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PH withdraws application for US DATELINE USA El Cerrito swears in first grant to focus on rebuilding Marawi Fil-Am, LGBT mayor FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

El Cerrito’s first Fil-Am and LGBT councilmember became the city’s first Fil-Am and LGBT mayor o n Tu e s d a y, December 19 during the reorganization of the city council at El Cerrito City Hall.

In all of the city’s 100-year history, Gabriel El Cerrito City Mayor Gabriel Quinto Quinto is the third mayor of color. Those before him were El Cerrito’s first African-American city council member and mayor Letitia Moore who served in 2004 and 2008, and Chinese-American Mayor Ann Cheng who served in 2011 as the first Asian American to hold the position as well as the youngest.

As Quinto takes on his new position, here are some facts about him.

THE Philippine government has pulled out its application for a second grant from an independent United States poverty reduction agency, Malacañang announced on Tuesday, December 19.

According to Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque, the Philippine

government decided to withdraw its application from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in order to focus on the rehabilitation of the war-torn Marawi City in Mindanao.

“We have opted to withdraw from the second Millennium Challenge…

The decision to withdraw was because of the urgent priority of the

administration to rebuild Marawi,” the Palace official said in a briefing.

He explained that the MCC grant would not cover projects that could be used for rebuilding Marawi City.

“MCC exists for other objectives.

They do not exist for rebuilding because of natural or man-made calamities,” Roque said.

PH-US economic, security ties ‘robust,’ says envoy

US slams China for ‘unacceptable’ ongoing militarization in South China Sea

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U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Philippine Ambassador Babe Romualdez during his presentation of credentials at the White House last November 29. Photo courtesy of the Office of Ambassador Romualdez

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THE United States has denounced China’s reported continuous militarization in the South China Sea, calling Beijing’s construction activities in the disputed waters “unacceptable.”

“It is not an acceptable – it’s not acceptable to us that these islands continue to be developed, and certainly not for military purposes,” said U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday, December 12.

Speaking before the 2017 Atlantic CouncilKorea Foundation Forum, Tillerson said U.S. government told Chinese officials that Washington is hoping to “find a way to freeze” the militarization in the region.

“And we have differences, such as the South China Sea and China’s building of structures, militarization of these structures, and how that affects our allies in the region as well in terms of free and open trade,” Tillerson said.

He added, “As we’ve said to the Chinese, we hope we can find a way to freeze this particular activity. Whether we can reverse it remains to seen. But it is not an acceptable.”

Last week, a U.S. think tank released a re-

The Palace official also made it clear that the decision has nothing to do with the Philippines’ failure to meet the MCC’s performance standard this year in terms of controlling corruption and of ensuring the rule of law.

In the MCC 2018 scorecard released last month, the Philip-

by DANA

PH TAX REFORM. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is flanked by lawmakers as he leads the Ceremonial Signing of the 2018 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) at the Malacañang Palace on Tuesday, December 19.

Malacañang photo by Albert Alcain

SIOSON/AJPress

THIS year’s economic and security partnerships between the Philippines and the United States have been “robust,” according to Philippine Ambassador to U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez.

In his year-end report

at the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, December 19, Romualdez highlighted the positive reforms and trends in the Philippine economy.

The diplomat noted that

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Pres. Pacquiao in 2022? Duterte supports it

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

IF there is someone Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte wants to succeed him, it would be boxing icon and Senator Manny Pacquiao.

In his remarks during the senator’s 39th birthday celebration on Sunday, December 20, Duterte expressed support for Pacquiao as he remarked that the senator is capable of becoming the country’s next chief executive.

“Sabi ko sa kanya one time noong kami lang dalawa nag-usap, gusto kita gawing president. Alam ko kaya mo (One time in a private talk, I told him I want him to be president and said he could do it),” the president said.

This, however, was not the first time Duterte expressed support to Pacquiao for a possible presidential run in the 2022 elections. Last year, Duterte also tagged Pacquiao as “president-tobe.”

Duterte then lauded Pac-

quiao’s public service.

“As a senator, you have demonstrated the qualities of a true leader — someone who believes that in order to make the Philippines a better country, we have to keep our people on top of our priorities. I am glad that you are with me in this mission,” Duterte said.

He also praised the boxing icon for bringing glory to the Philippines in the world of sports.

“You have brought so President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday, Dec. 17, attended the 39th birthday celebration of much pride and joy to our Senator Manny Pacquiao in General Santos City. Joining them in the photo are Pacquiao’s

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wife Jinkee and their children.

Photo from Instagram/@jinkeepacquiao

Deaths of two children Duterte changes tune anew, says blamed on Dengvaxia he supports same-sex marriage

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

WHILE the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) claimed that there have been no confirmed Dengvaxia-related deaths, families of two children who allegedly died due to the dengue vaccine appeared before the Justice Department on Tuesday, December 19.

Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) Chief Persida Rueda-Acosta assisted the parents of 10-year-olds Parents claiming their children died after receiving Dengvaxia are accompanied by Public Christine Mae De Guzman and Attorney’s Office chief Persida Rueda-Acosta at the Department of Justice on Tuesday, Anjelica Pestilos, who both died December 19.

Philstar.com photo by Edd Gumban months after being administered

the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine under the government’s mass immunization program.

“Those claiming that Dengvaxia has not resulted in the death of the students who were injected with it are lying. It’s clear that somebody had already died,” Acosta said in a press briefing.

According to De Guzman’s father, Nelson, his daughter Christine had no history of a dengue infection. He said that Christine was administered Dengvaxia on April 16, 2016 through a school

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REVERSING his stance, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his support for the legalization of same-sex marriage in the country.

Speaking before the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Davao City on Sunday, December 17, Duterte suggested the possibility of legalizing the union between same sexes in the Philippines, as the current law provides that marriage is only between man and woman.

“Ako gusto ko (I want) samesex marriage. Ang problema

we’ll have to change the law.

But we can change the law. Eh ang batas kasi (Because our law states that) marriage is a union between a man and a woman,” Duterte said in his speech.

As stated by the Executive Order (E.O.) 209, marriage is “a special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life.”

But the president expressed that he does not have “any problems making it marrying a man,

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A

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From The FronT Page

PH withdraws application for...

PAGE A1 pines scored zero in controlling corruption and -0.01 in ensuring the rule of law. The country’s percentile ranking in the low-income group category was 50 percent.

Roque likewise clarified that the Philippine government has no objections to any of the conditions set by the MCC in grant-

ing the aid. He further added that the decision to withdraw, has nothing to do with the supposed interference from the U.S. “No, none at all, not at all.

Not this instance. It was really just that Marawi happened. We did not expect it and it’s going to be very costly rebuilding,” the Palace official said.

The administration of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has repeatedly said in the past that it will not accept any grants that have conditions perceived to violate the country’s sovereignty.

MCC is an independent U.S. foreign aid agency that provides grants to promote economic growth in poor countries that are committed to good governance, economic freedom and investments in citizens, as stated in its official website.

The Philippines received $434 million-worth grant from the MCC in 2010, which expired in May 2016. The country has been listed as a “candidate country” for a second grant.

While the Philippines has cancelled its application for a second MCC grant, Malacañang expressed optimism that the U.S. government “fully understands the decision to reallocate our funding priority for this year and that this will not, in any way, adversely impact our eligibility for another round of compact assistance in the future.”

‘Robust’ security, economic ties Both the security and economic relationship between the Philippines and U.S. this year has been “robust,” according to Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez.

“It is said that security and economic development are two sides of the same coin. Our partnership with the U.S. on political and security issues are just as robust as the economic relationship I just mentioned,” said Romualdez in a briefing held at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. For the year 2018, Romualdez cited counterterrorism and counter-narcotics as the primary focus of the countries’ bilateral cooperation. He stressed that it is to the interest of both Manila and Washington to eradicate threats posed by terrorism and illegal drugs trade.

The ambassador also encouraged the Filipino community in U.S. to contribute in bringing positive change on the two countries’ people-to-people ties. n

COVERED IN MUD. The Caraycaray Bridge in Biliran is impassable after it was destroyed when typhoon Urduja ravaged some parts of Eastern and Western Visayas over the weekend. President Rodrigo Duterte visited the hard-hit areas on Monday, December 18.

Malacañang photo by Robinson Ninal Jr.

Pres. Pacquiao in 2022? Duterte supports...

PAGE A1 country for being a world champion in the field of boxing. The determination you have shown and the humility you embodied in the midst of glorious triumphs are worthy of emulation by our countrymen,” Duterte added.

During the May 2016 election, Pacquiao won the senatorial race after getting more than 15 million votes. He has emerged as one of the staunch supporters of the current administration.

Prior to the senatorial post, Pacquiao has served as a con-

gressman of Sarangani province.

McGregor wants ‘true fight’ There had been reports about mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor as Pacquiao’s potential opponent but the Irishman has indicated that he’s not interested in a boxing match.

In an interview with TMZ last week, McGregor said that he wants to enter the octagon in his next match and not the squared ring.

“I think a true fight is what I want to do next,” McGregor said.

“MMA next.”

Earlier in August, McGregor

suffered a technical knockout loss in his boxing match against undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. In a social media post last November 23, Pacquiao teased a possible match next year against McGregor when he used the hashtags “2018” and “real boxing match.”

“Happy Thanksgiving! Stay fit my friend. #realboxingmatch #2018 @thenotoriousmma,” the Filipino boxer posted on in his Instagram account along with a photo of the UFC Lightweight Champion. n

US slams China for ‘unacceptable’ ongoing...

PAGE A1 port showing that China has installed high-frequency radar system and other facilities at the northern end of Fiery Cross Reef—locally known in the Philippines as the Kagitingan Reef— in the Spratlys.

In its report dated Thursday, December 14, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) also claimed that China continues to build defence “fortifications” on Mischief (Panganiban) and Subi (Zamora) reefs.

This, despite Chinese President Xi Jinping’s vow last year that Beijing did “not intend to pursue

militarisation” in the region.

But the Philippine government, for its part, downplayed the AMTI’s report as it pointed out that China has not occupied any new area in the disputed region and has only been “building in areas they already occupy.”

The Philippine government also noted that China is not the sole country conducting activities within the contested waters.

“In the old areas, we’ve monitored that a lot are still building in areas they already occupy. In Pag-asa [Island] we’re repairing.

Malaysia, Vietnam, China are

repairing but everyone is saying it’s defensive,” Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said.

“We’ve never said that they have stopped [building] or that there is nothing happening. What we are saying is, they are not occupying areas that are not inhabited, meaning, they are not occupying new areas,” he added.

Defending its construction, China, meanwhile, insisted that it is completely normal to “conduct peaceful construction and build essential defense equipment on its own sovereign territory.”

(Dana Sioson/AJPress)

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Catering hall owner, manager indicted for forced labor, visa fraud Defendants allegedly forced immigrants from the Philippines to work without proper pay

by MOMAR

G. VISAYA

AJPress

REWARD FOR BRAVERY. President Rodrigo Duterte talks to an injured police officer during the awarding of the Order of Lapu-Lapu to personnel of the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology at the police headquarters in Camp Crame.

Malacañang photo

PH-US economic, security ties ‘robust’...

PAGE A1 the country’s economy expanded by more than six percent in the past nine quarters, which he said can be attributed to a number of factors—including the “strong growth in exports, improvements in public spending, and boosted performance in traditionally wellperforming areas such as the manufacturing subsector and services sector.”

For U.S.-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Business Council President and CEO Alex Feldman, the Philippines’ “impressive” economic growth is seen to attract U.S. companies to invest in the country.

“The impressive economic growth that the Philippines has experienced over the last year and the predictions that it will continue into 2018 are the types of economic fundamentals that have attracted over $3.3 billion in American foreign direct investment to the Philippines,” Feldman said.

He added that “major initiatives to improve the business environment” and “efforts to ease restrictions on foreign ownership in key sectors” also make the Philippines “an even more attractive destination for American corporations.”

Feldman mentioned, in particular, the Philippine government’s ambitious “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program, which aims to construct P8 trillion-worth of road networks and other infrastructures to enhance the mobility in different parts of the country.

According to Romualdez, Phil-

ippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration has a goal to invest over U.S.$170 billion in six years.

By 2022, he said the government is expected to spend nearly U.S.$38 billion, or 7.4 percent of GDP, on infrastructure alone.

“Our economic managers emphasize the multiplier and expansionary effects that investment in infrastructure and construction,” the envoy said, adding that investments will be put toward “the modernization of urban areas in Manila, while incentivizing greater investment in the rural areas.”

In the same briefing, Romualdez also remarked that officials from both countries have begun preliminary consultations on the proposed bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Manila and Washington.

The U.S. served as the Philippines’ third largest trading partner and the second biggest market for Philippine exports in 2016.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) show that the U.S. accounts for the 11.6 percent or $16.427 billion total trade of the country last year.

Apart from economic matters, Romualdez further noted that the partnership between the Philippines and the U.S. in terms of security has been strong this year.

“It is said that security and economic development are two sides of the same coin. Our partnership with the U.S. on political and security issues are just as robust as the economic relationship I just mentioned,” Romualdez said.

The envoy noted that there had been a lot of information sharing and other types of cooperation between the two countries in matters concerning the Philippines’ implementation of anti-illegal drugs campaign this year.

Romualdez also took note of Washington’s “close” and “timely assistance” to the Philippines in its past operations to liberate Marawi City from Islamic Stateaffiliated terrorists.

According to him, counterterrorism and counter-narcotics will be among the primary focuses of the countries’ bilateral cooperation for 2018. He also stressed that it is in the interest of both Manila and Washington to eradicate threats posed by terrorism and illegal drugs trade.

During the briefing, Romualdez likewise reaffirmed the Philippine government’s commitment to work with its allies in addressing threats and challenges in the region, including the South China Sea dispute and tensions in the Korean Peninsula.

Romualdez said that the Philippines remains “gravely concerned” over North Korea’s provocative actions “which only serve to raise tension in the region.”

“We support relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions imposed sanctions against North Korea,” he said.

Concerning the territorial dispute in the South China Sea, the envoy expressed optimism that the conclusion of the Code of Conduct (COC) would help in attaining peace and stability in the area. ■

TWO men in Long Island, New York are facing charges of forced labor and visa fraud following an investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York.

Ralph Colamussi, 61, of East Northport, NY and Roberto Villanueva, 60, residing in the Philippines, allegedly lured Filipino immigrants to the United States with false promises of good jobs in the hospitality business only to force them to work for substandard wages at a catering hall now face charges of forced labor and visa fraud, the federal government said on Monday.

Each one is being charged with conspiring to engage in forced labor of immigrants and visa fraud, as well as related substantive counts, fraud in foreign labor contracting and fraudulent inducement of aliens to enter and remain in the United States in violation of law.

Both defendants were arrested Monday morning and will be arraigned before United

States Magistrate Judge Anne Y. Shields.

“As alleged, Colamussi and Villanueva lured immigrants from the Philippines to the United States with false promises regarding jobs and overtime pay in order to line their own pockets at the expense of the victims,” said Acting United States Attorney Bridget M. Rohde. “This Office, together with our law enforcement partners, will hold accountable those who engage in such illegal, exploitive behavior.”

At the time of the events alleged in the indictment, Colamussi was the owner and operator of Thatched Cottage, a popular catering and wedding venue in Centerport, New York, as well as the owner and operator of the Jellyfish Restaurant, a popular bar located next door to the Thatched Cottage.

As alleged in the indictment, between approximately August 2008 and March 2013, Villanueva and Colamussi recruited prospective employees in the Philippines with false promises of jobs with overtime pay, as waiters, servers, cooks, chefs and food

preparation.

The prospective employees were illegally made to pay the defendants money in advance in order to qualify for the visa interview in the United States and directed to conceal such payments from the United States Department of State during visa interviews.

“This case is an example of ruthless labor trafficking hiding in plain sight. These individuals allegedly committed visa fraud while forcing people to work in their catering hall under horrible conditions, in what seemed to be an inescapable situation,” stated HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Angel M. Melendez. “It is important for anyone who may believe they are a victim of trafficking to know that our investigations are victimcentered, focusing on keeping the victim safe while bringing their traffickers to justice.”

Workers were not only brought to the United States by means of fraudulent promises of specific employment, but upon arrival, were forced to work at lower than promised wages without overtime.

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El Cerrito swears in first Fil-Am , LGBT...

PAGE A1 NorCal local Born in Berkeley, California, Quinto went on to graduate from El Cerrito High School in 1979.

Quinto then briefly went down to Southern California to study at Long Beach State University where he graduated with his B.S. in Radio, TV, and Film in 1983.

Pangasinan roots Quinto’s late father Santiago, and his mother Isidra, are originally from the province of Pangasinan, Philippines.

Santiago Quinto, was in World War II where he served in the U.S. Army’s 2nd Filipino Battalion in the Battle of New Guinea.

Community involvement Before being elected into council in December of 2014, Quinto had already built experience in public service through political and community empowerment volunteer work. His resume includes working with the Sierra

Club Bay Chapter, the League of Women Voters of West Contra Costa County, and as an Obama delegate in 2012. He was also an Alternate of the Marin Clean Energy Board.

In El Cerrito specifically, Quinto has served as a member of Human Relations Commission and the Committee on Aging. He is also involved as Council Liaison to Planning Commission and Parks and Recreation Commission, the League of CA Cities/Environmental Policy Committee, the Association of Bay Area Government as a delegate representing El Cerrito, and the West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee.

Quinto also serves on the Executive Board of the East Bay Division - League of CA CIties; is an Executive Board Member of the API Caucus and LGBT Caucuses of the League of CA Cities; is on the Executive Committee of the Sierra Club Bay Chapter in which

he represents San Francisco, Marin, Alameda, and Contra Costa Counties; and is the Vice President of the West Contra Costa County League of Women Voters.

He is also the elected Delegate on the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County representing West Contra Costa County.

Diverse team backing him up Aside from being the first FilAm to become mayor of El Cerrito, Quinto was sworn in by fellow Fil-Am, Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Benjamin T. Reyes II. Reyes was the first ever Fil-Am judge to ever serve on the Contra Costa County bench, and was the second Fil-Am judge to serve in the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties.

Assuming role of Mayor Pro Tem is Rochelle Pardue-Okimoto, El Cerrito’s first biracial councilmember. Pardue-Okimoto is African-American and Caucasian. (Rae Ann Varona/AJPress)

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Trans individuals allowed to enlist in military

by KLARIZE

MEDENILLA AJPress

MAGICAL FRIENDS. Kids and mall shoppers enjoy interacting with mascots at the Atrium of the SM City Masinag Grand Magical Parade held in Marikina City. This annual event is one of the biggest attractions of the mall giant.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

Catering hall owner, manager...

PAGE A3 The workers were also forced to care for Colamussi’s relatives, including his father, and to perform construction work at the Jellyfish Restaurant.

Workers were brought to the United States on H-2B visas that expired shortly after their arrival in the United States. Once their H-2B visas expired, workers were allegedly told by Colamussi and Villanueva to apply for student visas and to fraudulently represent that they intended to attend school full-time and had sufficient resources to support themselves during school.

Colamussi and Villanueva, at times, deposited funds in the

workers’ bank accounts to give the appearance of resources and then withdrew the funds once the student visas were approved.

The workers continued to work for Colamussi and Villanueva during the term of their student visas, attending school one day a week.

When the workers objected to performing certain jobs or working consecutive shifts, Colamussi and Villanueva threatened to report them to immigration authorities.

Colamussi had many workers whose visas had expired living in the basement of his home in East Northport, New York, and working for him off the books.

AS the court case advances, transgender people will be allowed to enlist in the United States military starting January 1, thwarting President Donald Trump’s effort to ban transgender troops.

On Monday, December 11, a federal judge denied a request from the Trump administration to delay an order that required the military to start accepting transgender military enlistees at the start of 2018, citing “vague claims.”

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the District of Columbia previously blocked the policy that banned transgender individuals from serving in the military, citing a lack of fact-based reasoning behind the presidential memo, as

reported by the Asian Journal in October.

“The court is not persuaded that defendants will be irreparably injured by allowing the accession of transgender individuals into the military beginning on Jan. 1, 2018,” she wrote in her ruling on Monday. “Especially in light of the record evidence showing, with specifics, that considerable work has been done, the Court is not convinced by the vague claims in [the administration’s] declaration that a stay is needed.”

Kollar-Kotelly previously cited concerns that the ban is unconstitutional, violating rights to due process and equal protection guaranteed in the Fourteenth Amendment.

In his original tweet announcing the ban, Trump wrote that the

military “cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail,” claiming he was consulted by “my Generals and military experts.” (This was despite the Pentagon later saying it was not notified of the ban prior to the announcement.)

According to a RAND Corporation study, there are more than 6,500 transgender military personnel and that the estimated medical costs for transgender troops would only amount to 0.004-0.017 percent of the total health care spending of the Defense Department.

Following the judge’s ruling on Monday, the administration is exploring legal options to try to move forward with the ban, according to a White House official. ■

Duterte changes tune anew, says he supports...

The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

If convicted, Colamussi and Villanueva face a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years for forced labor and conspiracy to commit forced labor, 10 years for visa fraud and fraud in foreign labor contracting, and five years for conspiracy to commit visa fraud and inducement of an alien to illegally enter and reside in the United States. Defendants also face forfeiture of all proceeds and the house in East Northport where the immigrants lived in the basement. ■

PAGE A1 marrying a woman or whatever is the predilection of the human being.”

He continued, “If that is the trend of the modern times, if that will add to your happiness, I am for it. Who am I?” The president also assured the LGBT community in the country that he will not tolerate discrimination against all sectors of society.

In the same speech, Duterte likewise said he is willing to appoint members of the LGBT community to his Cabinet, giving them until the second week of January to choose their nominee.

“Now find me the brightest

DARE TO INSPIRE. DARE TO LEAD. B E L E G E N D A R Y.

dito sa Pilipinas (here in the Philippines). Bigyan ninyo ako ng bright na tao (Give me a bright person). He might be gay, he might be lesbian. I’d like to nominate or appoint somebody upon the nomination,” Duterte said.

He added, “You nominate the representative from the LGBT sector kasi (because) I fired the entire [Presidential] Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP), the head for traveling so much in so short a time, as if he was using the money of the people like his own.”

Earlier this month, the president had fired all the commissioners of the PCUP, headed by its former chairman Terry Ridon, because of their alleged unnecessary trips and supposed failure to hold meetings.

It is not clear, however, which government body Duterte was referring to when he made the remark about appointing a member of the LGBT community to his Cabinet.

“I’d like a gay there somewhere or a lesbian… You nominate somebody who is honest, hardworking. And I would like to show that any, any ma-bakla man o ma-tomboy (gay or lesbian) can—well, can always work just like an ordinary human being,” Duterte said.

During his taped TV appearance on “Gandang Gabi Vice” in 2015, Duterte told gay television host Vice Ganda that same-sex marriage is “good,” adding “everyone deserves to be guaran-

teed happy.”

But in his speech before the Filipino community in Myanmar earlier in March this year, Duterte insisted that marriage in the predominantly Catholic Philippines is between a man and a woman.

He clarified, however, that he respects the lifestyle of the people in the LGBT community, sharing that some members of his extended family are gay.

Following Duterte’s recent bid to legalize same sex marriage, some Catholic Church leaders in the country reiterated their stance against it.

In a statement, Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes maintained that the Catholic Church will never approve the union between same sexes. He also called on the Filipinos to never allow its legalization.

“The trivialization of marriage is one of the fundamental reasons [for] the breakdown of individuals and human society,” Bastes said.

In a separate statement, the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) also voiced its objection as it noted that such union was against the central teachings of both Christianity and Islam.

“Union between the same sex, for instance, directly contradicts a central teaching of Islam and Christianity—that marriage is only between a man and a woman,” the PCEC said. (Dana Sioson/AJPress)

Deaths of two children blamed...

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PAGE A1 vaccination project at Sisiman Elementary School in Mariveles, Bataan.

“While we were being asked for information, we were told that we should be thankful to the government because the anti-dengue vaccine is free. If we would get it from private hospitals, it would cost around P4,500 to P5,000,” Nelson’s affidavit read.

But on Oct. 11, 2016, his daughter developed a severe headache and fever, and was later rushed to the Bataan General Hospital on October 14 where she was diagnosed with severe dengue.

De Guzman died the following day.

Pestilos’s parents Ramil and Liza, on the other hand, said their daughter Anjelica also received a shot of Dengvaxia last September but died this December 6. They claimed that their daughter also never had a previous dengue infection.

While the diagnosis on the clinical abstract of Anjelica showed she suffered severe systemic lupus erythematosus, PAO forensic expert Erwin Erfe said that she showed symptoms of severe hemorrhagic dengue, such as edema, rashes, bleeding and low platelet count.

“When we reviewed her clinical abstract, there is a manifestation that Anjelica died of severe hemorrhagic dengue,” Erfe explained.

Earlier this week, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II released an order giving the PAO the authority to “represent possible victims of Dengxavia-related injuries, illnesses and deaths.”

Aguirre also directed the PAO “to extend free legal assistance in civil, criminal and administrative cases to all possible victims of Dengvaxia-related injuries, illnesses and deaths.”

Acosta, meanwhile, said that the PAO has yet to finalize which charges could be filed against officials or personalities.

“We just started building up cases and gathering evidence. We haven’t finalized yet what charges could be filed against whom. But we’re looking at possible criminal, civil and administrative cases,” she explained.

The PAO chief, however, expressed the belief that the vaccine’s manufacturer had the biggest liability.

“There are many betrayers who keep on passing the blame on others. In my own opinion, Sanofi is liable. They started the problem,” Acosta remarked.

She then hit Sanofi for failing to

“put the warnings” of the health risks posed by Dengvaxia on the product’s packaging.

“You have the biggest responsibility. Without you, this mess could not have happened,” she added.

“Sanofi, you better shut up.”

Last month, the DOH suspended its vaccination program after Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur released an analysis which found out that “for those not previously infected by dengue virus… in the longer term, more cases of [the] severe disease could occur following vaccination upon a subsequent dengue infection.”

The government’s mass immunization program was first implemented in April last year under then-DOH Secretary Janette Garin during the administration of former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino. It was continued by Aquino’s successor, President Rodrigo Duterte.

More than 730,000 school children were administered Dengvaxia since its launch last year, according to the DOH. But in a statement, current Health Secretary Francisco Duque III insisted that there were no confirmed deaths related to Dengvaxia so far.

“So far, I have not received any report that directly links Dengvaxia… There are 12 reports (of adverse events) but they are all alive. They have recovered,” Duque told the Philippine Star on Tuesday.

According to him, there are three “events that give rise to severe dengue infections.”

“Number one, you have prior infection of dengue and number two, you were vaccinated. Number three, you were bitten by an infected mosquito and developed dengue (after vaccination). These are the events that we look for in validating cases,” Duque said.

He assured, however, that the DOH will not ignore any possible deaths or severe dengue cases related to the controversial vaccine.

Concerning the cases of De Guzman and Pestilos, DOH Undersecretary Herminigildo Valle said the deaths of the two children caused

by Dengvaxia were unfounded claims.

According to Valle, the children had underlying conditions—like a heart ailment—that led to their deaths.

“There were different diagnosis and the clinical abstracts are very difficult to link to Dengvaxia. We cannot really directly link the vaccine to these cases,” Valle told the Philippine Star. ■

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Dateline PMalacañang hiliPPines declares Christmas ceasefire bers of the New People’s Army over the Christmas holidays stays.

Our defenders would not stand MANILA — Malacañang on down as there has been call on Wednesday, Dec. 20 declared a the other side to launch offensives suspension of military operations against state forces.”

Defense Secretary Delfin against the communist rebels from December 24, 2017 to Jan. Lorenzana, on December 12, also recommended against a SOMO 2, 2018.

In a statement, Presidential with the NPA. Spokesperson Harry Roque said that the “unilateral ceasefire would lessen the apprehension of the public this Christmas season.”

“We expect that the [Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines] would do a similar gesture of goodwill,” Roque also said.

Roque said that President Rodrigo Duterte reached the decision on Tuesday, Dec. 19.

‘Ceasefire is for Filipinos’ In a chance interview early Wednesday morning, Duterte was asked if his earlier decision to call off the truce with the communists was final.

The chief executive replied: “[I]f I declare a ceasefire, it is not addressed to the NPAs. Rather, I would want to celebrate Christmas with the rest of humankind or Filipinos, without stress.”

He added that he “will think about it.”

“The ceasefire is a unilateral action of government to refrain from attacking. A lot of people are going around, even at night, enjoying Christmas day or whatever. Going to masses,” Duterte also said.

“I do not want to add more strain to what people are now suffering,” he also said.

Duterte said this while attending the wake of a police slain in an anti-drug operation in Pasig City.

Hours later, the Malacañang released Duterte’s announcement of a suspension of military operations.

Ceasefire not recommended Duterte, on November 22, said that there will be no truce with the communist rebels in December.

He stressed that he “does not want to talk with them anymore.”

Malacañang reiterated this position on Sunday. Roque said in a statement: “The decision not to declare a suspension of military operations (SOMO) with the memby KRistine Joy

Philstar.com

HOUSE OF A MILLION LIGHTS. Thousands of people flock to a home on Mark Street at Filinvest in Cainta, Rizal to see the “House of a Million Lights” showcasing the pomp and pageantry of Christmas.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Ruy Martinez

Duterte signs tax reform, budget bills

by LLanesca

Panti ManilaTimes.net

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte signed on Tuesday, December 19, a tax reform bill reducing income taxes and increasing fuel and other excise taxes, as well as the P3.77-trillion national budget that seeks to upgrade the country’s infrastructure.

In remarks during the signing ceremonies in Malacañang, Duterte said the bills were his “biggest Christmas gifts” to the Filipino people and fulfilled his campaign promise of “genuine fiscal policy.”

“The bold and decisive effort of our economic managers [resulted in]a spending and tax plan embodied by the 2018 General Appropriations Act and the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act or the Train. These laws I signed today are the fulfillment of my campaign promise to institute genuine fiscal reform that would be felt by every Filipino, and the implementation of these laws will serve as our initial step in making the Philippines an upper-middle-class country by 2022,” Duterte said.

The Budget department described the 2018 outlay as “a

budget that reforms and transforms,” and “represents the breadth of the ambition of the Duterte administration, funding the grand ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure program, free quality tertiary education, free irrigation, among other programs.”

It is also the country’s largest budget to date—12.4 percent higher than the 2017 national budget and 25.5 percent higher than the 2016 budget. Equivalent to more than a fifth of gross domestic product (GDP), the 2018 budget will support the government’s objective of 7 to 8 percent GDP growth in 2018, the Budget department said.

Social services continued to have the biggest share of the budget with 38.7 percent, followed by economic services with 30.5 percent, general public services with 16.4 percent, the debt burden with 9.8 percent, and defense with 4.6 percent.

Tax reform The tax measure, the first package of tax reforms that the Duterte administration plans to implement, exempts those earning P250,000 or less in a year from paying income taxes. But it hikes fuel taxes by P6 per liter, staggered over the next three

years.

“It will spare 99 percent of our population from the payment of income taxes because those earning not more than P250,000 per annum will now be tax exempt,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. told reporters.

The tax reform law also doubled the mining excise tax from two to four percent, while the tobacco excise tax was increased from P31.20 per pack to P32.50 between January and June 2018, P35 per pack from July 2018 to December 2019, P37.50 per pack in 2020 and 2021, and P40 per pack in 2022 and 2023.

To offset the increased fuel taxes as well as additional taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, the government will grant a monthly cash transfer worth P200 for each of 10 million households in 2018 and P300 per month in 2019 and 2020.

The law, however, does not specify how the beneficiaries of the subsidy will be determined.

Of the P120 billion worth of government revenues that the tax reform law is expected to generate, 70 percent will be earmarked for infrastructure projects while the remaining 30 percent will go to social services. n

Duterte says Philippines won’t be a regional center of ISIS by aLexis

RomeRo Philstar.com

MANILA — The Philippines would never become a province of extremist group ISIS, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday, Dec. 20, as he praised soldiers who fought during the Marawi siege.

“We will not allow those who subscribe to the Daesh ideology to succeed,” Duterte said during the 82nd anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Camp Aguinaldo.

“We will never allow the Islamic State to make the Philippines its regional center,” he added.

ISIS-inspired local terrorists occupied Marawi City for more than four months starting May 23, prompting Duterte to place the entire Mindanao under martial law. More than 160 soldiers did during the siege, the longest urban war in the country since World War II. Duterte declared Marawi liberated from terrorists last October but has not lifted martial law in Mindanao because of supposed threats in other provinces. Congress has voted to extend military rule in the island until the end of 2018.

Duterte commended the sol-

In this Aug. 24, 2017 photo, President Rodrigo Duterte is clad in full battle gear as he visits the war-torn Marawi City for the third time to boost the morale of government troops from the Joint Special Operations Task Force Trident.

Malacañang photo by Simeon Celis

diers and policemen for their sacrifices that led to the defeat of terrorists in battle-ravaged Marawi.

“I salute the brave men and women of our Army, Air Force and Navy for their courage, dedication and sacrifice to liberate Marawi from the clutches of extremist terrorists and communist insurgents,” the president said.

“Having said that, may I also extend my gratitude to the police and the other uniformed men, personnel in government who fought alongside with you,” he

added.

Duterte said the death of Isnilon Hapilon, believed to be the former leader of ISIS in the region, had bolstered his administration’s resolve to eliminate all terrorist groups in the country.

“Although we have already begun to rebuild Marawi City and rehabilitate conflict-affected areas, our fight is far from over. We will remain vigilant as we continue our intensified military (operations) against the remaining terrorist groups,” he said. n

Duterte warns courts from interfering in entry of third telecom player by ian

nicoLas cigaRaL Philstar.com

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has warned courts from interfering in the entry of a third telecom carrier in the country by issuing halt orders in a bid to fast track the arrival of the company.

Duterte last month invited China to be his country’s third telecom operator in a bid to break a longstanding duopoly that has angered consumers in a nation said to have the slowest internet speed in the Asia Pacific.

According to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, the president had instructed two executive agencies to ensure that a new telecom provider will be up and running by the first quarter of 2018.

“I do not want Courts to interfere and prolong this process. Do not issue any TROs (temporary restraining orders) or injunctions,” Duterte was quoted as saying by Roque.

“This is a matter of national interest for the benefit of the public,” he added.

The Palace earlier revealed

that China Telecom would become the third player in the country’s telecom industry, backed by a consortium of Filipino businesses.

The firebrand leader had previously said he was ready to defy the judiciary, a co-equal branch of the executive, if it delays the implementation of government projects.

He had also warned that a constitutional crisis would ensue if he no longer recognizes the decisions of the courts.

In a press conference, Roque said Duterte had directed the Department of Information and Communications Technology and National Telecommunications Commission to approve all applications and licenses within seven days upon submission.

Duterte earlier threatened incumbent providers PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. with new competition from China if they do not shape up.

Last year, PLDT and Globe together agreed to buy conglomerate San Miguel Corp. out of the sector

for $1.5 billion, pledging to invest heavily to boost internet service.

The acquisition was the country’s biggest corporate transaction in nearly three years.

The Court of Appeals, in a decision dated October 18, ordered the Philippine Competition Commission to permanently stop its review of the deal and recognize its validity.

Meanwhile, moves to open up the Philippines’ telecom industry might face some challenges.

Under the Constitution, foreign investors are only allowed up to 40 percent on certain businesses and industries.

The Duterte administration has been working on easing foreign ownership limits by relaxing the Foreign Investment Negative List (FINL), particularly in the areas of retail trade, practice of professions, public utilities and infrastructure contractors.

Restrictions on foreign ownership, however, cannot be all lifted administratively as several prohibitions need legislative action. n

Patag

But Roque, on Wednesday, said “Christmas holds a special place in the hearts of our countrymen.”

“In the observance of this occasion, we hope that all Filipinos would stand together as one nation and aspire for peace in our beloved Philippines,” he also said. n

A

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OpiniOn

Gangsters

Features

AT LEAST 90 “gangsters” involved in corruption in the Philippine National Police (PNP) would be fired, President Rodrigo Duterte announced the other day. A common reaction to the announcement was: why only 90? It must be just the first batch, with the 90 mostly members of the PNP officer corps.

The President surely believes that there are more than 90 “gangsters” in the police service.

He had once described the PNP as “rotten to the core.” Besides corruption, cops have been implicated in criminal activities including kidnapping, carjacking and drug trafficking. The President’s so-called narco list includes police officers including generals.

In his bloody war against illegal drugs, vigilantes executing civilians are widely suspected to be the so-called “ninja cops” who are permanently silencing potential witnesses against them. Purg-

ing the PNP of such scalawags is overdue.

The President should not limit his anti-corruption purge to the PNP. It can be extended to other agencies notorious for corruption such as the Bureau of Customs. The Department of the Interior and Local Government also has disciplinary powers over barangay offices. In local governments, the President can prod his political allies to conduct similar purges. A thorough housecleaning is always welcome as the nation rings in a new year.

(Philstar.com)

Editorial

Peace-maker

No peace among nations, unless there is peace among the religions

Former Speaker JoSe C. de VeneCia Jr. We were at the United Nations headquarters in New York last week where we watched with admiration our articulate Philippine Ambassador to the U.N. Teodoro Locsin, Jr. deliver a well-researched speech on Refugees and Human Rights at the U.N. General Assembly.

He spoke of the 10 million Filipinos “working in every corner of the world; many in perilous places; throughout our history we have opened our own doors to waves of refugees, when other countries have turned them away.”

He cited “white Russians fleeing Communism in Russia (at the time); Loyalists fleeing fascism in Spain; We took in Jews fleeing europe, Vietnamese boat people, and Nationalist Chinese, offering them citizenship. We offered unconditional asylum to Rohingyas in Myanmar, not once but twice, most recently by President Duterte, who said he ‘would not

Commentary

rigoberto tiglao BRO. Armin Luistro, the previous regime’s education secretary, is as much to blame as President Aquino and his health secretary, Janette Garin, for risking the health and even lives of over 800,000 Grade 4 pupils inoculated with the faulty Dengvaxia anti-dengue vaccine.

Its manufacturer Sanofi itself last month admitted that its product could worsen those who had never been ill with dengue before.

While embracing the faulty Dengvaxia, Luistro in 2015 blocked a vaccination program to counter a much deadlier disease in the country, cervical cancer, which kills much more Filipinos than dengue.

On March 28, 2016, Luistro issued Memorandum No. 50, ordering that Dengvaxia be administered to “all Grade 4 learners, nine years old and above, currently enrolled in public elementary schools in the National Capital Region, Region III, and IV-A (Calabarzon).”

“Regional directors, school division superintendents, and other school officials are enjoined to provide full support in the conduct” of the mass vaccination program, the memo read.

The Department of Health (DoH) has no authority to order the education department to allow any kind of vaccination of the public-school students it supervises. It is the education secretary’s sole prerogative.

Philstar.com photo

Jose De Venecia Jr., Special Envoy for Inter-Cultural Dialogue

mind refugees, filling the country to the brim’.”

We told Ambassador Locsin we were reminded of our own address at the U.N. Security Council in 2004, when we proposed the establishment of an Inter-Faith Council at the U.N. to replace the U.N. Trusteeship Council, since we agreed almost all the Trust Territories in the world have already became independent. But this could not be done without

amending the Charter of the U.N., a most difficult exercise. We succeeded partially in any case. As a compromise, the U.N. created an Interfaith Unit in the Office of the U.N. Secretary General to take care of inter-religious initiatives and issues.

Since then, Interfaith discussions, previously taboo in the U.N. system, are today regularly held at the U.N. and in the associated interfaith conferences in

various parts of the world.

We noted that these initiatives should help to reconcile the politico-religious, ethnic and communal conflicts that have raged over the centuries and again exploded in our midst in the first years of the 21st Century in Lebanon, Palestine, Chechnya in Russia, Mindanao, Southern Thailand, Aceh in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Kashmir, Northern Ireland, Sudan, Nigeria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

We wrote about these problem areas extensively in 2007 in our presentation at the ASeAN Leaders Summit in Cebu City on January 13, 2007 when we were Speaker of the House and Chairman of the ASeAN InterParliamentary Assembly (AIPA).

Of course since then progress had already been made in Aceh, Chechnya, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and in the Catholic-Protestant conflict in Northern Ireland.

In the Philippines, the local inter-faith counterpart was the Bishops Ulama Conferences in Mindanao, where Catholic and Protestant Bishops held occa-

sional consultations-meetings with the Muslim Ulama leaders, and who were quite helpful when we assisted negotiations for the successful MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) talks wich which led to a formal peace agreement in 1996 and in the many early rounds of the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) peace negotiations which followed afterwards.

Truly, we believe more than ever these Bishops-Ulama meetings in Mindanao should be reactivated today and held from time to time to assist Government in dealing with the politico-religious conflict, insurgency, and violent extremism issues in Mindanao, which led to the bloody Marawi uprising, and which, thank God, President Duterte and the Armed Forces have finally subdued at great cost. Complex problems in other parts of Mindanao remain, thus the rationale for Congress’ extension of the declaration of Martial Law for Mindanao until Dec. 31, 2018.

As part of the world community’s efforts to support moder-

ate groups and isolate religious extremists, the U.N., individual governments and religious-civil societies began to promote interfaith dialogues, as mandated by a U.N. General Assembly resolution which we in the Philippines initiated in 2005.

We believe that multi-religious understanding could be the only basis for the long-term security of the global community, and the only basis for global peace that will endure.

For there is some truth in what we said then and we say it again: there can be “no peace among nations unless there is peace among the religions.”

In our next column, we will try to revive our old proposals in letters we sent then to the King of Saudi Arabia and Iran’s two highest officials, the Supreme Religious Leader and the President of Iran on the need to revive the centuries-old historic Sunni-Shiite talks, a most difficult undertaking, but the indispensable key to the solution of genuine peace in the Arab world, the Middle east, and parts of Asia and Africa. n

On the Dengvaxia debacle, Of pushers, politicians and presidents Street Bro. Luistro betrayed his flock Talk

If Luistro had not ordered his department to undertake the Dengvaxia vaccination program, Garin would have had to rely on community health centers to implement it, which in the past had been extremely slow in undertaking such mass vaccination.

Some 800,000 schoolchildren would not have been vaccinated so swiftly, probably just 80,000 and she and Aquino would not be able to justify to the public why 1 million doses of Dengvaxia were ordered costing P3 billion.

A new administration – with a new health secretary – with no pecuniary interest in Dengvaxia that cost billions of pesos, would have suspended the program that was so rushed that it reeked, at best, of criminal negligence.

Using the religious images Luistro would be familiar with, he betrayed his flock, the students under his care as education secretary.

Astonishing support Two things make Luistro’s support of the Dengvaxia program quite astonishing.

First, before joining government, he had been president for four years of the De La Salle University, which has a College of Medicine. This college had been doing research on dengue for many years, and was even awarded P20 million in 2014 by the science and technology department for such studies.

Did Luistro even bother to call his former colleagues to give him a memo on Dengvaxia’s

safety and efficacy? No. He was apparently told by Aquino to implement the Dengvaxia program, and he said, “as soon as possible, sir.”

More importantly, Luistro before had demonstrated he could just ignore any of the health department’s vaccination program if he had questions on it.

In 2015, he blocked that department’s mass vaccination program, also for Grade4 schoolchildren in the country’s 20 poorest provinces to inoculate them against the human papilloma virus (HPV) which has been scientifically proven to cause cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancer in women and anal cancer and testicular warts in men. (Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths here and in the world. In the Philippines, more than 6,000 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed every year. HPV infection causes more than 99 percent of cervical cancer cases among women.)

The health department eventually abandoned its efforts to get Luistro to authorize its antiHPV program. It had to rely on the health centers under the local government units, so that to this day less than 50,000 schoolchildren have been vaccinated against the virus.

Fortunately, Luistro was no longer education secretary when President Duterte’s first health secretary, Paulynn Ubial, launched in August a schoolPAGE A7

A FeW weeks ago, I posted on Facebook two anti-drug abuse ads that I created back in 1972.

The headline of one read, “Is a pusher paying more attention to your child than you are?” The other ad showed a father swigging a bottle of gin, while his son smoked marijuana. The headline bluntly stated, “One dope deserves another. If you want your kid to stop doing his thing, you can begin by stopping yours.”

I felt that, in today’s permissive environment, the importance of parental responsibility and parental example needed to be brought front and center.

Some readers have pointed out that pushers and parents are not the only culprits in the deterioration of moral values. According to them, politicians and Presidents bear the onus, as well.

Indeed, pushers, politicians and Presidents may be today’s “reverse role models” – and not just in the Philippines. It’s happening just as blatantly in America.

The Philippines has President Rodrigo Duterte and the U,S. has President Donald Trump. Additionally, the Philippines has a kennel of legislative puppy dogs, while America has unabashed transactional politicians.

Sadly, there’s nowhere wellmeaning parents can turn to spare their children from the criminal influence of drug pushers and the morally debilitating influence of politicians and Presidents.

By the time this piece comes out, the results of the special senatorial election in Alabama will have been determined. The special election has been due to

greg b. maCabenta the vacancy created by the appointment of erstwhile Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions to Attorney General (the U.S. equivalent of the Philippines’ Secretary of Justice).

As of this writing, pollsters have said that the contest between Democratic candidate Doug Jones and Republican Roy Moore is too close to call.

There’s more to this special election than being a toss-up between candidates of opposing parties in a predominantly Republican state, where President Donald Trump convincingly trounced Hillary Clinton in the 2016 elections.

Moore, 70, a former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, has been accused by several women of being a sexual predator. He is said to have had sex with a 14-year old girl, a criminal act. He also reportedly forced himself on a 16-year old.

These he did when he was in his early 30s and an assistant district attorney.

In the wake of the allegations against Moore, other instances of sexual harassment committed by prominent U.S. politicians have hit the headlines. One Senator and two Congressmen have been forced to resign following public disclosure by the victims of their sexual misconduct.

However, in spite of the accusations against Moore, as well as a threat by some Republican Senate leaders to subject Moore to an ethics gauntlet should he win, he enjoys a slight edge in the public opinion polls vs. the Democratic contender. Moore, who has denied the accusations, also has the support of the evangelicals in the state. This brings into question the moral values of the evangelicals, as well as that of the hardcore supporters of Moore.

What is even more eyebrowraising is the fact that President Donald Trump has expressed his full support for Moore.

Trump himself has been accused by several women of being a sexual predator. While he has flatly denied the allegations, there are video and audio proof of his misconduct, including Trump’s recorded voice bragging about grabbing women on their private parts.

The accusations against Trump were made during the presidential campaign. He won anyway.

Does this say something about the moral values of Trump’s supporters? Unfortunately, that seems to be the case.

If all these were happening in Philippine politics, that would hardly be hot news – or the stories would be very quickly suppressed (a tactic known as “suppress relations.”). Sadly, in our country, politicians and the public don’t give a damn about immorality. In fact, President Rodrigo Duterte and Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez have been flaunting their extramarital affairs.

Pundits attribute the situation PAGE A7

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

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Of pushers, politicians and...

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in both the Philippines and the U.S. to realpolitik. The decisions and choices of politificians are made based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations.

Trump’s decision to throw his support behind Moore is obviously self-serving. Condemning Moore for sexual misconduct would boomerang on Trump. But the other reason is the fact that the Republicans cannot afford to lose a seat in the Senate where they hold a 54 to 44 edge over the Democrats, with two independent senators tending to side with the Dems. Some Republicans, like Senator John McCain, also tend to be mavericks.

The vow of Trump and the Republicans to repeal and replace

Obamacare – the controversial health care legislation passed during President Barack Obama’s administration – was stymied by the nay vote of McCain, in addition to the negative votes of some Republican senators.

The recent close vote in the U.S. Senate on the sweeping tax reform bill (51 yeas and 49 nayes) illustrate just how valuable every single vote is for each of the political parties. In other words, Moore may be the devil incarnate but, as far as Trump is concerned, he will be an ally and to hell with moral values.

If that sounds too much like Philippine politics, remember that Filipino politicians learned their tricks and tactics from the Americans.

What, in fact, could be pointed

out is that the Americans can now learn a few tricks and tactics from Malacanang and the Philippine Senate and House.

Such incentives as pork barrel funds to motivate solons to dance to the music of the President and such tricks as bribing Senator judges to impeach a sitting Chief Justice may still be unheard of in Washington DC and Capitol Hill – but politicians of whatever race, nationality or ideology are quick learners.

In the face of all these, I’m inclined to create a variation on the ad with the headline, “One dope deserves another.”

The subhead will read: “If you have a Duterte or Trump as your President, it’s all your fault.” (gregmacabenta@hotmail. com)

On the Dengvaxia debacle, Bro. Luistro...

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based mass anti-HPV vaccination program targeting 700,000 nine-year-old girls in 47 provinces, with Education Secretary Leonor Briones’ enthusiastic support.

Anti-HPV Luistro didn’t even bother to explain why he blocked the antiHPV program. However, columnist Rina Jimenez-David reported in August 2015 that Luistro in a phone conversation had told her: “I did not rule out the HPV vaccine program. I merely asked for more time to study it.” But Luistro never completed his “study” so that the health department just gave up on trying to convince him, and shelved the entire program entirely.

If Aquino was determined to improve the health of Filipinos, as he justified his rush to implement his Dengvaxia plot, then why didn’t he order Luistro to support the program against cervical cancer, which has been far more deadly than dengue?

David also reported that Luistro told her: “I talked with Secretary Garin and asked her if we could have more time to discuss the logistics and the science behind the program.”

His comment is astonishing, if placed in the context of his total support for Dengvaxia, which he obviously didn’t bother to study “the science” behind it.

In 2015, the anti-HPV vaccines (Gardasil and Cervarix) had been commercially avail-

able for nine years, produced by two competing big pharmaceutical firms, Merck and GlaxoSmithKline. They were approved and even recommended by the World Health Organization for routine mass vaccination. Over 100 countries use the anti-HPV vaccines.

This is in sharp contrast to Dengvaxia, which became commercially available only in 2015 and hadn’t been recommended by the WHO for mass vaccination programs. It was used by only one country in a mass vaccination program– Brazil – when Aquino ordered P3 billion worth of the vaccine.

In 2016, just a bit more than 1 million dosages of Dengvaxia had been injected into people, 300,000 in Brazil and 800,000 in the Philippines – in contrast to the 100 million doses of the anti-HPV administered all over the world.

Moralistic beliefs The anti-HPV vaccines had been approved in early 2015 by both our Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Formulary Executive Council when Luistro claimed that he would still need to study whether it was safe.

In contrast, the FDA was rushed—and pressured—to approve Dengvaxia three weeks after Aquino met in December 2015 with its manufacturer’s executives. The FEC only gave it a one-year approval, and required that it be used only in a phased

manner.

This purported man of God, who’s back as president of De La Salle University, obviously was lying on the reason why he blocked the anti-HPV vaccination program.

As columnist David and several others have disclosed, the real reason for his opposition— which should teach government never, never to appoint a cleric to a key position—is his moralistic belief that vaccinating women against HPV, which is transmitted mostly through sex, will make them promiscuous. It would also, in Luistro’s mind, encourage homosexuality as HPV is also transmitted through anal sex.

Luistro should be condemned not only for the Dengvaxia fiasco but for the many thousands of deaths in the next few years that could have been prevented if he had junked his moralistic ideas on sex and homosexuality, and allowed mass vaccination with the anti-HPV vaccines.

Deaths due to dengue are about 1,000 yearly; those due to cervical cancer are more than 2,000. Worse, of course, is that dengue is a usually self-limiting illness, and most of the time can be overcome with proper medical care for replacement of the body’s fluids. Cervical cancer on the other hand is mostly a death sentence.

This is the kind of Yellow cleric that Aquino had unleashed on the country. (ManilaTimes.net)

President Duterte holds the draft of the Bangsamoro Basic Law during a turnover ceremony at Malacañang on July 17.

Malacañang photo

Senators commit to passage of Bangsamoro Basic Law

by Gaea

Katreena Philstar.com

CabiCo

MANILA — Some senators have voiced support for passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law at a public hearing on the proposed law Wednesday, Dec. 20.

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senate sub-committee on BBL chair, promised that the measure will be ready for plenary debate by March 2018.

“Marathon hearings” will be conducted starting January, he added.

The BBL implements the final peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The measure seeks to create a new region in place of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which will have more autonomy but will also remain a part of the Republic of the Philippines.

“As a Mindanaoan, I promise you, ladies and gentlemen, that I will give my utmost priority [for] the passage of this measure,” Zubiri, who is from Bukidnon, said.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said that the passage of the Bangsamoro law is no longer a matter of debate.

He pointed out, however, that lawmakers must ensure that the proposed law — the draft of which was prepared by a Malacañang-created commission and presumably reviewed before being endorsed to Congress by the Palace — must adhere to the

Constitution.

President Rodrigo Duterte, the country’s first president from Mindanao, had earlier promised to shepherd the bill through Congress, which has shown a willingness to vote according to his policy statements.

“I do not think that it will hurdle constitutional barriers...

I’ve been reading it repeatedly,” he said on Tuesday, however.

This was a step back from Duterte’s first State of the Nation Address in 2016, when he urged Congress to pass the law and correct a historical injustice to the Moro people.

“We all want this,” Pimentel, a Mindanaoan, said.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon likewise expressed the minority bloc’s support for the actualization of BBL. Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process Jesus Dureza, who was present at the hearing, is hoping that they will “come out with a total output, not only of the Senate, but of the Filipinos.”

MILF not threatening to go to war over Bangsamoro Law Should Congress fail to pass the proposed law, the Moros would go to war, the chief executive warned.

The 16th Congress failed to pass BBL during the Aquino administration and neither the MILF nor the MNLF — factions of which support the passage of the law — went to war. Collaboration between the government and the MILF against bandits

and drug traffickers in Moro communities has also expanded since then.

Moro leaders have been saying since 2015, however, that passage of the law will help temper resentment and delayed development in the region.

Moro Islamic Liberation Front vice-chairman Ghazali Jaafar, who is also chair of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, said some sectors may lose faith in the peace process if the government does not fulfill its commitment to implement the Comperehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.

He said earlier this month that these groups had been radicalized as “proposed solutions” on the historical injustices done to the Moros remain unimplemented.

Some “frustrated” groups, according to Jaafar, have sought support “even to the point of disregarding the sources,” including those who received help from ISIS in order to develop their fire-fight capability.

“These groups started to become radicalized and developed the mindset that the only solution to the resolve the Bangsamoro issue is through the use of force,” Jaafar said.

“After losing faith because of the way how the government handle the peace process, they shifted strategy [which] is subject of debate among Muslim learnered (sic) whether this conform[s] to Islam,” he added. n

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Journal

An AsiAn JournAl speciAl christmAs FeAture

How Fil-Ams carry on Filipino Christmas traditions

by Rae

ann VaRona AJPress

CHRISTMAS Day is fast approaching and for many in the U.S., that means hustling to finalize Christmas gifts, finding the perfect tree, and sending out family Christmas cards. For the millions of Filipinos living in the U.S., it also means making sure balikbayan boxes are arriving on time to their loved ones back in the Philippines, placing lechon orders, and hanging up the parol.

The Philippines is famously known for having the longest Yuletide season, with stores decked out in Christmas decor, and new and Original Pilipino Music (OPM) Christmas songs playing in homes, malls, offices, and public transportation as early as September.

In the U.S., where holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving take up the beginning “Ber” months — as many Filipinos refer to September onward as — Fil-Ams have their own ways of kickstarting an early season.

For one thing, there’s the famous balikbayan box, which Fil-Ams start sending out in September to arrive in loved ones’ homes in the Philippines

by December. It’s no surprise that balikbayan shipments spike during Christmas time, according to the Port of Manila.

As any experienced boxer would say, packing a balikbayan box comes with a few techniques. Inside the boxes that often stand at two feet tall, are carefully curated and strategically organized non-perishable items like shoes, Betty Crocker cake mixes, toothpaste, soap, American chocolates, Nutella, American chips, pasta, Spam, and other various canned goods. Shampoos, conditioners, perfume, and other liquid items are put in plastic gro-

Belen (Nativity scene)

Inquirer.net photos

Christmas, more fun in the Philippines!

by JennifeR SoRiano/AJPress WHILE the days leading to Christmas Day are usually festive, there is no denying that this season makes one wistful and sentimental. I recently received a message from a relative who moved to the U.S. from the Philippines earlier this year.

She said she was feeling home-

sick and that the American Christmas season is not as merry as compared to how Filipinos celebrate it back home.

I’m sure many Filipinos who are abroad share the same feeling. But, wherever you are, you need to remember that Christmas PAGE B3

How to have a hassle-free, drama-free celebration

by KlaRize Medenilla/AJPress

Artwork by Jillian Peñalosa

cery bags. Fragile items like fine china, dinnerware, and jewelry are carefully wrapped in t-shirts which act as cushioning. The remaining gaps are then filled with things like toilet paper and paper towels, stuffed toys, and more pieces of clothing.

And then there’s the Spanish influenced holiday tradition of Simbang Gabi (night/dawn Masses), a nine-day series of

Masses leading up to Christmas Day. Every year from December 16 through 24, many Fil-Ams join in the Philippine tradition of attending the holiday services, with the most devoted attending all nine days.

“My grandma told me that when you complete Simbang Gabi, you’ll have good luck for the next year,” said Coleen Esguerra, a Fil-Am from San Diego,

EvERYONE loves the holiday season, and for good reason.

Generosity, kinship and family are in the air. Christmas decorations always put a twinkle in your eye, California. “I know of a great aunt no matter what your age. Christof mine that completes it every mas Day gatherings are meant to year.” be fun-filled celebrations for gift In Southern California for exchanges, elaborate lunch/dinexample, hundreds of Filipinos, ner spreads and reconnecting primarily Catholic, gathered at with loved ones that you perhaps the Cathedral of Our Lady of the haven’t seen in a long time.

Angels in Downtown Los Angeles Although Christmas Day celto kick off the Mass tradition. The ebrations are meant for fellowship service ended with a parade of pa- and happiness, it can be quite rols (Philippine star-shaped lan- stressful and can go wrong very, PAGE B2 very quickly. Here are some tips

to ensure that your family’s Christmas Day gathering goes smoothly and with no hassles.

Stick with themed outfits Since copious photos on Facebook are pretty much expected in any Filipino family gathering, there’s always pressure for what to wear. Picking the right outfit can be stressful, but Christmas is the perfect occasion to set a fun dress-code and announce a theme for the party. Ugly Christmas sweaters are always a classic.

You can even raise the stakes and hold an Ugly Christmas Sweater PAGE B2

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How Fil-Ams carry on Filipino Christmas...

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Simbang Gabi: A revered Filipino Christmas tradition “Simbang gabi”, which literally means “evening or night mass” is a Filipino Christmas tradition. As a devotional practice in the tradition of the novena, it is a series of nine evening Masses usually celebrated during Advents from December 1624, in preparation for Christmas Day. Simbang gabi originated from the Missa Aurea (golden mass or angel’s mass) practiced by the Roman Catholic Church.

The tradition was introduced by the Spanish friars at the start of the Catholic evangelization of the Philippines, specifically to allow farmers to hear mass before going to the fields in the morning.

Originally, Simbang gabi Masses were held in the early hours of the morning — around 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. — when roosters crowed to announce the dawning of the new day, thus the name misa de gallo. Today, it is still celebrated the same way in most places in the Philippines as the Roman Catholic churches across the nation open their doors shortly before the break of dawn and church bells would ring to summon welcome the faithfuls to the Simbang gabi mass.

In celebration of of Simbang gabi — which is a preparation for Christmas — most churches are decorated with colorful lights and beautiful parol lanterns to welcome the churchgoers.

In addition, a nativity scene is displayed in preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day. Shortly after the mass, traditional delicacies awaits the church goers, there are food stalls right outside the church, popular favorites are bibingka, puto (rice cakes), puto bumbong, suman sa Pasko, suman sa ibos, and usually served with tea or coffee. Hot pan de sal (breakfast rolls) are also very popular.

Today, even in this digital age, the tradition of Simbang gabi continues not only in the Philippines but also observed in many Filipino communities

overseas.

Simbang gabi is not just a tradition that is celebrated because we need to do so. It is a way for us to worship and praise God. It is the spiritual preparation for Christmas, in commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. For many, observing Simbang gabi is a way of offering sacrifice and requesting blessings from the Lord, as they believe that if one completes nine dawn masses, their wishes will be granted. Furthermore, this religious tradition encourages community development and camaraderie among parishioners through a common effort of prayer, celebration, fellowship and charity. Finally, for Filipinos living overseas — especially in the United States — observing Simbang gabi helps maintain a connection with their roots in the Philippines.

Over the years, Filipino communities in the United States have made changes in the way that Simbang gabi is celebrated with some parishes observing the tradition around 7 p.m. or 8 p.m instead of during the early morning in order to accommodate the needs of the members of the community.

But no matter the language, the place or the time this revered Filipino tradition is observed and celebrated, when you pray

and attend the Simbang gabi, you realize how truly universal, significant and important the Christmas spirit is for every Christian. Simbang gabi in its very essence provides a very strong indication of the depth of faith among the Filipino people. *** Manny V. Ilagan is a Tourism S p e c i a l i st w i t h ove r 23 yea rs professional experience in the overseas tourism and travel industry. He is currently the Director for Business Development and Marketing of GTT International/Majestic Vacations, one of the biggest airlines consolidators in the United States, and wholesaler of package tours worldwide. He also provides travel consultancy services to some of the biggest wholesalers and tour operators in the country as well as to some airline companies.

He is the former Tourism DirectorOIC of the Philippine Department of Tourism-Los Angeles, where he worked for over two decades. As a writer, he has written numerous articles about travel and tourism, which have been published in various Filipino-American newspapers in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Las Vegas and New York, and other Manila-based newspapers as well. For comments or questions, you may reach him at milagan@majesticvacations.com

terns) which were then blessed.

While not everyone may complete the full nine days, it is without a doubt that everyone shows up at Noche Buena (the good night). noche buena, essentially a Filipino Christmas Eve celebration, is the biggest reunion of the year for many FilAm families. It isn’t uncommon for families to have relatives visiting from as far as the Philippines — Esguerra’s two cousins and aunt from the Philippines come over every year.

And as the lively Tagalog holiday song “Kay Sigla ng Gabi” or noche buena suggests, food is a major part of the night with relatives proudly bringing their own specialties to the table.

Like at other Filipino gatherings held throughout the year, dishes like pancit, chicken adobo, pinakbet, kaldereta, and lumpia make up the table spread. But no ultimate noche buena is complete without items like hot tsokolate (hot chocolate) made with tablea (chocolate tablets) from native Philippine cocoa beans, salabat (warm ginger tea) which is especially popular as the sun comes up, queso de bola (large

Edam cheese ball),hamón (ham), puto bumbong (a margarine and brown sugar topped purplecolored sticky rice cake), bibingka (coconut-rice cakes), and of course, lechon (whole roasted pig), which if not made at home, is pre-ordered in advance.

Beyond the food, there are the typical Christmas activities most families enjoy, but with unique Filipino nuances.

“Seeing parols and the food definitely differentiates a Fil-Am Christmas to a traditional American Christmas,” said Nadia Gapur, a Sacramento-based Fil-Am. There’s the Christmas music of Holiday favorites like “Jingle Bells” or “White Christmas”, but also of classic Filipino songs like “Ang Pasko ay Sumapit (Christmas Is Coming)” or “Pasko Sa Nayon (Christmas in the Village)”. There’s the Christmas tree, holly, and garlands, but also the colorfully lit parol— an iconic Filipino Christmas symbol. Then there’s the gift giving in which kids finally receive their presents, but only after showing respect for their elders through the gesture of pagmamano.

“Also having karaoke is super Filipino,” Gapur added.

For many Fil-Ams, including Esguerra, incorporating Philippine holiday traditions are an ode to how they’re celebrated in the Philippines.

“The feeling is different, and the whole Christmas spirit is more pronounced in the Philippines,” said Esguerra. “When Filipinos say that Christmas decorating starts in September in the Philippines, they are telling the truth. Everyone in the Philippines takes Christmas on another level, and I love it.”

But like any Christmas celebration, Fil-Am or not, celebrating the holiday is about making new personal traditions with loved ones. This is the case for Filipina travel and lifestyle blogger Camie Juan who just recently moved from the Philippines to New York.

“It’s going to be our first Christmas together and without our families. We just plan to stay home and cook a nice dinner together, very laid back, maybe watch a Christmas movie,” said Juan.

“We’re looking at it as like starting our own traditions now that we’re married,” she added.

How to have a hassle-free, drama-free...

PAGE B1 contest to really get everyone’s creativity going. Other themes appropriate for Christmas are pajamas (up the ante with pajama onesies), Santa hats, flannel or, simply, red and green. Have fun with it!

Organize gift exchange games like Secret Santa or White Elephant Buying gifts for the whole family is stressful, especially for a Filipino family which includes an endless list of cousins, nieces and nephews, titas and titos and lolos and lolas. So rather than burning your bank account, coordinating Secret Santa, White Elephant or other creative gift exchange gifts could be a more affordable alternative; and that way, everyone gets a gift.

Secret Santa, for example, entails putting all the names of the participating members in a hat and each person picking one at random. You only buy one gift for that person, and you all exchange gifts on Christmas Day. There are many different ways to do Secret Santa: you can set a minimum or maximum price limit, you can have

Artwork by Jillian Peñalosa

each person post a wishlist of what they want on a Facebook group or you can just let each Secret Santa get whatever gift they want for that person. That’s the fun of Secret Santa! You can tailor it to your family’s unique preferences.

Avoid political talk I mentioned this in our Thanksgiving feature, but it needs to be said again: avoid talking about politics! In general, talking politics isn’t appropriate for most social gatherings. But Christmas is all about kinship and it’s important

to keep the lively, friendly vibe going. If you want to have a cordial, easy-going Christmas celebration — and I’m sure that’s everyone — avoid discussing very divisive topics that could alienate some of the guests. Christmas is all about friendly communion and getting along with all your loved ones, even those whose political ideologies may differ from yours.

So, keep it lighthearted and, for now, forget about your misgivings over the GOP tax bills and your hot PAGE B3

Features

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Stocking stuffers we’re eyeing Christmas, more fun in the...

Looking for the perfect stocking stuffers for those with a sweet tooth? Look no further than these packaged candy cubes from Sugarfina. “Penguin” Party ($8.50) is a box of penguin-shaped gummies flavored like peaches. “Santa” Gingerbread Cookie Bites ($8.50) are miniature cookies in creamy white chocolate and infused with cinnamon and sugar. “Reindeer” Noses ($8.50) are sweet, raspberry-flavored gummies dressed in nonpareils. Whether they’re for children or adults, these holiday-themed candies are sure to please and hit the spot!

AJPress photos by Rae Ann Varona with styling by Christina M. Oriel

TURKEY EMBUTIDO

With cranberry sweet and sour sauce By

yana gIlBuena

IngredIents: • 1 small shallot, finely chopped • ½ cup of celery, brunoised • ½ cup of carrots, brunoised • 2 tbsp freshly ground pepper • 2 lbs of ground turkey • 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce • 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce • 3 tablespoons of sweet soy • 1 teaspoon of soy sauce • 2 slices of spam ¼” thick, in batons • 2 century eggs, deshelled (regular hard boiled eggs can be substituted) • 1 cup rice flour, sifted (cornstarch can be substituted) • 1 cup panko • 1 egg, beaten • 2 cups canola oil (vegetable oil can be a substitute)

• ½ cup of chopped garlic, fried • 1 can of whole cranberry sauce • ½ cup of pinakurat or sina-

mak (spiced coconut vinegar) • 1 tablespoon of calamansi • 1 tablespoon of sugar • Microgreens or edible flowers for garnish

InstructIons: 1. Toss shallot, celery, carrot and ground turkey in a bowl to combine; add fish sauce, oyster sauce, sweet soy and soy sauce and pepper. Massage well.

2. Preheat oven to 425F. 3. In a small pan, test your embutido mix by frying a small spoonful. Add salt if needed.

4. On a flat surface, layout a 12” X 12” piece of aluminum foil. Spread your turkey mixture flat and even on the center about ½” thick. Put the two century eggs and spam slices in the center and roll into a log, using your foil as a wrap. Make sure they’re even and all the ends are closed.

5. In a baking pan, put your embutido log in the oven

Yana Gilbuena

for 20 minutes. Check the internal temperature to be 165F before taking it out.

6. Meanwhile, heat 2 cups of canola oil in a wok or deep pan. In a separate sauce pot, add the cranberry, spiced coconut vinegar, calamansi and sugar. Put on low/simmer heat.

Stir occasionally.

7. Once the log is out of the oven, remove foil and let cool. In two separate plates, put rice flour and panko accordingly. Do not mix. Coat your log with rice flour first, then add the 1 beaten egg as another coat, then coat with panko. Fry in oil until brown on all sides.

8. Cut the log on a bias and drizzle the cranberry sauce on generously on top and garnish with microgreens or edible flowers and fried garlic. *** Yana Gilbuena, a Filipino-born, critically acclaimed global nomadic chef, started Salo Series to share with the world the vibrant food culture of the Philippines. The Salo Series hosts Filipino Kamayan dinners, in which food is served on communal tables decked with banana leaves, and guests are asked to eat with their hands. In her American tour, Yana hosted pop-up dinners in 50 states in 50 weeks, as well as across Canada, Mexico, Colombia and her home country, Philippines. She is a 2017 Stone Barns Exchange Fellow and has also been featured in major publications such as The New York Times and National Geographic.

She’s been published in The Cherry Bombe Cookbook, Feed the Resistance and is self-publishing her own: No Forks Given this February 2018. This global culinary nomad aims to further her mission and Photo by Celeste Noche aims to host a Salo on every continent.

How to have a hassle-free, drama-free...

PAGE B2

takes on immigration policy and just remember the real reason for the season: togetherness.

Host a potluck Christmas is definitely most stressful for whoever is hosting the family celebration. There’s a lot of pressure in the food spread, so to help out the host family, organizing a potluck could bring some ease.

As stated in the Thanksgiving feature, it might help — and be fun — to set up a Facebook event or Google Sheet page to organize who’s bringing what. This could bring out a wide variety of tasty treats — and it’s easier on the host family.

Tailor the celebration to who’s coming to the party For family parties, this isn’t usually a problem. It’s usually the

same crowd that shows up and you all have kept some kind of tradition for your typical family get-togethers. That being said, if your family is religious, saying a prayer before everyone digs into the food is a common tradition for Christian families. Even setting up a fun little play detailing the birth of Christ could remind guests of the real reason for the season.

However, if your party crowd is a little more variable with people of different religious backgrounds with varying degrees of piousness, it might help to keep the party secular. To some people, Christmas has become a pagan celebration surrounded by giftgiving, yuletide decor and an excuse to invite people over to a party. Toning down on the religious decor and playing up

more non-Christian elements of the holiday is ideal for a more secular crowd.

Leave your dirty laundry at the door Just for one day, forget about your sister that owes you money or your cousin with whom you fought on Facebook over politics.

‘Tis not the season to be petty or argumentative so let it go for now because the holidays aren’t meant to hash out issues that could lead to potentially explosive encounters.

The worst time to discuss ongoing family issues over Christmas dinner. If there are any grievances you simply can’t get over, or if someone tries to provoke you, be the bigger person and don’t give in. Organize a time after the Christmas party for these matters that could ruin the party.

PAGE B1 is the most wonderful time of the year. While you may not be able to celebrate it in the Philippines this year, remember that there’s always a next year.

To help you plan your next Christmas vacation, here are some reasons why celebrating the holidays back home is worth your week-long or month-long vacation leave.

Kids singing your favorite Christmas carols I remember being ecstatic every time December hits the calendar. Because it is during this time you would hear kids sing well-loved Christmas songs such as “Ang Pasko Ay Sumapit”, “Pasko Na Naman”, “Christmas In Our Hearts”, “Jingle Bells” and many more.

Simbang Gabi (dawn Masses) Christmas season in the Philippines begins early as the month of September. These nine-day traditional dawn Masses start on December 16 and end on Christmas Day. Some say, that completing the Simbang Gabi—by attending all nine Masses—will grant wishes.

Puto bumbong and bibingka A perfect way to cap your early morning habit during the Simbang Gabi is to treat yourself to a warm soft and chewy treat by eating puto bumbong and bibingka!

Bibingka is made from galapong (rice dough), baked in a special clay pot, lined with a piece of banana leaf, with live coals on top and underneath. Puto bumbong meanwhile is a made from purplecolored ground rice cooked in bamboo tubes that are placed on a custom-made steamer-cooker.

These Filipino treats are best paired with hot chocolate.

Creative parols (lanterns) Filipino Christmas is lively and colorful. This is why during this season, bright and twinkling parols (lanterns) adorn almost every house in the country. The parol represents the star of Betlehem which guided the Three Wise Men to the manger of the newly-born Jesus Christ.

Belen (nativity scene) Aside from the parols, another popular decoration in the Philippines during Christmas season is the belen (nativity scene). The belen depicts the Holy Family during the birth of Jesus Christ, displayed mostly at churches, homes, schools, and various establishments.

Noche Buena Celebrations aren’t complete

Parols (lanterns)

without a gathering of family and friends over a sumptuous meal. This is what Noche Buena (Christmas eve dinner) is all about—togetherness, love, and gratitude. Who can resist that sparkly lechon (roasted pig), the once a year hamon (ham), and the creamy queso de bola (ball cheese), the sweet Pinoy-style spaghetti and the much-loved barbeque, anyway?

Receive and give gifts As a kid who grew up in the Philippines, Christmas was (and still is, I think) my favorite time of the year. Back then, I always received more gifts during Christmas than I do on my birthday, which happens to be a couple of weeks before Christmas.

People are happier and are most generous during this time of the year. As a little kid, I kept on thinking that this is Jesus’ manifestation of love for me; that

instead of Him receiving gifts for His birthday, He just let me gave them all—regardless if I was naughty or nice that year.

As I grew older, I learned that gift-giving is deeply inculcated in the Filipinio Christmas tradition, especially when you are a ninong/ ninang (godfather/godmother).

Sociologist Niño Tobias told Inquirer that, “Filipinos have the propensity to be more generous, especially during Christmas.”

“Hospitality is a way of sharing yourself with other people.

We enjoy giving, that’s why Christmas in the Philippines is exaggerated. You see, even the poor will spend just so he can give,” said Tobias.

“We want to make other people happy. This trait, which is primarily reflected by our hospitality culture, trickles down to how we celebrate the holiday season,” he added.

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‘Ika-6 Na Utos’ celebrates a year of success Nadine Lustre beautifully transformed by ricky lo

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Paulino Philstar.com

Philstar.com

After a year of airing on national tV, Kapuso Network’s “Ika-6 Na Utos” remains the No. 1 afternoon series. the drama is not only a tV success as it also consistently tops the list of trending topics on twitter with the confrontation scenes in the series going viral on Youtube and facebook.

“Ika-6 Na Utos” lead stars Gabby Concepcion, Sunshine Dizon and ryza Cenon continue to feel blessed over the unexpected success of their series.

“I’m very happy and I feel blessed because the show is a top-rater and award-winner. So I’m very thankful to GMA 7 because it gave me the opportunity to showcase my talent as an actor,” said Gabby, who plays rome in the teleserye.

“We’re really overwhelmed with this acvhievement and I consider ‘Ika-6 Na Utos’ as a blessing and I’m proud for being part of it because it’s tough playing Georgia. It’s really physically draining,” shared ryza.

Sunshine, on the other hand, is thankful that “Ika-6 Na Utos” has been extended until next year. “thankful, grateful and blessed, ‘yan ang nararamdaman ko, all of us including direk Laurice (Guillen) and the production team.

Kaya huwag kayong bibitaw dahil marami pang confrontation scenes and pasabog na magaganap,” Sunshine said of what viewers

GMA 7’s award-winning afternoon TV series lead stars (from left) Ryza Cenon, Gabby Concepcion and Sunshine Dizon.

can expect from her character emma.

Since it started airing on Dec. 6, 2016, “Ika-6 Na Utos” has been recognized by several award-giving bodies for its stars’ stellar performances, some of which are Best Actress for Sunshine Dizon, Best Actor for Gabby Concepcion and Best Supporting Actress for ryza in the seventh OfW Gawad Parangal; Most Outstanding filipino Actress in tV in Gawad Amerika Awards for Sunshine; Best Daytime Drama Series, Best Drama Actor (Gabby), Best Drama Actress (Sunshine), Best Child Performer (Angelica Ulip) in the 31st PMPC Star Awards for television; Best Actor for tV (Gabby), Best Actress (Sunshine), Best Supporting Actor (Mike tan), Best Supporting Actress (Angelika Dela Cruz and ryza) in the seventh edukCircle

Awards; and Asian Star Prize for Gabby in the 12th Seoul International Awards.

Director Laurice shared during a recent set visit at the Celebrity Sports Plaza in Quezon City that she’s happy that the cast has received awards for the show. “the ratings will speak for itself, nagustuhan ng mga tao ang performances nila, not only the show’s lead stars, but also the supporting cast, that’s why they were recognized by various award-giving bodies,” she said.

Also part of the cast are Zoren Legaspi, rich Asuncion, Daria ramirez, Pen Medina, Carmen Soriano, Odette Kahn, Marco Alcaraz, Mel Martinez, Vince Gamad, Arianne Bautista and Chynna Ortaleza.

“Ika-6 Na Utos” airs Mondays to Saturdays after “eat, Bulaga!”.

Erich Gonzales to end year with triumphant heart

by MJ

Marfori ManilaTimes.net

Erich Gonzales

In tiptop shape and thriving in showbiz, everything is going great for erich Gonzales. Part of the 2017 Metro Manila festival entry “Siargao,” she told In the Know at the movie’s press conference that she learned so much in the past year, especially after going through a major breakup.

She started over by deciding to switch to a fresher take on showbiz projects, preferring roles that are bolder and direct to the point. In Siargao, for example, she is heartbroken blogger who flees to the teardrop-shaped province.

“Maraming makaka-relate sa character ko kasi marami rin naman nagdaan sa ganoong klaseng pagsubok pero pinapakita talaga rito yung proseso ng pagdadaanan doon,” she said of her role.

Obviously, erich has many similarities with her character’s story, which is why she admitted she had so much “hugot” in her portrayal. She was quick to clarify that her heart has mended and healed, and that she was “whole again” while doing the movie.

“Naka-move on na po talaga ako noong ginagawa ko ang pelikula at wala na ako hang up. Masaya na po talaga ako Inquirer.net photo ngayon and I intend to keep it that way.”

At 24, Nadine Lustre is one confident young woman not bound by expectations and stereotypes. A singer before she rose to fame as an actress via the 2014 romantic comedy movie “Diary ng Panget”, she is not afraid to speak her mind (Come on, guys, she noted, “It’s 2017 and…” Isn’t there really anything wrong with living-in?). She follows her passions with fervor, and follows her heart without fear.

But not many people know that Nadine used to be insecure about herself. She used to sweat the small stuff, worrying about the things she had no control over.

She admitted to being a people pleaser, who would do anything and everything just to gain the approval of the public, including her bashers.

“With my line of work as a celebrity, sometimes sa isip namin na ‘Oh shoot, we have to please everyone, you have to make everyone happy,’ ganyan, ganyan,” she said. those days are over, bless her! ever since she realized that the only ones she needed to please were herself and the people that truly matter in her life, Nadine has stopped worrying about what others would think and say about her.

“With me kasi, I only want to please people who really believe in me, who really accept me for who I am. It’s about being able to show everyone kung sino talaga ako and not being afraid na majudge ako. Or na may masabing masama sa akin ’yung mga tao.”

Nadine is considered by leading hair care brand Cream Silk as one of its seven Modern filipinas who worked hard to transform into the best version of herself.

“If you learn to conquer your doubts and fears, good things would come into your life. Be yourself and then conquer your fears,” advised Nadine. “that’s how I found myself and stopped thinking about what other people would think, stopped thinking about being scared. When I stopped thinking about these things, du’n ko mas nakilala ’yung sarili ko. from time to time, I would still encounter people who would tell me that I am not good enough. But you know what, it doesn’t hurt me anymore.”

What kind of diet do you

Nadine Lustre

Philstar.com photo

follow?

“None. I don’t really deprive myself of the food that I want to eat. I think the secret is you just take everything in moderation. the more you deprive yourself of, say, a certain dessert, the more you crave for it.”

What’s usually for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

“I always like to have a hearty Pinoy breakfast, especially since breakfast, as they say, is the most important meal of the day. for lunch, I would eat whatever I feel like eating. for dinner, I’d go for steak. Nothing beats a good steak to cap off a busy day.”

Any snacks between meals?

“If I don’t like to feel heavy, I’d have some salad or a sandwich.

Salad kasi would make you feel full but not heavy. for me, it’s the perfect meal to stave off hunger pangs in between big meals. Plus, it’s easy to pack and eat whenever I have location shoots.”

What workout do you do?

“Since I don’t follow a strict diet, bumabawi ako sa workout.

During my spare time, I do boxing, cardio, weight-lifting and trX, which helps improve my core, balance, flexibility and strength. trX is an intense workout, but you only use your body weight in doing several exercises.

Plus, you don’t have to go to the gym because you can do trX anywhere.”

Any other part of your body that needs improvement?

“Siguro more on toning na lang. I don’t intend to bulk up or have super big muscles. I want leaner arms, stronger legs.”

What part of your body is most vulnerable?

“I think arms. that’s why I love

doing trX because it’s a combination of cardio and strength training. It also allows me to do exercises meant to strengthen the arms. Plus, trX has upper-body exercises that help make the arms look a lot sexier.”

What part of your body is your favorite?

“My legs. I read somewhere that the legs are the sexiest part of a woman’s body. And I agree. there’s something sensual about a pair of shapely, well-defined legs. And I would like to believe that my legs are sexy, too. Hahahaha.!!!”

What part of your boyfriend James Reid’s body is your favorite? “every part!”

Any health regimen that you follow?

“Like I said, I don’t stick to any form of diet. Yes, I do get to relish food items that health buffs would usually avoid, but I also watch what I eat. One can’t have too much of anything. Kasi at some point, if you’re careless, these sinful food would take a toll on your health.”

Favorite food?

“Steak. the steak kasi is a good source of protein, especially when I’m trying to cut back on carbs and trying to lose weight. It can help you feel full. But you have to watch out which cuts you’re getting because some cuts are very high in fat and calories. I eat it in moderation lang.”

How much sleep do you get per night?

“As much as possible, I try to get seven to eight hours of sleep.

Sleep is important because it helps me recharge after a superbusy day and it allows my muscles to rest and recover after doing intense exercises.”

Favorite sleepwear?

“Nighties. they’re comfy and they allow my skin to breathe.”

Do you snore?

“No.” Do you talk in your sleep?

“Yes. Di ko lang alam kung ano ang sinasabi ko. Hahahaha!!!”

How do you cope with stress?

“When the demands and stresses of showbiz get a little too much for me, I would book a ticket and travel.Kahit maiksi lang. traveling helps me take my mind off of showbiz. It helps me clear my head and put things into proper perspective again. traveling keeps me sane. Hahahaha!!!”

Community Journal

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Your Immigration Solution Atty. NANcy Miller (CONTINUED from last week) In a continuation from last week, we review a few more cases that remind us why we do what we do. The ability to help others brings us untold joy.

In 2006, “Maria” filed an application for a green card as a derivative beneficiary of her husband’s employment-based visa petition. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services then revoked her husband’s petition, claiming that the employer had submitted fraudulent information. Even though Maria and her husband both strongly denied any knowledge of fraud, USCIS denied both of their green card applications. A few years later, Maria filed another application based on the petition from her U.S. citizen son. But USCIS denied the second application, saying that she was inadmis-

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond MoNette AdevA MAglAyA HERE’S my prayer as we approach the end of 2017: May the next chapter of our individual life stories in the coming year include the grace of discernment to finally figure out our life’s purpose and the courage and strength to fulfill it.

A circle is perhaps the perfect geometric structure there is.

Although some would claim the triangle or a square to be better structures because of their stable nature, the circle and all its derivatives — the orb, the sphere, the globe and every structure on earth and in the universe with a core, circumference and radii emanating from the core — can teach and even help us to understand much about nature, about ourselves and human life and its cycles and seasons, from the most profound to the most mundane levels.

From the micro to the macro levels, every creative urge on ev-

Health@Heart PhiliP S. chuA, Md, FAcS, FPcS AROUND 71-72 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. The oceans hold about 96.5 percent of all water on this planet.

The human body is between 5075 percent water, about 57-60 percent in an average adult and about 75-78 percent in infants, dropping down to 65 percent by age one. Our brain and heart are 73 percent water and the brain, 83 percent, body fat, 10 percent, and muscles, 75 percent. Some organisms contain up to 90 percent water.

While we can survive a month without food, we won’t survive more than a week without water.

Indeed, water is essential to all living things, including animals, plants, and to farming, other industries, etc. Clean water is not only of major importance to our health but to our survival. This is especially true for our drinking and cooking water.

How much water on earth is potable?

Of the 71-72 percent water on earth, which is massive, only almost one (1) percent is available and usable as drinking water. More than 97 percent of Earth’s water is salt water in seas and oceans, and about 2 percent is frozen in glaciers and icecaps, and some in the atmosphere, salt water lakes and rivers. So, less than one percent is what we have for our use. As the world’s population grows, potable water might, centuries from now, become a precious limited commodity, more valuable than oil, diamond, or gold, possibly a cause of future wars to ensure survival in our planet.

Why is EPA important?

The EPA is one of the most valuable governmental agencies.

It regulates water standard and safety to protect and provide the public clean water. Here are some information from the US EPA: “Because your drinking water comes from natural sources, it is exposed to pollutants. Anything on the ground or in the air can end up in the water. Some of these things can cause health problems when you drink the water including pollutants like bacteria, lead, and nitrates. There are other pollutants that aren’t dangerous, but cause bad odors and tastes or stain your sinks, such as iron, manganese, and chloride. (Hormones, antibiotics, steroids, pesticides, other medications and cleaning

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • dEcEmbER 21-27, 2017

B

Looking back in order to look ahead very sorry. He is now the proud holder of a green card.

A green card was recently issued by USCIS to “Alice” whose conditional residence expired more than a dozen years ago.

She had hardly any joint documents from the marriage her conditional residence was based on, as she and her husband separated in 2005 and he died in 2013. Overcoming an official Notice of Intention to Terminate her conditional status, we were able to tease out maximum meaning from the few documents she could provide, including sworn statements about the wedding from members of both families, and we proved that she did enter into her marriage in good faith.

The application for waiver of the joint petition to remove conditions was approved.

And in another court case, RMZD was able to obtain “Michael’s” release from ICE detention, with his green card intact, despite a recent drug conviction for which the judge ruled him

deportable back to his home country. We presented overwhelming evidence that our client’s U.S. citizen family was rallying behind him, and convinced the court that, for the sake of his young children, he had turned over a new leaf during his time in detention. Now Michael can make a fresh start without the threat of his prior misdeeds costing him the right to remain in the United States.

We are also pleased that we were able to obtain a conditional green card for a newlywed who had entered the U.S. 15 years ago with a false passport and who is almost 30 years younger than his U.S citizen husband. Despite the interviewing officer’s obvious discomfort with the couple’s age difference, and suspicions about them as a same-sex couple, we were able to show that theirs is a real marriage and that “George” should be forgiven for his fraudulent entry because of his own good character and the hardship that his elderly husband “Edward” would suffer if George had to

leave.

Our stories are a reminder that one should never give up on pursuing the American Dream. With hope and competent immigration counsel, seemingly impossible situations can be overcome. Anyone with an unresolved immigration problem should consult an experienced and knowledgeable immigration lawyer in 2018 to finally resolve their immigration problems. ***

to and from the heart. The action in turn, strengthens the muscles of the heart and maintains blood pressure at healthy levels.

Nature moves in cycles. While the earth’s atmospheric cloak adheres to the surface because of the gravitational pull of the “ Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your earth’s mass, the hydrologic cybalance, you must keep moving.” cle will continue to maintain our and give us rain to sustain –Albert Einstein seas all planetary life — that is, for the time being —unless something On the minutest level, the as- unforeseen and catastrophic, like ery level, in the intellectual and the physical realms, begins as a tounding movement of electrons a rogue asteroid with the earth’s thought and if tenaciously pur- around a nucleus and the won- name on it as its target, upsets sued and fleshed out by one’s drous flow of the human blood- and upends this delicate and rare strength of will, proceeds from stream to and from the heart are homeostatic balance.

If and when that happens, as concept to completion as a cir- cyclical.

As science has found out, scientists theorized is the reacle.

Even in the mundane reality of blockages, either man-made son dinosaurs were wiped out living an ordinary life from day or natural to the flow or move- 65 million years ago, it would to day, circles and cycles mark ment in the processes existing be a complete cycle. It would be the patterns of our lives, from in nature at all levels, can create ADIOS to human life as we know sunrise to sunset. Note nature’s anomalies, abnormalities and seasons and cycles of birth and mutations, resulting in pain and death, of sleep and wakefulness, illnesses in the human body and of ebb and flow, of the waxing if uncorrected, result in diseasand waning of the moon and of es, debilitation and ultimately, the quarter million year rotation death.

This presents a strong arguof the solar system around the core of our home galaxy, the ment for regular exercise and Milky Way and in the grandest of consistent movement in our levels, the movement of a nearly daily lives at any age. Moveinfinite number of galaxies in the ment pumps the blood flow in universe, the edge of which only the neurons of our brain and in the capillaries in our extremities the Creator knows.

it. Fortunately, such occurrences happen in geologic time, in millions of years.

The prophets of doom heralding climate change, backed by some pseudo scientists) include themes of global cooling or global warming (take your pick).

For a number of years, they have been trying to scare the living daylights of present day earth inhabitants with stark doomsday scenarios.

Someone claimed with arrogant certainty a few years back that because of global warming the polar ice caps would be completely gone by now. The seas will rise and cities along the coast will be plunged in chaos.

Guess what? The ice caps are still there and the polar vortex of the past year which brought one of the most severe and bitter win-

ter seasons in memory belie such claims.

The fact remains there is no predicting the weather or for that matter, the end of the world with absolute certainty and infallibility. Climate is part of science that is still evolving. There is nothing settled about it. We can track its patterns and draw some educated guesses so we can prepare for catastrophic disturbances to mitigate destruction. The world is a sphere and there is still so much about our planet that needs to be discovered.

Who knows when the next Krakatoa or Vesuvius will erupt and spit out so much sulfur to envelop the world for years that temperatures drop significantly because sunlight is blocked. It has happened before with Mount PAGE B6

sible for having provided false information in connection with her previous application related to her husband’s employment.

Although severely disheartened by two prior denials, Maria chose to press on and retained Reeves Miller Zhang and Diza (RMZD).

RMZD filed a third application on Maria’s behalf and successfully argued that Maria was not responsible for any alleged fraud on the part of her husband’s employer and that USCIS had failed to demonstrate that the elements for fraud/misrepresentation had been met. After two prior denials and nearly 11 years of fighting to obtain permanent residency, Maria’s feelings of doubt and uncertainty subsided when she opened her mail and found her green card.

In year 2017, we have experienced USCIS’s heightened scrutiny over petitions for nonimmigrant workers such as H-1Bs and L-1As. Boilerplate Request for Evidence notices are routinely issued even on thoroughly prepared

petitions. Small companies are facing increasing difficulty sponsoring their foreign workers.

In April 2017, “ABC”, a small real estate management consulting firm hired RMZD to file an H-1B petition for their Financial Analyst. USCIS issued a RFE subsequently, asking ABC to establish the offered position to be a specialty occupation. Our attorneys conducted in-depth legal research, provided accurate guidance to the petitioner and the beneficiary, and compiled a strong response. The case was approved within 30 days after USCIS received the response.

“John” was fighting deportation because he had lied to get his latest entry visa. We were able to prove that John deserved forgiveness for his misrepresentations to the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong, based on the hardship that his US citizen wife would suffer if he had to leave and that his misrepresentation was an anomaly because he is a good an honest person who made a mistake for which he is

Like riding a bicycle: Circles, cycles and movement

Reeves Miller Zhang & Diza is one of the oldest, largest and most experienced immigration fi rms in the United States with offi ces in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Manila and China.

For more Information please call (800) 7958009 or visit www.rreeves.com.

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

(Advertising Supplement)

Is your drinking water safe? chemicals are also contaminants in 80 percent of our streams.)

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has established Safe Drinking Water Standards, based on research and water testing. The Safe Drinking Water Standards state what amount of each of these pollutants is acceptable in your drinking water.” (Details are on its website.) …”When a public water supply fails to meet the Safe Drinking Water Standards for bacteria or a similar pollutant, they are required to notify you and advise you to boil your water before drinking it. Public drinking water suppliers are required by law to conduct regular tests of their drinking water. The water must meet the US EPA’s Drinking Water Standards.”

Are water filters available for homes?

There are various water filters available in the market, from table top, to under the sink, and to central water tank filters. There are 2to 7-stage water filtration systems.

The 7-stage basically includes Reverse Osmosis, with Alkaline Remineralization Filter and UV Sterilizers for microorganisms. All these are commercially available for homes. Boiling faucet water is one way to further remove mineral contamination (crystal sediments) and microbes.

What is Zero Water filtration system?

Zero Water tabletop pitcher, canister, or portable tumbler filtration system is a 5-stage ion exchange filter that totally eliminates total dissolved solids, but not microorganisms. After water goes through the Zero Water filter, the TDS reading is zero.

This, in essence, transforms the chlorinated (microbe-free) faucet water to distilled water. Untreated water from wells, filtered by Zero Water system, will not eliminate microorganisms. The 5-6-7 stage systems, with reverse osmosis, membrane filter, and UV lights will.

What is TDS? This refers to the Totally Dissolved Solids (inorganic salts like calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, bicarbonates, chlorides, and sulfates, and traces of organic substances and heavy metals) in water, which give water a bitter or salty taste, and bad odor. TDS does not include microbes. The EPA standard for TDS is 500 mg/liter or parts per million (ppm). Using a small TDS meter I bought for less than $20 on amazon.com, I tested the TDS level of water in Las Vegas, Chicago, Quezon City and Cebu, and found them well

below 500 mg/L. Non-mineral bottled water has TDS levels less than 200 mg/L. Distilled water, like Absolute, has zero TDS. Distilled water, devoid of all minerals, is not ideal for regular daily drinking. It is used in machines, like CPAP, in irons, cleaning baby utensils, etc., and in delicate scientific/laboratory instruments, etc., to prevent deposits, corrosion, and damage.

Is bottled water safe?

In general, bottled water produced by reputable companies is safe. The occasional incidents in third world countries where faucet water was used to fill up empty (used) bottles, recapped, sealed, and sold are reminders for us to be vigilant and careful.

When ordering bottled water, ask the waiter not to open the bottle; do it yourself to be sure the seal is not broken. When I am in doubt, I use my TDS meter to check. Below 100 is fine with me.

Is alkaline water necessary?

For daily regular drinking, alkaline water is not necessary. Occasional use is fine. Unless a person has an illness that makes the blood more acidic where the physician might include alkaline water in his treatment regimen, drinking alkaline water under normal situation is a waste of money. Billions of people on earth have been healthy for centuries without alkaline water. Eating a lot of vegetables, nuts, less red meats, and staying away from tobacco, alcohol, and soft drinks will balance our body pH to more healthy levels, between 7.35 to 7.45, a bit on the alkaline side.

Level 7 is neutral. Seawater has a pH of 8, baking soda, 9, and Milk of Magnesia, 10. So, normally we do not need more alkaline blood than 7.45. Our body automatically adjusts and balances our electrolyte and pH non-stop, depending on what we eat or drink, unless we abuse ourselves or are ill. So, save your money and enjoy a happy and healthy lifestyle. Go on cruises, instead.

Here’s wishing you and your loved ones a joyous Christmas and a magic New Year of good health, love, peace, and prosperity! *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. Email: scalpelpen@gmail. com

The 2017 Rice Drive for Spring Valley Area Command is a partnership between law enforcement and the Asian community. Rice is a main staple in the diet of many Asian families, and the Spring Valley Area Command wants to directly focus outreach into the Asian community.

We have received numerous donations from community partners in order to provide 400 needy families. This year more than 12,000 lbs of rice was donated.

Calendar of Events across

America

d Ec E m b E R 27-29

Ateneo de Naga High School Class ’67 celebrates 50th anniversary in Naga City The Ateneo de Naga University (ADNU) High School Class 1967 is celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2017 from December 27 to 29 with various activities lined up for its 153 alumni members. (ADNU is a leading Jesuit university in the Bicol region located in Naga City, Camarines Sur, Philippines). The activities include the publication of its 50thAnniversary Yearbook, a coffee table book which features the individual life stories of the class members after high school, tributes to their mentors, and various articles about school life in the 1960s.

Also scheduled for the middle of the year is a golf tournament which — aside from fostering camaraderie — will essentially be a fund-raising activity for planned alumni projects such as a medical mission to a remote provincial town, scholarships, and donations for other worthy causes. This year’s reunion will be at the ADNU main campus in Naga City with various fun and commemorative activities lined up for the occasion. All batch members, wherever they are domiciled, including those residing in foreign countries, especially those in the USA and Canada, are enjoined to contribute their life story articles for the anniversary book as soon as possible, to participate in the various identified activities and outreach projects, and attend the grand homecoming in December. For coordination and for details about the events and activities, please email or call up any of the following batch members: Jojo de Jesus (email: jvdejesus6@yahoo.com; cell: 09772114750); Nilo Ezequiel (email: nilo.ezequiel0977@ gmail.com; cell: 09257200926; Antonio Sibulo, MD (email: assjrmd@gmail.com).

d Ec E m b E R 28

Immigration forum in Anaheim, CA Global Law Centers will be hosting an immigration forum on Thursday, December 28 from 6 to 8 p.m. It will be held at Brookhurst Community Center (2271 Crescent Ave., Anaheim, CA 92801); admission is FREE. The forum is about employment-based immigration, information regarding fast-track work visas ( H-1B1, TN, E-3), green card by Marriage, family-based immigration, employment sponsorship for green card, and work visas after graduation. Candidates with H-1B, TN, F-1, OPT & other visas issues are encouraged to attend for FREE immigration consultation & immigration assistance. For more information, please contact Global Law Centers at (714) 657-7460 or www.globallawcenters.com.

d Ec E m b E R 3 1

Fil-Am Council of Ventura County to host New Year’s Eve celebration in Oxnard, CA The Filipino American Council of Ventura County, Inc. invites the community to an evening of GLAM and GLITTER as we ring in the new year on Sunday, December 31, from 6 p.m. - midnight at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center located at 800 Hobson Way in Oxnard, California.

This year, the Fil-Am Council has taken over OPACC to provide guests with two options to celebrate! The Oxnard Room: Glam & Glitter — The magical evening will include dinner, a short program featuring the induction of officers for the Filipino American Council, raffles, and a lot of dancing to live music by Boyd Elston which includes the latest cha-cha, ballroom, and tunes to line dance to! Donation: $45 presale, $50 at Door; $25 children 12 years and below. Attire is semi formal. The second option is the Ventura Room: THE FLIP SIDE! Local deejay, DJ CARL10 will be mixing the hottest tracks for our GENX guest to groove to, from old school to new school and everything in between! Donation is $25, doors open at 9 p.m. Sponsorships are available. For more information, please call Myrna Viloria at (805) 236-8901 or Grace Tuazon at (805) 766-3231. To purchase tickets, please visithttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/fil-am-councilof-ventura-county-new-years-eve-celebration-tickets-39771817577?aff=es2.

If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com

B december 21-27, 2017 • LAS VeGAS ASIAN JOUrNAL Immigration Corner Atty. MAriA ritA reyes-stuby And bernAdette bretAnA Gender inequality. Is it an issue some societies in the world have relegated to the past? The trend to recognize same-sex marriages is picking up. Women are accepted (sometimes grudgingly) as equals in areas of employment, world leadership and income generation. It would seem the biological difference between a male or a female are not matters of consideration within the context of equal protection of the law. It is not, however, an absolute rule or as widespread as we wish it to be.

Gender differentiation still matters in drafting laws that are perceived to preserve specific governmental or social “order.”

For example, under Philippine law, the mother is given preference over the father in the custody of an illegitimate child below the age of 7, unless she is proven to be unfit. In the United States, immigration rules impose more burden on the U.S. citizen father of an illegitimate child to prove paternity, than on the U.S. citizen-mother to prove the mother-child relationship. In petitioning for an illegitimate child, the U.S. citizen mother only has to show the birth of the child as evidenced by the birth certificate.

If it is the father who petitions for his child born out of wedlock (illegitimate), the birth certificate showing acknowledgment of his

Features

Quantum of proof

paternity is not enough. He has to establish proof of his paternity by additional, equally important means. The law provides that “(e)motional and/or financial ties or a genuine concern and interest by the father for the child’s support, instruction, and general welfare must be shown.” (8 CFr 204.2(d) (2) [Immigration and nationality Act, as amended]).

A father petitioning his child to live in the United States must show that he is a father, not just in name but in deed. If it is true that he is the father, he should be able to show that he cares for his child by communicating , being concerned about his/her welfare, sending/giving financial support during those tender years (up to age 18) or if there was an opportunity to live with the child and personally be a parent to the child, then proof such as income tax return records, school and medical/insurance coverage records, may well support the parent-child petition. In cases when the child is born (outside of the U.S.) after the parent is naturalized as a U.S. citizen or when the parent is a natural-born U.S. citizen, the same burden is imposed if the parent is a father. essentially, the father has to prove his presence in the foreign soil at the time of conception of the child, existing valid relationship with the mother of the child, and acts of acknowledgement of the relationship by the father as the child is growing up. natural law justifies why these requirements will not be necessary if the U.S. citizen parent is the birth mother. The

United States recent history of sending troops to all “corners”of the globe makes it imperative to establish proof of paternity. These deployments gave rise (and continues to give rise) to relationships with foreigners that produce children (remember Ms. Saigon?).

Questioning the authenticity of a child’s claim of being a U.S. citizen (as a “G.I.” baby) years after the father goes back to the U.S. with no contact, is legitimate as far as the U.S. government is concerned; hence such additional burden imposed upon the father to prove a valid and legitimate parent-child relationship. Immigration law has recognized these concerns. It is easy to believe and assert that someone is indeed your child; proving such fact is an entirely different ball game.

Adding more requirements for the father to prove a valid parent-child relationship to comply with immigration laws is not a digression from the standards of equal protection of the law nor is it an attempt to assert the primacy of the laws of nature but rather protecting governmental interest from fraud and the untruth. *** Maria Rita Reyes-Stuby is a licensed attorney in Michigan. She is a graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Law. She specializes in immigration and practices in Las Vegas, Michigan, California and other states. Bernadette Bretana, a graduate of the Ateneo Law School and Ms. Stuby are licensed attorneys in the Philippines. Please call @702-403-4704 or email her at stubylaw@aol.com or go to www.mrstubylaw.com for any questions on this article.

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Blushing Bride Ai Ai delas Alas stunned in her pastel-themed wedding

By Monet

Lu

IT was magical. A moment so surreal and poignant that it brought memories of both pain and redemption; of love that’s found after the heart has been broken one too many times.

Walking down the aisle on her offshoulder princess cut ball gown that featured intricate beading on the bodice and accentuated by a unique, hand painted veil edge, Ai-Ai delas Alas is the blushing bride who proved that this love is “riper” this time around, and the “right one” for her.

The pastel-themed wedding of Ai Ai delas and Gerald Sibayan was held at Christ the King Parish in Green Meadows, Quezon City on Tuesday, dec. 12.

Some of the industry’s brightest stars and personalities graced the highly anticipated wedding, along with family and close friends of the couple who all wanted to witness the special moment that marked the start of Ai AI and Gerald’s happily ever after.

It’s no secret that Ai Ai had two failed marriages: first to Miguel Vera, and the second to Jed Salang, which lasted only a few months. But Ai-Ai said she is now sure that she’s marrying for the right reasons, admitting that the first marriages were stained with wrong intentions.

In an interview she said: “At that time I had hidden agenda because third parties were involved at gusto kong mang-inis. Nakarma tuloy ako. You know, kapag sinimulan mo ng mali, matatapos na mali. This time, I have my life in order, it’s my first real and right marriage, and I’m marrying all out of love. Gusto kong makasama si Gerald habang buhay. This time, there’s forever.”

I watched the video of Ai Ai tearing up as she walked down the aisle. She wore a simple tiara, and a silver drop necklace. She looked stunning and very happy. According to pre-wedding reports, her gown is by designer Frederick Peralta, and was a gift to to Ai-Ai by friend Marian rivera.

The entire ceremony was wellattended by celebrity guests such as Alden richards, Marian rivera, dingdong dantes, randy

The couple of three years happily exchanged “I do’s” on Tuesday, Dec. 12 at the Christ the King Church in Greenmeadows, Quezon City.

Photo from Instagram/@ Gerald Sibayan

Santiago, Ogie Alcasid, regine Velasquez, and Barbie Forteza.

Vic Sotto, Pauleen Luna, Piolo Pascual, and Pops Fernandez were also at the wedding. Megastar Sharon Cuneta also attended the wedding as matron of honor.

The principal sponsors were Mr. eugenio r. Abunda Jr. and Ms. Cory Vidanes; Atty. Jejomar “Jojo” Binay and Mrs. Analita del Mundo-ramos; Mr. Henry Chua and Ms. Susan Co; Mr. Bobby Co and Ms. Lolit Solis; Mr. delfin de dios Jr. and Ms. nancy Yang; Mr. Butch espino and Ms. Maribel espino; Sen. richard Gordon and Ms. Fely dela Cruz; Mr. Felipe Gozon and Mother Lily Monteverde; Mr. Alex Lim and Ms. Susan Lim; Mr. robert Ogie Mendoza and Ms. Melissa rubioMendoza; Sen. ralph recto and Cong. Vilma Santos-recto; Mr. Willie revillame and Ms. Cristy Fermin; Gov. Chavit Singson and Ms. Julita B. Cayanan; Mr. Antonio P. Tuviera and Ms. Avin Arayata; and Bro. Mariano “Mike” Velarde and Ms. Geraldine desiderio-Garcia; and Bro. Bo Sanchez. Ms. Ana Puno, who is a friend of mine, was also one of them and was accompanied by Bong Prada Lim. The entourage consisted of the following: Sophia Andrea delas Alas (Maid of Honor), Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan (Matron of Honor), John Kenneth Monterubio, richard “Alden” Faulkerson Jr. and Sancho Vito delas Alas (Best Men), Arolas Amahit, Bayani Agbayani, Ogie Alcasid, Lito Alejandria, Gerry Catama, Carlos Antonie Cayanan, Kevin dalisay, Heildenberg dimarukot, Ariel Manalo, Jerald Guillen napoles, Piolo Jose (Groomsmen), Socorro Adam, Lenlen rogacion, regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Lovely Abella, Malou de Guzman, Barbara Ambas Forteza, Bianca Carlos, Abby Bañares-Co, rufa Mae

Magallanes, Valeen Margarita Montenegro, Cielito Fernandez, Shanna May retuya, Marilou Santiago, eugene domingo, Joan Fagara-delas Alas and rechie del Carmen (Bridesmaids), Mr. Marvic Sotto and Ms. Pauleen Luna-Sotto, Candle; Mr. dingdong dantes and Ms. Marian rivera-dantes, Veil; and Mr. Joseph Calata and Ms. Marnely S. Calata, Cord (Secondary Sponsors), Stephen Sibayan (Bible Bearer), Gabriel Sibayan (Coin Bearer), Seth Andrei delas Alas (ring Bearer) and Ambella Sibayan and Angela Sibayan (Flower Girls).

It was a beautiful wedding but more importantly, it’s a beautiful story. It’s about losing and finding hope. It’s one that is not exempt from pain and doubts (especially from the naysayers who think a May-december affair will never work). But that’s where the “sickness” and “poorer” part of marriage will be tested. I wish Ai Ai and Gerald will stand the test of time and remain in love with each other no matter the circumstances.

To Gerald and Ai Ai, the start of your “forever” has begun.

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

Uniting the Asian American Republican voices: The RNC APA Meet & Greet

by Lisa

JAMMING FOR JOY. The Las Vegas Gastroenterology’s Dr. Noel Fajardo together with Martin Nievera and friends hosted a night of “Jamming for Joy” at the Fiesta Filipina in Warm Springs and Durango. An Intimate evening with RP’s concert king Martin Nievera, Siren of the Strip Lani MIsalucha with some members of the Society of Seven all in support for Michael Laygo’s wife, Joy Laygo who has been in coma for over 3 months due to a TB meningitis. Joy Laygo has been diagnosed with TB Meningitis and has suffered multiple ischemic strokes. She is currently confined at the intensive care unit of Centennial Hills Hospital in Las Vegas and is in critical condition. Her husband, Michael Laygo who is the SOS frontman and her 6 children are praying for a miracle that would save Joy’s life. Joy has been in and out of the hospital for over a month now. The last thing we want them to worry about is the financial burden brought by the growing medical expenses.

Noeth

THe fastest growing minority community in Las Vegas is the Asian American community. On november 30, 2017, The rnC APA Meet and Greet event allowed Asian Americans nevadans to engage in discussing important issues affecting their daily lives. everyone in attendance were able to listen to the remarks from nevada GOP Chairman, Michael Mcdonald, the nevada GOP team, and the director of APA, Adi. The rnC APA Meet and Greet allowed Asian Americans nevadans to engage in discussing important issues affecting their daily lives. everyone in attendance were able to listen to the remarks from nevada GOP Chairman, Michael Mcdonald, the nevada GOP team, and the director of APA engagement at the republican national Committee, Adi Sathi. esther Lui, the Strategic Com-

munications Coordinator for CAGOP and APA Field Coordinator for rnC, described The rnC APA Meet and Greet as ““The strong participation in this event highlights the great connection between the republican Party and the Asian Pacific American communities. This event was part of the GOP’s on-going efforts to draw on our shared values to engage with this awesome community. We are encouraged by their positive response and look forward to working together.” nevadan Asian Americans now have the opportunity to empower the Asian American community as their interests were ignited to undergo The republican Leadership Initiative to learn methods to register voters and to volunteer for upcoming nV GOP events and campaigns.

It is crucial for Asian Americans in nevada to be involved in spreading the republican message of freedom of speech,

family values, lower taxes, and self sufficiency throughout the Asian American community in Las Vegas. nevada is a battleground state for the 2018 midterm elections.

This event was a valuable experience of being able to address their concerns about the issues, and ask questions face to face to republican Party leaders, who all directly have contact with President Trump. In the end, the Asian American community were affirmed that their voices were heard from party leaders. *** Lisa Noeth is a tenacious leader and entrepreneur, she started her Amazon business, LPN Trading LLC in 2016. She graduated from New York University’s Masters of Science in Global Affairs in 2016, she’s currently an aspiring political commentator/journalist. Lisa is on a mission to unite all millennial Republicans across Nevada as the Clark County Region 5 Director for the Nevada Young Republicans.

Like riding a bicycle: Circles, cycles...

PAGE B5 Pinatubo and other volcanoes along the ring of Fire through the centuries. The only thing certain is that volcanic eruptions will happen again. We just don’t know when.

Who knows when the Big One for California will happen? It is not a matter of if but when. That is a given. The last big one in San Francisco was over a hundred years ago and scientists say California is due for the next big one.

Who knows when the next Katrina will come and wreak havoc?

Who knows the direct path tornadoes will take? All we know is that there are things that humans can predict with some degree of accuracy but on the whole, there are things that are random and beyond the realms of prediction.

One thing that is becoming clear is that nature has become part of a global political agenda.

I consider such thought manipulations suspect. When nature is being used by groups to advance dubious political motives so that laws can be enacted that will essentially line the pockets of cer-

tain economic interests and thus ensure political power, it is time to tune out of the madness and see it for what it is. We need to maintain equilibrium in the face of untruths.

When it comes to nature, what will be, will be. Its cycles are dictated by something much more powerful than any human mind can conjure. earth’s 23.5 degree tilt which dictates earth’s seasons as it spins like a wobbly top along its orbit around the sun, which in turn orbits the center of the Milky Way readjusts and is tweaked according to some cosmic cycle.

In a way, the life of our living, breathing planet is reflective of human life from birth to death.

The human story is cyclical. every civilization goes through periods of beginnings, progress, full flowering, decay, stagnation and ultimately, death. Planet earth will die too along with the sun, one day, the human race and all living carbon-based creatures will be gone by then.

As a historical footnote, there are clear indications the American story, as a result of its in-

creasing divisiveness and seismic shifts in its values and national psyche, has has gone through a protracted period of decay and stagnation phase of its cycle.

For three decades, America may have lost its way as it drifted away from its core Christian values made manifest through its decadent culture.

This may have played out already. By God’s grace and miracle for millions who bent down their knees and prayed fervently and asked for divine intervention, a new beginning is sprouting.

The promise of resurgence to new life and an era of hope and worthwhile accomplishments is dawning.

MAY 2018 BrInG US GOd’S BLeSSInGS OF PeACe, HeALTH And PrOSPerITY! May these blessings fill our hearts with overwhelming gratitude to God and create kind, humble and loving hearts in each of us. .* * * Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette. maglaya@asianjournalinc.com

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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • dEcEmbER 21-27, 2017

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B december 21-27, 2017 • LAS VeGAS ASIAN JOUrNAL

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