5426 • Fax: (818) 502-0858

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As precincts still report, Filipino American candidates battle in key local, state races

Queer Fil-Ams make strides in electoral politics, reporting historic outcomes in era of diverse leadership

by KLARIZE

MEDENILLA AJPress

THOUGH all eyes are on the contentious presidential race that continues to be too close

DATELINE

to call, several statewide and local races have already been officially counted, giving voters a clearer picture of how diverse candidates fared in one of the most crucial elections in American history.

As of press time, results in many precincts across the country have not been called due to expected delays in counting ballots, but some races involving Filipino American candidates have been counted.

USA

Bay Area Fil-Am family in search of donor for baby with leukemia u PAGE 4

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54 countries, including US, lift inbound border restrictions on Filipino citizens

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

A BAY Area Filipino American family is in need of a bone marrow or stem cell donor for their 9-month-old infant.

The baby, AJ, has been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of leukemia. Doc-

As reported in the Asian Journal last week, a record number of Filipino American candidates ran for office this election, signaling a push for diversity in American leadership

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

LANTERN-MAKING. Members of District 3 Solo Parents Association are busy making lanterns at the Barangay Marilag hall compound, Quezon City on Tuesday, November 3. The Quezon City government on its Facebook page said to date, there are 11 parol-making production areas and up to 3,000 individuals have been given an alternative livelihood.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

FIFTY FOUR countries worldwide have lifted inbound border restrictions on travel for Filipino citizens, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Monday, November 2.

In its latest bulletin, the agency said that the entry of Filipino citizens in the 54 countries is subject to medical protocols, such as

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Comelec considers As election season comes to a Application for dual online voting for close, LA community leaders citizenship surges, consulate overseas Filipinos stand against anti-AAPI hate promises to shorten backlog

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

by

KLARIZE MEDENILLA AJPress

THE Philippines’ Commission on Elections (Comelec) is looking at the possibility of online voting for overseas Filipinos during the country’s May 2022 presidential polls.

The commission is planning to get potential information technology providers of online voting systems to showcase its technol-

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AS the country tries to upend the divisiveness stemming from months of civil unrest and a global pandemic, local leaders in Los Angeles County are unpacking the increased hate against the local Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

The newly minted Civil Rights and Human Rights Department (CRHRD)

was established in the City of Los Angeles in early 2020 before the pandemic even began.

The phenomenon of hate crimes spans races, ethnicities, gender and sexual orientation. On Oct. 23, the county’s Commission on Human Relations released the annual Hate Crime Report for 2019, and although reported incidents only jumped by one (523 incidents in 2018 and 524 incidents

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by

MOMAR G. VISAYA AJPress

It took the coronavirus pandemic for many former Filipinos to realize the importance of holding a dual citizenship.

The Philippine government temporarily banned the entry of foreigners and suspended the Balikbayan program and

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Consul General Petronila Garcia

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From the Front Page

As precincts still report, Filipino...

Filipino World War II Veteran Venancio Espinosa received a Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony at the Bayanihan Equity Center in San Francisco.

Contributed photo

Filipino World War II veteran receives Congressional Gold Medal at Bayanihan Equity Center in SF FILIPINO World War II Veteran Venancio Espinosa recently received a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor, during a private ceremony in San Francisco.

The presentation ceremony for the 93-year-old veteran was organized by the Bayanihan Equity Center (BEC), a non-profit organization originally founded in 1999 as the Veterans Equity Center, and the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP).

The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest award bestowed by the United States Congress to express national appreciation for distinguished achievements and

contributions. In 2016, Presi- dent Obama signed into law the Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act (Public Law 114-265), and collectively awarded over 260,000 Filipino Veterans of World War II with the Congressional Gold Medal on October 25, 2017.

At 19 years old, Espinosa responded to President Roosevelt’s call-to-duty, and fought under the American flag against the Imperial Forces of Japan during World War II. Private First Class (PFC) Espinosa valiantly served in the Infantry Regiment of the United States Army for three years as an Infantryman and Administrative Technician Supervisor.

On the third anniversary of the first Congressional Gold Medal award ceremony held in Wash- ington, D.C., and on Filipino American History Month (FAHM), PFC Espinosa was presented by COL (Ret) Don Bautista with a bronze replica of the Congressional Gold Medal in a private award ceremony.

“We are delighted to present the Congressional Gold Medal to Mr. Espinosa to express our grati- tude for his valor and the sacrifice he made in defense of the Philippines and the United States during the Second World War,” said BEC Executive Director Luisa M. Antonio and California Regional Director of the FilVetREP. (AJPress) n

Application for dual citizenship surges...

PAGE 1 other visa-free entry privileges last March in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Prior to this suspension, former Filipinos traveling on US passports were allowed to enter the Philippines and stay there for a maximum of one year without a visa under the aforementioned Balikbayan program.

Because of the program’s suspension and the temporary restrictions set forth by the Philippine government, thousands of former Filipinos have filed dual citizenship and passport applications with the Philippine Embassy and Consulates across the United States to be able to

travel to the Philippines as Filipino citizens.

In her first ConGen Hour with members of the Filipino American Press Club of New York, newly arrived Consul General Petronila P. Garcia said they are working to meet the requirements of the community.

“There is still a mandatory appointment system but the consulate is working hard to expand its ability to process consular documents and applications,” ConGen Garcia said. “It is about balancing the safety and wellbeing of everyone, we have instituted measures in order to continue the services we offer.”

According to Garcia, there

was a spike in the appointment for dual citizenship applications and that they are already fully booked up to the end of January 2021.

“We continue to prioritize emergencies even if they do not have appointments and we are adjusting as this is a new phenomenon to all of us,” she said.

Garcia shared that there is a 450 person waiting list but they are hoping to process these applications in a shorter amount of time. She cited the fact that because of city and state health regulations, they limited the number of people who can be physically accommodated in consulate

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PAGE 1 across all offices.

In San Diego, Filipino American mayoral candidate Todd Gloria — a current California state assemblymember — took an early lead in a race that, as of press time, is still close as the votes are still being tallied.

As of early Wednesday morning, Gloria — who would be the first person of color and first openly gay mayor of San Diego (the second largest city in California) — holds a 56% lead over challenger Barbara Bry. “Tonight, San Diego, because of you, we are poised to make history,” Gloria, a Democrat, said hours after the polls closed on Tuesday night.

“While there are still votes to be counted, I believe that tonight is a night to celebrate.”

Elsewhere in California, first-time candidate for the state assembly Godfrey Santos Plata narrowly lost his bid for District 53, garnering 43.4% (31,785 votes) of the vote to incumbent Miguel Santiago’s 56.5% (41,401). Both Plata and Santiago were running as Democrats.

Plata, a progressive organizer and public education advocate, still hopes for a chance after the ballots have all been officially counted by the end of the month. “#LA is counting ballots until November 27th, but I am still [so] excited by these results, y’all. We are building so much power,” Plata tweeted on Tuesday night.

Rep. Bobby Scott, the Democratic incumbent from Virginia’s 3rd congressional district, sailed to re-election with 67.6% of the votes against Republican challenger John Collick.

“We have a lot of work to do in the weeks and months ahead to heal our nation, defeat this pandemic, provide additional economic support to working families, small businesses and schools, and rebuild our economy so that everyone can succeed,” Scott, whose maternal grandfather was of Filipino ancestry, wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

In one of the most watched races in the United States House of Representatives, the Democratic candidate for Texas’ 23rd congressional district Gina Ortiz Jones once again narrowly lost to Republican incumbent Tony Gonzales.

Jones, a U.S. Army veteran who would’ve made history as

Todd Gloria

Nikki Villavicencio

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

Sean Reyes

the first openly gay woman of color in Congress, garnered 47% of the vote to Gonzales’ 51% in a district that is heavily Latino-populated.

“I want to thank each and every grassroots supporter, volunteer, and member of my staff who poured their heart into our campaign,” Jones wrote in a Twitter thread on Wednesday morning. “I am so proud of the race we ran, and it is our shared commitment to fighting for working families in South and West Texas that continues to give me hope.”

Though she didn’t indicate whether or not she would run again, Jones (who is Filipina on her mother’s side) added that “I will always remain dedicated to serving our country and my community in any way I can. I hope TX-23 is represented with all of her constituents in mind, and in a way in which she deserves.”

In another congressional race, Democratic incumbent Filipino American TJ Cox of California’s 21st District currently trails by three percentage points behind Republican challenger and former U.S. Rep. David Valadao.

As of press time, only 71% of votes have been reported, according to the Associated Press.

In Georgia, Filipino American civil rights attorney Marvin Lim, 35, made history by becoming the first Filipino American to win a seat in the

Georgia House of Representatives in the state’s 99th District.

Lim, who ran unopposed, becomes the sixth openly LGBTQ member of the state legislature.

In Maplewood, Minnesota, a city outside of Saint Paul, Nikki Villavicencio is likely to garner a seat on the city council. Villavicencio — a disability rights advocate and community organizer who was born with a rare condition called arthrogryposis — has garnered 28.6% of the vote with all precincts reporting.

In Utah, the incumbent GOP state Attorney General Sean Reyes won re-election in a narrow race against the Democratic challenger Greg Skordas. Reyes has held the post since 2013, and he focused on sex predators, street drugs, school violence and youth suicide and cybercrime in his re-election campaign.

“Regardless of party or ideology, our state and nation are stronger when more of us educate ourselves on candidates and issues and participate in elections. It is exciting to see,” Reyes said in a statement released on Tuesday night. “No matter the outcome, hopefully we can remember those things that unite us as Utahns and Americans. And when all the ballots are counted, I look forward to serving four more years as attorney general, protecting Utah and all who live in this great state.” n

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 6-12, 2020

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‘Putting the welfare of the group As election season... over the individual’: Nurses union celebrates FAHM by reflecting on Fil-Am contributions to the profession Looking back at the history of racism, resilience and activism in the rich community of Fil-Am nurses by

Klarize Medenilla AJPress

IF you’ve ever been to a hospital or were treated in a hospital in the U.S., the

chance that a Filipino nurse treated you is high, to say the least.

It’s a stereotype and a joke that, indeed, reflects reality: nearly every hospital wing in

America is flowing with Filipino nurses, doctors, caregivers and technicians.

It’s no question that Filipinos are abundantly influential

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Comelec considers online voting for...

PAGE 1 ogy, according to spokesman James Jimenez.

“Over the next few weeks, we’ll be fielding demonstrations from various potential providers. I think the round of presentation will start sometime next week,” he said Thursday, October 29, on Cignal TV’s OneNews.

Jimenez stressed that so far, the online voting is for overseas absentee voting (OAV) only.

Low turnout among overseas Filipinos is in part due to the inability to get to an assigned polling place.

There are currently two voting options for overseas

Filipinos: postal voting, in which ballots are mailed to overseas voters who must return the ballot also by mail; or in-person voting, in which voters go to a Philippine Consulate or Embassy to cast votes manually or through voting machines.

Vote-counting machines (VCMs) will be used in the May 2022 national and local polls.

“We’re gonna use the machines that we used in 2016 and re-used in 2019,” said Jimenez.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III pointed out that the Comelec has a P14.21-billion budget for 2021 based

on the national expenditure programs (NEP).

“It (budget) also includes the P14 billion for renting of vote-counting machines, for printing, distribution, for supplies for the 2022 elections. We allotted budget for that,” he said.

“Right now, I think the Comelec is considering a longer period for voting, they see two to three days so as not to have a problem with the pandemic if the pandemic is not contained at that time. And then probably they will require an additional P1 billion for salaries of teachers on election duty,” he added. n

54 countries, including US...

PAGE 1 testing and quarantine requirements upon arrival as well as flight availability.

The United States is among the countries that lifted their restrictions on travelers from the Philippines.

The remaining 53 countries are: Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guam, Hawaii, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Laos, Maldives, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Croatia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, GuineaBissau, Iran, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and United Arab Emirates.

Meanwhile, seven countries now allow entry without any inbound arrival proto-

cols: Haiti, Mexico, Andorra, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Zambia.

The DFA also said over 130 countries remain closed for tourism. Among these are: Canada, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, China, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Saudi Arabia.

“While travel for leisure is now an option amidst the pandemic, the DFA advises Filipino travelers to refer to the requirements set by the IATF and implemented by the Bureau of Immigration (BI),” the DFA said.

These include confirmed roundtrip ticket; travel and health insurance to cover travel disruptions and hospitalization in case of COVID19 infections during their allowable period of stay abroad; and BI declaration of acknowledging the risks involved in travelling, including risk of delay in their return trip.

“Moreover, travelers should always check ahead

of travel dates with their airlines before departure or before booking a ticket as the information in the infographics could change at any time,” the DFA added.

Meanwhile, the Philippines remains closed off to foreigners, excluding those with visas issued by the Bureau of Immigration pursuant to Executive Order No. 226, or the Omnibus Investments Code, as amended, and Republic Act. No. 8756; those with 47(a)(2) visas issued by the Department of Justice; and those visas issued by the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

Foreigners entering the country are required to have a pre-booked accredited quarantine facility before entering the country.

They must also be subject to the maximum capacity of inbound passengers at the port and date of entry, and must follow applicable immigration laws, rules and regulations. n

PAGE 1 in 2019), the report doesn’t factor in the incidents stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is a city of belonging, a place where our strength is in our people and people who come from all over the world who have brought their values and voices to this global city and we will always stand up for our people and stand strong against bigotry and discrimination,” LA Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a webinar hosted by KACIE Strategies on Thursday, Oct. 29.

One hate crime tracker called Stop AAPI Hate from the non-partisan group Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON) tracked more than 2,583 reported hate incidents against AAPIs from March to August; more than 800 of those attacks occurred in California.

These attacks range from cyber bullying and harassment, verbal abuse in public (most of which were reported in grocery stores and restaurants) or, in few but unfortunate cases, violent attacks.

Roughly 1 out of 7 targets of these incidents were people under the age of 20, and the report also found that Asian American women were 2.4 times more likely to be discriminated against.

Deputy Chief Blake Chow of the LA Police Department pondered on the reasons as to why AAPIs are receiving intense hostility and blame for the coronavirus as well as the overall cultural divisiveness percolating throughout the city, county, state and country.

“I think, unfortunately, we as a society have a history of blaming other groups for problems, and that’s easy because that’s the easy way out.

Instead of coming together and tackling a problem as a community and looking for a solution, it’s much easier to blame another community,” Chow said.

Chow noted that currently, there are 14 anti-Asian hate crimes reported to the LAPD “for the full quarter of 2020.”

So when compared to the number of incidents reported to the A3PCON tracker, the

gap shows that these kinds of incidents — whether they are violent, verbal or from behind a screen — are severely underreported.

Moreover, it’s important to note that these hate incidents are the ones that were reported to authorities or to community organizations and don’t factor in incidents that may have happened but weren’t reported.

“We have our work cut out for us and we have to, as a group, need to take a stand, that this type of behavior is not tolerated, and we have to encourage people to report [these incidents] so that we can get a general picture as to what the problem is and how we can address the problem head on,” Chow said.

LA City Councilmember David Ryu of the 4th district spoke about the Asian American experience and the history of discrimination faced

by AAPIs throughout the decades. Ryu, who is Korean American, condemned President Donald Trump’s and his cohorts’ dangerous language regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

As told by numerous lead-

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Bay Area Fil-Am family in search...

PAGE 1 tors say that for a full cure, he would need a donor.

“AJ has finished his first round of chemotherapy,” said Eric, AJ’s father. “We are waiting for his body to recover from the treatment before the next round begins. We’ve been told that subsequent rounds of chemotherapy only get harder.”

Siblings would be the best donor match, but AJ is an only child.

Extended family members have offered to step up, but they are no more likely to match than a stranger, according to the Asian American Donor Program.

Matching is based on one’s human leukocyte antigen (HLA) tissue type and matches are closely based on a patient’s ethnicity.

Now, the family is taking their search nationwide, encouraging Filipino Americans or anyone with Filipino heritage to register as a potential stem cell donor.

People of color are more likely to die of leukemia and other blood cancers because there is a shortage of ethnically diverse donors on the Be The Match national registry.

Filipinos have a 46% chance of finding a donor,

A Bay Area family is in search of a bone marrow or stem cell donor donor for their 9-month-old who was recently diagnosed with an extremely rare form of leukemia.

Photos courtesy of the Asian American Donor Program

AADP said.

“Filipinos are well known for supporting each other, and the more people who register, the more AJ’s odds of finding a match increase,” Eric said. “It can take some time to find a match. So, the sooner you register, the better.”

Despite the pandemic halting the organization’s in-person education and outreach, those in the Bay Area or around the country can sign up on its website to participate.

For those interested in registering as a potential stem cell donor, they can visit the AADP website (aadp.org/

homekit) to find out how to receive a home swab kit.

Requirements include being between 18-44 years old and meeting general health standards. Even if individuals may not be a match for AJ, they may be asked to donate if they are a match with another patient.

“For thousands of severely ill blood cancer patients, there is a cure. You could be the cure. Those whose marrow/ stem cells are not a match for a patient in need now may be a match for someone else down the road, anywhere in the world,” said AADP Executive Director Carol Gillespie.

(AJPress) n

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 6-12, 2020

OPINION

5

FEATURES

Resettlement

FOUR years ago this month, the House committee on housing and urban development approved a bill providing for on-site, in-city or near-city housing for informal settlers.

This year as October drew to a close, the same committee, with different members, approved a similar bill for a relocation program to be implemented by local government units.

House Bill 4869 noted that the normal practice of off-site relocation for slum dwellers has failed to address the housing problem for the poor or reduce squatting and urban migration.

The reasons are well known: the same factors that drive urban migration persist in the typical off-site relocation area. The biggest factors are the lack of jobs and livelihood opportunities, and the weakness of many basic services. In certain areas, armed conflict and other security problems, such as extortion by the communist New People’s Army and harassment by government forces drive people to look for a better life in the cities.

If these same problems bedevil a relocation site, it won’t take long before the beneficiaries of the resettlement program leave the houses awarded to them and return to

the urban slums.

Some local governments in Metro Manila and other urban centers are in fact developing in-city vertical housing for informal settlers. The housing programs are complemented by livelihood projects not only to sustain the beneficiary families but also to allow them to pay the minimal amortizations. The subsidized payment is meant to give the beneficiaries a personal financial stake in the housing units.

Given alternatives, no one wants to live off alms and sleep with their young children and even infants in shanties, under bridges or in city streets. Those who did not support the House bill in 2016, however, were worried that it could encourage more squatting and urban migration. While providing decent housing with livelihood opportunities to informal settlers is a good idea, the better answer to urban migration is to step up countryside development.

Any in-city or near-city housing must be accompanied by job opportunities. Those

Editorial

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS FOR the first time since after George W. Bush defeated Al Gore for President in 2000 through absentee ballots, the winner of the 2020 presidential election amid the pandemic is still too close to call on the night of the election, with so many early voting

Philstar.com photo

who cannot be accommodated, however, must be presented with options outside the urban centers.

Making agriculture an attractive livelihood option even for marginal players can reverse urban migration. Meaningful livelihood opportunities and jobs as well as the provision of adequate basic services such as

education and health care outside the cities can encourage the urban poor to leave the urban centers and accept resettlement.

Tourism provides decent jobs and livelihood sources even in rural communities. If the government wants to stop urban migration, it should present viable alternatives. (Philstar.com)

Let every vote be counted: US democracy tested with Trump’s baseless claim of victory even as Biden leads in the polls mailed in ballots still left to be counted.

This is a result of different state rules on when early voting mailed-in ballots may be counted and reported, especially in some battleground states ruling to count mailedin votes after November 3.

Before midnight on election night, however, projec-

tion of winners in different states by various news media organizations, including Fox News, showed Joe Biden leading.

By Fox News’ report, 238 for Biden and 213 for Trump in the road to the 270 minimum electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency.

Already, Trump had been

flooding social media with accusations that votes are being stolen from him without any basis in fact.

In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Trump declared that he’ll go to the Supreme Court to push for “all voting to stop,” baselessly calling the continued vote count a “fraud” as key

states sort through a historically high volume of early and mail ballots driven by the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump also wanted a recount of states where he lost to Biden, but would not want the states where he is leading recounted.

Before this delusional proclamation of victory by

himself, Biden himself gave a speech, declaring that “we believe we’re on track to win this election”, and not declaring that he already won.

On the other hand, Trump did claim he won big.

Biden said he’s “optimistic about this outcome,” but that “we’re going to have to 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

Philippines hailed as Asia’s Palace: No major change in PH-US ties regardless of poll results leading beach, dive destination THE 27th World Travel Awards recognized the Philippines as Asia’s leading beach destination and Asia’s leading dive destination in 2020.

The award-giving body also declared the Philippine Department of Tourism as this year’s leading tourist board in Asia, besting 11 nominated countries.

“We are truly honored and thankful for the accolades given to the Philippines at the 2020 World Travel Awards Asia. These recognitions are certainly an inspiration to the industry as we safely and gradually reopen our destinations for tourism. These would not be possible without the combined efforts from our tourism stakeholders, local government units, partner agencies, and our fellow Filipinos who have tireless-

ly promoted our country’s attractions, products and culture,” remarked Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.

This is the Philippines’ fourth time to win Asia’s Leading Beach Destination and second time to win Asia’s Leading Dive Destination, following a number of nominations for categories since 2006. On the other hand, this is the second time for the Department of Tourism (DOT) to win Asia’s Leading Tourist Board.

Recently, the DOT expressed its support for the gradual reopening of various tourism destinations in the country, putting health and safety as the top priority. Among the opened destinations for local tourists are Baguio, Boracay, El Nido, Ilocos Norte, and several diving sites in Batan-

gas province wherein stringent safety protocols are in place.

Dive tourism is identified by the DOT as one of the key areas in the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2016 - 2022 that can positively affect industry growth in terms of increased visitor count, extended length of stay, and higher tourism revenue, among others.

Meanwhile, both the Philippines and the DOT have the following remaining nominations under the World category: • World’s Leading Beach Destination 2020: Philippines • World’s Leading Dive Destination 2020: Philippines • World’s Leading Island Destination 2020: Siargao PAGE 7

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

PHILIPPINE-U.S. bilateral relations will not see any major changes regardless of who wins the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Malacañang said on Wednesday, November 4.

“You see the (U.S.) State Department ensures continuity as far as U.S. foreign policy is concerned.

So we don’t expect any major changes in bilateral relations between the Philippines and the United States,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque told CNN Philippines’ The Source.

He acknowledged the friendship between President Rodrigo Duterte and U.S. President Donald Trump, but expressed confidence that Duterte can foster friendly relations

with Democratic challenger Joe Biden.

“Of course, there is an issue of personal relations but I think given time the President can establish equally warm personal relations with whoever wins this election even [if] it’s not President Trump,” Roque said.

“And even if there is a new President, I am not saying that there will be, but in case there is a new President in the United States in the person of Senator Biden, I am confident that the President can also develop a close personal friendship with Mr. Biden.

May the best man win as of now,” he added.

The U.S. Embassy in Manila likewise maintained that the relationship between the Philippines and the U.S. will remain strong no matter the outcome of the election.

“The U.S. relationship is very very old, it’s very very strong, there have been Republicans and Democratic presidents of the U.S. and different administrations of the Philippines — one constant has been the relationship between our peoples,” Embassy Chargé d’Affaires John Law said at the sidelines of the 2020 US Presidential Election Watch Party hosted by the embassy.

“The relationship between our countries is always very strong and (I’m) certain it will continue,” he added.

A political analyst, on the other hand, said Biden winning the U.S. election could prompt “challenging times” for the Duterte administration.

“If you would look at details of the core platform of Biden, there might be chalPAGE 7

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 6-12, 2020

Application for dual citizenship surges... As election season...

PAGE 2 premises, slowing down processing times and creating backlogs that they are working hard to address.

The consulate will also be implementing a Consulate Saturday where they will be open one Saturday a month.

For November, that Saturday is on November 14.

Virtual events ConGen Garcia says she looks forward to continuing cultural engagement and the consulate’s traditional projects virtually, including a modified Simbang Gabi, an annual consulate project that community members look forward to during the holiday season.

Despite the pandemic, the consulate already has a full calendar of events in the coming months.

“We need to ensure that our clients and our employees as well, are not unnecessarily exposed. We are not out of the woods yet as we are seeing signs of a second wave and we ask you for your understanding and cooperation,” Garcia said as she explained how the pandemic has affected the consulate.

Because of the lockdowns, quarantine rules, and indications of rising COVID-19 infections across the country this fall, some of the consulate’s programs have been suspended as well, including the holding of consular outreach missions.

Other services The Philippine Embassy and Consulates General in the United States are actively taking steps to meet the surge in demand not just for for dual citizenship but also for passport and visa services, both of which also registering spikes.

According to a news release from the Embassy, the steps being undertaken vary from post to post, depending on the local conditions and

state restrictions.

These steps may include increasing the number of appointment slots, operating on weekends, and assigning more personnel to process applications and answer phone, e-mail, and social media queries, among other measures.

The adjustments are being made in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs as pandemic-related restrictions and stringent health requirements, both in the Philippines and the United States, continue to put pressure on Posts’ consular operations.

“We understand our clients’ frustration over the impact of the pandemic on our consular operations. We wish to assure them that we are aware of their concerns and we are doing everything we can to continue delivering critical services in the safest and most efficient way possible during these challenging times,” Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said in a statement.

“For us in the frontlines, this is a delicate balancing act between the need to fulfill our public service mandate and to ensure the health and safety of our clients and personnel. We appeal to the public for your understanding, and please bear with us as we try to deal with this evolving situation,” Romualdez added.

The ambassador also appealed to Filipinos to postpone their travel plans for now.

“If you can put your travel plans on hold for the meantime, please do so,” he said.

“I know this might be hard as the Christmas season is upon us, but these measures and regulations have been put in place to keep all of us safe from the pandemic. Only with everyone’s cooperation

will we be able to defeat this pandemic that has already claimed more than a million lives worldwide and changed the course of our future.

Diplomatic career A career diplomat with the rank of Chief of Mission I, Garcia has served the government for 40 years. She previously served as the Philippine Ambassador to Canada from January 2014 to September 2020, becoming the first female Philippine Ambassador to Canada since diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1949.

She also served as the Philippine Ambassador to Israel from 2007 to 2011 and the first woman Ambassador assigned by the Philippines to an Arab country, the Arab Republic of Egypt, with concurrent jurisdiction over Sudan from 2004 to 2007.

Garcia joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1981, after passing the Foreign Service Officer’s examination. She also passed the Career Minister’s examination in 1994. She replaced Ambassador Claro S. Cristobal who retired from the service.

Garcia shared that among her memorable experiences in her four decades of service, she counts extracting 121 Filipinos from Gaza and bringing them to safety all the way from Israel to Jordan was among the more memorable ones. She said she is looking forward to meeting the Filipino American community members in the northeast.

“It is a big privilege to work here as Consul General and I look forward to serving the community. These are strange times, no one foresaw the social and economic upheaval that would follow,” she said. “I have an open door, I will engage with the media and the community members.” n

Palace: No major change in...

PAGE 6 lenging times for the president,” Prof. Dindo Manhit of think tank Stratbase ADR Institute told “The Chiefs” on One News.

“They’re proud of their belief that they need to go back to the core of the Democratic Party which is how they can lead in the world,” he added.

According to Manhit, part of Biden’s proposed foreign policy would be the rein-

vigoration of democracy around the world, which could meet resistance in the Philippines.

He added that a Biden administration could be “more aggressive” in addressing the Philippines’ human rights situation.

Biden could also address the maritime territorial dispute between Beijing and Manila in the West Philippine Sea by bringing more countries to ensure a “rule-

based security environment not only in the Philippines but in the region as well.”

“Biden, being a former vice president of Barack Obama, would have learned their lessons [on] trying to give some space to China to become good global citizens. But what we have seen especially after the 2016 arbitral award is they cannot be good citizens and they will use their aggressive stance,” Manhit said. n

PAGE 4 ers to the Asian Journal, Trump has spent the better half of the year referring to COVID-19 (which, by its nature, is not inherently associated with any one ethnicity or race) as the “Chinese virus” or the “kung-flu,” terms that put up a false association between the Chinese (and Asian) community and the virus.

“These figures should be shocking to all of us, but it comes to no shock when the highest leader of our land is spewing hateful rhetoric,” Ryu said, adding that LA should “not be deterred by hurdles of hatred and ignorance.”

“With a president who’s given a green light to race it to attack the AAPI communities with xenophobic terms, it’s no wonder there’s been an exponential rise in hate against the AAPI community locally and across the nation,”

said Filipina American Abigail Zelenski, attorney and one of the commissioners from the CRHRD. “Since the onset of this pandemic, there’s been a documented increase in the number of incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islanders involving racist slurs spawning anti-immigrant nativist bullying and, unfortunately, even unprovoked violent attacks,” Zelenski added.

Though the 2020 election is on everybody’s minds (as of press time, the election results have yet to be counted), many voters are hinging the future of the AAPI community on whoever is elected (or, reelected) President of the United States.

But racism, whether it is targeted at AAPIs or any other minority, doesn’t start or stop at an election, as previously stressed by AAPI community

leaders throughout the 2020 election cycle.

But nevertheless, Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of A3PCON and a formidable figure in the fight against AAPI hate, noted that voting in the election is something everybody can do in a year where it feels like life is out of control.

“We have an opportunity in what is the most critical election of our lifetimes to address what’s happening and to prevent it from happening, and we know a lot of our API community members have been sitting on the sidelines in past elections,” she said.

Quoting the popular Twitter user Angry Asian Man, Kulkarni added, “Not voting is like essentially going to a restaurant and paying for the food and letting someone else pick for you. We wouldn’t let anyone do that for us as consumers. We shouldn’t let others choose our cultures as citizens of this great country.”

(Klarize Medenilla/AJPress) n

Philippines hailed as Asia’s...

PAGE 6 • World’s Leading Tourist Board 2020: the Philippines, Department of Tourism • World’s Leading Tourist Attraction 2020: Intramuros Since 1993, the World

Travel Awards has contributed to rising global tourism standards by recognizing brands and best practices from the travel, tourism, and hospitality industries in an annual series of gala cer-

emonies held per continent.

Each year is capped off with a Grand Final Gala.

For more information about the Philippines, visit w w w. p h i l i p p i n e s . t ra v e l .

(Philstar.com) n

NOVEMBER 6-12, 2020 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

‘Putting the welfare of the group...

PAGE 4 in the overall registered nursing workforce, which nearly everybody can agree is among the most essential workforces in this country, whether we’re in a pandemic or otherwise.

But the COVID-19 undoubtedly complicated life for Filipino nurses, who were disproportionately affected by the government’s failed response to the crisis, signaling the need for union organizing and a clear plan to protect the most vulnerable health care workers.

To celebrate this year’s Filipino American History Month — which is themed around social justice — the California Nurses Association (CNA)/National Nurses United (NNU) hosted a special webinar on Thursday, Oct. 29 saluting the tireless (and often thankless) work of the countless Filipino registered nurses in the U.S. “The history of Filipino nurses is made up of millions of personal stories about our dedication to our families, our patients and our profession,” CNA board member and RN Dahlia Taglay said on Thursday.

“It’s about how our experi-

National Nurses United President Zenei Triunfo-Cortez speaks at the union’s Filipino American History Month celebration on Thursday, October 29.

ence has been shaped by imperialism, capitalism and racism but it is also a story about solidarity and what we can achieve through collective action,” added Taglay who has been an RN for more than 40 years.

Hospital nurses, especially those working in ICUs, were given a spotlight this year when the greater public reignited its value in the RN workforce during the peaks of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Aug. 24, at least 193 RNs in the U.S. have died of COVID19-related issues and 30% of those who passed were Filipino, the NNU reported.

The Filipino American

nursing workforce has played a crucial role in American health care since the mid- to late-20th century when nurses from the Philippines migrated to the United States to supply staff shortages in American hospitals.

To any Filipino or anybody who knows Filipinos, it’s no surprise that Filipinos are among the most trusted group of health care workers. Hospitality and genuine, selfless care are seemingly inherent characteristics in most Filipinos.

Today, Filipinos comprise 4% (about 150,000) of the overall nursing community in the U.S. according to the NNU, but regions with a higher concentration of Filipinos employ a much larger share. ProPublica found that 1 in 4 Filipinos in the New York tri-state area are health care workers, and “they are four times more likely to be nurses,” according to a Business Insider report.

In California, Filipinos cover 18% of RNs across the state.

But as such ethnic minorities in nearly every industry, Filipino nurses were not

http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426 warmly welcome and many faced discrimination and racism socially and financially.

Many Filipinos who fled the motherland due to the unrest of the Marcos regime settled in the U.S., but were rudely awakened to the racism that many minorities faced in 1970s America.

Famously, two Filipina nurses named Filipina Narciso and Leonora Perez were falsely accused and charged of murdering 10 patients at the Ann Arbor, Michigan Veterans Administration Hospital in 1975. The two nurses were only found guilty on poisoning and conspiracy charges, the prosecution’s case was scant and colored by xenophobic and racist rhetoric.

A lead witness for the prosecution in that case referred to the two nurses as “slanteyed b*tches” and claimed of a bogus conspiracy by Filipino nurses to murder patients in the United States.

“Filipino nurses are no stranger to racism. They deal with institutional discrimination along with workplace prejudice and harassment from managers, co-workers and employers,” said the narrator of a documentary by Filipina American filmmaker Marissa Roy called “The

Strength of Many,” which was produced by NNU. The decades of discrimination — which also included Filipinos being turned away from nursing positions because hospitals had “too many Filipinos” — led the formidable force of Filipino nurses to organize and fight for equal rights for all nurses.

The COVID-19 pandemic’s detrimental impact on health care workers have left 70% of Filipino nurses in California reporting “difficulties [in] affording housing, food and other necessities,” said Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, a registered nurse and member of the Council of Presidents of NNU, the largest union and professional organization of RNs in the U.S. Throughout the pandemic, Triunfo-Cortez — who is the first Filipina president of the NNU — and other prominent Filipina RNs led boycotts and demonstrations demanding adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) and safer working conditions for nurses.

Though nonpartisan by nature, nurses unions have been striking against the president’s response to the pandemic, specifically, citing his dangerous rhetoric that in-

cludes racist misnomers and “scapegoating immigrants” and China.

“President Trump has tried to avoid responsibility for his disastrous pandemic response by blaming China and scapegoating immigrants, which has led to a rise in antiAsian racism here, including against Filipino nurses and health care workers,” TriunfoCortez said.

In order to maintain a forceful community of RNs, Triunfo-Cortez encouraged all nurses to organize and get involved in unions. Although the NNU comprises 150,000 members nationwide, there are nurses throughout the country — especially immigrant nurses — who may be undergoing dangerous working conditions as they treat COVID-19 patients.

“We understand the importance of solidarity and putting the welfare of the group over the individual, and that’s why it’s easy for us to see that there is power in a union,” TriunfoCortez said. “So, let’s get together as nurses and trade unions and keep fighting until we get the protections we need to keep ourselves and patients safe because none of us is safe until all of us are safe.” n

(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com

NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 6-12, 2020

BSP wants OFWs to invest more in retirement accounts MANILA – The central bank is urging the country’s large number of expatriate workers to invest a portion of their earnings in pension funds that will help them be better prepared financially for retirement, especially since these instruments are now available digitally.

As part of this thrust, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center recently conducted a series of online briefings about the Personal Equity and Retirement Account (PERA) scheme targeted at the large overseas Filipino communities in Hong Kong and Macau.

In particular, BSP’s PERA technical working group head, Director Jose Recon Tano, explained how the newly implemented investment program could benefit overseas Filipinos and help them prepare for retirement through PTIC’s Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan program.

He also tackled PERA’s

digitalization which allows Filipinos to conveniently open investment accounts and fund them 24/7, from anywhere in the world, using mobile phones and other devices.

Officers from the three BSP-accredited PERA administrators also briefed the webinar participants on investing in the retirement accounts in their platforms.

They discussed investor education, client onboarding, settlement of transactions and monitoring of PERA investments.

The conduct of the PERA webinar is in line with BSP’s advocacy to broaden financial literacy and help Filipinos achieve financial security.

This initiative came just a few weeks after BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno lamented that the law has so far failed to build a critical mass of investors as envisioned by its authors.

“Currently, Pera is underutilized,” he said in his speech, noting that only

1,586 Filipinos have availed themselves of the scheme as of the end of July 2020, with total contributions of a mere P137 million. “Since its implementation in December 2016, the Pera industry has not gained significant momentum.”

Of the total contributors, 1,099 or 69 percent are locally employed, 273 or 17 percent are overseas Filipino workers, and 214 or 14 percent are self-employed.

On average, OFWs have higher contributions at P110,000; local employed workers, P82,000 and the self- employed, P76,000.

“These figures remain regrettably low,” Diokno said.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) latest report, the Philippines has around 7.6 million Filipinos aged 60 years old and above. Of this group, only 20 percent are covered by either SSS or GSIS, leaving 80 percent of senior citizens with no mandatory pension at all.

(Inquirer.net) n

CERAMIC WORKS. A woman sells different types of decorative ceramics for P350 to P500 each on Tuesday, November 3 at the Dapitan Arcade in Quezon, City. Many businesses have been allowed to open by the government to slowly revive the economy that has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

PNA photo by Rico H. Borja

Duterte only respecting Ombudsman guidelines on release of SALN—Palace

by Krissy

AguilAr Inquirer

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte is only respecting the guidelines issued by the Office of the Ombudsman on the release of his Statement of Assets,

Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN), Malacañang said on Wednesday, November 6.

“I don’t think there is a conscious effort to conceal because he has complied with it. But he is just respecting the recent guidelines issued by the Ombudsman because

after all the Ombudsman is a constitutional body tasked with promoting accountability amongst public officers,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an interview over CNN Philippines.

“So, all he’s saying is let’s PAGE 10

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NOVEMBER 6-12, 2020 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (212) 655-5426

Let every vote be counted...

PAGE 5 be patient... It ain’t over until every vote is counted, every ballot is counted.”

On social media, Biden posted, “Keep the faith, guys. We’re gonna win this.

It’s not my place or Donald Trump’s place to declare the winner of this election. It’s the voters’ place.”

The Biden campaign said they will fight with Trump in court should the President bring this battle up to the Supreme Court.

Many Democrats are heartbroken to see how Trump remains competitive in many Republican strongholds despite his failure to fulfill his solemn oath to defend and protect the Constitution and the American people, his abuse of power and threats against democratic institutions and processes because of his selfish personal and political interests, despite the death of more than 200,000 Americans in the pandemic because of Trump’s failure in leadership.

Looking at the bright side: Amid the escalating threat of the coronavirus pandemic, joblessness, disrupted economic and social activities, a divided nation and toxic political climate in the country, a record number of Americans voted early — more than 100 million before the November 3 election.

Perhaps the better way to put is this: Because of the crises of our times that have been causing a lot of uncertainties about the future, and because of the threat of their votes being thrown away because of dirty political tactics to disenfranchise voters, American voters have decided to mail in their votes early, or went to the polling stations to cast their sacred votes and make sure they exercise their power to decide what kind of life they and their families would be living in the next four years.

According to the U.S. Elections Project, the total early votes amounted to 101,167,740. Nationally, voters have cast 73.4% of the total votes counted in the 2016 general election which recorded 139 million votes.

Comparing early vote count: In 2016, only 47 million Americans cast ballots before Election Day vs 2020’s more than 101 million votes.

The breakdown of the 2020 early votes: In-Person Votes: 35,923,053; Mail Ballots Returned: 65,244,687; and Mail Ballots Outstanding:

26,858,126.

How are the early voting numbers divided according to party affiliation?

We can have an idea based on the party registration statistics provided only for states that have party registration.

Reporting states with party registration data: AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, IA, KS, KY, LA, MD, ME, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NV, OK, OR, PA, SD. The breakdown: Democrats: 22,174,934 votes (44.8%) Republicans: 15,119,146 (30.5%) Minor parties : 334,919 (0.7%) No Party Affiliation 11,871,101 (24%) TOTAL: 49,500,100 How did the states perform in early voting compared to 2016?

As reported by Axios based on the data gathered by the U.S. Elections Project: Hawaii (110.6%), Texas (108.3%), Washington (105.4%), Oregon (104.8%), Montana (102.4%), and Colorado (101%) all surpassed 2016’s total turnout via early voting.

Other states that amassed a huge portion of their 2016 totals include: New Mexico: 98% Utah: 97.6% Nevada: 96.7% North Carolina: 95.4% Florida: 94.7% Georgia: 93.9% Arizona: 92.9% Tennessee: 89.6% New Jersey: 88.7% The battleground states The other side: Some key battleground states are lagging behind the frontrunners.

Pennsylvania, for example, only reached 40.7% of its 2016 total turnout — but this is the first general election for which the state has implemented no-excuse absentee balloting. Historically, only about 5% of Pennsylvanians have voted by mail.

The other side: Some key battleground states are lagging behind the frontrunners.

Pennsylvania, for example, only reached 40.7% of its 2016 total turnout — but this is the first general election for which the state has implemented no-excuse absentee balloting. Historically, only about 5% of Pennsylvanians have voted by mail.

Other key battlegrounds and their current early turnout against 2016 totals: Wisconsin: 64.7% Iowa: 60.5% Michigan 58.3% Ohio: 53.5%

Worth noting as reported

by Axios: Mail-in ballots face deadlines. While some states only require that ballots be postmarked by or shortly before Election Day, others require ballots to be received by election officials on Tuesday.

Swing states Florida and Wisconsin, for example, require mail-in ballots to be received by 7 and 8 p.m., respectively, on Election Day. But the Supreme Court recently shut down Republican attempts to trim mail-in deadlines in both North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Many states also can’t begin counting their mail-in ballots until Election Day, which is likely to cause a backlog in results — and could shift results in Biden’s favor as more get counted in the following days.

Voter motivation These early voting numbers are just part of the bigger turn out numbers we have yet to get after the polls close on November 3, and after all votes are counted.

Trump used COVID-19 super spreader crowded public campaign rallies to display support and enthusiasm among voters while Biden held drive-in rallies in addition to virtual campaign rallies to follow social distancing and other public health safety measures.

However, if we look at these election results numbers, it appears that more Democrats than Republicans were motivated to cast their votes early, breaking all records.

These numbers are also in congruence with polls conducted just before the November 3 elections which revealed Biden leads Trump by 10 percentage points nationally, 52 percent to 42 percent. This is according to an average of national polls since Oct. 26 reported by the Washington Post.

Biden’s margin in the battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin is nine points.

It’s five points in Pennsylvania, five in North Carolina, four in Arizona and three in Florida.

Whatever the final result may be, America wins as this election’s voter turnout may very well speak volumes about how they have come out of their shells of apathy.

We learn the hard way that our votes indeed matter and are motivated to change the course of our nation’s history after four years of the Trump presidency.

MAINTENANCE CHECK. A telecommunications worker checks wire connections at the intersection of Kaliraya and Mazaraga streets in Quezon City on Wednesday, November 4. The government has ordered telco players to improve their services during this time of the coronavirus pandemic.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

PET can annul votes in Mindanao in Marcos case —Comelec

by Jomar

Canlas ManilaTimes.net

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has informed the Supreme Court (SC), sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), that it has the power and jurisdiction for the Annulment of Elections in the Mindanao

provinces in cases where there is massive fraud as in the protest filed by former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. against Vice President Leonor “Leni” Robredo.

In its Comment before the high tribunal, the poll body said that the PET can rule on the Annulment of Votes under

the 1987 Constitution and the 2010 Rules of the PET. It cited Article 7, Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution that the SC en banc “shall be the sole judge of all contests relating to the election, returns, and qualifications of the President or Vice-President and may promulgate rules for the purpose.” n

Duterte only respecting...

PAGE 9 respect the guidelines issued by the Ombudsman and comply with those guidelines,” he added.

The Ombudsman recently issued new guidelines limiting who can request copies of a government official’s SALN. Under the new guidelines, SALNs would only be released in three situations:

• if the declarant, meaning the government official who filed it and his or her official representative made a request; • if it is legally ordered by the court in relation to a pending case • if the request is made through the Office of the Ombudsman’s field investigation office for the purpose of a fact-finding probe

Roque said he will bring up the issue to Duterte in their meeting scheduled for Thursday.

The President’s SALNs for 2018 and 2019 have yet to be made public.

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism said it is the first time in the last 30 years that a President has not released his or her SALN. n

We all look forward to a better, brighter, and stronger America through the power of our sacred votes and our vigilance to make sure all votes are counted and reflect the will of the American people in this democracy. ***

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. ***

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

Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational

(212) 655-5426 • http://www.asianjournal.com

NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 6-12, 2020

COMMUNITY Journal

11

Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel answers more immigration questions on this Sunday’s new episode of Citizen Pinoy CITIZEN Pinoy continues to provide relevant information to individuals and families who have concerns about the latest immigration policies and how it affects them.

This Sunday, leading U.S. immigration attorney, Michael J. Gurfinkel, provides clear and relevant information to several questions from around the U.S. Glecy from Albuquerque, NM petitioned her parents and it was approved in 2019.

All they are missing is the embassy interview since the embassy is closed due to the pandemic.

Just recently, aunt’s petition of her father just became current. Glecy’s siblings are included in the aunt’s petition. Should they go with Glecy’s petition or should they choose the sister-to-brother petition of her aunt so Glecy’s sisters can also come to the U.S.?

Meanwhile, Almira of Riverside, CA asks about her situation. Her husband and their children arrived in the U.S. earlier in the year on an approved F4 petition by her husband’s sister.

Almira was left in the Philippines because her medical results were delayed, and her

interview was cancelled until after December 2020. However, Almira could not bear being away from her children for a long time, so she flew to the U.S. on a tourist visa. Is it possible for Almira to adjust status now that she is already in the U.S.?

Find out the answers to these questions and more on another informative and brand-new edition of “CITIZEN PINOY: Your Tanong, My Sagot – Social Distancing Style” this Sunday, November 8 at 6:15 pm PST/EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

(Advertising Supplement)

CITIZEN PINOY PROVIDES ANSWERS TO MORE OF YOUR IMMIGRATION QUESTIONS THIS SUNDAY WITH ‘YOUR TANONG, MY SAGOT!’ Glecy from Albuquerque, NM (center) petitioned her parents. All they are missing is the embassy interview due to the pandemic.

However, her aunt’s petition for her father also just became current. Glecy’s siblings are included in the aunt’s petition. Which petition should they go with? Meanwhile, Almira of Riverside, CA (right) advises that her husband and their children arrived in the U.S. earlier in the year on an approved F4 petition by her husband’s sister. She remained in the Philippines to complete medical tests. As Almira could not bear being away from her children for a long time, she flew to the U.S. on a tourist visa. She would like to know if she can adjust status now that she is in the U.S.? These are just some of the questions that leading U.S. Immigration Attorney MICHAEL J. GURFINKEL will answer on a brand-new episode of “CITIZEN PINOY: Your Tanong, My Sagot – Social Distancing Style” this Sunday, November 8 at 6:15 pm PST/EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

(Advertising Supplement)

12

NOVEMBER 6-12, 2020 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

COVID and water ionizer

Health@Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS Marketing claims are out there advertising drinking alkaline water made with a water ionizer device boosts the immune person and therefore useful for the prevention of COViD-19. this assertion is false, without any scientific basis, and a disservice to the people around the world, making them careless and reckless, and more susceptible to be victims for this pandemic.

While wearing a good facemask properly (covering both nose and mouth, fitting snugly all around the facer, washing hands frequently, and social distancing does not guarantee us 100 percent protection against the SarS-CoV2 virus, those guidelines significantly help (more than 95 percent) in protecting the wearer and the public against this deadly pandemic. Drinking alkaline water does not! a 63-year-old acquaintance of mine, who had acquired a water ionizer and had been drinking alkaline water for more than 2 years, had developed mineral deficiencies, kidney failure, and died of COViD-19 infection a couple of months ago. and this is not an isolated case. there is no proof that drinking alkaline water makes us healthier. Financially poorer, maybe, and the scammers, for sure, financially wealthier. as far as health is concerned, majority, if not all of us, wants the best health minus the sacrifices needed to achieve it effectively

and safely. We want to be healthy without exercising, dieting or abstaining from smoking and without disciplined alcohol intake. We want to have good blood pressure and good cholesterol level without skimping on our salt and fat intake and quitting cigarettes. We want to lose weight without cutting down on our calorie intake and exercising daily.

For expediency, any pill or juice or gadget that comes along with the claim that it is good for our health becomes a “must-buy” crutch, believing it will confer upon us good health and longevity, without lifting a finger, moving a muscle, or getting off the couch and putting down the remote control and the potato chips.

Unfortunately, the manufacturers of these “health” lotions, potions, pills, juices and gadgets are mostly interested in making their bank accounts healthy, and least interested in the health of its consumer-victims. Otherwise, they won’t continue to prey on the unsuspecting public and sell their useless products, which may even have severe long term side-effects. and organ-failure and cancer are some of those possibilities! it is one thing to pay for very expensive pill or juice or machine and finding out years from now that it was not effective. it is another to discover years down the line that its use has caused a debilitating or deadly disease. there is no scientific data that show regular consumption of alkaline water is beneficial to the body and its immune system. Most info-mercials on this are baseless, deceptive, and a money-making scam. now comes the water

ionizer, the “ionized” alkaline water it produces, the “special” drinking water. not only are these marketed water and the ionizing machines expensive, but they are, according to scientists, “medically baseless and worthless.” Most of the good effects these manufacturers claim for their products are available in healthy food items, like fish, fruits, bran, wheat, nuts, vegetables, and water purified by the most advanced multiple-stage reverse-osmosis filtration system. it might come as a surprised to many but boiled water, minus its sediments, is safer than some of this expensive drinking water. Using the commercially available home water filtration pitcher or the below-thesink filtration system, and then boiling the water will even double the protection. this will certainly not cost $1500-$2500 like the ionizers.

When it comes to health, there is no better guide than our modern science, where extensive and rigidly-controlled laboratory testing, and double-blind, randomized, human clinical trials are the standard before any medication or device gets official approval and goes out to the market. anecdotal reports (usually solicited) or testimonials (usually from paid endorsers) are not scientific proofs. Candidly, these are nothing but lies. if not approved by the US-FDa, rPBFaD or any other similar national health agencies, any product is suspect. So, public, beware! as far as the water ionizer is concerned, here is “the bottom line” as objectively explained in a detailed sciPAGE 13

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No chaNge From october 2020 dates

November 2020 priority dates

Immigration Corner

The Priority dates for the Philippines are as follows: FAMILY CATEGORY: First Preference

atty. MiChael GurFinkel, eSQ tHe november 2020 priority dates, continue to provide great news for workers in the eB-3 (skilled/professional) and “other worker” (unskilled workers like caregivers). the priority dates for all countries (except india and China) are CUrrent! this includes the Philippines! this means visas are available, regardless of the person’s priority date. if a person is being petitioned by an employer, and their Form i-140 employment- based petition has been approved or is pending, they could possibly be eligible to file for adjustment of status and work authorization, assuming they are otherwise eligible for adjustment of status (i.e. no issues re maintaining status, no fraud/crimes, etc.) People with approved or pending i-140 petitions should see an attorney about their eligibility to file for adjustment, now that the priority dates for these employment-based categories are current. each month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment-based categories. a priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed below. if

Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens (over 21 years of age)

Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

October 08, 2012

December 15, 2011

(2A) Spouse and Second Preference minor children (below August 01, 21 years old) of green 2020 card holders

Current

(2B) Unmarried sons and daughters (21 April 01, 2012 years old or older) of green card holders

August 01, 2011

Third Preference

Married sons and daughters of US Citizens

December 22, 2002

February 15, 2002

Fourth Preference

Brothers and sisters of US Citizens

September 01, January 01, 2002 2002

LABOR CERTIFICATION:

Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

Second Preference

Advanced Degree (Masters)

Current

Current

Third Preference

Professional/ Skilled Workers

Current

Current

Other Workers

Non-Skilled Workers

Current

Current

your priority date was “current,” but later retrogressed (or “moved backwards” and became unavailable) before your immigrant visa was issued (or before you adjusted status in the U.S.), you would have to wait until it becomes current again. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 35 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bars of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California.

Each case is different and results may depend on the facts of the particular case. The information and opinions contained herein (including testimonials, “Success Stories”,

endorsements and re-enactments) are of a general nature, and are not intended to apply to any particular case, and do not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorneyclient relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/ GurfinkelLaw, Twitter @GurfinkelLaw and Youtube: US Immigration TV Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: 1-866-487-3465 (866) – GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES ∙ SAN FRANCISCO ∙ NEW YORK ∙ PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

For Jasmine, patience key to dealing with life’s challenges

By Ricky Lo Philstar.com

LiVing alone can get lonely at times, Jasmine Curtis-Smith admitted—and more so now that there’s a pandemic, and her family is hundreds of miles away in australia.

So, if there was one thing she had to relearn in the past couple of months to somehow bridge that distance, it’s patience. “instead of feeling bad

about the separation, i looked at it as something that taught me to look at the positive side. i just think that i will have so many more years with my family,” she said in a video conference for the return of gMa 7’s adaptation of the popular korean drama series “Descendants of the Sun” (DOtS). “there’s the feeling of wanting and yearning to be with them. For people who live alone, it tends to be lonely. it’s hard. But it’s

about learning to use that and turn it into something to look forward to,” she added.

But luckily, Jasmine was able to squeeze in a quick trip down under in March and met her new niece, Dahlia, before lockdowns were put in place around the world. “i’m glad i really pushed the trip because i wanted to make sure i saw my niece as soon as i could … at her youngest,” she said of sister anne Curtis’ firstborn child with erwan

Heussaff.

Less than a week later, international flights were canceled. “i nearly got stranded in Sydney; not even in Melbourne, where my family is. now i wonder, ‘What if i had gotten stuck there? Maybe i could have stayed in Melbourne and be with my family.’ But then again, it would have been hard for me to fly back to the Philippines and resume shooting,” she pointed out.

“Maybe everything happens for a reason,” surmised the 26-year-old kapuso star, who plays Capt. Moira Defensor in DOtS. Patience was also key in dealing with the challenges her indie music label, Funky records, is currently facing because of the pandemic. “i discovered how impatient and unforgiving i can be of myself especially with all the time we have. But now i understand that it’s important to give yourself a

chance to breathe; to take in what’s in front of you day by day,” Jasmine said in an earlier video interview.

Funky records is home to such up-and-coming artists and bands like Bea Lorenzo and Flu. “You have to accept the reality of where things are, and think of the best way to move forward. Do you invest more? is it time to take a pause?” she asked herself. it’s important that JasPAGE 15

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 6-12, 2020

Apl.de.ap guests in KC’s cooking show, actress reveals ‘real score’

By Jan

Milo severo Philstar.com

AMID romance rumors, host KC Concepcion and international hip hop star Apl. de.ap were seen together in an online cooking video.

In KC’s Instagram account, the Black Eyed Peas member can be seen as the guest of Sharon Cuneta’s daughter in her online cooking show.

“Today is the day I’ve been waiting for. Everybody who’s been asking for this, this is your treat. Because it is Halloween over here,” KC told her followers as she introduced Apl for the Instagram live video.

“He’s a great, great friend of mine, very sweet, and very, very thoughtful.

He has supported a lot of artists from the Philippines and really introduced them outside. And I’m so, so grateful to know him and then all the boys from the group [Black Eyed Peas],” she added.

The rumored couple talked for about an hour, including about the group’s upcoming album and their

Mark Ruffalo’s tweet about Duterte’s drug war gains traction after asking prayers for typhoon-hit Philippines

By Jeline

Malasig Philstar.com

Apl.de.ap and KC Concepcion

collaboration with Jennifer Hudson.

KC also revealed her plans to return to Los Angeles to finish her gemology studies for her jewelry line Avec Moi. “And maybe one day, I can check out your local garden,” KC told Apl, referring to his plan of putting up a garden in LA, where he is based.

“I can’t wait,” Apl re-

ABS-CBN photo

plied.

Prior to this, KC hinted in a press interview that she was at least entertaining a new romance.

“Kung sa puso, okay naman ako. I mean, may mga kausap ako and, thank you, Lord, ‘di ba, na kinikilig ako… Kasi siyempre, ang hanap natin ngayon, ‘yung medyo mas deeper. Hindi na yung for play-play,” she said.

COVID and water ionizer...

PAGE 12 entific paper, which aims to educate and protect the public: “Here, in a nutshell, are few basic facts that anyone with a solid background in chemistry or physiology would concur with: (1) “Ionized water” is nothing more than sales fiction; the term is meaningless to chemists; (2) Most water that is fit for drinking is too nonconductive to undergo significant electrolysis; (3) Pure water can never be alkaline or acidic, nor can it be made so by electrolysis; (4) Ground waters containing metal ions such as calcium and magnesium can be rendered slightly alkaline by electrolysis, but after it hits the highly acidic gastric fluid in the stomach, its alkalinity is gone; (5) The idea that one must consume alkaline water to neutralize the effects of acidic foods is ridiculous; we get rid of excess acid by exhaling

13

carbon dioxide; (6) The claims about health benefits of drinking alkaline water were not supported by credible scientific evidence; (7) There is nothing wrong with drinking slightly acidic waters such as rainwater. Body pH is a meaningless concept in this context because different parts of the body (and even individual cells) can have widely different pH value; (8) If you really want to de-acidify your stomach (at possible cost of interfering with protein digestion), why spend hundreds of dollars for an electrolysis device when you can take calcium-magnesium pills, Alka-Seltzers or Milk of Magnesia?; (9) Electrolysis devices or ionizers are generally worthless for treating water for health enhancement, removal of common impurities, disinfection and scale control.”

To protect our health and our pocketbook, we must use our wisdom and do due

diligence. Caveat emptor, indeed! *** The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities 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 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: philipSchua.com and FUN8888. com; Email: scalpelpen@gmail. com.

A 2017 tweet of “The Avengers” star Mark Ruffalo about President Rodrigo Duterte‘s “War on Drugs” campaign resurfaced after he prayed for the safety of the Filipinos amid Super Typhoon Rolly‘s onslaught.

The Hollywood actor, known for portraying the character of “The Hulk” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, shared an article in June 2017 titled “Trump’s mass-murdering buddy Rodrigo Duterte is killing even more people than anyone knew.”

The story featured a glimpse of Duterte’s bloody anti-narcotics campaign launched when the former Davao City chief had taken office as the country’s highest-ranking official in 2016.

Ruffalo shared the article’s link three years ago but it found itself on the social media feeds of Filipinos once more when he urged his followers to pray for the typhoon-battered nation and send in donations.

Last weekend, the world’s strongest tropical cyclone of 2020 slammed parts of Southern Luzon and displaced lots of families in Catanduanes and Albay. It also affected people from Regions 2, 3, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Region V and the National Capital Region.

Meanwhile, some Filipino social media users retweeted Ruffalo’s 2017 tweet following his recent concern for the Philippines.

Another Twitter user quipped that Ruffalo’s tweet “is still up to date nowadays,” referencing recent reports of drug-related killings done by the police under the Duterte administration.

Duterte last month claimed that he has not killed anyone despite personally admitting in past speeches and interviews of killing “bad guys.”

“I killed about three of

Mark Ruffalo

them… I don’t know how many bullets from my gun went inside their bodies.

It happened and I cannot lie about it,” he said in an interview with BBC in December 2016.

Duterte also recently denied being involved in the extrajudicial killings of suspected drug users and hardened criminals.

Meanwhile, another online user commented that Ruffalo’s tweet indicates the latter “has been watching over the Philippines since 2017.”

As of this writing, the Hollywood actor’s tweet has 1,900 likes, more than 200 quote tweets and more than 900 retweets. ince he rose to presidency, Duterte made it his goal to eliminate illegal drugs in the country, believing it to be the number one problem in society.

He initially utilized the police force to lead the “Oplan Tokhang” operations which aims to crack down on narcotics use and trade.

Photo from Instagram/@markruffalo

The bloody campaign saw thousands of urban poor killed, including women and children.

It also prompted the United Nations Human Rights Council to approve a resolution that launched an investigation about the human rights crisis in the country.

BBC News in a June 2020 article quoted a 26-page report by Michelle Bachelet, the United Nation’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, which notes that the Philippine police’s key policy note contained “ominous” and “ill-defined language” such as “neutralising” suspects.

Coupled with the “rhetoric at high levels calling for the killings of drug offenders”, the news outlet says that it was “taken as a permission by the police to kill.”

“In the context of the campaign against illegal drugs, there has been near impunity for such violations,” BBC says, quoting Bachelet.

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• (212) N E W http://www.asianjournal.com YO R K / N E W J E R S EY 655-5426 N OV E M B E R 6 , 2 0 2 0

people events arts culture entertainment

comic-con museum celebrates Fil-am creators in the arts

B

by RITCHEL MENDIOLA

/ AJPress

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

Think blueprints, except it’s a sequence of drawings that covers the major shots, angles, and actions of a film.

A storyboard essentially conveys how the story will flow, what will happen in a particular scene, and acts as a guide in producing the final work.

For the Filipino American History Month, the Comic-

Con Museum in San Diego coordinated with Los Angeles-based non-profit Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) to invite an online panel of emerging and veteran Filipino American storyboard artists who were all excited to share their experiences with storyboarding: • Ian Abando, a story-

board artist who worked on popular animated films such as “Despicable Me 2,” and “Minions”; • Gabby Capili, who works at Walt Disney animation studios and has created a series of animated shorts called “All My Friends” as well as an interactive short called “Dennis the Dinosaur”;

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

“As a storyboard artist, usually we’re the first person to actually plan out the shots. The director will have ideas, but they bring in a storyboard artist and they basically plot o u t everything from the choreography, the camera move, the

acting. We draw it all out and then we run it by the director,” said Oliva.

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

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

“I wanted to be a comic book artist,” Rubio shared.

“I went to Comic-Con every year in San Diego growing up.”

In line with his dream, Rubio went to study at the California Institute of the

Arts (CalArts) and started an animation program. He got an internship at Disney as an animator and got to work in the show Treasure Planet.

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

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

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

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

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

PAGE 15

Ian Abando

Jay Olivia

NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY

EVERYDAY

9:00am - 11:00am Walt Disney Animation Studiosʼ Josie Trinidad, head of story for “Ralph Breaks the Internet.”

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Animation Studios

Bobby Rubio

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 6-12, 2020

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Comic-Con Museum celebrates...

PAGE 14 But after getting a job offer on the first season of “Adventure Time” in Cartoon Network, Abando slowly realized that this is where he’s supposed to be.

“I think the more that I got into it, I realized that, even when I go to museums and look at art, I feel like I’ve always been drawn to sequential art. I couldn’t explain why I liked movies, but I think I was more drawn to storytelling than I was (with) the brunt work of design, and I just followed that path and here I am,” he said.

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

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

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

Trinidad recounted how she felt intimidated at first, especially as the only other woman in a story department of about 40. She admitted feeling unsure, wondering to herself if she really belonged there, but learned to push through despite all doubts and worked hard.

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

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

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

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

“In my fourth year, I figured out that I like making comics. I like writing.

Storyboard artists do both of those things, but just on a film essentially, so that’s how I settled into it,” said

Capili.

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

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

“So anyways, I was in college and I took all the communication arts classes because I loved film but I never wanted to be in film because I hated being in front of [the] camera. There was a class that was for animation and here’s the thing, I never wanted to be an animator.

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

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

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

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

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

“I think in about six months since I became a storyboard artist, I did my first storyboard for the show.

They liked it, and then the following year, I was hired as a board artist at Sony,” he added.

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

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

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

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

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

“Animation is not a oneperson thing. You’re collaborating with so many talented people and everybody’s so generous and nice and very willing to share and help you out,” he said.

“Storyboarding is hard and I hate it. I die a little with every storyboard that I do because I literally put so much into it that I think I lose a little bit of my life. But on the flipside, everyday is different. Even though I’m storyboarding a fight sequence, it’s always different,” Oliva added.

He stressed that storyboarding is a constant learning experience.

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

You’re always a student, and you never feel like you’ve mastered it. And the idea is that, for me, even though I’ve been doing this for about 25 years now, I still feel like I’m learning new stuff. There’s still stuff that I see from everybody that I’m like, that’s really cool. That, to me, is what makes storyboarding so gratifying,” Oliva said.

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

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

“It’s great that ‘Float’ got out there, doing well and representing Filipino American community. I get so proud of it because I get messages from people who are finally seeing themselves up there.

They send me pictures of their family members and

Jasmine Curtis-Smith

Inquirer.net photo

For Jasmine, patience key to...

PAGE 12 mine remains emotionally detached, because some of her business partners have also become her friends.

“It’s about being logical with business matters. We don’t want our emotions to affect our decisions,” she said. “It’s hard. But it is what it is, so we just have to deal with it.”

How does she deal with

the stress? One of the things that has kept her sane amid the quarantine, she said, is taking breaks from social media.

“One of the most effective ways is to stay offline because many of us work online, too. It’s important to give ourselves a break from all the things we’re trying to listen to and understand.

Sometimes, when you take a

break from it all, that’s when you find your real core, your center,” she said.

It’s the quiet moments, she added, that can make one feel calmer, more appreciative of the things around us. “Give yourself a chance to breathe. We could always use a bit of patience and self-forgiveness, because tomorrow is another day,” Jasmine said.

themselves, and they see themselves up there represented on the screen, super excited and proud of that moment,” Rubio said.

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

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

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

“Doing this series, it was more like a love letter to the stories my parents told

me. Because this was about Filipino mythology and folklore,” Oliva said.

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

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

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

Further engagement Though the pandemic has altered live events — including the popular Comic-Con International which was held in a virtual version this year — it has also allowed

for more engagement with viewers who are not physically present in San Diego and to get a jumpstart on its online programming.

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

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

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