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NOVEMBER 29-DECEMBER 5, 2019 Volume 13 - No. 4 • 16 Pages 133-30 32nd Ave., Flushing, NY 11354 • 2500 Plaza S. Harborside Financial Center, Jersey City, NJ 07311 • Tel. (212) 655-5426 • Fax: (818) 502-0858

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Robredo to Duterte: What are you scared of?

by STEPHANIE

FLORIDA Inquirer.net

SAN FERNANDO, Camarines Sur — “If they think this is over, they don’t know me,” Vice President Leni Robredo said on Monday, November 25, after President Rodrigo Duterte fired her from her lead role in his brutal war on drugs.

“I have just begun,” Robredo told reporters here. “If we had the same goal, why did they not just cooperate? Were they not really serious in fighting drugs or did I put some interests Vice President Leni Robredo meets with officials involved in drug at risk?”

“What were you afraid I might find out, the rehabilitation efforts in Bicol on Monday, November 25.

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Photo from the Office of the Vice President

USA

DATELINE Pinay filmmaker sues LA’s Catholic Archdiocese over childhood sexual assault by Filipino priest FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

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 priest in Gardena’s St. Anthony of Padua

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ASEAN-ROK SUMMIT. President Rodrigo Duterte joins other leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Republic of Korea (ROK) President Moon Jae-in during the ASEAN-ROK Innovation Showcase 2019 at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center on Tuesday, November 26.

Malacañang photo by Karl Norman Alonzo

Hontiveros presses for security audit of national power grid

by LEILA

SALAVERRIA Inquirer.net

MANILA — Expressing alarm over reports that China could control and remotely shut down the Philippine power transmission network, Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday, November 26, sought a security audit of the national grid system.

Hontiveros filed a resolu-

Palace slams Midler for Duterte criticism

tion calling for the audit as well as a legislative inquiry into the operations and facilities of National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), the country’s sole transmission service provider, which is 40percent owned by State Grid Corp. of China.

‘Hostile third party’ “We need to know for certain if our energy systems and

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by AJPRESS MALACAÑANG on Sunday, November 24, slammed singer-actress Bette Midler for describing President Rodrigo Duterte as one of the world’s most detestable leaders as well as lumping him together with the likes of U.S. President Donald Trump and Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

“She, however, has no right as she is incompetent and a gullible talking head as well, on matters concerning foreign leaders she has no Sen. Risa Hontiveros

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Filipino fast food giant Jollibee opens North American headquarters in West Covina

by AJPRESS 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 Jollibee Foods Corporation executives led by North America President Beth Dela Cruz office space on Tuesday, November 19 (center) and local leaders, such as Philippine Consul General Adelio Cruz, West Covina Mayor Lloyd Johnson, and Los Angeles Board of Public Workers Commissioner Jessica was attended by JFC executives, digniCaloza, mark the grand opening of the company’s new North American headquarters taries from the Philippine Consulate in in West Covina, California on Tuesday, November 19.

AJPress photos by Noel Ty 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 president at the opening.

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 Chicken-

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From the Front Page

Hontiveros presses for security audit of...

PAGE 1 infrastructure fully remain under Filipino control, and if we have implemented the technical safeguards needed to prevent foreign interference in or sabotage of our national electricity grid,” she said.

Hontiveros warned of a Chinese-engineered power and internet outages and interference in elections if safeguards remained absent, citing confirmation from a Philippine power executive last week that a “hostile third party” had the ability to trigger blackouts.

The national grid operator on Tuesday flatly dismissed Hontiveros’ apprehensions.

“Any insinuation that NGCP allows non-Filipinos to operate, control or sabotage its operations, to the detriment of the Filipino people, is speculative, baseless, completely manufactured and libelous,” said Cynthia Perez-Alabanza, the company’s corporate communications head.

NGCP, founded in 2009, is owned by a consortium of investors, and is 60-percent owned by Filipinos led by

businessmen Henry Sy Jr. and Robert Coyiuto Jr. “The franchise, and all laws and regulations applicable to its business, the day-to-day operations of NGCP are 100 percent handled by Filipinos,” Alabanza said.

Alabanza said the role of NGCP’s foreign partner, referring to China, was “limited to that of an investor.”

The National Transmission Corp. (Transco), which is owned and controlled by the government, owns the power grid being operated and maintained by NGCP. According to Hontiveros, there have been reports that only Chinese engineers have been able to troubleshoot, operate and control the NGCP’s transmission facilities because they were the only ones familiar with the type of information and communication technology installed for the automatic and remote monitoring and control of the grid.

Antidummy law Foreign NGCP executives also were hiring and deploying foreign drivers and engineers,

which violated the antidummy law and a constitutional provision that requires executive and managing officers of public utilities to be Filipino citizens, she added.

Concern about China’s involvement in the power grid was first raised last week during the energy department’s 2020 budget hearing in the Senate.

Transco president Melvin Matibag told the Senate then that it was possible for a “hostile third party” to disable the Philippines’ power grid remotely, Hontiveros noted.

Matibag had also said that Transco had limited access to NGCP facilities.

“If these reports are true, these vulnerabilities pose a grave risk to public infrastructure, to national security, and to the daily lives of our people.

We must address and correct these flaws immediately,” she added.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, who raised the concern over the Chinese state-run company’s control over power trans-

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FIRE VICTIMS. Several families, whose houses were razed by fire, are housed temporarily at the Barangay Tatalon Covered Court in Quezon City on Sunday, November 24, A total of 1,382 individuals were affected by the fire in Barangay Tatalon that reached fifth alarm.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

Robredo to Duterte: What are you...

PAGE 1

people might find out?” she went on, addressing Malacañang.

Classified information The president fired Robredo as cochair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs on Sunday, 18 days after she accepted his offer of a lead role in the war on drugs—with a directive to all agencies to support her and a promise to give her “everything” she would need to press the crackdown on narcotics.

But when she requested access to the government’s list of high-value targets last week, the law-enforcement agencies on the committee balked, and Duterte declared that he did not trust her because she was with the political opposition.

Robredo asked why the President appointed her to the committee if he did not trust her.

“He should be direct with me. I’m a straight talker,” she said. “If he does not want me here anymore … and wants to take back the appointment, he should just say the word.”

The president’s spokesperson, Salvador Panelo, told reporters in Busan, South Korea, on Sunday night that the president took offense at Robredo’s “taunt.”

“You don’t say that to your boss who is the President of the Philippines,” Panelo said.

Duterte himself had said he had not seen Robredo work, though Panelo said the president had not found the time to read two reports that had been submitted by the vice presi-

dent after her meetings with members of the interagency committee, U.S. and UN officials and representatives of several organizations.

‘Report to the nation’ Robredo was to submit a third report to the president this week, her office said before news broke that she had been fired.

That report could now be the “report to the nation” that the vice president said on Monday she would make in a few days.

It would include all that she had found out about the campaign against illegal drugs, she said.

“I will disclose all that I have discovered and my recommendations,” Robredo said. “They may have taken away my position, but they can never take away my determination.”

Robredo swore to continue trying to stop the killings in the crackdown on drugs and bring the killers to justice.

‘What are you scared of?’

She said: “When I took on the challenge, I asked them, ‘Are you ready for me?’ Now I ask, what are you scared of?”

Addressing the president, she said: “I did not ask for this position. I did the job that you transferred to me seriously.”

What the nation wants, she said, is a government that is a true champion of the people against illegal drugs.

“The enemy is drugs and the drug lords, not me,” she said.

In Busan, where Duterte was attending the 2019 Asean-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit, Panelo ratcheted

up the attack on Robredo, belittling her plan to disclose to the public what she had learned about the counternarcotics campaign.

In a text message to reporters covering Duterte’s participation in the summit, Panelo scoffed at Robredo’s question about what the administration feared the nation might find out if she was given access to classified information.

“She can do anything she pleases,” Panelo said. “Anything that she claims she has discovered [is information provided] to her. She was precisely appointed, apart from giving her the opportunity to assist in the campaign against illegal drugs, to let her know that everything in the drug war is transparent.”

‘Fired for incompetence’ Panelo insisted that Robredo “was fired for incompetence, in addition to her failure to introduce new measures she claimed she had, as against what she claimed to be ineffective method in fighting the drug menace.”

He added: “She was weighed and found wanting.”

Robredo has been a relentless critic of President Duterte’s war on drugs, which the Philippine National Police acknowledges has killed more than 6,000 suspects but human rights groups say the death toll could be much higher.

In an interview with Reuters on Oct. 23, Robredo said the war on drugs “was not working,” angering Duterte.

Hitting back, Duterte of-

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Filipino fast food giant Jollibee opens...

PAGE 1 joy, 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.

Dela Cruz told the Asian Journal that the targeted space for the headquarters needed to be “highly visible to the public, accessible to our employees and partners, and large enough to accommodate our growing team.”

“Also, as the home to a sizable Filipino American population, the larger Los Angeles will continue to be a key part of our North American growth, as it’s where we opened many of our first Jollibee stores and has served as the home of our previous headquarters in the City of Industry,” she added.

JFC has articulated plans to have 250 Jollibee stores in North America — 150 stores in the U.S. and 100 stores in Canada — 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

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Robredo to Duterte: What are you...

PAGE 2

fered Robredo the position of drug czar for six months, but later changed it to cochair of the interagency committee on narcotics.

Against the advice of her allies, Robredo accepted the offer on Nov. 6, causing consternation among allies of the administration who had expected her to reject

the job.

When she asked for the list of the government’s high-value targets, her new coworkers stonewalled her, and President Duterte lashed out at her in a news conference, calling her “scatterbrain” and accusing her of “grandstanding” in the press.

On Sunday, after Robredo had made it clear that she

would not be stopped, Mr. Duterte fired her.

‘Caught in his own trap’ In a statement emailed to the press on Monday, Sen. Leila De Lima, detained on drug charges that the Duterte administration brought after she began investigating the killings in the war on drugs in 2016, interpreted what happened. n

With Jollibee Foods Corporation’s new headquarters — located at the Eastland Tower in West Covina, California just off the 10 freeway — the company is focusing on expansion in North America.

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 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 secondlargest 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.

“Filipino culture is known for being incredibly familyoriented. That’s why we take such pride in making sure our customers receive a warm welcome and are made to feel at home when they walk into our stores,” Dela Cruz said.

“We want every customer to feel like a part of the Jollibee family, as we continue in our goal of spreading the joy of eating to everyone.” n

Palace slams Midler for Duterte...

PAGE 1 personal knowledge of,” said presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo.

“She should be circumspect as an influencer and should refrain from giving one-sided and judgmental comments on internal affairs of another sovereign state, especially if her references are false narratives coming from the political opposition and some biased media outlets whose agenda is to besmirch President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and his administration before the global stage,” he added.

Midler is an outspoken critic of Trump and took to Twitter on Saturday, Nov. 23, her sentiments on Trump’s ongoing impeachment hearings and why it should be a concern for Americans.

“For Americans who think

Dateline USa

the impeachment hearings have nothing to do with them, think again. Want to leave the door open to a Hitler? A Stalin? A Castro? A Duterte? A Pol Pot? A Putin? An Assad?

A Chavez? A Kim Jong Un? A Mussolini? A Mugabe? An Amin? #Trump’s the gateway to that,” the singer said in a tweet.

Panelo, in response, lifted some lyrics from Midler’s song to fire back at her.

“We suggest that she revisit her famous song ‘From A Distance’ and learn from its lyrics that she may look at a foreign leader of a distant country with a positive outlook: ‘From a distance there is harmony & it echoes through the land/ It’s the voice of hope/ It’s the voice of peace/ It’s the voice of every man/ From a distance we

Bette Midler Photo from Twitter/@bettemidler

are instruments/ Marching in common band/ Playing songs of hope/ Playing songs of peace/ They are the songs of every man,’” Panelo said. n

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

Pinay filmmaker sues LA’s Catholic Archdiocese...

PAGE 1 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-yearsold, 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 Arch-

diocese 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 sexual assault from age 26 to age 40.

It further gives victims a three-year 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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OPINION

FEATURES

Security for VIPs FOLLOWING the killing of a judge in San Fernando, La Union on November 5 for still unknown reasons, the Supreme Court is proposing the creation of a special group patterned after the U.S. Marshals Service, whose members will be assigned exclusively to protect members of the judiciary.

A bill supporting the proposal has been filed at the House of Representatives.

Mario Anacleto Bañez was the second judge to be murdered this year, and the 31st since 1999. While it is clear, however, that certain members of the judiciary can face serious threats to their personal safety in line with their work, this proposal must be seen in the proper context.

Judges aren’t the only ones who face death threats and are actually assassinated in this country. Similar threats are faced by lawmakers, local government executives, labor arbiters and other officials, journalists, environmental advocates, left-leaning activists and even priests. There are reports that several regional officials of the Bureau of Internal Revenue have

Editorial

been kidnapped for ransom in the past months. In the conflict areas of Mindanao, teachers are targeted by Islamic terrorists for hostage taking, rape

and murder.

Why should members of the judiciary get special protection? It’s unfair enough that too many members of the Philippine National Police are deployed as personal bodyguards of government officials and even certain private VIPs who can very well afford to pay for their own security detail.

If bodyguards would speed up magistrates’ dispensation of justice, perhaps the proposal could become palatable to taxpayers. But if this measure would be passed, what would stop members of Congress from creating their own special protective force at taxpayers’ expense?

Who decides which sector deserves more protection than others?

There are currently 2,561 trial judges, 15 justices of the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court, 70 justices of the Court of Appeals, nine in the Court of Tax Appeals and 15 members of the

‘Not really bloody’ but unjust, repressive At Ground Level SATUR C. OCAMPO IN August President Duterte vowed to distribute all agricultural lands equitably through a “unique brand of agrarian reform” to accomplish the program’s primary aim: “uphold the welfare of the landless farmers, promote social justice, and attain sound rural development.”

Moreover, he conflated this ambitious goal with another one — ending the five-de-

cade armed conflict with the CPP-NPA by grabbing from the revolutionary movement “the richest issue of them all — land reform.” Focusing on Negros, where he said the farmers’ struggle for land is deep and protracted because of the feudal system obtaining there, Duterte stated his game plan thus: “Kunin mo ang initiative sa komunista.

What they are really parlaying is land. Eh di unahan na natin, ibigay na natin.”

He taunted the CPP-NPA: “You cannot win a fight for social justice or for a better life…if you go to revolution, it won’t work. I am not challenging [you]. You might win or you may lose, but that is some-

5

thing to be seen.”

Then he made the cryptic statement, “I am serving notice to everybody that in the coming months it will be — not really bloody, but there will be, at least, a little trouble for our country.” Carrying out his plan, he added, would “make us a magnet for all criticisms” and critics are “waiting for us to commit a wrong.”

Were the simultaneous raids in Bacolod City, on October 1, part of the “little trouble” Duterte warned about in August?

The operations carried out by joint AFP-PNP security forces on the offices of progressive organizations resulted in the PAGE 9

Philstar.com photo

Supreme Court. How many marshals will be deployed to protect them?

The proponent of the House bill was quoted as saying, in explaining his measure, that “right now, every active judge is a sitting duck, with absolutely no protection whatsoever against

potential attacks.” But the same could be said of a majority of the population. The proposed funding for this proposal is better spent in improving public safety measures in general.

Every person in this country deserves protection from lawless elements. (Philstar.com)

US Navy confirms real intent of PH arbitration vs China

Commentary

RIGOBERTO TIGLAO THE U.S. Navy last week, in its actions and official statements, in effect revealed what was really one of the real aims of the Philippines’ arbitration suit that President Aquino III and his foreign secretary Albert del Rosario brought against China in 2013.

It wasn’t to win back for the Philippines islands or reefs it claims to own in the Spratly islands, which it alleges China grabbed from it. The arbitration was intended — other than to demonize China as an

evil aggressor in the South China Sea — to provide the U.S. Navy with additional legal justification to undertake its so-called freedom of navigation operations (Fonops) in the South China Sea, a major part of the American “Pivot to Asia” program started by President Obama in 2011.

The Fonop has been the U.S.’ way of challenging what it thinks are territorial waters and maritime zones that countries have declared but which it thinks are illegal. It does this by having a warship sail into such waters and zones to challenge the claiming countries

to enforce what they claim are their sovereign rights – which of course they don’t, faced with the might of the U.S. navy.

On November 18, the littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords passed by Mischief Reef in the Spratlys, occupied by China on which it has built an artificial island. China as well as the Philippines and Vietnam claim the reef as part of their sovereign territory. China calls the Spratlys its Nánsh Qúndo, the Philippines its Kalayaan Island Group, and Vietnam, Qun o Trng Sa. The U.S. ship deliberately PAGE 9

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Dateline PhiliPPines

Drilon says House to blame for SEA Games budget mess PNP says Robredo did not commit ‘missteps’ as drug czar

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

by Ritchel

Mendiola AJPress

CONTRARY to Malacañang’s reasons for firing Vice President Leni Robredo as cochair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), the Philippine National Police on Tuesday, November 26, said it did not see Robredo make any “missteps” during her 18-day stint as the administration’s anti-drug czar.

“During her stay as co-chair of ICAD, we haven’t really noticed any report or missteps,” said PNP spokesman Bernard Banac in an interview with ANC’s “Early Edition.”

“But in the continuing discussion, of course, there is that exchange of ideas and insofar as discussion on a higher level, the PNP is not really involved anymore so we leave it to the higher authorities,” he added.

According to Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo, Robredo committed several ‘missteps’ including seeking the advice of certain foreign institutions and personalities that have prejudged the campaign against illegal drugs as a violation of human rights as well as failing to present a pro-

gram of action in her new role as ICAD co-chair in the three weeks she was in office.

Banac, meanwhile, expressed gratitude to Robredo for her contributions to the ICAD. “In her three week stint as co-chair of ICAD, we were able to gain a lot of ideas from her, especially her advocacy and her desire for communitybased rehabilitation of drug users and her desire for more PNP spokesman Bernard Banac transparency of the campaign Inquirer.net photo against illegal drugs,” he said. say she was on the right track “Along that line, we would in addressing the problem of like to also share that her de- drugs,” he said Monday, Nov. sires and the direction of the 25.

“It is my opinion that VP was PNP matches,” he added.

Banac also assured that Ro- doing the right things. That’s bredo’s firing would not affect really what ought to be done, the government’s anti-narcot- you consult with those in the know, that’s really what she ics campaign.

“The PNP will continue on did,” he added in Filipino.

As the drug czar, Robredo and will pursue the campaign with representatives against illegal drugs, especial- met ly high-value targets relent- from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the lessly,” he said.

United States Drug EnforceLacson: It’s a pity Senator Panfilo Lacson, for ment Agency, the Federal Buhis part, finds it a loss for Ro- reau of Investigation, the U.S. bredo to be removed from her State Department, and the post as ICAD co-chair, saying U.S. Agency for International that she was doing the job jus- Development to discuss ‘best practices’ in tackling the countice.

“I feel sorry at the loss. I’d try’s drug problem. n

Hontiveros presses for security audit of...

PAGE 2 mission in the Philippines, last week warned that any failure in power distribution “will have wide-ranging effects on the economy, public safety and national security.”

Gatchalian, chair of the Senate committee on energy, earlier filed a resolution that was echoed by Hontiveros.

“The power transmission line is one of the vital facilities in our country. With a single switch, no electricity will be transmitted in our homes, businesses, to our military facilities. That’s why it is very important that the management in control of the transmission line are Filipinos,” he said last week.

Hontiveros on Tuesday said a country capable of aggression should not have the means to destabilize a neighbor “with the flick of a switch.”

“Imagine a foreign country, which is an unrepentant trespasser and aggressor in our seas and territories, controlling our national electricity grid,”

she said in a statement.

“It could sabotage our elections, shut down our access to television, the internet and other communication technologies, cause the collapse of our economy and undermine our national security,” she said.

China’s embassy in Manila did not respond immediately to a request for comment, according to Reuters news agency. There are no publicly known instances in the Philippines, or government accusations, of Chinese interference in its utilities.

Cause for concern Retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio also believes that China’s control over the country’s power grid “should be a cause for concern, especially if the technicians who are manning or maintaining the grid (or) the power lines are Chinese.”

“If the Chinese are the ones maintaining our national grid then it’s easy for them to shut it down and they can always in-

ject malware in the software,” he told reporters on Tuesday at the Department of Foreign Affairs where he delivered the keynote speech on the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.

Other vital areas Concerns about Chinese involvement in the NGCP came amid Chinese presence in other vital areas.

A plan by Dito Telecommunity, the country’s third telecommunications carrier, to put up facilities in military camps was considered a possible security problem because of the company’s joint venture with China Telecom.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines, however, said there was no cause for alarm because safeguards were in place.

All these worries are emerging as President Duterte pushes for warmer ties with China despite Beijing’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea. n

PHILIPPINE Senator Franklin Drilon on Tuesday, November 26, said the House of Representatives is to blame for the mishaps in this year’s Southeast Asian Games which the country is hosting.

According to the opposition senator, the House of Representatives was late in submitting the proposed national budget in December, containing some P95 billion in pork barrel that fueled debates. This delay, some congressmen claimed, led to the SEAG blunders.

“If there was any delay, it was because of them,” Drilon said in Filipino.

Last December, some members of the House of Representatives were accused by Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo of employing diversionary tactics such as accusing Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno of irregularities in

the preparation of the 2019 national budget.

Drilon, however, pointed out that there are only three opposition members in the Senate — not enough to delay the passage of the budget.

Furthermore, he said that even if the budget was delayed, most of the funds used for the SEA Games infrastructure were from separate loans.

“I really do not understand the relationship between the blunders and the budget delay,” Drilon said.

Some of the mishaps experienced before the official launch of the regional sports event include members of foreign delegations to the sporting event complaining about awful accommodations and delayed transportation after their arrival in the Philippines, inadequate food served to the athletes, and unfinished venues.

‘Apology not enough’ Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, for his part, said that the

organizers of SEAG this year will be made “answerable” for “apparent inefficiencies” that happened in the past few days.

“They said before, the preparation, venues, and everything that will be used for the games were almost ready and complete. As of October 30, 2019, PHISGOC stated that preparations are 90% complete. How come these have happened?” he said in Filipino on Monday, Nov. 25.

“To all the parties, remember, one’s failure is the failure of us all. Let me remind everyone that you will be answerable to the President and most especially to the Filipino people,” he added.

The Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) on Sunday, Nov. 24, issued an apology to the foreign teams that arrived in Manila for the “inconvenience” and “confusion.”

“You can’t fix this with an PAGE 10

November 29-december 5, 2019 • NeW YorK ANd NeW JerSeY ASIAN JoUrNAL

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November 29-december 5, 2019 • NeW YorK ANd NeW JerSeY ASIAN JoUrNAL

‘Not really bloody’ but unjust, repressive PAGE 5 arrest of 57 persons, including 14 minors. It was covered by search warrants issued by a Quezon City RTC judge and directed by the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTFELCAC, formed via Executive Order 70 and headed by Duterte).

If the Bacolod operation was “not really bloody,” let us not forget the AFP-PNP operations twice carried out earlier in Negros Oriental (first on Dec. 27 to Jan. 15, then on March 30 this year), during which 48 civilians were killed and several others arrested.

That was a really bloody operation, legally enabled by a hundred search warrants issued by a single RTC judge in Cebu City, in pursuance of Memorandum Order 32, issued by Duterte on Nov. 22, 2018.

Mind these facts: 1) Most of those killed in their homes and arrested in Negros Oriental were landless farmers fighting for land and social justice, advocacies that Duterte vowed to uphold. 2) Among the offices raided in Bacolod was that of the National Federation of Sugar Workers, its leader (among other mass leaders) was arrested. And 3) those arrested in both operations have been charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives, a nonbailable offense.

They all aver that the firearms and explosives were planted in their houses and offices during the supposed searches.

Metro Manila has not been spared: in the nation’s capital, two parallel raids, arrests, and charges were carried out on Oct. 1 and 5. The series of AFP-PNP operations have been promptly denounced, here and abroad, as foul, unjust, and repressive actions taken by the state against progressive organizations critical of certain policies and programs as well as human rights violations by

the government. Preemptive steps, taken by the national offices of the progressive organizations, have apparently deterred wider raids and arrests.

Meantime, the NTF-ELCAC is pursuing another tack. It is now seeking to disperse political detainees, among them NDFP peace consultants, being held in Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City by sending them to already overcrowded provincial and local jails in places where trumped-up charges have been filed against them. Thus far, the chief of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology has written to three Regional Trial Court judges to issue court orders for the transfer, and one judge has already acceded to the request to transfer two detainees.

In seeking the transfer of these political detainees to Lucena City; Sta. Cruz, Laguna; Gumaca, Quezon; and Malolos, Bulacan, the BJMP chief cites as ground the “institutionalization of the wholeof-nation approach” under EO 70 that “includes national efforts to prevent opportunities for Communists Terrorist Groups (CTGs) to conduct organized activities while under detention”(emphasis mine) and the “timely resolution” of the cases against the detainees pending before the regular courts.

In a statement given to media, the Bicutan political detainees accuse NTF-ELCAC of “blatantly interfering in the judicial process, fabricating lies and false scenarios.” The move to disperse them, they say, runs counter to the longestablished practice, even during the Marcos dictatorship, of detaining political detainees in “common facilities for practical reasons, including easier monitoring and control by the state authorities.”

Court records, they add, show that most of the politi-

cal detainees in Bicutan had been transferred there from local jails – such as the couple Frank Fernandez and Cleofe Lagtapon, NDFP consultants from Negros – upon motion of local wardens “who were worried about security risks in holding them.”

As regards “organized activities,” the Bicutan detainees point out that whatever they have undertaken “cannot be anything but legitimate and justified.” They cite political discussion among themselves and their visitors, social gatherings and celebrations, handicrafts and other livelihood projects, sports, and health and wellness activities.

In my eight years of detention at the former Bicutan Rehabilitation Center during the Marcos dictatorship, we political detainees were able to organize ourselves and manage our day-to-day activities, including cooking our own meals. I was elected spokesperson and chief negotiator with the Command for the Administration of Detainers (headed in succession by Defense Undersecretaries Jose Crisol and Carmelo Barbero, and Col. Jose Sta. Romana).

We took up matters relating to our rights and welfare (easing restrictions, improving facilities, health care), priorities in detainee releases from time to time, etc.

In cases of deadlock, we resorted to fasting and hunger strikes. In all instances these militant actions forced the authorities to recognize the reasonableness of our demands, and we prevailed.

So what’s bugging the NTF-ELCAC? Are they scared of what the political detainees can do, cooped up in such a limited space in a high-security facility in Bicutan? Is it because, as Secretary Año has admitted, the government is losing “in the propaganda war”? (Philstar. com)

Drilon says House to blame for SEA Games...

PAGE 7 apology. What we need to do is rouse everyone, we can’t be wimpy here,” Go said.

“I am, therefore, delivering this privilege speech to urge Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) and all Filipinos: don’t let this fail,” he added.

Go stressed that Filipinos should help one another in-

stead of gloating at the organizers’ blunders and playing the blame game.

“It’s sad that many of our countrymen are clapping their hands for the wrong reasons. They give us applause because they want us to fail,” he said.

“Let’s help each other and show of support for our athletes. There is a right time for everything. No finger pointing at the moment. But after the Games, we’ll hold accountable those who need

to be held accountable,” he added.

Go also said he is ready to conduct an investigation on any anomalies and irregularities that will arise during and after the games.

This will be the fourth time that the Philippines is hosting the biennial regional event in which athletes from 11 countries will compete.

The 2019 SEA Games will officially open on Saturday, Nov. 30, and will run until December 11. n

Dateline PhiliPPines

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U.S. combat ship Gabrielle Giffords: Free to patrol the Spratlys, thanks to PH arbitration suit.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy

US Navy confirms real intent of PH...

PAGE 5 sailed within 12 nautical miles of the artificial island, or within its theoretical territorial sea.

Navy spokesman While there has been at least a dozen such Fonops in the Spratlys since 2011, what is significant is how the U.S. navy spokesman, Reann Mommsen, justified it this time: “USS Gabrielle Giffords demonstrated that Mischief Reef, a low-tide elevation in its natural state, is not entitled to a territorial sea under international law. Under international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), features like Mischief Reef that are submerged at high tide in their naturally formed state are not entitled to a territorial sea.

The land reclamation efforts, installations and structures built on Mischief Reef do not change this characterization under international law. By engaging in normal operations within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef, the United States demonstrated that vessels may lawfully exercise high-seas freedoms in those areas.”

That justification, the language itself, was practically lifted straight from the Hague arbitration tribunal’s July 2016 ruling. While Unclos does contain the provision that an LTE is not entitled to a territorial sea under international law, no country can unilaterally declare any specific feature as such. There has to be an international court or an arbitration agreed upon by the two contending parties for a specific feature to be declared as an LTE. For example, Japan’s “Okinotorishima,” the size of a bedroom juts out of the sea only because the Japanese built an embankment around it, and it would be a stretch to claim it has an territorial sea and 200nautical mile exclusive economic zone. Yet Japan does claim it is an island which has a territorial sea and EEZ, which gives it a huge 156,000 sq km of EEZ. Japan even rigorously defends that EEZ, protesting

every time a survey ship enters that EEZ. China claims Okinotorishima does not have an EEZ, but Japan simply ignores that claim.

Baker Island Not only Japan. Almost all the major powers have “rocks,” which they claim have EEZs. The U.S. claims Howland Island, Baker Island and Kingman Reef have EEZs which gives it huge areas in the Pacific where it has sovereign right. Australia has McDonald Island, while France, Clipperton Island. Why should there be double standards, one for the “imperialist powers” and another for China, I can imagine the Chinese to be asking.

The U.S. — even if it didn’t accede to the Unclos — is now claiming that Mischief Reef doesn’t have maritime entitlements because of the PH v.

China arbitration ruling that it, together with six other reefs China occupies, are LTEs or rocks, which under Unclos are not entitled to territorial seas and EEZs. In fact, such declaration that specific features are LTEs or rocks is the first time this was done.

But the ruling backfired on the Philippines, as it not only declared that Mischief Reef and other such formations are not entitled to a territorial sea nor an EEZ. What shocked scholars and international law experts is that the tribunal ruled that no feature in the Spratlys was an island, and could not have territorial seas and EEZ. The tribunal ruled them all to be either LTEs or “rocks.”

It meant that features we possess that are obviously islands — Pag-Asa which is the biggest island there, Likas, Parola, Lawak, and Kota — are merely “rocks.” In effect we lost the Kalayaan Group of Islands.

The tragedy here is that it is only the Philippines which agreed to be bound by the arbitration suit, as China refused to participate in it. Only the Philippines will be losing the right to claim EEZs around its islands in the Kalayaaan Group

of Islands. Taiwan, whose Taiping island even has an airport was also ruled as a mere “rock,” can and would obviously ignore the arbitration’s ruling since it is not a part of it. Vietnam which has the biggest number of islands, next to us, will ignore it.

Boon However, the ruling is a big boon for the U.S., which I have argued in several columns brilliantly manipulated Aquino and del Rosario to file the suit.

The U.S. even provided its preferred Washington-based law firm to do all the arguing.

The U.S. Navy’s lawyers who have had sleepless nights justifying the Fonops before, can now claim, as it did recently in the case of the Giffords’ recent sailing by Mischief Reef, that the tribunal has ruled that all waters in Spratlys are high seas, not part of any territorial sea claimed by any country, except for the short 500-meter “safety zone” around a “rock.”

That the U.S. Navy’s worries whether or not its ships are complying with international laws in its Fonops was demonstrated when U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter wrote in December 2015 to Sen. John McCain, who had asked for an explanation of the legality of such operations.

Ash in his letter noted that one problem is that there were “factual ambiguities” in the Spratlys, among them that the claimants “have not clarified whether they believe a territorial sea surrounds” features they occupy.

The arbitration tribunal, however, ruled that no feature in the Spratly islands can claim a territorial sea nor an EEZ, making almost all of the Spratly islands international waters that U.S. warships can freely sail in and through.

That’s a huge load lifted from the shoulders of the U.S. military lawyers.

And it was even the Philippines which paid over P700 million for lawyers’ fees and other expenses for the suit.

(ManilaTimes.net)

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COMMUNITY JOURNAL

11

Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks Immigration Corner ATTY. MICHAEL GURFINKEL, ESQ THANKSGIVING is when people step back and reflect on all of the wonderful things and events to be grateful for, and to give thanks to those people who played such a key role in helping us achieve them.

At this Thanksgiving, I would like to once again give thanks to all of the people who have been so kind and supportive of me and my immigration law practice.

Thank you to all of my clients. You are the reason I am able to remain in business. I also know how important your immigration matter is in your life and in the life of your family. I appreciate your trust and confidence in my office, in allowing us to handle such an important matter.

Thank you to the entire Filipino community. I truly appreciate your warmth and support, and I thank you for all of your letters and emails telling me how you enjoy my articles and television show, Citizen Pinoy. I am happy to be of service to you, and I will continue to support Filipino events and causes.

Thank you to ABS-CBN,

TFC, and the entire crew of “Citizen Pinoy,” who share my vision of providing a public-service program to the Filipino community concerning immigration information. It makes me so proud and happy when people come up to me, saying they watch “Citizen Pinoy” every single week, and have learned so much from the real life stories and questions and answers presented.

I thank all the crew of Citizen Pinoy for their hard work, dedication, and passion for this worthy public service.

Thank you to all of our friends in the media, who through their prestigious publications, enabled us to reach those who need our services and inform the Filipino community about newsworthy immigration information. You serve as an avenue to help “BRING FAMILIES TOGETHER” and help “MAKE THE AMERICAN DREAM COME TRUE.” Thank you to my staff.

Your tireless efforts and dedication to our clients are the main reasons we can continue to provide quality service to our many loyal clients.

Thank you to my wife, Millie. People say that behind every successful man, there is a Filipina wife. After many years of marriage, I know it’s true. Words cannot express my gratitude for your help, support and dedication to our

business. You are the “wind beneath my wings.”

And most of all, thank you to the Almighty. Without His blessings, benevolence, and guidance, none of this would be possible. May He allow me to continue to assist people with their problems, and allow the prayers of all people to be answered and fulfilled. *** 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 reenactments) 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: 1-866-487-3465 (866) – GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

Can I contact the USCIS office to find out why I get stopped and held up, and my passport and green card are taken every single time I enter the US even if I am a permanent resident?

Get the answer this Sunday on “Citizen Pinoy: Your Tanong, My Sagot”

“CITIZEN PINOY,” the most popular immigration program on television, completed several successful sessions with Kapamilya in Virginia. This Sunday, get the answers to questions from the fourth and final batch of attendees.

Leading U.S. immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel replies to questions like --Is it possible that the USCIS

misplaced my documents?

Our Kapamilya just filed humanitarian reinstatement and submitted all necessary paperwork, but it seems that USCIS misplaced the documents. What’s the best option to move forward with the case?

An employer is willing to sponsor and obtain work permit for one of their employees. Is that possible even

if her B1-B2 visa expired one year ago?

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 6:15 p.m. PST/EST (9:15 p.m. EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

(Advertising Supplement)

WHY AM I BEING HELD FOR QUESTIONING, AND MY PASSPORT AND GREEN CARD BEING TAKEN EVERY TIME I ENTER THE U.S. EVEN IF I AM A PERMANENT RESIDENT? THIS QUESTION AND MORE WILL BE ANSWERED ON “CITIZEN PINOY: YOUR TANONG, MY SAGOT!” The fourth and final batch of Kapamilya who came to the “Citizen Pinoy” taping in Virginia get the chance to have their questions answered this Sunday. Find out if someone is able to acquire her work permit if there is an employer willing to sponsor, even if her B1-B2 visa already expired a year ago. And get to know what the best option is for someone who filed all necessary paperwork for humanitarian reinstatement after their father died, but the documents were misplaced by the USCIS. Get answers to these and more on a brand-new episode of — “Citizen Pinoy” this Sunday at 6:15 p.m. PST/EST (9:15 p.m.

EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

(Advertising Supplement)

The entrepreneur mindset: Seeing your clearest what One Global Academy JONATHAN OBOZA PETALVER LARRY Farrell in his book “Entrepreneurial Book” made 5 critical success factors in crafting a Vision Statement. Right out of the Matsushita playbook, there are questions every aspiring entrepreneur has to answer. These are the “What Questions” that matter most. Answering them can be turned into a Vision Statement that will give you the confidence and bring you on top of your game!

1. What do I really WANT to do?

Want has more impact than LIKE. A lot of people I saw in the past, they like and they can but in the end they do not WANT it in the first place. All their efforts will just be put to waste.

Decide on the product and service you would offer.

2. What am I really GOOD at doing?

What do you think is your God-given strength? What is this something you can do day in and day out, without noticing what day and

time it is! What does your friends or family notice about you and complement you for doing it? That is a great clue in what your are good at. It is your strength.

3. What UNMET market needs do I see?

What great opportunity is out there that must be met? What is it that people are willing to pay for in exchange of satisfying and even exceeding their expectation? That is called opportunity.

4. What CAPABILITIES must I have?

Do I have the time to bring my ability to the next level? What should I improve to become better and better each day? How do I tap my existing resources and make the most out of it? Everything must be laid out and seen from the start.

5. What CASHFLOW will I need?

Do I have sufficient funds to start? Do I need support from others to start the business? This must be answered and must be clear first prior to engaging yourself else this can be a pitfall.

Now after analyzing these 5 WHAT Questions, let us now pick one and make it a Vision Statement.

Let us take THE (Training Hub for Entrepreneurship) Academy as an example.

1. We want to educate and enable learners.

2. We are good at engaging live workshops.

3. Unmet needs in building Entrepreneurial mindsets.

4. We need to address and communicate at each level.

5. Sustainable operational expense which is online.

To provide an entrepreneurial Vision Statement , we will combine all 5 in one single statement in any order.

Example of a Vision Statement : To educate and enable (what we want) learners in building their entrepreneurial mindsets (unmet needs), by effectively addressing and communicating at each level (capability) through highly interactive and engaging workshops (good at doing) with reasonable and affordable rates (cash flow support). *** Jonathan Oboza Petalver is the Founder and CEO of Petalver Management Consultancy Services. He is also the President and Dean of One Global Academy U.S.A. (Advertising Supplement)

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NOVEMBER 29-DECEMBER 5, 2019 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA (Continued from last week’s issue…)

So okay, your partner is the consummate slob and you have to pick up after him. He thinks he has a maid living with him for free. He has this maddening habit of not putting the toothpaste cap back on. That’s easy. Get one with a cap that snaps back on.

The point is to find a way to work around an annoyance or accept the tiny irritations. With time and patience, things get easier. As you get older and hopefully, wiser, your eyes dim and your hearing goes for a reason. You become less critical as you see the bigger picture more clearly. You become tone deaf and refuse to be thin skinned and easily offended.

Love is a two-way street.

Note how you behave towards him. How do you look to him? Do you take the time and the effort to look va-va-

Two magical words

Features

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(Conclusion of 2 parts)

“Gratitude is the memory of the heart.”

- Jean Baptiste Massieu voom and give him that look that can make his heartbeat race just a tad? Or do you nag him to death for every little thing? Do you make him feel small with your smartass barbs? Or does he feel he can soar like an eagle when you are around him?

Don’t buy into the modern concept of the throwaway or trade-up society that seems to imply you can change partners every five years or so. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. It may work for cars and appliances but falls flat for human relationships.

Fix what can yet be fixed.

Nurture what can grow into something beautiful. Eat humble pie, if you have to.

There is no shame if you truly love. Ask a Higher Power to help you keep things whole.

Taking your husband,

wife or partner for granted is the biggest cause of so many divorces these days. If alarming numbers are to be believed, half the population already live in Splitsville.

There is a disproportionate number of single moms and single dads worldwide struggling with severely diminished finances and dealing with court-appointed visits, juggling schedules, shuttling children in two locations and in cases of bitter, acrimonious divorces, competing for their children’s affections.

Honestly, who wants to live a life like that? Does anyone in his right mind really want to be disappointed and live cynical lives dealing with what I call the BIG D’s?

These are the doldrums of doubt, darkness, disease, PAGE 13

New Yorker Menchie Portillo Peralta (center) hosted a dinner at Forbes Park residence in Makati and among her well-wishers were (standing, from left) Cris Portillo, actress Anna Ledesma and Tessie Briones and (seated, from left) Lulu Obillo and Lilia Ong.

Also joining Ms. Portillo are guests Mila Baylon and Nene Ticzon Feliciano, wife of the late Major Nicolas Feliciano of Concepcion, Tarlac.

Among the well-wishers were (standing, from left) Suzanne Landicho, Marilou Alberto and Cora Ablaza and (seated, from left) Vilma Valera Mathay and Betsy Arrastia Tuazon.

The evening’s other guests (from left) Henry Peralta, Dolly Portillo and Cris Portillo.

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EntErtainmEnt

NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 29-DECEMBER 5, 2019

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Bea and Angelica topbill film focusing Heart part of ‘Vogue 100’ list on female friendship for a change

By Katrina Hallare Inquirer.net

By natHalie tomada Philstar.com

ANGELICA Panganiban and Bea Alonzo team up for the first time on the big screen in Star Cinema’s Unbreakable, which opens in cinemas tomorrow, Nov. 27. For a change, it’s a film that focuses on female friendship.

Written by Vanessa Valdez and directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar, Unbreakable tells the story of college best friends Deena Yambao (Angelica) and Mariel Salvador (Bea), whose longstanding friendship will be put to a test when they marry into the same family.

The story veers from the “usual” mainstream fare for it doesn’t revolve around a love triangle nor it is an “affair” film.

“Primarily, this is a friendship movie. Di ba tayo, we’re used to (romantic) movies.

We have a lot of romance films. But this film is the story of unconditional love between friends. We haven’t seen that in a long time or in a while. So, this is a refreshing story,” said director Mae Cruz-Alviar in a recent presscon for the film.

“It’s not a kabit film. It’s not

what you think it is. It’s a story about friendship and then life happens. The obstacles would be the marriage, love, internal conflicts and conflicts with other people. But it’s still more about the journey of the friendship,” direk Mae added.

Writer Vanessa Valdez further explained how the story came about. “We do a lot of romantic stories, but we rarely do love stories that feature friendship. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there are now more people who are single or choose to be single.

And for those people who choose to be single, I think the important relationship outside the family is the friendship. So, actually, they’re saying and I sort of believe in this, that the breakup of a friendship could be just as devastating as a romantic breakup. And so I thought, it was interesting to put it here.”

The two female leads talked about their characters.

Angelica said, “Deena is a dependent person who is always seeking for love from people. She’s a people pleaser. She wants to please people around her, thinking she could win them over, thus making

her feel loved and welcomed in their group or families. So dun na niya nakilala si Mariel, sa ganoong klaseng pagkatao.”

Bea, on the other hand, said of her character, “I’m Mariel, the best friend of Deena. We will see her grow from being an idealistic woman, a gogetter, a fixer she likes fixing things and people to become this woman, who has surpassed a lot of difficulties in life. You will see up to what extent she’s willing to take things that life throws at her.”

Vanessa related the process of casting the female leads, who had the opportunity to work together in the 2006 ABS-CBN series Maging Sino Ka Man, also incidentally directed by Mae Cruz, but never in a film.

“For several years now, I’ve been wanting and hoping that they could do a film together.

I started with Star Cinema 15 years ago and 2007 was an important year for me, and they were my stars (in the projects I did then),” Vanessa said, referring to films she wrote, A Love Story with Angelica and One More Chance with Bea.

Two magical words...

PAGE 12 depression, desperation, dejection, disappointment, discouragement and disillusionment. You just wish you can DELETE all that from your life. Sadly, some go to the deep end tragically ending in death.

Love has died. Nothing matters. Yet love, according to the “Desiderata” is as perennial as the grass. While there is life, hope springs eternal. Those who are not put off by a disastrous relationship think that “the right one” is just around the corner.

That may be so. But if they do not learn from their previous mistakes, they are doomed to repeat them.

There’s that D again. They will cycle in and out of one disastrous relationship after the other.

Single parenthood is no cakewalk in most cases. Ask around. Do not believe the distortion of truth in movies spun by Hollywood or this trend of celebrities adopting babies and the media glamorizing the lives of single parents.

That is one tall tale of an ego on steroids. There is no romantic or comedic element in going it alone. Single parenthood is more like the Theater of the Absurd.

The honest truth: there is little glamour or fun in single parenthood – in far too many cases, it is just an endless, harrowing tale of one struggle after the next.

There are exceptions of course. Unless fate played a dirty trick on you and you ended up meeting and marrying the partner from hell who is a sociopath, a psychopath, a criminal, a user, a liar, a pervert, a druggie, a murderer, a serial philanderer or just unfit to live in this planet with another human being, the best way to happiness would be to love, appreciate and say “thank you” to the one you’re with every single day of your life together.

And while you’re at it, blow a kiss to the heavens for making you a winner in the love lottery stakes sending you someone you love or can learn to love AND (THE BLESSING of all blessings)

PAGE 15

who loves you back!

Love is not a 50-50 proposition. It’s not even giving 110% of yourself to the other. It sounds sentimental, sappy and old fashioned but whether you like it or not, it is giving of yourself without counting the cost. It is the pure, intrinsic nature of life’s greatest mystery – LOVE, beyond all telling.

Those couples buried six feet deep, side by side at Forest Lawn probably understood what love and devotion meant. Their souls may have fused. Their hearts in the hereafter probably beat as one.

That is one story you can believe in.

How to find THE ONE if you’re on the hunt? Or how can you make THE ONE realize that you’re THE ONE for him or her without beating him or her over the head?

That is one story for yet another day. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@asianjournalinc. com.

AIDE from being an actress and a fashion icon, Heart Evangelista proved she can achieve international status as she was included in the “Vogue 100” list released by the coveted fashion magazine.

The actress-socialite made the big reveal in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

“Some news that I’ve been holding in for a while now that I can finally reveal — I was chosen to be part of Vogue 100!” Evangelista wrote.

“This is such an honor, especially to be alongside other amazing individuals from all around the globe,” she added.

Evangelista then expressed her gratitude to the magazine and its U.S. editor Anna Wintour for including her on the list.

She expressed her excitement as well, saying that the year 2020 is “looking bright” and told her fans and followers that she cannot wait “to bring you all along with me.”

According to the Vogue

Heart Evangelista

website, the Vogue 100 list features “distinctive creative voices from around the globe, encompassing actors, artists, musicians, athletes, stylists, activists, chefs, cho-

Photo from Instagram/@iamhearte

reographers, videographers, beauty fanatics, glamour girls, and wonderful weirdos of every stripe.”

The list made its debut in February 2018.

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NOVEMBER 29-DECEMBER 5, 2019 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

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people events arts culture entertainment

Fil-Am environment modeler John Aquino on building ‘Frozen 2’ world

by CHRISTINA

W

M. ORIEL /AJPress

ith “Frozen 2” now in theaters, viewers once again are transported to the world of Arendelle and accompanying sisters Elsa and Anna along their new set of adventures.

After the success of “Frozen” in 2013, lingering questions remained, including: Why does Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) have magical powers? Together with Anna (Kristen Bell), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Olaf (Josh Gad), and Sven, Elsa sets on a journey that tests the range of her abilities and whether they’re enough for the world.

Songwriting duo Filipino American Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez are back with a soundtrack full of catchy hits that will stick like the first movie (“Into the Unknown” is easily the new “Let It Go,” for example).

Beyond the characters themselves, the backdrops of “Frozen 2” are equally as spirited and intricate, in

part thanks to the work of an environment modeling team that includes Fil-Am John Aquino.

Aquino served as a senior environment modeler on “Frozen 2,” which entailed building the story locations, whether it’s the kingdom of Arendelle or wherever the storyline takes the characters, such as the enchanted forest and dark seas.

While the environment of “Frozen” was mostly cool hues, snow and ice, “Frozen 2” presents an enchanted forest during the autumn season, so there are trees with leaves changing colors and falling to the ground and lush hills. Still, this portrayal of fall is underrated and cool, with orange and red hues that align with the

A still from John Aquino’s “Lightning in a Bottle” through Disney’s “Short Circuit” program, set to be released on Disney+ in 2020.

“Frozen” palette.

“This time out, Anna and Elsa’s adventures take them outside the borders of Arendelle so I was responsible for building all of the trees, the props, the castle, the cliffs

that you see in the movie, huts or houses in the village,” Aquino told the Asian Journal in a recent interview ahead of the film’s release.

Production designer MiPAGE 15 Walt Disney Animation Studios environment modeler John Aquino, who’s worked on films from “Frozen 2” to “Moana.”

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Animation Studios

“Frozen 2” isn’t just ice and snow — the characters encounter the fall season and venture into the enchanted forest.

In “Frozen 2,” Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven journey far beyond the gates of Arendelle in search of answers.

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EntErtainmEnt

Bea and Angelica topbill film...

PAGE 13 “Since that time, I had hoped for them to do a movie together. I was so happy that when we asked them early this year, ‘Would you be willing to do a movie together?’ and they were like, ‘Yes, what is it about?’ And when we pitched the story to them, that this is about friendship and the breakup of a friendship, they latched on to it right away. And from the very beginning, we always say that this is a story of friendship, and it’s the kind of story that you rarely see on screen but it’s a story worth telling because a lot of us can relate to having friends. Actually, hindi naman lahat tayo kinakasal, hindi lahat tayo nagkaka-boyfriend di ba, pero lahat tayo may kaibigan.”

What attracted both Bea and Angelica to the film besides the chance of working with each other for the first time on a film, was the opportunity to rekindle their friendship.

They’ve been friends for a long time. They said they have watched most of each other’s films and text each other reviews. But there was a time when they drifted apart.

So for Bea, to state that she’s happy to have finally worked with Angelica is an understatement. The 32-yearold actress added, “Masayang masaya ako na umabot kami sa ganito na pinagdaanan namin ang journey ng pagkakaibigan. I’m very excited for more... I’m excited to know what the future holds for our friendship, like when we have our own families. I mean, we would talk about getting pregnant about the same time (laughs). (The thought of it is) so exciting for me. More than this being a blessing because this is a good movie, for me, the biggest blessing really is to rekindle my friendship with Angelica.”

Direk Mae proudly noted that Bea and Angelica’s chemistry as actors is a must-watch.

And for the stars, it’s the real friendship that is translating well to the screens.

But just like other close friends, they had their share of conflicts in the past, which they no longer elaborated on.

“But during times when we didn’t talk to each other, you’d hear things about her and still get affected. You still think about the person, still wish and pray that she gets better. Walang ka showbizan.

When life just happens, but you know that this person is a good person, and this person deserves the best, and I’m so glad I get to tell her that now,”

NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • NOVEMBER 29-DECEMBER 5, 2019

Rocco sworn as Philippine Navy reservist officer

By Jan Milo Severo Philstar.com

Angelica Panganiban and Bea Alonzo team up for the first time on the big screen in Star Cinema’s “Unbreakable.”

Photo courtesy of Star Cinema

Bea shared.

Angelica also opened up to confirm they went through misunderstandings, ill feelings and “selosan” to the point that they would avoid each other because “naiinis talaga kami sa isa’t isa.” But she believes that time heals all wounds, big or small.

“Bigla nalang inayos kami ng time. Tapos nagkatoon, kinausap kami kung gusto mag-movie. Lahat talaga na nangyari, may dahilan talaga,” the 33-year-old actress recalled, adding, “Our relationship has gone deeper and it shows in the film.”

Amidst their renewed bond, Bea described Angelica as the kind of person who will fight for her friends and treat them like family.

Angelica, for her part, described Bea as the kind of friend who will take care of you. “Between us, ako yung mas impulsive mag-decide at magsalita. She’s the person you will hang on to and you’ll ask for help when you don’t know what to say or do.”

She continued, “When she came to my life, parang may light na ulit, lightness, parang gusto mo maging mabuting tao kasi pag may na-disappoint ka, may tatalak sa’yo.”

Both can honestly say though that what truly bonded them together this time around was very similar experiences in life, including heartbreak. No need to specify but they went through headline-grabbing love woes and breakup controverses in the past months.

“To tell you the truth, feeling ko oo, malaking bagay na may pinagdaanan siyang things in the past and then ako halos, parehos yung pinagdaanan namin. ’Pag naka-relate kayo sa pinagdaanan ng isa’t isa, bonded kayo because you help each other heal and move on.

We pull each other up,” Bea admitted.

The film explores the “unbreakable” ties that bind people, but the two Kapamilya stars also had lessons to share

on how to be “unbreakable” as women.

Angelica: “You just maintain that hope and faith in what’s in your heart, and in who you are.

Don’t lose your trust in people just because you were hurt by one person. Don’t think that all people are the same.

“If you need to move on and move forward, kailangan mo gamitin lahat ng experiences mo in your life to be stronger.

Basta kung meron kang pain at meron kang goodness sa puso mo, maniwala ka na lahat ng nangyari sa ‘yo may dahilan at para sa ikabubuti mo. You just have to accept everything. Masakit, mahirap at ang dali lang sabihin, pero yun talaga.

“You need to face it, you need to do it, you need to experience it because I believe that God is preparing you for what is yet to come. And when it does, you already know what to, you know how to handle it and you know how to surpass it.”

Bea: “I want to agree (with our director Mae Cruz-Alviar said) that pain makes you unbreakable. If you are able to soar above all the difficulties in life, if you are able to get through everything that life throws at you, at lumabas ka dun ng buo, that makes you unbreakable.

“As long as we are alive, there will always be challenges. But I believe it’s the Lord’s way to make you more unbreakable and to make you learn more.

“For all that I went through, I realized that you don’t avoid the pain. Dapat ini-endure mo siya, dapat natuto ka, dapat di ka natatakot pag may lungkot napaparating. Face it headon and learn from it. You will become unbreakable and you will learn from it after. You just have to believe in it.”

Unbreakable also stars Richard Gutierrez in his first drama under Star Cinema after a decade. Ian Veneracion, Rosanna Roces and Gloria Diaz are also cast in special roles in the film.

ACTOR Rocco Nacino has taken his oath as a Petty Officer (PO) 3rd Class with the Philippine Navy last weekend.

In his Instagram account, Rocco posted photos of himself with his fellow navy reservists and his parents.

“So this happened today.

Oathtaking and Official Donning of Ranks at the BTC hall of Bonifacio Naval Station. PO3 Enrico Raphael Q. Nacino, PN(Res), reporting for duty!” Rocco captioned the post.

He thanked his parents for

gracing the milestone event and dedicated his rank to Col. Eleuterio Quiogue.

“Para sa inyo ito, Col. Eleuterio R. Quiogue and Nanay in heaven, and to my loving parents who cleared their schedules to pin my rank on me. Hooyah!” he wrote.

The Kapuso actor is part of TBA Studios’ Metro Manila Film Festival entry “Write About Love” directed

by Crisanto Aquino, co-starring with Kapamilya talents Miles Ocampo, Joem Bascon and Yeng Constantino.

“It’s nice to be working with Miles. She’s from the other network, tapos doon

ko lang siya nakilala. Ngayon ko lang sila nakatrabaho lahat and ako lang ‘yung Kapuso doon. S’yempre ako ‘yung mas nag-effort makipag-bond sa kanila,” he said in an interview.

“It was a breeze to work with them and the way Direk Crisanto directed it, he was really hands-on,” he added.

The movie tells the story of a young female writer, played by Miles, who is paired up with a seasoned indie film writer (Rocco).

They are forced to collaborate and rewrite the script of an unfinished love story with characters played by Yeng and Joem.

Fil-Am environment modeler John...

PAGE 14 chael Giaimo, along with directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, took a trip to Norway, Finland and Iceland to study landscapes, people and cultures that would inspire the story and environments found in the film.

The photos and notes they took during the trip were then relayed to the environment modeling team to start building.

“I want the audience to be enchanted and enamored by the beauty of the world Anna and Elsa live in and have them feel like this is a real place. With capturing that magical, mystical aspect, it’s something that still resonates once you leave the theater,” he said.

Born in Manila and raised in Southern California, Aquino set his sights on becoming a comic book artist, but was enthralled with the world of film animation. He came to Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1996 as an apprentice after finishing a Bachelor of Arts degree in graphic arts from Point Loma College in San Diego.

His early work at the studio includes serving as an effects animator on “Hercules,” “Fantasia 2000” and “The Emperor’s New Groove.” He then came into his current role as a modeler, having a hand in films like “Tangled,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Frozen,” “Big Hero 6,” “Zootopia” and “Moana” before the most recent “Frozen 2”.

In his 23 years at Disney, technology has changed the way artists and modelers have operated, making more

precise and easier in some ways.

“I used to be a traditional artist, drawing effects for our 2D films. When the computer age came for the industry and CG was the flavor for the animation industry, I decided to go into environment building because [to me] it felt more artistic and sculptural,” Aquino said. “Over the years, from ‘Chicken Little,’ which was my first CG film, to ‘Frozen 2,’ there have been leaps and bounds regarding technology,” he said.

One of the challenges with “Frozen 2”, Aquino described, was the handling of the trees in the enchanted forest since a major element was the mysticism in that setting.

“We rely on our proprietary software of making trees but we had to go an extra step in order for them to be more dynamic and more art directed and really following design of almost a flat nature,” he said. “But really, also with the environments, we had to go into a little bit more detail in order for us to capture [it]. We don’t want it to look too fantasy, we want it to look like it’s a real place too, a real analog place.”

Earlier this year, Aquino had the opportunity to step into the director’s chair with his own short, “Lightning in a Bottle.”

Aquino’s creation comes through Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Circuit, a program that allows employees at the studios to pitch an idea and receive studio support to develop an original short film.

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The program is similar to Pixar’s Spark Shorts, which included fellow Fil-Am artist Bobby Rubio’s “Float” this year, featuring the studio’s first-ever Filipino characters.

In Aquino’s “Lightning in a Bottle,” the young boy protagonist captures lightning inside a jar that soon mimics his own actions. He must then decide whether to keep it or release it back into the sky.

For this, Aquino studied electricity and weather patterns to help develop the lightning character.

It was one of six new shorts that debuted at the “Short Circuit” panel at D23 Expo in the summer and screened at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. Though, we’ll have to wait until it drops on Disney+ sometime in early 2020.

“As a Filipino American, I want people to know that we have a voice in the animation industry. It takes a village to raise a child as they say, and in this case, I used to think animated films were just done by one person. It’s actually done by multiple people coming together, collaborating, and Filipino Americans are part of that,” Aquino said.

He added, “It’s an exciting time for Filipino Americans at Disney Animation. We are being recognized for our hard work and have been given opportunities for the first time in directing and telling our stories, whether it’s with me directing ‘Lightning in a Bottle,’ or Josie Trinidad being selected as a director for a Disney feature film.”

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