112319 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition

NOVEMBER 23-26, 2019 Volume 29 - No. 92 • 4 Sections – 30 Pages

Filipinos will ‘eventually appreciate’ China - Palace

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo

Philstar.com photo

Despite the declining trust in China among Filipinos, Malacanñang still believes that this will eventually change as Manila and Beijing’s improved ties are reportedly set to bring economic benefits to both nations.

A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released Wednesday showed that 54% of Filipinos have little trust in China, resulting in “poor” net trust of -33, which is nine points lower from the “bad” net trust of -24 in June 2019.

SWS noted that September’s net trust rating is at the lowest since June 2018’s “bad” -35 rating.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said it was not surprising to see China as the least trusted Jollibee Foods Corporation executives led by North America President Beth Dela Cruz (center) and local leaders, such as Philippine Consul country among Filipinos, noting that the result was General Adelio Cruz, West Covina Mayor Lloyd Johnson, and Los Angeles Board of Public Workers Commissioner Jessica Caloza, mark the grand u PAGE A2 opening of the company’s new North American headquarters in West Covina, California on Tuesday, November 19. AJPress photos by Noel Ty

PH to continue rice Filipino fast food giant Jollibee opens imports, tighten food North American headquarters in West Covina DATELINE USA PH, US affirm review of safety measures FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

by AJPRESS

Mutual Defense Treaty

DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and his United States counterpart, Mark Esper, on Wednesday, November 20 affirmed the need to review the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).

At a joint news conference held at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Lorenzana said it was he who sought the review of the decadesold treaty because the MDT was made “at the height of war and the situation then compared to now is different.” u PAGE A4

by AJPRESS

THE importation of rice into the Philippines will continue in accordance with the law, the country’s agriculture secretary clarified.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar on Thursday, November 21 said that instead of suspending the importation, the government will tighten food safety measures to control the entry of cheap grain that is affecting the incomes of Filipino farmers.

President Rodrigo Duterte declared a rice importation ban on Wednesday in response to local farmers complaining of falling palay (rice prior to husking) prices as a result of the Rice Tariffication law.

However, suspending imports is against the law as doing so would mean imposing quantitative restricu PAGE A2

FILIPINO fast food giant Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) is setting out to bring more Chickenjoy across North America with the opening of its headquarters in West Covina, California.

The grand opening of the company’s office space on Tuesday, November 19 was attended by JFC executives, dignitaries from the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles, local elected officials, and Filipino American business leaders.

“This new headquarters is extremely rewarding because it shows how far we have come as a company,” said Beth Dela Cruz, JFC North America - Philippine Brands With Jollibee Foods Corporation’s new headquarters — located at the Eastland president at the opening.

Tower in West Covina, California just off the 10 freeway — the company is focusing on u PAGE A3 expansion in North America.

Manila-bound Philippine Airlines flight makes emergency landing in LA shortly after departure

by CHRISTINA

M. ORIEL

AJPress

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper discuss diplomatic ties and mutual defense treaty at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Tuesday, November 19.

Philstar.com photo by Felicer Santos

Pinay filmmaker sues LA’s Catholic Archdiocese over childhood sexual assault by Filipino priest A FILIPINA American filmmaker from Hollywood is suing the Archdiocese of Los Angeles over sexual assault she experienced as a child by a Filipino priest.

The suit is said to be the first civil lawsuit against the nation’s largest Catholic diocese since California passed a law giving childhood sexual assault survivors more time to file civil lawsuits.

Aimee Galicia Torres, 34, said that Filipino Catholic priest Fr. Honesto Bayranta Bismonte began sexually abusing her in 1993 when she was just 8 years old. Bismonte, whom Torres knew as ‘Lolo Nes’ or ‘Grandpa Nes,’ continued to sexually assault her until she was 12 years old.

The assault allegedly took place in the home of Torres’ aunt while Bismonte served as a u PAGE A4

A PHILIPPINE Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Los Angeles on Thursday, November 21 minutes following takeoff after one of its engines caught fire.

Manila-bound flight PR113 left Los Angeles International Airport around at 11:45 a.m. and returned around noon after the Boeing

777 aircraft starting emitting flames from the right-side due to a mechanical issue.

In a video from a witness on the ground — that has since been picked up and circulated

by ABC News — flames and smoke could be seen coming out of the right engine.

Another video taken from inside the plane by passenger Adam Taylor showed flames u PAGE A3 Vice President Leni Robredo, cochair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Illegal Drugs, enjoys the support of the members of the counter narcotics body, according to Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa, the acting national police chief. Robredo is shown above talking with Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chief Aaron Aquino and regional and provincial law-enforcement officials during her visit to Dinalupihan, Bataan province, on Thursday, November 21.

Photo from the Office of the Vice President

Robredo advised: ‘Trust is earned’ ing to oneself classified information.”

Panelo asserted that the elecMALACAÑANG reminded Vice tion to the second highest office President Leni Robredo that “trust does not automatically warrant is earned” after she responded to trustworthiness.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s state“Her job in leading the agenment expressing concern over cies involved in the anti-illegal the way she reportedly handles drug campaign requires compeconfidential information related tence and creativity,” he continto the war on drugs. ued. “Trust comes into play only In a statement, Presidential as regards the non-transmission spokesman Salvador Panelo said, of state secrets that imperils the “Trust is earned. The missteps of safety of the Filipino people and the vice president did not inspire the sovereignty of the country.” confidence in the matter of keepu PAGE A2

by RITCHEL

MENDIOLA AJPress

Philippine Airlines flight PR113 on Thursday, November 21 made a safe landing back to LAX just 15 minutes after takeoff.

Photo courtesy of Rupert Ouano

A November 23-26, 2019 • LA WeeKeND ASIAN JoUrNAL

Robredo advised: ‘Trust is...

PAGE A1 t

Robredo on Wednesday said Duterte should tell her directly if he wants to revoke her appointment as co-chair of the InterAgency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) and wrote to him asking for clarification on her duties.

However, the vice president has maintained that she would not resign as she has anticipated

that it would be a difficult position.

“She made it very, very clear when she accepted this designation two weeks ago (that) despite warnings by close allies, by experts observing the proceedings, that she would not be allowed to succeed, that obstacles will be put in her way,” her spokesman Barry Gutierrez told reporters.

Former President Benigno

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

From the Front Page “Noynoy” Aquino III questioned Duterte’s decision to appoint Robredo, pointing out that leaders “normally” appoint officials who they trust.

“Pwede ba ‘yung itatalaga mo pero hindi mo pagkakatiwalaan?

Medyo magulo yata (Is it possible to appoint someone but you do not trust them? That seems confusing),” Aquino told reporters.

Panelo, for his part, said the Palace is not surprised by the remarks of Robredo and Aquino.

He advised Robredo not to get affected by Duterte’s remarks that he does not trust her on confidential matters because securing confidential information is not her job to begin with.

“Since she will not be given access to privileged communication, she should not be bothered by the expressed lack of trust by the appointing power with respect to the confidentiality of state matters requiring secrecy,” he said.

“After all, she is tasked to help end the illegal drug trade in the country and not to get secret information of the government to share the same with her foreign and local peers,” Panelo added.

He, then, turned the tables on Aquino, telling him to focus on his pending case before the Sandiganbayan. Panelo also reminded the former president that it was during his administration that the drug problem “ballooned.”

“As for former President Aquino, he is better off focusing on his case pending before the Sandiganbayan, as well as taking care of his health, than touching on a matter related to the dreaded drug menace that he never gave the attention and importance it deserves during his six-year presidency,” Panelo said.

“Lest we forget, the drug problem ballooned in magnitude in his time, obviously due to his neglect in countering this evil that is putting this country into the precipice of a generational destruction,” he added.

Panelo also lauded Duterte for appointing Robredo as the administration’s anti-drug czar, despite her being part of the opposition party.

“What is clear therefore is that (the president) has transcended politics and trust issues that long divided the nation. It is a rarity to find a leader to give the head of the opposition party a golden opportunity to oversee the campaign against illegal drugs,” the spokesperson added. n

FIL-AM CHEFS. Filipino-Hawaiian celebrity Chef Lanai Tabura cooks pinakbet, a Filipino dish composed of a variety of vegetables, during the DOT X WOFEX (World Food Expo) University Fun Food Talks held at The Tent at Enderun Colleges, Mckinley Hill, Taguig City on Thursday, November 21. Bringing in Filipino-American chefs Tom Cunanan, Charles Olalia, and Tabura to a 14-day trip around the Philippines, the Department of Tourism (DOT)’s “Chefs’ Tour” is geared toward positioning the Philippines as the center of gastronomy in Asia, and soon in the world.

PNA photo by Gil Calinga

Filipinos will ‘eventually...

PAGE A1 t “foreseeable” and “understandable” given the current maritime dispute between the country and the Philippines.

“It is in our belief, however, that China, like any other country, will be eventually appreciated by the Filipinos by reason of the president’s independent foreign policy, which has resulted in significant benefits favorable to the Philippines,” he said in a statement.

Since the first survey conducted on the East Asian country in August 1994, China has

only gotten a positive net trust in nine out of 51 surveys — with the highest net trust rating being a “moderate” +17 in June 2010, while the lowest was a “bad” -46 in September 2015.

Panelo also said that the Palace respects the views of Filipinos who do not trust China and reportedly would not “court nor force any citizen to change his or her sentiments toward our giant neighbor in the north.”

“China could even become a role model of the Philippines in reducing, if not totally eradicating, poverty,” he added.

While China ranked the lowest among the six countries tested for public trust, the United States came out as the country most trusted with an “excellent” net trusting of +72. This was followed by Australia (+37), Japan (+35), Singapore (+26) and Vietnam (zero).

The survey was conducted from September 27 to 30 using face-to-face interviews among 1,800 adults nationwide.

Sampling error margins are at ±2.3% for national percentages, ±4% each for Balance Luzon and Mindanao and ±6%

PH to continue rice imports, tighten food...

PAGE A1 t tions on the commodity.

Dar, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III met with Duterte on Wednesday night to clarify his pronouncements, coming up with the solution of stricter measures in the issuance of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance (SPSIC).

“The president is really looking at all angles and this is the directive. We will be strict in giving SPSIC, especially during the main harvest season,” Dar said, adding that “But we will not stop

it, we are implementing the law properly.”

The Department of Agriculture will conduct pre-inspection at the point of origin of imported rice stock to ensure rice quality and safety for consumers and at the same time protect the spread of crop pests and diseases, Dar explained.

The Philippines often buys rice from neighboring Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam and Thailand. This year, it imported 2.9 million tons of rice — more than double the annual average in recent years and making the country the world’s top buyer.

“He (Duterte) said that the Rice Tariffication Law will be pursued to provide affordable and quality rice to all Filipinos,” Dar said.

As a result of increased domestic supply, farmgate rice prices have plummeted more than 20 percent in the last 9 months.

To ensure Filipino farmers are able to sell and make a profit from their produce, Dar said Duterte has issued an order to the National Food Authority (NFA) to increase the country’s emergency rice buffer stock from 15 to 30 days by buying more palay from farmers. n

Dateline USa

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • NOvEmbER 23-26, 2019

A

Covered California’s new state subsidies program provides relief for middle-income Californians

The Jollibee mascot poses with a bucket of Chickenjoy and a large Red Ribbon mango cake.

Open enrollment for 2020 is underway, and more Californians than ever before are eligible for financial help for their health insurance.

The reason is a new state subsidy program. It will help lower the cost of coverage for almost 1 million people, including for some middle-income Californians for the first time since the patient protection and Affordable Care Act became law in 2014.

“California is making coverage more affordable for low-income families, and we are AJPress photos by Noel Ty making history by becoming the first state in the nation to provide financial help to middle-income people like small-businesses owners, early retirees and the self-employed,” executive Director peter V. Lee said. “Whether you never thought you could get financial help, or you have checked before, you need to check again because there is new money available that may dramatically reduce the cost of your coverage.”

So far during open enrollment, eligible low-income consumers who qualified for a subsidy are receiving an average of $19 per month per household on top of any federal assistance they receive, while eligible middle-income Californians who have received a state subsidy are getting an average of $526 per month, per household.

For someone like Don from San Jose, who worked in the tech industry for years before retiring early to pursue his passion in history and literature, the state subsidy program is a much-needed financial lifeline. Since his decision to retire, Don has been paying over $33,000 a year for a COBRA

Filipino fast food giant Jollibee opens...

PAGE A1 t The event featured the beloved Jollibee mascot entertaining the crowd, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and a feast of best sellers from the company’s brands, such as the Jollibee Chickenjoy, Red Ribbon mango cake and Chowking siopao.

Located off the 10 Freeway, the 28,000 square foot space in the 13-story eastland Tower building will serve as the center of operations for JFC’s brands Jollibee, Chowking and Red Ribbon.

The exterior of the building will have signage on both sides put up

by February next year.

The headquarters will house a team of 100 employees who were previously operating out of the Red Ribbon manufacturing facility in the City of Industry.

JFC has articulated plans to have 250 Jollibee stores in north America by 2023.

It recently opened two new California locations at the beginning of the fall, one in Hayward and another in Artesia, bringing the total to 46 stores in north America in the past 21 years.

Dela Cruz added that the headquarters is a symbol of JFC’s strength.

“I joined the team in north America when Jollibee was a small, struggling brand. There were years of uncertainties and we almost packed our bags,” she said. “This new office space marks a milestone in our north American efforts as we look toward a bright future for the continued growth for the Jollibee, Chowking and Red Ribbon businesses.”

Today, JFC operates in 35 countries with over 5,800 stores globally; Jollibee comprises around 1,400 stores alone. It is currently one of the largest and fastest-growing Asian restaurant companies.

In addition to Jollibee, JFC has 15 other brands and franchises

(From left to right): Ribbon cutting led

by Red Ribbon Business Unit Head Agnes Briones, City of West Covina Mayor Pro Tem Tony Wu, Consul General of the Philippine Consulate of Los Angeles Adelio Angelito Cruz, Jollibee, President of JFC Philippine Brands Group - North America Beth Dela Cruz, City of West Covina Mayor Lloyd Johnson, Chowking Business Unit Head Rey Viguilla, and JFC Philippine Brands Group - North America Human Resources Director Josephine Esmundo.

under its wing both domestically in the philippines and abroad, such as Smashburger, Tortas Frontera, Tim Ho Wan, Red Ribbon and Chowking.

In late September, the company completed its $350-million acquisition of American beverage and food retailer Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, marking the company’s largest acquisition to date.

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf will be the company’s second-largest business after Jollibee. It will add 14% to Jollibee’s global sales and 26% to its total store network. It will also boost the share of Jollibee’s international business to 36% of worldwide sales.

The company is eyeing to be among the top five restaurant groups in the world and has identified north America as a key market to reach that goal. n

The Jollibee mascot and Philippine Consul General Adelio Cruz

Los Angeles Board of Public Workers Commissioner Jessica Caloza (center) presents city certificates to Luis Velasco (center), international marketing head for Jollibee Foods Corporation USA, and Beth Dela Cruz (right), president of Jollibee Foods Corporation North America–Philippine Brands during the company’s North American headquarters grand opening on Tuesday, November 19 in West Covina, California.

Manila-bound Philippine Airlines...

PAGE A1 t spewing out from underneath the aircraft’s wing. philippine Airlines in a statement confirmed that the flight had experienced “a technical problem” but did not give any further details as to the cause.

The airline praised “the calm professionalism exhibited by our experienced flight and cabin crew, headed by Captain Triston Simeon and purser Joanne Marie Dirige, in executing the unscheduled landing and taking care of our passengers.”

The plane was carrying 342 passengers and 18 crew members. no injuries have been reported.

Rupert Ouano, a passenger on the flight, detailed the experience

in a Facebook post. “I was calm but I had to talk it out with a fellow passenger to take my mind off from the sound of metal, the sight of engine smoke and fire and finally the bumpy landing...it did [sink] in...that I just survived what could [have been] the worst situation and that I am alive,” he wrote.

He added that passengers were deplaned from the flight and noticed Los Angeles Fire Department trucks hosing down the busted tires. There was no fire on the aircraft once it landed back at the airport, an LAX spokesperson said.

Following the incident, Ouano told the Asian Journal that “the pilot and whole crew did an excellent job in keeping us calm. They

u PAGE A5

Blue Shield ppO Silver plan for himself and his wife. In 2020, they will be receiving $1,282 a month through the state subsidy program.

They will pay a net premium of $1,900 per month.

“I feel a weight has come off our financial shoulders, and I have more freedom to pursue my new passion,” Don said. “I’d like to give heartfelt thanks to Gov. newsom and the state of California for making this possible. I applaud all the resulting help, relief and new opportunities that will be given to other Californians.”

Another big change for 2020 is the restoration of the individual mandate here in California. people who do not get covered could face a penalty administered by the Franchise Tax Board when they file their 2020 taxes in the spring of 2021. A family of four would pay at least a $2,000 penalty, and potentially more, for not having health insurance throughout 2020.

These two new state initiatives, the state subsidy program and the restoration of the individual mandate, are key elements in Covered California’s record-low 0.8 percent rate increase for the upcoming year.

Consumers will need to sign up by Dec. 15 in order to have their coverage begin on Jan. 1, 2020.

Those interested in learning more about their coverage options can visit www.CoveredCA.com or get free and confidential in-person assistance, in a variety of languages, from a certified enroller.

They can also have a certified enroller call them and help them for free, or they can call Covered California at (800) 300-1506.

Open enrollment runs through Jan. 31, 2020. n

A November 23-26, 2019 • LA WeeKeND ASIAN JoUrNAL

Dateline USa

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Medi-Cal to expand eligibility to young Fil-Ams sound off on Robredo appointment undocumented adults. But will they enroll?

by Jun

nucum Inquirer.net

by AnA

B. IBArrA

Kaiser Health News

STaRTIng in January, young adults can sign up for California’s Medicaid program regardless of immigration status.

But a fundamental question looms: Will they?

Some young people already say they won’t enroll in public coverage because they fear federal immigration policies could later penalize them for participating — though that fear might be unfounded. add to that their age. Young adults — both immigrants and non-immigrants — are notoriously hard to convince of the necessity of health insurance.

The insurance industry even has coined a special term for them: “young invincibles.”

“Young adults, undocumented or not, tend to consider themselves healthy,” said Cathy Senderling-McDonald, deputy executive director of the County Welfare Directors association of California, which represents

county human services directors. “They’re not thinking ‘This is something I need to worry about.’”

Medi-Cal is California’s version of the federal-state Medicaid program for low-income residents. In May 2016, the state began offering undocumented immigrant children up to age 19 full Medi-Cal coverage, funded by state money. nearly 129,000 were enrolled in the program in March 2019, according to the most recent data available.

During budget negotiations this year, California lawmakers voted to use more state dollars to expand the program to all income-eligible adults ages 19 to 25, which will make California the first state to offer full Medicaid coverage to unauthorized immigrant adults. The state Department of Health Care Services expects to enroll about 90,000 young adults in the first year.

Of those, nearly 75% are currently enrolled in limited MediCal coverage, which includes emergency and pregnancy-re-

lated care. The department plans to transition those individuals into comprehensive coverage, it said.

That leaves health officials and immigrant rights advocates grappling with how to persuade everyone else who is eligible to apply.

Undocumented immigrant adults make up the majority of California’s uninsured population, about 58%, according to the Insure the Uninsured Project.

“The message we have to spread is to think about prevention and chronic conditions, which could start early in life,” said Jeffrey Reynoso, executive director of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. advocates must meet young adults where they are, Reynoso said, which means social media is key. His group is creating a social media toolkit that includes Instagram posts and sample tweets tailored to young adults, which will be available to

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San FRanCISCO — Vice President Leni Robredo’s early weeks as presidentially appointed cochair of the Interagency Committee on anti-Drugs (ICaD) has been marked by discouraging remarks by President Rodrigo Duterte himself and by members of his circle.

Philippine Drug Enforcement agency (PDaF)’s chief aaron aquino balked at providing Robredo with the list of high-value targets in the anti-drug campaign. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said she may be held liable if she shares “state secrets” with foreign human rights investigators. Philippine national Police (PnP) officerin-charge P/Lt. general archie gamboa suggested that Robredo leave law enforcement side of the anti-drug campaign to PnP and PDEa. President Duterte recently declared that he didn’t trust her at all. as these developments unfolded, Filipino american leaders from both the pro- and anti- Duterte camps shared their thoughts on Vice President Robredo’s acceptance of her appointment by the president as cochair of the drive against drugs.

Some believe Duterte’s offer is a no-win trap set against Robredo, others say she did right in order to stop extrajudicial killings.

Patriarch and Presiding Bishop of Celtic Cross Foundation of Ministry, USa and Magdalo International member archbishop Benny Sagra says he couldn’t believe that Robredo accepted the ICaD post, but he also opined that Duterte’s offer was his own admission of failure to solved the country’s drug problem.

“The war on drugs is a fake war as it is only a moro moro war, using the military and hired killers to pursue blatant merciless

killings of the innocents upon various means of fabricating and planting evidence to justify the killings,” says Sagra.

However, he agrees with the reasons stated by Robredo in accepting the post, particularly, in order to put a stop to extrajudicial killings and to instead legally pursue drug lords.

“What VP Leni did was a great sacrifice for the sake of the Filipino people she vowed to serve. Will she be given enough resources and a free hand in doing the job with her own selected personnel, including well equipped military back up of intelligence and security?” Sagra asks.

Meanwhile, Filipino alliance of Human Rights advocate (FaHRa) Los angeles leader arturo garcia had expected Robredo to take the ICaD post citing her “upbringing as a Catholic with a Filipino martyr complex of everyday drama series.”

“It proved her political naivete and lack of political experience. She fell into the Duterte trap and is now a collaborator of Duterte fascist policies. It is very unsettling that it proved Duterte analysis that Robredo can be manipulated. We just hope that she can do better or wiggle her way out of the situation as early as possible,” garcia believes. another FaHRa leader ago Pedalizo regarded the Robredo acceptance as another “political blunder in much the same way when during May 2019 election the Liberal Party fielded only 8 instead of 12 candidates.”

“When the International Criminal Court (ICC) starts its investigation, Leni will now be part of the blame,” Pedalizo claims.

On the other hand, Digong Duterte Supporter (DDS) northern California leader Kelly Dayag welcomes the appointment. “Experience will be her best teacher

that the engagement during the police operations is intense and may cost lives not just of the suspect’s but also of law enforcers.’ In the process, she will stop her “talk lang“ and will learn and may even witness firsthand the challenges of ‘tokhang,’“ Dayag surmises.

Dayag is quick to add, though, that he sincerely wishes Robredo success in her new job in the government and added that Filipinos should support her as her success as the drug czar will also be the success of Duterte administration.

US Pinoys for Real Change in the Philippines (USPRCP) Washington, D.C Chairperson atty. arnedo Valera, for his part, believes that while President Duterte was very sincere his offer, the Robredo acceptance was not, as her acceptance “is not in the same political framework ideologically, politically and organizationally.”

Valera predicts that Robredo’s immediate dismissal or voluntary resignation from her position if she cannot be a team player and will continue to espouse “damaging alternatives” to the existing drug war policy. another DDS northern California leader Bong aralar says, “I am happy for her that she accepted the job. She has no choice. She cannot be a critic and criticize all the time. The Filipinos want a government in action. This is her chance to prove that VP Office can also accept responsibility and take action on important matters impacting the nation. after all she has a lot of opinion on these specific matters.” although aralar’s impression of her did not change with her acceptance of the appointment, he says it is a positive step towards unity among Filipinos that are now polarized. n

PH, US affirm review of Mutual Defense...

PAGE A1 t Esper welcomed the move.

“It’s always good to look at these things from time to time.

Review, clarify and strengthen it based on changes in the environment and world situation,” he said.

Lorenzana noted that delegations from the Philippines and the

U.S. were already discussing what issues should be looked into.

The MDT review will be tackled during the Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board to be held sometime this year, he said.

“It will be a joint cooperative endeavor,” Lorenzana added.

Esper, meanwhile, highlighted

the new national defense strategy of Washington that required them “to look at the world differently.”

“I think for all those reasons, it could do so and for that, we are such strong and capable allies and we have such great friendship between our militaries and our people,” he said. (Dempsey Reyes/ManilaTimes.net)

*Inactive

Fr. Honesto Bayranta Bismonte during a criminal preliminary hearing in 2003, Photo shows Fr. Bimonte and the plaintiff when she was young during which he was sentenced to two years of probation for unlawfully touching Photos courtesy of Jeff Anderson & Associates two girls ages 8 and 12.

Pinay filmmaker sues LA’s Catholic Archdiocese...

PAGE A1 t priest in gardena’s St. anthony of Padua Church, according to the civil lawsuit filed last week in the La County Superior Court. “no matter how much I tried, he was always stronger — pulling me closer and groping me harder,” Torres said at a news conference on Tuesday, november 19.

“I had always wished my aunt would come through the door and stop what was happening to me,” she added. “I carried this big secret for years. I came from a very strict Filipino Catholic upbringing, so how could I tell my family what was going on?”

The lawsuit alleges that the archdiocese of Los angeles was negligent in the hiring and supervision of Bismonte in that officials knew or should have known about Bismonte’s assault, and failed to act or discipline him, or prevent him from committing future assaults.

Bismonte, now 90-years-old, was ordained in the Philippines in 1954 and moved to Southern California in 1981 where he began working at Catholic churches in Los angeles, gardena, and Pomona.

He was arrested and charged in 2002 for sexually molesting two young girls more than 50 times since 1997.

Bistmonte told the La Times at the time that the allegations came from cultural misunderstanding, and that hugging and physical contact with children was far more accepted in Filipino culture.

In 2003, Bismonte also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery and was sentenced to two years

of informal probation in Los angeles.

“Fr. Bismonte ingratiated himself into the Filipino american Community and accessed his victims sometimes in their own homes, under the guise of spiritual direction and assistance to the families,” said Toress’ attorney, Mike Reck.

The archdiocese of Los angeles said that Bismonte was immediately removed from the archdiocese in 2002 when Torres’ reported the misconduct to her high school campus pastor.

It said that Bismonte’s name was also added to its list of credibly accused predator priests in 2004.

But Torres’ attorneys are demanding full disclosure by the L.a. archdiocese of Bismonte’s current whereabouts and whether Bismonte is still being protected by archdiocesan officials.

The attorneys further demand full disclosure of the identities and histories of all clergy who have worked in the archdiocese and have been accused of child sexual assault.

Child Victims Act The suit is said to be the first civil lawsuit against the archdiocese of Los angeles since the Child Victims act was signed by California governor gavin newsom in October.

Under the new law, other religious, private, and public organizations are exposed to broader legal liability, as limits are lifted for childhood sexual assault survivors who may have not been able to file civil lawsuits before.

More specifically, the law extends the age limit for which a victim can report a childhood

Aimee Galicia Torres Photo from Instagram/@shotbyaimee

sexual assault from age 26 to age 40.

It further gives victims a threeyear window beginning in January 2020, to reopen claims that may have expired due to the former statute of limitations.

On Tuesday, Torres encouraged other Filipinos who may have been victims of sexual assault to come forward and seek justice. “as a Filipino american, I want to encourage other Filipinos to come forward, to stop sweeping things under the rug, to stop putting these priests on pedestals and to stop making them feel like they’re above the law, because they’re not,” said Torres.

“I felt so powerless, but today I regained my power that Fr. Bismonte took from me so many years ago,” she said. “now I get this chance to have my day in court.” (Rae Ann Varona / AJPress)

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Manila-bound Philippine Airlines flight...

PAGE A3 t are trained for emergency situations like this and their actions were commendable as best practices for diffusing anxiety in emergency landings.”

Charles Yao, who was also on Thursday’s flight, told the Asian Journal that he noticed crew on the plane before takeoff.

“I caught a glimpse of them but can not verify badges or tags. Another passenger mentioned their presence on the plane. Perhaps they knew of something wrong before the flight,” he claimed.

He added that “It took a while for them to announce what was happening with the wing catching fire and failing, though I understand the maintaining of composure while under duress.”

After not hearing anything from the airline a day after, Yao called and only was then rescheduled for another flight on Saturday night.

“I left my baggage with PAL because the wait would take a while and the counter staff suggested to leave it with them and they will just transfer it to the next flight,” Yao said, adding that the airline offered hotel stays and $20 airport food vouchers to passengers but reportedly would not reimburse him for his rideshare trip back home on Thursday.

Philippine Airlines’ Los Angeles airport team said it was helping passengers with flight rebooking and

DATELINE USA

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 23-26, 2019

Screen capture from a video by Philippine Airlines passenger Adam Taylor shows flames spewing out from underneath the Boeing 777 aircraft’s wing.

would cooperate with the investigations into the incident.

“We are extending all necessary assistance and are arranging to rebook them on alternative flights to Manila. In the meantime, our passengers were given meals and hotel accommodation,” the statement said.

It added, “We affirm that safety is our top priority and that Philippine Airlines is fully cooperating with the concerned airport and aviation authorities.” ■

Medi-Cal to expand eligibility to young...

PAGE A3 t

partner organizations.

It also plans to use radio and ethnic media, in cooperation with other groups, to spread the message to families so parents and grandparents can encourage younger family members to sign up, he said.

“We can’t use traditional media to reach this population,” said Sarah Reyes, managing director of communications at the California Endowment, a foundation that promotes health insurance coverage for all Californians, regardless of immigration status. The endowment also is planning social media posts and radio spots on stations that cater to younger people, and is designing ads for display in convenience stores and markets, Reyes said.

Those who make up to 138% of the federal poverty level are eligible for Medi-Cal. This year, that means individuals with annual incomes of up to about $17,200 qualify.

Because Medi-Cal is free for most participants, most young people won’t have to worry about taking a financial hit, said Sarah Dar, senior manager of health and public benefits for the California Immigrant Policy Center.

That makes them different from the so-called young invincibles — who generally fall into the 18to-34 age group — looking for

private health coverage, where cost is a major consideration.

But age is not as great a barrier to enrollment as fear of federal immigration rhetoric and policies, Dar said.

For example, since 2017 the Trump administration has been fighting to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows some undocumented people, whose parents brought them into the country illegally as children, to live and work in the U.S. temporarily. The fate of the program rests with the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in the case Nov. 12.

The Trump administration is also trying to expand its “public charge” rule, which would allow immigration officials to more easily deny permanent residency status to those who depend on certain public benefits, such as Medicaid. Federal judges temporarily blocked it from taking effect in mid-October.

But the fears may be misguided, Dar said. Participants of the DACA program already are eligible for Medi-Cal if they meet the income guidelines. And applying for Medi-Cal wouldn’t count against undocumented young adults should they become eligible to apply for permanent residency later because their coverage will be paid for with state, not federal, money,

she said.

“We need to get out a clear message that public charge should not be a concern,” Dar said.

Esmeralda, 20, of Santa Maria, Calif., works in the fields picking strawberries and attends community college when the fruit isn’t in season. She agreed to speak to California Healthline on the condition that her last name not be used.

She needs glasses and has struggled with occasional but debilitating back pain since she was a child in Mexico. The pain sometimes forces her to stop working for the day.

The last time she went to a doctor was almost five years ago, when she started school in the U.S. and had to get vaccinated, she said.

Esmeralda said she would like to sign up for Medi-Cal but will wait to see how the process works for others. She wants to know whether they feel their personal information is being kept safe from federal immigration officials, she said.

“I would wait to make sure there are no problems,” she said in Spanish. “Obviously, with being undocumented, there is fear.”

This KHN story first published on California Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation. ■

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Supreme Court junks raps vs ex-VP Binay THE Supreme Court on Thursday, November 21, dismissed the charges against former vice president Jejomar Binay for holding a second post during his term because they became moot after he stepped down in 2016.

In a resolution, the high court en banc ruled against the peti-

tion for certiorari and prohibition filed by Jesus Nicardo Falcis III who accused Binay of committing grave abuse of discretion by sitting as national president of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines while holding the second highest position in the land.

Falcis asked the high tribunal to declare Binay’s position as

BSP national president unconstitutional.

However, the Supreme Court, in its ruling signed by lawyer Edgar Aricheta, clerk of court en banc, said that since Binay’s term ended on June 30, 2016, the case must be declared dismissed. (Jomar Canlas/ManilaTimes.net)

Aquino blamed for drug problem THE country’s drug problem worsened because of the “negligence” of former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, Malacañang said on Thursday, November 21.

“Lest we forget, the drug problem ballooned in magnitude in his time, obviously due to his neglect in countering this evil that is putting this country into the precipice of a generational destruction,” Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said.

He issued the statement after Aquino questioned President Rodrigo Dutere’s appointment of Robredo as co-chairman of the Inter-Agency Committee Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) if he did not trust her.

“He (Aquino) is better off focusing on his case pending before the Sandiganbayan, as well as taking care of his health, than touching on a matter related to the dreaded drug menace that he never gave the attention and importance it deserves during his six-year presidency,” Panelo said.

He explained that the presi-

dent does not find Robredo trustworthy because of her move to consult with international bodies about the drug war.

“Ms. Robredo must, however, understand that one’s election to the vice presidency does not automatically clothe the occupant with trustworthiness. Trust is earned. The missteps of the VP did not inspire confidence in the matter of keeping to oneself classified information,” Panelo said.

“Her job in leading the agencies involved in the anti-illegal drug campaign requires competence and creativity. Trust comes into play only as regards the nontransmission of state secrets that imperils the safety of the Filipino people and the sovereignty of the country,” he added.

But he said Duterte’s remark about not trusting Robredo should not hinder her from doing her new job.

“Since she will not be given access to privileged communication, she should not be bothered by the expressed lack of trust by the appointing power with respect to the confidentiality of state matters requiring secrecy,” Panelo said.

“After all, she is tasked to help

FOREIGNERS who intend to work in the Philippines are now required to secure a “certificate of no objection (CNO) before they can engage in gainful employment, Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III said on Sunday, November 17.

He said foreign workers would not be issued the appropriate visa and permits by concerned government agencies without the CNO.

The move, he added, is meant to protect the rights of Filipinos to employment under existing laws.

“Labor laws prohibit foreign national from engaging in jobs that can be be done by Filipinos,” Bello explained.

The CNO guidelines cover personnel, participants, trainees, professors, technicians and fellows entitled to 47(a)(2) visa under certain entities and programs of the Codified Visa Rules

by Catherine

Valente ManilaTimes.net

MRT-3 REHAB. A worker checks the new rail that will be used as a replacement as part of the ongoing rehabilitation of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3. The MRT-3 rehabilitation is one of the 100 key projects under Build, Build, Build program of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

Former President Benigno Aquino III ManilaTImes.net photo

end the illegal drug trade in the country and not to get secret information of the government to share the same with her foreign and local peers,” he added.

Duterte said Robredo should not be given access to vital information because she could “jeopardize” the republic.

“I cannot appoint her as a Cabinet member. If that is the way her mouth behaves, there can never be a position for her,” he told reporters.

“I cannot trust her not only because she is with the opposition.

I do not trust her because I do not know her,” he added. n

Panelo insists on mandate to discuss PH foreign policy

by Catherine

Valente ManilaTimes.net

have always acted in a complementary way. Ultimately, it is the President who is the chief architect of Philippine foreign policy, and both the DFA and our office take cues from the orders, instructions and directives of the President,” he added.

Panelo noted that the DFA is the lead agency “that advises and assists the president in planning, organizing, directing, coordinating and evaluating the total national effort in the field of foreign relations.”

“It handles the day-to-day operations of our country’s affairs with the international community, as well as its members,” he said.

On the other hand, Panelo said the OPS had the mandate “to inform the public of the statements of the President in order to forestall any misunderstanding or misinterpretation, be they malicious or otherwise.”

“This is of particular import when a matter, which may cover any issue, relates to and concerns the president,” the Palace

SAYING that President Rodrigo Duterte is “the chief architect of Philippine foreign policy,” Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo on Tuesday insisted that he has the mandate to speak about the Chief Executive’s policy direction.

Panelo made the statement after Sen. Panfilo Lacson chided the president’s spokesman and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. for issuing conflicting statements about Philippine foreign policy.

“Contrary to what some senators claim, there has never been any inconsistency between the functions of the Department of and Regulations of 2002 of the Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Foreign Affairs, Office of the Presidential Spokesand foreigners employed and/or person (OPS) as regards matters seconded in a foreign enterprise on Philippine foreign policy,” that has existing agreement, Panelo said in a statement. understanding or document of “We find it amusing that the similar nature with the Philip- DFA and our office are being pine government agencies. pitted against each other when Those who are exempted from in truth and in fact our offices securing CNO are scholars, students, volunteers and personnel of International Organizations.

(William B. Depasupil/ManilaTimes.net) former Akabayan party-list repby noVa Joy Dela Cruz resentatives Tom Villarin and ManilaTimes.net Ibarra Gutierrez III also joined OVER 300 leaders, activists and the activity.

CHR Chairman Luis Martín groups worldwide assailed the alleged continued persecution of Gascon and Commissioner Karen Sen. Leila De Lima, who marked Dumpit also showed up, as well her 1,000th day in detention on as Makabayan lawmakers from Bayan Muna, Gabriela, ACT Wednesday, November 20.

De Lima was detained on Feb. Teachers and Kabataan party24, 2017 for drug-related charg- list.

“We condemn the wrongful es.

Supporters from various orga- and indefinite imprisonment of nizations and colleagues staged Senator Leila M. De Lima, whose an “indignation run” against cases are on protracted trial and the “trumped-up” charges filed are prosecuted with the use of against the senator. The run dubious testimonies of inmates,” started at 7 a.m. from the Com- Robredo and Aquino said in a mission on Human Rights (CHR) signed statement.

They urged the government grounds, around the University of the Philippines Diliman campus, to drop the charges against the to the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, senator and release her.

The other signatories included where a Mass was held.

Vice President Maria Leonor Senate Minority Leader Franklin Robredo and former president Drilon, Senators Ana Theresia Benigno Aquino III attended the Hontiveros and Francis Pangilinan, as well as former senators program.

Father Robert Reyes, Quezon Paulo Benigno Aquino IV, AntoCity Sixth District Rep. Jose Chris- nio Trillanes IV, Manuel Roxas topher Belmonte, former House 2nd, Rene Saguisag and Sergio deputy speaker Lorenzo Tañada Osmeña.

Joining them were Asian lead3rd, former Magdalo party-list representative Gary Alejano and ers and human rights defenders

DOLE bares new requirement for foreign workers

official said.

“Media reporters, especially members of the Malacañang Press Corps, recognize this as they regularly inquire with our office about the thoughts of the President on almost every critical issue, knowing that he acts not only as the Chief Executive but also as the Head of State who has control over all departments, bureaus and offices,” he added.

Panelo said the OPS “defers to the DFA secretary when issues touching foreign policy are raised by persistent reporters, especially when they can not access the latter.”

“It is only when the DFA Secretary has already made a pronouncement on a matter affecting the external affairs of the state that the OP (Palace spokesman) echoes the same or when prior consultation has been made by the PS with the DFA Secretary or when there is a direct instruction from the President to make a statement or to make a clarification on the same,” he said. n

Supporters seek release of De Lima such as Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong, Ambassador of Taiwan Maysing Yang, and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Parliamentarians for Human Rights and Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats Women’s Caucus, among other organizations.

Members of the European parliament, French parliament and Parliamentary Group Free Democrats, as well as North American leaders from the Liberal Party of the United States, Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights and Drug Policy Forum of Texas also signed the indignation statement.

The signatories also include Parliamentarians for Global Action members Margaret Cederfelt (Sweden), Victor Bisono (Dominican Republic) and Petra Bayr (Austria).

Citing the findings by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the signatories pointed out that de Lima’s detention resulted from her “personal convictions” against human rights abuses in the Philippines. n

Pacquiao accorded honors to light SEA Games flame MANILA — Organizers of the 30th SEA Games are trying to build the excitement heading to the grand opening ceremony on November 30 at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

When the Games officially begin before the thousands that will gather at the swanky arena, the SEA Games flame will be lit 80 kms away at the New Clark City main stadium in Capas, Tarlac.

World champion Carlos Yulo of gymnastics, based on initial plans, will carry the torch and hand it over to Manny Pacquiao, who will then light the cauldron, 50 meters high and costing no less than P55 million.

How exactly things will be done, according to Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee chairman Alan Peter Cayetano, is for everybody to find out on the day itself.

“That’s part of the surprise,” said Cayetano, who merely confirmed before the media the participation of the 40-year-old Pacquiao, undeniably the greatest Filipino athlete that ever lived.

“But I can confirm to you that he (Pacquiao) will be there. He has a role as one of the most known Filipino sports icons in the world. It will be selling the country short if he’s not there,” Cayetano added.

Even Pacquiao’s lips are sealed as to the extent of his participa-

Manny Pacquiao

tion or how he would light the cauldron, which will burn for 11 straight days.

But it’s not the first time that Pacquiao will play a key role in a multi-nation event. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he played the role of the Philippine flag bearer in the opening ceremony.

“It’s a great honor,” said Pacquiao then.

This time, five Filipino athletes

Photo from Instagram/@mannypacquiao

will carry the flag in the opening rites. They are pole vaulter EJ Obiena, jiujitsu artist Meggie Ochoa, boxer Eumir Felix Marcial, judoka Kiyomi Watanabe and skateboarder Margielyn Didal.

The opening ceremony to this SEA Games is tipped to be the best ever to be staged in the history of the biennial event. (Philstar.com)

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • NOvEmbER 23-26, 2019

A

Zaldy Ampatuan still in hospital as massacre verdict nears the court that is expected to release its verdict in December.

Superintendent Jhon MonMANILA — Former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mind- tero, warden of the Quezon City anao governor Zaldy Ampatuan Jail Annex at Camp Bagong remains in the hospital weeks Diwa in Taguig, said Ampatubefore the promulgation of the an is still undergoing physical verdict on the 10-year-old Ma- and occupational therapy in a regular hospital room. guindanao massacre case.

Ampatuan is suffering from Ampatuan is still confined at the Makati Medical Cen- plegic or paralyzed left arm ter where he was rushed last with difficulty in walking, Monmonth due to his heart ailment, tero said in a Nov. 19 letter jail officials said in a letter to sent to Quezon City Regional

by Janvic

Mateo Philstar.com

Duterte: Sara ‘alpha’ in the family by catherine

valente ManilaTimes.net

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte may be the epitome of macho but he has declared that his eldest daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara “Inday” Duterte-Carpio, is the “alpha” in the family.

In his speech during a visit at Taguig City’s Center for the Elderly on Thursday night, November 21, Duterte admitted his daughter was more dominant than him. “‘Yung alpha sa pamilya namin, hindi [ako]. Sabihin ko sa inyo hindi ‘yan totoo, hindi ako, si Inday. Kung sabihin ni Inday, ganito, ganito ‘yan. Sa pamilya namin, siya ‘yan (The alpha in our family is not me… I’ll tell you the truth, it’s not me, it’s Inday. Inday is the one commanding. She’s the one dominating the family),” Duterte said.

He also revealed that even his sons, Davao City Rep. Paolo “Pulong’ Duterte and Davao City Vice Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, were “afraid” of Sara.

“Takot ‘yan sa kapatid nilang babae. Lumaki sila binubugbog (They are afraid of her. They grew up being beaten by her),” the President said.

“Eh naglaki ‘yan si Inday, suntok dito, sipa doon. Noong lumaki na sila, wala na silang magawa kasi…

Totoo (As she grew up, Inday used to hit and kickthem. So when they get older, they could do nothing.

That’s the truth),” he added.

The Davao City mayor, who established herself as a force in national politics, has often been touted by her supporters as the president’s possible replacement when he steps down in 2022.

But the president has repeatedly said he didn’t want his daughter to go through what he has gone through as president.

“Do not believe the clamor of

Davao City Mayor Sara “Inday” DuterteCarpio ManilaTImes.net photo

the people because when the water gets rough, you find that you are the only one sailing the lonely sea,” he said.

Candidates supported by Duterte-Caprio’s regional party, Hugpong ng Pagbabago, swept the senatorial elections last May, giving her father wider influence in the legislature.

She was also among those credited for the ouster of Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez as Speaker in 2018. The coup led to the rise of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as leader of the House of Representatives.

In August, the younger Duterte told The Manila Times that she would leave the presidency issue to God. “We live a life that is controlled

by God. I am not open or closed, basta kung saan ako ilagay ng Diyos doon ako (where God leads me there I’ll be),” Duterte-Carpio has said.

The president’s eldest daughter also told The Times that she was “not thinking” about seeking the presidency.

But she later said she would decide by January 2021. n

Trial Court Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes.

Citing latest medical bulletin, the jail official said Ampatuan is also suffering from acute infarct or brain tissue damage due to lack of blood supply, hypertension, diabetes and abnormal heart rhythm.

Ampatuan was admitted to the hospital on Oct. 22 after losing consciousness and suffering from weakness on the left side of the body and

slurred speech.

Earlier this year, he was allowed to undergo a medical examination at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City.

His father, Andal Ampatuan Sr., died in detention in 2015.

Zaldy and his brother, Andal Ampatuan Jr., are among those charged over the carnage.

The Ampatuans allegedly masterminded massacre of 58 people, including 32 media Ampatuan is still confined at the Makati Medical Center where he was rushed last month due workers, in Maguindanao on to his heart ailment, jail officials said in a letter to the court that is expected to release its verdict in December.

Philstar.com photo Nov. 23, 2009. n

A8 NOVEMBER 23-26, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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OPINION

A P50-million cauldron

FEATURES

FEW people are questioning the P4.48 million paid to the late National Artist Francisco Mañosa for his design of an iconic cauldron for the 30th Southeast Asian Games. Whether the P13.4 million for the 50-meter-high SEAG cauldron base plus P32 million for construction work are reasonable, however, will have to be determined by the Commission on Audit — and possibly the Office of the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan at some point.

Those behind the construction of the cauldron and the entire New Clark City Sports Complex, the principal venue for the SEA Games, will also have to contend with the lament of certain members of the Philippine athletic team, who questioned the government’s priorities.

Philippine athletes have long lamented the limited funding for their training, which must be intensive and prolonged and therefore costly. The training must be supported by sufficient resources for developing world-class athletes, including proper nutrition, apparel and special equipment for each particular sport. The private sector has chipped in heavily in sports development, but the government must take the lead in identifying, training and deploying athletes who can bring top honors to the country.

Another concern over the New Clark City Sports Complex, which deserves to be addressed by the government, is what happens when the SEA

Games are over. From an original estimate of P3 billion, the expenditure for the sports hub is estimated to reach P9.5 billion. At that cost, the country cannot afford to have the sports complex turn into a white elephant after the games.

Presidential adviser on flagship projects Vince Dizon has reassured the public that the sports complex, which includes hotel-type accommodations, will be turned into an athletes’ training area and center for sports education, which the country still lacks. The facilities can also be used for conferences and related activities.

The road to becoming a white elephant opens as soon as the SEA Games are over. With public misgivings being expressed even before the games start, the government must be ready to prove the critics wrong, and show the people that this is P9.5 billion in tax money put to proper use. (Philstar. com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

Have you offered your life to wrongdoings, Mr. Trump?

Rhizomes

PROSY ABARQUEZDELACRUZ, J.D. “It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their selfish purposes. Distinctions in society will always exist under every just government. In the full enjoyment of those gifts of Heaven and the fruits of superior industry, economy, and virtue, every man is equally entitled to protection by law; but when laws undertake to add to these natural and just advantages artificial distinctions, to grant titles, gratuities and exclusive privileges, to make the rich richer and the potent more powerful, the humble members of society — the farmers, mechanics and laborers – who have neither time nor the means of securing favors to themselves have a right to complain of the injustice of their Government.

There are no necessary evils in government. Its evils exist only in its abuses. If it would confine itself to equal protection and, as Heaven does its rains, shower its favors alike on the high and low, the rich and the poor, it would be an unqualified blessing.” – Andrew Jackson, 1832.

When U.S. President Andrew Jackson was presented with a Bank Renewal Bill from Congress in 1832, he declined to sign it

based on his concerns that narrow concentration of wealth and power in America would create monopolies.

“Such a monopoly, he believed, only exacerbated the tendency toward a tyranny to which all nations eventually drift. Eventually, the principle of his argument became one of the cornerstones of American conservatism, so despite the fact that its economics no longer enliven the national debate, its politics do,” George Grant wrote in the “Patriot’s Handbook.”

The word patriot has been thrown around on television this month of November 2019 when the 116th U.S. Congress through its chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, presided over the publicly televised proceedings on impeachment of the 45th US President Donald Trump, and said, excerpted here from The New Yorker’s The Talk of the Town, Nov. 25, 2019.

“If we find that the President of the United States abused his powers and invited foreign interference in our elections…must we simply get over it? Is this what Americans should now expect from their President? If this is not impeachable conduct, what is?”

The concern of Adam Schiff mirrors the concerns of Andrew Jackson then who believed that no undue favors and advantages

attach to the rich and powerful, as well as Alexander Hamilton who wrote to George Washington in 1792, further quoted by the New Yorker, “When a man unprincipled in private life desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper, possessed of considerable talents…is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity — to join in the cry of danger to liberty — to take every opportunity of embarrassing the General Government & bringing it under suspicion — to flatter and fall in with all the nonsense of the zealots of the day — It may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion that he may “ride the storm and direct the whirlwind.”

Why was there such a concern? First, U.S. President Donald Trump took this oath of office, swearing on the bible held by his wife, Melania Trump, “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” on January 20, 2017, 1,037 days, as of this published article.

That moment, Mr. Donald Trump became U.S. President Trump, sworn to uphold the interests and common good of all Americans. From that oath of office, he was transformed from being in a private businessman position to a position of public

Good intentions, bad executions Demand and Supply BOO CHANCO DEPENDING on what story you have read, the President has ordered a stop to rice importation, or Sec. Carlos Dominguez is saying there is no ban on rice importation. One thing is clear… government is confused on what to do.

Agricultural economists and economic policy makers are sure the free importation under the Rice Tariffication Law is a muchneeded industry reform. But the domestic rice cartel is deeply entrenched and it is easy for this group to undermine the law’s implementation.

Policy makers knew that farmers will initially take a hit. Farmgate prices had been predicted to plummet, which is why RTL has special provisions to help farmers survive the initial impact.

The long-term objective is to make rice farming able to sustain

a farmer and his family. By making the farmers more productive through better seeds and planting methods, being a rice farmer need not consign anyone to hopeless poverty.

That sounds simple and reasonable. But the good intentions of policy makers go against the interests of vested interests in the rice business. Bureaucrats should have prepared to wage battle with the rice cartel. But the bureaucracy was unprepared or unwilling to implement RTL the way it should be implemented.

So, we have a mess. The farmers ended up the victims of a well-intentioned law. The rice cartel made sure the farmers will be so enraged that the President will have little choice but to surrender and give up on reforming the rice industry.

Luckily, Sec. Sonny Dominguez is made of sterner stuff and is not easily bullied by the cartel. Sec. Sonny is insisting there is no turning back on RTL. He has organized a strike force of agents from the BIR, Customs and the PNP to raid warehouses and flush out hoarded rice.

Sec. Sonny has also probably

convinced the President because the President apologized and sought the understanding of farmers as he assured government help is coming.

The bureaucracy supposed to implement RTL had been suspect from the start. Many of the folks at NFA have long standing relationships with the cartel.

On the other hand, the bureaucrats at the agriculture department seem to be only interested in the money that can be made by overpricing agriculture machinery that do not work. The special report of Ted Failon on this is very revealing.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar is honest and hardworking, but the oldtimers in his department know he won’t be there for long like all past secretaries.

They may pretend to be cooperating, but in reality remain focused on how they can use agriculture budgets for personal gain.

That’s why when asked why the agriculture department isn’t getting more budget support, Rep. Joey Salceda candidly said “because we don’t want more of the people’s money stolen.”

Rep. Joey correctly pointed

trust, a position with potentials of adverse impact on the integrity and/or efficiency of the country’s mission to the rest of America.

That day marked the start of his presidential role to be the guardian of American democracy and the interests of all American citizens to have an honest president, who shall protect its U.S. elections. He was no longer Mr. Trump, the businessman, seeking to run his businesses from the confines of the White House.

He is now our president, enjoying taxpayers-funded Air Force One, U.S. Secret Service, the entire cabinet and legal staff inside the White House, the White House residence, plus he is now our U.S. commander-inchief, whose interests should be America first and foremost.

Yet, Mr. Trump is still Mr. Trump, 1,037days later and has failed to muster his presidential duties to benefit the public’s common good.

President Trump is still governing as Mr. Trump The day after Robert Mueller testified in Congress on July 24, 2019, Trump had a phone conversation with a comedian who was elected as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 25, 2019.

Trump congratulated Zelensky and encouraged him to do an investigation on the Bidens. As the

New York Times’ Mark Mazzetti and Eileen Sullivan reported on Nov. 15, 2019, ”During that call, Mr. Trump appeared to condition American military aid to Ukraine on whether Mr. Zelensky agreed to pursue investigations into the Biden family and he claimed that Ukrainians tried to undermine the Trump campaign in 2016.”

Dr. Fiona Hill, the former National Security Council official specializing in Russian and European affairs, testified at the impeachment public hearings and debunked the claim of Trump that, “Ukrainians tried to undermine the Trump campaign in 2016.”

She said, “Russia’s security services and their proxies have geared up to repeat their interference in the 2020 election.”

She warned us all on televised proceedings that we are running out of time to stop them. Two more witnesses who appeared in the impeachment proceedings stressed the fact that American intelligence agencies’ consensus is that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential elections.

The New York Times in 2018 reported it as eight intelligence agencies’ consensus.

Dr. Hill called it fiction, a narrative being advanced by Russian operatives, “Russia readily exploited partisan divisions to undermine the United States from within.”

Yet, Mr. Trump advanced the lie that Ukraine interfered in 2016 Presidential elections in the U.S., even though the facts and indictments are plainly clear and directly traceable to what Vladimir Putin’s talking points are. All the while, Robert Mueller testified before U.S. Congress that the interference was sweeping and systematic which led to the indictment of 26 Russian citizens and three Russian organizations.

But more than that, Mr. Trump is now soliciting an investigation from Ukraine to benefit himself, for Ukraine to do opposition research on Biden, for the purpose of benefiting Mr. Trump in the 2020 presidential elections. Why and how? Mr. Trump wants an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, who was a board member at Burisma, an energy company, from 2014 to 2019.

Mr. Trump is presuming that VP Joe Biden will be the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in 2020.

But aside from that solicitation of the investigation from Ukraine to benefit Mr. Trump’s prospective reelection, Mr. Trump in his capacity as Pres. Trump, leveraged the security assistance funds to pressure Ukraine to do it and ordered a hold on nearly $400 million security assistance funds approved through biparti-

out that the agriculture budget had been raided by corrupt officials through various administrations. Remember the fertilizer scam during the Arroyo years and the Napoles scams during PNoy’s watch.

Corruption and incompetence are also why Ben Diokno’s dream of a golden age of infrastructure through Build Build Build is not happening. Diokno and the rest of the economic team, Ernie Pernia, Sec. Sonny and even Art Tugade, have the best intentions. But a skills deficit plagues the bureaucracy supposed to implement their program.

When I raised this problem with Diokno early in the Duterte term, he was confident they have addressed implementation problems.

Ben talked of CCTV cameras installed in work sites that would livestream goings-on 24/7. There was supposed to be a website where anyone can click on a geo-tagged map of the country and see what’s going on in real time in project sites.

I wished Ben well, but remained skeptical. The bureaucracy simply doesn’t have the absorptive capacity to handle all those projects at the same time. Their engineers and tech-

nical staff are also not updated on latest technologies that could speed up implementation.

Three years after, the same problems that bogged down past administrations bogged down the current one in the roll-out of ambitious infrastructure projects. In the end, Sec. Ernie Pernia admitted they have fallen behind. They have dropped some projects and included new ones, PPPs, in the pipeline.

That’s why I thought it was wrong for them to sideline PPP projects. Even Fitch Solutions thinks we are ahead of our peers in Asean in terms of the most comprehensive PPP frameworks.

Duterte’s economic managers claim PPPs took too long to process, reason enough for sidelining the private sector in infrastructure development. But ironically, that’s mostly because NEDA, DOF and the implementing agencies take too long to process proposals.

Not only do PPPs provide for their own financing, the proponents are able to buy the latest technology and skills necessary in carrying out the projects. This takes care of the technical gap existing in the bureaucracy.

Another case of good inten-

tions, but bad implementation is Universal Health Care. The law had been passed, but was dead on arrival at the health department because of inadequate funding.

PhilHealth, the agency most involved in carrying out UHC, also doesn’t seem to have the capability, nor the integrity required. PhilHealth suffers low credibility among health care providers. Many have threatened to cut their links with PhilHealth.

Sayang. Our policymakers are pretty good in devising reform measures. For example, some Asean countries looked at our investment incentives law as their model… but got better results because they implemented well.

Same with PPP. Asean delegations visit the PPP Center to learn from us. But we just talk about it. Puro satsat.

We never had a shortage of good intentions. But we have fumbled and continue to fumble in execution. We simply cannot execute projects well enough or timely enough.

Good intentions are great. But let us make sure we can execute well. Otherwise, it is all saliva… always has been. (Philstar.com)

u PAGE A9

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

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OpiniOn & Features

Duterte awaits AFP, PNP recommendation on martial law

by Alexis

RomeRo Philstar.com

MANILA — President Duterte is leaving it up to security officials to assess whether to lift martial law in Mindanao.

“I will leave it to the military and the police to make the recommendation. Martial law is a military thing and it’s their assessment or evaluation of the situation,” the president told a

press conference on Tuesday, November 19.

“If the defense secretary says it’s no longer needed, I’ll wait for the statement of the military and the police. Then I will decide,” he said.

Duterte placed Mindanao under martial law after local extremists aligned with the Islamic State attacked Marawi on May 23, 2017.

Martial law had since been

Have you offered your life to...

PAGE A8 san support in Congress.

Note that U.S. presidents are not given any spending powers by the Constitution, that spending power lies squarely in the hands of.

Congress. The framers of the U.S. Constitution wanted the separation of powers, or else the enormous weight of U.S. spending powers, placed in the hands of elected presidents would amount to unchecked corruption. It was meant to be a system of checks and balances so that each branch has certain powers so as to check and balance other branches.

Mr. Trump’s move to usurp spending powers to benefit him So now, Asian Journal readers, have you considered the Facebook post of Atty. Norberto Jojo Reyes, “Did Trump violate the federal statue on bribery?”

U.S. Federal Statute, 18 U.S. Code Section 201 on Bribery of public officials and witnesses.

It states, “(2) being a public official or person selected to be a public official, directly or indirectly, corruptly demands, seeks, receives, accepts, or agrees to receive or accept anything of value personally or for any other person or entity, in return for: (a) being influenced in the performance of any official act; (b) being influenced to commit or aid in committing, or to collude in, or allow, any fraud, or make opportunity for the commission of any fraud, on the United States; or (C) being induced to do or omit to do any act in violation of the official duty of such official or person..”

Witness after witness during the impeachment proceedings, starting with William B. Taylor, Jr, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and top diplomat in Ukraine, New Yorker reported that in the closed hearings, Mr. Trump acting in his capacity as

U.S. President, “sought to pressure the beleaguered President of Ukraine to sully the reputation of a Democratic rival, Joe Biden, in exchange for a meeting at the Oval Office and the release of the defense funds approved through bipartisan support in Congress.”

This was further affirmed by U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, who donated $1,000,000 to Mr. Trump’s presidential inauguaration, and was subsequently appointed to this position and who testified in the impeachment proceedings against Trump.

Another impeachment proceeding witness, David Holmes, a political counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, testified that “Trump cares more about the investigation of Biden than about the fate of Ukraine,” the New Yorker added.

When Mr. Trump acted to condition the release of the security assistance to Ukraine, he violated not only several federal statutes, but also breached the separation of powers in a democracy, calculated to prevent abuse of power and to safeguard freedom for all.

By leveraging the security assistance, he was using the federal powers of his presidential position to benefit him, Mr. Trump, the presidential candidate and failed to act honorably as America’s elected president.

But more than that, he has continued his lawlessness pattern of defying the Constitution by ordering his presidential staff not to testify, in further contempt of Congress, including staffers of the State Department and his own chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, who just received a $2,000,000 advance for a book deal and, of course, the president’s own lawyer in charge of mucking up the

extended thrice. The last extension will expire on Dec. 31.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Philippine National Police (PNP) officials had earlier said they do not see the need for another extension, noting that security forces are in control in Mindanao.

The PNP said ”marked stability” in the south is an indication that martial law could be lifted. n

swamp by bubbling up false narratives, Rudolph Giuliani.

Our founding fathers were prescient, and provided for this in our U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 2, that “the House of Representatives shall have the sole power of impeachment.”

Article 2, Section 4 provides that “the President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” High Crimes and Misdemeanors include abuse of powers.

Alexander Hamilton, in Federalist Papers 65 described impeachable offenses as arising from “the misconduct of public men, or in other words from the abuse or violation of some public trust.”

Andrew Jackson said it even more plainly, “There are no necessary evils in government.”

Government is an instrument of the public’s common good and Mr. Trump has failed to promote the common good, and has sustainably advanced his private interests, using public funds. ***

Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D. writes a weekly column for Asian Journal, called “Rhizomes.” She has been writing for AJ press for 12 years. She also contributes to Balikbayan Magazine. Her training and experiences are in science, food technology, law and community volunteerism for 4 decades. She holds a B.S. Degree from the University of the Philippines, a law degree from Whittier College School of Law in California and a certificate on 21st century leadership from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She has been a participant in NVM writing workshops taught by Prof.

Peter Bacho for 4 years and Prof. Russell Leong. She has travelled to France, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Costa Rica, Mexico and over 22 national parks in the U.S., in her pursuit of love for nature and the arts.

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A10 November 23-26, 2019 • LA WeeKeND ASIAN JoUrNAL

Dateline PhiliPPines

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Duterte believes Quiboloy stopped Mindanao quake

PCOO BUDGET. Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar talks with Senator Panfilo Lacson during deliberation of the PCOO budget for 2020 at the Senate Plenary Hall on Wednesday, November 20. The Upper Chamber approved the proposed PHP1.6 billion PCOO budget for next year.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

200,000 vapers in uproar over ban by mayvelin

CaRaballo ManilaTimes.net

GROUPS representing more than 200,000 vapers in the Philippines called on President Rodrigo Duterte to retract his order banning vaping products, saying these are less harmful than cigarettes.

In a joint statement, the Philippine E-cigarette Industry Association (Pecia), Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (Caphra), the Vapers Alliance and Nicotine Consumers Union of the Philippines said the President was ill-advised when he announced a ban on the use and importation of vapes (ecigarettes).

Duterte on Tuesday, November 19, also ordered the police to arrest anyone caught vaping or using e-cigarettes in public, saying it was meant to protect the health of Filipinos.

Caphra said a ban on vaping would worsen the smoking situation in the Philippines.

“As an anti-smoker, it is as if the President is encouraging vapers to go back to smoking which is ironic. The scientific evidence that e-cigarettes are 95-percent less harmful was ignored/disregarded,” Clarisse Virgino, a Caphra Philippine representative, said.

For its part, Pecia said regulation was the best way to address concerns on e-cigarettes.

“Although not risk-free, ecigarettes are still much better alternatives to cigarettes. The planned executive order of the

President should regulate the manufacture, sale and use of ecigarettes,” it said.

Meanwhile, Vapers Alliance said in the United Kingdom where e-cigarettes are regulated, there is zero incident of vaping-related lung injury.

“In the United States, there is zero regulation. That’s why you have a number of vapers getting sick,” it added.

“Reckless driving, and driving while under the influence of alcohol is deadly. Should we ban cars and alcohol? We cannot ban vaping simply because other people are not following the rules,” Vapers Alliance further said.

The groups also contradicted a recent Department of Health claim that about 1 million Filipinos use e-cigarettes, saying the problem stemmed from the government’s failure to regulate the e-cigarette industry and not from the alleged unknown chemicals contained in electronic nicotine delivery systems.

Meanwhile, the Department of Finance (DoF) renewed its call on lawmakers to approve the proposed additional “sin” taxes on e-cigarettes and vapes.

Finance Secretary Carlo Dominguez III said the DoF is awaiting the executive order of Duterte on the ban.

“In the meantime, we urge the legislature to pass a measure that is pending their approval,” he added.

Dominguez is referring to Senate Bill (SB) 1074, which seeks to increase current rates of

e-cigarettes under the heat-notburn product category to P10 per pack of 20 to P45 per pack in the first year of implementation to be at parity with regular cigarettes.

For vapor products, there will be a distinction between salt nicotine and freebase. From P10 per 10 millimeter (ml) or less, salt nicotine will increase to P45 per ml, while freebase will increase to P45 per 10 ml on the first year of implementation.

These rates will increase by P5 every year until the fourth year of implementation then 5 percent every year thereafter.

These tax rates are expected to raise the government’s incremental revenues of P47.9 billion to P61.2 billion in the first year of its implementation.

SB 1074 represents Package 2 Plus of the Duterte administration’s comprehensive tax reform program.

The House of Representatives has approved its counterpart version of SB 1074 — House Bill 1026 — on August 20.

Albay Second District Rep. Joey Salceda said lawmakers would likely raise the tax rate on vaping products because of the “intention to ban.”

“Kagabi (Wednesday night), upon listening to the President…

It’s just like another smoking so we’re adjusting,” Salceda, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, said.

“P45 per ml from the current P25. So effectively we are making it more prohibitive,” Salceda said. n

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Friday, November 22, believed his good friend Pastor Apollo Quiboloy when he claimed he stopped one of the three deadly earthquakes that jolted parts of Mindanao in October.

In his speech in Davao City, Duterte wished he had the same power to stop corrupt officials in the government.

“I believe in Pastor Quiboloy.

When he said stop, e kung nag stop, eh di what’s the trouble?

Stop it. Eh kung nagkataon talagang nagstop (what if it really stopped when he said ‘stop’?),” Duterte said.

“If I can only have that power doon sa mga kurakot na stop, kasi

alam mo dito ang Pilipino hindi mo talaga madala sa pakiusapan (I’ll use it to stop corrupt officials, because you can’t just ask Filipinos nicely),” he added.

Quiboloy, the founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, had said he was drinking coffee in Samal when he told the magnitude 6.6 quake that originated off Tulusan town to stop.

“Sabi ko, ‘Lindol, huminto ka.’ Huminto (I said, ‘Earthquake, stop.’ It stopped),” Quiboloy said on the October 30 episode of “Give Us This Day,” a weekly television show produced and aired by the pastor’s religious sect.

“Pasalamat kayo sa akin kasi kung hindi ko pina-stop ‘yun,

marami kayong magigiba diyan, mamamatay kayo (You should be grateful to me because if I did not direct the earthquake to stop, a lot of your homes would be destroyed and you would have died),” he added.

The pastor rose to nationwide prominence in 2016 as Duterte’s decades-long friend.

Quiboloy had said his friendship with Duterte goes way back to when his congregation was just starting out with 15 members.

The pastor had admitted giving properties, a house, and a vehicle to Duterte. He also lent choppers and other aircraft during the 2016 presidential campaign. (Catherine Valente/ManilaTimes.net)

Can China shut down PH power remotely?

by Paolo

RomeRo Philstar.com

MANILA — The Senate committee on energy will conduct an inquiry into the apprehensions raised by the National Transmission Corp. (Transco) that China may be able to remotely shut down significant portions of the country’s power infrastructure.

The concern was raised during the deliberations on the proposed budget of the Department of Energy (DOE) at the Senate late Tuesday, November 19, where the matter of the Chinese ownership of 40 percent of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) was tackled by senators.

NGCP, a privately owned corporation in charge of operating, maintaining and developing the country’s state-owned power grid, is 40 percent owned by the State Grid Corp. of China.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Sen. Risa Hontiveros first raised the matter on the floor, pointing out that China could arguably be the best in the world when it comes to information and communications tech-

nology.

“About the control of the Chinese in the NGCP, while we have not achieved full control, can another actor take down our power grid?” Hontiveros asked Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the energy committee and the one who defended the proposed DOE budget.

Gatchalian, who was answering for DOE and Transco officials during the deliberations, said that such a situation was possible given current technology and advancements in software.

It was learned during proceedings that while Transco is allowed to inspect NGCP facilities, including transmission lines, the former only has limited access to them, causing a dispute between the two entities.

Senators pointed out there must be contingency plans in case of such a remote shutdown.

Zubiri said the franchise granted to NGCP allows for immediate government takeover, while Gatchalian said Transco has the expertise to operate the facilities manually and resume operations in 24 to 48 hours.

Sen. Richard Gordon asked whether or not such a national security matter was discussed in the Cabinet.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, speaking through Gatchalian, said the matter is taken up during the weekly meetings of the security cluster, and the apprehension was raised with President Duterte last month.

“Our military should be watching this. The economic managers should be watching regularly,” Gordon said, adding that NGCP reportedly had embedded “dark fibers” or additional fiber optic cables whose purpose remains unknown.

Gatchalian, however, clarified Wednesday, November 20, there is no direct evidence that the State Grid of China has the capability to shut down NGCP but “the technology is available.”

“So, we’re now going to scrutinize the technical aspects. It’s difficult to say they have the technology installed. But the technology is available. That’s why Transco is requesting to conduct a technical and financial and legal audit of NGCP,” Gatchalian said. n

DOH warns public vs meningococcemia

by JeRRy

HeRnandez ManilaTimes.net

THE Department of Health (DoH) issued a warning to the public against meningococcemia, citing 16 deaths in Central Luzon alone from January to November 11.

Regional Director Cesar Cassion said meningococcemia bacteria could spread from personto-person through respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing, kissing, or sharing foods, drinks and utensils with an infected person.

Meningococcemia is an acute and potentially life-threatening bacterial infection of the bloodstream caused by Neisseria men-

ingitidis, the same bacteria that can cause meningitis.

Jessie Fantone, head of the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, said the agency was having difficulty in terms of prevention and control of the disease since it is “sporadic in nature and everyone can be carrier of the infection.”

“Unlike other diseases, which have prolonged exposure, its clinical course usually lasts only for a few hours or few days,” he added.

But meningococcemia can be prevented.

“Since this can be transmitted through respiratory droplet, we need to avoid crowded places, close contact with infected pa-

tients and sharing of utensils or anything that has been in the mouth of an infected person,” Fantone said.

He said cleanliness, as well as proper hand-washing and coughing etiquette were small but effective steps to prevent the spread of the communicable disease.

Proper nutrition to boost one’s immune system, regular exercise, and avoiding smoking and alcohol are also steps to prevent meningococcemia.

Signs and symptoms of the disease include fever, cough, sore throat, other respiratory symptoms, pinpoint rashes and severe skin lesions.

In severe cases, the disease may even result to death. n

Zubiri aims to bring arnis to Asian Games, Olympics

by Jean

Russel david ManilaTimes.net

A HUGE chunk of the Philippines’ medal haul in the coming 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) could come from arnis.

Arnis is an ancient, weaponsbased Filipino martial art. While known for its deadly use of bladed and impact weapons, arnis is a complete system that employs empty hand techniques like striking, throwing and grappling.

Republic Act 9850, the law declaring arnis as the Philippines’ national martial art and sport, authored by senator and arnis expert Juan Miguel Zubiri, was signed on Dec. 11, 2009 by then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Arnis, also known as escrima and kali, was featured as a demonstration sport during the 1991 Manila SEAG and had its second appearance in the biennial meet in 2005, which the Philippines also hosted.

The arnis competition in the Philippines 2019 SEAG on November 30 to December 11 has 20 medals at stake.

Zubiri, also the president of the Philippine Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation (Pekaf), the national sport association for arnis, said that he is managing expectations on the national arnis team’s medal haul.

“That’s a million-dollar question. We promised 15 out of the 20 but I managed our expectations that we’ll try to win the overall championship. Meaning, maybe over 10 medals. We are looking at 11 to 12,” Zubiri told The Manila Times in an exclusive interview.

“The reason being is that these other three teams are also prepared. They are preparing very well and very hard,” added Zubiri, who won a world arnis championship in 1989.

The other nations joining the SEAG arnis competition from December 1 to 3 at the Angeles University Foundation in Pampanga are Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar.

Members of the Philippine arnis team practice double-stick techniques.

Photo courtesy of Philippine Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation

Livestick matches (rattan stick without padding) will be played on the first day with eight gold medals at stake, while the padded stick matches will happen on the second day with another eight gold medals up for grabs.

The anyo (form) events are scheduled on the third day with four gold medals at stake.

Zubiri sees Vietnam as the country’s top challenger.

“I would say Vietnam is our top rival but also the Myanmar and Cambodia teams are really doing very well. We had some tune-up events with them and they’ve learned quickly our techniques and styles,” he said.

Zubiri described the stick fighters from Vietnam, some of them ex-military and ex-police, as “very resilient and tough players.”

“For now, I would say our main rival is Vietnam but I am sure that Cambodia and Myanmar will give our kids a run for their money also,” he added.

Not a regular SEAG event yet Zubiri explained that currently, arnis is just a Category 3 sport, meaning it is not yet a regular SEAG event. A sport must be featured twice in a row in the SEAG for it to become a regular event, a goal that Pekaf is working on to accomplish.

In January this year, Pekaf replaced Arnis Philippines (ARPI) as the national sport association (NSA) for arnis recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee. ARPI was the NSA for arnis since 1986.

Zubiri is hoping that Vietnam, who will host the SEAG in 2021, will include arnis for it to become a regular event in the biennial meet.

“I’m confident and hopeful that Vietnam will host arnis because they have a strong team.

They’ve been participating since 1991, 2005, and now in 2019.

They are the most prepared arnis team next to the Philippines.”

Cambodia has also expressed intention to include arnis when it hosts the SEAG in 2023.

Zubiri said the goal was to recruit other Asean nations into the World Eskrima Kalis Arnis Federation, the international federation of arnis based in Cebu City.

“Eventually as a sport, we wanted to reach the Asian Games.

The only way to do that is that if we have a full contingent every time in the SEA Games. The next few SEA Games after that we could apply for Asian Games status. Our dream really is to be in the Olympics. It’s a long process,” he added. n

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SHOWBIZ&STYLE

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Journal New neighborhoods now Filipino boy group SB19 earns spot open at Park Place in Ontario on Billboard’s Next Big Sound chart Manilatimes.net file photo

by Ryan

aRcadio Inquirer.net

Park Place at Ontario Ranch

ONTARIO, CA – Make your way to Park Place by Lewis Community Developers and Stratham Communities, a new collection of homes that have it all in Ontario Ranch! Surrounded by acres of parks and modern amenities, Park Place introduces a fresh take on comfortable and convenient living in Ontario with seven all-new neighborhoods.

With up to 3,599 square feet and five bedrooms and open-concept floor plans available, the spacious homes at Park Place provide extra room to spread out and enjoy daily life. Plus, every home at Park Place comes with ultra-high-speed fiber-optic broadband at gigabit speeds, allowing you to stream, download and upload from multiple devices without slowing down. Come by today to visit these exciting new neighborhoods, tour the 20-plus model homes available and discover all the amenities Park Place has to offer. This is also your chance to explore Celebration Park North in the heart of this stunning community with

plenty of green space to roam, walking paths and so much more.

Besides lightning-fast internet speeds that are 100 times faster than today’s average broadband connection, Park Place offers many other top-tier amenities. All residents enjoy The Parkhouse, a world-class 14,500-square-foot central community clubhouse that features a resort-caliber swimming pool, fully equipped fitness and business centers, Wi-Fi, multiple game rooms, a library and a state-of-the-art movie theater with club seating. And a masterfully appointed catering kitchen and adjoining multipurpose room are ideal for hosting special celebrations in style. Three acres of beautiful grounds surround The Parkhouse and are home to tennis courts, a creative play area and a dog park. Picnics with friends, family and neighbors are a delight at Celebration Park North and Celebration Park South, where kids and adults alike enjoy outdoor play, relaxation and socializing.

Plans at Park Place include a future elementary school within

walking distance of each neighborhood. Not only is Park Place served by an award-winning school district, but it is also located near many universities and higher-education institutions, including Azusa Pacific University; Cal Poly Pomona; Chaffey College; Mt. San Antonio College; Platt College; Riverside Community College; The Art Institute of California; University of California, Riverside; Western University of Health Sciences; and the highly acclaimed Claremont Colleges, one of which is among the nation’s top ten.

Park Place proudly presents seven new home collections: Coventry by Christopher Homes, Meadowood by Taylor Morrison, Seville by The New Home Company, Stonewater by Woodside Homes, Willowmore by KB Home, Aurora by Pulte Homes and Primrose by Richmond American Homes. Extending from approximately 1,800 to 3,599 square feet, this dynamic range of residential designs ofPAGE B2

FILIPINO boy group SB19 has reached a new milestone as they entered Billboard’s Next Big Sound chart, where they were able to claim the sixth spot.

According to Billboard’s website, the said chart tracks the “fastest accelerating artists during the past week and predicted to achieve future success.”

The group, which comprises Sejun, Stell, Josh, Ken and Justin, debuted on the charts yesterday, Nov. 20, as seen on Billboard’s website. Ahead of them by one spot is the K-pop boy group A.C.E. Upon catching wind of their achievement, SB19 took to Twitter to express their gratitude toward their fans.

Addressing their fanbase, called “A’TINs,” they said: “No words can describe how thankful we are for this great news. Thank you so much for supporting our dreams and believing in us.”

“Everything seems possible with you,” the group added. “We

The current cast of the ABS-CBN’s hit kiddie gag show “Goin’ Bulilit.”

promise to work harder!”

They also took the time to thank their fans for sharing their stories with the group.

“It warms our hearts to know that you find comfort, happiness and motivation through our music,” they stated.

The boy group trained in South Korea under the Ko-

ABS-CBN photo

rean entertainment company ShowBT, which has a Philippine branch.

The group debuted in October 2018 with the song “Tilaluha,” but gained widespread online attention earlier this September after they released a video of their dance practice to their song “Go Up.”

Bea speaks up on ex Gerald, rumored new boyfriend

by Jan

Milo SeveRo Philstar.com

ACTRESS Bea Alonzo revealed that she has moved on from her relationship with Kapamilya actor Gerald Anderson.

At the press conference of her new movie “Unbreakable” with Angelica Panganiban and Richard Gutierrez, Bea said she realized that there are more important things in her life.

“Oo tapos na ko do’n. Okay na ‘ko. Tsaka ano, sobrang daming blessing ‘yung dumating, nag-360, ang daming dapat kong ipagpasalamat.

Na-realize ko, ang daming importanteng bagay sa buhay ko hindi lang jowa,” Bea said.

Bea Alonzo PAGE B2

ENTERTAINMENT

B2 NOVEMBER 23-26, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Inigo performs at NBA game FILIPINO singer Inigo Pascual recently launched the music video for his hit single “Catching Feelings” in the United States, where he performed during the Los Angeles Clippers’ Filipino Heritage Night.

The pop star premiered the music video at the LA Clippers vs. Oklahoma City Thunders game held at the legendary Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, where he sang the summery island pop track that has become of his fastest rising songs to date.

The new “Catching Feelings” music video was entirely shot in the Philippines and highlights the 21-year-old singer-songwriter’s interpretation of the uncertain journey of going to and fro between the frustrations of falling in love, before finally giving in to the feeling.

Jabbawockeez member and Bruno Mars’ choreographer and dancer Phil Tayag arranged and completed the dance routine for the song, complementing the already-established moves of Inigo that can be seen on the “Catch-

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Marcelito set to compete in ‘America’s Got Talent: The Champions’

Inigo Pascual performing at the Los Angeles Clippers’ Filipino Heritage Night.

Photos from Instagram/@inigopascual

ing Feelings” dance challenge.

The track, which features music producer Moophs, has been heard in radio stations from Manila all the way to California and has also accumulated almost 1.5 million streams on Spotify.

Meanwhile, the “Catching Feelings” dance challenge, which Inigo himself started, has now amassed a total combined entries of 35,000 on video-sharing

app Tiktok and other social networking sites.

The hit single is produced under Tarsier Records, an underground music label which has been driving for the breakthrough of Filipino talents like Inigo to the international music stage, in line with ABS-CBN’s commitment to introduce the exceptional artistry of Filipinos to global audiences.

(Philstar.com)

Marcelito Pomoy

by IAN

BIONG Inquirer.net

MARCELITO Pomoy is once again about to give America his masterful “doble kara” singing style, and the United States better be ready.

The “Pilipinas Got Talent” Season 2 grand winner asked for his fans’ support and prayers as he revealed that he would be competing with fellow champions from around the world on “America’s Got Talent: The Champions” season 2, as posted on his Instagram on Wednesday, November 20.

“Guys… this is it… eto na ‘yong pagkakataong hinihintay ko.. so please abangan nyo po ako.. America’s Got Talent— THE CHAMPIONS Edition,” he said. “Sobrang hirap na laban dahil puro champions ng iba’t ibang bansa ang makakalaban ko.. hindi eto ‘yong ordinary sea-

son lang ng Got Talent.. these are got talent champions of the world competing with each others (sic). (Guys, this is it. This is what I have been waiting for, so please watch out for me. America’s Got Talent — THE CHAMPIONS Edition. This would be very hard as I will be competing with champions from different countries. This is not an ordinary Got Talent season anymore. These are Got Talent champions of the world competing with one another).”

“Piling pili po ang nakakalaban dito.. kung kaya sa tulong at suporta ninyo lalo’t higit sa inyong dasal nawa’y tayo ay makapagperform hanggang sa huli (My competitors were meticulously picked to join here.

Through your help and support, especially your prayers, I hope we will be able to perform until the end),” he added.

Pomoy is famously known for

being able to smoothly switch between tenor and soprano voices, allowing him to solely perform female and male “duets.”

“Actually kahit sa audition round lang masaya na akong maibahagi ang aking talento sa buong mundo.. pero kung papalarin na makaabot sa grand finals mas masaya syempre… please pray for me (Actually, I would already be happy to perform even only in the audition round and share my talent with the whole world. But if I would be fortunate enough to reach the grand finals, I would be much happier, of course. Please pray for me),” he requested.

Pomoy had his big break from winning “Pilipinas Got Talent” in 2011. But before that, he said he had been living in the streets since he was 7 years old, earning P50 a day from being a pin boy at a bowling alley to get through the day.

Vanessa Hudgens coming to Philippines ‘soon’

by NATHALIE

TOMADA Philstar.com

VANESSA Hudgens took to Instagram on Tuesday, November 19, to greet her No. 1 fan her Filipina mom Gina Guangco a happy birthday.

“Happy birthday to @mamagh.

My favorite fiery, passionate, joyous woman. She’s my No. 1 fan and I’m hers. Love you for everything you do and are mommy,” the 30-year-old Hollywood star wrote.

On Sunday, November 17, during a phone interview with some Filipino press to promote her Christmas film on Netflix, titled “The Knight Before Christmas,” the Fil-Am singer/actress talked a bit more about her Filipino connection through her mom.

When a reporter recommended to Vanessa and her leading man, the British actor Josh Whitehouse, to try out someday the Pinoy Christmas food staples such as puto bumbong and bibingka, Vanessa was quick to react that she already sampled the latter.

“I got it at Goldilocks, a little restaurant here in California. My mom got it for me and she was like, ‘You need to try this honey,’” she recalled.

Vanessa also said that she loves halo-halo. “Halo-halo is my favorite. And because it’s white and refreshing and delicious.”

According to her, the very Pinoy Christmas traditions that her mom passed on to her are the big family Christmas dinners, a.k.a. noche buena.

“Definitely, I had the Christmas dinners. Like, we have lumpia, pancit, adobo and pandesal. I love pandesal so much, especially when it’s warm. Ah, so good!”

Vanessa Hudgens

Asked if there would be a chance for her to visit the Philippines in the future, she answered in the affirmative. “I am. I’m going to go. Yeah, I really, really, really want to go. It’s on my todo list. I’m coming. I’m coming soon!”

Meantime, Vanessa is expanding her creative pursuits by becoming a first-time producer on her latest Christmas-themed film on Netflix.

She said of her experience: “It was wonderful, really lovely.

I felt like my opinion was really encouraged and I got to kind of shape the project into what it be-

came.

“You know, (becoming a producer) seems like a smart thing to do. I think that, as a producer, like I said, you kind of have more of a say in the film. So, I thought, that sounds like a wonderful thing to be a part of.”

It does seem that Vanessa is becoming the holiday movie queen on the streaming giant.

Last Christmas, she starred in the hit Netflix film “Princess Switch.” A sequel is already in the works for release next year, with Vanessa reportedly back as lead star and this time, as a producer as well.

Bea speaks up on ex Gerald...

BUY

NOW

!

CircusVargas.com

PAGE B1 Bea, who is now being linked to actor Dominic Roque after she and Dominic went together to Japan as seen on her Instagram account, said she has no plans of having a relationship right now.

“Wala pa naman po. Magpa-

pahinga muna ko. Parang hindi ko pa kaya. Hindi naman kailangang magka-boyfriend para patunayan na naka-move on ka na,” Bea said.

But Bea assured she will open her heart once again if the right time comes. “‘Di naman isasarado, magpa-

pahinga ka lang, magpapagaling ka lang and then ‘pag dumating na ‘yong tamang panahon, kapag ready ka na uli, edi i-open mo na yung heart mo ulit,” she said.

Bea, Angelica, and Richard star in the movie “Unbreakable,” which will open in cinemas on November 27.

PAGE B1 fers three to five bedrooms and two-and-one-half to five baths plus spacious two- or three-car garages, making them ideal for growing or multigenerational families. Prices begin in the $400,000s.

Park Place is located within the greater community of Ontario Ranch, which will span over 8,000 acres and is planned to offer modern amenities and abundant recreation, including an expansive park and trail system.

Proposed plans include retail and business spaces, along with nearly 1,000 acres dedicated to public open space, parks and schools.

Directions to Park Place: If traveling on the 15 freeway, exit on Limonite Avenue and head west. Proceed on Limonite Avenue for approximately 2.5 miles and turn right at Archibald Avenue. Travel approximately 0.5 miles and turn right at Merrill Avenue. Continue for approximately 0.25 miles and The Parkhouse sales center will be on the left.

If traveling on the 60 freeway, exit on Archibald Avenue and head south. Proceed on Archibald Avenue for approximately 3.25 miles and turn left at Merrill Avenue. Continue for approximately 0.25 miles and The Parkhouse sales center will be on the left.

Call (877) 577-8593 for more information or visit www.parkplaceontario.com.

Park Place at Ontario Ranch reflects the vision and experience of Lewis Community Developers and Stratham Communities. Park Place is a true collaborative effort between award-winning homebuilders Christopher Homes, Taylor Morrison, The New Home Company, KB Home, Pulte Homes, Richmond American Homes and Woodside Homes.

We understand the wants and needs of today’s families because we have families of our own. We designed and built a community that we would live in. ■ (Advertising Supplement)

New neighborhoods now open...

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 23-26, 2019

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY FOR A TNT TO LEGALIZE HIS STAY IN THE U.S.? This Sunday, November 24 viewers will get to hear the immigration questions of the third batch of Kapamilya who attended the Citizen Pinoy taping in Virginia. Tune in to get the most relevant information and answers to immigration concerns on a brand-new episode of CITIZEN PINOY, this Sunday at 6:15 pm PST/EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

(Advertising Supplement)

Is it true that after a year of no communication regarding one’s visa application, the petition will be canceled or dismissed?

Get the answer this Sunday on ‘Citizen Pinoy: Your Tanong, My Sagot’

THE third batch of Kapamilya who attended the tapings in Virginia will get their questions answered on the most popular immigration program on television – “Citizen Pinoy”.

What is the fastest way to petition a legally-adopted son from the Philippines, after all necessary paperwork and re-

quired residency have been fulfilled? What’s the best way for a TNT to legalize his stay in the U.S.? He currently works “under-the-table” and his employer promised to petition him after two to three years. Will this be approved?

Leading U.S. immigration attorney MICHAEL J. GURFIN-

KEL replies to these and more questions will be answered on an all-new edition of the information-packed, public service program on television, “Citizen Pinoy: Your Tanong, My Sagot,” this Sunday, at 6:15 pm PST/ EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

(Advertising Supplement)

Jose Mari Chan collaborates with other OPM singers for all-star Christmas single

WHAT is Christmas in the Philippines without Jose Mari Chan’s beautiful holiday songs ringing throughout the nation?

Mobile streaming service Spotify has recently partnered with Chan and some of the hottest Original Pinoy Music (OPM) artists today to deliver an early gift under the tree; a fresh rendition of his 1990 classic “A Perfect Christmas.”

Available exclusively to stream as part of Spotify Singles: Holiday, “A Perfect Christmas” sees Jose Mari teaming up with Ben&Ben, December Avenue, I Belong to the Zoo, Julie Anne San Jose and Moira Dela Torre, who each bring their own unique sound to the track. The single will be on the service’s Paskong Pinoy playlist.

“We are thrilled to be working with Jose Mari Chan and

Jose Mari Chan and collaborator Photo courtesy of Spotify Philippines

these talented OPM artists for the launch of Spotify’s first Asiamade holiday single. Christmas is one of the biggest cultural moments in the Philippines and we want to celebrate it with our

listeners,” said Kossy Ng, Artist & Label Marketing Lead, Spotify, Southeast Asia.

“We kick-started 2019 with a relaunch of our flagship OPM PAGE B4

MAG ENJOY SA INYONG PERPEKTONG KOMBINASYON

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Lovi on new box office hit, making up with The ‘happy surprise’ that exceeded Janine’s expectations Marian, and her long-distance relationship International Film Festival for her the said action-drama film.

“I attended the awards ceremoperformance in Rae Red’s noirinspired movie “Babae at Baril,” it nies in support of the team. Indie movies like this one have small WARY of potential disappoint- came as a “happy surprise.” crews, so I have grown fond of ment, Janine Gutierrez has gotten “It’s tough to have expectations, them—they’re like my family now. used to tempering her expectations when it comes to the projects so I try not to think too far ahead. It’s my way of saying thank you or other career endeavors she It’s the same with television work. for supporting me and for letting If there’s a role or series I want, I me be part of this project,” she retakes on.

So, when she was named best keep it to myself,” she told report- lated. “That’s why I was so happy actress at the recent QCinema ers at a recent block screening for when I heard my name called.”

“This was a dream,” Janine said.

It was the 30-year-old actress’ first major acting award. And there’s no one prouder than her mother, Lotlot de Leon.

“She was super happy! ‘I knew it!’ she told me. She may be saying that only because she’s my mother, but she’s really proud of me. I showed her the script when I got the role, and I’m glad she believed in me,” she said.

In “Babae at Baril,” Janine plays the titular “babae,” a nameless department store saleslady who has become jaded with her everyday life and the incessant harassment from men she puts up with.

One night, awakened by a gunshot, she rushes out of her rented place and finds a gun lying outside her doorstep. Reluctantly, she picks it up and eventually experiences a psychological shift caused by the sense of power one gets from owning a gun.

“I feel lucky that I’m now able to do projects I like. I was told the script was completed a long time ago, and I’m grateful it somehow fell on my lap,” she said.

The GMA 7 talent especially liked being deglamorized for the movie. “I love that I was made to look different from what people see on Instagram,” she pointed out.

“It was funny because there was this international judge who went up to me and told me, in English, something to the effect of ‘O, maganda ka pala!’” she recalled, laughing. “The judge was probably surprised because I looked different from my character. Of course, it was the awards night—I was made up and all!”

While winning a best actress award was a dream come true, Janine admitted that it comes with pressure. “I feel like my next project can’t be chaka!” she jested.

“My previous film, ‘Elise,’ also got good reviews. It feels great to see people getting affected by the projects I do.”

by LHAR

SANTIAGO ManilaTimes.net

by ALLAN

POLICARPIO Inquirer.net

CONGRATULAGTIONS are in order for Lovi Poe given the huge success of her latest movie, “The Annulment,” under Regal Entertainment.

The movie debuted strongly at the box office last week and has maintained its good standing at the tills. Credit goes to the timely theme of couples who rush into marriage and realize they’re not compatible. Kudos also to director Macarthur Alejandre and Lovi’s leading man Joem Bascon.

Even happier with the positive feedback from her acting, Lovi said, “My character here is a go getter. She has many ambitions in life. Marami po siyang gustong abutin even if she’s already married because she doesn’t get contented easily. Parang ako rin in real life. I still have many goals that I want to reach in my career.

Sobra rin akong goal-oriented kaya I prefer not to settle down muna,” Lovi told Showbuzz.

Done with her promos for the movie, Lovi is already back on the set shooting “In Between Goodbyes,” this time under Viva Films.

“My management and I decided to concentrate on doing movies muna until the end of the year. There are a couple of films that I still have to finish so next year na ako gagawa ng bagong series for GMA. I think magandang timing din ‘yun to start a new soap at the start of the year. But I’ll still be visible on TV because I’ll still have guestings in different shows.”

Besides her thriving career, Lovi is also happy she and co-Kapuso star Marian Rivera have made peace. It happened when Lovi guested in “Sunday

Lovi Poe

Pinasaya.” Marian earlier told Showbuzz about how they immediately hugged each other without saying anything. After that they texted each other how happy they are to be friends again.

It can be recalled that there were a couple of instances a few years back where the top leading ladies apparently snubbed each other. It isn’t very clear how their rift started but all the same they didn’t talk to each other for quite some time.

Without wanting to dig up anything about the past, Lovi said, “Basta I’m just happy what’s happened now and I feel good that everything is fine between us. At least, when we see each other, wala nang ilangan.

Magbabatian, mag-uusap so it’s really nice,” Love chimed.

To top it all off, Lovi is going strong with her American boyfriend Montgomery Blencowe even with their long distance relationship.

“It’s not easy, of course, but I think you always have to find the good in a difficult situation that’s special to you. Ako naman,

I’m busy with work and he’s also busy. I think it’s also good that we’re apart because we get to focus more on what we do.

Saka maganda rin when you’re far from each other because you miss each other more so pag nag-usap kayo, you both feel how much you miss each other.”

Unknown to many, Montgomery visited Lovi in Manila the other month, staying for a couple of weeks.

“I’m so happy he had fun in the Philippines. Sobrang naenjoy niya yung places that he visited snd the people he met.

Now that he’s back in the States, tuluy-tuloy ang communication namin so I can say that we’re really good right now. Maayos namang lahat sa relationship namin,” she enthused.

This Christmas, Lovi has no plans of going to the US to be with Montgomery because she doesn’t want to break family tradition.

“I will just be at home with my family. It’s always like that every year. My mom cooks and we spend time together.”

A day of thanks and giving

MOONLIGHTING

by MYLAH DE

LEON

THIS great holiday of thanks and giving is not a date on a calendar, but a state of the mind.

In a kind of thought about our capacity to realize things, we can sometimes only imagine and remember that no matter how difficult life’s tests are for each of us, there are always others feeling more severe hardships.

The most heavily traveled day of the year arrives with even more seasoned flyers making new calculations as they inhale news about airports and airlines that make them long for proof that safety has improved.

It is why, in whatever fashion women knock themselves out, by the millions, each year, as the men watch their Thanksgiving Day games. We cook our hearts out, make beds in spacious rooms, as we brace ourselves for the in-laws and grandchildren our ingenuity redoubled. We slave over a hot stove, always giving more than what we get, then, of course, settle into a tryptophan-induced nap.

As part of the tradition, it’s time to witness big family fights!

Then, everyone eats turkey for a week.

It is time to recognize and celebrate the unexpected blessings in our lives and hopes. It is through goodness and wisdom — succeeding in transmitting truths that bring tranquility to the human spirit in our chosen calling, as little pencils of God — that each of us can bless life and thus repair the world, just by being more which ourselves that in our most precious possession.

I am grateful for my family for many reasons: for what I see them to be, for the loveliness they have been, and for the good, I know in them. I love their essence, their “could be,” in spite

Thanksgiving is first and foremost about family.

of knowing their faults well, the individual lives in each of them that I saw budding and watching them unfold, enchanted and anxious.

I have felt respect, even reverence, for I have seen it meet tragedy, when they had to give back a father and gain nobility.

I have watched it win its prizes and I have learned the hard truth a mother learns slowly, that the quick intimacy she has known become hope for loved strangers.

Even her inability to let them be for she is impelled to know that the seeds of value sown in her have been winnowed, for no matter how old a mother is, she watches her middle-aged children for signs of improvement. She never outgrows the burden of love, and to the end, she carries the weight of hope for those she bore, half expecting the newborn child will make the world better.

Thanksgiving Day is first and foremost about family. We too recognize the friends who have touched our lives. We are truly grateful, as Santayana once wrote, friends “are part of the race where one can be human.”

Having shared fragility and resiliency and have never asked for proof or expressions of affection, they are always simply there for you. There is something palpably always different in the way you bond, in the way you spend

your time together — sometimes just being together, sharing joys, loss tears and pain, and laughter. It was never “I” but “we,” whether you hang tough together or hang on to each other, or whether you keep the worst from each other or confess.

There’s never showing off that subtly, restrained respect and sharing of the minds.

And to be taken into the folds of AJP is a homage and a lifetime debt of gratitude and selfworth.

We find plenty of reasons to be thankful, including moms, grandchildren, teachers, music, second chances, American citizenship, the thrill of a blissful newfound set of diligent helpmates in the photo world.

Today there is awareness that it is not simply the time for parades and fancy home-cooked meals, but time to get together with our friends and families for that happily anticipated warm and happy times.

Thanksgiving is gratitude and appreciation of life as it is an acceptance of much in life that we can not understand, learning how to celebrate life until you find the unknown blessing is in everything.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving, gentle readers! ***

be and we are so excited to be a part of its history,” said December Avenue.

“The song is close to my heart.

It has always been one of my favorite Christmas songs and now it feels even more special to me,” added Moira.

“We actually had the opportunity to do a cover of Jose Mari Chan’s song ‘Beautiful Girl’ earlier this year for the Spotify Jams: OPM Love Songs campaign. Being able to collaborate with him on one of his Christmas classics is an absolute honour,” said Ben&Ben. For I Belong to the Zoo and Julie Anne San Jose, a perfect Christmas means being able to spend more time with family; celebrating the holidays with their

loved ones.

“For me, Christmas is also about showing gratitude and being able to share and give your blessings to other people,” said Julie Anne.

“We are delighted to work together with Spotify, Jose Mari Chan, and the all-star line up to bring this reimagined version of ‘A Perfect Christmas’ for the Christmas season. This collaboration has presented itself as the perfect opportunity to celebrate what makes it a well-beloved track, the amazing talent we have in the country, and the true reason behind the season,” said Kathleen Dy-Go, Managing Director of Universal Records, Philippines. (Philstar. com)

E-mail Mylah at moonlightingmdl@ aol.com.

Jose Mari Chan collaborates...

PAGE B3 playlist Tatak Pinoy and we’re excited to end the year with yet another big OPM moment, which is a testimony to our continued support to the thriving local music scene!”

“When I recorded the track back in the ‘90s, I never dreamed that it would become the quintessential Christmas song it is today; that it would be listened to year after year and loved by generations.

To me, the spirit of Christmas is being able to give and share your love and Christmas isn’t ‘perfect’ without someone special, someone you love,” enthused Chan.

“This collaboration pays tribute to a holiday classic while reinventing what a Christmas special can

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COMMUNITY Journal

C

Fil-Am Chamber of Commerce of Greater UP Alumni to host speakers on Artificial Los Angeles confirms new board for 2020 Intelligence and sustainability in LA THE Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles (FACCGLA) confirmed the new Board of Directors during the record-breaking mixer “Winning Together” last Wednesday, November 20.

Ninong’s Cafe was filled to capacity with FACCGLA’s members, sponsors, and guests for the election, and for the chance to hear motivational speaker William Hung, author of “Champion

by Choice.” Hung was made famous by being laughed off “American Idol,” but he turned the tide by sharing that he was offered a $25,000 record deal, and soon was touring with Ricky Martin, with whom he would sing “She Bangs,” Hung’s infamous audition piece.

Inspired by Hung’s message of perseverance, the engaged audience lined up to have books autographed, as the Comelec prepared to announce the new Board who will be working with incoming President Annie Nepomuceno. Nepomuceno, along with Comelec members Joseph Joseph (newly installed President of FACC Orange County) and John Swing (Business Development Director of SIPA) announced the following new members to the board: Henry Chen, Fatima Bustos Choy, Dory Baghallian, and Celeste Monderin will be joining the incumbent Vivian Lim, Gemma Bergstrom, Connie Mapue, Evangeline Tabberrah, Lois Klavir and Gerry Palon who will be serving another two-year term.

The Chamber shall be continuing and building on the “Push for Entrepreneurship” concept instilled by outgoing President Ellen Samson. Samson’s next project is the Coalition of Filipino American Chambers of Commerce (COFACC) Filipino American Franchise Trade Mission, a project that takes a step further by encouraging entrepreneurship for Philippine residents, using investments from the US. (FACCGLA is a proud member of COFACC.) The mixer was sponsored by

FACCGLA Board for 2020 and 2021: Henry Chen, Vivian Lim, Gemma Bergstrom, Fatima Bustos Choy, Dory Baghallian, Annie Nepomuceno (President Elect), Celeste Monderin, Connie Mapue, Evangeline Tabberrah, Lois P. Klavir and Gerry Palon.

“Winning Together” Networking Mixer’s record-breaking attendance.

William Hung of American Idol fame speaks on making the most out of his experience, which is the subject of his book “Champion by Choice”.

FACC Founder Joe Arciaga who was promoting a new film and investment properties in Palawan, and SM Development Corporation represented by Manny Ramos. Certificates of Appreciation and New Membership were distributed by Vice President for Membership Lois P. Klavir, whose leadership is instrumen-

tal for the growing attendance of FACCGLA events.

The new Board will be installed during the Chamber’s Annual Fundraising event “Shining Shimmering Splendid Gala” on January 12, 2020 at the Hilton Woodland Hills. Everyone is welcome to attend, visit www.faccgla.org for information. n

“BIG Words Demystified: FilAm Authors on A.I. and Sustainability” will be held at the Echo Park Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library at 5:30 p.m on Monday, November 25.

Organized by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Greater Los Angeles (UPAAGLA), the presenters are prominent alumni Dr. Cris Liban, Executive Officer at LA Metro and Elzar “Dodjie” Simon, Global Infrastructure at NYU. The presentation will be moderated by Miguel Sangalang, Deputy Mayor for Budget and Innovation for the City of Los Angeles.

This is a showcase of two Filipino American authors on two current and relevant big topics: Artificial Intelligence and sustainability. Expect a deeper dive on: What should you know, why should they matter to you, and how does understanding and embracing these fields can help countries, like the Philippines, be an emerging market.

Registration and reception begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the presentation at 6 p.m., then networking and a book signing. This event is FREE but you must register to attend at www.bigwordsupaagla.eventbrite.com.

Dr. Cris B. Liban, P.E. is LA Metro’s Executive Officer, Environmental Compliance and Sustainability. Cris oversees LA Metro’s internationally recognized Environmental, Sustainability, and Energy initiatives.

His main charge is to make LA Metro’s $140B capital program and infrastructure climate safe.

A published author and international speaker, he is actively involved with transportation and environmental industry and research activities particularly as Chair of several American Public Transportation Association subcommittees. He has also Chaired several National Academies of Science research panels on social equity and climate, climate change impacts, greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategies, life-cycle and cost framework,

Miguel Sangalang, Deputy Mayor for Budget and Innovation for Dr. Cris Liban, Executive Officer Elzar “Dodjie” Simon, Global the City of Los Angeles at LA Metro Infrastructure at NYU

and sustainable transport funding and financing.

This event is also the official Los Angeles book launching of Elzar Simon’s book “A.I. Hacked,” which was tagged on June 29 by Amazon as #1 New Release in Robotics. Books will be available for purchase and signing. A portion of books sold will be donated to the UPAAGLA Endowment Fund.

Simon is an IT leader, strategist, and visionary with over 30 years of experience at global and regional levels. He currently works as Senior IT Director in charge of the entire global IT infrastructure for one of the largest and most prestigious universities in the Northeast of the United States. He is also known in the Philippines as Dodjie Simon, a multi-awarded songwriter, music producer, and music publisher.

Moderator Miguel Sangalang

serves as the Deputy Mayor for Budget & Innovation for LA Mayor Eric Garcetti and coordinates general functions of the city: budget, performance management, sustainability, technology, data and innovation. In this role, he serves as a senior consultant to city departments and the direct policy branches of the Mayor’s Office. Miguel also manages a portfolio of five city departments with over 3,000 personnel. Prior to this role, he served as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Director of Performance Management. Born in the Philippines and raised in Southern California, he graduated from UCLA with a degree in Japanese and public policy and was active on the Men’s Sabre Team.

Alliance is a Gold Sponsor of this event. Sponsorships are still available. Please email at UPAAGLA.rsvp@gmail.org for details. n

C NOVEMBER 23-26, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Tax & Stock Tips Victor Sy,

cPA, MBA (retired)

1. Go to YouTube and Google Take time to view presentations by stock gurus. Listen to their checklists and guidance.

Start with basics for beginners and gradually move to more sophisticated charts and moving averages, 2. Open an online brokerage account Open a brokerage account.

It’s similar to setting up a bank account. You complete an account application, provide proof of identification and choose how you want to fund the account.

Personally, I recommend that you go to an office if they have one. This gives you a chance to interact with a live person to help you embark on a new adventure.

You may fund your account by mailing a check or transferring funds electronically. Paying a few bucks more per trade at a brokerage that provides high-quality customer service is worth it, es-

Tapat Sa Batas Atty. rheA SAMSon NOONG Nobyembre 12, 2019, ang Supreme Court ay duminig ng oral arguments sa tatlong kasong isinampa laban sa desisyon ni President Donald Trump na tapusin na ang deportation protection para sa mga “Dreamer” o nasa ilalim ng DACA. Ang Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program ay nagbibigay ng deferral laban sa deportation. Ang DACA Program ay nagbibigay din ng work permit para sa mga 700,000 na undocumented immigrants na dumating sa US noong sila ay bata pa. Ayon sa Trump Administration, ang DACA ay labag sa batas at ang pagtapos ng DACA program ay isang paraan para itigil ang illegal immigration.

Ang USCIS ay tatanggap pa rin ng DACA Application mula sa mga indibidwal na mayroong DACA o dating may DACA. Ito ay dahil ang mga US District Court para sa Northern District of California, Eastern District of New York, at District of Columbia ay nagbigay ng mga nationwide injunction na

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

How to buy stocks pecially when you’re new to buying stocks.

3. Select the stocks you want to buy Research companies you already know from your experiences as a consumer. After that, most of the information and analytical tools that you need to evaluate the business will be available on your broker’s website, such as SEC filings, conference call transcripts, quarterly earnings updates and recent news. Most online brokers also provide tutorials on how to use their tools and even basic seminars on how to pick stocks.

4. Decide how many shares to buy Consider starting small by purchasing a few shares to get a feel for what it’s like to own individual stocks. You can add more later on as you learn the ropes.

5. Choose your stock order type • Market Orders – Allow you to buy or sell the stock at the best available current market price.

Your order will be executed immediately.

• Limit Orders - Give you more control over the price at which

your trade is executed. If IBM is trading at $100 a share, you can put an order at $95 per-share price. Your order will be filled if price drops to $95. On the selling side, a limit order tells your broker to part with the shares once the bid rises to the level you set. Limit orders are a good tool for investors buying and selling smaller company stocks, which tend to experience wider spreads, depending on investor activity. They’re also good for investing during periods of shortterm stock market volatility or when stock price is more important than order fulfillment. *** 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. *** He retired after 50 years of defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies. He published a book on “How to Avoid or Survive IRS Audits.” Readers may email tax questions to vicsy@live.com.

DACA dreamers

nagpapahintulot sa mga nabigyan na ng DACA na mag-file ng renewal. Ayon din sa mga Court Order, ang USCIS ay kailangang patuloy na tumanggap at magproseso ng DACA renewal applications.

Ang renewal ng DACA ay maaaring i-file kung ang aplikante ay eligible sa the initial 2012 DACA guidelines: (1) siya ay wala pang 31 taon gulang noong Hunyo 15, 2012; (2) siya ay dumating sa US bago ang kanyang 16 taon kaarawan; (3) siya ay nananatiling nakatira sa US mula Hunyo 15, 2007 hanggang sa kasalukuyan; (4) siya ay nasa US noong Hunyo 12, 2012 at noong siya ay humingi ng unang DACA; (5) siya ay walang status noong Hunyo 15, 2012; (6) siya ay kasalukuyang nag-aaral, naka-graduate ng high school or nakakuha ng GED certificate; (7) siya ay walang felony conviction, walang conviction para sa significant misdemeanor, o conviction para sa tatlo o mahigit pang misdemeanor; at (8) siya ay hindi threat sa national security at safety.

Maliban dito, ang DACA renewal ay maaaring gawin ng Dreamer kung: (1) siya ay hindi umalis ng US noong Agosto 15, 2012 (o pagkatapos ng petsang ito) na walang advance parole; (2) siya ay patuloy

na nakatira sa US mula sa kanyang unang DACA application at approval; (3) siya ay walang felony conviction, walang conviction para sa significant misdemeanor, o conviction para sa tatlo o mahigit pang misdemeanor; at (4) siya ay hindi threat sa national security at safety.

Ang magiging kapalaran ng DACA ay hindi tiyak. Inaasahang ang Supreme Court ay magkakaroon ng desisyon sa summer of 2020. Mabuti para sa mga Dreamer na eligible sa renewal ng kanilang DACA na magfile na ng kanilang renewal. *** On November 12, 2019, the Supreme Court heard arguments on three cases against President Donald Trump’s decision in 2017 to end deportation protections for “Dreamers” or those under DACA. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program grants deferral from deportation. It also grants work permits to nearly 700,000 undocumented immigrants who arrived in the US as children. According to the Trump Administration, DACA is unlawful and ending DACA deters illegal immigration.

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The Prophetic Voice reVerend rodel G. BAlAGtAS ON this last Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Solemnity of Christ the King, I’d like to use Archbishop Socrates Villegas’ insights on the kingship of Christ.

A deck of cards carries several images of a king: the king of clubs, king of spades, king of diamonds, and king of hearts.

Jesus is not the king of clubs because his kingdom is not of violence, terror, hostility, and misuse of power. It’s a kingdom of peace and justice.

Jesus is not the king of spades because he came not to throw dirt on us but to dignify us as children of God. He came not to bury us in perpetual damnation

Christ’s Kingdom but to bring us to eternal life with God in heaven!

Jesus is not the king of diamonds because his kingdom is not a preoccupation with wealth, prestige, and one’s image. It’s about caring for the poor and the destitute. It’s about sharing one’s treasure, time, and talents with others.

If Jesus is not the king of clubs, spades, and diamonds, he is the then the king of hearts!

He came to show us his Father’s love and to die for our salvation.

He came to make us his disciples to preach and bring love, mercy, and forgiveness to the world.

In today’s society, when corruption and greed are rampant, and when homelessness and poverty have become a seemingly complex and unresolvable issue, we need to advocate for the values of Christ’s kingdom.

We need to call for honest and effective leadership in government and politics to provide decent lives for all people. And as a church, we have to do our part in helping alleviate poverty and promoting the dignity of every human being.

These Thanksgiving Day, Advent, Christmas are times for us to reflect on the Kingship of Christ. They are times when we would feel the poverty, loneliness, and hopelessness of others.

In our own ways, let our hearts be moved to help them. Let the love, compassion, and generosity of Christ reign in our hearts as we celebrate these holidays!

Blessings to all! *** Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.

Waiver of joint petition to remove conditional permanent residency on a marriage entered less than two years THE Immigration Marriage Fraud Amendments of 1986 (IMFA) requires an alien obtaining a green card through a marriage less than two years old to come back at the end of that two years with the petitioning spouse and show that they are still married or, if the marriage was terminated, to show that the marriage was entered in good faith before the USCIS will issue them a permanent (unconditional) green card.

Any alien who obtains a green card through a spousal petition by virtue of a marriage entered less than twenty four months before the status is obtained will only receive a conditional green card under INA §216(d). To remove this condition, both spouses must file a form I-751 with the USCIS within 90 day period preceding the expiration of the conditional green card along with other supporting documents showing the marriage was entered in good faith.

However, sometimes alien spouses are not able to file this Joint Petition to remove the condition on their green card because the couple got divorced or are in the process of filing a divorce and is having difficulties getting the cooperation of the US citizen spouse. When the alien spouse falls into this

Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrSUA reyeS situation, it is still possible for them to obtain their permanent green card by filing a waiver.

The waiver must be based on one of the following reasons 1) Extreme hardship would result if such alien is removed 2) The qualifying marriage was entered in good faith by the alien spouse, but … has been terminated (divorce or annulled), and the alien was not at fault in failing to timely file the joint petition and attend the interview; or 3) The qualifying marriage was entered into in good faith by the alien spouse and during the marriage the alien spouse or child was battered by or was the subject of extreme cruelty perpetrated by the US citizen parent or permanent resident spouse or parent and the alien was not at fault in failing to file the joint petition and attend the interview. INA §216(c)(4); 8 CFR 216.5 If you have a conditional green card and your are having difficulty obtaining cooperation

from your US citizen spouse in signing a joint petition to remove this conditional green card, you should consult an attorney to assist you in planning for and obtaining a waiver. *** 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 is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com (Advertising Supplement)

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Employees’ right to sit down at work is no joke EDEN Smiles worked for Walgreens, the pharmacy giant, as a cashier. She filed a class action case on behalf of current and former non-exempt, hourly-paid cashiers, photo specialists, beauty advisors, and other employees assigned cash register duties who worked for Walgreens. Smiles also filed the lawsuit on behalf of the State of California under the state’s Private Attorney General Act (PAGA). The lawsuit claims that Walgreens failed to provide employees with suitable seating while performing their work tasks.

California law generally requires employers to provide suitable seats to employees when the nature of the work reasonably permits the use of seats. California courts have clarified that the phrase “nature of the work” refers to the employee’s actual or expected tasks at a given location, and not to the entire range of an employee’s duties anywhere on the jobsite during the whole shift. If the task being performed reasonably permits sitting, which would not interfere with performance of any other tasks that may require standing, then the employer must provide a seat.

If an employee’s actual tasks at a specific location make seated work feasible, the employee is entitled to a seat while working there. However, if other job duties take employees to a different location where they must perform standing tasks, they would be entitled to a seat

Senior seeks Chapter 7 relief for $40K in credit card debt

Debt Relief

Atty. LAwrenCe yAng THE client is a senior at 67. He is married but has been separated from his wife for some time. He lives with a woman but is not married to her obviously because he is only separated from his wife.

You can’t remarry until you have divorced. Separation, whether de facto or legal, does not entitle you to remarry. If you remarry while you are only separated, that would make you a bigamist, and bigamy is a crime. Apparently, the client is aware of all of these different marital or cohabitation arrangements.

He says that although he is collecting social security, he still works when his employer gives work to him. He works as a seaman. Seamen do not work for 12 months a year. Sometimes they work half a year or a couple of months in a year. This kind of work is different from working on a cruise ship where the employer gives you 10 months of work and allows you two months of vacation.

When seamen are working, they can make $7,000 to $8,000 a month on the higher side. The problem is that it’s not that easy to get fully employed for 12 months.

“Feast or famine” would be appropriate for seamen. When they work, they make good money but they can go for months without working and make nothing. The client made $40,000 last year for five months of work, which means that he was not employed for seven months last year. If we average out his income of $40,000 over 12 months, his monthly income is a little over $3,300 per month.

The above analysis of his income situation is relevant to qualify him for the type of bankruptcy relief that he is looking for. He says that he owes $40,000 in credit card debt. He is tired of paying $1,300 a month. He says he has paid $1,300 every month on these cards for the last 10 years, and still today, he owes the same $40,000 after paying over $156,000. It doesn’t

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the case against it for $65 million in damages to over 80,000 Protecting employees.)

Employee In some industries, sitting down to work is not an issue. & Consumer But for those other industries Rights that require employees to continuously stand up while workAtty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr. ing, a public health issue may arise. during “lulls in operation.” This The public health aspect of means the employees can sit seating was addressed by Calidown if not actively working on fornia regulations starting in the task that requires standing. the early 1900s, originally to Whether the nature of the work protect female workers in the reasonably permits sitting is a retail industry. The version of question to be determined objec- this law has undergone several tively based on the totality of the changes throughout the years circumstances. An employer’s to cover all workers, regardbusiness judgment and the phys- less of gender, age, or medical ical layout of the workplace are condition. California sees this important factors to consider but law as just one more “humane will not necessarily dictate the consideration” for the welfare outcome. of employees.

If the employer does not proRather than continue with the vide employees seating and ar- litigation, the parties agreed to gues there is no suitable seat settle the case. Walgreens available, the burden is on the agreed to pay $15 million in employer to prove unavailability. damages to its employees.

Often, companies will claim *** that providing seats at work is The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. done only if there is a medical welcomes inquiries about this topic. All justification for doing so. In a inquiries are confidential and at no-cost. previous seating case against You can contact the office at (818) 291Walmart, Walmart argued that 0088 or visit “http://www.joesayaslaw. placing stools at cash registers com” www.joesayaslaw.com. [C. Joe would pose a safety hazard and Sayas, Jr., Esq. is an experienced trial could make workers less produc- attorney who has successfully recovered tive. The company claimed that wages and other monetary damages for the nature of cashiers’ work did thousands of employees and consumers. not reasonably permit seating He was named Top Labor & Employment because they need to scan large Attorney in California by the Daily items, stretch to see the bottom Journal, consistently selected as Super of shoppers’ carts, bag mer- Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, chandise, and sometimes per- and is a Presidential Awardee for form work away from registers. Outstanding Filipino Overseas in 2018.]

(Walmart eventually had to settle (Advertising Supplement)

seem fair and he’s just plain tired of paying. In other words, borrow $40,000 and pay back $156,000, and still owe the same $40,000 in 10 years — seems a little onesided. He should have just paid for a house instead.

Since he wants to get rid of his $40,000 debt now, can he qualify for a total wipeout of $40,000 with a Chapter 7, or a partial wipeout with a reorganization of his financial affairs in Chapter 13? Well, this would all depend on the applicable means test to determine what his actual current gross income is. What if his employer called him to work for 10 months at $8,000 a month? That kind of current income would knock him out of Chapter 7 and force him into Chapter 13 with probably a $300 to $500 monthly payment for five years. In Chapter 13, he might have to pay about $18,000 of the $40,000, then, $22,000 would be wiped out after completion of plan payments.

This looks more like a Chapter 7 than a Chapter 13 actually considering his employment income for the last year was $40,000. An examination of his employment income from January 1, 2018 to March 31, 2018 shows a gross of $10,000, or $3,333 a month.

Even if he has social security of $1,400, he would still be eligible for Chapter 7 complete wipeout of the $40K relief. His wife, from whom he is separated is a registered, nurse who makes $100K a year. But since they have been separated for some time, his wife’s monthly gross income of $8,000 a month does not come into play under the means test. Separation from his wife actually makes him eligible for Chapter 7 while being not separated from wife would not make him eligible for Chapter 7, but would make him eligible for Chapter 13 instead.

Chapter 13 for $60K credit card debt The next client is 56 years old and is a widow. Her husband was in perfect health when he

died from an accident inside their house three years ago. After he slipped and fell on his head, he became comatose and never recovered.

The client now owns the house by herself since she was a joint tenant on the house. The condo is a senior housing facility. She owes $60,000 in credit card debt. She doesn’t make much as a caregiver. Her gross income of $2,500 is enough to pay the mortgage which is only $500 a month but the HOA is $400! Still, a total of $900 for the house is not bad at all. It’s cheap housing in LA, where rent for a one-bedroom apartment will set you back $1,500. (I remember 40 years ago when I only paid $550 for a two-bedroom apartment.)

The client wants a Chapter 7 wipeout but unfortunately, even with her low income, she can only qualify for Chapter 13 because she has $20K of non-exempt equity in her home. If she were to file a Chapter 7, she would end up losing her house to the trustee who will sell her house. From the sale proceeds, the trustee will give her $100,000 as her exempt equity while $20,000 would be used to pay the $60,000 of credit cards.

So she will have to pay one third or 33 percent of the $60,000. After paying one third, the court will discharge $40,000 or two-thirds of the $60,000 credit cards. In Chapter 13, there is no risk of losing her house. So, considering everything, the client should go for Chapter 13, not Chapter 7.

If you need debt relief, set an appointment to see me. I will analyze your case personally. *** 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 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789 or 1000 S. Fremont Ave., Mailstop 58, Building A-10 South-Lower Level Suite 10042, Alhambra, CA 91803.

(Advertising Supplement)

DACA dreamers

USCIS will continue to accept DACA Applications from individuals who currently have or who previously had DACA. This is because US District Courts for the Northern District of California, Eastern District of New York and the District of Columbia have issued nationwide injunctions allowing people who have previously had DACA to renew their deferred action. The orders of the Courts also require USCIS to continue accepting and adjudicating DACA renewal applications.

A request for renewal of DACA may be made if the Dreamer meets the initial 2012 DACA guidelines: (1) he was under 31 years old as of June 15, 2012; (2) he came to the US before reaching his 16th birthday; (3) he has continuously resided in the US since June 15, 2007 up to the present time; (4) He was present in the US on June 12, 2012 and at the time of making his request for consideration of deferred action with USCIS; (5) he had no

lawful status on June 15, 2012; (6) he is currently in school, has graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, has obtained a general education development (GED) certificate, or is an honorably discharged veteran of the US Armed Forces or US Coast Guard; and (7) he has not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, three or more misdemeanors, and does not otherwise pose a threat to national security or safety.

In addition to the above, DACA renewal may be made if the Dreamer: (1) did not depart the US on or after August 15, 2012 without advance parole; (2) has continuously resided in the US since submission of the most recent DACA request that was approved; (3) has not been convicted of any felony, a significant misdemeanor, or three or more other demeanors; (4) does not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety.

The ultimate fate of DACA is un-

certain. Decision by the Supreme Court is expected by summer of 2020. Dreamers who are eligible for renewal of their DACA should immediately file their renewal. *** ATTY. RHEA SAMSON is a Partner at LINDAIN & SAMSON LAW FIRM. Atty.

Lindain and Atty. Samson are both licensed to practice law in California and in the Philippines. Both Attorneys were also professors. LINDAIN & SAMSON LAW FIRM aims to provide excellent and efficient legal representation to clients, and support clients in achieving their goals and dreams.

As professors, Atty. Lindain and Atty. Samson wish to educate the younger generation, as it is through education and continuous study that one can achieve success and serve others.

Please visit our office: LINDAIN & SAMSON LAW FIRM 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1710, Los Angeles, CA 90010 Call or text us: (213) 381.5710 Email us: attorneys@lindainsamsonlaw. com.

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 23-26, 2019

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Can I get a green card if I had a previous marriage petition denied based on fraud?

DEAR Attorney Tan, I recently married a US Citizen, who is my second husband.

He has filed an immigrant visa petition and green card application for me. My husband recently received from USCIS a Notice of Intent to Deny the petition that he filed on my behalf. The Notice indicated that the immigrant visa petition could not be approved since the USCIS had determined that I previously entered into a fraudulent marriage to get a green card several years ago. My ex-husband previously filed an immigrant petition on my behalf several years ago, which was denied since USCIS determined that I only married him to get a green card.

My second husband and I truly love each other. What are my options? -- In Love but Out of Status Dear In Love but Out of Status, Under INA Section 204(c), a person who “attempted or conspired to enter into a marriage” in order to receive permanent resident status in the US is prohibited from obtaining USCIS approval of an immigrant visa petition. Simply stated, Section 204(c) prohibits approval of any immigrant visa petition if there has been a finding of “marriage fraud” in a prior marriage-based petition.

Based on the above law, your case seems at first glance like an “open-and-shut” case in favor of denial. However, you still have hope of getting a green card—a person can apply for and get

Legal Advice Atty. DArriCk tAn his immigrant petition approved despite the prior finding of “marriage fraud” under certain circumstances.

You may ask, how is this possible? Isn’t Section 204(c) straightforward? Not quite. The answer lies in the fact that USCIS must independently examine the prior finding of “marriage fraud” in considering the subsequently filed immigrant visa petition. Before invoking the Sec. 204(c) bar to approval of a subsequent visa petition, USCIS must make an independent determination of fraud based upon the record, including but not limited to any evidence gathered during adjudication of the prior visa petition, but may not parrot or rely on the conclusions made by other adjudicators.

USCIS must have “substantial and probative” evidence of “marriage fraud.” Matter of Tawfik, 20 I. & N. Dec. 166, 168.

The determination is to be made by the USCIS district director while adjudicating the subsequent visa petition. Matter of Samsen, 15 I. & N. Dec. 28, 1974 WL 29995 (B.I.A. 1974). The district director should not give conclusive effect to the determinations made in the prior proceedings, but should reach his own independent con-

clusion based on the evidence actually before him. Matter of F-, 9 I. & N. Dec. 684 (BIA 1962).

Therefore, in cases such as yours in which the USCIS has indicated it intends to deny the subsequent immigrant visa petition due to the prior finding of “marriage fraud,” new evidence can be submitted that demonstrates that the prior finding of “marriage fraud” was incorrect—i.e., evidence that shows that the prior marriage petition was based on a bona fide marriage, or that explains that the prior denial was based on an incomplete or inaccurate assessment of the facts. In cases in which the subsequent immigrant visa petition has already been denied, this new evidence should be submitted as part of a motion to reconsider. I recommend that you seek an experienced attorney to assist you in properly presenting the law and facts to the USCIS adjudicator to address the Section 204(c) bar. *** Darrick V. Tan, Esq. is admitted to practice law in California and Nevada.

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

UPHPEIS-AANA fundraising event in Whittier, CA on Dec. 7 UPHPEIS-AANA (UP High Prep Elementary Integrated System- Alumni Association in North America) is hosting its annual fundraising event with the 8th Annual Grand Reunion on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 at the DoubleTree Hilton in Whittier (7320 Green Leaf Ave. Whittier, CA 90602) from 10:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. Luncheon buffet includes entertainment, DJ music, dancing, raffle drawing and other fun surprises. Thereafter, guests are invited to more live dancing and fun music provided by the AM FM Band at Noypitz Bar & Grill at 333 S Alameda, LA 90013 in the evening. Funds raised will be use for needed building repairs, classroom and educational projects for UP Diliman students in Elementary and High School, and for the training of public school teachers in nearby communities. Tickets donations are $50.00 each which you can reserve on line through our website at www.uphpeisaana.

org, or by calling for Bobby at (562) 607-8839 or Mabel at (562) 852-7116. n

C4 NOVEMBER 23-26, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Calendar of Events across

America

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People and Events

Don’t let your Thanksgiving go up in smoke

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS N OV E M B E R 23 -24

World Education Summit on Sustainability and Transformation in Las Vegas The World Education Summit on Sustainability and Transformation is a call to action and transformation to finding solutions to the challenges of our times. Join on November 23-24 for three days of activities, learning, networking and events, such as panel discussions and presentations, industry leader keynote speeches, and a dinner and gala featuring an eco-fashion show. The summit aims to gather stakeholders from educational institutions; business and civic organizations; government agencies and international development organizations to galvanize collaborative and strategic partnership to achieve a common goal in environmental sustainability. We are expecting delegates from different countries. The Summit will serve as a collaborative platform to achieve a unified mission. The venue is The Convention Center at The Orleans Hotel (4500 W Tropicana Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89103). For more information and to register, please visit http://worldsummit.info.

N OV E M B E R 24

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

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

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

N OV E M B E R 25

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

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

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

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

D EC E M B E R 1

Kalayaan Incorporated’s Christmas Party and induction of officers in Monterey Park, CA Kalayaan Incorporated’s Induction of Officers 2019-2020 will be held during its Christmas Party on Sunday, Decemeber 1, from 12 to 4 p.m., at the Monterey Hill Event Center. The hilltop venue offers a spectacular view of the San Gabriel Valley, and is located at 3700 Ramona Blvd., Monterey Park, Calif. 91754. Kalayaan Incorporated, a non-profit public benefit corporation in the State of California, classified as a public charity organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, holds the annual celebration in Southern California of the anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence. Chairing the Induction and Christmas Party is Violet Mislang with Lady Hope Robillos, Co-chair, and Nonie Belarmino, Program Coordinator.

Cost of lunch is $40.00. For more information, please contact Violet at (562) 644-4073, vmislang@gmail.com; Lady Hope at (310) 500-0917, lhopepr@yahoo.com; or Nonie (310) 357-0222, Idancenonie@outlook.com.

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

D EC E M B E R 2

LA County Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony Los Angeles kicks off the holiday season with the County’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Monday, December 2 from 5 to 6 p.m at the Music Center Plaza (135 N. Grand Ave). The joyous celebration will include civic speakers, including Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, and performances by Brass Pacifica and a local school choir. The event is free and open to the public, plus hot cocoa will be served to keep attendees warm!

D EC E M B E R 7

UPHPEIS-AANA fundraising event in Whittier, CA UPHPEIS-AANA (UP High Prep Elementary Integrated System- Alumni Association in North America) is hosting its annual fundraising event with the 8th Annual Grand Reunion on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 at the DoubleTree Hilton in Whittier (7320 Green Leaf Ave. Whittier, CA 90602) from 10:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. Luncheon buffet includes entertainment, DJ music, dancing, raffle drawing and other fun surprises. Thereafter, guests are invited to more live dancing and fun music provided by the AM FM Band at Noypitz Bar & Grill at 333 S Alameda, LA 90013 in the evening. Funds raised will be use for needed building repairs, classroom and educational projects for UP Diliman students in Elementary and High School, and for the training of public school teachers in nearby communities. Tickets donations are $50.00 each which you can reserve on line through our website at www.uphpeisaana.org, or by calling for Bobby at (562) 607-8839 or Mabel at (562) 852-7116.

D EC E M B E R 22

SIPA’s Christmas toy distribution in LA During this season of giving, volunteer with Search to Involve Pilipino Americans on Sunday, December 22 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. as they spread joy in Los Angeles. Join SIPA as they hand gifts out to youth in the Historic Filipinotown community, eat delicious pancakes, and listen tosome Christmas tunes! Contact Maria Carmel Valendez at maria@sipacares.org or (213) 3821819 ext. 107.

D EC E M B E R 29

#HashtagLunchbag/SIPA food drive in LA The Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) and #Hashtag Lunchbag are joining forces to create positive changes in Historic Filipinotown on Sunday, December 29 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. SIPA will be hosting a Food Drive with #HashtagLunchbag to create letters of encouragement, decorate lunch bags, and assemble sandwiches for those in need in Historic Filipinotown.

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

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

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

by PAUL NETTER Southern California Edison

BE it the turkey, side dishes or pies, there’s a prized recipe for just about everything at Thanksgiving.

But, a recipe for disaster?

Unfortunately, there’s one for that too, no thanks to the nearly fourfold increase in home cooking fires on Thanksgiving that make it easily the leading day for such blazes.

Jake Heflin, a nearly 20-year veteran of the Long Beach Fire Department, knows firsthand the main ingredient for the staggering spike from the daily average of 470 cooking fires to 1,600 on Thanksgiving Day in 2017, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

“Unattended cooking, by far, is the leading contributing factor to these cooking fires and fire deaths,” said Heflin, a firefighter, paramedic, public information officer and CERT program manager for his department. “There is no question that you should make sure you stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on a stovetop. If you leave for even a short period of time, turn off the stovetop. Obviously, you should also stay in the home when you’re cooking your turkey and check on it frequently.”

Unattended cooking — especially frying — is the reason for 31% of the fires, which abound

on the day before Thanksgiving as well, according to the fire association. Abandoned or discarded materials follow at 10% and heat sources being too close to combustibles make up 9%.

The safety hazards don’t end there, however, on a day when an estimated 46 million turkeys will be eaten and home fires lead to an average of five fatalities, 25 injuries and $19 million in property damage. Damaged appliances and extension cords in addition to the overuse of those cords is a concern too.

“Appliances or anything with damaged cords should never be used and should be immediately replaced,” said Andrew Martinez, vice president of Safety, Security and Business Resiliency at Southern California Edison.

“They are a safety risk because they no longer protect against shock or serious injury and could even spark a fire.”

And turkey fryers? The fire association still discourages their use and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) still refuses to certify them.

Meanwhile, Heflin offers additional warnings and safety precautions: Q. Why should a timer be used when cooking?

Heflin: We get a lot of calls for food on the stove, they just forgot they were cooking, or somebody fell asleep and didn’t realize they left the stove on. We see a lot of what we call food-on-the-stove

fires where they ran an errand or watched TV for a little bit.

Q. What about putting out a stovetop or oven fire?

Heflin: You can often smother the flames by sliding the lid over the pan and turning off the burner. For an oven fire, we talk about turning off the oven and keeping the door closed. We also recommend using a multipurpose, dry chemical fire extinguisher, but make sure you do not put water on those fires. Baking soda also can smother a fire.

Q. How crucial are smoke detectors?

Heflin: Make sure your smoke alarms are working and test them by pushing the test button to make sure they are fully functional. Smoke detectors save lives, there’s no question about it. They allow you the critical time necessary to escape your home. You should also have a conversation with your family to establish a home fire escape plan. And practicing that plan, not just having a discussion at the table.

Q. What about children and cooking for Thanksgiving?

Heflin: Keep children away from the stove. Kids should be kept a minimum of 3 feet away.

Make sure kids stay away from hot foods and liquids, they can cause serious burns. And keep knives out of the reach of children and make sure they are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child. ■

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MARKETPLACE SHOWROOM

&

No court order required to terminate ‘CR’ status

Immigration Corner ATTY. MICHAEL GURFINKEL, ESQ

WHEN a person marries, and is petitioned by, a U.S. citizen, they are given a conditional resident (CR) temporary green card, if they have been married for less than two years to the U.S. citizen.

At the end of that two-year conditional time period, they must file a joint petition (or waiver of the joint petition) to remove conditions.

Sometimes, the person never took steps to terminate their “conditional status.” Maybe they got divorced within two years of marriage, and did not pursue a joint petition. Maybe they were unaware of the requirement that they need to remove the conditions on their conditional green card.

However, if a person is still under a “conditional” green card, they are prohibited from adjusting status through any other basis (such as marriage to a different U.S. citizen), unless they first terminate their original conditional green card. There have been many cases where a person with a CR green card was denied adjustment of status through different petition because their CR status was still pending.

In the past, USCIS took the position that the only way such a

person’s CR status could be terminated was by an immigration judge, by having the person be placed in deportation/removal proceedings. Imagine that: a first marriage did not work out and ended in divorce. The person marries another U.S. citizen who petitions them, but in order to get a green card, they have to be placed in removal proceedings and go in front of a judge!

In many such cases, the person couldn’t get USCIS to place them in removal proceedings so they could remove the conditions.

Recently, USCIS announced a very favorable change in policy for those people stuck in CR status: it is no longer necessary that an immigration judge be the one to terminate the person’s CR status before the person may file a new adjustment application based on a new and different petition. Instead, USCIS itself can terminate the alien’s previous CR status, enabling them to adjust status, provided they have a new basis to adjust (such as a new and different petition) and are otherwise eligible to adjust in the U.S. If you were in CR status based on a previous marriage that did not work out, and your CR status was never terminated, this change in policy could be very helpful, as you would no longer be required to go in front of a

judge to terminate your CR status. However, you still need a new and different basis to get a green card and be otherwise eligible to adjust status in the U.S. If this situation applies to you, you should seek the advice of an attorney, who can evaluate your situation and determine if this change in policy can benefit you. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 35 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bars of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different and results may depend on the facts of the particular case. The information and opinions contained herein (including testimonials, “Success Stories”, endorsements and re-enactments) are of a general nature, and are not intended to apply to any particular case, and do not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorney-client relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/GurfinkelLaw and Twitter @GurfinkelLaw Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: 1-866-4873465 (866) – GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

Business Quote of the Week

“People are the most important thing. Business model and product will follow if you have the right people.”

— Adam Neumann, co-founder of WeWork

D1

PH to be ‘cash-lite’ by 2023

by BEN

O. DE VERA Inquirer.net

FINANCIAL transactions in the digital world are increasing and were likely to turn the Philippines “cash-lite” by 2023, according to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno on Wednesday, Nov. 20.

At the launch of the eGov Pay and QR Ph, Diokno told reporters the BSP had updated an earlier target to capture 20 percent of total payments in the country through digital and electronic means in 2020 to 30%.

Asked where the Philippines stood at present, Diokno replied: “My guess is we’re now already at 30%.”

Diokno said initiatives under which transactions with government agencies can be paid online and through other digital means

Inquirer.net file photo

were boosting the BSP’s digital by 2023 but EGov Pay and QR Ph will help the country become transformation program.

According to Diokno, the Phil- cash-lite four years from now. ippines cannot be cashless yet PAGE D2

Del Monte inks deals to sell 4 US factories

by DORIS

DUMLAO-ABADILLA Inquirer.net

CAMPOS family-led food and beverage conglomerate Del Monte Pacific Ltd. (DMPL) has sealed deals to sell four out of its 10 factories in the U.S. and is now evaluating options to refinance about $1.4 billion worth of loans of its American consumer arm.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Tuesday, DMPL said that this “asset light strategy” should improve the cash flow margin of American unit Del Monte Foods Inc. (DMFI) by $50 million to $60 million or about 225 to 275 basis points over the next 24 months.

As part of the initiatives, DMFI completed the sale of its Cambria, Wisconsin operations and related employees to Seneca Foods Corp.

DMFI has also entered into an agreement to sell its production facilities in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota and Mendota, Illinois and

expects the closure and sale of these facilities to be completed during the fourth quarter of 2020.

It has also sold equipment at its Crystal City, Texas facility and is considering additional

proposals to sell the balance of the Crystal City assets. Production at rationalized facilities is being transitioned to other DMFI production facilities in the United States as well as to strategic co-packers. ■

D NOVEMEBR 23-26, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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‘Developing countries at greater risk Philippines retail sector remains robust – SM from global economic downturn’

File photo shows exterior of an SM mall

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s retail industry remains vigorous and upbeat despite the growth of online shopping, the SM Group said.

At the recent Nikkei Business Philippines-Japan Investment Forum in Tokyo, Japan, SM Supermalls chief operating officer Steven Tan said robust overseas Filipino workers’ remittances and sustained activity in the business process outsourcing industry are fuelling consistent growth in the Philippine economy and driving consumer purchasing power.

These factors make retail still vibrant in the country unlike in other markets, Tan said.

“Unlike how it is in many parts of the world, retail in the Philippines is vibrant, upbeat and full of opportunity,” Tan said in his address before a gathering of

the Philippines. The Philippine environment is conducive to all kinds of retail, both digital and brick-and-mortar as we look at opportunities in both channels,” Tan said.

In the past five years, there has been a growing number of foreign brands entering the market particularly in food and beverage as well as clothing and apparel.

The attractiveness of the Philippine market to foreign retailers is further enhanced by an average rental rate that is highly competitive when compared with other ASEAN countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia.

During the forum, Tan encouraged Japanese retailers to consider three immediate opportunities in the Philippines: food, beauty, and health and well-being.

He said there is growing interest in Japanese brands in the malls. n

PAGE D1 t “Right now, we are cashheavy,” he said “We still can’t project what will be the status of our economy [in the long-term but] I think a cashless society will be in a matter of 10 years and not within the next five years,” Diokno said.

The eGov Pay is an online facility through which customers can pay their taxes and other government fees via Land Bank of the Philippines’ Link.Biz portal, which accepts payments from deposit or electronic money ac-

counts using PESONet. While the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) were the only two agencies using eGov Pay at present, Diokno was optimistic that “all government agencies will be part of the system before 2023, if not sooner.”

The entry of a third telco player will address the need for faster internet that would facilitate speedier adoption of eGov Pay, according to Diokno.

Also, the rollout of the national ID system will facilitate use of

eGov Pay even among local government units (LGUs), Diokno added. “My projection is within two years, 70-80 percent of Filipinos will already have their IDs.” QR Ph was “the Philippines’ QR code standard based on the Europay-Mastercard-Visa (EMV) standard… [which] gives customers of participating banks and non-bank electronic money issuers a quick and safe method to pay, transfer to and receive funds from other bank and emoney accounts,” the BSP said in a statement. n

by iris

Gonzales Philstar.com

Manila skyline

Philstar.com file photo

by Czeriza

ValenCia

Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — Emerging and developing economies (EMDEs), including the Philippines, are now less positioned to withstand a deeper global economic downturn because of insufficient long-term growth prospects, the World Bank said in a new report.

The new study titled “A Decade after the Global Recession” said 145 emerging and developing economies worldwide now have more resilient policy frameworks to respond to challenges, but may still be unable to respond to slowing global growth as they were able to do during the 2009 global recession.

The Asia Pacific region alone is home to 22 EMDEs. The study noted that since the 2009 global recession, many emerging and developing countries have become vulnerable to external shocks, but were able to respond with stronger policy frameworks such as fiscal rules and inflation targeting monetary policies.

The regulation of the financial sector in such economies have also been strengthened.

As such, those countries also face the challenge of maintaining sufficient policy space to respond to shocks.

“Although EMDEs weathered the global recession a decade ago relatively well, they now appear less well-placed to cope with the

substantial downside risks facing the global economy. In many EMDEs, the room for monetary and fiscal policies to respond to shocks has eroded; underlying growth potential has slowed; and the momentum for improving policy frameworks, institutions, and business climates seems to have slackened,” said the study.

The report said there is a prevailing concern that the global economy may again experience a downturn in the near future as recent data reflect broad-based weakness in industrial activity and world trade as a result of the ongoing trade wars.

Although global growth can be expected to stabilize in 2020, global financing conditions can be expected to remain weak.

Even with the assumption that there will be no further escalation in trade tensions between major economies and there is stability in commodity prices, the growth momentum in EMDEs is “fragile and risks are tilted to the downside.”

For commodity exporting EMDEs, this means they face a world where the growth of demand for their products will likely be weaker.

With slower long-term growth prospects for EMDE countries, the World Bank said poverty reduction efforts may take a hit.

Other than inflation-linked monetary policy response, the World Bank recommends the diversification of sources of growth for EMDEs. “Lack of diversification tends to

make economies more vulnerable to shocks. Successful diversification of economies requires investment in human capital, technology, and institutions, as well as sound regulation that can, over time, become the source of rapid productivity growth,” said the report.

This year marked the 10th year since the last global recession in 2009.

The world economy has so far experienced four global recessions over the past seven decades: in 1975, 1982, 1991, and 2009.

During each of these episodes, annual real per capita global GDP contracted, and this contraction was accompanied by weakening of other key indicators of global economic activity.

“A better understanding of global recessions requires an appreciation of the growing importance of emerging market and developing economies and of cross- border trade and financial linkages,” said the report.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has been pushing for the passage of laws that will usher in structural reforms.

These include the Foreign Investment Act, Public Service Act, and Retail Trade Liberalization Act to encourage the influx of private investments and increase the efficiency of transactions with government agencies.

Likewise the National Land Use Act aims to harmonize sector-specific land use policies and institutionalize land use planning. n

Philstar.com file photo

500 chief executive officers and business leaders in Japan.

The growth of the Philippine economy, supported by the government’s massive infrastructure push is directly impacting consumer sentiment in the Philippines, he said.

As of the end of September this year, consumer confidence in the Philippines was the second highest in the world, a shade behind India.

“Optimism to spend among Filipinos is more than just a sentiment. We see it translating into actual consumer behavior, especially retail,” Tan said.

With robust consumer sentiment and activity, total retail sales in the Philippines grew six percent last year.

“It is interesting to note how brick-and-mortar retail continues to dominate and how it will continue to grow alongside the growth of internet retailing in

PH to be ‘cash-lite’ by 2023

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Diokno: Suspending rice imports not inflationary Baguio moves to become mining free by next year

by Mayvelin

U. Caraballo ManilaTimes.net

LESS than a day after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the suspension of rice imports, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno assured on Wednesday, November 20 that the move would not have any impact on the country’s inflation.

“It will not (affect inflation),” Diokno told reporters.

Latest data show that consumer price growth eased to 0.8 percent in October, which brought the year-to-date average to 2.6 percent, or well within the 2 to 4percent target range of the government.

The slowdown was traced to the 0-9 percent annual drop registered in the heavily weighted food and non-alcoholic beverages index.

Diokno is confident that the suspension would not affect the country’s rice supply, as the government has enough buffers for the staple.

He also believes that suspending Republic Act 11203, or the “Rice Tariffication Law,” is temporary as the government still has to abide by its provisions.

The president ordered the suspension on Tuesday night in a bid to help farmers affected by the law that took effect in March this year.

by loUise

MaUreen Philstar.com

siMeon

BAGUIO CITY , Philippines – The Summer Capital of the Philippines will soon be a mining-free area after the local government started its crackdown on small pocket mines amid the continued danger it poses to one of the country’s top tourist spots.

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong said he has begun to shut down small-scale mining operations in the area as mountains are getting severely degraded, making slopes very unstable.

On the sidelines of the 66th Annual National Mine Safety Environment Conference organized File photo shows Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno.

ManilaTimes.net photo by J. Gerard Seguia by the Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association, This decision came less than palay (unmilled rice) in certain Magalong said about 20 pocket a week after Finance Secretary areas. mines had already been closed Citing Philippine Statistics AuCarlos Dominguez 3rd said the since September. government would continue im- thority data, the Finance chief “Hopefully (we can finish) by plementing the law despite calls noted that from an average of the first semester of next year.

P17.23 per kilogram (kg) of dry for its suspension.

Small scale miners are very “There is no inclination to re- paddy from 2015 to 2017, when sneaky, we really need to go to peal, revise or suspend the Rice prices were normal, prices de- them because they are very good Tariffication Law. We are confi- clined to an average of P15.71/kg dent that this is the best means from the third week of September to move our agriculture sector to the second week of October. forward and foster competitive- This translates to an average loss for farmers of about P1.52/kg. ness,” Dominguez said then. by iris gonzales In some provinces, farmgate He said this even as he admitPhilstar.com ted that the implementation of prices fell by as much as P5.63/ MANILA, Philippines — Denthe law had resulted in transi- kg while in others, palay prices tion challenges, specifically the actually rose by P3.75/kg, he nis Uy’s Udenna Land recently broke ground on Clark Global drop in the farmgate price of added. n City, a 177-hectare masterplanned, mixed-use development located in the heart of Central Luzon.

Uy’s Global Gateway Development Corp. (GGDC) is developing the sprawling mixed use estate which is touted as the newest business district in Central Luzon.

Earlier this year, Udenna Land tapped Megawide as its general contractor for the project.

Megawide is the listed engineering and infrastructure conglomerate with construction projects in residential, commercial and mixed-use segments.

Uy, chairman of Udenna Land, said CGC is honored to work with Megawide to transform 177 hectares of land into a thriving Inquirer.net file photo business center and community.

After taking over the property Data from the PSE showed 1.7 cent to P45.70 a share.

It was followed by DMCI Hold- in 2017, GGDC now holds the billion shares valued at P4.1 billion changing hands on Wednes- ings, down 8.4 percent to P6.98; lease rights for CGC until 2085.

To fasttrack the development day. There were 72 gainers Ayala Corp., down 0.36 percent against 106 losers while 52 com- to P824; Semirara Mining and of the mixed use estate with its Power Corp., down 6.62 percent 22-month timeline target, GGDC panies closed unchanged.

Property giant Ayala Land Inc. to P21.85; and AllHome Corp., has been partnering with several was the most actively traded on up 0.52 percent to P11.66 per locators in different industries to transform the property into a Wednesday as it gained 1.56 per- share. n

at hiding,” Magalong told reporters Thursday.

“Every now and then, we still get reports that some are starting to mine again, like in Kennon Road, in Atok Trail, the area near PMA (Philippine Military Academy). These are the areas that we are looking at,” he said.

Baguio City is really a no-mining zone, but illegal small scale miners are doing operations following the mountainous landscape of the city.

“They do not have consideration on the safety. They think it’s their means of livelihood, for survival. But we cannot sacrifice safety, which is still our paramount concern,” Magalong said.

The closure of pocket mines is not expected to affect the local economy of Baguio.

“Small scale miners are not paying taxes. It’s just really a matter of survival for them considering prices of gold are very unstable,” he said.

Baguio City also closed the famous Kennon Road because

of the instability of the slopes, which may cause accidents.

“We actually learned that some of the slopes there were caused by illegal mining that’s why it’s unstable. How many more slopes are potential danger zones? There are still a lot,” Magalong said.

“Secondly, it’s very dangerous because there is no any means of restoration, once they bore holes in the mountains, they are no longer responsible [in fixing that],” he said.

Unlike underground mines which can be closed after mining, pocket mines are normally left behind once minerals have been exhausted. This may result in the entry of rainwater which often leads to landslides.

While small miners are poised to lose their livelihoods, the government is offering alternative livelihood programs for them.

“We are giving them the opportunity to shift to rice and vegetable farming. They can also join our cooperatives in hog raising,” he said. n

Udenna, Megawide start development of Clark Global City

PH shares dip on doubts over US-China deal

by MigUel

r. CaMUs

Inquirer.net

THE benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index slid lower on Wednesday with sentiments weighed down by doubts over a trade deal between the United States and China.

The PSEi declined 0.18 percent, or 14.08 points, to 7,898.06 while the broader all-shares index sank 0.26 percent, or 12.32 points, to 4,717.40.

Investors took their cue from regional bourses, which weakened as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened more tariffs on Chinese goods.

The mining and oil subindex dropped the most as it lost 1.4 percent. Other losers were industrial, down 0.47 percent; financials, down 0.31 percent; and holding firms, down 0.24 percent. Property and services went up 0.4 percent and 0.003 percent, respectively.

Dennis Uy

mixed use center of commerce, culture, entertainment and leisure.

Megawide chairman Edgar Saavedra said his group is proud to be working with Udenna and GGDC as contractor for the site development of Clark Global City.

At present, 47 hectares out of the 177 hectare estate have already been developed with horizontal infrastructure, 50-year storm water drainage systems, an underground infrastructure network, and eight-road lanes with bike lanes and 50 meters of right-of-way priority.

Megawide has committed to construct 12 km of roads and fully develop the remaining balance of infrastructure in 22 months.

Philstar.com file photo

GGDC has already subleased over 32 hectares of land to 17 top-tier real estate developers and other locators.

Udenna Land is the property and development arm of the Udenna Group.

Aside form Clark Global City, its other projects include Calaca Industrial Sea Port, a 108 hectare property and the country’s only industrial park with its own seaport facility located in Calaca, Batangas; and The Udenna Tower, a prime commercial location in Bonifacio Global City, where the Udenna Group’s headquarters is located.

The Udenna Group continues to expand its portfolio, which includes education, food, gaming, tourism, and infrastructure. n

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BOI rolls out roadmap for garments revival

One Global Academy Jonathan oboza Petalver

Philstar.com file photo by louella

DesiDerio Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — The Board of Investments (BOI) will roll out a roadmap to revive the garments industry and position the country as a big player in the sustainable fashion segment.

BOI executive director Corazon Dichosa said in a press conference Wednesday the agency would unveil the roadmap developed for the garments and textiles industry during the Philippine Garment, Leather Industries and Textile Expo 2019 slated from Dec.5 to 8, at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

She said the roadmap, which covers a 10-year period or until 2029, would outline initiatives to address issues affecting production capabilities, human resource development, and concerns on the ease of doing business.

“Given the lower costs of production and more integrated garments and textile manufacturing hubs in the region, it has become difficult to compete in fast fashion. The current profile of our garment exporters – which predominantly serves more premium brands, is reflective of the difficulties in competing in a highly cost sensitive market,” she said.

Based on the performance of the manufacturing sector in the last three years or from 2016 to 2018, only the textile manufactures and wearing apparel subsectors posted a decline in gross value added (GVA) compared to average GVA of the sectors in

EMPLOYMENT

2013 to 2015.

For wearing apparel, GVA declined 2.7 percent to P31.316 billion for the 2016 to 2018 period from P32.194 billion in the 2013 to 2015 period.

For textile manufactures, GVA slid 7.7 percent to P27.460 billion for the 2016 to 2018 period from P29.749 billion in the 2013 to 2015 period.

As such, the BOI is looking at niche segments in the industry where the Philippines can actively participate.

As sustainability is now dominating fashion and there is growing interest in sustainably sourced and produced goods globally, the BOI sees opportunities in this segment for the local industry.

“This is a market that BOI is looking at – not only because it might make good business sense, but also because we want to support the values and principles of industry players in this space,” Dichosa said.

To tap opportunities in the segment, the BOI is working with Fashion Revolution, a group of designers in sustainable fashion, as well as small players engaged in manufacturing or upcycling of scraps from different garments manufacturers, to identify assistance they would need.

Dichosa said among those identified by designers are for government to give assistance in sourcing raw materials; provide a platform for raw materials suppliers, designers and manufacturers to meet; and support

in participation in international expositions.

To kickstart the promotion of sustainable fashion, the Philippine pavilion during the upcoming expo would feature local manufacturers in the wearable industry supporting sustainable and inclusive business practices.

Andrew Kay, managing director of CP Exhibition Ltd. of Hong Kong, which is organizing the upcoming expo, said while there are many garment firms in China looking to relocate due to trade tensions with the U.S., the Philippines is not top of mind for these companies.

He said if the Philippine government would want to push the development of the industry, it needs to step up efforts in promotion.

“They can send a delegation to America, Europe, Japan so people will know the Philippines can be a good supplier. Of course, they can also go to China to see more sourcing because now China is the biggest supplier of basic products, textile,” he said.

The upcoming expo is expected to feature 82 exhibitors from the Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Italy and Vietnam.

Through the expo, the BOI hopes to promote the capabilities of Philippine wearable manufacturers and exporters to produce high-quality products, and opportunities to do business in the country and with the local garments and textile industry. n

EMPLOYMENT

Seeing my vision Entrepreneurial Vision is more of a Business Plan written and seen. As the saying goes “You cannot see what you do not write”. A lot of entrepreneurs can say it but cannot write it. It is for your best intention that you can clearly explain and let others see what you see.

For instance, a carpenter knows his mission, and that is to provide a strong, beautiful shelter using his carpentry tools. He has to draw and write the design the shape as to how he sees it. As soon as he is done, he presents a great masterpiece through his God-given skills that even he sometimes cannot believe. This is a classic case of knowing your deepest WHY and your clearest WHAT that ends in a skillful HOW. This article will guide you in crafting your Creed Statement which is different how others craft a Vision/Mission State-

The entrepreneur mindset: Seeing your clearest what

Part 1 of 2 ment. Primarily, Vision StateThis will give impact and ment clearly answers so many greater chance of success be“WHATs”. This is in full support cause as we said when the WHY of your WHY until it becomes the meets its WHAT, the HOW will HOW. A lot of times, we always be very surprising! seek for the HOWs without unSo the question now is, how do derstanding that when the WHY we craft our Vision Statement? meets the WHAT, the HOW is There are 5 things that you just an end RESULT. need to consider in crafting a What do you see? clearer VISION before starting What do you see? A Frog or a up anything. A lot of times, the Horse. pitfalls of some entrepreneurs Well, actually, both. But it is not is that they forgot to write their whether you say it is a frog or a own version of their “business horse. What’s important is you plan.” see something. If you see a frog, Your Vision Statement primarall your decisions will be frog- ily serves as your Business Plan related decisions. If you see a and you have to be crystal clear horse, all your strategies will be about it. horse-related strategies.

In the next article, I will share So what is the point? The point with you what are those quesis where you see things clearly, it tions that need to be answered will give you more or less a clear for you to have a concrete and direction as to where you want solid vision plan. to bring your enterprise. That *** is why is it very, very important Jonathan Oboza Petalver is the Founder for entrepreneurs nowadays to and CEO of Petalver Management pinpoint the right direction by Consultancy Services. He is also the knowing a lot of WHATs before President and Dean of One Global putting up something and offer- Academy U.S.A. ing to the public.

(Advertising Supplement)

Poorest Metro Manila households feel price pinch in October

by Czeriza

ValenCia Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — The rise in consumer prices for the poorest households in the National Capital Region (NCR) went up at a faster pace in October on account of higher food prices, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Thursday, November 21.

At the national level, inflation for the country’s bottom 30 % income households slowed down further in October to 0.8% from 0.9% in September and 9.5% in October 2018.

Consumer prices for low income households in areas outside NCR (AONCR) slowed down to 0.8% in October from 0.9% in September and 9.5% in October 2018.

Inflation in NCR, however, accelerated in October to 0.2%, a reversal of the 0.6% contraction in September.

PSA attributed this to the faster growth in the food, beverage and tobacco index.

This tracks the growth in the headline inflation rate for NCR for October to 1.3% from 0.9% in September.

PSA chief Dennis Mapa earlier attributed the rise in the headline rate for NCR to the uptick in the prices of meat products in the metro because of the African swine fever (ASF) outbreak.

ASF so far is most prevalent in NCR, Region III and Region IV-A. Visayas and Mindanao, meanwhile, are considered to be ASF-free zones.

Substitution for pork and pork products have caused prices of chicken and beef to accelerate in NCR. The same trend was seen in Region 3 (Central Luzon) that registered the highest inflation of 2.3% in AONCR in October.

Prices of whole chicken in NCR, meanwhile, has risen by 7.6% month-on-month and by 14% year-on-year in October.

NCR prices of beef, meanwhile, have risen by 0.7% and by 4.6% year-on-year during the month.

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PSA chief Dennis Mapa Philstar.com file photo

Pork aversion because of the ASF outbreak, meanwhile, have caused NCR prices of pork meat to decline by 3% month-onmonth and by 5.3% year-onyear. n

D NOVEMEBR 23-26, 2019 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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