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DECEMBER 16-22, 2021 Volume 32 - No.50 • 12 Pages

T H E F I L I P I N O A M E R I CA N C O M MU N I T Y N E WS PA P E R

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Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO, NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY

DATELINE

USA

Duterte drops Senate bid

by WILLIAM

DEPASUPIL ManilaTimes.net

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

California reinforces indoor mask mandate amid COVID surge STARTING Wednesday, Dec. 15, California will require face masks and coverings while indoors following a sharp spike in coronavirus cases since Thanksgiving.

While individual counties — like Los Angeles and Ventura — have their own mask mandates, the state is moving forward to ensure all Golden State counties comply with the effort to mitigate the surge.

At a press conference with California’s health and human services secretary, Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state anticipates many year-end holiday gatherings, a forecast that impacted the state to reimpose its mask mandate.

Currently, the per capita rate of new coronavirus cases in California has jumped 47% in the past two weeks. Hospitalizations are also up by 14%, according to the last available state data.

While the mandate impacts those who want to attend public gatherings — like in restaurants, malls, and other social gathering

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has withdrawn his certificate of candidacy (CoC) for senator, joining his long-time aide Senator Christopher “Bong” Go who also backed out from the presidential race in the upcoming 2022 elections earlier on Tuesday, December 14.

It may be recalled that the duo who have been inseparable since Duterte was mayor of Davao City also filed on the same day or last November 15 their CoCs for senator and president.

Duterte had vowed to retire from politics but surprised everybody when he filed a CoC for senator under the Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS) party with Go as the party’s standard bearer.

Prior to that Go filed a CoC for vice president under the PDP Laban-Cusi Wing but withdrew also after presidential daughter Davao City Mayor Sarah DuterteCarpio decided to run for vice president under the Lakas-CMD (Christian Muslim President Rodrigo Duterte officially withdrew his candidacy for senator on Tuesday, Democrats) party. ■ December 14.

ManilaTimes.net photo

PH reports first two cases of Omicron variant

by GAEA

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PH, US set more high-level meets to strengthen alliance

THE Philippines and the United States have discussed ways to further strengthen the alliance between the two countries with more high-level visits, meetings and defense-related activities in the first half of 2022.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said said on Monday, December 13 Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. met on Saturday, December 11 with U.S. Undersecretary of State for political affairs Victoria Nuland on the sidelines of the G7 Ministerial Meetings in Liverpool, United Kingdom held from Dec. 10 to 12.

“I was very pleased with their firm assurances that the United States continues to regard the Philippines as a crucial ally in the region, and that it stands ready to support the Philippines, including against armed attacks on our armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific,” Locsin said.

On the other hand, Nuland said: “We are proud to stand with you and we are very

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SIMBANG GABI. Rev. Fr. Elmer Maranan (in the altar) celebrates the first day of Simbang Gabi at the Sto. Niño de Bagong Silang Church, Caloocan City on Wednesday, December 16. Simbang Gabi is a devotional, nine-day series of Masses attended by Filipino Catholics in anticipation of Christmas.

PNA photo by Ben Briones

KATREENA Philstar.com

CABICO

MANILA — The Philippines reported on Wednesday, December 15 its first two cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which has been classified as being “of concern” by the World Health Organization.

The Department of Health said two imported cases of the Omicron variant were detected from the 48 samples sequenced Tuesday.

One of the cases is a returning overseas Filipino who arrived from Japan on December 1 via Philippine Airlines PR 0427. The DOH said the individual is currently asymptomatic but had colds and cough upon arrival.

The other case is a Nigerian national who arrived from Nigeria on November 30 via Oman Air WY 843.

He is also asymptomatic.

Both are isolated in a facility managed by the Bureau of Quarantine.

The DOH said it is verifying the test results and the health status of passengers who were on the same flight as the travelers found to have the Omicron variant.

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DFA to cancel passports unclaimed since 2020 PH has attained ‘substantial

by JANVIC

MATEO Philstar.com

MANILA — Starting next month, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will cancel and dispose of all unclaimed passports that were scheduled for release before December 2020.

The DFA cited a recent department order stating that all passports left unclaimed by the holder one year after receipt by the releasing office shall be cancelled.

It said unclaimed passports scheduled for release before December 2020 will be cancelled and properly disposed of

beginning Jan. 10.

“Those yet to claim their passports, which were scheduled for release in December 2020 or earlier, may do so until Jan. 7, 2022 at the DFA Consular Office where they were processed,” it said.

“Those who are unable to claim their passports at the respective DFA Consular Offices before Jan. 7, 2022 must file a new passport application after securing a certificate of unclaimed passport from DFA Aseana or at the DFA Consular Office where they were processed,” it added.

Passports scheduled for release after

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ACDC hosts first inaugural InspirAsian Gala THE Asian Community Development Council’s first inaugural InspirAsian Gala was held on Friday December 3, at the Champagne Ballroom at the Paris Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The event honored local Las Vegas Asian American Pacific Islander trailblazers who have been instrumental in leading our community.

They include: 1. Angela Castro, RTC 2. Cheryl Daro, Marshun Entertainment 3. Athar Haseebullah, ACLU of Nevada 4. Bethany Khan, Culinary Union 5. Erica Mosca, Leaders in Training 6. Divya Narala, Nevada’s Fourth Congressional District 7. Gabriel Uy, White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs 8. Caren Yap, UNLV Student President The gala was filled with cultural performances, great food, and an exciting silent auction with 48 different items! ACDC was able to raise critical funds for a future health clinic and continued food distribution efforts to tackle food insecurity. Accessible health care services for the uninsured and underinsured are vital for our community and ACDC is excited to launch our longawaited health clinic in 2022 with the community’s support.

The sponsors for InspirAsian Gala 2021 included NV Energy Foundation, ZAAPI Zappos Asian & Pacific Islander, LAS Airport, Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones, NEXREP, RTCNV, Southwest Gas, and all of the staff and supporters who helped make this event possible!

For more information on ACDC, go to www.acdcnv.org.

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population immunity’ vs COVID-19 - expert

by ALEXIS

ROMERO Philstar.com

MANILA — The Philippines has achieved a substantial population immunity against COVID19 as infections and hospitalization numbers drop despite the higher mobility and the easing of movement restrictions, an expert said.

Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, an OCTA Research fellow and a University of Santo Tomas biological sciences professor, said the Philippines is experiencing the lowest COVID-19 case numbers in 20 months, with an average of about 500 cases per day.

The country’s hospitalization numbers are also at its lowest in 20 months, with the Makati Medical Center announcing for the first time that it has no COVID-19 patients, he added.

“But this is also interesting because we are experiencing the highest mobility in 20 months...

Many of our people are moving around now, the most in 20 months since the beginning of the pandemic and the lockdown in March of 2020,” Austriaco said during a meeting of the government’s pandemic task force last Monday.

“And so what these three

mean together is that it suggests that we have attained substantial population immunity from natural infections and vaccinations in the urban areas of the Philippines because the pandemic has raged and spread primarily in our cities and in our first class municipalities,” he added.

“And so the fact that the virus is struggling to find new Filipinos to infect, suggests that we have attained substantial population immunity.”

Austriaco said the Philippines’ condition is better than those of its neighbors Thailand and Malaysia, which are still recording about 5,000 new infections per day and Vietnam, which is still reporting about 15,000 new cases daily.

“Now the reason why these four different countries have experienced different pandemic curves is probably because as you can see the Philippines experienced - unlike these three other countries - substantial waves of previous variants. So... especially the Alpha, Beta variant, which struck our beloved country in March and April of this year,” Austriaco said.

“And so combining the vaccinations and the natural immu-

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december 16-22, 2021 • LAS VeGAS ASIAN JOUrNAL

From The FronT Page

PH has attained ‘substantial population...

PAGE 1 nity, what you are seeing here is that many of our cities where the pandemic tends to focus are now - are now stable enough to prevent transmission,” he added.

Austriaco said Metro Manila, which has a significantly high vaccination rate, is “probably going to be robustly protected against the future surge.”

Malacañang said the public should continue to comply with health and safety protocols despite the improving pandemic situation.

“Indeed, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel but the only way we can get to the end is if we continue to carefully watch our steps; let us continue our mask-wearing, hand washing, social distancing and vaccination. Let us do this not just for ourselves but especially for our loved ones,” acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said at a press briefing yesterday.

Duterte: Better days ahead President Rodrigo Duterte expressed optimism that Filipinos would see “better days” ahead because of the decreasing number of infections.

“We continue to see downward trend of the positivity rate, now only less than two percent.

This means that for every 100 persons tested for COVID-19, only a maximum of two people turned out to be positive,” the President said during a pre-recorded public address.

“Better days ahead because since December 1, we have been on average of 500 to 600 and the number of active cases continues to go down. I’m talking about the COVID,” he added.

Duterte also cited a Goldman Sachs report stating that the Philippines is expected to be a strong economy in Southeast Asia by 2022.

“Well, that remains to be seen. We still have to worry about the coming Omicron and how it would impact on the population of the Philippines.

But the confidence, at least, is there and the analyst believed that the gross domestic product, GDP, could hit more than seven percent. I hope...This will be a good Christmas for everybody,” he added.

Duterte expressed hope that the Omicron variant won’t enter the Philippines even as he assured the public that the government is capable of handling the health risk.

“I hope that everything will be for the good of everybody and I am very happy that it (number of infections) is decreasing...

That’s a miracle because other countries are still reeling from the effect, it seems that they have a problem with Omicron,” the President said.

“We are not hoping for the best but we pray to God that it will not come to our shores. But if ever it comes, we can cope with it just as we did with COVID-19,” he added.

‘No need to panic’ Austriaco said preliminary data from South Africa suggest that the Omicron wave is three times higher than the Delta wave, which means that it is more transmissible among vaccinated individuals.

“What you can see is that the preliminary data suggests that ten times more unvaccinated individuals are being hospitalized as compared to vaccinated

individuals. This is incredibly hopeful especially since as I highlighted before, because of the NCR (National Capital Region) plus eight strategy, our cities and first class municipalities, which is the target for Omicron when it arrives in the Philippines, are highly vaccinated,” the expert said.

Austriaco said despite the number of COVID-19 positives, the Omicron hospitalizations are quite low.

“So there are three important questions that the scientists of the world are waiting for: Is the Omicron variant more transmissible? It is likely that it is more transmissible. Is the Omicron variant more immune evasive?

Probably. The initial data seems to look like that,” he said.

“Is the Omicron variant more deadly? And this is the good news po, it’s probably less deadly than Delta. “ Austiraco said Filipinos can still celebrate Christmas but should prepare for be careful to avoid catching the virus.

“First, there is no need to panic. Let us celebrate Christmas. This is the best time in 20 months for the entire country,” Austriaco said.

“And so this is not the time to panic. It is the time to be careful. We have to prepare. But we also have to celebrate especially since this is Christmas. We must prepare the hospital infrastructure and increase healthcare workers staffing capacity. Because in the Alpha and Delta surges it was clear that we had nursing shortages, especially in the NCR,” he added.

Austriaco cited the need to continue the vaccination drive to build and maintain population “We must increase the population immunity around our international gateways. Omicron will enter through an airport most likely. And so what we have to do is we have to build a wall of vaccinated Filipinos around these airports. Because once Omicron arrives, it will try to spread into the Filipino population,” he said.

“And if the Filipinos around the airports...are heavily vaccinated, then it doesn’t matter if DONATIONS FROM EUROPE. Boxes containing 1,058,400 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine there is an OFW (overseas Filifrom France, 453,600 doses more from Spain, and 945,600 doses of the single-shot Janssen pino worker) who returns home. vaccine from the Netherlands arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Tuesday, December 14. The government assured anew that all local government units across the country Because even if this person is would get access to an equitable distribution of the vaccines with the arrival of more donations able to enter the community, the from European countries.

PNA photo by Jess M. Escaros Jr. virus will struggle.” n

NEW TRAIN SETS FOR MRT-7. President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his speech during the unveiling of brand-new train sets for the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) along Commonwealth Avenue in Diliman, Quezon City on Thursday, December 16. Duterte said the national government will ensure that the MRT-7 will be “partially operational” by the fourth quarter of 2022.

Presidential photo by Alberto Alcain

PH reports first two cases of Omicron...

PAGE 1 Those who arrived in the country through the aforementioned flights are advised to call the DOH COVID-19 Hotlines at (02) 8942 6843 or 1555, or their respective LGUs to report their status.

The detection of Omicron comes as authorities announced the entire country will remain under Alert Level 2 until December 31.

Early studies suggest that Omicron, the heavily-mutated

variant first detected by South Africa, can be resistant to vaccines and is more transmissible that the Delta variant.

The spread of Omicron globally prompted the government to tighten border controls, postpone the country’s tourism reopening, and accelerate the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.

More Delta cases The department also reported the detection of 33 cases of the Delta variant. This brought the

total number of confirmed Delta variant cases to 7,919.

Of the additional cases, 14 were returning overseas Filipinos.

The rest were local cases from Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Caraga, Soccsksargen, Western Visayas, Cordillera Administrative Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Eastern Visayas and Davao region. (With reports from Agence-France Presse)

California reinforces indoor mask mandate...

PAGE 1

hubs — it does not apply to private gatherings.

“Wearing a mask is going to be one of the most important things to get through this period of uncertainty,” Ghaly said on Monday. “We know people are tired and hungry for normalcy.

Frankly, I am, too. That said, this is a critical time when we have a tool that we know has worked and can work.

The mandate, which will last until at least January 15, will apply to everyone regardless of vaccination status.

As previously reported in the Asian Journal, the state lifted its last mask mandate for vaccinated individuals on June 15, when most coronavirus-related safety protocols eased restrictions for businesses and public places. But about half of the state’s counties

have since imposed their own indoor mask mandates as case, death, and hospitalization numbers fluctuated in the latter half of 2021.

“This increase in case rates is not experienced equally across the state,” Ghaly said. “We have some counties that remain very low — many of the Bay Area counties, L.A. But others are quite high, and we see this in greater percentage in communities and counties where vaccine rates are low.”

Along with the mask mandate, state health officials also announced that it will strengthen testing requirements, ordering unvaccinated people who are attending indoor events of 1,000 people or more to provide a negative test within one or two days. (Vaccination proof will also be required at these venues.)

The state is also recommending

travelers departing from and arriving to California to get tested for Covid-19 within five days of travel.

California’s mask mandate for indoor settings mirrors the CDC’s long-standing recommendation of wearing masks indoors for those in “areas with high numbers of Covid-19 cases.”

The CDC however stands by its guidance that fully vaccinated individuals do not need to mask up in outdoor settings.

“We know that there’s going to be people who don’t necessarily agree with this, who are tired, who aren’t going to mask,” Ghaly said. “We hope that those are few and far between, that most people see the purpose of doing this over the next month as something to protect them and their communities during a very tough time.” n

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Health experts worry CDC’s COVID vaccination rates appear inflated FOR nearly a month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s online vaccine tracker has shown that virtually everyone 65 and older in the United States — 99.9% — has received at least one covid vaccine dose.

That would be remarkable — if true.

But health experts and state officials say it’s certainly not.

They note that the CDC as of Dec. 5 has recorded more seniors at least partly vaccinated — 55.4 million — than there are people in that age group — 54.1 million, according to the latest census data from 2019.

The CDC’s vaccination rate for residents 65 and older is also significantly higher than the 89% vaccination rate found in a poll conducted in November

by KFF. Similarly, a YouGov poll, conducted last month for The Economist, found 83% of people 65 and up said they had received at least an initial dose of vaccine.

And the CDC counts 21 states as having almost all their senior residents at least partly vaccinated (99.9%). But several of those states show much lower figures in their vaccine databases, including California, with 86% inoculated, and West Virginia, with nearly 90% as of Dec. 6.

The questionable CDC data on seniors’ vaccination rates illustrates one of the potential problems health experts have flagged about CDC’s covid vaccination data.

Knowing with accuracy what proportion of the population has rolled up sleeves for a covid shot is vital to public health efforts, said Dr. Howard Forman, a professor of public health at Yale University School of Medicine.

“These numbers matter,” he said, particularly amid efforts to increase the rates of booster doses administered. As of Dec. 5, about 47% of people 65 and older had received a booster shot since the federal government made them available in September.

“I’m not sure how reliable the CDC numbers are,” he said, pointing to the discrepancy between state data and the agency’s 99.9% figure for

seniors, which he said can’t be correct.

“You want to know the best data to plan and prepare and know where to put resources in place — particularly in places that are grossly undervaccinated,” Forman said.

Getting an accurate figure on the proportion of residents vaccinated is difficult for several reasons. The CDC and states may be using different population estimates. State data may not account for residents who get vaccinated in a state other than where they live or in clinics located in federal facilities, such as prisons, or those managed by the Veterans Health Administration or Indian Health Service.

CDC officials said the agency may not be able to determine whether a person is receiving a first, second or booster dose if their shots were received in different states or even from providers within the same city or state. This can cause the CDC to overestimate first doses and underestimate booster doses, CDC spokesperson Scott Pauley said.

“There are challenges in linking doses when someone is vaccinated in different jurisdictions or at different providers because of the need to remove personally identifiable information (de-identify) data to protect people’s privacy,” according to a footnote on the CDC’s covid vaccine data tracker webpage. “This means that, even with the high-quality data CDC receives from jurisdictions and federal entities, there are limits to how CDC can analyze those data.”

On its dashboard, the CDC has capped the percentage of the population that has received vaccine at 99.9%. But Pauley said its figures could be off for multiple reasons, such as the census denominator not including everyone who currently resides in a particular county, like part-time residents, or potential data-reporting errors.

Liz Hamel, vice president and director of public opinion and survey research at KFF, agrees it’s highly unlikely 99.9% of seniors have been vaccinated.

She said the differences between CDC vaccination rates

and those found in KFF and other polls are significant. “The truth may be somewhere in between,” she said.

Hamel noted the KFF vaccination rates tracked closely with CDC’s figures in the spring and summer but began diverging in fall, just as booster shots became available.

KFF surveys show the percentage of adults at least partly vaccinated changed little from September to November, moving from 72% to 73%. But CDC data shows an increase from 75% in September to 81% in mid-November.

As of Dec. 5, the CDC says, 83.4% of adults were at least partly vaccinated.

William Hanage, an associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard University, said such discrepancies call into question that CDC figure. He said getting an accurate figure on the percentage of seniors vaccinated is important because that age group is most vulnerable to severe consequences of covid, including death.

“It is important to get them right because of the muchtalked-about shift from worrying about cases to worrying about severe outcomes like hospitalizations,” Hanage said.

“The consequences of cases will increasingly be determined by the proportion of unvaccinated and unboosted, so having a good handle on this is vital for understanding the pandemic.”

For example, CDC data shows New Hampshire leads the country in vaccination rates with about 88% of its total population at least partly vaccinated.

The New Hampshire vaccine dashboard shows 61.1% of residents are at least partly vaccinated, but the state is not counting all people who get their shots in pharmacies due to data collection issues, said Jake Leon, spokesperson for the state Department of Health and Human Services.

In addition, Pennsylvania health officials say they have been working with the CDC to correct vaccination rate figures on the federal website. The state is trying to remove duplicate vaccination records to make sure the dose classification is PAGE 7

Cortez Masto introduces bipartisan bill to improve small business loan program U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) to introduce the bipartisan Streamlining EIDL Act to improve the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) application process for small businesses and combat programmatic fraud.

The legislation will require the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide timely and helpful responses to small business applicants and submit a report to Congress on how it is addressing fraud within the program.

“Small businesses are critical to Las Vegas’s economy, which is why it’s vital for this federal aid to be easy to access and available for everyone who needs it. I’ll keep working to ensure that our small

businesses have the resources necessary to support their workers and keep their doors open,” Cortez Masto told the Asian Journal.

The Streamlining EIDL Act would impose commonsense deadlines on the EIDL program, require the SBA to conduct a comprehensive review of the process for submitting EIDL applications, direct the SBA to submit a report to Congress detailing steps it has taken to rectify its handling of identity theft cases, require the SBA to report how it has recovered improper payments, and require the SBA to report on how it is reconciling previous identity theft allegations with newly filed identity theft allegations.

Senator Cortez Masto has been a strong advocate for small businesses in the Sen-

ate, leading legislation to protect small businesses from expensive data breaches and cyber-attacks and to help small businesses partner with institutions of higher education to conduct research and development. Throughout the pandemic, she has helped pass the CARES Act and additional coronavirus relief legislation to provide economic relief and Small Business Administration (SBA) loans to small businesses and supported an additional $370 billion in funding for the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL).

She has continued to urge the SBA to quickly administer PPP and EIDL loans to Nevada small businesses that have been most impacted by COVID-19.

DFA to cancel passports unclaimed since...

PAGE 1

December 2020 are not affected and may still be claimed from the DFA Consular Office where they were processed.

While no penalty is given for passports claimed at a later date, the DFA encouraged the

public to claim passports within 30 days from the scheduled release.

Applicants may authorize other persons to claim the passport on their behalf provided the authorized persons comply with the

requirements, including an authorization letter, original and photocopy of valid IDs, original DFA-issued receipts and notarized special power of attorney for non-immediate family members of passport applicants. n

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ACDC hosts first inaugural InspirAsian Gala PH, US set more high-level meets to strengthen...

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Photos courtesy of ACDC

PAGE 1 proud to see how you stood for international law.”

During the meeting with Locsin, Nuland said they discussed ways to further support the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.

The meeting is part of the two countries’ enhanced and sustained bilateral engagement in pursuit of their common national security objectives and post-pandemic recovery agenda.

Building on the series of visits by Philippine and U.S. officials this year, including the most recent Bilateral Strategic Dialogue, the DFA said the two officials discussed the next steps to strengthen relations and cooperation within the context of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations to address current and emerging challenges.

Locsin and Nuland also tackled preparations for the Special USASEAN Summit the U.S. is proposing to host in January.

“They also discussed arrangements for the Two-Plus-Two Ministerial Dialogue that was previously agreed upon by the respective defense and foreign secretaries,” the DFA said in a statement.

Locsin congratulated the U.S. for its successful virtual hosting of the Summit for Democracy last week with the participation of President Duterte.

Recounting the messages of both Presidents Duterte and Biden at the summit, the two officials underscored the countries’ shared commitment to the protection and promotion of democratic ideals and principles and to continuing work on imperfect democracies to ensure that they benefit people, especially the poor and marginalized.

Locsin invited the U.S. to support the UN Joint Program on Human Rights, noting that its contribution would be “an expression of your support to a long-standing ally and to our shared commitment to democracy and the rule of law.”

He also expressed gratitude for the close to 20 million donated doses of Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen vaccines that the Philippines received from the U.S. through the COVAX Facility.

Philippines, France deepen ties Meanwhile, the Philippines and France have discussed opportunities to deepen bilateral cooperation in the fields of defense, maritime safety and security.

Locsin and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian talked on regional and bilateral issues as they met for the first time on Saturday in Liverpool.

Both officials underscored the importance of the ASEANEuropean Union cooperation in addressing new and existing global concerns, including climate change and maritime security.

Le Drian had previously stressed that the Indo-Pacific region would be a priority for France when it assumes the presidency of the European Union in 2022.

Japan reaffirms commitment In a related development, Japan reaffirmed its commitment to strengthen the strategic partnership with the Philippines.

During a phone call on Wednesday, December 8, Locsin and new Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa discussed key areas of Philippine-Japan bilateral cooperation, addressing the COVID19 pandemic, Mindanao peace process and maritime security and safety.

Locsin conveyed appreciation for Japan’s vaccine donation, emergency grant assistance, crisis response support program and loan packages that contributed greatly to the Philippines’ COVID19 response and recovery efforts.

On the maritime issue, Hayashi expressed his strong opposition to unilateral attempts to change by force the status quo in the East and South China Seas.

Locsin said the Philippines values Japan’s statements of support for the arbitral award and for an international law-based order in the South China Sea, adding that such formal demonstrations of support send a message of respect for outcomes of diplomatic and legal processes as well as strengthen the legal order over the seas.

(Pia Lee-Brago/Philstar.com)

D ateline PhiliPPines ICC urged to proceed with ‘drug war’ probe

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • december 16-22, 2021

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to not further delay justice for victims

by Kristine Joy

Philstar.com

Patag

MANILA — The International Criminal Court must proceed with its full probe into alleged crimes against humanity committed in the context of President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs” to not further delay the service of justice to victims, the Human Rights Watch said.

HRW Asia director Brad Adams said the Philippine government’s request to defer ICC investigation is “a transparent delaying tactic to protect officials responsible for mass killings.”

“The ICC prosecutor should seek to resume its official investigation so that justice for victims isn’t further delayed,” he added.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, in a document dated November 18, said they will temporarily suspend its investigation into the Philippines as it “assesses the scope and effect” of the government’s request for deferral that cited the Department of Justice-led probe into “war on drugs” operations that resulted in death.

Under the Rome Statute, a State may inform the ICC of probes into acts that may fall under the crimes being investigated by the criminal court.

Khan, in a statement issued six days later, explained that while the ICC’s Office of the Prosecu-

tor has temporarily suspended the investigation, it will continue its analysis on information it has on hand and it may also look into any new information they may receive from third parties.

Pursuant to ICC Rules of Procedure and Evidence, Khan also said they will request the Philippines to “provide substantiating information” on investigations it cited in its request.

DOJ probe In urging the ICC to proceed with its probe, the HRW also noted that the Philippine government, through its Department of Justice, has not responded to their November 10 letter asking for details on its investigation into “war on drug” operations where supposed drug “personalities” are killed.

The New York-based rights watchdog has asked the DOJ about the timing of the review, names and ranks of police officers implicated in the report and whether their commanders are being investigated for their culpability.

The HRW has also expressed concerns that the DOJ review “raises a number of questions with important implications for the protection of human rights and the rule of law in the Philippines.”

The DOJ has so far looked into 300 cases in its initial report submitted to Duterte, and covered

52 other cases where the police found direct liability on officers involved in “war on drugs” operations where fatalities were reported.

Victims of the “drug war” and lawyers who represent them have already urged the ICC to proceed with its probe, as they asserted that there remains no genuine domestic investigation into the operations.

Adams echoed this in his statement. He said: “The Duterte administration has never been serious about the ICC’s accountability process, evident most recently in its wholly unwarranted request for a deferral of the investigation.”

“In the meantime, the ‘drug war’ killings go on, the victims’ families continue to grieve, and those responsible remain free,” he added.

Duterte on Monday ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government to prepare a report on the “war on drugs” even as he insisted that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the case.

“It’s intended to apprise the human rights advocates. Maybe when the time comes, we can show to the ICC the reasons why we are not, why I am not going to bow down to their jurisdiction because they would see the enormity of the problem of shabu in the country,” he said. n

Robredo unaffected by withdrawal of Duterte, Go election bids THE group of presidential aspirant and Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo is unaffected by the withdrawal of President Rodrigo Duterte’s and Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go’s election bids.

Duterte has withdrawn his candidacy for senator. Go has withdrawn his candidacy for president.

“Ako kasi, kailangan natin respetuhin ‘yun kasi personal naman na desisyon nila ‘yun (For me, we have to respect that because that is their personal decision),” she told reporters in an interview on Thursday.

“Kami naman, gaya nang sinabi kong paulit-ulit, ‘yung amin namang, ‘yung aming journey dito sa papasok sa official campaign period ay nakatutok sa, sa maraming mga taong tumutulong sa ‘min na hindi naman kami affected ng mga desisyon ng nasa, nasa labas ng grupo (For us, like I have said repeatedly, our journey here towards the official campaign period is focused on the many people helping us such that we are not affected by the decisions of those outside the Vice President Leni Robredo ManilaTimes.net photo group),” she said. (ManilaTimes.net)

This undated photo shows Tubbataha Reef in Puerto Princesa.

Photo courtesy of DOT

PH hailed world’s top dive destination anew at 2021 World Travel Awards by rosette

adel

Philstar.com

MANILA — The Department of Tourism on Thursday, December 16, announced that the Philippines once again won The World’s Leading Dive Destination award at the World Travel Awards 2021.

This is the third consecutive year that the country bagged the award.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat welcomed this citation as a “great privilege.”

“This distinction is indeed a

great privilege, yet, it underlines our great responsibility of protecting and conserving our underwater resources so that these will also be enjoyed and experienced in their pristine natural state by future generations,” she said in a statement.

The Philippines, that boasts of having the best diving destinations with biologically diverse marine and aquatic resources, has beaten other dive destinations in the world in the 28th edition of WTA. These include Maldives, Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Azores Islands, Bora

Bora in French Polynesia, Cayman Islands, Fiji, Galapagos Islands, and Mexico Among the country’s top diving spots are the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in Palawan, Anilao in Batangas, Malapascua and Moalboal in Cebu, Balicasag, Panglao, and Anda in Bohol, and Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro.

In October this year, the DOT also announced that the country has been cited as Asia’s leading beach destination and Asia’s leading dive destination at WTA. n

SC junks appeal in pork barrel scam THE Supreme Court has affirmed the findings of the Commission on Audit (CoA) against the purchase of Magnecrop Foliar liquid fertilizers by the Kabus ng Mag-uuma ug Mananagat Foundation Inc. (Kamama) in the implementation of farm inputs programs (FIPs) under the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) projects for the second district of Bohol amounting to P3.5 million.

In an eight-page resolution signed by clerk of court Marife Lomibao-Cuevas, the Supreme Court en banc junked the petition for review on certiorari with prayer for the issuance of a writ of preliminary prohibitory injunction and/or temporary restraining order filed by former representative Robert Cajes of the second district of Bohol.

“Wherefore, the petition for review...filed by [Cajes] is dis-

missed,” the high court said.

On Jan. 6, 2010, the CoA field office at the Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Field Unit No. 7 issued the notice of disallowance, disallowing the amount of P3,542,820.00, representing the alleged overpriced value of Magnecrop foliar liquid fertilizers purchased by Kamama under the FIPs of the PDAF projects of the second district of Bohol.

Several employees, among others, of the DA, Kamama Foundation, its associate executive director, and Cajes were held liable.

Cajes was held liable as he was found to have participated in the transaction, being the project proponent who endorsed Kamama Foundation as project implementer, and who signed the Memorandum of Agreement between the DA and Kamama Foundation with a note, “With my conformity.”

He appealed but was denied by

CoA-Region 7. Cajes’ petition for review as well as his motion for reconsideration were dismissed, prompting him to seek redress before the high court.

In junking his petition, the high tribunal, however, noted that “petitioner did not mention in any of his pleadings nor in his verification with certification of non-forum shopping appended to the present petition that there was already a final decision regarding the assailed decision.”

“On the grounds of res judicata (a matter that has been adjudicated by a competent court and may not be pursued further by the same parties) and forum shopping, therefore, the instant petition is dismissed,” the court held.

“The court does not find the need to discuss the other issues presented by the petitioner,” it added. (ManilaTimes.net)

6

DECEMBER 16-22, 2021 • LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL

OPINION

Overcoming Omicron

http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678

FEATURES

IN less than a week, the new COVID-19 variant Omicron has grown into a global menace, with country after country sealing its borders to block its advance.

The speed with which Omicron has spread is astonishing. First detected in South Africa, it sneaked into neighboring countries Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.

Since then, Omicron cases have been reported in Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and several other places that are far from the African continent.

The new variant takes center stage at a time when many countries felt it was safe enough to relax the coronavirus restrictions that had choked economies and disrupted millions of lives. Falling COVID-19 figures and stepped-up vaccination efforts helped build up their confidence.

Leading virus scientists, however, have been reminding us that COVID-19 is far from conquered, and that like any organism, it has built-in mechanisms for survival. One of them is mutation.

In the right environment, the coronavirus could reconfigure itself to make it more difficult for antibodies to detect. By creating new masks, the virus could even make itself invisible to present-day vaccines..

The World Health Organization (WHO) agreed that travel bans were a knee-jerk reaction that was not science-based. The agency said it needs time to know more about the variant and recommend ways to handle it.

Many countries, the Philippines included, have taken the view that it is better to enforce a travel

ban while waiting for the WHO to release its findings on Omicron.

We believe that is the right course to take. Prompt action is needed in dealing with a threat like Omicron.

Quick response Delays in the past in setting up point-of-arrival controls allowed coronavirus variants to infiltrate the Philippines. Early this year, the government hedged before restricting travel from India, where Delta was on a rampage. We paid a high price for that delay.

The government must be commended for its quick response this time. It has banned foreign travelers from countries where the variant has been detected or where infections have sharply risen.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has, as of Monday, not announced tighter quarantine restrictions for arrivals from Hong Kong. The issue must be cleared up soon.

Government officials assure that the country is prepared to counter an Omicron-driven surge.

Local government units have been directed to keep a sharp eye out for any clustering of cases, and to get ready to do more aggressive contact tracing.

One of the most effective ways to deny Omicron a foothold here is to rev up mass inoculation efforts.

The three-day vaccination blitz that began last Mon-

Editorial

ONE must admit, President Biden’s call for a summit of democracy was a courageous and challenging move that one can only admire. The U.S. President was very emphatic about strengthening democracy not only in the United States but the world over, believing that committing to democratic principles and practices is critical in meeting the challenges and the threats to democracy at this time.

In his speech during the opening of the first ever virtual “Summit for Democracy” with over 100 world leaders as well as members of civil society and the private sector participating, President Biden talked about the decline of global freedom in the last 15 years, with democratic countries including the United States experiencing some form of decline in at least one aspect of their democracy in the last 10 years, according to the International Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance.

“In the face of sustained and

alarming challenges to democracy, universal human rights and – all around the world, democracy needs champions,” he said, admitting that even for a country like the United States, renewing democracy and strengthening democratic institutions “requires constant effort,” and that democracy does not happen by accident but has to be renewed with each generation.

“Democracies are not all the same,” the U.S. president acknowledged. “We don’t agree on everything, all of us in this meeting today. But the choices we make together are going to define, in my view, the course of our shared future for generations to come,” he continued, vowing that the U.S. will “lead by example…” investing in democracy and supporting its partners around the world at the same time.

As Secretary of State Antony Blinken pointed out in an oped published in USA Today last Wednesday, December 8, “Strengthening democracy can’t be a solo endeavor that countries do in isolation. It must be approached as a global mission

EVEN with 200 million people in the United States inoculated against COVID-19, the virus continues to wreak havoc on the population of 325.9 million.

The number of people infected with the deadly virus is filling up hospitals during this Christmas season.

Cases have spiked in New England, one of the most vaccinated areas.

New cases in the U.S. have gone upward from an average of 95,000 a day on Nov. 22 to almost 119,000 a day in just the past week.

The number of patients hospitalized has increased to 25 percent over a month ago, according to a report from the Associated Press.

Why is there a spike in cases in the highly-vaccinated population of New England?

The answer is there are people who are still unvaccinated, or refuse to be inoculated. These people are the ones in hospitals in New England.

– governments, civil societies, private sectors and citizens working together across borders, languages and cultures – everyone committed to inaugurating a new era of rising freedom and stronger human rights protections around the world.”

Acknowledging that “democracy can at times be fragile,” President Biden also pointed out that democracy is inherently resilient and capable of self-correction and self-improvement.

After all, there is no such thing as a perfect democracy, or even a perfect constitution for that matter – not even the Constitution of the United States which has been amended 27 times to make it more attuned to the need of the times.

In her book “Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom” published in May 2017, former State Secretary Condoleezza Rice highlighted the need for the U.S. to continue being active in promoting, strengthening and spreading democracy all over the world.

Her focus on promoting democracy is not really surprising, considering that she served as

National Security Adviser and then State Secretary during the term of George Bush Jr., who had pledged to strengthen democracy and help emerging democracies build institutions that would sustain freedom and liberty. In his second inaugural address in January 2005, Bush Jr. said, “The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in the world.”

Admittedly, defining democracy is not as simple as describing it as the control of the majority in an organization, or that it is a system of government where people have the authority to decide through elected representatives. But there are certain parameters, such as the conduct of periodic and free elections, an independent judiciary, freedom of the press, exercise of free speech, freedom of religion.

In her book, Rice wrote, “The paradox of democracy is that its stability is born of its openness to upheaval through elections, legislation and social action. Disruption is built into the fabric of

democracy.”

As a young democracy, the Philippines has gone through many challenges, upheavals even. We must admit our own Constitution also needs substantial changes to make it more responsive to the changing times.

Critics say it was crafted hastily and essentially not thought out well. That is why those who claim that democracy is nonexistent in the Philippines and that dissent as well as freedom of the press is suppressed – even so far as claiming that the country is under a reign of terror and mass murder – are definitely exaggerating. The fact that these groups can speak their minds and continue to criticize the government prove that democracy is very much alive in the Philippines.

This reminds me of the time in 2014 when Condoleezza Rice was giving a speech at Norwich University when several protesters heckled and interrupted her.

As the protesters were peacefully escorted out of the building, Rice remarked, “Democracy is noisy.”

In fact, in 2005 when she was State Secretary and speaking at

a place in San Francisco, California that was described as “hostile territory” with protesters outside the venue, three members of the audience put on black hooded robes and stretched their arms, chanting, “Stop the torture, stop the killing, US out of Iraq.” Maintaining her composure, Rice gestured to the protesters, saying, “It’s a wonderful thing that people are able to speak their minds in our democracy. In Baghdad, Kabul and soon in Beirut, they, too, will be able to speak their minds.”

As President Biden stated on the International Day of Democracy, “No democracy is perfect, and no democracy is ever final.

Every gain made, every barrier broken, is the result of determined, unceasing work.”

Democracy is never static – it’s a continuing work in progress.

(Philstar.com) *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

*** Email: babeseyeview@gmail.com

Getting vaxxed: A choice of life or death

Sentinel

RAMON TULFO

Quarantine alert levels may have to be readjusted.

Omicron could derail efforts to turn around the economy and lift the people from the ennui brought about by a series of lockdowns.

We cannot let that happen. We must be primed to confront the threat it presents. (ManilaTimes. net)

Democracy: A work in progress

Babe’s Eye View BABE ROMUALDEZ

ManilaTimes.net photo

day, December 13 could not have come at a better time. We have stockpiled enough doses to last until the end of the year. We only need to see to it that the doses are delivered and administered.

There is also a proposal to make the wearing of face shields mandatory again, as added protection against Omicron which is said to be much more contagious than Delta.

“The virus will find you. It is searching for hosts that are not immune. The fact that you live in New England or New York doesn’t insulate you,” said Lawrence Gostin, director of the WHO Collaborating Center on Public Health Law and Human Rights at Georgetown University.

New York, one of the states that is heavily vaccinated, used to have the biggest number of COVID fatalities.

What does the above-cited AP report mean to the Philippines?

It means that Filipinos who are unvaccinated or refuse to be vaccinated are more likely to be afflicted with the deadly ailment.

The mother of one of our household staff died in Dumaguete City recently, despite the fact Tocilizumab vials were sent to the hospital where she was confined.

Tocilizumab, which is in short supply, is one of the most effective medicines for critical COVID patients.

It saved the life of my wife, Josephine, who was badly hit with the deadly virus.

Tocilizumab also saved the lives of some prominent people.

I won’t identify them, to respect

their privacy.

But while Josephine was fully vaccinated, the mother of our house help refused to be inoculated.

Getting the vaccine early spelled the difference between Josephine, who has prior medical conditions, and the mother of my household help, who was relatively strong and healthy because she always worked in their small farm.

So, I offer again this friendly but unsolicited advice: Please have yourself vaccinated ASAP. * * * No less than President Digong Duterte is urging all Filipinos to be vaccinated.

Digong said the “Bayanihan, Bakunahan” campaign’s first phase brought the country to its goal of population protection against COVID. The President agrees restaurant and mall management teams have the right not to accept unvaccinated individuals within their premises.

More than eight million people were inoculated in the first round of the mass vaccination campaign from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1.

Organizers of the second

phase of the mass vaccination campaign expect to inoculate seven million people. * * * If Health Secretary Francisco Duque is to be believed, 99 million Filipinos will be vaccinated against COVID-19 by June 2022.

“The President’s marching order is to inoculate no less than 90 percent of the Philippine population, which is equivalent to about 99 million Filipinos,” said Duque.

That’s big talk from our health secretary, who clings to his position like barnacles to a ship.

Vaccine supplies for COVID-19 come in trickles from abroad.

How can the government vaccinate “90 percent” of the entire population when vaccines are in short supply?

The U.S., for example, has so far been able to vaccinate 200 million Americans out of a population of 329.5 million. That’s 60 percent of the US population.

The U.S., needless to say, is one of the countries manufacturing anti-COVID vaccines; and yet, it has not reached herd immunity, or 70 percent, of its population.

Duque probably is trying to

flatter the President who has offered his position to a Catholic priest; but the man of the cloth refused. * * * Deputy Speaker Wes Gatchalian and Representatives Victor Yap of Tarlac and Manny Lopez of Manila should be commended by the public for sponsoring a bill requiring all SIM card holders to be registered.

The bill proposing the SIM Card Registration Act has passed the House of Representatives.

All SIM card holders who scam or threaten other cellphone owners or use the SIM card to detonate remote-controlled bombs would be identified under the proposed law.

The identities of SIM card buyers will be registered by stores which sell SIM cards, and that info will be given to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

Question: How do we know the SIM card buyers will give their true identities or names to the sellers?

Methinks the best way to solve the problem is to compel the buyer to present his government ID card.

* * * The Philippine Navy recently retired two of its World War IIera warships, BRP Magat Salamat and BRP Miguel Malvar, during rites held in Sangley Point, Cavite.

Both ships were used by our Navy for 44 years and 10 months.

The United States Navy commissioned the two ships 77 years ago, transferred them to the defunct Republic of South Vietnam, and from there they were handed down to the Philippine Navy.

The Philippines was given hand-me-down ships that were earlier given to another country; so pathetic!

Beggars, that’s how the US treats us, their long-time allies who stood with them in the Second World War. In hindsight, can you blame President Digong for pivoting to China, which he thought (apparently wrongly) would treat us as their equal? (Philstar.com) *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.

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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7

Manny Pacquiao won’t support SFIO announces strategic plan to uplist to NASDAQ by 2024 proposals to push divorce in PH

by Angelic JordAn Inquirer.net

MANILA — Presidential aspirant Sen. Manny Pacquiao saidon Wednesday, December 15, he is against the proposal to allow divorce in the country saying that marriage is “sacred” that requires ultimate devotion and understanding for married couple.

Speaking to the media in a mini press conference at the Tagum City Hall, Pacquiao, who was with his wife Jinkee, said the he is grateful that he has a very understanding spouse who supports him all the way, including his quest for presidency.

“Very supportive yang asawa ko at kahit saan ako magpunta ay nakasuporta palagi,” Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao said that his administration will not stop legislators from filing a divorce bill but he would not support its passage.

“Against ako sa divorce kasi pinag-isa kayo ng Panginoon. Sabi nga sa bible what has God joined together, let man not separate. Sacred kasi yang pag-aasawa. Kaya nga may counseling muna bago ka mag-asawa dahil papasok kayo sa isang lifetime commitment. Hindi ito pag gusto mo lang okay, pag hindi (ayaw na). Ang pag-aasawa ay desisyon yan para may partner ka sa buhay habang ikaw ay nabubuhay,” Pacquiao said.

Both the House and the Senate has their counterpart measures pushing absolute divorce. n

Health experts worry CDC’s COVID vaccination rates...

PAGE 3 correct — from initial doses through boosters, said Mark O’Neil, spokesperson for the state health department.

As part of the effort, in late November the CDC reduced the percentage of adults in the state who had at least one dose from 98.9% to 94.6%. It also lowered the percentage of seniors who are fully vaccinated from 92.5% to 84%.

However, the CDC has not changed its figure on the proportion of seniors who are partly vaccinated. It remains 99.9%. The CDC dashboard says that 3.1 million seniors in Pennsylvania were at least partly vaccinated as of Dec. 5. The latest census data shows Pennsylvania has 2.4 million people 65 and older. (Phil Galewitz/ Kaiser Health News) This story was produced by KHN (Kaiser Health News), a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation. n

Unsplash photo by Jakayla Toney

SMOKEFREE Innotec, Inc. (OTC: SFIO), a leading asset management company and innovation group, is pleased to share details around its fouryear strategic plan, as well as news of its plan to uplist to a major stock exchange by 2024.

SFIO began 2021 with the goal of restructuring the company to better serve the longterm strategy of being a truly transformative global asset management company. SFIO would like to share with you the details around that strategy, as well as the goal of uplisting to the NASDAQ, or a similar major stock exchange, by 2024.

SFIO focuses as an asset management company that continues to be on top of innovation through disruptive collaborations. SFIO invests in high-growth businesses and supports them through partnerships and opportunities before leveraging the global presence to help them scale exponentially. It’s a methodical approach to hyper-growth, representing a clear strategy of acquisition, collaboration, transformation, and expansion.

To illustrate, SFIO took on the flagship franchise business, Epiphany Cafe. Supported by their ongoing acquisitions and partnerships, transformation enablers, and global network, Epiphany Cafe will be leading the group’s charge to capture markets across Australia, Malaysia, UAE, the Philippines, and the United States in 2022. Soon after, they will be utilizing those same pathways to scale their other businesses.

In growing Epiphany Cafe, back in 2017, SFIO embarked on a series of partnerships and acquisitions both to improve operational efficiencies and unlock new revenue streams. It’s an ongoing journey that’s formed the bedrock of its hyper-growth strategy: • Acquisition: Identifying the gaps in Epiphany Cafe’s operations, the team brought two new firms into the group, Gorgeous Coffee and Ardent Bakers. More companies would later join the lineup as new gaps emerged across Epiphany’s evolving business model.

• Collaboration: Gorgeous Coffee, led by an award-winning master roaster, developed Epiphany Cafe’s signature coffee blend, quickly becoming a customer favorite. Meanwhile, Ardent Bakers supplied the growing cafe franchise’s donuts and pastries. As demand for these pillow-soft donuts skyrocketed, another acquisition, Big Lou’s Donuts, took on wholesale production, supporting Epiphany’s future entry into the Australian market.

• Transformation: To support inventory management operations across Epiphany’s franchises, Ardent Bakers developed SMART FREEZE technology, a proprietary method of preparing donuts while maintaining quality over six months of being frozen. Gorgeous Coffee later developed their own innovation, a line of instant coffees boasting barley, Manuka honey, and other healthful extracts.

• Expansion: Now present across New Zealand, Australia, and soon Southeast Asia, Epiphany Cafe’s growth is supported by its global network of companies and partners. AG Architects, another fully-owned subsidiary, handles the design and development of new sites, while SFIO international hubs serve as launchpads for the franchise business to enter new markets worldwide. They intend to establish the Epiphany Cafe franchise system, support centers, and centralized commissaries in new global markets as early as next year.

SFIO began the journey with Epiphany Cafe, its own growth driving the growth of the network. Now SFIO’s network will be driving Epiphany’s growth in turn – as it pioneers entry into new markets.

It’s a wonderful, full-circle moment for SFIO. To support all this growth, both from a capacity perspective, as well as a financial perspective, SFIO leans on their cross-divisional synergies.

With SFIO’s newly-minted Technology division, SFIO will be using tech to streamline the existing operations of the businesses, while also building entirely new systems to disrupt the industries they operate across. For SFIO’s franchise businesses, development is already underway for a unified, streamlined logistics platform. This will not only standardize the operations of SFIO different businesses across the supply chain, but will also bring value to franchisees and ultimately, their customers, who will now benefit from a truly seamless, tech-powered system.

Similarly, SFIO laid the foundation for their eventual entry into real estate when they acquired AG Architects and A+ Electrical. Now their slate of joint ventures will see SFIO developing approximately 200-hectares of prime real estate in Montemaria, Batangas alone.

The recently-signed joint venture with Philippine-based AbaCore Capital Holdings plays a crucial role in the company’s growth trajectory. One project under this joint venture is the development of a two-hectare, bay-side property in Batangas into a $100 million eco-friendly, tech village. Not only do these joint ventures increase the asset values, but profits from these high-yield projects will also be reinvested into future growth – a necessary step towards SFIO’s ambitions to uplist in 2024.

SFIO has spent the past year acquiring companies not only to grow the conglomerate’s revenues and assets, but also to serve as transformation partners as SFIO scales the businesses globally.

SFIO accomplished the necessary filings to reflect the vast array of negotiations and business activities they have entered into these last few months. These include the successful removal of shell status and Caveat Emptor designation, as well as the designation of the status on the OTC Pink market (Current).

In the coming months, SFIO will be undergoing further developments, such as filing the audited financials, updating the company name to Starfleet Innotech, Inc. and working towards placing SFIO on the OTCQB Venture Market as a stepping stone towards its larger goal.

From an organizational structure perspective, it will be streamlining the core divisions to highlight the cross-divisional synergies, and reflect their focus on three emerging industries: Food and Beverage (F&B), Real Estate, and Technology. SFIO’s F&B division is a merging of the previous franchise, coffee, and food manufacturing and distribution groups.

With the establishment of innovation hubs in U.S., UAE, New Zealand, and Australian offices, it will be entering new global markets, forging strategic partnerships in construction & exports, developing innovative new technologies, and driving market value alongside the shareholders – all with the goal of uplisting from the OTC Markets to the NASDAQ, or similar major stock exchange, by 2024.

This has been a long time coming – the realization of an ambitious goal SFIO set for itself almost a decade ago now. SFIO is glad to have strong backers and a deep talent bench to make all the things happen. “Thanks to your continued support, things have been moving very quickly these past two years. I’m excited to say they’re only going to accelerate from here,” says Jeths Lacson, CEO and Chairman of SFIO. (Advertising Supplement)

8

december 16-22, 2021 • LAS VeGAS ASIAN JOUrNAL Las vegas ASIAN JOURNAL

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VEGAS&STYLE

December 16, 2021

Journal

inside

LifestyLe • Consumer Guide • Community • MARketpLAce

Beatrice speaks up on same-sex marriage, SOGIE bill: ‘It’s a human rights bill’

sex marriage, Gomez answered affirmatively and described such unions as a “blessing.”

“To everyone who has a loved one, you would really want to end up with that person with a blessing. It would be wonderful if you were blessed so I really support same-sex marriage,” she told Davila.

Aside from her support for the SOGIE Bill and same-sex marriage, Gomez also talked about her performance in the Miss Universe 2021. During the pageant’s question-andanswer portion, she was asked about her opinion on mandating a universal vaccine passport.

Gomez admitted that while she prepared for topics related to the COVID-19 pandemic, she did not expect that the question given to her would be about vaccines. Despite this, she believes she prepared well for the pageant.

“It’s not that difficult. I was just hoping for something different where I can express myself better, topics that I’m more familiar with and topics that are less controversial,” she said.

“What’s done is done. I hope people learn from my answer.”

Gomez was one of the candidates in the Miss Universe beauty pageant in Eilat, Israel, last Dec. 13. She finished her journey in the competition as part of its top 5.

Harnaaz Sandhu of India was crowned Miss Universe 2021, followed by first runner-up Nadia Ferreira of Paraguay and second runner-up Lalela Mswane of Photo from Instagram/@themissuniverseph South Africa.

Davila for ANC’s “Headstart” today, Dec. 16. The beauty queen Inquirer.net explained that the SOGIE Bill is MISS Philippines Beatrice not just for those in the LGBTQ+ Luigi Gomez has expressed her community but everyone else as support for same-sex marriage well. and the SOGIE (Sexual Orienta“The SOGIE bill is not just a tion and Gender Identity or Ex- bill protecting the LGBTQIA+ pression) Bill, stressing that it is community. It is a bill protecting a human rights issue. everyone. It is a human rights Gomez, who is an out bisexu- bill,” Gomez said. “I totally supal, was asked about her opinion port it not just for the LGBTQIA+ on the SOGIE Bill and the Anti- community but for everyone, Discrimination Bill in her inter- men and women alike.” view with broadcaster Karen When asked if she favors sameby DAnA

Beatrice Luigi Gomez

Cruz

Alessandra de Rossi

Inquirer.net photo

An Oscar trophy: Famas 2021 best actress Alessandra de Rossi’s next goal

by MArinel

Cruz

Inquirer.net

MY next goal would be an Oscar award,” quipped Alessandra de Rossi, who won a best actress trophy for the film “Watch List” at the 69th Film Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (Famas) awards show on Sunday night.

“This is really for my mom,” Alessandra told Inquirer Entertainment on Monday, December 13.

“She would always pray for me to win. She once told me, ‘Stop feeling too self-conscious.

You deserve a best actress award since you did ‘Munting Tinig.’”

She also said she would keep praying until I get both Urian and Oscar awards, so let’s see,” she said, laughing.

Gil Portes’ dramatic piece “Mga Munting Tinig” was released in 2002. It was the country’s representative to the Academy Awards under the Best International Feature Film category.

Meanwhile, Alessandra also won a Gawad Urian for “Watch List” this year. In 2001, she already bagged her first Famas trophy: for best supporting actress for Carlitos Siguion-Reyna’s “Azucena.”

Capabilities Alessandra, however, said she didn’t think of getting any award while working on American director-producer Ben Rekhi’s “Watch List.” She explained: “I was never like that. That’s not the reason I agree to be part of a project. I’ve actually programmed my brain not to expect anything. In fact, I would even

pray that I lose to an actress who I feel really deserves an acting award. For me, ‘It’s OK. People already know my capabilities as an actress. I don’t need the award.’ That’s why I felt shocked when I got it. The news actually made me laugh.”

She continued: “But I’m really grateful for this. The role is heavy, even for me. I play a mother, which I never experienced in real life—a mother who will do anything to raise and protect her children. There’s violence in this movie, so that makes it even more challenging. I also had to restrain a lot of emotions because the role required it. I guess that’s what stood out and made the judges notice me.”

After her husband was murdered in the hands of vigilante killers targeting drug peddlers, Maria (Alessandra) is left on her own to both provide for her three kids and keep them safe from the constant raids and rubouts in the slums they live in.

Important message The actress is also grateful that the film also received nominations in other categories. “The film is beautiful. It’s well-made and it tries to send an important message. It’s my first time to make a movie like this. Our director follows Hollywood standards. We spent six long hours to shoot one scene. This movie really drained me, but in the end, it’s rewarding. I’m so proud of the product that the award is just like [a] cherry on top.”

Heralded as this year’s best actor was Allen Dizon for his performance in the Ralston Jover drama “Latay,” while Miel Espi-

noza received the best child performer award for Mikhail Red’s “Block Z.” Meanwhile, Dexter Doria was declared best supporting actress for Joselito Altarejos’ “Memories of Forgetting,” and Enzo Pineda as best supporting actor for Jason Paul Laxamana’s “He Who is Without Sin.” The big winner this year is the fantasy-adventure film “Magikland,” which copped the best picture honor. It also won for Christian Acuña the best director award, as well as best cinematography for Rody Lacap.

The best production design award was given to Ericson Navarro, while the best editing trophy was handed to Manet Dayrit and She Lopez-Francia, also for “Magikland.”

Mike Idioma and Alex Tomboc bagged the best sound award for the same film, as well as Richard Francia and Ryan Grimarez for best visual effects.

“Maibabalik,” by JBK, brought home the best original song award for Joy Aquino’s romantic drama “Us Again.” Kean Cipriano and the band Brain Coat got the best musical score trophy for Irene Villamor’s “On Vodka, Beers and Regrets.”

Best screenplay was given to Manny Angeles and Paulle Olivenza for their work in Avid Liongoren’s “Hayop Ka! The Nimfa Dimaano Story.” Meanwhile, the award for best short film was given to Kevin Piamonte for “Solo.” The organizers of the annual Famas Awards uploaded the virtual awards show on Sunday night on their YouTube channel.

Kim nearly gave up but finishes duathlon with help from fellow cyclist

by Alex

BrosAs Inquirer.net

“IT’S Showtime” host and actress Kim Chiu suffered muscle cramps during a duathlon event she recently participated in. But upon the advice of a fellow cyclist, she was able to continue and eventually finished the race.

Chiu talked about her experience during the race on her Instagram page yesterday, Dec. 13, while also showing photos from the competition.

“Some may ask ‘why am I doing this?’ I always tell them, I just want to know myself even more. How far can I go, physically and mentally,” she said.

“I enjoy the camaraderie inside the course between people who don’t know each other but supporting one another. People who don’t know you but motivates you to reach your goal, to finish the race.”

Chiu joined the duathlon despite her “minimal training.” She admitted that she wanted to give up during the race as it became very difficult at some point, and she struggled due to factors like the scorching heat and the uphill terrain. What made it even more excruciating was her first time to experience “hardcore cramps on both calves.”

It was so painful that she could not pedal anymore. It happened several times, leading her to think she might not be able to finish the race.

“I slowed down coz it’s so painful ang tigas na talaga ng binti ko (my legs were really hard), then someone passed

Kim Chiu

by me and said: ‘go, Kim, don’t stop!’ Then I shouted, ‘ayaw ko na, nag cramps ako’ (I can’t take it anymore, I got cramps). Then she came back and gave me gel.

Then left. So I took it and pedaled myself to finish the bike course,” she recalled.

She also experienced stomach cramps during the final 5-kilometer run.

“Had side stomach cramps throughout the run but I still pushed myself and told myself to ‘finish the race, finish the race!!’

And just like that!!!!! I am a standard duathlon finisher,” she proudly said.

Chiu likened her experience to life in general, believing that

Photo from Instagram/@chinitaprincess

“there is never an easy road for us to reach our goal, we have to remain focused, calm, and know what our goal is, why are we doing this.”

“There may be obstacles that we encounter but know that someone will help you along the way, you just have to keep going and never give up because at the end of the day, [it] is you [versus] you and no one else. Just like what #missuniverse2021 said, you are the leader of your life. You are the voice of your own,” Chiu advised her fans, and reminding them of the words of Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu. “Be you and do you. A strong mind is a Strong Body.”

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Health @Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS SILDENAFIL Citrate, popularly known as Viagra, was originally developed to treat angina because it dilates arteries. However, the beneficial effect for angina was not impressive and researchers discovered that the side-effect of Viagra (penile erection) instead was more effective for male erectile dysfunction.

My very first article on Viagra on June 18, 1998, after the USFDA approved Sildenafil Citrate on March 27, 1998, was about the “giant blue” miracle pill from Pfizer.

On top of this wonderful discovery, which has saved a lot of relationships, Sildenafil was also found effective in controlling pulmonary arterial hypertension, even in infants, and good therapy for altitude sickness in humans and jetlag in hamsters. Recent studies with a 6-year follow-up show Sildenafil reduces the risk for Alzheimer’s by an impressive 69 percent.

For the treatment of erectile dysfunction, Sildenafil stimulates the production of nitric oxide, which activates an enzyme that relaxes the muscles, arteries, and veins of the penis, allowing the flow of more blood to engorge the penis and keep it erect for successful penetration.

There is a warning, though: Viagra should not be taken when one is on any nitrate (coronary dilator) medications for angina, like nitroglycerine, Peritrate, Imdur, Isordil, Nitrobid, etc.

The combination causes a sudden drop in blood pressure and shock. Sildenafil is a prescription drug and should be used only under a physician’s direction.

This initial observation on Viagra’s beneficial role in reducing the risk for Alzheimer’s Disease will require multiple large independent worldwide evidencebased randomized clinical studies for confirmation before the therapy could be accepted as a standard of care.

Stroke prevention Around three million people in the United States have atrial fibrillation, the most common heart rhythm ailment, causing irregular heartbeat. This condition increases the chance of blood clots forming in the left atrium of the heart, pieces of which could travel upwards to block an artery in the brain and cause stroke.

Afib is responsible for 15-20 and percent of all strokes and also elevates the risk for heart failure.

To minimize blood clot formation, patients take warfarin blood thinners. Unfortunately, a significant number of them develop severe bleeding as a side-effect.

Today, there is a non-drug alternative, the Watchman device.

Viagra for Alzheimer’s?

On March 13, 2015, the USFDA approved the Watchman device (Boston Scientific Corporation) for Non-Valvular atrial fibrillation, and on March 24, 2015, the first 4 patients with NV-AFib received the first implants of the Watchman at two heart centers in Los Angeles.

The Watchman is a device the size of a quarter, shaped like a parachute. It is introduced through a catheter inserted in a vein in the groin and directed to the left atrium, guided by a video monitor, and deployed (open the parachute) to close the left atrial appendage to prevent blood clots from leaving that chamber and traveling to the brain.

Over 150,000 patients with NVaFib have received the Watchman implant and no longer take blood thinners. It is a one-time minimally invasive stroke-preventing procedure that is life-changing.

Stealth Omicron The Omicron variant from South Africa is now practically in the entire United States. It appears to be more rapidly transmissible but “not more” deadly than Delta. But it is too early to tell for sure. Omicron itself is reported to have a stealth version, which is much harder to detect.

The unvaccinated are evidently the target of all strains of the virus, especially the Delta variant, which is more than 99.9 percent the cause of current surges in COVID-19 infections. There were almost 835,000 cases in the U.S. last week alone, a 40 percent increase the past 2 weeks, and 1100 deaths a day! Those vaccinated, especially those who had the booster shot, are dozen times better protected, even from Omicron, compared to those who are not vaccinated.

After the booster, breakthrough infection is still possible, albeit the chances are very low. Those 16 and over are now eligible to get the booster. After six months of the booster, I predict that a 4th shot might be needed, amidst (mostly the unvaccinated) carriers/transmitters of newer variants, and an annual shot might be the norm, like the yearly flu shots.

As of Thursday, December 9, 200,717,389 people in the United States have been fully vaccinated, representing only 60.5 percent of the population. This is still far from the 90 percent needed before the country could develop herd immunity, especially with newer strains coming out.

It is a shame that the United States, a world leader with stateof-the-art education, science, and epidemiology and all the vaccines at its disposal, is lagging by default behind 50 other countries, many of which have more than 80 percent of their population vaccinated.

We have a time-proven standard epidemiologic protocol to manage and end this pandemic

soonest, which the government refuses to employ resulting in thousands of preventable deaths. Is this the price we are paying for some people’s abuse of their civil rights, the freedom to refuse (hurting others), and our science-incompetent and spineless government leaders’ political correctness? Is this not gross negligence and dereliction of duty on the part of our leaders?

The sad reality is that almost 40 percent of Americans are not fully vaccinated yet, including the 20 percent who remain refusing the shot. These individuals are serving as massive human reservoirs (hosts) for the COVID-19 viruses, enabling them to replicate and mutate to more variants, spreading the viruses exponentially to others. As we have stated before, without a host (when everyone is vaccinated), the virus will self-destruct.

Scientifically, the unvaccinated, which are hosts keeping the virus active, is the reason why this pandemic will linger, and cause more deaths and devastation.

More than 8.47 billion COVID shots have been given worldwide proving the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines. To prefer COVID-19 infection over the vaccines to acquire immunity does not make any sense, practically a suicidal choice.

COVID-19 has so far killed almost 5.4 million people around the world, nearly 818,000 in the United States, and more than 50,000 in the Philippines. It behooves all of us to get fully vaccinated, continue to use our facemask, do social distancing and avoid crowds, even if we already had the booster shot.

We must deal with these killer viruses with humility and not with recklessness, carelessness, or arrogance. Our life is too precious to gamble with. *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, a Health Public Advocate, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian and anti-graft foundation in the United States. Visit our websites: philipSchua.com and FUN8888.com Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com

PBB’s Karen bounces back

by Kane

errol Choa Philstar.com

PINOY Big Brother (PBB) celebrity housemate Karen Bordador is looking forward to spending Christmas for the first time in five years after being acquitted of conspiring to sell illegal drugs and spending five years in prison.

“I will probably attend a few reunions and just look at the Christmas decors. I’m just so happy I finally get to have Christmas again. I’ll simply have a low-key Christmas celebration at home,” said Karen, who got out of the Bahay ni Kuya in the current Pinoy Big Brother: Kumunity Season 10 airing on the Kapamilya Channel and A2Z. It was the second time for the former DJ and now a vlogger to join a reality TV show. In 2014, Karen and her boyfriend made it to the finals of ABS-CBN’s original format, I Do, where nine couples plan to tie the knot.

“I was honestly not ready to even get married then, so I backed out when I was included in the Top 3 couples. My heart eventually didn’t think it was the right time, and my partner there and I broke soon after,” she said.

While PBB may serve as her reality TV homecoming on ABSCBN, it was an all-new journey for Karen, who is taking the opportunity to show the world who she is and hopes things will keep booming for her.

“I Do was for couples, so I had a sure ally inside. However, with PBB, it was a journey just for me. My life has been so dark for the longest time. I’m aiming it to be as bright as the sun now that I’m back and facing the world with a big smile despite what I’ve been through,” she shared.

What made her decide to join PBB and be locked up in a house instead of enjoying her new freedom in the outside world?

Karen Bordador

“I joined PBB because it is such a beautiful platform to show who you really are to the world. My goal was to redeem my good reputation. For many years, my name was tarnished.

I lost everything when I was badly accused of a criminal case that was simply not me,” she explained.

“God opened the door when I became part of the PBB Celebrity Season 10 cast. I always thought that ‘The biggest setback is the greatest comeback.’

It was just such a perfect fit just when I was starting to vlog on YouTube,” she added.

It was only four months after she was set free when she entered the PBB house. She hardly had the time to prepare and buy new stuff that she would bring.

“I had not settled when I entered the house of Kuya.

The clothes I wore inside BNK were my clothes back in 2016. I didn’t have shoes since all were already destroyed. I had to rush and buy two of them and a few makeup stuff,” she said.

For Karen, living in Kuya’s house was liberating as it allowed her to dress up and look good.

“I wore yellow shirts and brown pants for five years. I felt so liberated to be the fashion lover that I am finally. In

ABS-CBN photo

the last few days of my stay in the house, I actually wore three outfits in a day just to enjoy my possible last week inside,” she recalled.

With what she went through the past years, Karen had no qualms about joining PBB and meeting new housemates. “No apprehensions whatsoever in entering the PBB House. I’m happy people appreciated me for who I am. I didn’t expect the good reviews I got. I was simply being me,” said Karen, who is grateful for the outcome of her performance as a housemate.

It wasn’t difficult for Karen to live with the housemates as she found them welcoming, though there were times she felt a little tired socializing.

According to Karen, staying in the PBB house meant conversing and relating to others almost 24/7. She contrasted it with her experience in jail, which gave her a quiet life for many years.

She said, “Though there were other detainees, there wasn’t a need to always speak and converse. I only spoke when I felt I had important or interesting things to say. I wasn’t part of the cliques inside the house, but I could hang with all of them. That meant I could be nominated anytime because I PAGE 10

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • december 16-22, 2021

Q&A for Nevada Corporations

Tax Tips ViCtor Sy, MBa, CPa (retireD) Are you personally liable for a corporate credit card?

• Corporate stockholders are not personally liable for delinquent corporate credit cards.

• But you are responsible if you personally guaranteed the card.

• Banks and financial institutions (Visa, MasterCard, Amex) typically require personal guarantees.

• The rationale: Half of small businesses fail in the first five years of operation.

Who is liable for corporate debts?

• The corporation is.

• Creditors first go after corporate assets.

• If not adequate, creditors go after shareholders who cosigned or personally guaranteed the debts.

What protection do corporations provide?

• Protection from creditors.

• Court judgment against your corporation will be enforced against corporate assets.

• But creditors can go after your personal cars, stocks, or house if you cosigned or personally guaranteed debts.

Can you be sued personally if you own a corporation?

• Creditors often go after sole proprietors and partners but have tough times against corporate shareholders.

• There are circumstances when creditors can pierce corporate veil such as fraud or shareholder misconduct.

Are S corporate owners personally liable?

• Shareholders of S corporations have some limited liability

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protection.

• Creditors can only go after what you invested in the corporation.

• California goes after corporations to protect consumers.

• Nevada protects corporations and LLCs. • This explains the exodus of businesses from consumerfriendly California to businessfriendly Nevada. *** Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State University with an MBA. Vic worked with SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV – Andersen Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation. *** He retired after 50 years of defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies. He published a book on “How to Avoid or Survive IRS Audits” that’s available at Amazon. Readers may email tax questions to vicsy@live.com.

Marian thanks ‘water boy’ Dingdong for Miss Universe all-out support

by Jan

Milo Severo Philstar.com

KAPUSO actress Marian Rivera showed her appreciation to husband Dingdong Dantes for the all-out support she received during her journey as a Miss Universe judge.

In her Instagram account, Marian posted a photo of her and Dingdong.

“Before this trip ends I’d like to thank the best husband I

could ask for — from being my cheerleader to waterboy, thank you for everything that you do for us,” Marian wrote.

“Thanks for creating memories with me so that we can look back at them together. Love you!” she added.

Marian was one of the judges in the all-female selection committee including supermodel Adriana Lima, Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittinaere, entertainment host Adamari

Celebrity couple Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera

Lopez, entrepreneur-model Lori Harvey, actress Rena Sofer and Bollywood actress Urbashi Rautela.

In the preliminary round of the most prestigious pageant, Dingdong posted on his Instagram account a photo of Marian looking back at her in the judges’ table.

“I don’t mind being this judge’s Water Boy during tonight’s preliminary event,” Dingdong captioned the post.

Photo from Instagram/@marianrivera

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epiFaNio “JuN” CapistraNo

2022 Nv steam Conference inspires innovative education in Nevada classrooms CCSD educators to participate in engaging, hands-on workshops and learn from nationally recognized keynote speakers during the 2022 NV STEAM Conference Constructing Creativity,’ hosted virtually February 2 and 5

LAS VEGAS (Dec. 15, 2021) -The boundaries of STEAM education continue to expand in the Silver State as the Nevada Museum of Art, in partnership with DRI’s Science Alive program, announce the 2022 NV STEAM Conference. Presented February 2 and 5, 2022, the theme for the conference is “Constructing Creativity,” aimed at teaching skills in the classroom that translate to the workforce.

The 2022 NV STEAM Conference will feature keynote presentations by Doreen Gehry Nelson, who will discuss her most recent publication, ‘Cultivating Creativity’ and her Design-Based Learning teaching methodology. Renowned artist, designer and founder of Counterforce Lab, Rebeca Méndez, will discuss the intersections of art, design and science in a second keynote offering.

Workshops will include: A presentation by Sean Lane of Focus 5, Inc. and a look at the Kennedy Center model of Arts Integration with support from The Smith Center for Performing Arts; Dr. Punya Mishra and Dr. Danah Henriksen will share methodologies for developing creativity and risk-taking in education; Jessica Heim of UCLA’s Center X will explore the Design-Based Learning model; and Stanford’s. school Initiative will present on new technology integrations in creative classroom practices.

Additional workshops will be presented by the DISCOVERY Children’s Museum and the Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum, DRI, and the Nevada Museum of Art.

Aiming to inspire innovation through engaging, hands-on virtual workshops and nationally recognized keynote speakers, the conference hosts more than 600 educators from across the Silver State. The NV STEAM Conference is the leading statewide event for exploring ideas and strategies that incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math into pioneering classroom practices that foster student creativity.

“The Nevada Museum of Art is proud to lead conversations around STEAM education and the intersections of art and design.” said Claire Muñoz, Charles N. Mathewson Senior Director of Education at the Nevada Museum of Art. “By continuing to present the NV STEAM conference virtually, we are able to create strong connections with our educators, peers and colleagues across the state and across the disciplines. Most importantly, we hope to unite and arm our teachers as with the resources and tools to support critical, creative and interdisciplinary thinking while putting the imagination of tomorrow’s leaders to work.”

The NV STEAM Conference is Nevada’s largest event dedicated to the exploration of ideas and strategies to implement Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math into classroom practices. Nevada Museum of Art has partnered with DRI since the conference’s inception in 2015.

This partnership highlights the commitment of both institutions to advancing STEAM education for Nevada’s youth.

“Over the past seven years, the collaborative efforts between DRI (a Scientific Research Institute) and the Nevada Museum of Art (a Cultural Institute) have truly produced the most memorable and meaningful professional development conferences for educators throughout Nevada,” said Craig Rosen, Community Engagement and Professional Development Administrator at DRI, Office of Education. “We are delighted to partner again in a much different virtual setting to bring STEAM education to life and to inspire hundreds more educators to integrate science and art.”

SPONSORS AND SUPPORT Lead sponsor is Tesla. Additional support is provided by Waste Management and City National Bank.

The Conference is supported by the Nevada Department of Education; the Nevada Governor’s Office of Science, Innovation and Technology; Nevada STEM Advisory Council, and the NV STEAM Subcommittee.

Event collaborators include UCLA’s Center X, Stanford University’s d.school Initiative, the DISCOVERY Children’s Museum, the Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum, and The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

REGISTRATION Registration for the 2022 NV STEAM Conference is open at nvsteam.org. Registration inquiries may be directed to Claire Muñoz at claire.munoz@nevadaart.org. To access content from past NV STEAM Conferences, follow this link.

PBB’s Karen bounces...

PAGE 9 was not part of the groups.”

And after leaving the PBB house, the first thing she did when she got home was to eat Korean food like japchae that her dad loves feeding her.

“It was the same meal I was fed when I finally got home from kulongbia (jail),” she said.

Looking back at her PBB experience, Karen learned the most valuable lesson that her character is intact. She said, “I remained focused on my core values and beliefs. After so many dark moments in my life, being in another ‘challenging’ house arrest just felt like a

EMPLOYMENT

walk in the park. Though I did get nervous in challenges, I just kept feeling that tomorrow will be a better day, so I need not be so hard on myself today.”

After a dark chapter in her life, Karen never lost faith and believed she would be cleared of the wrong accusations.

“While in jail, I kept myself strong by believing that God would never leave me. Though He seemed silent while I was in my dark moments, I opened my eyes to appreciate the little blessings I had. God is good.

God’s delays are not His denials. It was simply all about perfect timing,” she said.

With things brightening up, Karen now looks forward to pursuing a career in the entertainment industry and making her family proud again.

The reality TV celebrity wishes to continue her TV and events hosting career and even dive into acting. She has set up her website (www.karenbordador.com) and vlogs on her social media accounts.

“I’ll be writing a book soon and possibly create a fashion line. Sky’s the limit. I lost five years of my life, and I’d like to regain it immediately. I’m ready to embark on a magic carpet ride already,” she said.

FOR RENT

IT is with deep sorrow and much love that we mourn the passing of Epifanio ‘Jun’ Capistrano on Sunday, December 12th, 2021 at the age of 69.

Jun will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 35 years, Marisa; and his children, Daryll, Charmaine, and Dale.

He is the oldest of two brothers and two sisters. He was a role model to many and offered guidance to those around him.

Jun was born in the Philippines and majored in accounting. He and his wife met and fell in love in Abu Dhabi where they started their family. From there they moved to New York where he pursued a career and found his passion as insurance agent.

Ultimately residing in Las Vegas, where he will be laid to rest.

As a devout Catholic, Jun was devoted to helping others. This showed especially through his work. Often, his relationships with his clients would turn into life long friendships.

Jun enjoyed both playing basketball and cheering for his favorite NBA team, spending time in the kitchen cooking and traveling with his family and friends.

We know that those who have home cooked Filipino meals. had the pleasure of knowing Jun A private family service will will miss his laughter, stories and take place later this month.

Marisa, Daryll, Charmaine & Dale The Capistrano Family

tribute from “team Capistrano” As members of “Team Capistrano” we have lost a true “Champion of the People.” Our hearts are heavy with grief and at the same time tremendous pride in the Legacy he left us. He was always there to guide us and show us the right and just way to help people better themselves and the there loved ones. Guiding people in achieving the Best Financial situation for themselves and there family and also taking the time to be there friend when they needed it. His many decades of service to his Cli-

ents, Community and those of us the he mentored to carry on his work will not be forgotten. We will continue his Legacy of Helping people in need of knowledge and compassion. Kuya, the hundreds you have touched will grow into the Millions as we continue to grow “Team Capistrano!”

We love you and we thank God for all you have given to us.

Richard Aguila & Margie Antonio Team Capistrano

more than $168K raised during first-ever ‘Knight of Giving’ partnership with enchant Christmas, vegas Golden Knights and vegas Golden Knights Foundation LAS VEGAS – Enchant is spreading holiday cheer to our local community with the Vegas Golden Knights and the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation as the popular holiday attraction and beloved hockey team raised more than $168,000 during their first-ever ‘Knight of Giving.’ This charitable evening welcomed all Knights fans and holiday enthusiasts to show their team spirit and come together at the Las Vegas Ballpark, all while giving back to a great cause. Thousands of guests came out to Knight of Giving, many sporting their best team apparel and enjoying all the festivities with the Vegas Vivas! cheer team and Vegas Golden Knights’ mascot Chance. The proceeds benefited the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation, which supports multiple local non-profits and organizations that make a difference in the community every day through youth sports and education, first responders, military, health and wellness, and much more.

“We’re still in awe at the amount of support the Las Vegas community showed during the Knight of Giving at Enchant,” said Kevin Johnston, CEO and founder of Enchant. “It was a sight to see so many VGK fans enjoying the ice skating trail, exploring the maze, taking pictures with Santa and checking out all the cool vendors. We cannot thank the Vegas Golden Knights and the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation enough for the memorable event; we look forward to

many more in the future.”

“The Vegas Golden Knights were thrilled to partner with Enchant for a Knight of Giving during the first year of the event,” said Kim Frank, president of the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation. “It was heartwarming to see the support of our fans and how much they enjoyed the festivities at Enchant. We are grateful for the generous donation to the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation

SERVICES

and the commitment to giving back to the Las Vegas community through this night.”

Enchant is now open nightly through Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022.

The attraction is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 4:3011:30 p.m. and Sunday through Thursday from 4:30-10:30 p.m.

Beginning Friday, Dec. 17, Enchant will close nightly at 11:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.enchantchristmas.com

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