051322 - Northern California Edition

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Volume 21 - No. 19 • 14 Pages

T HE F ILIPINO A MERICAN C OMMUNITY N EWSPAPER

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DATELINE Biden proclaims May as AANHPI Heritage Month FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

PRESIDENT Joe Biden proclaimed May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month.

During this month, the United States “recognizes the innumerable contributions, vibrant cultures, and rich heritage of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AA and NHPIs),” according to the proclamation.

The president credited the community’s “essential role in writing the American story” from serving the country to starting businesses.

Biden added that he is “proud” to serve alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, the first person of South Asian descent in the role, and Katherine Tai, the first Asian American U.S. trade representative.

Further, the proclamation recognized the surge in anti-Asian hate crimes since the start of the pandemic.

In his first year in office, he issued an executive order denouncing the uptick in incidents and signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act last May 2021, which aims to make hate crime reporting more accessible and increase public outreach in multiple languages.

Under the act, the Department of Justice will

MAY 13-19, 2022

Also published in LOS ANGELES, ORANGE COUNTY/INLAND EMPIRE, SAN DIEGO, LAS VEGAS, NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY

Bongbong Marcos set to win PH presidency

by AJPRESS A Marcos is set to make a comeback to Malacañang.

Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the son of the late dictator of the same name, is slated to be declared the winner of the 2022 Philippine presidential election with over 31 million votes, according to partial and unofficial election results with more than 95% of the votes counted, as of Wednesday, May 11 (Manila time).

The 64-year-old is the only son of Ferdinand Marcos, who led the Philippines from 1965 to 1986 in a 21-year rule marked by human rights abuses,

widespread corruption, and ill-gotten wealth estimated to about $10 billion.

Marcos Jr., the former congressman, governor and senator, previously ran for the vice presidency in 2016 and narrowly lost to Vice President Leni Robredo.

The victory comes after the elder Marcos was ousted from power over three decades ago and is the culmination of a decades-long attempt to rebrand the Marcos family’s image, especially in light of social media and a new generation of voters.

Robredo, who was the only woman in the race, came in second with 14.8 million votes.

Boxer turned senator Manny Pacquiao clinched third with 3.6 million, followed by Manila Mayor

LOS ANGELES — After nearly two decades, the Historic Filipinotown Eastern Gateway, located at the heart of Los Angeles and the largest of its kind in the United States, was officially unveiled in a community ceremony on Saturday, May 7.

The arch, which costs about $587,000 is 30 feet high and spans about 82 feet across the width of Beverly Boulevard at the eastern entrance into Historic Filipinotown.

Officially called “Talang Gabay — Our Guiding Star,” the monument was designed

by Filipino artist Eliseo Art Silva with Celestino Geronimo, Jr. The project was prioritized by the city’s Department of Public Works, led by Commissioner Emeritus Jessica Caloza, with management and oversight provided by the Bureau of Engineering.

The gateway is the culmination of two decades of planning and organization by the Historic Filipinotown community.

Then-councilmember Eric Garcetti commissioned a study in March 2003 on potential improvements to the neighborhood. Current

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by REY

BBM’s INSPIRATION. President-in-waiting Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visits the grave of his father, former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, on Tuesday, May 10, a day after the national elections that shows him winning by more than 16 million votes over his nearest rival. The young Marcos is grateful to the Filipino people for giving him the landslide victory and to his father who has been his inspiration throughout his life and taught him the value and meaning of true leadership.

Photo courtesy of BBM Media Bureau

ANTHONY OSTRIA Inquirer.net

NAGA CITY — Presidential candidate Vice President Leni Robredo expressed hope her supporters do not regret joining and offering anything they can during the elections.

“I hope that there is no regret in our hearts and souls,” Robredo said in her native Bicol, addressing the attendees during the solidarity and thanksgiving mass at the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral in this city on Tuesday, May 10.

“We know that we did everything. All the diligence, all the sacrifices, not just mine, but especially yours.

I saw what you offered for the elections. I hope that what we have offered, we can carry on with us for the bigger fight that is to come for all of us,” she added.

The mass, celebrated by Archbishop Rolando Octavus Tirona Tria and organized by Solid Leni Bicol, was held less than a day after the May 9 election polls closed and as frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

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In biggest fight of his life, Pacquiao concedes to frontrunner Marcos

by DAPHNE

GALVEZ Inquirer.net

MANILA — Senator Manny Pacquiao has conceded the presidential race to frontrunner Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., throwing in the towel in what could be the biggest fight of his life.

In the latest partial and unofficial count of the Commission on Elections, Pacquiao placed third among preferred presidential candidates, trailing far behind Marcos Jr. and Vice President Leni Robredo.

“Bilang isang boxer at atleta, marunong akong tumanggap ng pagkatalo. Sana lang kahit talo ako sa labang ito, panalo pa rin ang kapwa ko Pilipino, ‘yung mga mahihirap,” he

said in a video statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday night, May 10.

During the campaign, Pacquiao warned that a Marcos victory would spell chaos, since his administration would be beset by protests from “yellows,” thus hampering the development of the country.

In March, Pacquiao also challenged Marcos to a one-on-one debate if the latter Volunteers, including nuns, turn up at the command center of Parish Pastoral Council for was “shy” to face a big crowd.

Since last year, Pacquiao has experienced Responsible Voting inside the University of Santo Tomas campus in Manila on the first day of Inquirer.net photo by Marianne Bermudez a series of defeats. In August 2021, Pacquiao manual audit of election returns. unanimously lost to Yordenis Ugas in their WBA (Super) welterweight match, which was his first fight in 25 months.

After this, he announced his retirement

 PAGE 2

Padilla leads senatorial tally dominated by politicians MANILA — Actor Robin Padilla took an early lead in partial, unofficial election returns on the Commission on Elections' Transparency Media Server in a list dominated by politicians.

With 25,594,15 votes recorded so far, Padilla of the administration PDP-Laban party led Rep. Loren Legarda (Antique) who had 23,374,825 votes as of 5:47 a.m. Tuesday, May 10.

Filipinos on Monday, May 9 voted for candidates vying for 12 vacancies at the upper house.

Broadcaster Raffy Tulfo, an

 PAGE 2

VP Leni Robredo tells supporters: I hope there is no regret in our hearts and souls

 PAGE 5

Historic Filipinotown officially unveiled in community ceremony

Isko Moreno Domagoso with 1.8 million and Senator Ping Lacson with over 881,000 votes.

Marcos’ running mate Davao Mayor Sara Duterte, daughter of outgoing president Rodrigo Duterte, likewise clinched victory in the second highest post of the Philippines with 31.5 million votes.

She was followed by Robredo’s running mate Kiko Pangilinan (9.2 million), Senator Tito Sotto (8.1 million), Doc Willie Ong (1.8 million) and Lito Atienza (267,000 votes).

Marcos on Monday night, May 9, thanked his supporters, while admitting that the vote count is not over.

“Kagaya ng aking sinabi, hindi pa tapos ang

early favorite in pre-election surveys, was at third place in the partial, unofficial tally with 22,589,291 votes followed by reelectionist Sen. Sherwin "Win" Gatchalian who had 19,881,687 votes as of Monday evening.

Sorsogon Gov. Francis "Chiz" Escudero, who is seeking a return to the Senate, had 19,574,868 votes as of early Tuesday morning and former Public Works Secretary Mark Villar had 18,691,370.

Re-electionists and former senators rounded off the Top 12 candidates, with Rep. Alan

Peter Cayetano (Taguig) getting 18,595,322 votes, Senate Majority Leader Migz Zubiri with 18,089,102 votes, Sen. Joel Villanueva with 17,880,482 votes.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros — a member of the small Senate minority — got 14,918,162 votes so far.

Sons of former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada — former Sens. JV Ejercito and Jinggoy Estrada — are also poised for a return with 15,283,247 votes and 14,557,851 votes, respectively.

(Philstar.com)

Robin Padilla

Fastest results, highest turnout, says Comelec of 2022 elections

by TINA

SANTOS Inquirer.net

MANILA — The just-concluded elections may prove to be the fastest in transmitting election returns and the highest voter turnout since the country adopted the automated election system in 2010, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Tuesday, May 10.

The poll body said the media and transparency servers have already received 98.76 percent of the election results just a day after the polls.

“This is a breakthrough compared to other elections,” Philstar.com photo Comelec Commissioner Marlon

Casquejo said in a press briefing.

Out of the 106,174 expected local election returns (ERs), Comelec has received 104,865 on Tuesday. The Comelec also received 911 out of 1,406 overseas ERs. He said the fast transmission can be attributed to the preparations made by the poll body, including the “enhanced terms of reference” to prevent another seven-hour glitch which marred the 2019 midterm polls.

The Philippines may also see its highest voter turnout yet, with 80.38 percent already as of Monday, May 9.

The highest recorded voter

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MAY 13-19, 2022 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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From the Front Page

In biggest fight of his life, Pacquiao concedes to...

PAGE 1 from boxing.

Days before the elections, his faction in the PDP-Laban, led by Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, lost to the group of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi in their bout for the party’s leadership.

The Commission on Elections has since ruled in favor of the Cusi wing’s petition to declare Pacquiao’s group as “illegitimate” and recognizing them as the “true and official members” of the ruling party PDP-Laban.

He also trailed in pre-election surveys, only ranking in fourth with only one-digit voter preference.

However, in the April Pulse Asia survey, Pacquiao improved his numbers, placing third among preferred presidential candidates with a 7% voter support.

In the 90-day campaign period, Pacquiao focused his platforms on alleviating poverty, jailing corrupt politicians, and free housing.

He said his presidential run is a “revolution of the poor,” saying this fight of his life is for those suffering in poverty like he did

Senator Manny Pacquiao Inquirer.net file photo

when he was young.

The boxer-turned-politician made fighting corruption and poverty the centerpiece of his campaign. He said his impoverished roots make him the best person to succeed President Rodrigo Duterte at the helm of the country.

He vowed to provide houses to millions of Filipinos, build a “mega-prison” for corrupt government officials, and increase the minimum wage of workers.

On the last day of the campaign

period, two days before the elections, Pacquiao said he is ready to accept — like a boxer — whatever the results of the May 9 elections will be.

Pacquiao started his political career when he ran for a congressional seat in the South Cotabato province in the 2007 midterm elections.

He lost that election to the Antonio-Custodio political clan in General Santos City.

Pacquiao again attempted to enter politics for a congressional seat, this time in Sarangani province, in the 2010 elections. He finally won that round.

In the 2016 national elections, Pacquiao then tried his hand at a Senate seat, where he also succeeded.

He garnered over 16 million votes, landing 7th among the 12 new members of the upper chamber of Congress.

Pacquiao is boxing’s only eight-division champion. He won his first world title as a flyweight in 1998, three years after making his debut as a scrawny 16-yearold. g

VP Leni Robredo tells supporters: I hope...

PAGE 1

widened his apparent lead.

Robredo once again assured her supporters that “we feel what you are feeling.”

“We feel the same thing. We want you to know that your worries and anger, we carry that as well,” she said.

She also reiterated what she said in an earlier statement that they will not neglect the reports of irregularities during the elections.

Put into good use Vice President Leni Robredo Robredo reminded her supporters to put their sadness, said, while stressing that no one anger, and desperation to good should forget the irregularities involving. use.

“There are bigger fights,” she She said that her supporters could either use it for something said.

Various protests in Naga City “that would make us more divided” or they can use it to and in other Bicol towns and cities have sparked since the introduce new changes.

She also said that no matter evening of Monday, election what the result of the election will day.

After the mass, some 500 be, she hopes that her supporters supporters gathered outside the will accept it.

“While we are all grieving Naga Metropolitan Cathedral to the results of the elections, no show their indignation towards matter what the final result is, let the results of the elections.

Supporters, even from outside us accept it because that will be the source of our strength,” she Camarines Sur province, flocked

FOR COUNTRY. Presidential contender Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (center) hoists the Philippine flag while UniTeam’s senatorial candidates wave smaller versions during their miting de avance at Solaire open field in Parañaque City on Saturday, May 7. Marcos and his running mate, Davao City Mayor and presidential daughter Sara Duterte, took a commanding lead in the partial and unofficial tally of votes cast in Monday’s elections, the numbers reflecting their consistent dominance in the surveys.

PNA photo by Avito Dalan

Bongbong Marcos set to win...

PAGE 1

Photo courtesy of VP Leni Media Bureau

to Naga City to join both the mass and the protest.

Some placards carried by the protesters expressed readiness to join national protests as one said, “Parang sa EDSA papunta ang exciting part (It looks like the exciting part is leading to EDSA),” referencing the cite of the People Power Revolution that ousted Marcos Jr’s family in 1986.

Other placards read, “We will never concede to tyranny,” and, “Tumindig noon, natumba, titindig muli (Stood up before, fell, will stand up again).” g

bilang. Marami na ang nagsasabi na tapos na pero hindi pa talaga kaya antayin natin hanggang maliwanag na maliwanag, mag100% ang pagbilang (Like what I said, the counting is not yet over.

A lot of people are saying it’s done but really it’s not. So let’s wait until it’s very clear, until the results are at 100%),” Marcos Jr. said in a speech delivered at his headquarters in Mandaluyong City.

He added, “Any endeavor as large as this, does not involve one person. It involved very very many people, working in very very many different ways.”

Marcos Jr. was 29 when his family went into in Hawaii following a People Power Revolution in 1986. Following Marcos Sr.’s death, the family returned to the Philippines to return back to the limelight and politics.

For her part, Robredo has not officially conceded in the race but has issued a statement to her followers.

“First of all, let me thank you

Presidential frontrunner Bongbong Marcos

— all of you who voted for me, who convinced their families, friends, acquaintances, and even those who they did not know, who did so in so many ways. To all those who staked their careers and their names in sharing our message,” she said in Filipino.

She added, “Let’s be assured by your contribution: We have started something that has never been seen in the whole history of the country — a campaign led by

Philstar.com file photo

the people.”

“This is a movement that was formed not only to dismantle an old and decaying system but also to forge a true and positive change. You have embodied democracy, not only in voting but also in showing your love for fellow Filipinos. This is a very big victory. And our campaign can only be considered a failure if we allow the unity we have formed to fall apart,” she said. g

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Historic Filipinotown officially unveiled in community...

PAGE 1 councilmember Mitch O’Farrell’s office identified funding for the gateway and engaged the community in the design process.

Renderings were released in June 2020, and construction began in March 2021.

Silva, in an interview with the Asian Journal, said the monument is predominantly inspired by his belief that art, which comes from God, is ought to be shared to all mankind.

“My goal is to come up with a link for Filipino art, which I believe has God’s presence in it. It should be known to the world and be appreciated,” Silva said.

Silva said the precolonial houses of nobility known as “Maginoo House” is the main vernacular Philippine Architecture used as a basis for the gateway.

But he said the design idea of putting a human face in the sun located at the center of the arch is what makes it a standout.

“This is what we want to do here, we are ‘filipinizing’ the Filipinotown and what that all means is putting a Filipino face to Filipinos in America,” he said.

The title of the iconic landmark, Silva said, was also culled directly from the name of the Rizal Monument (Motto Stella: Guiding Star) at the Luneta Park in Manila.

“Philippines’ national hero Jose Rizal is indeed ‘The True North’ or the Guiding Star of all Filipinos wherever they may be.

Rizal is subtly represented by the Philippine Sun with a ‘human face’ (the centerpiece Parol) which was the design of the

flag of the first Republic of the Philippines which eulogized Rizal in the June 12,1898 Declaration of Independence for having foretold, guided and inspired the independence and filipinization movement of the Philippines, humanizing and reclaiming for all Filipinos their humanity and identity,” he said.

Silva’s design was also reflective of the Filipino ancestor’s ship-building traditions. “The ‘Talang Gabay’ of our seafaring ancestors are: The North Star at night, and the ‘direction of the flight of birds,’ symbolized by stylized ‘Sarimanok’ motifs installed as roof adornments in our ancestors’ homes. Some boats and ships of our ancients installed bird accessories as well,” he said.

Aside from boats and houses, the arch’s shape is also inspired by salakot, a famous headgear in the Philippines, which symbolizes friendship among different races, among natives and immigrants.

“Symbolically, the monument can be viewed as two hands raising up a giant salakot, with both the pillars a virtual stand-in for arms and the corner braces as hands holding up the salakot-shaped arch,” he said.

Other features of the arch are the gumamela flower, along with the intricate flora and vine work, painted within the corner braces which were culled from 18th century Philippines; and the capiz windows integral to bahay na bato house, both connected by a central panel that upholds a bamboo teal roof. The purpose

UNVEILING. The Historic Filipinotown Eastern Gateway, called “Talang Gabay, Our Guiding Star” was officially unveiled with a community celebration on Saturday, May 7. The celebration, which took place along Beverly Boulevard and Belmont Avenue in Los Angeles’ HiFi neighborhood, was attended by hundreds of area residents, business owners, community leaders, celebrities, and dignitaries including California Attorney General Rob Bonta, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, LA Board of Public Works Commissioner Emeritus Jessica Caloza and Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell.

Photo courtesy of the Office of Mitch O’Farrell

of the design is to give visitors entering the HiFi neighborhood a homely reception as if they are being welcomed with warm hospitality in a traditional Filipino house, Silva said.

Another symbolism in the infamous gateway is the references to the native Filipino lanterns or parols, which are hung during Christmas season in front of the windows of houses to symbolize a Filipino family’s hospitality. The parol is also a Filipino symbol of the Star of Bethlehem to send a message that the Holy family is welcome to their home.

“Thus the three lanterns installed and lighted on the arch extends a warm welcome to everyone who visits the HiFi,” Silva said.

During the official dedication of the gateway, some key local government officials, Filipino American community leaders and celebrities shared their respective views and visions for the landmark’s installation.

In his speech, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti encouraged the Fil-Am community and all other races to be inspired by what really this monument stands for.

“As long as the community is unified, it (the project) will get done. This is important for us, for us all, to own this, not to designate a neighborhood, this is not just for Filipinos but for all non-Filipinos to embrace Filipino culture and history and recognize it as well,” Garcetti said.

The city leader also called for the community to be pro-active and be vigilant in facing all the challenges of today’s world.

“We, not only marked history, we are committed to making history, and this is my challenge to you. What will you do next, what new business will you open and celebrate Filipino food, what organization will you donate to, what ways you will do to help us solve the housing crisis, what will you do to help raise our wages, and how will you recognize the essential workers that helped so many of us survive the COVID” Garcetti said.

Joselyn Geaga-Rosenthal, LA Building and Safety commissioner and long-time HiFi resident, in her speech, echoed Garcetti’s call for greater cooperation among all the communities in the area.

“The gateway will be an invitation to all of us to give every little bit of your life. Let’s help to support our future projects. This project did not happen as an an

accident. It’s part of history. We are making history for our future generations,” Rosenthal said.

For his part, Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, who represents Historic Filipinotown and who is instrumental in making funds available for the project, said this arch was a “labor of love.”

“This project is a multi-year of labor of love. It was first identified in a master plan 20 years ago.

When you do a master plan you identify goals, one goal was an eastern gateway and a western gateway. All these years later, since I was able to identify the funding, working with the artist and the community, look at the vision that they came up with, we’ve been able to facilitate this.

I’m honored to represent this community in the city council and we’re gonna do greater things,” O’ Farrell said.

“This community is so deserving of such an iconic, impressive landmark.

The Historic Filipinotown Eastern Gateway pays fitting tribute to the incredible contributions of the Filipino community in Los Angeles and beyond,” the councilmember said.

Caloza, the first Filipina who served as a Board of Public Works commissioner, lauded O’Farrell’s utmost dedication to the project.

“Councilmember Mitch O’ Farrell has been an incredible champion of the Filipino community and helped paved the way to get this built and I helped him as a public works commissioner to put this together. This is the largest Filipino monument, not just in LA, not just in California, but the entire country. And we did it with the leadership and support of the community. We make sure that we empower communities.

This is what representation means,” the former public works commissioner said.

California’s first Filipino American Attorney General Rob Bonta, for his part, said that this gateway commemorates the Filipinos’ triumphant struggle to make a difference and be recognized in this part of the world.

“I am so proud as we cement our mark on the story of America and the story of California. This monument is a symbol of an incredible contribution that we made to building this state, this nation. This is also a recognition of our beautiful story that has been a part of the fabric of the American story,” he said.

“Talang Gabay, Our Guiding Star,” designed by artist Eliseo Art Silva, contains design elements nodding to Filipino culture: the parol; the gumamela flower also known as hibiscus, which pays tribute to frontline workers; and the sarimanok.

AJPress photos by Andy Tecson

Donning a barong, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti attended the gateway celebration, sharing the creation of Historic Filipinotown when he was a city councilmember.

“It has been our Californian dream, our American dream, our immigrant story to come in this country definitely seeking opportunity for ourselves and for our family and also to make a difference and this gateway here in Historic Filipinotown recognizes that we have made a difference, year after year, generation after generation,” Bonta added.

Bonta recalled a significant sign of struggle of Filipino immigrants in the United States more than a century ago.

“One of the things that has motivated me and inspired me is a photograph that I keep in my office that shows in a hotel lobby in Stockton in 1920s which says, ‘Positively No Filipinos Allowed.’

It reminds of me of the hate that we faced, the pain, the struggles that we overcame. And today, it feels different. A hundred years later, this archway is saying not just the Filipinos are allowed, but we belong,” the attorneygeneral, whose family originated from the province of Dumaguete, said.

Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) executive director Kimmy Maniquis, meanwhile, said this is really a “big deal” for the Filipino community, not just in LA but for all the Filipinos.

“Having artistic pieces like this grand and this public, to celebrate our history is really meaningful

and this is just so beautiful. I can’t express how beautiful it is. I am excited that the community comes together today to celebrate this.

It’s a big deal,” Maniquis said.

Coinciding the grand launch of the Eastern Gateway, SIPA is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The newly constructed SIPA community center on Temple Street is slated to be opened later this year.

Fil-Am actress Tia Carrere, who sang the U.S. National Anthem during the event, said this is a huge accomplishment for all Filipinos, especially those who came to the country as immigrants.

“I am so happy to be here celebrating the unveiling of the Eastern Gateway. My maternal grandmother came on the ship to Hawaii to work in a plantation, and the fact that I am here toda.

It’s a big day for Filipinos all around,” she said. (Carrere, a Grammy Award winner for her music and a former model, will join stand-up comedian Jo Koy, in a movie “Easter Sunday” out on August 5).

In addition to the official ribbon cutting and lighting ceremony on Saturday, there were cultural performances and HiFi community organizations, such as the Pilipino Workers Center, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans, and Filipino American Service Group Inc., had booths along Beverly Boulevard. g

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NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 13-19, 2022

Biden proclaims May as AANHPI Heritage...

PAGE 1 also designate a role to expedite the review of hate crimes amid the pandemic.

“Many other incidents of anti-Asian bias, xenophobia, and harassment that surfaced throughout the COVID-19 pandemic were not even reported. We cannot allow these horrific acts to continue threatening the safety of AA and

NHPI Americans — especially women, girls, and the elderly.

These acts are wrong; they are un-American; and they must stop,” the proclamation said.

The celebration for APAs started in 1978 when a joint congressional resolution established Asian/ Pacific American Heritage Week.

The first 10 days of May were chosen to coincide with two important milestones in Asian/

Pacific American history: the arrival in the United States of the first Japanese immigrants (May 7, 1843) and contributions of Chinese workers to the building of the transcontinental railroad completed May 10, 1869.

In 1992, Congress expanded the observance to a monthlong celebration that is now known as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. g

Fastest results, highest turnout, says Comelec...

PAGE 1

turnout was during the 2016 national elections with 81 percent, but the Comelec was expecting much more than that for the 2022 polls, Casquejo said.

Getting vote counted Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said that despite the pandemic restrictions voters came out in large numbers.

“Back in 2016, we had no restrictions. Now we are in a pandemic and still the Filipino people got out of their homes and voted,” Laudiangco said.

Casquejo attributed the high turnout to higher voter interest.

People “really wanted their votes to be counted,” he said.

Laudiangco also said that this election also drew a recordbreaking voter turnout of 88 percent from the 84,357 local absentee voters.

Casquejo said the current partial and unofficial vote count based on transmitted results would be the same as the final canvass.

“It would be 100 percent accurate,” he said.

But a social media post raised suspicions on a supposed statistically improbable margin of votes between former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos and Vice President Robredo that was a “consistent 47 percent” during the first three hours of election returns transmission, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Monday.

“That’s hard to prove, that socalled cheating with regard to percentage,” Casquejo said in response.

“Our system has undergone certification and we had a local source code review. How can we insert such a percentage to make one candidate win or make one candidate lose? If they insist, they can check the ERs (election returns) in each province,” he said.

Robredo, who has not yet conceded to Marcos, said her camp had already reached out to experts to discuss various

BALLOT BOXES. The Department of Public Order and Safety personnel carry the ballot boxes during their arrival at the Quezon City Hall compound on Monday night, May 9.

PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler

reports regarding the supposed irregularities observed during the Monday’s polls.

“I’m aware of the questions that remain hanging in this situation,” Robredo said in a Twitter post on Tuesday.

“We have started talking with experts to closely study the reports and allegations that we read on social media. We will immediately share the results of the study,” she said.

Other allegations of fraud had been posted by the Vice President’s supporters on social media platforms, including videos of alleged vote-buying by the Marcos campaign.

Romulo Macalintal, head of Robredo’s legal team, declined to comment on possible legal actions ahead of the the official canvass of votes on May 23 by Congress.

Call for volunteers The opposition coalition 1Sambayan has called for volunteers in manually validating some 10,000 election returns with the use of a mobile app developed by a private technology company.

The volunteers were asked to go to the group’s monitoring area at Mondragon Center in Salcedo Village, Makati City.

“We have already received responses from many volunteers.

They will be working in shifts,” 1Sambayan communications head Alvi Siongco told the Inquirer.

The partial and unofficial results from the Comelec’s transparency server as of 6:17 p.m. on Tuesday, showed that Marcos garnered 31,035,780 votes from 55,068,599 registered voters versus Robredo’s 14,789,892.

This represents 98.09 percent of the nationwide election returns.

Sen. Manny Pacquiao ranked third, getting more than 3 million votes while Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, who conceded to Marcos on Tuesday, followed with 1.8 million.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson also conceded to Marcos Jr. after getting only 880,744 votes.

Faisal Mangondato, Ernie Abella, Leody De Guzman, Norberto Gonzales and Joey Montemayor landed on the lower half of the list, receiving 254,638 votes and less.

The race for vice president was led by Marcos’ running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, with over 21 million votes than Sen. Francis Pangilinan.

She received 31,481,672 votes against 9,212,679 votes for Robredo’s running mate.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto, with 8,172,706 votes, conceded to Duterte.

Willie Ong got 1,8442,467 votes. The others who got fewer votes were Lito Atienza, Manny SD Lopez, Walden Bello, Carlos Serapio and Rizalito David. g

Dateline PhiliPPines

5

Moreno: ‘The people have chosen’

by Franco Jose

MANILA Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso on Tuesday, May 10 admitted defeat in the presidential race by congratulating former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and calling him "presidentelect."

"Mayroon na pong pinili ang taumbayan (The people have chosen). I hope it can be official soon," Mayor Domagoso said in livestream aired over his official social media account.

"Mayroon na pong pinili ang bawat Pilipino. Nais kong batiin si dating Sen. Bongbong Marcos...sa pagpili sa kaniya ng higit na nakararami bilang hahalinhin na pangulo ng ating bansa (Each Filipino has made a choice. I want to congratulate former Sen. Bongbong Marcos...who was chosen by the majority as our country's next president)."

Domagoso also congratulated the running mate of Marcos, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-

c. Baroña

and ManilaTimes.net

Kristina Maralit

Carpio, for winning as vice president.

"Irespeto natin ang boto ng ating mga kababayan, mahirap middle class mayaman, iisa ang bilang (Let us respect the vote of the people – poor, middle class, rich – they are one)," he said.

Domagoso added that the election results are "clear."

Meanwhile, the Manila mayor's wife also took time to thank everyone who stayed with them throughout the campaign.

Despite her husband's loss in the presidential race, Diana "Dynee" Domagoso said they remained thankful for the experience.

"There are so many people to thank and to be grateful for.

We all did our best. Trust God's plan. Let us all move forward and continue to pray for our country," her Facebook post read.

Aksyon Demokratiko chairman Ernest Ramel, on the other hand, noted the

"blood, sweat, and tears" of the people who "volunteered and sacrificed" to support Domagoso's campaign.

"Hindi po natatapos dito ang ating laban. Magpahinga lamang muna tayo ng kaunti pero nanawagan ako sa inyo na samahan 'nyo po kami.

Samahan 'nyo po ang Aksyon Demokratiko. Patuloy po natin itaguyod ngayon pa lamang ang mga prinsipyo nito at core values ng Aksyon Demokratiko (Our fight does not end here.

We will just rest for a little bit, but I call on all of you to still join us. Join Aksyon Demokratiko.

We will continue to uphold the principle and core values of Aksyon Demokratiko)," the party official said in a separate statement.

"Muli, ang aking personal na pasasalamat sa inyo mula sa kaibuturan ng aking puso (Again, my personal thanks from the bottom of my heart)," he added. g

Comelec affirms junking of Marcos cases

by WilliaM

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has dismissed two petitions seeking a reconsideration of its ruling dismissing the disqualification cases against leading presidential candidate Ferdinand "'Bongbong" Marcos Jr. Dismissed on Tuesday, May 10 by the Commission en banc were the consolidated cases of Ilagan, et al. vs Marcos (filed by the martial-law survivors); the Akbayan, et al. vs Marcos (filed by party-list group Akbayan and other civic leaders), the Mangelen vs Marcos (filed by a faction of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas); and the Fr. Christian Buenafe, et al. case.

The first case was earlier junked by the Comelec Second Division while the Buenafe case was dismissed by the First Division for lack of merit.

However, there are still two more pending disqualification cases before the poll body.

Nemesis Gatdula, Comelec's

B. depasupil

and catherine ManilaTimes.net

s. Valente

clerk of court, said that the cases dismissed by the en banc may still be elevated by the petitioners to the Supreme Court.

"They may file a petition for certiorari with the Supreme Court within 30 days from today upon receipt of the decision pursuant to the rules of court and the Comelec's rule of procedures," Gatdula said.

"But within five days from the receipt of the decision of the en banc, if there is no TRO or orders for said resolutions, then these cases are deemed final and executory on the part of the commission," he added.

A total of seven disqualification cases were filed against Marcos. All were already dismissed at the Comelec division level.

Marcos' camp lauded the Comelec for dismissing the four appeals for his disqualification.

Victor Rodriguez, Marcos' spokesman, said that the

decision proved that the poll body is true to its mandate to be fair to all candidates.

"We are happy to receive the news that the Comelec en banc has dismissed all the Motions for Reconsideration on the DQ cases which the First and Second Divisions have earlier ruled in favor of frontrunner Bongbong Marcos," Rodriguez said in a statement.

Amid criticisms that Marcos is unqualified for the country's highest position, Rodriguez said "the unanimous en banc decision has proven, once and for all, that no amount of undue political pressure can weaken the resolve of the honorable Commission to be on the side of truth and justice."

"We have always believed that the poll body will stay true to its mandate to deliver fair, honest and credible elections, including the dismissal of nonmeritorious and politicallymotivated petitions such as these," he added. g

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MAY 13-19, 2022 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 689-5160

Dateline PHiliPPineS

(650) 689-5160 • http://www.asianjournal.com

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 13-19, 2022

HEARTFELT GRATITUDE. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte gives a message after casting his vote for the 2022 National and Local Elections at the Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School in Davao City on Monday, May 9. Duterte expressed his “heartfelt gratitude” to Dabawenyos, assuring them that he will “remain at your service” though he will return to being a civilian after June 30.

Presidential photo by Toto Lozano

Lacson: ‘I’m going home’ MANILA — Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said on early Tuesday, May 10 that he will go home and serve his family "for a change", with Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. climbing past his rivals in the presidential race.

"I’m going home. After being away too long looking after the needs of other people, it is time

to serve my family for a change," Lacson said on Twitter.

"Enjoying peace and quiet in these challenging times will probably be my life’s greatest reward," he added.

Based on partial, unofficial results from Comelec, Lacson is in fifth place among the presidential candidates.

Former senator Bongbong

Marcos widely leads the presidential race while Vice President Leni Robredo is in second.

On election day, Lacson said that he is not inclined to accept a Cabinet position, if he is offered one, and said he does not have any plans of running for another term in the Senate. (Philstar. com)

‘Political dynasties, not parties dominate 2022 polls’ MANILA – Political dynasties, not parties dominate this year’s elections because wealth and power is concentrated among certain families, veteran political analyst Ramon Casiple said Tuesday, May 10.

In an interview over PTV4, Casiple said it would take some time before a law banning families from holding multiple elective posts is passed because lawmakers quickly quash measures introduced in Congress.

“Walang lumitaw na pangalan na political party hindi kagaya nung panahon may Nacionalista Party, Liberal Party. Ang tumatambad sa atin ngayon ay mga pamilya. Kaya yung tatakbo sa ganitong family suportado ng ibang family, ganyan ang naging kalakaran ng ating eleksyon ngayon (There were no names of political parties that appeared

unlike before we had Nacionalista Party, Liberal Party. Now, we have families. That’s what election is like now),” he said.

Casiple said a political dynasty’s endorsement of a national candidate could also possibly boost the latter’s chances of winning in polls.

“Pati yung mga patakaran at programa ng sino mang nanalo, protektado ‘yan ng interes ng political families (The rules and programs of whoever wins protects the interests of political families),” he added.

Two of the country's powerful political families have teamed up for the presidential and vice presidential elections namely Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte, respectively.

Last month, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte said political clans are holding several positions

in government because people clamor for it.

Duterte said he and his children had no choice but to heed the leaders’ calls for them to run for public office.

Duterte, in November 2021, said political dynasties are "not bad" and are here to stay unless the 1987 Constitution is amended.

Aside from Sara, Duterte's two other children ran in the May 9 polls -- Paolo as 1st District representative of Davao City, and Sebastian as mayor.

The 1987 Constitution prohibits political dynasties, but Congress has not passed a law to implement Article II Section 26, which mandates “equal access to opportunities for public service.”

There are several antipolitical dynasty bills filed before Congress that remain pending at the committee level. (PNA)

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MAY 13-19, 2022 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

Get the vote buyers

OpiniOn & Features

http://www.asianjournal.com • (650) 689-5160

THE Commission on Elections has vowed to act on complaints of vote buying and other forms of fraud. With reports of outright vote buying and allegations of technical tampering emerging, the Comelec should make good on its promise.

Vote buying and electoral fraud are not new; the late PDP-Laban cofounder Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel was a confirmed victim of vote shaving and padding or Oplan Dagdag-Bawas. The “Hello Garci” vote-padding scandal that marred the election of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004 has not been conclusively resolved, although she finished the full six-year term.

In this year’s elections, there were the usual reports of cash being distributed in envelopes to voters. There are allegations of tampering with the voting machines. What’s new in this year’s vote is the prevalence of e-wallets for better concealment of the buy and sell of votes.

One case stands out because the complainants claim they were offered cash assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development by barangay officials accompanied by the campaign staff of local candidates in exchange for their votes.

The cash was supposed to be coursed through their GCash accounts, but would require vetting and approval by the candidates. The complainants are

seeking the disqualification of two local candidates for violation of the Omnibus Election Code’s express prohibition against such acts.

The Comelec should not only conduct a thorough and credible probe of the case but also make an effort to assess the extent of such activities, by providing hotlines for anonymous tips or formal complaints.

For their part, GCash and other mobile wallet app providers should follow guidelines released before the elections by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The BSP guidelines directed banks and financial institutions including e-wallet providers to be on alert for certain transactions that could indicate digital vote buying. The guidelines were detailed and the BSP can seek post-election compliance reports from the banking and financial services industry.

If the banks and financial institutions report possible vote-buying activities through certain accounts, these should be forwarded to the Comelec, which should act promptly and decisively on the officials have lamented the difficulty of catching complaints, and go after the perpetrators. Comelec vote buyers, and their lack of authority to efficiently

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

regulate campaign finance. The BSP move should help correct these problems. (Philstar.com)

‘Tuloy ang laban’: The perception of victory is not true victory if the truth is trampled on and the election process is corrupted to diminish the will of the people

The Fil-Am Perspective gel SAntoS-ReloS THE New York Times reported: “Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of an exiled dictator, is set to win a sweeping presidential victory in the Philippines. Marcos had more than double the votes counted for Leni Robredo, the current vice president, according to the latest tally.”

The perception of victory is now being touted by Marcos and the UniTeam, his minions of political dynasties, the Marcos loyalists, and unsuspecting Filipinos who have been consuming fabricated stories and fake news peddled by troll farms and “influencers” on social media.

The Marcos family reportedly contracted the services of the British PR Firm Cambridge Analytica to rebrand the Marcos image in preparation for their goal to reclaim power and go back to Malacañang with Bongbong as president.

Troll farms were used as part of the disinformation tactics on social media platforms and apps like Facebook, TikTok and YouTube to whitewash the brutal years of the Marcos conjugal dictatorship, the conviction of Imelda Marcos of graft, and the culpability of Bongbong Marcos himself in nonpayment of his income and the family’s estate tax and ill-gotten wealth liabilities, of which he is the administrator.

Duterte-Marcos troll farms were also used to instill mistrust, hate and disdain against Leni Robredo, the Aquino family, the Liberal Party, as well as their political opponents and critics, as part of the disinformation effort to win the election and hold on to

power.

A U.S. Filipinos for Good Governance (USFGG) project — using the technology of AI (Artificial Intelligence) big data that was used to surveil the intrusion of Chinese vessels in West Philippine Sea — exposed these troll farms through the website TrollExposer.com that tracks and named these trolls of Marcos and Duterte. It also discussed how the Duterte administration has been using taxpayers’ money to finance these troll farms to redtag Leni Robredo and the opposition.

The perception of victory is based on rushed announcement of election results by Comelec on election night with such speed that puts U.S. elections to shame, despite the Philippines having the slowest and unreliable internet connection in Asia, and even while many people were still in line and not able to cast their votes yet; AMID breakdown of many vote counting machines (VCM) that also transmit votes across the country that has lead to long lines in precincts, amid the questionable advice for people to just leave their ballots, without them actually seeing their votes put in the machine themselves; AMID disenfranchisement of people who were not able to cast their votes because their names were mysteriously not found in the list, or those who were not able to vote because of the fiasco caused by defective machines which should have been checked before and approved to work well during election day; AMID blatant violation of the

Omnibus Election code that prohibits vote buying, hakot, giving away of election materials and list of candidates to vote for on election day; AMID questionable linear pattern of election results transmitted that many data analysts and statisticians would say is not characteristic of voting results pattern of real people casting their votes from different locations. All through the night from 8 p.m. the share of the votes between Marcos and Robredo had been at 68% to 32%.

Marcos defenders would argue this is because of “cumulative count of votes”, but many experts sharing their interpretation of the graphs that reveal such pattern would say this is impossible in any process when we are talking about human beings. This could only happen if it had been deliberately programmed to be that way; AMID Comelec's inaction to all complaints all through the campaign to the day of election, leaving a lot of people lost, helpless, disenfranchised, unable to exercise their right to vote. Amid Comelec's apparent favoring the Marcos campaign over the others, when in fact it should be nonpartisan and strictly working to protect the integrity of the elections; All these questions and irregularities give credence to how the Duterte Administration had tactically set up the election process and the machinery to run it: Comelec leadership all appointed by Duterte from among his minions in Davao;

Legacy

First Person

Alex MAgno AT the end of next month, Rodrigo Duterte will step down from the presidency with the highest approval ratings since scientific polling was taken. The office he will vacate will never be the same ever again.

The man was imperious but never imperial. He may jumble his sentences, but the people understood his message.

He was last heard saying he will return to his hometown, ride his big bike and continue to hunt down criminals. Those were words said for effect. The greater likelihood is that he will return home and spend quality time with his grandchildren like most people his age happily do.

Duterte was a storm when he entered the national consciousness in 2015, a reluctant but colorful presidential aspirant from an important but distant city in the far south. The ultimate outsider, his language was rough and his garb ordinary. Supported by only

a handful of standard politicians, he swept to power in 2016 on a sudden surge of voter support.

His promise of change captured the imagination of Filipino voters.

Although he started campaigning late in the game, he won by a landslide.

Days before he was inaugurated, his supporters convened a broadly representative workshop in Davao City to arrive at the policy priorities of the new administration. This workshop, the Sulong Pilipinas, has been regularly reconvened to update the policy priorities and add new inputs. This was the means the new administration ensured policy formation was inclusive and consultative.

The anti-Duterte opposition tried, through all this time, to bend the narrative of his presidency towards apparent abuses of civil liberties. They were relatively successful with the international audience, casting the Duterte presidency as personifying the trend towards “illiberal democracy.”

The domestic audience, however, saw quite another thing.

They felt the substantial decline in the crime rate as they walked

the streets at night with less fear. They saw an administration working hard to reduce poverty, modernize the economy and support the vulnerable sectors.

Enjoying supermajority support in Congress, the Duterte administration pushed a comprehensive tax reform program that lowered rates for corporate and personal income taxes to approximate the benchmarks of our peer economies.

This improved the disposable income of wageworkers and attracted investments.

The national ID system was finally enacted after 25 years.

This is a precondition for the digitalization of governance, more efficient delivery of public services and greater financial inclusion for ordinary citizens.

Liberalization reforms created a more open economy and adopted the best practices of our regional neighbors. Complemented by the Ease of Doing Business Act, the amendments to the Public Services Act and the Retail Trade Liberalization Act, our economy became substantially more business friendly.

The recent appointment of George Garcia as new Comelec Commissioner.

Garcia was Bongbong Marcos’ attorney in his electoral protest against Leni Robredo during the 2016 VP race; This new COMELEC leadership trashed the four disqualification cases against Marcos despite the glaring fact that he did NOT file his income tax return while he was an elected official and was in fact convicted by the Regional Trial Court pursuant to the rule of law. Had it not been for the Court of Appeals that junked the imprisonment sentence and retained only the payment of penalty for reasons only they know, Bongbong would have been behind bars. The mere fact penalty was imposed shows the tax code was violated. This clearly is proof of MORAL turpitude and an attitude of a person who thinks he is above the law. What a role model for the youth and the citizenry!

Comelec allowing the printing of 65% of the ballots and configured Secure Data (SD) cards in most regions without observers or away from public view; The awarding of contract to F2 Logistics Philippines, Inc., linked to Dennis Uy, one of the Duterte’s crony and major campaign contributor based in Davao. Yes, it is the same Dennis Uy who owns Udenna Corp., the holding company of Davao businessman Dennis Uy, that acquired the stake of Chevron and Shell in the $4.5 billion deep water gas-to-power project in Malampaya. Now, F2 Logistics got the deal to

distribute the ballots, VCMs, and other supplies used in the May 9 elections.

Senator Imee Marcos seating as the chairman of the Senate committee on electoral reforms, especially amid the investigation on the alleged data breach at election system provider Smartmatic.

The unofficial and partial results of the May 9 elections have crushed the spirit of millions of those who found hope to finally have a clean and honest government in the candidacy of Leni Robredo and Kiko Pangilinan. These people from different walks of life, of all ages, but especially the youth — formed the grassroots movement that have shown their support through all the jam-packed political rallies, music, arts, person-to-person campaign.

Google Trends, which correctly predicted the victory of Duterte and Trump in 2016, of Biden in 2020, of France’s Emmanuel Marcon in 2022, among others, also showed Robredo with 49% vs. Marcos 32% in Google searches.

The supporters of RobredoPangilinan contended that the Marcos-Duterte campaign had been using mind-conditioning dirty tactics, employing questionable surveys and now this — the questionable release of questionable election results to claim victory.

People criticize Marcos and Duterte for avoiding debates and serious interviews with independent credible news organizations, a red flag of their unwillingness to be transparent

and accountable to the people even as candidates — a red flag on how they would lead the country should they win the election.

Addressing her supporters in the morning of Tuesday, May 10, Robredo said: "Kaya sinasabi ko sa inyo, walang nasayang. Hindi tayo nabigo. Pinakamahalaga, hindi pa tayo tapos. Nagsisimula pa lang tayo. May landas na nagbukas at hindi ito nagsasara kasabay ng mga presinto. May kilusang isinilang at hindi ito papanaw sa pagpagtatapos ng bilangan. Ang namulat, hindi na muli mapipikit.

Hindi natin kailanman hahayaang makatulog muli ang pag-asang magising.”

VP Leni Robredo and her running mate Sen. Kiko Pangilinan will meet with their volunteers on Saturday, May 13 in Liwasang Aurora, Quezon City Memorial Circle to thank all their supporters and to discuss what they plan to do moving forward as they soldier on to continue the fight for "gobyernoing tapat". ***

Of the liberalization reforms, freeing up rice trading was the most important. The Rice Tariffication Act sat on the legislative shelves for over three decades because of strong opposition from entrenched interests. Duterte’s legendary political will got it passed into law.

Before the liberalization of rice trading, government heavily subsidized the National Food Authority. Rice prices were a major inflation driver. Market inefficiencies encouraged speculators and hoarders. When calamities struck, rice was rationed. Our farms were kept in subsistence mode.

With liberalization, the market was left to make the vital decisions on supply and pricing.

The staple commodity ceased to drive inflation. Tariffs collected from rice trading became a fund for modernizing our farms. It was a win on every count, opening the way for modernizing the way we do agriculture – even if our farmers have to be dragged to do so.

The centerpiece program of the Duterte administration is the Build Build Build program. The modernization of the country’s infrastructure is essential to

sustained economic expansion in the years to come. The program addressed the congestion of our ports, airports, roads and railways.

The infrastructure modernization program also spearheaded the strategy of rapid economic expansion. It created new jobs and opened new investment opportunities.

When the pandemic waylaid our economy, the program was key to our recovery strategy.

This modernization program would have been costly and beyond our means had we not achieved the highest credit ratings ever. Our ratings performance brought down the cost of borrowing the money we needed to modernize our logistics system.

Our investment-grade rating is the product of many years of exemplary fiscal discipline and debt management.

The public has a better-rounded appreciation of the achievements of the Duterte administration.

This explains the high approval ratings.

Those ratings are the reason the non-administration candidates tried very hard to avoid making the just-concluded electoral campaign a referendum on Duterte. They all dropped their years-long anti-Duterte agitation.

The opposition skirted around the sitting president. Some of them actually tried to win Duterte’s endorsement. Those deeply invested in the effort to denigrate the Duterte presidency courted rejection at the polls.

Some might wish we had a more eloquent President. But that would have undermined the quality of authenticity that endeared Duterte to our voters.

There was something about his rough language that made him more believable.

All in all, Duterte delivered more than his detractors expected. We will see that in the failing numbers of the politicians who tried to build their careers demeaning him.

Even as he craves leaving the seat of power, Duterte will not walk quietly into the night. He is too outspoken to do that. He will continue to be a voice in our politics.

There is a standard western characterization for Duterte as president. It is different from what most of our voters understand.

(Philstar.com) ***

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

*** Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989. She was a news anchor, TV host and radio commentator and public service host for ABS- CBN and DZMM. She is now working on her advocacies independently, serving the Filipino audience using different media platforms. You may contact her through email at gelrelos@ icloud.com, or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos. Also on Twitter, Instagram: Gel Santos Relos

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.

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SF launches Office of Coordinated Care to connect people with mental health, substance use disorders to care and treatment

Targeted outreach and consistent care will provide San Franciscans in need of behavioral health services with a far more robust and proactive support system so they can avoid a cycle of crisis SAN FRANCISCO — Mayor London N. Breed and the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) on Friday, May 6 announced the opening of the Office of Coordinated Care (OCC) as part of the unprecedented expansion of mental health and substance use services in San Francisco.

A key component of the 2019 Mental Health SF legislation, the OCC assigns case managers to people who are disconnected from behavioral health services, or who are making transitions in care from one setting to another.

Case managers proactively support people to successfully access and remain in care so they can avoid falling back into a cycle of crisis. Previously, people had little follow-up care and experienced fragmented, or insufficient support and many times lacked a clear pathway to entering the behavioral health system. Mayor Breed worked in partnership with Supervisor Hillary Ronen and thenSupervisor Matt Haney to craft the Mental Health SF legislation.

The launch of the OCC is part of an expansion of behavioral health resources in process over the last year, including the addition of 400 mental health and substance use treatment beds and the deployment of the Street Crisis Response Team, which

responds to calls for emergency services for those struggling with mental illness and addiction.

This is all part of San Francisco’s strategy, including the Mayor’s Homelessness Recovery Plan, to provide services for those in need and improve the conditions on the streets.

“We are working to fix a system that simply has not worked well for so many of those we see struggling in our city every day,” said Mayor Breed. “This requires both new resources but also reforming how we deliver services around mental health and substance use disorders. We want people to get the consistent support they need to heal and thrive, not to endlessly cycle through the emergency room, jail, or the streets. The Office of Coordinated Care will help get us on a better path.”

Although the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) has been developing the OCC for more than a year through pandemic-related delays, it was the Emergency Declaration in the Tenderloin in December that provided the expedited hiring path needed to complete the staffing required to launch the OCC. The inaugural Director of the OCC, Heather Weisbrod, has been a SFDPH employee for 16 years and most recently served as the Director

of Transitional Aged Youth (TAY) System of Care. She now leads a team of 20 staff members that will expand to 40 by this summer.

OCC staff include behavioral health clinicians, registered nurses, health workers, and peer specialists with lived experience with mental health and/or substance use disorders.

When fully expanded, the OCC expects to manage the cases of 4,000 individuals annually who have mental health and/ or substance use disorders, and who have been historically underserved by the healthcare system because of trauma, homelessness, racism, and other social determinants of health.

“The Office of Coordinated Care is a central part of our efforts to make our care and services user-friendly, low barrier, and culturally congruent,” said Director of Health, Dr. Grant Colfax. “The OCC will make sure that the process of entering care and treatment is supportive of the person, rather than an impediment to their progress.”

The OCC will follow clients transitioning between systems of care, including those leaving jail, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital’s Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES), and the hospital’s emergency department. These transitions PAGE 11

ATTY. GURFINKEL ANSWERS QUESTIONS FROM KAPAMILYA IN NEW YORK. Leading U.S. immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel (2nd from right) answers immigration questions from Kapamilya in New York City on “Your Tanong, My Sagot.” Among the questions Atty. Gurfinkel answers are: from Ruther (2nd from left) – My U.S. citizen mom petitioned my brother years ago. In 2021, we received a notice from the National Visa Center that my brother can start preparing his documents. However, our mother died in 2019, and we know that when the petitioner passes away, the petition dies as well. Are there other options for my brother to immigrate to the U.S.?; from Niki (right) – I have been a green card holder since 2016. I petitioned my husband in 2019. He is now here in the U.S. on a tourist visa. His immigrant visa interview is coming up soon and our lawyer says he needs to fly back to Manila for it. Is it possible to have his green card interview here in the U.S.? Watch this episode of “Your Tanong, My Sagot” on a brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, May 15 at 7:00 PM PT (10:00 PM ET) through select Cable/Satellite providers, right after TV Patrol Linggo.

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Atty. Gurfinkel answers immigration questions from Kapamilya in New York City on a brand-new episode of Citizen Pinoy LEADING U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel met with Kapamilya from New York City and neighboring areas, where he provided valuable information regarding their immigration concerns.

Cris petitioned his mom as an immigrant in 2013.

In 2014, his mother returned to the Philippines to take care of her sick husband (Cris’ father). Sadly, he died in 2019. Cris’ mother is still in the Philippines, and he would like to know if she can still come back to the U.S. Ben’s daughter has Down Syndrome and she is staying with Ben in New Jersey. They petitioned her in 2012 and they recently received a letter from the NVC saying she will soon be interviewed in Manila.

Ben is worried, and wants to know what would happen if his daughter is denied a visa and gets stuck in the Philippines.

Niki has been a green card holder since 2016 and she petitioned her husband in 2019. The husband is now in the U.S. on a tourist visa. His immigrant visa

interview is coming up. Their lawyer says he needs to fly back to Manila for the interview. Niki asks if it is possible to have his adjustment of status interview here in the U.S. instead.

Ruther’s U.S. citizen mother petitioned his brother in the Philippines. Unfortunately, their mother died in 2019. In 2021, the family received a notice from the National Visa Center saying Ruther’s brother can start working on his documents. Since they know that when the petitioner passes away, the petition dies as well, Ruther wants to know if there are other options for his brother to immigrate to the U.S. Atty. Gurfinkel answers these questions and more in “Your Tanong, My Sagot,” with Kapamilya from New York City. Watch this brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy” on Sunday, May 15 at 7:00 PM PT (10:00 PM ET thru select Cable/Satellite providers), right after TV Patrol Linggo. Citizen Pinoy is also available on iWantTFC. Viewers may download the free app.

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One and only Philippine cinema Superstar Nora Aunor turns 69 on May 21 celebrityworld

By Ferdie Villar

MULTI-AWARDED actress Nora Aunor (Nora Cabaltera Villamayor in real life), who now resides in the Philippines, will celebrate her 69th birthday on Saturday, May 21.

La Aunor, internationally known as the one and only Superstar of the Philippine silver screen, was born in Iriga, Camarines Sur. She was the grand champion of the Darigold Jamboree Singing Contest and represented her province in the Tawag ng Tanghalan Grand National Finals in 1967.

Nora, who fans fondly call “Ate Guy,” started her movie/singing career under Tower Productions and Tower Records owned by movie producer and director Artemio Marquez.

In 1971, she was crowned as the first ever Box Office Queen, an award given to the female actor with the highest box office record for the year given out by the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation. Nora has won the award five times,

including in 1973 when she starred in the film “Erap is My Guy” with another movie icon Joseph Estrada, who would later on become Philippine president and mayor of Manila.

Aunor is a multi-awarded actress having won Best Actress trophies in movies and television from many Philippine awardgiving bodies – the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts & Sciences (FAMAS) Awards (5), Gawad Urian (7), PMPC Star Awards (8), Metro Manila Film Festival (8), Luna (known before as FAP) Awards (4), and Young Critics Circle (5). Internationally, she has picked up wins in the Cairo International Film Festival, Asia Pacific Screen Awards, Asian Film Awards, Sakhalin International Film Festival and St. Tropez International Film Festival, among others.

In 2015, Nora was conferred the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) Gawad Para sa Sining for her work in film and broadcast arts. This is the highest

Kapamilya Channel 2 actress Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo celebrated her birthday on Wednesday, May 11.

Photo from Instagram/@officialjuday

Rene de los Santos, former Tourism Director for the Philippine Department of Tourism at the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, celebrates his birthday on Saturday, May 14.

San Jose singer/songwriter J.D. Charisma celebrated his 27th birthday on Thursday, May 12.

South San Francisco real estate agent Cora Manuel Garvida celebrates her birthday on Tuesday, May 31.

Nerissa Fernandez, Head of Global Corporate Affairs & Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for ABS-CBN Global and Regional Head for North & Latin America Corporate Affairs & Public Relations for ABSCBN International, celebrates her birthday on Friday, May 27.

Philippine entertainment legend and acknowledged Superstar Nora Aunor is shown in photo above with beauty impresario Ferdie Villar. Both are May birthday celebrants – La Aunor celebrates her 69th birthday on May 21, while Villar celebrates his 85th birthday on May 30.

award that the CCP gives out in different categories.

While her work in film is wellknown, Nora’s contributions to the music industry are also indelible. At the pinnacle of her stardom as a recording artist, it is estimated that local records soard up to 60% of national sales, and La Aunor is the only artist in Philippine recording history with more than 260 singles, having recorded more than 500 songs in her career. Thirty of those singles have been awarded gold status.

One of her recordings, a cover of “Pearly Shells” in 1971 is one of the biggest-selling singles in the Philippines, with an estaimted sales of 1 million units.

Other celebrants for this merry month of May are: May 2: The late internationallyknown and multi-awarded actor Eddie Garcia; May 3: Dancing With The Stars two-time winner Cheryl Burke, Ely-Lyn Beauty Salon owner Lynda Elvinia who is also a talented ballroom dancer;

May 4: Vicky Garcia, a wellloved Registered Nurse of Sequioa Hospital and San Mateo General Hospital; May 7: Daly City religious leader Brenda Padilla, San Francisco fashion designer Patricia Valera; May 10: Filipino and international singing sensation Jake Cyrus (known as Charice Pempengco before his gender transition); May 11: Multi-awarded actress Judy Ann Santos, World of Life at Assembly of Christ administrative officer Tingting Villar Apolinario; May 12: San Jose singer/ songwriter J.D. Charisma, veteran actress and Los Angeles resident Mila del Sol, San Mateo Home Care nursing supervisor Gloria Nielsen, Manteca painter Jessie Marinas; May 13: Handsome and multi-awarded actor Paolo Avelino, entertainment/concert producer Maribeth Ugalde of Rodeo (California), South city community leader Marc Garvida

Jr.; May 14: Former Philippine Department of Tourism Director Rene de los Santos; May 15: GMA Pinoy TV’s Jennylyn Mercado, Dionisia Pacquiao (mother of boxing champ and Senator Manny Pacquiao) who turns 71 years old; May 16: Kapuso Channel actor Dennis Trillo, Teayana Orence (daughter of Ozelle Orence of San Francisco); May 17: Gerry Sy, co-owner of Saint Francis Square Shopping Center in Daly City; May 19: Teenage singer Eren Padilla; May 20: Former Miss Universe 1st runner-up Miriam Quimbao (1999); May 23: Actor-singer Sam Milby of Star Cinema; May 24: Dr. Renato (Butch) Calip, a well-liked dentist in Daly City and owner of a nursing school in Manila; May 25: Young coloratura soprano Amber Paterson of Milpitas, San Mateo religious

leader Nenia Iboleon Zarasora, former Mrs. Ilocano Region Maxie Dandoy; May 26: Former Mrs. WorldUSA winner Zeny Lutao Sarmiento of Concord; May 27: Head of Global Corporate Affairs & Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for ABS-CBN Global Nerissa Fernandez; May 28: Divine Diva of the Philippine music industry Zsa Zsa Padilla, Santo Niño de Praga devotee/Antioch religious leader Pacita Rodriguez; May 30: This is my very own natal day – I will be celebrating my lucky 85th birthday with the best of health and colorful blessings from the Lord Almighty; multiawarded actor Ricky Davao, Place One Travel Agency president Conrad Camilosa, successful building contractor Orly Buena; May 31: South San Francisco real estate executive Cora Manuel Garvida.

To all May celebrants, a very Happy Birthday!!!

‘Breathe Again’ pairs Ariella, Tony for the first time BEAUTY queen Ariella Arida, Miss Universe Philippines 2013, is set to surprise viewers when she goes sexy and daring with steamy scenes in her first starring role in the film, Breathe Again, directed

by Raffy Francisco.

Although she previously did supporting roles in director Darryl Yap’s Sarap Mong Patayin and Nuel Naval’s More Than Blue, both for Viva shown last year, Ariella is so grateful for Breathe Again. “The role is so easy to relate to,” she acknowledged. “This is the first lead role that Viva gave me. They gave me so much trust.”

It was the first time for Ariella to work with Tony Labrusca, her leading man in Breathe Again, filmed in Anilao, Batangas. They shot mostly outdoors. The film streams on Vivamax starting June 3.

“Before that, we had our training for our free diving, so doon pa lang, I got to know Tony more,” Ariella said. “Especially nasa dagat kami. Iba kasi ang nabibigay na vibe ng dagat. So I think it helped us better that we connected instantly.”

Apart from the workshop before the lead stars started filming, Ariella and Tony trained together in free diving, which is different from scuba diving.

“When the character was pitched to me, I was very excited,” Ariella admitted. “First time ko gagawin na free diver ako. But we really had training before we started shooting.”

“Akala ko, it would just be easy na makikita ng tao, sisisid ka lang pero kailangan mo din ng technics na hindi siya talaga basta pwedeng gawin.”

Although this is their first time together to do free diving, Ariella acknowledged Tony is a lot better than her. “He’s a good swimmer.

With him, I feel safe underwater. He was there to guide me through.

“I’m really so grateful to Tony. He’s a great actor. I’ve watched his films. Our scenes, although intimate, we could laugh right after. He is one co-actor who after we did the scene, I could ask him how was the scene we did. Hindi ako mahihiya.

“Kahit intimidating at first for me si Tony, sa simula lang pala ‘yun.

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Hindi pala siya ganu’n talaga. On and off set, we’re good. That brings out the natural aura of the characters we are playing.”

Ariella also commended their director for guiding them even through the underwater scenes. “If we go deep underwater, mas malalim si direk Raffy,” Ariella said. “Kung matagal kami sa ilalim, mas matagal si direk.”

Director Raffy had a hand in writing the script, too, for Breathe Again. “The past five years, I’ve fallen in love again with the ocean,” he admitted. “I re-ignited my love affair with diving and I discovered this new sport, free diving.

“Free diving makes it accessible for people to enjoy the underwater world, unencumbered by all the equipment. All you need are masks, fins and a snorkel and you can stay underwater for a long time. That’s something I want to share within this realm of a full-length film.”

Direk Raffy proudly pushed the boundaries of his film in terms of sexiness. “The core of the movie is finding yourself,” he explained.

“Breathing is a very personal thing. The journey of the narrative towards the main character is finding your breath again.”

Unless one might think Breathe Again is only “sexy and romantic,” Ariella shared towards the end, there is something that will jolt the viewers.“Ika-bibigla nila and that is why it’s titled Breathe Again.

Inter-connected ang mga pangyayari from beginning to end.”

Tony noted his “beautiful and very confident” first-time leading lady was very gracious all throughout their filming. “What really shone for me, Ara (as Ariella is fondly called), was just so gracious about everything,” Tony said. “This was just a fun film to make, although it was not the easiest filming underwater.

“I saw her character and how game she was. She didn’t complain.

No bad attitude. I was just really amazed with her work ethic,” he added.

Conquering his fear of the ocean is something Tony had to deal with to film Breathe Again. “Mahilig akong mag-swimming, pero ayoko ‘yung hindi ko nakikita ‘yung ilalim ng dagat,” he said.

“May mga scenes kami na nasa gitna ng dagat, so I was feeling anxious already. There was also a scene na gabi, nag-dive kami. That was a challenge for me. Na-conquer ko din naman ‘yun.”

There was a time when both of them were practically on the beach the whole day. “She told me, ‘Baka ‘pag hinalikan mo ako, salty na ako,’” Tony recalled. “Even our intimate scenes, easy lang.”

His take-away on his character, Robert, in Breathe Again, Tony maintained, “Sometimes, we meet the right person but at the wrong time. We fall in love, pero bawal pala. Masarap talaga na meron kang makilalang tao na nakaka-intindi sa ‘yo. Masarap magmahal kahit saglit lang.” (Leah Salterio/Philstar.com)

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Ariella and Tony have trained together in free diving, which is different from scuba diving, to help build on their chemistry.

Photo from Instagram/@araarida

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Health @Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS TEA, the second most favorite beverage in the world after water, has always been considered a healthy drink. A recent worldwide symposium of leading scientists in the field of tea research on the benefits of tea suggests drinking tea may boost the immune system, cardiovascular health, and cognitive function, and reduce the risk of cancer.

Organized by the Tea Council of the USA, the meet advocated adding 2 to 4 cups of unsweetened tea into the diet to get the beneficial flavonoids. The four main varieties are white, green, black, and Oolong tea (all derived from Camellia sinensis). Tea provides substances with biological activity like L-theanine, caffeine, and flavonoids (catechins), which are antioxidants and antiinflammatory. Each cup of tea has between 35 to 60 mg of caffeine, compared to 95 mg in a cup of regular coffee. Tea also reduces tension, anxiety, and stress. The flavonoids in tea exert a protective effect against age-related dementia and cognitive decline.

Unlike soft drinks, which are actually slow-acting poison to the body of children and adults, gradually causing metabolic syndrome in people over time, tea is a beverage of wonder for our health.

Diet and lifespan Conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon sailed worldwide in search of the elusive fountain of youth in the 16th century, but like those of Greek Historian Herodotus in the 5th century BC and Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC, they were all doomed to fail. The reality is that the real fountain of youth is in our minds, our discipline, attitude, habits, behavior, and diet (this last one is within our easy reach by simply “sailing” to our nearest grocery stores and gym or spa) for healthy food items and exercise. Indeed, a healthy lifestyle is essential. Oro-dental health is also vital to brain, cardiovascular, and general health, which impacts longevity also.

A new review of nutrition revealed that it is possible to prolong youth by slowing down aging (effects) and maximizing longevity to the fullest our genes would allow with the proper diet, considering both quality (kind of foods) and quantity (calories we eat). The findings showed the best diet for a longer life includes fish, a lot of plant-based foods, low sugar, low refined carbohydrates, low red meat (once a week) and no processed meats, and regular fasting every now and then. Of course, no smoking, and alcoholic drinks are limited to one or two a day, and no illicit drugs. The diet needs to change to a high protein diet after age 65, supported with a multi-vitamin-mineral supplement once daily.

Plant-based foods include fruits, legumes, grains, vegetables, and seeds (chia, sesame, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds).

For those with arthritis, the recommendation is to avoid nightshades vegetables, like tomato, potato, pepper, paprika, and eggplant.

Vitamin D and cancer A study found that Vitamin D deficiency is seen in nearly 67 percent of Black and 33 percent of Hispanic women living in the

Wonders of tea Northern hemisphere, making them 21 percent more likely to develop various illnesses, including breast cancer. These women are predisposed to vitamin D deficiency because their skin is darker, with higher melanin pigment, causing them to get less natural vitamin D from sunlight exposure. Vitamin D3 is the preferred supplement. It is healthy to get some sun exposure, especially in the morning. In general, about 40 percent of Americans are deficient in Vitamin D. Other illnesses caused by vitamin D deficiency are osteoporosis, depression, muscle weakness, and, if severe, death.

A half-hour direct exposure to mid-day sun provides about 10,000 to 20,000 IU depending on the area and time of the day, and distance from the equator. Foods that contain this vitamin include salmon, canned tuna, egg yolk, cod liver oil, swordfish, mackerel, and sardines. One tablespoon (14 grams) of cod liver oil has more than 3 times the recommended dose of vitamin D, so one teaspoon covers it. A normal level of vitamin D, which is inexpensive and readily available without a prescription, is also good against COVID-19.

Test for Alzheimer’s There are an estimated 6 million Americans, 850,000 in the UK, and around 245,000 in the Philippines with Alzheimer’s dementia. The disease is named after neuropathologist, Dr. Alois Alzheimer, who, in 1906, discovered amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in a woman’s brain, which are the hallmarks of the disease.

Brain imaging and spinal tap fluids are the two most common procedures to detect early signs of Alzheimer’s, but as of May 4, 2022, a new diagnostic blood test to detect Alzheimer’s at a high accuracy rate (16 years before the symptoms develop) has been approved. It was developed at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.

To know well in advance when such a devastating illness will deprive a person of memory and transform the patient into a helpless baby-like state is certainly most welcome. The one involved could plan with the family ahead of time. There are Alzheimer’s cases where the patient instantly loses total memory, like flipping a light switch followed by total darkness in a split second.

COVID-19 updates On Sunday, May 8, the Philippines had 152 new COVID-19 cases, 45 of them in Manila. There were 1,399 new cases from April 25 to May 1, an average of 200 cases daily, 5 percent lower than the previous week. The national total is 3,687,018, with a death toll of 60,439. Almost 68 million (about 75 percent) have been fully vaccinated and 13.2 million also have had their booster shot. The very first case was on January 30, 2020, in a woman who arrived in Manila from Wuhan City, the first case outside of China.

As of Tuesday, May 10, 11:48 AM (EST), the total global COVID-19 cases stand at 518,023,291, with 6,278,760 deaths, and new cases pegged at 362,765; U.S. – 83,688,188 total cases, 1,024,752 deaths, 73,056 new cases; the Philippines – 3,687,320 total cases, 60,439 deaths, 127 new cases.

There is a potential severe wave of COVID-19 in the coming Fall and Winter seasons in the U.S. which could infect as many

SF launches Office of Coordinated...

PAGE 9

are a time of vulnerability, and the OCC ensures clients stay engaged with the health care system, including accompanying clients to appointments when needed rather than simply making a referral. The OCC’s efforts can improve health equity by lowering the barriers to care and by utilizing a diverse staff who have language capacity and are reflective of communities in San Francisco.

Additionally, the OCC will carefully follow people who receive 5150s, an involuntary hold due to a mental health challenge, so that it can scale interventions as needed. This could include inperson outreach if the person is not connecting to care. And the OCC supports incoming calls to the City’s 24/7 Behavioral Health Access Line where people can call for information on accessing care (415-255-3737 or 888246-3333). In addition to case management and behavioral health access programs, the OCC will also provide enrollment services and connect uninsured San Franciscans to Medi-Cal and Healthy SF. “Although we have some of the best mental health and substance use programs in the nation, you would not know it because of the chaos you see on the streets every day. Finally, with the launch of the Office of Coordinated Care, we will see the level of coordination between programs which has the been the

missing link in our broken system of care. I am excited and hopeful these changes will bring relief to so many critically ill people in our city and bring change to our unacceptable street conditions that we are all desperate to see,” said Supervisor Hillary Ronen.

Opening the OCC has been a multi-phase effort beginning with a pilot that launched in April 2021 to provide follow-up case management for individuals seen by the Street Crisis Response Team (SCRT). In March 2022, the OCC team was actively working with 72 individuals identified through a SCRT crisis contact to support and connect them to ongoing care.

SFDPH is also expanding its most intensive case management support for the people who are already within the system of care and have the most complex needs. More than 100 individuals are currently on a wait list for the Intensive Care Management program and need additional supports or risk falling out of care. Expansion of that case management program is in process, and in coordination with the OCC will stitch together an effective network of case managers for people at all stages of care.

Mental Health SF is focused on serving people experiencing homelessness.

For more information on Mental Health SF, go to: sf.gov/information/mentalhealth-sf. (SF Mayor’s Office Release)

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as 100 million, almost a third of the population. Vaccines save lives. More than 11.7 billion shots worldwide (579 million in the U.S. alone) have proven how safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines are.

With those statistics, it is prudent at this juncture for everyone, especially seniors and those immunocompromised, to get vaccinated, and to continue masking properly and maintain social distancing even if fully vaccinated, because of the potential new undetected strains and the waning protection from the vaccines. Death following reinfection happens in 1.8 percent of cases. Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX has been infected twice. *** The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff. *** The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, a Health Public Advocate, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian and anti-graft foundation in the United States. Visit our websites: philipSchua. com and FUN8888.com Email: scalpelpen@ gmail.com

MILITARY, LAW ENFORCEMENT VETERANS TOUR BATAAN 80TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBIT AT PH CONSULATE IN SF. Enforcement Night took place on April 28 2022, on the sidelines of the “Remember Bataan: The 80th Anniversary of the Fall of Bataan” Memorial Exhibit at the Consulate’s Kalayaan Hall. During the event — which was attended by past and present members of the U.S. Armed Forces and Law Enforcement, as well as cause-oriented American veterans’ organizations — Bataan Legacy Historical Society Executive Director Cecilia Gaerlan underlined the importance of educating Filipinos and Americans on the history of the Second World War in the Philippines. Through the efforts of Filipino American organizations in California, California became the first U.S. state that teaches Philippine World War II history in the Grade 11 school curriculum. The Filipino American Community in the San Francisco Bay Area mounted the “Remember Bataan” Memorial Exhibit to mark the 80th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan and the Bataan Death March, and to honor the legacy of Filipino and American World War II veterans. The special exhibit was spearheaded by the Consulate, the Department of Tourism Office in San Francisco, the Filipino American Arts Exposition, the Bataan Legacy Historical Society, and the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society. Photos above show military and law enforcement veterans while on a tour of the exhibit at the Kalayaan Hall.

Photos provided by San Francisco Philippine Consulate General

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Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Register for Summer Camps in City of Santa Clara Month by getting ahead of the curve with a CA REAL ID MAY is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, a time to reflect and acknowledge the many contributions and influences of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Celebrating AAPI month each year reminds us of our rich history, providing us with the perfect opportunity to travel and visit family and friends, which may have been limited due to the pandemic.

With travel restrictions lifted, there is no better way to celebrate than to give yourself the gift of travel. In just one year, a federally accepted form of identification, such as a REAL ID, will be required for all domestic travel, so get ahead of the curve by getting your REAL ID today — it’s your most important carry-on!

Whether you are booking travel plans, visits to family and friends, or simply going on vacation — make sure you have a REAL ID now so you don’t have to worry about it later, reducing the stress of travel so you can concentrate on having fun.

Getting your REAL ID is as fast and easy as 1-2-3: • Start your application online at dmv.ca.gov/realid.

• Upload your documents.

You’ll need one identity document (ex: valid passport, original birth certificate) and two proofs of residency (ex: mortgage bill, employment document, home utility bill).

• Make an appointment online to finish the process at your local DMV office. Be sure to bring your uploaded original documents and entire confirmation page to your appointment!

By starting your application online, you’ll be in and out of the DMV quickly and ready to fly! Join

the 13 million Californians who have already upgraded to a REAL ID and make your ID do more.

A REAL ID costs the same as a regular ID, but a REAL ID will take you places and allow you to get into secure federal buildings such as federal courthouses and military bases. Don’t wait until the May 3, 2023 enforcement date — apply for your REAL ID today and beat the rush.

Apply for your CA REAL ID online by visiting dmv.ca.gov/ realid. g

Pia, Jeremy get engaged

SUMMER is around the corner and now is the perfect time to make plans for summer break!

The City of Santa Clara Parks & Recreation Department is excited to offer a variety of camps for ages 3.5 to 15. Choose from half or full day camps. Check out some of our offerings below.

Visit SantaClaraCA.gov/ActiveNet for a full list of summer camps.

Enrichment camps • Animal Crossing: LEGO® Horizons Camp: Tom Nook has a special assignment for all participants in this camp; create the best LEGO® island you can and get new neighbors! Bring Animal Crossing to life by recreating your favorite parts of the game completely out of LEGO®.

• Junior Programmers Camp: Learn to create your first programs using Scratch Jr.! Start with making a character dance to producing a full simulated environment. In this introductory sequence of projects for Scratch Jr., we gradually introduce a variety of practices and concepts while simultaneously exposing young coders to a variety of blocks and tools in Scratch Jr. • Mad Science: Wacky Robots and Widgets Camp: Whether you love to build things or destroy them, this week of camp includes lots of both! Design simple machines using pulleys, wedges, screws and levers and have fun learning how catapults work!

Build a robot to keep, all while learning the science of robotics!

Recreation camps • Camp YAC All-Stars and MVPS: Camp YAC is returning with another fun filled summer for all YACSTERS! Join us for an action-packed summer filled with recreation games, outdoor activities, arts and crafts proj-

PIA Wurtzbach and Jeremy Jauncey are engaged.

In a reel shared by the Miss Universe 2015 titleholder on Instagram, the couple showed a glimpse of their beach getaway together, and Pia flaunted a diamond ring on that important finger, signaling their new chapter as a betrothed couple.

Pia captioned the video with, "We found the perfect place to celebrate and tell you guys," with a ring emoji.

The beauty queen was seen donning a white bikini, hanging out on a yacht with Jeremy. The video hinted that Jeremy proposed during night time, probably in Amanpulo, Palawan as the two have been sharing snaps of their travel together recently on social media.

Wurtzbach and Jauncey first sparked dating rumors back in January 2020, when eagle-eyed fans saw the similarities in their Instagram posts, hinting that they're together in a trip to Indonesia. Pia first addressed the issue in an interview with Mega Magazine in March 2020, sharing she's happy with her love life, without mentioning Jeremy's name.

“I’m happy, I’m inspired, I feel very empowered.

I feel like I can be myself and I don’t have to water myself down,” she said in the interview.

By June 2020, the couple made their relationship officially public by gracing the cover of Philippine Tatler Magazine together.

The two have been together for almost two years Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Tebow Photo from Instagram/@demitebow reportedly. (Marane A. Plaza/Philstar.com)

ects, and more!

• C.A.T.S.: Participants come to daily rehearsals for acting, singing, and dancing, culminating in the production of Disney’s Frozen Jr. • Machado Day Camp: Machado Day Camp is a half-day camp based on outdoor play, hands on learning and organized games.

It is a great opportunity to introduce your child to the recreation camp experience.

• Westwood Oaks Little Explorers: Camp provides an opportunity for campers to learn and make new friends within a safe and caring environment.

Campers will enjoy a variety of activities, crafts, games, outdoor recreation, and songs all within a special theme each week.

Sports camps

• Gymnastics Camp: Fun filled camp for children who love to run, jump, swing, tumble, and dance!

Campers will use trampolines, bars, beams, rope swings, rings, parallel bars and tumbling mats.

• Horse Camp: Chaparral offers a fantastic learning experience on all of the ins and outs of horse riding. Horse lovers will get a hands-on introduction to horses, including grooming, horse psychology, and more.

• Skyhawks Multi-Sport Camp: Multi-sport camps are designed to introduce young athletes to a variety of different sports in one setting. Athletes will learn the rules and essential skills of each sport, along with vital life lessons such as respect and teamwork. (City of Santa Clara Release)

Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh sings high praises for Boracay

Newly engaged celebrity couple Pia Wurtzbach and Jeremy Jauncey Photo from Instagram/@piawurtzbach

by Jan

Milo Severo Philstar.com

MISS Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Tebow was mesmerized by the beauty of the country as she enjoyed the island of Boracay.

In her Instagram account, Demi posted photos and videos of her stay in the top-notch island.

"Woke up in paradise!" she captioned her post, showing the island.

"It’s so fun getting to see more of the Philippines but I definitely miss my husband and the pack... @shangrilaboracay made me feel so at home!" she wrote in one of her posts.

"Enjoy," Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray commented.

Demi described the island as "one of the most beautiful places in the world."

“Philippines, you’ll forever have such a special place in my (heart),” she said.

Demi was one of the hosts at the recently concluded Miss Universe Philippines 2022, which was won by Pasay’s Celeste Cortesi.

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Features

NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 13-19, 2022

13

Clark County population expected to grow by 1M in 2060

by RealtoR

Fely Quitevis-Bateman

MORE and more people are expected to flock into Clark County in Nevada as construction and development continue to come into the area.

In a recent study done by the University of Nevada Las Vegas’ Lee Business School’s Center for Business and Economic Research cited by the Las Vegas Review Journal, Clark County is estimated to add about 1 million more residents to its fold by 2060, putting the population by that time to about 3.38 million.

Currently, Clark County was estimated to have a population of about 2.38 million in 2020. It is estimated to grow by 2.2% in 2022, putting the estimate to around 2.47 million by year’s end.

More than half of Clark County’s population live in Las Vegas, which is the seat of the county.

The same study, which was commissioned for a few Southern Nevada agencies and members of the Forecasting Group, show growth in Clark County hovering between 2.4% to 1.0% from 2023 to 2035. From 2040 to 2060, population growth is estimated to be from 0.2% to 0.7%.

Clark County has certainly come a long way from its roots, having only been established in 1909, and was formed when the Nevada Legislature split off a portion of Lincoln County. In 1910, its population was placed only at 3,321. A few major dates for the county included the incorporation of cities like Las Vegas (June 1911), North Las Vegas (May 1946) and Henderson (April 1953). Over the years, its population steadily increased, fueled by steep increases in the

mid-80s to late 2000s.

Las Vegas houses Clark County’s largest population, with an almost 1.8 million people living in Las Vegas Census County Divisions (as of the 2010 Census). Las Vegas city by itself is estimated to have nearly 650,000 residents, placing it 26th among largest cities in the United States and first in the State of Nevada.

Billed as the gambling and entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas has been thoroughly developed, with sprawling communities and master-planned developments moving outward to satisfy the demand from the population.

Communities like Green Valley, Summerlin, Red Rock, Mountain’s Edge, Inspirada, Providence, and Cadence are now wellknown to residents, realtors and astute property buyers. And more development is underway, perhaps fueled by a good network of freeways and roads, as well as interest from many sectors keen on gaining a foothold in the city and the state.

The LVRJ article stated that although there may be a limitation to how far the boundaries for future master-planned communities may go, there is still a hot demand for real estate and properties in Las

Vegas. Residential developers are still buying land for new projects, and house hunters are buying in new subdivisions throughout the valley, per the article.

Currently, in Las Vegas, there are multiple offers for properties who normally close at higher than asking prices. Plus, it is not uncommon for buyers to be put on a waiting list in order to secure a bid for one of the more affordable properties in the market.

This only means one thing for Las Vegas and neighboring regions – there will be demand for more housing, particularly affordable housing. There is already interest from real estate developers looking at other areas close to Las Vegas where they can develop communities to address the needs of a booming population.

Areas like Pahrump, Nevada, Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman (foreground) with a group of Filipino Americans at an event in which is located in Nye County Nevada. Fil-Ams are the largest Asian group in Clark County. and is only about 62 miles west of Las Vegas, are being looked at by the property-savvy due to affordability and proximity advantages. With about a million more people estimated to make their way to Clark County – and in particular, to Las Vegas – there is more of a probability for outward development to outside regions.

And now is the time, more

Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman with Ron Quilang from Henderson, NV who is running for Assemblyman for District 21. As the largest Asian American group in Clark County, QuitevisBateman believes there should be an elected Fil-Am in government.

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

than ever, to take a look at those golden opportunities – be it in Las Vegas or in neighboring cities like Henderson, Boulder or Mesquite, With Realtor Fely Quitevis-Bateman (extreme left) in photo are (from left) Johnny and Grace and towns like Pahrump. More Rustia of New Jersey, and Joannie Feliciano and nephew Aldo from Orange County. Quitevisaffordable prices, better quality of Bateman’s clients are scouting for a place to retire. life, ease of traffic and less crime may be some of the reasons why areas outside of Las Vegas may spark interest to property hunters.

Moreso, there are many advantages to buying land or property in Nevada, or even becoming a resident of the state: a competitive business state tax, a county sales tax of 6.75% (not on food items), and no taxes associated with estate/inheritance, franchise, gift, inventory/interstate commerce, corporate income and personal income.

Development going on in Las Vegas will bring more jobs and new residents to the area.

Whether you are looking to be gainfully employed, retire or just own a second home or land as an investment, Las Vegas and Pahrump are great places to start your search, and I can help you.

Having seen the growth of these communities since 1990s, I can assist you, my kababayans, in your search for the best opportunities.

My company, Precious Properties, is a full-service company serving its clientele since 1992 and you can reach me at 775-513-8447, 805-5592476 and 702-538-4948 for more information. We have investors who buy houses in California and Nevada for cash and quick escrow in as short as 7 days.

(Advertising Supplement)

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MAY 13-19, 2022 • NORCAL ASIAN JOURNAL

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