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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Volume 20 - No. 51 • 14 Pages
T H E F I L I P I N O A M E R I CA N C O M MU N I T Y N E WS PA P E R
Volume 18 - No. 17 • 2 Sections – 16 Pages
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DATELINE Philippine Airlines wins US court approval of recovery plan FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA
PHILIPPINE Airlines, Inc. (PAL) announced that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York has approved its Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan”). PAL filed a voluntary petition on September 3, 2021 for a prearranged restructuring under the U.S. Chapter 11 process, and has received overwhelming creditor support throughout the process. “Today’s court approval represents a critical moment in our journey to emerge as a stronger airline. We are thankful for our loyal customers, dedicated employees, and the support of our shareholders and partners and government, which has enabled us to move efficiently through the process and reach this milestone,” said Gilbert F. Santa Maria, PAL President & Chief Operating Officer in a statement on Friday, December 17. “We have a few more procedural steps to take before we can complete the Chapter 11 process, after which we will focus intensely on serving the public, navigating
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Fil-Am named deputy chief of Los Angeles Police Department THE Los Angeles Police Department will have its first Filipino American deputy chief in its 152-year history. Commander Donald Graham becomes the first person of Filipino descent to hold such a position, following an announcement from Chief Michel Moore made public on December 17. The announcement did not specify when the promotion takes effect. A member of the LAPD for over two decades, Graham made history in 2019 when he was named a commander of the department, focused on leading the Transit Services Division and as the Homeless Coordinator under the Office of Operations. In 1984, Graham was a teenager when his mother Amalia moved him and his two siblings from Bayonne, New Jersey to Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. She raised the children as a single mother, while working as a nurse, as previously reported by the Asian Journal.
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DE C E MBE R 2 4 - 3 0 , 2 0 2 1
Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, SAN DIEGO, LAS VEGAS, NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY
Duterte declares state of calamity in areas affected by Typhoon ‘Odette’ by DANIZA
FERNANDEZ Inquirer.net
MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, December 20 declared a state of calamity in areas affected by Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai).
The regions under state of calamity are Regions 4B (Mimaropa – Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan), 6 (Western Visayas), 7 (Central Visayas), 8 (Eastern Visayas), 10 (Northern Mindanao), and 13 (Caraga). “The declaration of the state of calamity will hasten
the rescue and relief and rehabilitation efforts of the government and the private sector,” Duterte said during his Talk to the People. “This will also be an effective mechanism to control the prices of goods and commodities in the areas,” he
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‘MAY SANTO NIÑO BRING CONSOLATION AND HOPE’
Pope Francis prays for victims of Typhoon Odette by NEIL
ARWIN MERCADO Inquirer.net
MANILA — Pope Francis has expressed his concern to victims of Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai), offering prayers that families distressed by the severe tropical storm that barreled the Philippines recently find solace and hope. “I express my closeness to the population of the Philippines, struck by a strong typhoon that has caused many deaths and destroyed so many homes,” the top leader of the Catholic church wrote on Twitter Sunday night, December 19. “May the ‘Santo Niño’ bring consolation and hope to the families of those most affected. #PrayTogether,” he added. Typhoon Odette, reportedly the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year, first made landfall in Siargao Island on Thursday, December 16, before ravaging other provinces including Cebu, Bohol, and Palawan. DIFFERENT THIS YEAR. Residents light up Christmas decor outside their home ahead of Christmas Eve in Candon, Ilocos Sur. People have The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management been urged to have the traditional noche buena at home with family only and keep festivities simple to prevent the spread of COVID. Council (NDRRMC) reported that over 1.8 million people Philstar.com photo by Andy Zapata were affected by Typhoon Odette. ■
Staying safe for the holidays: California’s top health officer on celebrating the holidays responsibly amid COVID surge by KLARIZE
MEDENILLA AJPress
IT’S no doubt that the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebration is the most highly anticipated holiday season in recent history. The coronavirus pandemic upended the last holiday season, which largely consisted of Zoom parties, limited in-person gatherings, and generally truncated celebrations governed by the safety protocols at the time. But amid the beginnings of a winter spike, those same individuals and families find themselves in similar positions. COVID-19 cases are up globally and the delta and omicron variants continue to increase worry over the festive season. The
U.S. is experiencing a nationwide increase in cases, and states like California are acting quickly to avoid a replay of the last winter surge. As the Asian Journal previously reported, California once again issued a travel advisory and a mask mandate to help mitigate the spread as families and friends flock to one another for holiday gatherings. But Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services agency, stressed the importance of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine as well as a booster shot, which has proven to stifle the severe effects of the virus. “Getting a vaccine that’s safe and effective
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PAL: Returning Filipinos might cancel trips going home due to PH arrival cap by MIGUEL
R. CAMUS
Inquirer.net
PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) started to cancel international flights after plans to lift the government’s daily cap of 4,000 overseas arrivals had stalled. The flag carrier warned in a statement that arrival restrictions would “end up preventing thousands of overseas Filipinos from returning home.” Thus far, PAL announced the cancellation from ManilaSingapore flight PR507/508 on Dec. 21. On Dec. 19, it rescheduled a Manila-Damman Inquirer.net file photo flight to the following day to
meet the daily cap at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. “We seek the public’s understanding over this unfortunate situation. We are a vital air bridge to bring families together, and we try to do all we can to fly our countrymen home, hence the flights we had arranged to serve their urgent travel needs,” Dexter C. Lee, PAL senior vice president and chief strategy and planning officer, said in a statement. “However, we have to abide by the latest limits and we regret that this will prevent us from serving many travelers,” he
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RESBAKUNA. Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. (left), National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer, and U.S. Embassy ad interim Chargé d’Affaires Heather Variava (right) do the Resbakuna sign during the arrival of 1,776,060 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United States government through the COVAX Facility at NAIA Terminal 3 on Monday, December 20. Another 1,623,960 doses were delivered on Tuesday, December 21. The Philippines has received more than 64.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility and bilateral donations from other countries. PNA photo by Avito Dalan
3.4 million Pfizer shots donated by US arrive in PH MANILA — The U.S., in partnership with the COVAX Facility, this week donated an additional 3.4 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to the Philippines. The vaccines are part of the 500 million Pfizer doses donated by the U.S. to the world through COVAX, a global initiative to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. The first shipment of 1.78 million doses arrived at the
Ninoy Aquino International Airport and was received by vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., U.S. Embassy in the Philippines Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Heather Variava, and other representatives. Another 1.62 million doses were delivered Tuesday, on December 21. The 3.4 million doses are the largest single donation of the Pfizer vaccine to the Philippines from the 500 million
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