111123 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition

NOVEMBER 11-14, 2023 Volume 33 - No. 90 • 2 Sections – 16 Pages

Marcos likely to raise South China Sea dispute in US visit

by NESTOR CORRALES Inquirer.net

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will visit the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii during his weeklong trip to the United States in mid-November where he is likely to raise the South China Sea dispute with top U.S. officials, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday, November 7.

Foreign Undersecretary Charles Jose said the president would be in Hawaii from Nov. 18 to Nov. 19 to meet with business leaders and the Filipino community after attending President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Presidential Communications Office file photo

USA

DATELINE $2 million in unpaid wages retrieved for Filipino workers in California FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

The LA-based Pilipino Workers Center has helped Filipinos win wage theft cases against abusive employers LOS ANGELES — California has some of the toughest employee protection laws, and yet wage theft remains pervasive in the state, especially among low wage and hourly workers.

This year alone, the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) was able to retrieve $2 million in unpaid wages for Filipino workers by helping them file and win wage theft cases against abusive employers, according to PWC executive director Aquilina Versoza.

Speaking at the 6th Annual Larry Itliong Festival that capped Filipino-American History  PAGE A4

 PAGE A2

OVP BUDGET DELIBERATION. Senator Juan Edgardo Angara (left photo), chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, defends the P2.385 billion proposed 2024 budget of the Office of the Vice President during the plenary budget deliberation at the Senate in Pasay City on Thursday, Nov. 9. Vice President Sara Z. Duterte (left photo) attended the deliberations, along with Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri (left, top right photo) and Deputy Majority Leader Joseph Victor Ejercito (left, lower right photo).

PNA photos by Avito Dalan

Duterte denies hand in destabilization

by DIANA LHYD SUELTO Philstar.com

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 Photo taken in July 2017 shows then President Rodrigo Duterte delivering moves against the Marcos his second State of the Nation Address. While Duterte admitted to talking to administration by some retired generals, and there were some retired generals, he denied plotting a coup d’etat with them.

Philstar.com photo 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.  PAGE A2

Marcos declares 2023 to 2033 as decade of PH history

by JEAN MANGALUZ Inquirer.net

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared 2023 to 2033 as the “Dekada ng Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas (Decade of Philippine History), said the Palace on Friday, November 10.

In Proclamation No. 396, Marcos directs the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) to lead the celebration observance.

"I, Ferdinand R. Marcos, JR., President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and

existing laws, do hereby declare the years beginning 2023 through 2033 as ‘Dekada ng Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas’,” said the proclamation.

“For this purpose, the NHCP is directed to lead, coordinate, and supervise the observance of the Dekada ng Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas, and identify the programs, projects and activities for the celebration thereof,” it added.

All other government agencies and instrumentalities are encouraged to support the NHCP in the project.

According to the Palace, the declaration Director Paul Soriano and President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. ManilaTimes.net file photo  PAGE A2

Legal, grassroots gains against ‘most Presidential adviser Paul Soriano pervasive violence’ Sara drops request for secret funds resigns, cites ‘personal commitments’

50 years ago, a domestic violence survivor wanting to tell someone about their abuse could expect silence.

Today, domestic violence is recognized as the oldest and most pervasive form of violence, and a nationwide movement is growing to counter the assumption that it is an inevitable part of the fabric of our social lives.

At a Friday, Nov. 3 Ethnic Media Services virtual news briefing cosponsored by Blue Shield of California Foundation, activists, politicians, and survivors discussed recent efforts to fight domestic violence through legislation, court reforms, and grassroots mobilization.

‘Unimaginable progress’ The most dramatic indicator of progress against domestic violence, according to author, essayist, and veteran activist Angela  PAGE A4

by MARC JAYSON CAYABYAB Philstar.com

MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte is letting go of her request for a combined P650 million in confidential funds for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd), saying she must move on from such a “divisive” issue.

She gave this statement to the Senate on Thursday, November 9 amid reports that senators had decided to realign the confidential funds of the OVP and DepEd, which she concurrently heads, along with those of other civilian agencies without security functions.

Senate finance committee chair Sen. Sonny Angara accompanied Duterte upon her arrival at the Senate for the deliberations on the 2024 budgets of the two agencies.

“We’re in receipt of a statement from the vice president. According to her, the OVP can only propose a budget to support the safe implementation of its activities and programs,” Angara said.

“Nonetheless, they will no longer pursue the confidential fund, and the reason why is because it is seen to be divisive. As the vice president, she swore an oath to keep the country peaceful and strong,” he added.

During plenary deliberation into the DepEd’s budget on Thursday, budget sponsor Sen. Pia Cayetano echoed Duterte’s statement that she is letting go of her request for P150 million in confidential funds for the department.

Cayetano said according to the transmitted budget bill, DepEd’s secret fund request of P150 million was realigned  PAGE A3

by CATHERINE S. VALENTE ManilaTimes.net

PRESIDENTIAL Adviser on Creative Communications Paul Soriano resigned from his post to prioritize his "personal commitments," Malacañang said.

"Presidential Adviser Paul Soriano took a well-deserved break to spend time with his family and newborn daughter.

He has since submitted his resignation to prioritize his personal commitments," Presidential Communication Secretary Cheloy Garafil said in a statement sent to Palace

reporters on Thursday night, November 9.

"There is no replacement for the role of Presidential Adviser on Creative Communications for now," she added.

Soriano took a leave before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July for "personal reasons." At that time, his wife, TV host and actress Toni Gonzaga-Soriano, was about to give birth.

The president designated Soriano as adviser for creative communications in October 2022.  PAGE A2

A2 NOVEMBER 11-14, 2023 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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FROM THE FRONT PAGE

Marcos likely to raise South...

PAGE A1 the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in San Francisco from Nov. 14 to 17.

A report by the Japanese news outlet Nikkei said Marcos would meet with Adm. John Aquilino, the commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command at the headquarters in Pearl Harbor on Oahu island.

Jose, however, could not yet confirm the meeting with Aquilino. “I do not have the information as to who will be on the other side,” he said.

The DFA official added that the president would have a security briefing while he is at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, which might include the situation in the heavily disputed South China Sea. Asked about the significance

of the president’s visit to the U.S. military headquarters, Jose could not immediately respond.

Pressed about the significance of the visit in the face of Beijing’s growing aggression in the South China Sea and amid talks of enhanced trilateral cooperation among the Philippines, United States, and Japan, Jose again paused before responding.

Rules-based “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 said.

He added Marcos would also be on a working visit to Los Angeles from Nov. 17 to 18.

Jose said the president would

lead a Philippine economic briefing and have several meetings with executives of top US companies.

During APEC, Jose pointed out the president would push for “financing a just, sustainable, and affordable energy transition through partnerships with the business sector.”

Jose added Marcos would emphasize the need to invest more in clean energy to preserve and protect the environment while ensuring that we are energy-secure and sufficient.

“With our experience from the COVID-19 pandemic, the president wishes to push for deeper cooperation in health and modernizing health systems and to ensure that our health professionals are recognized and provided with the welfare they deserve,” Jose said. 

Presidential adviser Paul Soriano resigns...

PAGE A1 Soriano's task was to advise the president and assist departments and agencies, including government-owned and -controlled corporations, on matters that would enhance their information dissemination programs and initiatives.

Soriano was behind Marcos' campaign advertisements since

he ran for vice governor until the presidency.

He and his wife also supported Marcos' electoral campaign.

Marcos and First Lady Marie Louise "Liza" Araneta-Marcos served as sponsors at Soriano and Gonzaga's wedding and acted as godparents.

Before his leave and eventual resignation, Soriano was linked

to the controversial promotional campaign of the Department of Tourism (DoT) for its new slogan, "Love the Philippines."

Soriano neither confirmed nor denied the allegation regarding the video that contained stock footage shot in other countries.

The DoT has since terminated the contract with the firm responsible for the production. 

Marcos declares 2023 to 2033 as... comes in the same year as the NHCP’s 100th anniversary.

“The Filipino nation greatly values the almost a century of

contributions of the dedicated individuals who make up the NHCP, including historians, researchers, curators, architects, engineers, chemists,

The Philippine declaration of independence in 1898 was marked by upheavals, but was later followed by a period of great changes at the turn of the new century, some reflected in the way Filipinos celebrate life, enduring bonds and new beginnings. Gatherings became more frequent among family and friends in popular hangouts like Corregidor Bar (left photo).

Photo courtesy of 'History Brewing'

conservators, artists, planners, managers, and many others, who all work tirelessly to advance historical research,” read the promulgation. 

LEADERS. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (center) and Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta (left) walk past honor guards during a welcome ceremony in Malacañang Palace in Manila on Friday, Nov. 10. Marcos later said that their bilateral meeting was an opportunity to study existing platforms of cooperations and partnerships and discuss matters of great importance to both nations, particularly in the fields of political cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

PNA photo by Joan Bondoc

Duterte denies hand in...

PAGE A1

“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 PDPLaban 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 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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DATELINE USA

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Anti-China rhetoric takes center stage Sara drops request for secret... at third Republican presidential debate PAGE A1

by SUNITA SOHRABJI Ethnic Media Services

CHINA bashing loomed large at the third Republican Presidential debate Nov. 8 in Miami Florida, setting off fears of a fresh wave of anti-Asian American hate crimes.

“We have significant concerns about the 2024 election in the current political landscape, and believe hate crimes and incidents will continue to be an issue,” Manjusha Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, told Ethnic Media Services. The web portal, which allows victims to report hate attacks or incidents in one of several Asian languages, has logged over 11,500 reports since its inception in March, 2020.

Candidates on the debate stage included Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Noticeably absent was former President Donald Trump, who also skipped two previous debates but remains the front runner for the Republican nomination.

Land bans All candidates onstage called

for decoupling the US-China trade relationship.

“We need to get serious about the top threat that this country faces, which is the Chinese Communist Party,” declared DeSantis. “I banned China from buying land in this state. We’ve recognized the threat and we’ve acted swiftly and decisively.”

Notably, the two Asian American candidates onstage were the most vocal in their antiChina rhetoric.

“No more sales of our American soil to China. Let’s take back what they’ve already stolen,” said Haley, tacitly expressing her support for legislation in several states which would ban Chinese nationals from purchasing land. “Then we will go and end all formal trade relations with China until they stop murdering Americans with fentanyl,” she stated.

Taiwan conflict Haley also noted that the U.S. military is currently underequipped to take on an armed conflict with China if it invades Taiwan. Chinese Premier Xi Jinping has expressed his interest in “reunifying” Taiwan with China sometime over the next four years.

“China has the largest naval fleet in the world. They have 350 ships. They’ll have 400 ships in two years. We won’t even have 350 ships in two decades. China has built up their military. It’s not just land, air and sea: they’re doing cyber, they’re doing artificial intelligence. They’re doing space.”

“America needs to modernize our military,” said Haley, who is currently tied with DeSantis for second place in several polls.

China dependence “Here’s the dirty little secret.

Our actual defense industrial base depends on China for the supply chain, for the fighter jets, for the ships that we’re building,” said Ramaswamy. “We depend on them for pharmaceuticals, just like we depend on them for semiconductors. So here’s why we can’t get tough with China. It’s because we depend on them for our modern way of life.”

“We have to declare economic independence from our enemy,” he stated.

TikTok Much of the debate focused on the social media app TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. Candidates  PAGE A4

NIGHT MARKET. San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora (right) visits the food stalls at the Greenhills Night Market in San Juan City on Wednesday, Nov. 8. Zamora also distributed early Christmas gifts to children from the White Cross Orphanage to highlight the opening of the night market.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

by the House of Representatives to the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Program.

“DepEd will no longer pursue the confidential fund. We humbly request that the fund is realigned to the national learning recovery program. We do not expect good scores in the PISA results coming out this December,” Cayetano said, referring to the Program for International Student Assessment.

After deliberations, the proposed 2024 budgets of the OVP and the Office of the President easily hurdled the plenary and was adopted by the Senate, inching nearer to approval.

During the debate, Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III also questioned the OP’s request for P2.31-billion intelligence funds when it is not a uniformed or military agency.

But Angara said the president is in need of intelligence funds as both user and source of confidential information, as well as for his role as commander-inchief of the armed forces.

Meanwhile Pimentel said he has no problem with the OP’s request for P2.25 billion confidential funds even though it is a civilian government agency, as long as these are spent on surveillance in support of its programs and activities.

Budget transfers During plenary debates on the OP’s proposed budget, senators also deliberated on the OP’s controversial release of P221.424 million contingent fund to augment the OVP’s projects and secret fund request in 2022.

Vice President Duterte used a portion of the transferred contingent fund for her office to have P125 million in confidential funds even though her predecessor Leni Robredo did not request for such a fund in the OVP’s 2022 budget.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros stressed the need to amend the Special Provision No. 1 in the budget law that will allow the OP to augment other agencies’ programs and activities with its P13 billion worth of contingent funds next year.

The senator said the provision should expressly prohibit confidential funds from being charged to the contingent fund to prevent a repeat of the controversial budget transfer.

For his part, Angara said

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte attends Senate deliberations on Thursday, November 8on the proposed funding for her offices next year.

Philstar.com photo by Jesse Bustos

the transfer of OP’s contingent fund for Duterte’s office in 2022 was aboveboard, but the budget act should be called a “release” and not a cross-border “transfer,” which was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

“What I was told was that this was not an augmentation because an augmentation has a very technical meaning in budgetary terms,” Angara said.

“What I was told was that this was a release from the contingent funds, thus not subject to the rules set forth in laws and jurisprudence, which pertains specifically to augmentation of savings which are authorized to be done.”

Asked about the speedy spending of the OVP’s P125 million confidential funds in 2022 in just 11 days, Angara said the OVP needed to disburse the budget before yearend having only received the budget in December after requesting it in August that year.

“Under modified cash-based budgeting, the OVP is obligated to spend the money. You lose it or you use it. Otherwise, the agency will lose the budget,” he said.

Hontiveros maintained the need to scrutinize such a budget transfer from the office of President Marcos to his running mate and ally, Vice President Duterte.

“With such a move of big money from the most important office of government to the second most important office of government, there is therefore a need for governing rules and procedures. Shouldn’t there be a prudent policy on this kind of augmentation of funds, from one important office to another?”

Hontiveros said.  PAGE A4

LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (LACMTA) REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL LACMTA will receive Proposals for PS117686 - H.E.A.R. OFFICE CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE at the 9th Floor Receptionist Desk, Vendor/ Contract Management Department, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

A Pre-Proposal conference will be held on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, 2:00 p.m., at One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012, Virtual Meeting: Online. All Proposals must be submitted to LACMTA, and be filed at the reception desk, 9th floor, V/CM Department, on or before 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, December 6, 2023. Proposals received after the above date and time may be rejected and returned unopened. Each proposal must be sealed and marked Proposal No. PS117686.

For a copy of the Proposal/ Bid specification visit our Solicitation Page on our Vendor Portal at https:// business.metro.net or for further information email Ricardo Narvaez at narvaezr@ metro.net.

11/11/23 CNS-3756071# ASIAN JOURNAL (L.A.)

A4 NOVEMBER 11-14, 2023 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

DATELINE USA

Anti-China rhetoric takes center stage...

PAGE A3 accused TikTok of spying on Americans, particularly young people, with whom the app is extremely popular.

“TikTok is not only spyware, it is polluting the minds of American young people all throughout this country, and China is doing it intentionally,” said Christie. “This is China trying to further divide the United States of America.”

“If you cannot ban TikTok, you should eliminate Chinese presence on the app,” stated Scott.

“I think it’s incredibly important for us as Americans to take back control of our information,

especially of our kids. Where does it go? We should know that,” he said, calling for parental consent for all users under the age of 14.

Restrict Act Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, introduced the RESTRICT Act earlier this year, which would impose limitations on the kind of data that Chinese companies could collect on social media apps.

Warner, who is chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told reporters at an Ethnic Media Services news briefing that Chinese engineers have access to the data of millions of

American users. He worries the CCP could use that data as part of misinformation and propaganda campaigns, or even to blackmail Americans.

John Yang, President and Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice — AAAJ-AAJC — said at the briefing that Asian Americans could become targets of anti-Chinese sentiment.

Lawmakers are promoting the false narrative that everything Chinese is threatening. “It is our community that often pays the price for their reckless rhetoric,” said Yang. 

Sara drops request for secret...

PAGE A3

‘Not a good policy’ Pimentel said allowing contingent funds to be used as confidential funds is not a sound fiscal policy, as there’s a possibility that contingent funds would be converted to secret funds in the future.

“Theoretically speaking, if that is allowed, the entire P13 billion for next year is convertible to a confidential and intelligence fund,” Pimentel said. “If we allow that, I don’t think it’s a good policy.”

Angara said while it may be a possibility, it is not “practical” for the OP to use up its contingent funds as secret funds when it was meant to augment the budget of other agencies’ urgent programs and activities that year.

“Practically speaking, it would not happen. Contingent fund is

meant for all contingencies for all agencies of government. It would not be responsible to release it in a form of confidential fund for the whole amount. There may be other contingencies that need funding,” he said.

Abolish confidential funds Organizations affiliated with the #AbolishConfidentialFunds campaign network held a protest at the Senate on Thursday to call for the complete eradication of confidential funds concealed within the proposed 2024 national budget.

In an open letter addressed to senators, the group voiced concern about the surge in confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs), soaring from P1.58 billion in 2016 to a staggering P10.14 billion in the proposed 2024 budget.

They claimed that at least 28 agencies sought P4.9 billion in

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$2 million in unpaid wages retrieved for Filipino...

PAGE A1

Month last week, Versoza also said they were able to secure a $35 million budget for education and outreach programs that empower domestic workers, including caregivers, nannies, and house cleaners.

Together with the California Domestic Worker Coalition, the PWC supports domestic workers, mostly immigrant women, to ensure their rights are protected.

The festival, hosted by the PWC in Historic Filipinotown in LA, paid tribute to Larry Itliong, the iconic Filipino-American labor leader and civil rights advocate. The PWC has strived to carry on the life mission of Itliong, “championing the dignity and rights of workers,” Versoza said.

Fil-Am celebrities Donita Rose and Jay R joined local performers, including Felson Palad, Ramon Acoymo, Imogen Atangan, Mica Javier, the Filipino-American Symphony Orchestra (FASO), Pamana Kali, Ancestral Vision Movement, Pakaraguian Kulintang Ensemble (PKE), and PWC members.

One of the speakers, LA City Council member Hugo SotoMartinez, said it was “a little bit of a shock” to him to learn it was not the Mexican-American labor leader Cesar Chavez who started

confidential funds, while nine agencies requested P5.3 billion for intelligence funds.

The groups urged the Senate “to go beyond and abolish all confidential funds” amid reports that some senators plan to reinstate a portion of the P1.38 billion in CIFs realigned by the Congress.

They specifically highlighted the proposed P4.6 billion CIF of the Office of the President.

“We urge the Senate to realign these funds to critical areas such as health, education, housing, and other social services,” the group said.

They also urged the Senate to allocate higher salaries and benefits for teachers, health care workers and government PAGE A1 employees, provide subsidies to small farmers and fisherfolk, and Davis, was that unlike today, address other urgent needs of the her childhood was suffused with silence around the issue. people. 

The 6th Larry Itiong Festival featured a farmers market hosted by the Filipino Farmers Cooperative.

Photo courtesy of Pilipino Workers Center

the workers’ strike in Delano, California, but the Filipino farmworkers led by Itliong.

“I think today is about recognizing the contribution of the Filipinos during the (Delano) grape strike,” Soto-Martinez said.

“We recognize Larry Itliong as important, not just as a Filipino leader and icon, but also as an American leader and icon in terms of what he brought to the labor movement,” said Senior Justice Deputy Esther Lim from the Office of LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis. “That is something to be commemorated, to be remembered and talked about.”

California State Senator Maria

Elena Durazo paid tribute to Itliong, saying he helped lead “a very powerful movement.”

Other speakers included Asian American Studies scholar and educator Florante Ibanez, Mary Jane Galviso from the Filipino Farmers Cooperative and Itliong’s son, Johnny Itliong.

Versoza and Fil-Am community leader Gerald Gubatan emceed the event.

Attendees were given customized baybayin art, painted by renowned Filipino artist Eliseo Silva, best known for his Gintong Kasaysayan mural in Historic Filipinotown. Baybayin is an ancient writing system from the Philippines. (Nimfa U. Rueda/ Inquirer.net)

The assumption then was that nothing could be done “except solutions involving escape, but not changing the frame, not challenging whether violence was necessarily a part of human relationships.” Davis’ remarks – recorded from a presentation she made at a BSCF-Black Freedom Fund conference a week earlier – opened the news briefing.

She also noted that while there has been a sea change in public views of domestic violence, rates remain much the same. One in four women and one in six men in the U.S. will experience domestic violence in their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

Domestic violence has “been in most human societies for hundreds of years … yet is represented as a problem of the survivor,” said Davis. “With all of the actions that have happened” since the topic joined public discourse in the 1970s — including activism, support groups and crisis centers — “the actual incidence of violence has not changed very much.”

“Compared to then, we have made unimaginable progress,” Davis concluded.

Legislation helping domestic violence survivors Sharing legislative progress against domestic violence, California State Senator Susan Rubio (D-22) said one bill she recently helped pass, SB-914, was the landmark, bipartisan HELP Act, requiring state-funded care facilities to help unhoused domestic violence survivors.

The choice that these survivors face between leaving the relationship to live on the street, or staying to be abused, “isn’t a real choice,” said Rubio. “There is no middle ground or solution.”

Another bill, among the 25 that Rubio has authored on or about the issue, is a new version of her previous bill SB-273, The Phoenix Act, which extended the statute of limitations from its previous three — which had been unamended in 30 years — to five years for survivors to come forward. This year’s version of the bill extends the statute to 15 years. It passed every committee and is now being held until January, she said.

Rubio also passed SB-1141, which changes the definition of domestic violence to include “coercive control” previously unrecognized in court — for example, “if someone is holding basic necessities like food, shelter, or finances, or taking or monitoring your phone, you can now use it as supporting evidence in court,” she said.

“Victims need to have a support system to walk away safely.

Statistically, the danger of being harmed or murdered happens after separation.”

Post-separation domestic abuse Tina Swithin, domestic violence survivor and founder of grassroots family court resource organization One Mom’s Battle, agreed that a facet of domestic violence severely underaddressed and often worsened by the family court system is post-separation abuse.

Drawing attention to this by sharing her own story of protecting her children while acting as her own attorney (being unable to hire one due to financial abuse), starting in August 2009 and ending six years later, Swithin said, “On the day I received my family court case number, I was assigned my own personal

terrorist. We were in court 13 times in one year. Numerous CPS investigations labeled my ex-husband as a ‘moderate risk,’ but allowed my children to return every weekend. A custody evaluation during the first year prioritized my exhusband’s parental rights over my daughters’ safety.”

When she received a second custody evaluation in 2012, a different evaluator from the same agency validated her case. There is no “regulation, consistency, oversight or accountability” in family court, she said. “You can place the same case in front of five different judges and you will have five different outcomes.

This has to change through training and education in the court system.”

“What were business transactions and case numbers for them were my two- and fouryear-old children’s lives, and I’m considered one of the lucky ones,” Swithin added. “The abuser’s need for control doesn’t end when the relationship does.

Post-separation abuse is an extension of domestic abuse, and the family court system becomes the abuser’s playground.”

A case of overcoming postseparation abuse Viji Sundaram, a reporter for The SF Public Press and co-founder of the nonprofit women’s domestic violence advocacy group Narika, said that she discovered through her reporting on domestic violence that 80% of low-income U.S. litigants represent themselves, despite the fact that very few non-lawyers “know how to navigate the system.”

The father of one such woman, Maryam, asked Sundaram to write a story about her. He had set his daughter up in an arranged marriage with a man who claimed a high-paying job in Silicon Valley, but who was later found to be working a low-paying job and making pornographic movies at home.

By then she’d joined him from Pakistan.

When the husband asked Maryam to participate in the movies she refused. After they had a daughter, he asked again; when she refused again, he said, “If you don’t do it, I’ll have our daughter do it.”

Maryam fled back to Pakistan with her daughter. Though she contacted her husband there, he filed a missing persons report, rendering her a fugitive from justice.

“Working as a flight attendant with British Airways for the next three years, she was in constant fear that she’d be arrested wherever she landed,” said Sundaram.

Rather than having Maryam defend herself, Sundaram found for her, through Narika, an attorney who, for $400 — “an unheard-of low amount” — proved from telephone dockets that Maryam had been in constant touch with this man.

“The DA could have easily found this out without us seeking an attorney. Within a few months, Maryam was a free person, now remarried and quite happy,” Sundaram added.

Hers was a clear case of “coercive control,” continued Sundaram. “She wasn’t beaten up, but she considered ending her life. This was only a few years ago. If only the progress we’ve made, like Senator Rubio’s bill, was there, she could have sought relief through the courts instead of having to flee.” (Selen Ozturk/Ethnic Media Services)

Legal, grassroots gains against ‘most pervasive...

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Marcos to gov’t agencies: Extend aid to Filipinos from Gaza

by JEAN MANGALUZ Inquirer.net

MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has directed concerned government agencies to extend aid to the 40 Filipinos who were allowed to leave besieged Gaza.

In a message to reporters on Wednesday, November 8, Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil

said that the following agencies are directed to give aid: - Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) - Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) - Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) - Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).

“The President has

instructed the DMW, OWWA, DSWD as well as Tesda to provide assistance when they get back. Announcements will be made once they arrive,” said Garafil.

Earlier, Marcos said that 40 Filipinos have been allowed to cross Rafah from Gaza to Egypt amid fighting between Israeli forces and the Hamas group, which has left thousands dead, including four Filipinos. 

Clark International Airport among ‘World’s Most Beautiful Airports’ PH Marines begin drills with US: ‘Our partnership is unbreakable’ QUAKE DRILL. Kindergarten pupils participate in the 4th Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) at the Pinyahan Elementary School in Quezon City on Thursday, November 9. The Office of Civil Defense said the NSED was conceptualized in the aftermath of the destructive earthquake in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on May 27, 2006.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

MANILA, — Clark International Airport in Pampanga has been hailed as one of the 24 World’s Most Beautiful Airports, according to the prestigious Prix Versailles, World Architecture Award.

This was announced by CRK in a social media post.

“We are thrilled that CRK holds the distinction of a Laureate, among Prix Versailles list of the World's Most Beautiful Airports, being a finalist of this Award in 2021,” CRK’s management said in a Facebook post.

CRK, a four-level, 110,000-square meter gateway designed by Populous, is one of the two airports that was included in the list. The other is Vietnam’s Van Don International Airport.

Clark International Airport

The Pampanga terminal was announced to be among the top six finalists at the World Selection at Prix Versailles Architecture and Design Awards under the Airport category in 2021.

"World's Most Beautiful” Achievements recognition is granted by the Prix Versailles to structures with exceptional architecture and design. It “highlights the primary role of the Laureates in beautifying and improving the living environment.”

Bi Yong Chungunco, chief executive officer of the Luzon International Premiere Airport Development Corp. (LIPAD), the consortium in charge of the airport’s operations and

maintenance, in 2021 said that the CRK’s nomination is a recognition of its “outstanding qualities.”

LIPAD is also a consortium between Changi Airports Philippines Pte. Ltd., Filinvest Development Corporation, JG Summit Holdings Inc., and Philippine Airport Ground Solutions (PAGSS) Inc. For its part, CRK vows to improve its services amid the recent international recognition.

“Fueled with this honor, CRK remains committed to ensuring that our passengers' travel experience keeps getting better,” it said.

CRK can accommodate eight million passengers annually.

(Rosette Adel /Philstar.com)

THIS year’s marine corps drills between Philippines and United States have kicked off.

The opening ceremony for the seventh bilateral exercises was held at the Naval Station Jose Francisco in Taguig city on Thursday, November 9.

The events are dubbed ‘Kamandag,’ a Filipino word for venom.

“The drills will focus on coastal defense, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense,” according to Vice Admiral Toribio Adaci Jr. “It will also involve humanitarian assistance and disaster response,” he added.

Adaci is Philippine Navy’s FlagOfficer-in-Command.

Philippine Marine Corps commandant Major General Arturo Rojas said these drills seek to enhance regional readiness against external threats.

“Together, we send a powerful message to the world, especially to those who may seek to disrupt the peace – that our partnership is unbreakable, our resolve unyielding, and our commitment to defending our nations is always unwavering,” he said.

For his part, U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Thomas Siverts said this exercise is part of Washington’s commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty.

Siverts is the commanding Philstar.com photo officer of U.S. Marine Rotational

Force in Southeast Asia “Undoubtedly, we crafted this exercise based on the Mutual Defense Treaty,” Siverts said in a press conference.

The accord states Manila and Washington will support each other if an external party attack either one of them.

In previous exercises, drills were mostly held in Northern Luzon.

This year’s Kamandag will be conducted in more provinces including Batanes, Metro Manila, Cavite, Palawan, Zamboanga city and Tawi-Tawi.

Aside from the two countries, personnel from South Korea, Japan, and United Kingdom (UK) will join in the events.

A total of 2,749 personnel will participate in the drills. (John Eric Mendoza/Inquirer.net)

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A step toward reforms

SAYING it had become a “divisive issue,” Vice President Sara Duterte is dropping her request for P650 million in confidential funds for 2024, a spokesman announced on Thursday, November 9. In fact the vice president and concurrent education secretary was left with no choice after senators decided, like members of the House of Representatives, to realign all confidential and intelligence funds only to agencies with national security functions.

The Office of the Vice President will therefore not get its proposed P500 million in confidential funds in 2024. The Department of Education, which Duterte heads concurrently, will also not get the requested P150 million.

Defenders of the vice president and her father have dismissed the realignment of secret funds as mere politicking. With both chambers of Congress approving the realignment, lawmakers must ensure that this is not just a political move, but a step toward long-lasting reforms for transparency and accountability in the utilization of public funds.

To pass the necessary reforms, Congress need not wait for the Supreme Court to rule on a petition challenging the constitutionality of the allocation of P125 million in confidential funds to the Office of the Vice President, upon Sara Duterte’s request, in the final six months last year, even if there was no item for this in the General Appropriations Act for 2022. The Commission on Audit has confirmed that the amount, sourced from the contingent fund

of the Office of the President, was spent by the OVP within just 11 days in December.

Congress should expand the review of secret fund allocations to local government units. As Davao City mayor, Sara Duterte had enjoyed hefty confidential funds.

In 2016, when her father Rodrigo Duterte served as mayor in the first half before assuming the presidency, the city government had P144 million in confidential funds.

During Sara Duterte’s first full year as mayor in 2017, Davao City’s confidential funds more than doubled to P293 million. The amount soared to P420 million in 2018, and jumped further to P460 million annually in the next three years before she became vice president. The amount is significantly larger than the confidential expenses of wealthier cities such as Makati, Manila, Quezon City and ManilaTimes.net photo Cebu.

Giving officials wide personal discretion in the is a recipe for anomalous spending. Congress’ funds should not stop at the doorsteps of the vice utilization of huge amounts of people’s money rationalization of the allocation and use of secret president and education secretary. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Lessons learned (or not) in disaster resilience

Commentary

RONALD LAW As we distill the penultimate insights and takeaways from COVID-19 as it enters its endemic phase, and as we refresh our memory of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan)—the strongest typhoon to hit land in modern times—as we commemorate its 10th year anniversary on Nov. 8, 2023, one fundamental question begs to be asked: Have we as a nation learned our lessons from these disasters?

It may be worth taking stock of key lessons of past disasters that surfaced in Yolanda and those that broke out again during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effective risk communication can save lives. Early warning systems for typhoons and concomitant hazards like storm surges, flooding, and landslides and surveillance systems for infectious diseases with pandemic potential should generate information that can be used for preemptive or preventive actions. Thus, we must invest in these and improve the way we communicate and be understood. We must also translate this information into response actions that the government implements and the citizens observe and follow while engaging them so as not to lose their life-saving

Gray Matters

MICHAEL TAN ANGELYN Peralta Aguirre, 32, was due to fly back to the Philippines for Christmas from Israel, where she had worked as a caregiver. On Oct. 7, she was with her employer, a senior citizen named Nira, in Kibbutz Kfar, Gaza, when Hamas terrorists stormed into the kibbutz. Aguirre could have escaped on her own but she refused to leave her ward behind. She and Nira were killed in the rampage.

Camille Jesalva, another Filipino woman, aged 31, was more fortunate. She and her ward, 95-year-old Nitza Hefetz, were at home in Kibbutz Nirim when the terrorists attacked.

She, too, had chosen to stay with her ward. Thrice the terrorists

potential.

Local government preparedness is key to effective response on the ground. While the national government is mandated to provide support to address the disaster needs of the whole country, the frontlines of response is the local government unit. Thus, systems must be built from the ground up.

Planning, training of response teams, stocking of supplies, establishing operations centers, designing permanent evacuation centers, putting up more health facilities and laboratories, investing in research and development—these should be part of local development and investment plans. The national government, on its own, apart from supporting local governments, should also muster additional and special capacities to address the requirements of national-scale mega-disasters.

Lack of policies and plans is not the problem, but their implementation. Making sure existing policies are coherent and plans are attainable will go a long way. To better implement, there must be clarity on roles and responsibilities among stakeholders, identification and commitment of resources, and improved interoperability with other players. These can be tested during the conduct of different exercises and drills. Policy gaps may also necessitate the crafting of new policies that will address specific and emerging needs,

e.g., faster response, more flexible financing, better use of technology and innovations in response, addressing misinformation and disinformation, protecting data integrity and privacy.

Interagency coordination/ whole-of-society approach can speed up and enhance the delivery of basic services. Using existing and tried-and-tested mechanisms for coordination, for instance, the disaster risk reduction and management council at different levels of governance is imperative for effective response. But this should not be limited to the government. Private sector, civil society, nongovernment organizations, academia, local communities, people’s organizations, international partners must all be engaged and involved in making the wholeof-society approach a reality.

Moreover, the best time to build rapport and grow the network is during peacetime—before the disaster when strategies for prevention, mitigation, and preparedness are unequivocally more effective and thus should be more pronounced.

Leadership makes or breaks the response.

Authentic, credible, strong but compassionate leadership is the only brand of leadership that can help us pull through the myriad challenges and adversities during disasters.

Mediocre disaster leadership and management will only

OFW saints

passed by their home and did not barge in but Jesalva was sure their luck would run out.

She texted her mother to send a photo of her son, convinced she would not survive.

The fourth time the terrorists passed by, they did storm in.

Jesalva pleaded for their lives, offering them terrorists whatever was in her wallet, money she was saving for her planned trip home in December. A gunman took $370 from the wallet.

Still, another Filipino caregiver, herself already a senior citizen at 65, was caring for a 96-year-old Israeli. In an interview, she explained how she felt like she was with family caring for her ward: “You need to protect them.” She was ready whenever rockets fell, to bring the old man to a bomb center.

Other Filipino caregivers described how they would sometimes have to lift their wards and carry them to safety.

All over the world, Filipinos live and work in precarity, their own lives as well as those of people they care for: infants and children, senior citizens.

Reading about Filipino heroism during these terribly difficult times in the IsraelHamas war, I thought of how they are continuing a long tradition of heroism and sainthood. The second canonized Filipino saint, Pedro Calungsod, is described as the patron saint for OFWs. When you think about it, he was a prototype OFW, sent off to Guam to work, where he was martyred.

But even in more peaceful times and places, our Filipino caregivers and health workers are what Pope Francis calls “everyday saints.” He and his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, wanted to redefine holiness as attainable by anyone. Pope John Paul introduced the category of “Martyrs of Charity” for

DEVASTATING TOLL. Yolanda’s physical impact on Eastern Visayas was widely documented, with stories and visuals that show the widespread destruction caused by the storm. But its psychological impact remains largely hidden. Years after the disaster, it continues to take a devastating toll on its survivors, many of whom who still suffer from fear and trauma from their harrowing experiences.

Inquirer.net file photo

contribute to the catastrophic risks of a disaster. Thus, we must set a higher bar for the accountability of leaders in terms of disaster governance.

This includes sound and evidence-informed decisionmaking and open and inclusive styles of working with different stakeholders and the people to listen to them and serve them better in decreasing disaster risks.

We are so rich in disaster experiences that unfortunately come at a very high price: lost

lives, destroyed properties, damaged economy, broken dreams.

But what is more regrettable is that we are equally and arguably poor in learning our lessons from these.

For us to be truly resilient as a nation, let us not fail to learn from these disaster lessons.

After all, we are not just poor people in a risk-laden country perpetually trapped in disaster cycles that seem to have no end.

And by taking heed of this common disaster saying:

“Failure to learn from lessons is a fool’s recipe for disaster.”

(Inquirer.net) ***

those who die while practicing Christian charity.

I think of Richie Fernando, a Jesuit working in the Technical School for the Handicapped in Phnom Penh. One day in October 1996, an emotionally distraught student walked into the school with a grenade.

Richie grabbed the student, who then dropped the grenade. The explosion killed Richie but he had saved all the students in the school, including the boy who brought in the grenade.

The Jesuits have started the process to have Richie considered for beatification.

Finally, on Nov. 21, we must remember the Cassandra Martyrs of Charity, Filipino and Dutch Catholic, and Protestant religious and lay workers who worked with health programs that served the poor in Mindanao.

Ninoy Aquino was assassinated only three months earlier and the entire country was in ferment. Activists— yes, they were activists—felt

greater urgency in serving the growing needs of the poor and the marginalized. On that date in 1983, 13 of them were on their way to Cebu for a retreat and planning meeting. The ship was caught in a storm and began to sink.

The religious and lay workers were seen helping other passengers with their life vests and getting them into life rafts until it was too late for them to save themselves.

Their names are engraved in the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City and I want to honor these dear friends here, listing all their names, on this 40th anniversary of their martyrdom.

They, too, should be considered as part of the ranks of heroes and saints who left the comfort of their homes to serve others.

For the sisters, I have put their professed names first and, in parenthesis, their names before they became sisters: Sister Consuelo (Remedios) Chuidian RGS; Sister Concepcion (Lourdes) Conti RGS; Sister

Lucinda (Mary Catherine) Loreto RGS; Sister Virginia (Mary Virginia) Gonzaga RGS; Sister Josefa Medrano FMA, Sister Amparo Gilbuena MSM, Sister Antonette (Henrica) Berentsen (Nanette to most people) of the Congregation of Julie Postel, Fr. Jan Simon Westendorp, O.Carm., Pastor Ben Bunio of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines.

There were three lay leaders: Inocencio “Boy” Ipong, Evelyn Hong, and Sena Canabria. One teacher-activist who was also serving in Mindanao also died on the MV Cassandra; she is not included among the Martyrs of Charity but her name is included in the Bantayog ng mga Bayani: Ester Resabal-Kintanar.

(Inquirer.net) ***

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

*** Ronald Law is a public health physician, academic, and scholar who specializes in emergency preparedness. He was deployed to Tacloban, Leyte, the ground zero of Yolanda in 2013, and played a pivotal role in the COVID-19 response.

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

*** mtan@inquirer.com.ph

The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal.

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Chinese ship water cannons PH vessel anew on resupply mission in Ayungin

by FRANCO JOSE C. BAROÑA ManilaTimes.net

MANILA – The Philippine government accused a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel of using water cannon in an attempt to prevent a Philippine vessel from conducting another rotation and resupply (RoRe) mission to Filipino military personnel stationed on board BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) on Friday, November 10.

According to the National Task Force for the WPS, CCG vessel 5203 "deployed a water cannon against Philippine supply vessel M/L Kalayaan in an illegal though unsuccessful attempt to force the latter to alter course."

Three Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels--BRP Sindangan, BRP Melchora Aquino and BRP Cabra--that were escorting the

supply vessel also encountered continuous harassment from CCG and China maritime militia ships that blockaded the entrance of Ayungin Shoal.

Monitoring through the automatic information system (AIS) showed the dangerous blocking maneuvers conducted by the Chinese vessels on the Philippine ships.

The CCG, however, claimed it "lawfully" monitored the Philippine vessels and implemented "control measures."

A CCG spokesman said in a statement that two small transport ships and three PCG vessels "trespassed into the adjacent waters of Ren'ai Jiao (Ayungin Shoal) in China's Nansha Islands (Spratly Islands) without the permission of the Chinese government.

"The China Coast Guard tracked and monitored the ships, took regulatory measures, and made

temporary special arrangements for the Philippines to deliver food and other daily necessities," the CCG spokesman said.

He further stressed that China has indisputable sovereignty over the Spratly Islands, including Ayungin Shoal and its adjacent waters.

"The Philippines' act infringes upon China's territorial sovereignty, violates the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and breaks its own promise.

We urge the Philippine side to stop its infringement behavior immediately," the CCG spokesman said.

He added that the CCG "will continue to carry out law enforcement activities in the EARLY CAROLING. Bodoy Libang, 45, a member of the Ata-Manobo tribe, plays a native guitar as he goes Christmas caroling in Matina, Davao waters under China's jurisdiction City on Wednesday, Nov. 8. He said most homeowners declined to give him money because Christmas Day is far off.

PNA photo by Robinson Niñal Jr. in accordance with the law, and resolutely safeguard China's national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests." 

Let’s educate Filipinos that West Philippine Sea is ours, says Hontiveros MANILA – Senator Risa Hontiveros believes the country should amplify its efforts to educate Filipinos that West Philippine Sea is owned by Philippines.

Her remark comes following China’s latest water cannon attack against a Philippine Coast Guard vessel.

In a statement on Friday, November 10, Hontiveros labelled

China as an abuser, adding that abusers must be stopped.

“Paulit-ulit din ang pag-giit ng Tsina na kanya daw ang ating karagatan,” she observed.

(China has repeatedly insisted that our sea is its own.)

“We, in government, must double down on our efforts to educate our public and campaign for the one and only truth: ‘Atin ang West Philippine Sea,’” said

Hontiveros.

(West Philippine Sea is ours.)

Hontiveros also said China’s recent aggression is alarming, but “not entirely surprising.”

Data from Department of Foreign Affairs showed the country has filed 125 diplomatic protests against China under the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (Inquirer.net)

MANILA – The Senate on Thursday, November 9 approved the P10.4 billion budget of the Office of the President for 2024, including a P2.3 billion allotment for intelligence funds.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel 3rd cautioned, however, that there may be a need to question before the Supreme Court the "legality" of granting intelligence fund (IF) to the Office of the President (OP) being a civilian agency.

Pimentel, however, said he has no "issue in the grant of confidential funds to the Office of the President, a civilian government agency with multifaceted operations, responsibilities and tasks."

"My problem is with the intelligence expenses because our own governing document defined this as referring to those related to intelligence information gathering activities of uniformed and military personnel and intelligence practitioners," he said.

But the senator stressed, "I don't think the OP is composed of intelligence practitioners."

"Kung meron tayong mga (If we have) activists lawyers listening to us, maybe a case can be filed with the Supreme Court to test the legality of the grant of an intel fund to the Office of the President being a civilian agency," Pimentel said.

"Our president (Ferdinand Marcos Jr.) is an Ilocano. So, I

appeal to his Ilocano nature to review the amounts (for the OP's IF)," he said.

Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio attended the Senate plenary discussion of the OVP's proposed P1.874 billion budget for 2024, which was the amount approved by the House of Representatives (HoR).

The OVP originally received a P2.378 billion allocation under the 2024 national expenditure program but it had been slashed to over P1.8 billion after the HoR removed the OVP's proposed confidential and intelligence funds and realigned to agencies involved in ensuring national security.

(ManilaTimes.net)

Senate approves President’s P10.4B budget

Most Pinoys want stronger economic ties with US, Japan – poll

by JANVIC MATEO Philstar.com

MANILA — A majority of Filipinos want the Marcos administration to strengthen the country’s economic relations with the United States and Japan, a recent survey conducted by Pulse Asia showed.

The Sept. 10 to 14 survey, commissioned by Stratbase ADR Institute, asked the respondents to select from a list of up to three countries that they want the government to strengthen economic relations with.

The US topped the list with 74 percent of the respondents choosing it as among their three, followed by Japan with 55 percent.

It was followed by Australia with 46 percent; Canada, 40 percent; the European Union, 26 percent, and the United Kingdom with 21 percent.

Only 19 percent of respondents selected China as among the three countries with which they want the Philippines to have stronger economic relations.

Four percent selected India.

The survey results were released during a forum on the Philippine manufacturing sector organized by Stratbase on Wednesday, November 8.

During the forum, Stratbase president Dindo Manhit agreed that the Philippines should strengthen its ties trading and investment partners such as the US and Japan.

“Investments are crucial to unlocking the Philippines’ economic potential. Partnering with these economic partners and focusing on sectors that present great opportunities boost our chances of attaining investment-led growth that will pave the way for a resilient, prosperous, and sustainable future for Filipinos,” he said.

“Pursuing a more investmentled growth with these traditional partners will help in generating better quality jobs and employment opportunities,” he added.

The same survey also asked the respondents whether or not they agree that the private sector plays an instrumental role in ensuring economic security.

Some 70 percent agreed with the statement, while only six percent disagreed. Twenty-four percent were ambivalent.

The respondents were also asked to select from a list up to three ways that they think the private sector can help in the attainment of economic security.

Some 64 percent said

they can make goods more affordable and accessible to Filipino consumers, while 60 percent said the private sector can contribute to creating more jobs.

It was followed by expanding livelihood opportunities at 58 percent, improving health care services at 42 percent, improving quality and access to digital services at 28 percent, developing public infrastructure at 27 percent and developing the skills of Filipino workforce at 18 percent.

The survey had 1,200 respondents and a margin of error of plus/minus 2.8 percent.

French commitment Meanwhile, the Philippines and France have reaffirmed their respective nations’ commitment to work with each other and enforce international law in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. met with French Ambassador Marie Fontanel on Tuesday to discuss such partnership, among other matters of common interest.

France has been among the countries that openly expressed its support for the Philippines amid the country’s problems with China in WPS. 

FOR TICKETS, VISIT LAAUTOSHOW.COM/TICKETS

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Atty. Gurfinkel answers immigration questions from Kapamilya at Little Manila in Woodside, New York on Citizen Pinoy LEADING U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel and the Citizen Pinoy team head to Little Manila in Woodside, Queens, New York, to talk to Kapamilya, who asks immigration questions on Citizen Pinoy’s latest edition of “Your Tanong, My Sagot.”

Woodside is one of the neighborhoods with the largest Filipino population in the state of

New York. The area is known as “Little Manila” because of the many Filipino businesses, like Kabayan Bistro, a popular Filipino restaurant, and Max’s Restaurant, where Citizen Pinoy’s Atty. Gurfinkel answered questions from the guests.

• Lorna was petitioned by her employer back PAGE B2

Anne Curtis feels for children caught in war

By Jan Milo seVero Philstar.com

ACTRESS-HOST Anne Curtis wished she could do more for the innocent lives who are caught in the middle of the ongoing IsraelHamas war.

In her Instagram account, Anne reposted a video wherein a young boy was seen trembling.

“This has to stop. These are children. Innocent children who have done absolutely nothing to deserve this,” Anne said.

“I can’t take how frightened this little boy is. How traumatized he must be. I wish there was more we could do,” she added.

Anne is an ambassador of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), a humanitarian aid helping children around the globe.

Recently, actress Janella Salvador also reacted to the plight of children in the ongoing war.

KAPAMILYA IN WOODSIDE, QUEENS, NEW YORK, GET ANSWERS TO THEIR IMMIGRATION QUESTIONS FROM LEADING U.S. IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY MICHAEL J. GURFINKEL IN PART 1 OF “YOUR TANONG, MY SAGOT.” Atty. Gurfinkel (right) answers the following questions – From Marisa (left), a civil surgeon who conducts physical exams for those applying for a green card: What can I tell patients who ask me, “How long before my case gets approved?”; From Kerwin (second from left): My wife and I filed our joint petition on our third year of marriage. Why has my green card not arrived yet?; From Lorna (third from left): I was petitioned by my employer in 2007. I have not received my green card yet, and my employer is now 94 years old. What can I do? Be sure to tune in for the answers to these questions from Kapamilya in Woodside, Queens, New York in Part 1 of “Your Tanong, My Sagot” on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, November 12 at 6:30 PM PT (9:30 PM ET) through select Cable/Satellite providers, right after TV Patrol Linggo.

(Advertising Supplement)

Former ‘The Voice of the Philippines’ star drops comeback single in the US

By Mary Villegas Inquirer.net

Actress and TV host Anne Curtis

“The amount of times I’ve cried seeing all these posts about Palestinian children dying and losing loved ones…” Janella wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Photo from Instagram/@annecurtissmith

“I just wish there was something I could do. I wish there was something we could all do besides watch their entire world crumble,” she added. g

GROWING up in a karaokeloving family makes us Filipinos good singers (well, most of us), and it’s not surprising that the great belters have found their way to fame just as how the former “The Voice of the Philippines” star is now set to make waves in the U.S. After a decade-long musical journey, Deb Victa has a brand new comeback single, “American Boy.” Back in season one of “The

Voice,” Victa sang this track as her blind audition piece.

Fast forward to today, she’s giving the classic track a fresh take. In her own words, “It’s originally by Estelle, but we decided to put my own spin on it to make it sound more modern and more me.”

Encouraging her to launch this new song is mentor and manager Garth Garcia, who’s also making his own mark with his latest track topping the iTunes chart.

DJ Mysterkeyz lent his magic Deb Victa Photo from Instagram/@debvicta PAGE B3

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Atty. Gurfinkel answers immigration... A busy 25th year in showbiz for Piolo PAGE B1 in 2007. To date, she has not yet received her green card, and she is worried because her employer is now 94 years old.

She wants to know what she can do to get her green card.

• Kerwin shared that in their third year of marriage, he and his wife filed their joint petition.

Kerwin wants to know why it is taking a long time for his green card to arrive.

• One of the guests asking a question is an internist from Woodside who also happens to be a civil surgeon who conducts physical exams as part of the documentation required for those applying for a green card. Dr. Marissa (left) gets the same question from many of her patients after the physical exams: “How long before my case gets approved?” While it is not part of her job, she wants to know what she can tell her patients.

Atty. Gurfinkel is also given a quick tour of “Little Manila” by local resident and restaurateur Nel Castellvi.

By IZA IGLESIAS ManilaTimes.net

Lorna (left) with Atty. Gurfinkel

Atty. Gurfinkel answers these questions in part 1 of “Your Tanong, My Sagot” in Woodside in Queens, New York. Watch this encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, November 12 at 6:30 PM PT (9:30 PM ET through select Cable/Satellite providers), right after TV Patrol Linggo. Citizen Pinoy is also available on iWantTFC. Viewers may download the free app.

(Advertising Supplement)

Kevin (left) with Atty. Gurfinkel

Dr. Marissa (left) with Atty. Gurfinkel

FROM the silver screen, the musical theater stage, the concert hall, to the world of internet streaming, Piolo Pascual is an artist who continues to evolve and defy expectations.

With 25 amazing years already under his belt, there is no stopping the Philippines’ “Ultimate Heartthrob” from furthering his artistry amid the ever-changing world of Philippine entertainment.

“Actually, I didn’t want to necessarily celebrate or kind of highlight my 25 years because it’s just a number. Though it’s relative, I just want to keep on going,” Pascual said in a media conference.

“But those 25 years I’ve been blessed. It’s nice to reminisce or look back and just be grateful.

But I think the driving force was always to work, to do something, be better, to grow.

So that was constantly in my head,” he continued.

The 46-year-old heartthrob considers 2023 as one of the busiest years in his entire career.

In June, Pascual took on the titular role of Crisostomo Ibarra, Jose Rizal’s protagonist in his novel “Noli Me Tangere,” via the original Filipino musical “Ibarra.”

“The stage was my first love. It was an eye opener for me when I started doing theater from grade school to high school and all the way to college. I just had this feeling that I wanted to act.

So theater was my way in. My friends in theater were the ones who encouraged me to audition in ABS-CBN with Star Magic,” he recalled.

“It was like going back to school or training because the discipline is very different. For a month I was in a hotel near the venue, the GSIS Theater, and I just rehearsed everyday, took voice lessons everyday and I hang out with the theater people just to really immerse myself. It was worth it,” he added.

Then on October 20, Pascual held a concert aptly titled “An Ultimate Night With Piolo” directed by Johnny Manahan at the Newport Performing Arts Theater. He had special guests including Jericho Rosales, Arnel Pineda, Erik Santos, son Iñigo

Piolo Pascual remains relevant 25 years on in showbiz.

Photo from Instagram/@piolo_pascual

Pascual, and Regine Velasquez as his surprise guest.

It took 15 years for him to hold a concert again, admitting that he feels intimidated whenever he performs on stage.

“I can be shy at times, almost bordering on being an introvert.

If you don’t talk to me, I won’t talk back. But onstage, to be able to get your audience engaged for two hours, that is hard because I’m an audience member myself. I’m not the type who likes to be the star or the host.”

Currently, Pascual is in North America for a five-stop international concert tour in the U.S. and Canada. It started in November 5 and will continue until November 19. He will be sharing the stage with comediennes Ai-Ai delas Alas and Rufa Mae Quinto.

“I like singing because I get to express myself in a different way. The way I work the camera for film or TV, it’s a different expression. I get to be more personal and that’s a totally different side of me when I do a show because I tend to just really get intimate and personal.

You want to be as engaging as possible,” Pascual related.

“I will enjoy the whole twohour set and yeah, I’m not going to be doing something I’m not comfortable doing. But I’m going to showcase some strong songs that I’ve done through the years, through the last 25

years of being around in the industry,” Pascual continued.

Once he goes back to the Philippines, Pascual will start promoting his Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) official entries. This will be the first time Pascual will be a part of the much-anticipated film festival once again since 2002’s “Dekada ‘70.”

Pascual will lead “Mallari,” a horror film inspired by actual events in the life of the first documented Filipino serial killer. Produced by Mentorque Productions and line-produced

by Cleverminds, Inc, the film is Pascual’s first ever horror project.

In a media conference, Pascual confessed that he initially declined the project because he was doing another movie.

However, after discussing serial killers with fellow actors Joao Constancia and Kyle Echarri during the filming of their movie “The Ride,” they discovered a Filipino serial killer named Severino Mallari, which piqued Pascual’s interest.

He then decided to ask pitching of the project, wherein he eventually agreed on and took three characters who are all related from different timelines: the serial killer Mallari in 1812, John Rey Mallari in 1948, and Jonathan Mallari in the present day.

“I told myself, ‘Three characters? It seems quite challenging. Do I need this now? I’m busy.’ But I guess you could say I’m a sucker for good stories,” he said.

“It is complicated but if you watch the movie, there’s a lot of back stories, good narrative that you’ll be able to keep up.

We did this in less than a month and everyone just brought their A-game,” he added.

As if taking the lead role in a MMFF entry wasn’t impressive enough, the awardwinning actor is also part of another MMFF entry entitled “GomBurZa” in a special participating role.

He is also part of the upcoming Netflix Original series “Replacing Chef Chico” — starring alongside Sam Milby and Alessandra De Rossi — the firstFilipino-produced series for the streaming giant.

On the international film festival scene, Pascual is one of PAGE B4

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R’Bonney Gabriel slays her packing game with some good ol’ balikbayan boxes MISS Universe 2022 Filipina American R’Bonney Gabriel flew to El Salvador strutting not just her suitcases but also a bunch of balikbayan boxes.

Gabriel visited the country for the Miss Universe Philippines coronation night where Michelle Dee was proclaimed the new queen to battle her way to become Gabriel’s successor.

The beauty queen-slash-fashion designer also reunited with her family and strolled down her father’s place in Malate.

Flying to El Salvador for the upcoming Miss Universe pageant last Monday, November 6, Gabriel sported an all-purple ensemble with thighhigh white boots that left fans in awe.

But what really caught everyone’s attention wasn’t her runway-ready style, it was her uniquely Filipino baggage—balikbayan boxes in her cart.

Social media buzz with Filipino feels In her Instagram post on Nov. 7, Tuesday, she candidly captioned, “Manager Milana: “How many suitcases are you packing for Miss Universe?”

And her reply that had the netizens rolling, “Me: ‘My heart is happy,’ says Janine Gutierrez after her contract renewal with ABS-CBN. Philstar.com photo

Janine renews ties with ABS-CBN, game to work with GMA stars

By Nathalie tomada Philstar.com

JANINE Gutierrez is excited to renew her contract with ABSCBN and be part of their “global vision.”

“I’m just happy, really, to renew at ABS-CBN. From the bottom of my heart talaga, nagpapasalamat ako,” said the actress in our interview after her recent contract-signing with ABS-CBN executives.

ABS-CBN chief executive officer (CEO) Carlo Katigbak had earlier thanked Janine for her commitment to the network, especially during challenging times. “Thank you again for choosing to be a Kapamilya.

When I was listening to you doing your interview there, you were saying that Kapamilya is someone who stays with you through thick and thin, and I remember you chose to be part of ABS-CBN even after we had lost the franchise. To me, that’s proof that family stays together no matter what.”

He further said, “We’re very, very proud of what you have done here in ABS-CBN, most lately with Dirty Linen. We’re very, very proud of what you’ve done for us Janine. Thank you so much for choosing to be a Kapamilya. You’re a very wellloved member of the ABS-CBN family.”

As a Kapamilya, Janine has done a variety of projects, including the romantic-comedy series Marry Me, Marry You, the LGBTQ-themed film Sleep with Me, and the thriller-drama Dirty Linen. Under her new contract, she teased that she will continue to do movies and series.

“What I love working in ABS, parang very global talaga yung vision natin, yung content natin alam mong Filipino siya, Philippines yung mga issues, but it’s global yung pagkagawa, yung pagka-release,” she told The STAR. “Ito na din talaga yung pangarap ko, makasama ako dun sa mga projects na i-expose sa ibang bansa like Dirty Linen, which is is part of the Content Asia Awards. And I know that all the partnerships of ABS with Prime, where Dirty Linen is streaming, Sleep with Me naman is on Netflix, excited talaga ako that yung vision ng ABS is global and I get to be part of it.”

Asked if she’s been actively seeking out and auditioning for international projects, she admitted, “Hindi. I haven’t really thought about it. What I would prefer is yun nga, do projects that we do here, tapos makilala na ‘Ah, Pilipinas to.’ But of course, kung may dumating

na Hollywood, why not ‘di ba?

Punta tayo dyan.”

Meanwhile, Janine hasn’t really taken a break after the end of Dirty Linen. She’s been busy filming but cannot talk about what she’s doing as of yet.

“Actually, ‘di naman po talaga ako nag-break. ‘Di ko lang mapost… May ginagawa akong movie,” she said. “‘Di ko makwento. May mga NDA (non-disclosure agreement).”

Speaking of Dirty Linen, she loves how the writers wrapped up the series. “Yes, I think, (the ending for the characters was) well-deserved because the story was really about justice. I really liked what the writers did na napakagaling. In a way, it was poetic, yung naging ending na nabaon,” she said, referring to how Carlos and Leona Fiero (played by John Arcilla and Janice de Belen) ended up being trapped underground and presumed buried alive with their hidden wealth.

“We’re happy with the ending. Even with the ending of Aidan (Zanjoe Marudo) and (my character) Mila,” said Janine.

Asked if she wants something similar, storytelling-wise, for her next ABS-CBN project, she said, “Sinasabi ko nga mahirap na din magsabi kasi mas higit pa yung naiisip ng ABS para sa akin. Like Dirty Linen, I would never have thought of it but it’s my dream role. So (I know) anything that they give me, maganda talaga. I will happily accept it.”

Janine is very open to the possibility of working again with her mom Lotlot de Leon after the film Dito at Doon and briefly in Marry Me, Marry You. “I want something like (the 2017 film) Lady Bird, a mother-daughter story,” she expressed.

Janine was also asked if she’s willing to work with artists from GMA, her former network. “Oo kasi nagko-collab. Wala, of course (problem), happy to work with (GMA artists)... (I want to work with) kahit sino. Lahat sila.”

Regarding the possibility of reuniting with Paulo Avelino, following their collaboration in Marry Me, Marry You and the 2022 film Ngayon Kaya, Janine, who has been romantically linked with the Linlang actor, expressed her willingness: “Oh my gosh, sila po kasi nag-dedecide nun eh. Anything they will have planned for me, I’m super game. Whatever it is, I’m sure they know best.”

Meanwhile, asked about her lovelife, a smiling Janine answered, “OK naman,” and playfully added, “My heart is happy naman kasi kaka-contract sign ko lang, haha!” g

Former ‘The Voice of the...

PAGE B1 touch to produce her music, while the vocal arrangements are credited to Purpose Driven Records.

‘The Voice PH’ magic While Victa is now successful on her own, she still believes she owes it to Bamboo, the coach who turned his seat and got her on board team Kamp Kawayan.

“I believe there are no accidents, and I see now that becoming part of Team Bamboo was good for me at the time because he taught me to find my sound and artistry, which I had barely scratched the surface of,” Victa said.

Being “The Voice” star, doors opened for her—she performed at one of Bamboo’s concerts in Araneta Coliseum and scored regular spots in bars and lounges. After a year of living her dream in the Philippines, she packed her bags and continued her musical journey in the US. Here’s where another adventure began for her. She shone at the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall and performed with the Filipino American Symphonic Orchestra, even headlining a few Fil-Amproduced shows.

Musical roots and inspirations Music is deeply rooted in her family with her lolo, Augusto Victa, who once shared the screen with Chuck Norris in the ’80s classic “Missing in Action.” While her father, Val Victa has played Atty Fidel Dioquino in “Valiente.”

“American Boy” is now available on all platforms. g

(melting face emoji) Following this post were her followers’ applause and witty banter. Fellow beauty queen 2018 Miss Supranational 1st Runner-Up Katrina Dimaranan commented, “Yass get that balikbayan box girl!”

Even pageant coach Voltaire E. Tayag couldn’t resist asking, “Did you bring another national costume in those boxes?” Her coach Jamie Hadfield also chimed in, “Everything but the kitchen sink!”

But her chic outfit didn’t go unnoticed when 2016 Miss Universe Siera Bearchell said, “This purple outfit is everything !!!

Countdown to Miss Universe 2023 Dee, with her high hopes to clinch the crown on Nov. 18 is representing the Philippines and hoping to restart the country’s semifinal streak following Celeste Cortesi’s surprise early exit last year.

We’re not there yet, but we can feel the Miss Universe fever spreading, and some pageant fans are already preparing their voices for a lot of screams. (by Mary Villegas/Inquirer.net)

Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel Photo from Instagram/@rbonneynola

Roderick answers queries from social media users

VETERAN actor Roderick Paulate said that he did not go to jail for the graft case filed against him in his latest interview with showbiz writer and publicist Ogie Diaz.

The actor and former Quezon City councilor sat down with Diaz for the latter’s vlog on YouTube.

He answered questions from social media users who were wondering why he was still able to shoot a movie if he was allegedly behind bars.

“Once and for all, hindi po ako nakulong,” he said.

“Okay, totoo ‘yun. ‘Yung

lumabas sa news. Pero hindi naman sinasabi ng news kung ano ‘yung mga legal procedure na mangyayari,” he added.

Roderick said that he finds it unfair that people talk about his case but do not talk about his acquittal.

“Bakit ganoon?

Noong negatibo, ang laki-laki ng balita.

Pinag-piyestahan ako,” he said.

He referred to the headlines on several media and vlogs regarding his case and the ensuing reactions and backlash from social media users.

“Pero bakit noong in-acquit

ako at dinismis ang kaso ng Court of Appeals, bakit hindi n’yo rin pinag-piyestahan at hindi kayo nag-hallelujah? Na ‘Hallelujah, hindi totoo. Sinabi ng Court of Appeals na wala siyang kasalanan at hindi siya pwedeng i-link doon sa lahat na nangyari na irregularities or something dahil walang pruweba.’

“So I find it unfair,” he added.

In December 2022, the Sandiganbayan sentenced Roderick Paulate Photo from Facebook/Roderick Paulate former Quezon City councilor Roderick Paulate to up to 62 in connection with the hiring of years in prison for graft and “ghost employees” in 2010. (by falsification of public documents Jan Milo Severo/Philstar.com)

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Arts project showcases works from the Philippines and the US on Nov 11 Launch Exhibit features Tony Winner Clint Ramos, Rafael Maniego and more

LOS ANGELES — “Project Hulmahan”, a dynamic showcase of the richness and diversity of Filipino artistic expression launches on November 11 at 3pm. Hosted by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Greater Los Angeles (UPAAGLA), this groundbreaking project is in cooperation with Bayanihang Marikenyo+Marikenya (BM+M) features artworks made from shoe lasts from both Philippinebased and US-based artists, both established and emerging.

Project Hulmahan has had successful exhibitions in the Philippines with top-named artists whose sale of artworks benefitted the cause of BM+M which is to support community kitchens.

The Los Angeles project is the first which includes USAbased Filipino Americans whose creations will be displayed for the first time at the Filipino American Community Los Angeles (FACLA) Hall at 1740 W Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90026.

Over 40 works will be exhibited with contributions from Tony Winner Clint Ramos, Ole Johnson, Lydia Velasco, Vic Magsaysay, Edwin Natividad, Cat Oshman, Jhoiey Ramirez, and many more.

Project Founder Zena Bernardo will be curating the

Tony Award winner Clint Ramos artwork will be exhibited

Golden Globe nominated actor Dolly De Leon holds an artwork by Ole Johnson, with UPAAGLA President Eric Panuncialman

“Together We Soar” by Vicente JR “JUN’X” Pado

“The Poppies” by Tiinz Taruc

FACLA exhibit along with UPAAGLA Project Chair & Even Lead Dennis Reyes.

Ten Filipino American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI) artists who

belong to the Arts Incubator Program joined the Project Hulmahan Los Angeles. The collaboration was facilitated

by FASGI Executive Director

Yey Coronel. Participating are Cesar Devera, Celina Taganas Duffy, Lutzie Francisco, Eddie Gumamit, Rafael Maniago, Margot Marfori, Amado Robles, Bienvenido Sibug, Tiinz Taruc, and Ninette Tenza.

The Project came about when one of the co-founders of Bayanihang Marikenyo at Marikenya saw their volunteers using wooden shoe lasts as firewood and the visual message jolted her to the realization that the Marikina Shoe Industry was not just badly hit - it was dying.

Exibitions have raised funds for the community kitchens, and the Los Angeles exhibit will benefit UPAAGLA’s Endowment Fund and Scholarships as well.

Last October 2023, UPAAGLA also welcomed Golden Globe Nominated Actress Dolly De Leon, who along with Bernardo and BM+M Founders were the purveyors of Project Hulmahan.

Ms. De Leon was among the first to view the first US-based artwork by Ole Johnson.

“We are thrilled to bring Project Hulmahan to Los Angeles,” said Eric Panuncialman, President of UPAAGLA (2023-2025).

“This exhibition is only that beginning of an exceptional showcase that continues online THE event started with the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin and at UPAAGLA events until Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth on October 13, 2023 at The December 2024.”

Launch Exhibit Sponsors are Monastery of the Angels in Hollywood, California, as the feast of the last apparition of Our Lady of Fatima.

PAGE B7 Our Lady’s urgent request is that we have to live out our consecration to her Immaculate Heart, so that the Holy Spirit will come and transform us for the conversion of sinners and the salvation of souls. She wants us to continue to spread her cenacle, wherever we go and to everyone we meet. We have to start a family cenacle at home, and our reward is heaven.

The three day Marian Movement of Priests (MMP) Regional Cenacle Retreat was a great success starting October 13-15, 2023 at The Monastery of the Angels in Hollywood California. Participants came from various parts of the state of California, namely Los Angeles, Long Beach, Cerritos, Culver City, Van Nuys, Northridge, Artesia, Inglewood, Walnut, Azusa, Malibu, Paramount, Glendale, Panorama, Irvine, Lake, Balboa, Bellflower, West, Covina, Carson, Torrance, Fall River, Massachusetts, and Portugal.

With the blessings of our Lady and our Lord more cenacles will be started as a result of this Three Day Retreat. According to Father Andre Feain, MMP Regional Director, our Lady wants this. If you need assistance in starting the next cenacle, please contact sister Mary Sarte Sabate at(562) 343-0959, Ning Iskra (310) 766-5377, Josie Keen (213) 926-6708, or Leonie Candelario (213) 448-4279 g

The first MMP Regional Cenacle Retreat at The Monastery of the Angels in Hollywood, California

A busy 25th year in...

PAGE B2 the leading men of Brillante Mendoza’s star-studded “Moro”’ — a tragic drama about two warring brothers in Mindanao – that just recently premiered at the 28th Busan International Film Festival.

“With [Mendoza], it was a different experience all together because he makes you do improv. It was a good exercise, you really have to know your character, you really have to know what you’re doing to be able to communicate the scene well and to convey the message that he wants to convey the audience,” he mentioned.

Lastly, this November as well, Pascual will be releasing a new album under Star Music, produced by Jonathan Manalo. The album will contain eight tracks with Pascual performing alongside Juris, Morissette, Yeng Constantino, KZ Tandingan, Moira Dela Torre, Kyla, and Regine Velasquez.

With all these projects lined up just this year, there is indeed no signs of slowing down for Pascual.

Asked how he was able to do all them effectively, he finally shared, “If you settle for what you’ve already done, there’s no more growth. That’s why it humbles me every time I take on new character or new work.” g

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Pastor’s Notes ReveRend Rodel G. BalaGtas IT’S not only that we long for God; we also thirst for and seek His wisdom to guide us in all the challenges of our lives. We pray to God to help us make right choices and decisions as we lead our families, churches, and communities. I earnestly hope that our nation’s leaders do the same as they navigate through the difficulties of ending conflicts and wars in this present age.

Our First Reading from the Book of Wisdom (6:1-20) conveys the need to plea for God’s wisdom. The passage emphasizes the responsibilities of rulers to seek wisdom and advises them to diligently search for it, making it a priority in their leadership roles. This is because wisdom enables righteous judgment and effective decisionmaking.

As a pastor, I also make seeking God’s wisdom a priority in my prayer life as I lead His Church. I share my concerns with God and express

On seeking God’s wisdom my true motives of serving Him. When I do this, I find peace and trust in Him. The passage from the Book of Wisdom brings me comfort as it conveys that those who seek wisdom are promised numerous rewards, including honor, riches, friendship with God, eternal life, and the ability to navigate adversity and conflicts wisely.

In this Sunday’s Gospel, the Parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus uses the image of oil lamps to speak about wisdom.

He conveys the message of being always ready and preparing for the coming of the Lord, just like the five wise virgins who have enough oil to light their lamps and welcome the arrival of the bridegroom.

For us, this means we must always be ready for death and the Second Coming by cultivating a relationship with God, staying rooted in prayer, immersing ourselves in His word, and living lives of faith and holiness.

Indeed, we must keep our

eyes open, “for you know not the day or the hour.” The Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Church in the Modern World states: “We do not know the time for the consummation of the earth and of humanity nor do we know how all things will be transformed. As deformed by sin, the shape of this world will pass away, but we are taught that God is preparing a new place and a new earth where justice will abide, and whose blessedness will answer and surpass all the longings for peace which spring up in the human heart.”

May we always seek God’s wisdom and be ready to meet our Creator and Redeemer at the end of our lives! *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.

A Joeyful Christmas night of music with Joey Albert From My Point of View dan e. nino IN a bid to upgrade the existing College Seminary and House of Formation for theology students of the Marian Missionaries of the Holy Cross (MMHC) in Marikina and Silay City, the combined forces of the Holy Family Church in Artesia and St. John of God in Norwalk, are spearheading “A Joeyful Christmas, a night of music with renowned recording artist, Joey Albert on Dec. 1 (Friday) at 6:30 p.m.

The concert venue will be the PAGE B7

Are you keeping track of electronic records of your work hours?

You may not be paid wages for all hours worked

Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights atty. C. Joe sayas, JR. YOU may not notice, but some employers round down work hours and pay lesser wages for hours other than those recorded. The so-called “rounding down” practice occurs when employers reduces to the nearest 5 minutes, or one-tenth of an hour, or quarter of an hour. Practiced through a period, unpaid wages may become significant.

Two recent decisions from the California Court of Appeal now makes clear that employees who are underpaid due to an employer’s rounding policy are entitled to recover those unpaid wages in court.

The so-called “rounding” practice derives from federal regulations that allow it so long as “it will not result, over a period of time, in failure to compensate the employees properly for all the time they have actually worked.”

The California Court of Appeal adopted this reasoning in their 2012 decision in Silva v. See’s Candy Shops, Inc., which found rounding lawful “if the employer applies a consistent rounding policy that, on average, favors neither overpayment nor underpayment.”

But modern employer timekeeping systems have evolved to commonly used electronic methods that create accurate records of employees’ time worked. This undermines the supposed need for a rounding policy to address administrative difficulties in

computing employee wages.

In Woodworth v. Loma Linda University Medical Centers, a Registered Nurse challenged the medical center’s policy of rounding time punches to the nearest one-tenth of an hour.

Similarly, in Camp v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc., Home Depot employees Delmer Camp and Adriana Correa challenged their employer’s practice of rounding their time punches to the nearest quarter of an hour.

The employees in these cases argued that they should have been paid for all the hours reflected in the electronic

Two recent decisions from the California Court of Appeal now makes clear that employees who are underpaid due to an employer’s rounding policy are entitled to recover those unpaid wages in court. timekeeping systems used by their employers. The Court of Appeal agreed.

The Court noted that “employers had developed rounding as a way to efficiently calculate hours worked and wages owed,” but that electronic timekeeping systems “recorded time worked to the minute and took the extra step of rounding that time,” such that it was “unclear what efficiencies the employer had gained from the practice.” As such, and because the practice of rounding has no support or basis in California law, the Court found the practice

of rounding unlawful if the employer uses a timekeeping system that allows it to accurately record actual time worked.

The Woodworth court explained: “Because the medical center could and did capture the exact number of minutes that employees worked, it must pay the employees for all the time worked.”

Employees who are not paid for all wages earned as reflected in their electronic timekeeping records, therefore, have viable claims to recover unpaid wages in court. If the amount due to a single employee is not significant to warrant an individual lawsuit, the remedy is to proceed with a class action to correct this unlawful employment practice.

As this can be confusing at times, it is smart to consult with an experienced employment attorney. *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at no cost. You can contact the office at (818) 291-0088 or visit www.joesayaslaw.com. [For more than 25 years, C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. successfully recovered wages and other monetary damages for thousands of employees and consumers. He was named Top Labor & Employment Attorney in California by the Daily Journal, consistently selected as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, and is a past Presidential Awardee for Outstanding Filipino Overseas.]

(Advertising Supplement)

B6 NOVEMBER 11-14, 2023 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Reinstatement for surviving beneficiaries of an I-130 petition filed by a deceased relative

DEAR Attorney Tan, My US Citizen mother filed an I-130 immigrant petition on my behalf, which has a priority date in February 2000 and which has been approved. She filed the I-130 petition after I came to the US in 1999 as a tourist from the Philippines. Since my arrival, I have lived in the US and have been out of status.

Since I was petitioned as an unmarried adult daughter, I was advised that I had to wait several years to get a green card. Recently, my mother passed away. Can I still get a green card through my mother’s petition? -Apparently In Limbo Dear Apparently In Limbo, When your mother passed away, the I-130 that was approved on your behalf was revoked by operation of law pursuant to 8 CFR Section 205.1. However, depending on the facts of a particular case, all is not lost. You may be eligible to get a green card pursuant to INA Section 204(L).

Under INA Section 204(L), relief from an automatic revocation of an I-130 petition is available to certain surviving relatives.

Surviving relatives who are eligible to seek 204(L) relief include a 1) principal or derivative beneficiary of an I-130 petition that was filed by a deceased permanent resident or U.S. Citizen, and 2) derivative beneficiary of an I-130 petition that was filed by a permanent resident or U.S. Citizen where the principal beneficiary has died. Section 204(L) relief is also available to derivative beneficiaries in I-140 employment-based petitions

Legal Advice ATTY. DARRICK TAN where the principal beneficiary has died.

Another requirement for Section 204(L) relief is that the person seeking relief must have “residence” in the US. What is meant by “residence?” It is your primary home or principal actual dwelling place. At least one beneficiary must have resided in the U.S. when the petitioning relative died, and must continue to reside in the U.S. when seeking Section 204(L) relief. It is worth noting that all beneficiaries of a petition can benefit from Section 204(L) relief as long as at least one of the beneficiaries meets the residence requirement.

Further, although “residence” is required, Section 204(L) does not require actual physical presence in the U.S. when the relative died.

In your case, it appears that you are eligible to obtain a green card. You are a principal beneficiary of an I-130 petition filed by your US Citizen mother.

Further, you appear to meet the residence requirement in that you have been in the US since your arrival in 1999— you resided in the US when your mother passed away, and currently reside in the US. A check of the USCIS visa bulletin indicates the priority date for the I-130 petition filed by

your mother on your behalf is current, so you can file an I-485 adjustment of status application, requesting reinstatement of the I-130 petition filed by your mother pursuant to Section 204(L).

As a sidenote, Section 204(L) relief is also available if one’s relative died while the I-130 was pending, not only after the I-130 petition was approved.

Section 204(L) relief therefore is broader than Humanitarian Reinstatement of a petition under 8 CFR Section 205.1, which can only be requested by the principal beneficiary when the petitioner him/herself has died, and after approval of an I-130.

Relief under Section 204(L) is discretionary, and can be denied if factors in support of relief are not presented properly. It is accordingly recommended that you seek the assistance of an experienced attorney. *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** Darrick V. Tan, Esq. is admitted to practice law in California and Nevada.

Mr. Tan is a graduate of UCLA and Southwestern University School of Law. He is a member of the Consumers Attorney Association of Los Angeles and is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Philippine American Bar Association. LAW OFFICES OF DARRICK V. TAN, 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Tel: 323-639-0277. Email: info@dtanlaw.com (Advertising Supplement)

Boy Abunda on Kris Aquino reunion: ‘It was different seeing her’

By JAN MILO SEVERO Philstar.com

TV host Boy Abunda admitted that he turned emotional upon seeing Kris when they recently reunited in the United States.

In an episode of “Fast Talk

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with Boy Abunda,” Boy said he cried because he missed Kris, his talk show partner for many years. They were among the hosts of popular 1990s and early 2000s showbiz-oriented shows “Startalk” and “The Buzz.”

“It was a happy, beautiful

reunion. It was different seeing her. Tatanggapin ko po, ako ay naging emosyonal, sinabi rin naman ito ni Kris, I was emotional,” he said.

“Pinipigilan ko pong hindi umiyak pero naiyak po ako, naPAGE B7

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Modifying down child and spousal support obligation after a divorce Barrister’s Corner ATTY. KENNETH URSUA REYES DIVORCED parties are sometimes ordered to pay child support and spousal support in the divorce judgment. The support orders are generally based on the parties’ financial situation and custody arrangements at the time of the settlement or trial. However, what if your income decreases after the divorce or what if your spouse’s income increases after the divorce due to a promotion or a better paying job? Do you have the right to modify your support obligation?

If your income has gone down substantially from the time that the child or spousal support determination, you may be able to file a modification of your support obligation. Losing a job or having less income constitutes a material change of circumstances that would allow the court to modify down your support obligations.

Child support in California is based on guideline formula. One of the factors that is considered in the guideline formula is your gross income. Usually the court would look at several months or

even an average of the last 12 months income. If your average income has decreased, you may be able to modify your child support to a lower amount.

Bear in mind that there are other factors that come in the equation such as the amount of actual timeshare you spend with your child and the income of the other parent. If the other parent’s income has gone down, this may adversely affect your child support obligation.

Spousal support may also be modified unless you stipulated in a divorce judgment that it is non modifiable. However, spousal support are usually calculated differently than guideline. The court will look at other factors in deciding whether to modify this. Those factors are listed in family code section 4320.

If you are unemployed, the other party may be expected to try to impute income on you.

However in light of the recent cases in California, they would have to prove that you had the ability and the opportunity to obtain employment.

If your income has gone down or your spouse’s income has increased as a result of a new job, a promotion, or you got laid off or hours cut, it may be possible to modify both your child support and spousal support obligation.

Without modifying the order, the current order will continue to be in

effect and the same amount will accrue regardless of whether your income declined or your spouse income increased. It is important to file a post judgment request for order to modify support as soon as your financial situation changes. *** 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, APLC This article is not a solicitation. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. 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 University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, APLC. is 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.

(Advertising Supplement)

Vice Ganda, Billy Crawford reconcile on ‘It’s Showtime’

By IZA IGLESIAS ManilaTimes.net

HOSTS Vice Ganda and Billy Crawford reconciled earlier on “It’s Showtime.”

Billy, together with wife Coleen Garcia and son Amari, were the special guests of Vice in his “Magpasikat” performance.

At the end of the presentation, Vice revealed that he and Billy are now on good terms.

“Thank you, Billy and Coleen

kasi biglaan ‘to. Kagabi ko lang sila tinawagan. Nagte-text kami ni Billy this past few days pero hindi namin ‘to napag-usapan,” Vice said.

“Lingid sa kaalaman niyo, okay na kami ni Billy. Dahil ang concept ay healing, bigla kong naisip na ‘I think hindi lang natin sinasabi ‘yung salitang ‘healing,’ pinaparamdam din natin.’ Billy’s presence here today and the Madlang People knowing na we are okay, baka ma-inspire kayo

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dito na mag-heal din.

“It’s about time na makipagreconcile lalo na sa mga taong mahalaga sa inyo. Kasi si Billy, he’s one very important person sa buhay ko. At the end of the day, you’re my best friend and I love you very much.”

Heeding father’s advice Billy said that it was his father who requested him to reconcile with Vice.

“Thank you, Vice. Happy PAGE B7

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 11-14, 2023 B7

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Vice Ganda, Billy Crawford reconcile...

Ninette Tenza works on her “Kara De Oro”

Arts project showcases...

PAGE B4 Asian Journal, Pangpamilya Card, Auntie Dees Bakery, Music Arts International, Toto’s BBQ, Skye Bottles, Ayalaland and Premier Property Preservation.

Attendees must register at https://bit.ly/PHNov11. Parking is at the Los Angeles Downtown

Medical Center at 1711 Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90026.

Exhibit opens at 3pm at the FACLA Hall at 1740 W Temple St., program follows.

For more information about Project Hulmahan and to stay updated on event details, please visit www.upaagla.org g

PAGE B6 anniversary, first of all, to us.

Marami akong realization these past months. Kababalik ko lang galing States, kakakita ko lang sa daddy ko. Hindi ko alam kung hanggang kailan ang daddy ko sa mundong ito. Pero ang bilin niya sa akin ay mag-ayos tayo,” Billy said.

“Nu’ng sinabi ng daddy ko na part of that, it’s beyond my control, it’s beyond Vice’s control din. I think lahat ng ito ay orchestrated by God,” he added.

Billy credited “It’s Showtime” for finding his own family in the show. He met Coleen while they were both co-hosting the show a few years back.

“Katulad ng sinabi mo Vice, nahanap ko ang aking asawa, nabuo ko ang aking pamilya, dahil sa programang ito. Para sa akin it really doesn’t matter

Vice Ganda, Billy Crawford, Amari, Coleen Garcia Photo screengrabbed from YouTube/ABS-CBN Entertainment

kung saan ka. Mahal namin ang isa’t isa. Lahat ng pamilya nagkakaaway, nagkaka-labuan, but at the end of the day, in God’s time, siya na rin ang bahalang mag-ayos.

“Kaya on my end, I want to say I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Madlang

People. I’m sorry, Kapamilya.

Magpapakumbaba na po ako.

Gagawin ko kasi ang lahat para sa aking pamilya,” he added.

It will be recalled that Vice and Billy unfollowed each other on Instagram, sparking feud rumors in November 2019.

Billy announced his network transfer to TV5 via Vice’s YouTube channel. The “Unkabogable Star” then assured Billy that they will remain a family despite his network shift.

“Maaaring lumipat siya ng bahay, pero family pa rin tayo.

Kaya kahit lumipat ka ng bahay, kahit saang bahay man tayo magpunta, magkaka-pamilya, family kita, at mahal na mahal kita,” Vice told Billy.

All was well between the two until “It’s Showtime” director Bobet Vidanes left the noontime show to direct its TV5 rival “Lunch Out Loud,” hosted by Billy.

Since then, Bobet received indirect criticism from Vice since Bobet said that he left the show not for money but for health purposes. g

Boy Abunda on Kris Aquino reunion: ‘It was...

Art by Danvic Briones (Canada)

A Joeyful Christmas...

PAGE B5 St. John of God Church on 13819 Pioneer Blvd., Norwalk, CA. Miss Albert, a songwriter and recording artist who is now based in Vancouver, Canada, will be backed up by Filipino American Symphony Orchestra with luminary conductor and musical director Bob Shroeder.

She was an original mainstay of the iconic New Minstrels Band.

Guest Fil-Am singers: Jane Provido, hailed as most outstanding and versatile vocalist in 2023 and Marilyn Batino, an accomplished singer will also be on hand to warm up the audience.

Ms. Joey Albert is the daughter of the foundress of MMHC, the late educator Leticia Tordesillas Albert. Although a laywoman, Mrs. Albert was regarded as God’s instrument in giving birth to this new religious congregation in the Catholic church in 1997 in the Diocese of Bacolod which started as a Catholic youth group in known as Youth Marian Crusade in 1976.

Rev. Fr. John Roxas Ma. Cordero, MMHC, Regional Superior and Pastor of Holy Family Catholic Artesia said that 2023 is the 14th year that the congregation had established its religious communities to serve the Archdiocese of Los Angeles starting with Holy Family in Artesia in 2010 and then expanding to St. John of God

in Norwalk in 2016. “We have dedicated ourselves to faithfully serve the churches we were entrusted as well as the greater people of God, especially those in the Federal prisons within the Archdiocese.”

“As missionary priests, we have been sent by our religious congregation which is based in the Philippines to help in the training of more missionary priests. We have discerned that we need to upgrade our existing seminaries; to help in raising awareness as well as the initial funds to begin these essential projects, we are organizing this benefit concert,” he emphasized Both Rev., Fr. Raymund Decipeda, the pastor of St. John of God Church (562-8635721) and Fr. John Ernesto Ma. Cordero of the Holy Family Church (562-865-2185 are in the thick of preparation for this musical concert.

According to organizers, ticket prices range from $30 to $100. Interested parties may reach out to Veekee Eugenio @ 949-395-7536; Lita Vicente @ 562-402-4496; Lucille Parisho @ 562-331-4012; and Mary Sanchez @ 562-822-1289. *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** denino1951@gmail.com

PAGE B6 miss ko si Kris,” he added.

Boy said that Kris needs to be healthy again because he is planning a show for them.

“Kris, pagaling ka. Gagawa tayo ng palabas,” he said.

The popular talk show host commended Kris’ sons, Bimby and Josh, for taking care of their mother.

“I’m just so glad that Bimb is doing everything he can. I’m so proud of him taking good care of his mother. Ang assignment ni Josh is to pray,” he said.

Boy also explained why Kris needs to stay in the US. “Ang dahilan po noon ay dahil ‘yung meds na kailangan ni Kris ay available lamang doon. At saka ‘yung accessibility sa doctors ay kailangan po ‘yun,” he said.

Kris and Boy finally saw each other last October 25 since the former Seasoned hosts Boy Abunda and Kris Aquino reunite in the United States as seen in Aquino’s went to the U.S. to seek treatment for her auto-immune diseases. g Instagram post last October 27.

Photo from Instagram/@krisaquino

B8 NOVEMBER 11-14, 2023 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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