123122 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition

Cold weather alert issued in LA County

THE Los Angeles County Health Officer is issuing a Cold Weather Alert due to the National Weather Service’s forecast for low temperatures. Wind chill temperatures are expected to be below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Affected areas include:

• Santa Clarita Valley – Monday, January 2, 2023

• Lancaster (Antelope Valley) – Sunday, January 1, 2023 and Monday, January 2, 2023

• Mount Wilson – Saturday, December 31, 2022 through Monday, January 2, 2023

“Children, the elderly, and people with disabilities or special medical needs are especially vulnerable during cold weather. Extra precaution should be taken to ensure they don’t get too cold when they are outside,” said Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, Los Angeles County Health Officer. “There are places where people can go to stay warm, such as shelters or other public facilities. We also want to remind people

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 anti-hate 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.

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

On Christmas Eve, Arine Kim and her friend

Marcos to Filipinos: Carry on with Rizal’s virtues

by HELEN FLORES Philstar.com

MANILA —  President Marcos called on Filipinos to embody the virtues of excellence, patriotism and perseverance that Jose Rizal demonstrated throughout his life as the nation marked the 126th death anniversary of the national hero on Friday, December 30.

Marcos said Rizal’s life and works awakened Filipinos to the injustice, corruption and oppression

they suffered at the hands of Spanish colonizers.

“May Rizal’s determination to achieve real changes empower the Filipinos today to become vigilant of the social ills that may threaten our liberty,” the president said in a statement.

“May he continue to become a role model to all of us who aspire to impart our knowledge and dedicate our abilities to the betterment of society,” he added.

The president urged Filipinos to use the occasion to reflect on the kind of life they want to live, stressing that true heroism does not only mean offering one’s

life for the country but also fighting silent battles and working within capacities to bring about a better future for the present and succeeding generations.

Marcos laid a wreath at the Rizal Monument in Manila on Friday morning. This was followed by a flag-raising ceremony where the president was assisted by First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and sons Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos and Joseph Simon and William Vincent Marcos.

This was Marcos’ first Rizal Day rites as president.  PAGE A2

What to expect during Marcos’ China trip

by KAYCEE VALMONTE Philstar.com

MANILA — The Philippine delegation is expected to sign 10 to 14 bilateral agreements during President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s first visit to China next week.

It will be Marcos Jr.'s first state visit to a non-ASEAN country since he assumed office this year. He went to New York in September but to attend the UN General Assembly.

"There is an expectation that the state visit will set the tone of bilateral relations between the two countries in the next five to six years," Nathaniel Imperial, assistant secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs, said in a press briefing on Thursday, December 29.

Marcos Jr. accepted in November the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, with a China trip scheduled for January 3 to 5. The president previously said he wants to “increase the scope” of Manila’s relationship with Beijing, going beyond West Philippine Sea issues, but also promised that he will not “abandon even a square inch” of the country’s territory.

The West Philippine Sea remains a sore spot for

PH, China to establish direct lines to ease tensions over sea row

by KAYCEE VALMONTE Philstar.com

MANILA — The Philippines will be signing a communication agreement with China "to avoid miscalculation and miscommunication" in the West Philippine Sea.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are expected to sign the agreement to handle matters involving the disputed waters during President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s state visit to China next week.

“Both sides have agreed to sign an agreement establishing communication, direct communication between the foreign ministries of both countries at various levels,” Nathaniel Imperial, assistant secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs, said in a press briefing on Thursday, December 29.

China continues to ignore the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling in 2016 that invalidated Beijing’s so-called nine-dash line over the disputed waters and provided that certain sea areas are within the

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NAIA privatization to push through

by FRANCO JOSE C. BAROÑA ManilaTimes.net

THE Philippine government will push through with the privatization of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista has announced.

"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 on Wednesday, December 28.

He said he hopes the terms of reference (TOR) will be ready by the first quarter of 2023 "so we can entertain proposals from

interested parties."

Included in the TOR is the rehabilitation of NAIA, which Bautista acknowledges is overdue.

One of the improvements is to allow public utility vehicles to service passengers, especially in Terminal 3, which caters to domestic flights.

Bautista said there are areas that can be redeveloped, such as the parking spaces and an area in Terminal 3 that can be converted into a multilevel parking facility.

The semi-manual baggage handling system also needs to be fully automated, he said.

To ease congestion in some

Added COVID protocols for foreign tourists sought

by BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO AND MOISES CRUZ ManilaTimes.net

SEN. Ana Theresia "Risa" Hontiveros urged the government to impose added layers of health security and safety protocols for foreign tourists amid the spike in COVID-19 cases abroad.

The senator said the government should come up with such protocols before President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. leaves for China next week for a threeday state visit.

"We have been here before. Let us prove we are learning

from the lessons of the past," Hontiveros said in a statement on Friday, December 30.

"Business as usual is not an option as COVID-19 cases continue to balloon in mainland China and other countries," she said in Filipino.

She called on the InterAgency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to immediately "assess and update our color-coded travel restrictions" amid the expected

photo by Jess M. Escaros Jr.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros

ManilaTimes.net file Photo

Marcos to Filipinos: Carry on...

He was also joined by National Historical Commission of the Philippines Chairman Rene Escalante, the Rizal Day Technical Working Committee members, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives from national and local government offices, nongovernment organizations and the descendants of Rizal.

Flag-raising and wreath-laying rites were also simultaneously conducted at the Museo ni Jose Rizal in Calamba, Laguna; Museo ni Jose Rizal in Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte and all local government units.

For Speaker Martin Romualdez, Rizal was “an excellent citizen” and a great contributor to the nation that he dreamt of building. Nation-building, he said, requires hard work and sacrifice, and Rizal was “a fine example of a good citizen contributing to the betterment of the country.”

“Not only was he a patriot, but he was also a novelist,

ophthalmologist, historian, engineer, educator, painter, journalist, playwright, farmer and inventor,” he said.

Born in Calamba, Laguna on June 19, 1861, Rizal was best known for advocating political reforms in the Philippines under Spanish colonial rule.

He became famous for his classic novels, “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo,” which awakened the minds of Filipinos to the long struggle against Philippine colonizers.

He was executed by Spanish authorities on Dec. 30, 1896 at Bagumbayan, now Rizal Park, for rebellion after the Philippine revolution broke out mainly inspired by his writings.

Heroism of OFWs

In paying homage to Rizal, the president also honored the heroism of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and vowed to ensure their welfare and interests as well as that of their families in the Philippines.

“Now, more than ever, the role you play in reviving our economy and raising the standard of living of your family and fellow Filipinos is very important,” Marcos said in Filipino during the “Pamaskong Handog Para sa Pamilyang OFW,” a gift-giving event, in Malacañang.

Also present during the event were the First Lady, sons Simon and Vincent, Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople and other officials.

Marcos said the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has intensified its programs for OFWs, considered as the country’s modern-day heroes. The event coincided with the first anniversary of the DMW, which was created through Republic Act 11641.

From July to December this year, the agency assisted some 766,290 OFWs to find decent employment abroad and facilitated the repatriation of 6,341 distressed OFWs. 

Cold weather alert issued in LA...

PAGE A1

not to use stoves, barbeques or ovens to heat their homes due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.”

Take precautions to protect yourself from the cold: • Dress in layers of warm clothing if you plan to be outdoors.

• Protect head, hands and feet from the cold by wearing a hat, scarf, gloves, and socks.

• Check on and help family members, friends and neighbors with limited mobility and limited access to heat, such as seniors or those who are ill. Check on them frequently.

• If you have pets, bring them indoors and do not leave them outside overnight.

Take shelter during peak cold times:

Man arrested for racist taunts on Filipino...

PAGE A1

Elliot Ha were shooting a video for TikTok while eating at an In-And-Out Burger when a man later identified as Krah spewed racist and homophobic slurs at them.

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)

• The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority has a Winter Shelter Program available for those who need shelter. Locations and transportation information are online at www. lahsa.org or by calling the LA County Information line at 2-1-1 from any landline or cell phone.

People exposed to cold weather for prolonged periods can lose body heat and develop hypothermia.  Symptoms vary

depending on how long you are exposed to cold temperatures.

Early symptoms of hypothermia include: shivering, fatigue, loss of coordination, and confusion and disorientation.

Late symptoms of hypothermia include: no shivering, blue skin, dilated pupils, slowed pulse and breathing, and loss of consciousness.

People exposed to extremely cold weather conditions, such as places where it snows and where freezing occurs, may be at risk of frostbite. Frostbite is a bodily injury caused by freezing that results in loss of feeling and color in affected areas. The most common affected areas are the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers, or toes.

Gently warm the person and seek immediate medical care if you believe someone is showing signs of hypothermia or frostbite.

Prevent carbon monoxide poisoning when heating your home:

• Only use approved heaters, such as electric or natural gas heaters and fireplaces. Never use stoves, barbecues and ovens to heat your room or home, as these appliances can produce a deadly gas known

as carbon monoxide that can collect inside your home.

• Install a carbon monoxide detector in your home to reduce the risk of poisoning.

• If you use an outdoor generator at home, place it at least 10 feet away from all doors and windows to avoid exhaust gases entering the home.

Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause shortness of breath, headaches, muscle and joint pain, and nausea. Exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide could lead to death within minutes. Those suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning should be taken outside, into fresh air, immediately, and should be taken to an emergency room for immediate medical treatment.

Los Angeles County residents and business owners, including people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs may also call 2-1-1 or visit www.211la.org for emergency preparedness information and other referral services 24 hours a day and seven days a week. For the deaf and hard of hearing, call the TDD line at 1-800-6604026. 

NATIONAL HERO. Flowers are offered at the monument of Dr. Jose Rizal on the 126th anniversary of his martyrdom at the Angono municipal hall in Rizal province on Friday, Dec. 30. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. urged Filipinos to embody Rizal’s virtues of excellence, patriotism, and perseverance while Vice President Sara Duterte called on the youth to emulate his life of service. PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

Marcos laid a wreath at the Rizal Monument in Manila on Friday morning, December 30.

Malacañang photo

What to expect during Marcos’...

the two countries' bilateral relations as China continues to ignore a 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated its nine-dash claims over the disputed waters.

Schedule, expectations while in China

There are several bilateral agreements covering trade and investments, agriculture, renewable energy, infrastructure, and development cooperation expected to be signed during the trip. Among them are:

• Memorandum of Understanding on digital cooperation

• A direct communication agreement on WPS

• 1.5-billion renminbi grant from China

• Agreement for the construction of three Philippine priority bridges and floodway bridge projects

• MOU on tourism cooperation

In turn, the Philippines plans to renew its commitment and participation in China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

The Philippine delegation is scheduled to leave the country on the afternoon of January 3, but most official meetings are slated for January 4. Marcos Jr. will meet with Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Premier Li Keqiang, and Chinese President Xi.

“We do not wish to preempt or to second guess what [Marcos Jr.] will say to his counterpart but the president will raise important issues affecting our bilateral relations, among them the issue on the West Philippine Sea,”

Imperial said.

This will be Marcos Jr. and Xi’s second meeting, following a brief meet at the sidelines of the recent Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit last November.

After reports of China’s construction activities in unoccupied features of the Spratly Islands, there has been a renewed call for the president to discuss the West Philippine Sea issue during his meeting with President Xi.

Meanwhile, business meetings will also be held on January 4 and 5, where “a number of major business deals” are expected to be signed between both countries and private firms. Imperial explained that China has a special interest in Philippine agriculture, renewable energy, nickel processing, and the exportation of Durian.

However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the chief executive will not meet with the Filipino community, which has always been part of the president’s itinerary when he goes out of the

country.  Who is part of the Philippine delegation?

Aside from a “sizable” business delegation, the following were named as included in the Philippine delegation:

• First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos

• House Speaker Martin Romualdez

• Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo

• Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno

• Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual

• Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco

• Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy

• Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

Members of the Philippine delegation will remain in a "bubble" as COVID-19 cases in China continue to rise. Imperial said both countries are working out a plan in case someone tests positive during the state visit. 

Application deadline extended for expanded Edison Scholars Program

by DIANE CASTRO ENERGIZED by Edison Writer

“I have a great number of dreams, but for quite some time, I didn't have any way to fund my education to one day reach these dreams.”

Pham is among 30 high school seniors in Southern California Edison's service area previously selected as 2022 Edison Scholars

- Opens in new window. She received a $40,000 scholarship, paid over four years, to further her academic pursuits at Columbia, where she started this fall as a chemistry major.

The next group of high school seniors with big dreams of becoming difference-makers are invited to apply for the class of 2023 Edison scholarships - Opens in new window. This year, Edison International has increased the scholarship award amount from $40,000 to $50,000 and opened the scholarship to students majoring in cybersecurity and data analytics. In addition, 2023 Edison Scholars are now eligible for a paid summer internship with SCE upon completing the first year of school. The deadline to apply has been extended to January 9, 2023.

Jonathan Morales, a 2022 Edison Scholar and Fullerton Union High School graduate, is now a freshman at Stanford University studying biology. He encourages potential applicants to “take this challenge and use it for greatness. No dream is too big, and no challenge is too great. Just go for it.”

Morales went the extra mile and produced his own creative video - Opens in new window to share his experience and encourage potential applicants to apply.

Applicants must live in SCE's service area and plan to be fulltime undergraduate students pursuing a degree related to science, technology, engineering or math. Eligible students also must be high school seniors,

have at least a cumulative 3.0 GPA and demonstrate financial need. SCE encourages students from underserved communities, underrepresented groups and first-generation college students to apply for the $1.5 million scholarship program.

2022 Edison Scholar Monica Pal attended San Joaquin High School in Irvine and is currently studying data science at UC Riverside. She encourages aspiring scholars to do their research, “get involved, learn more about Edison before applying and take that extra step to reach out to people who have gone through the same process to help understand the criteria needed for success.”

Fernando Matias, a 2022 Edison Scholar, graduated from Hawthorne High School and is now a freshman at the California Institute of Technology with a double major in mechanical engineering and computer science. “My advice to potential scholars is just to apply and write about what you are passionate about,” Matias said. “Applying for this scholarship was one of the best decisions I ever made. The financial impact has been incredible, not to mention the connections I have made at Edison and with the other scholars.”

SCE’s parent company Edison International, one of Southern California's largest corporate philanthropic contributors, has awarded more than $13.5 million in scholarships to 730 students through the Edison Scholars Program since 2006. The program is funded entirely by Edison International shareholders. SCE customers' utility bill payments do not fund company donations.

Students can determine if they are eligible and apply at edisonscholars.com.

For more information plus profiles of previous Edison scholarship winners, visit the ENERGIZED Spotlight page.

PH, China to establish direct...

Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

On the 6th anniversary of the ruling this year, Beijing insisted that it is "illegal, null, and void" and that it "seriously violates international law."

There have been reports of Chinese vessels shadowing and challenging Philippine vessels whenever in the West Philippine Sea on top of Chinese officials imposing regulations over waters they do not have jurisdiction over.

While Manila has filed hundreds of diplomatic protests since 2016 and nearly 200 notes verbale this year, Marcos Jr. still wants to expand the scope of the country’s bilateral relations with China beyond the sea dispute.

Pacific Forum International Director of Cybersecurity and Critical Technologies Mark Manantan previously told Philstar.com that the country should be able to manage separate issues of foreign security, defense, and economic interests when dealing with

China.  Marcos Jr.’s state visit to China is scheduled for next week, January 3 to 5. The chief executive is slated to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on January 4, where the two leaders will also continue their discussions on a possible joint oil and gas exploration deal in the disputed waters.   However, the DFA refrained from discussing further on how Marcos Jr. will approach his counterpart to discuss the West Philippine Sea — but it has been said that the chief executive will bring it up — especially with recent reports of China ramping up its construction activities in unoccupied parts of the Spratly Islands.

"We do not wish to preempt or second guess what the president will say to his but the president will raise important issues affecting our bilateral relations, among them the issue on the West Philippine Sea so we we can't say how specific the discussions will be," Imperial said.

“I'VE always been fascinated with chemistry. The idea of one day becoming a scientist who changes the world for the better is enamoring,” said 2022 Edison Scholar Kayla Pham, a graduate of Oak Hills High School in Hesperia now attending Columbia University.

“The path to these goals is not straightforward and being a firstgeneration college student from

Edison International President and CEO Pedro Pizarro, Southern California Edison President and CEO Steven Powell and Edison International and SCE Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs Caroline Choi with the 2022 Edison Scholars.

(Left to right) Edison International President and CEO Pedro Pizarro, 2022 Edison Scholar Jonathan Morales, Southern California Edison President and CEO Steven Powell. a single-parent household has presented many challenges,” Pham said.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. Philstar.com photo

Added COVID protocols for foreign...

influx of tourists.

Malacañang should also study different ways to ensure the safety of the Filipino people, the senator said.

"Just like having a single destination entry for foreign tourists from countries with high incidence of COVID-19 to smoothen the coordination with the national and local governments that will accommodate the tourists," she said.

"We must ensure that we have enough capability to address testing, tracing and treatment needs," Hontiveros added.

She voiced hope that China, under the 2005 International Health Regulations, will be open and honest in sharing its data on the COVID-19 infections.

"And to my fellowmen who will welcome tourists, especially

frontliners in the travel industry, please continue to be careful, get vaccine and booster shots, wear face masks always, and follow the minimum public health standard," she said.

IATF to discuss measures

Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DoH) said on Friday that the IATF-EID will meet to establish measures for dealing with the COVID-19 resurgence in China, including border restrictions for Chinese visitors to the country.

Under current Health department regulations, foreign travelers who are not fully vaccinated must provide a negative pre-departure antigen or RT-PCR test result before travel or upon arrival.

In a media statement, the DoH ordered the Bureau of Quarantine to advance quarantine protocols, including increased

NAIA privatization to push...

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terminals, airlines might have to be reassigned, and a low-cost terminal might have to be built, Bautista said.

In 2018, a group of conglomerates known as the NAIA Consortium submitted a proposal to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to rehabilitate NAIA. Negotiations lasted over two years before collapsing in July 2020 when the consortium pulled out because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2020, the Metro Pacific Investments Corp. of tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan also withdrew from the publicprivate partnership (PPP) deal for the NAIA, citing viability concerns.

Bautista disclosed that several parties are interested in running NAIA.

"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," he said.

He said he wanted the tourists to enjoy the same services at NAIA that they experience in other major airports in Asia like Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand.

To protect investor interests, the government "will see to

it that we will attend to the requirements of the private sector so that their investment will be worth it," Bautista said. "Meaning 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," Bautista said.

He noted that the implementing rules and regulations of the PPP law have been amended to introduce provisions that will protect the interests of the private sector.

"We also introduced the provision that if there is conflict or misunderstanding between the private sector and the government, there is this facility for mediation," he said.

The terms and conditions of privatization that have been practiced by other countries will also be adopted, Bautista said.

He did not discount the possibility of shutting down NAIA and converting it into another facility, if passenger volume drops once new airports outside Metro Manila start operation.

San Miguel Corp. is building the P740-billion New Manila International Airport in Bulacan for completion in 2026.

The government of Cavite

surveillance on all respiratory symptoms in all travelers and conveyances arriving from China, a thorough review of the Maritime Declaration of Health and the health part of the Aircraft General Declaration, reporting of passengers who displayed symptoms during arrival screening, submission of reports of COVID-19 positive travelers from points of entry, and other information.

The DoH said that it will continue to monitor the global situation and will provide updates in the following days.

Since the Chinese government abandoned its strict zero-COVID regulations, there have been outbreaks of the virus. Countries, especially the United States, have been pushed to seek further immigration restrictions as a result of uncertainty regarding the extent of the spread. 

DATELINE PHILIPPINES

7,880 Filipinos abroad repatriated as of Nov 2022, Palace says citing DFA report

by DAPHNE GALVEZ Inquirer.net

MANILA — More than 7,500 Filipinos overseas were repatriated this year in an effort to ensure their welfare and safety, Malacañang said on Monday, December 26, citing the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

This, according to the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS),  is part of the Marcos administration’s efforts to boost government response to the needs of Filipinos abroad.

Citing the accomplishment report of the DFA, the OPS said a total of 7,880 overseas Filipinos were repatriated from January to November 2022.

Of the number, 57.67% were from the Middle East with 942 from Kuwait, including distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and 70 from Sri Lanka in South Asia.

On the delivery of consular services, OPS said the DFA

issued a total of 3,589,620 passports from January to October 2022 and opened an additional six temporary off-site passport services facilities.

As of last month, the DFA has issued 55,574 visas and 551,635 Apostille certificates.

Still citing the DFA’s accomplishment report for 2022, the OPS  noted that bilateral agreements were signed on defense, culture, counterterrorism, trade and investment, technology and data protection, and migrant workers protection under the Marcos administration this year.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  earlier said that  coordination between the DFA and the newly created Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) would be further strengthened in a bid to provide assistance to Filipinos aborad.

“Lalo nating paiigtingin ang tambalang ito upang makapagbigay nang mabilis at karampatang serbisyo at tulong

sa mga overseas Filipinos na nangangailangan ng tulong,” the president said in a speech in Cambodia.

(We will intensify this partnership so that we can give prompt and appropriate service and help to overseas Filipinos who need help.)

In his official trips abroad, Marcos had described OFWs as the pride of the Philippines who “bring honor to the Filipino nation.”

Marcos likewise recognized the valuable contribution of OFWs, especially during the time when the country’s economy was dampened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“You provided a muchneeded boost to the pandemic-stricken economy… nakakapagpondo tayo ng mga social programs na tumutulong sa mga mahihirap at saka ‘yung pinaka nangangailangan ng tulong na pamilya sa Pilipinas,” the president earlier said in a speech in Phnom Penh. 

Tourism generates P149 billion as COVID-19 restrictions eased

by HELEN FLORESS Philstar.com

has also awarded an $11-billion contract to a consortium to upgrade Sangley Airport into an international gateway.

But NAIA's "very good location" could still attract high passenger volumes, Bautista said. He cited Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, which continues to operate despite the construction of Narita International Airport.

Bautista said that having a new operator does not mean that NAIA personnel will lose their jobs.

He said the MIAA will retain some employees, and others could be hired by the incoming operator. 

MANILA — The tourism department has generated P149 billion or $2.6 billion in revenues as of November this year as the government further eases COVID-19 restrictions, including the mandatory wearing of face masks and COVID test for arriving fully vaccinated individuals, Malacañang said on Wednesday, December 28.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) recorded 2.46 million international arrivals as of Dec. 19, higher than its target of 1.7 million this year.

The DOT targets 2.6 million international tourist arrivals in a low scenario and 6.4 million in a high scenario, the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) said in a statement, citing the agency’s yearend report.

The agency, headed by Secretary Christina Frasco, bared its seven-point agenda aimed at improving tourism infrastructure, establishing cohesive digitalization and connectivity, enhancing the country’s overall tourism experience and equalizing product development.

To allow the Philippine tourism sector catch up with its neighboring countries, President Marcos approved the recommendation of the government’s pandemic task force to further relax travel restrictions for inbound travelers.

In a memorandum dated Oct. 28, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the President approved the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF)’s Resolution No. 2, recommending the lifting of pre-

departure testing requirement for fully vaccinated arriving passengers, whether Filipino or foreign nationals.

Filipino and foreign nationals are deemed fully vaccinated if they had received the second dose of a two-dose series or a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine more than 14 days prior to the date and time of departure from the country of origin or port of embarkation, according to IATF’s resolution.

On Oct. 28, Marcos issued Executive Order 7 lifting the mandatory wearing of face masks in indoor settings, except in medical facilities and public transportation.

The President issued EO 3 on Sept. 12, allowing the voluntary wearing of face masks outdoors, particularly in open spaces and non-crowded areas with good ventilation. 

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista ManilaTimes.net file photo

FEATURES OPINION

Changes

FROM the health situation to politics, 2022 has been a year of momentous changes for the country.

After two years of crippling lockdowns, COVID mobility restrictions and health safety protocols were rapidly lifted, with the last being the mandatory masking outdoors. The lifting of restrictions allowed the revival of travel and tourism as well as the wider reopening of the economy. This Christmas season, churches can again hold full in-person masses and other rituals to celebrate the holidays.

Editorial

chickens and even salt. The year closes with sugar prices still skyhigh and the country out of white onions, with households forced to scrimp on a basic condiment for holiday dishes – red onions – as the price soared to a dizzying P700 a kilo.

Food accounted for the largest chunk of 14-year-high inflation this year. And such food items fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture, whose current head happens to be the new president of the republic.

In November, the country forged ahead with the full return of face-to-face classes at all levels. Difficulties arising from the pandemic led to two million students stopping formal education in the first year of lockdowns, and about a million in the second year. Even those who could handle hybrid education modes reported problems in learning. The country will have to address the learning gaps arising from what is now being considered as lost years in Philippine education.

Even as jobs and livelihoods were restored, Filipinos grappled with spiraling inflation, starting with fuel price surges as Russia invaded Ukraine, followed by soaring prices of basic food items due to the weakness of the agriculture sector. U.S. interest rate hikes to temper inflation in that country compounded the problem as the strong dollar weakened the peso and made imported goods more expensive.

The year saw the country grappling with unusual shortages or price surges in items including large potatoes, flour, field corn, broiler

The leadership change in May has been the most dramatic in decades, reversing the people power revolt in 1986 that toppled the 20-year rule of Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda.

Ferdinand Junior has made no secret of his desire to fully rehabilitate the Marcos name, in the eyes of both Filipinos and the world. He has received a strong mandate for this, garnering 31 million votes to become the first majority president in decades, with his running mate Sara Duterte getting even more votes.

To do this, he must implement long-term reforms, in agriculture and other sectors. In terms of personal style as well as in his approach to law enforcement, human rights and diplomacy, President Marcos has shown himself to be refreshingly different from his predecessor. This new year, the momentum of change must be carried over into the structures where longterm reforms are overdue, to create a vibrant democracy and a strong republic. (Philstar.com)

My wish list for 2023

Awards, and have the capacity to produce masterpieces like "Maria Clara at Ibarra," yet most of our soaps pale in comparison to Korean soaps and even Thai lakorns.

THERE are so many things that I wish for 2023, foremost of which is for Filipinos to really enjoy a life whose satisfaction is driven less by our innate optimism of remaining hopeful despite adversities, but in actually enjoying lower prices, better infrastructures and services, and less exposure to the risks both from natural calamities and human-induced political disasters.

Repeatedly, we have been rated as brimming with optimism at our future and full of hope, even as we have expressed high levels of trust in our leaders and our government.

It is really puzzling that while Boracay has been rated as the best island destination, with Palawan and Cebu also mentioned, our international airport has been judged one of the worst and most stressful, and Metro Manila is considered as one of the most congested cities. We have produced talents like Ms. Dolly de Leon who has been nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the Golden Globe

I am looking forward to a 2023 where our productive and artistic industry will finally come out of its stupor, and break free from its formulaic approaches, and begin competing in the world stage, proving that it is not just athletes and beauty queens that we can be good at, but even films, music and TV dramas. I am also looking forward to a tourism industry that is marked by affordable fares, and not just mirages of sales that are negated by hidden costs, matched by excellent and world-class infrastructures.

I dream of cheaper and cleaner electricity, and of a truly modernized agriculture.

I wish for more forwardlooking and innovative disaster reduction and management strategies that go beyond the relocation and relief mode, and venture into urban redesign and preemptive climate adaptation strategies. I pray that the national Land Use Act bill be passed, and that the much-delayed Sustainable

Forest Management Act see the light of day, where the stigma of forestry being a destructive endeavor would be removed. I wish for the popularization of science, translating it into forms and languages to which ordinary people can relate, so that people will be empowered to detect the disinformation and lies being peddled by instant experts, and by epistemic trespassers who invade other people's expertise.

I wish for the passage of progressive laws such as the decriminalization of libel, decriminalization of drug use, and the legalization of divorce, reproductive freedom and same-sex marriages. I hope that the mandatory ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) will be reviewed and turned into a broader community-service mandate to all Filipinos, and not just to those in formal education.

I wish to put an end to red-tagging, and for the popularization of political education at the primary level, where young children are taught to tolerate political differences, where communism is appreciated as a way of looking at things and not equated with political violence.

Concomitant to this is literacy on what political violence entails, and to inculcate in the minds of people the value of peace and national security, where differences can be settled with dialogue and tolerance, and not by taking up arms against the state. Legalizing the communist party, like in other countries like India and many European countries, may be an important step in this regard.

I wish for our Congress to become truly rational in the performance of its duties, and be mindful of the limits of their powers. I wish members would absorb the ethos of being servants of the people, and thus should have more humility when they conduct their congressional hearings. They should stop threatening and bullying their invited resource persons. And they should all read the law and the Constitution, lest some of them become their principal violators and transgressors.

I pray for those in academia to manage their biases and stop becoming rabid political partisans. They must truly be agents of critical thinking, which include tolerance of differences brought about by alternative views from

colleagues and students. I wish for a more nuanced approach in understanding our history, a recognition that while some narratives are outright lies, that not all disagreeable narratives are fake. I hope that academics have more self-introspection, and begin reflecting on whether they practice what they preach, particularly when they express their political opinions.

I am hoping that mass media would truly separate opinion from news, and that practicing journalists should always prepare when they report on events, even to the point of obtaining relevant advanced degrees in their respective beats. I truly wish for an independent body of fact-checkers, or if not, that the media begin calling each other, break out of this code of silence when they break their own professional codes of ethics.

I wish that people will begin to be truly critical in their political opinions, and for idolatry, blind loyalty and diehard fanaticism to cease to exist, and be replaced by nuanced and guarded support. We have to begin celebrating the political middle, people who would

Modern heroism inspired by Rizal

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

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 pagasa 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

criticize based on data and facts when warranted, even as they praise and give positive feedback when truly earned. This should be independent of their votes in the last elections and their political preferences. I wish people would learn from history, but will always be suspicious of the fact that these may be told from the vantage point of partisans.

It is important to inculcate in the minds of people that while revising history is a responsibility in the face of historical myths and incorrect representation, it cannot be used to propagate another set of historical myths and propaganda.

Finally, I wish for a truly secular society, where religion remains an influential institution but not be allowed to dictate what public policy should be. I wish for spirituality to become more robust where people find meaning in their lives, instead of being fixated on rituals that confine instead of liberate the mind. (ManilaTimes.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.

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

* * *

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.

ROGER

ANDY TECSON Photographer

IVY

DING CARREON Videographer

Marcos vows to serve OFWs better through a stronger DMW

MANILA – President

Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. vowed to strengthen the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) as he honors overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) on Rizal Day which commemorates the 126th anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal.

In a speech during the Pamaskong Handog Para sa Pamilyang OFW in Malacanang on Friday, December 30, the chief executive hailed all Filipinos abroad for their contribution to the country's economy as they work to provide a better future for their families back home.

"Malapit po sa akin ang mga OFW at ang kanilang mga pamilya. Kaya naman sa ating administrasyon, lalo nating pinagtitibigay ang Department of Migrant Workers upang mas mabilis ang serbisyo at pagkalinga para sa ating mga bagong bayani (OFWs and their families are close to my heart. Under this administration, we will further strengthen the DMW to provide fast and efficient service to our modern heroes)," he said.

The event coincides with the first anniversary of Republic Act No. 11641, which mandates the creation of DMW.

"Ngayon, higit kailanman ay napakahalaga ng papel na ginagampanan ninyo na

maiahon ang ating ekonomiya at maiangat ang antas ng pamumuhay ng inyong pamilya at kapwa Pilipino (The work that you do, now more than ever, is significant in lifting our economy and raising the living standard of your family, including your fellow Filipinos)," he added.

Marcos made an assurance that through the DMW, government assistance and services would no longer be limited to the workers but also to their families.

Relevant offices, he said, are working on projects, including providing more scholarships, shelter, and other services and benefits to OFWs.

In the same event, he expressed gratitude to the millions of overseas workers for giving the country a good image that Filipinos are hardworking and have excellent work ethics.

"Dahil sa inyo, nagkaroon ng magandang imahe ang ating bansa sa buong mundo. Tinitingala ang mga manggagawang Pilipino bilang isa sa mga pinakamagagaling. Hindi na isa sa pinakamagagaling, ‘yung pinakamagaling at pinakamasipag at pinakamaalagain sa buong mundo (Because of you, we have a good image abroad. We are seen as one of the best, hard working and caring workers in the world) ," he said.

The DMW has so far served 766,290 OFWs and facilitated the repatriation of at least 6,341 distressed Filipinos.

As of November 2022, the agency has provided 16,000 scholarships through the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

Migrant Workers Secretary Susan "Toots" Ople, for her part, said the department would be in full hiring mode next year to fill up around 1,000 positions.

DMW would also be opening 16 regional officers and four overseas labor posts to better serve all migrant workers and their families

"Pangako po, Mr. President, gagawin namin sa DMW at ng OWWA ang lahat para alagaan at ipaglaban ang ating mga OFWs at ang kanilang mga pamilya. Dahil iyan po ang inyong mahigpit na tagubilin sa amin. At dahil tunay po namin silang minamahal at ginagalang (I promise that we will do everything to advance the rights and interests of OFWs and their families because we care and truly respect them), " she said.

Ople also reported that the first OFW Hospital in Mabalacat, Pampanga, is now fully operational and now serving OFWs and their families. (PNA)

Yearender: BI arrests, deports foreigners involved in crimes

MANILA – Foreigners wanted in their 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 sexrelated 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 shortterm 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)

TROOPING THE LINE. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. troops the line during the 126th anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal at the Rizal Park in Manila on Friday, Dec. 30. The President arrived at around 6:45 a.m. and led the military honors to kick off a short commemorative ceremony with the theme, “Rizal: Alaalang Iningatan, Yaman Ngayon ng Bayan (Preserved Memories, Treasured Today by the Nation).”  PNA photo by Rey S. Baniquet

DOH urges Marcos to certify bill creating disease control center as urgent

by GAEA KATREENA CABICO Philstar.com

MANILA — The Department of Health urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday to certify the proposed legislation to create the country’s own Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as urgent.

The DOH said it is working with the Presidential Legislative and Liaison Office to fast track the passage of the Philippine CDC bill, which was approved by the House of Representatives on third and final reading earlier this month.

A counterpart measure is currently pending at the Senate health and demography committee. Bills that are

certified urgent can be read, debated on and passed on the same day.

"We have requested the [CDC bill] to be certified as urgent by the president," the DOH said.

The creation of the Philippine CDC was included in the list of priority legislations mentioned by Marcos in his first State of the Nation Address.

"Once passed into law, the CDC Act shall serve as legal basis for the continued and uninterrupted implementation of the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program and response for other future public health emergencies, without the need for the declaration of a state of calamity," the health department said.

On Thursday, December

29, Marcos said he was "very, very hesitant" to extend the declaration of the state of calamity due to COVID-19 “because we are not in a state of calamity anymore, technically speaking."

The state of calamity declaration, which is set to expire on December 31, will allow the continued implementation of measures to combat the pandemic.

In the House version of the Philippine CDC bill, the center will be the technical authority on “forecasting, analysis, strategy, and standards development for the prevention and control of all diseases of public health importance and health security events, whether domestic or international in origin.” 

House vows to work harder to boost economy

MANILA – House Speaker Martin G. Romualdez on Thursday, December 29 said the House of Representatives will do its mandate double-time next year to ensure that the country’s positive economic momentum will continue and be successfully translated into comfort of every Filipino.

This, as the lawmakers welcomed the good news from Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Benjamin Diokno who said the worst is over for the Philippines and betters years are expected.

Romualdez said the country’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic definitely inspires lawmakers to legislate more laws needed to further boost the economy and improve the living condition of the Filipino people.

On Wednesday, December 28, Diokno projected faster economic growth for the Philippines in 2023 despite a looming global recession.

Diokno said the Philippines is still expected to have one of the highest growth rates among six Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member economies next year.

“Many institutions and experts have predicted a global recession in 2023, and consequently, downgraded Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) outlook to less than 6 percent,” Diokno said. "But an average GDP

growth of 6.5 percent is nothing to be sneezed at: it is still one of the highest, if not the highest, growth rates among ASEAN+6 economies.

Diokno cited nine reasons for his optimistic projections for the country’s economy’s growth in 2023, four of which were the direct result of acts of Congress, namely: the early approval of the 2023 national budget; early adoption of the first-ever Medium-Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF) for 2023-2028; a more favorable economic environment that removed barriers to foreign investments; and a strong commitment to expand the “Build, Build, Build” program with enhanced private sector participation.

Romualdez extended his gratitude to his fellow lawmakers for acting swiftly on vital legislative measures, which Diokno cited among the major reasons for optimism in the country’s strong economic performance.

It could be recalled that last Aug. 1, the House adopted Concurrent Resolution No. 2, supporting President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s 2023-2028 MTFF.

The House approved its version of the 2023 national budget on Sept. 28 and ratified the bicameral conference committee report on Dec. 5.

Signed by Marcos last Dec. 16, Romualdez noted that it was the only budget in recent memory to have been signed in mid-

December.

Amendments to the Retail Trade Liberalization Act, Foreign Investments Act and Public Services Act during the 18th Congress shepherded the passage of its enactment into laws by Romualdez who served as the House majority leader.

Diokno also cited the swift approval of the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, the strong international credit profile of the country, a stable and resilient banking system, adequate buffers against external headwinds as well as a young, tech-savvy and mostly Englishspeaking labor force, among the factors that bode well for the growth prospects of the economy in 2023.

To help sustain such a growth trajectory, Romualdez vowed to pass the remaining 12 priority measures of Marcos when Congress resumes sessions on Jan. 23, 2023.

The 12 remaining priority bills include the enactment of an enabling law for the Natural Gas Industry; amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA); the Unified System of Separation, Retirement and Pension; the E-Governance Act and E-Government Act; the National Land Use Act; the National Defense Act; the National Government Rightsizing Program; the Budget Modernization Bill; the Department of Water Resources;

establishing the Negros Island Region; Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers; and the establishment of regional specialty hospitals.

Before the House adjourned for the Christmas break, the House passed pro-people measures, including the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF), the PHP5.268-trillion national budget for 2023 and 20 other priority bills of the Marcos administration, 19 of which were included in the common legislative agenda (CLA) adopted by the LegislativeExecutive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).

Romualdez said the House looks forward to the enactment of the 19 priority bills under the CLA that it has passed on third and final reading.

These include Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act or PIFITA (The fourth package under the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program or CTRP); Virology Institute of the Philippines; Agrarian Reform Debts Condonation; Philippine Passport Act; Waste-to-Energy Bill; National Disease Prevention Management Authority or Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Medical Reserve Corps (HEART); Internet Transaction Act / E-Commerce Law; Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone; Eastern Visayas Development Authority (EVDA); Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives

to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery (GUIDE) bill; Free Legal Assistance for Police and Soldiers; Public–Private Partnership (PPP) Act; Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers; Real Property Valuation Reform Bill; Apprenticeship Act; and National Citizens Service Training Program (NCSTP).

Two of the 19 measures under the CLA have been signed into law by the President namely, Republic Act 11934 or An Act Requiring Registration of Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) and RA 11935 or An Act Postponing the December 2022 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections to October 2023.

Pandemic exit strategy BHW party-list Rep. Angelica Natasha Co said the HEART bill and Virology Institute of the Philippines bills would contribute to the country's pandemic exit strategy and help achieve the post-pandemic "new normal".

“The HEART bill used to be the medical corps bill. Now with this HEART bill the response team will include not just doctors, but other health professionals and public health-trained people as well,” she said.

She said the bill seeking to establish a virology and vaccine research institute that would primarily focus on the key science and technology applications in the development of vaccines for viruses and other pathogens.

While supporting the extension of the pandemic state of calamity and lauding the issuance of the emergency use authorization for the new bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccines, she said she is still expecting more details regarding the Department of Health's COVID-19 exit strategy.

“In much the same way that the community quarantine restrictions were lifted gradually by region, I believe the pandemic state of calamity should also follow a gradual, regional lifting starting with regions where there are no more or very few new COVID cases," she said.

"Only when all regions are no longer under local state of calamity, should the national state of calamity be lifted based on key metrics. This transition approach could give DOH enough time to administer the bivalent boosters to at least 80 percent of the country’s total population,” she added.

Co said the House of Representatives should also focus on strengthening the health personnel working at the grassroot level with the approval of two magna cartas.

“Next in line are the proposed Magna Carta for Day Care Workers and Magna Carta for Barangay Nutrition Scholars which are key to securing social justice for the concerned two groups of health personnel working hard at the barangay level,” she said. (PNA)

SOUGHT-AFTER. Onions are available at PHP170 per kilo, with each buyer allowed just one kilo, at the ADC Kadiwa inside the Department of Agriculture central office along Elliptical Road in Quezon City on Friday, Dec. 30. The DA set onions’ per-kilo price in Metro Manila wet markets at P250 until the first week of January 2023, subject to another stakeholders’ consultation. PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

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 Division I Men’s Basketball Championship; it will also be the site for the Final 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.

I have been a Realtor for many decades, assisting clients who are looking for their first home, second/vacation homes, investment properties or land (for future use/development).

I can assist you in looking for these opportunities, given your budget and things you are looking for. Many of my clients have begun to reap the benefits of their investments, including turning their properties to rentals or Airbnb, or getting a good return on investment for the properties they bought in previous years.

My company, Precious Properties, is a full-service company that has successfully helped its clientele find the best deals since 1992. You can reach me at 775-513-8447, 805-5592476 and 702-538-4948 for more information, or send me an email at fely@precious-properties.com or fely.precious@gmail.com. We have investors who buy houses in California and Nevada for cash and quick escrow in as short as 7 days. (Advertising Supplement)

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

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.

Nadine, Ian, and Mon on their MMFF 2022 acting wins

by Charmie Joy Pagulong 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 was 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 balang-araw 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 na ako nasa industriya — 60 years!" Santos-Recto continued.

Hindi naging madali, medyo mahirap pero nakayanan ko dahil 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."

ConGen Badajos of

on an encore episode of

Pinoy

CITIZEN PINOY FEATURED GUEST IS LOS ANGELES CONSUL GENERAL. Leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel has Consul General Edgar Badajos of the Philippine Consulate General in L.A. as his special guest, where the latter will provide many useful information about the services and purpose of the consulate. Watch this very informative and inspiring feature on Consul General Badajos on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, January 1 at 6:30 PM PT (9:30 PM ET) through select Cable/Satellite providers, right after TV Patrol Linggo. (Advertising Supplement)

PCGLA sits down with Atty. Gurfinkel

Citizen

MANY are familiar with the word “consulate” and many Filipinos in the U.S. know that there could be a Philippine Consulate General near their

area. But does the community really know what the Philippine Consulate General does, aside from issuing passports or visas to foreigners?

In this special episode, Citizen Pinoy’s special guest is Consul General Edgar Badajos of the Philippine Consulate General PAGE B2

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

ConGen Badajos of PCGLA sits down with...

PAGE B1

in Los Angeles. He will share a little bit about himself and his experience as a seasoned diplomat, and his role in promoting and protecting the rights and welfare of overseas Filipinos.

Viewers will also learn important and useful information on immigration, dual citizenship, passports, owning property in the Philippines, even divorce and how to get a passport under your real name if one entered the U.S. under an assumed name. Viewers will also know about the other services provided by the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles, and what areas of jurisdiction they cover.

Watch this informationpacked encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, January 1 at 6:30 PM PT (9:30 PM ET thru select Cable/

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 cheesecake-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.

Thursday, December 29 marked 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

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 U.S. — 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.

Ivana, Bella, Filipina stars return in TC Candler’s Most Beautiful Faces 2022 list

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

2017

H.E.R. makes sure to pay homage to her Filipino roots

By rona amParo Philstar.com

FILIPINA American singer-songwriter H.E.R. revealed how proud she is to be part-Filipino at her exclusive mixer event held on Dec. 27 at the Sheraton Manila Hotel in Pasay City. The Oscar and Grammy winner’s “homecoming” was organized by ABS-CBN Global and MYX.

“I want people to see us and know our culture and understand how we move and what our community is like — how important community is. It’s so important for me to represent who I am,” H.E.R. told the press, including The Philippine STAR, during the mixer event.

Born Gabriella “Gabi” Sarmiento Wilson, the 25-year-old has had raised the Filipino flag in the international scene with her accomplishments, including her nabbing the role of Belle in Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration, which will be streamed on Disney+ this coming January 2023. As the first Black-Filipina to play the role, H.E.R. made sure to leave a mark with the Baybayin script hand-painted on her Belle costume, which immediately made the rounds on social media.

She added during the event that acknowledging her Filipino roots through her works has always been important for her, as she also pays tribute to her Filipino mother.

“It’s a big part of who I am and I come from (San Francisco) Bay Area, where there’s tons of Filipinos. And I notice that when I leave the Bay Area, a lot of people

don’t know about Filipinos. They don’t know who we are. They ask me questions, ‘Do you eat with chopsticks?’ etc.,” she told The Philippine STAR in an interview.

The award-winning singer-songwriter expressed her delight that she was given opportunities to represent Filipinos in the American entertainment industry.

Growing up close to her loved ones just like a typical Filipino family, H.E.R. came back to the Philippines to rediscover her mother’s homeland as she spent the holiday season here.

H.E.R. said that she capped off her busy year by treating herself to a much-needed vacation with her family in different spots in the country. Among the local destinations ticked off her list is Amanpulo in Palawan, where she got to enjoy the pristine waters and peaceful ambiance of the island.

Apart from exploring different

local getaways, two other things she did on the trip were trying out various Filipino dishes and delicacies, and practicing speaking in Filipino.

“It’s been amazing (spending time here in the Philippines). I have my family over here so we’re having a blast. We’re eating a lot of Filipino food. I’m brushing up on my Tagalog. I’m having a really great time,” she further shared.

Not only is singing her greatest feat but also cooking as H.E.R. proudly shared that she knows how to cook her favorite Filipino food kare-kare . “You know my favorite (Filipino food) will always be kare-kare. And I can cook it, too. I make really good (kare-kare). That’s my favorite,” she added.

When asked for a word to describe what being a Filipino meant for her, H.E.R. told this paper that

‘Gabi’

H.E.R., whose

Atty. Michael Gurfinkel (right) with his special guest on Citizen Pinoy, Consul General Edgar Badajos of the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles.

Satellite providers), right after TV Patrol Linggo. Citizen Pinoy is also available on iWantTFC.

Viewers may download the free app. (Advertising Supplement)

Ivana Alawi

Photo from Instagram/@ivanaalawi

Liza Soberano

Photo from Instagram/@lizasoberano

Janine Gutierrez

Photo from Instagram/@janinegutierrez

Bella Poarch

Photo from Instagram/@bellapoarch

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.

at No. 11.

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

figured 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. g

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

Vice Ganda has without fail fielded an MMFF entry and made a killing at the box office. Photo from Instagram/@praybeytbenjamin

real name is Gabriella

Sarmiento Wilson, has raised the Filipino flag in the international scene with such accomplishments as her portrayal of Belle in Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration.

The show will be streamed on Disney+ this coming January 2023. Being the first Black-Filipina to play the role, H.E.R. made sure to leave a mark with the Baybayin script handpainted on her Belle costume, which made rounds on social media.

Photo from Instagram/@hermusicofficial

The Oscar and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter attends the ‘homecoming event’ arranged for her by ABS-CBN Global and MYX. Philstar.com photo

JDV: Up close and personal

(The author served as special assistant of former speaker Jose de Venecia for some 27 years. He is currently the chief of staff of JDV’s son, Pangasinan Representative Christopher de Venecia).

Happy 86th birthday tomorrow, Dec. 26, to the five-time speaker of the House, Asian statesman, and my great mentor – JDV. Who knows what might have been had he become president in 1998? It is said thaat our life is shaped by hits and misses, by both the opportunities we seize and forgo.

Perhaps he would not have been the longestserving speaker of the House in the post-war Philippine Congress had he been catapulted to Malacanang. JDV served as congressman for seven terms, five of which as speaker.

Losing the presidency was only one of the more painful challenges that JDV went through.

He lost his mother when he was nine years old. His father passed away when he was in his 20s. His uncle was executed by the Japanese soldiers during World War II. He narrowly survived a car accident. He went almost bankrupt as his pioneering business ventures in the Middle East suffered collateral damages when the IranIraq war broke out in the

by A ldwin B. R equejo

1980s. He was unseated as speaker in 2008. And he lost his 16-year-old daughter KC in a fire that ravaged their home in 2004.

Those agonizing events would have made a lesser man bitter and dejected. Not JDV.

He has kept the faith and has remained an indefatigable optimist. His accomplishments at home and abroad stand the test of time and scrutiny.

He authored the Military Bases Conversion Law, which converted the former US military bases like Subic Bay, Clark Field, and Baguio’s Camp John Hay into thriving economic zones and free ports; and the Fort Bonifacio and Nichols Air Base into the now Bonifacio Global City and Resorts World, respectively – the Build-Operate-Transfer Law (BOT), which has become a formula for the now Public-Private Partnerships and a model for other developing countries – and many other initiatives that have become gamechanging landmarks in our country’s history.

He provided breakthroughs in the peace accords with the MNLF and with the RAM-YOU-SFP. He helped advance the earlier peace talks with the CPP-NPA-NDF and initiated dialogue with the MILF in 1997.

JDV founded the

International Conference of Asian Political Parties, which represents some 350 ruling and opposition political parties from 52 countries in Asia; and the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, which is composed of some 40 Asian parliaments. He initiated the Interfaith Dialogue in the UN to help reduce politicoreligious tensions and conflicts in various parts of the world.

He helps lead the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace and the Universal Peace Federation in helping advance the cause of peace in the international community.

On a more personal note, thank you Sir for because of you, I have met presidents, prime ministers, royalties, and many others whose actions and decisions alter the course of history.

I have met America’s George W. Bush, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev, China’s Xi Jinping and Hu Jintao, Mexico’s Pena Nieto, Thailand’s Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck Shinawatra, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindorn, Malaysia’s Mahathir, Badawi, Najib, Indonesia’s Widodo, Yudhoyono, Sukarnoputri, Cambodia’s Hun Sen, UN’s Ban Ki-moon, Nobel Prize laureates Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, Jose Ramos

Horta of East Timor, mathematics genius Prof. John Nash of Princeton, and intellectual giant Hernando de Soto of Peru.

In Beirut, I had the privilege of dining with Princess Ghida Talal, sister-in-law of the King of Jordan, and her father, your good old friend who belongs to an old aristocratic family in Lebanon. In London, I met your old friend, a retired Hollywood producer-director who entertained me with fascinating stories about the “gods and goddesses” of Hollywood and about your charming ways with international celebrities and beauty queens. In West Sussex, I was a few meters away from the Duke of Richmonde. Here in Manila, I was in the same table with the celebrated lawyer Amal Clooney, wife of Hollywood royalty George Clooney. Our meeting at Waldorf Astoria in New York with a business tycoon

was also a privilege for me.

Thank you, for because of you, I have set foot in the presidential palaces and I have seen the splendor of the castles and cathedrals in Europe; the glory of the ancient greatest empires in Central and West Asia; the cradles of civilization in South, East, and Southeast Asia as well as in Latin America; the grandeur of the first-world that is the US; the remarkable modernization of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan; and the ravages of war in Syria.

Thank you for regaling me with your encyclopedic knowledge in world history and by reciting Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Frost, Edgar Allan Poe, Kipling, among others, from memory.

Thank you for believing in me, for mentoring me, for opening doors of opportunities for me, and for inculcating in me that “neither the glow of victory nor the

heartache of failure ever lasts, but that the warmth of love of family and friends endures much longer.” And oh, you never speak obnoxiously of other people, including your nastiest critics.

One day, Sir, I will perhaps write about the world leaders I have seen up close. More importantly, I will tell the world about a visionary leader, a consensusbuilder, a peacemaker; about a man with a good heart and who embraces causes larger than himself; about a statesman who has been contributing his modest share in building a more peaceful and a more prosperous world.

I will tell our nation and the world about you, Sir. You often tell me that you feel your “batteries are slowing down,” yet you have kept a youthful hope in the future and an audacious idealism for the destiny of our nation and the world.

Happy 86th birthday, Tatay!

Sarah releases new song as 2022 ends

By Dana Cruz Inquirer.net

SARAH Geronimo has treated Popsters to a new song about gratitude, “Sansinukob, Salamat,” as she closes out her comeback year.

The Popstar Royalty released the track on YouTube and Spotify, among other streaming platforms, today, Dec. 30. “Sansinukob, Salamat” is written by Sam Benwick and produced by Civ Fontanilla, under Viva Records and G Productions.

“Huwag kang mag-alala / Magpasalamat ka / Okay lang magpahinga / Hindi ito ang ating kapalaran / Iyong mga problema ay mawawala / Ikaw ay isang pagpapala / Sansinukob, salamat,” Geronimo sings in the track.

“Sansinukob, Salamat” follows Geronimo’s song “Cuore,” which was co-written by her husband Matteo Guidicelli and released last October.

Geronimo made her musical comeback with the track “Dati-Dati,” also in October, then returned to the stage of the variety show “ASAP Natin ‘To” earlier this month.

Geronimo and Guidicelli also worked with American songwriter Jim Brickman last September for a new version of the latter’s song “The Gift.”

Jake shares reason behind crying selfie

By HannaH MallorCa Inquirer.net

EIGHT months after

Cuenca confirmed his separation from Versoza in a lengthy Ins-

tagram post last April 23, stressing that he and the Miss International 2016 didn’t “break up in anger.” Following the announcement, he was tearful about their split as he shared a photo of himself on his Instagram Stories on the same day.

The “Iron Heart” actor admitted that his breakup with Versoza is still painful for him in an episode of “The Interviewer,” uploaded on The Boy Abunda Talk Channel on Wednesday, Dec. 21.

“[What hurts me are] the memories because in the past few months, I didn’t shy away from what I was going through. I didn’t really build a wall, I allowed myself to go through the pain,” he said. “If you’re asking [about the breakup with Verosza and] what hurts me, yeah.”

Cuenca didn’t explicitly mention Versoza during the interview, but he noted that he doesn’t regret his love for the actress-turned-beauty queen.

“When it comes to love, you can’t really regret things. When it was there, it made me very happy.

Now that it’s not there, I can’t hate it or I can’t get mad at it. I can only just look back at it with joy but it also makes me sad since it’s not there anymore,” he said.

When asked about his tearful selfie, the actor said he was going through “pain and loss” when it was posted on his Instagram Stories.

“I think that was an accumulation of a lot of things that happened to me during the pandemic. In a weird way, it was a reset for me. Then, I told myself that I wanted this year to be a re-introduction of what I can do as an actor,” he added.

Cuenca also revealed during the interview that he’s currently focusing on his acting career and family for now.

The actor and Versoza were in a relationship for three years prior to their split.

Cuenca stars as Robert in the 48th Metro Manila Film Festival entry “My Father, Myself,” alongside Dimples Romana, Sean de Guzman, and Allan Paule.

Should you sign a ‘release’ when leaving your job?

Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights

Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr

Q: I was fired from work last week and another co-worker also quit at around the same time. Our employer told us both to sign an “exit form” and a “release.” We were told that we would not get our final paycheck if we do not sign these documents. Is this legal?

A: If an employee was discharged (i.e., fired or terminated) from work, the employer must immediately pay all compensation due at the time of termination. Wages include any earned and unused vacation pay. The employer should pay the employee “at the place of discharge.”

If the employee resigned (i.e. quit) from work, the employer must pay all compensation due to the employee within 72 hours of the resignation. An employee who resigned without 72 hours’ notice may generally request that their final wages be mailed to a designated address. If the employee gave more than 72 hours’ notice of resignation, then all compensation due to the employee must be paid on the employee’s last day of work at the location where the employee worked.

An employer shall not require the employee to sign a release of the employee’s rights to any wages that are due and earned by the employee, unless those wages have been paid. Some employers hold their employee’s final paycheck “hostage” until the employee signs a release or some type of employment separation form that contains a release. This conduct is prohibited by law.

The employer also cannot require an employee, as a condition of being paid, to execute a statement of the hours they worked during a pay period, which the employer knows to be false. A release signed by the employee under these circumstances may not be enforced. It may be a misdemeanor for an employer to engage in this unlawful conduct.

The employer has the obligation to make sure that the employee receive their payment.

If the employer says it will mail the employee’s paycheck, the employee must consent to such an arrangement. If the employer sent the final paycheck by mail without the employee’s consent, and the check was not received, it is considered that no payment has been made. The employee may also authorize the employer to pay the wages into the employee’s bank account

Even if there is a dispute regarding the amount due to the employee, the employer must pay, without requiring a release, whatever wages are due and not in dispute.

If an employer willfully fails to pay all wages due to an employee after their separation from employment, the employee’s wages continue as a penalty until paid, for up to 30 calendar days. This is called “waiting time penalties.”

Hence, if the employee is regularly paid $120 per day, the employer may be held liable to pay up to $3,600 in penalty for not promptly paying the employee who was fired or who resigned.

Some employees may be thinking about signing a release to get their money right away. However, before they sign anything, they must ask themselves the following questions:

• Has the employer paid all hours worked by the employee, including overtime?

• Has the employer paid the employee for meal or rest breaks that were not provided to the employee?

• Was the employee fired due to disability or medical condition?

• Was the employee fired as a result of his/her claim for wages due?

• Was the employee fired as a result of his/her request that the employer not engage in illegal act?

• Does the employee have any other concerns regarding wages, discrimination or other aspects of their work during their employment?

If the answer is a ‘yes’ or even ‘maybe’ to any of the above, the employee would be smart to consult with an experienced employment attorney. Note that signing a release may result in a waiver of your important employment rights.

* * *

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 Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at no-cost. You can contact the office at (818) 291-0088 or visit www.joesayaslaw.com. [For more than 25 years, C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. successfully recovered wages and other monetary damages for thousands of employees and consumers. He was named Top Labor & Employment Attorney in California by the Daily Journal, selected as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine for 11 years, and is a past Presidential Awardee for Outstanding Filipino Overseas.]

(Advertising Supplement)

H.E.R. makes sure to pay homage...

PAGE B2

a single word wasn’t enough to describe it but if ever there was one, it would be “buhay,” as the Filipino identity has always been

ingrained and very much alive in her.

As the night came to a close, H.E.R. interacted with some Filipino talents like Ben&Ben’s Paolo and Miguel Benjamin,

Sarah Geronimo

Photo from Instagram/@justsarahgph

Jake Cuenca

Photo from Instagram/@juancarloscuenca

Agnes Reoma, Pat Lasaten, R&B singer-songwriter Jay R, and artist Ace Banzuelo during the mixer event. She also left a promise that the Philippines would surely be a part of her next tour. g

his breakup with Kylie Versoza, Jake Cuenca has set the record straight about an emotional selfie of himself that was uploaded on social media in April 2022.

ALL property, real or personal, wherever situated, acquired by a married person during the marriage while domiciled in California is community property. Family Code 760 . However, there are situations in which the marriage may be held to be null and void. These situations include, but are not limited to entering into a bigamous marriage, fraud and misrepresentation in entering into a marriage, etc. The legal consequences of having your marriage annulled by your spouse is that it results to you not having any community property interest on property acquired by your spouse during the marriage. A nullity may also cut off your claim for spousal support.

What options do you have if your spouse files a nullity against you? You may still have a claim to community property and support as a putative spouse. A party to a void or voidable marriage has “putative spouse” status only if he or she believed in good faith the marriage was valid. Family.Code. § 225; Marriage of Guo & Sun (2010) 186 CA4th 1491, 1493, 112 CR3d 906, 908; Marriage of Vryonis (1988) 202 CA3d 712, 721, 248 CR 807, 813 . A party who has the requisite objectively reasonable “good faith” belief may be a putative spouse where any legal infirmity in

Debt Relief

Atty. LAwrence yAng

THE client is a single mom and a professional with good six figures income. In 2018, a friend approached her with a business for sale. The client had never been in business before but was interested in the prospect of making more money.

According to the sellers of the business, it makes a net profit of $10,000 a month. The business is an established local retail that provides a service. Enticed by making another $10,000 a month, the client bought the business. She obtained a working capital line of $100,000 and put in another $25,000 of improvements. In addition, she took over the commercial lease of $6,000 a month with four more years to run. Her friend acted as the industrial partner to run the business since client was employed full time in her profession. She was off to a rocky start.

The net profit of $10,000 a

Putative spouse status as a defense to a petition for nullity of marriage

formation of the marriage renders the marriage invalid. Domestic Partnership of Ellis & Arriaga (2008) 162 CA4th 1000, 1005, 76 CR3d 401, 404;

Estate of DePasse (2002) 97 CA4th 92, 107, 118 CR2d 143, 155; see Marriage of Vryonis, supra, 202 CA3d at 718–719, 248 CR at 811–812

A party’s “good faith” belief in the validity of the marriage is not tested by whether he or she believed a “marriage” lawfully occurred under some private, secular or spiritual set of standards. A putative spouse must have had a good faith belief in the existence of a lawful California marriage.

Estate of DePasse (2002) 97 CA4th 92, 107–108, 118 CR2d 143, 156; Welch v. State of Calif. (2000) 83 CA4th 1374, 1378–1379, 100 CR2d 430, 432–433; Marriage of Vryonis (1988) 202 CA3d 712, 723, 248 CR 807, 814–815.

“Good faith” belief is tested by an objective standard based on facts that would cause a reasonable person under the circumstances to harbor a good faith belief in the existence of a valid California marriage.

Domestic Partnership of Ellis & Arriaga, supra, 162 CA4th at 1005, 76 CR3d at 404;

Marriage of Guo & Sun (2010) 186 CA4th 1491, 1497, 112 CR3d 906, 911; Marriage of Ramirez & Llamas (2008) 165 CA4th 751, 756, 81 CR3d 180, 183. Whether a party had an objectively reasonable “good

faith” belief is a question of fact to be determined in light of all the circumstances.

Successfully proving putative spouse status or putative marriage status in court gives rise to certain property, support and attorney fees/costs rights, as well as certain other rights that ordinarily attach only between lawfully married persons. Property that would have been community or quasicommunity property had the marriage been valid is deemed “quasi-marital property” and, in a proceeding to terminate the invalid marriage, “shall” be divided between the parties as if it were community. Family.Code. § 2251(a)(2); Marriage of Tejeda (2009) 179 CA4th 973, 983, 102 CR3d 361, 368; Quasi-marital property divided pursuant to § 2251 is also liable for the parties’ debts to the same extent as if it had been community or quasicommunity property. Family. Code. § 2252

In addition, “temporary” and “permanent” spousal support may also be awarded in a nullity proceeding in favor of a putative spouse “in the same manner as if the marriage had not been void or voidable”

Family Code Section 2254 . The court may also award attorney’s fees pursuant to family code section 2030 in favor of a party found to be “innocent of fraud or wrongdoing in inducing or entering into the marriage,

and free from knowledge of the then existence of any prior marriage or other impediment to the contracting of the marriage for which a judgment of nullity is sought.” Family Code Section 2255

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Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice.  The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information.  This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed.  The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C.  This article is not a solicitation.

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Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Board Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration.

He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kenneth@ kenreyeslaw.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com.

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Business failure causes debtor with good income to seek Chapter 13 relief

month was nowhere to be seen. At best, the business was breaking even. Then, in 2020, the pandemic came and wiped out small retail businesses.

The client’s business was not spared. It was in the hole $5,000 a month, which had to come out of the client’s pocket.

Even with her six figures income from her profession, doling out $5,000 a month to keep the business afloat was daunting and stressful for her. In addition, the business line of credit required a monthly payment of $2,000.

That’s $7,000 of out of pocket expenses that client did not have before when she had no business.

Well, you know how it is.

This is how life is. You make a mistake, thinking you will create $10,000 more of net income for yourself with the business, but instead, it is sucking $7,000 out of your wallet. Since she kept the business alive by shouldering the loss for three years, she has lost $250,000 of her hard

earned money from this simple mistake. Well of course, she now takes a long hard look and decides that she enough is enough, and that even if the business is now improving a bit as COVID becomes under control with the vaccines, she doesn’t want to have the business in her life anymore.

Time for a divorce.

Of course, she would like to get Chapter 7 relief to just wipe out the $100,000 business credit line and $150,000 more of commercial lease for the next two years, but due to her above median income, she would not be eligible for Chapter 7 relief even if the equity in her house is way below the exemption amount of $600,000.

Chapter 13 will allow her to pay a portion of what she owes which will be much less than her $7,000 monthly loss that she has been experiencing for three years.

How much she pays in her Chapter 13 plan will depend on her monthly deductible expenses under the means

test. It can be as low as $150 a month. If she had a family of four, she would have more allowable expenses to deduct so she would pay less, than if she had a family of two because she would then have less allowable expenses to deduct.

Each case is different. The actual payment plan depends on many factors.

* * * Disclaimer: None of the foregoing is considered legal advice for anyone. Each case is different.  There is no absolutely no attorney client relationship established by reading this article.

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Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in Bankruptcy, Business, Real Estate and Civil Litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California.

Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 20274 Carrey Road, Walnut, CA 91789 or 1000 S. Fremont Ave., Mailstop 58, Building A-10 South, Suite 10042, Alhambra, CA 91803.

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The gift I wish for you

of blessings together, we receive Jesus, the Bread from Heaven, the Bread of Life.

reverend rodeL g

A CHARMING legend about the birth of Jesus relates that the shepherds hurried to the stable with their gifts. Each one brought what he had, some brought fruits of their labor, others some precious itBut as they were all presenting their gifts there was one shepherd who had nothing to give. He was so extremely poor; he had no gift to present. As the others were competing to offer their gifts, the poor shepherd stood apart, embarrassed.

At certain point, Joseph and Mary found it hard to receive all those gifts, especially Mary, who was holding the baby. Seeing that shepherd with empty hands, Mary asked him to draw near. And then she put the baby Jesus in his arms.

That shepherd, in accepting baby Jesus, became aware of having received what he did not deserve, of holding in his arms the greatest gift of all time. He looked at his hands; those hands that seemed always empty: they had become the cradle of God. He felt himself loved, and, overcoming his embarrassment, began to show Jesus to the other shepherds, for he could not keep for himself the gift of all gifts: Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior.

Friends, if there is one gift that I wish for you, it’s not material things, pleasures, or personal success. It’s the gift of faith in Jesus, who loves you unconditionally, who wants to be close to you, to be cradled by you.

For Jesus is the gift that will bring light to your dark moments. Jesus is the gift that would bring light and joy to your homes and all your relationships.

Jesus is the gift that would satisfy your hunger for meaning, purpose, joy, and fulfillment in life. He is the Bread of Life. it’s no wonder that he was born in a little town of Bethlehem, which in Hebrew means “house of bread.”

It is also no wonder that at the Last Supper, he instituted the Eucharist to tell us that he, indeed, is the bread of life. For when we break bread and share the cup

Jesus is the gift that blesses our poverty: the poverty of our hearts and our hands, as he blessed the poor shepherd in the Nativity legend who came to visit without a gift. Jesus comes to fill up what is missing in our lives, to bring warmth and renewal to any relationship.

Why? It’s because our faith in Jesus embodies love, compassion empathy, understanding, forgiveness, healing, peace, and hope  Born from a humble family, Jesus came to sanctify all families and all human relationships. He came to tell us about the joy and beauty of being part of a human family.

It is in the warmth and closeness of a marriage and family that gives us comfort and happiness. It is the depth of friendship that invigorates us. It’s why on Christmas Day, we come together to renew our relationship with our family members and friends.

And so, if the there is a need for forgiveness, forgive; if there is a lack of understanding, try to understand, if there is a need for empathy, empathize. There is nothing more delightful than being reconciled with others and having peace of mind and heart. There is nothing more joyful and healing than depth of relationship,

In the Christmas story I shared with you, the poor shepherd could not keep the joy to himself of holding the baby Jesus. He showed Jesus—the greatest gift he received—to the other shepherds. Like this poor shepherd, we must share this gift of faith with others. And the best way to do it is to be “the gift,” that is to be Jesus to others.

But we must share it with joy! Joy is what evangelizes people. Joy, because we have found the pearl of great price!

As we celebrate the New Year, may you all receive this gift of steadfast faith in Jesus Christ, our Savior. And may you share it with great joy!

Happy New Year!

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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.

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 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.”

“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.”

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.” g

. BALAgtAs

Pastor’s Notes

beliefs

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

* * Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.

Vilma Santos Photo from Instagram/@rosavilmasantosrecto