110719 - Las Vegas Edition

LAS VEGAS

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

NOVEMBER 7-13, 2019

T H E F I L I P I N O –A M E R I C A N C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R

Volume 30 - No. 45 • 16 Pages

2770 S. Maryland Pkwy., Suite 201 Las Vegas, NV 89109 Tel: (702) 792-6678 • Fax: (702) 792-6879

Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY

USA

DATELINE Driver who killed New Jersey Fil-Am family sentenced to probation

Palace: Robredo now drug war ‘boss’

by NESTOR

CORRALES Inquirer.net

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

A MARYLAND truck driver who drove across a median on a Delaware highway and caused a crash that killed a Filipino American man and his four daughters and injured his wife was sentenced on Friday, Nov. 1 to one year of probation.

If Alvin Hubbard III, the truck driver, does not satisfy the terms of his probation, he will face an upwards of 14 years in prison, Judge Calvin L. Scott ruled.

In 2018 following a trip to Ocean City, Maryland for the Fourth of July, the Filipino family — the Trinidads of New Jersey — was driving north on Route 1 in Delaware to their home in Teaneck, when a Ford F-350 traveling southbound crossed over to the northbound lanes.

“Today, I feel my family was killed all over again,” the widow and mother and sole survivor of her family Mary Rose Ballocanag, told WCBS/Channel 2 News in response to the light sentencing.

Hubbard, who admitted to being drowsy at the time, first struck a sedan, injuring the

u PAGE 5

Groups sue Trump admin for making it ‘much harder’ for low-income immigrants to get citizenship fee waived THE city of Seattle, Wash. and five legal organizations have filed a lawsuit in California on Wednesday, October 30 against the Trump administration for changing the requirements for naturalization, which would make it difficult for immigrants to qualify for the fee waiver when applying for citizenship.

This comes after another effort to tighten the United States immigration system when the Trump administration on Friday, Oct. 25 updated the requirements to get naturalization fees waived, which the lawsuit cited as “a sudden and unlawful policy change.”

“The American promise must be open to all,” Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan said in a statement. “Wealth is not and should never be a requirement of being an American citizen. Seattle will fight for the promise of America and against a pay-to-play approach to citizenship.”

The five legal service providers include the Catholic Legal Immigration Network,

u PAGE 2

MANILA — Vice President Leni Robredo is now the drug war “boss” after she accepted the position to be President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug czar, Malacañang said on Wednesday, November 6.

But Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo could not say the extent of Robredo’s power.

In a press briefing in MalacaPhilstar.com photo

Vice President Leni Robredo

ñang, Panelo initially said Robredo would have a free hand in leading the government’s controversial war on drugs.

“That’s why VP Leni was made a drug czar. She will be on top of the situation,” he said.

Asked if Robredo would have the power to stop the drug war if she finds it necessary, Panelo said, “It goes without saying [that] if she is the boss, then she can do that.”

But when pressed to give details about the extent of power of Robredo as drug czar, Panelo said she and Duterte need to talk first.

“All of that will be discussed with the president. They will have outline and guidelines,” he said.

So does Robredo has the power to replace police and anti-drug officials she deemed unfit to be

u PAGE 2

Leaders skip Trump-less ASEAN-US session

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte was among the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Leaders’ Summit who skipped a session with United States officials on Monday, November 4, after U.S. President Donald Trump decided not to attend the meeting.

Of the 10-member ASEAN, only Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-oCha showed up to the U.S. summit with national security adviser Robert O’Brien, who was leading the U.S. delegation, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

Bloomberg noted that it was the lowest level representation for the U.S. at the meetings since Barack Obama upgraded ties with ASEAN back in 2011.

Other leaders who skipped the U.S. session were Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hseien Loong, Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammad Mahathir, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. represented Duterte at the meeting.

The U.S. expressed concern over the partial boycott

u PAGE 2

CABINET MEETING. President Rodrigo Duterte presides over the 43rd Cabinet Meeting at the Malacañang Palace on Wednesday, November 6. Vice President Leni Robredo is again welcome to join Cabinet meetings after she accepted the position of Co-Chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD). Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Robredo’s new appointment is a Cabinet rank.

Malacañang photos by Albert Alcain

Duterte to Western countries: Stop shipping trash to Asia

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, November 4, told Western countries to stop shipping their garbage marked as “recyclables” to developing Asian countries, listing the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia among the nations that have become dumping grounds for hazardous trash from the West.

“If we are talking about improving the ecology of the place, the environment, then we must take into account what we dump,” Duterte said during the Special

Lunch on Sustainable Development at the 35th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Thailand.

“I think, Mr. Chair, this is as good as any other time and any place to tell the other countries, the Western countries, to be more circumspect,” he added.

A few years ago, Canada drew the ire of the president when the country shipped more than 2,000 tons of hazardous wastes to the Philippines. The two countries’ yearslong diplomatic row only ended in May, Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III (center) leads the unveiling of a brass marker of the 18th when Duterte ordered the Western country Congress’ officers and members of the upper chamber. Joining Sotto are (from left) Sen. Nancy Binay, Sen. Cynthia Villar, Senate Secretary Myra Marie Villarica, Majority Leader Migz Zubiri, Sen. to take back 69 containers of trash.

Francis Tolentino and Sen. Bong Revilla.

by

by GAEA

Metro Manila—the country’s political and economic center—is identified as one of the vulnerable areas to sea level rise.

Photo from Climate Central Interactive Map

Senate photo by Albert Calvelo

Senators rally support, In 30 years, rising seas will laud Robredo for threaten Philippine cities, accepting anti-drug post towns home to 6.8-M u PAGE 5

KATREENA Philstar.com

CABICO

MANILA — In only three decades, areas in the Philippines now home to around 6.8 million people will likely be inundated as the sea levels continue to rise.

By the end of the century, land currently occupied by 8.6 million Filipinos could be lower than the height of average annual coastal flood.

The figures are among the findings of the study produced

by New Jersey-based science or-

ganization Climate Central.

The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, found that 250 million people across the globe currently live on land below current annual flood levels and 110 million live below the high tide line at present.

Using a more accurate way of calculating land elevation called CoastalDEM, the study of authors Scott Kulp and Benjamin Strauss suggests there are 5.4 million Filipinos already occupying land below annual flood levels.

u PAGE 2

CHRISTIA MARIE RAMOS Inquirer.net

MANILA — Senators on Wednesday, November 6, rallied support for Vice President Leni Robredo as they lauded her for accepting the position as cochairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD).

“Very good move. She can start by concentrating on Prevention and Rehabilitation. I’m willing to give her some ideas that have worked before,” Senate President Vicente Sotto III

told reporters in a message on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, former top cop and now Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said he was happy that Robredo accepted Duterte’s offer.

“Yung pagtanggap niya, I’m so happy, at least willing siyang tutulong sa ating war on drugs at dapat lang talaga, tatanggapin niya yon dahil yung problema ng droga…this is not only the problem of President Duterte,” Dela Rosa said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.

u PAGE 2

2

http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678

NOVEMBER 7-13, 2019 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL

FROM THE FRONT PAGE

Palace: Robredo now drug war...

PAGE 1

part of the government’s antinarcotics operations?

Panelo seemed to backtrack.

“I told you repeatedly, the vice president has to know the scope and extent of her authority that is why she needs to talk with the President. Until such time we cannot, speculate. We cannot

insist that she has this authority, that she has none,” he said.

Despite the vagueness of Robredo’s powers, Panelo assured the opposition stalwart that she has the full support of the Cabinet.

“As I earlier said, we will give all the support. Being a member of the Cabinet, it behooves upon

all of us to help each other because her success is the success of all the Cabinet, as well as this administration, and ultimately, the Filipino people,” she said.

In her acceptance speech as drug czar, Robredo asked government officials if they are ready for her.

Panelo responded, “We have long been ready.”

“You offer, you give, that means the appointing power is of the belief that the person being appointed is capable of doing the job,” he said. ■

Leaders skip Trump-less...

PAGE 1

of the ASEAN leaders, saying it was an “intentional effort to embarrass” Trump, who is facing impeachment proceedings in their country.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, for his part, said Trump must have decided to skip the leaders’ summit so he could deal with his own problems back in the U.S. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, on the other hand, pointed out that it was inappropriate for ASEAN leaders to meet with a lower level official that was not even a member of the Trump Cabinet, referring to O’Brien.

However, an unidentified diplomat said the ASEAN leaders did not perform a boycott, they just “have other meetings to attend to.”

During the summit, O’Brien said the U.S. must defend its relationship with Asean at all costs and then proceeded to read aloud a letter from Trump inviting regional leaders to join him in the U.S. for a special summit in the first three months of next year.

According to a senior White House official, Trump could not come to the summit this year because he was busy with campaign events back home.

The U.S. president attended the 2017 ASEAN meeting in Manila, while Vice President Mike Pence went to the one in Singapore last year. (Ritchel Mendiola/ AJPress)

Train for a Career of Value!

35TH ASEAN SUMMIT. The 35th Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit of leaders took place in Nonthaburi, Thailand from November 2-4, 2019. This year’s summit, held under the chairmanship of Thailand, generated a total of 44 outcome documents, including the ASEAN joint statement on Climate Change and East Asia leaders’ statements on combating the spread of illegal drugs, on cooperation to combat transnational crime, and on partnership for sustainability.

PNA photo by Avito Dalan

Senators rally support, laud Robredo for...

PAGE 1

“We need a whole of nation approach para masawata itong problema sa droga kaya tama lang na tumulong siya. I’m very optimistic, itong pagtanggap niya,” he added.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, meanwhile, said he is willing to “humbly share whatever modest law enforcement experience I gained in my previous life.”

“Kudos to VP Robredo. I take my hat off to her for accepting the daunting challenge,” Lacson, a former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said in a statement.

“We should all give her the support she needs to contribute her share in battling this pestering problem of illegal drugs that destroys lives, families and the youth to whom we will bequeath the future of our beloved country,” he added.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon meanwhile expressed confidence that the Vice President “can carry out the task.”

“Being the leader of the opposition, Vice President Robredo

will continue to fiscalize. But in instances such as this, when she is called upon to do her share, she will not shirk from this challenge,” he said in a statement.

“This is an enormous task.

The problems on illegal drugs continue to infect the society and ruin lives and families. I call on the Filipino people and government instrumentalities involved in the campaign against illegal drugs to rally behind the Vice President. Her success is the success of our nation,” he added.

For Senator Risa Hontiveros, she said Robredo’s acceptance of the post shows that she is ready to lead and provide better solutions to address the country’s drug problem.

“I firmly believe that if Vice President Robredo is provided all the necessary powers and resources and given the full liberty to implement a public health approach coupled with a rightsbased law enforcement strategy, she can do a much better job in responding to the drug problem,” she said.

She also urged the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Justice (DOJ) and all relevant agencies “to fully support the Vice President and follow her lead.”

Senator Sonny Angara, who was “surprised with her change of heart,” said he hopes that Robredo “succeeds in helping solve the menace of drugs which destroys lives and communities.”

“If she meets with success in her new role it will be good for the country and the administration, which delegated the job to her,” he added.

For his part, Senator Francis Tolentino said: “Now that she is a part of the antidrug campaign as an insider, we hope she would acquire the right historical perspective.”

“Seeing the magnitude of the problem as well as accepting that the policy choices made by the President were done for the good of the country,” he added. ■

In 30 years, rising seas will threaten...

PAGE 1

Annual flood level is used to denote the water level at the shoreline that local coastal floods exceed on average once per year.

Conservative estimates The new projections for the Philippines—an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean—are based on a relatively conservative scenario of expected changes. This assumes humans will moderately reduce warming emissions roughly in line with the 2015 Paris climate agreement’s twodegree celsius target and there will be a fairly stable Antarctica.

The numbers also used by the authors were based on a 2010 population data—100 million.

But assuming the high greenhouse gas-emissions continue unabated along with Antarctic instability, seven million Filipinos live on land that could be threatened by inundation by mid-century. By 2100, the number will rise to 13 million.

7 million Filipino below high tide line by 2050 The new data showed that 4.3 million people in the Philippines live in places that are below the high tide line.

Tideline is used to indicate the long-term average of the highest daily local tide level. “[This] suggests that this land is protected today, possibly by coastal defenses. It is also pos-

sible that our data underestimate elevation in some places,” Peter Girard, director of communications at Climate Central, told Philstar.com.

Even under a highly optimistic scenario, 5.2 million Filipinos will occupy land that will be underwater at high tide by 2050. The number will increase to 6.9 million by the end of the century.

If emissions continue to rise, land currently home to 5.4 million Filipinos will fall below the level of high tide by mid-century.

By 2100, the number will double to 11 million.

The greatest effects of the sea level rise will be felt in Asia.

Mainland China, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand account for roughly 75% of the 300 million people on land projected to be below average annual coastal flood levels at mid-century, the report said.

The research shows that urgent shifts in action are needed to prevent catastrophic changes across the globe, Girard said.

“Governments can take two critical actions to avoid the most severe consequence: cut carbon emissions as much and as quickly as possible to slow the pace of sea level rise,” he said.

“That will provide more time to determine how to respond to this threat and to plan and build coastal defenses to protect their

citizens.”

Rising seas In its report released last September, the United Nationsbacked International Panel on Climate Change warned.

The report of the United Nations-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released in September showed that the world’s oceans and cryosphere—glaciers and polar regions—are getting warmer, more acidic and less productive.

Sea levels are projected to rise nearly half a meter by 2100 if Earth warms 2 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels and 84 centimeter in a 3C to 4C world.

Climate Change Commissioner Rachel Herrera earlier told Philstar.com that rising sea levels will likely cause more storm surges and flooding and endanger coastal communities.

“The most affected sectors will be agriculture and fisheries, impacting on fish catch and our food supply,” she said.

Global temperatures have increased 1 degree celsius above pre-industrial levels and are on track to rise another two or three degrees by 2100.

If the Paris treaty’s goal of capping warming at 1.5 to 2 degrees celsius is to be met, emissions of warming gases must drop to 50% by 2030 and to “net zero,” IPCC concluded in a report released in 2018. ■

Groups sue Trump admin for making it ‘much...

AviationMaintenance.edu

5870 S. Eastern Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89119

(702) 798-5511

FAA Approved A&P School. Accredited School, ACCSC. Some scenes may depict career opportunities. AIM Chesapeake and Manassas campuses are Certified to Operate by SCHEV. AIM Las Vegas campus is licensed to operate by the Commission on Postsecondary Education. AIM Indianapolis is regulated by Office for Career and Technical Schools 10 N Senate Avenue, Suite SE 308 Indianapolis IN 46204 OCTS@dwd.in.gov 317-234-8338 or 317-232-1732 http://www.in.gov/dwd/2731.htm. Not all programs available at all locations. For consumer information, please visit www.aviationmaintenance.edu ADV1019

PAGE 1 Inc. (CLINIC), Central American Resource Center of California (CARECEN), Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), OneAmerica and Self-Help for the Elderly.

The Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) — through United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) — revised the “request for fee waiver” qualifications, eliminating a 2010 rule that allowed immigrants who receive certain government benefits to automatically qualify for a fee waiver.

USCIS Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli reasoned that the agency uses the fee to cover the costs of processing applications, and that the new rule “will improve the integrity of the program and the quality and consistency of fee waiver approvals going forward.”

Currently, the application fee for naturalization is $725, and USCIS said that individuals may still request a fee waiver if they present proof that the annual household income is at or below

150% of the federal poverty line or if “they demonstrate financial hardship.”

In 2010, USCIS placed rules that automatically allowed lawful permanent residents — aka green cardholders — who receive certain government benefits like food stamps, subsidized housing or Medicaid to receive a waiver for the required fee for applying for citizenship.

Immigrant advocacy groups and elected officials denounced the rule change, noting that it puts a burden on lawful, low-income immigrants.

Legal and civil rights organization Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC) estimated that the revised rule will impose “significant barriers” to naturalization for “tens of thousands of non-wealthy applicants each year.”

“This rule change is about changing the complexion of future immigrants from black and brown to white and furthers a class-based society that is discriminatory and unwelcoming,” John C. Yang, president and ex-

ecutive director of AAJC, said in a statement. “We cannot allow our government policies to reject the time-tested promise on the Statue of Liberty of a country that is accepting of the potential of the tired, poor, and huddled masses who year to breathe free in America.”

The USCIS fee waiver rule change comes after a slew of controversial immigration proposals the Trump administration has announced regarding low-income immigrants.

Last month, the DHS announced it would require incoming immigrants to present proof of health insurance or proof that they can afford health insurance before applying for green cards.

As previously reported by the Asian Journal, the DHS has also sought to revise the terms of the public charge test administered to immigrants that determines whether or not they will need certain government benefits; federal courts, however, ruled against the policy and it has not been enacted. (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

(702) 792-6678 • http://www.asianjournal.com

Dateline USa

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEmbER 7-13, 2019

APIAs lead Kamala Harris’ presidential Ancajas title defense canceled as opponent runs into visa issues campaign efforts in Nevada California Sen. Kamala Harris is running for the Democratic nomination to restore justice and prosecute the case against four more years of Donald Trump.

She is also running one of the most diverse campaigns for president, with asian & Pacific islander americans at the top levels of the campaign nationally and in nevada.

Harris, an aPia woman herself, has hired Christiana Ho to lead the state’s organizing operations, natalie Tham to head up nevada’s data and analytics department, and, until very recently, Gabe Uy to run the political operation. Uy, a member of the nevada army national Guard, was unexpectedly called up to active duty and had to leave the campaign to fulfill his military service. all three have been involved with campaigns for a while, and most have previous experience organizing in nevada and the aPia community. Uy is a native las Vegan and an alumnus of the University of nevada, reno.

Tham and Ho are from Maryland and illinois respectively, but are not new to campaigns. They both are veteran campaigners, and Ho organized in nevada in 2016.

Uy got his start in politics from a very young age thanks to his mom’s political involvement.

“My mom was a member of SEiU 1107 and always brought me with her when she voted,” he said. for Tham, it was a different approach. She graduated from the University of Maryland as an engineer and did not go directly into politics. for her, it was the 2016 election that changed her plans. She started out as a data volunteer in the 2017 Virginia gubernatorial election, where she found her love of campaigning. “Through that opportunity, i was connected to a broad network of people willing to guide me through the world of political data,” said Tham. for Ho, getting into politics happened thanks to the aPia community and her network who brought her into the field. “a mentor of mine told me about an internship opportunity with the political team on the Hillary Clinton Campaign in 2015,” said Ho. “at the time, i had never considered going into politics, but applied and was able to intern for lisa Changadeveja, who was the director of asian-american out-

by AJPress

Gabe Uy, Natalie Tham and Christiana Ho are part of Sen. Kamala Harris’ Nevada campaign team

reach. lisa was the one who told me that if i wanted to learn more about campaigns and really have an impact, then i needed to be an organizer in nevada. That’s exactly what i did and it completely changed my life.”

The importance of representation and APIAs in political campaigns Political campaigning can seem like a difficult field in which to get started. Having a good professional network and being able to leverage your relationships is key to getting one’s foot in the door. That’s exactly why politics can also be a field that lacks diversity and representation. This means it’s even more important for campaigns to make a conscious decision to hire diverse talent and empower minority voices.

Harris’ campaign is frequently named one of the most diverse campaigns, and her U.S. Senate office was recently recognized for the same achievement. in nevada, Harris has elevated aPia voices to the top levels of her operation — something that’s not lost on her aPia staffers. “i cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have aPia representation in politics,” said Ho. “representation shows you anything is possible. it’s ultimately how i got my start in politics and why it’s so exciting to work for Kamala Harris.” for Tham, aPia representation is about having people who can uniquely speak to the lived

THE anticipated fight between filipino boxer Jerwin “Pretty Boy” ancajas and Mexican fighter Jonathan Javier rodriguez on Saturday, november 2 has been canceled after rodriguez did not get a U.S. visa in time. ancajas, the 115-pound fighting pride of the Philippines, was set for the eighth defense of his iBf junior bantamweight world title on Saturday at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

The 27-year-old ancajas (311-1, 21 Kos) is one of boxing’s longest-reigning and most active champions, as only two current world champions (Deontay Wilder and Wanheng Menayothin) have more title defenses.

The dynamic filipino southpaw won the title in September 2016 and defended his belt three times apiece in 2017 and 2018. He last fought May 4 in Stockton, California, knocking out ryuichi funai in six rounds. rodriguez (21-1, 15 Kos) was considered as a dangerous foe because has won five in a row since a split-decision defeat spoiled his unbeaten re-

experiences of the aPia community. “representation matters, lived experiences matter, and it’s important for young members of the aPia community to be able to see themselves in their elected officials. Every community is faced with its own unique set of challenges, and the aPia community is no exception,” she said. for Uy, it’s more than just having aPias in campaigns. for him, representation extends to every level of government. according to Uy, “aPia representation in politics is so important because our community is disproportionately represented, and our voices and perspectives need to be a factor in decision-making. aPias have a long history in this country and we have a duty to be a part of the direction it takes.”

“You’ve seen Senators Kamala Harris and Mazie Hirono take on Brett Kavanaugh and William Barr,” Uy continued. “and rep.

Pramila Jayapal standing up for transgender people. and rep.

Ted lieu advocating for our military and national security. and here in nevada, assemblywoman rochelle nguyen and former Henderson City Councilwoman Gerri Schroder improving the lives of nevadans, alongside labor leader Grace Vergara-Mactal and community leader Vida lin among so many others” When Kamala Harris announced she was running for president, all three aPia staffers Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas Inquirer.net photo PAGE 5

cord. He is coming off a careerbest win June 7 in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, when he knocked out former two-time world title challenger felipe orucuta in the 10th round.

Promoted by Top rank, in association with Zanfer Promotions and Peltz Boxing, the fight was supposed to be televised live on ESPn and ESPn Deportes (Spanish) on Satur-

day night. ancajas, who has been in the U.S. to prepare, said he will remain in the country to continue training for a fight that may be rescheduled for December 7 in Mexico.

“Well, it (cancellation) happens. Maybe God has other plans for me. anyway, my boxing [career] is far from over,” the boxer told rappler. n

November 7-13, 2019 • LAS veGAS ASIAN JoUrNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678

Dateline USa

(702) 792-6678 • http://www.asianjournal.com

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEmbER 7-13, 2019

PH new deportation rule: Leave country even on appeal

by Ritchel

menDiola AJPress

JUSTICE Undersecretary for Immigrations Markk Perete on Friday, November 1, said new deportation rules stating that a foreigner ordered to be deported have to leave the country after 30 days — even if it’s on appeal will soon be issued by the Philippine justice department.

“After 30 days of receipt of deportation order, unless stayed by the Secretary of Justice or the president (they would have to leave the country),” he said.

According to Perete, the new rules will be published on Wednesday, November 6, and would take effect 15 days after publication.

He also said that under current procedures, foreigners deported by the Bureau of Immigrations (BI) are allowed to stay in the country once their appeals have been filed before the Department

of Justice (DOJ), noting that this is inconsistent with the Administrative Code.

In Section 10, Chapter 3 of the Administrative Code, it states that the BI’s deportation order becomes final and executory in 30 days “unless within such period the president shall order the contrary.”

“Better ‘yung policy ng Administrative Code (The policy under the Administrative Code is better) because we don’t have the facility to hold them,” Perete said.

“Automatic dapat ang deportation which means aalis talaga sila at babalik na lang sila after, if ever their petition is granted (Their deportation should be automatic which means they should leave and they can just return after, if ever their petition is granted),” he added.

Perete pointed out that deportees often choose to stay in the country despite the BI’s Bicutan

facility for detained foreigners and aliens being “so small to accommodate a lot of deportees.”

“For some reason, many of those who are to be deported would prefer to stay here in the Philippines rather than be deported. It boggles me, even if overcrowded kung saan sila nakatira (where they are),” he said.

Perete has yet to respond about how the new rules will affect the provision for bail.

BI’s 2015 Omnibus Rules of Procedure allow for bail, as reported by Rappler.

Under Section 2, Rule 7 of BI Memorandum Circular No. SBM205-010, it states that “at any time after his arrest but before the finality of the deportation order (which includes the re-opening of a deportation case) and as long as the deportation records are with the BI, the foreigner may file before the commissioner a verified petition for release on bail.” n

No convictions in 90% of 1,109 journalists’ murders – Unesco by pia lee

BRago Philstar.com

ALMOST 90 percent of those responsible for the killing of 1,109 journalists around the world from 2006 to 2018 have not been convicted, according to a new report of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The report “Intensified Attacks, New Defenses,” published ahead of International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI) on Nov. 2, noted that killings of journalists have soared by 18 percent in the past five years (2014-2018) compared to the previous five-year period.

The deadliest countries for journalists, according to the statistics, are Arab states, where almost 30 percent of global killings took place. The Latin American and Caribbean region (26 percent), and Asian and Pacific states (24 percent) are the next most dangerous.

The report showed that from 2017 to 2018, 55 percent of journalists’ killings happened in nonconflict zones.

Journalists are often murdered for their reporting on politics, crime and corruption, and this is reflected in the report, which reveals that from 2017 to 2018, more than half of journalist fatalities or 55 percent of journalists’ killings happened in non-conflict zones.

“This trend exemplifies the changing nature of killings of journalists, who are often targeted because of their reporting on politics, crime and corruption,”

UNESCO has recorded fewer killings in 2019 than at the same time last year, with 43 journalist killings condemned by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay as of Oct. 30, 2019 compared to 90 at the same date in 2018.

Education International photo

the report said.

UNESCO has recorded fewer killings in 2019 than at the same time last year, with 43 journalist killings condemned by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay as of Oct. 30, 2019 compared to 90 at the same date in 2018.

“UNESCO holds to account all those who put journalists at risk, all those who kill journalists, and all those who do nothing to stop this violence,” declared Azoulay in her message for IDEI. “The end of a journalist’s life should never be the end of the quest for truth.”

In his statement, UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted the rise in the scale and number of attacks on journal-

ists and media workers, as well as incidents that make their work much harder, including “threats of prosecution, arrest, imprisonment, denial of journalistic access and failures to investigate and prosecute crimes against them.”

“Without journalists able to do their jobs in safety, we face the prospect of a world of confusion and disinformation,” Guterres warned in a statement.

“When journalists are targeted, societies as a whole pay a price,” added the UN chief. “Without the ability to protect journalists, our ability to remain informed and contribute to decision-making is severely hampered.”

This year UNESCO has launched the #KeepTruthAlive social media campaign, which draws attention to the dangers faced by journalists close to their homes, highlighting the fact that 93 percent of those killed work locally, and featuring an interactive map created for the campaign – providing a vivid demonstration of the scale and breadth of the dangers faced by journalists worldwide.

The #KeepTruthAlive global communication campaign was developed pro bono by the creative agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB Paris).

A map was developed with Google Maps to locate every killing condemned by UNESCO since 1993. Users will have access to information on each case and will be able to share the map on social networks to demand justice. The map can be accessed through keeptruthalive.co. n

Duterte to Western countries: Stop...

PAGE 1 “When I was told that this garbage has been sent to us by some counties, I ordered immediately that they’d be shipped out on the first ship going to the

North American continent. And I told them that if they do not accept their garbage, then you just drop the container near their ports,” Duterte said.

During the summit, he also

gave the suggestion of conducting regular meetings to gather opinions and recommendations from experts as well as discourage developed nations from shipping their trash to Asia. n

Driver who killed New Jersey Fil-Am family...

PAGE 1 driver. Then, in a matter of seconds, Hubbard crashed into the Trinidad’s minivan, killing 61year-old Audie Trinidad and his daughters, Kaitlyn, 20; Danna, 17; and twin sisters Allison and Melissa, 13.

Trinidad’s wife, Mary Rose Ballocanag, 53, sustained injuries and was the only one in her family to survive the collision. In court, she detailed her injuries and despite undergoing eight

surgeries will never be able to work as a nurse.

“His one life will never be enough for the five people he killed,” Ballocanag said through tears in court. “My physical pain is nothing compared to the mental pain and anguish of losing my entire family.”

In court, Hubbard, who works as a welder, was also tearful. In November 2018, he was indicted on five counts of second-degree

vehicular homicide, three counts of vehicular assault and charges of inattentive driving, driving across a median and disobeying traffic devices.

Originally, Hubbard pleaded not guilty, but when the state returned with lesser charges — five counts of operating a vehicle causing death, one count each for second-degree and third-degree vehicular assault — he changed to a guilty plea.

(Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

APIAs lead Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign...

PAGE 3

knew she was their candidate and would do anything to work for her. As not just a woman of color, but one of the few APIA candidates in the field running for president, Kamala’s candidacy inspired Uy, Ho, and Tham to get involved once again.

“Kamala is a fighter and champion for people, and in addition to being APIA herself, she has a long history of working in and with the APIA community in the San Francisco Bay Area and across California,” said Uy. For Tham, it was broader than that. “Kamala represents an American narrative that often gets left out,” Tham said.

“Like me, she is a product of two unique cultures, two traditions, two histories. Because of this, she is able to see what unites us and understands that, regardless of your background or language, everyone deserves justice.”

“I feel lucky and proud to work for Kamala Harris,” said Ho. “With so much at stake, I could be working for a candidate simply because I think they’re the best person to take on Donald Trump. What’s exciting about Kamala Harris is that she is not

only the best person to prosecute the case against Donald Trump, but she also has an incredible vision for America and the plans to get us there. Every single one of her policies is crafted with the framework of how it will impact a person’s life, but Kamala is also prepared to fight for these policies.”

For all three of them, who Kamala Harris is and what she represented were also factors in why they chose early on to work for her. While Tham and Ho identified with Harris’ bicultural background, Uy identified with Harris’ upbringing. “I was raised by a single parent mom, just like Kamala,” he said. “Her mom was a breast cancer researcher and my mom is a nurse. My mom emigrated to the United States on her own just like Kamala’s mom.”

“To work for someone like Kamala is not only a privilege, but also exciting because with every step of the way we are making history,” said Ho. “Kamala will be the first black woman, the first AAPI woman, and the first woman to become president of the United States. And because she’s the first, she won’t be the last.”

Advice to other APIAs There’s no better time for APIAs to get involved in politics.

The stakes could not be higher, and recent elections have demonstrated that communities of color have enormous electoral power when they turn out to vote. When asked what advice they would give to other young APIAs who want to get involved in politics, Uy, Tham, and Ho all had their own tips to share from their experiences.

Uy: “If you’re interested in getting involved in politics, come to our office at 618 S 7th Street in downtown Las Vegas and let’s elect Kamala Harris the first Asian American president in history.

Tham: “My advice for young APIA leaders is to never stop asking questions and talk to as many people as you can -- most people love sharing their personal story, and you can learn so much from the experiences of others.

Ho: “My advice to AAPI leaders interested in getting involved in politics is to invest in your relationships not just in the progressive space where there are jobs but also with members of the communities you care about.

And also be resilient.” n

EYEING GOLDS. Members of the Philippine fencing team pose after gracing the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the Amelie Hotel in Manila on Tuesday, November 5. The team, composed of (from left) CJ Conception, Nathaniel Perez, Noelito Jose Jr., Coach Rolando T. Canlas Jr., Samantha Catantan, and Nicole Cortex, is eyeing at least four gold medals in the 30th Southeast Asian Games which the country will host from November 30 to December 11 this year.

PNA photo by Jess M. Escaros Jr.

Give GCTA a chance –world prisons association chief

by William

Depasupil ManilaTimes.net

THE Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) Law will give convicted prisoners a chance to reform and go back to society.

International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA) President Peter Van der Sande said during the opening of the 12th ICPA Conference this week in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that every prisoner is a human being who should be treated equally.

In a chance interview with The Manila Times, Van der Sande said even the most hardened criminal should be given a chance “to go back, reintegrate into mainstream society and reform.”

When asked about the “GCTA for sale” controversy in Philippine prison facilities, Van der Sande said what was important for the government was to correct the system and not deprive prisoners of their right to change.

“Despite the imperfections of the system, prisoners must not suffer since there are many convicts who are very much willing to begin a new life,” he said.

“I want to like to let you know and it is important to keep in mind that that anybody can change for the better even the guy who committed the serious crimes, so after [a] long period of imprisonment, it is good to reassess this person and maybe

he becomes another person and keeps the possibility to build himself a new life in society,” Van der Sande added.

In his message to the conference delegates, Van der Sande urged every country to strengthen its correctional system since some great leaders themselves have tasted and suffered imprisonment.

He cited the case of the great Nelson Mandela, who was imprisoned, regained his freedom and became the president of South Africa.

He said there were countries whose penal systems fell below international standards during his eight years as ICPA chief executive.

Van der Sande, however, explained that there was room for improvement of prison facilities around the world, citing that observing rules was one of the pillars of the justice system. “[W]e need to continue our common efforts in making aware the other countries of the importance of meeting the standards, making them aware that the basic rules are not disposable commodities, that they don’t ignore these principles if they don’t like them, that they cannot reject them in times of a session, these laws and the foundation of the correctional work, the pillars of the justice system,” he said.

The controversy over the sale of the GCTA to Filipino prison-

ICPA President Peter Van der Sande Photo from ICPA.org

ers in exchange for their early release surfaced during a Senate inquiry in September, when witnesses testified that they shelled out as much as P50,000 to ensure the freedom of their convicted kin.

The GCTA Law was passed to benefit convicted prisoners who have shown exemplary conduct, and aging and sick inmates housed in the minimum security compound.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had ordered the return of all inmates freed under the GCTA pending a review of their cases. n

:8IG< ;@<D 8KK<EK@FE @DD@>I8K@FE C8NP<IJ C<>8C @DD@>I8K@FE `j X 9@> @JJL< k_\j\ [Xpj% D8EP `e fli Zfddle`kp E<<; pfli j\im`Z\j% K_\i\ Xi\ k_fljXe[j n_f dXp nXek kf \og\[`k\ k_\`i i\j`[\eZp fi glijl\ ]lcc Z`k`q\ej_`g Ylk [feËk befn _fn kf Y\^`e Xe[ n_\i\ kf ^f%

JK8E; FLK =IFD K?< G8:B% 8J@8E AFLIE8CËJ GIF=<JJ@FE8C J<IM@:<J ;@I<:KFIP# n`cc efn Y\ ilee`e^ n\\bcp# \m\ip K_lij[Xp f] CXj M\^Xj <[`k`fe%

8AËj GJ; ZXe _\cg PFL i\XZ_ flk kf k_\d X]]fi[XYcp Xe[ \]]\Zk`m\cp%

:8CC PFLI 8::FLEK D8E8><I .') .0)$--./ 8jb XYflk fli GIFDFK@FE8C @EKIF;L:KFIP G8:B8>< GI@:@E> n_`Z_ ilej pfli X[ n\\bcp ]fi dXo`dld \ogfjli\ Xk kilcp X]]fi[XYc\ iXk\j%

Fli gi`ek \[`k`fej ile `e kXe[\d n`k_ 8AËj Gi`ek <[`k`fe Fec`e\% Fec`e\1 _kkg1&&`jjll%Zfd&Xj`XeaflieXc[`^`kXc\[`k`fe

6

http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678

NOVEMBER 7-13, 2019 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL

OPINION

Wiped out by 2050

FEATURES

THIRTY years may seem like a long way off, but it’s never too early to prepare for a cataclysm predicted by scientists. Research conducted by U.S. science organization Climate Central showed that rising seas due to global warming could affect three times more people than previously projected.

More worrisome for Filipinos is that the research, published on Tuesday, November 5, in the journal Nature Communications, also showed that approximately 70 percent of people at risk of being inundated by rising seas are in only eight countries in Asia, including the Philippines.

Filipinos already know that coastal areas in the cities of Manila, Malabon and Navotas and, increasingly, parts of Bulacan province have been gradually sinking into the sea. Warming temperatures, however, could accelerate the sea rise and threaten many other coastal areas in this archipelago of 7,100 islands.

Under a new system of calculating land elevation and with the help of artificial intelligence, Climate Central estimated that up to 150 million people worldwide currently live in areas that would be below high-tide water level by 2050. That means nearly all of southern Vietnam including Ho Chi Minh City being wiped out as well as Mumbai in India and central Shanghai in the Chinese mainland.

Climate Central, based in New Jersey, is urging governments to ramp up defensive measures. Other Asian countries projected to be most affected by

rising seas are Bangladesh, Indonesia, Japan and Thailand, with major cities among the most vulnerable.

At this point, according to the study, approximately 110 million people already live in places that are below the high tide line. In several areas, defensive measures have been put in place such as seawalls and levees. But the study pointed out that these are not always enough to stop inundation, as shown in the destruction of the levees in New Orleans during the onslaught of Hurricane Katrina.

A better, long-term response, as suggested by the study, is the relocation of coastal communities to higher ground inland. This has been done to a limited extent in the coastal villages devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013. Relocation, however, is complicated, whether in Manila’s coastal barangays or in rural villages where people are dependent on the sea for their livelihood.

Still, it’s a challenge that no country at risk can ignore. The sea cannot be rolled back, but disaster mitigation is possible. Scientists have been sounding the alarm for some time now. It’s never too early to prepare for approaching catastrophe.

(Philstar.com)

Editorial

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS PRESIDENT Donald Trump has threatened to cut off federal aid to California, home to the biggest population of Filipinos in the United States.

Almost 100,000 acres of wildfires have been raging across the state since the last week of October alone, beginning with the Kincaid fire in Northern California.

As the Independent reported, “more than 198,000 acres of land has been destroyed across the region this year, with fires forcing people to flee their homes as 115 structures are razed to the ground in the last ten days alone.”

Three people have died and dozens have been injured in the 6,190 fires in 2019.

California has recently been

Trump threatens to cut off federal aid to California wildfires after offering Putin help with Siberia’s forest fire seeing consistently destructive fires more often than ever before, wildfires are burning longer and harder to control. From October to December, it is still expected to have the greatest fire potential as the Diablo winds and the Santa Ana winds pick up.

Climate scientists and fire behavioral experts have warned that heavy rains from months early in the year have produced an excess of vegetation. As the LA Times reported, this would lead to a lot of fuel that would become an abundance of dry fuel later in the year as the fire season gets underway.

According to the U.S. Forest Service and Interior Department officials in a report by CNN, early projections indicated that the fire season would possibly be worse than the pre-

PEOPLE know that I am not a fan of Maria Leonor Robredo.

I was at the forefront in exposing the mathematical anomalies that attended her ascension to the vice presidency. But unlike many of her critics, I find it unnecessary to focus on her character flaws, although many of which are actually jarring. I refrain from calling her names. I openly criticize her for her policy pronouncements, or the lack of it, and her public statements, many of which are incoherent or simply eyebrow-raising.

But obviously she has become the favorite target for ridicule by the pro-Duterte base in social media. She has been scorned for her manner of speaking, and her inanities, including her mathematical booboos. I have not openly attacked her personal relationships, but it is actually hard to focus on what she is saying when the optics she evinces negates whatever logic one can divine from her pronouncements. Frankly, there are many times when I kind of agree with what she is saying, like her criticisms of the war on drugs, but the moment she opens her mouth I really have to try hard to accept that we are on the same page.

I admit that this is patent prejudice. It emanates from the fact

vious year.

Amid this ominous threat, Trump chose to berate and pick a fight with California Governor Gavin Newsom, asking the Democratic public official on twitter to “get his act together.”

In a barrage of attacks on Twitter against the largely liberal state, The Independent reported that Trump would again hammer on his old complaints of forest management, including recommending better cleaning of the forest floors, as he first did in 2018.

Highlighting the role of the environmental crisis in spreading the fires, Newsom responded on Twitter by saying, ”You don’t believe in climate change. You are excused from this conversation.”

Trump has been a climate

change denier, and has, in fact, formally told the United Nations on Monday, November 4, that the United States is pulling out of the Paris climate accord, a deal that was signed by President Barack Obama. The notice filed by the U.S. claimed the 2015 deal signed by 200 countries placed an “unfair economic burden” on the U.S. economy.

BUT WAIT! Did you know that Trump offered Putin help with Siberian wildfires? Reuters reported on July 31, 2019: “The U.S. president offered Russia cooperation in fighting forest fires in Siberia,” the Kremlin statement said.

“President Putin expressed his sincere gratitude for such an attentive attitude and for the offer of help and support.”

Think about this. California

is the BIGGEST TAXPAYER among all the states of our nation, the richest state in the country and the 5th biggest economy in the world.

California is also among the states whose residents and public officials stand up to Trump and his pro-rich, profossil fuel, pro-gun and anticlimate change, anti-immigrant policies and his defiance of the Constitution and the rule of law.

Russia, on the other hand, has assaulted our democracy, interfered in our elections and democratic processes and institutions to help Trump win. And yet Trump is so subservient and meek as a lamb to Putin, making decisions and orders that benefit Russia’s interests more than the American people.

Digest this for a while. Tell

me if you don’t see anything wrong with this picture. Tell me if you support and enable this politically and personal-interest motivated policy and action of this president.

If you don’t, then speak up and call him out. This is our nation, our world, our planet. We have to fight for it, even if and especially if the threat is coming from the President of the United States. *** Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational 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.

Robredo as a convenient distraction

Commentary

ANTONIO P. CONTRERAS

Philstar.com photo

that I know so much about her, since I am also a native of Camarines Sur. As they say, familiarity breeds contempt. This is why when people ask me why I dislike her so much when we come from the same place, my simple answer is precisely because of what I know about her.

But beyond the prejudice emanating from familiarity, I also firmly believe that she doesn’t deserve to be vice president.

And it is not because she doesn’t have the qualifications. After all, we are a country known for electing unqualified people to various positions, from local officials, to Congress, to even the presidency. It is simply because until now I am convinced that her ascension to the vice presidency was marred by massive and widespread electoral fraud. I would have been more forgiving of her ineptitude and her personal flaws had she been elected fairly and above suspicion.

This is why it is simply frustrating to watch the painfully slow process that the electoral protest filed against her by former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is taking. It is already halfway past the term of the post being contested, and what has been finished is only the recount in the pilot provinces.

It is clear that there are many serious questions about the 2016 elections. And these issues go beyond the protest of Marcos against Robredo. In fact, allegations of influence peddling and bribery were lodged

against former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Andres Bautista, which led to his impeachment by the House. Allegations of election anomalies even led to numerous hearings conducted by Congress. Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd even vowed to produce star witnesses to corroborate these claims.

Yet, nothing significant came out of this. Bautista, who would have provided a treasure trove of information about the alleged anomalies, was allowed to leave the country. Smartmatic remained as the service provider for our 2019 automated elections. And Sotto never ever called his star witnesses.

Robredo has always been on the target range of President Duterte. He has been quoted as saying that he would advise people not to vote for Robredo if she runs again. He has belittled her abilities. But it appears he is showing some restraint by not reminding her of the allegations of election fraud being hurled against her.

If there was one major beneficiary of this alleged fraud, it would be Robredo. And if there were indeed a genuine attempt to get rid of her, it would be easier to expose the fraud than to undermine her credibility by maligning her capabilities.

Yet, the President appears to be lukewarm about declaring war on election fraud. He did nothing when Bautista just resigned and left the country, despite being impeached. Given

Vice President Leni Robredo

the chance to appoint a reformist Comelec, he stuck to appointing people he knows and not those who can bring in fresh and reformist ideas. He justifies his seemingly detached stance by making it appear that he is respecting the separation of powers, in that Comelec is an independent body, yet he showed no restraint in threatening the courts against issuing TROs on some of his actions. It would not have been out of character had he also threatened corrupt Comelec officials.

Congress also appears to be lukewarm to the idea of unearthing the buried secrets of the 2016 elections. One can remem-

Philstar.com photo

ber the manner in which some of its members tried to stifle the voices of Glenn Chong and others who were trying to present evidence of massive fraud.

Congress stood by as the Comelec renewed the contract with Smartmatic, despite the allegations made against it.

And it is here that one is tempted to entertain the thought that perhaps Robredo is being kept around as a convenient distraction. After all, idiotic ideas are not her monopoly, as it also runs deep in the administration bench, like this ill-conceived proposal to tax even dried fish.

In the end, it is plausible that Robredo is being tolerated as an

object to be trolled, like when she was offered to run the drug war. She is that clown who runs across the arena to distract the bull to enable the matador to escape unharmed. She is the comic relief, the punching bag offered to divert attention away from more dangerous thoughts.

After all, it would not be farfetched to think that many of those who are in power and want to stay that way, or who crave it, would rather have a Robredo as vice president than a Marcos.

This is simply because Robredo, compared to Marcos, would be safer for their political interests and ambitions. (ManilaTimes. net)

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.

ROGER LAGMAY ORIEL Publisher & Chairman of the Board

Main Office: 1210 S. Brand Blvd Glendale, CA 91204 Tels: (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797 Fax: (818) 502-0858 • (213) 481-0854 e-mail: info@asianjournalinc.com http://www.asianjournal.com

Manila Office: 2/F D&E Fort Palm Springs Cond.

30th St., Cor. 1st Ave., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig Tel.: (632) 856-4921 • 856-0397 • Fax: (632) 856-1661

Northern California: 1799 Old Bayshore Hwy, Suite 136 Burlingame, CA 94010 Tel.: (650) 689-5160 • Fax: (650) 239-9253

New York office: 133-30 32nd Ave., Flushing, NY 11354 Tel.: (212) 655-5426 • Fax (213) 481-0854

Las Vegas Sales Office: 2770 S. Maryland Pkwy., Suite 201 Las Vegas, Nevada 89109 Tel.: (702) 792-6678 • Fax: (702) 792-6879

New Jersey office: 2500 Plaza 5, Harborside Financial Center, Jersey City, NJ 07311 Tel: (212)655-5426 • Fax: (818)502-0858

CORA MACABAGDAL-ORIEL President ELIZABETH HILARIO SISON Chief Financial Officer ROBERT MACABAGDAL Vice President & General Manager Las Vegas Asian Journal MOMAR G. VISAYA Executive Editor German P. Palabyab Advertising and Business Development Director

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEmbER 7-13, 2019

(702) 792-6678 • http://www.asianjournal.com

Dateline P‘Hardworking’ hiliPPines Duterte needs rest — Palace

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte deserves some rest as he has been “working very hard,” Malacañang said on Wednesday, November 6.

Speaking to reporters, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said other world leaders expressed concern about Duterte’s health during the recently concluded regional summit in Thailand.

“If you will ask me, he really needs to rest kasi parang may mga comment dun sa mga leaders eh, parang yung (because there’s these comments from other world leaders that), ‘Your president looks overworked. Don’t let him work too much,’” Panelo said during a press conference.

“Sabi lang naman namin (we Former Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde signs his counter-affidavit that he submitted before the Department of Justice. just said), actually yeah he’s workManilaTimes.net photo by DJ Diosina ing very hard, and at the same time he had an accident. So that contributed to what you’re seeing now,” he added.

The Palace official said there The charges made Albayalde the present preliminary investigaby William Depasupil ManilaTmes.net tion will properly be stricken out equally liable with the 13 police as hearsay, coerced statements, officers who were accused of FORMER Philippine National opinion, conjecture, surmises, recycling an estimated 160 kilos Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Al- answers to leading questions of shabu worth P650 million bayalde has sought the dismissal and self-serving statements,” his that they seized during a raid in Mexico, Pampanga. of a criminal complaint filed by counter-affidavit read.

Albayalde was the Pampanga As such, Albayalde said, they the PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) should not be given credence, police director when the raiding by patricia lourDes Viray against him before the Depart- much less treated as gospel truth, team, led by Maj. Rodney Baloyo Philstar.com and must be dismissed for lack IV, conducted the illegal raid. ment of Justice (DOJ).

Aside from Albayalde and BaThe complaint implicated him of merit.

MANILA — The House of Rep“Thus, in view of the appar- loyo, the other respondents were resentatives conferred the Conin the alleged illegal anti-drugs operations by “ninja cops” in ent lack of probable cause and Police Senior Insp. Joven Bognot gressional Medal of Achievement complainant’s utter disregard Jr.; Senior Police Officers 1 Jules to outgoing Chinese Ambassador Mexico, Pampanga, in 2013.

Ninja cops are rogue policemen in observing due process, this Maniago, Donald Roque, Ronaldo Zhao Jianhua. who recycle drugs they confiscate honorable office should dismiss Samtpos, Rommel Vital, Alcindor House Speaker Alan Peter the present amended complaint,” Tinio and Eligio Valeroso; Police Cayetano gave the award to Zhao in raids and other operations.

Officers 3 Dindo Dizon, Gilbet de prior to the latter’s farewell call to Albayalde and his 13 co-respon- he added.

Last month, the PNP-CIDG in- Vera, Encarnacion Guerrero Jr. the House of Representatives last dents on Tuesday, November 5, submitted their counter-affidavits cluded Albayalde in an amended and Dante Dizon; and Police Of- Monday, November 4. before the DoJ special panel of complaint it filed before the DoJ ficer 2 Anthony Lacsamana.

The lower chamber gave the But Police Lt. Col. Joseph Or- Chinese envoy the medal to honor prosecutors, headed by senior as- for his alleged complicity in the sistant state prosecutor Alexander controversial recycling and sell- sos, chief of the PNP-CIDG legal his work and contribution in fosSuarez, at the start of the prelimi- ing of seized illegal drugs by the division, expressed belief that his tering stronger Philippines-China former superior would be indicted bilateral relations. nary investigation of cases against ninja cops.

Albayalde was charged for over his alleged involvement in them in connection with the conThe Congressional Medal of troversial recycling and selling of violations of Sections 27, 29, 32 the illegal anti-drug operation.

Achievement is given to political, “Sa akin, sa tingin ko (I believe), economic and cultural leaders and 92 of Republic Act (RA) 9165, seized illegal drugs.

In his counter-affidavit, Albay- or the “Comprehensive Danger- 70 to 80 percent I believe he is “who have distinguished themalde said the charges filed against ous Drugs Act of 2002”; violation liable,” Orsos said. selves through their life-work and The case against the 13 ninja vision.” him by the PNP-CIDG had no of Sections 3(a) and 2(e) of RA “probative value” because they 3019; qualified bribery under cops had already been dismissed During their meeting, Zhao were based mostly on unsub- Article 211-A of the Revised Penal by the DoJ panel of prosecutors in thanked Cayetano for his contristantiated testimonies during the Code (RPC); falsification of public 2017, but a recent Senate inquiry bution to strengthening “friendly” Senate blue ribbon committee documents under Article 171 of prompted the PNP-CIDG to file a exchanges and cooperation bethe RPC; perjury in solemn oaths petition for review. hearings. tween Manila and Beijing through Justice Secretary Menardo parliamentary exchanges.

“Indeed, the records of the Sen- under Article 183 of the RPC; and ate blue ribbon committee hear- Article 208 of the RPC for derelic- Gueverra approved the petition Cayetano was also secretary of ings are replete with testimony tion of duty against officers and that resulted in reinvestigation of the Department of Foreign Affairs the dismissed case. n that in judicial proceedings like personnel of the PNP. before assuming the top spot at

Albayalde seeks dismissal of cases

was no final plan yet if Duterte would take a leave for a week.

“Wala pa (There’s no plan yet).

I’ll ask him. We’ll be talking anytime now,” Panelo said of Duterte, who will be presiding over a Cabinet meeting in Malacañang today, Wednesday.

“Eh workaholic yun eh. Ayaw papigil magtrabaho nang magtrabaho. (He’s workaholic. He can’t be stopped from working). Matagal na trabaho yun. Most likely, he will lessen his volume of work para hindi siya masyadong (so that he’s not) pressured,” he added.

Panelo made the statement to allay anew public fears on the physical condition of the President, who had been diagnosed with muscle spasms after he underwent a magnetic resonance imaging and medical evaluation.

He said previously that the President was advised by doctors to “rest for a couple of days and

limit his physical activity, particularly avoiding standing or walking for long duration.”

Duterte, 74, had cut short his visit to Japan and returned to Manila after he complained of “unbearable pain in his spinal column” following his motorcycle accident.

The president visited Japan last month for the fourth time to attend the enthronement of Japanese emperor Naruhito.

Some world leaders have expressed concern over Duterte’s health after he fell off his motorcycle within the Presidential Security Group compound at Malacañang earlier last month.

Duterte will take a one-week break from activities when he returns to the Philippines after the 35th Asean Summit, his former top aide and now Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go had said. (Catherine Valente/ManilaTimes.net)

Chinese envoy bids farewell to Congress, gets medal of achievement

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua

the House.

“China was committed to further promoting the parliamentary exchanges and interaction between the two countries, so as to constantly enrich China-Philippines comprehensive strategic cooperation relationship,” the Chinese Embassy said in a media release.

The House leader also expressed the chamber’s appreciation of developing friendly exchanges and cooperation with Chinese legislature. Cayetano

Philstar.com photo

wished Zhao success in his future endeavors.

Last week, President Rodrigo Duterte conferred the Order of Sikatuna with rank of datu on Zhao and thanked him for his contributions to efforts on strengthening bilateral ties.

The order is given to diplomats, officials and nationals of foreign states “who have rendered conspicuous service in fostering, developing and strengthening relations between their country and the Philippines.” n

November 7-13, 2019 • LAS veGAS ASIAN JoUrNAL

Dateline PhiliPPines

http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678

6 years after Yolanda, shelter still a problem by miRiam

DesacaDa Philstar.com

TRAINING FILIPINOS. Korean Ambassador Han Dong-man says the ODA grant for the $6.3-million Mold Technology Support Center (MTSC) in General Trias City, Cavite is a good investment for Korea, during its inauguration. The project’s first phase involves the construction of a building that will house state-of-the-art equipment to be used in training and enhancing the skills of Filipinos in the latest die and mold technology.

PNA photo by Ben Briones

PCG to take maritime charge in West Philippine Sea

by RobeRtzon

RamiRez

Philstar.com

MANILA — A few days after a Filipino-crewed commercial ship was allegedly harassed by a Chinese warship, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade has designated the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to take charge of maritime activities in the disputed West Philippine Sea. PCG spokesman Captain Armand Balilo said Tugade directed them to intensify patrol and observe the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“The bottom line is that the Coast Guard would be in charge of

the maritime activities related to UNCLOS and on the West Philippine Sea,” Balilo said, referring to Tugade’s meeting with the PCG last Monday, November 4.

Balilo said that they briefed Tugade on the PCG’s operations, particularly on patrolling and monitoring the country’s maritime domain.

It its official Facebook page, Tugade expressed his full support to the efforts of the PCG on capability enhancement for maritime safety and protection of the coastline of the Philippines.

PCG Commandant Vice Admiral Joel Garcia, who was present during the meeting, said Tugade has instructed all officials to give

emphasis to and support the PCG’s mandate to ensure that the government will closely monitor activities on the West Philippine Sea. Garcia said Tugade asked them to submit their recommendations as the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has planned to provide them with more ships and airplanes to be used for their intensified patrolling and monitoring efforts.

Garcia clarified the meeting with Tugade had nothing to do with the alleged harassment by the Chinese naval warship of a Filipino-crewed commercial ship that attempted to pass through Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. n

GUIUAN, Eastern Samar — Six years have passed since Super Typhoon Yolanda hit the Philippines and Eastern Visayas’ economic rise is more visible than ever, yet families still suffer from a housing crisis in the region.

With no trace left of the destruction brought by the disaster, high-rise buildings, commercial establishments, malls and grocery stores can be seen in many cities in the region.

On Nov. 8, 2013, Yolanda, one of the strongest typhoons to reach the Philippines, unleashed its wrath on Eastern Visayas and plowed through central Philippines.

Unleashing heavy rains and powerful winds at 315 kilometers per hour at their peak, Yolanda made landfall at about 9 a.m. In a short while, it left the flooded islands of Samar and Leyte a ghastly wreck, killing an estimated 6,300 people, leaving more than 4.4 million homeless and the rest stunned in disbelief.

They lost their houses and their loved ones to Yolanda. Through six long years, they have held on to the promises of politicians that they will be provided with new houses at a relocation site to regain a semblance of dignity. To this day, these Yolanda victims remain homeless – and neglected.

In Guiuan town, Regina Ortela and her five children luckily survived the onslaught of Yolanda by clinging to their neighbor’s rooftop as 10-foot high floodwaters swirled around them at around 6 a.m. that fateful day.

On November 8, 2013, Yolanda, one of the strongest typhoons to reach the Philippines, unleashed its wrath on Eastern Visayas and plowed through central Philippines.

Philstar.com photo

In the aftermath of the super typhoon, Regina and her kids have had to move on to survive the wasteland. The Ortela family, together with thousands of similarly homeless families, clung to their hope for government help.

Hundreds of units in a housing project at Barangay Sapaw in Guiuan were unfinished and left to rot with neglect. Millions of taxpayers’ money have been wasted on the project that was supposed to be awarded to the homeless and displaced Yolanda victims.

A teary-eyed Regina could only sigh in despair. “We have been calling concerned local and national government officials to act on this.

We should have been residing in these houses,” she lamented in Waray dialect during an interview with Opinion 8 this week.

Former Guiuan mayor Sheen Gonzales, in a separate interview, said that during his term, the town’s chief executive had no power to fast-track the project of the National Housing Authority (NHA). What he could do then was only to issue the necessary permits as required, he said.

The NHA had projected to construct more than a thousand housing units in three sites. The one at Barangay Sapaw had the highest al-

location with at least 600 units. But the project contractor, Macasuhot Construction, failed to finish the project for reasons undisclosed.

“Well I was surprised myself. I’m disappointed because this project had gone to waste. The homeless and displaced families during Yolanda could have been living here already,” Gonzales said.

Those who grew tired of waiting decided to return to the place where they had their houses when Yolanda swept these away.

“They have no other option but to return to where they were before in order to survive. They only restored their destroyed houses there,” Gonzales added.

In Tacloban City, there are NHA housing projects that are among the most problematic sites in the region. The city government has been undergoing a process of revalidation of housing beneficiaries due to allegations that some barangay chairpersons committed anomalous selection of beneficiaries endorsed to the NHA. Ted Jopson, chief of the city government’s housing division, said that at least 12,000 out of 14,000 housing units given to Yolanda victims were already occupied, while the list for the remaining units is being revalidated. n

DILG starts drive to promote ‘culture of discipline’ in Manila by consuelo

maRquez

Inquirer.net

MANILA — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) launched on Wednesday its “Disiplina Muna” campaign — which aims to instill a “culture of discipline” among Filipinos — at the Manila City Hall.

Specifically, the campaign, which will be implemented first in Manila, aims to sustain the policies of the DILG — including road clearing operations, disaster preparedness and resilience procedures, smoking ban, ease of doing business, liquor ban, tourist spots cleanup and implementation

of Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council.

“This is DILG’s program to sustain the road-clearing operation and we are putting everything in order because some illegal vendors and illegally parked vehicles are returning,” Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, DILG spokesman, told reporters after the launching of the campaign at the Manila City Hall.

Malaya appealed for public support for the campaign, saying: “If there is no support from our people then our programs will not be successful. So this is challenge for our countrymen to make this possible.” n

Go vows ‘pork-free’ budget

by JavieR ismael ManilaTimes.net

SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go has vowed to scrutinize every detail of the proposed 2020 national budget to ensure that it will be “pork-free or cholesterol-free ” and no taxpayers’ money will be wasted.

Go, vice chairman of the Senate Finance committee, on Monday, November 4, said the proposed P4.1-trillion 2020 national budget that the House of Representatives transmitted to the Senate last month would undergo scrutiny.

“I’m in favor of [a] pork-free or cholesterol-free budget. Isa ako sa maghihimay niyan (I will be one of those who will scrutinize it),” Go said.

“Kung kailangan po salain natin ang mga cholesterol, gamitan natin ng tubig para lumutang ‘yung mga cholesterol, gagawin natin (If there is a need for us to sort out cholesterol, we will use water to separate the float from the cholesterol, we will do it). I want a pork-free budget,” he added.

The senator pointed out that the budget should be given back to the people through quality and accessible services such as health care, which could greatly benefit the poor and those hit by calamities and disasters.

Go said he would also study if the Senate should adopt the House version of the budget bill.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Sunday said some P20 billion worth of questionable projects had been “parked” in several departments in the final version of the proposed budget.

Lacson noted that the suspicious allotments could not be regarded as pork since these were in the National Expenditure Program that Malacañang submitted for congressional approval.

On the possibility of a budget reenactment, Go said the budget for next year must be passed by Congress on time.

“Ang laki na ng nawawala sa Pilipino, ang laki na ng nawawala sa gobyerno tuwing reenacted budget.

Kawalan po ng lahat (The Filipinos and the government suffer every time there’s a reenacted budget. It’s

everybody’s loss),” he said.

“Bilisan na natin ito. Trabaho nga naming mga senador ay ipasa ‘yung batas. Bakit hinahayaan natin na hindi maipasa ito on time? Wala nga tayong ginagawa, ang bilis-bilis ng session dito. Kulang [pa ang nagagawa] at naghahanap pa ako ng trabaho dito (Let’s do it fast. It is the duty of the senators to pass the law. Why do we allow the budget not to be passed on time? We can do more, I myself am still looking for more work here),” Go added.

Lacson on Tuesday, November 5, dared fellow lawmakers to post their amendments to the proposed P4.1 trillion 2020 budget in their websites to promote transparency.

The senator assailed the alleged practice of some legislators of writing their amendments on table napkins or tissue paper during plenary debates.

“Instead of whispering proposed amendments to the 2020 national budget or scrawl them on napkins, why not post them online?” Lacson said in a radio interview.

“We should make everything public. That includes all amendments we submit, whether institutional or individual. We have our own websites, we should use them for this purpose, as I did for the 2019 budget,” he added.

Lacson noted that for the 2019 budget, he posted online his proposed amendments, all of which are institutional, “meaning these pertain to programs and projects that have undergone planning and vetting, and are based on requests from the implementing agencies concerned.”

“In contrast, individual amendments pertain to projects based mainly on lawmakers’ intervention and are considered legislators’ pet projects,” Lacson said.

In most cases, he added, these do not involve consultations with implementing agencies concerned, nor are they part of local development plans of the local government units.

Such programs can be considered pork barrel, based on the 2013 ruling of the Supreme Court that deems as unconstitutional projects that are whimsical and arbitrary, Lacson said. n

(702) 792-6678 • http://www.asianjournal.com

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEmbER 7-13, 2019

10

november 7-13, 2019 • LAS veGAS ASIAn JoUrnAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678

VEGAS&STYLE

Journal ‘Float,’ Pixar’s first animated Barretto sisters bond with mom Inday

short with Filipino characters, lands on Disney+ Nov. 12

By Christina

M. Oriel

AJPress

AFTER nearly a year of anticipation, Pixar’s first-ever animated short featuring CGI Filipino characters is set to be released next week.

“Float,” written and directed

by Filipino American storyboard artist Bobby Alcid Rubio, will be available for viewing on streaming service Disney+ on Tuesday, November 12.

In the roughly seven-minute short, a father tries to keep his infant son’s special ability to float a secret. But once it gets out, the father must decide whether to run and hide or to accept his son as he is.

A father of three sons himself, Rubio shared that the story is based on his relationship with his son Alex.

“I’m a storyteller at heart. I was thinking of doing this story about my son and me…I’ve been holding onto this story for eight years and I finally felt like it was time to tell it,” Rubio told the Asian Journal.

Rubio began storyboarding his idea about two years ago as a personal project and showed it to colleagues who nudged him to pitch it to Lindsey Collins, the vice president of development at Pixar Animation Studios. She then suggested he submit it to SparkShorts, an immersive storytelling program that gives studio employees six months and a budget to develop animated short films.

“Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of SparkShorts,” Collins said in a statement. “The program was created to provide opportunities to a wide array of artists—each with something unique to say.”

The Fil-Am artist recounted that “Lindsey saw it and she felt it was a great candidate to be part of the program, which allowed me to become a writer and director for the first time here at Pixar, which was amazing because now it wasn’t just me. I had the backing of Pixar, which gave me access to

by Jan

MilO seVerO Philstar.com

AFTER spending her Sunday, November 3, with Marjorie Barretto, Inday Barretto had a bonding moment with Gretchen and Claudine Barretto, the other faction of the colliding sisters.

In her Instagram account, Claudine posted photos of her with her older sister Gretchen, aunt Cherry and mother Inday.

“A beautiful afternoon with Mom Tita Cherry & my Ate,” she captioned the post.

In another photo, Claudine was seen with mom Inday, sister Gretchen and a certain Father Suarez.

“With Father Suarez. Thank you po Father for your prayers po,” she wrote.

Last Sunday, Marjorie posted a photo of her mom in her Instagram account as they watched Julia and Claudia’s performance in “ASAP Natin To” at the comforts of their home.

Gretchen and Claudine Barretto with their mom Inday. Photo from Instagram/@claubarretto

“Sunday lunch. We miss you today, Dad,” Marjorie captioned the photo.

Claudine claimed that the photo of Marjorie with her mother was taken before Inday saw the viral video where Marjorie

allegedly threatened to hurt their mother.

“Super drama to death si ano, si Inday. Masyado siyang dramatic. Baka masapak ko,” Marjorie allgedly said in the video, as quoted by Claudine.

Gazini off to bag Miss U back-to-back win by arlO

CustOdiO ManilaTimes.net

“Float” will make history as the first Pixar animation featuring Filipino characters when it lands on Disney+ on November 12.

Photo courtesy of Pixar

all our brilliant animators, artists, designers [and] editors.”

“Float” was one of six shorts selected for the program this year and was briefly screened at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood for a week in early October before it hits Disney+. Fellow Fil-Am Krissy Cababa served as a producer for “Float” as well as “Loop,” another short in the program.

Rubio admitted that he initially characterized the father and son as Caucasian. But his colleagues suggested that he make them Filipino to reflect his own story.

“I wasn’t even thinking of them being Filipino. It was through my colleagues that had pointed out, ‘This is your story. This is about you and your son so the charac-

ters should be Filipino.’ This is just my unconscious bias. I’m not used to seeing Filipinos as lead characters and it felt very empowering to have my coworkers push this diverse person of color to be a lead,” he said.

He added that he “owned” the Filipino-ness of the story and the pride that it could give others.

“I was blown away and inspired. From that point on, I owned it and I was like, ‘That’s it, these characters are going to be Filipino.’ I am super proud that Pixar had allowed me to do that — to have now the very first CGI Filipino American lead characters,” he said.

A San Diego native, Rubio rePAGE 13

fidently replied, “Each of us have different advocacies, and the venue and set of candidates MISS Universe-Philippines [as well as the judges] are dif2019 Gazini Ganados says she ferent, so what I can only say is is determined to snag a back-to- that I’m ready to represent the back for the Philippines when Philippines the best I can,” the she competes in the world’s 23-year-old model said. most prestigious beauty pagSharing Gazini’s send off were eant on December 8 in Atlanta, Resham Saeed and Emma Tiglao Georgia, where compatriot who will respectively vie for the Catriona Gray will relinquish Miss Supranational crown in her crown.

Silecia, Poland on December 6, A send off was held for the and the Miss Intercontinental beauty queen at Novotel Ma- pageant in Sharm-El Sheikh, nila Araneta City on Monday, Egypt on December 20.

November 4.

Saeed, who is a Muslim and “[There will be] free lechon half-Pakistani, will try to win the here in Manila too for my home- country’s second Miss Supranacoming,” joked the Talisay, Cebu tional crown after Mutya Datul’s stunner who recalled how her win in 2013. townmates welcomed her with And just like Gazini, Tiglao is a lechon festival when she won also gearing for a back-to-back the top prize at Binibining Pili- win as reigning Miss Interpinas in June. continental is Karen Gallman, “Even my float was designed who was crowned in Manila in like lechon,” she added laugh- January. ing.

Meanwhile, the event also When The Manila Times asked served as a homecoming for how she prepared for the com- Leren Mae Bautista who placed petition given her predecessor’s 2nd Runner-Up in the Miss Miss Universe Philippines 2019 Gazini Ganados sterling performance at Miss Globe 2019 pageant held in Photo courtesy of Binibining Pilipinas Universe last year, Gazini con- Montenegro last month.

Filipino actors play key roles in ‘Hadestown,’ ‘Soft Power’ & The Flea’s ‘The Sandalwood Box’ “Soft Power” is one of the most exciting theatrical collaborations in recent memory, and it creatively shows an exploration IF you’re in New York City of America’s current place in the this weekend and wondering world, told through an East-West what to do and where to go, and musical from China’s point of if you have a spare evening, may view, in which a theater producer we suggest any of these three from Shanghai forges a powerful shows: a Broadway musical, an bond with Hillary Clinton. off-Broadway show and an off-offFurther downtown in Tribeca Broadway one, all of them with a is The Flea Theater, which is Filipino or Filipino American as about to wrap up a play festival lead or principal cast members. that aims to honor Mac Wellman, At the Walter Kerr Theater on a three-time Obie Award winning 48th Street is the Tony Award playwright and one of The Flea winner for Best Musical this Theater’s original co-founders along with actress Sigourney Weaver.

Filipina actress Dorothea Gloria leads Wellman’s “The Sandalwood Box,” a short, bizarre play about, among others, the value of human life.

Gloria is on her fourth year in New York and she just graduated from the Stella Adler Conservatory last April.

“The Flea is an experimental theater, and our play is a play with a lot of music, singing and dancing. It’s hard to categorize it into just a straight play or musical,” Gloria told us when we met her in Bryant Park.

She moved to Los Angeles Dorothea Gloria plays the lead role of Marsha Gates in The Fleas’ The Sandalwood Box’Photo after graduating from Adler to

by Marina McClure see what could be in store for her out there, but the offer to do this show happened. She had to think hard, she was torn because she also wanted to do television as well.

“I think I enjoy theater more and I feel that this is the easier way in,” she said. That is why she packed her bags once more and returned to New York last August.

Gloria plays the lead role of Marsha Gates who loses her voice because of an existential crisis, realizing how life for her is uncontrollable.

“Like every day, we live our lives and every day we plan accordingly but all in all, you can’t really plan your own life because Conrad Ricamora and the company of Soft Power, with play and lyrics by David Henry Hwang, music and additional lyrics by Jeanine Tesori, choreography the world or life in general is

by Sam Pinkleton, and direction by Leigh Silverman, running at The Public Theater.

Photo by Joan Marcus something uncontrollable and

By MOMar

G. Visaya

AJPress

year, “Hadestown.” It stars this generation’s Miss Saigon, Eva Noblezada, who nabbed her second Tony nod with her powerful performance as Eurydice opposite Reeve Carney’s Orpheus. Kay Trinidad also plays a key role as one of The Fates and is part of an amazing trio, which steals some of the scenes.

Last June at the Radio City Music Hall, “Hadestown,” with book, music and lyrics by Anais Mitchell won eight Tony Awards out of 14 nominations, including Best Musical and Best Director

for Rachel Chavkin.

Blocks down along Astor Place is the New York premiere “Soft Power” at The Public Theater.

There’s a number of Filipinos in the cast led by Conrad Ricamora, Billy Bustamante, Jaygee Macapugay, Geena Quintos, Jon Hoche and Trevor Salter. Behind the scenes, Tony Award winner Clint Ramos did the scenic design.

With play and lyrics by Tony Award winner David Henry Hwang and music and additional lyrics

by Tony Award winner Jeanine Tesori, this groundbreaking new musical-within-a-play, just announced its second extension.

Now, fans have a chance to see it until November 17.

Ricamora and Macapugay at one point played Ninoy Aquino and Imelda Marcos in “Here Lies Love,” also originated at The Public Theater a few years ago.

Ricamora is still seen in the ABC series “How to Get Away” with Murder while Macapugay was last seen in Paulo Tirol’s “On This Side of the World.”

“It feels like a full circle. We have such good memories at The Public, and with Soft Power now, we are hoping to create more,” she shared after seeing us at the lobby during the show’s opening week.

Kay Trinidad is one of The Fates in the Tony Award-winning musical Hadestown

Dorothea Gloria AJPress Photo by Momar G. Visaya

unexpected,” she quipped.

“I guess the message of the show is to live your life to the fullest and know that each life, each day is precious so it is better not to think so much ahead an be present at each and every single day,” she added.

Playing Marsha Gates has been such a journey for her. She was challenged from the first time she read the script.

“Ang hirap naman nito, hindi ko maintindihan,” she said laughing. “It’s about metaphysics, existential crisis. It is very allegorical, like you cant things literally because meron siyang deeper meaning na kailangan talagang pag isipan.”

Delineating her character, Dorothea realized and found out she and Marsha Gates have a lot of things in common, including that particular feeling of floundering through the universe.

“The Sandalwood Box” is Dorothea’s first off Broadway show and she is excited to show her acting chops, something that she developed even as a young kid back in the Philippines.

She is greatly influenced by her mentor for eight years at Assumption, Ana Valdes Lim who is a Juilliard alumna. Dorothea was part of her college’s acting program, as well as Philippine Educational Theater Association’s youth arm, mixing what she calls the classical type of acting and the guerilla type of putting up shows mixed with a dash of activism.

“I brought that here in New

York, particularly here at The Flea. They wanted someone who is trained, the voice and the body, and I owe that part to my classical training; and they also wanted the energy, passion and fire, which I owe to what I got at PETA,” she explained.

The Flea has its resident pool of about 80 actors and the audition process for the shows was “super intimidating”, according to Dorothea. They were given three days to memorize three pages of script.

“I didn’t think that I would get it,” she admitted, saying that she already had her mind set in moving to Los Angeles. She was actually already in LA when she received their call offering her the role.

“I was in a point of transition then and I took that call as the universe telling me to come back to New York,” she said. So after living in California for three months, she packed her bags once more and moved back to the Big Apple.

Since the show opened, she has been getting varied feedbacks and reaction from the audience, some of whom found the material weird and others felt blown away, anxious or shocked.

“The nature of the play is not really story telling, it’s more of an experience for its audience.

Whenever I invite people, I tell them that when you come, you won’t get a story but you will have an experience,” she shared.

(702) 792-6678 • http://www.asianjournal.com

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond MONETTE ADEVA MAGLAYA (Part 1 of 2) THINKING of coming home for a visit?

Many would if they could, especially retirees, who now have the time and the resources and in many cases, still in good health.

Travel requires one to still have the ability to move around, drag and heft 2 pieces of 50-pound luggage and carry-on pieces. If unable to do so, there are always baggage handlers that can be tipped generously to help you.

Well, why not? In good times and bad, there’s no Christmas quite like a Philippine Christmas.

In the best scenarios, a 3 weekwhirlwind trip to the Philippines is what most Filipino expatriates living and working in the US or elsewhere in the world can shoot for. Aside from putting together the somewhat hefty logistical requirements (translation: money, whether in cash, debit cards or “kaskas” meaning credit cards), one truly needs to be a proactive tactician in mapping out how a Philippine trip pans out. So move over, Marco Polo. This is one of the ways it’s done, Pinoy style.

How do you make a Philippine trip memorable? For the jaded traveler who routinely goes back and forth several times a year, either for business purposes or as a jet setting lifestyle choice, the question is moot and academic.

But for the majority of expatriates who can only go on rare occasions because of personal circumstances affecting finances, workloads or family responsibilities, an expensive transcontinental time-out such as this merits thought — lots of it.

A Philippine trip should result in a treasure trove of feel-good experiences and ultimately, golden memories — that make the journey worth all the effort and time spent in excruciating detail, worth all of the expense and maybe, more importantly, worth every nanosecond of one’s hurried and harried expatriate life. The trip must be so good that it must be worth doing it all over again.

There’s much to see and do, remembering all too well that we

Health@Heart PHILIP S. CHUA, MD, FACS, FPCS OUR universal disease prevention strategy of the past century, specifically in the last six decades since World War II, has miserably failed from inadequate application or non-compliance by society in general. In spite of the great strides and mind-boggling advances in medical science and technology, in both diagnostic and therapeutic areas of clinical medicine; we, today, are still plagued with an epidemic — nay, pandemic — of obesity, diabetes and other metabolic illnesses, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and cancer. With state-ofthe-art medical armamentarium and cutting-edge discoveries, we still lag behind in exercising prevention, and diseases appear to be more than a leg ahead of us in the race.

Obviously, there is a scientific basis for this. For one thing, when individuals join the race starting a healthier lifestyle in their teens, the opponent (disease) already has a head start, an advantage of 13 or more years to damage the integrity of their DNA. The outcome, like what has happened the past century, is predictable and not surprising. Of course, when our DNA has been negatively impacted by our unhealthy lifestyle for a decade or more before we start to change, our body has already been disadvantaged.

As a result, these young persons now live with a higher risk of developing the so-called “expected diseases of the middle and old age” which are, scientifically speaking, not “expected, not “normal,” and actually preventable. These “normal” illnesses, which society has unfortunately and unwittingly accepted with surrender, are, in fact not normal and “pre-destined.”

While we, adults of today, have allowed the damages to our cells and DNA to occur, through our own indiscretion, bad habits, and unhealthy behaviors; the children of the future do not necessarily have to develop arthritis, allergies, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and other metabolic conditions, heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and even cancer which countless people have.

Preventing diseases starting at the cellular level, by protecting the DNA of the fetus in the womb and the babies in the crib, and onward; can significantly minimize the injury to the DNA and thus save the children from acquiring these “normal and ex-

COMMUNITY JOURNAL

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 7-13, 2019

Getting the most out alendar of Events C across of a Philippine visit “Travel makes one modest.

You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”

—Gustave Flaubert lose a day going there which we regain on the return trip. We have to make allowances for the effects of jet lag to settle in. How does one get the best homecoming experiences? In a word, PLANNING. Know that well-meaning friends and relatives already have first dibs on your limited time. So map out your itinerary (the places and experiences that you must see and do that are on the top rung of your priority list) and itemize your to-do list in detail, way in advance with the proviso that you must be open and flexible in your schedule.

The fine art of travel is remembering that an itinerary is just a guide and not necessarily etched in stone. If need be, you must be able to revise on the fly when the occasion calls for it.

Going on a trip is like any other project. It needs a blueprint. It involves the mind-body-spirit connection. You have to be physically fit and mentally agile. Consult your doctor before going on a regular exercise and diet routine a month before leaving.

Your immune system will be severely taxed, so a word to the wise — wash your hands often with a sanitizer you keep with you at all times in your travel purse. Get your flu shot. It’s no guarantee but your layer of protection is better.

Whether it was just the placebo effect or not, as some dubious studies claim, I can swear by the efficacy of Airborne effervescent tablets. Airborne, after all, seems just Vitamin C pumped up to the max and sold with a good, homey storyline. Do what works for you.

Your immune system should be braced for the assault on your body particularly in self-contained, confined spaces like airplanes and waiting rooms where air is re-circulated.

No one is totally immune from the cold and flu virus, so be on the defensive. If at all possible, stay away from the obviously afflicted.

If you yourself are down for the count, then isolate yourself. And for heaven’s sake, wear a mask.

Hydrate always, well, maybe not during the 16-hour direct plane trip when holding your water in your bladder can be tricky.

You estimate and gather the money required. Fudge the figure twice as much and be warned.

Your money will be as fluid as water gushing out of a broken water main. Have one or two credit cards with you for backup and call the 800 number and give them a heads-up to let them know that you will be in the country during a particular period. Fraud units of credit card companies study your spending patterns and much to your dismay, may put a hold on your credit card transaction if it registers you are buying far away from your place of residence. You will end up calling their number to prove your identity, which is not an 800 number, and for which you will pay for the long distance call.

Make sure you bring dollars in near-mint condition because shopping mall moneychangers will refuse old, tattered currency with cuts or writing. A lot of non-mall shopping transactions will be in cash, so be prepared to bring cash on your person or in a zippered, discrete purse you keep with you at all times.

Vigilance is the key when out in public. Thieves have trained eyes and can home in on a hapless victim. Keep your purse on the side of your body where your shopping companion walks. Beware of distractions and scripted street dramas designed to keep you off guard.

(To be continued in next week’s issue…) *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette. maglaya@asianjournalinc.com

Our failed strategy pected” diseases when they grow to middle age and beyond. It is, indeed, possible to have a world where children and adults are free of these preventable diseases and able to attain maximal longevity, even to 100 and beyond.

This could be achieved through human behavioral modification and cooperative and pro-active international programs in ecology to sanitize our global environment and minimize, if not eliminate, worldwide pollution of our air, water, and terrain.

Our mighty DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA for short, is the vital structure in the nuclei of all the billions and trillions of cells and one of the building blocks of the body.

The organs are composed of cells with specific function, and each cell contains genetic material, which can automatically replicate itself and multiply, when the old cells. The ability of the DNA to protect itself and to some degree repair itself determines health and life span or longevity. When the constant insult and damage to the DNA is significant and irreparable, it can result in senescence (permanent dormancy); apoptosis (programmed cell death); or uncontrolled and disorderly cell division (causing cancer).

Genetic mutation A healthy body requires uninterrupted interplay of thousands of proteins, which work harmoniously, in the right amount and appropriate places, a conglomerate of normal functioning protein enabled by a healthy intact gene.

Most of the more than 4,000 diseases afflicting man today are caused by altered or damaged genes from either or both parents.

Major disorders like arthritis, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, heart diseases, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and cancer are due to a complex “reaction” among multiple genes and between them and environmental (human-induced) factors.

While our genetic make-up is unalterable, our lifestyle (habits and behavior), and our environment, are, to a great extent, within our control. For example, a faulty or damaged gene is the basic cause of cancer. Since genes are encoded within the DNA, insults and damages to the integrity of the DNA can increase the risk for diseases, including cancer.

The accumulation of injuries to the DNA over years can cause subtle changes in it, leading to increase or decrease in the risk for diseases. Therefore, major diseases of mankind is not all due to hereditary or genetic factors alone, but a combination

of the DNA and our lifestyle. If we protect the DNA of the new generation in a timely fashion, starting healthy lifestyle in the womb, and dieting in the crib and beyond, and preserve and maintain its health and integrity, we can prevent most, if not all, major diseases we adults are facing today.

DNA injury is ubiquitous; it happens every second to all of us. A single cell sustains injury (molecular lesions) from endogenous (food or substances we ingest) and exogenous (toxic environmental exposures, like carcinogens, etc.) at a rate of about 1000 to 1,000,000 times a day.

When our DNA is compromised, our immune system is weakened, and we increase our risk of acquiring illnesses, most of these are what we call lifestyle illnesses, which are actually preventable to a significant extent. The global statistics in living healthy lifestyle for disease prevention show we still have a long way to go as a society to be more compliant, more disciplined, more proactive and preemptive in our individual and societal behavior towards our dream goal, as stated in the book, Let’s Stop “Killing” Our Children (view on philipSchua.com, amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and Xlibris.com).

While our DNA has the capacity to repair itself, repeated insults from our unhealthy behavior and bad habits (smoking, alcohol abuse, living a sedentary life sans physical exercises, daily consumption of red meat, processed meats and junk foods; instead of the healthier option of fish, vegetables, fruits a nuts in our diet, and neglecting stress management) will overwhelm our DNA to a point of defeat. Damaged DNA results in ill-health, diseases, and shortened potential longevity.

Starting a healthy lifestyle is never too late for anyone. But to enjoy the maximum benefit to health and longevity it could provide the future generation of children, disease prevention is best started from the cellular (DNA) level, a strategy whose time has come. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com

America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS N OV E M B E R 9

Access to business capital conference in Woodland Hills, CA Presented by the Valley Economic Alliance and Wells Fargo, join on Saturday, November 9 for an Access to Business Capital event at the Hilton Woodland Hills from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registration includes: same day loan consultation, business workshops and exhibitors, free networking, coffee and lunch. Panel topics include: Financing Options for Start-Up Businesses (0-2 years); Alternative Financing: Different options for obtaining capital to grow your business; Financing Strategies for Your Existing Business (2+ years); Your Resource Partners and Why They Are Key to Your Success. The event will be held at the Hilton Woodland Hills (6360 Canoga Ave, Woodland Hills, CA 91367). For any questions, contact jmatsumoto@economicalliance.com or colinewitt@gmail.com.

N OV E M B E R 1 6

Arts and Glamour Night in Long Beach, CA Emerald Lantern Group and Pangasinan Brotherhood USA on Saturday, November 16 proudly present dinner-dance at the Long Beach Marriott from 5:30 to 11:30 p.m. This unique concept is the vision of Rosemarie De Vera and the Emerald Lantern Group who want to showcase the world-class caliber of Filipino American Visual Artists.Receiving Emerald Awards for Excellence in the Arts are international architect Wilson Deomampo and author of “Visual Diary” A celebration of Creative Spark in 30 years of Architecture. Another recipient is Archie Gadon, Senior Designer and Architect of Freidmutter Group Newport Beach, Project Designer of Ceasars Forum Convention Center, Solaire Resort and other international properties. Also receiving an award is Filipino-American muralist Eliseo Art Silva, the creator of the landmark mural in Historic Filipinotown’s Unidad Park. Emerald is proud to honor Trailblazer Emmanual E-Man Coquia, celebrity who was names Director of Programming of several radio stations after an exhaustive nationwide search. Mereulo Media’s CEO Otto Pardon selected Coquia for his sensible plan and vision that lined perfectly with the company’s goals. Coquia head programming for 3 stationsL Power 106FM, Classic HipHop 93.5, and Cali 93.9 Latin Music Station. Also to be bestowed recognition are Faith Bautista as a Community Hero awardee for her tireless work in retrieving $331 million dollars back into the housing fund amongst other non-profit efforts.

Special Recognition will be given to Henry Sadang, for his charitable work for “Gabay”, parents group of children with autism and cerebral palsy. Gabay is also the beneficiary who will receive part of the proceeds from this event. The art exhibit shall feature the works of Alberto Dulay, Butch Lara, Napoleon Merana, Roland Escalona, Micah V. Javier, Gani, Dino, Rodolfo Mora, event art curator Ron Tuanquin, and more. The Art Exhibit will be open for the duration of the event, open doors at 5:30pm. Guests shall enjoy dinner before the awarding ceremonies, followed by social dancing with DJ Luigi Dizon. Part of the proceeds shall benefit “Gabay” Parents Group of Children with Cerebral Palsy and Autism in the Philippines. Tickets are regularly $100, but readers of this article can use the discount code “AJ” for a 25% discount online at www. artsandglamournight.eventbrite.com, or call Vanie (818) 284-7966 or Wawan (818) 648-4709.

For more information, email emerald@musicartsevents.com or visit www.emeraldlanterngroup. com. Event starts at 6:30pm on November 16 at the Long Beach Marriott Hotel at 4700 Airport Plaza Dr, Long Beach, CA 90815.

N OV E M B E R 22-24

World Education Summit on Sustainability and Transformation in Las Vegas AThe World Education Summit on Sustainability and Transformation is a call to action and transformation to finding solutions to the challenges of our times. Join on November 22-24 for three days of activities, learning, networking and events, such as panel discussions and presentations, industry leader keynote speeches, and a dinner and gala featuring an eco-fashion show. The summit aims to gather stakeholders from educational institutions; business and civic organizations; government agencies and international development organizations to galvanize collaborative and strategic partnership to achieve a common goal in environmental sustainability. We are expecting delegates from different countries. The Summit will serve as a collaborative platform to achieve a unified mission. The venue is The Convention Center at The Orleans Hotel (4500 W Tropicana Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89103). For more information and to register, please visit http://worldsummit.info.

N OV E M B E R 24

#HashtagLunchbag/SIPA food drive in LA The Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) and #Hashtag Lunchbag are joining forces to create positive changes in Historic Filipinotown on Sunday, November 24 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. SIPA will be hosting a Food Drive with #HashtagLunchbag to create letters of encouragement, decorate lunch bags, and assemble sandwiches for those in need in Historic Filipinotown.

When finished, they will be giving out lunch bags to homeless youth, women, and families.

Registration contact and link: Maria Carmel Valendez at maria@sipacares.org or (213) 382-1819 ext. 107.

N OV E M B E R 25

UPAAGLA presents Fil-Am authors on artificial intelligence and sustainability in LA Two Filipino-American authors, Dr. Cris Liban and Elzar “Dodjie” Simon, on Monday, November 25 will discuss two current and relevant topics: artificial intelligence and sustainability.

Liban is the executive director for environment and sustainability for the LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Simon is director of global infrastructure for New York University.

The discussion, moderated by LA Deputy Mayor for Budget & Innovation Miguel Sangalang, will take a deeper dive on: What should you know? Why do they matter to you? How do understanding and embracing these fields help countries like the Philippines be an emerging market?

The event, organized by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Greater Los Angeles (UPAAGLA), will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Los Angeles Public Library -Echo Park Branch (1410 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026). “A.I. Hacked” books will be available for purchase and signing. A portion of books sold will be donated to the UPAAGLA Endowment Fund.

D EC E M B E R 1

Kalayaan Incorporated’s Christmas Party and induction of officers in Monterey Park, CA Kalayaan Incorporated’s Induction of Officers 2019-2020 will be held during its Christmas Party on Sunday, Decemeber 1, from 12 to 4 p.m., at the Monterey Hill Event Center. The hilltop venue offers a spectacular view of the San Gabriel Valley, and is located at 3700 Ramona Blvd., Monterey Park, Calif. 91754. Kalayaan Incorporated, a non-profit public benefit corporation in the State of California, classified as a public charity organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, holds the annual celebration in Southern California of the anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence. Chairing the Induction and Christmas Party is Violet Mislang with Lady Hope Robillos, Co-chair, and Nonie Belarmino, Program Coordinator. Cost of lunch is $40.00. For more information, please contact Violet at (562) 644-4073, vmislang@gmail.com; Lady Hope at (310) 500-0917, lhopepr@yahoo. com; or Nonie (310) 357-0222, Idancenonie@outlook.com.

Rotary Club of Historic Filipinotown anniversary & Christmas Party On Sunday, December 1, the Rotary Club of Historic Filipinotown will celebrate its 13th anniversary and Christmas Party during a major FUNdraising event. Expect a night filled with food, drinks, entertainment and activities such as raffle prizes and silent auction prizes. The Rotary Club of Historic Filipinotown was chartered in 2007 originally of Filipino descendants, who are leaders of the community, professionals and entrepreneurs. Today it has members from different cultural backgrounds. Dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. at Capital Seafood Restaurant (50 N. La Cienega Blvd. Ste 130 Beverly Hills, CA 90211). Attire is business casual. Donation is $65.

If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com

11

12

Features

november 7-13, 2019 • LAS veGAS ASIAn JoUrnAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678

Philippines’ Health and Wellness Ronnie: I believe I can fly!

CONFEX roadshow coming to America

by Ricky Lo Philstar.com

The health and Wellness CONFeX, a global campaign that seeks to promote the Philippines as a world-class health and wellness center, is officially coming to America!

Originally launched in Dubai in 2018, this promotional roadshow produced its first conference-expo in Manila earlier this year in April.

Next year, for 2020, in collaboration with the Asian Journal Media Group, the health and Wellness CONFeX will mark its official entry into the U.S. market at the 3rd annual 2020 International Travel Trade and Consumer expo. Dubbed “TTCe”, the grand event ignites, drives, and fuels business-to-business, business-to-government, and business-to-consumer networking, direct sales and marketing, and brand engagement opportunities and collaboration between the U.S. and Philippines.

To be held at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California on August 8-9, 2020, is a two-day event powered and presented by the Asian Journal Media Group. The event will feature a health and Wellness CONFeX Pa-

vilion where sustainable wellness, beauty, tourism, fashion, food natural and green living products and services from the Philippines will be showcased including Internationally-accredited Philippine hospitals, award-winning wellness resorts and specialty clinics manned by top Filipino dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons will have booths in the pavilion as well to provide a preview of the various services they offer which are already attracting a rapidly growing traffic of health and wellness tourists to the country.

This should prove particularly helpful for U.S.-based Filipinos planning to go to the Philippines for health and wellness reasons.

As balikbayans, they can avail themselves of medical, dental, and even beauty and anti-aging services that are as good as, if not better than, the services they can get in the U.S. – at a fraction of the cost.

The Travel Trade and Consumer expo 2020 will also have a B2B matching session where Philippine manufacturers of health and wellness products can meet with US importers to explore business

opportunities and forge mutually beneficial partnerships.

But the collaboration between the Asian Journal and the health and Wellness World team does not just involve the Pasadena event. The Asian Journal will also help promote among to their global audience the other initiatives of the hWW team — including the health and Wellness Confex2020 that will be held on September 11 & 12 next year at the SMX Convention Center, Metro Manila’s principal exhibition venue. After all, although based in California, the Asian Journal Media Group is headed by Filipinos who will be most happy to see the Philippines emerge as a leading health and wellness center.

For more information such as sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities, please visit the event website at TravelTradeConsumer. com, www.healthandwellnessworld.com or Confex@healthandwellnessworld.com and for more information on the Asian Journal Media Group, visit us at AsianJournalMediaGroup.com or call at 213 250-9797.

Coalition seeks volunteers to help prepare tax returns The Nevada Free Taxes Coalition, in partnership with the IRS, is looking for volunteers to assist in preparing tax returns at various sponsored sites throughout Southern Nevada. Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds are welcome.

Learn to prepare taxes and make a difference in your community at the same time. how can you make a difference? Simple. Volunteer to help your community by preparing taxes free of charge with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. Volunteers can help in three separate capacities: as a return preparer, who will actually prepare tax returns; as a site coordinator, coordinating and supervising all aspects of a free tax site and acting as a site manager; and as greeter, greeting taxpayers, answering questions and providing forms.

You will receive training to provide free tax help for low-to-mod-

EMPLOYMENT

erate income families who need assistance preparing their tax returns. As a volunteer, you will join the thousands of others who each year prepare millions of tax returns at thousands of tax sites nationwide. Training is offered both online and in the classroom.

Tax sites are generally open nights and weekends and the hours are flexible. You will surely find a volunteer site close to you.

What do volunteers do? here are some of the volunteer roles needed at free tax preparation sites: Greeter/Screener – You greet everyone visiting the site to create a pleasant atmosphere. You screen taxpayers to determine the type of assistance they need and confirm they have the necessary documents to complete their tax returns. Tax law certification is not required for this position.

Interpreter – You provide free

language interpreter services to customers who are not fluent in english. Basic tax knowledge is helpful, but it is not required for this position.

Tax Preparer – You complete and successfully certify in tax law training, including the use of electronic filing software, to provide free tax return preparation for eligible taxpayers.

Quality Reviewer – You review tax returns completed by volunteer tax preparers, ensuring that every taxpayer receives top quality service and that the tax returns are error-free. You must be tax law certified at least at the Intermediate level.

Interested? To sign up, contact us at 702-987-4625 or dbrooks@ nvfreetaxes.org. To learn more about this opportunity visit our website at www.nvfreetaxes.org.

It’s a rewarding way to give back to your community.

EMPLOYMENT

FOR RENT

UNTIL he talked to The Star, Ronnie Liang was mum about his dream to be a pilot, with even his friends clueless that he was enrolled at the International Aviation Academy (IAA) in Clark, the same school where Ai-Ai delas Alas’ husband Gerald Sibayan also studied. Ronnie has just completed the required 20 flying hours for private pilots (and 400 for commercial pilots) after one semester of ground schooling.

“I’ve been dreaming of becoming a pilot since I was in Grade 4,” said Ronnie who is set for his Love X Romance concert at the Music Museum on Friday, Nov. 8. “I’m glad that my childhood dream is coming true.”

Good thing Ronnie doesn’t have a fear of flying. After passing the ground course, he was put on simulation flying with an instructor on a single-engine, two-seater plane. Another requirement saw Ronnie on a similar small plane with the engine turned off while he was at an altitude of 700 feet.

That was part of the course and Ronnie managed to land the plane, acquitting himself well.

“I believe I can fly,” Ronnie is sure. he hopes to further his studies and, why not, fly a commercial plane someday.

In the meantime, his mind is on ground level as his Music Museum concert fast approaches. Besides ella Cruz and Janine Teñoso,

Ronnie Liang at the International Aviation Academy (IAA) where he has completed a semester of ground course and simulation flying.

Photo from Instagram/@ronniliang

Ronnie also has Sarah Geronimo as special guest. The repertoire consists of current love songs and those from the ’80s and ’90s.

“I’m happy that Sarah agreed to be my guest,” said Ronnie.

“First, I asked the approval of the Viva bosses and they told me to ask Sarah. I wasn’t expecting anything so that if she said no, I wouldn’t be disappointed. I took the chance early this year when I guested in her concert in Iloilo.”

According to Ronnie, it’s an answered prayer.

“I’ve been wishing to appear in a concert with Sarah mula pa noong nasa ‘Pinoy Dream Academy’ ako. I’m flattered every time she would introduce me as a ‘multi-platinum artist, maganda ang boses at magpapa-kilig sa atin.’ Wow, galing sa isang Sarah Geronimo ‘!”

Not only that. Ronnie also got to record a duet with Sarah on a song titled Liwanag composed

by Marlon Barbueno, to be released during the Music Museum concert.

“Sarah likes the melody and the message of the folk ballad love song.”

That’s hitting two birds with one stone, so to speak — having Sarah as concert guest and recording a song with her, a nice way to cap a fruitful year. So far, in his 13 years in the business, Ronnie has released five albums and headlined more than 12 concerts. he has also a Christmas song titled Sa Paskong Darating now available on Spotify, composed

by Joel Abad, a seaman, about an OFW longing for home.

No wonder Ronnie’s spirit is soaring.

Joem, Lovi sizzle in ‘The Annulment’

by Ricky

caLdeRon ManilaTimes.net

JOeM Bascon considers himself lucky to have been chosen

by Regal entertainment to play the male lead in the MacArthur Alejandre film titled “The Annulment” where he is paired with the alluring Lovi Poe. “It feels good to be cast in important film projects. Now that I am more mature, I shouldn’t be doing teeny-bopper or pa-cute roles anymore. I did those films when I was young. Now I must accept roles that will challenge me as an actor,” said Joem, who won a Gawad Urian as Best Supporting Actor for “Noy.” “I am happy, honored and blessed that Regal has given me the opportunity to be the lead star.

It’s my first time to do something like this. And I had to do some

Lovi Poe with Joem Bascon

many love scenes, which surpassed the kind of love scenes I did in my past films. My love scenes here in ‘The Annulment’ are daring,” he revealed, adding that he is grateful for the opportunity to

SERVICES

Photo courtesy of Regal Films

work with Lovi and direk Mac. In this time and age when it seems hard for older actors to get lead roles, Joem is glad for the trust that Regal gave him for the lead role in “The Annulment.”

(702) 792-6678 • http://www.asianjournal.com

Features

‘Float,’ Pixar’s first animated short...

PAGE 10 called being drawn to the world of comic books when he was in sixth grade. Through the encouragement of his teacher, he created his first character, The Charger, and went on to draw a weekly comic strip for the class.

The Charger character was Filipino and 5’2”, embodying the characteristics of his father Robert.

“When I was younger, I believed comic books were things that inspired me to want to pursue art and in comic books, I found a way to tell stories — my stories.

Even at a young age in sixth grade, I was already thinking of making the characters Filipino American like myself and my father,” Rubio said.

The budding artist earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from California Institute of the Arts and landed his first job at Homage Studios in La Jolla.

He spent nine years at Walt Disney Feature Animation as a traditional artist and storyboard artist on films like “Pocahontas,” “Tarzan,” and “Treasure Planet.”

He also had a stint at Nickelodeon Studios where he was an assistant director and storyboard artist for “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” before moving to Pixar.

He initially applied to be part of “Ratatouille” but that did not pan out until he heard that the next two movies would be about a robot and another about an “old man and a boy scout.” His work with the studio began with “Up” and has since included

“Brave,” “Monsters University,” “Inside Out” and most recently, “Incredibles 2” and “Toy Story 4.”

“I wasn’t planning on being a story artist. I wanted to become an animator...The funny thing is, I feel like I got this EGOT but it’s a Disney EGOT because I actually worked at Disney Feature Animation, Pixar, [and] I also do Marvel comic covers. Nickelodeon is a side thing. I just gotta now work at Lucas Film and ESPN then I’ll have it,” Rubio joked.

One of his young sons is also showing interest in drawing but he isn’t pushing any style or method on him. That’s the same advice he would give to emerging creatives as well.

“I believe you should find your own voice, tell your own stories and keep moving forward. As an artist, you’re gonna get a lot of critiques going up and you have to be able to take them…In my animation career, I’ve been Bobby Rubio photographed on August 20, 2018 at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif.

Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar through many places and worked with many different people. You could learn from everyone. Don’t be discouraged and keep moving forward,” he said.

Outside of his day job, Rubio continues drawing and works on his creator-owned and independent comic series, “Alcatraz High,” “4 Gun Conclusion,” and “ENFORCEMEN.” Since the announcement of “Float” in January, social media has been abuzz with many Filipinos in the U.S. and even globally proudly sharing their excitement of being seen and represented.

Rubio is one of 50 Fili-

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEmbER 7-13, 2019

13

In reunion movie with Sharon, Gabby to waive talent fee for KC’s trust fund

by Ronnie

CaRRasCo ManilaTimes.net

iii

GABBY Concepcion must be engrossed in sifting through an avalanche of e-mails sent directly to his Gmail account which he had publicized himself.

Nope, those are no fan mails from elsewhere in the world but rather story lines which he openly welcomes for his reunion film with Sharon Cuneta.

You heard it, the 50-plus yet still dashing actor has already acquiesced to do a movie with his erstwhile wife provided that the material is “out of the box.”

Avid and rabid Sharon-Gabby fans, despite seeing their idols live separate lives now, fondly remember their very first teamup: Eddie Garcia’s “Dear Heart” in 1981. This was followed by a string of screen partnerships, all certified blockbusters.

Supposedly, Sharon and Gabby were to do a reunion movie about two years ago. However, there was no way the actor could get it started as he was then doing

GMA’s afternoon soap “Ika-6 Na Utos,” debunking rumors that he was demanding a talent fee higher than Sharon’s.

At a recent private companysponsored teacher’s event, Gabby finally gave a yes answer to whoever would be willing to bankroll his reunion film with Sharon. Kris Aquino, a self-confessed SharonGabby fan before her showbiz entry, reportedly expressed interest as one of co-producers of this expected blockbuster.

Vignettes heard that the former couple will rather finance it themselves, with Gabby even willing to waive his talent fee. He’d rather have it earmarked for his daughter KC’s trust fund.

Since KC is an indirect participant, it would be a welcome idea to see her appear in her parents’ reunion film. After all, when was the last time she was seen on the big screen?

As for Sharon who’s contemplating retirement, the would-be reunion movie will sure go down in history as she beckons another chapter in her life.

Rubio poses with his three sons, writing “My boys with me @Pixarparking lot! Standing in front of my handprint and my name hand carved on the sidewalk!” Photo courtesy of Bobby Rubio

Rubio shared a sketch of the “Float” father and son on his Instagram.

Photo courtesy of Bobby Rubio

pinos who work at Pixar, and they collectively call themselves “Pixnoys.”

“I was amazed when it hit social media and people started talking about it and talking about how much ‘Float’ meant to them, seeing themselves represented on screen for the first time. Being part of a major studio like Pixar, it’s nice to be recognized in that way because you feel like there’s some worth in that we are being noticed,” Rubio said.

Despite the characters of “Float” physically looking like him and his son, it’s not “really Filipino American specific,” he said, as he intends the story to be universal and relevant to any viewer.

“The characters could have

been white, African American or Latino. I think that’s eventually where we would want to go in Hollywood and mainstream media — it doesn’t matter what the ethnicity of the character is…I don’t have a cultural thing. There are no dancing lumpias if that’s what people are expecting. It’s really about a father and son who happen to be Filipino American,” he said.

He continued, “At the end of the day, [‘Float’] is about the bond between father and son. It’s about unconditional love, especially amongst family members and amongst everybody. I want that to be the end thing that people get.

It’s about love and acceptance and hopefully, that will resonate.”

Sharon Cuneta with Gabby Concepcion

Photo from Instagram/@reallysharoncuneta

14

november 7-13, 2019 • LAS veGAS ASIAn JoUrnAL

EntErtainmEnt

http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678

Ruru tells why Jasmine’s kiss is ‘different’ Nadine on projects sans James: We also need time to grow separately

by AllAn PolicArPio Inquirer.net

IF Ruru Madrid gives the impression that he easily falls for his female costars, that’s just because he’s a natural “gentleman.”

“I’m not the type to fall in love too easily! Sobrang gentleman lang ako when it comes to work. I always make my leading lady feel that she’s safe with me and that I will take care of her—like I’m babying her,” he told reporters in a pocket interview for his movie “Cara x Jagger.”

That’s exactly how Ruru treated her new leading lady, Jasmine Curtis, on the set of the said romantic drama movie, which was directed

by Ice Idaan, and produced by APT Entertainment and Cignal TV. “I take care of her, ask her if she needs anything. I always check on her if she has already eaten; I won’t eat if she hasn’t… I will get and hold an umbrella for her before she gets out of standby area. I bring her a chair. I give her something to drink,” he related.

But more importantly, he makes sure that he always smells good.

“It’s just the two of us most of the time. So, I want her to feel like I’m really her boyfriend when we’re working,” said the 21-year-old GMA 7 actor, who plays the role of Jagger, a young man trying to recapture what he has lost—his memory and the love of his life, Cara (Jasmine).

“My biggest challenge is mak-

by AllAn PolicArPio Inquirer.net

Ruru Madrid with Jasmine Curtis

ing sure that my portrayals of the past Jagger and present Jagger are distinguishable,” he said. “There are a lot of flashbacks here… I want to show through my actions and my eyes what my character knows then and what he doesn’t know now.”

The screen partners shot a kissing scene, which, Ruru related, took four takes to finish. “We had rehearsals for the kiss. I asked Jas how she wanted to attack it; if she wanted it to be subtle, wild or what—just kidding!” he said, laughing.

“Her kiss was different, there was something… Kung merong mata na nangungusap, ’yung

Photos from Instagram/@rurumadrid8

kanya, labi ang nangungusap,” Ruru added. “Jasmine is one of those actresses who help me get in the moment with just a look.”

While he has grown comfortable with Jasmine while working on the film, Ruru admitted that he was initially intimidated by the award-winning actress.

“I first saw Jasmine at an event organized by a magazine a few years ago, back when I was just starting out. I attended and she was hosting it. The whole time we were onstage, I was just staring at her while she tried to talk to me because I didn’t know what to say,” he recalled.

“And even if I had already known I was going to work with her in this movie, I still had a hard time approaching her and talking to her,” Ruru added. “She must have thought I was so full of myself!”

But he’s happy that he eventually got over his awkwardness and got to know Jasmine better as a person and an artist.

“She’s a great actress. I have always wanted to work with her ever since. I think the projects she has done are great, edgy. I’m happy,” he said. “I learned a lot from her about work, because she already has a lot of experience. We talk a lot and relate to the same things.”

Because this is their first starring roles in a mainstream movie, Ruru said he would be a hypocrite if he said he didn’t care about box-office performance. “We put so much work on this movie. But our goal as actors is to entertain people, make them happy,” he said.

“HINDI naman po pwedeng lagi kaming magkadikit sa lahat ng bagay. We also need time to grow separately, which I believe can be healthy,” pointed out Nadine Lustre, when asked about her boyfriend, James Reid, being paired with Nancy McDonie of the Korean girl group Momoland for a coming series.

“At least, once we finally do another project together in the future, the fans will be more excited,” she told reporters at a recent press conference for ABS-CBN’s new reality talent search “Your Moment,” where she will sit as a judge alongside Boy Abunda and Billy Crawford.

“I’m excited about that. But now, I’m also excited about doing my own projects, because personally, I want to get to experience different things. This is my first time being a [full-time] judge,” she added.

While it was James who scored a judging stint first—via “Idol Philippines”—Nadine said she didn’t really consult him for tips or advice.

It was the other way around.

“Actually, James was the one who asked me for tips before he did ‘Idol,’ because I have had a bit of experience with ‘Miss Q&A,’” Nadine said. “He asked me how I assessed performances and expressed my thoughts.”

More experienced Besides, the 26-year-old star has the likes of Billy and Tito Boy—who are far more experienced in hosting and judging—as her mentor of sorts.

“Personally, I’m protective of Nadine. I urge her to say what she wants to say and express what she feels without worries,” Boy said of Nadine. “Judging is a combination of instinct and rationality: What’s my reaction? How am I going to say it? I tell Nadine to take her time.”

“We have been in the talk business for a long time and I want her to shine,” Boy added.

Doing “Your Moment,” which will shine the light on singing groups and dance crews from Philippines and other countries, has been quite the instructive—“lifechanging, even”—experience for Nadine, who admitted that she fears public speaking.

Nadine Lustre Photo from Instagram/@nadine

“I can’t do it, really. Whenever there are press cons or events in which I have to speak, I get nervous. But this show has helped me learn new things and be more confident in the way I talk and express myself,” she said.

Now, the challenge for her is figuring out how to be more direct to the point with her commentary.

“I still think about how I can piece my thoughts together [quickly],” she pointed out.

Paulo opens up about depression

by JAn

Milo Severo

Philstar.com

ACTOR Paulo Avelino has revealed that he suffered from depression and even tried to end his life.

In his Instagram account, Paulo posted a photo of a warning that has a graphic content that can trigger those who suffer from depression. He also posted his injured wrist and a hotline for people who are suffering from depression.

“RARELY do I share personal stuff on my social media accounts but I think its time I talked about this dark period in my life because I know that someone out there is going through the same thing. I want you to know that everybody has issues and sometimes you seeing other people have them will help you cope with your own,” he began his lengthy post.

“Years back I found myself in a place where I only saw one way out. I went through a spiralling journey of Depression and suicidal thoughts. Where everything

seemed like nothing matters anymore. Locked myself at home, turned down almost every job that came in and shut myself off from work, friends, family, the world,” he added.

Paulo added that he is an introvert and was so used to keeping his thoughts to himself.

“Even when I wanted to share stuff, I truly didn’t know how to.

I didn’t know how to voice out all these feelings and thoughts inside me. So here I am sharing with you guys that even the people who appear to be okay or who seem to ‘have it all’ might be going through their own struggles, fighting their own demons,” he said.

He advised anyone going through the same thing to be not afraid to reach out to their family, friends and loved ones and to never lose hope.

“Please, dont be afraid to reach out to your friends, family, and loved ones. Often times people will brush it off thinking it’s nothing to be concerned about or it’s a small matter. Don’t be scared to

Paulo Avelino

ABS-CBN photo

voice out what you feel no matter how hard it is. Never lose HOPE,” Paulo urged.

The Department of Health, in partnership with the World Health Organization and the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation, launched “Hopeline Project” to provide a support system for those suffering from depression.

(702) 792-6678 • http://www.asianjournal.com

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEmbER 7-13, 2019

15

16

november 7-13, 2019 • LAS veGAS ASIAn JoUrnAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678