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Water exec apologizes to Duterte; MWSS move hit president got angry. We did not intend to burden the president with problems,” manila Water Inquirer.net president Jose rene Almendras mANILA — the head of said at a senate hearing.

Almendras issued the apolAyala-controlled manila Water Co. Inc. on Wednesday, ogy as a manila Water director December 11, apologized for and the president of maynilad “angering” President rodrigo objected during a hearing in Duterte over the alleged oner- the house of representatives ous provisions of the water to the “unilateral decision” concession agreements grant- — on Duterte’s orders — to ed to it and maynilad Water revoke the renewal of their concession deals for another services Inc. “It’s unfortunate that the 15 years.

by DJ

Yap, Marlon raMos

the two executives expressed “very grave concern” over the action of the metropolitan Waterworks and sewerage system (mWss) to rescind the board resolutions extending its contracts with manila Water and maynilad until 2037.

‘Not proper’ the 25-year water concession agreements, originally signed in 1997 under the ramos administration, will

u PAGE 2

‘You are all winners’ - Palace on SEA Games competitors

USA

DATELINE US Senate panel OKs resolution: Free De Lima, drop charges vs Maria Ressa

by ritchel

MenDiola AJPress

from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

A U.s. senate panel has approved a resolution urging the Philippine government to free detained senator Leila de Lima and drop all charges against rappler Ceo maria ressa.

U.s. senator ed markey, who filed senate resolution No. 142 together with four other lawmakers, said the passage of the resolution “demonstrates broad support for accountability” in De Lima’s case. “for over 1,000 days now, (senator De Lima) has languished in prison. her crime: standing for human rights and good governance in the Philippines,” markey said over twitter on thursday. the resolution, which was passed by the U.s. senate’s foreign relations committee, condemned the Philippine government “for its continued detention” of senator Leila De Lima as it called for “her immediate release.”

It further condemned the “harassment, arrest, and unjustified judicial proceedings

u PAGE 2

UNTIL THE NEXT GAMES. Fireworks light up the New Clark City Stadium where athletes and spectators gathered for the last time to mark the closure of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games on Wednesday, December 11. Home advantage proved golden for the Filipino athletes who hauled 149 gold, 117 silver and 119 bronze medals.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Roger Rañada

Athletes and Philippine team officials join the parade during the closing ceremony of the 30th Southeast Asian Games at the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac on Wednesday, December 11.

PNA photo by Jess M. Escaros Jr.

mALACAñANg lauded all the athletes who participated in the 30th southeast Asian (seA) games hosted by the Philippines for bringing pride and honor to their countries. “the Palace congratulates

all the athletes and their support staff. All of you did a wonderful job giving pride and honor to your respective countries. Your very presence here alone means you are all winners,” said presidential spokesperson salvador Panelo in a statement. he also commended the

Philippine delegation for emerging as overall champion of the regional sports meet, with a record-breaking haul of 149 gold, 118 silver, and 119 bronze medals.

“As we officially hand over the hosting chores of the 2021 seA games to Vietnam today,

u PAGE 4

Duterte to lift martial Fil-Am California prosecutor Patrick Bumatay confirmed law in Mindanao to the Ninth Circuit

by ritchel

MenDiola AJPress

PresIDeNt rodrigo Duterte will no longer ask the Congress to extend martial law in mindanao, presidential spokesperson salvador Panelo said tuesday, December 10.

According to him, a security assessment showed “the weakening of the terrorist and extremist rebellion” in mindanao through the arrest and killing of leaders of local terror groups. “the Palace is confident in the capability of our security forces in maintaining the peace and security of mindanao without extending martial law,” said Panelo in a Palace briefing. “the people of mindanao are assured that

u PAGE 2

The Trump nominee becomes the first Filipino American to serve on a federal appeals court

the United states senate on tuesday, December 10 voted to confirm a President Donald trump-nominated filipino American prosecutor to the largest appeals court in the country.

As the first filipino American and second openly gay federal appeals court judge, Patrick J. Bumatay’s confirmation is historic. originally nominated for the U.s. District Court for the southern District of California last year, Bumatay was nominated to the U.s.

Court of Appeals for the Ninth District on oct. 15, 2019.

u PAGE 4

Miss Universe Philippines Gazini Ganados failed to make it past the Top 20 at the recently concluded Miss Universe 2019 pageant held in Atlanta. She won the Best in National Costume competition with her silver, eagle-inspired gown made by designer Cary Santiago.

AJPress Photo by Troi Santos

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From the Front Page

Water exec apologizes to Duterte...

PAGE 1 lapse in 2022. But these were extended during the Arroyo administration.

The MWSS, according to deputy administrator for engineering Leonor Cleofas, arrived at the decision to revoke the extension during its Dec. 5 board meeting.

“On the part of Maynilad, we only learned of this [on Wednesday], or one or plus hours ago,” Maynilad President Ramoncito Fernandez told the joint House good government and public accounts panel.

“But we would like to react that it is with very grave concern that we view this action, and we believe also that it is not proper to unilaterally revoke an agreement,” he said.

Manila Water director and board member Antonino Aquino told the panel that he shared the same view.

In the Senate, Almendras said Manila Water was willing to sit down with the MWSS and discuss the contents of its concession contract that Duterte

found to be disadvantageous to the government.

Compensation “We heard that you have waived the arbitral award.

What’s the reason behind it?

Why does the president have to get upset (before you do it)?” Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go asked Almendras, referring to the decision of a Singaporebased arbitral tribunal that ordered the government to pay P7.4 billion to Manila Water.

The amount was compensation for losses the company incurred when it was not allowed to raise tariffs from June 1, 2015 to Nov. 22, 2019.

“We apologize if the president got angry because of the arbitral ruling … What happened is that we could not prevent the decision (of the arbitral court) from being handed out since the case has been filed in 2015. It’s beyond our control,” said Almendras, a Cabinet secretary and energy secretary during the Aquino administration.

“We don’t want to go against the president. What he has

been doing is for the good of the people and we’re supportive of him,” he added.

Duterte earlier said the government would not pay any compensation not only to Manila Water but also to Maynilad, which the Permanent Court of Arbitration earlier awarded P3.4 billion for losses from March 2015 to August 2016.

Manila Water and Maynilad filed cases against the government in the arbitration court, invoking a provision in their concession agreements that barred the government from interfering in setting tariffs.

The contracts also allow the two concessionaires to pass on to consumers the arbitration expenses.

At the House hearing on Tuesday, Almendras and Fernandez said Manila Water and Maynilad would no longer seek payment from the government of the combined PAGE 1 P10.8 billion awarded to them any incipient major threat in by the arbitral court.

They waived the payments the region would be nipped u PAGE 4 in the bud,” he added.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier said he was no longer inclined to recommend extending martial law and called for a tougher antiterrorism law instead, saying it would be a better arrangement than martial law.

Meanwhile, Drieza Lininding, chair of the Marawibased Moro Consensus Group, said the announcement was “ long overdue but

THE long-awaited trailer for In the Heights, the film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda musical was launched at an event in Manhattan’s Washington Heights on Wednesday, December 11 with the movie’s cast and crew which led by Lin-Manuel Miranda, director Jon Chu, Anthony Ramos, Melissa Barrera, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Dascha Polanco, Stephanie Beatriz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Olga Merediz, and Jimmy Smits.

AJPress Photos by Momar G. Visaya

Duterte to lift martial law in Mindanao a welcome development.”

He also expressed hope that the curfew in Marawi and Lanao del Sur will also be lifted “to ensure freedom of movement and maximize it for economic recovery.”

Cotabato City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, on the other hand, lamented the lifting of martial law, saying it had greatly improved the city’s peace and order situation.

“We, the city officials, want martial law to be retained, but we will respect the deci-

sion of President Duterte,” Guiani-Sayadi said.

Martial law was first declared on Mindanao island in May 2017 after Islamic Stateinspired armed groups, led by the Maute brothers and leaders of Abu Sayyaf, laid siege to Marawi City.

The martial law was only supposed to last for 60 days, as indicated in the Constitution, but Congress extended it three times after Duterte warned that militants continued to recruit fighters and plot attacks. n

US Senate panel OKs resolution: Free De Lima...

PAGE 1 against the media and journalists, in particular, the proceeding against Rappler and Maria Ressa.”

The bipartisan resolution also adopted amendments introduced by U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin which called on U.S. President Donal Trump to impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act to government officials responsible for “orchestrating” De Lima’s arrest and detention.

It also underscored the need to apply the same sanctions against members of security forces and Philippine officials responsible for extrajudicial killings in the country.

Cardin is one of the authors of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act

which was signed into law in December 2016.

The said law allows the U.S. President to block or revoke U.S. visas and to freeze U.S.based property and interests in property of foreign persons who have engaged in extrajudicial killings or other rights abuses, as well as government officials who are engaged in or responsible for significant acts of corruption.

‘Prisoner of conscience’ The resolution said De Lima had been detained “solely on account of her political views and the legitimate exercise of her freedom of expression.”

De Lima, a staunch critic of the Duterte administration, has been in detention inside Camp Crame – headquarters of the Philippine National Police – since February 2017 on drug charges, which the lady

senator has repeatedly denied and branded as “trumpedup.”

Aside from the dropping of charges against the senator, the resolution also called on the Philippine government to “remove restrictions on her personal and work conditions, and allow her to fully discharge her legislative mandate, especially as Chair of the Committee on Social Justice.”

It further urged the Philippine government “to recognize the importance of human rights defenders and their work and allow them to operate freely without fear of reprisal and… to guarantee the right to the freedom of the press, and to drop all the charges against Maria Ressa and Rappler.” (Christia Marie Ramos/Inquirer.net)

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Water exec apologizes to Duterte...

PAGE 2 amid threats from Duterte to imprison and charge with economic sabotage officials of the two companies and government lawyers who prepared and approved the deals, which the president considered onerous. He also threatened to expropriate the assets of the two companies.

Letters from MVP, Ayala The two companies formalized the offer to waive the award in separate letters to Duterte.

The president has received the letters of Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP) of Maynilad and Fernando Zobel de Ayala of Manila Water informing him of their decision not to collect the compensation awarded to them by the arbitration court, according to presidential spokesper-

son Salvador Panelo.

Both dated Dec. 10, the letters also said Maynilad and Manila Water would heed the President’s call to talk with officials of the companies and were willing to amend or revise the provisions of their agreements that are onerous to the government and to consumers, Panelo said.

“The president will evaluate this development, as well as study the practical and legal consequences of the situation, before making any decision on what measure to undertake next,” he said.

He reiterated Duterte’s desire to meet the lawyers involved in the preparation the water concession agreements with the two companies.

Palace directive At the hearing in the House

on Wednesday, Assistant Government Corporate Counsel Howard Randy Arzadon said it was the “directive of Malacañang” to cancel the extension of Manila Water and Maynilad’s concession deals.

Arzadon said the MWSS first revoked Board Resolution No. 2009-72, dated Aug. 16, 2008, “pertaining to renewal or extension of the concession period of Manila Water Co.” It then revoked Board Resolution No. 2010-172, dated Sept. 10, 2009, extending the concession period of Maynilad Water Services.

The president of the Philippines through the Department of Finance signed the extension of the contract with Maynilad, according to Fernandez. n

Fil-Am California prosecutor Patrick Bumatay...

PAGE 1 The Republican-majority Senate voted 53-40 on Tuesday in favor of Bumatay’s appointment which is currently awaiting judicial commission.

The 41-year-old assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California is the son of Filipino immigrants. He was born in Secaucus, New Jersey and graduated cum laude from Yale University, earning his Bachelor of Arts; after, he earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

He then served the U.S. Department of Justice in a variety of capacities, working in the offices of the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General and the Associate Attorney General and Legal Policy.

He also volunteered for President George W. Bush’s presidential campaign in 2000 and was later hired as a staff assistant and paralegal for the Bush White House.

As Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of California in the San Diego office, he has served in the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces Section. At the time of his confirmation, he served as a counselor to the Attorney General consulting on the national opioid crisis, organized crime and the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” approach at the Southern border.

The Fil-Am prosecutor had assisted in the president’s efforts to appoint Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, during which he earned a departmental award for his work on the latter’s confirmation.

Fil-Am federal prosecutor Patrick J. Bumatay

In 2018, Trump announced his intent to nominate Bumatay to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California despite opposition from both U.S. Sens of California Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein.

Both senators noted the diversity that Bumatay would bring to the court — as most court appointees are white and straight — but expressed concern over Bumatay’s lack of experience in appellate courts.

Harris also cited Bumatay’s “troubling prosecutorial record” when she formally opposed his nomination in 2018.

On Sept. 20, 2019, Trump announced his intent to nominate Bumatay for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which is headquartered in San Francisco and covers Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington State, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Bumatay is also a member

Department of Justice photo

of the National Filipino American Lawyers Association (NFALA) which recommended Bumatay to the executive branch in early 2019 “and has supported him throughout the appointment and confirmation process,” NFALA said.

“We congratulate Patrick on his historic confirmation to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit,” NFALA President Philip Nulud wrote in a statement. “Patrick’s strong qualifications, including his breadth of experience as a federal prosecutor, a defense attorney and a senior Department of Justice attorney make him ideal for the Ninth Circuit. We commend President Trump on his selection of Patrick, adding muchneeded diversity to the federal judiciary.”

Nulud added, “We look forward to seeing the impact he will make not only on the bench but also on the community.” (Klarize Medenilla/ AJPress)

Dateline USa

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CHRISTMAS SYMBOLS. Lighted replicas of the world’s famous landmarks are on display during the month-long Christmas Symbols Festivals 2019 held at the plaza of Tangub City, Misamis Occidental. The holiday extravaganza, one of the country’s longest running Christmas festival, runs from December 1 until January 8, 2020.

PNA photos by Ben Briones

Poll: 84% of Filipinos prefer economic ties with US over China

MAJORITY of Filipinos prefer having strong economic ties with the U.S. rather than China, according to a survey

by Washington-based Pew Research Center.

The poll released December 5 found that 84% of Filipinos named the U.S. as the world’s leading economic power while 59% answered China.

Pew noted that those who identify the U.S. as the world’s leading economy are more likely to prefer stronger economic ties with the country.

A separate survey from Pew also showed that 64% of Filipinos said they rely on the US as a dependable ally in the future while only 9% chose China.

In terms of views on China’s growing economic stature, Filipinos have mixed views.

The same Pew survey re-

vealed that 48% of Filipinos said China’s growing economy is a bad thing while 47% said it is a good thing.

Filipinos are also divided on investment from China as 49% said it is a bad thing while 45% said it is a good thing.

Generally, in the Asia-Pacific region, more countries tend to see investment from China as a potential liability as it gives Beijing too much influence over their economies.

“These same countries are also more likely than others to see U.S. economic influence in their country positively. And, when it comes to developed countries, views of China are much more mixed to negative,” the report read.

The study also noted that countries in the Asia-Pacific

region tend to be generally negative in their views of China.

In the Philippines, the percentage of those who have a favorable view of China dropped from 63% in 2002 to 42% in 2019.

The Pew survey was conducted among 38,426 people in 34 countries from May 13 to October 2. A total of 1,035 adult respondents were surveyed in the Philippines using face-to-face interviews, with the margin of error at 4.3 percentage points.

“For results based on the full sample in a given country, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus the margin of error,” the think tank said. (Patricia Lourdes Viray/Philstar.com)

‘You are all winners’ - Palace on SEA Games...

PAGE 1 we look back at the high emotions, the broken records, the blood, sweat and tears of our athletes and their coaches,” Panelo said.

“We are happy in the Philippines not only because all participating countries secured medals but for the other reason that their athletes will be bringing wonderful and unforgettable memories with them to their homes,” he added.

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, meanwhile, said, “We are all winners in our own right because we all embody the spirit of sportsmanship and we share the singular vision of being one big regional community.”

Cayetano: SEAG double victory for PH Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) chair and House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said the Philippines made his-

tory in hosting the biennial event that the participants described as the “biggest and grandest edition so far” on top of emerging as the overall champion.

“The objectives of good hosting and staging the biggest SEA Games were met. We all saw how successful this is,” he said during an interview, backing his declaration with feedback from participating delegations and athletes as well as statistics.

“When we look at the ratings, we can say that this could also be the most viewed SEA Games so far,” he added.

According to the PHISGOC chair, participating athletes and officials from other Southeast Asian nations alike congratulated the PHISGOC and the Philippine government for the successful hosting.

Cayetano also said that the probe into the spread of fake news on the country’s hosting will now commence and

warned those found liable for the alleged operation to discredit the country’s hosting of the SEA Games of possible criminal or civil charges.

“We have laws — whether it’s cyber libel, libel or whatever — and you cannot do that to your own country. We want to host the Asian Games in 2030 so we have 10 years not only to build but also to mature and part of the maturing process is for us to be accountable,” he stressed.

“You know, you can disagree with government but you cannot sabotage your own people and your own government,” he added.

Cayetano also welcomed the Office of the Ombudsman’s fact-finding investigation on the P6.5-billion government fund used in the SEAG hosting, saying that he is confident they would not find any anomaly in PHISGOC’s spending of the budget. n

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OpiniOn

Features

Promoting a human rights culture THERE was one noteworthy detail during the 19-day stint of Vice President Leni Robredo as anti-drug czar last month: as confirmed by the Philippine National Police, there was not a single case of death resulting from “nanlaban” or the suspect resisting arrest anywhere in the country.

Officials of the PNP and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency have stressed that nanlaban deaths have in fact been abating for some time now, as anti-drug units shift their focus from street pushers to high-value traffickers.

Such killings by police have again been reported in recent days, but the cases are dramatically lower. This should be a piece of good news as the country joins the international community in observing World Human Rights Day today.

The special day is the culmination of the yearlong commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the day in 1948 when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration was proclaimed by the assembly as the “common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations” – with everyone enjoying inalienable rights regardless of race, sex, color,

religion, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

For 2019, the theme of this special day is “The Year of Indigenous Languages: Promoting and Deepening a Human Rights Culture.” In the Philippines, this takes the form not only of preserving the many indigenous languages, but also promoting the welfare of indigenous communities. A number of these communities face challenging circumstances arising from development programs and armed conflict.

Although a democracy, the Philippines is a focus of concern among global rights advocates.

Last year, New York-based Human Rights Watch in its country report declared that there is a “human rights crisis” in the Philippines — due mostly to the violent war on drugs, the arrest or criminal indictment of government critics and killings of journalists.

President Duterte has often argued that his principal concern is the human rights of crime from poverty, which he says is a focus of his victims and the protection of law-abiding people. administration.

Like several other Asian leaders, he also stresses Those in charge of his most controversial the importance of economic rights – freedom campaign appear to be heeding concerns raised

Editorial

Aquino, Hilbay agreed to keep water arbitration suits secret

Commentary

RigobeRto tiglao FORMER President Aquino 3rd and his solicitor general Florin Hilbay agreed to the two water companies’ demand to have the arbitration suits that the latter had filed against the government kept secret.

The two arbitration panels, one each for Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Co. Inc., in decisions announced in July 2017 and November 2018, upheld the two concessionaires’ claims, and ordered government to

pay them P3.4 billion and P7.4 billion, respectively. Each panel had three members, two of which were foreigners, and one Filipino. The suits were heard by a three-man panel the two parties agreed to, with the Singapore unit of the Haguebased Permanent Court of Arbitration acting as registrar.

What’s so outrageous about this is that the water companies in their suit claimed that these amounts represented their losses when the regulatory body Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) refused to grant their

petitions to raise their tariffs from 2014 to 2018. (The other day though, the Ayala-led, majority foreign-owned Manila Water claimed the suit was filed for “breaches of procedure” it hasn’t explained.)

But the MWSS proved to have been correct in its computations. Even without the rate increases they demanded, these firms’ income in those years totaled P67 billion; their average annual income of P13.4 billion during those five years was even higher than the P10.5 billion of the previous PAGE 10

Philstar.com photo

by human rights groups. There is still more to be done, however, as the country pursues the principles embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (Philstar.com)

The Philippines’ Bernie Sanders

Horizons

RichaRd heydaRian “THE lesson of this moment is that winning politics is grassroots politics,” said the firebrand U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, reflecting on his unlikely political success in an interview with The New York Times.

Confined to the fringes of American politics throughout his youth, which was marked by radical activism and unabashed socialist advocacies, Sanders found an improbable political lifeline in one of America’s most rural, conser-

vative states. A Jewish-born New Yorker, Sanders burst into electoral politics by moving to Vermont in the 1970s. For an entire decade, he became a serial loser, twice running for the Senate and once for the state’s gubernatorial position. His numbers hardly cracked into the double digits.

The following decade, however, marked a dramatic turn in his fortunes. In one of the most iconic electoral shocks of the era, Sanders became one of the first openly socialist American mayors at the height of the Cold War. In 1981, the tall, lanky activist found himself at the helm of Burlington,

besting veteran mayor Gordon “Gordie” Paquette. Against all odds, including active sabotage by the establishment-infested city council, Sanders managed to secure several reelections throughout the 1980s before heading to Capitol Hill and, later, becoming the longestrunning independent senator in American history.

In 2016, he almost pulled off another electoral tsunami against the Democratic establishment. The latest polls show that Sanders can still beat Donald Trump were he to be picked as the Democratic presidential nominee today.

PAGE 10

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

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Dateline PhiliPPines

PDEA chief finds it hard to deal House backs expansion of foreign ownership in PH with Robredo as ICAD co-chair

by JEss

diaz Philstar.com

by ritchEl

mEndiola

AJPress

PhiliPPine Drug enforcement Agency (PDeA) Director-General Aaron Aquino on Thursday, December 12, said he felt uncomfortable with Vice President leni Robredo when she was his inter-agency Committee on Anti-illegal Drugs (iCAD) co-chair.

According to him, since Robredo is the vice president of the country, he found it hard to “dictate” her on what to do. “nahirapan kasi ako to be honest with you, as the cochair. number one, it’s hard for me to dictate dahil vice president siya, Usec (Undersecretary) lang naman ako (To PDEA chief Aaron Aquino and Vice President Leni Robredo Inquirer.net photo by Noy Morcoso be honest with you it was really tough for me. Because number “i feel really uncomfort- agencies to report by January one she’s the vice president able kasi nga vice president their compliance on the vice while I’m just an Undersecre- siya pero sa tingin ko naman president’s recommendatary by rank),” he said. maganda naman ‘yung mga tions.

“Pangalawa, hindi ko din recommendations niya (I feel Robredo was appointed by ma-dictate (sa kanya) kung really uncomfortable because President Rodrigo Duterte as anong dapat niyang gawin, … she’s the vice president but I the administration’s anti-drug So when she started meeting think her recommendations czar in november followwith other foreign groups hindi were good),” he said. ing her remark that his war ko rin siya mapigilan so nahiAquino also said that he against illegal drugs is “obvihirapan ako (Second, I cannot compiled the two recommen- ously, not working.” She was dictate to her what she must dation reports that Robredo removed from her post less do, so when she started meet- submitted to Duterte during than three weeks later for her ing with other foreign groups, her stint as iCAD co-chair and supposed “missteps” such as I couldn’t really stop her so I gave iCAD members a copy. speaking to foreign nations, struggled),” he added. “i told them we can follow it failing to present a program however, Aquino commend- if it’s beneficial. i asked them of action in her new role as ed Robredo for her inputs as to comply,” he said, adding iCAD co-chair, and challengiCAD co-chair. that he asked iCAD member- ing Duterte to fire her. n

Groups gang up on Villar over ‘galunggong’

by EirEEnE JairEE

GomEz

ManilaTimes.net

FiSheR and peasant groups on Wednesday, December 11 urged Sen. Cynthia Villar’s to help ensure stable food supply instead of issuing “callous” remarks. in separate statements, the Pambansang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) and national Federation of Peasant Women (Amihan) criticized Villar for her statement on the high cost of galunggong (round scad). in an interview on Tuesday, Villar said if Filipinos could not afford the fish, then they should eat vegetables instead.

“Kung mahal ang galunggong, eh ‘di ‘wag kumain ng galunggong ‘di ba? There are other alternative food (if round scad is expensive then don’t eat it. There are other alternative food),” Villar was quoted

saying.

Zenaida Soriano, Amihan national chairman, said Villar’s comment was “callous” and “unbecoming of her post as the chairperson of the senate committees on agriculture and food, and fisheries.”

This was echoed by Pamalakaya national Chairman Fernando hicap.

“She is the committee chair both on agriculture and food, and fisheries in the Senate who is supposed to be resolving the instability of agricultural and fishery stocks,” he said.

“We remind Senator Villar that she is duty-bound to ensure that there is stable and affordable supply of agricultural and fishery products in the market. instead of looking into the alleged shortage of galunggong, and its unreasonable price increase, she chose to issue a comment that we find irresponsible,” hicap

added.

Galunggong prices have reportedly skyrocketed to P250 to P350 a kilogram from the previous P150 to P170 a kilo. last week, Agriculture Secretary William Dar gave the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) the green light to import 45,000 metric tons of small pelagic fish, including galunggong, to address the shortage in the country.

But fisher group Pamalakaya said the importation would not guarantee that prices in the market would normalize.

The group said private traders control and dictate market prices.

The group called on the Agriculture department to strengthen the livelihood capacity of municipal fisherfolk across the country to boost fisheries production. n

MAnilA — The house of Representatives committee on constitutional amendments yesterday voted to endorse the rewriting of the Constitution’s economic provisions to allow expanded foreign ownership of land and businesses, including public utilities, educational institutions and mass media.

The committee chaired by Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez consolidated six related measures into a still unnumbered Resolution of Both houses authored principally by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Majority leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

The resolution’s other authors are Rodriguez, Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. of Pampanga and Reps. lord Allan Velasco of Marinduque, Antonio Albano of isabela, Teodorico haresco Jr. of Aklan and henry Oaminal of Misamis Occidental.

Rodriguez described the proposed rewriting of certain provisions of the Constitution

on the economy as “economic Cha-cha.” “it aims to lift the limitations on foreign investments in public utilities and the development in natural resources in order to have more employment for Filipinos. The Philippines is lagging behind its ASeAn (Association of Southeast Asian nations) neighbors in the amount of foreign direct investments,” he said.

Rodriguez said lifting foreign ownership or equity restrictions “will address the high rate of unemployment in the country.”

The inter-Agency Task Force on Constitutional Reform (Task Force CORe) has joined hands with the Department of Finance in pushing for the removal of economic restrictions in the Constitution, including the ban on foreign investments in some industries.

“Over the last 10 years, infrastructure development is also the poorest record in the Philippines, compared to the six major ASeAn nations as of 2015,” finance expert and Task

Force CORe member Gary Olivar said in a statement.

“With regards to economic growth, we have been left behind by our neighbors, we are now number 63 in a survey taken in 185 countries a few years ago. And because of all of these — this policy of restrictions in foreign investments — poverty is still rampant.

We are the only country in ASeAn that has failed to cut this poverty by half in the last 25 years,” he added. however, Olivar said they are still for the retention of 100 percent land ownership to Filipinos only.

Under the Cha-cha resolution, the phrase, “unless otherwise subsequently provided by law,” would be inserted in seven parts of the Charter dealing with national economy and patrimony, and ownership of land, mass media, schools and telecommunications and other public utilities.

This means that the present restrictions would be retained but Congress would be authoPAGE 10

december 13-19, 2019 • NeW YOrK ANd NeW JerSeY ASIAN JOUrNAL

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december 13-19, 2019 • NeW YOrK ANd NeW JerSeY ASIAN JOUrNAL

Aquino, Hilbay agreed to keep water...

PAGE 5 five years.

Yet the firms still wanted to recover those amounts that they claimed in 2015 when they filed the case they would lose, but didn’t.

How could the arbitration panels have dismissed such facts staring them in the face?

Was Hilbay as solicitor general just too dumb or too lazy to defend the MWSS stand? Or did he sabotage the government’s defense so it would lose the case?

Secret We don’t know. If Hilbay deliberately plotted to have the water companies win the arbitration, he was clever enough to hide his tracks, literally: the arbitration was kept secret.

Unlike other arbitration cases that the Philippine government has been involved in, such as its suit against China over the South China Sea dispute, the proceedings, the two water companies’ arguments, the government’s defense, and the award itself have been kept confidential.

Check it out for yourself at the website of the Permanent Court of Arbitration for the two suits. Only the Maynilad case is listed, but contains no details. Manila Water’s case is not listed at all Such confidentiality is allowed under the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (Uncitral), under whose provisions the suits were filed. But this could be done only upon agreement of the two parties, and only when the private party can prove that it stands to have its proprietary secrets revealed to its competitors. What competitors? Manila Water and Maynilad Water are monopolies in the sectors they distribute water.

Why did the government, represented by Aquino 3rd and Hilbay, agree to such confidentiality? If they had not agreed to keep the proceedings secret, they could just have told Maynilad and Manila Water: “Take it or leave it, and just comply with the MWSS decision.”

If not for a November 29 letter by Manila Water’s assistant corporate secretary to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Disclosure Department — a requirement because the firm is publicly listed — the public would not known of the award and the water company would have secretly negotiated with government for the payment of the P7.4 billion. It would have claimed that even the payment was

Dateline PhiliPPines

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7 in 10 Filipinos concerned about China’s military might – poll

AMID China’s activities in the West Philippine Sea, about seven in 10 Filipinos have expressed concern about Beijing’s growing military power, according to a Pew Research Center survey.

The poll found that 71% of Filipinos said China’s growing military is a bad thing for the country while 24% of respondents said it is good.

The survey released last week showed that Asia-Pacific countries, including the Philippines, are more wary of the effects of a strong Chinese military to their country.

Japan and South Korea regHilbay at the arbitration hearing against China at The Hague. Did he also appear in the hearings for the suits filed by the water companies, even if these were only in istered the highest concern Singapore, which the government lost?

Contributed photo on China’s military might with covered by the confidentiality is complex, and involves the 90%, while Australia and expertise of teams of accoun- India scored 84% and 73%, agreement.

If I were of a very suspicious tants, auditors and technicians respectively.

Among the countries surmind, I’d even think that Hil- who even physically inspect bay’s bending oer to make the the firms’ facilities, to deter- veyed in the Asia-Pacific reproceedings secret, and even mine how much the firms can gion, Indonesia scored the perhaps a promise not to un- charge given the need both for dertake a genuine defense of their captive consumers’ right the MWSS decision, clinched to clean, accessible water and his job as solicitor general. a reasonable return on capital PAGE 7 After then Solicitor General for them. rized to pass a law in the future Objectionable Francis Jardeleza was apto relax or scrap such limitaThe MWSS found objection- tions, Rodriguez said. pointed to the Supreme Court in 2014, Hilbay took over, but able many items the two firms The committee also endorsed only in an acting capacity for included as part of their costs, three political reforms — the eight months until Aquino ap- which reduced their income, election of the president and pointed him formally to the on paper. The most scandalous was their inclusion of corpost in June 2015. porate income taxes, as part Solicitor General Did Aquino need that much of their costs. This is such a time to decide who the solicitor blatant violation of accounting PAGE 5 general would be? Was it just principles and even of plain His secret to political succoincidental that after Mayni- logic. How can something (a cess, as Sanders put it, is simlad filed its suit on March 2, tax) that is computed after ple: “[W]inning politics is de2015 and Manila Water on expenses is deducted from in- veloping coalitions of working April 23, 2015, Hilbay was come (to yield taxable profit) people, of low-income people, appointed permanent solici- be included among the ex- of women, of environmentaltor general about two months penses? ists. So the coalition is, we do it Congress must call Aquino from the bottom on up, and we later on June 16, 2015?

Why would Aquino and Hil- and Hilbay to a public hearing ended up in my years as mayor bay agree to make secret ar- and ask them why they agreed taking on everybody.” bitration proceedings and rul- to keep the arbitration cases Through nonstop political ings that would affect over 10 confidential. It must subpoena organization, and astute popumillion Filipinos, the captive all of the documents involved list initiatives such as a local market of the two water mo- in the arbitration cases, to television show called “Bernie nopolies? Indeed, Maynilad determine if Hilbay really Speaks With the Community,” got the arbitral panel to order defended the MWSS stand Sanders mobilized a whole new the Philippine government to against the water companies. constituency, which sustained pay it the P3.4 billion it asked Congress must summon Ma- him in office throughout defor, while Manila Water got nila Water’s owners, the Aya- cades of progressive advocacy. panel to agree for the govern- las and Maynilad’s Manuel Throughout the world, the ment to pay it P11.4 billion. Pangilinan, who runs the firm rise of right-wing populists Did the two companies want for Indonesian owner Anthoni such as Donald Trump has to hide things from the pub- Salim, to its halls to ask them if opened up the space for their they, or their representatives, polar opposites — progressive lic?

For all we know Hilbay ever consulted with Hilbay populists such as Sanders and might have just sent the tri- over their firms’ suits against Elizabeth Warren. Their ralbunal a one-page defense the government. lying cry is an end to AmeriDuring the last elections can oligarchy in favor of the or asked his clerk to write it.

Sources claim that neither Hil- in which he ran for senator middle classes, for, as Sanders bay nor any other staff from (where the hell did he get explained, the likes of “Ronthe Office of the Solicitor Gen- the funds to dare to do so?), ald Reagan and his billionaire eral had asked MWSS to help Hilbay’s sole claimed quali- friends do not represent Amerthem draft their defense be- fication for that post, which ica, but we do.” he boasted about, was that it fore the arbitral panels.

Fortunately, we also have Technically called “rebas- was he who filed the arbitra- our own versions of Sanders. ing” undertaken every five tion case against China, which On top of my mind is profesyears, the process for com- the country purportedly won. sor Walden Bello, a world-reputing reasonable tariffs the Anti-China, but pro-oligarch? nowned scholar and activist, water companies can charge (ManilaTimes.net) among Princeton University’s

lowest concern on China’s military with 44%.

“China’s Asia-Pacific neighbors are especially doubtful about the effects of a strong Chinese military on their country: Among the six countries surveyed in the region, a median of 79% say China’s growing military might is bad for their country,” the survey read.

Worry on China’s growing military extends across the Pacific with 81% of Americans and 82% of Canadians saying it is a bad thing.

China had installed electronic jamming equipment, anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missiles on its artificial islands in the Spratlys group, which the Philippines also claims.

Earlier this year, China’s defense minister Gen. Wei Fenghe stressed that Beijing has every right to deploy

troops and build weapons on islands and reefs it claims in the disputed South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea. The same Pew survey found that Filipinos prefer having strong economic ties with the U.S. rather than China. The poll found that 84% of Filipinos identified Washington as the world’s leading economic power while 59% named Beijing.

According to the survey, those who identify the U.S. as the world’s leading economy are more likely to prefer stronger economic ties with it.

In the Philippines, the poll was conducted from May 25 to June 22 among 1,035 adult respondents using face-toface interviews. The margin of error is at 4.3 percentage points. (Patricia Lourdes Viray /Philstar.com)

vice president as one team similar to the practice in the United States, the increase in the term of office of members of the House of Representatives and local officials from three years to five years and the

election of senators by region instead of nationally.

He said the president would still be limited to a single term without reelection, while the vice president would have no term limit. n

Duterte to study proposed water settlement...

The Philippines’ Bernie Sanders most distinguished alumni, and a former progressive congressman who became the first-ever statesman to voluntarily resign his office out of sheer conviction.

I had the privilege of knowing and working with him about a decade earlier as his consultant on foreign affairs. He is unquestionably an indefatigable soul, a passionate advocate and arguably the best mentor one could ask for. While no socialist or communist, I always appreciated Bello’s genuine passion for social justice. True, his bid for the oligarchic Senate failed to bear fruit, but he has been a consistent advocate for political reform and human rights in the Philippines. And despite unimaginable difficulties, including personal tragedy, he recently managed to finish not one, but two books almost simultaneously.

The first, as discussed in an earlier column, is “Counterrevolution,” tracing the global rise of right-wing populism.

“I would say that Duterte is a counterrevolutionary” Bello argues, since ”he challenges the whole liberal democratic project” without offering a true progressive alternative.

His latest book is “Paper Dragons: China and the Next Crash,” which analyzes the

structural vulnerabilities of the Chinese economy and its dangerous implications for the global economy. More fundamentally, it skillfully traces the contours of the existing international order and the perilous direction of Sino-American rivalry.

Bello makes two crucial arguments. First, he rightly criticizes both the United States and China for their imperialist mindset and behavior, while arguing that Beijing’s foreign policy is far from predetermined.

Through a combination of diplomacy, engagement and tough bargaining, Bello believes that smaller countries such as the Philippines have some agency in shaping the rise of China. Moreover, he downplays fears of a Chinese “debt trap,” instead focusing on an even more troubling phenomenon. For Bello, Chinese investments bring about a “20th-century [top-down] model of economic development, [with] tremendous negative impact on the environment” of its beneficiaries.

Like Sanders, Bello believes in participatory grassroots politics as the best countermeasure against both imperialism and right-wing populism. (Inquirer.net)

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COMMUNITY Journal

11

Embassy’s erroneous employment visa refusals

Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ

A CREWMAN TRIED TO FOLLOW THE LAW TO GAIN LEGAL STATUS, BUT FELL INTO A “FRAUD TRAP” AT THE U.S. EMBASSY WHEN HE RETURNED TO THE PHILIPPINES ON A PROVISIONAL WAIVER. Albert (left) entered the U.S. and jumped ship in 2007. His U.S. citizen wife, Cherrie (center), petitioned him. Although the petition was approved, Albert was not eligible to adjust status in the U.S. because he did not have 245(i). However, he qualified for a provisional waiver, which was approved, thereby “forgiving” him for overstaying, waiving the 10-year bar. He went back to the Philippines, thinking that he would be able to obtain his immigrant visa from the Embassy, only to be shocked when he was charged with fraud based on violating their new 90-Day Rule for deciding to overstay back in 2007. His provisional waiver was considered void, and he was required to file a fraud waiver and a 10-year bar waiver while he waited in the Philippines. Watch how leading U.S. immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel helped Albert — on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy – this Sunday at 6:15 p.m. (PST) on TFC. (Advertising Supplement)

Whenever an employer sponsors (or petitions) an alien for labor certification (or PerM), the employer must agree to offer at least the “prevailing wage” for the job position, as determined by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), based on the job requirements and location of employment.

A prevailing wage determination from DOL is obtained by the employer before filing the PerM application, and that prevailing wage determination (or salary) is valid throughout the entire labor certification process, even if that process takes years to complete. Simply put, the prevailing wage obtained from DOL at the outset of the case is the wage the employer must offer to and pay the

sponsored alien.

The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has reported that the U.S. embassy in Manila, Philippines has been requiring applicants to provide updated, notarized letters from their petitioning employer confirming the employer’s intent to pay the applicants at the current prevailing wage, even though the wage listed on the employer’s I-140 petition remains in effect for the life of the petition. The employer need only agree to pay to prevailing wage listed at the time of initial filing, and it is in error to require them to now commit to pay a salary at the current wage rate. (unless it is a “minimum wage” job, in which case the current minimum wage might need to be paid vs the minimum wage at the time of filing).

The “job offer” letter from the employer need only confirmation that the terms and conditions of the employment offered in the I-140 petition are still available to the alien, including the pre-

Hello Panda Festival Lights Up the NYC Holiday Season with Radiant Displays of Color, Culture and Craftsmanship Featuring over 120 Instagrammable displays utilizing more than ten million individual lights, the first-time event now open at Citi Field through January 26, 2020

FrOM new York to Los Angeles, lantern festivals - outdoor exhibits featuring giant illuminated displays -- have become enormously popular in the US in recent years, thanks to their jawdropping spectacle.

Last week, new York’s Citi Field hosted the opening of the first-ever hello Panda Festival, the largest lantern arts event in north America. handcrafted by 60 world-renowned lantern artisans, the over 120 lantern displays have been designed in a myriad of shapes and sizes – including the tallest north American lantern Christmas tree at 60 feet tall, a 98 foot long panda psychedelic light tunnel, lifesized dinosaurs, giant pan-

das and dream-like scenes of underwater life -- the festival utilizes more than ten million individual lights to create an unforgettable and Instagrammable experience for visitors of all ages.

“The growing popularity of lantern festivals is due to the role of social media in today’s world,” said Winston Wang, General Manager of CPAA north America. “Our hello Panda Festival has been designed to stir the senses and inspire imaginations.”

The festival will continue through January 26, 2020.

For ticket information, visit hellopandafest.com. Other highlights at the festival include: • Authentic cuisine from

around the world along with a bar serving beer, wine and cocktails, curated by The World’s Fare vendors • Contemporary art exhibits, including video art projec-

tions • Photo ops with Santa Claus on selected days and live performances every night hello Panda’s organizers, CPAA north America, have

signed a multi-year contract with Citi Field to host the festival through 2024 and hope to establish the event as annual new York holiday tradition.

vailing wage provided by the DOL and approved by USCIS at the I-140 stage. According to AILA, the visa Office of the U.S. State Department confirmed that “consular officers [at the U.S. embassy in Manila] should not require the employer to pay the current prevailing wage…”

Unfortunately, some consuls are requiring job offer letters from employers that state the employer will pay the current prevailing wage, and are refusing to issue visas unless that letter is submitted to the embassy. But this is in error. The employer need offer only the prevailing wage initially determined

by DOL at the outset of the case.

If you, or someone you know, is being processed for an employment-based visa at the U.S. embassy in Manila, but are being refused to issue their visa based on this prevailing wage validity, you should seek the assistance of an attorney, who can help resolve the matter, which may simply be a training issue for that Post. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 35 years and is licensed, and an active member of the State Bars of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California. Each case is different and results may depend on the facts of the particular case. The information and opinions contained herein (including testimonials, “Success Stories”, endorsements and re-enactments) are of a general nature, and are not intended to apply to any particular case, and do not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorneyclient relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/GurfinkelLaw and Twitter @GurfinkelLaw Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: 1-866-487-3465 (866) – GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES ∙ SAN FRANCISCO ∙ NEW YORK ∙ PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

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DECEMBER 13-19, 2019 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA “REMEMBER the Wonder” was a catchy TV ad slogan for Wonder Bread, an iconic bread company that fled the woeful state of California. But the phrase can very well be used to refer to the true season of wonder — CHRISTMAS. December days and nights seem to slip from our grasp like fine grains of sand. The hours seem to hurtle through the day as we complete a year’s cycle and move on to the next.

Women in particular try in earnest to mesh the unusually heavy demands of the many roles they play specially this season. If we get completely sidetracked by the minutiae and the methodology, the expenses and the endless activities of what constitutes Christmas, we are more than likely to morph into the likes of Scrooge and be tempted to say “Bah, humbug!”

More than likely, the heaviness and drudgery that we seem to associate with this season have a lot to do with the failure to find that somewhat elusive SENSE OF REAL JOY that this season can bring in abundance to those who are open to it.

Sure, we can go through the motions of Christmas activities, shopping, baking, decorating, partying, drinking and binging. And yet, very often even if we diligently check off all the things in our list, something remains amiss. We fail to catch that Christmas feeling.

The spirit of the season is like a butterfly. If you keep mindlessly trashing about in endless activities, it will elude you. But if you sit very still, that Christmas feeling might simply alight on you. Be still and soak in the sight, sounds and smells of the season.

If you can, take time to be holy.

One trick I have learned is to SIMPLIFY and not try to take on too much of anything. That includes refraining from maxing out my credit cards, no matter how infinitely tempting it is to rush out and join the shopping madness. Filter out distractions. Tune out of social media. Make room

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Remember the wonder “Lest we forget………

CHRIST is the reason for this season.” in your tight schedule to ponder the wonder of this season.

Each day of the season, count at least ONE BLESSING that you may have taken for granted — like YOUR FAMILY, dysfunctional or imperfect the members may be, including yourself, we are all we’ve got.

To borrow from a song, “Love the one you’re with.”

That means stop looking elsewhere. The internet and social media could be a minefield of dashed hopes and dreams. For the most part, it is definitely not the place to find what you think is missing in your life. It is, at best, an illusion.

If you still have relatively good health and do not have to depend on a cocktail of drugs to get you through the day, REJOICE AND BE GLAD! Many wealthy yet ailing people longing to live a bit longer, will trade places with you in a heartbeat. TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED. Love your life but without conceit. It is simply on loan to you. Treasure the hours.

Forcibly yank out just an hour each day to sit in the silence during this season to take the time to smell the coffee, steep the tea or quaff the cocoa in a quiet spot, free of the interruptions of all those annoying electronic beeps.

Unless your job entails spelling the difference between life and death, CUT OFF YOUR ELECTRONIC LEASH, at least for just an hour. Who said you have to be on call all the time?

That hour you gift yourself with is yours to savor and JUST BE. That hour might very well help you to remember the wonder — to get back that gift of amazement we once had when we were children.

Lest we forget, CHRIST IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON. Pay no attention to the godless fools who would like to delete Christ from the season. It is CHRISTMAS, not XMAS. Those are minions of the devil at work in the guise of “multi-culti” political correctness always on the lookout for relabeling things to suit a twisted,

AND oftentimes, sinister agenda.

The strongest evidence of Christ living in our hearts during this season is an inner glow becoming an outward display of joy that wells within. The joy overflows and like a heavensent viral infection affects those we work and live with within the small orbit of our existence.

Sorrow, pain and disappointment, heartache and heartbreak in spades — we will always have. They have a place in the general scheme of things. They work like a sculptor’s tool kit that shapes and molds the structure of our soul and our being that ultimately make us resilient. We can then not only weather all seasons, but to survive and even THRIVE. But just for this season, BELIEVE that you are allowed to get a moratorium from all that.

This season is filled with awesome wonders and all it takes is to open our eyes, sharpen our senses and soak them all in.

Conditioned by years of mundane repetition, we have lost the magic and instinctive sense of wonder we were born with. We went through the motions of getting an education, raising a family, earning a living, running a business, working ceaselessly, it seems till we drop down dead or until Social Security says we can stop, (whichever comes first), sleeping and doing the same things all over again at daybreak.

Routine and predictability though calming and reassuring, can numb the soul over time. Don’t let that happen. Christmas is a gift.

Christ was born so we can have eternal life. God, in His great love for us, thinks that we are worth saving.

Take heart. This season of wonder, as God intended it to be, will always be a joyful reminder of HIS LOVE for us. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette. maglaya@asianjournalinc.com.

Dusit Hotel manager Evelyn Reyes Singson (seated, center) hosted a luncheon for New Yorker Assumption classmate Menchie Portillo Peralta (standing, second from left) at the VIP Room of Dusit Hotel Makati. Among her well wishers and guests were (seated from left) Tessie Recto Santos, Singson and Eden Villegas Arias and (standing) Ludy Saragoza Reyes, Peralta, Marilyn Rodriguez Ilagan, Charito Samia Ampil and Tessie Villegas.

Emu Florentino Gonzales (standing) hosted a dinner for Menchie Portillo Peralta (seated, left) at her residence in Magallanes Village, with Mrs. World Asia Vivian Yano of Osaka, Japan.

Lambert and Cris Ablaza hosted a luncheon Polo game for Menchie Portillo Peralta (right) at the Manila Polo Club in Makati. Seated from left: Malou Ablaza, Lambert and Cris Ablaza, Peralta.

Caldwell celebrates with Philippine Rondalla Holiday Concert

ON December 14 at 2pm, the Alay Philippine Performing Arts Rondalla and special guests will present an afternoon of Philippine music, as well as well-known favorites and holiday melodies, at the Caldwell Public Library located at 268 Bloomfield Avenue. The event is free, but reservations are required.

Founded in 1999 by Mirinisa Myers and Ameurfina Nazario, the Alay Philippine Performing Arts Rondalla has as its goals to document, perform, and record music written or arranged for rondallas and rondalla instruments. The founders have an extensive library of arrangements, some of which they had recorded on three CDs. The Philippine rondalla is a string ensemble which uses a number of different-sized, 14-stringed plectrum instruments called bandurria, laud, and octavina. Considered hybrids of the guitar and the cittern families, these flat back lutes play the melody and counter melody, while the double bass and the gui-

The Alay Philippine Performing Arts Rondalla performs with special guests at the Caldwell Library on December 14 at 2pm.

tars provide the rhythm. The rondalla, with roots in Spain, is a valued cultural legacy with a long history in the Philippines.

At the height of its popularity, when the Philippines was still a territory of the United States, the rondalla played symphonic overtures and arias, a tradition that continues to this day. In the 1950s, there were rondalla contests, called tambakan (to

pile on or, in other words, “to bury your opponent”), where musicians showed off their skill, versatility, and the richness of their repertoire. Oftentimes heard accompanying traditional songs and folk dances, the string ensemble today, as in the past, plays all kinds of music, from classical to the latest popular tunes.

Please call 973-226-2837 to reserve your spot. Refreshments will be served.

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NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 13-19, 2019

Bono salutes journalists, activists, volunteers at 2019 Philippine concert

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By Jan Milo Severo Philstar.com

MANILA — Irish rock band U2 has honored Red Cross volunteers, journalists and activists at the Philippine leg of their world tour, “The Joshua Tree Tour” promoted

by MMI Live and held in Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

During the concert, frontman Bono asked concertgoers to include volunteers, journalists and activists in their prayers. In a Zipline press conference the other day, Bono shared that his concert was free for Red Cross volunteers and if not a singer, he would probably be a journalist.

“Red Cross is in the house tonight, volunteers. Let’s keep them in our prayers, the ones who keep us safe from physical harm,” Bono said.

“Also in our prayers, let’s keep the journalists, the truthtellers, the activists who keep this country spiritually safe.

We salute you. Truth-tellers, everyday heroes. Let’s see our lights, let’s see out stars

EMPLOYMENT

Vincent Bueno

Photo from Instagram/@officialvincentbueno

Filipino Vincent Bueno to represent Austria in Eurovision Song Contest

Scenes from U2’s ‘The Joshua Tree Tour’ at the Philippine Arena last Wednesday, December 11.

Philstar.com ploys by Jan Milo Severo

in the middle of the sky,” he added.

Bono’s statement comes on the same day it was reported that government officials and uniformed personnel were linked to at least 69 attacks and threats against journalists recorded since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office, according to a report of a network of media organizations.

U2, composed of Bono, guitarist David Evans, bass Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr, was in the country for the first time since the band started in 1976.

Bono thanked Filipinos for their patience as they played the band’s greatest hits in four decades, including, “With or Without You,” “Bullet the Blue Sky,” “Desire,”

PSYCHIC

“Elevation,” “Where The Streets Have No Name,” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” to name a few.

“Thank you, Manila for your patience. I know it’s taken a while getting in the arena tonight. It took us four decades, but we feel very welcome. And this is for sure gonna be the best show we ever play in Manila,” Bono said.

FILIPINO singer Vincent Bueno was chosen to represent Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest in the Netherlands in 2020, according to the event’s official website.

Bueno, who was born in Vienna in 1985, won the talent show Musical! Die Show in Austria in 2008.

Before that, Bueno opened a Sarah Geronimo concert in Vienna.

He was part of the ABS-

SERVICES

CBN talent show ASAP between 2010 and 2012, where he sang alongside Jovit Baldivino, Gary Valenciano, Enchong Dee, Toni Gonzaga, Jed Madela, Bugoy Drilon, Erik Santos, Billy Crawford, and Spongecola.

Bueno will sing the song “Alive” in the contest, which will be held in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Aric John Sy Cua/ManilaTimes. net)

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DECEMBER 13-19, 2019 • NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY ASIAN JOURNAL

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people events arts culture entertainment

Give the gift of knowledge with these books by Filipino authors

C

by

Christina M. Oriel, Klarize Medenilla & MalOu liwanag-BledsOe / AJPress

HRISTMAS is just around the corner and we are all rushing to complete our shopping list. Gifting during the holidays is a tricky thing, however, as most people tend to buy what is trendy or popular. In the end, our recipients are most likely to receive something that someone else has given, or a gift that they have no use for.

This is why a book is one of the best gifts you can give — it’s compact with stories and details that can fill not only one’s brain but heart as well.

So this holiday, why not give the gift of knowledge?

This year alone, The Asian Journal team has read (and featured!) a plethora of books by Filipino and Filipino American authors across genres, including: “Loves You” (poetry)

by Sarah Gambito; “The Body Papers” (memoir)

by Grace Talusan; “I Was Their American Dream” (graphic memoir) by Malaka Gharib; “Patron Saints of Nothing” (young adult fiction) by Randy Ribay; “Why Karen Carpenter Matters” (biog-

This cookbook shows that an Instant Pot is all you need to prepare classic Filipino dishes

By MOMar

g. Visaya

AJPress

THERE are many Filipino dishes typically take a long time to cook, with nilaga, pata tim and bulalo to name a few.

We can remember our mothers and grandmothers slaving it in the kitchen boiling and braising pork or beef bones. We also remember that trusted pressure cooker, which comes out to help shorten the prep and cook time for many of these dishes.

A whiff of the dish wafting in the kitchen and eventually tasting it usually triggers nos-

talgia, bringing back memories of days past. Such is the immense power of food.

That is why the Instant Pot

is a lifesaver and a Godsend for working moms and dads who crave these classics once in a while.

There’s no shortage of Instant Pot groups on Facebook, one just needs to look hard.

Among them is the Filipino Recipes Instant Pot Community, which as of press time has 40,300 plus members and counting, making it one of the largest and most active Filipino Instant Pot (IP) congregation on the web.

When Jorell and Tisha Domingo got their Instant Pot, they were a bit overwhelmed and went on Facebook to see PAGE 15

raphy/memoir) by Karen Tongson; “Somewhere in the Middle” (memoir) by Deborah Francisco Douglas; “No Forks Given” (cookbook /stories) by Yana Gilbuena; “Baking at République” (cookbook) by Margarita “Marge” Manzke; and “Rice. Noodles.

Yum.: Everyone’s Favorite Southeast Asian Dishes” (cookbook) by Abigail Sotto Raines.

Here are a few more recommendations that will be perfect either as a stocking stuffer or a special Christmas gift to family and friends.

“Trick Mirror: Ref lections on Self-Delusion”

by Jia Tolentino From the whip-smart voice of a generation Jia

Tolentino, “Trick Mirror: Ref lections on Self-Delusion” has been named one of the 10 best books of the year by the New York Public Library and appeared on best of the year lists from The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Time and The Washington Post to name a few.

In nine moving essays, Tolentino captures, with photographic clarity, the state of collective confusion and distortion we’re currently experiencing in the age of the internet, peppering in her own experiences as the daughter of Filipino immigrants.

Among the contemporary cultural topics featured in the book, she discusses the capitalization of

feminism, her tumultuous relationship with religion and how that intertwined with her experience with drugs in the vein of ecstasy and the toxic, convoluted triangle of “sex and race and power.”

“Trick Mirror” is a necessary read that showcases the incredible talent of the 31-year-old writer who, time and time again, perfectly sums up millennial sensibilities in the age of social media and attempts to untangle the most muddled parts of American culture.

In the intro to the book, Tolentino writes, “I began to realize that all my life I’ve been leaving myself breadcrumbs. It didn’t PAGE 15

How to make ube cheesecake in an Instant Pot Reprinted with permission from ‘The Filipino Instant Pot Cookbook’

“NOT to be mistaken for taro, ube has been a longtime staple in Filipino desserts and has recently made its way into mainstream American culture. This yam adds a sweet and nutty flavor to desserts and is easy to identify by its deep purple color, making ube desserts very Insta- gram-worthy. In this recipe, I used ube halaya (purple yam jam) and ube extract to make ube cheesecake. Cheesecake is probably one of the most popular desserts to make in the Instant Pot because you can cut your cooking time in half.” - Tisha Gonda Domingo

Serves 6 to 8 Prep Time: 15 minutes Active Time: 0 minutes Pressure Cook Time: 15 minutes Release: Natural For the cake: 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese 1⁄4 cup sour cream 1⁄3 cup white sugar 3⁄4 cup ube halaya (purple yam jam) 3 tsp ube extract 3 eggs, room temperature 11⁄2 cups water For the crust: 1 packet graham crackers 2 tbsp white sugar 4 tbsp butter, melted PAGE 15

Ube Cheesecake Photo by Nancy Cho

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This cookbook shows that an...

PAGE 14 if there was a group or a community focused on Filipino recipes for what she calls “a magic little machine.” They came up empty-handed so they decided to start one.

That was in February 2018.

There were a few rules, among them keeping the focus on Filipino recipes cooked using the Instant Pot and if possible, posting the photos and the recipe along with the posts.

Last month, they announced the release of “The Filipino Instant Pot Cookbook: Classic and Modern Filipino Recipes for Your Electric Pressure Cooker.”

In the book, its six authors — Tisha and Jorell Domingo, Jeannie E. Celestial, Art Swenson, Romeo Roque-Nido, and Jaymar Cabebe — set out to explore their Filipino heritage and intimate family histories, one dish at a time. The result was a collection of over 75 Filipino recipes, all carefully translated for preparation in the Instant Pot, today’s most essential piece of kitchenware.

“Late last year, some friends approached us about joining them in converting our collective family recipes into a cookbook. Tisha and I agreed that it would be a pretty cool thing to preserve our family history and culture in this special way,” Jorell posted in the Facebook group.

“It’s been such a great and eye-opening experience. We especially appreciate the spirit of bayanihan that comes alive in our/your sharing of stories, photos, cooking tips, and recipes,” he added.

The authors all currently live in California and self-identify as second-generation Filipina and Filipino Americans.

They all have young children, so there’s a need to prepare dishes quickly and easily (Filipino or otherwise).

“The IP has certainly been a game-changer for all of us.

And we, of course, would love to see Filipino cuisine continue to make its way into mainstream American culture... this is our little contribution to that movement,” Jorell added.

Many of the members shared how they used the Instant Pot to cook Filipino dishes for their Thanksgiving feast, and are planning to cook the same for the upcoming holidays, particularly for Noche Buena and Christmas Day grub.

Members shared the usual, from lechon kawali to mecha-

do and desserts such as leche flan and bibingka. Others were more adventurous, coming up with ube coconut tart and using ube for their sweet potato casserole, showcasing the range of dishes that can be done using the kitchen workhorse.

Crafting the cookbook “To truly appreciate and understand Filipino dishes, you have to understand the evolution of the spices, the nuances of the flavor profiles, the land from which these dishes were birthed. That’s what this book provides. This is not just a book of recipes; this is a book about our story,” said Pati Navalta Poblete, editor-in-Chief of San Francisco Magazine.

For many of the Instant Pot diehards and believers, the appliance is the best to use when it comes to cooking Filipino food.

From classic dinner staples like the traditionally sour Sinigang na Baboy (pork tamarind soup) to sweet treats like Putong Puti (steamed rice cake), the rich flavors of Filipino food are typically unlocked through a long braise or boil, a delicate steam, or some other treatment by moist heat. Fortunately, this is exactly what the Instant Pot does best.

“The Filipino Instant Pot Cookbook” is an absolute must-have for every modern home cook and the timing of its publication could not have been any more perfect as Filipino food is fast becoming a mainstay in the consciousness of foodies from around the world.

“I believe that anyone can become a great Filipino cook.

However, cooking new food can sometimes feel intimidating. The Filipino Instant Pot Cookbook helps any level of cook step into the kitchen and create delicious Filipino food, the kind you thought only your mom and aunts could make for you,” said Chef Dominic Ainza, an experienced restaurant owner and corporate chef.

That’s one of the good things about the Instant Pot. You can easily cook for a small group or you can create a feast enough for the extended family, friends and neighbors included.

It was actually her mother who introduced her to Instant Pot, according to Tisha Gonda Domingo. She quickly developed her expertise cooking with the electric pressure cooker through practice with traditional Filipino ingredients, methods, and dishes.

Through her first published

work, The Filipino Instant Pot Cookbook, Tisha offers personal stories and family recipes that bring her love for food, community, and Filipino culture together. Outside of her work as an author and home cook, Tisha works in publicity for a major television studio. She currently lives in Orange County, California, with her husband, Jorell, and two children.

One of the book’s authors, Jeannie E. Celestial was born on Guam and raised by Filipino parents and grandparents who were skilled farmers.

They helped develop her cooking instincts early on, instilling in her a deep understanding of and respect for traditional Filipino ingredients.

In addition to her work with food, Jeannie is a practicing psychologist who is committed to holistic wellness and fostering healthy Filipinx (Filipino/a/x) communities.

Earlier this week, Celestial and her husband Art were on Good Day, Sacramento talking about the cookbook and showcasing the ease in cooking with the Instant Pot. They served adobo sa gata, ginataang sitaw at kalabasa, Filipino style spaghetti, ginataang mais and mango royale cheesecake, all done using the versatile kitchen gadget.

“The Filipino Instant Pot Cookbook” brings her passions together, allowing her to promote mental health through food, helping to break down colonial mentality by proudly sharing the recipes, stories, and cultural practices of her motherland, the Philippines. She currently works in Vallejo, California.

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Romeo Roque-Nido’s cooking was influenced early on by a diversity of cultures before being broadened further during his time as a world-traveling student in the California Maritime Academy.

While his culinary influences are varied, his truest passion Filipino cuisine. With The Filipino Instant Pot Cookbook, Romeo hopes to preserve the rich culinary heritage of the Philippines, by using modern appliances to make it more accessible to even the busiest of families. He lives in Vallejo, California with his wife and two children.

This holiday season, instead of using multiple pots and pans and spending time over the stove, let the Instant Pot do all the work so you can spend more time with loved ones.

Gift the gift of knowledge...

PAGE 14 matter that I didn’t always know what I was walking toward. It was worthwhile, I told myself, just trying to see clearly, even if it took me years to understand what I was trying to see.”

“Lalani of the Distant Sea” by Erin Entrada Kelly Embark on a courageous and mythical journey with 12-year-old Lalani Sarita in “Lalani of the Distant Sea,” the debut fantasy novel by Filipina American Newbery Medalist Erin Entrada Kelly. Drawing from Filipino folklore, Lalani is in search of Mount Isa, a mysterious landmark known for a f lower with healing powers that could potentially help her ailing mother as well as good fortune that could save her fellow villagers on the island of Sanlagita, which is facing its own threats of survival. The 12-year-old protagonist is confronted by external tests along the way as many men, including her own father, have perished in the quest for the mountain. The issues of toxic masculinity and gender stereotypes are also prevalent in the dialogue and text as well.

Though a children’s novel, the lessons of empathy, perseverance, identity and fate transcend any age. In the end, sometimes you choose yourself.

“I created a heroine in

Lalani, who isn’t particularly gifted in any way,” Kelly told the Washington Post.

“What’s extraordinary about her is her power to be compassionate... That’s not something we typically celebrate in our society.”

“From Rufio to Zuko”

by Dante Basco You know him as the trimohawked Rufio of the Lost Boys in the 1990s cult classic “Hook.” You also know him as the voice of Prince Zuko from the wildly popular Nickelodeon show “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”

Regardless of your point of reference, you’re Filipino American, you know actor Dante Basco as the symbol of Filipino representation in entertainment of the 1990s and the aughts. Often playing a wide range of Asian side characters, Basco is the success story of the Asian American who broke into mainstream entertainment, and that journey is detailed in a new memoir called “From Rufio to Zuko.”

The memoir released this year chronicles Basco’s beginnings as a breakdancer from the Bay Area and the impact his family upbringing has had on his career. (Basco is one of four siblings who are also in entertainment) navigating the entertainment industry as a Filipino in a pre-“Inclusion Rider” world. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter,

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Basco said that his memoir may be beneficial “for the next generation of people of color” who are trying to break into Hollywood.

“Steel Crow Saga” by Paul Krueger Named of the best books of 2019 by NPR, “Steel Crow Saga” by Filipino American author Paul Krueger takes readers on a post-colonial, adventurefilled fantasy heavily inf luenced by Asian cultures, such as Filipino, Japanese, Chinese and Korean. From magical animal characters to themes of diplomacy, rebellion and unlikely alliances, the novel brings together four destinies — a soldier with a curse, a prince with a debt, a detective with a grudge and a thief with a broken heart — to defeat an evil force who defies the laws of magic. Many reviews liken the Fil-Am author’s second novel to Pokémon, Avatar: The Last Airbender and anime.

“The biggest thing I learned was to trust my instincts.

‘Steel Crow Saga’ happened because I felt like I had nothing left to lose, so I might as well roll the dice on the wildest, most specifically Paul book I could write. I’m very fortunate the dice came up in my favor, but I think it’s because readers respond well to specificity and honesty,” Krueger wrote in an AMA thread on Reddit.

How to make ube cheesecake...

PAGE 14 Equipment: Food processor Parchment paper 7-inch springform pan Hand mixer Instant Pot trivet Heavyduty aluminum foil 1. About 30 to 60 minutes in advance, take cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs out of the refrigerator so they can come to room temperature.

Prepare the crust: 2. Break graham crackers into food processor and pulse until fine. Alternatively, you can put the graham crackers in a resealable plastic bag and crush the crackers into crumbs using a rolling pin.

3. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, 2 tbsp sugar, and butter. Place a larger circle of parchment paper on the bottom of a 7-inch springform pan. Spray the liner with

cooking oil and pour crumb mixture into pan and press evenly to form the crust.

Make the cake: 4. In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, 1/3cup sugar, ube halaya, and ube extract using a hand mixer at low speed.

Add eggs one at a time and continue mixing at low speed until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Be careful not to overmix batter.

5. Spray the sides of the pan with cooking oil. Pour batter into springform pan and tap pan on counter to get air bubbles out.

6. Add water to the inner pot and place trivet inside.

7. Make a sling using an 18-inch piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil and fold it into thirds lengthwise and place the springform on the center. Carefully lower the spring- form onto the trivet

using the sling. Fold down the excess foil from the sling to ensure that the pot closes properly.

8. Turn and lock the lid into place, making sure the steam-release valve is in the sealed position. Select Manual and program for 15 minutes on High Pressure.

When cook- ing is complete, allow pressure to release naturally.

9. Unlock and carefully remove the lid. Remove the cheese- cake using foil sling and place on a wire rack to cool. Gently blot any water on the cheesecake with a paper towel.

10. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

11. To remove the cheesecake from the pan, run a thin knife around the inside of the pan and release the spring to remove the round pan rim.

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