111718 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition

NOVEMBER 17-20, 2018 Volume 28 - No. 91 • 4 Sections – 30 Pages

Duterte open to US visit following return of Balangiga bells

by NATHALIE

ROBLES

AJPress

AFTER the United States Defense Department initiated the return of the historic Balangiga bells to the Philippines this week, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte could be open to an official visit to the U.S., despite his past criticism of the country.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. revealed with the return of the bells, the president is warming up to the idea of setting foot in the U.S. “Now the point of that was, I reminded PH Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez was joined by Defense Secretary James Mattis in a Veterans Remembrance ceremony held on Wednesday, November 14 at everyone, that I said, ‘By the way, when the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.

DATELINE

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Photo courtesy of the Philippine Embassy

USA

Duterte, Mike Pence attend ASEAN-US summit

by CHRISTINA

MENDEZ

Philstar.com

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

SINGAPORE – In yet another indication of improving relations between the Philippines and the United States, President Duterte attended on Thursday, November 15 the ASEAN-U.S. summit.

Duterte joined the “family picture” with the group led by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong before they went into plenary

Contributed photo by Dave and Isabel Webster

Filipino community in NorCal displaced after deadliest fire in US history in a century

session, followed by a closed-door session.

The President has been vocal against some U.S. policies but feels similarities with U.S. President Donald Trump, who skipped the event and sent Vice President Mike Pence.

Duterte also joined the picture taking at the East Asia Summit, along with the 10 country leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and of China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South

by NATHALIE

NEARLY a week after midterm elections took place, a new and diverse House freshman class came together for the first time on Tuesday, November 13 in Washington, D.C. for orientation.

Among the attendees was Democrat Filiu PAGE A5

ROBLES

AJPress

THE Camp Fire in Northern California became the deadliest wildfire in U.S. history in a century, burning through 141,000 acres and leaving about 9,700 homes destroyed as of Friday, November 16.

As of Friday, more than 600 people were Former First Lady and now Ilocos Rep. Imelda Marcos arrives at reported missing as the death toll rose to 63, Sandiganbayan to attend her graft hearing.

Inquirer.net photo by Jam Sta. Rosa making it also the deadliest and most destructive in state’s history, according to various sources.

In the now consumed wood town of Para-

Fil-Am Gina Ortiz Jones attends House’s freshmen orientation as ballot counts continue

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Sandiganbayan lets Imelda Marcos post P150K bail

More than 600 people reported missing as death toll rises to 66 across the state

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WARM WELCOME. President Rodrigo Duterte is greeted by officials from Papua New Guinea upon his arrival at Jacksons International Airport in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea on Friday, November 16.

Malacañang photo by Richard Madelo

THE Sandiganbayan on Friday, November 16, granted former first lady Imelda Marcos’ plea to post bail amounting to a total of P150,000 while the anti-graft court assessed her motion to leave on her conviction on seven counts of graft.

In her plea, Marcos noted that she is suffering from “multiple organ infirmities” and was under “strict orders” from her physician “to refrain from stressful conditions that will put her at risk for

Limestone cliffs, clear waters and pristine beaches draw tourists to El Nido town in Palawan.

Inquirer.net photo

50 more establishments in violation of easement policy in El Nido

by AJPRESS

a two-week ultimatum to comply with the policies.

THE municipal government of “If they didn’t comply to the El Nido on Thursday, November self-demolition order, we will is15, announced that a total of 50 sue a closure order next week,” more tourism establishments are De La Calzada told Rappler. now facing closure for violating The recent establishments that the three-meter coastal easement were found to be in violation add policy in the town. to the 22 businesses that were El Nido town administrator RJ mandated to close for the El Nido de la Calzada said that the estab- cleanup that began earlier in lishments that violated the envi- 2018. u PAGE A3 ronmental rules have been given u PAGE A3

Duterte: ‘South China Sea military action to create further friction’

by CHRISTINA

MENDEZ AND ARTEMIO DUMLAO Philstar.com

SINGAPORE – With Beijing already in possession of vast areas in the South China Sea, the United States and other countries should just accept this “reality” and avoid creating “friction” that could lead to full-scale military confrontation, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday, November 15.

“And in all of these things, China is there. That’s a reality and America and everybody should realize that they are there,” Duterte told reporters yesterday on the sidelines of the 33rd Association of Southeast

Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.

“So if you just keep on creating friction, little friction, one day a bad miscalculation could turn things…

Murphy’s Law – if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong,” he said.

He stressed military drills could spark hostilities in the region “because I said China is already in possession. It’s now in their hands.”

He said military exercises could be seen as provocation that could “prompt a response from China.”

The Chief Executive explained

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President Rodrigo Duterte poses for a photo with the leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries and East Asian countries during the 13th East Asia Summit at the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre in Singapore on Thursday, November 15.

Malacañang photo by Valerie Escalera

A November 17-20, 2018 • LA WeeKeND ASIAN JoUrNAL

Duterte open to US...

PAGE A1 t

this was raised, I said, he won’t go there until the Balangiga bells are returned.’ Well, they’re coming back so he will have to go there, to the United States. I would think.

If that’s the condition he made,” Locsin said, as reported by Business Mirror.

Locsin revealed that when he was still Philippine ambassador to

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From the Front Page

far as the Defense Department is concerned, we’re OK.” Earlier this week, Malacañang the United Nations (UN), U.S. Am- welcomed the return, but has been bassador to the UN Nikki Haley mum until the bells are back on had asked him why Duterte of- Philippine soil.

“In the words of the president ten rejects U.S. President Donald himself: “It ain’t here until it’s Trump’s invitation to America.

The secretary said, “So, she here,” Presidential Spokesman took it down and later on through- and Chief Presidential Legal Counout the year, she would call me to sel Salvador S. Panelo said in a the side and say, ‘OK, I brought it statement.

The U.S. government formally up with (U.S. Defense Secretary James) Mattis, and Mattis said as repatriated the bells on Thursday, November 15 in a send-off ceremony at the Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.

Handing the bells over to Philippine Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez, Mattis uttered his hope that the return of the bells would “smooth the bonds that were tested but never broken by war.”

“Ambassador, bear these bells home, back to their Catholic Church, confident that America’s ironclad alliance with the Philippines is stronger than ever,” Mattis declared.

He added, “In returning the Bells of Balangiga to our ally and our friend — the Philippines — we pick up our generation’s responsibility to deepen the respect between our peoples.”

However, the U.S. defense secretary also considered the sentiments of the soldiers who are against the return of the said bells.

He noted that remembering the war is not solely dependent on memoirs.

“To those who think we’re losing something by returning the bells, please hear me when I say that the bells mark time, but courage is timeless. It does not fade in history, in dimly lit corridors, nor is it forgotten in the history of conflict,” Mattis said.

U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim also expressed his joy with the decision to repatriate the Balangiga bells, noting that it is a “great day for the U.S.-Philippine relationship as friends, partners and allies.”

“I can think of no clearer affirmation of the United States’ commitment to the Philippines than the return of the Balangiga bells.

To all those who have worked to make this day happen, thank you!”

Kim said.

Before the bells return to Balangiga, the parish is now planning to establish a museum beside the church to accommodate the symbol of national pride among Filipinos.

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GUN TEST. Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Director General Oscar Albayalde, tests a shotgun in one of the booths at the 26th Defense and Sporting Arms Show at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City on Thursday, November 15. The exhibit runs until November 19.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

Duterte: ‘South China Sea military...

PAGE A1 t he was actually protecting national sovereignty in taking a more peaceful approach to dealing with China.

“I do not mind everybody going to war, except that the Philippines is just beside those islands.

And if there’s a shooting there, my country will be the first to suffer,” he said.

“That’s my only – that is my only national interest there. Nothing else,” Duterte added.

As the country-coordinator of ASEAN-China dialog, Duterte reiterated he would try his best to facilitate the release of a code of conduct (COC) on South China Sea in three years.

“I will try my best. I made a very strong statement about the urgent need for a COC so that everybody will know,” he said. “Because when you claim an ocean, the whole of it, then that is a new development in today’s world,” he added.

Duterte noted there might be a need to review or even make radical changes in international laws, particularly on the right of innocent passage.

“So, any sense, it would also change – radical changes in the laws of governing international waters, particularly the right of free passage or the right of innocent passage,” he said.

Under the principle of innocent

passage, vessels are allowed to pass through territorial waters of other states subject to certain restrictions.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a passage is “innocent” if it is “not prejudicial to the peace, good order or security of the coastal State. Such passage shall take place in conformity with this Convention and with other rules of international law.”

Self-restraint Amid Duterte’s call for the U.S. and other nations to avoid provocative actions in the South China Sea, ASEAN members reiterated the need for self-restraint in the conduct of activities in disputed waters.

“We discussed the matters relating to the South China Sea and took note of some concerns on the land reclamations and activities in the area, which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and may undermine peace, security and stability in the region,” Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a statement.

“We reaffirmed the need to enhance mutual trust and confidence, exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities and avoid actions that may further complicate the situation, and pursue peaceful resolution of disputes in

accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS,” Lee said.

“We reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety and freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea and recognized the benefits of having the South China Sea as a sea of peace, stability and prosperity,” he added.

Lee underscored the importance of a full and effective implementation of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in its entirety.

In the same statement, Lee also underscored the ASEAN and China’s dialogue on the South China Sea issue.

“We warmly welcomed the continued improving cooperation between ASEAN and China and were encouraged by the progress of the substantive negotiations towards the early conclusion of an effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) on a mutually-agreed timeline,” he maintained.

“We noted that ASEAN member-states and China had agreed on a Single Draft COC Negotiating Text,” Lee pointed out.

In this regard, Lee emphasized the need for maintaining an envi-

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DATELINE USA

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A3

Duterte, Mike Pence attend ASEAN-US...

PAGE A1 t Korea and Taiwan.

It is not clear whether the President joined the plenary, where Secretaries Teodoro Locsin Jr. of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Dominguez III of Finance and Ramon Lopez of Trade were also seen attending.

In his speech at the ASEANU.S. summit, Pence stressed that “empire and aggression” have no place in the Indo-Pacific.

“The United States has taken decisive action to promote this vision across the region. And with the focus on prosperity, security and shared principles, we will continue to work with each of you to advance this vision across the Indo-Pacific, and I look forward Inquirer.net photos by Jam Sta. Rosa to discussing those steps with you today,” he said.

Locsin refused to speculate on Pence’s statements when asked if he referred to China’s supposed aggression in the South China Sea. “Mike Pence was extremely convincing, he spoke very well, he had a complete grasp of different issues, again the main theme was world trade,” Locsin said. “The landscape today, especially in ASEAN, is devoted to the economic development of all the countries

Protesters greet arrival of Imelda Marcos at Sandiganbayan.

Sandiganbayan lets Imelda Marcos...

PAGE A1 t heart and brain attack and recurrence of seizure,” as reported by The Philippine Star.

The Marcos matriarch attached a certification from her physician Dr. Joven Cuanang of St. Luke’s Medical Center to the motion.

The certification, dated November 12, indicated that she is experiencing age-related conditions that prompted her to be under medical care for the past several years.

Among the seven ailments noted in the medical report are diabetes mellitus type 2, hypertension and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, static ministrokes, sensorineural hearing loss, chronic recurrent urinary tract infection, chronic recurrent gastritis and multiple colon polyps and recurrent respiratory tract infection.

The 89-year-old Ilocos Norte representative also explained why she was unable to appear before the court last Friday. Marcos and her new legal aid, former Court of Appeals Justice Manuel Lazaro, filed a motion that explained the former first lady’s absence.

“At the outset, the accused humbly apologizes to this Honorable Court for her absence during the scheduled promulgation of judgment on 09 November 2018.

The failure to appear was neither intentional nor meant to disrespect this Honorable Court but was solely because she was indisposed,” Marcos’ motion read.

It added, “Considering that the absence of the Accused was due to a justifiable reason, she respectfully prays of this Honorable Court that her standing be restored and that she be given

in the region. Then again he spoke very well on it.”

Meanwhile, Duterte personally thanked Japan on Wednesday, November 14 for its assistance to the Philippines after Typhoon Ompong (Mangkut) ravaged the country and left more than 50 people dead and scores missing.

In his speech during the summit between ASEAN and Japan, he highlighted how the ASEAN countries should continue working together to address vulnerabilities brought about by drastic changes in climate that often cause massive destruction, loss of lives and damage to properties.

“Nations — especially those in Southeast Asia — continue to be vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters. This is one area of major concern shared by both ASEAN and Japan,” Duterte said.

During the typhoon, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his deepest concerns over what happened to major areas in Luzon and the rest of the country. Japan also committed to provide the “maximum possible assistance including provision of emergency relief goods to the Philippines.”

Noting how Japan handled disaster preparedness and how quickly it recovered from the impact of Typhoon Jebi, the Chief Executive pushed for greater collaboration to ensure the safety of many.

“This is a testament to Japan’s remarkable resilience and admirable ability to build back stronger communities. This is an area where ASEAN and Japan can clearly benefit from greater collaboration and sharing of best practices,” Duterte said.

Drug-free Asean Duterte, who is facing human rights issues over his war against illegal drugs, also urged better security cooperation with Japan and ASEAN in the fight against the drug menace.

“There is greater security cooperation in counter-terrorism and a wider support for a drug-free ASEAN. There is also an intensified interaction with the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance and the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity,” he said.

He added that he looks forward to the signing of the ASEAN-Japan Technical Cooperation Agreement to “further strengthen our peopleto-people exchanges.” ■

50 more establishments in violation of...

Supporters greet Imelda Marcos at Sandiganbayan.

leave to avail of the remedies provided under the Rules of Criminal Procedure against her judgment of conviction.”

As stated in the rules of the court under Section 6, Rule 120, the accused who fails to attend the promulgation of the decision on his or her case, without justifiable cause, shall “lose the remedies available in these rules against the judgment and the court shall order his/her arrest.”

Contrary to the “indisposed” excuse that the Marcos camp stated, the Ilocos Norte representative was seen partying at her daughter Imee Marcos’ birthday celebration hours before the ruling was issued, according to various reports.

Last week, Marcos was convicted on seven counts of graft for funneling funds into seven private foundations in Switzerland when her husband, former President Ferdinand Marcos, was still in office.

The case was filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in December 1991.

Deposits totaling $658-million were found in the conjugal Swiss

dollar accounts of the Marcos couple while about $200 million of which were reportedly transferred to the Swiss foundations, as identified by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG).

The former first lady faces six to 11 years in prison for each count totaling 77 years at a maximum.

She is also barred from holding an electoral position.

An arrest warrant was issued by the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division, but it was not enforced. The order also provides that the accused can avail of remedies such as the application for bail should the camp be able to justify their absence.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, however, disputed the claims that President Rodrigo Duterte would intervene in the conviction, considering the close ties that the leader has with the Marcos family.

“The president will not even stop the courts from issuing any warrant nor the Philippine National Police from enforcing the warrant of arrest if the court will issue it,” Panelo added. ■

PAGE A1 t The municipal government clarified that the closure will be temporary, but it will only be lifted once the businesses comply with the easement and other policies.

The El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area office, however, is dependent on the Department of Environment Natural Resources (DENR) regional office for the next move in the said cleanup.

Assistant Protected Area Superintendent Carolyn Esmenda said that they will wait for formal instructions in the rehabilitation of El Nido.

“The immediate action is that more DENR persons will be deployed in El Nido to assist the implementation of laws and rehab,” Esmenda said.

The agreement was attended

by El Nido officials led by Mayor Nieves Rosento, DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año, as reported by The Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Esmenda also said that after the second dry run from Novem-

ber 23 to 24, the protected area office will implement a limited capacity policy in the Small and Big Lagoons.

It will only allow 40 tourists and 20 kayaks inside the Small Lagoon for 30 minutes at a time, while 80 tourists and 40 kayaks in the Big Lagoon for up to 90 minutes.

“The immediate instruction is to implement the carrying capacity policy for these areas while waiting for the results of the comprehensive carrying cap study to be conducted by the DENR and DOT covering other islands,” Esmenda added.

El Nido has continually increased in its tourism arrivals for

the past 10 years.

It is now hosting more than 200,000 tourists every year. Relaxed local regulations have led to overcrowding and occupation of coastal easements by mostly commercial buildings.

Earlier this week, the DENR Region IVB Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan) revealed that the fecal coliform level has reached and been kept at a normal level in Bacuit Bay within Barangays Masagana, Maligaya and Corong-Corong.

Such constitutes a safe level of 100 most probable number per 100 milliliters indicating that waters are suitable for public swimming. ■

A November 17-20, 2018 • LA WeeKeND ASIAN JoUrNAL

Dateline USa

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Supporters vow to preserve legacy of Filipino WWII vets

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Advocates and community supporters marking Veterans Day, Nov.11, also celebrated the one-year anniversary of the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to Filipino World War II Veterans on Oct. 25 last year and vowed to step up efforts to ensure “that this American story of service and sacrifice is enshrined in American history.”

“Although it took more than 75 years for that epic day to come, it is nonetheless a time we will long remember, because the 260,000 men and women who fought under the American flag were stripped of their status and denied their rights. Because they were almost forgotten, their pain still lingers to this day,” says Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba (Ret.), Chairman of the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP).

Securing their recognition is U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim presents a bronze replica of the Congressional Gold Medal to 100- just phase one of our mission, adds Taguba. “We must now year-old Catu Dampas Pulac, hero of the battle of Bessang Pass.

Inquirer.net photo by Sonny Busa

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Contributed photos by Gemma Clow, and Mike and Marylou Nelson

Filipino community in NorCal displaced after...

PAGE A1 t

dise and the half scorched town of Magalia, a close-knit community of roughly 30 Filipino families remain without homes and face challenges of finding new places to stay and figuring out what their future holds in the town.

“They are all over the place,” Gemma Clow, vice president of a community-formed group of FilAm families in Paradise, told the Asian Journal.

On the group’s Facebook page, a post notifies the community that its 28th annual Christmas party has been cancelled due to the fire, and will resume during the holidays next year.

Clow, who has lived in the Paradise and Magalia area for 16 years and whose house was among the very few spared, is currently staying in Folsom—a roughly two hour drive away— while evacuations are still in order. Before that, her family stayed with a family friend in Chico for five days.

Many of her friends have been in the area for over 20 years, and are now finding themselves in evacuation centers and in nearby cities of Chico, Gridley, Orland, and Oroville. Others have gone farther to cities like Manteca, and even out of state.

The community group’s president, Eric Junio, was among those that lost their home.

“Almost everyone lost everything as there wasn’t enough time to pack, there was no warning of the fire,” said Clow.

Clow learned about the fire the morning it started burning, but it wasn’t immediately clear how much damage it would create.

She was driving along Paradise’s Skyway road to take her son to school and noticed the sky was dark and smokey, but like others, proceeded to go on with her day and went to work.

She works at the partly damaged Adventist Health Feather River hospital—the same hospital where a nurse made headlines after driving through the city to help evacuate patients.

A couple hours later, she heard knocking on her office door and someone yelling that everyone needed to be evacuated. She immediately called her son and picked him up at Paradise High School. Together, they got home and her family began to pack despite their neighborhood not being under evacuation.

The following day, the evacuation order came for Clow’s family and they decided to make way to Chico.

“On the way to Chico, we saw

lots of houses already burned in Magalia. It got worse when we got to Paradise,” said Clow, adding that her son filmed the entire drive.

“We were driving with fires on both sides of the road still going—small fires here and there, electric wires hanging, sparkling,” said Clow. “The drive to Chico seemed forever, and it was the scariest I have ever experienced in my entire life.”

Roughly 27,000 residents made up the town of Paradise, and as much of the town lies in ashes, there’s no telling yet how many will return.

Clow thinks it will take months, if not years before the power is restored. She said that while her family’s home didn’t burn, the entire area remains without electricity and water, and it’s still unclear when they can return.

She added that some people are choosing not to rebuild their homes.

“Some already bought homes in Chico and surrounding areas,” said Clow. “Recovering will take a long time.”

The Filipino community first started growing 28 years ago by a group of friends who have since passed on duties to new Filipinos in the area.

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2019 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles

On October 12, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2019 premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts for the Medicare Part A and Part B programs.

Medicare Part B Premiums/Deductibles Medicare Part B covers physician services, outpatient hospital services, certain home health services, durable medical equipment, and certain other medical and health services not covered by Medicare Part A. The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B enrollees will be $135.50 for 2019, an increase of $1.50 from $134 in 2018. An estimated 2 million Medicare beneficiaries (about 3.5%) will pay less than the full Part B standard monthly premium amount in 2019 due to the statutory hold harmless provision, which limits certain beneficiaries’ increase in their Part B premium to be no greater than the increase in their Social Security benefits. The annual deductible for all Medicare Part B beneficiaries is $185 in 2019, an increase of $2 from the annual deductible $183 in 2018. Premiums and deductibles for Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug plans are already finalized and are unaffected by this announcement.

Since 2007, a beneficiary’s Part B monthly premium is based on his or her income. These income-related monthly adjustment amounts (IRMAA) affect roughly 5 percent of people with Medicare Part B. The total premiums for high income beneficiaries for 2019 are shown in the following table: Beneficiaries who file individual tax returns with income:

Beneficiaries who file joint tax returns with income:

Income-related monthly adjustment amount

Total monthly premium amount

Less than or equal to $85,000

Less than or equal to $170,000

$0.00

$135.50

Greater than $85,000 and less than or equal to $107,000

Greater than $170,000 and less than or equal to $214,000

$54.100

$189.60

Greater than $107,000 and less than or equal to $133,500

Greater than $214,000 and less than or equal to $267,000

$135.40

$270.90

Greater than $133,500 and less than or equal to $160,000

Greater than $267,000 and less than or equal to $320,000

$216.70

$352.20

Greater than $160,000 and less than $500,000

Greater than $320,000 and less than $750,000

$297.90

$433.40

Greater than or equal to $500,000

Greater than or equal to $750,000

$325.00

$460.50

Premiums for high-income beneficiaries who are married and lived with their spouse at any time during the taxable year, but file a separate return, are as follows: Beneficiaries who are married and lived with their spouses at any time during the year, but who file separate tax returns from their spouses:

Income-related monthly adjustment amount

Total monthly premium amount

Less than or equal to $85,000

$0.00

$135.50

Greater than $85,000 and less than $415,000

$297.90

$433.40

Greater than or equal to $415,000

$325.00

$460.50

Medicare Part A Premiums/Deductibles Medicare Part A covers inpatient hospital, skilled nursing facility, and some home health care services. About 99 percent of Medicare beneficiaries do not have a Part A premium since they have at least 40 quarters of Medicare-covered employment.

The Medicare Part A inpatient hospital deductible that beneficiaries will pay when admitted to the hospital will be $1,364 in 2019, an increase of $24 from $1,340 in 2018. The Part A inpatient hospital deductible covers beneficiaries’ share of costs for the first 60 days of Medicare-covered inpatient hospital care in a benefit period. In 2019, beneficiaries must pay a coinsurance amount of $341 per day for the 61st through 90th day of a hospitalization ($335 in 2018) in a benefit period and $682 per day for lifetime reserve days ($670 in 2018). For beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities, the daily coinsurance for days 21 through 100 of extended care services in a benefit period will be $170.50 in 2019 ($167.50 in 2018).

Part A Deductible and Coinsurance Amounts for Calendar Years 2018 and 2019

by Type of Cost Sharing

Inpatient hospital deductible

2018

2019

$1,340

$1,364

Daily coinsurance for 61st-90th Day

335

341

Daily coinsurance for lifetime reserve days

670

682

Skilled Nursing Facility coinsurance

167.50

170.50

Enrollees age 65 and over who have fewer than 40 quarters of coverage and certain persons with disabilities pay a monthly premium in order to voluntarily enroll in Medicare Part A. Individuals who had at least 30 quarters of coverage or were married to someone with at least 30 quarters of coverage may buy into Part A at a reduced monthly premium rate, which will be $240 in 2019, an $8 increase from 2018. Certain uninsured aged individuals who have less than 30 quarters of coverage and certain individuals with disabilities who have exhausted other entitlement will pay the full premium, which will be $437 a month, a $15 increase from 2018.

For more information on the 2019 Medicare Parts A and B premiums and deductibles (CMS-8068-N, CMS-8069-N, CMS8070-N), please visit https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection.

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Dateline USa

Supporters vow to preserve legacy of...

PAGE A4 t tell their story of valor and duty to country, to remind this generation and generations to come that they are the beneficiaries of heroic acts and selfless sacrifice by brave soldiers determined to defend freedom at all costs.”

In the months following the formal presentation of the Congressional Gold Medal by Congress, more than 50 award ceremonies, conducted with military honors, have taken place in towns and cities across the United States. On average, one event was held per week over the past year, including two that were held in the Philippines.

More than 1,200 bronze replicas have been awarded to living veterans and families of soldiers who were too frail to attend or who had passed away. Thousands have died since 1946.

There are but a few of the living World War II veterans remaining today. The solemn ceremonies demonstrated the nation’s deepest appreciation and debt of gratitude for their incredible sacrifice.

First anniversary celebration To mark the first anniversary of the Congressional Gold Medal’s official presentation, FilVetREP and the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. jointly led a celebration, which included a Congressional Gold Medal awards ceremony honoring nine Filipino World War II veterans. Their next-of-kin received bronze replicas on their behalf.

Attending the event, which was held at the Philippine Embassy’s Consular Annex Building, were community leaders, diplomatic officials, families of veterans and representatives from the D.C. Mayor’s Office.

“Your fathers and grandfathers left a priceless legacy that we can never hope to repay, but one that we vow to always preserve and cherish. But more than that, they also personify the close people-to-people ties that bound the Philippines and the United States for the last 70 years, and will continue to do so in the coming decades,” Philippine Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Patrick A. Chuasoto said in his remarks.

David Do, director of the Mayor’s Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs and Ely Ross, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs, each delivered brief remarks on behalf of DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. They also presented a Proclamation from the Mayor, which commended the bravery and “outstanding contributions” of Filipino and American soldiers who “were crucial to both the United States and the Philippines.”

Noting that “there are many others out there who are not able to attend ceremonies like this,” Taguba vowed that “we are going to continue to exhaust ourselves and run across the coun-

try to award the medals to living Filipino and American World War II veterans or to their nextof-kin. It is our mission – this is a we mission – for us to honor them.”

Awards ceremony in the Philippines The Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in Baguio was the scene of the second awarding in the Philippines of the Congressional Gold Medal to Filipino veterans and their surviving families on September 13. The first ceremony was held earlier in the year at the U.S. Embassy in Manila.

There were 31 awardees, four of whom were given posthumously to family members. The 27 survivors were all from the Cordillera region of the Philippines, many of them Igorot who fiercely defended their tribal homeland from the Japanese. In front of the entire PMA corps of over 1,000 cadets and several hundred family and friends of the veterans, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines, Sung Kim, presented the awards.

The eldest awardee was Cato Dampas Pulac from La Trinidad in Benguet province. He is 100 years old. When his award was presented, and his age made known, the audience erupted in a rousing cheer. It was one of many such cheers. There were several aged 97 years. When they stood proudly and gave a heart rendering salute, it was hard to find an audience member who did not feel their chests swell with pride.

Adelaida Lim received a medal on behalf of her grandfather, the Filipino military icon General Vicente Lim, the first graduate of West Point (Class of 1914). General Lim was executed by the Japanese when he refused to cooperate with them. Also awarded was Colonel Pastor Martelino, West Point graduate in 1920, who also was killed by the Japanese. Before the war, he was the first Superintendent of the PMA. His son accepted his medal.

“We are forever grateful for their sacrifice, and we stand proud as protector of their legacies,” Ambassador Kim said.

“Their bravery, heroism, and dedication played an integral role in leading the Allied Powers to victory.”

Also speaking at the ceremony was Sonny Busa, Visiting Professor at PMA for International Relations and Military Strategy. In his remarks to the cadets he told them that unless they “rise to the level of the veterans, you have not done your duty. The medal is a reminder that history must not be forgotten but passed to the next generation. You are here, because they were there.”

National education program FilVetREP is now in the second phase of its mission: to educate the public and raise national awareness of the out-

Fil-Am Gina Ortiz Jones attends...

PAGE A1 t

pina-American congressional candidate Gina Ortiz-Jones who ran for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District and has trailed closely behind two-term holding Republican Will Hurd.

Despite unofficial returns holding Hurd up by more than 1,000 votes out of an approximately 210,000 cast, as of press time, Ortiz-Jones stood among the class of new members.

According to a statement released by her campaign, the U.S. Air Force veteran was invited by the Committee on House Administration.

“Gina Ortiz Jones was invited to a new member orientation by the Committee on House Administration and, as her race is still ongoing, she will continue to put in the work and make sure Texans are well-represented—this means fully participating in the orientation,” read the statement.

Hurd’s campaign released its own statement, accusing Jones of “pretending” to be a new member of Congress.

“Gina Jones attending orientation is an act of desperation that ignores the will of the voters and provides a convenient excuse to take a taxpayer-funded trip back to Washington,” read the statement, claiming that Hurd has won the race despite the remaining uncounted ballots.

“While Gina Jones is pretending to be a new member of Congress and criticizing election officials, Will Hurd is continuing to fight for his constituents and do the job he was been elected to do three times by this district,” continued the statement.

But Ortiz-Jones’ attendance while votes were still coming in, though seemingly unusual, was allowed.

While a state-mandated machine recount was still being processed, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who narrowly held a lead in votes over Democrat Bill Nelson, also was in attendance at the

orientation. Scott did though end up claiming a victory later on in the week on Thursday, November 15.

Courtney Parella, the committee’s spokeswoman, said that candidates in undeclared races are allowed “to participate in all of the official programming.”

The House orientation and Ortiz-Jones’ attendance came after Bexar County Judge Stephani Walsh denied Ortiz-Jones’ emergency court motion asking for a 48-hour extension for a deadline to make provisional ballots official.

Following the midterm elections that took place earlier this month, Ortiz-Jones and Hurd remained neck-and-neck in vote counts. Ortiz-Jones was down by less than one percent the following day.

While Hurd was quick to claim victory, Ortiz-Jones claimed the results were still too close to be considered final given that not all ballots, such as provisional ballots and absentee ballots, had been counted.

Though the count between the candidates has widened a bit since then, Ortiz-Jones has maintained that all votes should be counted. A week after elections, her camp said that there were issues with Bexar County providing information such as the list of people who voted on the provisional ballots.

Ortiz-Jones and her campaign said they were awarded an order from Bexar County Judge Rosie Alvarado on Monday night, November 12 to have the provision voter list turned over. But when the list still did not come up Tuesday, the campaign filed the emergency motion for the extension.

“This is about making sure that every vote is counted,” said OrtizJones in a news conference.

Should Ortiz-Jones win, she would be the first Fil-Am woman elected to Congress. (Rae Ann Varona/AJPress)

standing accomplishments of the Filipino and American Soldiers who achieved victory over the Japanese Imperial forces in defense of the United States in World War II. The current plan is to display the Congressional Gold Medal at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History (NMAH), replete with a digital exhibit of historical artifacts and memorabilia.

Enhancing this exhibit will be anational web-based, digital interactive educational program, accessible to students in elementary, secondary, to higher education levels, academic professionals, and the general public. Also envisioned is a traveling exhibition in select cities featuring the Congressional Gold Medal and its historic and educational significance in U.S. history and culture.

“We want this American story to be used for educational purposes, and accessible nationwide to students and scholars,” says FilVetREP Vice Chair Marie Blanco. “It will be readily available online for research, references, presentations, and viewing at the Smithsonian Institution, select museums and research facilities, and educational institutions.”

Added Blanco: “As we honor our heroes on Veterans Day, I call on our sponsors, supporters and community leaders to help us make this digital museum a reality. Your generous donations will ensure that this American story will be preserved for posterity.” (Inquirer.net)

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • NOvEmbER 17-20, 2018

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The “Sleeping Giant” awakens: AAPI civic engagement reaches historic highs Dispelling the AAPI electorate’s stereotypes and how to further mobilize AAPI voters in the future

by Klarize

Medenilla AJPress

IT’S 2018, and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters will not be silenced.

As previously reported by the Asian Journal, the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund reported the initial results from a post-election survey of AAPI voters that measured the changes in voting behaviors, attitudes and turnout of the fastestgrowing electorate.

The survey focussed on six crucial states with battleground races with significant AAPI populations: California, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Nevada and Arizona.

Unsurprisingly, it found that the AAPI electorate continued its trend of voting majority blue: 70 percent voted for Democrats and 25 percent voted Republican in House races.

But a key finding of the survey was the lead-up to the midterms yielded historic highs in civic engagement. Seventy-three percent of AAPI voters in district races encouraged family or friends to register and/or vote.

Notably, health care cost was the No. 1 issue this time around for AAPI voters, coinciding with the ongoing battle between Democrats and Republicans on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which, if eliminated as Trump has pledged to do, would wipe millions of Americans off their healthcare.

“The poll finds AAPI voters

are alarmed with the direction the country is headed in and expressing their dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump,” said EunSook Lee, Director of the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund. “Out of enthusiasm for the democratic process, they are showing their power at the polls and through other forms of participation, which has contributed to the Democratic takeover of the House. With AAPIs activated in momentous levels, it will be important to see how this newfound civic activism will impact public policies in the months to come.”

But why is mobilization of the AAPI electorate important?

Paul Ong, Melany Dela Cruz-Viesca and Don Nakanishi of UCLA’s Asian American Studies described the AAPI electorate as the “sleeping giant,” a steadily growing subset of eligible voters that could swing elections, in a 2008 study that explored civic engagement among the electorate.

The 2008 election of Barack Obama was a huge milestone in the history of American politics, but it also marked the arrival of Asian Americans as a pivotal voting bloc that has the power to swing elections.

Although Asian Americans count for only about 6 percent of the overall American population (according to the Census data); by 2040, the AAPI population is expected to double, increasing its electoral impact.

Moreover, high concentrations of Asian Americans exist in some of the most pivotal regions, including those surveyed in the 2018 AAPI Civic Engagement Fund exit poll.

But despite the poll’s results that may provide important foresight into future electoral politics, it’s striking to know the decadeslong effort to mobilize AAPI voters and shirk misconceptions of the community at large.

The correlation between citizenship and eligibility to vote is direct; in order to vote, you have to be a citizen. Asian Americans gained the right to vote in 1952 when the federal government officially eliminated the federal policy that barred Asian immigrants from becoming U.S. citizens. (These policies began to lift in 1943, but a majority of Asians in the U.S. were granted the right to naturalize in 1952.)

Then in 1965, the Voting Rights Act (VRA) was signed into law and outlawed racial discrimination at the polls. In 1992, the VRA expanded in 1992 to include language protections for regions with significant populations of non-English or limited English speakers.

“It’s part of the history of nonAAPIs having preconceived notions about who Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are,” Taeku Lee, managing director of Asian American Decisions and one of

u PAGE A6

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Dateline USa

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Filipino community in NorCal displaced after... Fil-Am recognized for perfect ACT score PAGE A4 t

The number of guests who come to the Filipino group’s annual Christmas has gotten so big that they began renting venues to host the parties about 10 years ago.

On the current situation of the community, Clow said that they are devastated with happened to the fellow kababayans in the entire Paradise, Magalia, Concaw, and Pulga community.

“What happened to us is unfathomable,” said Clow. “The worst part is losing everything that we have worked for and all the memories that can never be replaced. My heart goes out to all the people that were affected by the Camp Fire.”

She did stay positive, saying that their presence in the town wouldn’t be gone for good.

“We will be back and will rebuild,” said Clow. “Paradise will be ‘Paradise’ again. It may take years, but we will do it one day at a time.”

SoCal Fires near containment In Southern California, the Woolsey Fire, which began burning a week ago, was nearly 70

percent contained by Friday morning, November 16. Crews have been aiming to have it fully contained by Monday.

Officials said the blaze burned through 98,362 acres, damaged 183 structures, and left roughly 616 structures destroyed. Three people have died in the fires, with many others injured including three firefighters.

In Southern California’s Ventura County, firefighters announced the Hill Fire as being fully contained on Friday after blazing through 4,531 acres since it began burning the same time last week.

While firefighters are expecting cooler temperatures and possible rain ahead in Los Angeles to secure containment, hundreds affected—especially in the Malibu, Bell Canyon, and surrounding areas—remain displaced and unsure of the future.

On Thursday, November 15, Governor Jerry Brown and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke visited affected areas of the Woolsey Fire and said that better preparation would be needed in the future.

He described California’s situa-

tion as “the new abnormal.”

“We have a our work cut out for us,” said Brown at Freedom Park in Camarillo. “It’s so beautiful here, but having so many people living in this space, we are going to have to make a lot of changes.”

Acknowledging the effects of climate change, he added that forest management would be improved, and that cities would be built “more smartly.”

“We’re going to have to build shelters so people can escape when these terrible fires get out of hand. And yes, we’re going to have to deal with climate change...We’ve got to get on the side of nature. We can’t just fight it and we do that in many ways,” said Brown.

“It will be expensive,” he added. “We’re not talking hundreds of millions, we’re talking tens of billions for the whole state of California. But it can be done, with science, with research, with collaboration and with a lot of good will. We all pull together in solidarity, keeping California green, keeping it a wonderful place that we all love.” (Rae Ann Varona/AJPress)

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A Filipino-American high schooler in Carson, California was recently recognized for earning a top score on the ACT college entrance exam.

Gerrick T. Cardenas, a senior at Bishop Montgomery High School, earned the highest possible ACT composite score of 36.

On average, only around onetenth of 1 percent of students who take the ACT earn a top score.

In the U.S. high school graduating class of 2017, only 2,760 out of more than 2 million graduates who took the ACT earned a composite score of 36.

The ACT consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science, each scored on a scale of 1– 36. A student’s composite score is the average of the four test scores.

The score for ACT’s optional writing test is reported separately and is not included within the ACT

Photo courtesy of the City of Carson

composite score.

The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement exam that measures what students have learned in school. Students who earn a 36 composite score have likely mastered all of the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in first-year college courses in the core subject areas.

ACT scores are accepted by all major four-year colleges and uni-

versities across the U.S. On November 7, the City Council of Carson highlighted Cardenas for his feat during its meeting. Joined by his parents Gerrick Cardenas and Sharon Tatel, Cardenas received a plaque from Mayor Albert Robles, Mayor Pro Tempore Jawane Hilton, and councilmembers Elito Santarina, Lula Davis-Holmes, and Cedric L. Hicks, Sr. (AJPress)

The “Sleeping Giant” awakens: AAPI civic...

PAGE A4 t the key researchers in the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund election eve poll, told the Asian Journal in a recent interview. “Specifically, for a long period of time, there was [a] prevailing stereotype that Asian Americans were not interested in politics, and that’s why they were under participating in electoral politics.”

Among the stereotypes attributed to the lack of attention given to Asian American voters by candidates, pollsters and nonAAPIs in general are the notions that Asian Americans either don’t care about American politics or that they’re only interested in the politics of their motherlands; two misconceptions that Lee says are “patently untrue.”

For example, if you’re a Philippine-born voter and you’ve expressed interest in the politics of the Philippines, you’re likely to also be engaged in American politics, Lee posits.

“So it’s not a zero-sum tradeoff, the idea that being interested in politics of the home country means you won’t be interested in U.S. politics,” Lee said. “The opposite is true: that if you’re more politically-engaged, you’re just more politically-engaged, in any context.”

Overcoming barriers to voting Lee pointed out three interconnected barriers that, to this day, obstruct AAPI voter mobilization for political campaigns and pollsters: cultural competence, technical know-how and cost.

He explained that the overall heterogeneity of the AAPI electorate means that you would need bilingual interviewers, sample lists of people who may Asian Americans and translate in several languages.

“It’s cost coupled with the idea that this is a sufficiently small segment of the electorate that it doesn’t make any difference if we don’t get any data on them,” Lee said, adding that the AAPI electorate is growing “so exponentially” that it’s becoming more difficult for candidates and campaigns — especially in certain jurisdictions where the concentration is

more saturated — to adhere to that logic.

For the Filipino-American electorate, in particular, it’s all the more difficult, primarily because of the Spanish surname.

Aquilina Soriano Versoza, executive director of the LA-based Pilipino Workers Center, discussed the stereotypes that could put off campaigns and pollsters from taking advantage of the AAPI vote.

The model minority myth, which is often applied in an academic context, can also explain the lack of attention the AAPI community receives, especially in terms of issues like health care cost, jobs and wages and public programs.

However, the widely-accepted veneer of the “well-off” AAPI ignores the concerning realities of many AAPI families and, in turn, could deter campaigns from reaching out to them at all.

“I think that there’s this stereotype of the Asian business owner, and that most Asians are conservative that not only has this effect of ‘We’re not going to make this effort’ but also this idea that, ‘Oh, we don’t want to mobilize that vote because it’s going to work against us,’” Soriano Versoza told the Asian Journal in a recent interview.

Soriano Versoza, last year along with Fil-Am philanthropist Alex de Ocampo and communications consultant Marco Meneghin, established the Filipino Voter Empowerment Project (FVEP) which seeks to encourage more civic engagement and voter turnout among Filipino American voters and to make that electorate more visible.

“But the reality is that we have so many working families and those are the people who aren’t as visible, and we have so many Asian Americans who are so spread out, especially the Filipino-American community,” she added.

“That’s our goal with FVEP [to] provide a link to the community to address things like the complicated process of voting, increasing voter contact within the Filipino-American community and to ultimately strengthen those voting muscles to make civic engage-

ment more of a habit rather than a chore,” Soriano Versoza said.

It’s safe to say that — after the 2018 midterm elections — AAPI voters are more mobilized than ever before, and the results from the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund’s survey inspires innovative methodology to increase engagement.

In 2008, Obama and Organizing For America demonstrated the positive effects of a strong ground game — i.e. door-to-door canvassing, voter contact via phone calls and text messages — that involves the campaign team (especially the candidate themselves) making the effort to personalize the mobilization.

Lee described this direct contact as “the best way to convert someone from a couch sitter to an active voter.”

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders famously mobilized voters in the 2016 primary election by employing a comprehensive ground game that involved visiting key districts, knocking on doors, increasing contact with previously ignored electorates and utilizing social media to further mobilization, especially among millennials.

Notably, Democratic senatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke of Texas took it a step further and made diversity a cornerstone of his campaign. This was coupled by strategic social media mobilization which brought his campaign national attention. (Although he lost, O’Rourke won 66 percent of the AAPI vote and, from the looks of it, is likely going to remain a tastemaker in American politics going forward.)

“If you’re going to reach out to an AAPI voter, you’re likely to succeed if it’s an AAPI volunteer on the other end of the phone or on the other side of the door or if it’s someone who is a neighbor or someone who you attend church services with,” Lee offered. “The more personal you can make the connection, the likelier you are to convert someone into an active voter, and that’s another thing we’re seeing that has been effective.” n

Duterte open to US visit...

PAGE A2 t Balangiga parish priest Serafin Tybaco said that they might display the bells with the other ruined bells inside the museum.

“We already have initial plans — from security and as to where the bells will be placed. We will be finalizing details of the preparations this Saturday,” Tybaco said in an interview with CBCP News, the official news site of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

Aside from displaying the bells within the public eye, Tybaco said that his parish will also add security detail in the compound to preserve the heritage of the bells.

“It will depend on the develop-

ments from our meetings with the Borongan Diocese, local government unit and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines,” Tybaco said.

Philippine Senator Panfilo Lacson praised the return of the bells, saying it should be marked as a special day for Filipinos.

“This day marked the return of the bells as a symbol or trophy of the renewed goodwill in the relations between Filipinos and Americans. This is marked as a symbol of victory for the Filipino freedom fighter. How many among us, for instance, would remember Valeriano Abanador, the leader of the attack against the 9th Infantry (of the U.S. Army)?” Lacson asked.

The ringing of the bells in a church in Balangiga, Eastern Samar on Sept. 28, 1901, signaled an attack from the Filipino villagers, leaving over 48 U.S. troops as casualties of the war. Valeriano Abanador, the town’s chief of police at the time, led some 500 bolo-wielding Filipino fighters in attacking American troops in Balangiga.

U.S. Army soldiers then took the bells as war trophies to commemorate their fallen soldiers during the American occupation of the Philippines. Two of the bells were at Warren Air Force Base, while the third is with the U.S. Army museum in South Korea. n

Duterte: ‘South China Sea military...

PAGE A2 t ronment conducive to COC negotiations.

“We stressed the importance of undertaking confidence-building and preventive measures to enhance, among others, trust and confidence amongst parties,” the prime minister said.

Sovereignty protected Foreign affairs chief Teodoro Locsin Jr., who was part of the presidential delegation to Singapore, reiterated the Philippines’ strong position against giving up even an “inch or iota” of its sovereignty.

Locsin was mum on Duterte’s earlier remarks that China is already in possession of some areas not its own in the South China Sea. Asked about reactions to ASEAN’s or Duterte’s call for restraint, Locsin said China for one did not say anything.

“But the President was very clear: Let’s exercise restraint and

there was no response, which is you can interpret it as you want but it was rather bold of our President to bring it up. The use of the word restraint,” Locsin said.

Duterte’s spokesman Salvador Panelo, for his part, welcomed the formal announcement of the designation of the Philippines as the new country coordinator for the ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations.

“With the President’s pragmatic, transparent and diplomatic orientation in his foreign policies, our country’s designation will significantly play a pivotal role in bridging a more solid partnership between ASEAN and China,” Panelo said.

He also lashed out at critics for questioning Duterte’s move to consult China on the creation of the COC. “He is the one irresponsible because he is not even understanding what the President was saying,” Panelo said, referring to

Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, an opposition lawmaker.

“What the President was saying is he wants to know exactly the sentiments of China so he can relay them to the members of the ASEAN because he is supposed to be the coordinator,” Panelo said.

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) warned Duterte is dragging the country to a potential armed conflict between the U.S. and China.

“His double-sided betrayal of the country’s national sovereignty puts the country at great risk of getting caught right in between a likely outbreak of armed hostilities between the American and Chinese imperialists,” CPP said.

“Duterte’s shameless subservience to the U.S., sell-out of Philippine sovereignty to China and inability to pursue a policy of active peace has led to his failure to oppose the militarization of the SCS by both powers.” n

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Dateline P‘Goodwill’ hiliPPines meet with NDFP seen in November

by Jonathan de

SantoS

Philstar.com

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN. Motorists pass under the Kamuning footbridge in Quezon City, which will be opened to pedestrians on November 27.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will modify the controversial P10-million footbridge. A photo of the footbridge, which goes over the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) railway, went viral on social media after netizens said it is not accessible to the elderly, pregnant women and persons with disability (PWDs).

Philstar.com photo by Boy Santos

Facebook election war room gears up for PH polls

by Janvic

Mateo Philstar.com

SOCIAL media company Facebook is gearing up its “elections war room” for the midterm polls in the Philippines next year.

Monika Bickert, Facebook’s global head of policy management, said the team they created to address possible misuse and abuse of the social media platform during the recently held elections in Brazil and the United States is preparing for the upcoming polls in the Philip-

pines and other countries in the region.

“We are working hard to ensure that we understand the issues in the Philippines and in other upcoming elections in the region to make sure that we have the right people staffed to handle whatever issues arise,” Bickert told reporters during a media roundtable in Singapore on Tuesday, November 13.

“We’ll certainly have all the same groups of people internally working on them,” she added.

Last month, Facebook announced the creation of an elections war room based in California to bring together experts from across the company to address potential problems in real time.

It was seen as part of the company’s response to allegations that its platform was used by some bad actors, including foreign governments, to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential elections.

Samidh Chakrabarti, Face-

u PAGE A10

Sotto slams exclusion of Filipino from core subjects the educational system.”

He added: “The Filipino language is part of our identity as REMOVING Filipino as a core a people and as such, we should subject in college is unconsti- strive to preserve and strengthtutional and could imperil the en this at all times.” younger generation’s facility in Supreme Court ruling the language, Senate President In a ruling released last week, Vicente Sotto III said on Thurs- the Supreme Court upheld the day, November 15. constitutionality of the K-12 proThe Constitution, Sotto said, gram and allowed the removal states that the government “shall of Filipino and “panitikan” (littake steps to initiate and sustain erature) from the core subjects the use of Filipino as a medium that should be taught in colof official communication and as lege. [the] language of instruction in u PAGE A9

by LeiLa

B. SaLaverria Inquirer.net

Senate President Vicente Sotto III Inquirer.net photo

DAVAO CITY — Informal talks towards the resumption of peace negotiations with communist rebels could start before December, presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza said on Friday, November 16.

He also said that as far as he knows, there are no pending warrants for the arrest of National Democratic Front of the Philippines negotiator Fidel Agcaoili and adviser Luis Jalandoni, whom President Rodrigo Duterte has said want to meet with him.

Dureza, who spoke at the Mindanao Media Forum, clarified that a prospective meeting in the Philippines between President Rodrigo Duterte and the NDFP negotiators is more of a “goodwill effort for them.”

“This is not a formal negotiation, no negotiations yet,” he said.

Although he said he did not want to preempt the president’s decision or announcement on it, he said “the meeting may happen very soon.”

On the sidelines of the forum, he told reporters the meeting could happen “before the end of November.”

Potential arrest Dureza also said that he had checked and found that there are no pending warrants of arrest against Agcaoili and Jalandoni.

He said the two would not be arrested for just being in the Philippines.

According to a Rappler report, Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año has said the two would be arrested if they set foot on Philippine soil.

“They have warrants of arrest.

I will have them arrested, unless the President will order me not to effect the arrest. But for me, I will arrest them,” Rappler quotes Año as saying.

Proscription Dureza’s statement comes on the heels, however, of the arrest of NDFP peace consultant Vic Ladlad in Novaliches, Quezon City.

The 69-year-old, whom his wife says has emphysema, was nabbed for illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

Dureza acknowledged that the

government has a pending bid for the proscription of the Communist Party of the Philippines and New People’s Army as terrorist groups.

Proscription would allow the government, if authorized by the Court of Appeals, to subject members of the groups to wire-

tapping and to look into their bank accounts.

The Human Security Act of 2007 also allows the warrantless arrest of members of proscribed groups based on information from wiretaps and financial probes.

u PAGE A10

A8 NOVEMBER 17-20, 2018 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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OPINION

Escaping accountability

FEATURES

PUBLIC office is a public trust. Anyone who is physically and mentally qualified to serve as a public official must be deemed physically and mentally fit to face punishment in case of conviction for graft and other offenses involving betrayal of public trust.

Put another way, anyone who thinks he is too old or infirm to go to prison for corruption or other serious offenses should be deemed too old and infirm to hold public office, and must be permanently barred from doing so. Anything less undermines the principle of accountability that must be an intrinsic part of public service.

Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos, who at age 89 is seeking to replace her eldest daughter as governor of the province, has cited “multiple organ infirmities” in her failure to attend the promulgation of the graft cases against her on Nov. 9.

The Sandiganbayan, which found her guilty on all seven counts of graft, canceled her bail and ordered her arrest because of her absence at the promulgation, but gave her time to appeal for her continuing freedom.

A medical certificate dated Nov. 12 from St. Luke’s Medical Center neurologist Joven Cuanang said the “multiple infirmities” that put Marcos “at risk for heart and brain attack and recurrence of seizure” include Type 2 diabe-

tes, hypertension, plaque buildup in her arteries and mini strokes, “moderately severe” hearing loss, “chronic recurrent” urinary tract infection and gastritis, multiple colon polyps and recurrent respiratory tract infection.

If Marcos is so debilitated by illness, she must be deemed incapacitated for public office. She wasn’t too sick to attend the birthday party of her eldest daughter Imee on the day of the promulgation. The former first lady, of course, is hardly the first government official who has invoked illness as an excuse for escaping incarceration or for avoiding her sentencing in court. Hospitals have long been used as a refuge of privileged scoundrels in this country.

Advanced age and poor health must not be used to shield felons from accountability. If you’re too sick to be punished for wrongdoing, you must be deemed too sick to serve the public.

For every offense, there must be a corresponding punishment. Allowing anyone to get away with crime guarantees impunity. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

Trump will continue legal battle to police reporters as federal judge grants CNN motion for Acosta’s return to White House

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS AFTER a hate and rage-laden week from the White House burner, we end this week with some silver linings to propel us in celebrating steps toward protecting democracy in the United States.

First, let me start with the great news that a federal judge has ruled that the White House give back to CNN Senior White House Correspondent Jim Acosta the “hard press pass” it revoked from him during the explosive news conference in the White House the day after the midterm elections.

As the Washington Post reported, U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly granted CNN’s motion for a

temporary restraining order that will prevent the Trump administration from keeping Acosta off the White House grounds to do his job.

Kelly said while he agreed with the government’s argument that there was no First Amendment right to come onto the White House grounds, the judge pointed out that once the White House opened up the grounds to reporters, the First Amendment applied.

Kellly’s decision emphasized evidence indicating that the White House’s decision to revoke Acosta’s press credentials violated the Fifth Amendment, which guarantees due process in government actions.

According to the Post, the judge explained that the White House’s decision-making was

“so shrouded in mystery that the government could not tell me . . . who made the decision.”

The White House’s written arguments for banning Acosta were belated and were not sufficient to satisfy due process, Kelly said.

The fact that the changing reason behind the revocation of Acosta’s hard press pass factored in the judge’s decision.

Initially, Trump’s Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended the decision saying, “We will… never tolerate a reporter placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern.

This conduct is absolutely unacceptable.”

Following the backlash against this “doctored” video from the questionable website

“InfoWars,” the Trump Administration later explained that it was Acosta’s rudeness that was the reason why the reporter’s press credential was revoked, arguing there has to be respect and decorum in the White House.

This is just a preliminary victory not only for Acosta and CNN, but for the free press, with several news organizations expressing their support for Acosta and CNN, including Trump’s favorite Fox News. Trump has been denigrating the mainstream news media, calling them “the true enemy of the people” since he started campaigning for president. What Trump did to Acosta, he could also do to other reporters in his attempt to silence critical thinking journalists who are committed to pursuing the truth.

According to the Washington Post, the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), which represents journalists in their negotiations over access to the president, filed a brief Thursday, urging the court “to roundly reject the president’s dangerous legal position.”

The WHCA likewise disputed the government’s claim that the president has “absolute, unbridled discretion to decide who can report from inside the White House.”

The Trump administration has said it will push forward with the legal battle with Acosta and CNN. After the ruling, the New York Times reported that Trump said the White House would tighten its rules for how journalists must comport themselves at the White

House.

“People have to behave,” the president said in the Oval Office.

“If they don’t listen to the rules and regulations, we’ll end up back in court, and we will win.”

This is such a hypocritical statement on respect and decorum from the president who has been disrespecting, vilifying the members of the free press who are just doing their sacred obligations to ask hard questions and demand truthful answers from the chief executive of the country. *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https:// www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos

“Documented,” the film: The truth of a son’s struggle to be reunited with his mother in the context of a broken immigration system

Rhizomes

PROSY ABARQUEZDELACRUZ, J.D. [Editor’s note: This column was originally published in 2014 but has been updated and republished in light of recent immigration conversations in the U.S.] “Immigration is by definition a gesture of faith in social mobility. It is the expression in action of a positive belief in the possibility of a better life. It has thus contributed greatly to developing the spirit of personal betterment in American society and to strengthening the national confidence in change and the future.

Such confidence, when shared, sets the national tone. The opportunities that America offered made the dream real, at least for a good many; but the dream itself was in large part the product of millions of plain people beginning a new life in the conviction that life could indeed be better, and each new wave of immigration rekindled the dream. It gave every old American a standard by which to judge how far he had come and every new American, a realization of how far he might go. It reminded every American, old and new, that change is the essence of life, and that American society is a process, not a conclusion.” - Pres. John F. Kennedy, “A Nation of Immigrants,” 1964, reissued in 2008.

In America, if we believe Fox News and ethnic cable televisions, the discussion to con-

sider “the other, ” is effectively closed. We label them as if they do not matter.

“Get your papers or get out, or worse, go back to Mexico.” They also come from India, China, Philippines, El Salvador, Vietnam, Cuba, Korea, Dominican Republic and Guatemala. And before, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Poland, and America excluded them.

They are our nannies and caretakers to our children, caregivers to ailing relatives, chefs and waiters who serve us our restaurant food, gardeners in our yards, all significant aspects of our American lives, yet, we cast them aside to the margins, to the shadows.

In 2010, these Americans, with no documents, supported the mainstream, paying $11.2 billion in state and federal taxes, yet remained isolated, until a face came forward.

Jose Antonio Vargas (JAV) wrote his essay on being undocumented, in June 2011 in the New York Times. A year earlier, Gaby Pacheco and three friends walked 1,500 miles from Miami to DC to bring awareness to this issue.

JAV is gay, Filipino-American, without documents, a Pulitzerprize winning journalist, who had written for Washington Post, the Huffington Post, the New Yorker and Rolling Stone. He discovered he was undocumented when he tried applying for his driver’s license at the DMV at

age 16.

In his essay, he wrote, “I decided then that I could never give anyone reason to doubt I was an American. I convinced myself that if I worked enough, if I achieved enough, I would be rewarded with citizenship. I felt I could earn it. I’ve tried. Over the past 14 years, I’ve graduated from high school and college and built a career as a journalist, interviewing some of the most famous people in the country. On the surface, I’ve created a good life. I’ve lived the American dream. But I am still an undocumented immigrant. And that means living a different kind of reality. It means going about my day in fear of being found out. It means rarely trusting people, even those closest to me, with who I really am. It means keeping my family photos in a shoebox rather than displaying them on shelves in my home, so friends don’t ask about them.

It means reluctantly, even painfully, doing things I know are wrong and unlawful. And it has meant relying on a sort of 21stcentury underground railroad of supporters, people who took an interest in my future and took risks for me.”

“I would write my way right into America, “ he optimistically planned his life.

Watching “Documented,” a film Filled with empathy for JAV, so many faces were streaked with tears from crying, while oth-

Jose Antonio Vargas speaks at a stop on his book tour at USC on Sept. 25, 2018.

ers wiped them off, after watching “Documented,” a jointly sponsored screening by The Asia Society and the Museum of Tolerance in 2014. It is not a teleserye ala Maalala Mo Kaya’s over the top emoting style. It is a credible documentary that effectively threads conversations and dialogue from those who believe immigrants do not belong here, and if they do, they must go back to the end of the line and apply.

JAV wrote and directed the film.

There is no line to wait in when you are an American, undocumented. There are no categories to apply for, to get a

green card, even for those who have been here for years, even for those who have paid taxes.

Families continue to be broken, not one year, not two years, in some cases, 20 years.

By the time they are reunited, in JAV’s case, he wants to have his green card by his next birthday to visit his mom. His fantasy is that at the airport, there will be two of them, Emelia and Jose, and after they hug, chat, a fivehour drive to Zambales, more chats, eating, and she will take him to the beach, where he spent time with his cousins.

On June 15, 2012, a memo-

AJPress photo by Klarize Medenilla

randum authored by the Obama Administration called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) qualified folks who came here as children, and only if they are under 29 years old. JAV was 30 and he didn’t qualify. At the time, he also asserted that 2,000,000 have now been deported by the Obama administration, a number that has to be substantiated.

Separation is a common thread. JAV was four when his grandparents left for the U.S. His grandfather was a security guard and his grandmother was a food server. They both earned mini-

u PAGE A9

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • NOvEmbER 17-20, 2018

A

PCOO creates office for global media affairs

by Ralph

VillanueVa ManilaTimes.net

THE Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) has set up the Office for Global Media Affairs to address concerns of foreign journalists.

In a radio interview, PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar said this would pave the way for the revival of the press attaché division, which will be operational once the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) has been set up.

“The office of Global Media Affairs will address the concerns LISTENING ATTENTIVELY. President Rodrigo Duterte joins other leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member or questions of different foreign countries as well as the United States of America during the 6th ASEAN-US Summit at the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre in correspondents, not just in the Singapore on Thursday, November 15.

Malacañang photo by Rene Lumawag Philippines, but from all around the world,” Andanar said.

“So therefore, we will process the questions coming from anyPAGE A8 t a part of me that I don’t really Foundation’s award from Steven where in the world be that from mum wage, but remitted dollars like talking about, you know? I Spielberg at the Ambassadors for to support Emelia and JAV, until was going through two journeys: Humanity gala, tying up traffic 12-year-old JAV joined his grand- There was the public journey; in LA, the room was full. Lillian there was the private journey. wants to contribute to the debate parents in California.

“Mother and I slept in the And the public face was, I was on immigration reform by taking

by Dempsey Reyes ManilaTimes.net same bed, inseparable,” JAV nar- going to try to go toe to toe with her children to see this film this everybody, may it be Lou Dobbs week. rates in the film.

This is what happens when “I joined Facebook. Three or Bill O’Reilly or Michelle MalTHE Armed Forces of the years he would not accept me. kin. But talking about my mom a film moves someone’s heart. Philippines (AFP) is inclined to Such a simple thing. It’s just and allowing myself to be vulner- Hearts get moved, until the tip- recommend another extension Facebook. Last letter he sent was able like that was just not some- ping point of action, and when of martial law in Mindanao.

11/1997. It’s like we don’t know thing that I do, “ as JAV confides there is a massive desire from so Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, many people, as in a democracy AFP spokesman, however, said each other. It’s really hard. The to Mother Jones’ Ian Gordon.

The audience was riveted by wherein citizens are engaged, Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., the AFP son that used to tell me Mama, I love you. Like any mother, [I want the Q and A, a conversation be- “We will keep moving forward, chief of staff, had yet to deterto] embrace my child, and just tween Jonathan Karp, the execu- until it gets done.” mine whether martial law would *** want to hug him, touch his face,” tive director of the Asia Society, be extended.

Emelia says, as she breaks down and JAV. Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D. writes a Arevalo’s statement came afIn a one-on-one conversation weekly column for Asian Journal, called ter Galvez visited military comand cries, and with her, the audience watching the film, including with this writer, post-screening, “Rhizomes.” She has been writing for AJ Press mands in Eastern Mindanao and JAV shared his intentions: “It is for 10 years. She also contributes to Balikbayan this writer.

“I guess I hadn’t realized how a film, it is to occupy a cultural Magazine. Her training and experiences are in broken I had felt until I saw how space and to take immigration science, food technology, law and community broken she was. I mean, we talk out of the political realm. I am volunteerism for 4 decades. She holds a B.S. on the phone. Like many immi- for immigrants and the film is in- degree from the University of the Philippines, a grant families, I’ve been support- tended to change perception and law degree from Whittier College School of Law ing her and my half-siblings since to move and to shift culture in the in California and a certificate on 21st Century I was in my early 20s. I helped media.”

Leadership from Harvard’s Kennedy School Would you believe a friend of of Government. She has been a participant in financially support them, and then that’s it. I don’t want to have mine, Lillian has already seen this NVM Writing Workshops taught by Prof. Peter to think beyond that because I in Hawaii, but opted to brave the Bacho for 4 years and Prof. Russell Leong. couldn’t handle beyond that. You traffic to see it a second time?

She has travelled to France, Holland, Belgium, Considering this was shown Japan, Costa Rica, Mexico and over 22 national know, there was so much geographical and emotional separa- while Pres. Barack Obama was parks in the US, in her pursuit of love for nature tion. In many ways she had been visiting USC, to accept the Shoal and the arts.

“Documented,” the film: The truth of...

Europe, from America, from Africa, from the Asia-Pacific. [It will answer] if there are questions for our President [Rodrigo Duterte] or from other branches of the government. This division will help manage the government, to give answers to the queries of reporters in the world,” he added.

Andanar, however, said that even if the office of press attaché would not materialize, the OPS would still be operational and would “transition as the main or the headquarters for the press attachés that will be assigned in the important missions around the world.”

A draft executive order for the revival of OPS was already sent to the Palace, and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea is reviewing it, he said.

Andanar said he has tapped former TV5 reporter Jayvee Arcena to head the office.

Arcena is a former senior information/media specialist at the United States Department of State’s Asia-Pacific Media Hub. Former president Benigno Aquino III split the functions of the OPS, creating the PCOO and Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO), while designating a separate spokesman for each.

Under Aquino, the PCOO handled the dissemination arm of the President’s policies and programs while the PCDSPO supervised the crafting and development of “messaging.”

When Duterte assumed office in 2016, the PCOO absorbed the functions of the PCDSPO. n

Military inclined to recommend ML extension Western Mindanao.

The visits form part of the AFP’s assessment for the recommendation of martial law in Mindanao.

“More likely, yes [we may recommend martial law extension]. But we are not yet saying if we will actually recommend it,” Arevalo told reporters in a phone-patch interview at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

It will be the people of Mindanao who can determine if there is still a need for martial law, he said.

There have been no docu-

mented complaints of military abuse under the existing martial law, Arevalo added.

“Our study for martial law extension is still ongoing, as well as the collating of data and inputs from local government officials, from the local citizens in Mindanao and, of course, the inputs of commanders on the ground,” he said.

The local government officials in Mindanao, the military spokesman said, had expressed their wish to extend martial law in Mindanao. n

Sotto slams exclusion of Filipino from...

PAGE A7 t

The ruling cited the Commission on Higher Education memorandum changing the general education curriculum in the tertiary level, saying this was meant to ensure that subjects in grade school, high school and college would not be duplicated.

‘Deterioration’ But removing Filipino as a core subject in college or any school level would lead to the “deterioration” of the youth’s ability to master their own language, Sotto said.

As it is, many of today’s youths cannot use Filipino properly, he

said, adding that the government must exert more effort to protect the Filipino language.

The high court’s decision removing Filipino and panitikan from the college curriculum has drawn flak from academics, educators, national artists and cultural workers. n

This file photo taken on June 21, 2018 shows 130 personnel of the Philippine Army during a send-off ceremony at Col. Jesus Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Andrea De La Cruz

A10 November 17-20, 2018 • LA WeeKeND ASIAN JoUrNAL

Dateline PhiliPPines

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

PSA: Pinoy families most deprived of education MANILA — Among basic necessities, it is education that Filipino families lack the most in the past two years, a new study by the Philippine Statistics Authority released on Wednesday, November 14 showed.

Based on the PSA’s multidimensional poverty index — which sought to identify which basic need Filipinos are most deprived of — education consistently had the highest incidence of deprivation in 2016 and 2017 at 59.3 percent and 49.4 percent, respectively.

The four dimensions that the PSA looked into were: • Education ASEAN SEEDS CONGRESS. Senator Cynthia Villar delivers her remarks before hundreds of foreign delegates during the ASEAN Seeds Congress and Farm Tour at the Villar SIPAG Farm School in Bacoor Cavite on Friday, November 16 PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

Grace Poe to MIAA: Compel Xiamen Air to pay up

by RobeRtzon

RamiRez

Philstar.com

ALMOST three months after the Xiamen Air runway mishap, Sen. Grace Poe wants the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to pressure the airline to fully pay its penalties to the government.

Poe, who was the guest speaker at the First Philippine Aviation Safety Day in Makati

City, told reporters that there is no need for another hearing on the issue.

“They have the capability to pay, they should pay in full immediately,” she said.

The MIAA can ban the airline from landing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) until the P72-million fine is fully paid, said Poe, who chaired the congressional oversight committee on Civil

Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

NAIA operations were affected for several days after a Xiamen Air plane slid off a runway on Aug. 16.

Poe said the Xiamen Air incident prompted her to file a bill creating the National Transport Safety Board, which will serve as an independent investigating body that will probe transportation-related accidents. n

Jejomar Binay: ‘Filipinos won’t accept federalism’

by RobeRtzon

RamiRez

Philstar.com

MANILA — A few days after Malacañang formed an interagency task force to promote federalism, former vice president Jejomar Binay said Filipinos will not accept the administration’s envisioned Charter change and warned of secession by groups against it.

“Federalism, matatalo yan.

Hindi tatanggapin ng mga Filipino (it will be defeated, Filipinos won’t accept it),” Binay, who was the guest during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay on Wednesday, November 14, said.

He said federalism is a step closer to secession.

The Philippines is not yet ready for a federal form of government as it has yet to achieve what he called a “national identity” similar to major countries under federalism.

“That’s my belief because I grew up with towns that want to secede. One requirement for a shift to federalism is to have a national identity,” he said in Filipino and English.

Binay said the shift to another form of government is untimely, noting what the Filipinos need today is to maintain the unitary form of government and not encourage secession.

Instead of revising the 1987 Constitution, Binay said he would prefer that the government focus on the economic provisions to boost development.

“What we need to amend are the economic provisions and I think it is only a choice of main-

• Housing, water and sanitation • Health and nutrition • Employment “These mean that six out of 10 families in 2016 and five out of 10 families in 2017 were deprived of basic education,” the PSA explained.

“That is, six out of 10 families had at least one family member aged 18 years old and above who did not complete basic education in 2016 and five out of 10 in 2017,” it added.

To note, the period covered by the PSA’s study did not capture latest efforts by the Duterte administration like the free tuition law, which the president signed

in 2017 but was fully implemented this year.

According to the PSA, the health and nutrition dimension came next to education in the index, followed by housing, water and sanitation dimension and employment dimension.

The state statistics agency’s report also found that in 2017, the proportion of “multidimensionally deprived” Filipinos — or those who lack at least four out of the 13 indicators identified across four dimensions — was estimated at 17.3 percent, down from the previous year’s 23.9 percent. (Ian Nicolas Cigaral/ Philstar.com)

Motions on Trillanes’ amnesty,coup d’état case up for decision TWO motions for partial reconsideration from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the camp of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV in relation to the senator’s amnesty and coup d’état case filed before a Makati City regional Trial Court (rTC) are now up for decision.

This followed after Trillanes’ camp formally lodged its seven-page pleading on Friday asking the Makati rTC Branch 14 to declare President rodrigo Duterte’s Proclamation No. 572, which voided the senator’s amnesty, “illegal and/or unconstitutional.”

On the contrary, the DOJ’s

previously filed motion for partial reconsideration contested the decision of Judge Andres Soriano on Trillanes’ filing of amnesty application and admission of guilt.

In his ruling last October, Soriano upheld the legality of Proclamation No. 572 but said the court could no longer order Trillanes’ arrest under the legal principle of immutability of a final judgment.

Trillanes’ lawyer, reynaldo robles, in their motion insisted that Duterte cannot issue a decree nullifying Trillanes’ amnesty “because for him to do so would be transgressing or encroaching into the well-defined

powers of the judiciary as provided in the Constitution.” robles claimed the President do not have the “power of judicial review,” which only belongs to the judicial branch of the government.

“It is submitted that the President clearly arrogated unto himself a power not expressly granted to him by the sovereign people, either through the Constitution or through legislation—the power of judicial review—which power in fact belong to a separate and co-equal branch of the government, the Judiciary,” Trillanes’ camp argued. (Darryl John Esguerra/ Inquirer)

President: Paolo Duterte running for House seat to get back at Trillanes

by DaRRyl John

esgueRRa

Inquirer.net

PrESIDENTIAL son and former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte is running for Congress in the 2019 midterm elections to get back at Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, his father President rodrigo Duterte said on Friday “I think he’s running for congressman kasi napahiya… hiniya ni Trillanes. He was summoned to Congress,” Duterte said in his speech before the Filipino community in Papua New Guinea.

Former Vice President Jejomar Binay Philstar.com photo by Edd Gumban “Gaganti talaga ‘yan. He will taining a unitary type of govern- cession will still be prohibited be running for congressman, ment as against federalism,” he even if we become federalized. tabla sila dyan,” he added.

Paolo recently filed his certifiThe one Armed Forces of the said.

Binay questioned the anti-po- Philippines will ensure that se- cate of candidacy for Davao City litical dynasty provision under cession won’t happen,” Pimentel 1st District representative.

He resigned December last the proposed charter of President said.

In another development, Binay, year, citing his failed marriage Duterte’s consultative committee (Concom), saying that qualified who is seeking a congressional with his first wife and his alleaders should not be prohibited seat in the 2019 polls, said that if he wins, he would be an ordinary from running.

He said he has yet to read the congressman and not seek the proposed charter of Duterte’s speakership.

He said he would focus more Concom.

Meanwhile, Concom member on education, health, agriculture and former senator Aquilino Pi- and concerns of local governmentel Jr. said the success of ment units. He vowed to review OPPOSITION lawmakers on federalism would depend on the the investigative powers of Con- Thursday, November 15 twitFilipinos’ understanding of it as gress. ted President Duterte for missLess corruption a concept. ing key meetings at the 33rd Under the proposed federal Association of Southeast Asian Pimentel accused Binay of producing “publicity stunts” on government, corruption will be Nations (ASEAN) Summit on his stand against federalism, es- lessened as cases filed against Wednesday, November 14 bepecially on issues pertaining to erring government officials will cause he took, in Malacañang’s be tried within a short period, a words, “power naps.” secession.

“We are making sure that se- Concom member said.

Act Teachers rep. France “No case would be tried in Castro said Duterte wasted pubover three years,” lawyer Susan lic funds by sleeping during imUbalde-Ordinario said during a portant events at the summit. forum on federalism at the Para“He’s not maximizing his ñaque City Hall. opportunity to speak to other “All cases will move faster be- leaders regarding the problems cause under the proposed federal [of] our country,” Castro told regovernment, the Supreme Court porters. will be converted into four courts Castro asked whether Duterte with functions unique to each,” ditched some meetings to avoid she added. being questioned about his Constitutional commissions “pro-China policy.” looking into alleged wrongdoings See a doctor in government will be established “Is he avoiding being put to in every region. task by other countries with “Under the federal system that claims [in the South China Sea] we did, every region will have its due to his being China’s meek own ombudsman, its own (Civil lamb?” Castro asked.

Service Commission),” Ordinario Magdalo rep. Gary Alejano said. said Duterte’s skipping summit The courts under the federal events showed his lack of intercharter would be strengthened and a federal Court of Appeals will be established in each feder-

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV

leged involvement in the 6.4-billion worth of shabu from China through the Bureau of Customs.

During a Senate inquiry on the alleged P6.4-billion shabu shipment in May 2017, Trillanes, one of the administration’s fiercest

former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte

critics, accused Paolo of involvement in the illegal drug trade.

In the same speech, Duterte also took a swipe at Trillanes’ group, the Magdalo Party, which staged two uprisings against former President Gloria Arroyo. n

Filipino lawmakers slam president’s snoozes during Singapore summit

‘Goodwill’ meet with NDFP...

PAGE A7 t ‘Localized’ peace talks In the meantime, Dureza said, the government is focused on “localized” peace talks, which he clarified, is for helping “those who want to leave and want to have a peaceful life.”

He said that the government has the Expanded Comprehensive Local Integration Program, which includes housing programs and cash incentives for former rebels to turn in their weapons.

He said although the program has existed in previous administrations, “there is more extensive work in that direction.”

The military has been reporting that thousands of NPA fighters and supporters have been surrendering in batches, but the CPP-NPA has disputed whether the supposed surrenderees really are communist rebels. n

est “in engaging with our Asean neighbors in [their] pursuit of a more integrated region.”

Alejano said that at international events, Duterte must represent the Philippines “with sound body and mind.”

“If something ails him so much that he is unable to exercise his duties as President, he must seek immediate medical attention,” Alejano said.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said Duterte missed Asean events because he was either “too sick or too lazy and irresponsible.”

“Either way, that’s a big problem for our country,” Trillanes said.

But Sen. Panfilo Lacson said he suspected Duterte skipped events to avoid certain world leaders because of previous animosities.

Lacson noted that among the events that Mr. Duterte skipped were the ASEAN-Australia Informal Breakfast Summit and the working lunch with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Australia and Canada have raised concerns about alleged extrajudicial killings in Duterte’s brutal war on drugs.

There’s also the Canadian trash that has been dumped in the Philippines and that Filipino officials say must be sent back to Canada, Lacson said.

He said he found it hard to believe that Duterte actually took a nap to catch up on sleep, as explained by Malacañang.

“For me, that’s a very flimsy excuse,” Lacson said.

“I don’t see the wisdom of not attending an event attended by other heads of state just to have a power nap,” he added.

But the Philippines did not really miss out much even after Duterte skipped the events, Lacson said.

He said that in his experience, talks happened in formal events but positive outcomes came with the follow-through

by Cabinet officials.

Talks at the ministerial level are the more important meetings, he added. (Inquirer.net)

Facebook election war room gears up...

PAGE A7 t

book’s director of product management and civic engagement Samidh Chakrabarti, earlier said the war room has over two dozen experts, including people from threat intelligence, data science, software engineering, research, community operations and legal teams.

“These employees are supported by more than 20,000 people working on safety and security across Facebook. When everyone is in the same place, the teams can make decisions more quickly, reacting immediately to any threats identified by our systems, which can reduce the spread of potentially harmful content,” he said.

Chakrabarti said their dashboards offer real-time monitoring on key elections issues such as efforts to prevent people from voting, increases in spam, potential foreign interference or reports of content that violates policies.

“The team also monitors news coverage and election-

related activity across other social networks and traditional media. These efforts give us a collective view and help track what type of content may go viral,” he said.

“Our team has also done extensive scenario-planning to game out potential threats — from harassment to voter suppression — and developed systems and procedures in advance to respond effectively,” added the Facebook official.

Bickert said among the election-related issues they encounter include the so-called coordinated inauthentic behavior, which involves networks of actors that are using fake accounts to misrepresent their identity and mislead users to share and visit websites with low quality content.

Last month, Facebook took down 95 pages and 39 accounts with political and entertainment content in the Philippines “for encouraging people to visit low quality websites that contain little substantive content and are

full of disruptive ads.”

Local absentee voting Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said government officials, police, military and media practitioners may cast their votes two weeks before the May 2019 midterm polls.

“Local absentee voters can vote from April 29 to May 1 from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m,” the Comelec announced.

The poll body said government officials, personnel as well as military and police officers who are on duty on election day can cast their votes in the senatorial and party-list elections.

Those intending to participate in the local absentee voting must file an application form with the Comelec not later than March 11.

Media workers are required to submit certifications signed by their respective heads of media entities attesting that they are members of the press and will be working on election day. n

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B1

JOURNAL New movie awaits Alden after ‘Victor Magtanggol’

by LHAR

SANTIAGO ManilaTimes.net

FANS of Alden Richards have been asking The Times what’s next for the top celebrity after his super hero series “Victor Magtanggol� ended this week.

Naturally, they’re clamoring to see more of their much loved “Bae� on GMA Network, even if he’s been on prime time for the past several months.

Well here’s the good news, and you’re reading it fi rst on The Manila Times’ Showbuzz: Alden is doing a movie right after he hangs his super hero cape!

The actor happily shared the news with this column over dinner with Magtanggol’s produc-

tion team. He will hardly have time to rest from the rigorous taping adding, “I still have ‘Sunday Pinasaya’ and ‘Eat Bulaga’ every day, of course.�

Unable to go into the movie’s details yet, he promised Showbuzz for a heads up once he starts shooting.

Meanwhile, as Victor Magtanggol takes a bow, Alden shared it is one series he will never forget. “I will take this treasure of an experience, a huge opportunity that GMA gave me again, as I carry on with my journey in life as an actor. I’m happy I accepted the challenge along with my co-stars and everyone behind the camera. This is the kind of show that even when

it ends the relationships we made will remain the same. Ang ganda ng samahan namin, naging malalim talaga siya.�

One of the cast members whom Alden will really miss is Coney Reyes whom he regards with high respects. “When we started taping, I was kinda shy to approach her.

I just greet her good morning or good afternoon then I’d go to my waiting area. But she’s very nice. Parang siya pa ang nag-reach-out sa akin. I said to myself that I should really make an effort to be close to her Alden Richards because she’s my mother in the story and I’m happy to say that very close na nga kami today. I call her ‘nanay’ because she’s

GMA photos

PAGE B2

Aaron Carter cancels Manila presscon due to California wildfire

by JAN

MILO SEVERO Philstar.com

Aaron Carter Photo from Instagram/@aaroncarter

INTERNATIONAL pop star Aaron Carter was the latest celebrity affected by the recent Southern California wildfire as the singer could not make his flight to the Philippines in time for his Saturday press conference due to traffic caused by “Woolsey Fire.�

Aaron was set to have a press conference in Manila on Saturday, November 17, for his concert on Sunday at New Frontier Theater, but concert producer KBeam Events cancelled the media event because Aaron was stuck in traffic for five hours, so he could not make it in time for his flight to Manila.

Nonetheless, the singer is set to catch the next flight to Manila and is expected to arrive on Saturday night, so the concert is

still on.

Brother of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter, Aaron gained popularity with his hits “I’m All About You,� “I’m Gonna Miss You Forever,� and “I Want Candy,� to name a few.

The wildfire in Southern California has also destroyed homes of celebrities as well as Hollywood sites, including the sets of HBO series “West World� and The Bachelor’s mansion of ABC’s “The Bachelor.�

Reports said that homes of Hollywood actors Gerald Butler, Allysa Milano, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian, and Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, among others, were also destroyed by the wildfire.

The fire started Thursday night in USA and by Friday, it pushed toward Malibu and the Pacific Ocean.

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Pepe Herrera back as beach trash collector: ‘I’m way far from stopping’

by Katrina

Hallare Inquirer.net

Dennis Trillo and Dingdong Dantes

GMA photo

Dingdong-Dennis starrer to be pitted vs Coco’s top-rated series by allan

PolicarPio Inquirer.net

ON Nov. 19, “Cain at Abel,” GMA 7’s new action-drama series, will be thrust into the same time slot as its rival network ABS-CBN’s “Ang Probinsyano,” which—in its more than three years on air—has adamantly refused to yield its seat.

And so, knowing full well that the program they’re going up against continues to consistently post strong ratings, the lead stars of “Cain”—Dingdong Dantes and Dennis Trillo—are keeping their expectations fairly reasonable and downplayed the thought of competing with the Coco Martinstarrer.

“I guess we can all agree that Coco’s show (‘Ang Probinsyano’) is in a league of its own,” Dingdong admitted to reporters at a recent press conference. “We’re happy for them, too. And it gives work to a lot of people.”

As actors, their job is to breathe life into the characters they’re tasked to play, Dingdong

pointed out—not to fuss over the business side of things or monitor ratings.

“The challenge for us is to deliver the material and do our roles well,” he said. “That’s where our fulfillment comes from.”

“We’re not here to compete with anyone; I know that people have different tastes and wants,” he said. “And we hope to give them something new.”

“Pressured kami. We will be pitted against a show that has been receiving solid ratings for the past three years,” Dennis said. “But just the same, we gave our all and worked hard to give ourselves a fighting chance.”

“We just want to offer a quality product. We may not end up beating [‘Ang Probinsyano’], but I hope that we could at least get close to it,” Dennis added.

“Cain at Abel” follows the lives of brothers Daniel (Dingdong) and Miguel (Dennis), who were torn apart as kids. Daniel was raised in luxury by his businessman father, Antonio (Eddie Guttierez/Rafael Rosell).

Miguel, on the other hand, was taken by his mother, Belen (Chanda Romero/Yasmien Kurdi) to a remote fishing village after she caught the philandering Antonio cheating on her.

As fate would have it, the two men’s mutual affections and ambitions have them The show is helmed by Don Michael Perez and Mark Reyes, with guest direction from—much to everyone’s surprise—Toto Natividad, who used to be one of the directors of “Ang Probinsyano.”

“It’s quite ironic … surprising.

But I’m glad he’s here with us because I know he has a lot to offer,” Dennis said.

“We always welcome new talents. We’re grateful to have him,” Dingdong added.

“I have always wanted to work with our ‘Primetime King.’ He’s a director, too, so he’s very meticulous,” Dennis said. “He keeps me on my toes.”

Dingdong, meanwhile, said of Dennis: “I’m in awe of his body of work and career choices,” he said.

New movie awaits...

tor Magtanggol made a lot of PAGE B1 really like a mother who cares children happy especially when for me, prays for me, and has there’s so much struggle in our that genuine concern for me lives as Filipinos today. Many and everyone on set. And yes, have said that Victor Magtangher faith in the Lord is really gol gave them hope and taught admirable.” their children to always do what Moreover, Alden said he is good and right.” will treasure the children have The final taping day for Viccome to love the latest Filipino tor Magtanggol took place on superhero he portrayed. and Alden—like AJ Ads 118_Layout 1 9/8/18 2:38 PMWednesday, Page 1 “I’m just thankful that Vic- everyone—is looking forward

to Christmas.

“I’m taking my family to the U.S. this year for about two weeks because it’s very important to give them my time specially since I’ve been so busy the past months. Babawi naman ako ngayong Christmas. I want to spend the holidays with them.

I miss bonding with my dad and my siblings,” Alden happily shared.

age gracefully

Baobab is a SuperFood Whose Time Has Come Baobab Butter Squares Yields 12 regular squares or 9 large squares

With ten times the antioxidant power of blueberries, pomegranate, goji berries and açai and gram for gram more calcium than milk, baobab is a super food whose time has come.

The baobab tree is a native of arid regions of Africa, Madagascar, India and Australia and its knack for survival in extreme conditions along with the highly nutritious fruit that it bears have earned it the nickname, “Tree of Life.”

After a year of looking for a U.S. source for baobab, I discovered a new company, Baobab Food, Inc. They generously offered me several bags of their Baobest™ Powder Mixes so I could create some recipes for my new cookbook, The AGE BEAUTIFULLY Cookbook, and told me about its amazing properties. Now you can find baobab on Amazon and in some grocery stores.

The fruit looks almost like a velvet-covered yam dangling from the tree. Baobab is wild harvested and the inside of the fruit is dry and fibrous. Besides being an excellent source of vitamin C, baobab fruit contains a healthy dose of B vitamins, calcium and potassium. It is a rich source of polyphenals, known to be beneficial in reducing the glycemic response, which is the rate at which sugar is released into the bloodstream.

Try my recipe for Baobab Butter Squares, which are a twist on traditional lemon squares, but have the added bonus of antioxidants, fiber and vitamins from the baobab fruit.

3. Bake crust at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

It won’t be completely done.

4. Make the filling: In a large glass mixing bowl, whisk the filling ingredients. Don’t whip or overbeat.

7. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into squares and serve.

GRACE O is the creator of FoodTrients®, a unique program for optimizing

such as Solenn Heussaff, Jericho Rosales and Luis Manzano have urged people to help take care of the environment. Meanwhile, some like Bela Padilla, James Reid, Nadine Lustre and Kiana Valenciano stepped up their game by participating in cleanup drives.

Marian Rivera answers netizens’ clamor to sing GMA’s Christmas station ID

by Jan

Milo Severo Philstar.com

WHEN “Asia’s Songbird” Regine Velasquez left GMA, netizens are wondering who will sing the Kapuso Christmas station ID. As one of the biggest stars of the Kapuso network, Marian Rivera is among those being nominated by netizens to sing the TV network’s Yuletide season ID, as evidenced by the actress’ recent trending resurfaced video showing her singing Rihanna’s orginal song, “Unfaithful.”

In an interview with Philstar. com during the recent launch of Kultura X Marian pearl collection especially designed by the actress, GMA 7’s “Primetime Queen” jokingly said she is willing to do the chore.

“Hahaha. Kanta gusto nila?

Why not?” Marian told Philstar. com when asked for a comment.

Marian, however, said she still does not know who will be officially singing the network’s station ID. “Wala akong idea. Basta ako artista lang ako ng GMA at siguro mahirap din maki-involve sa ganyang issues lalo na ‘pag medyo mabigat,” she said.

She also stressed that she is

Marian Rivera

not the network’s last-standing biggest star.

“Hindi naman. Marami pa ring star ang GMA,” she said.

Marian is currently pregnant with her second child with Dingdong Dantes. She said she is already in her second trimester.

Photo from Instagram/@marianrivera

“Well, compared kay Zia, medyo mahirap ‘to ng konti,” she said.

Her husband Dingdong decided not to run in the midterm elections to take care of his family now that Marian is pregnant.

toMada Philstar.com

2. Make the crust: In a stand mixer, combine the crust ingredients and mix on low speed until well blended. Spread evenly in an 8 x 8-inch baking pan. Press the crust down evenly in the center with your fingers, but the let the edges rise up along the sides of the pan just a bit, almost like a tart shell.

6. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes.

lows him. His reason? “Kahit isa lang ang gumaya masaya na ako. Hanggang sa dumami nang dumami ang gaya-gaya (Even if only one will follow me, I’d be happy enough. Soon, another one will follow until everyone does).”

Like Herrera, other celebrities

Photo from Facebook/Pepe Herrera

by natHalie

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

5. Pour the filling over the partially baked crust. Return to oven for another 20 minutes or until the filling is set (when you shake the pan, the filling should jiggle and hold, not run like water).

Pepe Herrera

Fil-Am animator Josie Trinidad would love to see a Filipina Disney princess warrior and definitely thinks ‘that’s in the future’

© 2018 by FoodTrients.com

BY GRACE O

Ingredients for crust 1/2 cup butter, softened 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup white sugar 1/4 tsp. salt or salt substitute Ingredients for filling 2 eggs (organic, free-range or Omega-3 enriched) 3/4 cup sugar 4 Tbsp. baobab powder 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 2 tsp. lemon zest 1 tsp. baking powder Garnish 2-4 Tbsp. powdered sugar

PEPE Herrera is back—not in the acting scene, but as a beach trash collector.

The actor said he is proud of what he does by picking up unwanted waste, saying he felt “really good doing it again” in a Facebook post on Thursday, November 15.

While he declared his commitment in what he does, he admitted he still gets affected by other people’s reactions of not taking of what he does seriously.

“I have seen sarcastic facial reactions and remarks from people that for me seemed like a way of saying ‘you’re wasting your time and making a fool out of yourself,’” he wrote. “Minsan, naiinis pa din ako. At medyo napapahiya (At times, I get irritated, and a bit shamed).”

Despite the reactions he got from people, he is determined to carry on. “I’m way far from stopping,” Herrera said. “This is a lifelong commitment and I’m just getting started.”

Herrera also aims to encourage locals and tourists to do the same, “[i]n a non forceful manner.”

He added that he would be satisfied even if only one fol-

wellness and longevity. She is the author of two award-winning cookbooks — The Age Gracefully Cookbook and The Age Beautifully Cookbook, which recently won Gourmand’s ‘Best in the World’ Award for Innovation. She is a fusion chef with a mission to deliver delicious recipes built on a foundation of anti-aging science and her 20 years in the healthcare industry.

Visit FoodTrients.com to learn more. Email us at info@FoodTrients.com

WALT Disney Animation Studios’ Josie Trinidad recently visited the Philippines to talk to fellow Filipino animators at the 2018 Animahenasyon, Philippine Animation Festival.

Trinidad is the head of story for Disney’s upcoming “Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2,” the much-awaited sequel to 2012’s “Wreck-It Ralph.”

“I can’t tell you what a dream come true everything on this film has been for the animators,” Trinidad told the aspiring and professional animators at the festival about her experience working on “Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2.”

The proudly Filipino animator, who oversaw the film’s story team (the group responsible for translating the script to its first visual form), shared the animation process at Walt Disney Animation Studios.

She also showed behind-thescenes videos and several clips from “Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2.”

Hometown hero “My journey started here in the Philippines,” said Trinidad, whose parents are both Filipinos who migrated to the United States. “I feel very connected to the Philippines, despite being miles away.”

In 2004, Trinidad joined the Disney team as a story apprentice, and once she completed training,

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Josie Trinidad, head of story for “Ralph Breaks the Internet”.

In Ralph Breaks the Internet, video-game bad guy Ralph and fellow misfit Vanellope von Schweetz leave the video-arcade life behind and venture into world of the Internet.

Vanellope takes a groufie with the Disney princesses in a scene from the film.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Animation Studios

she was hired as a story artist.

Her Disney credits include “The Princess and the Frog” (2009), “Tangled” (2010), “Wreck-It Ralph” (2012), and the Academy Award-winning “Zootopia” (2016), for which she was co-head of story.

She is joined by other Filipino talents in the studio such as Ronnie Del Carmen, Gini Cruz, Paul Abadilla, Nelson Bohol, and Bobby Rubio.

“The diversity is by design,” said Trinidad, “because Disney’s PAGE B3

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B

Fil-Am animator Josie Trinidad...

PAGE B2 stories go global.”

Research, research, research According to Trinidad, once the directors give their idea for a film, the team goes on full-on research mode.

“We start every film we do with research,” she said. “We’re passionate about research because we care for the believability of our stories.”

Plus, research can be so much fun! For example, for “Moana,” the animation team went on a research trip to the beautiful islands of Polynesia.

For “Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2,” after directors Rich Moore and Phil Johnston had given their vision for the film, the team asked themselves: ABANDONED BY HER BIRTH PARENTS, WILL NIKKA BE LEFT BEHIND AGAIN WHEN USCIS CHALLENGED HER ADOPTIVE PARENT’S Where do we go for research?

ELIGIBILITY TO PETITION HER? Lilia (right) and her husband Peter filed a petition to adopt Nikka (left) when the child was 12 years old.

The answer: One Wilshire The adoption decree was issued six (6) days before Nikka turned 16 years old, and the certificate of finality came out two (2) months Boulevard, a data center in Los after Nikka’s 16th birthday. When Lilia and Peter filed an Immediate Relative Petition for Nikka, the USCIS served a Request for Evidence Angeles, California, which houses (RFE), challenging them eligibility to adopt Nikka. Lilia and Peter were devastated, depressed, and in despair. Would this mean losing all internet communication for the the chance to be reunited with their adopted child - whom they loved and considered their own? Watch how leading U.S. immigration US. It was not quite like visiting attorney MICHAEL J. GURFINKEL came to the rescue and secured approval of their petition in a mere two months, on an encore episode the exotic islands of Polynesia, of CITIZEN PINOY – on Sunday at 6:15 pm (PST) on TFC. (Advertising Supplement) but what they saw awed and inspired the team to create a visual for the world wide web that would Life Coaching be relatable to audiences in the much same way that the power in a Different strip a.k.a. Game Central Station Perspective did in the first film. that manifest themselves in the a place. However, when the spirit “We started to envision that physical world even after detach- manifests repeatedly, it becomes the internet was like a major city, ing from the physical body. They a haunting. Whether you see an like Manhattan and Manila,” said Stargazer move around places and things apparition or a haunting, you can- Trinidad.

WITH the celebration of All knowingly and unknowingly. not discount the fact that there is, Never give up Souls’ Day earlier this month, stoHow do ghosts manifest? Ghosts indeed, a paranormal occurrence.

Just like the stories she helps ries of ghosts and hauntings have appear around dark, damp areas, Why do we have ghosts? Ghosts create for Disney, Trinidad’s realsurfaced — as if they never existed cellars or basements, forests, bath- “appear” or even “haunt” certain life success as one of the Filipino even beyond the said season. places because of several rea- animators at Disney is an inspirarooms, dark closets or corners.

To be very upfront, ghosts exist It can be caught randomly with sons: tion for Filipino animators. everywhere and mingle among the any film or still camera, with or Unfinished businesses. When “I am the poster child for living. The existence of the other without flashes, seen in a split they were alive, a special project or someone who failed but still dimension is real and a fact we can second or through the corner of the job that is of utmost importance made it to where I am today,” said never deny or subdue. eyes called peripheral vision. Their were their focus. Their efforts and Trinidad, who earlier shared that The spirit world is very complex, voices can also be “recorded” or time were devoted on the endeavor she realized while in animation and to a point, still unexplored. taped as deep, far sounding voices that they have special attachment school that she wasn’t as good Common sense dictates that med- and may be coherent or non-coher- to it. A spirit of a doctor working as her peers at drawing, and that dling with unseen and unpredict- ent sounds. They can also manifest on a special medical case would be she could not find a job after able energies is something one by making sounds, footsteps or reported seen in his study tinkering must seriously think about. But rappings on the wall. or reading a book, at the wee hours in the morning first let us try to describe briefly Strong attachment to places, or even a priest gliding through Spirits glow at times, too. This what a spirit is. is because of a matter called ecto- people or things. Emotions can the seminary corridors at 3 a.m.is A spirit defined as a being plasm. Some people define it as a bind the spirit to a place or person. not uncommon. These are perfect unseen. It moves about in and glow in the dark thing as popular- Say a favorite park, a cafe, rocking examples of strong affinity to the out of dimensions and in different ized by the movie “Ghostbusters.” chair, a book, mirror, a comb or a physical world. forms. Basically, there are two This matter makes the spirit have brush, table or a bed. These things Unaware he is dead or not ackinds of spirits: the good and bad. that ghastly appearance so that can be sentimental to any of us that cepting of death. Not knowing he There are numerous types of spir- they can be felt and seen more by when we have so strong an adher- is already dead, a spirit goes back its, from angelic beings to demons mortals. ence to these, it would be hard to to where his last memory was. If he and ghosts to elementals. We will Apparitions and haunting seem let go even when we pass on to was riding a car when he figured talk about this carefully in the com- to be synonymous with each other. the next life. Dedication to a job is in an accident, on a death bed ing issues but for now, let us keep When a spirit is seen for the first a very strong link to this physical because of an illness, or in a place the confines to ghosts only. time in a place, it is called an ap- realm, too. Stories of a floating where a crime was committed So what are ghosts? Ghosts are parition. Apparitions are also not- nurse doing the hospital rounds, a against him, the spirit will be drawn spirits of people and other beings too-frequent sightings of spirits in spooky janitor mopping the floor to where he breathed his last. That

Understanding spirits (Part I of II)

Josie is the film’s co-head of story, overseeing the team responsible for translating the script to its first visual form.

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Animation Studios

graduating.

“Just be true to yourself and work extremely hard. I got to where I am because I’m Filipino and my parents instilled in me an incredible work ethic. Keep at it, and never give up.”

In “Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2,” video-game bad guy Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) and best friend Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman) leave the comforts of Litwak’s arcade in an attempt to save her game, Sugar Rush.

Their quest takes them to the vast, uncharted world of the internet where they rely on the citizens of the internet—the Netizens—to help navigate their way. Lending a virtual hand are Yesss (voice of Taraji P. Henson), the head algorithm and the heart and soul of the trend-making site “BuzzzTube,” and Shank (voice of Gal Gadot), a tough-as-nails driver from a gritty online auto-racing game called Slaughter Race, a place Vanellope wholeheartedly embraces—so much so that Ralph worries he may lose the only friend he has ever had.

Filipino Disney character soon?

Want to see a Filipino Disney character? For Fil-Am Disney animator Josie Trinidad, she would love to see a Filipina Disney prin-

cess warrior and definitely thinks “that’s in the future.”

“I definitely think that there will be a lot of stories that can come from and be inspired by the Philippines because culturally, artistically, creatively, it’s such a rich world that (it) would be very exciting to see. And I definitely think that’s in the future,” Josie told the media, including The Star when asked about the possibility of a Philippines-inspired Disney animation similar to other “culturally-themed” films like Coco (Mexico) or Moana (Polynesian islands).

On bringing the Filipino culture to Disney “At Disney animation, there are at least three Filipinos working in the story department. I have a friend named Jo Mateo, he’s been there with me since I started working there, he’s like my kuya. There’s a kinship that I feel with other Filipinos… it’s just a shared experience that I know, it’s like I’m with family.

“As far as bringing our culture?

I think it just happens… For example, there are a lot of Filipinos working in Disney Animation as well. It’s just nice to see familiar faces who have shared experiences, and I can go there and just kind of know that I’m in a trusting environment.”

is the reason why there are so many ghosts in hospitals, scene of the crimes and road mishap locations.

Simply, they are unaware of the fact that they have left this world for good.

Spooked at this point? Don’t be.

This is just at the tip of the humongous topic about spirits. In my next column, I will discuss the matter from a parapsychologist’s point of view and will not attempt to coin any specific religion to it. We will have more about spirits…the intelligent approach.

*** Stargazer is a life coach, aura reader, psychic/ clairvoyant, and lecturer on the paranormal. She uses the aura, energies & vibrations as focal points of her psychic readings. Using several techniques involving the psychological, spiritual, paranormal and her own experience of the intricacies of life, Stargazer makes one get in touch with his inner and understand life in a positive manner. Faith in God and belief in self is what Stargazer emphasizes on. Currently, Stargazer is a radio anchor of DZMM Teleradyo, the radio arm of ABS-CBN. Her show “Pinoy Vibes” has been airing every Sunday morning since Sept. 2007. For more information, please visit http://stargazer.ph/.

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Carlo Aquino–the singer–emerges

by CHRISTINA

ALPAD ManilaTimes.net

TRANSITIONING from a promising young star to a bankable leading man through the many characters he’s portrayed, it’s easy to label Carlo Aquino as a true-blue actor.

What many only discovered in a scene from his latest hit movie with real-life ex-girlfriend Angelica Panganiban, “Exes Baggage,” the 33-year-old ce-

lebrity is also a good singer.

Starting out a capella, Aquino gave a soulful rendition of Ben & Ben’s “Maybe the Night,” as his character and Panganiban’s pretended they were dancing at party, in the quiet of an empty condo.

“I have always been passionate about music and I am overjoyed I’m finally doing music projects now,” he enthused, just as he and fellow ABS-CBN star Matteo Guidicelli announced

Health@Heart PHILIP S. CHUA, MD, FACS, FPCS

Carlo Aquino

ABS-CBN photo

the date for an unexpected but very exciting concert concept dubbed, “MatteoXCarlo.”

Mysterious meets affable This pair of charming singeractors and Star Magic leading men will share the stage for the first time.

Known for their opposite personalities – Aquino is quiet and mysterious while Matteo is outgoing and affable – the upcoming show has the challenge of merging their musical interests and preferences together.

“They‘ll be doing medleys and solo performances. The music fusion will be very exciting because we will mix up their songs in a way to make it their own,” explained Hills & Dreams concert producer Vernice Soyangco in a panel interview.

Both are expected, of course, to perform songs to make a cross of audiences — particularly the ladies — sing along, gush, dance and even rock the night away.

“In keeping with the festival vibe, Carlo and Matteo will be singing a couple of classic songs, some late ‘90s hits and a few other modern pop rock tunes,” Soyangco further detailed.

While neither actors ever expected to work together, more so in a concert, they‘re game to share the spotlight.

“Carlo’s a child star and he was born to this. He’s good at what he does and he’s a rock star as well so we’re just gonna feed off each other’s energies and we’ll see how it goes,” Guidicelli reckoned.

“Kita ko yung passion ni Matteo sa concert at alam kong hindi niya pababayaan yung concert namin. That gives me the excitement and confidence to do this,” PAGE B5

WHAT is Lactobacillus acidophilus?

L. acidophilus is the most popularly used probiotic or “friendly bacteria.” They live in the intestines and vagina and prevent the entrance and proliferation of disease-causing organisms, thus protecting the individual.

Are there other friendly bacteria in the body?

Yes. Actually there are several trillion friendly bacteria (over 400 species) in the human gastrointestinal tract. Literally, we carry about four pounds (1.8 kilos) of microbacteria in our guts. A healthy predominance of the good bacteria over the bad bacteria spells well being for the person. If the bad or pathogenic bacteria “outnumber” the friendly ones, ill health occurs.

How does L. acidophilus do it?

There are a variety of mechanisms through which L. acidophilus accomplish its good job.

Example: the breakdown of food by this probiotic results in the production of lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide and a few other by-products that create a hostile environment for the bad bacteria.

Lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose (milk sugar) into simple sugars for proper digestion and absorption, is produced

by L. acidophilus too. Those with lactose intolerance or lactase deficiency may be helped by L. acidophilus.

Who develops lactase deficiency?

While it is possible that some people could be born with lactase deficiency state, most of those with lactose intolerance (lactase deficiency) develop the condition secondary to lifestyle.

People who, during childhood, do not drink milk or do not eat dairy products regularly, acquire lactase deficiency. Lack of this enzyme prevents milk and dairy products (cheese, ice cream, even beans) from being digested and absorbed and properly. This leads to what is known as lactose intolerance, where the milk sugar (lactose) is not effectively broken down to simple sugars, a process needed for proper digestion.

How prevalent is lactase deficiency?

To some degree or another lactase deficiency is found in 75 percent of adults worldwide.

MOONLIGHTING

by MYLAH DE

LEON

WAR is just a filthy tragedy.

But it has always been like that, whether it was the violent age that was Renaissance, the Roman Empire, or the Golden Age in Greece.

When reporters describe dying in war, are you helping abolish war? What is the magical attraction to war and the risk and defiance of death? No one is insensitive to heroism and the natural habitat of heroism is war.

Nowhere does heroism burst out as in those in war, when it has the unique price of death.

Many of those who left for war were fresh and muscular, around 20-21 years old young back then, strong and resolute, bonded in that kind of relationships war forges with fire and steel.

Now, these men sit on wheelchairs or walk aided by a cane.

Some can no longer walk or some are unable to speak to us about the death-defying and wartime sacrifices they survived so well in what seems oh so long ago.

Craggy-faced veterans in their uniforms and garrisons caps bedecked with medals of valor, as their stomachs are in, shoulders back, and their lined faces adamant in their manliness. Beautiful in their frailty, these sprinkling remnants of World War II continue to evoke a powerful sense of something definitive in our part of that most fecund tragedy that can never be remembered.

Time has shrunk them, snapped bones, indefatigable, microbes, exhausted hearts that continue to deplete, it has creased their skin; hobbled organs that every day is lived on razor’s edge of will.

World War II veterans of an era are withdrawn into mere abstractions. As we go in with a generalizing, romanticizing and trivializing of their war and those who endured it, these gentle, noble survivors, who will always think of themselves as former soldier, on how in the eyes of the entire nation, as well as the entire world, were fixed on them as the young men ready to live at close quotes with death, in the name of freedom.

Lacto A: Friendly germs?

Among Chinese, it is 100 percent.

Twenty five percent of the U.S. population has some degree of lactose intolerance. About 90 percent of Asian Americans, 80 percent of Afro-Americans, 53 percent of Mexican-Americans, about 80 percent of Native Americans, and 15 percent of Caucasians suffer from lactose intolerance of varying degrees.

The incidence for southern Italians and Ashkenari Jews is 70 percent. A high prevalence is also reported among the majority of Meditarranean Arabs. Exception includes northwest Europeans, where the incidence is below said to be 20 percent. It has been postulated that those with lactose-intolerance also have a higher risk of stroke, colon cancer, hypertension, osteoporosis.

Whether decreased calcium intake (as a result of lactase deficiency) is a predisposing factor in the development of these diseases is still not known.

What are the symptoms of lactose intolerance?

Diarrhea and abdominal discomfort/distention, nausea, bloating, passing a lot of flatus, intestinal cramps following ingestion of lactose-containing food items, like ice cream, cheese, even salad or beans. Children who have lactase deficiency will fail to gain weight. The symptoms of lactose intolerance could be mild to severe, depending on the degree of lactase deficiency.

Are there pills for those with lactose intolerance?

Yes. One popular brand in the U.S. is Lactaid, an over-thecounter medication that has really been effective for those individuals with lactase deficiency.

Taking this pill allows them to drink milk and eat dairy products in moderation. For children, pretreated milk (where commercially prepared lactase has been used to predigest the lactose) are available, labeled as lactose-free milk. For infants, strict glucosegalactose-free diet is a must, and where fructose becomes the main carbohydrate. For those people on lactose-free diet because they have lactose intolerance, calcium supplementation is highly recommended. Some of the non-diary sources of calcium include green leafy vegetables, fish (especially salmon, tuna and sardines, where the bones are soft and edible), brussels sprouts, tofu, and broccoli.

What are the claims about Lactobacillus?

The major claims include the assertions that L. acidophilus

lowers cholesterol, boosts the immune system, maintains a healthy flora in the digestive tract, and that it prevents cancer.

While there are some probably positive preliminary studies on the first three claims, the last one has yet to be proven.

Is it effective for bacterial vaginal infection, diarrhea?

L. acidophilus, when taken by mouth (like yogurt) or as a vaginal douche, tablet or suppository, has been proven effective in treating vaginal infections caused by bacteria. For chronic or recurrent diarrhea, this “friendly bacteria” may be of some help but further clinical studies are needed to determine the safe and effective dosage.

How about for other illnesses?

L. acidophilus has also been tried in dozens of other conditions, like acne, AIDS, cancer, canker sores, constipation, cardiovascular illnesses, Cohn’s disease, heartburn, hives, indigestion, infections, stomach ulcers, ulcerative colitis, urinary tract infection, thrush, asthma, and many others. The studies done on some of them were flawed and scientifically not significant and worthless. There is no medically validated study to date that proves L. acidophilus is effective in any of those conditions listed above, or any other illnesses, except for the bacterial vaginal infection and some form of diarrheas.

Is L. acidophilus safe?

As aptly reported by Natural Standard in cooperation with Harvard Medical School, “there is limited scientific evidence about the safety and effectiveness of L. acidophilus in humans”.

Interactions with other drugs or herbs have not been adequately studied. Some people with weak immune system may be at risk of acquiring serious infections when taking L. acidophilus.

Before taking any lactobacillus preparation, consult with your physician. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States.

For more data, visit philipSchua.com; Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

Where have all the soldiers gone?

The writer interviews Filipino World War II veteran, Franco Arcibal

It wasn’t just the colors or the uniform, nevermind if it’s just a few moments to show off their medals and remember, but it was bittersweet. As they pass, people stood in quiet respect and eulogy from whispers of the past.

It was time once more to honor the men and women and what they died for, in a moment of celebration, despite the bloody cost.

It was always a proud day for Filipinos celebrating Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor).

It’s a day of retracing the steps of the years ago, revving the bloody sacrifices as they honor fallen comrades, as honor guards paced slowly through the crowd, followed by the men in uniform, some not fitting tightly across the stomach, others fitting as trimly, as the day they were first worn.

The Fil-Am community began to clap and stomp their feet as some began to cry. The people’s applause was special because it wasn’t in the program. There was no cue; they simply put their hands together in long sustained ovations for the bemedalled veterans of a world war, who came perhaps for the last time to pay tribute to the few left among them, and their untucked memories.

What is disturbing today is the sad remnant of WWII fighters still waging a battle, almost

certainly the last major struggle in a sprinkling number of what is left of them. Not all shoes fought, in their more than half-century quiet to be recognized as American veterans, is still a struggle.

These men and women, Filipino soldiers and guerillas, whose own service of the United States, should have entitled them to the same benefits as millions of other GIs from Normandy and Iwo Jima, but were lost out to the Supplemental Surplus Recession Act of 1946, when they’ve fought side by side in the Bataan Peninsula, at Leyte Gulf and in the mountains of Luzon.

It makes you think even deeper. Nowhere else in Asia did subject people support and defend the colonial master? Didn’t the Indochine turn on the French?

The Indonesian on the Dutch and Malaysian and Burma against the British? Only Filipinos remained loyal.

In a day of tribute about wartime sacrifices, nobody stands taller in remembrance than the World War II veteran. Feeling proud but forgotten, battle scarred and fighting old, old age and infirmity, he embodies poignant messages of duty, honor and undying love, heroism and sacrifice. *** E-mail Mylah at moonlightingmdl@aol. com

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Paolo talks about his leading role in ‘Through Night and Day’

by HonEy

orio-Escullar Philstar.com

PAOLO Contis never imagined that he would find himself tackling his first-ever lead role in the Viva Films and Octo Arts Films-produced romantic comedy “Through Night and Day” currently showing in Philippine cinemas, with Alessandra de Rossi as his leading lady.

This soon-to-be dad of three believes he is not the ideal leading man material.

In a pocket interview at GMA recently, Paolo related that even when he was just a newbie, the thought of being a leading man or matinee idol did not occur to him “because I was already busy that time. Ang sa akin work na lang talaga. And it doesn’t suit me well. I was more interested in playing villain roles. What really matters is, they trusted me. To be honest, ano ba naman ako?

When it comes to work I always give my best. I don’t want to be pressured kasi baka pumasok sa ulo (ko), di ba? (I’ll just) treat it like a normal day.”

Paolo feels blessed that he has a job and would grab whatever is offered to him, especially since his girlfriend LJ Reyes is giving birth to their daughter in January 2019.

Asked if there’s pressure to equal, if not surpass, the boxoffice success of Alessandra and Empoy Marquez’s movie “Kita-Kita”, Paolo replied, “I can’t let it get into my head.

Normally, you can’t help but feel the pressure and if you allow it, wala ka din namang magagawa e, di ba? What I do is just pray that people would appreciate it.

Malay mo, minsan may tsambatsamba naman yan, e. If not, at least they were able to watch it and that would still be a big thing (for us).”

Directed by Veronica Velasco, “Through Night and Day” is a love story of an engaged couple, Ben and Jen, who embarks on a trip of a lifetime to Jen’s life-long

Xian Lim and Kim Chui

Alessandra de Rossi and Paolo Contis in Through Night and Day, co-produced by Viva Films and OctoArts Films.

Part II of our recent October trip to the Holy Land, Jordan, and Dubai Pilgrimage

by Emil

PErito

LAST month, we spent ten great days in the Holy Land, Jordan, and Dubai where a memorable portion of our time was at the beautiful Wedding Church of Cana located in the Lower Galilee.

The church is where Jesus famously performed His first public Paolo (second from left) in “Ang Pangarap Kong Holdup” with Jerald Napoles, Jelson Bay and Pepe Herrera.

Photos courtesy of Viva Films miracle of turning six jars of water into wine for a wedding feast dream destination — Iceland. quickly adding, “I’m happy be- as recorded in John 2:1-11. The Their relationship is put to the cause it’s been a while since I city of Cana is also the birthplace test as all sorts of misfortune had my last movie, and my roles of Apostle Bartholomew, one of happen to them on this trip, are very significant in these films. Christ’s twelve Apostles. mostly caused by Jen’s blunders. Sobrang gusto ko yung parehong Fittingly, scheduled for our What they hope to be a trip that projects and I’m so excited that I visit was the renewal of wedding will make their relationship am part of both films.” vows for our group’s total of six stronger ends up tearing them apart.

Meanwhile, opening on Nov. 28 is a comedy film titled Ang Pangarap Kong Holdap, where Paolo will also be starring in with Pepe Herrera, Jerald Napoles and Jelson Bay. Produced

by Miss Chief Films and helmed

by Marius Talampas, the film is about the misadventures of a group of hold-uppers.

Asked how it feels to have back-to-back movies in a single month, Paolo said in jest, “I call it a Paolo Contis festival, hahaha!”

married couples—a pilgrimage tradition for many who visit. Although the wedding renewal arrangement was only for the priest to officiate, Fr. Jerome, the head caretaker of the church was kind enough to solemnize a mass which made the occasion extra special.

The beauty of the church— which was built circa 1881, and expanded from 1897 to 1905—further added to the unforgettable occasion.

Tears were shed by some of the couples who could not believe that they were going to personally experience renewing their wedding vows at the church personally visited by Jesus.

Photo from Instagram/@chinitaprincess

Kim on Xian’s sweetness and her new film

by Krissy

aguilar Inquirer.net

KIM Chiu finally broke silence about her relationship with Xian Lim. The two have long been rumored to be a couple, but Chiu confirmed on Wednesday their status during an interview at “Tonight With Boy Abunda.”

“Oo naman. Yes, oo, oo,” she said after host Boy Abunda asked if they are officially together.

“Kung magpapakita siya ng sweetness, doon matutunaw ka na talaga kasi iba talaga siya mag-surprise, mag-express,” she added, defending Xian for being “misunderstood” in the industry.

Meanwhile, they have yet to consider marriage, as Chiu reasoned they still had other priorities and how young they still were.

“Hindi rin namin pinaguusapan kasi siya rin. Mayroon pa kaming priorities, marami pa kaming gustong mangyari sa bahay. And bata pa naman,” the 28-year-old actress said.

She added: “Ngayon naman,

ang mga career woman, 30 plus na nila iniisip. Pag nag-30 na sila, doon na sila maghahanap.”

‘One Great Love’ Meanwhile, Kim struggles to choose between two men who are trying to win her affection in “One Great Love”, as seen in the movie’s trailer released on Regal Entertainment’s Youtube page on Wednesday, November 14.

The trailer shows her and Dennis Trillo as the best of friends. Little does she know that he is secretly in love with her. Meanwhile, JC De Vera wins her heart and gives her all of life’s pleasures.

As she falls for JC her doubts start to make her question her love for him. Will she make the right choice by settling for JC? Or will she realize that Dennir is the one for her?

“One Great Love” also stars Marlo Mortel, Miles Ocampo, Niña Dolino and Eric Quizon, who also serves as the film’s director. It is set to open in theaters Dec. 25, as part of this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival line-up.

Carlo Aquino–the...

PAGE B4 Aquino said in return.

Debut concert But while Guidicelli already has three consecutive and highly successful concert experiences to his name, Aquino admitted he has nothing of the sort.

“Kinakabahan ako kasi ito talaga yung first major concert ko at sa isang venue pa na katulad ng Music Museum,” Aquino told The Manila Times at the sidelines of the launch.

“But every time naman na may gagawin ako, mapa-mall show man yan, TV or movie, lagi akong merong kaba which I think is a good thing,” he opened up.

“Excited ako sa MatteoXCarlo dahil gusto ko rin naman talaga ito,” he added.

Asked to describe how he performs, Aquino replied, “Sa concert gusto ko lang maramdaman nila na malaking tulong ang nabibigay ng music sa buhay at malaking inspirasyon ang makukuha nila sa musika.

Makikita nila na nag-e-enjoy ako na mag-perform.”

Their energy contagious, Guidicelli finally adjoined, “I think the people will have a good time and just feel the love all around. There’s nothing really fancy, there’s just going to be the band, us and our music.”

)ROORZ XV RQ

Following our visit to the church, we visited a religious shop to grab some souvenirs and presents for our other loved ones back at home. We then called it a day with a satisfying dinner and a relaxing overnight stay at the Legacy Hotel located in the City of Nazareth.

Established in 1995, Air Plus Travel specializes in religious travel. Our next exciting pilgrimage, titled “The Promised Land in the Bible,” will take place on March 30 – April 11, 2019. For more information, please visit our website: www. airplustravel.net or call us at 562-863-0624.

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COMMUNITY Journal

Immigration after the midterm elections THE 2018 midterm elections are now over, and we have a split Congress. Democrats are in the majority in the House of Representatives while Republicans still control the Senate. What does that mean for immigration laws and policies? Are we any closer to seeing comprehensive immigration reform?

There is a broad consensus that the country’s immigration system needs to be revamped.

It is commonplace to hear complaints that the laws are outdated, confusing, and full of loopholes.

Does a viable solution exist to this problem? And if so, will Republicans and Democrats be able to work together to find it? After all, President Trump is interested in border security, Democrats want a permanent solution for the Dreamers, etc.

The reality is that we may not see any major immigration reform passed for at least the next two years. While a majority of Americans do not want to see more family separations, that may be just about the only thing on which we can agree. So, what should you do now if you are still hoping to be granted permanent resident status? Instead of continuing to wait, it is advisable to explore options that may be available to you right now. Here are just a few of the many ways to immediately obtain a green card.

One option available to undocumented immigrants is Cancellation of Removal for Non-Permanent Residents (“Cancellation”).

Cancellation allows qualified individuals to obtain a green card if they have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years, have good moral character, and can show that their U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident parent, spouse or child would suffer exceptional and extremely unusual hardship if the applicant were forced to leave the United States. Applicants are eligible to obtain employment authorization as soon as their application is filed. With work authorization, one may apply for a social security number, work legally and even obtain a state-issued driver’s license.

Another option for those pa-

cally or emotionally abused. The “Violence Against Women Act,” (“VAWA”) applies to both men and women and it allows certain spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents to file a petition for themselves without any assistance Atty. Devin Connolly from their relative. This self-petition allows victims to immeditiently waiting for comprehen- ately seek both safety and indesive immigration reform to pass pendence from their abuser. And is filing a family-based immigrant their abuser will not be notified petition. In conjunction with an about the self-petition. approved immigrant visa petition Finally, for permanent resiis the possibility of obtaining a dents, now is the time to considprovisional waiver if the foreign er applying for naturalized U.S. citizen is not eligible for adjust- citizenship. Having a green card ment of status. is a wonderful thing, but it does A provisional waiver helps in- not carry with it the rights of U.S. tending immigrants who are un- citizenship. In addition to things able to adjust their status but will like not being able to vote, permanent residents can lose their lawful status and be deported.

While it is true that permanent residents are most commonly deported for criminal offenses, that is not always the case. It is also possible to lose your green card for innocent mistakes, such as spending too much time outside of the U.S. Remember that more than one million individuals obtain permainvoke the 3-year or 10-year un- nent resident status each year. lawful presence bar upon leaving The ways in which they do so the United States. Most waivers varies, but they all have a willingrequire that the immigrant sub- ness and desire to improve their mit the application for any waiver immigration status in the U.S. from outside the United States. Consult with a knowledgeable Provisional waivers allow the and experienced immigration atapplicant to submit the request torney today to find out what opfrom inside the U.S. and wait tions are available to you. for the decision here. Once ap*** proved, the applicant departs for their immigrant visa interview at REEVES IMMIGRATION LAW GROUP is a U.S. embassy abroad. This pre- one of the oldest, largest and most approved waiver avoids lengthy experienced immigration fi rms in the United States with offi ces in Los separation of family members.

It is also important to remem- Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, ber that the provisional waiver Manila and China. does not only apply to family- For more Information please call (800) based petitions. It has been ex- 795- 8009 or visit www.rreeves.com. panded to also apply to petition- Telephone: (800) 795-8009 ers from employers. Therefore, E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com if you have an approved I-140 Website: www.rreeves.com. with a current priority dates, a *** provisional waiver might be an The analysis and suggestions offered in option. this column do not create a lawyer-client There are also lesser-known relationship and are not a substitute for options that may also be a vi- the personalized representation that is able way of obtaining a green essential to every case. card. One such option applies (Advertising Supplement) to people who have been physi-

Your Immigration Solution

“A provisional waiver helps intending immigrants who are unable to adjust their status but will invoke the 3-year or 10-year unlawful presence bar upon leaving the United States.”

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I haven’t paid my second mortgage Our favorite gadgets at the 2018 CES in Las Vegas in years: What can I do now?

Tax

IF you are one of the millions of homeowners who survived the mortgage crisis in 2008, you have something to be grateful for.

In 2008 alone, close to 900,000 homeowners were in foreclosure. This went on for several years until about 2011 and 2012.

Hundreds of thousands lost their homes. Dreams were shattered.

Banks were in a major panic and a lot of them had to be bailed out by the government or they would have gone out of business.

During that time, a lot of second mortgages did not get paid.

This also lasted for years. Why? Because the lenders who were foreclosing on properties were first mortgage holders; second mortgage holders were stuck with no remedy because property values had dropped and most homes were upside down.

What this means is that the foreclosing lenders took priority over other junior lienholders which were often banks who issued loans to homeowners to help make the down payment towards the purchase of the home (Remember those “80-20” loans where the “20” was the second mortgage loan?)

In some cases, the second mortgage loans were taken out after the purchase and the money used to make home improvements or pay other bills.

I see a lot of people these days who stopped making their second mortgage payments many years ago during that chaotic time in real estate history. Again, with no equity in the home, the second mortgage holders were fighting a losing battle for years because houses couldn’t be sold for enough money to also get them paid off along with the first mortgages.

Many people who realized they couldn’t even afford their first mortgage payment opted to go the short sale route. In a short sale, second mortgages got paid literally cents on the dollar but because they had no choice, it was better than getting zero.

OK, let’s fast forward to 2018.

The real estate market has recovered. Some say home prices in some areas are back at their pre2008 levels. In others, they’re not quite there yet. Suddenly, out of the blue, second mortgage holders are coming out of hiding and saying: “Where’s my

Minding Your Finances Atty. RAymond BulAon money?” I find it amusing to see some people telling me: “Well, I never heard from them again. So I thought they went away!!!”.

Bad News: No, they couldn’t have gone away. They may have stayed away for years knowing that they couldn’t do much but their lien on your property couldn’t have magically disappeared. Now people are realizing that they haven’t paid their second mortgage for many years

enough that you can afford to pay it all back over a 5-year period, filing a Chapter 13 bankruptcy may be one option. Filing bankruptcy will stop all collection actions including foreclosure. Not everyone qualifies. You must have regular income and be able to prove to the court that you can afford to make the payments in order to catch up. If the value of the property is still below the amount of the first mortgage, you may actually be able to get rid of most if not all of the entire second mortgage amount. This is called “lien stripping” in Chapter 13.

A second option might be to negotiate a lump sum or structured settlement with the lender.

Where there is still no equity or little equity, the bank may agree to take a percentage of the entire loan amount as payment in full. My office has been successful in many cases to do exactly this. For example, yesterday, we were able to settle at $350,000 second mortgage for less than half of this amount. The lender agreed to accept $25,000 in cash and low monthly payments for the balance. I am not saying that you should expect the same in every case but this is an example of what is possible.

The third option might be a loan modification. This is where the lender agrees to modify the terms of the same loan that you have in order to make the monthly payments more affordable. If you are behind, restructuring the loan reinstates the loan and gets rid of the delinquency. A lot of lenders offer this option if they believe it makes financial sense for them vs. foreclosing on your home.

If you or someone you know is in this situation, I provide a free consultation to discuss all possible options. Please call TollFree 1-866-477-7772 to schedule a free consultation. We have offices in Glendale, Cerritos and Valencia. *** None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped thousands of clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call Ray Bulaon Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1 (866) 477-7772.

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“A second option might be to negotiate a lump sum or structured settlement with the lender. Where there is still no equity or little equity, the bank may agree to take a percentage of the entire loan amount as payment in full. My office has been successful in many cases to do exactly this.” and the bank now wants all of their back payments or even worse, the entire amount! If they don’t get paid, they will foreclose and you will lose your home!

Unfortunately, just when things are just starting to look better for some people, they are now in a major panic. The hidden monster has come out of hiding from the basement. These are the types of phone calls that I am getting these days.

The question is: What can you possibly do now to save your home?

First of all, of course, every case is different. The solution may depend on a lot of factors: value of the property, amount of all outstanding mortgages and liens, the lender you are dealing with, availability of loss mitigation options besides foreclosure, your income and expenses, etc.

If the delinquency is small

CES (Consumer Electronics Show) gives us a glimpse of the next mega trend in consumer technology. Each January, tech giants from around the world gather to show off their latest inventions in Las Vegas. Let me give you a list of our favorites at the tech show earlier this year.

1. Robots of all Kinds: We saw all kinds of robots at the 2018 CES. There was Sony’s Aibo, a robot dog that’s great for folks with dander allergies and renters living in apartments that do not allow pets. There’s Forpheus who plays ping-pong, Sophia who can talk with you (with humor), Moley who can cook, FoldiMate who can fold your laundry, and Kuri who can video your birthday party. Well, some of you have already started using robot vacuums and mops at home.

2. AIBO Robotic Dog: Sony’s Aibo robotic dog sports advanced engineering for fluid movement, artificial intelligence and more personality. It can identify family members and map your home. We hope to see it again at the 2019 CES. It’s still pricey at $2,000 and is only available in Japan.

3. AFLAC Therapy Duck For Kids With Cancer: While there were plenty of robots, it’s Aflac’s “My Special Aflac Duck” that was most fascinating.

It’s our favorite robot because of its noble purpose: companion to children coping with cancer. The duck is part toy, part therapy pet.

It can quack, dance, and snuggle to comfort kids. The dance mode activates when music is played.

It has heartbeats and breathing actions. It quacks and waggles when tickled.

4. Phones: The Huawei Mate 10 Pro uses new Leica camera lens that can

The Prophetic Voice ReVeRend Rodel G. BAlAGtAS WE can spend many years of studies, read many books, travel to many places, hear from both simple and erudite people, and learn lessons from the experiences of life, but we can’t have all the answers to many existential questions. We may have unwavering faith in God, but we still grapple with many mysteries of life and faith, such suffering, sickness, death, and eternal life.

Take for example our quandaries on the recent tragedies in California. What’s with and why another mass shooting that killed thirteen people? Why another firestorm that brought destructions to many homes and interrupted many people’s normal lives? We can blame gun control policies, drought, and climate change, but why do people have to suffer?

As we grow older, we continue to confront many questions and complexities, and we can never have absolute certainties about many issues affecting us as human beings. No generation will ever have all the answers to life’s struggles. No science and technology will ever bring satisfaction to our queries. It’s because our minds are limited. All that we can do I s to succumb to uncertainties and surrender ourselves to God’s mysterious ways.

The absolute truth in life is

Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth uRSuA ReyeS INTERNET and social media has become a way of life these days. Almost everyone these day have Facebook, Instagram, Tweeter, etc. as part of their daily lives. These media are used frequent as people used to use land lines and TV. However if you have a pending divorce case or are contemplating filing for divorce, you should try to either refrain from using social media or exercise extra care in using social media because anything you post in social media can be used against you in court. Posting certain pictures or comments in social media can affect issues relating to domestic violence, child custody, spousal support, child support, attorney’s fees, and property division.

Domestic Violence Sometimes, people will post comments in social media such as facebook or tweeter ranting about their spouse when they get upset about certain issues.

Other times, people would post comments that are threatening to a spouse or other household members. These type of posts and activity can be construed by the Court as domestic violence

Stocks Tech Tips VictoR Sy,

cPA, mBA

challenge big expensive SLR cameras. It has a long-life battery that can last 25 hours of 3G calling, 20 hours of video playback, and three days of music playback. Compare this with my smart phone that I charge three times a day.

5. Laptops: Dell showed off its XPS 13 - the world’s smallest and most powerful 13-inch laptop. It’s powered by its 8th Gen Quad Core Intel processor and can wirelessly pair with your smartphone.

6. Alexa And Google Assistant: Voice-enabled Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant powered TVs and cars to Wi-Fi routers.

JBL has an 8-inch touch display and speaker that responds with a human-like voice.

7. TV: Most prominent was Samsung’s modular “The Wall” – a huge 146-inch TV. Its MicroLED television contains self-emitting micrometer scale LEDs that eliminate the need for color filters or backlight. It produces deep black tones and infinite contrast.

Its modular design gives you the ability to create differently sized screens. LG displayed a “rollable” TV concept. Then there were Sony’s X900F, Dolby Vision and HDR 10, and big gaming displays like Nvidia’s Display standard.

8. Virtual Reality: Virtual reality progress has suffered from annoying cables.

Lenovo’s Mirage Solo solves

this issue with a self-contained VR headset. It doesn’t need a phone, PC, or video game console. Google’s Daydream platform allows you to download games over Wi-Fi to internal storage or microSD card. Price has come down to about $400 even with this upgrade.

9. Vobot Halo Light Vobot Halo Light is a bedside lamp that greets you in the morning and gives you a news report with weather for the day.

10. Ar4x Security Camera Amaryllo introduced a security camera that not only records footage and alerts you to motion but also identifies people, cars, or pets from a distance. It recognizes your family and alerts you of intruders.

What We’d like to See at Nest Year’s 2019 CES: We’d like to see Vobot instruct Moley to cook breakfast while she greets and delivers the day’s news report. What a life. We’d love to see the Aflac duck waddle and quack around exhibit areas while Aibo yelps through the crowds, perhaps watch #R2DoubleD and #TripleCPU. Look it up. *** Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State University with an MBA. Vic worked with SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV - Andersen Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation in Pasadena, California. *** He has 50 years of experience in defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, FTB, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies. He is publishing a book on his expertise - “HOW TO AVOID OR SURVIVE IRS AUDITS.” Our readers may inquire about the book or email tax questions at vicsy@live.com.

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On grappling with life’s questions and mysteries that everything will end. We cannot know the day nor the hour, but this world will come to an end too. As the Gospel this Sunday (Mark 13:24-32) states, the time will come when the sun will darken, the moon will stop shining, and the stars will fall from the sky.

With this realization, should we stop living passionately, loving generosity, exploring and studying life and the world? I don’t think so. For the purpose and meaning of life is to give our personal lives away for the sake of others and the glory of God. It is no wonder that Jesus Christ said that it is in losing one’s life that we gain it. And the greatest wisdom that we can learn from our earthly journey is that a life spent in service and love is what matters most!

And so, what shall we do with our continuous wrestling with the questions and mysteries of life? Let’s deal with them, struggle with them, remain hopeful for each other and the whole humanity, and trust in the almighty power of God over our lives and the universe. As Jesus says in the Gospel, “this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place, but my words will not pass away.”

The key then to accepting and surrendering to life’s pains and mysteries is faith in God’s Word, which he spoke to us in Jesus Christ. God’s words declare that we matter and we belong to Him!

He is with us and we experience a peace stronger than all suffering when we feel His presence in prayer, in deep dialogue with others, in silence, in our interaction with nature, in reading a luminous and profound passage.

His words fill us with passion and strength. His words, “I am with you until the end of time...”

(Matthew 28:20) echo within all that we are and experience.

C.S. Lewis said it right: “God whispers to us in our pleasures; speaks in our consciences; but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world...”

Pope Francis counsels us too with these words: “Do not fear time; nothing is eternal. Do not fear wounds; they make you strong. Do not be afraid to cry; it cleans the soul. Do not fear challenges; they make you agile. Do not fear making mistakes; they make you wise. Do not fear loneliness; God is always with you.” *** From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (19912001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.

Five ways internet and social media presence can affect your divorce case

towards a spouse and towards other household members. It is best to restrain your emotions, and refrain from posting such rants or other harassing comments on line. In addition, hacking into your spouse computer and disclosing and disseminating materials downloaded from your spouse’s e-mail, social media, etc may result to a finding of domestic violence. Domestic violence is not limited to physical violence. It includes actions that can destroy to mental and emotional calm of your spouse or ex spouse such as disseminating your spouse private information.

Custody Pictures of yourself in parties drinking alcohol or smoking in the presence of your minor child is a common piece of evidence parties try to introduce in Custody hearings specially when there is allegations of alcohol abuse.

Avoid posting these type of pictures in social media and the internet. If you have monitored visitation of your child, avoid comments and pictures in social media that depicts you exercising visitation without a monitor.

Avoid any type of social media pictures or comments refer-

ring to use of marijuana or other types of drugs. Even if your spouse or ex spouse is not within your list of social media friends or contacts, you will be amazed how these type of information can get to your spouse through common friends. In addition, if there is a finding of domestic violence against you as discussed above, there is a rebuttable presumption against giving you sole or joint physical custody of your child under Family Code Section 3044.

Spousal Support and Child Support Social media are often used by people to brag and show off to their friends their expensive vacation, exotic trips and other new ride they bought. However, this could back fire when you have a pending family law case. Your spouse somehow will be able to get a hold of these pictures and comments through common friends and use it as evidence against you as to why you should pay more child support and spousal support. Your argument in Court that you are broke and living paycheck to paycheck might be questioned if

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 17-20, 2018

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People and Events Mocking an employee’s physical condition may be disability harassment Officials caution public to beware of charity scams AUGUSTINE Caldera worked as a correctional officer at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) for 20 years. Caldera, who stutters when he speaks, was mocked or mimicked at least a dozen times over a period of about two years. A supervisor participated in the mocking in a mean-spirited manner and in front of others.

On one occasion, the supervisor even mimicked Caldera’s stuttering over the prison’s radio system, which could be heard by many other employees. The harassing conduct was part of the culture at the prison. Caldera filed an internal EEO complaint against the supervisor but the latter was reassigned to the same area where Caldera was working. The supervisor continued to mock Caldera, including cursing at him with a mocking stutter.

Caldera sued the CDCR for disability harassment, failure to prevent harassment, and related claims under California law. The case eventually went to trial. A jury found in Caldera’s favor, finding among other things that the harassment was both severe and pervasive. The jury awarded Caldera $500,000 in emotional distress damages.

The trial court ruled the damage award to be excessive and granted the employer a new trial. The parties appealed.

The employer argued that there was insufficient evidence that the harassment was either severe or pervasive. Caldera argued that the trial court failed to timely provide a reason for granting a new trial.

California law defines disability (whether mental or physical) as any disease, disorder, condition, cosmetic disfigurement, anatomical loss, mental retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional or

Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights ATTY. C. JOE SAYAS, JR. mental illness, or specific learning disabilities, which limits a major life activity. When a condition limits a major life activity, it means that the achievement of the major life activity is difficult.

Working at a job is considered a major life activity.

California law prohibits harassment and discrimination

not enough. However, a single incident may be considered harassment if it is extremely severe.

Unlawful harassment in the workplace can take many forms, including: inappropriate jokes, derogatory comments, or innuendo; physical harassment, like unwanted touching or hitting; verbal threats or implied threats; visual harassment, such as photos, posters or signs.

Given the facts in Caldera’s case, the appellate court ruled that the harassment was both “severe” and “pervasive.” The appellate court also affirmed the verdict that the employer failed to prevent harassment. It held that even though CDCR conducted training, the supervisor’s harassment persisted after the training, such that a jury could reasonably conclude that CDCR failed to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent harassment.

The court noted that the law does not exhibit ‘zero tolerance’ for offensive words or conduct. Rather, the law requires the employee show that the harassment was severe or pervasive, which the employee has shown. *** The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic.

All inquiries are confidential and at nocost. You can contact the office at (818) 291-0088 or visit www.joesayaslaw.com or our Facebook page Joe Sayas Law. [C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. is an experienced trial attorney who has 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 the recipient of PABA’s Community Champion Award for 2016.]

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“To prevail on a harassment claim, the employee must show that the conduct created a hostile work environment.

A hostile work environment is one in which harassment occurs that is severe, frequent, or both.”

Debt Relief

ATTY. LAWRENCE YANG 1. IS there a constitutional right to file for bankruptcy?

Yes, there is. The United States Constitution adopted 250 years ago provides for the creation of bankruptcy courts and the power to administer them. Our founding fathers believed that people should be given a chance to have a fresh start in life to become productive again without accumulated debt. Before the adoption of the Constitution, we followed the concept of having debtor jails similar to the practice in England. Debtors who could not pay their debts were jailed until they paid their debts.

Thus, if you lived in before the adoption of the constitution and defaulted on your credit card debt, you would end up in jail, just like a criminal.

However, with the adoption of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787 at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, forging a new government for the United States, debtors who can’t pay their debts do not have to go to prison. Instead, they can start life anew without accumulated debt, making them productive again, while being able to keep most if not all of their assets. Our founding fathers believed that allowing debtors to get rid of debt would be beneficial to society.

2. How many kinds of bankruptcies are there? Chapter 7 of the bankruptcy code gives debtors a new start by discharging the most accumulated debt.

Chapter 13 of the bankruptcy code gives debtors a financial reorganization by allowing partial payment of accumulated debt.

Chapter 13 is sometimes called the “wage earner reorganization plan” because the payment plan is funded by the debtor’s regular wages or business income.

There is also Chapter 11 and Chapter 12. There is also the urban legend of Chapter 20. This is doing Chapter 13 after Chapter 7 in certain circumstances.

3. Can you keep your assets if you file for bankruptcy? Yes, debtors are able to keep most if not all of their assets while getting rid of their debt by claiming “exemptions”.

“Exemptions” keeps an asset out of the bankruptcy estate and out of the jurisdiction of the bankruptcy trustee. For example, the homestead exemption in CA under 704.730 of the CA code of civil procedure is $75,000, $100,000, and $175,000 of home equity depending on applicable circumstances of the debtor. So, if you are a senior at 65, and your house which has a current fair market

based on disability or medical condition. In California, unlawful workplace harassment occurs when a person directs negative, inappropriate, or unwanted conduct at a worker based on certain protected characteristics, in this case, the employee’s disability or medical condition.

To prevail on a harassment claim, the employee must show that the conduct created a hostile work environment. A hostile work environment is one in which harassment occurs that is severe, frequent, or both. This means that there was a pattern of harassment of a repeated, routine, or a generalized nature. A few annoying or mildly offensive comments are usually

sion and how the donations will be used.

• The organization does not provide proof that the donation is tax deductible.

• High pressure tactics are used.

• The need to wire money or donate cash.

If you are thinking about giving to a charity, use these simple tips to identify reputable charities: • Ask for detail information about the charity, including the name, address and telephone and how the donations will be used.

• Don’t be pressured into making a donation.

• Search the name of the organization on the internet to see if it’s reputable company.

• Never give donations in cash, by wire or in gift cards.

• Check with the IRS to see if the organization is eligible to receive tax deductible contributions.

For the Woolsey Fire, reputable first responder, relief and animal-aid organizations include: • Los Angeles County Fire Department Foundation: lacfdf.org • Los Angeles City Fire Department Foundation: supportlafd. org • American Red Cross: redcross. org • United Way: unitedwayla.org • Los Angeles County Animal Care Foundation: lacountyanimals.org For further information about the Woolsey Fire, including evacuation and repopulation areas, animal shelters, road closures and disaster relief, visit lacounty. gov/woolseyfire. ■

LA County Dept. of Animal Care continues to provide animal sheltering for Woosley Fire

THE Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care (DACC) and Control is working to provide safe sheltering for animals as a result of the active fires that have affected thousands of Los Angeles County residents.

DACC has sheltered over 800 animals since Thursday, November 8, 2018 including dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, llamas, donkeys, and other large animals.

Animal sheltering sites include Pierce College, Hansen Dam and Antelope Valley Fairgrounds. DACC also staffed mobile animal shelters at Taft High School and Borchard Park.

Throughout this event, the Department of Animal Care and Control has provided monitoring and sheltering 24 hours each day.

DACC had to evacuate its Agoura Animal Care Center last Friday morning and all of its animals to its other six animal care centers. The remaining six animal care centers have also been providing small animal sheltering.

Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA, The ASPCA, Riverside cy. After two years, you can get County Animal Services, Spcaa mortgage loan to buy a house LA, and volunteers from The Los but your interest will be higher.

After two years, your credit score will be about 600 to 620.

After three to five years, your credit score will be about 650 to 700, depending on how you handle new credit. Between six to seven years, your credit score will be about 730 to 750. On the 10th year from filing bankruptcy, there is no more record of your bankruptcy filing in any credit report. You’re back to over 800 or perfect credit.

8. Are income taxes dischargeable in bankruptcy? Yes, they are provided you meet qualifying factors. For instance, the tax owed must be at least 3 years old. An assessment must have been made at least 260 days ago and there is no fraud involved.

For instance, you owe the IRS $300,000 of income taxes for 2014. Chapter 7 will discharge the $300,000 and you won’t owe the IRS anymore provided all qualifying factors for discharge are met.

9. Who are famous now successful individuals who have filed for Chapter 7? Walt Disney filed Chapter 7 twice. Now Disney business is global and worth many billions of dollars.

Disney has theme parks in China, Japan, France, etc. Milton Hershey filed for Chapter 7. Now Hershey chocolates is probably the biggest global chocolate business that exists worth many billions of $.

10. Will you be the next Walt Disney or Milton Hershey if you file for bankruptcy? Who knows, maybe? But surely, if you don’t get rid of your accumulated debt now, you won’t ever become productive again.

You will remain a debt slave forever. As you know, being a slave will get you nowhere in life because slaves can’t do much for themselves. Slaves work for their masters.

Whatever you become, debt slave, free man, or wildly successful entrepreneur, that’s really up to you. Decide and choose a productive life again or remain a debt slave until you die.

If you need debt relief, call to set an appointment. I will analyze your case personally. You won’t regret it. *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in bankruptcy, business, real estate and civil litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 1000 S. Fremont Ave, Mailstop 58, Building A-1 Suite 1125, Alhambra, CA 91803.

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Answering the common questions about bankruptcy value of $600,000 has a mortgage balance of $425,000, your homestead equity of $175,000 us fully exempt. You get to keep your house in Chapter 7. For instance, you owe $100,000 of credit cards. You can file Chapter 7 to get rid of the $100,000 of credit cards while you “exempt “ your house, i.e. you keep your house even as you get rid of your $100,000 of credit cards.

You also keep your retirement account of $200,000 by exempting it. Let’s say your 401k is $350,000, can you still exempt it? Sure you can. Even if you had a 401K or IRA or any kind of ERISA qualified retirement account like 403 or whatever of $1M, you can exempt the entire $1M, exempt your $600,000 house, while discharging your $100,000 of credit cards.

4. Is there a minimum debt required for Chapter 7? No. There is no minimum debt required. Owing $1,000 or $1 billion, it doesn’t make any difference. So, you can owe $1 billion of credit cards and other debts and have these wiped out, while you keep your $1-M of 401K? Absolutely.

5. How often can you file for Chapter 7? Every eight years.

6. Can you keep your cars in bankruptcy? Absolutely.

Let’s say you have a car loan of $25,000 on your 2013 Tesla-S, and a lease on your 2017 M-Benz c-300, and you want to keep both of them even as you file for Chapter 7 to discharge $50,000 of credit cards and other debts.

You have to continue the monthly payments on the Tesla and the M-Benz as before bankruptcy filing. You don’t get the cars for free. Most of the time, you can just continue payments. Sometimes, the creditor will require that you sign a “reaffirmation” agreement. This means that you recognize that the car loan or car lease survives the bankruptcy.

If you don’t want to keep the car, you can surrender the car and you will not owe the voluntary return deficiency. For example, you return the Tesla. Creditor sells the Tesla for $15,000.

Without the bankruptcy, you will still owe Elon Musk, $10,000 of return deficiency. With the bankruptcy, you owe Musk zero.

7. How fast can you rebuild credit after bankruptcy? Pretty fast. Right after bankruptcy, you can walk into a Toyota car dealer and buy a new car. However, the interest on the car loan will be higher. You might end up with 10 percent instead of 4 percent with good credit. And, there are creditors who specialize in providing credit cards to people who have just finished bankrupt-

WITH Woolsey Fire recovery and relief efforts under way, Los Angeles County officials caution the public to beware of charity scams and to donate to organizations they know and trust.

“Some charities spend most of their donations on administrative costs or don’t use the funds the way they promised. Others may not be legitimate charities at all,” according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

“Just because an organization has ‘police’ or ‘firefighter’ in its name, doesn’t mean that it actually will use the money to assist these public servants.”

Warning signs for suspicious donation requests include: • The organization refuses to provide information about the organization, identity, their mis-

do not have access to pets left behind by providing food and water to animals in evacuation areas. Water is supplied via DPW water trucks.

Veterinary Angels Medical Center who was evacuated from their place of business, packed up their equipment and set up a mash tent at Pierce College to provide veterinary assistance to pets brought by their families to Red Cross Shelters. When Veterinary Angels were able to return to their facility, they left the mash veterinary clinic in the hands of DACC Vets and Volunteers. DACC is operating this clinic to provide necessary care for evacuated animals and to function as a triage area for burned pets where, currently, three cats and one dog are receivPhoto courtesy of lacountyanimals.org ing treatment for burns and Angeles County Department of smoke inhalation. Equine and Animal Care and Control Equine livestock with injuries related to Response Team (ERT) all have the fires are attended to by Dr. provided operational support David Ramey, an equine specialto DACC. Annenberg PetSpace, ist retained by DACC to oversee PetCo, Chewy and many other their care.

DACC is accepts donations organizations have provided generous donations to help sup- made to the animal emergency disaster response fund managed port the sheltering needs.

The County of Los Angeles by the Los Angeles County AniDepartment of Public Works mal Care Foundation. Donations (DPW) is joining officers in the can be made online at lacountyfield to assist homeowners who animals.org. ■

C4 NOVEMBER 17-20, 2018 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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America The Music Center announces holiday programming ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS!

Calendar of Events across

PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS N OV E M B E R 1 7 - D EC E M B E R 1 2

JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles features Sou Fujimoto: Futures of the Future exhibition JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles is pleased to announce the upcoming SOU FUJIMOTO: FUTURES OF THE FUTURE exhibition, taking place Oct. 27 - Dec. 12, 2018 at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, located at Hollywood & Highland. Named the Wall Street Journal’s Architecture Innovator of The Year in 2014, Fujimoto has designed public and private buildings around the world since establishing his atelier in 2000. This exhibition is a showcase of over 100 models and large-scale photographs of past and current projects by the celebrated Japanese architect. Fujimoto addresses many opposite concepts, including the recurring theme the “primitive future.” This apparent contradiction refers to the primordial, intuitive moments that reconnect us with our own humanity, and open us up to new possibilities. His designs often feature juxtapositions of outside and inside, nature and urbanity, objects and spaces, public and private. And, his work considers the macro and micro: when does an object become a space? Exhibition dates from Oct. 27 to Dec. 12 are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, except Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Closed Thanksgiving Day 11/22). JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles is located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028 (inside Hollywood & Highland).

Admission is free. For more information, please call (800) 516-0565 or visit https://www.japanhouse.jp/losangeles/events/.

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Art exhibit inspired by Filipino food movement in Santa Ana, CA In “Super Sarap” — from November 3 to December 15 at Gallery 6/67 — three artists Mik Gaspay, Jeanne Jalandoni, and O.M. France Viana revisit commonplace objects and food within Filipino cooking. Through sculpture and photography, the artists elicit personal and collective memories and offer cultural connections that go beyond the Philippine diaspora.

The exhibition title, “Super Sarap,” fuses both English and Tagalog together, to hold multiple meanings. It can convey something that is extremely delicious, an expression of excitement and affirmation. Artists in “Super Sarap” play with these definitions and mutate symbols, making them both strange and familiar, challenging the expectations of cultural norms. It is guest curated by Patricia Cariño Valdez, an independent curator based in Oakland, CA. In addition to the exhibit, there will be two art and culinary events: an intimate four-course gourmet dinner prepared by acclaimed Orange County Chefs, Ross Pangilinan of Mix Mix Kitchen Bar on November 15 and Chef Ryan Garlitos of Irenia Restaurant on December 9 combined with an exhibition walk-through. The opening reception for Super Sarap will be on Saturday, November 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. Gallery 6/67 is located at 404 West 4th St., Suite K (2nd floor), Santa Ana, CA 92701. Gallery visits are by appointment. For more information about the exhibit and related events, visit https://www.gallery667.com.

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Quarter Madness at Holy Name of Mary Parish in San Dimas, CA Quarter Madness is a fundraiser on Saturday, November 24 that is full of fun and excitement. It will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Holy Name of Mary Parish at 724 E. Bonita Avenue, San Dimas, CA 91773. Those who attend may find themselves raising bidding paddles for items that they may want to get. There are several vendors with a variety of items to bid for. Vendors will put up items and if you are interested on these items, you make a bid using quarters only. There will be many items for yourself and/or for your friends.

Come and celebrate with us this day as we raise funds for the poorest of the poor in Bagong Silang, Philippines. Your support will provide livelihood tools, and feeding programs. FCHNM projects include winter shelter and faith formation programs. Ticket donation: $20 includes lunch, dessert, bidding paddle. The event is sponsored by Bagong Silang Mission/ Philippines and Filipino Catholics of Holy Name of Mary Parish. For contact information, please contact Nora Prescott at (909) 525-2124.

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Healing Mass with Rev. Fr. Corsie Legaspi in La Puente, CA Come experience the healing power led by Rev. Fr. Corsie Legaspi on Friday, November 30 at 7 p.m. It will be held at St. Martha Catholic Church (444 N. Azusa Ave., La Puente, CA 91744). Contact Rainier Valenzuela at (626) 964-4313 for more information.

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NAFFAA hosts civic leadership forum in Carson, CA The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) will have a civic leadership forum on Saturday, December 1 in Carson, CA from 1 to 5 p.m. It is a free event focused on civic leadership and empowerment within the Filipino-American community. Following the forum will be a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. It will be held at the Carson Community Center on 801 E. Carson St. Carson, CA 90745. To RSVP, visit naffaa.org/events.

“Pasko Na Naman” in Glendale, CA The Federation of Filipino Rosary Groups will sponsor a fundraiser entitled: “Pasko Na Naman 3” on Saturday, December 1, 2018 at Incarnation Community Center (214 Fairview Avenue, Glendale, CA 91208) starting at 3:30 p.m. The presentation’s theme is: Tapestry of Music and Dance which will show a variety of music and dances in the Philippines especially at Christmas time. The show is filled with talented artists who give to the community with generous hearts. Bre Harris and Matt San Jose will portray the role of friends who happened to have shared a common denominator about life in the Philippines; depicted through choral singing and folk dancing. The performers are: Malaya Filipino American Dance Arts, Holy Family Adult Choir under the direction of Tom Makiling and the Spirit of God Community under the direction of Ralph Santiago. “Ninangs” and “ Ninongs “ will also be presented.

Pasko na Naman presentation is on its third year. This show will bring nostalgia especially to those who miss their families at Christmas time. Benefactors of proceeds include but are not limited to: Channel of Charity feeding and scholarship programs, FFRG faith formation events and projects. Come one! Come all! Feel the scents and sights of Filipino Christmas.

The audience will also enjoy “merienda cena” at intermission. Ticket donation is $20.00 per person. For souvenir ad and ticket information, contact Tess Domingo at (909) 855-2208 or Carol Evangelista at (909) 969-3316.

D EC E M B E R 2

UPAA-NJ biennial general assembly, election & holiday party in Iselin, NJ UPAA-NJ will hold its biennial General Assembly / Election / Holiday Party on Sunday, December 2, 2018 from 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. at the Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel at 515 US Highway 1 South in Iselin, NJ. The organization will honor distinguished alumni, induct a new set of officers and Board of Trustees and feature local UP alumni talents who will provide entertainment, lead line dancing and render DJ services for an afternoon of dancing. Come and learn more about future UPAA-NJ projects and initiatives. Meet old friends, make new ones. For tickets and more information, please contact any of the following: Daisy Macadaeg (201) 446-7767, keanemac@yahoo.com, Lani Benedicto: (201) 745-6829, benedicto78@yahoo.com, Minnie Corpuz-Castillo: (551) 587-2815, mcorpuzcastillo@gmail.com, Johnny Ferrer: (201) 323-1303, juancferrer09@yahoo.com.

D EC E M B E R 3

Healing Mass with Rev. Fr. Corsie Legaspi in Los Angeles Come experience the healing power led by Rev. Fr. Corsie Legaspi on Monday, December 3 at 7 p.m. It will be held at St. Bernard Church (2500 W. Ave 33, Los Angeles, CA 90065).

Contact Puri Narvaez at (818) 543-1831 for more information.

D EC E M B E R 4

Healing Mass with Rev. Fr. Corsie Legaspi in Montebello, CA Come experience the healing power led by Rev. Fr. Corsie Legaspi on Tuesday, December 4 at 7 p.m. It will be held at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (820 N. Garfield Ave., Montebello, CA 90640). Contact Frenz Rivera (626) 338-7898 for more information.

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

Photos courtesy of (left to right): Javier Guillen for Grand Park/The Music Center; Alexander Iziliaev; and Grand Park/The Music Center

THE Music Center celebrates the holiday season with a wide variety of popular events and performances at The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and in Grand Park. From the annual L.A. County Tree Lighting, Grand Park’s Winter Glow and George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® by Miami City Ballet, to the 59th annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration and Grand Park + The Music Center’s N.Y.E.L.A., Angelenos have many ways to experience the richness of the holiday season with family and friends in the heart of Downtown L.A. Holiday programming includes: L.A. County Tree Lighting November 26, 2018 5:00 p.m., free to all • Join Grand Park and The Music Center for the Los Angeles County annual tree lighting featuring performances by local music artists and community groups along with free Starbucks® hot chocolate and coffee.

Grand Park’s Winter Glow December 1, 2018 – December 25, 2018, free to all • Grand Park’s Winter Glow, a new month-long, immersive nighttime art experience, takes over Grand Park in celebration of the holidays. Families will make new holiday memories strolling together through this 12-acre art exhibit and installation, and experience the wonder of Grand Park lit up like never before.

Iconic elements of the park, including the Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain, will shine in new and exciting ways with familiar

pathways leading to new discoveries as the park is transformed by the warmth and appeal of light. grandparkla.org The Music Center Presents George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® by Miami City Ballet Thursday, November 29, 2018 – Sunday, December 2, 2018, tickets prices vary • The Music Center welcomes the timeless holiday tradition of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® by Miami City Ballet. These performances become L.A.’s own with student dancers from two L.A.-based arts academies, Colburn School and The Gabriella Foundation’s everybody dance! program. Balanchine’s iconic choreography, Tchaikovsky’s timeless score and beautiful, reimagined sets and costumes by artists Isabel and Ruben Toledo, bring the favorite story to life with more than 100 dancers and cast members along with live orchestra. musiccenter. org/nutcracker 59th Annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration at The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Monday, December 24, 2018 3-6 p.m., free to all • Los Angeles’ largest multicultural holiday celebration, the 59th annual L.A. County Holiday Celebration provides Angelenos of all ages an opportunity to come together on December 24 to experience and honor the dynamic, rich cultures of the county and to experience many diverse

L.A.-based artists and community groups as they showcase their talent and artistry. Highlights of this year’s L.A. County Holiday Celebration include the Daniel Ho & Halau Keali’i o Nalani, Le Ballet Dembaya, Kayamanan Ng Lahi Pilippine Folk Arts, Lorenzo Johnson & Praizum, and Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea. Watch it on PBS SoCal, see it at The Music Center, or stream it live on pbssocal.org. holidaycelebration. org Grand Park + The Music Center’s N.Y.E.L.A. Monday, December 31, 2018 8:00 p.m. – January 1, 2019; 1:00 a.m., free to all • For the sixth year, Grand Park + The Music Center’s N.Y.E.L.A. welcomes Angelenos from all over the county and visitors from across the globe to ring in the New Year in Grand Park.

This unique free event, which has been recognized alongside major New Year’s Eve celebrations around the world, brings Angelenos and their families and friends together to celebrate the holiday at L.A.’s biggest FREENew Year’s celebration. Guests will count down to 2019 with 3-D digital video mapping on the side of the iconic City Hall and an integrated light show inspired by this year’s theme My Dream L.A. The evening’s entertainment will be provided by DJs and live music. grandpark.org/nyela The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is located at 135 N. Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012. ■

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 17-20, 2018

Five ways internet and social media...

PAGE C2 t

there are pictures and comments regarding you having a blast in Las Vegas or going on that Caribbean Cruise with your new significant other. Pictures of your expensive hobbies such as hunting, shooting in firing ranges with your expensive gun collection can be used against you to put into question your contention that you are broke. Likewise if you are the spouse asking for support, evidence in social medial that you are living a high lifestyle or that you are gambling can affect your claim for spousal support and child support.

Attorney’s fees The above conduct in social media and the internet can also affect your claim for attorney’s fee. Most of the attorney’s fee request in family court are based on needs. (Family Code Section 2030). If there is evidence of what appears to be a flamboyant lifestyle, this could undermine your need to have your spouse contribute to your attorney’s fees.

Division of Property The Family Code requires the

parties to make full and complete disclosure of all assets, debts, material facts and information, income and expenses. If there are assets and businesses that you failed to disclose but pictures and statements referring to it is posted in social media and the internet, your spouse can use this evidence to file an omitted asset RFO and have the Court divide the community interest in such asset or business even after the divorce judgment had been entered. For example, if you invested as a part owner in a business without disclosing this interest. This new business posts pictures of you cutting the ribbon during its inaugural grand opening, this can be used in court as evidence of your undisclosed asset. It would also tip your spouse to propound further discovery to obtain evidence regarding your undisclosed asset or business interest.

When you have a pending family law case, it would probably be in your interest to either refrain or be very mindful of the information you post and disseminate in social medial and the internet

because it can have a material effect on the issues in your family law case. *** 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, P.C. 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 has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kureyeslaw@gmail.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com.

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C NOVEMBER 17-20, 2018 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 17-20, 2018

MARKETPLACE SHOWROOM

&

D1

December 2018 priority dates Dominguez: Bank secrecy to cost govt

Immigration Corner

by MAYVELIN

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

ATTY. MICHAEL GURFINKEL, ESQ

First Preference

EACH month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed below. If your priority date was “current,” but later retrogressed (or “moved backwards” and became unavailable) before your immigrant visa was issued (or before you adjusted status in the U.S.), you would have to wait until it becomes current again.

Beginning last October 2015, the format of the Visa Bulletin changed, in that a new column was added, called the “Application Filing Date.” If a person’s priority date is earlier than the Application Filing Date, they can already file for adjustment of status and work authorization (provided they are otherwise eligible and USCIS indicates on its website it will use the Application Filing Date for that month). This could allow people to obtain work authorization much sooner than before, where they had to wait for the priority date to be current (in the Visa Issuance Date column) in order to both file for adjustment and be eligible for a green card.

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

(2A) Spouse and Second Preference minor children (below 21 years old) of green card holder

Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

February 15, 2008

February 15, 2007

December 1, 2017

October 8, 2016

(2B) Unmarried sons and daughters (21 years old or older) of green card holder

December 15, 2007

June 8, 2007

Third Preference

Married sons and daughters of US Citizens.

June 1, 1997

July 8, 1995

Fourth Preference

Brothers and sisters of US Citizens.

April 22, 1997

July 15, 1995

LABOR CERTIFICATION:

Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

Second Preference Advanced Degree (Masters)

Current

Current

August 1, 2017

June 15, 2017

Third Preference

Professional/ Skilled Workers

U. CARABALLO Manilatimes.net

THE government could lose as much as P15 billion in additional revenues if the proposed lifting of bank secrecy law is not approved by Congress, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said on Wednesday.

In a message to reporters, Dominguez said the proposed automatic exchange of information and lifting of bank secrecy provisions under a tax amnesty bill were estimated to add P15 billion to the government’s coffers.

The Senate and House ways and means committees want to scrap the provisions.

Dominguez said the Finance department would push for their reinstatement, saying: “We trust that the legislature will recognize the necessity of strengthening the law to enhance the adminis-

PAL voted ‘Most Improved Airline for 2019’, per global ratings site

PHILIPPINE Airlines has won another international victory by earning the world’s Most Improved Airline for 2019 award, to the Australiaan active member of the State Bar of your legal matter. No attorney-client according California and New York. All immigration relationship is, or shall be, established based airline review firm AirlineRatings.Com. services are provided by, or under with any reader.

This is the fourth major globthe supervision of, an active member WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com of the State Bar of California. Each Follow us on Facebook.com/GurfinkelLaw al accolade PAL received this year. case is different. The information and Twitter @GurfinkelLaw • In February this year, the contained herein including testimonials, Call Toll free to schedule a consultation Filipino airline was certified as “Success Stories,” endorsements and for anywhere in the US: a Four Star global airlineby the re-enactments) is of a general nature, (866)—GURFINKEL international rating firm Skytrax and is not intended to apply to any Four offices to serve you: *** particular case, and does not constitute LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW after excelling in rigorous independent audits of PAL’s inflight Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney a prediction, warranty, guarantee or YORK · PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement) and ground services and prodfor over 35 years and is licensed, and legal advice regarding the outcome of ucts.

• London-based Skytrax also gave PAL the 2nd Most Improved Airline for 2018 Award last July, based on worldwide passenger surveys.

• On Sept. 25, PAL received the Four Star Major Regional Airline 2019award from New-York based Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX), again based on a comprehensive veri—Kevin Plan, CEO and Chairman of Under Armour fied passenger voting system.

Other Workers

Non-Skilled Workers

August 1, 2017

June 15, 2017

Business Quote of the Week

“There’s an entrepreneur right now, scared to death, making excuses, saying, ‘it’s not the right time just yet.’ There’s no such thing as a good time.”

types of bank deposits, except when the depositor allows disclosure, in case of impeachment proceedings, upon order of a court in cases of bribery or dereliction of duty of a public official, or where the deposit is the subject of litigation.

The law seeks to encourage people to place their money in banks and discourage private hoarding so that the funds can be used for lending.

In 1981, the law was amended Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez to allow the examination of bank Manilatimes.net file photo records when authorized by the tration’s ability to enforce the tax Monetary Board or when the laws which were passed by them examination is made by an independent auditor hired by the in the first place.”

He has said that Congress bank itself.

The government-run National must first lift the bank secrecy law before passing a tax amnesty Tax Research Center (NTRC) to make the latter more effective. wants the bank secrecy law The Law on Secrecy of Bank amended to give government Deposits, put in place in 1955, agencies a fighting chance in goensures the confidentiality of all PAGE D3

In addition, PAL also earned a 7-Star Safety rating (the highest possible) from AirlineRatings. com last Sept. 30. The Filipino flag carrier likewise vaulted to the Top 50 World’s Best Airlines rankings as well as Top 30 Best Cabin Cleanliness rankings of Skytrax, both in July this year.

For the “Most Improved Airline Award 2019”, AirlineRatings.Com praised Philippine Airlines for its initiatives “to expand its global footprint using new generation fuel-efficient aircraft equipped with the latest cabins.”

AirlineRatings.Com editors emphasized that “Philippine Airlines’ bold expansion plans and its commitment to a next-generation, easy product made it a stand-out for the most improved airline.”

“The world is taking notice of the continuing transformation of Philippine Airlines”, said President and COO Jaime J. Bautista. “We are once again elated and truly humbled by this latest seal of approval, this time

from AirlineRatings.Com. I share this honor with my PAL family – a team of hardworking professionals dedicated to maintain and sustain a high quality brand of service that is fueled by the Heart of the Filipino service philosophy.”

Bautista said the recognition would inspire the PAL team to further enhance and level up its products and services to enable passengers to enjoy a convenient and comfortable travel experience. “I hope it will also inspire Filipinos everywhere to dare to be achievers and strive for excellence in a world of big challenges.”

The rating body pointed out that, “Philippine Airlines (PAL) has expanded its global footprint by more than 60 percent in recent years with innovative services such as a single-aisle [Airbus] A321neo flight between Manila and Brisbane and an A350-900 trans-polar route to New York.”

PAGE D2

D NOVEMBER 17-20, 2018 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Despite recovery, remittances at one-year low in September 2018

by Lawrence

agcaoiLi Philstar.comt

MANILA, Philippines — Remittances recovered in September as Filipinos abroad started sending money to their loved ones in the Philippines ahead of the Christmas holidays.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas officer-in-charge Maria Almasara Cyd Tuaño-Amador said personal remittances inched up two percent to $2.49 billion in September from $2.44 billion in the same month last year.

This was a complete reversal of the 1.4 percent decline last August as well as the seven percent drop in September last year.

Despite the recovery, the amount of personal remittances last September was the lowest in one year or since hitting $2.44 billion in September last year.

Personal remittances, consisting of cash and non-cash items that flow through both formal or via electronic wire and informal channels such as money or goods carried across borders, picked up four percent to $23.71 billion from January to September this year compared to $23.16 billion in the same period last year.

On the other hand, Amador said cash remittances coursed through banks climbed 2.3 per-

cent to $2.24 billion in September from $2.18 billion in the same month last year.

The growth in September, coming primarily from Canada, US and Taiwan, helped reverse the 0.9 percent decline last August and the 8.3 percent drop in September last year.

Likewise, the amount of money sent home by overseas Filipino workers through banks last September was the lowest since the $2.18 billion recorded in September last year.

The BSP official said cash remittances increased by 2.5 percent to $21.29 billion in the first nine months of the year from $20.78 billion in the same period last year.

Amador said almost 80 percent of the cash remittances came from the US, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Japan, United Kingdom, Qatar, Canada, Germany and Hong Kong.

The BSP has set a four percent growth target for both personal and cash remittances this year.

The amount of money sent home by Filipinos abroad usually pick up during the ‘ber’ months or before the start of the fourth quarter, ahead of the celebration of Christmas.

Beneficiaries of remittances

emerge as one of the winners from the continued weakening of the peso against the US dollar.

The local currency is currently one of the weakest currencies in the region.

Remittances usually fuel personal consumption, helping sustain a steady economic growth.

The amount of money sent home by overseas Filipinos usually account for 10 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

However, household consumption grew at its slowest pace in four years, with 5.2 percent in the third quarter from 5.9 percent in the second quarter, amid soaring inflation and rising interest rates.

This translated to a slower gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 6.1 percent in the third quarter from 6.2 percent in the second quarter and 6.6 percent in the first quarter.

ING Bank Manila senior economist Nicholas Mapa said growth is seen to moderate further in the fourth quarter with household final consumption seen to decelerate further while the drag from net trade would likely remain.

The Dutch financial giant has lowered its GDP growth forecast in the fourth quarter to six percent instead of 6.2 percent for 2018 and 6.3 percent for 2019.n

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

Manila urged to boost sustainability, livability ASIAN countries have achieved diverging results in the 2018 Sustainable Cities Index from Arcadis, the leading global design and consultancy for natural and built assets.

While European cities dominate the top of the overall index, three Asian representatives made it to the top 20 — Singapore was ranked no. 4, Hong Kong, no. 9 and Seoul, no. 13.

Various Asian cities including Manila, however, feature at the bottom of the rankings due to their low scores on sustainability despite promising economic growth.

The Sustainable Cities Index (SCI) ranks 100 global cities on three pillars of sustainability: People, Planet and Profit.

The three pillars are closely aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Manila is a typical Evolutionary City, a cluster identified by the 2018 Index. An Evolutionary city is a city that undergoes rapid growth, and a key challenge for them is the level of disruption arising at the turning point of their trajectory.

This disruption might affect jobs, crime levels and even mobility choices.

Support from enterprises and the local community is important in shaping a positive citizen

Manila is a typical Evolutionary City, a cluster identified by the 2018 Index. An Evolutionary City is a city that undergoes rapid growth, and a key challenge for them is the level of disruption arising at the turning point of their trajectory.

Manilatimes.net file photo

experience as the city gains momentum in improving the quality of life.

According to the report, cities need to focus on well-planned long-term resilience, even if they are subject to short-term changes and trends.

The successful path to longterm resilience requires the support and involvement of citizens.

At the same time, cities can also learn from each other.

The SCI data consistently high-

lights that the foundations of city sustainability are an educated and healthy workforce, effective low-carbon infrastructure and ease of doing business.

Affordability, access to public transport and income inequality are the big swing variables that make or break a city’s sustainable success.

Ross McKenzie, country head of the Philippines, said, “Infrastructure development is accelerPAGE D3

PAL voted ‘Most Improved Airline...

Philippines has room to loosen

fiscal policy – think tank

by czeriza

VaLencia Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is among the countries in emerging Asia that has room to support growth by loosening fiscal policy, provided that debt levels are checked and the budget deficit under control, London-based think tank Capital Economics said.

In a new regional report titled “Which countries are running out of fiscal firepower?” the macroeconomic research firm said most countries in the region have room to support the growth of their economies by loosening fiscal policy “ in the event that growth continues to disappoint.”

With weaker global demand seen in the coming quarters, the firm expects economic growth to slow down in most emerging

In a new regional report titled “Which countries are running out of fiscal firepower?” the macroeconomic research firm said most countries in the region have room to support the growth of their economies by loosening fiscal policy “ in the event that growth continues to disappoint.”

Philstar.com file photo

Asian countries next year. across the region over the past “Having reached a peak in the year. The slowdown looks set middle of last year, economic to continue, with weaker global growth has slowed steadily PAGE D3

PAGE D1 “Nor has [PAL] stinted when it comes to giving its passengers the latest product”, declared AirlineRatings.Com in announcing the award. The big leap in service standards was manifested in the roll-out of PAL’s new and improved Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy Class products, whose passenger-friendly features were described extensively in the AirlineRatings.Com award statement, highlighting specific details on expansive legroom, large in-seat video screens, lumbar seat-massage controls, power ports, Wi-Fi access and storage pockets.

AirlineRatings.Com likewise lauded the barrier-breaking “historic milestone” set

by PAL’s 16-hour nonstop flights to New York City that “crosses the north polar regions to land at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on the evening of the same day”.

The airline review website cited PAL’s fleet modernization ini-

tiatives that will see the airline receive up to 21 brand-new and state of the art aircraft in 2018 and 2019. The brand-new fleet enables international and domestic route network expansion plans that include forthcoming services to Japanese city of Sapporo, along with New Delhi and Mumbai. It stressed, “The airline said last month other destinations being eyed as more A350 aircraft join the fleet included Seattle, Chicago and a point in Western Europe”.

AirlineRatings.Com editors also cited PAL’s extensive Asia network, and flights to London Heathrow, the Middle East and several North American destinations including Toronto, New York and Los Angeles. (PAL also flies to San Francisco, Vancouver and Honolulu, all with nonstop flights from its Manila hub.)

PAL’s move to introduce the advanced A321neo aircraft to Australia through nonstop flights to Brisbane and Sydney helped set an industry trend “which is seeing the new breed of more ex-

tended range, single-aisle planes replace bigger aircraft on routes of up to eight hours and part of an ongoing expansion by the Filipino carrier.”

Also cited were PAL’s initiatives to boost frequencies on routes such as Cebu-Siargao, Davao-Tagbilaran, Davao-Clark, and Cebu-Bangkok.

The AirlineRatings.Com is a leading global authority on airline safety and product ratings with an estimated 25 million visitors from 232 countries, and widely recognized for its annual Airline Excellence Awards.

The award-winning airline continues to focus on the next major goal to enhance its position as the country’s only full-service airline with a global network. Said Bautista: “In this very challenging and competitive airline environment, we renew our determination to keep on improving, so that we can eventually earn the highest Five-Star Certification in the name of our country and our people.” (Inquirer.net) n

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 17-20, 2018 D

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Slower growth amid uncertainty gives IT-BPM Palace sees smooth sailing for rice tariffication bill industry second thoughts about future by alex

RomeRo Philstar.com

by Roy

Stephen C. Canivel Inquirer.net

WITH uncertainty clouding its horizons, the IT-BPM industry might have to rethink its future after growing far below expectations since 2016, according to a top official.

Rey Untal, president and CEO of the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), said the industry might need to reconsider its projections for the next three years.

Disappointing figures on job growth and revenues earned in the 18 months since the end of 2016 might lead the group back to the drawing board.

This next step will still need the approval of the IBPAP board of trustees, he said, which decides on the policies and objectives of the group.

“Given the fact that our actual [performance] shows a difference to what our targets are, to me, the prudent next course of action is to recalibrate,” he told reporters on Tuesday late afternoon.

Back in 2016, the industry group launched its 2022 roadmap, wherein it targeted 1.8 million direct jobs and hitting $38.9 billion worth of revenues.

The move, however, to give its once rosy future another look also casts a shadow of doubt on the industry’s 2022 target, which has been burdened lately by the weight of tax reform.

“The minimal outcome of that recalibration will be a revised projection of what the headcount growth is and the revenue to be generated over the course of at the very least three years,” he said.

“Before, we could do a long term projection with a fair amount of certainty. Right now, many of the analysts would stick to a two year cycle in terms of projections because of the dramatic shift of the landscape overall,” he added.

Anticipating the Trabaho bill This time, the new projections would cover the likely impact of the so-called Trabaho bill, which

Inquirer.net file photo

might make the cost of doing business more expensive for many big players in the industry.

The Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High-quality Opportunities (Trabaho) bill, the second tax reform package of the Duterte administration, will lower corporate income taxes while rationalizing the tax incentives offered to businesses.

The latter part is seen to adversely affect economic zones, many of which house IT-BPM firms. Regardless if the bill is passed in Congress this year or anytime soon, the industry will still be affected in one way or another.

“If the bill itself is passed, the study will now account for the actual [bill]. If the bill is not passed and there is a likelihood that it will still be passed at some point, the uncertainty continues also,” he said.

“So in one [way] or the other, I think it would still have a material impact on the final outcome,” he added.

IBPAP has previously commissioned a study to gauge the possible impact of the bill.

While it essentially pointed to slower growth in terms of job creation and revenues, its estimates were likely conservative since some provisions that got passed in the House of Representatives were worse than what the study expected.

More questions On Tuesday, the industry concluded its first ever international innovation summit. Its parting words included the results of a market study, which was meant to show if the industry was still on track of its targets.

The figures, however, still leave more questions than answers.

The numbers only pointed to the performance of the industry for 18 months since 2016, but did not say how far the industry fared in 2017 alone.

IBPAP did not disclose the breakdown of the figures.

Based on the figures, the industry grew four percent in terms of new jobs to 1.19 million from 1.14 million at the end of 2016.

In terms of revenue, the industry also grew 4 percent in revenue to $23.8 billion from $22.9 billion by 2016 yearend. Both figures and “The growth, however, is slower than the 8 percent annual growth rate that the roadmap 2022 originally projected,” said Lito Tayag, IBPAP Chair of its Board of Trustees and Country Managing Director of Accenture Philippines, during the summit.

“We believe that we were impacted by the wait and see attitude of investors and potential locators due to a number of geopolitical issues and the uncertainty over incentives rationalization,” he added. n

Dominguez: Bank secrecy to cost...

PAGE D1 ing after persons involved in tax evasion, money laundering and other financial crimes.

Only the Philippines, Lebanon and Switzerland still have restric-

tive banking laws that make it difficult for authorities to go after tax evaders and money launderers, the NTRC has said in a report.

The Swiss government is try-

ing to relax its bank secrecy laws, while the Philippines and Lebanon remain the only countries in the world where tax evasion is not a predicate crime to money laundering.n

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang yesterday expressed optimism that the rice tariffication bill would face smooth sailing in the bicameral conference committee after the Senate approved its version of the measure.

The bill, which aims to replace the quantitative import restrictions on rice with tariffs, was approved on third and final reading by the Senate Wednesday.

The House of Representatives passed its version of the bill last August.

A bicameral conference committee will have to reconcile the two versions before the bill is ratified and sent to President Duterte for his signature.

In a statement, Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said they are confident the measure, once enacted into law, would protect the rice industry from sudden price fluctuations and ease the burden of consumers from soaring prices.

“We remain optimistic that the bill would also run smoothly during the bicameral conference committee deliberations by both houses of Congress,” he said.

Duterte has certified the passage of the bill as urgent, citing

the need to ensure the availability of rice in the country to reduce prices, prevent artificial rice shortage, and curb corruption and cartels.

House agriculture committee chairman and ANAC-IP party-list Rep. Jose Panganiban, Jr. previously said the rice tarrification bill would generate P20 billion in tariffs every year that could subsidize the country’s rice farmers.

Meanwhile, rice watch groups yesterday hit the Senate for approving bill.

In a joint statement , Bantay Bigas and the National Federation of Peasant Women or Amihan said rice tariffication is disastrous for the Filipino rice farmers, consumers and the local rice industry.

“While the bill has been hyped by the Duterte government as a necessary measure to ease inflation, flooding the local market with imported rice will not necessarily lower rice prices,” Bantay Bigas spokesperson Cathy Estavillo said.

According to the think tank Ibon Foundation, there are three primary factors in determining rice retail prices: the local production cost and productivity, marketing cost controlled by traders and middlemen, and world market price.

Estavillo said the government could increase farmers’ productivity and lower the production and market cost by implementing free land distribution and providing farm inputs and post-harvest facilities.

“But the government narrowmindedly chose the volatile world market which it has no control over. The government’s dependence on importation and allowing the importation by the private sector would only result in the increase of rice prices.”

Data from Ibon Foundation showed that if the landed cost is at $500 per metric ton, the tariffied landed cost (P36 per kilo) will only be slightly lower than the dominant local price but if global price reaches $600/MT, the tariffied landed cost would be as high as P43 per kilo, excluding the hauling charges added on by traders.

Meanwhile, Amihan chairperson Zenaida Soriano said rice tariffication would result in lower income for rice farmers as farmers could not compete with the flooding of subsidized rice imports in the domestic market with an expensive cost of production and backward agricultural technology which is further aggravated by lack of government support.

(With Rhodina Villanueva) n

Philippines has room to loosen...

PAGE D2 demand set to become a major drag on growth over the coming quarters,” the report noted.

The Philippines realized a slower growth of 6.1 percent in the third quarter of the year as rising inflation dampened consumer spending.

Still, the Philippines remains among the fastest-growing economies in Asia, next to Vietnam which registered growth of seven percent and China, which booked a 6.5 percent growth during the same quarter.

In the third quarter, growth was propped up by robust government spending, expenditure

for private construction activities, and investment in capital formation in support of the administration’s infrastructure program.

“A number of other governments also have room to support growth by loosening fiscal policy, given that government debt levels are relatively low and budget deficits are largely under control,” said Capital Economics.

“Policy is likely to remain supportive in the Philippines and Thailand, which both have big infrastructure programs underway,” it added.

In order to fund its ambitious infrastructure plans, the govern-

ment is targeting a budget deficit of three percent of gross domestic product (GDP) next year – which would be the second biggest since the global financial crisis.

In an earlier report, Capital Economic said while this is a manageable target, the government should take care to protect the growth in economic output and revenues.

Government debt is now currently at just over 40 percent of the GDP which is considered “low by historical standards and relative to other Asian countries” and as a result “a fiscal crisis is not imminent.” n

Manila urged to boost sustainability...

PAGE D2 ating in Manila, providing much needed expansion to support the future requirements of the rapidly urbanizing city. With so much advancement in construction innovation technology in recent years, Manila is poised to devel-

op solutions that are resilient to future risks while remaining cost effective.

“With much of the progress being supported and driven by the private sector, city policy makers will play a key role by helping create long-term sus-

tainable policies and embrace international best practice and lessons learned. Local businesses will need to adapt to manage the mobility and resiliency challenges in the next few years while development continues.”(Manilatimes.net) n

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Homebuyers find more than a home at Park Place in Ontario Ranch

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ONTARIO, CA – Park Place in Ontario Ranch by Lewis Community Developers is a Southern California destination where everyone has a place to connect, have fun and enjoy life to its fullest. Where family means more than just the loved ones under your roof – it’s your neighbors and your community. And for Karen Carrillo and her family, it was where they found an affordable home in a family-friendly community they could afford without compromising the space, features, style and unsurpassable lifestyle they wanted in this desirable location.

Originally an Eastvale resident, Karen had been living in Texas with her family when she longed to return to Southern California’s Inland Empire. The search began online with available residences in Eastvale, where Karen knew she could feel safe and at home and her family could thrive. Still residing in the area, Karen’s parents agreed to do the house hunting while the family was in Texas. “While they were out looking at homes, they actually came across a sign for an open house. They followed the signs to a resale house at Park Place in Ontario Ranch, and they called me within minutes. It was the one we ended up buying.”

With a good idea of what Karen was looking for and her sense of style, her parents were sure that this was the right home for their daughter and her fam-

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ily. “The style is so similar to the single-story home we actually just built in Texas, but this one is an affordable two-story home with an impressive backyard – and in Southern California!” But it wasn’t just the beautiful architecture, stylish features and generous lot sizes that made all the difference.

The incredible lifestyle that Park Place offered meant that Karen could give her family so much more without compromising value in the location she desired – and that was all she needed to make her decision: this would be her family’s new forever home.

After her parents visited Park Place, Karen soon began the process of buying the resale home, a gorgeous single-family two-story design in the Margate neighborhood. And Karen has no doubt that this was the right choice for her family. “As soon as you walk in, there’s a sitting room and then a hallway that leads back into the spacious kitchen with beautiful white cabinets and the open great room. The layout is perfect for us, and it’s nice to have everything in one spot.”

Since moving to Park Place in April, Karen and her family have made themselves right at home, and they have been loving every moment of exploring The Parkhouse. Karen loves the convenience of having a fully equipped fitness center, while her 17-yearold son enjoys heading to the barbecues to cook up a feast with his buddies. And the whole family

cannot get enough of the resortcaliber pool. “Being past pool owners, it is so great to be able to have the amenity without having to deal with all the costs and maintenance,” said Karen.

And just as notable as the top-notch amenities, the fresh green space at the new Celebration Parks has become a regular hangout spot for Karen’s 12-yearold daughter and her friends.

“There’s a little something for everyone here. As a parent, it’s great to be in a location where everything is within reach and walking distance so the kids can hang out and be entertained in a place I know is safe.”

Back in Southern California’s Inland Empire, Karen is now in a place that feels more like home than she ever imagined. And as a firm believer in the Park Place lifestyle, she enjoys being active with the HOA and has even joined the Activity Committee, where she gets to help plan community events and activities. “Our neighbors, The Parkhouse employees and everyone else we have met here have been so friendly and great, and I can’t wait to get more residents involved in this community. I want everyone to experience how great life at Park Place can be.”

Park Place in Ontario Ranch is located at 4955 S. Parkplace Avenue, Ontario, CA 91762. To learn more, visit ParkPlaceOntario. com or call (877) 577-8593.

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