120217 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition

December 2-5, 2017 Volume 27 - No. 97 • 4 Sections – 30 Pages

DATELINE

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Republican tax bill discussions continue, inches closer to passage Experts warn against the repercussions of yet another “trickle-down” system AFTER the failed attempts to reconstruct the American healthcare system, Congressional Republicans might be closer to their first major legislative victory in the Trump era with their overhaul of the tax system.

On the morning of Thursday, November 30, the Senate convened to continue discussions of the bill after it passed the preliminary vote through the Senate Budget Committee on Tuesday, as previously reported by the Asian Journal.

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Palace tells supporters, critics: ‘Revolutionary gov’t not needed’

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

WHILE Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte “appreciates” his supporters’ gestures of solidarity, Malacañang underscored that the chief executive himself “has repeatedly said there is no basis and there is no need for a revolutionary government for now.”

“So it’s actually a combination of some supporters of the president and the opposition making a big deal out

of this revolutionary government,” Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.

During the 145th birth anniversary of Filipino hero Andres Bonifacio on Thursday, November 30, groups with clashing views on the idea of establishing a revolutionary government staged rallies in several parts of the country.

“Even if there are government officials there, that is their personal belief. I am the spokesperson of the

president and I am conveying to you the president’s position. There is no need for a revolutionary government,” Roque said.

Concerning the opposition’s view on the matter, the Palace official encouraged the president’s critics to “move on” and just “find other issues” to tackle.

Roque also dismissed rumors that Duterte would declare a revolutionary government on November 30.

“For the opposition, wala na ba

kayong isyu pagdating dito sa (don’t you have other issues except for this) revolutionary government? Dahil di umano at ayon sa kanila, ngayong araw daw magdedeklara ng (Because according to them, today will be the declaration of the) revolutionary government,” Roque remarked.

He then stressed: “Wala pong revolutionary government (There’s no such thing as revolutionary government).”

Roque likewise told Vice President

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Sandiganbayan allows consolidation of Mamasapano cases against Aquino

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

SEVERAL weeks since the conclusion of the first bilateral meeting between Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and United States President Donald Trump, officials begun exploring the proposed bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Manila and Washington.

THE Sandiganbayan’s Third Division on Friday, December 1 has approved the prosecution’s motion to consolidate the graft and usurpation cases of former Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino with other similar cases at the court’s Fourth Division.

This paved the way for joint proceedings against Aquino, and three other former officials facing similar cases: former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Alan Purisima, and former PNP Special Action Force director Getulio Napeñas.

The former president’s camp did not oppose the consolidation of the cases.

“The accused will no longer comment and instead submit the matter for resolution,” said lawyer Joseph De Jesus, Aquino’s lawyer.

Last November 23, the Office of the Ombudsman filed a motion asking the Third Division to allow the transfer of the cases against

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Philippine Trade and Industry Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo (center).

Photo courtesy of PH Embassy

PH, US begin discussions on bilateral free trade

CONSTRUCTION CONGRESS. President Rodrigo Duterte is welcomed by Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III to the 2nd Philippine Construction Congress at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on Tuesday, November 28. The event outlined the Philippine Construction Industry Roadmap for 2017-2022, in accordance with the government’s Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022, AmBisyon Natin 2040, anchored on the Php 8.4-trillion worth of infrastructure projects under the Duterte administration’s “Build. Build. Build” program.

Malacañang photo by Ace Morandante

Robredo not given chance to speak in Bonifacio rites

by JING

VILLAMENTE ManilaTimes.net

given a chance to speak before the thick crowd.

Caloocan Public Information VICE President Maria Leonor Officer Nolan Sison was quick to “Leni” Robredo led other gov- explain that the city government ernment officials in a simple cer- had nothing to do with the prepaemony commemorating the 154th ration and invitation of the guest birth anniversary of revolutionary of honor and speaker.

Sison said the National Historihero Andres Bonifacio at the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan City cal Commission supervised and organized the Bonifacio Day proon Thursday, Nov. 30.

However, many were surprised grams and activities.

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Babe Romualdez during why the vice president was not u PAGE A3

ANDRES BONIFACIO DAY. Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo (2nd from left), Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (left), Dr. Rene Escalante (3rd fom left), Mayor Oscar Malapitan, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero and other government officials lead the flag raising ceremony during the 154th birth anniversay of Gat Andres Bonifacio held at the Caloocan Monument on Thursday, Nov. 30.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

his presentation of credentials at the White House.

New PH envoy presents Hidilyn Diaz snatches silver, bronze in weightlifting worlds credentials to Trump

by HELEN

FLORES

and Trump during their meeting Philstar.com last Wednesday, Nov. 29.

Romualdez served as special PHILIPPINE Ambassador Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez has envoy to the U.S. before acceptpresented his credentials to U.S. ing Malacañang’s nomination as President Donald Trump at the ambassador to Washington.

He will also have jurisdiction White House as part of diplomatover Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad and ic protocol.

The Philippine embassy in Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, Washington posted in its Twitter Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, account a photo of Romualdez u PAGE A2

by JOEY

VILLAR Philstar.com

RIO Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz won silver and bronze medals in the International Weightlifting Federation World Championship despite failing to improve on her personal marks at the Anaheim Convention Center in California on Thursday, December 1.

Diaz, a silver medal winner at the fifth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan last September, had aimed to better her personal best 98kg in the snatch and 118kg in the clean and jerk in the 53kg class, but managed to lift only 86kg in the snatch and 113kg in the clean and jerk.

Still, the efforts were enough Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz took home two medals in the 2017 International

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Weightlifting Federation World Championships in Anaheim, California on Thursday, Nov. 30

Photo from Philippine Sports Commission Official Facebook

A december 2-5, 2017 • LA WeeKeNd ASIAN JOUrNAL

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

From the Front Page

Palace tells supporters, critics...

PAGE A1 t Leni Robredo that there is no reason to be alarmed by Duterte’s call to revamp the government.

“With all due respect to the vice president, I do not see what is alarming because the president has time and again said that he will only resort to revolutionary government kapag (if) sup-

posed, kapag lupaypay na iyong gobyerno, ‘pag naghihingalo na iyong gobyerno (the government became weak, crestfallen),” the Palace official noted.

“And of course, hindi naman ganyan ang nangyayari sa gobyerno ngayon (the government is not in that condition right now),” he added.

Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque Inquirer.net photo

Earlier on the same day, Robredo expressed alarm over rallies supporting a revolutionary government as she noted that such declaration violates the Constitution.

“Nakakabahala ito, kasi... kapag sinabi kasing revolutionary government, gusto mong isantabi iyong Konstitusyon (This is alarming because when you say revolutionary government, you want to set aside the Constitution). Ito, ano ito, laban ito sa mga existing na batas, kaya nakakabahala na (This is against the existing laws, so it is alarming),” the vice president said.

Several times in his public remarks, Duterte has warned that he would declare a revolutionary government if the country descends into chaos amid what he believes are efforts of his political opponents to topple him from power.

But early in November, Duterte said he would not declare a revolutionary government after the military expressed against supporting his plan. The president then said that Robredo was “correct” and that the military must “listen” to her regarding the issue.

Supporting RevGov an ‘illegal act’?

The former and current heads of the country’s Department of Justice (DOJ) have clashing viewpoints on whether it is illegal to express support for Duterte’s pronouncements of declaring a revolutionary government.

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FOR THE TROOPS. Singer Randy Santiago performs for wounded soldiers in the ‘Straight from the Heart – A Gift for Heroes’ event at the military’s V. Luna General Hospital in Quezon City on Thursday, Nov. 30.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Ruy Martinez

New PH envoy presents...

PAGE A1 t

The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and Grenadines and Saint Lucia.

Earlier, Romualdez said the bond between the Philippines and the US is “unbreakable” despite previous diplomatic irritants.

As a treaty ally of the U.S., the Philippine military has had deep ties with its American counterparts and received defense

equipment, weapons and training from U.S. forces for decades.

Any other militaries, including that of China, will have to struggle to reach the level of that treaty alliance, he said.

President Duterte repeatedly criticized the U.S. government during the time of then-president Barack Obama for raising concerns over his bloody campaign against illegal drugs.

Duterte also vowed to realign

the country’s foreign policy by befriending China and Russia while vowing to step back on military engagements with the US. During his visit to the Philippines last month for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit, Trump had nothing but praises for Duterte.

Before leaving the country last Nov. 14, the U.S. leader told Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, “Tell Rodrigo I like him very much. He’s a good guy. I had a great time here.” n

Sandiganbayan allows consolidation of cases...

PAGE A1 t Aquino to the court’s Fourth Division.

The cases against Aquino were initially raffled on November 10 to the anti-graft court’s Third Division, which is chaired by Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang.

The Third Division said it found probable cause to put Aquino on trial.

But as Tang was Aquino’s appointee, the justice’s partiality was inevitably questioned. She, however, assured then that her division would be fair in handling the cases against Aquino and that the latter “will never influence whatever action that the court will take

in the case.”

Other members of the Third Division are Associate Justice Sarah Jane Fernandez, another Aquino appointee, and Associate Justice Bernelito Fernandez, who is President Rodrigo Duterte’s first appointee to the Sandiganbayan.

The Fourth Division, meanwhile, is chaired by Associate Justice Alex Quiroz, an appointee of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Its other members are Associate Justice Reynaldo Cruz, an Aquino appointee, and Associate Justice Bayani Jacinto, who was appointed by Duterte.

Aquino posted bail on the same day his cases were raffled to the

Third Division. The Office of the Ombudsman earlier recommended bail at P40,000 or P30,000 for one count of graft and P10,000 for one count of usurpation of authority.

The cases against the former president stemmed from his alleged act of allowing then-suspended Purisima to participate in the planning and implementation of the botched “Oplan Exodus,” an operation that led to the deaths of 44 SAF operatives in 2015 in Mindanao.

Purisima and Napeñas were indicted in January, while Aquino was charged in court in November. n

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FROM THE FRONT PAGE

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 2-5, 2017

A3

PH, US begin discussions on bilateral...

PAGE A1 t In a meeting held under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), officials on Thursday, November 29, discussed how to enhance the economic relationship between the two countries.

According to Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo, who led the Philippine delegation to the TIFA meeting, among the topics discussed during the meeting include the Philippines’ proposed bilateral FTA with the U.S. “Building on the productive bilateral meeting of our leaders in Manila recently, we have also begun discussions on negotiating and concluding a possible bilateral free trade agreement with the United States,” Rodolfo said in his remarks after the meeting held in Washington, D.C. Earlier in November, Filipino officials suggested a bilateral free trade agreement be concluded with the U.S. during Duterte’s meeting with Trump.

The U.S. is the third biggest trading partner of the Philippines in 2016 after China and Japan. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), U.S. accounts for the 11.6 percent or $16.427 bil-

The Philippines and the United States engage in a wide-ranging discussion in an informal meeting under their Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) held on Wednesday.

November 29 in Washington, D.C. Photo courtesy of PH Embassy

lion total trade of the country last year.

Data from PSA also showed U.S. exports to the Philippines increased 9 percent to $8.3 billion in 2016.

Overall, Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez described the recent TIFA meeting as “productive and frank.”

“This TIFA meeting came barely a fortnight after the successful bilateral meeting between Philippine President Rodrigo R.

Robredo not given chance...

PAGE A1 t He spoke out after students, city residents and members of the media asked him why Robredo, the highest official of the land during the event, was not given time to speak.

Caloocan Mayor Oscar Malapitan delivered the opening remarks where he boasted of the 20-percent decrease in the crime rate in the city and various programs and projects, including the TutubanClark railway and the opening of the new “Big Dome” on December 8.

It was Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana who served as the guest of honor and speaker, and talked about the “untold and true story” of Andres Bonifacio.

Aside from the three officials, also present in the rites were Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, National Historical Commission Director Ludovico Badoy and Gregorio Bonifacio, a relative of Andres Bonifacio.

President Rodrigo Duterte did not attend the ceremony and opt-

ed to visit Mindanao.

‘Face today’s challenges’ Lorenzana called on Filipinos to draw inspiration from Bonifacio’s legacy of freedom.

“In our battle against today’s challenges, may we get inspiration from Andres Bonifacio, the Katipunan and the revolution that is part of [the history]of the Filipino people,” Lorenzana said.

“May we also live our everyday lives with valor, patriotism and nationality left by Andres Bonifacio,” he added.

The Defense chief said Filipinos should be reminded of Bonifacio’s words “Aling pag-ibig pa ang hihigit kaya, sa pagkadalisay, sa pagkadakila, gaya ng pag-ibig sa tinubuang lupa, aling pag-ibig pa (What love can be purer and greater than love of country? What other love)?”

‘Bonifacio taught us how to use freedom’ Lt. Gen. Rolando Joselito Bautista, commanding general of the Philippine Army, said Bonifacio was not only a fighter for the country’s freedom, but also taught

Duterte and U.S. President Donald J. Trump in Manila, where the two leaders affirmed their commitment to further deepen the extensive United States-Philippines economic relationship,” Romualdez said.

“This early follow-up is a clear demonstration of the two countries’ shared resolve to enhance our long-standing partnership for mutual prosperity,” he added.

The next TIFA meeting in 2018 is expected to be held in Manila.

(AJPress) Filipinos how to use it.

“Gat Andres Bonifacio is a hero to all of us not only because he fought for our freedom, but because he also taught us how to use the hard-won freedom in the best interests of our country and people,” Bautista said in a statement.

“As we pay tribute to Gat Andres Bonifacio, let us instill this culture of heroism and go beyond our call of duty as we serve the people and secure the land,” he added.

Bautista was among the major military service commanders who attended the wreath-laying ceremony and commemorative program in Caloocan City.

In Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, the headquarters of the Philippine Army, a wreath-laying ceremony was also held and attended by Nerizza Distrito-Gaco, a descendant of Bonifacio.

“As protectors of the people and the state, the army personnel once again rekindled the heroism that Gat Andres Bonifacio displayed during the Philippine Revolution, an ordinary Filipino who is ready to respond to the call of duty,” Bautista said. (With reports from Dempsey Reyes) ■

SEND-OFF. The Vietnamese fishermen wave goodbye to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and the rest of the officials of the Philippine Government during the ceremonial send-off of the Vietnamese fisherman at the Sual Wharf and Causeway in Sual, Pangasinan on Wednesday, November 29.

Malacañang photo by Ace Morandante

Republican tax bill discussions...

PAGE A1 t The original House bill — the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — was met with much criticism upon introduction earlier this year.

The bill detailed major tax cut for corporations, whose tax rate would drop from 35 percent to 20 percent.

The Senate version retains the seven-bracket system for individuals (currently: 10 percent, 15 percent, 25 percent, 28 percent, 33 percent, 35 percent, and 39.6 percent.), but lowers the rates for all but two thresholds (10 percent, 12 percent, 22 percent, 24 percent, 32 percent, 35 percent and 38.5 percent).

By contrast, the House bill condenses the system into four brackets: 12 percent, 25 percent, 35 percent and 39.6 percent; this would raise the tax rate for the lowest income-earners.

In accordance to Senate rules, the Senate bill eliminates the individual tax provisions that help the middle class, including the child tax credit and lower tax rates at each income bracket, as a way to avoid driving up the deficit.

However, the Joint Committee on Taxation said on Thursday that the Senate bill will add $1 trillion to the deficit over the next ten years, even with economic growth.

Moreover, the committee said that any form of economic growth will offset only $407 billion of the $1.5 trillion cost, further muddying the Republican stance that the bill will not add to the federal budget.

Much like the Reagan-era “trickle-down” economics, Re-

publicans promise that passing the biggest corporate tax in American history will catalyze an economic boom that will generate more jobs and more income for the middle class.

To the event in which the economy doesn’t grow fast enough for the GOP’s projections to flourish, several GOP senators pushed for a “trigger” which would automatically boost taxes, as previously reported in the Asian Journal.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said on Thursday that a trigger would “avoid a situation where you’re not creating deficits should the projections that have been laid out not be real.”

Additionally, the trigger would hopefully stop the federal deficit from increasing, which many lawmakers are afraid the GOP bills would do.

Economists, however, argue that lowering the tax rate won’t necessarily ignite a jobs boom that will boost the incomes of middle-class Americans. Instead, a likely scenario could involve returning the extra revenue to corporate shareholders.

“Frankly, I think they are bonkers,” David Mendels, former CEO of software firm Brightcove, told Politico. “It doesn’t really work that way. No CEO sits there and says, ‘When my tax rate goes down, I’m going to hire more people and pay them more.’”

How likely is it to pass?

Democrats are currently fighting to halt the bill’s passage, but due to the Republican control of both chambers, their efforts carry little weight.

Since the debate on the legislation is only limited to 20 hours

of deliberation, a Democratic filibuster is unlikely, a feat Republicans were seeking to bypass.

Contents of the bill are expected to change within that 20-hour window with Republicans looking to compromise differences held by party leaders.

Republicans remain confident that the bill will pass, but have yet to hear confirmation from a few key Republicans who have committed support.

Previously, the passage of the bill was a concern due to misgivings by key Republican lawmakers, including Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska); all three had rejected several versions of the rebuffed GOP health care bill.

However, on Tuesday, McCain, who previously wavered on his support, confirmed that he’d vote “yes” on the bill.

“I believe this legislation, though far from perfect, would enhance American competitiveness, boost the economy and provide long-overdue tax relief for middle-class families,” the 2008 Republican presidential candidate said in a statement.

Murkowski is also expected to vote “yes.”

Collins, who (like McCain) hasn’t shied away from voting against her party, said she remains concerned about the effect to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) mandate. She also remains unsure about the provision that ensures that taxpayers can deduct some state and local taxes, a measure known as SALT. The current version of the bill eliminates the Obamacare mandate and doesn’t clearly state

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UN: Philippines best to lead in global disaster management

by Jaime laude Philstar.com

Legislation and regulation books are stacked and ready in the House Ways and Means Committee hearing room ahead of a markup session of the proposed GOP tax reform bill on Nov. 6.

Photo by Chip Somodevilla

Congress isn’t really done with health care — just look at what’s in the tax bills

by Julie

RovneR Kaiser Health News

HAvING failed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Congress is now working on a tax overhaul. But it turns out the tax bills in the House and Senate also aim to reshape health care.

Here are five big ways the tax bill could affect health policy: 1. Repeal the requirement for most people to have health insurance or pay a tax penalty.

Republicans tried and failed to end the so-called individual mandate this year when they attempted to advance their health overhaul legislation. Now the idea is back, at least in the Senate’s version of the tax bill. The measure would not technically remove the requirement for people to have insurance, but it would eliminate the fine people would face if they choose to remain uninsured.

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that dropping the requirement would result in 13 million fewer people having insurance over 10 years.

It also estimates that premiums would rise 10 percent more per year than they would without this change. That is because healthier people would be most likely to drop insurance in the absence of a fine, so insurers would have to raise premiums to compensate for a sicker group of customers. Those consumers, in turn, would be left with fewer affordable choices, according to the CBO. State insurance officials are concerned that insurers will drop out of the individual market entirely if there is no requirement for healthy people to sign up, but they still have to sell to people who know they will need medical care.

Ironically, the states most likely to see this kind of insurance-market disruption are those that are reliably Republican. An analysis by the Los Angeles Times suggested that the states with the fewest insurers and the highest premiums — including Alaska, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, and Wyoming — would be the ones left with either no coverage options or options too expensive for most consumers in the individual market.

2. Repeal the medical expense deduction.

The House-passed tax bill, although not the Senate’s, would

eliminate taxpayers’ ability to deduct medical expenses that exceed 10 percent of their adjusted gross income.

The medical expense deduction is not widely used — just under 9 million tax filers took it on their 2015 tax returns, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

But those who do use it generally have very high medical expenses, often for a disabled child, a serious chronic illness or expensive long-term care not covered by health insurance.

Among those most vehemently against getting rid of the deduction is the senior advocacy group AARP. Eliminating the deduction, the group said in a statement, “amounts to a health tax on millions of Americans with high medical costs — especially middle income seniors.�

3. Trigger major cuts to the Medicare program.

The tax bills include no specific Medicare changes, but budget analysts point out that passing it in its current form would trigger another law to kick in. That measure requires cuts to federal programs if the federal budget deficit is increased.

Because the tax bills in both the House and Senate would add an additional $1.5 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years, both would result in automatic cuts under the Statutory Pay-AsYou-Go Act of 2010, known as PAYGO. According to the CBO, if Congress passes the tax bill and does not waive the PAYGO law, federal officials “would be required to issue a sequestration order within 15 days of the end of the session of Congress to reduce spending in fiscal year 2018 by the resultant total of $136 billion.�

Cuts to Medicare are limited under the PAYGO law, so the Medicare reduction would be limited to 4 percent of program spending, which is roughly $25 billion of that total. Cuts of a similar size would be required in future years. Most of that would likely come from payments to providers.

4. Change tax treatment for graduate students and those paying back student loans.

The House bill, though not the Senate’s, would for the first time require graduate students to pay tax on the value of tuition that universities do not require them to pay.

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Currently, graduate students in many fields, including science, often are paid a small stipend for teaching while they pursue advanced degrees. Many are technically charged tuition, but it is â&#x20AC;&#x153;waivedâ&#x20AC;? as long as they are working for the university.

The House tax bill would eliminate that waiver and require them to pay taxes on the full value of the tuition they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to pay, which would result in many students with fairly low incomes seeing very large tax bills.

At the same time, the House tax bill would eliminate the deduction for interest paid on student loans.

This would disproportionately affect young doctors.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, 75 percent of the medical school class of 2017 graduated with student loan debt, with nearly half owing $200,000 or more.

5. Change or eliminate the tax credit that encourages pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs for rare diseases.

Congress created the so-called Orphan Drug Credit in 1983, as part of a package of incentives intended to entice drugmakers to study and develop drugs to treat rare diseases, defined as those affecting fewer than 200,000 people. With such a small potential market, it does not otherwise make financial sense for the companies to spend the millions of dollars necessary to develop treatments for such ailments.

To date, about 500 drugs have come to market using the incentives, although in some cases drugmakers have manipulated the credit for extra financial gain.

The House tax bill would eliminate the tax credit; the Senate bill would scale it back. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), chairman of the tax-writing Finance Committee, is one of the original sponsors of the orphan drug law.

The drug industry has been relatively quiet about the potential loss of the credit, but the National Organization for Rare Disorders called the change â&#x20AC;&#x153;wholly unacceptableâ&#x20AC;? and said it â&#x20AC;&#x153;would directly result in 33 percent fewer orphan drugs coming to market.â&#x20AC;?

Kaiser Health News, a nonprofit health newsroom whose stories appear in news outlets nationwide, is an editorially independent part of the Kaiser Family Foundation. n

BEING a disaster-prone country and for its efforts in making the country and people disaster-resilient, the Philippines is in the best position to be the global leader in disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM), the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) said.

UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reductionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special representative Robert Glasser made the declaration before business executives and other private and government stakeholders at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Top Leadersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Forum (TLF) held at the Conrad Hotel in Pasay City.

The Philippines, he said, is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Coupled with the initiatives it has been making since Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) hit the country in 2013, the country is in the best position to show the world the best practices in DRRM. The TLF is a private sector conference convened by the UNDISDR and SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPHI) to find concrete measures that would make businesses more disaster-resilient.

In the 2015 TLF, the group es-

tablished the Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies (ARISE) with SMPHI as the secretariat for the Philippine chapter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Philippines as we know is one of the most significantly exposed countries in the world to these hazards â&#x20AC;&#x201C; volcanic, seismic, tsunami, extreme weather â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they are all hereâ&#x20AC;Śand they create huge impacts â&#x20AC;&#x201C; loss of lives, the economy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so this really is a critical issue for us to discuss and address,â&#x20AC;? Glasser said.

Aside from sitting on the socalled ring of fire, the Philippines is visited by around 18 to 20 typhoons annually, some of which can be very destructive.

Glasser said the creation of the National Resilience Council (NRC) is an innovative step that will demonstrate globally the Philippines as the pioneer in best DRRM practices and climate change adaptation initiatives. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The NRC is a global best practice because nowhere in the world, wealthy and developing, has this model which engages business, civil society and science and technology tighter with the government to address DRRM and climate risk,â&#x20AC;? Glasser emphasized.

The integrated model on DRRM and climate risk assessment, according to him, is a major opportunity for the Philippines to demonstrate the best DRRM practices as well as to showcase its climate change integration in planning and implementation in all sectors of society.

Catastrophe arising from climate change like weather, increasing temperatures, devastating floods and ecological risks, among others, account for over 70 percent of all major disasters all over the world and they have doubled in frequency over the past decades. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are expected to get worse in the years to come. This is why DRRM and climate change adaptation should be integrated like what is being done by the NRC,â&#x20AC;?

Glasser said.

The NRC is co-chaired by the Department of National Defense (DND) and SMPHI. It is the first public-private partnership on DRRM that engages both the government and private businesses with civil society communities to contribute to national and local legislation and policy development to make the country better prepared to cope with disasters. n

SM Prime executive committee chairman Hans Sy (right), who also sits as board member of the Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies, is joined by Robert Glasser, special representative of the UN Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction, during the 2017 Top Leaders Forum in Pasay City on Wednesday, Nov. 29.

Philstar.com photo by Geremy Pintolo

Hidilyn Diaz snatches silver...

ahead of Diaz with total of 204 kg. to give the 26-year-old Diaz a Diaz lost a potential medal in silver in the clean and jerk and a the snatch after she blew her first bronze in the snatch as she fin- attempt at 83kg and another one ished with a total of 199kg. at 90kg.

Thai Sopita Tanasan swept all She made up for it with a stronthree mints in the division after ger performance in the clean and she registered 96kg in snatch, jerk where she fell a kilo short of 114kg in clean and jerk and beating Tanasan and snaring the 210kg overall. gold.

Newbie Kristina Shermatova Diaz, however, performed betof Kazakhstan picked up a silver ter than reigning Olympic cham-

PAGE A1 t

Palace tells supporters...

PAGE A2 t For Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, a former justice secretary, backing the idea of establishing a revolutionary government is considered illegal and that supporters of the cause must be held accountable. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Alam nila na itoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;y bawal sa

ating Saligang-Batas ngunit hinayaan lang nila dahil pawang mga kaalyado nila ang nasa likod nito (They know that it is against the Constitution but they are allowing it knowing that their allies are behind such calls),â&#x20AC;? said Drilon on Friday, December 1.

But in a contrasting state-

pion Hsu Shu Chin of Chinese Taipei, who surprisingly withdrew after ending second in the snatch.

Another Philippine bet, 21year-old Kristel Macrohon, a bronze medal winner in Ashgabat, was likewise eyeing to go home with medals in the 69kg class as of press time.

The event also served as part of Diazâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s buildup for the Asian Games set in Palembang, Indonesia next year as well as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. n ment, current Justice Secretary vitaliano Aguirre II insisted that those who joined the demonstrations pushing for a revolutionary government have the right to express their support for the cause. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All of us have the right to express our own opinion,â&#x20AC;? Aguirre noted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is nothing wrong [with that]. In other words, we are free to express our own opinion.â&#x20AC;? n

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A

Arum thumbs down fight between Pacquiao, McGregor

by Dino

Maragay Philstar.com

Top Rank Inc. boss Bob Arum is not enthusiastic about the prospect of Manny pacquiao taking on UFC star Conor McGregor in a boxing match.

For Arum, McGregor — who recently tried his luck in boxing against Floyd Mayweather Jr. — has no business being in a boxing ring.

“If we equate boxing with fighting — because I’m not talking about his ability as an MMA participant because he has been very good with that — Conor McAccording to a press statement released by the EU delegation in the Philippines on Thursday, among the topics discussed during the ASEAN-EU Gregor can’t spell fight,” the veteran promoter recently told CBS dialogue were trafficking in persons, achieving gender equality, sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, and rights of the child.

Photo from Mission of the European Union to ASEAN Sports.

Mayweather stopped McGregor in nine rounds of their fight last May, which turned out to be a financial success. pacquiao, for his part, made noise last week when he tweeted McGregor a Thanksgiving messpecific areas, including “traf- Stavros Lambrinidis. sage that also sounded like an by ian nicolas cigaral Both sides convened in Bohol invitation for a showdown. ficking in persons, business and Philstar.com human rights as well as wom- this week. The first eU-ASeAN But Arum is barely interested.

THe 10-member Associa- en’s and children’s rights and dialogue was held in october “Mayweather carried him betion of Southeast Asian Nations the rights of migrant workers, 2015 in Brussels. fore he took him out. With Manny, european Council president it wouldn’t be a contest, it would and the european Union on and the right to development.”

“The two sides expressed Donald Tusk last month visited Wednesday, Nov. 29, held their second policy dialogue, where their commitment to the pro- Manila for the 40th ASeAN-eU the eU met to revive plans to both agreed to promote and motion and protection of hu- Commemorative Summit where forge a free trade agreement protect human rights amid is- man rights and fundamental he stressed that deepening ties between the two economic sues hounding Southeast Asia. freedoms contained in the Uni- based on respect for human blocs.

The first eU-ASeAN trade According to a press state- versal Declaration of Human rights and the rule of law retalks were stopped in 2009 ment released by the eU del- Rights and the international mains a “priority” of europe.

In october, a working group after both sides encountered egation in the philippines on human rights instruments to Thursday, November 30, among which ASeAN Member States representing the ASeAN and problems in establishing comthe topics discussed during the are parties,” the eU said.

“They exchanged views about ASeAN-eU dialogue were trafficking in persons, achieving recent developments in human gender equality, sustainable rights in ASeAN and in the eU,” use of terrestrial ecosystems, it added.

“They agreed to explore to and rights of the child.

The two blocs also tackled holding their next dialogue in during their “open and con- 2018.”

The second ASeAN-eU diastructive” meeting rights of migrant workers, business and logue on human rights was cohuman rights/corporate social chaired by Leo Herrera-Lim, responsibility, and rights of chair of ASeAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human persons with disabilities.

ASeAN and eU also agreed Rights, and by eU special repto continue their cooperation in resentative for human rights

ASEAN, EU agree to promote and protect human rights

Kobe Paras said it’s “unfair for the locals” to have an “import” MVP. Paras was referring to De La Salle University’s Ben Mbala from Cameroon, who was recently named MVP of this year’s University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).

Philstar.com photos

Kobe Paras draws flak after call for separate local and ‘import’ MVP awards AFTeR his controversial advice to fledgling talent Kai Sotto, Kobe paras is once again making noise in social media.

The outspoken paras took to Twitter to air his sentiment on La Salle’s Cameroonian player Ben Mbala bagging his straight MVp award.

“Really unfair for the locals,” he wrote.

This comment sparked negative reaction from netizens, with some calling him a “hypocrite” considering that he is a Filipino

playing abroad. earlier, the 20-year-old paras urged Ateneo Blue eaglet Sotto to consider playing overseas, specifically in the U.S. paras was supposed to play for the UCLA but withdrew after failing to meet academic requirements. He transferred to Creighton and saw limited time for the Bluejays before transferring again to Cal State Northridge.

He is currently serving his residency and will see action next season. (Philstar.com)

Republican tax bill discussions...

PAGE A3 t whether the SALT amendment will remain.

“The SALT amendment is extremely important to me,” Collins said. “The health care agreement is extremely important for me. It would be very difficult for me to support the bill if I do not prevail on those two issues.”

The Gop tax bills have been deliberated with almost no bipartisanship collaboration, which has unanimously angered Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) who oppose giving corporations and the most affluent tax breaks with the hope of positively affecting the middle class.

“So here’s my suggestion. Instead of giving corporations a big tax cut, let’s give the middle class a real tax cut. Instead of giving America’s most fortunate more tax breaks, let’s ask them to make a contribution a little bit more to help invest in infrastructure, job training and making college more affordable,” Harris offered at a Senate Budget Committee hearing on Tuesday. “Instead of playing politics with people’s lives, let’s listen to the American people

who have spoken loud and clear.”

It’s not only Democratic lawmakers who oppose the bill. A majority of Americans also expressed unfavorable opinions of the bill, which is slowly becoming one of the least popular tax proposals since the Reagan era.

According to a Quinnipiac University survey, only 25 percent of voters approved of the plan. other surveys conducted by ABC News/Wapo, CNN, Morning Consult and YouGov found approval at 36 percent or lower; voters found that the bill disproportionately favors the rich while providing little to no help for the middle class.

A majority of small businesses also oppose the bill, saying that the plan will benefit wealthy corporations the most.

A poll from the public policy polling taken from Nov. 17-18 found that only 34 percent of small businesses support the Gop tax bills while 51 percent opposed it; nearly 800 small business owners across the nation were surveyed.

As of press time, the Senate vote has not been completed.

(Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

Manny Pacquiao vs. Connor McGreggor in a boxing match? Top Rank Inc. boss Bob Arum isn’t too happy about the idea.

Philstar.com photos

be a money grab,” pacquiao’s longtime promoter continued.

“Conor McGregor is not a boxer and does not know how to box. His stance is a stance of an MMA fighter who has to protect against kicks and takedowns. He is not competitive with any fighter no matter how old that fighter is,” he added. pacquiao hasn’t fought since losing to Australian Jeff Horn last July, and boxing observers are clueless as to his career

plans. But he could fight again early next year against any interested opponent.

Just don’t expect it to be McGregor right away.

“The answer is no, I wouldn’t particularly look forward to doing a fight featuring McGregor and pacquiao,” Arum insisted.

There is, however, one reason for Arum to explore a pacquiaoMcGregor boxing duel.

“If Manny asked me to, I would,” said Arum. n

mon standards and resolving wealth disparities.

Questions over rights record of many ASeAN economies had also become a challenge in creating an FTA given eU’s high regard for human rights in its trade policies.

Among the human rights issues recently hounding ASeAN were the philippines’ bloody “war on drugs,” the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, the crackdown on dissenters in Vietnam and Cambodia, and junta rule in Thailand. n

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Filipino bodybuilder in NY nabbed for child porn NEW YORK – Police arrested a Filipino professional bodybuilder in Rego Park, Queens on conspiracy to produce child por-

ChIld porn suspect Keith Liwanag

nography.

According to the criminal complaint, Keith Liwanag used a Facebook account in Septem-

Photo from Liwanag’s Pinterest account

ber and October of 2016 to direct women in the Philippines to engage in sexual acts with children in exchange for money and then produce and send child pornography over Facebook’s private messaging service, according to a report by ABC7 News.

Liwanag allegedly sent several messages to a woman in September 2016 asking her to sexually abuse a 6-year-old boy as part of a “show” in exchange for money.

He also allegedly communicated with another woman about a “show” with the woman’s son, offering her money to perform a sex act on him.

It is further alleged that in October 2016, Liwanag solicited photographs from a woman showing the sexual abuse of her child. The woman sent Liwanag two images, according to police, who say the evidence gathered includes 10 recorded video conferences between Liwanag and women engaged in the sexual abuse of children. (Inquirer.net)

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ST. EZEKIEL AT THE MOLINO DAM. National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Chairman Dr. Rene Escalante (2nd left), NHCP Executive Director Ludovico Badoy (left), Senator Cynthia Villar (2nd right), and Bacoor City Vice Mayor Catherine Evaristo (right) formally unveil the San Ezekiel Moreno Statue at the Molino Dam in Cavite on Friday, December 1. Saint Ezekiel Moreno, an Augustinian Recollect, pushed for the rehabilitation of the dam in the 1880s.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

Social media being used to ruin democracies including Philippines

by Audrey

MorAllo Philstar.com

THERE is an increasing worldwide pattern of social media use to aid repressive regimes and undermine democracy, a digital diplomacy expert said on Wednesday, Nov. 29.

Damien Spry, a digital diplomacy researcher and consultant based in Hong Kong, said things had greatly changed since the “bliss” spawned by the Arab Spring which made people see YouTube, Facebook and Twitter as vehicles that could strengthen civil society and the public sphere.

“Maybe they weren’t wrong then, but things are different now. Social media has achieved pariah status. Like Saturn, the internet revolution is devouring its children,” Spry wrote in a commentary on the Interpreter, an online publication of the Lowy Institute which is an independent, nonpartisan think tank based in Sydney, Australia.

Spry said that Freedom House’s latest Freedom on the Net report detailed declines in internet freedom for the past seven years.

Other reports have also catalogued the breadth, variety and impact of social media manipulation in different countries including the Philippines through the use of paid and unpaid online agents and automated accounts (bots) that would post, share, like, quote and re-post content to influence politics.

In its 2017 Freedom on the Net report, Freedom House discussed how an army of social media commentators were paid to manipulate the information landscape in the Philippines to support President Rodrigo Duterte.

Freedom House said that there was an increase in reports of commentators being paid to manipulate social media infor-

Social media are increasingly being used to prop up repressive regimes and undermine democracies worldwide, according to a digital diplomacy expert.

Philstar.com photo

mation from June 2016 to May 2017.

“News reports citing individuals involved said the commenters, which they characterized as part of a ‘keyboard army,’ could earn at least P500 ($10) a day operating fake social media accounts supporting President Rodrigo Duterte or attacking his detractors,” Freedom House said.

The report also noted that overall internet freedom in the country slightly worsenedduring the covered period.

There were also technical attacks targeting media groups such as the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines from June last year to May, according to Freedom House.

One of the bases of the Freedom House Report was an Oxford University study which found that the Duterte campaign spent around P10 million to hire trolls who would spread propaganda material online.

The study said that Duterte’s team of 400 to 500 cyber troops posted nationalistic and progovernment comments and ha-

rassed online dissenters.

According to Spry, these are just some of the main tactics used in manipulating information found on the internet.

He said that manipulators would feign grassroots support (astroturfing), smear opponents and disrupt online campaigns through distractions.

“The use of bots greatly amplifies impact: one human user can direct hundreds of bots to automatically generate thousands of posts and comments,” he wrote.

The large amount of content and interactions, Spry said, would push it to the top of the pile and would make it more likely to appear on social media feeds of others.

A common tactic in countering an anti-government hashtag campaign is by promoting alternative hashtags or by posting nonsense using the critical hashtag, he noted.

Spry said that some of the countries affected by this were Sudan through its “Cyber Jihadists,” the Philippines with its “keyboard army,” Turkey through its 6,000 trolls and Mexico with its 75,000 automated accounts known as ‘Peñabots.’ n

Austin mourns passing of prominent Fil-Am LGBTQ advocate-volunteer

by Jun

nucuM Inquirer.net

AUSTIN, Texas — To the tune of “Oh When the Saints Come Marching In” played by a Mardi Gras-type band, dozens of followers and supporters of a Filipina champion of equal rights and social justice marched as they danced, from Austin’s City Hall grounds towards Oilcan Harry’s, a well-known Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) watering hole to continue the memorial for Cecilia Lourdes Bulaong Gratias.

The memorial was held exactly a week after honoree Gratias, 53, died from a short battle against aggressive breast cancer that slowed down her very active public life.

Mayor Steve Adler had read his and the council’s proclamation of November 12 as Cecilia Lourdes Bulaong Gratias Day, and Cecilia’s dear friends led by City Council Member Jimmy Flannigan shared memories of her.

Cecilia’s close cousin Rona Quejada, who grew up with her in the Philippines, said that she was not surprised by the impact Gratias had had in helping communities. But she was amazed with the number of people who came forward to tell how she had helped them.

Councilor Flannigan said the memorial showed Gratias’ accomplishments and “how important she was to me and the whole city.”

Flannigan said “Ceci Gratias was irreplaceable” although he noted that his close friend for 20 years “was a behind-the-scenes, get-things-done kind of person.”

“She is the best person I have ever known. Her warmth, her

Ceci Gratias Inquirer.net photo by Rona Quejada

love, her openness she was able to build bridges across communities that nobody else could build.

She walked into a room the people instantly loved her,” added Flannigan.

“She was most at home in coffee shops — late-night meetings over food and drinks brainstorming about the future and how to make the world a better place.”

Gratias was most recently Flannigan’s constituent relations director. She also did volunteer work for “Austin nonprofit groups OutYouth, Allgo, Queerbomb, Human Rights Campaign (HRC)Austin, Lifeworks’ homeless youth program, the Austin Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (AGLCC), the National Gay Chamber and her specific and unique commitment to Austin LGBTQ issues diversified the scope of traditional activism to include and encourage intersectional collaborations with groups from all ages, races, orientations, beliefs, and economic backgrounds,” Flannigan said.

Gratias initially organized Pride

parades and festivals and then served as the AGLCC’s president and CEO. One of her most lauded achievements was setting up a scholarship foundation that was responsible for sending many people to college.

In early January this year, she was chosen by the Human Rights Campaign-Texas to receive the 2017 Bettie Naylor Visibility Award, a prestigious commendation for promoting and embodying LGBTQ visibility, while the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce is set to commemorate her life and legacy at their annual National Dinner celebration.

In a video prepared in time for her Betty Naylor Visibility Award Ceci Gratias, a Univrsity of the Philippines graduate, shared that her “personal mission is true equality really. It is more about everybody feeling safe wherever they are and not being afraid who they are in expressing themselves.”

Gratias was honored by many friends and government officials, among them Austin Council Member Ora Houston, Congressman Lloyd Doggett of 35th District of Texas and Mike Madrid of Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Houston called Gratias “such a kind spirit she has a gentle heart.

She is one of those people who listened, really listened with empathy to the things that person tries to share with her.”

“I was very visible, but I was an invisible gay. Until I was 43 just a couple of years ago, and I felt like Ceci gave me the inspiration and the strength to be able to (come out). And it was very liberating.

And I have her to thank,” Madrid stated.

Gratias’ ashes were flown back to the Philippines for burial. n

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Dateline PMarawi hiliPPines task force wants martial law during rehab

by Catherine

S. Valente ManilaTimes.net

TASK Force Bangon Marawi chief Eduardo del Rosario on Friday, December 1 said he is open to extending martial law in Mindanao to secure rehabilitation efforts in Marawi City from terrorist attacks.

During the “Bangon Marawi” briefing in Malacañang, del Rosario, citing intelligence reports, claimed members of Islamic State (IS)-inspired Maute terrorists continued to operate in Mindanao and were conducting “massive recruitment” of new members.

“It’s really very important that we can continue to ensure that the whole area, not only Marawi City but the whole of Mindanao, will be secured from any terrorist threat,” del Rosario said.

Del Rosario, who also heads the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, feared that the purported massive recruitment by the terrorist group might The International Association of Democratic Lawyers has called on the Philippine government to stop killings and rights abuses.

Photo courtesy of Edre Olalia, National Union of People’s Lawyers impede rehabilitation efforts in the city.

International lawyers group urges PH to end drug war killings, abuses

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

A GROUP of international lawyers on Thursday, November 30, called on the Philippine government to stop the alleged killings and human rights abuses under its controversial anti-illegal drugs campaign.

The International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL), in a resolution, made note that human rights violations persist in the country, as showed by “several credible reports and documentation.”

Such violations, the group claimed, were carried on through extrajudicial killings, illegal arrests, enforced disappearances, and internal displacement.

“According to various reports, the number of individuals suspected to be involved in illegal drugs who apparently fell victims to extrajudicial or summary killings during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte ranges from 8,000 to 12,000 dead,” IADL said.

The group also cited the data from Philippine police which

notes 3,900 drug-related deaths as of October 2017.

The Duterte administration has repeatedly claimed that the more than 8,000 drug war deaths cited by various critics and human rights groups were bloated.

As they also denied that such deaths were state-sanctioned, Philippine officials further claimed that suspects who were slain during operations violently resisted arrest.

In the same resolution, IADL likewise cited the reported deaths of civilians who were killed after being suspected of supporting a group of communist rebels in the country.

“On top of this, according to human rights groups, at least 88 persons, mostly farmers, have reportedly been slain on suspicion of supporting the rebel New People’s Army (NPA) as of August 31, 2017,” IADL said.

The IADL then called on the Philippine government to resume its peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). Duterte terminated the talks last week amid NPA’s continued attacks

on the military.

The NPA serves as the armed wing of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), while the NDF serves as the political arm.

The IADL also called on the Philippine government to end illegal arrests, prosecute and end impunity of the perpetrators of human rights violations.

The group further urged the Duterte administration to ensure the protection of rights defenders, and respect international law, as it slammed the president for issuing statements against several high-ranking government who criticized some of his policies.

“President Duterte has openly shown intolerance of criticism and dissent when he publicly attacked not only mass organizations and the opposition but also the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Commission on Human Rights, the Ombudsman, the media and even the president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippine for what he perceived to be statements critical of him or his human rights record,” IADL said. n

“Personally, I would like martial law to continue during the rehabilitation phase because as chairman of Task Force Bangon Marawi, my main concern is the security of the whole rehabilitation effort. Just imagine if something will happen in Marawi City during the rehabilitation phase, contractors and laborers might no longer come there. It will be difficult for us during the rehabilitation phase,” he said.

Martial law was declared in Mindanao on May 23, when Maute men attacked the Islamic city. Under the 1987 Constitution, the declaration was limited to 60 days. But on the request of President Rodrigo Duterte, Congress extended it until December 31, 2017.

The battle between the security forces and terrorists took nearly five months, and ended with the deaths of IS emir Isnilon Hapilon and Maute leader Omar Maute.

On November 18, Duterte said the lifting of martial law in the en-

tire Mindanao would depend on the recommendation of the military and the police.

No assurance of total restoration During the Palace press briefing, Lanao del Sur Assemblyman Zia Alonto Adiong emphasized that end of Marawi crisis would not ensure the total restoration of the strife-torn city.

Adiong likewise said the Maute group might take advantage of the government’s “leniency” to be able to recruit new members.

“Actually, we’ve been saying this all along. The crisis will really start after the war. And there are several reports that we’ve been receiving that the recruitment activity is now ongoing in some other towns,” Adiong siad.

Del Rosario said Task Force Bangon Marawi would coordinate with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to make the necessary recommendation on the extension of the martial law. n

A8 DECEMBER 2-5, 2017 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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OPINION

Shoot on sight

FEATURES

THE military clarified that there is no formal order from President Rodrigo Duterte to shoot on sight any armed communist rebel. But with the president’s public pronouncements, and with 15 suspected New People’s Army members slain by government forces in a clash last Tuesday, Dec. 28, it looks like the government is intensifying its campaign against the rebels, now described as terrorists.

In line with this, a presidential decree has been issued, which also terminated the peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front. An executive order is expected to formalize the decree. In response, the CPP-NDF also ordered intensified attacks on government targets while at the same time leaving the door open for the resumption of peace negotiations.

The scrapping of the peace talks must be accompanied not only by heightened vigilance and operations by government forces against the NPA, but also by greater efforts to address the causes of the insurgency. People from marginalized sectors, professionals and university students continue to be drawn to the communist movement because of social injustices.

Economic empowerment and inclusive growth reduce the appeal of armed struggle. Development efforts that reduce poverty and promote inclusion must be intensified especially in rural areas. For

more specific grievances, local government officials can reach out to groups identified with the CPPNDF to discuss enduring peace.

President Duterte’s daughter Sara is doing this in their home city of Davao, where she is mayor.

At the same time, the government must heighten security for private citizens and enterprises that are favorite targets of the NPA for extorting “revolutionary taxes.” NPA banditry has been driving away investments and jobs, and aggravating the inadequacy of telecommunications services through frequent armed attacks on transmission towers.

Peace talks with the communists have broken down many times in the past. Whether the latest collapse will be short-lived or will last for the remainder of the Duterte administration, the government must not waste any moment in dealing with the insurgency at its roots. The President himself is aware that a military solution is never enough.

(Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

Kababayans share arguments against the Republican tax bill

The Fil-Am Perspective GEL SANTOS-RELOS PRESIDENT Donald Trump has been in office for almost a year now but has yet to score a legislative victory. This is why he has been so adamant in getting his Republican legislators to pass the GOP tax bill before Christmas.

However, even his party mates have aired their concerns about the tax bill, especially after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation studies reveal that such bill cutting taxes favors the richest of the rich Americans which is forecasted to increase the country’s debt and budget deficit by $1.4 trillion.

The studies further revealed that “starting in 2021, a year after the next election, Americans earning $10,000 to $30,000 a year or less would pay higher taxes if the bill passes thanks to plans to repeal a core element of Obama’s Affordable Care Act. The JCT also calculates that most Americans earning $75,000 or less would be paying higher taxes by 2027.”

“The middle class, especially those living in high-tax states, who

Rhizomes

PROSY ABARQUEZDELACRUZ, J.D. “The task of [a] composer belongs to the realm of the acoustical world. We often forget that this world is composed of silence, as well as sounds, and that the former are sometimes more important than sound itself. Silence, for me, is a space between two sounds, and in order to give this space its utmost importance, we must create the adequate framework in which to perceive it in time. The real task, the most difficult and perhaps the most important one in musical creation, is to put in order sounds that succeed each other in time in order to reveal the value of silence. The characteristic silence at the beginning of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, which contains all the expressive charge of the entire work, is a clear example of what I mean.” – Cristobal Halffter, Spanish Classical Composer and Orchestra Director, Villafranca, June 2000.

Man is said to be a bundle of possibilities, writes Eric Butterworth, “and his only business in life is the “express business” – or the business of expressing his inner self.” At the Village Studios in Westwood, many artists have revealed their inner selves, as Elzar “Dodjie” Simon during the launch

deduct their local property, income and sales taxes from their tax due could lose out from the complete or partial repeal of the deductions. Moreover, about 13 million Americans could lose health insurance coverage over 10 years under the Senate bill.

Add to these will be the social services that benefit the poor, the vulnerable and the middle class which are always the ones slashed to spend money.”

Trump has been claiming that this tax-reform legislation will protect low- and middle-income households, “not the wealthy and well connected.” He even said, “This is going to cost me a fortune...This is not good for me.”

Kababayans who are not fans of Trump shared these comments: “The Trump/Republican tax bill is another form of supply side or trickle down economics made popular during the Reagan administration. The general premise is by cutting taxes on the very wealthy and big corporations, the amount of money they will save will be used to fund investments that would benefit the entire economy and trickle down to the rest of us. Hence, the term trickle down.

“Cutting taxes will increase the budget deficit. However, propo-

nents argue that increased investments will stimulate the economy which will lead to more jobs and income for everyone else. A growing economy with more jobs and income available for most of the population will increase tax revenues for the government. Thereby offsetting the increase in budget deficits brought about by cutting taxes for the very wealthy and big corporations.

“That’s how it should work in theory. But theory and reality are two different things. First of all the very wealthy and big corporations are not obligated to use the money they save by not paying taxes for investments. They will only invest in the real economy by expanding the business if they think such expansion will reasonably result in profits. Otherwise, they will just put the money in the financial markets such as stocks and bonds. Doing so will not benefit the real economy. Big corporations can use the money saved by not paying taxes not for investments but for buying their own share with an aim to boost shortterm share prices.

“If the very wealthy and big corporations do not increase investments in the real economy that will boost tax revenues for the government, how would the gov-

ernment fund these tax cuts? The government can do a lot of things to address this. However, none of which will benefit the middle class and the poor. First, they increase taxes on the rest of us to offset the tax cuts for the wealthy and big corporations. Second, to prevent the budget deficit from further ballooning, the government will cut or decrease funding for social programs that benefit the middle class and the poor such as healthcare and education. Third, the government can borrow and/or print more money.

“These are the possible effects if the government do the things I mentioned above. The US government should implement a progressive tax system. This means that those who can bear the burden of taxation more such as the very wealthy and big corporations should be the ones to pay more in taxes. By doing the opposite, the U.S. government has made the tax system more regressive harming the middle class and the poor more. If taxes are to be cut, it should be done by reducing taxes on the middle class and the poor. This will have an effect on increasing disposable income. An increase in disposable income means consumers will have more money to

spend. Remember that the U.S. economy is at least 67 percent driven by consumer spending.

The middle class with its dwindling resources and the poor with very few resources are the ones that will suffer great harm if funding for vital social programs such as healthcare and education. The U.S. has the highest healthcare cost in the world and it keeps rising. How can ordinary citizens pay for the exorbitant costs of healthcare on their own? If the government decides to print more money it may risk increasing inflation. Runway inflation will be detrimental to the middle class and the poor who have dwindling purchasing power brought about by stagnating incomes and wages. And if the U.S. government decides to borrow money by issuing U.S. Treasuries, the very wealthy and big corporations can use the money they saved by not paying taxes to purchase these securities.

In turn by they earn interest by lending money to the U.S. government.

“The worst thing that this Trump/Republican tax plan will do is further worsen the ever-widening income and wealth inequality here in the US. In short, this will only make the fat cats fatter at the

expense of everyone else. Let’s not forget Donald Trump and his family will be a big beneficiary of this tax plan.” — Mike Bertuben “CBO is an economic body that calls a spade a spade and work[s] for the country, not a party.

“America cannot afford a $5 trillion tax cut. Based on what I’ve read on the details of what has been put forward by the Trump Administration so far, debt could rise to 111 percent of GDP by 2027 – a new historical record. In dollar terms under this estimate, debt held by the public would total $31 trillion in 2027 and gross debt would total $36 trillion. Simply put, growth can’t pay for this tax cut. Generations of Americans, including my children, will be saddled with more taxes to pay for Trump’s give away to the richest.

Call your representatives in Congress and tell them the trump tax bill helps the rich by screwing you. Tel no. (202) 224-3121.”

—Oj Jorge *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFilAmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook. com/Gel.Santos.Relos

Des Rêves: Cinematic motifs resonate The browning of America at album’s Southern California launch Street Talk

of his first CD in America.

In this recording studio, on the way up to the Moroccan Ballroom, Barbra Streisand’s and Rolling Stones’ photos with their framed vinyl caught my attention. It made me wonder: “Can a Filipino’s work hang on these walls someday?”

Perhaps not as vinyl records, as the 21st century has migrated into CDs, iTunes, Spotify and streaming music via cable.

I got inside the ballroom, where the smells from single spoons of palabok, lumpiang sariwa, rice with lechon, and hors d’oeuvres wafted through the room, catered

by LA Rose Cafe’s Lem Balagot and Rye Mendocillo.

Amongst the 60+ who attended, musicians/professional orchestrators Annie and Ed Nepomuceno, Mon David, Louie Reyes, Cesar de la Fuente, Louie Ramos, and orchestra conductor Robert Shroder, with filmmakers, doctors, retired professor, and family members came.

Why would a man, at the peak of his life, who journeyed from a BS degree in industrial engineering, to jobs in different parts of the world, to now Vice President and Global Data Infrastructure Lead for American International Group (AIG) — a Fortune 500 company, with $5 billion revenue, and a valuation at $64 billion — take a risk

GREG B. MACABENTA

Lem Balagot (Elzar’s uncle), Elisa Simon (Elzar’s wife and muse) and Elzar “Dodjie” Simon with award-winning song albums recorded at the Village Studio in Westwood.

Photo by Paige Ignacio, courtesy of Elzar “Dodjie” Simon

in launching his first CD of orchestral, classical music at this time?

Google Elzar Simon and he is a prolific songwriter, who has won international songwriting competitions, and a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP).

Sounds of Manila described him as: “He won the Grand Prize at the 1999 Metropop Music Festival with his song, ‘Can’t Stop Loving You,’ sung by Lani Misalucha. His other awards include the Grand Prize at the Asia Song Festival with ‘You Lift Me Up,’ sung

by Jaya, and second place at the Manila International Song Festival with ‘One More Time,’ also sung

by Lani Misalucha.”

He has a robust compendium of 100+ originally composed songs, in genres of country music, opera, contemporary Christian: Gamitin Mo Ang Buhay,” (Use My Life), “Tanging Musika,” (My Only Music), “Magiging Kagalakan ang Kalungkutan,” (You Turn My Sorrow into Joy), popularized by Filipino celebrities: Zsa Zsa Padilla, Lani Misalucha, Gary Valenciano, Angeline Quinto and others.

One might ask – so how did Simon get introduced into the world of music? When he was 11 years old, his uncle Lem, paid him a visit. When asked why he looked sad, Simon said he really wanted to play the piano but could not.

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ADVERTISING is one indicator of changes in lifestyle, social mores, fashion and language. One such development that has become apparent in U.S. television commercials is the use of mixed race families (i.e., an AfricanAmerican husband, a Caucasian wife and mixed-race children).

This would have been unthinkable only a few decades ago.

In 1978, at the Advertising Age workshop that I attended in Chicago, the only non-white commercial endorser was Bill Cosby. For years, Hollywood-type white models were mandatory for all kinds of mass-marketed products in the U.S. – pretty much the way they were in TV commercials and print ads in the Philippines. America was still coming to grips with the concept of civil rights and racial equality, and we Filipinos were still weighed down by the monkey on our backs called “colonial mentality.”

The election of half black, half white Barack Obama to the presidency may have marked the most dramatic change in the attitude of American society towards “people

of color,” a euphemism for nonwhites.

Obama epitomized the national leader who possessed all the positive qualities of the white man and the black man, as well. Handsome, charismatic, eloquent. He was the “ideal blend,” the poster boy for racial equality.

To use a phrase I coined in a feature article in 1989, Obama represented the Browning of America.

Not plain white or plain black but rich brown.

In the 1990s, I used that phrase again, along with the headline for an ad, “Old Glory was never intended to be plain white.” It was an ad for PG&E’s policy of diversity in hiring.

The recent emergence of mixed race superstars, like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors, in spectator sports which have been traditionally dominated by blacks, may have reinforced the concept of racial “balance” and “blending.”

Perceptive advertising practitioners have been quick to adapt their creative strategies to this development. Unfortunately, not just ad men appear to have done this, but politicians, as well – specifically the “Washington outsider” who became president, Donald Trump.

To set things in perspective, there was a time in American history when the separation of races was seen by mainstream Ameri-

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OPINION & FEATURES

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 2-5, 2017

A9

Des Rêves: Cinematic motifs resonate at album’s...

PAGE A8 t

Since a single working mom was raising him, and was too poor to afford one, having a piano was but a dream. Lem opened the door of music for him, as the next day, he gave him a keyboard. Music since then became a faithful companion, a trusted vehicle for him to move through and express his inner feelings.

CD launch experience unlike any other Des Rêves is French for “of dreams,” Simon said, “it is my 25th-anniversary gift for my wife, Elisa.” Elisa is a licensed psychiatrist practicing in Florida and is the mother of Elisha, Joshua and Ysabel Simon.

“The album is based on pure fictional stories I created in my mind.

Producing an album of orchestra music is also my personal dream legacy project. Soundtrack music is usually made or selected, and synchronized while video footages are edited. In this album, we reversed the process — we provided

the storyline, illustration/storyboard, and music — the motion picture is played in the listener’s mind,” he said.

The CD has 24 pages of notes, with the narratives for each soundtrack, written by Henry Garcia, with illustrations done by Ysabel Grace Simon (daughter of Elzar and Elisa Simon). The music motifs were conceptualized by their two sons (Joshua and Elisha), as well as Elzar, the father/composer, who collaborated with Rush Garcia, the son of Henry Garcia.

Rush is a junior student at Oberlin College and Conservatory. Artistry has come to a full circle in these two families.

Simon described his collaboration with Rush. “I made a sound recording of the motif for musical arrangement to Rush. Along with the recording, I provided the storyline and specific instructions like the ‘feel’ of the song (romantic, light and bright, the atmosphere must be ‘Frenchy’), specific instruments (the lead instrument

The browning of...

PAGE A8 t cans as a divine mandate. For decades anti-miscegenation was the law in most of the states. It was illegal for “people of color,” particularly blacks (and including Filipinos in some states like Maryland) to marry a white person.

Following is an entry in Wikipedia: “In 1967, 17 Southern states (all the former slave states plus Oklahoma) still enforced laws prohibiting marriage between whites and non-whites. Maryland repealed its law in response to the start of the proceedings at the Supreme Court. After the ruling of the Supreme Court, the remaining laws were no longer enforceable. Nonetheless, it took South Carolina until 1998 and Alabama until 2000 to amend their states’ constitutions to remove language prohibiting miscegenation. In the respective referendums, 62% of voters in South Carolina and 59% of voters in Alabama voted to make the amendments. In Alabama nearly 526,000 people voted against the amendment, including a majority of voters in some rural counties.

“In 2009, Keith Bardwell, a justice of the peace in Robert, Louisiana, refused to officiate a civil wedding for an interracial couple.

A nearby justice of the peace, on Bardwell’s referral, officiated the

wedding; the interracial couple sued Keith Bardwell and his wife Beth Bardwell in federal court.

After facing wide criticism for his actions, including from Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Bardwell resigned on November 3, 2009.”

In truth, racism has never really disappeared in the US, but the civil rights movement and the rise of a more enlightened American society left only the fringe groups like the neo-Nazis clenching their futile fists, while the closet racists remained in the closet.

The tumultuous presidential campaign of Trump and his equally unsettling presidency may have opened the Pandora’s box of racist resentments that, according to one TV political analyst, had been exacerbated by Obama’s election.

Adding to the volatile brew has been the feeling among those in the American heartland that they are retrogressing in a country they are told is their own but which is being dominated by all kinds of foreigners, including illegals and potential terrorists. The same TV analyst described the American heartland as “the new ghetto.”

Trump has made no effort to soothe these resentments. In fact, he appears to be encouraging them. His response to the racial riots in Charlottesville, and his subsequent statements, were widely perceived as pandering to

that will play the motif should be an accordion) for L’Amour de Ma Vie, and a six-minute music track,” he said.

After a draft is received, he gives him more revisions, e.g. “I asked Rush to add a mandolin to enhance the “French feel” of the theme.

One special feature of the song L’Amour de Ma Vie is that Rush’s father, Henry Garcia, played the piano tracks for the song. (Note: Henry arranged some of my hit songs in the Philippines in the 80s and 90s). I know that we’ve arrived at a final version if when I listen to the music with my eyes closed; I not only see the motion picture in my mind but also experience the smell, the sounds, the sights and most importantly, the feelings evoked by the music. As Rush and I believe, the music by itself should be able to tell the story.”

“Ysabel” is a music track named after Ysabel Grace Simon, a gifted sculptor, painter, and currently a college freshman, whose painting of her grandmother eating fish, the neo-Nazis.

If racism has ever had a more fertile breeding ground in America, it has been during the brief presidency of Trump. Worse yet, this resurgence has been mixed up and confused with conservatism, which in turn has run right up against the blossoming of lifestyles and attitudes that are in direct conflict with conservative mores and beliefs, such as equal rights for LGBTs, the acceptance of sex change as a personal privilege, and same-sex marriage vs. traditional concepts of matrimony.

Will this situation get worse? It could. What is certain is that the confusion is getting worse, with nonsequitor arguments being thrown into the boiling cauldron.

Hopefully, in California where my family resides, enlightened liberals will triumph over the racists and bigots without discounting valid conservative values. But there are sectors in America’s heartland (and even some areas in ostensibly enlightened California) who are standing fast on their belief that God has mandated racial segregation and a violent confrontation is inevitable.

Mercifully, Trump’s term is only for four years and, hopefully, he will realize the folly of aspiring for a second term.

And, hopefully, the browning of America is here to stay. (gregmacabenta@hotmail.com)

with a single fishbone hanging out of her mouth, was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of New York in Summer 2016 during her senior year in high school.

Ysabel’s drawing of Elisa (her mom) is a treasured cameo, inside of which is a portrait of a beautiful woman with long hair, wearing a pearl necklace. The cameo resembled a wedding ring, surrounded by 25 gemstones, with each stone for each year of her marriage to Elzar.

“Ysabel” is played by a symphony of musical instruments, played in succession, or in harmony: two flutes, two clarinets in B flat, two horns in F, two trumpets in B flat, two trombones, timpani, percussions suspended cymbal and tamtam and strings of the violoncello.

As the narrative was read, the sound played with the projected image of the cameo. It created an emotional impact on jazz singer/ music arranger Mon David, who said, “it stood out for me as it felt aligned when the sketch, music and narrative came together.”

Mon had his own movie sketch in mind, just as the composer intended for its audience to discover, as they listen to this CD.

Elzar “Dodjie” Simon, Annie Nepomuceno, Ed Nepomuceno (back), Mon David, Louie Reyes, Cesar de la Puente and Lem Balagot (front), are the artists who supported the CD launch.

Photo by Paige Ignacio, courtesy of Elzar “Dodjie” Simon

To Rye Mendocillo, Lem’s business partner, an artist who sings and plays the piano as his hobby, astutely described the CD effect on him: “when you are listening to it, the music enters your ears but, really something is happening within you.”

Lem shared being affected by the sounds of “Ysabel” and “L’Amour de Ma Vie,” as he is a romantic at heart.

Ed Nepomuceno (a professional orchestrator, music arranger, singer, guitarist, Harana Men’s Chorus’ musical director, and a

human resource manager) described “Winds and Wishes,” as “cinematic.”

It has rich sounds of the flute, bagpipe, two horns in F, two trumpets in B flat, trombones, timpani, percussion one of three toms (high, mid and low), percussion two of three toms (high, mid and low), and percussion three of bass drum and strings of violoncello.

For this writer, “Winds and Wishes” appealed to my immigrant heart, whose yearning is

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A10 december 2-5, 2017 • LA WeeKeNd ASIAN JOUrNAL

Dateline PhiliPPines

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Revilla: Plunder evidence points to Napoles and Cambe, not me by neStor

CorraleS Inquirer.net

FORMER Senator Bong Revilla Jr. has asked the Sandiganbayan to dismiss his P224.5-million plunder case, saying the Ombudsman’s evidence could only implicate his chief-of-staff Richard Cambe or businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles – but not him directly.

Revilla through his lawyer, former Solicitor-General Estelito Mendoza, raised these arguments as he asked the First Division to grant him leave to file a demurrer and release him from detention after three and a half years.

The actor-politician was accused of receiving kickbacks, through Cambe, in exchange for his endorsement of Napoleslinked nongovernment organizations for projects funded by his Priority Development Assistance Fund.

In a 57-page motion, Revilla said the “ones solely responsible”

for what turned out to be “ghost projects” were “Benhur Luy and his fellow whistleblowers under the direction and management of Napoles.”

He said there was “not a scintilla or iota of evidence” regarding his part or knowledge that the NGOs would not implement his PDAF-funded projects.

The motion claimed the Ombudsman investigators asked local government officials “leading questions” portraying Revilla himself to be the one who gave away the agricultural projects.

As for the kickbacks, Revilla claimed that “no evidence” was presented that these amounts really ended up with him even if Cambe allegedly received kickbacks on his behalf.

“The answer is apparently not disputed: ZERO,” read his motion.

For him, the prosecution only “endeavored to prove… the amount of ‘kickbacks or commissions’ received by Cambe and that the amount was received in

behalf of Revilla,” without tracing the money trail.

The motion also cited the court’s Dec. 1, 2014 resolution denying Revilla’s bail petition.

It was quoted as saying “there are no direct proofs that [he] received commissions/rebates out of the proceeds of his PDAF… but the circumstances persuasively attest that accused Revilla on several occasions received money from the illegitimate deals.”

Focusing just on the lack of direct proof, Revilla took this to mean that the court made “a finding only as to the amount received

by Cambe,” but not him.

The motion also argued that the Ombudsman failed to meet MAKING TRAFFIC LIGHT. Ramiro Hinojas dances as he directs traffic along Macapagal Ave. in Pasay city on Tuesday. Metro Manila residents the requirement of Republic Act are bracing for headache-inducing traffic jams as the Christmas holiday nears.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Bob Dungo Jr. No. 7080, or the plunder law, to show the “overt and criminal act” through which Revilla could have amassed ill-gotten wealth.

The bail ruling earlier stated

by Catherine S. Valente ManilaTimes.net that P103 million of the amount was “strongly proven” thanks to THE total number of Filipinos the whistleblowers’ testimony on infected by the human immupersonal knowledge. n nodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS, could reach more than 142,000 in five years, the Department of Health have long considered this posi- warned on Friday, December 1. tion as not mine, but it is a sacred If left unchecked, HIV cases trust from God,” the chief justice could further balloon to 313,000 said. by 2030, the department said as “But what I know is that, if a life the world marked World AIDS that is in the public eye is lived in Day. a way that people can show integThe Joint United Nations Prority, steadfastness, courage, and gram on HIV/AIDS (UNAids) consistency, then I hope, in my earlier revealed a 140-percent small way, that young people will increase in the number of new see that there is much value in in- infections in the Philippines over Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd (center) holds a red ribbon, the symbol of the advocacy tegrity, honesty and right living,” the past six years, from roughly to fight HIV-AIDS, on Friday to mark World AIDS Day. The Philippines has recorded a total of ManilaTimes.net photo by Bob Dungo Jr. she added.

4,300 cases in 2010 to about 46,985 HIV cases since 1984.

The chief justice said she must 10,500 in 2016. increase the capacity of the (UHC) Act given that the UHC make a stand, as this was a fight The government has recorded country for early warning, risk covers preventive health serfor what is good and that young a total of 46,985 cases between reduction, and management of vices. people don’t want a future where January 1984 and August 2017. national and global health risks, It provides for policies and they see “nothing but violence, Same-sex infections including HIV/AIDS,” he added. programs to prevent the spread coarse language, foul charges, From January to August 2017, Roque, among the principal of HIV and deliver treatment, baseless accusations, lies upon 84 percent of newly reported authors of Philippine HIV and care and support services to lies.” cases involved men who had AIDS Policy Act when he was Filipinos living with HIV in ac“My role is to say, again and sexual intercourse with men, in- still a congressman, stressed cordance with evidence-based again, there is hope for our coun- cluding transgenders. the need to end the HIV epi- strategies and approaches that try,” Sereno said. “God is good, Two in three estimated new demic in the country. follow the principles of human God is there. He is just willing to HIV infections came from males “This is especially important rights, gender equality, and cradle us as a people, if we just and transgenders aged 15 to given that the Philippines was meaningful participation of turn back to Him.” 24. recently reported as registering communities, he explained.

Chief Justice Sereno was ac“The total number of (people the highest growth rate for HIV “On a larger scale, governcused by Gadon of committing who tested positive with HIV) is infections in the Asia-Pacific,” ment needs to address not just culpable violation of the Constitu- estimated to reach 142,000 by he said. the health issues themselves tion, betrayal of public trust, and 2022, and 313,000 by 2030,” the Prevention needed but also the social determinants corruption, which she had de- Health department said.

Roque said the passage of the of health that contribute signied.

Malacañang called on Filipi- Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy nificantly to the persistence of The impeachment proceedings nos to unite in fighting HIV. Act would serve to strengthen these communicable diseases,” will resume on December 5. n “We must work as one to the Universal Health Coverage Roque said. n

Chief Justice Sereno refuses to resign by ariC John

Sy Cua ManilaTimes.net

CHIEF Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is refusing to resign, saying she has done nothing wrong since she began her career in the judiciary.

In a youth forum at the University of the Philippines in Diliman on Thursday, November 30 Sereno talked about her faith in God, her “simple living,” and how she didn’t want to let down young people and even the country’s national heroes.

“Lahat po ng ginawa ko, simula po sa na-appoint ako na associate justice, ay wala po, ni isang bahid na malisya (All the things I’ve done, since I was appointed associate justice, were never tainted with malice),” Sereno said.

Sereno’s public appearance came a day after a senior magistrate accused her of illegally forming a regional office and altering a court order.

On Wednesday, Nov. 29, Supreme Court Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro testified against Sereno before the House Committee on Justice, which is conducting hearings on the impeachment complaint filed

against the chief justice by lawyer Lorenzo Gadon.

De Castro accused Sereno of circumventing the en banc, or the full court, when she issued an administrative order opening an office in Central Visayas.

She also testified that her draft temporary restraining order (TRO) on a the proclamation of a senior citizen’s party-list during the May 2013 elections was altered unilaterally by Sereno, in blatant disregard of court procedures.

Sereno sought to counter her colleague’s statements with her personal testimony.

“I went over and beyond the normal workload. Isinaalang-alang ko at hiningi ko ang tulong ng Diyos at umayos naman po ang maraming reporma sa judiciary (I took into consideration and sought God’s help and the judicial reforms have been steady),” she said.

The chief justice said she was concerned what message would be sent to the youth should she resign her position, citing Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto, examples of young people in Philippine history.

“I am making a stand not because of an ego issue, because I

‘HIV cases could jump to more than 140K by 2022’

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A11

PH Senate to probe DOH vaccination program

by AJPRESS THE Senate Committee on Health and Demography is going to conduct an investigation into the Philippine Department of Health (DOH)’s dengue vaccination program, according to Senator JV Ejercito.

Ejercito on Friday, December 1 called on for a senate probe into the DOH’s procurement of antidengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

This was after Sanofi, the vaccine’s manufacturer, released earlier this week an analysis which found out that Dengvaxia pose greater risk for people who have not been infected with dengue before they were vaccinated.

Describing the recent discovery of the vaccine’s effect as “disturbing,” Ejercito said he is eyeing joint investigation with the Blue Ribbon Committee by January 2018 to find out possible irregularities in the procurement of the vaccine.

“As chair of the Senate Committee on Health, I intend to call for an investigation on the disturbing findings related to the dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia,” the senator said.

Apart from possible irregularities, the Senate panel will also determine the government’s next steps to protect those who may be affected negatively by the dengue vaccine.

“We’ll let the experts and doctors and the DOH deal with the issue first then will wait for their findings and recommendations,” the senator added.

In a press statement on Wednes-

day, November 29, Sanofi announced that Dengvaxia is only safe and effective for people who had already been infected by dengue prior to their vaccination.

“Based on up to six years of clinical data, the new analysis evaluated long-term safety and efficacy of Dengvaxia in people who had been infected with dengue prior to vaccination and those who had not. The analysis confirmed that Dengvaxia provides persistent protective benefit against dengue fever in those who had prior infection,” Sanofi said in as statement.

“For those not previously infected by dengue virus, however, the analysis found that in the longer term, more cases of severe disease could occur following vaccination upon a subsequent dengue infection,” it added.

Following the disclosure of health risks, the DOH suspended its dengue vaccination program.

“In the light of this new analysis, the DOH will place the dengue vaccination program on hold while review and consultation are ongoing with experts and key stakeholders and the WHO (World Health Organization),” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a media briefing on Friday.

Last year, more than 700,000 children in the country’s three highly endemic regions—Regions III Central Luzon, IV-A Calabarzon, and Metro Manila—were administered Dengvaxia in line with the recommendation of the WHO for mass vaccination.

According to Duque, 8 to 10 percent or about 70,000 of those

children have not had dengue yet.

Despite this, the health secretary said there has been no report of death among those who got vaccinated as of present.

The Philippine government has spent P3.5 billion for the mass immunization program, which was launched in April 2016 under then Secretary Janette Garin, and was already paid in full.

The move, however, was questioned by health experts, as Dengvaxia has yet to be approved by the WHO and studies on the vaccine’s safety have not been completed at the time.

Asked if plunder charges will be filed against officials who implemented the immunization program, Duque said the documents and processes involved in the implementation are still being reviewed.

“That we cannot answer unless we have already reviewed all the documents and contracts and analyze all the circumstances surrounding the issue of Dengvaxia, since it was began in 2016,” said Duque, who was only only appointed to the DOH by President Rodrigo Duterte in October of this year.

The Philippines is one of 11 countries that approved the commercial release of Dengvaxia, along with Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. The Philippines is also the 1st country in Asia to approve the vaccine for individuals aged 9 and 45 years old. ■

‘4 in 10 Filipino elderly without pension’ MANILA — Four in 10 Filipino senior citizens have no access to pension, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO).

“A majority of the elderly citizens of the country do not have income security; (they) do not have a pension, despite a significant increase in allocation,” the ILO said.

“Despite progress in recent years, the Philippines’ social protection system retains ‘serious gaps,’” the ILO noted.

This is in contrast to China, Thailand, Mongolia, Brunei Darussalam and Timor-Leste which have considerably expanded their coverage through the use of universal tax funded pensions.

Khalid Hassan, director of ILO Manila office, said many countries are prioritizing their social protec-

tion systems.

“We think this is a good time for the Philippines to follow the same path and extend protection to its elderly through the launch of a universal pension,” Hassan said.

The ILO noted that the pension gap in the country continues as life expectancy for Filipinos is rising on the average.

Between 2000 and 2015, life expectancy rose by five years, which is the fastest increase since the 1960s, it said.

“This makes the low pension coverage a particularly troubling problem, creating additional financial burdens for family, as the ratio between elderly parents and adult children rises,” the ILO said.

Early this year, the Duterte administration devised ways to

increase benefit levels of senior citizens receiving contributory pension and to increase the social pension coverage of indigent senior citizens.

Social protection remains one of the major agenda in the country as reflected in the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022, launched in January this year.

Data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) show that there are eight million senior citizens in the country. Only 2.8 million of them, however, are beneficiaries of the DSWD’s social pension for indigent seniors.

The Social Security System, on the other hand, has been paying out retirement benefits for 1.28 million members since March this year. (Helen Flores/Philstar.com)

The attendees of Elzar Simon’s CD launch at the Village Studios Moroccan Ballroom.

Photo by Paige Ignacio, courtesy of Elzar “Dodjie” Simon

Des Rêves: Cinematic motifs resonate...

PAGE A9 t

never assuaged for my birthplace, Philippines. When this part of the narrative was read: “It is an unforgiving journey to distant and unknown shores, and the ships are battered by the winds and waves, unrelenting in violence and viciousness,” I cried. The words described with vividness what immigrants are struggling with at present, uncertain of their status in America, and even if with waivers, as the Haitians, their statuses are in limbo.

One could feel perhaps the convergence of the words, narrated

by Andrew Eisenman, that as a wooden ship and its proud sails, move unrelenting, despite the violence and viciousness of the winds and waves: “Their resolve is steel, but they wonder if their feet will ever touch solid ground again.

And then as if a switch had been thrown, calm, as the light of countless stars sputter and twinkle in the night sky.”

I want to open my eyes to see the light, or even the light of this music composer, as he generously shares the process of creating his art daily, despite his hectic, corporate-demanding life.

The artistic process of the composer Here is what Simon shared, in an email: “Below is the process we went through for the song L’Amour de ma Vie (The Love of my Life).

“Step 1: Decide on a theme. I decided to write a love song to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. I haven’t decided on a title yet.

“Step 2: The storyline. I created

a story in my mind (this is the ‘dream’ process) of two teenagers (Ellis and I) who met for the first time in Paris - on the bridge where lovers place lovelocks to symbolize their eternal love for each other. While I haven’t been to Paris at the time that I wrote this song, Ellis has been relating stories of her trip to Paris and how fascinated she was when she toured the city, Giverny, and Versailles. As part of our year-long celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary (we got married on January 3, 1992), I booked a surprise trip to Paris for Ellis and [me] in September 2017.

“Step 3: Create the main melody/ motif. This involves creating the melody in my head or on the piano. It may happen while I am between conference calls, while I am driving, eating, while waiting to fall asleep or upon waking up.

I make countless revisions considering critique from my family. Of note, creating these motifs is very different from writing pop songs.

As I think of the musical theme, I am already hearing the orchestra, which instrument will play which part, how I wish it would build towards the middle and to the end, all the while imagining the visuals.

“Mixing an orchestra piece requires a good understanding of how orchestra instrument players are positioned in a concert hall. I had to make sure that the sounds are balanced and each instrument can be heard from the right position of the ‘stage,’” Simon added.

Enrique Delacruz, Ph.D., a retired professor and a music enthusiast, stood up to ask the compos-

er: “What inspired you to create diverse Western and love themes, reminding me of the likes of John Williams and Ennio and Andrea Morricone?”

The composer responded, “When you get to my age, you think of a legacy project. I thought of the orchestral and classical music. It is an enduring music, to pass onto the next generation. After all, 300 years later, we are still playing Bach. It is also a gift to my wife, Elisa for our 25th wedding anniversary.”

Much like the countless stars that are referred to in Winds and Wishes, Des Rêves “of dreams” perhaps is headed north towards the sky, towards its North Star success.

It seems to have made an authentic journey from the composer’s heart to his mind, to sounds of music that he hears, while driving to work and which he collaborated with his colleagues, Rush Garcia, a gifted college student of music and son of Henry Garcia, who wrote the narratives, and Elzar and Elisa Simon’s three children (Ysabel, Joshua and Elisha).

Silence, to emphasize the brilliance, followed by an enduring applause! *** Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D. writes a weekly column for Asian Journal, called “Rhizomes.”

She has been writing for AJ Press for 9 years now. She 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

A12 december 2-5, 2017 • LA WeeKeNd ASIAN JOUrNAL

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B

Journal Sharon confirms off-reel JoshLia romance

by GeorGe

Vail Kabristante ManilaTimes.net

THE reunion film of Sharon Cuneta and Robin Padilla, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unexpectedly Yours,â&#x20AC;? with the love team of Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto earned P14 million on opening day. It means that the local movie industry is well alive and kicking before the Metro Manila Film Festival.

During the press screening at ABS-CBNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dolphy Theater, onstage to parry the questions were the more senior lead actors Robin and Sharon who were seated side by side and seemed to ignite once more their much sought-after love team personas several decades ago.

It was also good to note that Sharon looked remarkably a bit slimmer and charming than her usual proportion.

Joshua and Julia or JoshLia to the millennial fans were seated very close to each other as well, titillating the swooning millennial

press. There was also a â&#x20AC;&#x153;plantedâ&#x20AC;? group of avid fans at the bleachers who, as if on cue several times, burst into uncontrollable hysteria and round of applause whenever the two young lovers would in their most compelling moments fall into an unabashed â&#x20AC;&#x153;public display of emotionâ&#x20AC;? (PDE), or simply when they whisper sweet-nothings into each othersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mutually wired ears.

So much so that Sharon almost cracked up in her belly laughing mood â&#x20AC;&#x153;unexpectedlyâ&#x20AC;? as the title of the film goes, gamely taking it upon herself to confirm in a more official, if formal note to all and sundry resonating in the cavernous auditorium that Julia and Joshua are yes, into a serious relationship with each other beyond their studio screen image as a love team.

No one from the rapt audience ever doubted Sharonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s categorical revelation judging from the obvious contaminating touch-feel display of non-verbal behavior

between the two lovers through much of the Q & A. As the cliche goes, action speaks louder than words. And neither did the two show some sort of resentment at Sharon making public their engagement even perhaps way ahead of the right time to confirm it themselves.

To recall, it was in the commercially and critically-acclaimed film â&#x20AC;&#x153;Vince & Kath & Jamesâ&#x20AC;? shown at last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s MMFF that worked to the best advantage of the newly established tandem of Julia and Joshua. This was followed by toprated teleseryes that cashed in on the growing popularity of the two together.

Box-office wise so much had been expected of them from this most recent partnership of the two together in a rom-com genre as an integral part of the love story threaded by Robin and Sharon.

Robin and Sharon disclosed that they somehow had a little bit of tough time adjusting to the

Steven Seagal begins shooting TV series in PH amid Hollywood actressesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sexual misconduct allegations STEVEN Seagal is set to begin shooting a TV series in the Philippines that is co-produced by politician Chavit Singson. â&#x20AC;&#x153;TV Patrolâ&#x20AC;? reports that the 12episode series titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;General Commanderâ&#x20AC;? will tackle issues such as drug trafficking and terrorism.

One of the locations is Calle Crisologo in Ilocos Sur, where Singson used to be governor.

In a Philippine Daily Inquirer interview, Seagal said that 90 percent of the production team would be Filipino.

In the TV Patrol feature, director Philippe Martinez praised the crew for getting work done after just one explanation.

The show will air in 30 countries including the Philippines.

Sexual misconduct allegations Taping of the series comes after

women in Hollywood have come forward with sexual misconduct allegations against the actor in early November.

Portia de Rossi claims that he unzipped his pants in front of her during an audition, while other actresses including Julianna Margulies have made similar claims of exploitative behavior.

Jenny McCarthy alleges that in 1995, he forced her to undress for an audition that had no nude scenes and then threatened her if she spoke about it afterward.

The 65-year-old actor has yet to comment on the allegations.

Seagal has befriended politicians who espouse authoritarian rule like Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s president Vladimir Putin and President Rodrigo Duterte. (NiĂąa V. Guno/ Steven Seagal Inquirer.net)

directorial style of Cathy GarciaMolina, whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coming on the heels of the recent phenomenal hit â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seven Sundays.â&#x20AC;?

Molinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s school of acting is apparently from the â&#x20AC;&#x153;inside outâ&#x20AC;? as in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Methodâ&#x20AC;? of Hollywood as opposed to â&#x20AC;&#x153;outside inâ&#x20AC;? school of acting that Robin has cursorily displayed at the shoot. Such that the lady director had to tone down his tendency to physicalize or act out a particular scene.

As for Sharon, it remains to be seen if she has got what it takes to become a fully grown and risk-taking actress barring her previous image as sweet, wholesome, and short of being a breezy, melodra- The stars of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unexpectedly Yoursâ&#x20AC;?: Robin Padilla, Sharon Cuneta, Julia Baretto and Joshua Garcia. matic actress for comfort.

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Features

B DECEMBER 2-5, 2017 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Marica Balague Cabasag

Alvin Reyes

Charmie Morales

Edd Evidente

Jerry Cruz

Kyle Belmonte

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

Noel Lopez

Rolando Quizon

Tina Cruz

Djoanna Garcia-Kocher

Meet the talented people behind the 4700 Band (aka Maricar and the 4700 Band)

MARICAR and the 4700 is a Retro Pop music band from Los Angeles, which was an off-shoot of the fusion jazz band Maricar and the 4828. The nine-piece band is comprised of five musicians and four vocalists led

by Maricar Balague Cabasag. The band’s repertoire consists of songs from the Motown years to the pop and dance songs of the 70’s, 80’s, to the early 90’s and smooth fusion grooves in between.

Maricar and the 4700 is a regular mainstay at Josephine’s Cerritos since January 2015. “They bring vibrant energy to our patrons and unending dance music to our party crowd so we always promote them as L.A.’s finest band,” shared by Sandy, co-owner of Josephine’s Cerritos.

In addition to club gigs, Maricar and the 4700 Band is also available to play at weddings, conventions, holiday parties, reunions, charity fundraising events, bachelor parties, and public concerts. Please send them a message for inquiries or call (323) 459-4322.

Maricar and the 4700 Band will be performing at “Arnel Pineda: Live in Los Angeles” on Sunday, Dec. 3 at the Palace Theatre in Los Angeles.

Maricar (aka Maricar Balague Cabasag) Maricar began as a vocalist for show bands in the Philippines during the early 80’s, performing at fashionable hotels in Manila like The Philippine Plaza, The Regent of Manila, The Manila Garden, etc. and various other popular clubs’ in the MetroManila area. Later in the mid-80’s, she immigrated to the United States where she formed a number of bands, that regularly performed at live clubs and other events (corporate and private) while at the same time working for a car dealership in Glendale, CA. Looking for additional ways to supplement her income, she eventually became a successful entrepreneur with a financial services company, which led her to a networking company where she met her current husband, Joven Cabasag. Now with her children grown and two grandchildren later, Maricar has decided to return to her musical roots (after a 10-year hiatus from perform-

ing) and formed the 4828 Band and her current band the 4700, to again, share the music she loves with all of us. She has performed on stage with Alan Paul (Manhattan Transfer), Kevyn Lettau, Michael Paulo, Mon David, Djhoanna Garcia, Marco Sison, Nonoy Zuniga and other well-known celebrities including her most recent appearance last month at Catalina Bar & Grill with the concert king, Martin Nievera.

Tateng Katindig (Piano/keyboards) Tateng Katindig is the son of Eddie Katindig, one of the greatest jazz players in the Philippines. He made a name for himself and has become know for being a pianist, musical director and jazz musician. He moved to the U.S. in 2000 and has since been playing in top jazz circles in Los Angeles. He performed with some of the world’s jazz players like Lou Rawls, Richie Cole, Carl Saunders, Teddy Edwards Bill Henderson, Earl Palmer, Sam Most, Eric Marienthal, Kevyn Lettau, Hubert Laws, Debra Laws, Eloise Laws, Alphonse Mouzon. He considered playing with them as the highlight of his career, aside from playing with his father and brothers.

Noel Lopez (Keyboards/Saxophones) Blessed with the ability to play keyboards and saxophones, this charming and always smiling God-fearing multi-instrumentalist has performed around the world as a solo artist and session musician. He is also a recording artist and has released and/or produced a variety of Christian music albums.

Rollie Quizon (Drums) Rollie Quizon is a drummer extraordinaire who hails from Pampanga in the Philippines. He started playing the drums by ear but when he realized he needed to improve to get more gigs, he taught himself how to read music He is a gifted drummer who can play various grooves but his greatest asset is having a sense of time and pulse which makes him a favorite among the many music directors in the industry.

Jerry Cruz (Bass) Jerry is filling in for Edd Evidente, regular bassist

for 4700 band Jerry Cruz was greatly influenced to pursue music because of his clan. He comes from the well=known musical Cruz family from Manila. He was the bassist for the 747 Band back in the 70’s. He loves his work playing at gigs and recording sessions and concerts.

Among singers and music directors, Jerry is a wellknown for his diligence and humility.

Tina Cruz (Vocals) If you’ve ever been to a Joey Albert concert, you may have not noticed Tina Cruz but she’s always there with the faint voice in the background. She has been one of Joey Albert’s favorite back-up vocalists and close friend for a very long time. Her skill in harmonizing and singing ability is well-known in the tight knit music circles of Los Angeles and Vancouver (CA). To headliners and music directors, Tina is a singer’s singer.

Kyle Belmonte (Vocals) Kyle Belmonte is a product of the world-famous Kundirana, a singing ministry comprised of La Salle High School students. When not singing with the band he serves as music director to a chapter of Couples For Christ in the Los Angeles basin. He also hosts karaoke nights in Orange County and is part of a Soul, R&B musical showcase.

Charmie Morales (Vocals) Charmie’s professional singing career blossomed while touring in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

She has performed back-up roles with notable artists from Manila in addition to being a successful headliner in her solo shows, most notably as lead singer for Page One Band.

Alvin Reyes (Vocals) Alvin will be the show director for this show Mr. A as he is known to his circle of friends has only been singing professionally for the last 3 years and mostly with the 4700 Band. He maybe a late bloomer but he has already performed in a couple of musicals, most notably in Noli Me Tangere, The Musical in minor

role; and headlining his solo gigs singing songs he love in various jazz grooves.

Myke Gonzaga (Guitar and Music Director) Myke will not be performing in this show because he is on vacation with family Myke Gonzaga is the driving force of the 4700. He not only writes and directs music for the band but he is also a very capable musician in lead and rhythm guitars. His expertise in both session and musical direction is resonates beyond gigs and private events.

He is considered one of the busiest and reliable musician and director amongst many concert producers, promoters and artists. Myke also shares vocal harmonizing duties with Maricar.

Edd Evidente (Bass) Edd will not be performing in this show because he is on vacation with family Edd Evidente is one of the co-founders of the Family Birth Control band in the Philippines. He has been in the music industry for a long time and has a 15 year experience in directing music. Edd is a versatile bass player who can play a variety of bass grooves but his favorite are those with funky beats.

Djoanna Garcia-Kocher (Vocals) Djoanna Garcia-Kocher was a singer-actress in the Philippines before moving to the U.S. in 2001 when she married her husband Vincent Kocher. She started out as a contestant in “Tawag ng Tanghalan” before pursuing a career in acting. She landed multiple roles with ABS-CBN, including the TV show “Stop, Look and Listen”, where she co-starred along the late Jay Ilagan, Tirso Cruz, Eddie Mercado and Tina Revilla, among others.

Currently, Djoanna is the owner and CEO of Helping Hands of Beverly Hills Home Care Services, a facility that provides nursing and caregiving services to seniors. She has two daughters and four grandchildren.

Djoanna still goes to singing engagements and gigs in her free time, and is a staunch supporter of animal rights.

Alden Richard and his quietly helpful heart

By Lhar

Santiago ManilaTimes.net

“BUT when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” - Matthew 6:3 Alden Richards has anchored his Christian duties on the Bible verse above for indeed, very few people know that the popular actor does regular charity work away from prying cameras and sans the usual celebrity fanfare.

The Times is one of the few friends whom Alden has allowed to join him every so often when

he quietly makes donations to children’s charities, mounts feedings in indigent communities, or visits the elderly in homes.

He becomes all the more generous whenever a new blessing comes to his career.

Hesitant to talk about this side of his life, Showbuzz insisted the actor give a little peek into charity work in the hopes of inspiring others to do the same.

“I’ve been given a lot these past few years and I have more than enough for myself, so I’ve always thought, why not give to the needy

and make them happy?”

What he discovered, however, is that doing good brings him more happiness that he ever imagined.

“It’s not just the feeling of happiness actually… it’s a feeling of joy,” he corrected himself. “You feel it when you know you have done something good for another person. You see, there was a time when I just kept buying things for myself. I thought I should reward myself with all that because I had been working so hard. But it didn’t make me happy—the joy you get is short lived. There’s no fulfillment.

“It’s so unlike helping other people and doing it in secret. Yung hindi mo pinapa-alam sa iba, that’s where the joy is because you know you’re doing it to help and not for others to admire you.”

Most recently, Alden visited the wounded soldiers from Marawi.

He brought them gifts, which he chooses not to reveal.

“I consider spending time with the Marawi soldiers very Alden Richards memorable. It was my honor to fortunate is that many of us don’t be them, who risked their lives know about their hardships,” for country and defending people shared Alden.

Without seeking anything in they don’t even know. What’s un-

GMA photo

return when he goes about sharing his blessings, Alden is humbled by the fact that something always comes his way all the same.

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Singer and actor Inigo Pascual showed his wellsculpted abs during the recent Bench Under the Stars fashion show.

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Health@Heart

Features

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 2-5, 2017

B

History: Cardiac surgery (Part 2 - conclusion)

PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS LAST week, we took our readers in a journey back to year 1628, almost 400 years ago, when blood circulation, as we know it today, was “discovered,” understood, and accepted by medical science for the first time. This fundamental information inspired and led to cascading advances, one after the other, in medicine as a whole, and in cardiovascular medicine and surgery in particular. One discovery enabled the invention of more sophisticated diagnostic and therapeutic measures or procedures. The cutting-edge and state-of-the-art medical and surgical procedures available to patients today were made possible and ushered in by those past proven concepts and evidencebased discoveries.

The first right heart angiography in human was done in 1929

by Werner Forssmann on himself. he was derided as crazy but was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1956, which he shared with Andre Cournand and Dickinson Richards, who introduced diagnostic cardiac catheterization in the early 1940s. Selective coronary angiography, which is used today worldwide to diagnose coronary artery disease (which causes heart attack), was introduced by Mason Sones of the Cleveland Clinic in the 1960s. Rene Favaloro of Argentina, also on the staff at the Cleveland Clinic, pioneered in the technique of coronary bypass surgery in the early 60s, which is used today with refinements.

In 1962, autogenous saphenous vein grafts were used for coronary bypass by D. Sabiston.

The first reported use of Internal Mammary Artery (from behind the breast bone) as coronary grafts was performed by R. Goetz in 1960 using sutureless technique.

Four years later, V. Kolessov did the first sutured IMA as coronary bypass grafts. IMA grafts are superior to veins grafts.

It was not until the early 70s that the full impact of Forssmann discovery was realized when Marcus De Wood, M.D., of Spokane, Washington, used coronary angiography to search for blockages in the coronary artery. As late as that time, the accepted concept was that heart attacks were “merely the last gasp of a dying heart,” a gloomy and hopeless situation that could not be treated or altered or improved. his concept and research were ostracized and derided. In 1980, De Wood was able to prove by angiography his theory that virtually in every heart

attack there was a clot blocking the artery. This was a revolutionary change in cardiology which has led to the modern clot-dissolving therapy to prevent a fullblown heart attack and save heart muscles and save lives. This has dramatically improved survival from heart attack.

Angioplasty opens new horizons In 1977, the first angioplasty was performed by Andreas Gruentzig, M.D., of Zurich, Switzerland, to “open up” a tight blockage in a coronary artery. This was improved on by the invention of “stent” (a tiny mesh tube of coiled spring, like car shock absorbers) to keep the angioplastied artery from re-collapsing and re-closing.

The stainless steel stents were then improved on with the introduction of drug-coated stents that keep the angioplastied artery patent (open) much longer.

Robotic heart surgery In May 1998, the first coronary bypass using the da Vinci robot was performed with a mini-chest incision. A year later, the first totally endoscopic da Vinci robotic coronary bypass surgery was accomplished with no chest incision, except for small holes, through which instruments were inserted and manipulated. With the more sophisticated da Vinci robots today, cardiac surgery and other specialty surgeries are routinely performed.

There are at least 21 industrial robotic firms and 11 surgical robotic companies in the United States. Robotic surgery is a standard part of the surgical residency training today. It is evident that the use of robots is the trend for most surgeries. The widespread use in the industrial arena is far ahead compared to that in surgery for obvious reasons.

About 400,000 coronary artery bypass graft surgeries (CABG) are performed annually in the U. S. The past decade has seen about 30 percent decrease in CABG operations because of the minimally invasive option called coronary angioplasty and stenting. Around 700,000 coronary angioplasties and more than 1,700 robotic cardiac surgeries are done annually in the U.S. alone.

TAVR: Hope for the rejected Another more recent advance in cardiac surgery is Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) or Implantation (TAVI), which was first performed by Cribier and associates on April 16, 2002. This is a much less invasive procedure to replace a severely diseased aortic valve (with no chest incision) among old, high-risk patients with other major illnesses, who were, before

TAVR was developed, deemed inoperable and hopeless.

The past half a century brought us life-saving knowledge and discoveries in cardiovascular medicine and surgery. Since then, the mortality rate from coronary heart disease, among other illnesses, has coasted down in a steep plunge, from its record peak in the early 1960s. People today are healthier and live longer — thanks to all the dreamers, explorers, and brilliant minds in the various sectors of sciences and technologies. With the mindboggling advances in computers, it is apparent that the best is yet to come.

No one discovery or invention could be awarded all the credit for improving the standard of care. Most of the new innovations have built upon, and improved on the ones before them. each technology – from computer science to medical science – has made possible the development of better, safer, and more effective diagnostic procedures and/or therapies.

“Insanity and audacity” Many of the great minds in medicine who dared to espouse new concepts or to alter the “status quo” had faced ridicule and contempt of their peers who thought their “ideas and concepts” were inspired by “misinformation”, if not by “insanity and stupid audacity.” however, as medical history shows, these pioneering physicians were vindicated, and humanity was the better for their vision and courage to risk their name and reputation to venture into the world of possibilities to help mankind. however, the potential positive impact on mankind of all these cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art evidencebased medicine and surgery are dependent on the wisdom, will, personal behavior, and lifestyle of the individual. Beneficial information and bountiful resources are only useful when taken advantage of and wisely utilized to the fullest for ourselves and our family.

As always, our health is, to a significant degree, in our hands. *** philip s. chua, md, facs, fpcs, cardiac surgeon emeritus in northwest indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at cebu doctors university hospital, where he holds the title of physician emeritus in surgery, is based in las Vegas, nevada. he is a fellow of the american college of surgeons, the philippine college of surgeons, and the denton a. cooley cardiovascular surgical society. he is the chairman of the filipino united network – usa, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the united states. for more data, visit philipschua.com; email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

Joross & Edgar Allan are not homophobic

by Ricky Lo Philstar.covm

They are not homophobic.

That, among others, is what Joross Gamboa and edgar Allan “eA” Guzman have in common.

They are also both adventurous in more ways than one, and are so secure with their manhood (masculinity) that they don’t have qualms about playing gay roles such as in their latest starrer, “Deadma Walking”, which is one of the official eight entries in the 2017 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

Produced by T-Rex Productions (the same company behind the surprise hit “Patay Na Si hesus”), “Deadma Walking” is a comedy-drama-musical about two gay friends who stage a fake death, wake and funeral. It won for eric Cabahug second prize in the Palanca Awards in 2015, a year before the Paolo Ballesteros movie “Die Beautiful” was shown to wide acclaim.

“I feel beautiful in a woman’s dress,” admitted eA whose peg was his gay older brother. “The only problem was the heavy eyelashes which made me so sleepy.”

“I hated wearing heels,” said Joross who has played gay roles not only in film but also in television. “It hurt when I walked. Now I appreciate women more.”

What is sexy to you?

Joross: It’s how a woman carries herself, the total personality. Ang daming babaeng sexy na hindi ako nasi-sexy-han. Walang dating ba. eA: I find sense of humor in a woman sexy. In the physical aspect, nice buttocks are sexy especiallykung may dimples. I used to be a boobs guy. I now find a woman’s buttocks more appealing.

Joross: yes, ‘yung may dimples sa taas ng puwet.

When do you feel sexy?

Joross: When I am with my wife. eA: When I am dancing. I really love dancing.

Sexiest part(s) of your body?

Joross: My head and my neck which is long at medyo ugatin. And also my eyes which are dreamy(mapungay). Maraming nabibiktima ang eyes ko, hehehe!!! eA: My buttocks which project

“deadma walking” stars Joross gamboa and edgar allan ‘ea’ guzman

a certain kind of sexiness when I’m moving.

Sexiest part(s) of a woman’s body?

Joross: her armpit. eA: her feet. But they have to be smooth and well-shaped.

Sexiest part of the house?

Joross: The bedroom. eA: The kitchen and dining room.

Sexiest time of day?

Joross: early evening…or before bedtime. eA: early morning as soon as I wake up. Iba ang feeling, eh.

Sexiest song?

Joross: Dayang-Dayang. (Proceeds to sing part of it) eA: I’ll Make Love to you by Boyzone.

Sexiest movie?

Joross: A lot. I watch many sexy movies but I forgot the titles already. One of them is Sutla. eA: Don Jon which stars Scarlett Johansson and Joseph GordonLevitt.

Sexiest TV show?

Joross: hmmmm, Game of Thrones maybe. Or Spartacus. eA: Baywatch.

Sexiest car?

Joross: Starex. It’s spacious and many things can happen there, hehehe!!! Doon lahat nangyayari. eA: Jaguar.

Sexiest musical instrument?

Joross: Violin. eA: Piano.

Sexiest color?

Joross: Pink and flesh…parang part ng balat na hindi naman. eA: Black. When I see pictures of women on social media wearing black underwear or black bras, ang

philstar.com photo

lakas ng dating!

Sexiest scene that you have seen in a movie?

Joross: Too many to name just one. eA: The love scene between Johansson and Gordon-Levitt in Don Jon. Sexiest scene that you’ve done in a movie?

Joross: My love scene with Angeli Bayani in Intoy Syokoy ng Kalye Marino. It was a pumping scene. My character develops STD afterward. eA: My love scene with Mercedes Cabral in Ligo Na U, Lapit Na Me. It started in the bathroom and ended in the bedroom.

Sexiest thing that you have done to yourself?

Joross: It happens in the gym. eA: Work out in the gym.

Sexiest thing that you’ve done to or with somebody?

Joross: I always do it with my wife, hehehe!!! eA: I did it inside the elevator with a woman I just met. We were both going to the same party. Binigyan niya ako ng pagkakataon.

Sexiest fantasy?

Joross: I’ve done all my fantasies when I was single…even on a plane. eA: Maybe doing it on an escalator…for a change? Joke only!

Three actresses that you find sexy?

Joross: Kristine hermosa whose body is well-proportioned. Balanse ang features…Liza Soberano…and Kathryn Bernardo. eA: Solenn heussaff, Kim Chiu and Anne Curtis.

The ups and downs, and The biTTersweeT ending of a special case abouT a special son who had auTism on This sunday’s ciTiZen pinoy! when norma immigrated to the u.s., she had to leave behind their autistic son, michael because he aged out. The separation broke her heart. norma and husband Joy (left) went to three other attorneys who were unable to deliver results, until they decided to retain leading u.s. immigration attorney michael J. gurfinkel, who was finally able to bring michael to the u.s., to be reunited with his parents. watch the heartfelt journey of michael and his family that led to a pleasant reunion, but with a painful ending, on a brand-new episode of ciTiZen pinoy – on sunday at 6:15 pm (psT) on Tfc.

B DECEMBER 2-5, 2017 â&#x20AC;˘ LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Features

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Winter beauty guide it shiny and healthy.

Hair Reborn, Brazilian keratin treatment, shimmer and shine are the perfect respite for hair that has been subjected to chemical

By Monet Lu treatmentsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;such as perming, straightening, or tinting. This is DURING the winter, our hair also recommended for people experiences dehydration because who are just aiming to combat of unavoidable exposure. We need dryness during this freezing to be proactive about maintaining weather. I tend to sound repetitive moisture in our hair. For the entire about this but I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t emphasize winter months, we want to help this enough: moisturize, moisturyou keep your hair and skin keep ize, moisturize!

Remember when a good haircut was enough to put a smile on our faces? If we hold on to the little positives in our everyday lives, I have a feeling weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to pull through these tough times quite famously.

For someone who has been in the business of making people look good, I have some new hairstyle recommendations that are sure to add some hot tone to this cool weather.

For long-haired women who have heart-, square- or roundshaped faces, layers will work wonders, provided that it is molded closely to the edge of the hair so that it elongates the face. For an oval-shaped face, shorter layers are more appropriate. Sassy layers are very easy to manage as well. If you have curly hair, bangs should be administered with caution. Make sure itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s slightly above your lashes so that it looks flattering. The thing about bangs though is you have to maintain the ideal length that works for you, otherwise, the effect is not quite there.

The bob haircut is here to stay.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ideal for women who have straight to wavy hair textures.

This is especially flattering for women who have round faces.

This type of cut usually requires blow-drying and to maintain the ideal length, you need to have it cut every six weeks.

The pixie is ideal for people who have strong facial features.

The pixie is easy to manage. A quick blow-dry and a dab of hair product, and you have a chic style that will last the entire day.

Just make sure that you apply a little shine serum to towel-dried hair before you put up your hair so that natural texture can be enhanced. This style is so comfy

and will also have you feeling relaxed.

A slick ponytail can accentuate your features, while also getting annoying tendrils of hair out of your way. To prevent frizzy hair, use a leave-on conditioner or hair tonics that are specific for frizzy hair. If the ponytail is getting boring, try a French braid. It will look chic and will also prevent you looking bedraggled.

For your skin, exfoliation is a must to clear away dead cells that can otherwise clog up your pores and cause unsightly pimples that can spoil your summer look. Use a scrub that does not dry your skin or make your own; sugar mixed with a little olive oil is very natural and skin-friendly.

Feet need to look good in winter. Scrub your feet with foot scrubs or make your own with some granular salt or sugar and olive oil. Rubbing this into your legs in a gentle upward motion will have dual effects of exfoliating dry skin.

Winter is one of those times when less is best. Trying to enhance your natural looks with minimal embellishment will work best.

A matte powder over foundation with SPF is better than heavy foundation lotions and creams that will look patchy once you sweat a little. Gloss is best for lips.

Lips need protection as well and it would be best to apply a lip gloss or lip balm with an SPF of 15 or more to keep your lips looking fresh and pert.

Eye make-up is a zone of error in winter and you can avoid gaffes by sticking to near-neutral tones of eye shadow and waterproof mascara and liners. A creamy lipstick will be friendlier on the lips than matte lipsticks and will also

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H Mart Arcadia grand opening ceremony on December 8 H MART, a leading international supermarket chain has made a final announcement of H Mart Arcadia Grand Opening and is set to open its doors at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, December 8, 2017.

A number of community leaders and representatives are set to participate and celebrate the Grand Opening. The Grand Opening will feature a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony followed by a Korean traditional Folk dance and Chinese Lion Dance.

A variety of FREE GIFTS will be given out to new and current Hmart Smart Card members (while supplies last) as well as all shoppers, purchasing over $30 (thirty dollars). In addition, face-painting events will be held for children (Weekends only).

H Mart is an upscale supermarket with more than 90 stores in U. S nationwide. It serves both traditional Asian and international food, with fresh produce, meat, poultry, and fishery. H Mart is also known as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;One-Stop Shoppingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; place for all shoppers in different ethnicities, backgrounds and ages.

H Mart Arcadia is over 40,000 square feet of retail space and will be placed in 1101 W Huntington Dr. Arcadia, CA 91007. By directly providing products directly from its CA warehouse and local farms, Hmart Arcadia will retain and elevate its freshness to meet customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On behalf of the residents

of Arcadia I welcome H Mart.

We are excited and honored that H Mart has chosen our great town for a location for their grocery store. It is a win-win, great for the community and great for H Mart.

I wish them many many years of success here in Arcadia,â&#x20AC;? said Arcadia Mayor, Peter Amundson.

H Mart President Brian Kwon said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;As H Mart would like to give special thanks to Arcadia and the surrounding communities for loving our Arcadia store, we will prepare hard everyday to serve customers and go beyond any expectations of our opening.â&#x20AC;? And added that Hmart Arcadia will be a new destination where customers can truly enjoy â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Good for allâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; H Mart is a 34 years old supermarket chain, which started with first store in Woodside, NY in 1982, offering robust and unique cultural foods that also promote a rich and healthy lifestyle. Today H Mart operates more than 90 stores in 14 states and in one of the leading international supermarket chains in the United States. In 2014, Hmart was recognized as one of the fastest growing retailers in the National Retail Federationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s HOT 100 RETAILERS (#13 Hmart). In 2016, Supermarket News has listed Hmart as one of the Top 50 Small Chains and Independents in the United States & Canada.

last longer. Leave your foundation or tinted moisturizer in the refrigerator. When you smooth it on, the heat from your face will melt it into your skin making it look like you have naturally perfect skin.

Smudged eyeliner can look great on evenings and you can get this effect by heating the tip of your eye pencil with a lit match just before lining your eyes.

Keeping yourself adequately hydrated, adding essential nutrients to diet to avoid the heavier fats and proteins, taking plenty of vitamin C in the form of citrus fruits and juices, and getting the minimum 8 hours of sleep can

help you going through winter with good looks and great relaxation.

Enjoy your winter and stay beautiful!!

(Advertising Supplement)

*** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-winning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns. Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary allnatural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration . To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com

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For immigrants’ contribution to America: a thank you!

HAVE you ever considered that America’s most famous icon is an immigrant? That’s right!

The Statue of Liberty was “born” in France and brought to America by ship. The quintessential symbol of American liberty and freedom, Lady Liberty herself, is an “immigrant”.

As the late Senator Ted Kennedy said, “Immigration is the story of American History. Over the centuries, immigrants came to America from every part of the globe and made the American dream. They created a nation that is the envy of the world. They came to a land that offers freedom and opportunity to those willing to do their part.” And do their part, they have! Immigrants have contributed to and enriched every aspect of American life. They built our cities, our railroads and highways. They cultivated our farmlands. They fought to defend their adopted home in every branch of the U.S. military.

And, they even gave us Thanksgiving, the quintessential American holiday. The first recorded Thanksgiving ceremony took place on September 8, 1565 when 600 Spanish settlers landed in what is now St. Augustine, Florida and immediately held a Mass of Thanksgiving for their safe delivery to the New World.

The Mass was followed by a feast and celebration. A Spanish expedition party rested and conducted a mass at San Elizario (near El Paso, Texas) in celebration of thanksgiving on April 30, 1598. On December 4, 1619, 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Hundred, which is about 20 miles north of Jamestown, Virginia. The group’s charter required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a day of thanksgiving to G-d.

The modern Thanksgiving holiday is associated with a 1621 celebration at the Plymouth Plantation where the Pilgrims held a feast after a successful grow-

Your Immigration Solution Reeves MilleR, Zhang & DaZa aPlC ing season. Sqauanto, a Native American who served as an interpreter for the English-speaking colony had taught the Pilgrims how to catch eel and grow corn.

The Pilgrims set aside a day to

they come in contact. They start businesses and create jobs. They provide wonderful examples of family devotion by the sacrifices they make to unite their families here and support their loved ones back home.

At RMZD, we know how important families are. We recognize how much America owes to each person who has brought a unique contribution to this country. And we continue to strive to obtain justice and fairness for them. Fairness and justice means granting lawful status to those who devote their life and energy to make and keep this country great. It is fulfilling the promise of Lady Liberty who lifts her light of liberty beside the golden door.

Since 1947, each year for Thanksgiving the President of the United States has pardoned a live turkey to allow it to live out its days in peace. Surely a country that has compassion for its turkeys can show compassion for its people.

With all due respect, we remind the President and First Lady and the members of Congress that they are either immigrants or descendants of immigrants and will treat the immigrant community with the respect and dignity that they received when they got here.

From our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving! *** Reeves Miller Zhang & Diza is one of the oldest, largest and most experienced immigration firms in the United States with offices in Pasadena, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Manila and China.

Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com website: www.rreeves.com *** The analysis and suggestions offered in this column do not create a lawyer-client relationship and are not a substitute for the personalized representation that is essential to every case.

“ As the late Senator Ted Kennedy said, ‘Immigration is the story of American History.’” celebrate immediately after their first harvest. That Thanksgiving feast lasted for three days and provided enough food for 53 pilgrims and 90 Native Americans.

It consisted of fowl, venison, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin, squash and turkey.

Since that time, a Thanksgiving Day has been proclaimed and celebrated periodically throughout our nationhood. However, the date was not officially set as the fourth Thursday of November until 1942.

Regardless of where the immigrants came from and no matter when they arrived, they shared something in common with each other and with those who come to our shores today.

They all wanted a better life for themselves and their families.

They were also willing to work hard to get that better life. And, they were profoundly grateful to the country that gave them the opportunity for betterment. That is all still true.

It is also still true that the country that benefitted so much from the early immigrants continues to benefit from those who come to our shores today. They bring energy and skill that enrich the lives of those with whom

(Advertising Supplement)

Buenos Aires, Argentina and Lima, Peru May 21 to May 31, 2018 A short distance away we find the news agent’s where May 21, 2018 (Monday - Day 1) Los Angeles/Buenos Aires, Argentina (LA 601 he daily bought the newspaper, and on Sundays he would go to pick it up himself. That was the LAXLIM 2130 -0750) newsagent Bergoglio phoned when he was elected as May 22, 2018 (Tuesday - Day 2) Buenos Aires the Pope to cancel Newspaper delivery.

Finally we will visit San Ignacio de Loyola church, (LA 7901 0931 1556) Meet our tour escort, panoramic tours on the way to a the first adobe church and the most ancient one in Buenos Aires, it was built by the Jesuits in 1675 and restaurant for Lunch, at EL Porteno Restaurant, located overlooking the river in Puerto Madero then declared Historic Monument in 1942. He assumed the position of Superior in this Order until he was elected to Hotel. (D) Tango Show as the Pope.

May 23, 2018 (Wednesday – Day 3) Buenos May 24, 2018 (Thursday - Day 4) Buenos Aires/ Aires Half day city tour of Buenos Aires, will give us an Lujan idea about the Demographic,Architectural and Visit the Basilica of Lujan with Lunch Private Services Historic characterisitics of Buenos Aires. Sightseeing with English Speaking Guide - Full Day (8hs 120 kms) includes the Principal spots of the City, Like Plaza De Depart from hotel toward the city of Lujan, situated Mayo, La Rosada, The Cathedral,Avenue 9 of July, 68 km. from the city of Buenos Aires. This locality, Theater Colon, Obelisco, National Congress, The considered sacred, developed around the Sanctuary Neighborhood of “La Boca” with its traditional and of the Virgin of Lujan, and always a center of colorful “Ciminito Street”,Plaza San Martin, Recoleta pilgrimages. Each year in October, there takes place an important pilgrimage of the young in the Cemetery And the Gardens of Palermo.

Afternoon tours recreates the life and work of Pope direction of the monumental church, the Basilica of Francis,during this tour we will discover the real Jorge Our Lady of Lujan, which faces the Plaza Belgrano.

Mario Bergoglio also known as Pope Francis. He has The actual cathedral, with gothic lines, began always been focused on the simplicity of his way of construction in 1889 but was concluded in 1937. living .He was born in 1936 in the middle or lower It’s an impressive architectural example as much class neighborhood like Flores, son of italian worker, for its facade as for its interior design. Aside from appreciating the majestic cathedral, during the tour his father was a railroader, a humble man.

Our first stop is at the neo classical San Jose De expect to visit the Historic Colonial Museum, located Flores Church, where he used to pray as a teenager. in the old church that contains a valuable collection Nearby this Church we can find the house where the of arms and uniforms, objects of art history, colonial Pope and four siblings grew up with their Parents, silversmithing, indigineous and gaucho arts and the Museum of Transport that presents a vast collection of Regina Maria Sivori and Mario Bergoglio.

In this area we will also admire Maria Auxiliadora carriages, airplanes and the first steam locomotive of Basilica and San Carlos Borromeo Church where the the country, named “La Portena.” During the course of Pope was baptized Christmas of 1936, here you can the visit, there will be lunch at a local restaurant. In the appreciate the font. In the 70th Anniversary of his afternoon begin the return toward the city of Buenos baptism, the church hung a frame with the copy of Aires and finally the hotel. (B,L,D) the record of the parish book, where you can see his May 25, 2018 (Friday - Day 5) departure sacramental record (you will be able to see it during Buenos Aires to Lima, Peru (2428 EZELIM the evening mass). A curious thing about this church 0750 1050) is that Carlos Gardel frequented this church and was Arrive in Lima. A transportation Service with a guide part of the choir at the beginning of the 20th century, will pick us up from the airport and transfer us to our Hotel Lunch will be in a local restaurant, try the you can see a memorial plaque.

The Image of Maria Auxiliadora is also important, for delicious Pollo a la Brasa.

San Lorenzo because Lorenzo Massa was inspired After Lunch will start the tour en route to downtown. by the blue cape of the Virgin to design the team´s We will first go to the Birth house of San Martin De t-shirt. This t-shirt was worn by Los Forzosos del Porres, currently an institution of Social Assistance to Almagro, the first name the team received. These the underprivileged that bears his name. colors have identified the club through history. Then There is a small Museum dedicated to St Martin, the chapel located in the room where he was born and we continue to San Antonio Church.

Heading downtown, the tour passes by the Jesuit then the dining room, where lunch is served free to College of El Salvador, where Bergoglio taught the elderly. If you wish to bring any donations, it will be literature and psychology in the 1960s, and Salvador very appreciated and welcome.

University which he later oversaw. We will also pass We will visit the Saint Rose of Lima Church. visit Santo

by Santa Catalina church, which was the first women Domingo Convent, where the first Peruvian Saints Monastery in Buenos Aires City and one of oldest and are Buried: Saint Martin De Porres and Saint Rose of Lima. Dinner then return to the hotel. most prestigious convent.

The tour ends at Plaza de Mayo where we will walk May 26, 2018 (Saturday - Day 6) Lima Fly to around the area and see Buenos Aires Archbishopric Cusco (LA 2043 LIMCUZ 1455-1612) where Bergoglio lived until he was elected pope, After breakfast, guided tour of both the colonial and Metropolitan Cathedral, which looks more like a the modern sections of Lima, City of Kings”. Colonial classical Greek temple than a typical Catholic church. Lima includes a visit to the Main Square, located in the There, Bergoglio eventually presided as the City’s heart of downtown to view the Government Palace, archbishop. Inside the imposing building there is the the Town Hall, The “Desamparados” Train Station ,the tomb of the South American independence hero Jose old streets with their vice royal mansions and Moorish de San Martin. A new Museum will be set up in one of style balconies, the Bishop Palace with its beautiful the halls to the left of the central nave of the temple, balconies and the Cathedral of Lima. (Its outstanding the name will be “Jorge M. Bergoglio Cardinal” .The features are the choir stalls, the Churrigueresque exhibit will include personal and liturgical objects that Chapel of the Immaculate, the main altar and a Christ he used during the archbishopric, like ornaments, made of carved ivory). Then walk towards the Aliaga cassocks and a pastoral staff that the bishops wear House – viceregal house delivered by Francisco as a representation of their pastoral function. Here you Pizarro to one of his captains (Jeronimo de Aliaga) will also find the ring that identified him as a cardinal, when the city was established – a jewel of colonial architecture currently inhabited by family members. he decided to give it away to the Cathedral.

Then we will pass by Roverano Passage, the first one Continue your tour by visiting San Francisco with in the City and where we find Romano Hairdresser’s, its convent (considered to be the most important religious monument of Lima, built in 1542 in Baroque the one that the pope frequented during 20 years.

style and consecrated in 1673) and the museum of colonial art, cloisters and catabumbs. Your drive through Lima will pass by several Colonial squares, churches and mansions, and then you will continue to the Modern Districts of San Isidro and Miraflores, for a glimpse of life in this huge city, as well as its beautiful parks, modern buildings and great ocean views. After lunch transfer to the Airport for the flight to Cusco.

Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel. In the evening you will be transferred to local restaurant for Dinner show. Accommodation at Hilton Garden Inn – Superior Room. Meals included: Breakfast, box lunch, dinner May 27, 2018 (Sunday - Day 7) Lima - Cusco (Pls Schedule Sunday Mass) Early morning, transfer to Sunday Mass. Rest of the morning Free time. Take the remainder of the morning to nap or relax as you adjust to Cusco high altitude.

In the afternoon your guided tour of the Inca Royal City of Cusco starts in the very impressionable Plaza de Armas, which is surrounded by a beautiful stone arcade. In the Plaza is the Cathedral, with outside façade in Renaissance style is in contrast to its Baroque and plateresque style of its interiors.

The Convent of Santo Domingo was built above the most important Inca Temple, the Temple of the Sun, or Koricancha. Near the City of Cusco, you will visit the Inca Fortress Sacsayhuaman, made up of three gigantic terraces, superimposed in a zigzag form.

Qenqo, was a religious centre formed by a singular flowering of calcareous rock. It has underground galleries and a semicircular amphitheater with a series of stone seats.

Nearby is a Tambomachay, well known as Baths of the Incas, a place dedicated to the cult of the water, formed by aqueducts, channels.

Stop at Pisac Market for a display of colorful native craftsmanship, enjoy Lunch in Urubamba and head for temple of the sun. Accommodation at Hilton Garden Inn – Superior Room. Meals included: Breakfast, box lunch, dinner May 28, 2018 (Sunday - Day 8) Cusco - Sacred Valley Your tour will start en route to the Sacred Valley, Where you will visit Awanakancha, a farm of South America camelids and showroom of textiles, where local families show the entire traditional process of weaving and making garments. You will then visit the Pisac citadel, a town shaped as a partridge, which is known for two reasons: for the craft market established between colonial buildings and for housing one of the most impressive complex of agricultural terraces of the valley. The market has scores of stands that exhibit and sell products manufactured by the residents of the area.

You will then have lunch at the agreed restaurant and will arrive in Ollantaytambo, a typical example of the urban planning of the Incas, whose residents still live in accordance with their old traditions. Pachacutec (1438-1471) conquered the town, destroyed it and built a new one, absorbing it as part of his empire.

The Ollantaytambo fortress is a huge archaeological complex which, although it bears the name of fortress, it was actually a tambo, a leisure city used to accommodate the delegations that traveled long distances. Without a doubt, it is one of the most monumental works of the Inca Empire.

Accommodation at Casa Andina Private Collection Urubamba - Superior room. Meals included: Breakfast at the hotel, Lunch *Important - Tonight, please pack an overnight bag for your journey to Machu Picchu. Due to luggage restrictions aboard the trains to/from Machu Picchu, passengers may only take 1 small bag weighing no more than 5 kg (11 lbs.) . The rest of your luggage will be taken to Cusco city and will be

Italian Pilgrimage Holy Week

Holy Thursday - Good Friday - Easter Vigil March 23 to April 3, 2018 Spiritual Director: Rev. Fr. Chin Van Dang Day 1 - March 23, 2018 (Fri) Los Angeles, California to Venice, Italy Trans-Atlantic flight from LAX to LHR connect to our flight to Venice. (Meals served in-flight) Day 2 - March 24, 2018 (Sat) Venice, Italy After we clear Immigration & Customs, we will meet our Tour Director and driver for our transfer to our hotel, Dinner at the hotel.

(Dinner) If time permits, discover the most romantic views of Venice on foot and from the comfortable seats of a gondola, spend some time gliding through the cities peaceful canals.

Day 3 - March 25, 2018 (Sun) Venice, Italy The greatness of Venice has always been reflected in the richness of St. Mark’s Basilica, the perfect synthesis of Venetian art and a unique blend of Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic elements. Five Oriental-looking domes crown the shadowy, mysterious interior gleaming with golden mosaics, colored marbles, precious stones and pearls, and guarded by the four gilded bronze horses that stand proudly atop the central entrance. The glittering mosaics of the interior tell the story of St. Mark and episodes from the Bible. It’s most famous treasure stands behind the altar in the sanctuary - the Pala D’Oro, a golden altar screen encrusted with jewels.

Holy Mass at St. Mark’s Basilica We’ll visit theDoge’s Palace, the magnificent Venetian-Gothic building from where the leaders of the former Venetian Republic ruled until the late 18th century. Head inside and explore the grandiose public chambers that the doges lavished with fine art and ornamentation. Masterpieces by Renaissance champions. (BB, D) Day 4 - March 26, 2018 (Mon) Venice to

San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy After breakfast, we will spend the day travelling from Venice to San Giovanni Rotondo, the home of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina from 28 July, 1916 until his death on 23 September, 1968.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the drive and take in the picturesque scenery along the way. We will reach our hotel in San Giovanni Rotondo in the afternoon. Will have panoramic sightseeing on the way to our hotel, (BB, D).

overnight/Dinner

Day 8 - March 30 2018 (Fri) Assisi to Florence (Good Friday) Celebrate Holy Eucharist in the Crypt where the tomb of the most beloved saints is located, after Mass visit the Basilica of St Francis, we’ll also visit the Basilica of St. Claire. After Lunch continue to Florence Best known for its leather goods, the best in the world Leather (BB, D) Free time in the Day 5 - March 27, 2018 (Tues) San afternoon. Dinner/Overnight Giovanni Rotondo, Italy We begin the day by celebrating Holy Eucharist, Day 9 - March 31, 2018 (Sat) Florence followed by a short film about St. Padre to Rome Pio. Done by our local guides who are very 2 hrs. early walking tours of Florence, before knowledgeable about the life of St. Padre Pio. we continue to Rome We will have a guided We’ll start our visit with the Old Church. Here walking tour of this fascinating city with its you can see his cell, his confessional box, the Piazza, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, crucifix from which he received the stigmata, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistery of St. John and nearly everything he owned or touched, the Baptist, Continue to Rome. carefully preserved and labeled. Then will visit Upon our arrival in Rome,Lunch break near the New Basilica, Santa Maria delle Grazie (Our the Vatican , followed by Guided tours of the Lady of Grace) dedicated to Padre Pio. (BB, D) Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. See the Largest church in Roman Catholicism, Day 6 March 28,2018 (Wed) San Giovanni St Peter Basilica, see the Crypt of St Pope Rotondo John Paul (BB, D) Transfer to the Hotel/ Holy Eucharist in the Morning in the New Overnight Basilica. Followed by Station of the Cross. Rest of day spend praying and meditating (BB, D) Day 10 April 1, 2018 (Sun ) Rome EASTER SUNDAY MASS, VATICAN Day 7 – March 29, 2018 (Thur) San SQUARE FOLLOWED BY PAPAL BLESSING Giovanni Rotondo to Siena, Italy Visit the Major Basilicas like St Mary Majors.

After breakfast, we will spend the day John Lateran, the Holy Stairs, St. Paul Outside travelling from San Giovanni Rotondo to the Wall, St. Peter’s in Chain, Santa Croce of Siena. We will begin in the old town center Jerusalem, afternoon see Imperial Rome, and with a visit to the Basilica of San Domenico. short visit to the Trevi Fountain on the way to Built in the 13th century, it is a treasure the hotel (BB, D) Dinner in the hotel chest of Renaissance art and is dedicated to St. Catherine of Siena. You’ll learn about the Day 11 April 2, 2018 (Mon) Rome city’s history while admiring its cathedrals, Free time in Rome ( BB,D) museums, and libraries. Then admire famous Day 12 April 3, 2018 (Mon) Rome – USA Piazza del Campo, one of Europe’s great Transfer to the airport for our flight back to medieval squares.(BB, D) Continue to Assisi USA, End of our memorable Pilgrimage

stored at your selected hotel. You will retrieve your nearby jungle and the rugged landscape. The ruins are situated on the eastern slope of Machu Picchu luggage on May 30 Mountain in two separate areas - agricultural and May 29, 2018 (Tuesday - Day 9) Sacred Valley urban. The latter includes the civil sector (dwellings, canalizations) and the sacred sector (temples, to Machu Picchu After Breakfast Board the Vistadome train and travel mausoleums, squares, royal houses). through the sacred Valley of the Incas on the way Although the constructions show different levels of to Aguas Calientes, then Hop on the Bus headed to architecture, the Citadel, explore Machu Picchu with a Guided tour the religious buildings exhibits a high degree of and admire the seven Wonders of the World, enjoy perfection. The construction was generally in stone and the roofs were built of tree trunks and thatched exploring the sites.

Upon arrival at Machu Picchu’s Aguas Calientes with ichu or straw. The walls lean slightly inward to Station, you’ll meet your guide and will take a protect against earthquakes.

30-minute shuttle-bus ride to Machu Picchu, the “Lost Later, board the bus down to Aguas Calientes for City of the Incas”. The ruins are located in a lush jungle lunch. and are believed to have been built in the mid-15th Overnight at Casa Sel Sol boutique Hotel – century by Inca Pachacutec. Lost in history, it was not Standard room. Meals include: Breakfast at the discovered until 1911 by the american explorer Hiram hotel, lunch and dinner.

Bingham. Enjoy a guided tour of the fabled ruins.

Now Recognized as a member of the new 7 Wonders May 30, 2018 (Wednesday - Day 10) Machu of the World, Machu Picchu is a marvelous and famous Picchu to Cusco citadel which combines the visual and spiritual force of After having breakfast today, you will meet your guide magnificent natural scenery with the natural diversity at the lobby of the hotel and will enjoy a second visit of a historic sanctuary. Machu Picchu is recognized to Machu Picchu. as a Cultural and Natural Patrimony of the World You may climb the Wayna Picchu (entrance fee which rises to an altitude of 7,900 feet above sea included), which means “Young Mountain” as opposed level between the Huayna Picchu (young peak) and to Machu Picchu. Its ascent takes approximately an Machu Picchu (old peak). It lies within the spectacular hour and its top attraction is the “Temple of the Moon”, framework provided by the exuberant vegetation of a complex of underground constructions probably

used for the elite. You may finally go to the Inca Bridge, an amazing stone construction which served to enter or exit the citadel that has an empty space of several meters in the middle, on which they placed two large wooden boards. Thus, the Incas could isolate the city and protect themselves by removing them.

Later take the bus down to Aguas Calientes, head to the train station and board the Vistadome train Ollantaytambo station. On arrival, you will be transferred to your selected hotel in Cusco city.

Accommodation at Hilton Garden Inn - Superior Room Meals included: Breakfast, dinner at the hotel *Important - The visits to Huayna Picchu have a restricted access to 400 passengers per day - 200 at 7:00 a.m. and 200 at 10:00 a.m. This entrance is subject to availability and the guests have to choose and inform their preferred scheduled with time in advance. Guests’ information such as complete name, passport number, nationality, date of birth and pre payment are required to purchase the entrance fee. Entrance fees to Huayana Picchu and Machu Picchu are non refundable/non endorsable.

May 31, 2018 (Thursday - Day 11) 6:10 am Transfer to airport to board your flight to Lima Cusco - Lima- Lax (LA2054 CUZLIM 0840 1010) Upon arrival, connect with your international flight LAX ( LA600 LIMLAX 1220 1900)

C DECEMBER 2-5, 2017 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Minding Your Finances Atty. RAymond BulAon IF you are struggling with debt and have done everything you can to no avail, bankruptcy may be the only way for you to wipe the slate clean on your financial troubles.

Some people have gotten so behind on their debt payments that it has become impossible for them to catch up. Creditors are calling and threatening to sue.

They don’t know who to pay first because everyone wants their money — and they want it right now.

Bankruptcy is a legal process that allows you to regain your financial footing if you find yourself in a situation where you have accumulated more debt than you can pay back. Some people have excessive debt that they will never be able to pay it all back over their lifetime. Sad but true.

This can happen to anyone regardless of how much money you make. I tell my clients that someone who makes $100,000 a year can be in just as much financial trouble as someone who makes $20,000 a year.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not how much you make that counts. It’s what you have left af-

Tax Tips victoR sy, cPA, mBA

1. DON’T volunteer information. A typical agent is a low-key, friendly agent. They get your guard down by playing a nice guy role. Don’t be deceived by it.

Remember that he (includes her) is not on your side. He may appear to be, but he is not.

2. Don’t be a blabbermouth.

Taxpayers are scared to talk before introductions and then become relaxed and chatty upon observing that the auditor is not a mean dude after all. This is why I never bring my clients to IRS audits. I strictly forbid my clients from talking with and writing to the IRS. If a client breaks this rule, I disengage.

3. Don’t be late. It doesn’t make a good first impression.

4. Don’t walk in without re-

Community Journal

Is bankruptcy a good idea for you? ter you pay your debts and living expenses. Some people have a very high consumption lifestyle.

They have the nicest homes, cars and all other toys. But they own nothing. Why? The banks own everything! I once had a rich (well, he used to be rich) client who lost everything once he lost his job. That’s when he realized that everything he had was purchased on credit.

Well, how can bankruptcy help?

There are several types of bankruptcy. The most common ones for individuals are Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. Chapter 13 is a debt consolidation that allows you to pay creditors based on how much you can afford. Chapter 7, on the other hand, allows you to wipe out debts you can no longer pay back.

Which “chapter” you file depends on your income, expenses, assets and your goals in filing a bankruptcy case. It makes sense to consult with a knowledgeable and experienced bankruptcy attorney who can review your specific situation and see what is best for you.

Before taking the plunge, it’s a good idea to understand what bankruptcy can and cannot do for you. For example, there are

certain debts that cannot be wiped out in bankruptcy such as student loans, most taxes and back child support.

Some people think that filing bankruptcy is shameful and they equate it with failure. The truth, however, is that bankruptcy is nothing more than a tool to fix an already bad situation.

In other words, bankruptcy is a state or condition that you’re already in if you’re unable to meet your financial obligations. When you “file bankruptcy,” what you are actually doing is filing an application for relief from the court so that you can improve your financial situation and ‘get out of bankruptcy’.

The Court will decide if you are eligible for the relief that you are seeking. A Chapter 7 case lasts about four to five months.

A Chapter 13 case can last three to five years. That may seem long but it’s better than being stuck in debt for the rest of your life.

Once you are out of bankruptcy, you can rebuild your finances and your credit again. You don’t have to worry about creditors taking what little you have and you can start saving money for the future again.

Bankruptcy can be a lifesaver

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15 dont’s during an IRS office audit

cords.

5. Don’t dump a paper bag in the auditor’s face. A happy auditor may not necessarily favor you but an angry auditor certainly will not help you.

6. Don’t fight the auditor.

Don’t tell him to go after the Mob instead of small fish like you. He was given a case file to work on and he is just doing his job. He could make life more difficult for you.

7. Don’t ever bribe an auditor.

Your case will be referred to the Criminal Investigation Division (CID).

8. Don’t be overconfident especially if you have some knowledge about taxes and audits.

9. Don’t underestimate the skills of the auditor. The agent is a professional. He does this kind of thing for a living. Compared to his skills, you’re an amateur.

10. Stay away from referring to

the IRS as Nazi, Gestapo or ISIS. 11. We understand that this experience can be nerve-wracking, but don’t be overly nervous.

You must be hiding something.

12. If you want to end your misery, don’t make it so obvious that you want to rush. The auditor must have missed a major issue.

13. Don’t file tax return during an audit. That return is likely to be audited as well.

14. Don’t lie. The auditor may already have the answer and is just testing your credibility. For example, you may say “no” to a question if you have a stock brokerage account while auditor stares at a dividend income 1099 in his files.

15. Don’t react negatively to an office auditor who may not respond positively to your friendly gesture. Office technicians have

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

Estate Corner Atty. BriAn Lerner QUESTION: I have lots of years of experience and lots of publications and awards. However, I don’t have an employer to sponsor me. Is there any other option?

Answer: There might be.

EB1-A or EB1-EA is a subgroup of first preference employmentbased immigration (EB-1). This immigration preference category is for foreign nationals of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics. According to federal immigration law, such persons are not required to have a prospective employer (unlike EB1-B and EB1-C, and other preference categories), but they must be entering to continue to work in their chosen field, and they must substantially benefit prospectively in the U.S. In addition, the petitioner has to show that the foreign person sustained national or international acclaim with recognized achievements. This is the requirement that is most difficult to prove.

Question: What is needed to prove this particular petition?

Answer: While it is not easy, there are a specified list of items upon which we can try to put the supporting evidence.

The Prophetic Voice ReveRend Rodel G. BAlAGtAs “YES, O Lord, you are our father; we are the clay, and you are the potter: we are the work of your hands” (Is 64:7). These are beautiful words the Scripture presents to us on this First Sunday of Advent as we prepare for Christmas! We’re going to spend the weeks of Advent in prayer, asking God the Potter to shape our hearts so that we become vigorous in caring deeply and loving generously and heroically. We pray that he expand our minds and open them so we can understand better his ways and humbly accept them. We’re going to allow God to embolden our spirits so that we can forgive un-

I don’t have a sponsor? Try the Extraordinary Alien Petition Receipt of lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence in the field of endeavor. Membership in an association that requires outstanding achievement as a condition of membership in the field for which the classification is sought. Published material about the foreign person or his or her work in professional, trade journals, or major media publications. (These items must include title, date, author, and must be translated into English) The foreign person’s participation, on a panel or individually, as a judge of the work of others in the same or a related field. Evidence of original contributions, usually through publication, of major significance in the foreign national’s fields of science, scholastic, artistic, or athletic Authorship of scholarly articles in the field, in professional journals, or other major media (national newspapers, magazines, etc.) Display of the foreign national’s work at significant exhibitions. Performance in a significant role for organizations or establishments that have a distinguished reputation. Receipt of a higher salary or remuneration than is usual in the field Commercial success in the performing arts as shown by box office receipts or sales records, cassette, compact disk, or video

sales, or other comparable evidence if the above types of evidence do not readily apply to the foreign national’s occupations.

The meanings of these evidentiary criteria are ambiguous. Cases in front of AAO (Administrative Appeal Office) have indicated that not every criterion applies to every foreign beneficiary.

Question: Which field do I claim to be extraordinary ability?

Answer: You want to try to narrow down the field. Thus, if you were an engineer, you would narrow that to the type of engineer and then a sub-category within that type of engineer. For example, an aeronautical engineer specializing in flight systems on the F-16. The narrower the field, the higher the chance of success. *** Atty. Brian D. Lerner has been an Immigration Attorney for nearly a quarter of a century. He is married to a Filipina and has helped thousands of Filipino families all over the country.

In addition to his offices in Southern California in Long Beach and Carson, he has an office in Quezon City. He is a certified specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Legal Board of Specialization, California State Bar. The initial consultation is free. Call (562) 495-0554 and/or send an e-mail to blerner@californiaimmigration.us.

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The call of Advent: Wake up! reservedly, love unconditionally, and hope untiringly.

This is why Advent is a significant preparation for Christmas.

It’s a counter-cultural celebration in a society that focuses on material things and pleasures. Not that God is against the happiness we experience from having these things, but that he’s reminding us to dwell on the heart of this Christmas preparation, which is prayer. It’s no wonder that the Gospel tells us to “watch… whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning.” It’s a time to be present to God, to be awake to the deep riches of his grace inside of us and around us.

Ron Rolheiser is honest in claiming that being present, being awake, and indeed, being watchful are hard disciplines to do with so many distractions, cares, and pressures of every-

day life. It’s for this reason, he says, that “every major spiritual tradition has daily rituals designed precisely to wake us from spiritual sleep, akin to an alarm clock waking us from physical sleep. It’s for this reason that “we should ensure that we have regular spiritual rituals, spiritual alarm clocks, to jolt us back awake--so that it doesn’t take a heart attack, a stroke, cancer, or death to wake us up.” (In Exile, Center for Liturgy, St. Louis University).

Advent then is one of those beautiful spiritual traditions that can wake us up from the sleep of spiritual death—the overindulgence in worldly pleasures and preoccupation with prestige and self-grandiosity, and the state of being stuck in anger and resentments toward other people. It’s that time to wake

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Community Journal

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

What does it mean to be “off-duty” during lunch breaks?

Q: I work in a hospital on 12-hour shifts. During my meal break, I sometimes go to our break lounge to take a nap. My supervisor told me sleeping is forbidden. Since it is my 30-minute meal break, I feel that I should be able to spend it however I want.

What are my rights?

A: If it is your meal break, you should be allowed to spend it however you want, including taking a nap. Under California law, employers must provide a 30-minute uninterrupted meal period to employees for every 5 hours of work. “Providing” a meal period means the employer must provide an offduty meal period. “Off-duty” means: Employees are relieved of all duty for an uninterrupted period of 30 minutes Employees are free to leave the workplace if they wish.

Employer gives up control over the employees’ activities during the break.

It can be argued that employers who dictate what their employees should do during their breaks are effectively requiring them to remain “on duty” and must, therefore, pay them. This is exactly what a class of sanitation workers, employed by the city of Los Angeles, claimed when they filed a lawsuit against the city for missed meal wages. Trash truck driver, Jose Gravina, first sued the city claiming he was regularly denied meal breaks

Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr. and been disciplined for napping during his meal break. The case later became a class action.

The Bureau of Sanitation reportedly imposed the no-nap rule on its workers in an effort to prevent the public or news cameras catching city employees sleeping in their trucks. The city also prohibited its employees from gathering in one spot for a meal or traveling to locations away from their pickup routes during lunch breaks.

The trial court judge noted: “The city does impose duties during meal periods: the duties to stay awake and to avoid congregating. The drivers are thus subject to the city’s control during their meal periods.” The Court of Appeal agreed. After the California Supreme Court declined to review the case, the city and the drivers eventually have agreed to settle the case for $26 million for the benefit about 1,100 sanitation workers.

If an employer puts any restrictions on an employee’s meal period, the employer is still continuing to exert control over the employee. If the employee remains under the control of the

employer, then the employee must be compensated.

The law on providing offduty meal breaks exists to safeguard the health and safety of our workers, and to safeguard the public as well.

A sleep-deprived truck driver or a fatigued nurse may be a danger not only to themselves but to those they serve. Thirty minutes may alleviate these dangers.

There is a difference between sleeping on the job and sleeping during your legallymandated off-duty break. The first one may get you fired, but the second is your right. If your employer does not seem to understand this distinction, feel free to contact us to find out if we can help you. *** The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at no-cost. You can contact the office at (818) 291-0088 or visit www.joesayaslaw.com or our Facebook page Joe Sayas Law. [C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. is an experienced trial attorney who has successfully recovered wages and other monetary damages for thousands of employees and consumers. He was named Top Labor & Employment Attorney in California by the Daily Journal, consistently selected as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, and is the recipient of PABA’s Community Champion Award for 2016.]

(Advertising Supplement)

Does Godzilla live in your house?

THE Japanese created Godzilla a long time ago. It’s a gigantic T-Rex on steroids that destroys Tokyo and the rest of Japan until someone comes to the rescue and kills it with nukes. Mr. Honda, the author, created the concept of Godzilla as a metaphor for the atomic bombs in 1954 when Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were the recipients of two atomic bombs from the United States, were still fresh in the minds of the Japanese. Now, of course, Kim Jung Un of North Korea has recently threatened to wipe Japan from the face of the earth with his nuclear bombs. So, I am sure that the spectre of Godzilla is now making the rounds again in Japan.

No way that Godzilla can be living in your house, right? Well check again. Maybe you got your first credit card 10 years ago and that was Godzilla’s egg. Now, you have 10 credit cards and you have a mountain of credit card statements that you receive every month, each one of them requiring a minimum payment from you to keep them happy. What happens if you don’t make the minimum payment every month? Well, they will turn nasty and create a lot of trouble for you. This is the problem of having Godzilla in your house.

It’s very hard to kill Godzilla because it is a gigantic monster!

You can’t kill it with a 50caliber machine gun. That’s not strong enough. Those 50-caliber bullets just slide off Godzilla’s tougher-than-steel skin. Five hundred-pound bunker buster bombs have been proven ineffective against this monster. He just shrugs them off like mosquito bites. The only way you can kill Godzilla in your house is to put a nuclear smart bomb through its navel and detonate it.

Only a Chapter 7 petition has enough legal power to kill all

Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrSUA reyeS IN the absence of a premarital agreement, the general community property presumption under California family code section 760 controls which provides “ ….all property, real or personal, wherever situated, acquired by a married person during the marriage while domiciled in this state is community property.”

Family Code §760.

This becomes a problem if you are the spouse that has the substantially higher income or the one who accumulates the majority of the assets during the marriage. You are called in family law lingo “the in spouse.” The other spouse (or in our lingo also called the “out spouse” gets a half interest on everything accumulated during the marriage even if the asset is under your name alone or it was accumulated solely due to your sweat and hard work. The out spouse, who stayed at home most of the marriage, gets a one half interest on all the accumula-

Debt Relief

Atty. LAwrenCe yAng

your credit cards in one explosion. Wipe out all your dischargeable debts; keep all of your assets including your house, cars, furniture and retirement accounts, and start fresh in life without accumulated debt. Kill the Godzilla in your house, or it will destroy your life.

If you owe $30,000 of credit card debt now, next year, that debt will become $40,000, then $50,000. You need at least $1,000 of net income to make minimum payments on $30,000 of credit cards every month. For $40,000 of credit cards, you will need $1,200 of net income for minimum monthly payments. If you don’t have the $1,000 or $1,200 of net income, you will have to borrow $12,000 a year to make the $1,000 of monthly payments.

This means that your $30,000 debt will become $42,000 in twelve months. If you gross $3,000 monthly, 40 percent of your net income of $2,400 will be used to service your $30,000 of credit card debt.. You are being eaten alive by Godzilla even if you don’t know it.

The client is 72. She has been a widow for three years. She used to be a caregiver until last year. Last year her patient, a 400pound woman who is 6 feet tall, threw her to the floor. The patient had mental problems. The client thought she was going to die on the floor since she is only 5 feet and 130 pounds. She became unconscious and was brought to the hospital. Although she survived the fall, she now has a lot of back pain, which makes her eligible to receive disability. She

owes $40K of credit card debt.

Her disability pay is $1,400 and her social security is $1,000. So, she gets monthly $2,400 from disability and social security.

Her rent is $600. Her $40,000 of credit card debt requires 50 percent of her income for minimum payments. She has two sons who have offered to pay the minimum of $1,200 for her $40,000 of credit cards. But what is the logic in keeping these cards? Sons will pay $15,000 this year. Next year, they will pay another $15,000 and the year after next, another $15,000. In 3 years, sons will be $45,000 but client will still owe the same $40,000 of credit card debt after her sons aid $45,000 of minimum payments for three years!

The client decides that she needs the full legal power of Chapter 7 to get rid of all of her $40,000 of credit cards now and to start a new and productive life again at 72! Chapter 7 is the “fresh start” law. You start life again without the burden of accumulated debt whether your are 72, 62, 52, 42 or 32, it doesn’t matter. You can start fresh again in life at any age! The sooner the better for you and your family, otherwise you will have a Godzilla living in your house.

If you need debt relief, set an appointment to see me. I will analyze your case personally.

“A FAITH AND KNOWLEDGE RESTING ON THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE, WHICH GOD, WHO DOES NOT LIE, PROMISED BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF TIME.” TITUS 1:2 *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in bankruptcy, business, real estate and civil litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 1000 S. Fremont Ave, Mailstop 58, Building A-1 Suite 1125, Alhambra, CA 91803.

Do I need a premarital agreement before getting married? tions during the marriage under California community property law. For example, if you opened a savings account during the marriage under your name alone for which you religiously and diligently stash away 25% of your earnings during the marriage while your spouse blows away his/her salary during the marriage, your spouse still gets a half interest in the money you saved in your savings account.

Another example would be if you purchase a piece of real property during the marriage under “your name alone” and have your spouse sign a “quit claim” deed, your spouse may still have a claim for a half interest in your real property. Another example would be if you owned a business prior to marriage, but due to your hard work, long hours of labor, and efforts, the business grew exponentially during the marriage, your spouse may still have a claim for an interest in the business.

Signing a premarital agreement may serve as added protection to the future “in spouse” and a hurdle for the future “out spouse” by avoiding or altering the applicability of California community property law to assets 1) already owned by each and 2) to property and income to be acquired or earned during their marriage.

Marriage of Grinius (1985) 166 CA3d 1179, 1186, 212 CR 803, 807 Premarital agreements may validly provide that the earnings and accumulations of each party during marriage will remain that party’s separate property, free of any claims, community property or otherwise, of the other party.

Marriage of Dawley, supra, 17 C3d at 350, 131 CR at 8; Cheney v. City & County of San Francisco Employees Retirement System (1936) 7 C2d 565, 569, 61 P2d 754, 756. Premarital agreements may also serve to preserve a person’s estate for his or her heirs, free of the other party’s inheri-

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 2-5, 2017

C

Permanent residence for crewmen DEAR Attorney Tan, I entered the US in 1998 as a crewman. I have recently married a US citizen and would like to get a green card. However, I have heard that since I entered as a crewman, I cannot adjust my status to a permanent resident. Is this true? -Lost on Land Dear Lost on Land, Under INA Section 245(c)(1), a person who enters the US as a “crewman” is generally barred from adjusting his status to permanent residence.

However, analysis of this issue must begin with determining whether you are actually a “crewman,” who is barred from adjustment.

A “crewman” is defined as a person “serving… in a capacity required for normal operation and service on board a vessel, …or aircraft, who intends to land temporarily and solely in pursuit of his calling as a crewman and to depart from the United States with the vessel or aircraft on which he arrived or some other vessel or aircraft.” INA Section 101(a)(15(D). A “crewman” under this definition is assigned a “D” visa classification, but is often issued a dual C-1 transit/ D crewman visa. Because of this, a common misperception exists that a C-1 visa classification is designated for crewmen, and that a person who entered the US under a C-1 classification is by definition a “crewman,” therefore barred from adjusting his status to permanent resident. However, it is important to keep in mind that if a person entered on a C-1 transit visa, he may not be a “crewman” and may be eligible to adjust status. Further, the facts of a particular case regardless of letter classification of one’s visa upon entry may also be considered. If you entered on a C-1 transit visa, or under circumstances that do not fit the definition of a “crewman,” you may be eligible to adjust status.

If you are considered a “crewman” under the above definition, you can still file for adjustment of status to permanent residence and get a green card in the US if you are covered by INA Section 245(i). To be covered under INA Section 245(i), one must be the beneficiary of a visa petition or labor certification filed on or before April 30, 2001. If the petition was filed between January 14, 1998 and April 30, 2001, physical presence in the US on December 21, 2000 is also required.

If you are not covered under INA Section 245(i), and are considered a “crewman” under the above definition, you would need to obtain your immigrant visa at a foreign consular post. Traditionally, persons who were unlawfully present in the US for more than 1 year, and who had to obtain their immigrant visa at an Darrick V. Tan, Esq. overseas US consulate were subject to an unlawful presence bar from returning to the US for 10 years. That person would be able to seek a waiver of the unlawful presence bar after leaving the US, but if denied, he would be left outside of the US, and away from his family for 10 years. However, under the Provisional Waiver program, you can apply for and get a decision on the waiver of the unlawful presence bar without leaving the US. If the waiver is approved, you can leave the US with some assurance that you will obtain your immigrant visa at the US consulate post and quickly return. Spouses and minor children of US citizens are eligible for provisional waiver relief. *** Darrick V. Tan, Esq. is admitted to practice law in California and Nevada. Mr. Tan is a graduate of UCLA and Southwestern University School of Law. He is a member of the Consumers Attorney Association of Los Angeles and is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Philipp ine American Bar Association. *** 3LAW OFFICES OF DARRICK V. TAN, 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Tel: (323) 639-0277.

Email: info@dtanlaw.com.

(Advertising Supplement)

The call of Advent: Wake...

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us up to the beauty, the truth, the joy, and the promise of the Gospel that we can only experience through a life of generosity, service, forgiveness, and love.

It’s then a time of repentance, recognizing that we sinful and unclean as Prophet Isaiah declares in our First Reading when he says that “our good deeds are like polluted rags, and we have withered like leaves, and our guilt carries us away like the wind.” Only with repentant hearts that we can begin to rebuild, restore, and renew ourselves and our relationships.

We pray that the Spirit of Advent enters the hearts of our world leaders. We pray that they allow the God of justice, mercy, and love, the God of the poor and the desolate, to fashion their hearts with the same attributes of God. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is our model of prayer in this time of Advent. Her attentiveness to God’s will, courage, patience, humility, and complete trust in God exemplify to us the heart of a child of God. Let’s ask her to be our guide, mentor, and intercessor during this season of Advent. Amen!

*** From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (19912001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.

C4 DECEMBER 2-5, 2017 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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People & Events Versatile Riley Silos, an Olympic archery hopeful, to sing in FASO’s Dec. 9 holiday concert

RILEY Silos, a versatile young man who recently competed as a member of the Philippines’ team in the 20th Asian Archery Championships in Dhaka, Bangladesh, will sing with the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (FASO) in “Holiday Pops Concert” on Saturday, December 9, 6:00 p.m., at the Arcadia Performing Arts Center.

Riley, the nephew of actor Ryan Agoncillo and grandson of veteran singer Carina Afable, was proud to represent the Philippines in the recent archery championships which drew top athletes from over 30 countries.

Based in Southern California, the 16-year-old is the son of Ronnie Agoncillo Silos and Evelyn Abancio Silos, who is also a noted singer.

The multi-talented teen will continue to train as an archer and will have another shot at

qualifying for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Argentina. He also has his eyes set on the 2020 Olympics.

In the meantime, Riley is excited to perform for the first time with the 60-member strong FASO under the baton of music director and conductor Robert “Bob” Shroder. He participated in the FASO vocal workshop, one of the music education and outreach programs of the only Filipino symphony orchestra outside of the Philippines.

Riley joins a select group of guest youth performers carefully picked to perform with FASO in its eagerly awaited concert of favorite Christmas carols, pop, Broadway, classical and OPM (Original Pilipino Music) pieces: Nayah Damasen, Janelle Feraro and Shane Selloria.

FASO’s pianist, Paul Concepcion, will be featured in

a special number with the orchestra, George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.

“Holiday Pops Concert” will also highlight the majestic sound of over 200 glorious voices from combined adult and children choirs comprising of members from Holy Family Chorale (Glendale), St. Lorenzo Ruiz Catholic Church Choir (Walnut) and Vox Kapelle Choir (Artesia), and children’s choirs of GOD Faith Choir (Carson), IHMC Children’s Choir (Los Angeles) and Precious Blood Children’s Choir (Los Angeles).

Tickets at $100, $60, $40 and $25 are available through Andy Tecson (323) 467-5096. Tickets are also available at http://www. arcadiapaf.org/leased-events/ . More information at www.fasofoundation.org. Arcadia Performing Arts Center is located at 188 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA 91007. ■

Do I need a premarital agreement...

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Calendar of Events across

America

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Pasko Na Naman in Glendale, CA The Federation of Filipino Rosary Groups will sponsor a fundraiser entitled “Pasko Na Naman 2” on Saturday, December 2 at the Glendale Civic Auditorium (1401 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale, CA 91208) starting at 4 p.m. The presentation’s theme is Salo-salo at Pagdiriwang” which means “getting together joyfully.” The show will provide a glimpse on how Filipinos celebrate Christmas in the Philippines, which will be depicted through choral singing and folk dancing. The performers are Malaya Filipino American Dance Arts, St. Lorenzo Ruiz Parish Choir, Monique Magpayo and Kurt Winterhalter. Benefactors of proceeds include but are not limited to: Channel of Charity, Filipino Priests Association of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, feeding programs and FFRG faith formation events. Come one! Come All! Feel the scents and sights of Filipino Christmas. The audience will also enjoy “merienda cena” during the intermission. Ticket donation is $45.00 per person. For souvenir ad and ticket information, please contact Tess Domingo at (909) 855-2208 or Carol Evangelista at (909) 969-3316.

Free oil filter exchange in Alhambra, CA Attention all Alhambra residents! Free oil filter & motor oil recycling event on Saturday, December 2! Everyone is invited to bring in their used motor oil and used oil filters. All those who recycle their used oil filter will receive one FREE new oil filter. Recycling motor oil and filters helps save our environment and keeps our water clean. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at AutoZone located at 1100 W. Commonwealth Ave., Alhambra, CA 91803.

6th annual grand reunion of the UPHPEIS Alumni Association of North America in Whittier, CA Join the 6th Annual Grand Reunion of the UPHPEIS Alumni Association of North America on Saturday, December 2. UP High, UP Prep, Elementary and Integrated School alumni are welcome. The reunion will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at DoubleTree by Hilton Whittier (7320 Greenleaf Ave, Whittier, CA 90602). Tickets cost only $60 per person. Registration starts at 10:30 a.m. Come early! There will be a buffet lunch and entertainment. Seating is limited, so make your reservations now! Contacts: Alice Cabel-Ramos (aramos.us@gmail. com), Bobby Canseco (562-607-8839) or Ellery Atienza (323-497-3492). Find the association on Facebook by searching UPHPEIS Alumni Association of North America.

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

tance claims. Estate of Wamack (1955) 137 CA2d 112, 115, 289 P2d 871, 872.

Pursuant to Family Code §1612(c ),“ Parties to a premarital agreement may contract with respect to all of the following:(1) The rights and obligations of each of the parties in any of the property of either or both of them whenever and wherever acquired or located. (2) The right to buy, sell, use, transfer, exchange, abandon, lease, consume, expend, assign, create a security interest in, mortgage, encumber, dispose of, or otherwise manage and control property.(3) The disposition of property upon separation, marital dissolution, death, or the occurrence or nonoccurrence of any other event.(4) The making of a will, trust, or other arrangement to carry out the provisions of the agreement.(5) The ownership rights in and disposition of the death benefit from a life insurance policy.(6) The choice of law governing the construction of the agreement.(7) Any other matter, including their personal rights and obligations, not in violation of public policy or a statute imposing a criminal penalty.

However, the right of a child to support may not be adversely affected. Family Code §1612(b).

Premarital agreements that are entered into voluntarily by parties who are each represented by independent counsel and aware of the effect of the agreement, a post 1985 premarital waiver of post dissolution support does not offend contemporary public policy and is not per se unenforceable. Fam.C. § 1612(c); Marriage of Pendleton & Fireman (2000) 24 C4th 39, 53–54, 99 CR2d 278, 288–289; Marriage of Facter (2013) 212 CA4th 967, 981, 152 CR3d 79, 90.

Under both the Uniform Premarital Agreement Act and prior law, the spouse claiming the agreement is invalid or not enforceable bears the burden of proof on that allegation. Fam-

ily Code. § 1615(a); Marriage of Bonds, supra, 24 C4th at 27, 99 CR2d at 269; Marriage of Iverson (1992) 11 CA4th 1495, 1502, 15 CR2d 70, 74–75; However, the UPAA (as amended effective 1/1/02) deems that a premarital agreement was not executed voluntarily unless the court makes five prescribed findings provided for under Family Code. § 1615(c) (1) The party against whom enforcement is sought was represented by independent legal counsel at the time of signing the agreement or after being advised to seek independent legal counsel, expressly waived, in a separate writing, representation by independent legal counsel. (2) The party against whom enforcement is sought had not less than seven calendar days between the time that party was first presented with the agreement and advised to seek independent legal counsel and the time the agreement was signed. (3) The party against whom enforcement is sought, if unrepresented by legal counsel, was fully informed of the terms and basic effect of the agreement as well as the rights and obligations he or she was giving up by signing the agreement, and was proficient in the language in which the explanation of the party’s rights was conducted and in which the agreement was written. The explanation of the rights and obligations relinquished shall be memorialized in writing and delivered to the party prior to signing the agreement. The unrepresented party shall, on or before the signing of the premarital agreement, execute a document declaring that he or she received the information required by this paragraph and indicating who provided that information.(4) The agreement and the writings executed pursuant to paragraphs(1) and (3) were not executed under duress, fraud, or undue influence, and the parties did not lack capacity to enter into the agreement.(5) Any other factors the court deems relevant. In

addition, the parties are required to provide each other with full disclosure of all material financial information.

A premarital agreement may be unenforceable if found to be unconscionable when it was executed and the requisite disclosures were lacking and not waived Additionally, a spousal support provision in a premarital agreement executed under the UPAA, whether before or after January 1, 2002, is not enforceable if found to be unconscionable at the time of enforcement.

Family Code § 1612(c). If you are the higher earning spouse and have assets to protect, it is important to seek the representation of experienced counsel in drafting a premarital agreement to make sure that all statutory requirement are met which increases the likelihood that your premarital agreement will be deemed enforceable when attacked in court in case of a divorce. *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kureyeslaw@gmail.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com.

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15 dont’s during an IRS office...

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a tight schedule—four per day for wage earners and two for small business. They also have to prepare their report in between. *** Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude from UE with a BBA and from Indiana

State University with an MBA. Vic worked with SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV - Andersen Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation in Pasadena, California. *** 2He has 50 years of experience in defending taxpayers audited by the IRS,

FTB, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies. He is publishing a book on his expertise - “HOW TO AVOID OR SURVIVE IRS AUDITS.” Our readers may inquire about the book or email tax questions at vicsy@live.com.

option for you.

I’d like to review your situation and help you get out of debt as quickly as possible. For a free attorney consultation, call TollFree 1-866-477-7772. We have offices in Glendale, Cerritos and Valencia. ***

None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped thousands of clients

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Is bankruptcy a good idea for...

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for people who find themselves with no other options. But as I said earlier, before you consider bankruptcy as your path out of debt, it is important to consult with an attorney who can help you decide if it’s the right

in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call Ray Bulaon Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1 (866) 477-7772. (Advertising Supplement)

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&

I’M TIRED and just want to give up and go back home!

Immigration Corner ATTY. MICHAEL GURFINKEL, ESQ MANY Filipinos consult with me saying they are sad, lonely, and depressed over their immigration situation, and just want to give up, and go back to the Philippines. Many of them came to the U.S. years ago, leaving behind a spouse and small children. Because of their immigration situation, they are unable to travel back to the Philippines to visit their loved ones, or to even pray at the grave of a loved one who had passed away while they were trapped in the U.S. Instead, they watch their children grow up via Facetime or Skype, with conversations starting with “Mommy (or daddy), I miss you so much, when will I see you again?” Or they think of the funerals of loved ones they missed because they could not leave the U.S. Some of these people work two or more jobs and dutifully send money back home to their family, to ensure their care and support. They feel emptiness and loneliness, and they feel there’s no hope in sight. They want to give up and go back to the Philippines to be with their family.

While I fully understand the torment these people are going through, I urge them not to give up, as there may be changes in law that could benefit them.

Also, they should think about what life would be like if they did give up and go home: Once at home, everyone will

of course hug and cry the entire night, and reminisce on how much has changed, and how much everyone has missed each other over the years. The person could not be happier. It is like a dream come true.

When they wake up the following morning, they’re still in a blissful dream, being reunited once again with their family. They want to get together with their family and hug and cry some more. But the family is already used to being in the Philippines, so their family has already cried themselves out the previous night, and life is back to normal for them.

Eventually, because the bills still need to be paid, the family may start reminding the person that they now need to find work elsewhere as soon as possible because, after all, the person had been sending money all these years for rice, food, clothing, and education of their children. Those expenses still exist. But there may be no work available in the Philippines. And so, they may find themselves going off to Dubai, Qatar, KSA, or Europe, as an overseas worker, so they can find new work, to keep the steady stream of remittance to their family. But they are again separated from their family, and instead of being in the U.S., they are now in some other foreign country. In addition, by leaving the U.S., they may now be barred from returning for at least 10 years, because of the 3\10 year bar.

My point is that I know there

are so many Filipinos in the U.S. who are frustrated, anxious, and lonely for their family, and are just about to give up hope and go back. But you have to think about what life would be like two weeks after you return, when all the hugging and crying are over. In addition, maybe there will be changes in U.S. immigration law that could benefit you. Or perhaps, there could be a way NOW by which you could legalize your status, but you may not be aware of the particular immigration benefit to which you may be entitled.

Before giving up and going back, at least seek the advice of an attorney who can evaluate your situation, and see if there are options available to you, or you can pray harder for changes in law after the election. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel is licensed, and an active member of the State Bar 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. The information contained herein including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and reenactments) is of a general nature, and is not intended to apply to any particular case, and does not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorneyclient relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: (866)—GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

Business Quote of the Week “You have to have a big vision and take very small steps to get there. You have to be humble as you execute but visionary and gigantic terms of your aspiration. In the Internet industry, it’s not about grand innovation, it’s about a lot of little innovation: every day, every week, every month, making something a little bit better.”

- Jason Calacanis, Internet entrepreneur

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 2-5, 2017

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PH gov’t open to entry of more foreign contractors by richArd

Mercurio

Philstar.com

MANILA — The Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (CIAP), an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry, is open to lowering the threshold for Quadruple A license category to open the construction industry to more foreign contractors.

Under current rules of the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), 100 percent foreign owned contractors are allowed to do business in the Philippines under the Quadruple A category if they bring in at least P1 billion as direct investment.

Smaller contractors without the required capitalization, meanwhile, may still do business in the country upon issuance of special

licenses by PCAB. Lowering the P1 billion threshold would enable more foreign companies that do not have the required capitalization to secure construction permits as regular contractors and engage in projects with full equity, CIAP said.

“We’re open, probably. Although we have the capacity at present, we do not shut our doors to foreign contractors,” Trade Undersecretary and CIAP head Ruth Castelo said.

“If there is huge clamor and the President says open it or liberalize it, we’re willing to do that provided we follow government regulations like, number one, consultation. We need to ask everyone in the industry. If there is a need to lower that, we need to do proper consultation first,”

she added.

Last week, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the National Economic and Development Authority Board, through Memorandum Order 16, to lift or ease restrictions on eight investment areas with limited foreign participation to improve the country’s competitiveness.

Included in these areas are the contracts for the construction and repair of locally-funded public works.

The Duterte administration plans to undertake a three-year rolling infrastructure program amounting to P3.6 trillion from 2018 to 2020 to usher in what is touted as the country’s golden age of infrastructure.

To support this, the construcPAGE D3

Emperador gets P832-million from Arran

by AngelicA

BAllesteros ManilaTimes.net

ANDREW Tan-led Emperador, Inc. said on Wednesday, November 29 it will issue additional shares worth P832 million to a Singapore fund under an existing equity linked securities (ELS) agreement with the latter.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Emperador said it has agreed to issue 122.4 million new common shares to Arran Investment Private Ltd. for a total consideration of P832.26 million “to cover the accrued interest due under the ELS.” The shares have a par value of P1 each.

Emperador said that for and in consideration of the subscrip-

tion price of P832.26 million, “full receipt of which is hereby acknowledged by the company, the company hereby issues, transfers and conveys, absolutely, unconditionally and irrevocably, unto the investor all of the subscription shares, free and clear of any claim, lien, encumbrance, charge or restriction whatsoever.”

Arran is an affiliate of Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC Pte Ltd. and operates as a bank/financial holding company.

In December 2014, Emperador said Arran had completed its acquisition of an 11.76 percent interest in Emperador worth P22 billion.

“We wish to advise that Arran Investment Private Limited, an

affiliate of GIC Private Limited, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, has completed today its initial investment in Emperador Inc. of P17.6 billion comprising the purchase of common shares and equity linked securities convertible to common shares and an option to invest additional amount of P4.4 billion,” Emperador told the local bourse at the time.

Brandy maker Emperador owns Spanish brandy and sherry brands led by Fundador as well as Scotch whisky brands led by The Dalmore and Jura.

For the first nine months of the year, Emperador grew its net income by 18 percent to P1.7 billion on the back of strong revenues.

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Zobel: As robots take over, Filipinos must learn new skills by doris

duMlAo-ABAdillA Inquirer.net

THE Philippines has a rare opportunity to position itself better in global manufacturing by rethinking its educational curriculum and redesigning incentives for research and development (R&D) and innovation, business tycoon Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala yesterday, November 29 said.

The chair and chief executive of the country’s oldest business house Ayala Corp. said in a keynote speech during the Philippine Manufacturing Summit the local industrial sector could no longer rely on low-cost labor as a competitive advantage in a global environment where advanced automation was fast becoming more affordable, more efficient and more productive.

Citing an estimate by Boston Consulting Group, Zobel noted that a human welder earns about $25 per hour while the equivalent operating cost per hour for a robot is around $8.

But Industry 4.0, or the fourth industrial revolution characterized by a range of new technologies fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds and resulting in dramatic business and economic shifts and disruptions, should be viewed as an opportunity rather than a threat, Zobel said.

Concerns of job displacement amid Industry 4.0, Zobel said, stemmed largely from the mismatch between prevalent skills and the skills needed for disruptive jobs, exacerbated by the dizzying

Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala keynotes PH Manufacturing Summit 2017

IMI and AC Industrials chief Arthur Tan Inquirer.net photos

pace at which technology had developed in the past decade alone.

“I strongly believe that we can navigate the employment challenges brought about by Industry 4.0 by retooling and reskilling the labor force, while also reexamining existing educational curriculums,” he said.

He said the Philippines could take its cue from Singapore’s skills upgrading program called SkillsFuture, a national movement to enhance the competitiveness of Singaporeans through subsidized skills training, career guidance, internships and leadership programs to develop managerial capability.

In a press chat after his speech, Zobel noted that countries like Germany and South Korea were doing well at turning even high school students into sophisticated workers on the technical front.

In Germany, he said technical vocational students could become CEOs. Since many students don’t make it to college level in the Philippines, Zobel said there’s an opportunity for the technical and vocational systems to produce workers with higher and relevant skill sets.

Meanwhile, Zobel also advocated the creation of an enabling policy framework to give

incentives to R&D and innovation, thereby encouraging progressive thinking among enterprises.

Arthur Tan, CEO of Ayala-led Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc. and AC Industrial Technology, said the Philippines must focus on giving R&D incentives on the product side rather than on the component side, noting this would create more value. n the government’s Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) program, for instance, Tan noted that the main requirement was still the headcount of employees and the manual interventions needed to produce a car.

“We should change that perspective if we want to leapfrog and make our country more conducive to next-generation vehicle.

Let’s change that perspective that anybody who wants to bring in electric car manufacturing plant and its components that drive that will be going to be the one to get the benefit of $1,000 (fiscal incentive) per unit that we’re gonna be giving away under this program,” Tan said.

For the Ayala group, Zobel noted that it had anchored its automotive manufacturing strategy around the key megatrends that would dramatically transform this space, such as the increasing electronic component of vehicles and the rise of self-driving cars.

AC Industrials has teamed up with Europe’s largest motorcycle manufacturer KTM to produce units for export to China and Southeast Asia. The group has also acquired German firm MT Technologies, which supplies tooling, molding and specialized parts manufacturing to leading European car-makers. It also took control of VIA Optronics, a German display solutions provider, alongside other investments in e-commerce (Zalora) and financial technology (Mynt). Through venture capital fund Kickstart, the group also bankrolls start-ups in the technology, mobile and digital spaces.

Revolution Precrafted provides the market prefabricated pavilions, homes, condos and hotels created by world-renowned architects at affordable prices.

Inquirer.net photo

CPG to build ‘world’s first livable art park’ by doris

duMlAo-ABAdillA Inquirer.net

PROPERTY developer Century Properties Group Inc. is debuting into leisure estate and tourism development with the launch of 54-hectare Batulao Artscapes, pitched to be the world’s first livable art park and “artventure” community, near the foothills of Mount Batulao in Nasugbu, Batangas.

Batulao Artscapes is envisioned to integrate art and adventure – hence, the portmanteau “artventure” – into a unique property development that includes an active retirement village featuring designer homes from Revolution Precrafted, world-class vacation amenities, a man-made beach with clubhouse, and a lake with a charming wedding chapel.

The estate will also feature art enclaves with museums designed by renowned architects.

“Art is the driving force behind the entire development of Batulao Artscapes, and not just an afterthought. Our vision is to create a design-driven community that celebrates art and adventure in an expansive natural landscape.

The launch of this spectacular development also affirms CPG’s commitment to pursuing its strategic business plan of diversification into allied real estate segments including leisure and tourism,” CPG head of investor relations Kristina Garcia said in

a press statement.

The project is part of CPG’s 142-hectare estate near the foothills of scenic Mount Batulao which is expected to produce over P50 billion worth of property inventory.

The estate is designed to attract families, weekend adventure seekers and active retirees with its relatively cool climate, worldclass amenities, and proximity to Metro Manila’s financial district.

The estate is about a 1.5 to twohour drive from the metropolis.

“Batulao Artscapes will be a design paradise, active retirement community, arthouse vacation spot, and outdoor mecca to escape to for a day or a lifetime. It’s where you can elevate your daily living to a fine art,” Garcia said.

As the world’s first livable art park, the estate will showcase a fine collection of what CPG tousts as “livable art” – exceptional designer homes with a total sales value of P19 billion. These homes are made by Revolution Precrafted, a multi-branded housing company with a collection of limited edition, pre-crafted homes, designer museums, unique popup concepts, and cutting-edge hotels.

Three Filipino names lead the roster for Batulao Artscapes’ first three villages: Architect Ed Calma’s Polygonal Successions will make up the Cluster Village.

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BOI approves tourism projects worth P1.1B December 2017 priority dates

by AnnA LeAh

ConzALes ManilaTimes.net

THE Board of Investments (BOI) has approved three tourism projects with a combined worth of P1.13 billion, the agency said on Tuesday, November 28.

In a statement, BOI said UC-1 Corp. got the nod to operate the P267-million, 9-hectare Seven Seas Waterpark Resort in Misamis Oriental province. It started commercial operations last month.

The resort can accommodate up to 2,000 guests on any peak day, and targets to attract up to 280,000 tourists annually.

Also approved is Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts Corp.’ Seda Capitol Central, to be established in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental province. The P661.9-million project is an eight-story hotel that will rise near the Bacolod-Silay International Airport.

Seda Capitol Central aims to be the preferred hotel in Bacolod for discerning travelers accustomed to international standards of product and service. It offers 154 guest rooms and suites, Seda’s signature all-day dining restaurant, function and meeting rooms for up to 300 people, an e-lounge,

Trade Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo Philstar.com photo

gym and roof deck bar.

Its commercial operations will begin in January 2018.

The last is 888 Subic Inc.’s P197-million beachfront Central Park Reef Resort in Olongapo City, Zambales province. A six-story hotel with 110 guest rooms, Central Park Reef Resort is scheduled to open in June 2018.

“The recent launching of the tourism roadmaps under the Hotel and Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) [category]shows we remain committed in collaborating with industry stakeholders to boost tourism in the country. That is why we

will pursue a proactive and targeted approach to address the challenges of tourism in partnership with relevant associations, academe and other government agencies,” Trade Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo said.

“We can build on the competitiveness of this industry and compete with the rest of our [Southeast Asian] neighbors,” he added.

Figures from the Department of Tourism (DOT) show that 4.4 million foreign tourists arrived in the country from January to August this year.

The department projects to surpass its target of 6.5 million tourism arrivals this year.

Tourism-related industries chalked up 8.6 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2016, according to figures released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

It contributed P1.245 trillion last year, up by 13.7 percent from 2015’s P1.09 trillion.

Aggregate employment in tourism was estimated at 5.2 million in 2016, a 12.8-percent share of the national employment figure.

CPG to build ‘world’s first livable art...

PAGE D2 Designer Kenneth Cobonpue’s Hedera Homes will anchor the Commune Village. Budji+Royal Architecture+Design of Budji Layug and Royal Pineda will fill the Collection Village with their Tranche and Facet Homes.

The fourth section, called the Curated Village 1, will feature 12 one-of-a-kind homes by international architects and designers, including David Salle + AA Studio for the “Billboard Home”, Marcel Wanders for “Eden”, Marmol Radziner & Kravitz Design for

the “Instrumental Home”, Philip Johnson Alan Ritchie Architects for the “Modular Glass House”, Elizabeth de Portzamparc for the “Butterfly Home”, AFGH for Wallpaper for the “We Home”, Studio Libeskind Design for “Adaptation II”, and Daphne Guinness for the “Daphne Skin Home”.

Home prices range start at P4 million for a 56-square-meter unit at the Cluster Village while the larger homes at the Curated Village are priced starting at P17.4 million and come with their own private pool and guest home.

These limited-edition homes will be built using a combination of conventional construction methods and prefabrication, and will offer different sizes and specifications to meet individual tastes and preferences.

As the project targets active retirees, special assistance to secure a special resident retiree’s visa (SRRV) for foreign nationals and former Filipino citizens will be offered, while the public amenities aim to attract art and design enthusiasts and weekend adventure seekers and families.

PH gov’t open to entry of more foreign...

PAGE D2 tion industry is ensuring there will be no shortfalls when it comes to construction materials, workers, contractors and even construction professionals.

“They say we don’t have sufficient number of contractors to address the Build Build Build program but that is because they do not have the information from the DTI,” Castelo said.

“We have around 10,000 accredited contractors with a gross

financial contracting capacity of P4 trillion. On capacity side, we have a lot of contractors that have the capacity. As a matter of fact, they even do projects abroad. So we don’t have any problem in capabilities but in case foreign contractors have a technology that is unique and which we don’t have, they are welcome to come here,” she added.

In its first policy note released in February this year, the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) said the

licensing rules implemented

by PCAB contain a nationality distinction in its classification of licenses that has deleterious effects on competition in the construction sector.

“Nationality-based distinction hinders competition in the construction industry, creating an uneven playing field between local and foreign contractors.

Foreign firms possess capacity to construct vital projects and share technical expertise with local firms,” the PCC said.

F-1 and F-2B retrogress!

(Editor’s note: Due to our error, The Asian Journal is reprinting the December 2017 Priority Dates chart which was published last November -- as part of Atty. Michael Gurfinkel’s column.

We apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this error may have caused our readers.)

The December 2017 priority dates for the Philippines are as follows: FAMILY CATEGORY:

Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

October 1, 2007

January 1, 2005

First Preference

Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens (over 21 years of age)

Second Preference

(2A) Spouse and minor children (below 21 years old) of green November 1, 2016 card holder (2b) Unmarried sons and daughters (21 years old or older) of green card holder

December 22, 2015

September 1, 2007

July 1, 2006

Third Preference

married sons and daughters of US citizens.

June 15, 1995

March 8, 1995

Fourth Preference

brothers and sisters of US citizens.

March 1, 1995

August 1, 1994

Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

Current

Current

LABOR CERTIFICATION: Second Preference

Advanced Degree (masters)

Third Preference

Professional/ Skilled Workers

Other Workers

Non-Skilled Workers

August 1, 2016 January 15, 2016

August 1, 2016 January 15, 2016

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Sen. Aquino says new telecommunications Filipinos affected in Uber data hack players in PH should not be limited to China

by Ma. Lisbet

esMaeL Manilatimes.net

by Pathricia

ann V. roxas

Inquirer.net

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s invitation for other telecommunications companies (telcos) to enter the Philippine market should not be limited to China, Senator Bam Aquino said on Tuesday, November 21.

Aquino also lauded the President’s move of encouraging competition in the telco industry.

“Natutuwa tayo sa pagkilala ng Pangulo na kailangan nating pagandahin ang ating sektor ng telekomunikasyon sa pamamagitan ng kumpetisyon, subalit hindi tayo dapat malimita sa isang bansa lamang,” Aquino said in a statement.

(We are glad that the President recognizes the need to improve our telecommunications sector through competition, but we should not be limited to a single country.)

“Kung ang maliit na bansa gaya ng Singapore ay mayroong anim na players sa telco sector, dapat maging ganito rin kasigla ang kumpetisyon sa ating bansa,” he added.

(If a small nation like Singapore has at least six telco players, we should have our own stiff competition in our county.)

The senator said that telecom

Sen. Bam Aquino

companies from Japan and Korea have also expressed interest to enter the country’s market.

“Kahit ang maliliit nating local cable operators ay nais magsamasama upang makipagkumpitensya sa malalaking telcos,” Aquino said.

(Even our small local cable operators wanted to join together to compete with the big telcos.)

“Gawin nating madali para sa mga kumpanyang ito na makapasok sa merkado at tanggalin na ang red tape upang mapaganda ang serbisyo ng internet at bumaba ang presyo nito para sa mga Pilipino,” he added.

(We should hasten everything for these companies to enter our

Inquirer.net photo

market and remove all the red tape in order for us to improve our internet service and bring down the prices for the Filipinos.)

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque bared on Monday that the “telecommunications duopoly in the country is about to end,” as President invited China to operate the third telco carrier in the country, to compete with Smart Communications and Globe Telecom.

“During the bilateral talks between President Duterte and the Chinese Premier, President Duterte offered to the People’s Republic of China the privilege to operate the third telecom’s carrier in the country,” Roque said in a Palace briefing.

BSP: Business optimism hits high in Q4

by Lawrence

agcaoiLi Philstar.com

MANILA — Businesses, particularly in the export sector, turned more optimistic in the fourth quarter as a result of the moderate and gradual weakening of the peso against the dollar, according to a survey conducted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said the overall business confidence index of the Business Expectation Survey improved to 43.3 percent in the fourth quarter from the previous quarter’s 37.9 percent.

This was the highest since the third quarter of last year when the overall business confidence index stood at 45.4 percent. The survey was conducted from Oct. 2 to Nov. 20 with 1,473 respondents.

Guinigundo said the business outlook index of the exporters on the macroeconomy stood at 50 percent while that of importers stood at 43.8 percent Exporters continue to benefit

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from the moderate and gradual depreciation of the peso against the dollar as this translates to higher sales and increased competitiveness, according to Guinigundo.

“Obviously because of the depreciation of the peso, the exporters were very happy. The exporters were very happy about the weakening of the peso,” he said.

The peso has emerged as the weakest performing currency in the region, depreciating close to three percent to hit a fresh 11-year low after breaching the 51 to $1 level. The local currency has since recovered back to the 50 to $1 level.

Guinigundo said the country’s export sector has rebounded strongly after a poor performance in the past two years “We are in the upcycle of manufactured exports particularly electronics as well as machinery and transport,” he said.

Latest data showed exports of electronics rose 12.1 percent to $24 billion in the first nine months

followed by the machinery and transport equipment with a 30.6 percent jump in dollar receipts to $4.2 billion.

Rosabel Guerrero, director of the BSP’s Department of Economic Statistics, said exporters were the most bullish, maintaining a recordhigh confidence level for the second consecutive quarter at 50 percent in the fourth quarter.

Overall, Guerrero said the more buoyant outlook of all respondents during the fourth quarter could be traced to the expected increase in orders and consumer purchases during the Christmas holidays, the increasing number and expansion of businesses.

She said respondents also cited higher disbursements for the government’s infrastructure and other development projects, the favorable macroeconomic conditions in the country, particularly manageable inflation and low interest rates, and the expansion of export markets and stronger demand for Philippine products.

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FILIPINO drivers and riders were not spared by a massive data breach at ride-hailing firm Uber, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) said on Tuesday, November 28.

“Uber wrote to us in compliance with their commitment to provide more detailed information about their data breach of October 2016,” NPC Commissioner Raymund Enriquez Liboro said in a statement.

Liboro said Uber confirmed that personal information, such as “names, email-addresses and mobile phone numbers” of 57 million users around the world were compromised as well as the names and licenses of around 600,000 partner drivers in the U.S. “Unfortunately, Uber failed to

provide the level of detail that we expect from personal information controllers about data breach notifications, such as the actual number of Filipinos affected, and the scope of their exposure,” he added.

The transport company did declare that “Filipino data subjects are affected, but there is no indication that any Filipino driver’s licenses were downloaded” Uber said that two persons outside the company had accessed user data stored in third-party cloud servers. Two employees who had led the response to the hack are also “no longer with Uber”.

“The incident did not breach Uber’s corporate systems; there is no indication that trip location history, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, or dates of birth were downloaded,” the company

stressed, adding that cybersecurity measures had been strengthened in response to the hack.

Noting the Uber had concealed the data breach, Libor said this “bears serious consequences under the Data Privacy Act of 2012.”

“If so qualified, those responsible for the concealment of the breach and for the exfiltration of the data may face serious civil and criminal liability,” he said.

With the breach still being investigated, Liboro said the NPC was cooperating with data privacy authorities from Australia and the United States.

“We are not here to merely prosecute offenses against data privacy, but to work with all stakeholders to ensure that we keep moving toward a safer data ecosystem where data flows freely and securely,” he said.

Lawmaker warns investors about ‘extremely risky’ bitcoins by ian

nicoLas cigaraL Philstar.com

A LAWMAKER on Wednesday, Nov. 29, warned Filipino investors from temptation of buying bitcoins, saying such a type of digital currency are “extremely risky investments.”

“Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are a promising low-cost remittance platform for Filipino workers sending their earnings home but they are extremely risky investments due to lack of regulatory protections for consumers,” Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone said in a statement.

Bitcoin is a type of digital currency in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds.

People could buy and sell bitcoins by tapping dealers or brokers or going to bitcoin exchanges.

Holders could also look for services or goods whose merchants accept bitcoin payments.

Bitcoins and other electronic currencies are not backed by a bank, any existing currency unit in circulation, or any asset of tangible value that offer some degree of security for its buyers, Evardone said.

Citing the opposition of officials from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Securities and Exchange Commission, and members of the banking community against cryptocurrency, Evardone—who chairs the committee on banks and financial intermediaries—also said bitcoins are

Bitcoins and other electronic currencies are not backed by a bank, any existing currency unit in circulation, or any asset of tangible value that offer some degree of security for its buyers, Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone said.

Phlstar.com photo

prone to hacking due to absence of safeguards.

“Until enough safeguards are put in place, investors would be well-advised to heed the admonitions of the Bangko Sentral and the Securities and Exchange Commission to put their money in safer investments,” the lawmaker said.

Latest data showed the volume of bitcoin transactions in the country has more than tripled to $6.98 million per month last year from $2.09 million in 2015.

Last August, the BSP approved the registration of two companies to engage in the operation of bitcoin exchanges as part of efforts to regulate the fast growing but potentially risky virtual currency

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industry.

It had also issued a circular laying down the guidelines for virtual currency exchanges.

Bitcoin was once considered as a revolutionary currency system that could potentially change global finance. But cyberattacks in the past had dented the currency’s image.

In 2014, Tokyo-based Mt. Gox, then the largest bitcoin exchange in the world, collapsed following a massive loss of the virtual currency involving 750,000 bitcoins from users and 100,000 of the company’s own bitcoins.

This month, the company behind cryptocurrency tether issued a “critical announcement” reporting a $31 million theft.

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