110823 - Southern California Midweek Edition

NOVEMBER 8-10, 2023 Volume 33 - No. 89 • 12 Pages

DATELINE

Marcos to visit LA, Hawaii after APEC USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

A Filipino educator is California’s Teacher of the Year EXTENDING his exceptional dedication beyond the four walls of the classroom made Joseph Alvarico deserving to be chosen as one of California’s Teacher of the Year.

For this Filipino educator, teaching is more than just textbooks. As he puts it, “When the student comes into my classroom, I have to know what that student is feeling.”

Though he feels like a rockstar when teaching, he shines the spotlight on the real stars: his students. He believes that “In order for the kids to shine, I actually have to step back.”

With Alvarico championing empathy and care for his students’ performances even in classes outside his own, his efforts have been recognized with Contra Costa County naming him as 2023 Teacher of the Year.

On top of this, he also received a call from California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announcing him as one of  PAGE 2

by JEAN MANGALUZ

“The president is being invited to visit the Indo-Pacific Command and he will also have a roundtable discussion with the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for security studies,” DFA Undersecretary Charles Jose said.

Marcos will be joined by the Philippine delegation during his visit to the Command.

Jose also mentioned a security briefing on West Philippine Sea is likely.

The DFA official believes the trip “adds  PAGE 2 President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Inquirer.net

MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is set to travel to the Indo-Pacific command of the United States in Hawaii.

Marcos leaves for the U.S. on November 14.

An official from Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the president has been invited.

House slams Duterte

by DELON PORCALLA Philstar.com

Post-pandemic, homeowners of color face losing homes CALIFORNIA homeowners of color already face many threats to their family home.

Now, more will risk foreclosure than ever as millions of dollars in pandemic-era mortgage relief is set to run out before they even know it’s there.

At a Thursday, November 2 briefing co-hosted by Ethnic Media Services and Housing and Economic Rights Advocates (HERA), housing attorneys and mortgage experts explained how homeowners can keep their family homes against these threats, while homeowners of color shared their personal experiences of struggling to preserve generational wealth.

Threats facing homeowners After years of no communication from lenders, many consumers believed their debt from the 2008 recession had been forgiven, paid off or wiped by bankruptcy proceedings, however, debt-collectors are now sending bills and demanding payments. Joe Jaramillo, Senior Attorney, Housing & Economic Rights Advocates (HERA), explains where the debt came from and how consumers can fight these unfair zombie mortgages.

Joe Jaramillo, a senior attorney at HERA, a statewide housing legal service and advocacy nonprofit, said the main threats facing vulnerable homeowners are “keeping the family home when a parent or grandparent passes away; financing Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs which risk  PAGE 4

Malacañang file photo

SECURITY DETAILS. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (center) mingles with officials during the Naval Special Operations Command’s 67th founding anniversary at Naval Base Heracleo Alano in Sangley Point, Cavite on Monday, Nov. 6. As Armed Forces of the Philippines commander-in-chief, Marcos made an assurance that his administration is committed to strengthen the elite Philippine Navy unit’s capabilities through acquisitions under the revised modernization program.

PNA photo by Joan Bondoc

MANILA — Speaker Martin Romualdez resumed sessions at the House of Representatives on Monday, November 6 with an indirect swipe at former President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.

“I will stand and fight against anyone who scares us into following what they want. I will – all of us will stand for the welfare of the country,” Romualdez said in Filipino, as he presided over the resumption of session.

“We will also not allow anyone to stop us from accomplishing our mandate for our countrymen,” Romualdez said in his speech. “Nothing personal, just business.”

Romualdez did not name names, but his ally, Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr., later identified Duterte and his daughter the Vice President as the ones deemed by House members to be maligning the chamber.

In his speech, Romualdez also referred to Sara Duterte’s confidential funds that the House has realigned to security agencies.

Romualdez, who heads the chamber whose mandate includes the power of the purse, has been the subject of the former president’s tirades made over a Davao  PAGE 2

Coup plot against Marcos will hurt economy, warns lawmaker

by RED MENDOZA ManilaTimes.net

MANILA — An administration lawmaker denounced the alleged destabilization plot against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., noting that this will hurt the country's economy and won't do any good to the country.

Cavite 4th District Rep. Elpidio Barzaga added that political instability "is the last thing the country needs right now" as it continues to face economic challenges, particularly controlling inflation.

His statement comes after Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief Romeo Brawner revealed in an event in Zamboanga City last Friday, November 3 of a supposed

destabilization plot involving retired officers.

A day later, Brawner, alongside National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano and other military and police officials, denied that there were plots to oust the Marcos administration and instead described them as "passionate exchanges."

But Barzaga believes that any talk regarding a brewing plot by these retired officers against the Marcos administration "will only cause the economy another black eye."

"We don't need their adventurism. We Petitioners on November 7, 2023 file a petition against the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) “unconstitutional” spending of its P125-million confidential funds.

Philstar.com photo have a working government duly elected by an overwhelming majority of the people, more than 31.6 million margin. They have to respect the people's decision," Barzaga said. �

Demoted again: House removes Arroyo from deputy speaker position

by CRISTINA CHI Philstar.com

MANILA — The House of Representatives removed Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from the ranks of its deputy speakers during Tuesday’s (November 7) plenary session, stripping the former president of a House leadership title six months after she was demoted from the second-highest position at the lower chamber.

House Majority leader Manuel Dalipe said that House leaders decided to relieve MacapagalArroyo and Rep. Isidro Ungab (Davao City, 3rd District) from House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Philstar.com file photos their deputy speaker positions

after they chose not to sign a “pivotal” House resolution to condemn "levied criticisms and scurrilous attacks against the House and its leadership."

Of the nine deputy speakers, only Macapagal-Arroyo and Ungab did not sign the resolution, Dalipe said.

“By choosing not to sign the resolution, Deputy Speakers Macapagal-Arroyo and Ungab have demonstrated that their perspectives differ from the collective stance of the leadership,” Dalipe added.

House Resolution 1414, which was sponsored during Monday's (November 6) plenary session,  PAGE 3

SC asked: Declare Sara’s secret funds unconstitutional

by DAPHNE GALVEZ Philstar.com

MANILA — Legal experts and former government officials on Tuesday, November 7 filed a petition asking the Supreme Court (SC) to declare as unconstitutional the 2022 transfer of P125 million to the Office of the Vice President (OVP), which is under Sara Duterte, as a confidential fund.

Petitioners also asked the High Court to order the OVP, which spent the fund in just 11 days in December last year, to return the P125 million to the government’s treasury.

In their 49-page petition, petitioners argued that the decision of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM)

to release the P125 million to serve as a confidential fund of the OVP was a “clear usurpation” of the legislative power of Congress.

The funds were released after then newly elected Vice President Sara Duterte requested P403.46 million for various purposes, P250 million of which were “confidential funds.”

The petitioners include Christian Monsod, one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution; former finance undersecretary Maria Cielo Magno; former Commission on Election commissioner Augusto Lagman; Ibarra Gutierrez, who served as spokesman of former vice president Leni Robredo and seven others.

Named respondents were VP  PAGE 3

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2 NOVEMBER 8-10, 2023 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL

House slams...

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From the Front Page

PAGE 1 City-based TV station, after the chamber realigned the confidential funds of the Vice President’s two offices.

The P650-million combined confidential and intelligence funds of the Office of the Vice President as well as the Department of Education – which the younger Duterte also heads – have been transferred to agencies handling national security concerns, primarily regarding the West Philippine Sea. The speaker likewise told his House colleagues that he is prepared “to stand before anyone and vehemently defend our actions and decisions, even in the face of issues that threaten this institution’s integrity.”

“We have consistently upheld the principles associated with democracy, representation, fairness, pluralism and even dissent,” he said.

Romualdez lamented that despite their hard work to accomplish the targets they have set for themselves, “certain sectors or individuals with misplaced priorities choose to malign and tarnish the positive image of this very institution we labored hard to achieve.”

The House leader recalled that when he was elected Speaker in mid-2022, he had set out “to pursue unity and ensure a fair and equitable distribution of government resources for the development of our regions, regardless of political affiliations.”

“I emphasized then that the politics of division has no place in this chamber. This still holds to this day, only now I reiterate this with a stronger resolve and greater conviction,” he said.

“But let it be said, never must we countenance or allow others not so like-minded individuals who choose to malign or put down the image of this institution and dictate the direction we must go. I urge everyone to rally behind our moral compass – the will of the people,” he said.

Lawmaker bolts In a show of support for Romualdez, Gonzales on Monday bolted from the senior Duterte’s once ruling party, PDP-Laban.

Answering the interpellation of opposition Rep. Edcel Lagman of Albay, Gonzales categorically

President Rodrigo Duterte witnesses the program proper before leading the wreath-laying ceremony at the Holocaust Memorial Park in Rishon Lezion, Israel on Sept. 5, 2018. Joining the president is presidential daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. Malacañang

identified the elder Duterte as the one who treated Romualdez as a virtual punching bag while defending his daughter.

“Before I answer, I will resign now as member and officer of PDP-Laban, it was former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte who was the one who said that, Mr. Chairman,” the Pampanga congressman remarked as House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe presided over the session.

Lagman, president of the opposition Liberal Party, wanted to put on record who the Speaker was referring to when he delivered an impassioned speech at the resumption of regular session on Monday.

“He (Duterte) has said so many derisive utterances before and he must answer for all of this and I fully support this resolution.

And that statement is also an accusation of the leadership of Speaker Romualdez and for that reason I truly support this resolution,” the Bicolano congressman stated.

Dalipe proposed a committee of the whole and introduced House Resolution 1414, which was overwhelmingly adopted by members of the super majority, where lawmakers reaffirmed their support for Romualdez.

Leaders of political parties, which also included House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan (4Ps party-list), have manifested their support in plenary, in sympathy to the Speaker, who has been repeatedly lambasted by the older Duterte over the past weeks.

Among those who declared

support were the 73-member Lakas-CMD party, whose president is the Speaker himself, represented by Rep. Jose Aquino II (Agusan del Norte) and Rep. Albert Garcia (Bataan) of the 45 or so members of the National Unity Party; Reps. Robert Ace Barbers (Surigao del Norte) of the Villarled Nacionalista Party, Jack Duavit (Rizal) of the Nationalist People’s Coalition of the late tycoon Danding Cojuangco, Johnny Pimentel (Surigao del Sur) of Duterte’s PDP-Laban.

The Nacionalista Party and Nationalist People’s Coalition both have about nearly 40 members each in the chamber.

The 54-member strong Partylist Coalition Foundation Inc., headed by Rep. Zaldy Co (Ako Bicol), was represented by Rep. Migs Nograles of PBA, neophyte ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo and veteran Rep. Toby Tiangco of Navotas.

47 bills approved Meanwhile, 47 out of the total 57 priority measures listed in the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) have so far been approved by the House of Representatives, which are all under the legislative agenda of President Marcos.

This leaves only 10 more priority bills awaiting approval, which may be passed on third and final reading before the year ends, the primary measure of which is the P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024.

A separate batch of 17 bills Marcos declared as equally PAGE 4

CHRISTMAS DECOR. Dabawenyos start buying Christmas lights at a mall in Davao City on Monday, Nov. 6. The Bureau of Fire earlier warned the public to avoid buying low-quality Christmas lights and advised looking for the Philippine Standard Quality or Safety Mark and Import Commodity Clearance stickers.

PNA photo by Robinson Niñal Jr.

Marcos to visit LA, Hawaii...

PAGE 1 a layer to the cooperation that we are trying to establish with like-minded states, in order to promote what we have been advocating all along – a rulesbased order.”

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is a unified combatant command

consisting of U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.

It maintains the presence of U.S. military in Indian Ocean and nearby portions of the Pacific.

Marcos will attend the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Summit 2023 in San

Francisco, which will be held from November 15 to 17.

After which, he will go to Los Angeles, and then to Honolulu, said Jose.

During the trip, Jose said that Marcos will meet with the Filipino communities in all three cities. g

A Filipino educator is California’s Teacher...

PAGE 1

Joseph Alvarico

California’s Teachers of the Year, making him the only teacher chosen in the whole of Northern California.

“It’s an incredible moment,” he shared with his family in the Philippines.

His unexpected journey as a Filipino educator Though both his parents were teachers, Alvarico never expected to be one. This changed when he received a scholarship from De La Salle University-Manila but with a catch—he had to take up education and teach for a year.

He then responded to an ad from Mt. Diablo Unified School District in Contra Costa County, California, and got an interview.

Contributed photo “They came, they actually

came, the human resources came to the Philippines and interviewed me there,” he recalls.

The next thing he knew, the principal was then interviewing him via phone.

He then landed a job teaching at a middle school before moving to Ygnacio Valley High School, where he currently teaches engineering. Alvarico also runs the robotic club, where they have built 120-pound robots in just 8 weeks.

Aside from teaching, Alvarico is also passionate about diversity and college access. One project he has, through Cal Poly, is called Femmineers, which aims to encourage more girls to pursue studies in engineering.

(Mary Villegas/Inquirer.net)

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SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 8-10, 2023 3

SC asked: Declare Sara’s secret funds...

New California law offers fresh Protection from steep ambulance bills PAGE 1

by Bernard J. Wolfson KFF Health News

LAST year, Jennifer Reisz’s college-age daughter, Megan, was kicked in the chest multiple times by the family’s horse.

Megan fell to the ground, unable to move or speak. Though she was alone, her Apple Watch detected her distress and called 911.

She was taken to a hospital in Clovis, a city in Fresno County, near where the Reisz family lives. But the severity of Megan’s injuries — four broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung — prompted doctors to transport her 12 miles by ambulance to the Level I trauma center at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno.

While Megan was still recovering at home from her injuries, she received a $2,400 bill from the ambulance company — after the family’s health plan had paid nearly $2,200.

“When we received the bill, I thought our insurance company was processing the claim incorrectly,” says Jennifer Reisz. An attorney, Reisz says she then spent hours on the phone with the health plan, the ambulance company, and a few consumer advocates. She learned that the ambulance company was not in the health plan’s network and was permitted to bill patients for any uncovered portion of its charges — a practice known as balance billing.

Starting Jan. 1, ground ambulance operators will be barred from doing that because of a new law signed

by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. California is the 14th state to provide some protection against balance billing for ground ambulance rides.

At the federal level, an advisory committee established under the No Surprises Act is working on a plan to address the problem nationally.

Both the federal law, which took effect in 2022, and a California law that predates it largely banned balance billing for hospital care and air ambulance services, but not ground ambulance services.

And that is hardly fair, since

patients have zero control in a medical emergency over which ambulance company responds, whether it is in network, or how much it will charge.

In California, nearly threequarters of emergency ground ambulance rides result in outof-network bills. The average surprise bill for a ground ambulance ride in California is $1,209, the highest in the nation, according to a December study.

The new law, which applies to about 14 million Californians enrolled in state-regulated commercial health plans, limits how much a non-network ambulance operator can charge patients to the amount they would pay for an in-network ambulance.

The law also caps bills for uninsured people, stipulating they can’t be charged more than the Medi-Cal or Medicare rate, whichever is greater.

(Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid program, providing coverage to people with low incomes or disabilities.) And it prohibits ambulance operators and debt collectors from reporting patients to a credit rating agency or taking legal action against them for at least 12 months after the initial bill.

Under current law, people in distress sometimes decline to call an ambulance for fear of a huge bill, putting themselves or a loved one at risk, says Katie Van Deynze, policy and legislative advocate for Health Access California, which sponsored the legislation. With the new law, she says, “they will have peace of mind.”

Existing laws already protect Medicare and MediCal beneficiaries from surprise ground ambulance bills. The new law does not cover the nearly 6 million Californians enrolled in the subset of employer-sponsored health plans that are federally regulated.

The advisory committee working on a federal fix agreed last week on nonbinding proposals that would, among other things, prohibit balance billing for the vast majority of ambulance rides and cap patients’ financial liability at $100.

The committee plans to formally report its recommendations to Congress

early next year for potential legislation.

Under California’s new law, patients can expect to save an average of nearly $1,100 per emergency ambulance ride and over $800 per nonemergency ride in the first year, according to a legislative analysis conducted this year.

Health plans will be required to pay ambulance operators the rates set by county authorities, which the study said would increase the average amount insurers pay per ride by around $2,000.

Since ambulance rides account for a tiny percentage of overall health plan spending, those increases should not raise premiums by much.

But local authorities might be tempted to hike ambulance rates over time to increase revenue for publicly run ambulance operators, such as fire departments, says Loren Adler, associate director of the Brookings Schaeffer Initiative on Health Policy. That could prompt health plans to raise ambulance copays, offsetting some of the consumer savings from the new law, Adler says.

Jenn Engstrom, director of CalPIRG, an advocacy group that helped shepherd the law through the legislature, notes there will be builtin accountability, since the legislation requires public reporting of ambulance rates.

“If we notice that things start to skyrocket, there will be a need for legislative action or local action,” Engstrom says.

Reisz says the ambulance company that transported her daughter wrote off the bill after she made it clear she had no intention of paying it — and after her health plan ponied up a little more. But as she notes, not everyone is a lawyer adept at arguing their cause.

Even if you are no rhetorical wizard, you can take simple steps to protect yourself against errors or ambulance operators that disregard the new law.

Check your insurance policy to know your deductible and any copay or coinsurance should you ever need an ambulance.

If you get an ambulance bill, don’t pay it right away. Check your insurer’s explanation of PAGE 4

Duterte for the OVP, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.

The petitioners argued that the transfer of funds from the national budget to the OVP is an exercise of legislative power, adding that it is Congress that decides how the budget will be spent, including on what programs or activities the money will be used.

They also argued that the transfer of the funds does not fall under the “delegated legislative power” of Congress under Special Provision No. 1 of the 2022 GAA. Under the said special provision, the Office of the President (OP) has the power to “approve releases to cover the funding requirements of ‘new or urgent activities or projects that need to be implemented or paid.’”

The petitioners said the provision does not allow Congress to delegate powers that are purely legislative, which includes the authority to make a complete law.

“The appropriation by executive fiat in clear violation of the legislative intent does not fall under the delegated legislative power under Special Provision No. 1 of the Contingent Fund in the GAA for FY 2022,” the petition said. Further, the petitioners argued that confidential funds do not fall under the funding allowed by the contingent fund.

The petitioners said the OVP’s budget in 2022 has items for the good governance program and traveling expenses, where the funds should have been transferred, but instead the contingency fund of the OP was sent to the “inexistent” confidential fund of the OVP. VP welcomes suit

(express) appreciation, solidarity and support" for House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Specifically, the House resolution took exception to recent "statements made that undermine the independence, integrity and reputation" of the lower chamber.

While the resolution itself does not name names, House Senior Deputy Speaker Dong Gonzales (Pampanga) admitted during Monday’s plenary session that the resolution was in response to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s televised accusations about Romualdez's alleged corrupt activities.

The House elected Rep. Antonio Tonypet Albano (Isabela, 1st District) and Rep. Yasser Balindong (Lanao del Sur, 2nd District) to replace the two lawmakers.

“While their contributions to the House are appreciated and respected, the leadership believes that it is in the best interest of the House to have leaders who fully support and uphold the collective decisions and directions set forth by the leadership,” he added.

Asked for comment on why she did not sign the House resolution, Macapagal-Arroyo said in a message to reporters Monday night: “I'm currently

A deputy speaker is the second-highest-ranking position in the lower chamber, right below the House speaker. Deputy speakers enjoy certain privileges that set them apart from other lawmakers, such as voting powers in all House committees and additional funding for their respective offices.

Before May, Macapagal-Arroyo used to hold the title of senior deputy speaker, which placed her above eight other lawmakers in the same position. She was demoted to “unburden” her of the “heavy load required from the position," Dalipe said.

Gonzales, a fellow Pampanga lawmaker who replaced Macapagal-Arroyo as senior deputy speaker, resigned from Partido Demokratiko PilipinoLakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) during Monday’s plenary session to tag Duterte as the source of the remarks that “challenged the integrity of the House.”

Duterte is the chairperson of PDP-Laban.

In February, MacapagalArroyo filed a resolution to call on the House to declare its “unequivocal” defense of Duterte from being investigated by the International Criminal Court. The resolution was also signed by Gonzales. g

Vice President Sara Duterte on Nov. 7 welcomed the petition challenging the constitutionality of her office’s P125-million confidential funds in 2022.

“We welcome the opportunity to discuss the legality of fund transfers. We hope that the wisdom of the Supreme Court will pave the way to finally end this matter,” Duterte said in a recorded statement.

With the petition pending before the SC, Duterte said she and her offices will remain focused on its mandates to raise “the level and quality of education in our country and protecting our students and DepEd staff from all kinds of threats and abuse.”

She also called on the public to focus on the rising prices of goods affecting “our students and their families.” g

LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION PAGE 1 out of the country. However, as I calls on the House to "(uphold) always said, I continue to support AUTHORITY (LACMTA) the integrity and honor of the the leadership of Speaker INVITATION FOR BID House of Representatives and Romualdez."

Demoted again: House removes...

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11/8/23 CNS-3754506# ASIAN JOURNAL (L.A.)

4 NOVEMBER 8-10, 2023 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL

New California law offers fresh...

PAGE 1 benefits to make sure what it says you owe matches what you think your cost-sharing amount should be. If the bill is higher, the ambulance company may be trying to pull a fast one. Call the ambulance company and tell them they need to knock the bill down. If they don’t, file a complaint with your health plan and include a copy of the bill.

If you disagree with your plan’s decision, or it takes more than 30 days for the plan to respond, take your complaint to the regulator.

The new law requires your insurer to tell you if your health plan is regulated by the state and thus subject to the statute. If it is, the regulator is likely to be the Department of Managed Health Care. You can contact that agency online (www.healthhelp.ca.gov) or by phone at 1-888-466-2219.

If your health plan is regulated by the Department of Insurance, you can file a complaint online (www. insurance.ca.gov) or call 1-800927-4357.

Another good resource is the Health Consumer Alliance, which offers free

legal assistance in multiple languages. Call 1-888-8043536.

This article was produced

by KFF Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces indepth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism.

effective policies and reforms for the benefit of the nation,” Romualdez said.

The House leader said their focus will be on ratifying the General Appropriations Bill of 2024, along with the 11 more pieces of legislation that remain pending in the chamber.

“We are resolute in our mission to fulfill our legislative duties and responsibilities. Our primary focus continues to be the legislative agenda outlined

by President Marcos, and we are fully committed to working diligently to pass these vital bills,” Romualdez said.

The speaker expressed his categorical commitment to ensuring the timely passage of the remaining priority bills, underlining their vital contribution to resolving significant concerns and improving the welfare of

Filipinos.

Also, he expects the immediate ratification of the P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024 and its enactment into law with Marcos’ signature before the year ends, as has been the practice in practically every administration.

“The budget is the lifeblood of our nation’s progress and development. The House is fully dedicated to the task at hand, ensuring that the national budget is ratified and enacted on time to guarantee the continuity of essential services, support economic growth and promote the well-being of our citizens,” Romualdez said.

The House over the weekend submitted to the Senate the approved 2024 General Appropriations Bill with P194.5 billion in realignments for security, inflation protection and food security. g

House slams...

PAGE 2

important in his July 25 State of the Nation Address was also included – 10 of which the House had approved and another six consolidated in the LEDAC list – leaving only one more piece of legislation to be approved.

All in all, the House needs to pass 11 measures before Congress goes on a Christmas break.

The Speaker emphasized the importance of cooperation between the legislative and executive branches through the LEDAC, recognizing that unity and collaboration are essential in developing effective policies and reforms.

“The progress we’ve made is a testament to the cooperation between the legislative and executive branches through the LEDAC. Unity and collaboration are essential in developing

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READING MONTH. In time for National Reading Month, students of Davao City Special National High School pick books donated by the Kangaroo Book Club from South Korea on Tuesday, Nov. 7. The club, founded by a Korean missionary couple, has donated thousands of books all over Mindanao.

PNA photo by Robinson Niñal Jr.

Post-pandemic, homeowners of color face...

PAGE 1 the borrower’s home if unpaid; and “zombie” second mortgages “that haunt borrowers with unexpected bills and threats of foreclosure.”

The passing of a homeowning relative presents a threat when there is no will or trust, so that loved ones have to go through an arduous, lengthy and expensive probate court to inherit it while property taxes, insurance and mortgages pile up with an unclear responsibility of who’s to pay.

Jaramillo said Black and Latino While CA homeowners of color already face many threats to their home, more will risk households report consistently foreclosure than ever when pandemic-era mortgage relief will run out.

Ethnic Media Services photo higher foreclosure risks from this problem. mortgage grant is available, He added that PACE, which many mortgage services don’t tell finances clean energy home homeowners about them, leaving improvements like solar with many vulnerable to unknown no-money-down loans repaid outstanding debt, said Johanna by adding expensive sums to Torres, program coordinator of property taxes, has put thousands California Rural Legal Services of California homeowners of color (CRLA). at risk of foreclosure statewide.

Her client, Saul de la Cruz, “It sounds good in theory,” shared his experience of this debt said Jaramillo, “but many in the form of a zombie mortgage. salespeople and contractors Having bought his family target low-income households home in Salinas directly before and misrepresent costs or install the Great Recession in 2007, de nonfunctioning or nonconnected la Cruz got two mortgage loans. improvements like solar panels.” The second company stopped A third factor, he continued, are contacting him during the zombie mortgages: “second loans crash. He then modified the first often taken out at the same time mortgage, assumed the second as a larger first lien mortgage, — for $14,600 — was included, split to allow borrowers to avoid and nearly 15 years later received large down payments and apply a request from the second lender part of the second to the down.” to begin negotiating to avoid Before the 2008 housing crash, foreclosure. He borrowed the many predatory high-interest money from family and friends, loans were marketed heavily and is now struggling to maintain to lower-income homeowners both mortgages. assured their home values Although laws like the Real would only rise; after the crash, Estate Settlement Procedures second-mortgage zombie lenders Act require most mortgage stopped billing because the companies to provide regular homes were worth less than these statements to the buyer, added mortgages, and homeowners Jaramillo, “this is a common assumed the second ones were problem we see. These predatory forgiven, amended with the first, lenders are not providing or gone with bankruptcy. Now borrowers with the information that home values are up again, that they should be entitled to to however, debt collectors are back figure out if they really owe the with years of interest and fees. amounts that are being claimed.”

Key help for homeowners Mortgage relief key to saving running out homeowners from crisis Rebecca Franklin, President, Attorney Mary Hera and her California Housing Finance client Danny Bishop detail how Agency (CalHFA), urges those Danny nearly lost his family having a hard time keeping up home due to a mistake made by with housing costs to contact the City of Richmond and the the California Mortgage Relief city’s subsequent refusal to help Program. Even if the program Danny as he sought to save his can’t offer direct help, it can put home. homeowners in contact with As foreclosure rates return other agencies and programs to pre-pandemic levels, grants that can provide assistance and like California Mortgage Relief help people retain ownership of are key to protecting families their homes. from losing their most valuable The California Mortgage Relief intergenerational asset — their Program is the main way that family home, said Mary Day, an homeowners have been able attorney at HERA. to surmount these threats, said Her client, Danny Bishop, Rebecca Franklin, president of shared his own story of saving his the California Housing Finance Richmond home from foreclosure Agency (CalHFA). caused by bureaucratic confusion Since it was launched federally and family health decline. As the in December 2021, over 23,000 previous homeowner, his mother, Californians have kept their began suffering dementia in homes due to the program, which 2015, her sibling neglected the offers grants up to $80,000 per property and began getting cited home for a total of nearly $650 an ultimate total above $90,000 million dispersed so far. for code violations and property However, given that the tax evasions. one-time billion dollar fund is Day then worked with the City projected to run out by 2025, of Richmond, which said that and likely sooner, she urged $56,000 owed for code violations homeowners to take advantage. was a mistake, subsequently Unlike Great Recession relief reduced to under $30,000. programs, this one “is a grant “They would never tell me why you don’t have to pay back,” they were charging so much,” Franklin explained.

“Often said Bishop. “They said keep when homeowners hear about cleaning your backyard, good our program, they say ‘Getting job, then one day they charged $80,000 they don’t have to me tens of thousands.” pay back, that’s too good to This bureaucratic unresponbe true, this isn’t real.’ And it siveness is par for the course is real. Certain racial groups when it comes to challenges were hit harder financially due facing homeowners who seek to the pandemic, and a goal of relief. this program is to retain their “The larger the entity, the generational wealth and protect more resistant they are to dealing these first-time homebuyers who with individual situations,” said sacrificed so much to get a home Day. “Though there’s a tax code for their families.” that gives them the discretion to Even if homebuyers don’t give relief, they told us after six meet the program’s criteria — months they wouldn’t provide “low to moderate income, it has it. A city mistake and this tax to be your primary residence, penalty caused just this snowball you’re not able to own other effect where the family was homes in the state” — she said struggling with foreclosure… homeowners could contact and the bureaucracy was what CalHFA for housing counselors made it difficult. California or legal services. mortgage relief has been the Predatory debts family’s savior.” (Selen Ozturk/ Even when relief like the Ethnic Media Services)

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5

6th batch of OFWs arrives from Israel Duterte denies hand in destabilization

by Claire Mondares

by Diana LhyD sueLto

and Bernadette e. taMayo ManilaTimes.net

THE sixth batch of repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) composed of 34 caregivers, eight hotel workers and an infant arrived from Israel on Tuesday, November 7.

One of the repatriates, Guillermo Umayam Jr., shared that until now the attacks continued, forcing him to decide to go home.

"I am grateful that I have arrived home safely. The Hamas militants are still launching rockets until now. Whenever my colleagues heard sirens, they panicked, they were shouting and running back to the shelter to hide," Umayam said.

Umayam worked as a hotel worker for over a year in Bat Yam, Tel Aviv, which is near Kibbutz, the place attacked by Hamas.

He said, of the three wars he has witnessed since he worked there, this was the most traumatizing.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health said it will provide psychosocial counseling — in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) — to address the traumatic experience of OFWs. As of November 7, the government has brought home a total of 182 OFWs and five infants since the repatriation effort started on October 18.

Philstar.com

The Department of Migrant Workers provides immediate financial assistance worth Php 50,000 to each OFW returning from Israel, along with comprehensive reintegration assistance and job facilitation services for other employment opportunities.

Photo courtesy of the Department of Migrant Workers

Just like the first five batches, the new repatriates received financial assistance of P125,000 each from the Department of Migrant Workers, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, DSWD and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

Also, the government has brought home the remains of three caregivers who were killed during the October 7 attacks.

The body of Loreta Alacre of Negros Occidental was brought home on October 21, the remains of Angelyn Aguirre of Pangasinan arrived on November 3 and the urn of Grace Cabrera was also brought to her hometown in Pampanga on November 6.

Also on Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs

(DFA) said 46 Filipinos in Gaza have been given the go signal to cross the Rafah border and were expected to reach Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday evening.

The Filipinos were divided in two batches.

"I'm pleased to inform you that they all have been approved for crossing today," DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said in a virtual briefing.

"It's not just a batch of 20 but the second batch as well, which were approved for crossing today," he said.

"They will be home within the week," the DFA official said.

He added, "We talked to the Israeli ambassador [to Manila Ilan Fluss] yesterday who also worked on this tirelessly." n

units, and the NBI arrested some individuals. This is alarming; we are looking into it, and of course, it is not remote,” Acorda said in a press briefing.

Likewise, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Brig. Gen. Jose Melencio Corpus Nartatez Jr. said they have yet to prove the existence of these sleeper cells — purportedly operated mainly by foreigners, particularly Chinese and Taiwanese nationals.

“Tinitignan lahat ng anggulo and it boils down of course to the personality — anong makikita mo don na denominator are Chinese, Taiwanese or foreign nationals involved in Pogo (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) operations,” Nartatez added.

(We are looking at all possible

angles, but it boils down, of course, to the personalities involved. The common denominator is that they are all foreign nationals — Chinese and Taiwanese involved in Pogo operations.)

Last November 3, the Chinese Embassy denied the existence of these alleged sleeper cells. “[We are] working with the Philippine law enforcement authorities to investigate the said case to combat transnational criminal activities jointly.

We have also noted that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) officer working on this case pointed out that there’s no truth that this is part of the plan of the Chinese to create a destabilization plot in the country,” the Chinese Embassy said in a statement. g

PNP investigating alleged China ‘sleeper cells’ in PH

by Faith argosino Inquirer.net

MANILA — The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday, November 6 said that it is coordinating with other law enforcement agencies in investigating the alleged existence of Chinese “sleeper cells” (a secretive group on standby to conduct “infiltration and intervention activities”) in the country.

PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. said the police force and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) are monitoring reports on the alleged sleeper cells.

“With regards to sleeper cells, there are some accomplishments with other law enforcement

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MANILA — Former president Rodrigo Duterte is baffled on how his name got dragged into supposed destabilization moves against the government.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. earlier disclosed destabilization moves against the Marcos administration by some retired generals, and there were insinuations that Duterte is behind the moves.

“I really do not know how I was dragged into this,” Duterte said at the Gikan sa Masa Para sa Masa program aired early Tuesday morning, November 7 over Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI).

While Duterte admitted talking with some retired generals, he denied plotting destabilization or a coup.

“What I said during our meeting, among others, was as long as there is no serious issue of corruption (there would be no coup),” Duterte said in a mix of English and Tagalog.?“What would bring the government down… is if the people would know that their money is being spent on personal matters.”

Duterte said he might have been misquoted because he does not think there is a serious issue of corruption in government at this time.

He added that he does not see any political turmoil.

“I do not see any in the horizon, however short or long. I don’t think that there are current issues big enough to create another turmoil. The biggest issue that would cause it would be corruption in government that’s rampant, uncontrolled and unabated,” Duterte said.

The former president is also confident that the current administration has corruption under control and that the current President is not corrupt.

“Marcos, I would not say he is corrupt. However, I would not make any categorical statement on the others because I do not have the wherewithals to enter into a discussion about it,” Duterte said.

Moreover, on a scale of 1 to 10, Duterte gave Marcos a passing rate of 6.

“He is performing not exceedingly well, but enough to make the people comfortable,” he added.

The former president also urged Filipinos to support Marcos. “Let us give the President sufficient time to attain his objectives and if he has fallen short, for him to correct it,” Duterte said. “It is still too early, let us give our support to the government.”

GMA, Ungab ousted Former president and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Davao City 3rd district Rep. Isidro Ungab were ousted as deputy speakers last night by the entire chamber.

During Tuesday’s plenary session, Cagayan 1st District Rep. Ramon Nolasco Jr. moved to replace Arroyo as deputy speaker with Isabela 1st District Rep. Antonio Albano.

Nolasco also pushed for Lanao del Sur 2nd District Rep. Yasser Alonto Balidong as deputy speaker replacing Ungab.

Without objection from any House member, the changes were declared approved by Deputy Speaker and Antipolo City Rep. Roberto Puno.

This came after the House overwhelmingly adopted House Resolution No. 1414 to show their support for Speaker Martin Romualdez against the tirades of Duterte, who earlier tagged the chamber as a “rotten institution.”

Ungab on Tuesday said he accepts the decision of the House leadership to strip him of his position as deputy speaker.

In a statement, Ungab noted that he has been in Congress “long enough to understand the dynamics and interpersonal relations among its members.”

In May, Arroyo was also stripped of her “senior deputy speaker” title amid allegations that she was aiming for the speakership.

Following the demotion of Arroyo, who is a known political ally of the Duterte family, Sara Duterte resigned from the ruling Lakas-CMD party which supported her vice presidential campaign.

Go ahead, leave party Duterte is unfazed by moves of his colleagues to leave their

main Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDPLaban) following moves by Senior Deputy Speaker Rep. Aurelio Gonzales to bolt out of the party after naming the former chief executive as a “threat” to the House.

“I respect his decision to go out of the party. And I would encourage those who are not in tune with us or hindi ninyo nagustuhan, you’re always welcome to go out,” Duterte said of Gonzales, who resigned from PDP-Laban during Monday’s congressional session, where lawmakers adopted House Resolution 1414 which calls on the House to “(uphold) the integrity and honor of the House of Representatives and (express) appreciation, solidarity and support” for House Speaker Martin Romualdez.”

“Even if I remain to be the only one in PDP, OK lang sa akin. No problem,” he said, adding that even if he was the only one left in PDP in the whole country, “OK lang ako. Wala akong dynamics diyan.” Gonzales resigned from PDP-Laban after pointing out that it was Duterte who made the remarks that prompted the House resolution to show the lower chamber’s support for Romualdez.

Duterte was noted to have criticized Congress after it rejected the request of his daughter vice President and education chief Sara Duterte for confidential funds in the 2024 General Appropriations Bill.

The former president has been cited for calling Congress ‘rotten,’ alleging that the lower House is the ‘most rotten branch of government’ and insinuating that Romualdez is behind the distribution of certain amounts to lawmakers without any audit done.

‘No opposition, no democracy’ For Duterte, if there is no opposition, there is no democracy at all.

“In a democracy, there must always be an opposition,” Duterte said over SMNI on Tuesday.

Duterte likewise told the people not to always assume that government is always correct. He said there are many u PAGE 7

6 NOVEMBER 8-10, 2023 • SoCal ASIAN JOURNAL

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OPINION

FEATURES

Building for resilience

TEN years after Super Typhoon Yolanda turned much of Eastern Visayas into a wasteland, have lessons been learned in disaster preparedness and resilience?

In the catastrophic aftermath of the typhoon, there was much talk about building back better and designing resilience into the reconstruction effort.

The initial response of the Philippine government had been dazed incoherence. Fortunately, emergency response and rebuilding were made easier by the massive outpouring of aid from the international community, which sent not only relief goods but also aircraft, troops and experts who set up emergency shelters and helped restore basic utility services. Sadly, rescue efforts came too late for many. By the time Yolanda exited, over 6,300 people were dead, with more missing and never found even when the international rescue teams with special equipment were deployed.

Yolanda affected an estimated 16 million people in 41 provinces across nine regions, but Eastern Visayas was the worst hit. Tacloban City, where four ships ran aground due to powerful storm surges up to seven meters high, turned one of the vessels into a memorial for those who perished.

The devastated lives and livelihoods created a humanitarian crisis, with refugees struggling to rebuild their lives even as they mourned the loss of loved ones.

There were discussions about declaring certain coastal areas off-limits to human habitation, but this was deemed to exacerbate the woes of

marginalized fishing communities.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration stressed that it issued accurate forecasts and warnings about Yolanda, but the national and local governments failed to grasp the seriousness of the threat posed by storm surges.

Since then, with more storm surges hitting other places across the country, the nation has developed a better understanding of the dangers posed by the weather disturbance. But whether preparedness has improved commensurately with the awareness is debatable.

Building back better for disaster resilience, through engineering and architectural interventions, has also been spotty. With the country visited each year by an average of 20 tropical cyclones, and with limited resources, fatalism remains deeply ingrained in the average Filipino when it comes to dealing with natural calamities.

Still, there are some bright spots. Tacloban City has bounced back, although the scars of lives lost ManilaTimes.net photo run deep. Plantations that were razed by Yolanda have recovered and livelihoods restored. From the protocols in preparing for storm surges. With the can be done by way of disaster preparedness and tragedy, other parts of the country have enhanced existential threats posed by climate change, more resilience. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Worldwide concern for Israel-Hamas war increasing rapidly

Babe’s Eye View BABE ROMUALDEZ VIDEOS and images of the atrocities committed by the Palestinian militant group Hamas when it launched a deadly attack on Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7 are horrific and appalling – with infants, young children, men, women and the elderly killed, and hundreds dragged away as hostages.

But the latest Israel Defense Forces (IDF) airstrike in Gaza, specifically at the Jabalya refugee camp, has also left equally disturbing images of the devastation that the IsraelHamas war has wrought, with people digging through the rubble to look for survivors, the huge crater in the middle amid a backdrop of wrecked buildings somehow capturing the sense of devastation that residents must be feeling. What is even more heartbreaking for many are the photos and videos of the wounded and crying children who are unable to make sense of the chaos that surrounds them.

The IDF said they have surrounded Gaza City, with

soldiers “fighting in close quarters” as they seek out members of the Palestinian terrorist group.

But the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, warned that Israel’s soldiers would go home “in black bags.”

Needless to say, the situation is causing an ever increasing concern not only in Washington, DC but all over the world because of the risk of escalation that can go beyond the Middle East as malicious groups and actors try to exploit the situation. U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby admitted that the United States is “deeply concerned about the potential for any significant escalation of these attacks in the days ahead.”

For one, the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terrorist group has already entered the picture – obviously supported by Iran – launching rocket and drone attacks against U.S. troops in Syria and Iraq two weeks ago.

In response, the U.S. conducted self-defense airstrikes on weapons depots in Syria used

by Iran-backed militant groups,

OUR history has countless narratives of heroism by Filipinos who were able to overcome enemies with more superior capabilities. One of these was the bravery and superior skills displayed by Col. Jesus Villamor and his 6th Pursuit Squadron in defeating the Japanese in an air battle during World War II. The invaders had 54 planes composed of the more advanced Mitsubishi G4M Bombers and the agile “zeros” who greatly outnumbered the three Filipino Boeing P26 Peashooters that were fit for the museum. Seven Japanese “zeroes” attacked the group of Captain Villamor.

In the end, four Japanese planes were shot down and the bombers were scattered.

Two of the destroyed Japanese planes were credited to then

in the war with Hamas to facilitate the exit of people from Gaza and allow aid to come in, saying “civilians should not suffer the consequences” for the inhumanity and brutality of Hamas.

“We need to do more to protect Palestinian civilians,” Blinken stated, admitting that “a number of legitimate questions were raised,” including the use of such pauses to maximize the flow of humanitarian assistance and the release of hostages while making sure that Hamas will not use the arrangements to its advantage.

This is a conflagration that everyone is watching very carefully, with people monitoring how things will pan out, walking on eggshells because the situation is rapidly deteriorating.

During a dinner I attended recently, I spoke with an analyst of a Washington-based think-tank that the U.S. political climate – with sharp divisions among legislators – is adding to the anxiety of the world as Congress gears up for a new round of resolutions to avoid another government shutdown

because the Nov. 17 deadline is fast approaching, right in the middle of the APEC Summit in San Francisco.

The Gaza conflict could also impact the outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential elections, with President Joe Biden having to manage the conflicting pressure coming from Jewish, Arab and Muslim communities whose leaders have met with the President. While anti-Semitism is on the rise particularly on college campuses, there is also growing Islamophobia among Americans.

But what is concerning for a lot of countries including the Philippines is that the IsraelHamas war, the volatile situation in the Middle East plus the war in Ukraine could distract the U.S. and make it lose its focus on the Indo-Pacific region.

Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, assures us, however, that the upcoming trip of Secretary Blinken to Japan, India and South Korea following his trips to Israel and Jordan is proof that the United States continues to be “laser

focused” on the Indo-Pacific region.

Surely, the anxiety level will continue to grow until next year as there seems to be no clear sign at this time when the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine will ultimately end. So far, a small glimmer of hope for the Indo-Pacific region – although many analysts are saying that nothing substantial will really come out of it – is the meeting between President Biden and Chinese president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in San Francisco.

It will take more than a bilateral meeting to smoothen relations between the U.S. and China. Nonetheless, it’s an encouraging sign that also brings some hope there would be some room for dialogue that could somehow ease tensions, especially in our part of the world.. (Philstar.com) *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints ex p re s s e d by t h e a u t h o r d o n o t necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

*** babeseyeview@gmail.com

Is our patriotism and heroism enough?

Perceptions

ARIEL NEPOMUCENO

and may conduct even more defensive airstrikes to deter Iran-backed militias. There is U.S. intelligence suggesting that Syria has agreed to supply Hezbollah with Russian-made surface-to-air defense missile system to be delivered by the Wagner Group, although it is unclear if delivery has been made.

During his trip to Tel Aviv where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top Israeli officials, State Secretary Antony Blinken reiterated that the U.S. stands

by Israel and recognizes that it has the right and the obligation to defend itself and make sure that the horrific Oct. 7 attack will not happen again.

Visibly shaken, Secretary Blinken also expressed shock that the brutality of the attack

by Hamas against Israeli communities near Gaza seems to have “receded so quickly in the memories of so many” as he described some of the horrific videos shown him during the meeting with the Israeli leaders.

But at the same time, he also called for humanitarian pauses

Cap. Villamor. For his gallantry and leadership, he was given the Distinguished Service Cross medal by no other than Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Later, he joined the defenders of Bataan and fought along with other soldiers in an epic tragedy that claimed at least 10,000 Filipino and American casualties, and more than 20,000 wounded.

After the war, he was awarded the Medal of Valor, the first in our military, for his extraordinary bravery in leading his men. Such a great feat for a man who had his humble beginnings in Bangued, Abra where he was born on Nov. 7, 1914, more than a hundred years ago today.

Series of invasions that have subjugated our country created heroes amongst us. During the Spanish colonization of our country for more than 300 years, we witnessed the armed uprising of Andres Bonifacio, Apolinario Mabini, Emilio Aguinaldo, Antonio Luna and many more who were more

than willing to die for the motherland. The Katipunan had been the clandestine home for all those who understood the urgency of risking one’s life to protect and defend the greater interest of the entire country.

The same heroic anecdotes were recorded during the 1899-1902 revolution against the Americans who took over from the conquistadores.

And in our recent history, from 1941-1945, we did not rest in fighting the Japanese who, under the banner of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, launched their deadly campaign to occupy the Philippines and our neighbors.

As if not getting tired of military conflicts and overcoming the horrors of wars, we sent more than 7,400 Filipino soldiers to help the beleaguered democratic South Korea in 1950 against the communist north aided by the Chinese.

Ours is a race of proven heroes. Yes, there’s no doubt

that many of us will answer the call for the extreme mission of saving the liberty of our people.

This has been proven many times over. Our proud history has a hall of fame that portray many names that will not be forgotten by an indebted nation that recognizes the sacrifice given for our freedom and right to exist as an independent country.

However, why do we seem to still be trapped in a vicious cycle of economic poverty and political backwardness? At least 20 million Filipinos live in extreme material hardship.

At least 10 million agricultural workers are confronted with the uncertainty of having a stable income in spite of their important role of feeding the nation. Around two million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) choose to take their chances in foreign lands where they can be possibly abused or, as in the present situation in Israel and Gaza, be in harm’s way.

What went wrong? If we,

Filipinos, are naturally devoted to the well-being of our countrymen and to the best interest of our country, why are we lagging behind other countries in our region?

Politically, we have even become callous and ironically thankful that there were “only 19” casualties in the recent barangay and SK elections.

This is not the fault of Comelec.

The agency did an exemplary job under the leadership of Chairman George Garcia.

What’s alarming is our pathetic acceptance of having deaths as a natural part of our political exercise.

Patriotism and heroism must be embraced by everyone – from the masses of our desperate people, up to the echelons of our higher political and business leaders. Everyone must be in unison in protecting the survival and progress of the country.

Revisit our Constitution and re-engineer our economic and political frameworks.

As I always whine about,

doing the same thing and expecting a different result is foolish. Why are we hoping for better outcomes from the same political system and essentially the same business environment that dampens real competition?

We have to first accept the existence of our collective problem. That we clearly have to pursue strategic changes that will usher in new and better results in our political and economic processes.

Patriotism and heroism are enough only if everyone, especially our leaders, will truly put the interest of the country first. And these must be coupled with the necessary adjustments, or drastic changes, in our fundamental laws. *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints ex p re s s e d by t h e a u t h o r d o n o t necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

*** Email: arielnepo.philstar@gmail.com

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7

Palestinian spouses of Filipinos to Marcos to push for food, energy, be allowed to leave Gaza — DFA health, digital ties in US APEC summit

by Gaea Katreena CabiCo Philstar.com

MANILA — The Palestinian spouses of Filipino nationals in the Gaza Strip will be allowed to leave the war-torn enclave, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday, November 7.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said the verbal clearance for the safe passage of the Palestinian spouses into Egypt will make it easier for the government to convince Filipinos to leave the bombarded Gaza.

“We’re just waiting for the confirmation in writing. But the Palestinian spouses of the Filipinos will also be allowed to leave Gaza with their spouses,” De Vega said in a press briefing.

“That has been made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to

[our] embassy,” he added.

Of the 136 Filipinos in Gaza, 115 initially expressed their intention to leave. However, the DFA official said last week that only 46 individuals remained committed to being repatriated due to concerns about leaving their Palestinian spouses.

De Vega also announced that the 46 Filipinos have been allowed to leave Gaza and enter Egypt through the Rafah crossing Tuesday. The evacuation of foreigners, including Filipinos, from Gaza was delayed due to recent attacks.

Of those, 39 nationals are currently at the border between Gaza and Egypt, while seven individuals “are having second thoughts about leaving,” De Vega said.

“Our embassies in Amman

and Cairo are certain that by tonight, local time, they will have been able to cross into Egypt…

So they will be home within the week,” he said.

Fighting raged in Gaza Tuesday, one month on since the unprecedented attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, which has provoked relentless air strikes from Israel.

Over 10,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in the densely-populated and besieged territory, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that Gaza was becoming a “graveyard for children.”

Meanwhile, the October 7 attacks by Hamas claimed 1,400 lives in Israel. g

DA: Enough food supply for holidays by romina Cabrera Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — There will be no pork shortage as the holiday season approaches, the Department of Agriculture (DA) assured the public.

“This Christmas season, we are making sure that pork, chicken, rice and vegetable supplies are stable. The local production of pork and chicken is stable and additional imports

will arrive by fourth quarter,” DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said in Filipino over radio dzBB. De Mesa added that newly appointed Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has made it his goal to improve the production of agricultural commodities.

Laurel earlier said he plans to conduct a performance review of current officials before implementing a possible shuffle

within the agency.

He is also planning to implement changes in rice farming to lower the cost of production through modernization, better irrigation and use of higher-yielding varieties.

Laurel said that President Marcos’ campaign promise of P20 per kilo of rice is currently not possible, especially as the prices in the world market are still high. g

Maharlika’s IRR have been finalized — Marcos by ian Laqui Philstar.com

MANILA — The implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) have been finalized, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said.

On Monday, November 6, Marcos stated in a social media post that the law would become effective upon their approval.

“Upon our approval, we'll swiftly establish the corporate structure, getting the MIF up and running,” he said.

The finalization of the IRR was witnessed by Senior Undersecretary Elaine Masukat and Undersecretary Rodolfo

John Robert Palattao IV, both from the Presidential Management Staff, along with Undersecretary Leonardo Roy Cervantes of the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES).

Government Service Insurance System General Manager Jose Arnulfo Veloso and Office of the Presidential Adviser for Investment and Economic Affairs Raphael DC Consing Jr. were also present during the meeting along.

Aside from these officials, the finalization of the IRR was witnessed by representatives from the Bureau of Treasury, Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for General Administration and the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary

for Legal Affairs.

The implementation of the MIF was halted on October 12 pending the study of its IRR. It was halted weeks after the Landbank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines contributed a sum of P75 billion pesos to bolster the fund’s capital.

Last month, Marcos that the fund will be operational by the end of the year while the government explores methods to enhance and improve the sovereign wealth fund.

“We are still committed to having it operational before the end of the year,” Marcos said in his departure speech before leaving Manila for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last month. g

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will persuade his fellow AsiaPacific leaders to step up the region’s food, energy, health and digital partnerships, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday, November 7.

This, as DFA Undersecretary Charles Jose confirmed Marcos’ participation in the 30th AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in San Francisco, California in the United States on Nov. 15 to 17.

In a pre-departure briefing with Palace reporters, Jose said Marcos would push for financing a “just, sustainable and affordable” energy transition through partnerships with the business sector.

“He (Marcos) will emphasize the need to invest more on clean energy to preserve and protect the environment while ensuring that we are energy secure and sufficient,” Jose said.

Jose said Marcos would also call for “deeper” cooperation on health to modernize healthcare systems and protect the welfare of medical professionals, taking into consideration the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said the digital participation of micro, small and medium enterprises in the Philippines would also be raised by Marcos, as part of the current administration’s digitalization efforts.

“The President will also touch on digitalization and

innovation, given that digital transformation is already upon us and how we can best prepare our workforce and the larger human resource,” he said.

“The President will continue to push for cooperation in food security particularly focusing on research and development, innovation and equity and inclusivity so as to benefit our small farmers and in climate action, given the urgent need to be resilient to climate change,” Jose added.

Jose said this year’s APEC theme “Creating a Resilient and Sustainable Future for All” is aligned with the Marcos administration’s economic agenda, the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2027, and eight-point socioeconomic agenda.

The summit brings together 21 economies from around the Asia-Pacific to collaborate on the shared goal of creating a more open, resilient, sustainable and peaceful future for the people of the world’s most dynamic region.

The APEC’s 21 member economies are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the U.S., and Vietnam.

Business, bilateral meetings Jose said Marcos would also attend the APEC CEO Summit and the APEC Leaders Dialogue

with the APEC Business Advisory Council; lead a Philippine Economic Briefing; meet with top companies in the U.S.; and hold bilateral meetings with other world leaders on the sidelines of the summit.

However, Jose could not confirm yet any of the bilateral meetings due to “schedules and logistical considerations.”

Additional working visits Marcos would likewise embark on working visits to Los Angeles, California and Honolulu, Hawaii and meet with Filipino communities.

Marcos would leave for San Francisco on Nov. 17 and fly to Honolulu on Nov. 18 for a security briefing with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, according to Jose.

“The President is being invited to visit the Indo-Pacific Command. And he will also have a roundtable discussion with the Daniel K. Inouye AsiaPacific Center for Security Studies,” Jose said, referring to the institution that provides a forum for military and civilian leaders from the Indo-Pacific to address regional and global security.

“Well, of course it adds a layer to the cooperation that we are trying to establish with like-minded states in order to promote what we have been advocating all along -- a rulesbased order especially in the maritime areas,” he added.

(PNA)

Duterte denies hand in...

PAGE 5

mistakes committed along the way, whether with malice or without malice.

“Somebody has to point out these things so that the administration or the President will know about it,” he said.

And in governance, Duterte said, there must be somebody who’d be just checking and maybe try to figure out if that is the correct way.

The former president likewise said somebody must call the attention of the one running the show.

He has continued to push for a massive audit of all government offices, including the Lower

House, where he said money is being distributed without the lawmakers having to account for them.

Coup plotters ‘crazy’ People who would support attempts to overthrow the Marcos administration are “crazy,” Sen. Ronald dela Rosa said amid reports that a group of retired military generals are trying to convince active military troops to join them.

“You know those who will support that are crazy,” the senator said.

He added that even if he is a retired general and served as chief of the Philippine National Police, personally, he was not

aware of any destabilization efforts against President Marcos.

“It is difficult to launch a destab if you are in active (service), much more if already retired.

What are your capabilities? All you have is words of wisdom.

No more capability to destab.

When you get old then look for trouble? You just retire peacefully,” he added.

He noted that retirees like him would only think of enjoying retirement, and if he is not a senator, he would be fishing in his hometown in Davao. (With reports from Edith Regalado, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Sheila Crisostomo)

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Alex bares second miscarriage Fil-Am artist Paul Pfeiffer to have

first US retrospective at MOCA

By Iza IglesIas ManilaTimes.net

TV host-actress and content creator Alex Gonzaga revealed that she had a second miscarriage last October.

Gonzaga had a miscarriage in October 2021. She and husband Lipa City Councilor Mikee Morada tied the knot in November 2020 after four years of dating.

She bared the sad news in an interview with her sister, Toni, which was aired on YouTube channel “Toni Talks” on Sunday, November 5.

“During that time, I felt a lot of pressure. I felt pressured by people asking, ‘Hasn’t she given birth yet?’ And of course, what happened to me earlier this year during my birthday,” she said in Tagalog, recalling the bashing she got on social media after she was caught on video smearing cake icing on a waiter’s forehead during her birthday party last January.

“So, every time I met someone, they would say things like, ‘Oh, you’re actually kind,’ and I thought, ‘Why did that connotation develop about me this year?’ I couldn’t help but think, ‘I hope, Lord, the pain I’ve been through. I hope all that pain will result in something beautiful.’ Maybe this [getting pregnant] is it,” the 35-year-old Gonzaga added.

She and husband Lipa City Councilor Mikee Morada had been attempting to have a child through in-vitro fertilization (IVF), but the procedure didn’t succeed.

She said that she apologized to Morada, who she said had provided

Exhibit runs Nov. 12, 2023-June 16, 2024

Alex Gonzaga

unwavering support from the moment they started the IVF process.

“I told him, ‘Mikee, I’m sorry, it didn’t work out again. He responded, ‘Don’t apologize, we still have many embryos, so let’s keep going.’”

“He doesn’t show his sadness to me. Sometimes I also feel sad because Mikee would say to me, ‘You know, I’m really happy even if it’s just the two of us.’”

“But, of course, I get annoyed with him because why would he say that? But he says, ‘You know, honestly, I’m already happy.’ Because when

LOS ANGELES — The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) proudly presents Paul Pfeiffer: Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom, the multidisciplinary artist’s first U.S. retrospective. From era-defining early videos to recent, genre-breaking works in photography, installation, and sculpture, the exhibition brings together more than thirty works spanning Pfeiffer’s career, establishing him as one of today’s most influential artists.

The exhibition is on view at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA from November 12, 2023, to June 16, 2024.

Paul Pfeiffer: Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom is organized by MOCA Chief Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs Clara Kim with Curatorial Assistant Paula Kroll.

“It is a great pleasure Photo from Instgram/@cathygonzaga to organize Paul’s first U.S. I cook him food, he’d say, ‘I’m retrospective at MOCA, where very happy when it’s just the The Geffen Contemporary two of us. A baby would just spaces will provide a dramatic be a bonus for me.’ So, when I backdrop for his mesmerizing think about it, I get emotional art and allow audiences because he’s already at that to move from intimate viewings level.” of his work to grand, immersive Gonzaga said Morada told encounters for the first time,” her, “’It’s painful to expect, so said Kim. “Fundamentally, I’m fine if the Lord gives this to Pfeiffer gets at the us. I’m already content.’” undercurrents of what holds “He’s really very contemporary society together– supportive, but he doesn’t our collective desires, fears, and show his emotions to me. sense of belonging. MOCA’s But what I’ve seen the most rich history of embracing in Mikee is that he’s a true innovative contemporary art partner who never makes you and its commitment to fostering feel like it’s your fault. He’s dialogues that resonate with the really there for you.” pulse of our times make it the ideal venue to present Pfeiffer’s thought-provoking explorations of modern society.”

Widely regarded as a pioneer of video art in the digital era, Pfeiffer (b.

1966, Honolulu; lives in New York) examines how media creates spectacle in sports and entertainment and its subtle but powerful impact on our experiences of belonging and identity. Meticulously taking video footage apart frameby-frame and subjecting it to digital erasure, repetition, and looping, Pfeiffer’s earliest works influenced generations of contemporary artists in his wake. Such simple techniques revealed critical but subtle features inherent to the production of images and the construction of longing, truth, and heroism while reflecting the artist’s longstanding interest in the mechanics of moviemaking.

The exhibition title, Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom, is drawn from a critical moment in American media history: Cecil B. DeMille’s opening remarks introducing his epic religious drama, The Ten Commandments, the most expensive film ever made at the time of its release in 1956. “Paul’s work has a global reach and gives us a profound sense of the technological landscape we live in.

Yet Los Angeles offers an ideal setting for this longawaited, ambitious exhibition of Paul’s work,” said Johanna Burton, The Maurice Marciano Director of MOCA. “Occupying more than 20,000 square feet

Justin Bieber Head, 2022. Gmelina wood and paint. 16 1/4 x 8 1/8 x 8 3/4 in. (41.3 x 20.6 x 22.2 cm) Courtesy of the artist and carlier | gebauer

Paul Pfeiffer

Still from Morning After the Deluge, 2003. Video projection (color, silent). 21:03 minute

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (30), 2015. Fujiflex digital C-print. 48 x 70 in. (121.9 x 177.8 cm) Private collection.

Red Green Blue, 2022. Single-channel video (color, surround sound; 31:23 minutes). Dimensions variable.

Courtesy of the artist and Paula Cooper Gallery

at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA and set in the entertainment capital of the world, a city singularly poised to create–and manipulate–dreams, symbols, and mythologies, this show will have deep resonance here.”

Pfeiffer’s quintessential LCD video pieces will anchor Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom.

Iconic basketball and boxing matches, including Muhammed Ali’s most famous fights, are the starting points for Fragments of the Crucifixion (After Francis Bacon) (1999), John 3:16 (2000), and The Long Count (2000– 01) trilogy. The exhibition also

Still from Fragment of a Crucifixion (After Francis Bacon), 1999. Video installation (color, silent, 0:05 minutes looped), with projector and mounting arm. 20 x 5 x 20 in. (50.8 x 12.7 x 50.8 cm) (overall). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Purchase, with funds from Melva. Bucksbaum and the Film and Video Committee 2000.150

features the artist’s longduration and live-feed video works and immersive video and architectural installations, such as The Saints (2007), an audio-visual recreation of the 1966 World Cup Final, and Vitruvian Figure (2008), a roomsize model of a million-seat arena inspired by the Sydney Olympic stadium.

For this retrospective, Pfeiffer also expands on his Incarnator series (2018–23), nearly-life-size wood carvings of cultural and religious figures produced in the Philippines by “encarnadores,” (from the Latin word meaning ‘“to make into flesh”) sculptors known for their production of santos, or Catholic religious icons. An early work in this series poses the pop star Justin Bieber as Jesus Christ in resurrection form.

Made shortly after Bieber declared himself a born-again Christian, this work powerfully intercepts contemporary modes of devotion—both religious and to celebrity— and the mass influences that have shaped art, religion, politics, and nationhood. In a new commission for this exhibition, Pfeiffer examines the implications of today’s global, instantaneous image circulation and how it intersects with contemporary labor conditions and the histories of colonialism and religion.

MOCA’s presentation brings together Pfeiffer’s immersive, Continued on Page 9

community

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - November 8, 2023

9

‘Here Lies Love’ will play final Broadway performance on Sunday, November 26

Calling all BCHS 78ers!!! Dumalo at makisaya sa ating nalalapit na reunion para sa pagpapatuloy ng ating kuwento!!! For more information, please your inquiries to angiedelossantos62@yahoo.com.

Getting to know Kaila

By Anne PAsAjol Inquirer.net

KAILA Estrada is definitely treading the right path to achieve her ambition of having a “versatile and long acting career,” and all the credit goes not to her showbiz background but to her aptitude for her craft.

The actress—third child of former celebrity couple Janice de Belen and John Estrada—has been the talk of the town after her commendable performance in the drama series “Linlang,” delivering an emotionallycharged exchange of lines with her co-stars Kim Chiu, JM de Guzman and the Diamond Star Maricel Soriano.

But even prior to this, 27-year-old Kaila already showed beyond doubt her talent through her previous acting stints—leaving viewers applauding in awe of the real “Anak ni Janice.”

Kaila Estrada Continued on Page 10 Photo from Instagram/@kailaestrada

Paul Pfeiffer: Prologue...

From Page 8 large-scale pieces and many of his smaller- scale works for the first time in the U.S.. In close collaboration with the artist, Buro Koray Duman Architecture has developed an innovative, site-specific design for the exhibition that capitalizes on the cavernous warehouse space of The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA and the artist’s longstanding interest in Hollywood movie productions and sets.

Paul Pfeiffer: Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom is accompanied by a full-color monographic catalogue copublished by the museum and MACK, with new scholarship and critical readings of Pfeiffer’s work that offer a much-needed overview of the artist’s impact and influence.

The monograph includes a curatorial essay by Clara Kim and additional contributions

by Lawrence Chua, Tom Gunning, Julie Mehretu, Marian Pastor Roces, Chanon Kenji Praepipatmongkol, and Stanley Wolukau-Wanambwa. Available February 2024, the catalogue will also include documentation of Pfeiffer’s installation at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA. Paul Pfeiffer was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and spent his teenage years in the Philippines. Museum solo shows and projects include Inhotim Institute, Brazil, 2018; Bellas Artes Outpost, Manila, 2018; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, 2017; Honolulu Museum of Art, 2016; Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, Manila, 2015; Artangel, London, 2014; Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, 2012; Sammlung Goetz, Munich, 2011; and Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, Berlin, 2009. Pfeiffer has presented work in major international exhibitions, most recently the Performa Biennial and the Honolulu Biennial in 2019 and the Toronto Biennial and Seoul Mediacity Biennale in 2022.

The artist lives and works in New York City. Paul Pfeiffer: Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom is organized

by Clara Kim, Chief Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs, with Paula Kroll, Curatorial Assistant, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

Support for Paul Pfeiffer: Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom as of August

31, 2023: Lead support is provided by The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation and The Aileen Getty Foundation. Major support is provided by Jamie and Robert Soros.

Additional support is provided by Jam Acuzar and Christopher Ax, Paula Cooper Gallery, Marcel Crespo, Thomas Dane Gallery, Jill and Peter Kraus, Amy and John Phelan, Anton Ramos, Maria Taniguchi, and Fernando Zobel de Ayala. Supporters of the exhibition catalogue include The Katherine S. Marmor Award and the Blue Rider Group at Morgan Stanley.

Exhibitions at MOCA are supported by the MOCA Fund for Exhibitions with generous funding provided

by The Earl and Shirley Greif Foundation. This exhibition is carbon calculated. The museum reduced greenhouse gas emissions through planning efforts and balanced the remaining emissions through Strategic Climate Fund donations. Support provided by the MOCA Environmental Council.

(MOCA) Founded in 1979, MOCA is the defining museum of contemporary art. In a relatively short period of time, MOCA has achieved astonishing growth; a worldclass collection of nearly 8,000 objects, international in scope with deep holdings in Los Angeles art; hallmark education programs that are widely emulated; awardwinning publications that present original scholarship; groundbreaking monographic, touring, and thematic exhibitions of international repute that survey the art of our time; and cutting-edge engagement with new modes of media production. MOCA is a not-for-profit institution that relies on a variety of funding sources for its activities.

General admission to MOCA is free courtesy of Carolyn Clark Powers.

Admission to Paul Pfeiffer: Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom and other special exhibitions at MOCA is $18 for adults, $10 for students with ID and seniors (+65), and free for children under twelve and jurors with ID. Special exhibitions are free every Thursday from 5 pm to 8 pm as part of Together Thursdays courtesy of Cliff and Mandy Einstein. MOCA members always receive free admission to special exhibitions.

‘HERE Lies Love’ will play its final Broadway performance on Sunday evening, November 26, 2023. As of that date, the groundbreaking new musical will have played 33 previews and 150 regular performances at the Broadway Theatre (1681 Broadway at 53rd Street).

The producers of ‘Here Lies Love’ said: “When we started this journey to bring this bold and original work to Broadway, we asked ourselves: Can anyone produce on Broadway in a new way? Is there a new path forward?

What does the template look like? Will audiences want something radically new?

Who will those audiences be?

“We have learned a great deal about the answers to those questions. Yes, new ways can work. Artistic excellence can be achieved. But the reality is, succeeding on Broadway means not only producing excellent work with artistic merit––it also means creating the audience for it. And how much time it takes to find and grow new audiences is out of sync with the tight timeframes for audience-building and awareness.

“Every aspect of our production brought new life and fresh ideas to Broadway, from the innovative music of David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, the beautiful choreography of Annie-B Parson, the masterful staging by our visionary director Alex Timbers, and the jaw-dropping set, lighting, sound, and projection designs by David Korins, Justin Townsend, M.L. Dogg, Cody Spencer and Peter Nigrini, and among the most

dazzling collection of costumes ever seen on Broadway created by Clint Ramos.

“As the first-ever fully binational producing team, we are deeply proud and honored to have brought this pioneering theatrical event to Broadway.

The first all-Filipino acting company on Broadway received universal critical acclaim, celebrated by thousands of people from diverse backgrounds, including record numbers who experienced going to a Broadway show for the first time.

“As an artistic, cultural, and commercial enterprise, we believe that ‘Here Lies Love’ had to be presented on Broadway. We hope anyone who hasn’t seen the production will be able to get to the show before November 26.”

‘Here Lies Love’ will be filmed for the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive (TOFT) at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.

Discussions are also underway for two upcoming international productions in Japan and Australia.

‘Here Lies Love’ has been enjoyed by a wide breadth of audiences and has welcomed in especially high numbers members of the AAPI community. Industry sales data show aggregate ticket sales attributed to AAPI buyers at an average of 8% from March-August 2023. ‘Here Lies Love’, in comparison, saw AAPI buyers accounting for an average 16% of total sales for the same period, peaking at 20% for the month of August 2023.

‘Here Lies Love’ introduced a myriad of innovations and groundbreaking firsts during its Broadway run, including: The People Power Disco Hour series, featuring 90-minute aftercurtain dance parties in the theater after select performances, DJ’d by Continued on Page 11

10 community

Getting to know Kaila...

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - November 8, 2023

The duty to provide complete and accurate financial disclosure in a California divorce Barrister’s Corner ATTY. KENNETH URSUA REYES COUPLES that are going through the divorce process in California should understand that the Family Code and the Family Courts requires that they provide complete and accurate disclosure to the other spouse.

The financial disclosures are taken seriously by the Courts and failure to disclose could have serious consequences for the non-disclosing party in a divorce case. The parties are required to prepare and exchange preliminary declaration of disclosure which includes and fl-142 schedule of assets and debts, fl-150 income and expense declaration, 2 years tax return, a statement of all material facts and information regarding the valuation of all assets that are community property or in which the community has an interest, a statement of all material facts and information regarding obligations for which the community is liable, and an accurate and complete written disclosure of any investment opportunity, business opportunity, or other income-producing opportunity presented since the date of separation that results from any investment, significant business, or other income-producing opportunity from the date of marriage to the date of separation. If the case does not settle and proceeds to trial, the parties would have to exchange final declaration of disclosure which consists of the above information with the characterization of the assets and debts whether community or separate and the valuation of those items.

EMPLOYMENT

Family Code Section 2100 states that “[a] full and accurate disclosure of all assets and liabilities in which one or both parties have or may have an interest must be made in the early stages of a proceeding for dissolution of marriage or legal separation of the parties.” This disclosure must be made regardless of the characterization of the assets and liabilities as community or separate property.

Family Code Section 1100 defines disclosure as “the act of providing information to the other party or to the court.”

Disclosure can be made in a variety of ways, including through the exchange of financial documents, such as tax returns and bank statements, or through written declarations.

Family Code Section 721 states that “[e]ach party to a proceeding for dissolution of marriage or legal separation has a duty to make full and accurate disclosure of all financial information and material facts.”

This duty includes disclosing information about all assets and liabilities, as well as information about income and expenses.

The duty of disclosure is important for several reasons.

First, it allows each spouse to have a full understanding of the marital estate before they enter into negotiations, settlement, or go to trial. This helps to ensure that the division of property and debts is fair and equitable.

Second, the duty of disclosure helps to reduce the likelihood of fraud and concealment of assets. If a spouse fails to disclose all of their assets or liabilities, the other spouse may be able to set aside the divorce judgment.

Finally, the duty of disclosure helps to promote the public policy of California, which favors the speedy and efficient resolution of divorce cases.

If a spouse fails to comply with their duty of disclosure,

they may face a number of penalties. The court may order the spouse to pay the other spouse’s attorney’s fees and costs. The court may also order the spouse to disclose the hidden assets or liabilities and award the non-disclosed asset to the other spouse. In some cases, the court may even set aside the divorce judgment.

The best way to comply with the duty of disclosure is to be honest and forthright with your spouse and with the court. Gather all of your financial documents and review them carefully. If you have any questions about what to disclose, consult with an experienced divorce attorney.

Here are some specific tips for complying with the duty of disclosure: 1. Disclose all assets and liabilities, regardless of the characterization as community or separate property.

2. Disclose all income and expenses, including income from employment, investments, and businesses.

3. Disclose all debts, including credit card debt, student loans, and mortgages.

4. Disclose all gifts and inheritances received during the marriage.

5. Disclose all business interests, including partnerships, corporations, and limited liability companies.

6. Disclose all information about any income-producing opportunities that arose after the date of separation but that resulted from any investment made during the marriage.

If your divorce entails significant assets such as a business interests, real estate holdings, retirement plans, inheritance, it is important to seek the guidance of an experienced family law attorney to help you navigate through your case. ***

EMPLOYMENT

From Page 9 At the height of the pandemic, Kaila—who had already set out in modeling—decided to venture into acting and had her very first audition for a TV series. Unfortunately, the young actress was not able to secure the role she auditioned for.

“Rejection is redirection. I’m so grateful because when I didn’t get that role, ‘yung next na audition ko naman was for Raven ng ‘Viral Scandal’… It was one of the best roles I’ve ever played,” she said in a May 2023 interview with ABS-CBN, referring to the 2021 TV series which marked her acting debut.

Kaila then became part of several TV series including “The Chosen One,” “Love in 40 Days,” “Love Bites,” and the two ongoing series “Linlang” and “Can’t Buy Me Love.” She also portrayed host and former radio DJ Karen Bordador in an episode of the drama anthology program “Maalala Mo Kaya,” which is arguably one of the highlights of Kaila’s career.

“I want to have a very versatile and long

acting career,” said Kaila when asked what her ambition is, adding that she dreams of being part of an action-thriller project.

Kaila is also loud and proud of her admiration for her two “mothers” in the industry, Janice and Soriano, whom she regards as her “role models” and applauds for their dedication to their craft.

As for her personality, Kaila describes herself as “laid back, patient and a hardworking” person who goes through life with the mantra “whatever will be, will be.” Also evident in her social media pages, particularly on Instagram, is her love for beaches, her pet dogs and working out.

While she admitted that show business can be overwhelming at times, Kaila delights in the fact that her hard work has been paying off and has brought joy not only to her, but also to her parents.

“I’m happy when my parents say they’re proud of me and that they watch the work I do.

They’re very supportive,” Kaila told Philippine Daily Inquirer in a 2022 interview.

Calendar events

of

NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 9

Debbie Torres Jazz Pianist 7pm Catalina Jazz Club 6725 W. Sunset Blvd. Hollywood www.catalinajazzclub.com

NOVEMBER 17 - 26

LA Auto Show 7pm Los Angeles Convention Center 1201 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015 https://laautoshow.com/

Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes,

APC This article is not a solicitation. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist with extensive trial experience. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State

FOR RENT

FOR SALE

University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He was a former CPA prior to law practice. He is Managing Partner of the LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APC and Managing Partner of REYES CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC. located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@kenreyeslaw. com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw. com.

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community 11

Here Lies Love will...

From Page 9 DJ CherishTheLuv, Apl.de.Ap, Griffin Maxwell Brooks, and ‘Here Lies Love’’s own Fatboy Slim; The Democracy in Action ticket initiative in partnership with Gold House and The Asian American Foundation (powered

by Producer Hub as a fiscal sponsor), which continues to run through the show’s final performance. Since the program’s launch in early October, more than 2,500 tickets have been provided to groups including the Asian American Federation; CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities; Chhaya CDC; ChineseAmerican Planning Council; CUNY Hunter - Asian American Studies Class; LaGuardia High School; NYC Department for the Aging (NYC Aging); and Marymount Manhattan College; and Broadway’s first free childcare matinee, in partnership with the Parent Artist Advocacy League and Broadway Babysitters.

The producers spoke to the Washington Post recently about the show: https://wapo.st/3PSUCxx From Talking Heads frontman and writer of “Stop Making Sense” and “Burning Down the House,” David Byrne; the beat master of “Praise You,” DJ Fatboy Slim and Tony®winning director of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Alex Timbers comes ‘Here Lies Love’ —the “sensational, one-ofa-kind musical like no Broadway show ever” (Time Out New York). The Broadway Theatre has undergone an “astonishing transformation” (The New York Times) into Club Millennium, where a young woman gets catapulted to a life of fame, excess, and intoxicating power after winning the hearts of two political rivals. Witness her dazzling rise and fall through “exhilarating songs” (USA Today) and “imaginative spectacle” (The Guardian) over “90 breathless minutes” (The Washington Post). Whether you sit in traditional seats or move on the dance floor, ‘Here Lies Love’ is “the most entertaining new show” (ABC7) and “an experience the likes of which Broadway has rarely if ever seen” (Variety).

The show features the first all-Filipino cast to perform on Broadway: Arielle Jacobs (In The Heights, Aladdin, Between The Lines) as “Imelda Marcos,” Jose Llana (The King and I, The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee) as “Ferdinand Marcos,” Conrad Ricamora (“How to Get Away with Murder,” The King and I, Soft Power – Grammy nominations) as “Ninoy Aquino,” Aaron J. Albano, Melody Butiu, Moses Villarama, Jasmine Forsberg, Reanne Acasio, Jaygee Macapugay, Julia Abueva, Renée Albulario, Aaron Alcaraz, Carol Angeli, Nathan Angelo, Kristina Doucette, Roy Flores, Timothy Matthew Flores, Sarah Kay, Jeigh Madjus, Aaron “AJ” Mercado, Geena Quintos, Shea Renne, Angelo Soriano, and Danielle Troiano.

From its world premiere at The Public Theater in 2013, ‘Here Lies Love’ has enjoyed popular and critical acclaim. The show returned to The Public in 2014-2015, debuted at London’s Royal National Theatre in 2014, and most recently opened at Seattle Repertory Theatre in 2017.

The creative team for ‘Here Lies Love’ on Broadway includes three-time Tony Award® nominee David Korins (scenic design), Tony Award® winner Clint Ramos (costume design), Tony Award® winner Justin Townsend (lighting design), M.L. Dogg & Cody Spencer (sound design), and three-time Tony Award® nominee Peter Nigrini (projection design), with casting

by Tara Rubin CSA, Xavier Rubiano CSA, Gail Quintos and general management by Foresight Theatrical. Additional creative team members include ATW Jonathan Larson Grant recipient J. Oconer Navarro (music director), Billy Bustamante (assistant director), Renée Albulario (assistant choreographer), Bobby Garcia (casting consultant/ Philippines), Gregory T. Livoti (production stage manager), and Ryan Gohsman and Sheryl Polancos (assistant stage managers). Giselle “G” Töngi is the show’s Cultural and Community Liaison.

‘Here Lies Love’ is produced on Broadway by Hal Luftig/ Kevin Connor, Patrick Catullo, Clint Ramos, Jose Antonio Vargas, and Diana DiMenna and Plate Spinner Productions, with Aaron Lustbader serving as Executive Producer.

They are joined by Lea Salonga, H.E.R., Jo Koy, Apl. de.Ap/Tala Creative Live, Rob Laqui, Giselle “G” Töngi, Adam Hyndman, Eva LaBadie, Georgina Pazcoguin, Marikit Ventures/ Miranda Gohh, DJ CherishTheLuv/Garcia At Rodis, Don Michael H. Mendoza/Lora Nicholas Olaes, Celia Kaleialoha Kenney/ Jeremiah Abraham, No Guarantees, Yasuhiro Kawana, Elise K. Haas, Len Blavatnik, Warner Music Entertainment, Shira Friedman, James L. Nederlander/Independent Presenters Network, LaChanze, Wendy Federman/Suzanne Niedland, KatlerSolomon/Charlotte Cohn, Cathy Dantchik, Elizabeth Armstrong, John Gore Organization, The Shubert Organization, Hunter Arnold, Creative Partners Productions, Eastern Standard Time, Global Creatures, The Public Theater, Triptyk Studios, Iris Smith, Michael Robin Productions/Anastasia Muravyeva, Alexi Melvin/Beesham A. Seecharan, Andrew Diamond/Patrick Trettenero, Buzzy Geduld/Gilad Rogowsky, Craig Balsam/ David Brendel, Sok Sabai Productions/Ride or Die Productions, Marco Santarelli/Das Ellman & Howe, Linden Delaney/ Smigelrutter Fitviavi, and Laura Ivey/Janet Brenner.

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - November 8, 2023

Successful launch of FACLA seniors club program - ballroom dancing for only $5 entrance!

LOS ANGELES – The Filipino American Community of Los Angeles (FACLA) is delighted to announce the successful launch of its Seniors Club Program, featuring invigorating Ballroom Dancing sessions at an affordable $5 entrance fee. The grand opening event, held on November 3, 2023, Friday, from 1 pm to 4 pm, was well-attended, with FACLA’s esteemed President, Trinity Foliente, and dedicated Members of the Board welcoming the participants.

The FACLA Seniors Club Program provides a wonderful opportunity for seniors aged 62 and above or anyone born on or before 1961 to come together, stay active, and discover the art of Ballroom Dancing in a warm and welcoming community.

As we continue on this journey, we extend an invitation to all seniors to join us weekly for engaging and entertaining sessions. Don’t miss out on the fun – enroll now and stay tuned for more exciting senior activities that await you!

Participation in FACLA’s senior program is available for a nominal fee of only $5.00 per

Photos by Ruby Pangan

session, ensuring accessibility for everyone to be a part of this fantastic experience.

To register, please contact the following individuals: Rosalie Caratao - (213) 280-1044 Beth Aguayon - (323) 7172193 Lisa Castillo - (818) 8235250 Ruby Pangan - (323) 2835711 Ella Go - (818) 668-0582 Elvira Chan - (213) 453-

5041 Beth Sulit - (213) 909-3729 For further inquiries or to register via email, please reach out to us at FACLAprograms@ gmail.com.

The FACLA Seniors Club Program is dedicated to providing an enriching and inclusive environment for seniors in the Los Angeles Filipino American community. We eagerly anticipate your participation in our upcoming Ballroom

Dancing sessions and various other activities.

The Filipino American Community of Los Angeles (FACLA) is committed to enhancing the lives of the Filipino American community in Los Angeles through cultural, social, and educational programs. FACLA acts as a bridge connecting Filipino Americans with their cultural heritage, fostering a strong sense of belonging and unity.

12

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - November 8, 2023

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