121622 - San Diego Edition

House passes Maharlika Investment Fund bill

by Gabriel Pabico lalu Inquirer.net

MANILA — The bill seeking to establish the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) – a sovereign wealth fund (SWF) that the government can use to make investments – was approved Thursday, December 15 on the third and final reading at the House of Representatives.

House Bill (HB) No. 6608 was approved, with 279 lawmakers voting in the affirmative while six voted

against. No legislator abstained from the voting. The lower chamber swiftly passed the measure as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. certified the bill as urgent.

Marcos Jr.’s action enabled the House of Representatives, currently being helmed by his cousin – Speaker and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez, to expeditiously proceed with approving HB No. 6608 on the third and final reading even just hours after passing it on the second reading – skipping the required three

session days interval in the normal procedure.

Without Marcos’ certification, the earliest that the House can approve the bill could have been on January 25, as Congress is slated to go on a recess from December 17 to January 22.

The House’s approval of the controversial measure happened despite opposition from several sectors and public outcry, as well as reservations from some legislators that the creation of the MIF or SWF is not the right time for the country.

He likewise asserted that the national debt stands at P13.64 trillion while the national budget is now at a deficit.

Alliance

Hidilyn Diaz dominates weightlifting world championships with 3 golds

Inquirer.net

MANILA — Hidilyn Diaz has finally added the elusive World Weightlifting Championship gold to her collection as she ruled the women’s 55-kilogram division on Thursday, December 8 in Bogota, Colombia.

“TEST and treat, and you can beat COVID!”

As Californians brace for a winter surge of COVID infections, that’s the message of Dr. Rita Nguyen, speaking at an online news conference on behalf of the California Department of Public Health’s COVID 19 Treatments Task Force.

Her message was echoed by four frontline medical practitioners serving some of the most vulnerable populations in the state.

“We are in the winter surge,” said Dr. Nguyen, who directs the Population Health Division of CDPH. “We are already seeing increases in hospitalization rates for COVID. Rates are increasing and we expect to see even more as we head through December.”

Kenneth Mejia sworn in as Los Angeles City controller

Mejia becomes first Filipino elected to LA city office

by Klarize Medenilla AJPress

ONE November afternoon, Chris Espedal asked a group of caregivers — all of whom work with people who have cognitive impairments, behavioral health issues, or complex physical needs — to describe what happens when their work becomes too much to bear. The participants, 13 caregivers from all over California, who had gathered in a Zoom room, said they experienced nausea, anxiety, shortness of breath, elevated heart rates, and other telltale signs of stress.

“I want to scream!” one called out. “I feel exhausted,” said another.

Espedal, who has been training caregivers

FILIPINO American Kenneth Mejia was sworn into office as the Los Angeles City Controller, officially becoming the first Filipino to be elected to the LA City government.

Along with the new Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, Mejia was sworn into office in front of LA City Hall on Sunday, Dec. 11, following a landslide victory in November.

As previously reported in the Asian Journal, Mejia’s campaign promised increased transparency regarding city

spending, anchored by a successful billboard campaign that illuminated the whopping police budget compared to that of social services.

“Our first day in office. We’re here to hold power accountable in order to make it a better city for all Angelenos,” Mejia’s team tweeted on Monday, Dec. 12.

As the city’s controller, Mejia will oversee the city’s spending and consult the Office of the Mayor over the city’s budget — however, the controller does not have power over how finances are allocated throughout the city.

But Mejia promised to hold City Hall

Mayor Gloria chosen to lead California’s big city mayors coalition US Treasury freezes Quiboloy assets

SAN DIEGO – San Diego

Todd Gloria on Wednesday, December 14 announced that the Big City Mayors has selected him to lead the statewide coalition in 2023 and 2024. The influential bipartisan group is composed of the mayors from the 13 largest cities in California by population: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento, Long Beach, Oakland, Bakersfield, Anaheim, Stockton, Riverside and Irvine. In assuming this new role in statewide leadership, Mayor Gloria has opted not to seek the chairmanship at the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and supports County Supervisor Nora Vargas to take up the role.

“California’s cities face daunting challenges, and I’m humbled by the trust my colleagues

“They’ve already convicted him! He’s never been heard! His human rights have been trampled on!” Quiboloy’s American lawyer Michael Jay Green said in an interview with the religious pastor’s own television network SMNI on a breaking news program on Saturday, December 10.

“That’s not the American way,” he added. “It is hard for me to believe this is coming from the United States.”

On Friday, Dec. 9, the Treasury’s Office of

The Tokyo Olympic gold medalist tallied a total lift of 207kg to beat Rosalba Morales of Colombia and Ana Gabriela Lopez of Mexico, winning all three gold medals in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total.

Diaz lifted 93kg in the snatch to win her first gold in the world championship and recorded 114 kg to top the clean and jerk.

With an assured medal in clean and jerk, she tried to lift 117kg and 121kg but failed.

Morales wound up with the silver medal including a bronze in snatch and silver in clean and jerk with a total lift of 199kg while Lopez came up a close third with a total of 198kg after a silver finish in snatch.

Diaz, the 31-year-old weightlifting icon, has finally captured the missing World Championship crown

Filipina actor Dolly de Leon makes history with Golden Globe nomination

FOLLOWING her celebrated performance in the film “Triangle of Sadness,” Filipina actor Dolly de Leon has earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.

She is believed to be the first Filipina to get a Golden Globe nomination in this category.

Before the Golden Globe nominations were announced on Monday, Dec. 12, de Leon — who was born in Manila and whose career primarily centered around television — tied for the award for Best Supporting Performer at the 2022 Los Angeles Film Critics Association. (De Leon tied with Ke Huy Quan, who won for “Everything Everywhere All At Once.”)

In response to her historic Golden Globe nomination, de Leon, 53, expressed excitement and hope that more Filipino actors get international, mainstream recognition.

“Thank you for including me in that very short list of very talented supporting actresses,” de Leon told ABS-CBN in a video sent on Tuesday, Dec. 13.

“Hindi ako sanay sa nomination na ganito — ang sarap! Sana mas marami pa sa atin ang

makatanggap ng ganitong recognition because so many of us deserve it. (I’m not used to getting a nomination like this — it feels good! Hopefully, more of our community will receive recognition because so many of us deserve it).”

“Triangle of Sadness” — written and directed by Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund — is a black comedy that follows several luxury cruise guests and one cruise ship housekeeper (played by de Leon) who are marooned

Camarines Sur 3rd District Rep. Gabriel Bordado Jr. had said that while the intention of an SWF is “very laudable,” it should be “done properly and [at] the right time,” pointing out that the country does not have surplus funds to invest in the MIF.

of Concerned Teachers Party-list Rep.

LAWYERS for televangelist Apollo Quiboloy denounced the U.S. Department of the Treasury for punishing him even before his trial on sex trafficking charges has started.

COVID treatments readily available, but access disparities still huge

To attract in-home caregivers, California offers paid training — and self-care

by lance aGcaoili

by Klarize Medenilla AJPress

Dolly De Leon on the Cannes red carpet last May. Photo from Instagram/@dollyedelean

PBBM ARRIVAL. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. delivers his speech upon his arrival at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Thursday night, Dec. 15. Marcos earned praise from European business executives for his performance at the C-Suite Luncheon where he pushed for investments and climate change action. PNA photo by Rey S. Baniquet

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria File photo/www.sandiego.gov

Mayor

Filipino couple in San Francisco charged with trafficking nanny from PH

DISTRICT Attorney Brooke Jenkins filed charges against a Filipino couple for allegedly trafficking a nanny they brought from the Philippines two years ago.

Jose Aguila and his wife, Lorraine Lim, are facing several felony and misdemeanor charges as a result of an investigation into the working conditions of their nanny, “Nicel R.,” the District Attorney’s office announced.

According to prosecutors, a neighbor alerted the San Francisco Police after finding out how Nicel R. was being treated. The SFPD Special Victims Unit rescued the nanny on November 29, 2021.

The couple allegedly brought Nicel R. to the U.S. in June of 2019 and forced her to work seven days a week to take care of their disabled child in addition to other forms of forced labor inside and outside their residence.

The victim told investigators that the couple promised her she would be in the U.S. for only three months, but that turned into more than two years. Through various means, they allegedly isolated Nicel R., who does not speak English, like keeping her passport, and preventing her from having a

cellphone. Nicel R. depended on the couple for her food, shelter, and other necessities. She had to sleep a storage room, authorities said.

According to investigators, Aguila and Lim only paid Nicel R. $240 a month for the first several months and then reduced that to $40 per month. She was also required to be available at all times, even in the middle of the night, to care for the couple’s child.

Prosecutors said Aguila and Lim did not provide other mandatory employee benefits such as payment for the substantial overtime hours she worked, meal and rest breaks, paid sick leave, workers’ compensation insurance and proof of wages.

“Each of the suspects posted bond on $100,000 bails set by the court,” the District Attorney’s press release stated. “Pre-trial release conditions include electronic monitoring by the San Francisco Sherriff’s Department, surrendering passports and abiding by the terms of a Criminal Protective Order which states that they must have no contact with the victim and must stay 100 yards away from her.

If convicted of all charges, they each face over 19 years in State Prison.” (Inquirer.net) n

House passes Maharlika Investment Fund...

France Castro had said there is no necessity to certify HB No. 6608 as urgent because “people who are already deep [in] debt” do not need it, especially amid rising prices of goods, low salaries, and other economic problems.

She emphasized that such a measure should also be thoroughly scrutinized since it involves using huge public funds. Castro further reminded legislators that several issues regarding the proposal are yet to be addressed.

To recall, the original bill (HB No. 6398) to create the MIF included the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and Social Security System (SSS) among government banks and corporations that would contribute money to raise the P275 billion venture capital for the investment trust.

But following an outcry and public pressure, proponents came up with HB No. 6608, taking out the GSIS and SSS.

Under the original bill, proponents planned to put up P275 billion in venture money for the MIF, which will be derived specifically from the GSIS (P125

The plenary hall of the House of Representatives. Inquirer file photo billion), SSS (P50 billion), Land Bank of the Philippines (P50 billion), Development Bank of the Philippines (P25 billion) and the General Appropriations Act (P25 billion).

But former Makabayan lawmaker and Bayan Muna chair Neri Colmenares had warned that bill authors might insist on including the GSIS and SSS later on when public outrage dies down.

The bill seeking to establish the MIF was principally authored by Speaker Romualdez; Majority

Floor Leader and Zamboanga City 2nd District Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe; Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos; Tingog Party-list Reps. Yedda Marie Romualdez and Jude Acidre; and Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo.

On December 13, a proponent of the bill for the establishment of the MIF admitted that both the GSIS and SSS may invest in the MIF if their respective boards of directors would allow it. n

Kenneth Mejia sworn in as...

accountable and probe the city’s spending on homeless initiatives and law enforcement, among other top issues.

This is Mejia’s first time serving in public

office. With a background in finance, Mejia also ran for U.S. Congress in 2018 campaigning on progressive policies and ideals inspired by Bernie Sanders and Jill Stein, as previously reported in the Asian Journal. n

Kenneth Mejia

Mayor Gloria chosen to lead California’s... Hidilyn Diaz dominates...

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in the Big City Mayors Coalition have placed in me to lead them,” Mayor Todd Gloria said. “Since taking office, I’ve worked with the Big City Mayors coalition to secure funding to get thousands of people off the streets into housing and to pass the Governor’s CARE Court proposal, enacting badly needed reform to the state’s mental health system. Cities are the engines that run this great state, and I’m committed to working with federal and state leaders to leverage our voice to get results on homelessness, housing costs, and mental health for all Californians.”

The Big City Mayors Coalition includes Mayors representing nearly 11 million residents in California – more than a quarter of the state’s population. The bipartisan coalition was successful over the last several years in advocating for and securing dedicated funding to address homelessness in the state’s big cities through California’s Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) program.

The group will continue to strengthen HHAP’s focus on accountability for the funding that goes to cities, counties and continuums of care, highlighting the successes cities are having with the funding and conveying the need for continued investment at the local level to help the state address its most critical challenge.

The Big City Mayors coalition also was a powerful voice in working to secure federal pandemic relief and economic recovery funding for cities, ensuring continuity of critical neighborhood services and positioning California’s residents and businesses on a path to faster recovery. The group was also a driving force in pushing for the passage of SB 1338 (Umberg) last year, the bill that carried Governor Newsom’s CARE Act, to reform California’s approach to mental health to help people struggling with mental illness access services. Additionally, the group secured a dedicated allocation through the state’s CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps program to fund public-service

job opportunities for underserved youth ages 16 to 30, engaging them in the workforce.

Mayor Gloria has pledged his support for San Diego County Supervisor Nora Vargas to become the next chair of the Board of Directors at SANDAG succeeding Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear, who was elected to the state Senate in November.

“During the past two years, Supervisor Vargas has established herself as a true champion for the residents of her district and served the region well as SANDAG’s Transportation Committee chair. There’s no doubt that she will be an exceptional leader for the SANDAG board as we work regionally to tackle our housing and climate crises and execute critical projects like the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry and stabilizing the LOSSAN corridor at the Del Mar Bluffs,” Mayor Gloria said. “She will bring to this position genuine empathy, intelligence, courage and a relentless drive to improve the quality of life for all. I am proud to support her.” (City of San Diego Release) n

To attract in-home caregivers, California offers...

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for 18 years, guided the class through a self-soothing exercise: “Breathe in for four counts, hold the breath for four, exhale for four.” She taught them to carve out time for themselves, such as setting the goal of reading a book from beginning to end, and reminded everyone to eat, sleep, and exercise. “Do not be afraid to ask for help,” Espedal said. She added that one of the best ways they can care for their clients — often a loved one — was to care for themselves.

The class is a little touchyfeely. But it’s one of many offerings from the California Department of Social Services that the agency says is necessary for attracting and retaining caregivers in a state-funded assistance program that helps 650,000 low-income people who are older or disabled age in place, usually at home. As part of the $295 million initiative, officials said, thousands of classes, both online and inperson, will begin rolling out in January, focused on dozens of topics, including dementia care, first-aid training, medication management, fall prevention, and self-care. Caregivers will be paid for the time they spend developing skills.

Whether it will help the program’s labor shortage remains to be seen. According to a 2021 state audit of the In-Home Supportive Services program, 32

out of 51 counties that responded to a survey reported a shortage of caregivers. Separately, auditors found that clients waited an average of 72 days to be approved for the program, although the department said most application delays were due to missing information from the applicants.

The in-home assistance program, which has been around for nearly 50 years, is plagued by high turnover.

About 1 in 3 caregivers leave the program each year, according to University of California-Davis researcher Heather Young, who worked on a 2019 government report on California’s health care workforce needs.

It doesn’t help that the pay is low. According to the state, the average hourly rate for caregivers in the in-home assistance program is $15.83.

Rates vary because the program is administered locally, with each county setting its own.

“Training is very helpful,” said Doug Moore, executive director of the United Domestic Workers of America AFSCME Local 3930, which represents roughly 150,000 caregivers in California.

“But when the wages are low — and you can make more at Target or McDonald’s and get a signing bonus — then you’re going to go and do that work versus harder work, which is taking care of someone with a disability or a person that’s aging.”

The training initiative came out of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Master Plan for Aging to improve the quality of caregiving careers.

Theresa Mier, a spokesperson for the Department of Social Services, said the state hopes financial incentives will help attract new workers and keep them caring for people with specialized needs longer. In addition to their hourly pay for taking classes, in-home caregivers will receive incentive payments that start at $500 for 15 hours of training. They can earn up to $3,500 if they go on to work at least 40 hours a month with a qualified client for at least six months. Previously, counties offered some training but did not pay workers for their time.

The state issued grants, including $16 million to Homebridge, a San Franciscobased caregiving organization, to coordinate training. Classes will be offered in Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Armenian, in addition to English, to reach more workers. And state officials are planning a social media campaign to recruit new caregivers.

But the incentives are committed only through the end of 2023.

Greg Thompson, executive director of the Personal Assistance Services Council, the public authority that manages Los Angeles County’s in-home

program, would like to see paid training become permanent. “There needs to be, in my opinion, some kind of accountability, structure, supervision, and ongoing training,” he said.

Many caregivers who attended early courses care for family members with a mix of physical and behavioral needs. In fact, 3 out of 4 caregivers in the inhome assistance program are relatives of clients. But the state needs to prepare for a workforce shift, one that requires people to look outside their families. The number of California seniors is expected to be nearly 8.5 million by 2030, an increase of more than 40% from 2019. Many of them will be single.

The state will need more caregivers like Luz Maria Muñoz, who has worked in the in-home assistance program for six years. The Bakersfield resident has navigated challenging situations on the job. One older client was on 30 medications. Another had bedsores, which can be life-threatening if not properly treated. Muñoz peppered the client’s nurse with questions about dressing the wounds and felt responsible for the client’s well-being.

“Those wounds needed to be cleaned daily,” she said. Muñoz said she’s interested in the training. The department said it sent notices about classes to all participating caregivers

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to her collection which includes gold medals from the Olympics last year, Asian Games, and Southeast Asian Games.

The world championship gold is something Diaz has been chasing since settling for bronze finishes in the women’s 53kg division in 2015 and 2017 and another bronze in the 55kg division in 2019. She backed out of the weightlifting worlds at Tashkent last year, a few months after winning the historic Olympics gold.

The Bogota world competition

is part of Diaz’s bid to qualify for Paris 2024, where she seeks her fifth Olympics appearance.

“It’s official! We’ve kicked off our Paris 2024 Journey with a decent start and ended our year with 3 Gold medals in the Snatch/ CJ/Total, going 93/114/207. Not our best showing but a historical one being the First Filipina to win a World Championships,” said strength and conditioning coach Julius Naranjo, who is also Hidilyn’s husband, in a Facebook post.

“It’s been definitely a journey coming back, Hidilyn Diaz and I have accomplished a lot in 2022. From winning the Philippines first ever Olympics [gold], to getting married, and to winning our 2nd Southeast Asian Games Gold Medal.”

The two wed last July on the first anniversary of Hidilyn’s Olympic win.

Other Filipinos also competed in the tournament. Nestor Colonia, who won bronze in the 2015 edition of the world championship in the 56kg divison, finished seventh in men’s 55kg, while Lovely Inan and Rosegie Ramos saw action in the women’s 49kg class and placed 13th and 17th, respectively.

Fellow Tokyo Olympian Erleen Ando participates in the women’s 59kg competition, Vanessa Sarno and Kristel Macrohon the women’s 71 kg, while Dave Lloyd Pacaldo takes part in the men’s 67kg. n

Filipina actor Dolly...

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on a desert island following a disastrous shipwreck.

In a story that reveals the follies of hierarchy, de Leon’s breakout “scene-stealing” performance as the resourceful Abigail caught the attention of the international film community.

According to an interview with Variety, de Leon said that her performance of Abigail was largely motivated by real-life people she knows, saying, “I see Abigail in my aunts, my mother, our grandmother, our cousins. She’s in a lot of Filipinos that I’ve met over the years.”

The film received praise earlier this year when it premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, winning the coveted Palme d’Or, widely recognized as the top award in international cinema.

Prior to “Triangle of Sadness,” de Leon’s career began in the 1990s, in the Philippine theater scene. She starred in several soap operas and has worked with renowned Filipino directors, including Lav Diaz. “Triangle of Sadness” is her fourth feature film role.

De Leon is up against Angela Bassett for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Kerry Condon for “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Jamie Lee Curtis for “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” and Carey Mulligan for “She Said.”

The Golden Globes will be presented on January 10, 2023 in Los Angeles. n

Hidilyn Diaz wins three golds in the 2022 World Weightlifting Championship.

Photo by Coach Jeaneth Aro/Facebook

Dateline PhiliPPines

Dangerous Drugs Board open to medical use of cannabis

by CeCille Suerte Felipe Philstar.com

MANILA — The proposal to allow the medical use of cannabis is gaining ground, as the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) – the government agency tasked with creating policies in dealing with illegal drugs – is open to the idea.

During Wednesday’s (December 13) public hearing at the Senate committee on health presided over by Sen. Robinhood Padilla, DDB Chairman Catalino Cuy Jr. said the board has issued a resolution approving the creation of the technical working group (TWG) which could study the proposal to allow medical use of marijuana.

“The DDB is open to the use of cannabis to be administered by a medical expert,” said Padilla. He clarified that the use is subject to regulation and constant monitoring. The DDB promulgated resolution 19 –approving the creation of TWG with people to evaluate the use of cannabidiol composed of experts from the Department of Health, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Science and Technology.

In the continuation of the Senate hearing for the use of medical marijuana or the Medical Cannabis Compassionate Access Act of the Philippines, Cuy clarified that those who will apply for access must first get a special permit from the FDA.

At present, the use of medical grade cannabis and the THC or tetrahydrocannabinol content should not exceed 0.1 percent but the use of oil form of medicinal cannabis is not yet allowed.

The FDA also allowed another medicine with medical cannabis – Epidiolex – for a rare type of epilepsy and seizures but the DDB said there is no pending request for them for a permit to use it.

The senators also learned that Epidiolex, currently being patented in the U.S. but manufactured in other countries, is quite expensive as a 60ml vial costs $982 or about P50,000.

Dr. Katerina Tanya Gosiengfiao, president of the Philippine League Against Epilepsy, said aside from the price of the medicine, the cost of shipment would be added on and that the medicine could not be easily secured nor carried by an ordinary person. Apart from

securing an import permit from the DDB, the doctor said it is also necessary to find a company that will import here since it cannot be handled by an individual.

Acknowledging those apprehensive of possible abuse, anti-drug advocate Sen. Ronald dela Rosa has called on them to open their hearts and minds for compassionate use and support the bill.

“Open our hearts and minds to this possibility. I advocate against illegal drugs but for compassionate use, why not give it a try. Let’s open our minds and hearts, let’s see,” said Dela Rosa.

Duterte worried

The recent high-profile arrests of law enforcers involved in illegal drugs is worrying former president Rodrigo Duterte as it could be signaling the return of “ninja cops,” Dela Rosa said.

Dela Rosa said he was able to talk to Duterte recently and “he was really saddened that these things are happening, but he doesn’t want to interfere with how this government is running its own show.”

“He (Duterte) was just expressing his concern that the ninja cops, narcopoliticians…

Protection of OFWs, utmost priority of Marcos admin

MANILA – The protection of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and overseas Filipinos is one of the utmost priorities of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration.

During the National Forum on Migration that gathered migrant workers and their families on Thursday, December 15 to celebrate the OFW Month, Commission for Filipinos Overseas (CFO) officer-in-charge Undersecretary Abdulgani Macatoman vowed to strengthen its efforts to protect migrant workers as well as their families.

“The protection of our kababayans abroad is among the priority of our beloved President Bongbong Marcos and we will continue to institute measures to do so,” Macatoman said.

He said that through the newly established Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the government is expected to speed up the process of addressing OFW complaints.

The conduct of the pre-departure seminars is also set to be improved to better inform and brief Filipinos going abroad to work to know about the culture of their host countries.

Macatoman cited the important contributions of OFWs based in different countries worldwide to the country’s nation building through the foreign remittances that help keep the Philippine economy afloat.

“This Administration really wants to address the needs of OFWs,” he said.

During the celebration, some OFWs shared their stories while living and working abroad.

During his recent meeting with the Filipino community in Brussels, Belgium to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-European Union Commemorative Summit, Marcos vowed to invest more in human capital development,

To attract in-home caregivers...

and will follow up with updates. Counties also helped spread the word online, in newsletters, and via posted flyers.

Early sessions have filled up as soon as they’re set up. Leslie Kerns, the in-home assistance registry manager for Connecting Point, the public authority for the program in Nevada, Plumas, and Sierra counties, said some classes were full after three hours. State officials said registration for classes next year should open soon.

Angelina Williamson cares for her mother, who is disabled, in San Diego and took a course on mobility and transferring patients. She said she learned how to use her body to break a fall and that if her mother falls, it’s better to bring her a chair than pick her up because her mother has enough upper body strength to pull herself up, with Williamson’s help.

Recent surveys suggest that caregivers are likely to be interested in self-care. In a review of nonprofit caregiver resource centers in California,

35% of caregivers reported that their health had worsened while providing care, and 20% had experienced symptoms of depression. Some caregivers also reported being lonely, which could include lacking companionship, feeling left out, or feeling isolated from others. And a 2020 report by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP found that 26% of caregivers had difficulty managing their stress.

Robbie Glenn, a single father in Anaheim, attended Espedal’s self-care class and learned to take time for himself. By day, Glenn cares for his 11-year-old son, Edin, who has birth defects from alcohol exposure and has nonverbal autism. Edin needs help going to the toilet and bathing. He has epilepsy and sometimes walks in his sleep. By night, Glenn freelances, doing post-production work, such as film editing and color grading.

Glenn now uses a timer to remind himself to take a break. “And,” he said, “I’ve been doing those breathing exercises a lot.”

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is 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. (By Laurie Udesky/ California Healthline) n

NOTICE TO BIDDERS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of San Diego (City) is seeking to receive Electronic Bids for the below named Public Works project.

The solicitation, including plans and specifications, may be obtained from the City’s website at: https://www.sandiego.gov/ cip/bidopps Contractors intending to submit a Bid must be prequalified. Please refer to the solicitation for instructions.

Project Name: JFK Neighborhood Park Restroom and Playground Improvements Project Number: K-23-2101DBB-3 Estimated Value: $2,240,000.00

Bid Open Date: 01/26/2023, at 2:00 P.M.

License Requirement: A It is the policy of the City of San Diego to encourage equal opportunity in its Construction and Consultant contracts. Bids or proposals from local firms, small, minority-owned, disabled, veteran-owned, and womenowned businesses are strongly encouraged. Contractors are encouraged to subcontract with and/or participate in joint ventures with these firms.

The City is committed to equal opportunity and will not discriminate with regard to race, religion, color, ancestry, age, gender, disability, medical condition or place of birth; and will not do business with any firm that discriminates on any basis. Bids shall be received no later than the date and time noted above at: City of San Diego’s Electronic Biding Site PlanetBids at: https://www.planetbids. com/portal/portal. cfm?CompanyID=17950

Claudia C. Abarca, Director Purchasing & Contracting Department December 14, 2022 12/16/22

CNS-3651272#

ASIAN JOURNAL

AFFORDABLE ONIONS. Onions are among the fresh produce that get sold fast at Kadiwa stores such as this one at the 3rd floor of the GSIS Building in Pasay City on Wednesday, Dec. 14. The price of red onions has gone up to as much as P400 per kilo, making it a hot sell among buyers at Kadiwa stores that offer them at a cheaper price. PNA photo by Avito Dalan

Uniting the world against corruption

OVER the weekend the U.S. government announced an asset freeze and other sanctions on about 40 persons in nine countries, among them Philippine televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, on charges related to corruption, fraud and human rights abuses including, in the case of Quiboloy, child rape.

Washington said the sanctions were part of moves coinciding with the observance of International AntiCorruption Day on Dec. 9 alongside Human Rights Day. The United Nations is counting down to the 20th anniversary in 2023 of the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the UN Convention Against Corruption. The Philippines is among 189 parties that have committed to the obligations under UNCAC, which went into effect on Dec. 14, 2005.

Editorial

UNCAC is legally binding to parties, and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime serves as secretariat for the convention’s Conference of States Parties. The U.S. move against the 40 persons is in keeping with the theme picked by the UN for Anti-Corruption Day, which is to unite the world against corruption.

In a message for the special day, the UN stressed that corruption fuels armed conflict, inhibits peace processes, aggravates poverty, slows economic

On The Move

Segundo eclar romero

THE continuing tussle over the Maharlika Wealth Fund (MWF) reveals the nature of the controversy—it is an ongoing vote of confidence in the Marcos Jr. administration’s economic strategy. As things stand in the public sphere, the people’s verdict is leaning toward a vote of no confidence.

My summary of the top infirmities of the MWF are: (1) dubious conceptual, legal, and contextual soundness; (2) no consultation with powerless, voiceless Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and Social Security System (SSS) stakeholders; (3) imagining that legal safeguards automatically translate into scrupulous implementation; (4) undue haste in ramming crucial

Sketches

AS in our post-pandemic economic growth numbers that benefit from a low base, Ferdinand Junior is blessed with a predecessor who dramatically lowered the bar for public officials’ upholding of human rights. Everything is better by comparison.

Instead of cursing God, BBM and his family are attending mass.

This President respects women and isn’t the type who will crack rape jokes, leer at the Vice President or order soldiers to shoot female communist rebels in the vagina.

Presidential addresses to the nation and media interviews are no longer Rated R when aired. We haven’t heard BBM utter a cuss word in public, ever.

The most noteworthy improvement, of course, is in the approach to fighting the drug menace. Sure, there are still killings believed linked to drugs – as law enforcement agencies have warned, lethal encounters with criminals cannot be completely ruled out.

But in the absence of a president whose marching order in the anti-drug campaign is to kill, kill, kill, the level of violence is undeniably down. The days of Tokhang and Double Barrel are over.

Even when drug suspects are killed in police operations, the cops enjoy greater presumption

development, and undermines democratic institutions and the rule of law.

Sadly, Filipinos know this only too well, with corruption deeply entrenched across all levels of government. Public service processes are designed to be so complicated that people transacting with the government are compelled to pay grease money or “facilitation fees” just to get things done.

The failure to punish officials implicated in largescale corruption has bred impunity; corruption pays handsomely in this country.

Proceeds from corruption are also successfully laundered into politics, further weakening the quality of governance. With the political establishment unable to provide leadership against graft, there is no push for the urgently needed reforms. Instead, the push is for the preservation of the corrupt status quo and the protection of the

unholy marriage of politics and family businesses. The UN has emphasized the need to promote transparency and strengthen institutions. The Philippines, unfortunately, has been going in the opposite direction in terms of transparency. Undue restrictions have been imposed on public access to statements of assets, liabilities and net worth of officials starting with the president. The national budget has an ever-growing chunk allotted to

confidential and intelligence funds that can evade close scrutiny by state auditors.

It is no coincidence that the world’s advanced economies, which rank high in the happiness index that is based on quality of life, also rank high in surveys on transparency and good governance. Unless the Philippines deals decisively with corruption, it cannot attain that quality of life. (Philstar.com)

The people’s vote of no confidence

legislation through the House of Representatives; and (5) lack of clear progeny and responsibility for the current MWF concept.

The very size and urgency of the MWF are its very weakness— lack of prototyping in proper context makes the scheme very risky.

But the optics are just as fatal. First is the insensitivity to the unsavory historic reputation of the Marcos family’s handling of public funds while in power. Second is the frontloading of credit to the Marcos family, while due diligence has yet to be completed by the economic managers.

The MWF could have been very timely when historic opportunities like the sale of Fort Bonifacio or Malampaya indeed created surplus government funds. The current context is also inauspicious—a world unsettled by COVID-19 and the Russian war against Ukraine sending destabilizing ripples

of inflation, shortages, and imbalances across the globe.

The regional optics also strike fear in the hearts of ordinary people as former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak goes to jail for plundering the 1MDB funds. The conjugal caper of Najib and Rosmah looks like “nothing but a second-rate, trying hard copycat” of the plunder of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos. So, what Shakespearean cruelty is contemplated for the nation when Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, and Ferdinand Martin Romualdez now push this “Maharlika” scheme, as if to evoke the blessing of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.?

In the wake of the recent OCTA survey that reports that the Filipino people give President Marcos Jr. an 86-percent trust rating and a 78-percent performance rating, how do we square these sparkling statistics with the incendiary pushback

the Marcos Jr. administration is getting? It is as if the people are saying: “You can help yourself to my vote and surveyed opinion, but don’t you dare touch my money.”

It is revealing how three economists display their support for this MWF. Albay Rep. Joey Salceda seems a reluctant promoter, but he pinpoints for us the real raison d’être for the Fund: “The General Appropriations Act (GAA) is restricted by the fact that you have 300 congressmen with parochial concerns. ’Pag dumaan sa Kongreso, every congressman wants something for his constituency.” So, Salceda looks at the MWF as if it were a traffic counterflow scheme to deal with a constipated Congress.

On the other hand, Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo thinks relying on the GAA is too slow. The MWF will energize investments and hasten Philippine development beyond

what the GAA can generate. She is so much more animated in defending the bill than Salceda.

However, she admits the scheme needs tweaking and awaits the economic managers to perfect their submission to the House committee.

Confident and articulate as she is, Quimbo appears oblivious to the reputation of Congress as an institution that is footloose with the people’s money as suggested by the approval of the hefty intelligence and confidential funds of the President and the Vice President. She also affects naïveté in believing that the letter of the law and formal safeguards will dictate the success of a longterm project’s implementation.

As to our third economist, Central Bank governor Felipe Medalla, he seemed sure and sincere when he publicly expressed his initial doubts about the MWF. Apparently, as Quimbo explains, he was absent when the economic

Rights under Marcos 2.0

of regularity in carrying out their work, unlike in the previous administration.

A good proof is that police raid on no less than a district office of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Taguig. Rodrigo Duterte would have also gone after rogue elements in the PDEA. But under Double Barrel, a bloodbath would have ensued in that raid, with the three principal suspects likely killed ostensibly after nanlaban or resisting arrest. * * *

The kinder, gentler approach to the drug menace has surely helped BBM in his personal interactions with his foreign counterparts. You can’t imagine Justin Trudeau of Canada, where marijuana is completely legal, comparing sock design with Duterte.

BBM and his officials have said the justice system in the country is functioning so they see no need for the International Criminal Court to push through with a formal investigation of possible crimes against humanity committed in Duterte’s bloody war on drugs. They also see no need for the country to rejoin the ICC.

Still, for the first time since 2015, the Philippines has allowed a special rapporteur of the United Nations to visit the country and freely conduct a study of the rights situation.

Although Mama Fatima Singhateh is the UN special rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children and her visit has nothing to do with the Philippine campaign against

illegal drugs or insurgency, her 10-day visit – which included a meeting with Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla – is another plus for Marcos Junior’s government.

Singhateh commended the Philippines for progress in the fight against child sexual exploitation.

The BBM administration’s commitment to this cause will be tested in the sanctions imposed by the U.S. on Marcos supporter and Duterte spiritual adviser Apollo Quiboloy (and about 40 other individuals in nine countries), to mark International Anti-Corruption Day and Human Rights Day.

*

* *

In a press statement, the U.S. Department of the Treasury declared: “For more than a decade, Apollo Carreon Quiboloy engaged in serious human rights abuse, including a pattern of systemic and pervasive rape of girls as young as 11 years old, as well as other physical abuse.”

It added: “Quiboloy also subjected pastorals and other KOJC members to other forms of physical abuse. Reports indicate Quiboloy personally beat victims and knew where to hit them so there would be no visible bruising.” KOJC refers to Quiboloy’s church, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name.

That’s a serious indictment of the televangelist, who is on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Most Wanted List for, among others, sex trafficking, fraud and coercion and bulk cash smuggling.

Quiboloy’s lawyers have decried the sanctions as politically motivated and questioned its timing. Between KOJC and Washington, however, you can see which one suffers from a credibility problem.

Is BBM willing to be tainted with sleaze, particularly one involving child rape? On Sunday, December 11, Remulla said the government would gather “verified information” and seek legal advice from the U.S. on Quiboloy’s case.

Shortly after the FBI released his wanted poster, Quiboloy appeared in public with Duterte, whose dislike for the U.S. is no secret.

The Philippines under BBM has improved ties with Washington, but Quiboloy’s Sonshine Media Network International is Marcos’ (and his VP’s) favorite media organization. What if the U.S. formally seeks Quiboloy’s extradition?

*

* *

Speaking of mass media, journalists are still targeted during the new administration, although this isn’t due to any systematic policy of the national government, but due to entrenched weaknesses in the criminal justice system that breed impunity.

The murder of broadcaster Percy Lapid stands out for being one of the rare journalist killings perpetrated in Metro Manila, and of course because the accused mastermind is the suspended chief of the Bureau of Corrections – a holdover from the Duterte administration.

But the fact that the bizarre

BBM now seems more relaxed with media organizations that he avoided during his election campaign. He has also said he would not block a new legislative franchise for ABS-CBN. This is noteworthy particularly because his father had also shut down ABS-CBN (plus all other independent media) when martial law was imposed.

Where there has been no improvement in the human rights department, as far as the Left is concerned, is in the approach to counterinsurgency.

The military continues to report lethal armed encounters with communist rebels. The Left maintains that there are no encounters, and those killed were summarily executed.

In this area, BBM is more

managers forged their common position. Committees have a way of bending individual wills and convictions. Now, Medalla is portrayed in a joint press statement of the economic managers as fully supporting the Fund.

As it stands, the MWF is no longer “sovereign” nor about “wealth.” Without the contribution of GSIS and SSS and other excluded sources, it may be too modest for a sovereign fund. As for the word “Maharlika,” it is valid if by this we mean an edifice complex prone to hyperbole and incapable of real achievement.

(Inquirer.net)

* * * 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.

* * * doyromero@gmail.com

like Duterte, supporting the military’s version of events. BBM’s congressional allies have also approved the P10 billion funding for the National Task Force to End Communist Armed Conflict.

Junior’s VP has also retained the P150-million confidential fund for her education portfolio, which the Left also suspects will be used not just to protect school children from sexual predators and drug pushers but also from “subversive” ideas. But what the VP will do with the funds still remains to be seen.

Overall, in the light of the abuses during the first Marcos presidency, plus Duterte’s record in the past six years, when it comes to human rights, Marcos 2.0 is already a major improvement. (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.

ASIAN JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS, INC. Publisher

Main Office: 1210 S. Brand Blvd Glendale, CA 91204 Tels: (818) 502-0651 e-mail: info@asianjournalinc.com http://www.asianjournal.com

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With offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York/New Jersey, Las Vegas, San Diego, Philippines

ROGER

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ManilaTimes.net

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Malacañang file photo story behind the murder came to light and Gerald Bantag now faces criminal indictment together with his sidekick (now AWOL) plus hired guns and Bilibid inmates, is a plus for the new administration.

COVID treatments readily available...

But there is a unique opportunity to address the crisis head-on, Nguyen emphasized. “This is the first winter surge of a three-year pandemic where we actually have treatments that are highly effective, readily available, and free to anyone over the age of 12.”

The challenge, Nguyen noted, is that most people aren’t accessing the treatments.

Paxlovid, or its alternative Molnupiravir, are antivirals and they are free to everyone, even those who lack health insurance or are undocumented. Remdesivir, which is given via infusions, is not free: costs vary with the level of insurance coverage. All three treatments are time sensitive. Paxlovid or Molnupiravir, must be started within the first five days after symptoms start; remdesivir must be started within seven days.

Timely treatment can prevent the severity of the infection by 50% to 88%. Even among those who are vaccinated, it decreases risk of long-term COVID, by 45% to 50%. Paxlovid treatment in 2022 alone averted an estimated 16,000 – 48,000 severe hospitalizations in California, and an estimated 10,000 deaths, according to Nguyen.

But while treatment supplies are plentiful, access challenges remain huge.

The digital divide

Dr. Daniel Turner-Lloveras, executive director of the Latino Coalition for Health Equity, believes lack of internet access and digital skills may be the biggest obstacle.

He cited the case of his mother who recently tested positive for COVID-19. She had phoned her clinic to try to get a doctor but had been waiting all day for a return phone call. Turner Lloveras also called his mother’s clinic, but was forced to leave a voice mail which was not returned.

“As a physician, I am very aware of the benefits of getting early treatment with Paxlovid,” he said. When he sent a message to the clinic’s online patient portal, he got a call back within an hour. “It made me realize that almost every social determinant of health now is enveloped by the need to have internet access and the ability to navigate the World Wide Web.”

More than 35% of Latino workers have no digital skills, and 20% have just limited digital skills, TurnerLloveras added, noting that digital inclusion now impacts most factors in modern society, including the ability to get a job and support a family.

“Without digital literacy and digital skills, you’re offering gas to a family that has no car. Telehealth is a valuable resource but cannot be used without those skills.”

Dr. Oliver Brooks, chief medical officer of the Watts Healthcare Corporation in Los Angeles, concurred with Turner-Lloveras. He noted that 1 out of 5 Black households have no internet access, limiting their ability to access healthcare in a timely manner. He stressed the importance of testing as soon as any symptom appears: runny nose, cough,

gastric distress, fever, and other conditions.

The Black community has much lower rates of treatment, not because it wasn’t accessible, but because it isn’t offered to them, said Brooks. “Treatment doesn’t work if you don’t take it or get offered it. So as a person you need to advocate, you need to know about treatments and then say, ‘I tested positive. Do I take this pill? Do I take something?’”

According to new data from the CDPH shared by Dr. Nguyen, 37% of White patients who presented with COVID symptoms received treatment, while only 20% of Black people got access to care.

Treatment for older adults, rural communities

One of the most vulnerable populations are adults who are 65 years and older and account for nearly 90% of COVID deaths.

Dr. Wynnelena Canio, who specializes in geriatric medicine at Kaiser Permanente in Petaluma, Ca., and is an advisor with the California Department of Aging, noted that “as people age, we accumulate chronic conditions that cause us to have decreased reserves with which to compensate or recover from stressors such as infection.

“A lot of older adults become more frail, losing more muscle mass and becoming more dependent on others after hospitalization. That in turn leads to more disability and possible institutionalization.”

Early treatment of any conditions in older adults has proven to have better outcomes, Canio emphasized. That includes especially getting the new updated boosters, which only 12% of Americans overall have received.

Dr. Jasmeet Kaur Bains, a family physician from Kern County in California’s Central Valley, who was just elected to the California State Assembly, spoke about the challenges in accessing health care for rural residents.

Bains, who grew up in the county, said when she was a child, a pediatrician could usually be seen within a day. Today, it can take two to three months.

The pandemic brought accelerated rates of retirement for doctors and skyrocketing unemployment rates. As people lost their jobs, they also lost health insurance coverage, Bains noted.

Language barriers added to the access challenges. Many resources were not available in Spanish or Punjabi, two commonly spoken languages in Kern County. Added to this, issues like poor air quality and resulting lung disease led to high levels of hospitalization and deaths in her region.

“The lens needs to be focused here. The surge is real, it’s happening and it’s at the detriment of areas like rural California.”

Access issues notwithstanding, all five physicians agreed that getting tested and treated early is the message underserved communities need to hear.

“Don’t wait till the illness gets worse,” said Nguyen. “If you start feeling a runny nose, cough, or generally not like yourself, act fast and take a COVID test. If you test positive, seek treatment right away.”

(by Sunita Sohrabji/Ethnic Media Services) n

Protection of OFWs, utmost priority...

PAGE 5

infrastructure and the digital economy in order to create more jobs in the country.

“Sana naman dumating ang panahon, at ito ang ating pangarap na wala ng kailangan umalis ng Pilipinas dahil walang mahanap na trabaho sa

Pilipinas.

US Treasury freezes...

PAGE 1

Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) blocked all transactions of Quiboloy, his Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) religious sect, and other properties within U.S. territory, effectively freezing their assets.

“For more than a decade Apollo Carreon Quiboloy (Quiboloy) engaged in serious human rights abuse, including a pattern of systemic and pervasive rape of girls as young as 11 years old, as well as other physical abuse,” OFAC said in a press statement.

Quiboloy was one of 40 individuals and entities in nine countries sanctioned for corruption and human rights abuse by the U.S. treasury department as it marked International Anti-Corruption Day (Dec. 9) and Human Rights Day (Dec. 10).

Good news on Rights Day “This is good news during Human Rights Day and we hope that other human rights violators would be held to account in the coming days,” said House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Rep. France Castro.

“We hope that this would serve as a signal to local authorities to also look into the illegal activities of Quiboloy here. There should be no sacred cows,” she said.

The sanctions imposed meant that “all property and interests in property” in the United States “or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.”

“The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person,” OFAC said.

Significant consequences

The action was taken to implement the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act of the U.S. through Executive Order No. 13818.

“The United States seeks to impose tangible and significant consequences on those who commit serious human rights abuse or engage in corruption, as well as to protect the financial system of the United States from abuse by these same persons,” Ofac said.

It did not give an estimate of the value of Quiboloy’s U.S.

assets. The move followed a U.S. federal grand jury indictment of Quiboloy and his two top officials, Teresita Dandan and Felina Salinas, in November 2021 for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and sex trafficking of children.

OFAC said Quiboloy’s victims were mostly minors and were required to do scheduled “night duties” which was to have sex with him. The victims were told by the pastor to “offer your body as a living sacrifice,” it said.

“Quiboloy exploited his role within KOJC to rape his victims and subject them to other physical abuse, describing these acts as sacrifices required by the Bible and by God for the victims’ salvation,” OFAC said.

On Jan. 31 this year, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation published a poster declaring Quiboloy as one of the most wanted suspected sex traffickers in America. The U.S.based lawyers for Quiboloy on Saturday said that his U.S. trial was to start only in 2024 and that the accusations against him were bogus and politically motivated by the U.S. “liberal administration” that saw him and his sect as a “threat.”

Green denied all of the allegations against his client, saying such would be unbecoming of a pastor who helped the poor.

Asked if he had proof to counter the claims of the alleged victims, he said emphatically: “I didn’t find any victims because there were no victims!”

Another lawyer for Quiboloy, Manny Mendrano, said that as long as there was no trial, “that paper (federal indictment) is worthless.”

“No one had their day in court (yet),” he pointed out.

“There’s a lot to be done between now and then and the pastor has a real fire power legal team to assist him and defend him aggressively,” Mendrano said.

‘Not losing sleep’

According to Green, if Quiboloy were to face trial in the United States, he would surely be held in jail for years without bail, so they would represent him instead. Quiboloy’s lawyers also said they were confident that his business transactions in the United States would remain untouched despite the sanction.

Mendrano said KOJC, which

claims 7 million members worldwide, was “not losing sleep” over the recent pronouncements from U.S. authorities.In a statement after the FBI poster was published, Quiboloy, who claims to be “the appointed son of God,” branded all accusations against him as lies instigated by the “Devil.”

In January 2020, U.S. federal agents arrested three of his church leaders on immigration fraud charges following a raid on its U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles City.

Workers allegedly solicited donations year-round for the church’s charity and were beaten and psychologically abused when they did not reach their daily quotas. The money raised, originally for the benefit of poor children, allegedly went to church operations and the “lavish” lifestyle of Quiboloy. Around $20 million was sent back to the church in the Philippines from 2014 to the middle of 2019, according to federal investigators.

In 2018, Salinas, leader of the church’s Hawaii branch, was arrested for smuggling cash onto a private plane in Honolulu bound for the Philippines with Quiboloy on board. A witness saw Salinas and Quiboloy order church members to smuggle hundreds of thousands of dollars inside black socks packed in suitcases from California to the Philippines in 2013 and 2014.

The Philippine government has an International Legal Cooperation agreement with the United States. Under the agreement, the United States can request the Philippines to extradite or surrender a suspect to stand on trial in America. The United States has yet to make such a request for Quiboloy.

The chief state counsel of the Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) has said that if a request came, the DOJ could work on the possible extradition of Quiboloy, but it could take years due to the various processes that it would have to undergo.

Quiboloy supported former President Rodrigo Duterte’s presidential campaign and later became his spiritual adviser.

In this year’s presidential election, he endorsed the winning tandem of President Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte. (Jacob Lazaro/Inquirer. net) n

Aabutin din natin ‘yan (Hopefully the time will come, and this is our dream that no one will have to leave the Philippines because there is no job to be found in the Philippines. We will reach that too),” Marcos told the Filipino community across Europe. (PNA) n

Dangerous Drugs Board...

PAGE 5 pity our children,” Dela Rosa told reporters partly in Filipino. “Ninja cops” is slang for law enforcers involved in the illegal drug trade, particularly those who resell seized drugs.

“As chairman of the public order committee, we’re concerned. I’m not saying our police force and the PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) are not doing their jobs but we must press them. It’s like the fear factor from President Duterte is now gone so they must compensate through their efforts,” he said.

He cited the ongoing investigation of the Philippine National Police (PNP) into two cops, who allegedly withheld P6.7 billion worth of shabu that was previously seized in raids.

The senator delivered a privilege speech calling for the sustained fight against illegal drugs even as he cited Duterte’s unorthodox methods that yielded results felt by ordinary Filipinos.

“Rodrigo Roa Duterte was the only President of this Republic who dared to wage an all-out war against the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country. One might say that it was like opening a

can of worms. Yes, this argument might be true. However, waging the war on drugs also opened our eyes to a reality we refused to acknowledge. Or was it merely hiding in plain sight?” he said in his speech.

“At the start of his term, then President Duterte made us realize that the drug problem was massive and complex – a web of intricate systems that branched out into other different criminal activities. Fortunately for the Philippines, our President was ready and willing to be the first to do the dirty and difficult work in order to untangle the knots of the criminal web,” he said. He cited a conversation with a mayor who lamented that drug syndicates are now back in business while asking authorities to continue to go after both big fishes and low-level pushers.

Dela Rosa also cited a 2019 Supreme Court ruling in the case of People v Ameril that expressed disappointment that the judiciary was swamped with cases involving small fry arrested for minuscule amounts and admonished law enforcement agencies to go after leaders of drug cartels. – With

n

LEGAL SERVICES LEGAL SERVICES

CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00040738-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED

PERSONS: Petitioner Anthony Jesus Hernandez filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Anthony Jesus Hernandez to Jesus Hernandez.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: 01/03/2023 Time: 8:30 AM

Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101

A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: NOV. 17, 2022

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 1077 11/25, 12/02, 12/09, and 12/16/2022

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120)

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD 1077

CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00046712-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED

PERSONS: Petitioner Peter D. Chu, Esq. State Bar# 98935 Attorney For: Sin Lee filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Sin Lee to Shin Lee.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: 01/04/2023 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101

A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: NOV. 18, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 1080 12/02, 12/09, 12/16, and 12/23/2022.

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120)

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD 1080

LEGAL SERVICES

CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00047634-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED

PERSONS: Petitioner Christy Kha Phung on behalf of a minor filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Megan Kha Phung to Mei Kha Phung.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 01/17/2023 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 25

Superior Court of California, County of San Diego North County Division 325 S. Melrose Drive, Suite 1000 Vista, CA 92081

A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county.

Asian Journal: NOV 29, 2022 James E. Simmons JR. Judge of the Superior Court AJ 1081 12/02, 12/09, 12/16, and 12/23/2022

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120)

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court.

AJSD 1081

CASE NUMBER: 37-2022-00048678-CU-PT-CTL

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Michell Anh Nguyen filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Michell Anh Nguyen to Michael Khoianh Nguyen.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: 01/19/2023 Time: 8:30 AM Dept. 61 Superior Court of California, County of San Diego 330 WEST BROADWAY DEPT. 61 San Diego, CA 92101

A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation printed in this county. Asian Journal: DEC. 06, 2022 NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON ABOVE DATE: SEE ATTACHMENT Michael T. Smyth Judge of the Superior Court AJ 1084 12/09, 12/16, 12/23, and 12/30/2022

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME (JC Form #NC-120) NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The Court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One certified copy of the Order Granting Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, drivers license, passport, and other identification, a certificate copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issues the legal document that need to be changed to determine if a certificate copy is required.

A certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be obtained form the Civil Business Office for a fee.

Petitioners who are seeking a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for information on obtaining certified copies.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the Court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If timely objection is filed, the Court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE, MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date.

Any Petition for the name change of a minor, that is signed by only one parent, must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other, non-signing parent, and proof of service must be filed with the Court. AJSD 1084

FICTITIOUS

BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9024824

The Garden State Of Mind Psychotherapy Services located at 142 Diamante Rd., San Marcos, CA 92078.

Registrant: Maria Aurora San Pedro, 142 Diamante Rd., San Marcos, CA 92078. This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 06/23/2021.

Signature: Maria Aurora San Pedro. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 11/10/2022.

AJ 1078 12/02, 12/09, 12/16, and 12/23/2022. AJSD 1078

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9026049

Mahamud, Nafisa Ali Family Child Care located at 3806 Fairmount Ave. #130, San Diego, CA 92105.

Registrant: Nafisa Ali Mahamud, 3806 Fairmount Ave. #130, San Diego, CA 92105.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVE.

Signature: Nafisa Ali Mahamud.

Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 11/30/2022.

AJ 1082 12/02, 12/09, 12/16, and 12/23/2022. AJSD 1082

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9026582

Strictly Maids located at 105 Fourth Ave. Apt B, Chula Vista, CA 91910.

Registrant: Teresa Godinez, 105 Fourth Ave. Apt B, Chula Vista, CA 91910.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 07/15/2017.

Signature: Teresa Godinez. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 12/07/2022.

AJ 1085 12/09, 12/16, 12/23, and 12/30/2022.

AJSD 1085

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9025277

Irma R Smith located at 2010 McCloud River Rd., Chula Vista, CA 91913.

Registrant: Irma Rebeca Smith, 2010 McCloud River Rd., Chula Vista, CA 91913.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVE.

Signature: Irma R Smith. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 11/17/2022.

AJ 1079 12/02, 12/09, 12/16, and 12/23/2022. AJSD 1079

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9026440

Alpha Dental located at 4276 54th Place Ste. D, San Diego, CA 92115.

Registrant: Tyler Kuwamoto DMD Inc, 5048 Merrimac Ct, San Diego, CA 92117.

This business is conducted by Corporation.

REGISTRANT FIRST BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) AS OF 09/19/2022.

Signature: Tyler Kuwamoto. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 12/06/2022.

AJ 1083 12/09, 12/16, 12/23, and 12/30/2022. AJSD 1083

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT NO. 2022-9026927

Kujo Eats located at 3400 E 6th Street, National City, CA 91950.

Registrant: Joel Sarandi Soriano, JR., 8852 Delrose Ave, Spring Valley, CA 91977.

This business is conducted by Individual.

REGISTRANT HAS NOT BEGUN TO TRANSACT BUSINESS UNDER THE NAME(S) ABOVE.

Signature: Joel S. Soriano, JR.. Statement filed with Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on 12/13/2022.

AJ 1086 12/16/2022, 12/23/2022, 12/30/2022, and 01/06/2023. AJSD 1086

Paolo Romero

FESTIVE MOOD. Two young ladies wearing Santa hats take a selfie at the Christmas Village attraction inside the Manila Ocean Park in Manila on Wednesday, Dec. 14. After two years of the pandemic and only 10 days left before Christmas, amusement centers and parks are all set to welcome visitors this holiday season. PNA photo by Yancy Lim

Matet vows to never talk to Nora again because of ‘tuyo wars’

by Jan Milo seveRo Philstar.com

ACTRESS Matet de Leon vowed that she will never talk to mom Nora Aunor again after the National Artist directly competed with Matet’s “tuyo” business.

In her interview with Ogie Diaz, Matet said she talked to her mom before complaining about it publicly.

Hindi ko na siya kakausapin ulit,” Matet said.

Kasi parang sa akin, ginawa ko na ang lahat,” she added. Matet said that Nora collaborated with her younger brother Kenneth and his girlfriend for their business.

Ang alam ko, tinago nila sa akin because the girlfriend of my brother — both of them — kasama sila sa nagbuo nito,” she said.

Kasama ko pa ‘yung girlfriend kasi lilipat sila malapit sa bahay namin… Tinitingnan ako sa mata nu’ng bagets nang parang walang nangyayari,” she added.

“Bakit hindi niyo sinabi kung walang intensyong mang-asar?” Nevertheless, Matet said she still respects her mom.

“Makakaasa pa rin naman siya ng respeto galing sa amin at katahimikan sa mga hindi dapat pag-usapan… Kaya lang, sana hindi na maulit ‘yung mga ganitong parang asaran,” she said. n

Boy Abunda’s unchanged good heart

by Ronnie CaRRasCo iii ManilaTimes.net

THAT Boy Abunda was willing to sell his house (wonder which of his many properties?) for his artist Mariel Rodriguez to help her raise the P5 miilion she badly needed did not come as a surprise to me.

Before I go any further, the following is the back story of this item.

Mariel has joined the bandwagon of celebrities who dabble into vlogging.

But the content of her vlogs is mostly pranks on close celeb friends.

Yes, Mariel is able to juggle her time between online selling and vlogging, while taking care of her two daughters by Senator Robin Padilla.

As her manager, Boy suggests that Mariel do pranks sparingly and do vlogs on motherhood instead.

It was perhaps one last time she’d do a prankster that she thought of preying on Boy. Knowing the “King of Talk,” he’d find it too difficult to tell a prank from what is real.

Still, Mariel believed it was worth the try. She already had a scenario in mind, she just needed to polish her story to make it seem seamlessly believable to achieve that sense of versimilitude.

The plot was such that she had to produce the balance of P5 million to fully settle the one truck of fresh beef she ordered

for her Cooking Ina food market.

Mariel explained that the P5 million she was expecting to be paid to her that day by some client didn’t come. That amount would have supposedly settled her obligation.

Mariel made it sound like it was a matter of life and death, that should she fail to pay the balance she’d be blacklisted by her suppliers.

After mentally weaving the story, an edgy Mariel phoned Boy who was then at a Zoom meeting.

Since she refused to bother Boy any longer, Mariel “abridged” her story but nonetheless told him what her urgent call was all about.

“

O, sige, usap tayo after my Zoom meeting,” Boy told Mariel reassuringly.

Mariel was promised by Boy he’d find a means to source the money.

The magnitude of ‘Huling El Bimbo’

By Jan Milo seveRo Philstar.com

SO there I was, mic in hand, in the middle of Dolphy Theater, looking up the stage when someone sang, “So no one told you life was gonna be this way?”

I would’ve done the “clap-clap, clap-clap” response had my hands been free, not only because that’s what you do, but because it

was one Raymund Marasigan singing the iconic line from the “Friends” theme to me. To his left, of course, were the rest of the legendary Eraserheads, Buddy Zabala, Marcus Adoro and frontman Ely Buendia.

I had the sing-song quip coming, though. I started my series of questions by telling the Fab Four of Filipino Alternative Rock that I can only liken the magnitude of their reunion concert, “Ang Huling El Bimbo,” to that of

Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe’s. So, if the Friends reunion was a global event, this has to be a national event at the very least.

For didn’t time come to a standstill in early October as fans scrambled for tickets that completely sold out in four days? Didn’t the mighty collaboration of four producers — WEU Event Management Services, Ant Savvy u PAGE 10

But before Boy could hang up, a guilty Mariel quickly admitted to the prank for which she repeatedly apologized to her unknowing victim.

To which Boy said, “Prank or no prank, I’m still willing to help you. I’m even willing to sell my house for you!”

If I knew Boy (I address him as kuya) well enough, he is never the type who’d bombard you with questions why you failed to anticipate such problem would eventually arise.

It will always be a noquestions-asked conversation punctuated with words such as “Mag-iingat ka. Nandito lang ako if you need me.”

In fact, Boy is right there even before the need arises!

Allow me to share this anecdote which I relish with fondness.

My friendship with Boy began in 1995 specifically in “Startalk” on GMA. He left the program

sometime in 2000 to join ABSCBN.

Our respective network affiliations, however, hardly affected our friendship. In fact, it all the more grew intense.

It was around 2005 or thereabouts that Boy learned about a gay comedian who threatened to sue me for libel (I had a regular column back then in a tabloid). By some fate, it was the same gay comedian who Boy detested for one reason or another.

I was at a presscon one afternoon when I got a call from Boy. First an exchange of pleasantries. Then after the blah-blahs, I told Boy about my dilemma. Although it wasn’t my first taste of libel, I just thought how I’d manage to get out of it without spending on exorbitant lawyer’s fees, etc.

There was Boy on the other end of the line, “Ron, if you like I can provide you with a lawyer. Don’t worry, sagot ko na ‘yon.”

Of course, Boy would have to shoulder what was due the lawyer. And knowing how fiercely generous Boy is, there could be other freebies waiting on the side for me!

The gay comedian decided not to pursue the case until we became civil to each other.

And Boy? As usual, “Startalk” or no “Startalk,: TV or no TV, libel or no libel — Boy remains unchanged over time: always with a hand, if not a limb to help you rise above the most turbulent of times. n

Matet de Leon

Photo from Instagram/@misismatet

The band that started from Diliman in 1989 come together one last time for an epic show: (From left) Marcus Adoro, Buddy Zabala, Raymund Marasigan and Ely Buendia. Photo from Instagram/@elybumbilya

Boy Abunda remains unchanged over time, always ready with a hand to help. Photo from Facebook/@The Real Boy Abunda

Sleigh bells ring, you recycling?

SANTA Claus, jingle bells,

gifts, packages and — recycling?

Yes! The holidays are a great time of the year to put your recycling skills to work, from all that wrapping paper to gift boxes and even our Christmas trees — if you are using a real tree.

And, in the holiday spirit of giving, the County Department of Public Works would like to give you some tips on what to recycle and how to do it properly. That way you can even give something back to Mother Earth in this season of giving.

Christmas trees

We all love our beautiful Christmas trees. But if you’re using a real tree, there eventually comes a time to say goodbye. The county is here to let you know how to recycle it the right way.

Properly recycled trees and wreaths can be turned into mulch that will improve soil health and help soil retain moisture at our parks, farms, home gardens and landscapes. Recycling them also keeps them from going into the trash where they can unnecessarily fill up landfills and generate unwanted climatechanging greenhouse gases as they decompose.

So, check with your waste hauler to find out if they offer curbside pickup. Many of them do. Or go to the county’s recycling and hazardous waste database, WastefreeSD.org, to find Christmas tree drop-off sites near you. It’s easy.

Type “Christmas tree” in the “find an item” box, add your ZIP code, community and how you heard about the site, and you’ll see all the drop-off locations near you.

Finally, remember, never leave your old dry tree or wreaths lying in the backyard where they can become dangerous fire hazards.

Know what packaging can — and can NOT — be recycled Online shopping and giftgiving typically means lots of packaging, and a lot of stuff to recycle. But not all packaging can be recycled. For example, cardboard boxes and kraft paper can be recycled (just break them down and put them in your blue recycling bin). But other items can’t — manila envelopes, padded plastic mailers, bubblewrap and traditional gift-

wrapping materials including metallic wrapping paper, wrapping paper with glitter, ribbons, bows, twine, tissue paper and cellophane. So please DO NOT put them in your blue recycling bins; consider re-using them instead. Here’s a link to learn more about how to Recycle Right, during the holidays and every day: https://www. sandiegocounty.gov/content/ sdc/dpw/recycling/RecycleRight. html.

Christmas and holiday card recycling

Like packaging materials, not all holiday cards should be added to your recycling. Simple paper cards and envelopes can be added to your blue bins. But cards that have glitter, foil, metallic inks (inks made with tiny metal flakes) or other adornments can’t. If there’s a glitzy front and plain paper backing, tear the cards in two. Recycle the backs and put the glitzy fronts into the trash.

Holiday light recycling

Please — don’t put old holiday lights in your recycling bins. They can tangle up recycling equipment and they also pose a danger to workers in those recycling centers. For recycling options, please visit WasteFreeSD.org, or contact a scrap metal or e-waste recycler.

So there you have it. Remember, if you have other questions about what can and can’t be recycled, go to DPW Recycling’s webpage at https://www. sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/ dpw/recycling.html or to DPW Recycling’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ CountyofSanDiegoRecycling/. (Gig Conaughton/County of San Diego Communications Office) n

Island Pacific Supermarket earns ‘great place to work’ certification

CITY OF INDUSTRY – Island Pacific Supermarket is proud to be the first Asian Supermarket chain in the United States to be Certified™ by Great Place to Work®. This prestigious award is based entirely on anonymous employee surveys of what current employees say about their experience working at Island Pacific. Great Place to Work® Certification™ is the most definitive “employerof-choice” recognition that companies aspire to achieve. It is recognized worldwide by employees and employers alike and is the global benchmark for identifying and recognizing outstanding employee experience.

“Great Place to Work Certification™ isn’t something that comes easily – it takes ongoing dedication to the employee experience,” said Sarah Lewis-Kulin, vice president of global recognition at Great Place to Work. “It’s the only official recognition determined by employees’ real-time reports of their company culture. Earning this designation means that Island Pacific Supermarket is one of the best companies to work for in the country.”

Research shows that job seekers are 4.5 times more likely to find a great boss at a Certified great workplace. Additionally, employees at Certified workplaces are 93% more likely to look forward to coming to work, and are twice as likely to be paid fairly, earn a fair share of the company’s profits, and have a fair chance at promotion.

Maricel Aguilar, Island Pacific’s Director of R&D, has worked in several large multinational

companies and according to her, “What makes Island Pacific stand apart from the rest is that it’s a company that puts people first! When I was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, the company took care of me above and beyond my expectations. Not only did they keep me on the payroll with full pay and benefits for almost a year but after I recovered, they even built me a commercial home kitchen that enabled me to work from home.”

Island Pacific is grateful to all its staff who have dedicated much of their lives to helping the company achieve its mission. Many of its staff have been with the company for over a decade while some have been there since the company was founded in the Year 2000. The company’s philosophy has always been that happy employees make for happy customers, which is why Island Pacific has always been known for the exceptional customer service it delivers.

If you want to grow your career at a company that puts its people first; visit Island Pacific’s careers page at: https://islandpacificmarket.com/ careers/.

[Island Pacific is supermarket chain dedicated to promoting Filipino Food and Culture to the rest of the world. It is headquartered in City of Industry, California and currently has 18 supermarket branches serving communities in California and Las Vegas.]

(Yahoo Finance)

City of San Diego invites young and old to enjoy holiday-themed events at local recreation centers

– 3 p.m.

• Cookies with Santa at Colonel Irving Salomon San Ysidro Community Activity Center on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Adults and children are invited to participate in the holiday activities. Whether it’s meeting Santa Claus, playing in the snow, watching a festive movie, enjoying live music or participating in holiday arts and crafts, it’s sure to be a “fa-la-la” fantastic time for the entire family.

“December is a month filled with joy and laughter; it’s a time to celebrate the holiday season with loved ones,” said Andy Field, Director of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. “Each year, it is a priority that the Parks and Recreation Department provides various holiday events at our local recreation centers for all San Diegans to enjoy. We are excited to continue helping families and youth embrace the holiday spirit and make longlasting memories.”

Holiday events are free to attend and are happening in neighborhoods throughout the city. They include:

• Winter Wonderland at Montgomery-Waller Recreation Center on Saturday, Dec. 10, 10 a.m.

• Dinner with Santa at Silver Wing Recreation Center on Friday, Dec. 16, 5 - 8 p.m.

• Santa Comes to Town at Golden Hill Recreation Center on Sunday, Dec. 18, 10 a.m. – noon.

• Winter Festival at Southcrest Recreation Center on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 4:30 - 8 p.m.

• Winter Cookie Decorating at Pacific Highlands Ranch Recreation Center on Friday, Dec. 23, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.

A full list of upcoming Parks and Recreation holiday events is available on the city’s recreation center webpage at https://www.sandiego.gov/ winterfestival. Residents can also visit their local recreation center for more information.

The City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Department manages 60 recreation centers, 14 pools, seven skate parks and other recreational facilities that serve both residents and visitors of all ages. For additional information regarding the recreation center’s program guides and more, visit sandiego.gov/parks-and-recreation.

(City of San Diego Release) n

themselves, the EHeads value togetherness all the more today.

Creatives and Entertainment, Inc., DVent Productions and Myriad Entertainment Corporation — work their butts off and convince SMDC to allot more space for December 22 and open up more tickets to frustrated fans? And hasn’t the production partnered with iWantTFC to be able to live stream the definitive last time the EHeads will perform together on Philippine stage? One could well argue the reunion concert will be of global proportions anyway.

To that, Raymund didn’t burst into song but said instead, “We don’t think about it [the magnitude of our reunion]. We know it’s a big deal, we know it’s a high-profile event, we know there are more seats available, and we know we will be streamed worldwide, but we don’t think about it. Because if we start thinking about it, we’ll be overwhelmed. We’re focusing on the good show, but we’re grateful it’s being made a big deal.”

Still the same guys who started the band in Diliman, QC in 1989, if there’s anything the group insisted for the reunion, it’s for as many people as possible to get to watch their show. Family men

“It’s not every day that people enjoy the music a band makes, much less this band. It just makes everything all the more special,” Buddy stepped in. “We’ve been together for some 30-odd years, and we’ve had music appreciators who have grown with us, grown older and have families now, and their kids are listening to our music. If that means that our music continues to create more fans of OPM, then we’re really grateful and we’re really happy.”

Thick into rehearsals now, all signs point to an all-out spectacle on D-Day from the EHeads. After all, besides being their very last onstage, Huling El Bimbo is happening 13 long years after they mounted their first reunion, “The Final Set,” in 2009, and 20 years since they disbanded to pursue different paths in music.

With concert director du jour Paolo Valenciano at the helm of this one, fans can expect some high tech stuff to happen too. Like the much talked about hologram of the “fifth head,” the late iconic rapper Francis M., who was meant to be part of their first reunion. To top it all off,

an 18-piece orchestra with the legendary Mel Villena as musical director will play the music for the rock-solid classics like “Pare Ko,” “Magasin, “Ligaya,” “Toyang,” “Overdrive” and “With a Smile,” to name a few.

Longtime EHeads producer Francis Lumen put it more eloquently when he said, “On December 22, we are going to attempt to make some historical achievements that no other local concert has ever done. It will be their last that’s why we want to give the fans one last epic show.”

With the final countdown underway, Raymund confessed, “We’re excited with the music but napapagod kami physically because we’re not as young as we want to be.

“But you can’t help it. When you play rock ‘n roll, you can’t just play 20 percent. It always has to be a 110 percent or you won’t rock ‘n roll.”

With some 50,000 fans expected at SMDC, Marcus is right, ever the joker got it right in ending, “Suwerte ng audience na mapaanood kami ng live... kasi kami hindi namin kami mapapanood ng live kahit kailan.”

Gusto mo bang, sumama

Island Pacific is grateful to all its staff who have dedicated much of their lives to helping the company achieve its mission. Many of its staff have been with the company for over a decade while some have been there since the company was founded in the Year 2000. The company’s philosophy has always been that happy employees make for happy customers, which is why Island Pacific has always been known for the exceptional customer service it delivers.

SAN DIEGO – The City of San Diego is bringing holiday cheer to San Diegans with a variety of festive winter-themed events at recreation centers across the City during the month of December.

New Year’s Eve fireworks expected to draw more than 300,000 to LV Strip

WHEN Las Vegas does one thing, it typically goes big. And that goes with New Year’s Eve (NYE) celebrations, which can rival the party atmosphere in New York, which has the traditional, glittering ball that drops at the stroke of midnight on December 31. That’s why Sin City has become a go-to destination for NYE celebrations, fun and revelry.

There will be fireworks galore and many parties taking place in the Strip, in the downtown area, and across the Las Vegas Valley to usher in 2023.

According to news reports, fireworks display will be launched from the rooftops of eight casino properties in the Strip, as part of the ‘America’s Party 2023” event in Las Vegas. If past fireworks displays are taken into consideration, this year’s display should be quite the spectacle that many are looking forward to seeing.

The eight properties taking part in the event are MGM Grand, Aria, Planet Hollywood, Caesars Palace, Treasure Island, The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, Resorts World Las Vegas and The STRAT. Whether you are out on the streets or inside one of the casinos, prepare to be amazed at the pyrotechnic displays prepared by organizers of this year’s NYE celebrations.

Aside from the fireworks, each of the casinohotel properties have their own New Year’s Eve parties going on so visitors will have plenty of opportunities to join the revelry and enjoy the festivities.

Plus, the Strip is not the only place to party in Las Vegas. The downtown area, courtesy of Fremont Street, will have its own festival-type atmosphere where ticket holders get to experience fireworks,

acrobatic performances, live entertainment, drink and dining options and a lot more.

If you want to escape the crowds along the Strip and in downtown, there are a bevy of options – places like M Resort Spa Casino or Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa where one can also view the fireworks display happening in Las Vegas at a distance.

So, if you are planning on being in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve, it’s advisable to have a location or two singled out so you, along with family, friends and other guests, can enjoy the NYE fireworks display and other goings-on.

Of course, fun and entertainment is on the menu in Las Vegas all year round.

Aside from artist residencies, major concerts, sporting events, shows, great restaurants, 24-hour gambling, and nearby tourist attractions (yes, one can visit the spectacle that is the Hoover Dam and the great wonder of The Grand Canyon easily from Las Vegas), locals and tourists have many things to look forward to in 2023.

For one, major sporting events are taking place in Las Vegas, which is poised as the next big sports capital in the United States. It already has football, soccer, triple-A baseball, hockey and recentlcrowned WNBA champion, the Las Vegas Aces. There are rumors of a Major League Baseball franchise moving to the city in the near future, and there is one group planning to construct an entertainment/shopping hub with an NBA-ready arena should the National Basketball Association decide to expand on its current size.

Las Vegas hosts Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games for the NCAA tournament in 2023 for the first time.

Typically, Sin City hosts March Madness watch parties for the NCAA tournament, but with games scheduled in Las Vegas, this could even become a bigger event for sporting enthusiasts.

Later in the year, specifically in November, Formula 1 racing takes centerstage – crowds will hear the roar of racing cars as they navigate the twists, turns and straightaways of a 3.8-mile, 1215m wide street track where F1’s seasoned drivers will aim to win the title. Racing fans from around the world were reported to have rushed to buy tickets to the F1 Las Vegas race when it went on sale last November, about a year away from the actual race date.

Secondly, there are major changes taking place with the casino properties. Bally’s has been rebranded into a Horseshoe Casino after a multimillion-dollar renovation. Visitors to Sin City will want to be the very first ones to experience the rebranded hotel-casino, which is part of Caesar’s Entertainment Inc.

Also, the Fontainebleau will be opening in late 2023 after undergoing many changes since its announcement in 2005. With a 2-story retail complex, lots of meeting/convention space, a hotel and casino, it will add to the bevy of spaces where expos, big meetings and corporate events can take place in Las Vegas.

The MSG Sphere at The Venetian, a music and entertainment arena, has been rescheduled to a 2023 opening. The MSG Sphere will rise to a height of 366 feet and width of 516 feet (at its broadest point), and can accommodate up to 20,000 people (17,500 seating, plus standing capacity).

The sphere’s exterior venue can accommodate 580,000 square feet of programmable lighting,

while the interor wraparound screen will measure 160,000 square feet.

Beyond 2023, the major hotel-casino properties are planning their own renovations and developments. Hard Rock International will be joining the scene as it purchased the operations of The Mirage and is scheduled to construct a guitarshaped property along The Strip.

Jobs will be available in Las Vegas in the foreseeable future, with all the construction, activities and openings scheduled in 2023 and in the foreseeable future. Perhaps that is why Las Vegas continues to be an attractive addition to those wanting to expand their real estate portfolio.

Despite the increase in mortgage rates, Las Vegas properties – and those in nearby cities, towns and areas – continue to be affordable. Whether as an investment property or real estate holding, those who want to invest in Las Vegas surely have

something to look forward to as the city continues to expand and develop.

Now is the time to take advantage of deals in land and real estate properties. I have had decades of experience in helping people look for that piece of real estate heaven they want to build their special place, invest their money on and turn it into an income-generating property, or just buy something that their budget can afford.

My company, Precious Properties, is a fullservice company that has successfully helped its clientele find the best deals since 1992. You can reach me at 775-513-8447, 805-559-2476 and 702-538-4948 for more information, or send me an email at fely@precious-properties.com or fely. precious@gmail.com. We have investors who buy houses in California and Nevada for cash and quick escrow in as short as 7 days.

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The 3.8-mile, 12-15m wide street track for the Formula 1 race in November 2023 will feature exciting twists, turns and a straightaway. Global race fans were among those who bought tickets to the Las Vegas F1 stop when it went on sale last month, about a year away from the actual event. File photo/www.f1lasvegasgp.com

Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman (left) with her clients and repeat investors Neneth Suarez (right) and husband Tony Suarez (not in picture) who are extremely happy with their properties in Pahrump. With Realtor Quitevis-Bateman and Neneth in photo is prospective client Josephine Devlin.

Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman (center) with her new Pahrump investors, (from left) Ron Quilang and Mico Osotio.

Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman helps those who need business financing, including loans for small businesses. For more information, call (702) 538-4948, or send email to fely@ precious-properties.com or fely.precious@gmail.com.

By RealtoR Fely Quitevis-Bateman