122922 - Las Vegas Edition

Man arrested for racist taunts on Filipino siblings in SF Bay Area

POLICE in San Ramon, California arrested a man from Denver, Colorado who was caught on video harassing three Filipino American siblings with racist taunts on Christmas morning and two Korean Americans the previous evening.

Jordan Douglas Krah, 40, was arrested Dec. 26 for violating California’s antihate crime law. He was caught on video harassing siblings Abigail, Adriana and Anjo Halili on Christmas morning.

“We heard a guy parked in his car yelling from his window saying keep walking you need to get away from that store, ‘you’ve been the people vandalizing and robbing these shops,’” Abigai Halili told ABC7 News. Krah allegedly followed up with obscene hand gestures.

“We didn’t know what to do and he kept going on and on saying ‘you’re Filipino idiots. You probably sell cocaine. You’re dealers,’” says Halili.

US ‘largest humanitarian donor’ in the Philippines with $29M in typhoon aid

TYPHOON assistance through the U.S. Agency for International Development reached P1.6 billion ($29 million) in 2022, making Washington the “largest humanitarian donor” in the Philippines, the U.S. Embassy said.

“Through this funding from the American people, USAID has provided critical shelter assistance, increased access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities, restored agricultural livelihoods, ensured essential sexual and reproductive health services, and provided protection programs for women and children,” the embassy said in a statement on Thursday, December 21.

The statement comes just after the USAID handed over 167 transitional shelters to Leyte residents affected by Tropical Storm Agaton (international name: Megi) earlier this year. The housing can accommodate over 900 individuals displaced in Abuyog municipality and Baybay city.

Agaton hit the country in April this year, affecting over 2.298 million individuals and 659.996 families, while displacing

DOH wants state of calamity over COVID extended

by GAEA KATREENA CABICO Philstar.com

MANILA — The Philippine Department of Health on Tuesday, December 27 said it has sought the extension of the state of calamity declared in the country due to COVID-19 to allow the continued implementation of measures to combat the pandemic.

DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said the agency has submitted

a request to the Office of the President to extend the declaration of the state of calamity, which is set to expire on December 31.

The DOH is seeking an extension after the bill allowing the government to continue its COVID-19 response and creating the country’s own Center for Disease Prevention and Control was not enacted on time.

“If the state of calamity would not be

COVID-19 won’t stop Marcos’ trip to China

by RHODINA VILLANUEVA Philstar.com

MANILA — With barely a week left before President Marcos’ state visit to China where COVID-19 cases are surging, the Department of Health (DOH) said the health situation in a particular area should not deter the President or anyone from performing his duties.

“The rising COVID-19 cases in a particular area should not deter us from doing our work,” DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said at a press briefing on Tuesday, December 27.

“We should understand that we are already currently living with the virus, so the visit to a particular place of an individual, even though detection of the COVID-19 virus there is high, should not hamper us from doing our work,” Vergeire said.

Vergeire maintained they have already apprised the President and his staff of the COVID-19 situation in the Philippines and in other countries.

President Marcos is set to visit China from Jan. 3 to 5 or 6, upon the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

DILG to announce new war on drugs program next year

by DALE G. ISRAEL Inquirer.net

CEBU CITY — Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. on Tuesday, December 27 announced there will be a “big statement” about the country’s war on drugs at the start of 2023.

In his command visit at Camp Sergio Osmeña Sr. in Cebu City, Abalos announced that the statement would come from him and Philippine National Police chief Rodolfo Azurin Jr.

While the performance of Azurin is praiseworthy, Abalos said he wanted a more intensified and holistic campaign against illegal drugs.

In an interview after his speech, Abalos said the details of the “pasabog sa bagong taon (New Year’s blast)” are still confidential.

He explained that the big announcement would be on a “matter of approach” in the campaign against illegal drugs.

“Everyone will have a role to play here,” Abalos said.

He said the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is working hard to end the narcotics problem of the country.

In the last five months, around P10 billion worth of illegal drugs were seized by policemen led by Azurin.

Abalos, however, cited that one of the huge drug hauls involved a policeman.

Tulfo out as Marcos designates DSWD o cer in charge

by KRISTINA MARALIT ManilaTimes.net

PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has designated Undersecretary Edu Punay as officer-in-charge of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Malacañang confirmed on Tuesday, December 27.

"Yes," was the short reply of Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) officer-in-charge Undersecretary Chelo Garafil via text message when sought for confirmation.

Punay's appointment paper, released by the Palace on the

same day, was signed by the Chief Executive on Dec. 23, 2022.

He will be taking over from Secretary Erwin Tulfo who has been bypassed twice by the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) — the first was in September and the second time was earlier this month over issues surrounding his citizenship and a prior conviction for libel.

Tulfo had been "on leave" since.

Prior to being appointed to the DSWD, Punay was a journalist who covered the executive, legislative and the judiciary beats. 

Philippine Armed Forces sees chances for localized surrender talks after Joma’s death

by XAVE GREGORIO Philstar.com

MANILA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines said on Monday, December 26 that it sees an opportunity to reach out to local units of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army, to encourage them to surrender to the government following the death of their founding chairperson, Jose Maria Sison.

the CPP-NPA,” Col. Medel Aguilar, military spokesperson, told ABS-CBN News Channel’s “Rundown.”

The CPP has said that holding the localized talks will not address the root causes of the decades-long insurgency and has stood firm that any talks would be through the National Democratic Fronf of the Philippines.

Sison died aged 83 on December 16 after a two-week confinement in the hospital, according to the CPP. He died in the Netherlands where he was in exile since the late

“The lack of Joma is actually an opportunity for us, for all of us in the government to reach out to local leaders of 

DOH officer-in-charge Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire PNA file photo

Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo

Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Maria “Joma” Sison Philstar.com file photo

DOH wants state of calamity...

extended, we will be losing the different strategies that we are doing,” Vergeire said.

She noted the immunization drive against COVID-19, emergency use authorizations granted to vaccines, indemnification, and allowance for health care workers will be affected if the state of calamity

is not extended.

The health agency is waiting for the Office of the President’s response.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of calamity across the country in March 2020 when the virus that causes COVID-19 started to spread. Duterte extended the declaration twice.

In September, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. extended the COVID-19 state of calamity until the end of 2022.

The Philippines has confirmed more than 4.06 million COVID-19 infections, with over 65,000 deaths, since the pandemic started. There are currently 15,472 active cases.  g

US ‘largest humanitarian donor’ in the...

69,727. The typhoon left 214 dead, according to a report by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, and eight injured.

“The United States is proud to stand with you and your communities to rebuild and recover from the devastating loss caused by this storm,”

Aside from the housing, the USAID and the International Organization for Migration also helped assist over 12,000 residents across areas affected by Agaton. Both agencies helped the local government

to identify relocation sites, as well as provide assistance with water systems and sanitation facilities, and distribute hygiene supplies.

USAID has also provided assistance for families affected by typhoon Odette and typhoon Karding, among its other projects in the country. (Philstar.com)

Philippine Armed Forces sees chances for localized...

PAGE 1

1980s.

In its statement confirming Sison’s passing, the CPP vowed “to continue to give all our strength and determination to carry the revolution forward guided by the memory and teachings of the people’s beloved Ka Joma.”

Succeeding statements from the communist rebels said the CPP leadership called on its cadres to mount offensives while mourning Sison.

However, Aguilar said no such attacks occurred from the day of Sison’s death up to Monday when the CPP marks its 54th anniversary.

‘Leadership vacuum’

“What is evident right now is there is a breakdown of communication from the national leadership down to the subordinate organs of the CPP, at least giving them the opportunity to surrender because there is no longer that strong restraint on the part of the CPP to hold them,” he said.

In addition to Sison’s death, Aguilar said the government can also take advantage of the “long silence” of Benito Tiamzon, who is believed to be

the CPP’s chairperson, which he added has left a “vacuum” in the leadership of the communist rebels.

“That’s what we’d like to take advantage of because this is an opportunity for us in government to reach out to their subordinate leaders so we can engage them in localized peace talks,” Aguilar said.

It is speculated that Tiamzon and his wife Wilma, who is believed to be the CPP’s secretary-general, were killed in a boat explosion off Samar’s coast during an AFP operation on August 22 — a theory that has neither been confirmed by the military or the rebels.

The National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, however, said the Tiamzons were indeed killed in August in an encounter with Joint Task Force Storm, as reported by the Daily Tribune.

Setbacks

“We have seen the significant reduction in their capabilities. Of course, we have neutralized many of their leaders,” Aguilar said, while not confirming the deaths of the Tiamzons.

Aguilar said that currently, there the NPA has only 23 existing guerilla fronts, of which

only five are supposedly active. This has been challenged by the CPP, which called the AFP’s claim “ludicrous.”

In a message for its 54th anniversary, the CPP’s Central Committee said the declarations of “strategic victory” against the CPP-NPA is a “public relations” line to justify “five years of squandering hundreds of billions of pesos of people’s money to fund its relentless military offensives and rampant military abuses.”

The committee also described the Philippines as being “on top of a social volcano that is constantly rumbling and ready to explode” which it said are favorable conditions for revolution.

It acknowledged, however, that the revolutionary movement has suffered setbacks and losses “in some parts,” and that these are mainly caused by “internal weaknesses and errors.”

But Aguilar said that it would be difficult for the CPP to recoup their losses.

“The elements that would make their rectification now are no longer there for their party to be able to resurrect or rebound from their setbacks,” he said. g

Man arrested for racist taunts on Filipino...

them.

On Christmas Eve, Arine Kim and her friend Elliot Ha were shooting a video for TikTok while eating at an In-AndOut Burger when a man later identified as Krah spewed racist and homophobic slurs at

A man off camera can be heard saying, “You guys filming yourself eating? You’re weird homosexuals.” A little later, the man says, “You’re Kim Jong Un’s boyfriend?” And moments later says, “Normally I could spit in your face…that’s some Filipino s**t.”

When the victims’ videos

went viral, the police said they were flooded with tips that helped them identify Krah, who has ties in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Kim and the Halilis said they were thankful for the quick arrest of Krah, as it shows that the attacks on Asians are very real, but also punishable by law. (Inquirer.net)

DILG to announce new war on drugs...

PAGE 1

Just recently, he said, another drug bust allegedly involved agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

“This is a bad sign. It is not good that a fellow policeman or PDEA agent were caught in the illegal drugs trade. This is not right,” he said.

“What is appalling here is that you caught a fellow law enforcer. Let’s see what our approach here is,” he added.

Abalos also reported that they are looking into the resurgence of e-sabong or the online gambling of cockfights, especially in Negros Oriental.

Abalos was joined by Azurin and Brigadier General Jerry Bearis, the new director of the Central Visayas police, at Camp Sergio Osmeña. g

‘LECHON’ BREAD. A vendor places bread that looks like a ‘lechon’ or roasted pig at the Quinta Market in Quiapo, Manila on Wednesday, Dec. 28. The vendor said the idea for making a ‘lechon’ bread is to keep up with the holiday season when Filipinos traditionally serve roasted pigs. PNA photo by Avito Dalan

The Halilis were not the only Asian Americans allegedly targeted by Krah.

USAID Mission Director Ryan Washburn said during the turnover ceremony held on Monday, December 26.

Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. speaks to policemen during his command visit at Camp Sergio Osmeña Sr. in Cebu City on Tuesday, Dec. 27. Inquirer.net photo

Yearender: BI arrests, deports foreigners involved in crimes Dateline PhiliPPines

MANILA – Foreigners

homelands, including members of syndicates, sex offenders, involved in fraud, among others, have been apprehended and deported by the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

Under the watch of Commissioner Norman Tansingco, foreign fugitives were arrested including South Korean Lee Won Ho, who was arrested in September for being tagged as a kingpin in a telecom scam syndicate victimizing his compatriots.

In the same month, Fu Qihao was arrested for being wanted in China due to his involvement in a pyramid scam.

In October, the BI arrested a Ghanaian scammer posing as a missionary in the Philippines, after reports of his involvement in ATM hackings in the metro.

The removal of sex offenders in the country also remained a priority for the bureau. One of the biggest arrests was John Crotty, a 64-year-old UK national who was tagged as undesirable after having been previously convicted of sex-related crimes.

Drug cases  BI agents in its warden facility also blocked attempts to smuggle methamphetamine inside the detention center in September and October, which led to the filing of criminal charges against the aliens involved.

The strengthened partnership with other government agencies, including the Bureau of Customs and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, has led to the interception of American Stephen Jozeph Szuhar in September, who attempted to smuggle in PHP19 million worth of cocaine to the country.

Online gaming

Coordination with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation has led to the cancellation of visas of some

48,782 foreigners, 1,424 of which have already been ordered to leave.

Meanwhile, collaboration with the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police also led to the arrest of 372 illegal aliens found to be involved in clandestine online gaming operations.

Human trafficking

The BI has continuously fought human trafficking, rescuing victims recruited to illegally work in Thailand, Laos and Dubai.

In November, BI airport officers uncovered trafficking attempts involving fake airport passes and use of airport employees’ entrances.

Tansingco ordered the investigation of the incidents and called on other government agencies under the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking to strengthen the joint fight against illegal recruitment and human trafficking.

Other international airports in the country have also strengthened their border measures.

In October, immigration officers at the Clark International Airport arrested two Indian nationals with fake immigration stamps and a Taiwanese wanted in his country for drug-related crimes.

Tansingco also initiated the tightening of screening of foreigners from Cambodia and Vietnam, following reports from local law enforcement agencies on the uptick of kidnappings and extortion activities from syndicates hailing from two countries.

Partner agencies

Partnership with government agencies such as the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Tourism, Bureau of Quarantine, BOC, Department of Health, Department of Transportation, and the Department of Justice

has led to the launch of the eTravel website, removing the arrival card requirement and consolidating data requirement of border agencies into one platform.

The Bureau, together with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), also rolled out its updated system linked with the DMW’s database, to access overseas Filipino workers’ overseas employment certificate records in real-time, lessening paper-based requirements.

Improvements

The BI has established the NAIA 24/7 one-stop-shop that caters to foreign passengers needing urgent immigration documents.

Tansingco also highlighted the key focus areas of his administration -- anti-corruption, modernization, national security, rightsizing and personnel empowerment.

“I also saw a need to strengthen the role of immigration on national security, follow the direction of the president in maximizing the personnel complement of the bureau, and of course improve the welfare of our employees,” Tansingco said in a statement.

He also capped 2022 with the soft launching of the online visa waiver project, allowing short-term tourists to easily extend their visas online, and the initiation of electronic payments for BI transactions.

"We celebrate a new beginning for the bureau. Despite the many issues and challenges in the past, we look forward to a better future," Tansingco said.

"Anticipate. Innovate. Motivate. These are the agency's direction in the next years. Anticipate what is needed, innovate to improve our services, and motivate each other to be the best public servants. Aim high BI," he added. (PNA)

Fishers’ groups to Marcos: Advance PH interest

by Bella Cariaso ManilaTimes.net

FISHERS' groups called on President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to advance the interest of Filipinos, particularly the fishermen, during his state visit to China in January 2023.

Pangisda Pilipinas National Chairman Pablo Rosales said Marcos should ask China to respect the decision of the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) which ruled in favor of the Philippines in its arbitration case against China over the West Philippine Sea.

"Marcos should ask China to respect the decision of the international court and award the right to Filipinos at the West Philippine Sea. We hope Marcos will be firm on this position and show China that he is ready to defend what is ours," Rosales said.

"That's what we are asking the President to advance the welfare of our Filipino fishermen and China to respect our rights. We hope that President Marcos will relay this message during his visit," he added.

He said that fishermen no longer go to Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc after being harassed by the Chinese Coast Guard.

"They chose not to go there because of fear from the Chinese ships," Rosales added.

He said that members of the Chinese Coast Guard confiscated the fishing gear and catch of some Filipino fishermen.

"Fishermen were traumatized because of the harassment. They chose not to go near Bajo de Masinloc and decided to fish within the municipal waters near Masinloc," Rosales said.

He appealed to the Philippine Coast Guard to provide protection to the fishermen and escort them while fishing near Bajo de Masinloc.

Rosales said that Marcos' visit to China will be beneficial if he will include the issue of Filipino fishermen in his agenda in his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Fishermen, he added, should be allowed to fish freely and benefit from the country's marine resources.

At the same time, Rosales said that he supports the proposed measure of Palawan Rep. Edward Hagedorn to declare certain parts of Kalayaan Island Group and Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea as marine protected areas.

"I support declaring the West Philippine Sea as a protected area if it will only prohibit commercial fishers and foreign intrusion but not the small fishermen. If it bans all forms of fishing, it will affect the source of living of small fishermen," he said.

Fisherfolk Provincial Council Leader in Zambales Paul Amerika said that Filipino fishermen used to take refuge at Bajo de Masinloc but were forced to stop the practice because of harassment from Chinese vessels.

"Fishermen had a place where they used to hide whenever there was a typhoon, but the Chinese

occupied that place," Amerika said.

He added that Marcos should defend the right of Filipino fishermen to fish in the country's territorial waters.

"We hope that the President's visit will help so that the privilege of small fishermen to fish freely can be enjoyed again," Amerika noted.

Ocean senior campaign manager Danny Ocampo said that it is important to manage the country's resources to prevent the depletion of the fisheries supplies.

"Oceana has been actively pushing for the implementation of our fisheries laws to manage our fisheries resources," Ocampo said.

He urged the government to ensure the implementation of Fisheries Administrative Order 263 on the establishment of Fisheries Management Areas (FMAs) which aims to effectively manage the fisheries resources in Philippine waters.

Oceana Karagatan Patrol Administrator Jessie Floren said that the closed fishing season in Northern Palawan, Visayan Sea and Zamboanga Peninsula should strictly be observed to help the country's marine resources recover.

"Hopefully, commercial fishing vessels will respect that. They will benefit from this intervention. Closed-fishing season aims to regenerate fish stocks and then eventually sustain our production of sardines," Floren said.

The fishing ban starts in December and will last until February. g

Hidilyn Diaz, Filipinas lead top 7 Philippine sports moments of 2022

by Lance agcaoiLi Inquirer.net

MANILA — Philippine sports saw another successful year in 2022 as Filipino athletes continued to shine on the international stage and reach greater heights with their winning moments and recordbreaking feats.

Following a banner year in 2021, where Hidilyn Diaz delivered the country’s first gold medal in the Olympics, Filipino athletes kept thriving internationally and continued to bring pride and glory to the country.

Inquirer Sports listed the Top 7 Filipinos, who delivered the best Philippine sports moments of 2022.

7. Rousing return for Carlo Paalam It may have been a tough year for Philippine boxing with Nonito Donaire Jr, Mark Magsayo, Jerwin Ancajas, and John Riel Casimero losing their titles and Manny Pacquiao hanging up his gloves during his presidential bid.

But Carlo Paalam continued his rise to stardom as he brought home a gold in the bantamweight division of the ASBC Asian Elite Men & Women Boxing Championships.

The 24-year-old Filipino boxer stunned top seed Makhmud Sabyrkhan of Kazakhstan in the final by split decision, 4-1, to rule the division.

Paalam showed no signs of slowing down even coming off a historic silver medal run in the men’s flyweight boxing event of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

The young Olympian missed the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam but he made a rousing return on the Asian stage.

The success of the Takalag, Bukidnon native showed the future of Philippine boxing is bright despite being one of the few silver linings of the sport in 2022.

6. Women warriors: Junna Tsukii, Meggie Ochoa, Kimberly Anne Custodio

It has been quite a year for Junna Tsukii, Meggie Ochoa, and other Filipino women’s martial artists.

After not making it to the Olympics last year and settling for silver in the Asian Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Tsukii vowed to come back stronger this 2022.

The Filipino-Japanese Karateka delivered her promise as she won the gold medal in the women’s under-50kg Kumite at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama in July.

Tsukii also bagged a bronze medal in team Kumite in the Hanoi SEA Games last May.

Ochoa also rose to the occasion for the Philippine jiu-jitsu team as she ruled the women’s adult -48 kilogram category in the 2022 JJIF World Championship in United Arab

Emirates last November.

Her teammate, Kimberly Anne Custodio also won gold in the women’s -45kg category.

Ochoa also captured a gold medal in the SEA Games along with Annie Ramirez, who ruled her weight class and brought home another gold last May.

5. No world title, no problem for Caloy Yulo Carlos  Yulo was dethroned in the world championship but he still had his winning moments in 2022.

Yulo was denied in his world title-retention bid after settling for silver in vault and a bronze in parallel bars in the 51st FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships last November in Liverpool, Great Britain.

The 22-year-old gymnast dominated the Asian stage after winning three golds in the 9th Senior Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships in Doha, Qatar last June.

Yulo, who is eyeing another run in the Olympics in Paris, also ruled the floor exercise of the 55th All Japan Senior Championships last August.

The 4-foot-11 prodigy had another masterful SEA Games stint after bringing home five gold and two silver medals to surpass his previous two-gold and five-silver finish in the biennial meet three years ago in Manila.

4. Historic year for  Alex Eala

The 17-year-old Alex Eala continued to reach greater heights and show maturity beyond years after a busy 2022.

Taking her act in the professional circuit tournaments took the young netter’s game to the next level as she became the first Filipino to win a singles Grand Slam, ruling the U.S. Open juniors title last September.

Her U.S. Open title run powered Eala to her careerbest world ranking at No. 214 in the second pro circuit championship in the first leg of the W25 Chiang Rai last April.

Although her third International Tennis Federation (ITF) title has been elusive in several tourneys she participated it definitely paid off as she continues to scratch the surface of her potential.

The Rafael Nadal Academy scholar, the daughter of Rizza Maniego, a former national swimming team member, also made a convincing SEA Games debut with three bronze medals from the singles, mixed doubles, and team events in Hanoi, Vietnam last May.

Eala has no plans of slowing down as she makes her professional Grand Slam debut in the Australian Open 2023.

3. EJ Obiena

It had been a rollercoaster year for EJ Obiena but it didn’t stop him from making a leap of faith in 2022.

Despite an ugly rift with the Philippine Athletics and Track and Field Association that has

since been resolved, Obiena still had a fruitful year, winning one gold medal after another.

The 27-year-old pole vaulter earned a total of 17 medals with 12 gold including his rare win over the World No.1 Mondo Duplantis in the Diamond League in Brussels,  two silver, and three bronze medals.

But Obiena’s biggest achievement was his bronze medal in the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, United States last July.

The 6-foot-2 athlete reset the Asian record at 5.94 meters and became the first pole vaulter from the continent to reach the podium of the world championships.

Obiena also soared to his best World ranking at No.3.

He also defended his SEA Games crown with a recordsetting leap in Hanoi, Vietnam last May.

2. Year of the Filipinas 2022 has been the year of the Filipinas.

The Philippine women’s football team kicked off its historic year, booking the country’s first-ever Fifa World Cup appearance in dramatic fashion.

The Filipinas secured a ticket to the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand after reaching the semifinals of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup with a dramatic 4-3 win on penalties over Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals last January in Pune, India.

The Alen Stajcic-coached team remained hungry after qualifying as it landed on its first SEA Games podium after 37 years, clinching the bronze medal with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Myanmar last May in Vietnam.

The Filipinas also became the queens of the region after ruling the 2022 AFF Women’s Championship with a 3-0 victory over Thailand in the finals in front of 8,000 fans at Rizal Memorial Stadium last July.

From securing a spot in the Fifa World Cup, winning a historic SEA Games bronze, to ruling a major tournament, the women’s national football team didn’t stop preparing for the 2023 World Cup with several training camps and friendlies overseas.

The Filipinas will make their historic Fifa World Cup debut in Group A with New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland starting in July 2023.

1. Hidilyn Diaz: From Olympic gold medalist to world champion

The best Filipino athlete in 2022 was Hidilyn Diaz as she continued to add gold medals to her collection a year after she won a historic Olympic gold in Tokyo.

Diaz started the year by defending her throne in the SEA Games last May.

The 31-year-old weightlifter made a total lift of 206kgs–92kgs in snatch and 114kgs in clean and jerk–to get her second straight SEA Games gold after winning the same event in the 2019 edition in Manila.

Diaz finally added World Weightlifting Championship crowns to her trophy room after bagging three golds in Bogota, Colombia.

She tallied a total lift of 207kg to edge Rosalba Morales of Colombia and Ana Gabriela Lopez of Mexico as she finally earned the missing piece to her gold medal collection.

More than her achievement in sports, Diaz also tied the knot with her coach and longtime partner Julius Naranjo in Baguio last July —  exactly a year after her historic Tokyo Olympics gold medal lift.

Last August 7, Diaz took to Instagram, baring they postponed their honeymoon to set prepare for a run at a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will be her ‘last lift’. g

wanted in their

Infographic by Inquirer.net

Photo from

Over 3M SIMs enrolled on second day of mandatory registration

by Xave GreGorio Philstar.com

MANILA — Some 3.3 million

SIMs were enrolled on the second day of mandatory registration, the National Telecommunications Commission said on Wednesday, December 28 as glitches that marred the first day of listing were addressed.

As of Wednesday, 6 p.m., 1,769,374 subscribers of Globe Telecom Inc. have registered, while 1,019,207 have registered with Smart Communications Inc. as of 4 p.m. and 530,424 have registered with DITO Telecommunity Corp. as of 3 p.m.

Users initially had a hard time registering their SIM, especially on the registration portals provided by the two largest telcos in the country — Globe and Smart

— as they were either taken down to fix potential security issues or inaccessible due to heavy traffic.

Globe’s registration microsite went up Wednesday morning after a nearly full-day outage, while Smart said it has increased capacity to handle the volume of subscribers trying to register.

Still, the NTC has directed DITO, Globe and Smart to submit a daily written report for seven days beginning Wednesday on any incident of incomplete registration and other issues.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology had expected problems to occur during the first two weeks of SIM registration, which it said will be considered a “test registration” period where telcos are expected to finetune the enrollment process.

The SIM Registration Act was among the laws identified by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. as his administration’s priorities and was swiftly and overwhelmingly approved by Congress, which is dominated by his allies.

The law is meant to curb crime and spam text messages, although ICT rights advocates have cast doubt whether it will actually work given the failure of similar measures in other countries.

A similar proposal was rejected by Marcos’ predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte, over concerns that the bill — which then contained a provision for the registration of social media accounts — over concerns that this will “give rise to a situation of dangerous state intrusion and surveillance.” g

Government to pursue NAIA privatization

by Franco Jose c. Baroña ManilaTimes.net

THE government is working on the terms of reference for the sale of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said.

"We have worked with the Asian Development Bank for the preparation of the terms of reference for the privatization of the Manila International Airport," Bautista said during a briefing with reporters Wednesday afternoon (Dec. 28)

in Pasay City.

"We hope that the terms of reference will be available by the first quarter of 2023 so we can entertain proposals from interested parties," he added.

Bautista said the government "will see to it that we will attend to the requirement of the private sector so that their investment will be worth it."

"They should be able to earn a reasonable [amount] of their investment. We'll make it investor friendly. Our environment should be investor friendly not only what

is good for the government, but what is good for the passengers and what is good for the private sector," he said.

The Transportation chief disclosed that several parties have expressed intent to bid for the airport.

"I told them let's finish the terms of reference first. Because the terms of reference will define what we want for the airport. I always tell them that when we modernize our airports it should conform with global standards," Bautista said. g

DOLE: Pinoy nurses opting to work as caregivers

by Mayen JayMalin Philstar.com

MANILA — Just so they can immediately leave for employment abroad and get higher salaries, Filipino nurses are opting to work as caregivers, according to Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma.

He explained that Filipino nurses are leaving to work as caregivers so they could avoid the two-year work experience required in hospitals abroad.

“Now, things are being turned around. It’s not exactly nurses, but the category is caregivers or health care workers so that the one-year or two-year work experience won’t be needed,” he said in Filipino.

He added that the high salaries abroad are an “attractive magnet” for Filipino nurses and

other health care workers to seek overseas employment.

Although the government has set a cap in overseas deployment, the government cannot prevent Filipino health care workers from seeking employment overseas, according to the labor chief.

Laguesma said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Migrant Workers are discussing whether to increase or lift the deployment cap.

He added that the Professional Regulation Commission was able to hold licensure examinations, ensuring enough supply of registered nurses in the country.

Last month, over 18,000 nursing graduates passed the licensure examination.

Laguesma said the DOLE is closely working with the DOH and DMW to rationalize the deployment of health care workers abroad.

He added that the DOLE is also looking into the plight of overworked and underpaid nurses employed in private hospitals in the country.

The agency also needs to reach out to health industry workers and ensure their health and safety, according to the labor chief.

A group of local nurses claimed that since 2020, about 40 percent of nurses in private hospitals have resigned and sought employment abroad.

Local nurses have asked for the intervention of the DOLE in addressing issues of low salaries and non-payment of other benefits. g

Maharlika fund among Senate’s legislative priorities in

by Xave GreGorio Philstar.com

MANILA — The controversial bill creating the Maharlika Investment Fund, which is backed by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. himself, is among the Senate’s priorities come 2023, Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said on Monday, December 26.

"The move for the condonation of agrarian reform payments, as well as the House bill on the Maharlika Investment Fund are also on top of the legislative agenda," Villanueva said in a text message to reporters.

During its last session before Congress went on a break for the holidays, the House of Representatives — like the Senate, dominated by Marcos’ allies — overwhelmingly and quickly approved the bill that seeks to create the Maharlika fund.

This came as Marcos certified

the bill as urgent despite public protest, with some of the loudest criticisms coming from businesses, academics and civil society.

Senators too were initially apprehensive about the bill that Marcos admittedly broached as it originally included retirement funds tended by the Government Service Insurance System and Social Security System as part of Maharlika’s seed money.

House lawmakers have since removed the GSIS and the SSS as funding sources for Maharlika and later on barred the state pension funds from ever contributing to the proposed sovereign wealth fund.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri has said that despite being certified as urgent, the Senate cannot be rushed into passing the Maharlika fund bill and vowed that the chamber will scrutinize the proposal with a "fine tooth comb."

Other Marcos administration-

DFA holds talks on deep sea mining

by Bernadette e tamayo ManilaTimes.net

THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) recently consulted experts and stakeholders on "deep seabed mining" to facilitate the development of a national position on the matter.

The department's Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office (MOAO) on December 16 conducted the consultation with technical experts to bring together stakeholders that can help design programs and policies "in pursuit of common development objectives towards national legislation on the deep seabed."

The Philippines, as a state party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), can participate in deep seabed mining in areas beyond national jurisdiction, subject to the approval of the International Seabed Authority (ISA).

However, the DFA said the Philippines "has not clarified policy and legislative directions on the deep seabed, and such policies and directions must be grounded in sound scientific, objective and technical advice."

DFA Assistant Secretary for Maritime and Ocean Affairs Maria Angela Ponce urged the participants "to keep in

mind that the Philippines must consider the economic benefits of deep seabed mining."

However, they should take into consideration the country's "obligation to conserve and protect the marine environment and remind them of the primacy of Unclos in all activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction," the DFA said.

The DFA said "the international seabed 'area' and its mineral resources are the common heritage of mankind and must be administered for the benefit of humankind as a whole, by the International Seabed Authority."

The consultations will serve as a preparatory activity for the series of workshops on deep seabed mining to be held, in cooperation with the International Seabed Authority, in the second and fourth quarters of 2023, the DFA said.

MOAO intends to facilitate this process, in line with Philippine advocacy on the full and meaningful utilization of Unclos as the constitution of the oceans, from a global, regional and national perspective.

The consultation helped the participants have a clearer understanding on the national and international framework and legal regime governing

deep seabed mining, as well as the practical considerations for such activities, the DFA said. The resource speakers included Neil Silva of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea; Principal Assistant Kirstoff Gail Ocampo of the DFA-MOAO and Philippine focal point for the International Seabed Authority; Eloisa Katrina Madamba of the DFA Office of Treaties and Legal Affairs; First Secretary and Legal Adviser Azela Arumpac-Marte of the Philippine Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York; Dr. Mario Juan Aurelio of the UP National Institute of Geological Sciences and member of the ISA Legal and Technical Commission; Dr. Rogel Santos of the Marine Geological Survey Division of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau; Decibel FaustinoEslava of the Geological Society of the Philippines; and Legal Officer Lea Kolmos Weis of the ISA.

They shared their expertise and experience on various topics such as the ISA and developments on deep seabed mining, the ISA mining code, Philippine policies on deep seabed mining, and capacity development. g

backed bills will also be at the top of the Senate’s legislative agenda, according to Villanueva, including the proposals to create the Virology Institute, Medical Reserve Corps and the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control. g

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva Philstar.com file photo

Celebrating with a bang

THERE is revenge travel and revenge gatherings as people come out of over two years of pandemic restrictions. Will there also be revenge celebratory fireworks

There are people who will still want to greet the New Year with bright pyrotechnics displays. President Marcos, acknowledging this Filipino penchant for ringing in the New Year with a bang, has urged local government units to set up common fireworks display areas for their constituents who want to sustain the tradition.

Editorial

Rodrigo Duterte, during his presidency, had also issued a directive to encourage the organization of common fireworks display areas. Duterte reportedly preferred a ban like the one in his home city of Davao, but the fireworks industry centered in Bulacan stressed the massive job and livelihood displacements that would result.

Industry players have instead sought support for upgrading their products to be able to compete with imported items that have gained popularity in recent years. Some players have also cited the export potential of the industry, although tight safety regulation and quality control are needed.

The provision of common fireworks display areas is a compromise in sustaining the industry and keeping the public safe during revelry. But local

governments must set up more sites if they want to discourage household or personal use of pyrotechnic devices. Many people don’t want to leave their homes at the changing of the year, not just because of beliefs about welcoming luck into the house and sweeping out bad spirits, but also because of concern that burglars are on the prowl during the New Year’s Eve revelry. If the common display areas are too few and too far from communities, people will continue to prefer setting off their own fireworks at home.

At the same time, the government should decide if it wants to simply tolerate the existence of the fireworks industry, or if it wants to give it sufficient support to become a significant revenue earner. The world continues to greet special occasions with bright lights and a bang. In Manila, foreign governments compete annually in a fireworks show staged in Manila Bay. Instead of allowing one of the country’s oldest industries to wither away, the government must decide if it wants to revive it, with tighter regulations and quality standards fully enforced. (Philstar.com)

Turning point: The Philippines in 2022

failure.

RICHARD HEYDARIAN

DECADES from now, perspicacious scholars will likely look back at the past 12 months as a critical juncture in our country’s history. Almost exactly half a century since Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s declaration of martial law, his namesake son reassumed the throne. This year also saw, for the first time since the end of the dictatorship era, a Filipino president managing to garner a clear majority of votes.

Moreover, this year’s elections also saw the first proincumbency electoral victory in three decades. Fidel Ramos’ narrow triumph in 1992 was arguably the last time we saw a direct succession of similarlyminded leaders. Practically all succeeding presidents ended up on the throne by expressly running against their immediate predecessor: Joseph Estrada’s macho populism was a clear rejection of Ramos’ technocratic reformism, just as Benigno Aquino III’s good governance agenda was a direct challenge to Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s business-as-usual politics.

But it was former president

Rodrigo Duterte who took this distinct tradition, which found a great habitat in a nation with no real political parties, to its logical conclusion. Duterte didn’t only juxtapose himself against the outgoing Aquino administration but also framed his presidential candidacy as a referendum on the entire post-Marcos regime, which sprung out of the mélange of aspirations and contradictions of the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution.

Given his flair for the dramatic, Duterte rarely shied away from portraying himself as the country’s “last card,” namely the only thing standing between “law-abiding citizens” and the impending chaos—or, in his words, a “narco-state.” By all indications, Duterte’s antics, and his distinct brand of penal populism, were a major hit with the common folks.

Despite the reliable display of incompetence from one crisis to the other—beginning with the failure to prevent few ragtag extremists from laying siege on an entire city in 2017 and all the way to the disastrous management of the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic—he maintained skyhigh approval ratings. As for his beloved “drug war,” even Duterte admitted that it was a major

If the Duterte presidency were a movie—or, to put it more accurately, a reality show—it would have been a blockbuster with few rivals in our history. In fact, Duterte was so popular that he couldn’t help contemplating staying in power through proxies. But this is precisely where President Marcos Jr.’s decision to run for the presidency proved highly consequential. Had the latter skipped this year’s elections, the House of Duterte would have likely fully consolidated its grip on Philippine state institutions.

By all indications, Mr. Marcos was the candidate of continuity in this year’s elections. After all, he not only teamed up with the presidential daughter (Sara) under a “UniTeam,” but he also repeatedly promised to continue the outgoing president’s key domestic and foreign policies.

Thus, Mr. Marcos’ emphatic election victory, which was met with both disbelief and awe across the political spectrum, shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Looking at Mr. Marcos’ first six months in office, three things stand out. Let me briefly explain these.

First of all, his return to Malacañang marks what can be best described as the “great restoration.” After spending

three decades on the relative margins of Philippine politics, the Marcoses are once again in a historic position to shape the country’s future—as well as reshape our country’s past through a well-oiled campaign of historical denialism.

Second, Mr. Marcos’ presidency has seen a “great moderation” on every key political issue: No more Dutertestyle brutal counternarcotics operations, the demagogic attacks on so-called “oligarchs,” or the mindless fawning over China and Russia. While restoring

ties with traditional Western allies, Mr. Marcos has skipped any discussion of constitutional change and federalism in a bid to reassure democratic partners, jittery markets, and skeptical voters.

Finally, the past six months have also been an opportunity for a “great reflection,” especially by the progressive-liberal opposition. Instead of just blaming voters, and obsessing over “disinformation” alone, it’s time for the opposition to also reflect on its own shortcomings, faulty analytics, and deracinated

Modern heroism inspired by Rizal

become a better man; from an ordinary life to a remarkable life. He attempted to perfect himself through arts, education, and practical skills.

IN this contemporary period, we need to look at our definition of heroism through a new lens. We do not need to die for our country just to be considered a legitimate hero, except if there is an inevitable war. On a philosophical, ethical narrative, we need to produce a life that is exemplary and useful.

The gist: We can only give what we have.

Thus, to become a hero we need to make ourselves better. We can only inspire other people if we are inspired. We can only educate others if we are equipped with knowledge and wisdom. We can only teach what we know.

Like Jose Rizal, he made himself useful. He read lots of books. He visited museums. He traveled to many places. He prepared himself for something that was greater than who he was. And he could only reach this pillar of greatness if he himself was capable of being a great man.

Greatness needs a conscious decision and action.

Jose Rizal proved distinctly that from an ordinary, good man, we can

He was able to write two novels, “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo,” because from a very young age, he read and studied a lot. He prepared himself.

“You can only give what you have.” This dictum is essentially fundamental to heroism. We cannot love if we have not loved. This should not be misinterpreted as selfishness or ego-centric values. This is about helping ourselves so that we can effectively help others and our communities.

We need to invest in nurturing our minds. We need to read. Seek and you shall find.

We can only be a light for humanity if we are enlightened. We can only carry the torch if we have the strength to hold it in our hands.

Jose Rizal was an enlightened being. With everything he had achieved in his short 35 years of existence, he was a great model of how to live.

Those who are prepared to die are those who are prepared to live. Jose Rizal openly embraced his death at Bagumbayan

because he had prepared for a life worth remembering. But we must remember that he made himself better not only for himself but for his fellow Filipinos and for the future of our country.

There is nothing wrong with looking after ourselves. Selflove is an inherent ingredient to purposeful heroism. How can we look after our families if we ourselves are sick and dying? How can we educate our children if we ourselves are ignorant? How can we help the community if we ourselves are poor?

So, there is nothing wrong, too, in wanting to be rich. Through our resources, we can support many poor families. But of course, we need to have our own healthy finance before we can help other people.

But the greatest investment is the investment in selfimprovement. We shall also be rich, not just in financial terms, but rich in a mind that is wise, a heart that is compassionate, and a body that is fit.

Modern heroism is about elevating ourselves from a mundane superficial existence to a meaningful purposeful life. When we find our purpose, we seek a better understanding of how we can be productive and useful—and the best way is to

start with ourselves.

Heroism within is an attempt to reach a higher level of perfection where our excellence and achievement are contributory to building a progressive society.

Jose Rizal is the perfect model. May the Filipino youth of today find inspiration in Rizal’s life so that our country, The Philippines, will not lose hope in our kabataan, ang pag-asa ng bayan.

We are all heroes—only if we are willing to give ourselves a

chance to become one. Nothing is too late. We can start now. Let us help ourselves today so that tomorrow we can help others.

Jose Rizal’s letter to Mariano Ponce:

“A Filipino must be just and foremost a good man, a good citizen, who will, with his mind and heart and if needed be, with his arms as well, help his country progress.”

Totoong bayan muna bago ang sarili. Pero sarili muna bago

“thought leaders.”

Rearing a new generation of charismatic leaders should go hand in hand with solidifying grassroots networks across the country. Otherwise, the Marcoses will be on a glide path to dominating Philippine politics for another generation. (Inquirer.net)

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

* * * rheydarian@inquirer.com.ph

ang iba. Ang pagbabago ay magsisimula sa ating sarili. Ito ang makabagong pagkabayani.” * * *

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

displays?

ManilaTimes.net photo

The Rizal Monument in Manila

Inquirer.net photo

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (right) with former President Rodrigo Duterte (left)

Malacañang file photo

Rado Gatchalian is the Eastern Australia Area deputy commander of the Order of the Knights of Rizal-ANZO region and the archivist of the Knights of Rizal-Northern Sydney Chapter.

by Kristofer Purnell Philstar.com

IT was a victorious night for the cast of "Deleter" and "Nanahimik Ang Gabi" as their stars won the acting awards of the 2022 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Gabi ng Parangal.

"Nanahimik Ang Gabi" stars Ian Veneracion and Mon Confiado won the Best Lead and Supporting Actor laurels while their co-star Heaven Peralejo was just beaten in the Best Lead Actress category by Nadine Lustre for "Deleter."

The last acting award, for Best Supporting Actress, went to Dimples Romana for "My Father, Myself"; Romana was not present at the ceremony so her fellow co-stars accepted on her behalf, including young Shawn

Gabriel who awarded Best Child Performer earlier in the night.

During Confiado's acceptance speech, Veneracion — who was going to present an award later — walked onstage early to kiss him on the cheek, to which Confiado shouted "Thank you baby!" as Veneracion exited the stage.

"Inaalay ko ito sa lahat ng character-actors na balangaraw makakakuha ng ganitong award," Confiado ended his speech.

For his acceptance Veneracion said, "All us artists here, we create lies to tell the truth. This fictional story has so many layers of truth underneath," adding that this was his first Best Actor award after 40 years in the entertainment industry.

Lustre dedicated her award to her family and friends, to

her boyfriend Christopher Bariou, and the cast and crew of "Deleter" who were all happy that the Philippine film industry was returning.

Such sentiments were shared by filmmaker Mikhail Red when he accepted the award for Best Director, and during the First Best Picture win also acknowledged the expansion and acceptance of genre films into the MMFF.

Perhaps the most precious acceptance speech of the night was that by legendary actress Vilma Santos-Recto, who was given the Marichu Vera Perez Maceda Memorial Award.

Santos-Recto said the late film producer was important to her as she considered Maceda as a second mother that she would look to for guidance.

"Sa taong ito, anim na dekada

Spotify names most streamed Pinoy artists of 2022

by Charmie Joy Pagulong Philstar.com

ZACK Tabudlo and Ben&Ben are among the most streamed Filipino artists on Spotify this year.

The Binibini and Pano hitmaker climbed to the No. 3 spot while the nine-piece band maintained its fourth rank from last year, Spotify noted as it unveiled its 2022 Wrapped campaign, an annual compilation of users’ most listened to tracks on the music streaming platform.

Taylor Swift is the most streamed artist overall in the Philippines, followed by BTS, Zack, Ben&Ben and Justin Bieber.

Spotify also reported that the “love for local is stronger than ever” with an almost 50-percent increase in Filipino music streams this year. Spotify has more than 456 million listeners around the world.

Rounding up the Top 5 most streamed Filipino artists are Arthur Nery, Moira dela Torre and Adie.

NOBITA’s  Ikaw Lang outranked the global hits as well as Arthur’s  Pagsamo, Adie’s  Paraluman Zack’s  Pano and again Arthur’s  Isa Lang as the most streamed tracks in the country.

NOBITA, composed of Jaeson Felismino, Mark Quintero, Roman Monegas, Sam Aquino and Richmond Bancolita, thanked the “Nobibis” who supported the group to snag the major spot for its track.

The members said in a statement, “We are truly honored to be part of Spotify’s Wrapped Top Lists this year and be recognized alongside other great Pinoy artists. Undeniably, our fans had been a huge part of this but we’re also grateful for Spotify’s untiring support to our music and its clear vision for their artists. Like most artists, we’re also eager to see our band’s Wrapped and see what we have done throughout 2022 as musicians.”

BTS, Ben&Ben, LANY, BLACKPINK and TWICE completed that Top Groups section and the Top Albums are BTS’s Proof, Zack’s Episode, Taylor’s Red (Taylor’s Version), Olivia’s SOUR and Taylor’s Midnights.

The Top Spotify Playlists are Hot Hits Philippines, Today’s Top Hits, OPM Favorites,  Tatak Pinoy and Kalye Hip Hop.

Spotify head of music Asia Kossy Ng remarked, “We are thrilled to see that Filipino artists have continued to shine on the local stage, as seen on 2022’s Spotify Wrapped results. This shows that the Philippines (is) increasingly listening to and supporting (its) homegrown talent and we have seen an almost 50-percent increase in streams of local music the past year.”

“We’re excited to continue working closely with local

musicians and pave the way for more aspiring artists to flourish on the platform,” she added.

Among the Top Radar Philippines Artists are P-pop groups BGYO and BINI, and Adie. Spotify’s Radar program is “an initiative to support emerging artists, has enabled new local artists and tracks to be added to the daily soundtrack of Filipinos’ lives.”

Furthermore, the Top Podcasts channels are Barangay Love Stories, skypodcast, Dear MOR: The Podcast, Hugot Marcelo and Punchline with Alex Calleja! and the Top Podcast Genres range from love and relationships, pop culture, self-help, to horror and the paranormal.

In the international music scene, Bad Bunny, Taylor, Drake, The Weeknd  and BTS led the chart of the most streamed musicians. Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny consistently topped the list for three years in a row now with more than 18.5 billion streams this year.

The most streamed tracks globally are As It Was by Harry Styles; Heat Waves by Glass Animals; STAY  by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber; Me Porto Bonito by Bad Bunny feat. Chencho Corleone; and Tití Me Preguntó by Bad Bunny.

Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti, Harry Styles’ Harry’s House, Olivia’s SOUR, Ed Sheeran’s = and Doja Cat’s Planet Her are the most listened to global albums.

The Most Viral Artists Globally list includes Taylor, The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, BTS and Lana Del Rey, while the Most Shared Lyrics globally are Heat Waves by Glass Animals; Heather by Conan Gray;  I Love You So by The Walters; Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey; and Somewhere Only We Know by Keane.

na ako nasa industriya — 60 years!" Santos-Recto continued. "Hindi naging madali, medyo mahirap pero nakayanan ko dahil

Nadine, Ian, and Mon on their MMFF 2022 acting wins Vice Ganda’s box-office magic

by Ronnie CaRRasCo iii ManilaTimes.net

ONCE on It's Showtime, main host Vice Ganda reenacted a scene culled from his blockbuster film "Petrang Kabayo," a remake of the original Roderick Paulate starrer.

It was to the delight of fellow host Ryan Bang who remarked, "Parang totoo!"

The "Unkaboggable Star" saw that as a window of opportunity to clap back at his critics, most especially those who think that the movies he stars in are "walang kakuwenta-kuwenta."

As opposed to someone who's hiding his light under a bushel, a somewhat cocky Vice Ganda said on air, "Sa mga nagsasabing walang kakuwenta-kuwenta ang mga pelikula ko, in fairness, kumita ang mga 'yon! Kahit itong Petrang Kabayo, malaki ang kinita niyan. Sa mga nagsasabing walang kuwenta movies ko, they just don't realize how much work we put in the movie to get it finished!"

For the record, most of Vice Ganda's starrers particularly entries to the Metro Manila Film Festival were megged by the late Wenn Deramas.

Except for the pandemic years (2020 and 2021), Vice has without fail fielded a festival entry and made a killing at the box office. This year though, Vice chose a director (Cathy Molina Garcia) whose forte, romantic comedy, is far from comedy.

As come-on to the male species, Vice has tapped into the cheese-cake-ish participation of Ivana Alawi.

With a tatak-Cathy Molina Garcia, expect Vice's Partners in

Crime to be notches higher than his previous festival entries.

Today marks the fourth day since all MMFF entries opened at commercial theaters and unofficial tally has it that Partners in Crime is currently the top grosser.

Except for a single year when they joined forces in one film, Vice's and Coco Martin's respective festival entries had always fought for box office supremacy.

by Kristofer Purnell Philstar.com

Alawi figured at No. 6 spot after placing in 4th last year. In her first appearance in 2020, the actress-vlogger was a new entrant at No. 11.

A repeat of that head-on collision unfolds as Coco's entry "Labyu With an Accent" (with Jodi Sta. Maria) battles it out at the tills.

Behind Coco is a bunch of Filipino actors based in the US — the likes of G Toengi, Donita Rose, among others — who have taken a shot anew in acting.

It may well be said that Vic Sotto's non-participation in this year's MMFF is to Coco's and Vice's advantage.

figured

“Nanahimik Ang Gabi” co-stars Ian Veneracion and Mon Confiado and “Deleter” actress Nadine Lustre Photos courtesy of Viva Films

Ivana Alawi, Liza Soberano, Janine Gutierrez, and Bella Poarch Philstar.com photos

Vice Ganda has without fail fielded an MMFF entry and made a killing at the box office.

Photo from Instagram/@praybeytbenjamin

sa pagmamahal ng mga tao lalo na ng mga Vilmanians... hindi ko kayo napahiya!"

Following "Deleter" in the

Best Picture Awards were "Mamasapano: Now It Can Be Told" and "Nanahimik Ang Gabi."

CRITIC website TC Candler has released their Most Beautiful Faces for 2022 where four Filipinas have returned on the annual list, with Ivana Alawi in particular making another Top 10 appearance.

2017 winner Liza Soberano dropped a few spots from No. 18 last year to No. 23, appearing on the list for an 8th time.

Actress Janine Gutierrez

at No. 51, while FilipinoAmerican singer-vlogger Bella Poarch was at No. 80, both indivuduals' second time on the annual list.

The most beautiful face of 2022 according to TC Candler is Victoria's Secret Angel Jasmine Tookes, who tops the list after eight appearances.

The Top Female Artists in the Philippine list includes Taylor,

Zack Tabudlo

Photo from Instagram/@zack.tabuldo

Ariana Grande, Moira, Olivia Rodrigo and NIKI while Zack, Justin Bieber, Arthur, The Weeknd and Adie dominated the Top Male Artists category.

Las Vegas has a more positive outlook for 2023

by RealtoR Fely Quitevis-Bateman

KNOWN as a gambling and entertainment capital in the world, Las Vegas locals and residents have so many things to dabble in.

While the pandemic may have stunted its phenomenal growth for a couple of years when shutdowns took place, it is recovering nicely.

If the calendar for 2023 is to be looked at as a gauge, it is going to be a great year for Sin City. And that may continue for the next few years as Las Vegas officials try to bring big events to the city.

2022 was already a remarkable year for the area as a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal showed that Southern Nevada “record levels of population, employment, income, consumer spending, gross gaming revenue, corporate profits and airport passenger counts.”

The Year of the Rabbit has a lot in store for locals and visitors.

The Fontainebleau Las Vegas, a multi-billion project that has taken some time to get completed, will finally open its doors in late 2023. Along with large meeting/ convention spaces, the property will showcase a hotel and casino, and two floors of retail space that is expected to showcase luxury retailers.

Also in late 2023, Formula 1 Racing will come back to the city.

Not since the ‘80s has Sin City seen the world’s best Formula 1 racers compete for glory – in November 2023, these drivers will be racing in Las Vegas streets in a track complete with a straightaway, twists and turns, all situated against the backdrop of the Strip’s iconic properties.

Already, tickets to the event are selling fast, with global fans of racing buying their tickets well in advance of the dates.

Beyond that, 2024 is the year that Las Vegas will host the National Football League’s (NFL) finale, specifically Super Bowl LVIII. In addition, the city will host the NFL’s Pro Bowl Games this year (February 2023) at multi-billion Allegiant Stadium –this is a week-long celebration of player skills that will also spotlight Flag football. The games will feature new challenges which will showcase football and nonfootball skills of NFL players in unique types of competition, surrounded by their families and fans.

The AFC versus NFC Flag game featuring Pro Bowl players takes place on Sunday, February 5.

Just as they have established a Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) franchise, the Las Vegas Aces, who are the current league champions,

Las Vegas officials and multiple suitors and groups are actively campaigning for an NBA franchise to get started in the city. Although league administrators have said that they haven’t begun considering adding more teams to the current make-up, they have indicated that Las Vegas and Seattle are frontrunners if and when the NBA decides to add more cities/teams.

Beyond that, sports events within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) are on the horizon for Las Vegas. A consortium successfully bid for the

2028

I

be the

Four. It will have time to practice for the big dance as it hosts championship games from several member conferences of the NCAA, including the 2023 West Regional. In all, the city is set to host nine other NCAA championships before 2026.

Additionally, a group led by Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO and president Steve Hill has set its sights on hosting a future NCAA Football Championship.

Las Vegas is continually improving and developing its casino-hotel-resort properties in order to cater to the needs of the U.S. and global populations. Many major players in Las Vegas, whether along the Strip or in other areas of the valley, have upgraded or have plans to upgrade the hotel-casino-resort properties in their portfolio in order to effectively compete for the money coming from thousands of tourists who visit Sin City.

That is why Las Vegas has become a place where gambling is not the only alternative to visitors. Musicals, specially-developed shows, and residencies by today’s biggest musical stars (Taylor Swift, U2, BTS, Adele, Katy Perry, Journey and Rod Stewart, to name some) are littered across the landscape.

Las Vegas is also a major choice for conventions, trade shows and expos, with its ever-expanding number of meeting space. While the pandemic affected the holding of these events and attendance, 2022 has seen a comeback for these gatherings. The next couple of years will see more of these

types of events going on in Las Vegas, all supported by the city’s infrastructure, as developed by city planners and officials.

That’s why you see a lot of construction going on in Las Vegas these days. It is a sign that the city is building more infrastructure in anticipation of bigger swathes of tourists visiting Las Vegas in the future.

While the current housing market in Las Vegas and Southern Nevada has reflected what is happening in the national scene, there is still demand. Right now, serious buyers have a good inventory of homes and properties to look at – the current climate also allows buyers to negotiate with sellers, unlike the past couple of years when buyers had to sign up for waitlists in order to be considered for a home/property they wanted to buy.

Now is a great opportunity for you to consider buying a home or real estate in Nevada (whether in Las Vegas or Pahrump) while prices are affordable. Real estate has traditionally increased in value over time, which is the

reason why many people include these in their portfolios or assets.

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Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman takes a photo of the changing skyline for the northern portion of Las Vegas Blvd., which includes the much-anticipated Fontainebleau Las Vegas (blue building on the left side of photo) that is scheduled to open in late 2023. The multi-billion-dollar project features lots of convention/meeting space, as well as two floors of retail shopping, aside from the hotel, casino and other amenities.

Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman is shown inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, which is home to the city’s NFL team, the Las Vegas Raiders. Allegant Stadium will play host to Super Bowl LVIII in 2024, one of many significant sports events taking place in the city in the next few years.

The glove factory to be built in Pahrump, Nevada is moving forward. A fruitful meeting was held recently; photo above shows (from left) Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman, Jenny Truong, Alka Products CEO Andrew Hoang and Huo Truong.

Division

Men’s Basketball Championship; it will also

site for the Final

PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS

AS we bid goodbye to 2022, the infamous year of this COVID-19 devastating pandemic and preparing to welcome a more hopeful and brighter new year of 2023, it reminds me of an incident with an old friend about our wonderful life on this good earth and our journey to the next.

A surgical colleague four years my senior, Class UP’57, who was with us at a restaurant for lunch a few years back, walking with a cane, still with his brilliant mind and a great sense of humor, said in a serious tone of total surrender, “Philip, we are now in the departure lounge, waiting for our number to be called.”

I told him much as I loved and respected him as a friend I truly admired, I had to disagree with the implication and the “final destination” of his thoughts. I said, “If we are in the departure lounge, we are there eagerly waiting for our next flight to tour more exciting places in this wonderful world and enjoy to the hilt whatever time we have left.”

I continued, “I will not sit around waiting for my number and waste God’s precious blessing of time, just waiting to die…I still have a lot of plans and want to take full advantage of and really cherish, His generosity.”

I love to do “bulakbol,” since we did not have much time for it in medical school, in our residency training, and during our medical practice. Gallivanting now that I am retired is fantastic. Indeed, life is wonderful! I wish it would go on forever.

There are so many things to do now that we have time to ourselves. I, for one, enjoy writing, surfing the world wide web of the internet (sans social media), gardening, performing magic illusion, traveling, cruising with family and friends, going on medical missions and doing other humanitarian endeavors just like many of you. Indeed, the bonus time we are blessed with is an added gift from heaven, bestowed for us to continue to attain joy, a sense of fulfillment, inner satisfaction, and peace. After all, as ancient philosophers had written, human beings are on this good earth to be happy, to achieve and savor joy, to love each other with compassion and respect.

These precious fleeting moments we still have in our life’s bank account of time ought not to be squandered by sitting around waiting to vanish into oblivion. That will come soon enough. Let us just try our best to delay the

Kris gives health update, Christmas message The departure lounge

inevitable as much as we can by a wiser, more efficient, and more productive management of our remaining time. Also, I suggest that, even at a ripe old age, not taking any calculated risk at all is the greatest risk in life and that success comes only to those who have wisdom and the courage to fail.

I have always been fascinated by the idea of influencing people for the better, so my fellowmen could live a healthier lifestyle, habits, and behavior. In our new world of information technology, I have decided early on to expand on my health writings which I started at the Arellano (Public) High School and launched my personal campaign for public health education when I arrived in the United States in 1963.

This has led me to write a weekly medical column in two newspapers in the Philippines, five publications in the United States, and three websites on the internet, to the present. This obsession has also resulted in the publication of the book, “Let’s Stop ‘Killing’ Our Children,” a primer on disease prevention and healthy lifestyle starting from the cellular (DNATelomere) level to protect the integrity of the DNA to preempt diseases.

Leaving this world after this life is not a tragedy. What would be tragic is to die without significance, without making a difference, without leaving behind a good and lasting legacy for society, and for our children and theirs.

All of us, humbly including myself, are certainly bestowing upon the world a legacy of love, charity, compassion, talent, and service each of us has given during our lifetime. We have also transmitted our good Asian culture, tradition, and values to our children and their children, who could now build on them and endeavor for a better world for mankind.

Whenever asked if I am retired, I always reply, “Yes, I am RE-tired…now equipped with a new set of tires to zoom around the racetrack of life another few laps,” this time with greater wisdom, clearer vision, and better oriented concerns for the future of our children, grandchildren, and humankind as a whole. After all, we are part and parcel of the universe, no matter how miniscule we are in the nanoscale of the galaxy.

You may not realize it, but the world is really better off because you happened to be here. Just think of the good children you have raised, the people you have helped, the patients you have cured, the strangers you have ministered to with compassion, and the countless lives your children and grandchildren will make better in the generations to come.

Like in the 1946 American Christmas movie, “It’s a

Wonderful Life,” starring James Stewart and directed by Frank Capra, based on a poignant 1939 story, “The Greatest Gift” by Philip Van Doren Stern, think for a moment what it would have meant to the hundreds, thousands, of lives you have touched if you had not been born. Move the hands of time back to that day and undo all the things associated with you, erase all events and all your contributions to society like you never existed. Just think about it. Only then would you realize that, indeed, you are significant, and that you have really made a difference and will continue to do so. That, in essence, is the legacy you are leaving behind with pride, a sacred legacy of a fulfilled life on this planet.

It is, indeed, a wonderful life. And I truly believe that the greater and more exciting wonders are still to come. Let us continue to take good care of ourselves and be as healthy as we can be, ready for the next chapter in our sojourn on earth. Growing old is a great privilege denied many. Let us relish every second we have left.

So, whenever we feel we are in the departure lounge of our being, let us give thanks to God for all our blessings, celebrate our life, and chart our next course and destination, even without our favorite GPS, to more marvelous journeys and adventures ahead of us with our loved ones and friends, and savor our time together on faraway vacations as often as still possible, or even on staycations at our cozy home, creating thousands more fabulous memories to cherish and keep us warm in the winter of our life.

Here's wishing all of you and your loved ones all the wonders from above, filled with the blessings of love, good health, joy, and prosperity. For all peoples around the world, let’s pray for peace.

* * *

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

* * *

The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health.

* * *

Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, Health Advocate, newspaper columnist, and Chairman of the Filipino United NetworkUSA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. Websites: FUN8888.com, Today.SPSAtoday.com, and philipSchua.com; Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com.

Alden, Celeste among popular baby names for 2023

by Kathleen a lleMit Philstar.com

BABY names for next year are again inspired by royal or popular names, including Archie, Jolene, Celeste and Alden, according to popular baby name generator Nameberry.

Many of the entries veered away from the usual favorites leaning towards classic names and spelling. Many are whimsical and unexpected.  Alden, a name popular in the Philippines thanks to actor Alden Richards, will be a favorite for next year for both boys and girls. Derived from the Old English word meaning "old friend," it is a name that describes someone who is "charming, understated, old-school and a little bit woodsy."

The heavenly-inspired name, Celeste, meanwhile, has always been a popular unisex name especially in France and Italy. Will it provide a good omen for Celeste Cortesi as she vies for the Philippines's fifth Miss Universe crown in Louisiana in January next year?

Jolene and Wilde are references to popular people.

Jolene is an ode to country singer Dolly Parton, who was the voice behind the song titled after the said name.   Wilde is seen as a fancy option and spelling. It is derived from the name of popular Irish novelist Oscar Wilde.

Luxury, Everest and Sunday are surprise baby name picks. Floral names, Marigold and Rose, also made it to the Nameberry list.

The Asian-sounding Yuna will also see a rise in popularity. It is the name of popular Korean personalities, Olympic figure skater Kim Yuna and actress-singer Im Yoon-ah or Yoona.

The name is actually common in Japan, Korea, China, Russia, Ukraine and many other countries. Nameberry said that since it rhymes with the name Luna, which is currently exploding in popularity, thus, Yuna might benefit from it.

Top 23 in 2023 baby names according to Nameberry:

by Kathleen a lleMit Philstar.com

POPULAR TV host Kris Aquino posted an update on her health, including a "highly likely 5th" autoimmune disease, as well as thanked her fans and people who continue to pray for her recovery.

Kris posted a lengthy message on her Instagram.

"Discussing my 4 diagnosed autoimmune ailments (2 are life threatening) and a highly likely 5th because of my distinct physical manifestations isn't something i want to do on Christmas Eve- but i have to BECAUSE gusto kong mag THANK YOU sa inyong lahat who still keep me, my sons, and my sisters & their families back home in your prayers," she said.  Kris and her two sons, Josh and Bimby, have been in the United States for months now, seeking treatment for the actress' health conditions.

She shared how she is touched by fans and strangers alike who wish her well, recounting her experience whenever she takes calls that need her verification.

The lyrics of the song "Sana Ngayong Pasko" by Ariel Rivera is

included in her Instagram update.

Kris said it has become her and her sons' theme song because of the countless positive messages they have been receiving.

"We may be an ocean apart, BUT it matters so much to know that many of you who don't even know me or my sons personally, care enough to remember us & want me to win this seemingly endless battle with my autoimmune conditions…

"May God bless your kind

& compassionate hearts… my Christmas wish is makabawi ako sa ginagawa nyong mabuti para sa 'kin ngayon-my 1st cycle of immunotherapy treatment (same medicine as chemo BUT at a much lower dose given over a longer period of time) will take about 10 months… for now idadaan ko na lang po ang pasasalamat ko sa mga pinagkakatiwalaan kong mga kaibigan sa religious & medical communities. #christmas2022 #thankful," Kris ended her post.

For Vilma, V is for vlogging

by Marinel Cruz Inquirer.net

VETERAN actress Vilma Santos, who spent 24 years as a public servant, said she was happy to reconnect with her supporters through vlogging.

“I felt that I became disconnected from my fans when I chose to concentrate on being a public servant. While I was always in touch with the people I serve, I felt that I, as Ate Vi, became distant,” Santos said in a recent virtual interview.

“Now I feel as if I am able to communicate with them better through vlogging. I enjoy reading their comments. I now have more fans who are millennials and younger. A lot of them would say they knew of me through their moms and that they enjoy watching my vlogs. For that, I feel inspired to do more,” the vlogger said.

Santos said she first learned about vlogging when her son, Luis Manzano, and wife, Jessy, lived with her for two months during the pandemic lockdown in 2021. “For two and a half years, everything I did that’s work-related was just at home, via Zoom. When Lucky (Luis’ nickname) and Jess started vlogging, they would invite me as their guest. I was surprised because I felt excited each time,” she recalled.

She then asked his son to teach her how to vlog. “I told him that I want to be able to do it on my own. He helped me make a channel, and that was the start of it.” After only over a year, Santos now has over 480,000 subscribers on YouTube.

“I’m not starting any movies soon because of COVID-19. I’m still scared to get exposed,” said the 69-year-old, adding that she had just succeeded in battling the virus two months ago. “It’s vlogging that excites me today. I plan to give back the love to my followers in December when the channel gets monetized,” she declared. “I’m thrilled that I gained so many subscribers in just a year. This only means they love me and like my videos. I return the favor by making sure I upload videos where they can learn something from, ‘di ‘yong basta-basta lang.”

Immediate response

What she appreciates the most about vlogging is the immediate response she gets from her followers, said Santos. “Sometimes, comments number from 700 to a thousand. When I have the time or when I couldn’t

Vhong

by Kathleen a lleMit Philstar.com

"Napakarami kong pinagpapasalamat… Thank you, Jesus! Happy Birthday! Sa lahat ng nag dasal at umalalay sa akin. Maraming maraming salamat. God bless!" his caption read.

His wife, Tanya, and his two sons from his previous relationships were also seen in the photo.

The actor ended the post by thanking those who sent prayers for him. He called this Christmas as one of the happiest he has ever celebrated with his family and friends.

The Taguig Regional Trial Court allowed Navarro to post P1 million for his "temporary liberty" early this month.

"Viewed in light of all the foregoing, and taking the

sleep at night, I read them. I couldn’t respond to all, so I just react with a heart. I’m happy to get messages like, ‘It’s good to see you again, Ma’am,’ or ‘My mom watches you all the time.’ I feel like I was able to reconnect to my public, and that makes me really happy.”

In spite of her success as a vlogger, Santos is still conscious not to “overshare.”

“We know that we’re not supposed to believe everything we see on social media because fake news is found in all platforms. We also know that people create trolls to say negative things about others, to bash others, including children,” she began.

“I don’t upload vlogs every week like the others. If you notice, I sometimes go on for three weeks without anything new. Also, I only have very few ‘collabs.’ My videos are more about my family, my sons Lucky and Ryan (Recto). This is because I’m not a techie, and I just learned all these from my kids. They also taught me which camera to buy and how to manipulate my phone cam. I also have a laptop,” she said. “To my young supporters,

don’t expose everything that you’re doing through social media. Listen to your seniors, for sure, you will learn something from us that you will be able to apply to your lives.”

Promoting good values Santos continued: “I understand that technology is the future and that seniors like me should also try to keep up in order to bridge the gap between our generation and the young ones. But we should remember not to abuse social media. It’s still important that the videos we share promote good values—these are things we can’t do without.”

When asked if there’s any more that she prays to God for these days, Santos said: “When I pray, it’s just to say ‘thank you’ for all the blessings He has given me. If ever, I pray for good health, not just for my family, but of everyone. As a public servant, I became more aware of what’s happening around us. Getting sick is really the worst problem because not all of us have the means to buy medicine or get admitted to a hospital. Let’s stay healthy by following protocols, especially this holiday season.”

evidence presented in the bail hearings as a whole, this court is not convinced at this point, that there exists a presumption great leading to the inference of the accused's guilt," read the court document signed Associate Justice Florencio M. Mamauag Jr.

"It must be emphasized, however, that a grant of bail

does not prevent the Court, as trier of facts, from making a final assessment of the evidence after full trial on the merits," it added.

Last August, model Deniece Cornejo was given another chance by the Court of Appeals (CA) to air her side on the sexual harassment and rape allegations she filed against the actor.

spends ‘pinakamasayang Pasko’ with family after posting P1M bail

Popular TV host Kris Aquino Photo from Instagram/@krisaquino

Vilma Santos

Photo from Instagram/@rosavilmasantosrecto

Miss

Actor Vhong Navarro

ABS-CBN photo

ACTOR Vhong Navarro greeted the public with a photo of him with his family posing in front of a giant Christmas tree in their home on Christmas Day.