LA Midweek Edition -- September 16 -- 18, 2015

M

LOS ANGELES

M I D W E E K

EDITION

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September 16-18, 2015

T h e F i l i p i n o –A m e r i c A n c o m m u n i T y n e w s pA p e r

Volume 25 - No. 72 • 3 Sections - 24 Pages

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DATELINE

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

15 GOP candidates face off in second debate TRUMP, Carson leading in polls; democratic lawmakers say Republican policies are damaging toward AAPIs

FIFTEEN Republican presidential candidates were slated to face off Wednesday, Sept. 16, in a two-segment debate hosted by CNN at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

A day before the debate, a CBS/New York Times poll indicated that non-politicians Donald Trump and Ben Carson have the most support with 27 percent and 23 percent, respectively, of Republican voters backing the candidates.

Trailing behind are presidential hopefuls Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee and Marco Rubio, all of whom have received 6 percent of support from Republican primary voters, according to the same poll.

Other participating candidates are: Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, John Kasich, Lindsey Graham, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki, Rand Paul, Rick Santorum and Scott

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Grace Poe-Chiz Escudero for 2016?

by MAILA

AGER Inquirer.net

AFTER playing coy, Senators Grace Poe and Francis “Chiz� Escudero will be running together in 2016, various sources said Wednesday.

Poe was scheduled to announce first her presidential bid on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at the Bahay ng Alumni of the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon City. On Thursday, Sept. 17 she is slated to announce that Escudero will be her running mate.

Poe’s endorsement of Escudero as her vice president will be made at the historic Club Filipino in San Juan City. “Mauuna si Grace na magsalita to introduce Chiz and then Chiz will accept Grace’s challenge to tandem with her,� said a source from Escudero’s camp.

Escudero’s office released a media advisory Tuesday that there would be an announcement at 10 a.m. on Thursday at the Club Filipino.

The two senators had been mum about their plans in 2016 but Escudero, in some earlier interviews, said that he could run for vice president.

Both Poe and Escudero ran together under the administration ticket in 2013, with their six-year term expiring in 2019. n Senator Grace Poe and Senator Francis “Chiz� Escudero.

Inquirer.net file photo / Nino Jesus Orbeta

No American personnel killed in Speaker vows to Mamasapano, says US embassy pass BBL before

end of the month

The eight-minute video footage was taken in the aftermath of the clash between members of the PNP SAF and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) last Jan. 25, 2015. “The operation was planned and executed by Philippine authorities. We refer you to them for details of the operation. The US government consults regularly with Philippine security forces on issues of mutual interest,� Hoyer said in the email. “At the request of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, contract personnel serving in JSOTF-P (Joint Special Operations Task Force – Philippines) responded, to assist in the evacuation of casualties after the firefight,� he said. n

by MATIKAS

SANTOS Inquirer.net

THE United States (US) Embassy said Tuesday, Sept. 15 that no American personnel were killed during the Mamasapano incident. “There were no US service member casualties,� US Embassy spokesman Kurt Hoyer said in an email in response to queries about the video which showed a dead unidentified Caucasian male.

The man was among the slain commandos of the 55th Special Action Company (SAC) of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (SAF).

by PAOLO

ROMERO Philstar.com

MANILA – Leaders of the House of Representatives said Monday, Sept. 14, they would exert all efforts to pass the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which seeks to create a new autonomous region in Mindanao, before the end of the month.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, chairman of the ad hoc committee that drafted the proposed law, issued the state-

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PH, South Korea sign accord on protecting classified military info

by AGNES

CONSTANTE AJPress

Older Minorities Depend on Social Security to Provide a Significant Share of Family Income (Source: AARP Public Policy Institute’s tabulations of US Census Bureau, “Current Population Survey,� March 2014)

THE Philippines and South Korea on Monday, Sept. 14, signed a fiveyear accord that regulates and safeguard exchanges of classified military data regarding regional security.

The accord, signed by Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and South Korean Defense Minister

Han Minkoo, would allow the Philippine government to be more informed about what happens on the Korean Peninsula, which would facilitate the protection of Filipinos working in the area.

Nearly 50,000 Filipinos work and reside in South Korea, according to the Associated Press.

In a statement, the Philippine defense department said that the “safety

and repatriation of Filipinos residing in the Republic of Korea will be the Philippines’ paramount concern when such contingency erupts between the two Koreas.�

While the Philippine military has traditionally relied on the United States for military support, it has looked to other countries, such as South Korea, to boost its forces with the intensifying territorial dispute with China.

Study: Older AAPIs rely Senate-approved plan would promote on social security as Californians primary source of income legal services for low-income A E by

OLDER Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) count on social security during retirement as a source of income, a new AARP Public Policy Institute report revealed.

The fact sheet, entitled “Social Security: Who’s Counting On It,� surveyed how Social Security impacts Americans; in 2014, approximately 59 million received benefits from the government program.

For AAPIs, in particular, 65 percent of individuals ages 65 and older receive benefits, while 28 percent rely on it as their primary source of family income. Only 9 percent of older AAPIs rely on Social Security as their only source of family income. In comparison to other minority groups, 50 percent of American Americans and 44 percent of Hispanics count Social Security as a primary source of family income. “Following the 80th anniversary of Social

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LLYSON SCOBAR AJPress

CALIFORNIA lawmakers approved and sent to Governor Jerry Brown a plan to help low-income residents have greater access to legal services.

The bill, known as Senate Bill 134, would allow the State Bar to collect unclaimed donations from members to fund a student loan repayment program for public interest attorneys. “Every year, thousands of young lawyers graduate from law school with a desire to launch their careers performing public service,� said Sen. Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), who helped author the bill. “Faced with skyrocketing education costs, however, more and more of our finest legal minds are opting instead to go straight into private practice.�

Lawyers of both parties described the legislation, SB 134, as an “innovative revenue source for a worthy program,� said a statement from the office of Hertzberg in Sacramento.

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Sen. Robert Hertzberg

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South Korea will help the Philippines reinforce its military by sending two fighter jets to it in the later part of this year. Eventually, it will deliver a total of 12 fighter jets to the Philippines.

On Monday, Han also said that countries directly involved in the South China Sea dispute, referred to as the West Philippine Sea by the

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A SEPTEMBER 16-18, 2015 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

From the Front Page

Speaker vows to pass BBL before‌ PAGE A1 t

ment during the opening of the exhibit of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process in the House of Representatives. “A lot of people see this (BBL) as solving the persistent and recurring conflict in Mindanao.

This is the best solution we have at this time. Despite the fact that time is short, we are giving this our best shot,� Belmonte told reporters.

He appealed to his colleagues to be present during plenary sessions so that the deliberations on the BBL can continue and be voted upon before the end of the month. “Let’s all vote on it (BBL). Even

if you’re against it, just vote‌ but let’s all be there,� he said.

Addressing lawmakers and other concerned sectors, Belmonte said the country is now in “very interesting times and every other critical piece of legislation must be backed by the support of the general public.� “Unfortunately, camps who oppose the passage of the BBL sow misinformation to gain unfair public support. Myths are crafted to erode the momentum of the proposed bill, raising questions on constitutionality and distribution of power and resources,� he said.

Rodriguez said the House will ensure that it will not pass a BBL that is not legally sound or uncon-

stitutional, but a version that will be inclusive enough to integrate the needs and concerns of all.

Moro Islamic Liberation Front chief negotiator Mohaquer Iqbal said he believes the issue of lack of quorum in the House is just a “fleeting problem.� “I still trust in the collective wisdom of Congress to pass the BBL,� Iqbal said at the event.

Meanwhile, Zamboanga City Rep. Celso Lobregat said the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have no knowledge of the reported normalization fund that was included in the peace agreement forged with the MILF. (With reports from Roel PareĂąo)

Senate-approved plan would promote legal‌

PAGE A1 t

“There is too little incentive to work in public-interest areas of law today because the pay often is substantially lower than in private practice,� Hertzberg, who is also a lawyer, said.

SB 134 would support a loanassistance program for attorneys committed to serving the public interest, by using unclaimed funds in lawyer trust accounts.

The proposal was unanimously approved in June by the state

Senate.

SB 134 was previously approved by the Judiciary and Appropriations committees, also without a dissenting vote. The bill was next approved by the Assembly.

If the bill becomes law, an option to donate to the Public Interest Attorney Loan Repayment Program could be added to State Bar dues statements as soon as next year, the Metropolitan News-Enterprise reported.

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According to the American Bar Association, the average debt of a 2012 law school graduate was about $85,000 when graduating from a public school, and $122,000 from a private school. “This level of debt makes it difficult for attorneys to pay off their debt, despite any interest in public service,� Hertzberg’s office said in a statement.

As a direct result, legal-service advocates (such as child support agencies) have found it increasingly difficult to keep talented attorneys staffed. “Public interest law offices must retain talented attorneys to ensure that their clientele consistently receive an acceptable level of service and equal access to justice,� Hertzberg told the committee.

In a bill analysis, the Judiciary Committee staff explained that the program is authorized by legislation carried by Hertzberg when he was in the Assembly.

The Loan Repayment Program was created years ago to help lower student debt of attorneys agreeing to practice in certain public-interest areas of law. The bill became law in 2001, but the program has never been funded.

A budget item that would have appropriated $100,000 for startup costs was vetoed by thenGovernor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2007.

The California Student Aid Commission would administer

HOLIDAY. Pres. Benigno Aquino III has declared Friday, Sept. 25, which marks the Muslim holiday Eidul Adha, as a regular holiday. “The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) recommends that the observance of Eid’l Adha in the Philippines be on 25 September 2015 based on the Islamic Calendar and the declaration made by Saudi Arabia’s highest religious authority, thereby amending its earlier recommendation to observe the occasion on 24 September 2015,� Proclamation no. 1128 said.

Senate poll tribunal set to probe Poe citizenship

by Tarra

Quismundo Inquirer.net

THE Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) is set to thresh out in detail matters surrounding the citizenship of Sen. Grace Poe as it tackles the disqualification case against the undeclared but likely presidential candidate when it holds oral arguments on Sept.

21.

Expected to be a core issue is Poe’s reacquisition of her status as a natural-born Filipino citizen on July 7, 2006, a year after resuming her residency in the Philippines from the United States.

In an advisory issued by the nine-member SET, it said one issue to be discussed was “whether or not respondent reacquired her natural-born Filipino citizenship on July 7, 2006, when she took the oath of allegiance to the Philippines.�

Poe took her oath of allegiance to the Philippines after years of shuttling back and forth between the Philippines and the u PAGE A3 United States, where she had

been residing since her marriage to Filipino-American Neil Llamanzares in 1991.

The senator, a foundling born in 1968 and adopted by the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. and his wife, actress Susan Roces, in 1974, acquired American citizenship in October 2001.

Her trips to Manila became more frequent in 2004, during her father’s presidential campaign. The elder Poe died in December of the same year, just six months after losing the presidential election to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in voting marred by allegations of cheating.

Citizenship renounced Poe retained dual citizenship even after she reacquired Filipino citizenship in 2006, renouncing her US citizenship only four years later upon her appointment as chair of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB).

Petitioner Rizalito David, a defeated senatorial candidate in the 2013 elections in which Poe got 20 million votes and emerged the topnotcher, is con-

tending that she is disqualified from the post because of her questionable citizenship.

At the oral arguments scheduled for Monday, the SET will also look into whether Poe’s renunciation of her American citizenship in 2010 qualified her for elective public office.

The tribunal is also expected to ask both sides whether under Philippine law, the United States must first approve the respondent’s renunciation of US citizenship before she can qualify for public office in the Philippines and whether under US law, Poe lost her American citizenship effective Oct. 21, 2010, when she took her oath of office as MTRCB chair.

The SET is also expected to settle the question on whether Poe’s use of her US passport after July 7, 2006, the date of her renewed allegiance to the Philippines, “affected her acquisition of natural-born Filipino citizenship.�

The tribunal gave the two sides until Wednesday to file

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From the Front Page

LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 16-18, 2015

A

15 GOP candidates face off…

PAGE A1 t

Walker.

In Wednesday’s debate, CNN is looking to capture the GOP candidates’ combative spirit through in-person engagement and on camera, The New York Times reported, as opposed to the first debate, which was hosted by Fox News. In the first such encounter among Republican candidates, the Times reported that Fox relied much on three experienced moderators to pose challenging questions that led candidates to deliver prepared answers and sparse memorable moments on stage.

“My goal is more about: Let’s draw the contrasts between the candidates, and have them fight it out over these policies, over who has the best approach to Putin, over who has the best approach to taxes, over who believes what over immigration reform,” said Jake Tapper, ‘I am a true Filipino’ Sen. Grace Poe speaks to reporters after appearing before the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) on Friday, Sept. 11, 2015, CNN’s chief Washington corto defend herself in a disqualification case questioning if she’s a natural-born Filipino. The SET is set to holds oral arguments on Sept. 21. respondent, who is moderating Inquirer.net photo Wednesday’s debate, according to the Times. “Have them lay it all out so voters can see it.

The publication also reportPAGE A2 t

by Senior Associate Justice An- tribunal to settle. ed that a showdown between their respective position papers tonio Carpio, got David to conUnder SET rules, questions on Trump and Fiorina, former discussing these issues. cede to dropping residency as a candidate’s eligibility, such as CEO of Hewlett-Packard, is exResidency issue dropped among the grounds for Poe’s the matter of residency, should pected at the Reagan Library During a preliminary confer- disqualification. This leaves only be filed within 10 days of proc- on Wednesday; for the first ence on Friday, the SET, chaired the matter of citizenship for the lamation. n time in American presidential politics, a candidate who has been accused of sexism and

Senate poll tribunal set to probe Poe…

PH, South Korea sign accord on…

PAGE A1 t

Philippines, should abide by the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, Inquirer reported. He added: “I also look forward to the speedy conclusion of the code of conduct concerning the South China Sea.” The Philippines is among claimants in the disputed territory, along with Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan. China claims nearly the entire region, while the other countries have overlapping claims.

The South China Sea, referred to as the West Philippine Sea by the Philippines, sees more than

$5 trillion worth of trade pass through annually, Philstar reported. The disputed area is also crucial to South Korea, as approximately 90 percent of Seoul’s petroleum and 30 percent of its trade go through the waterway, the AP reported.

“It is my stance that the relevant nations regarding this area and this situation should solve this situation based on mutual respect toward each other’s sovereignty … and mutual understanding of each nation’s perspective,” Han said during a press conference at Camp Aguinaldo, according to Philstar.

Han called the security situation in the area an “Asian paradox” and that although Asia has experienced stronger economic ties, additional effort is necessary to improve security cooperation in the region.

“Asia, especially East Asia, is an area which attracts the eyes of the world. And to give an assessment of that region of Asia, the security in Asia is such that economic cooperation has been deepening for some time now, but the security operation has not been up to speed. We call this phenomenon the Asia paradox,” Han said. n

Study: Older AAPIs rely on social security as…

PAGE A1 t

Security last month, it is a lifeline for many AAPIs that helps keep them and their families out of poverty,” said Daphne Kwok, AARP Vice President of Multicultural Leadership, Asian American and Pacific Islander Audience in a statement. “AARP works to strengthen Social Security because the vast majority of Americans of all ages believe it is important to provide financial security for everyone.”

As recent immigrants, AAPIs have lower median Social Security incomes according to an AARP report issued last year. Therefore, they are less likely than African Americans, Hispanics, and whites to de-

pend on Social Security for 50 percent or more of their family income.

Older minorities are less likely than whites to have family income other than Social Security.

A little more than half (53.4 percent) of AAPIs age 65 and older own have income from assets, but only a quarter (24.4 percent) have income from pensions and retirement savings.

As a whole, 86 percent of Americans ages 65 and older count Social Security as a source of family income. The reliance on the program increases with age: about 34 percent of people ages 65-69 depend on Social Security for 50 percent or more of their family income, compared with 59 percent

Senate-approved plan would…

PAGE A2 t

the program, such as establishing eligibility and selecting participants eligible for up to $11,000 for four years of service in qualifying agencies.

How the commission would access the funds collected by the State Bar is not yet certain, the Judiciary Committee said. No opposition was received, the analysis said.

While the clients continue to have the right to claim their property, the property is transferred to the state General Fund after being held three years.

A similar program in Oregon has collected more than $450,000 since 2010.

Supporters of the bill include the California Public Defenders Association, California State Conference of the NAACP, Equal Justice Works, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund,

Legal Aid Association of California, Hastings and McGeorge law schools, Ventura County Public Defender’s Office, and Worksafe.

Gov. Brown has 30 days to sign, veto, or allow the bill to become law without his signature.

“Too often we grant rights without providing the tools to make those rights real. Here is a creative way to ensure those rights,” Hertzberg said. n

of people ages 80 and over.

A key finding includes the dependence of women on Social Security because on average, they live longer and earn less than men do.

Social Security income kept roughly 33 percent of older Americans, about 14.7 million people, out of poverty in 2013.

The poor (income below poverty line) and the near-poor (income between 100 and 150 percent of the poverty line) rely on Social Security for a significant share of their family income.

The report also found that Social Security is funded with $2.8 trillion in reserves, and the estimated value is expected to reach $2.9 trillion by 2020.

However, the trust funds’ reserves will begin to be drawn down in order to pay full benefits. The reserves are projected to be depleted by 2034 at this current rate if there is no legislative change.

“The sooner policy makers agree on how to achieve longterm solvency, the less drastic any changes would need to be.

Any changes to the program should be made gradually — so that people can plan for their futures — and should protect those in or near retirement,” the report stated. (AJPress)

SEAFOOD CITY AD2

bullying will come face-to-face on live television with the female to who he has directed his insults.

With the upcoming debate, the Democratic National Committee took to a conference call on Tuesday, Sept. 15 to discuss how Republican presidential candidates’ policies do not benefit the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

Reps. Judy Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and Mike Honda, both from California, brought up candidates’ positions on immigration, education, the economy and others pertinent to AAPIs. Chu specifically pointed out how Trump and Rubio and Walker support building a 1,900-mile fence along the southern US border, that Trump is in favor of mass deportation, and that Carson has backed the use of drones on American soil to secure the border. She also spoke about how Bush has called for a crackdown on visa overstays, which Chu called a “coded attack on AAPI immigrants.”

“The ultimate irony here is that conservative champion Ronald Reagan primed legislation giving legal status to up to three million undocumented immigrants. With policies like that, Ronald Reagan would most likely be in the happy hour

debate if he was a candidate in this cycle. It’s just another indication of how extreme the Republican party has become,” Chu said.

GOP candidates’ stances on the the economy, with Trump in support of maintaining the federal minimum wage at $7.25 per hour and other Republican hopefuls saying there shouldn’t be a minimum wage, are positions that would not be wellreceived among middle class Americans.

“That line of thinking won’t be popular with middle class working Americans who’ve seen their wages remain stagnant for decades, while the richest have seen their income skyrocket,” she said.

Despite the fact Trump is ahead in the polls, Honda said that was OK with him.

“If Trump is leading, it’s fine with me. Any of our candidates can beat any of those candidates hands down without even trying,” he said.

The first segment of the Republican debate will begin airing at 3 pm PT/6 pm ET, and the second segment will start at 5 pm PT/8 pm ET. The Asian Journal will provide live coverage of the event via social media on Facebook (facebook.com/AsianJournalPublications) and Twitter (@ AsianJournalCom).

(Agnes Constante / AJPress)

A SEPTEMBER 16-18, 2015 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

Dateline USa

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Another Painting by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Entitled “Loquat” Sold for an Astronomical Price This Six-Square-Foot Painting Sold at Auction for US$10,200,000 At the fall auction of Gianguan Auctions in New York, which just concluded on September 12th, a painting by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III entitled “Loquat” sold for a price of US$10,200,000.

Once again, a painting by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III was sold at auction for an astronomical price. This painting is not large, as its size is only six square feet.

The bidding opened at a price of US$9,200,000 and concluded with the winning bid of US$10,200,000, which is once again a sky-high auction price for a painting by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. The US$1,700,000 per square foot price for this painting is a new world record in terms of square foot price, surpassing the previous world record of US$1,650,000 per square foot that H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III created at the spring auction earlier this year. As a result, “Loquat” became the most outstanding piece of the entire fall auction.

H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s “Loquat” is exactly as the ancients said when evaluating paintings: From the surface it appears simple, but a hidden power spirals within. Anyone who harbors doubt must try his own hand to discover the difficulty.

Even if his imitation seems passable when viewed alone, next to the original it will appear as an assemblage of dull strokes and lifeless ink, nothing resembling the original even though copied in imitation. In its conception, the painting has perfected the art of treating ink as preciously as gold: the painting contains no broken strokes or extraneous marks, and uses only a few strokes to manifest an expansive loftiness. Charming vivacity flows through the painting, while an airy elegance wafts within, fresh and soul-soothing.

The style of this paint-

ing by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is completely different from that of his painting “Ink Lotus,” which sold for a skyhigh price at the spring auction. One is vigorous and powerful, vast and all-inclusive, while the other is quietly elegant, lofty in style, with inner beauty. Thus, an art expert commented, “Paintings by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III contain marvelous and unexpected transitions. All touches of his brush are inspirited with unending charm. This loquat painting is truly a wondrous work and deserves to be called such.”

The inscription on the “Loquat” painting reads, “A mere few strokes and ink tones gain the purpose; Why clutter the space with extraneous marks?” This painting not only contains H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s three-dimensional fingerprint seal to ensure its authenticity, it is also stamped with a “Dorje Chang Buddha III” seal and a “Gui Yuan” seal. The inscription was written in the dragon-snake cursive style of calligraphy, expressing vigor and steely-strength. The superb painting, calligraphy, and seals make “Loquat” a work of art that embodies unique beauty and consummate artistry.

During the few days of previews before the auction, art connoisseurs and collectors highly praised “Loquat,” regarding it as a truly rare work that matches the exquisiteness of paintings by

SAVING THE ISLAND. Student volunteers participate in the fourth founding anniversary of the Save Freedom Island Movement that is calling the attention of the public on the threat posed by the planned reclamation projects at Las Pinas and Paranaque. The group also celebrated International Coastal Clean Up Day that is held every third Saturday of September in more than 100 countries all over the world.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Russell Palma

South LA experiences a plague of violence, deadly killings H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. Therefore, right after the bidding for “Loquat” opened, several bidders raised their bidding cards to enter the bidding competition. There were bidders from Asia as well as Caucasian and Asian bidders from Europe and America. After several rounds of competitive bidding, an Asian woman prevailed over all the others with a bid of US$10,200,000. She did not wish to reveal her name and did not say very much. She was very moved and simply said, “I have always wanted to have paintings by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III in my collection. Today my wish has finally been fulfilled.”

Then, surrounded by a few bodyguards, she completed the necessary paperwork and quickly left the auction hall.

It can be said that paintings by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III have now become rare treasures. Whenever original authentic paintings

by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III appear in public for sale, whether auctioned in Taiwan, sold at the Hua Zang art exhibition, sold at art museum or sold for charity, all of them are quickly sold for astronomical prices.

Poll: CA voters’ views widely diverge on healthcare for immigrants

by Allyson

EscobAr

AJPress

IN recent years, California has adopted a series of laws to help immigrants and undocumented populations with better opportunities, including obtaining driver’s licenses and education for youth.

Polls generally show broad support for a pathway to citizenship and more opportunities for the estimated 2 million undocumented immigrants living in the state.

However, it’s a different story when it comes to providing them healthcare benefits.

According to a new poll from USC Dornsife and the Los Angeles Times, California voters are sharply divided over whether free or low-cost health insurance should be granted to immigrants without legal status.

About 48 percent of voters polled believed that undocumented immigrants in the state should be eligible to receive free or low-cost health insurance, through Medi-Cal, or a similar program.

On the other hand, an equal 47 percent said the group should not be eligible, while about 6 percent said they didn’t know or did not want to answer the question.

Along ethnic lines, views are split, with 69 percent of Latino voters but only 39 percent of white voters responding that immigrants should be eligible.

Meanwhile, 68 percent of Democrats supported eligibility,

but only 19 percent of Republicans agreed.

Opposition of eligibility was most passionate (90 percent) among supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Opposition among supports of the other candidates ranked substantially lower.

Support has been growing for years among Californians for new immigration policies that would offer a path to citizenship for undocumented residents. But the poll underscored the divided views of the state, as Californians have remained somewhat conflicted when it comes to offering beneficial but costly services to those immigrants before they attain legal status.

Immigrant rights activists have pushed a proposal to provide state-funded healthcare attainable for all. They came close to succeeding this past summer, but lawmakers scaled back the proposal after cost estimates ran into the hundreds of millions.

Rather, legislators set aside $40 million in the most recent state budget to provide Medi-Cal coverage to children younger than 19 years old, regardless of legal status.

“The responses might have been different if the question had focused on only children who are in the country illegally,” said Drew Lieberman of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, a Democratic firm that conducted the poll with the Republican firm American Viewpoint.

“Although past research has shown that Californians are liberal on a lot of immigration issues, the issue is not resolved when it comes to government benefits that involve financial compensation for those in the country without authorization,” said David Kanevsky of American Viewpoint.

“I have family members who are immigrants and I see how they work very hard and are sick. It’s not fair how I have insurance and they don’t,” said Wendy Sagastume, 26, of Los Angeles. “If they are sick, they should at least have help paying for their medicine.”

Sagastume, a Democrat who considers herself liberal, said her aunt was hit with an astronomically expensive bill after she was hospitalized for five days because of Type 2 diabetes. Her daughters pitched in to pay the bill.

Debbie Ruvolo from Mission Viejo disagreed, saying she believes people without legal status should not be eligible for free or low-cost healthcare.

“The benefit should be for only US citizens,” she told the Los Angeles Times.

About 20 years ago, Ruvolo shared, she tried to get government financial assistance to pay for her child’s special formula, which she couldn’t afford because her husband was out of a job. The family was barely scraping by but she was denied help, she said.

“I will never forget waiting in

Community calls on politicians and leaders to take action

by Allyson

EscobAr

AJPress

FROM police officers to community leaders to elected officials, hundreds packed the pews of Hamilton United Methodist Church on Sunday, September 13 for a town meeting to discuss the recent surge in violence and the high number of killings in South Los Angeles.

“We’re going to take our communities back,” said City Councilman Curren Price. “We can’t police our way out of this, can we?”

The gathering was organized just days before by Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who had been looking for a way for South LA residents to discuss the issue.

Harris-Dawson said he wanted to give people a chance to talk about how it was affecting the community, to make sure their voices were heard by officials and police officers looking for proactive, realistic solutions.

“What’s very clear here is there’s much more to the story,” Harris-Dawson said, “whether it’s a gunshot survivor or a mother who lost her child or a police officer who thought he had it in check.

As of September, over 5,100 people had been killed in Los Angeles this year -- up 4.4 percent from the same period in 2014, according to data from the Los Angeles Police Department.

August was a deadly month, with 39 people killed across the city, the most in a single month in the region since July 2009.

Nearly half of those killings occurred in South LA, the Los Angeles Times reported.

LAPD officials and South LA leaders have been working diligently to ease the violence, which police attribute largely to gang activity. With the help of clergy and gang intervention workers, as well as more officers on patrol, the department has increased community outreach efforts to better protect its citizens.

LAPD Deputy Chief Bill Scott said that 80 percent of the homicides in South LA this year were related to gang violence. “But,” he said, “a lack of educational opportunities, jobs and other programs to help improve the community also play a role.”

Social media also was helping to fuel the aggression and ease gang tensions. For instance, Scott cited an August shooting in which a photo of two men lying bloody on the sidewalk circulated on Instagram and Twitter.

“Those types of posts are gonna cause problems,” Scott said.

“We have to come up with some solid solutions.”

Leaders and residents in the audience called on the politicians in the crowd—including Reps.

Karen Bass and Lucille RoybalAllard and state Sen. Holly Mitchell—to bring more resources to

their neighborhoods. They emphasized more in the budget for gang intervention programs, job opportunities, and after-school programs for young people.

“Intervention workers are crucial to reducing violence because they live and sleep in the neighborhoods most affected,” said Aqeela Sherrills, an activist working against gang violence.

“This has to be a long-term strategy,” he said. “We have to be looking at training the next generation of interventionists.”

Other residents looked to their own neighborhoods, saying it was up to the community to protect their children.

“We have to police our own selves,” one man said. “Go home at night and make sure your kids are home.”

Thomas Wilson spoke through a jaw that was wired shut, the result of gunfire outside of a carwash in Manchester Square.

He was one of the two men in the photograph Scott had mentioned. The other, Delshon Eugene Hayes, was killed.

“Responding detectives thought I was dead and didn’t help me soon enough,” Wilson said. The delay allowed bystanders to snap photos of his body sprawled on the sidewalk.

“It’s our kids that are doing the killing,” said Tanya Summerise-Carter, whose two sons were killed in shootings 12 years apart. “And it’s our kids that are getting killed.” n

High winds and cooler temperatures in Southern California THIS week, satellite images showed a low-pressure storm system approaching Southern California from the north, bringing with it cooler temperatures and periods of rain.

The late summer storm system, combined with moisture from former tropical Cyclone Linda, brought heavy, predicted scattered showers to the region.

On Tuesday, Sept. 15, heavy rains left thousands without power and caused havoc on local freeways and roads, the California Highway Patrol said.

The Los Angeles Daily News reported “uncertainty” about the trajectory of the expected storm system and the volume of rain it would generate.

However, the National Weather Service (NWS) said coastal slopes and foothills will experience the highest rainfall amounts.

Los Angeles County will receive between a quarter-inch and an inch of rain, while other areas of Southern California could get less than a quarter-inch.

On Tuesday, roads were closed due to flooding, and multiple SigAlerts were issued as a result of crashes that occurred on rainslicked roadways, according to KTLA5.

“Since many areas have seen little or no rainfall in the past couple of months, buildup of oil on the roadways could lead to extra slippery driving conditions once rain starts falling,” the NWS said in a statement.

Moreover, “minor urban roadway flooding will be possible in Los Angeles County, which could be worsened by clogged storm drains and culverts,” it added.

Forecasters noted that since the weather system is the product of a warm mass of subtropical ocean air, it will not produce any snow but will generate high

winds, with gusts of more than 40 miles per hour expected in the Antelope Valley and mountain areas.

A wind advisory was in effect from 11 am to 9 pm on Monday, Sept. 14 in the Antelope Valley, with strong gusts expected.

More than 6,000 Southern California Edison residents in Ventura County, Ojai, Long Beach and Montebello were without power overnight as a result of electrivity outages, two of which were weather-related.

This week, the strongest winds are forecast to swirl in the western tier of the Antelope Valley, forecasters said. Drivers should beware of crosswinds.

Meanwhile, temperatures will be several degrees cooler than during last week’s heat wave, when highs topped 100.

Temperatures cooled slightly on Wednesday and will begin rising again on Thursday, in time for the weekend. n

the waiting room and people were there from other countries and getting help,” Ruvolo said.

“To me the system is set up to be there as a temporary support for people, if you are down and out and it’s out of your control. In other words, the US citizens are the ones paying taxes, so part of the tax money should go to that:

to help US citizens.”

Another a wide gap showing Californians’ sharply divided views was the result of a similar poll from a few years ago, asking whether undocumented immigrants should be allowed to obtain driver’s licenses. 69 percent of Latino voters and 44 percent of whites supported the

new driving privilege law, AB 60, which had already gone into effect.

The USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll of 1,500 registered state voters was done by telephone Aug. 29-Sept. 8. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points, higher for subgroups. n

by Allyson

EscobAr

AJPress

HERITAGE REDISCOVERED. A hidden heritage has been “rediscovered” deep in the mountains of San Remigio town, Antique province. A cluster of rice terraces spread in a combined area of 600 hectares has been preserved by the Iraynon Bukidnon, an indigenous group in Barangay (village) General Fullon, and is deemed a cultural treasure.

Inquirer.net photo by Ruperto Quitag

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LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 16-18, 2015

A

Dateline PhiliPPines

Duterte tells Roxas: Stand on track record, stop smearing rivals

by AllAn

nAwAl Inquirer.net

SKIN PROTECTION. Skin care products have been donated, hopefully, a sincere gesture to help and not just a marketing gimmick. Days after the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (HPG) appealed to the private sector for material support following their deployment to six choke points on the perennially congested EDSA, Vicki Belo, a dermatologist to the stars, has donated skin-care products to the new guardians of Metro Manila’s primary highway.

PNP photo

Abu Sayyaf abducts 7 construction workers

by Agnes

ConstAnte AJPress

MUSLIM extremist group Abu Sayyaf abducted seven construction workers early Monday, Sept.

14, on a government road project on the island of Basilan, the military said, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Nine workers were initially abducted, but two managed to escape, said Capt. Sally Magno of the Joint Task Force Basilan, according to GMA News.

Workers were taking a water truck belonging to Abubakar Construction to Basilan on Mon-

day at 8:45 am, when Abu Sayyaf intercepted the truck, according to Magno and a statement from Basilan’s military unit.

Police and troops were deployed to search for and rescue the workers, but were unable to find the suspects. The military and local officials are working to obtain further information on the abducted workers, said regional military spokeswoman Capt. Maria Rowena Muyuela, according to AFP. The abduction of the workers comes days after a Basilan court declared Abu Sayyaf a terrorist organization under the Human

Security Act of 2007, GMA News reported.

Abu Sayyaf is also blacklisted by the United States as a terrorist organization. The group has previously attacked Americans in the southern region.

The extremist group has a history of beheading its captives, kidnapping for ransom and fatal bombings, among other things. It has nearly 400 gunmen that divided into factions found in Basilan and other outlying islands, according to the Associated Press, and typically targets Christians and foreigners. n

Aquino accepts Kiko resignation appreciation to Secretary Pangilinan for his contribution to the government and wished him the Philstar.com best in his future endeavors,” CoMANILA – Food security chief loma said.

Pangilinan told reporters he Francis Pangilinan has resigned from his post to prepare for his submitted his letter of resignation last week and that he met bid for the Senate in 2016.

President Aquino accepted with the President to discuss his Pangilinan’s resignation as decision.

“Regarding my future plans, presidential assistant for food security and agricultural mod- the official announcement will ernization effective Sept. 30, come in due time,” he said in a Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. text message.

In a letter dated Sept. 8, Panof the Presidential Communications Operations Office said gilinan expressed gratitude to the President for his trust, confiMonday, Sept. 14.

“The President expressed his dence and support.

by AureA

And

CAliCA CzerizA VAlenCiA

“The support extended by the President and the Cabinet has been crucial in addressing the challenges in the agriculture department and the government’s vision of good governance and inclusive growth,” he said.

Pangilinan was appointed food security chief in May 2014.

With his appointment, several attached agencies of the Department of Agriculture (DA) were placed directly under his supervision. These are the National Food Authority (NFA), National Irrigation Administration, Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA)

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DAVAO CITY – Mayor Rodrigo Duterte fired off on Tuesday, Sept. 15, a criticism against the camp of Liberal Party presumed candidate Mar Roxas for allegedly trying to boost the latter’s candidacy at the expense of other presumed presidential candidates.

He cited the recent posts of Philip Lustre Jr. as among examples of the demolition jobs against him, Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senator Grace Poe. Duterte has declared he will not run while Poe is now expected to make an announcement on Wednesday (Sept. 16). Binay had been very open about his desire to become the country’s next president.

“In previous articles he (Lustre) wrote, he labeled Binay a thief, Senator Grace Poe an upstart, and called me the Philippines’ version of Cambodian monster Pol Pot and made fun of my thick Visayan accent when I speak Tagalog,” Duterte said in a statement.

“One does not have to be a rocket scientist to understand that this PR man is promoting the candidacy of administration Presidential bet Mar Roxas,” said Duterte.

“Painting others black in order (for Roxas) to look white,” he said, has become “the name of the game on the social media, including mainstream media with pseudo-journalists writing and broadcasting lies to advance the interests of their political patrons.”

Duterte said he should not have minded it at all if the issues raised were legitimate because these would help voters to decide.

“I agree that all of us in public service are subject to intense scrutiny by the media and by our constituents, especially during the election season when political leaders must be vetted by the electorate,” he added.

Duterte said it was alright that Binay be compelled to address the issues of corruption against him, that Poe should enlighten

the Filipino people on her real citizenship status or even to question him for the alleged human rights violations “in the process of turning Davao City from a former Killing Fields of Communist assassins to being one of the World Safest Cities today.”

But unfounded reports and lies, such as him having throat cancer, was malicious because it was clearly meant to prop up Roxas.

Amid allegations against his perceived opponents, Roxas,

Did you know that shredding personal documents, including old bank statements, canceled checks, credit card offers, and any paperwork containing account numbers and Social Security numbers, is highly recommended to help protect against identity theft?

Join AARP in Los Angles on Thursday, October 1, 2015 for a Shred-A-Thon where you can properly shred old personal documents and attend a Fraud Watch Network workshop to learn how to protect you and your family from scams.

Thursday, October 1, 2015 Shred-A-Thon: 8:00AM-4:00PM

Fraud Watch Network Workshop: 11:30AM-1:00PM

Please reserve your spot today by calling 1-877-926-8300 or going to aarp.cvent.com/AARPCAShredFWN2015.

Location:

200 Carson St, Lakewood, CA 90712

To find out more about this event and others, visit www. aarp.org/losangeles2

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A SEPTEMBER 16-18, 2015 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

http://www.asianjournal.com • (818) 502-0651 • (213) 250-9797

OpiniOn

Features

Election season

AS early as now, Filipinos are encouraged to exercise their right to vote and do so prudently in next year’s elections. With a number of high profile politicians involved in controversies recently, political reform in the Philippines is hounded by higher a public expectation, making next year’s polls even more crucial. Filipinos must realize the power that belongs to them, which is to choose the leaders they think will represent their interests. They must do so by exercise the right of suffrage with tenacity and good cheer.

Because of such pressure, every vote (from the estimated 54 million registered Filipino voters) has become more precious than ever. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) attempts to capture two million more qualified voters into the system until the deadline of December 15 this year.

However, with less than eight months before the 2016 national and local elections, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed that only three in four Filipinos are eligible to vote. As much as 46.6 million Filipino voters are at risk of disenfranchisement after the recent SWS poll showed that only 76 percent of 1,200 respondents are registered voters and have had their biometrics digitally recorded.

It was also revealed in the June survey that 16 percent of the respondents—equivalent to 9.7 million—are registered voters but have not yet submitted their biometric data.Meanwhile, eight percent of the respondents, or 4.7 million Filipinos, are not yet registered voters.

The Comelec refuted these figures from SWS and clarified that based on its own records, voters who do not have biometrics data have gone down to 3.1 million. It added that regardless of SWS’ questionable results, the Comelec records are the official data that would used for next year’s polls.

The voter registration is set to end on Oct. 31, and there are still 3,130,377 votes to be accounted for.

Meanwhile, to up the ante for next year’s polls, the Comelec is also pushing for the the conduct of

debates for all candidates in the 2016 polls. Sen. Loren Legarda, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, said the voters deserve to know the candidates’ stand on various issues and that holding debates is one of the best ways to bring the platforms of candidates to the electorate.

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, chairman the Senate committee on electoral reforms, supported the initiative and said there are already proposed laws to make debates among candidates mandatory.

The Comelec also aims to get Filipino citizens abroad interested to vote in 2016 by presidential candidates for their specific plans for overseas Filipino workers and disseminate copies of these plans to embassies abroad. There are eight million potential voters abroad, but only but only 1.2 million have registered so far.

“Sooner or later, maybe not only the candidates, also our people will come to realize that the OFW vote could be a game changer, not only in the senatorial but even in the presidential elections,” Comelec commissioner Arthur Lim said.

Lim added that the Comelec is working closely with the Dept. of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to attract more overseas absentee voters to register and participate.

The Comelec is also encouraging the Filipino youth, which accounts for at least 37 percent of the 2016 electorate, to register and vote. Manila-Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said today’s youth “unlike generations past, have access to high tech-

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

nology and a wealth of information. More importantly, young people, still have the energy and idealism to effect positive change in the country.”

The election fever brings a feeling of obligation towards the citizens and those who aspire for positions in the government. Future leaders depend heir success to the citizens of the nation and may serve as their motivation to work for the people

and the common good.

To weed out the traditional politicians (trapos) from actual leaders, the Filipino electorate must use this opportunity to educate themselves and create sensible demands for greater social or economic equality. This will force politicians to campaign toward some of their requests to make their votes count. (AJPress)

Title II threatens minority populations, small businesses EARLIER this year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted along party lines to reclassify Internet Service Providers (ISPs) as public utilities and to regulate the Internet under outdated Title II regulations. The negative effects of these burdensome regulations are quickly materializing. There are now clear indications that Title II harms broadband investment and innovation, which in turn harms many diverse communities and small businesses across the country.

Our country’s largest ISPs just issued their second quarter S.E.C filings, and these filings made it clear that the FCC’s Open Internet Order has already had a detrimental effect on investment, with some ISPs showing a decline of as much as 29 percent, compared to this time last year.

Typically, these companies spend billions every year to expand and enhance network infrastructure, in order to meet consumer demand, deliver new innovations, and remain competitive. Those billions constitute economic growth, and they create jobs and bring important benefits to con-

the deterioration of a resource sumers and businesses. This dethat has become indispensable cline means that both those who Commentary to so many people. depend on the Internet the most The Internet is an essential and those who struggle to get actool especially for those who cess will be negatively affected live in remote areas where as broadband providers and tech educational and professional companies continue to react to Bill imada opportunities may not be as heavy regulation.

These falling investment numbers offer a warn- widely available as in other parts of the country. ing about this new regulatory environment, and Broadband is an important resource for people in that’s a warning we cannot afford to ignore. There rural areas to excel through online education and is much at stake, including economic growth, career development programs. When overbearjobs, and opportunity for minority populations ing regulations threaten access to Internet innovations, those who rely on that access the most – particularly the Asian American community.

Recent Pew research shows that Asian Ameri- also stand to lose the most.

Having the latest broadband technology is also cans are enthusiastic users of the Internet and rely on broadband more so than other groups. necessary for small businesses to connect with When it comes to broadband adoption, 97 per- new markets and offer modern customer sercent of English-speaking Asian Americans use vices. In California, there are over 600,000 Asian the Internet compared to 78 percent of blacks, 81 Pacific Islander-owned businesses. These busipercent of Hispanics, and 85 percent of Whites. nesses generate over $181 billion in annual revEmbracing policies like Title II will only lead to enue, employ over 910,135 people, and have an

annual payroll of $26 billion. Heavy federal regulations place a huge burden on our tech startups and entrepreneurs. Other businesses throughout the country will also suffer if burdensome regulations continue to make it more difficult to benefit from modern broadband services.

These early signs of trouble caused by Title II regulations should not be taken lightly. It’s not too late to heed those warnings and correct course, thereby securing a future of innovation, possibilities, and continued investment, not only for the benefit of our Asian Pacific Islander communities and businesses but for our overall economy and for all Americans. *** Bill Imada is the chairman of IW Group, Inc., a multicultural marketing agency. He is also a co-founder and board member of the Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship (ACE) and a board member of the California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce.

Where has Sen. Grace Poe Llamanzares’ sense of honor and shame gone?

THIS question has to be asked in light of Opinion Mrs. Llamanzares’s completely crass effort to promote herself as a possible presidential candidate, despite the clear language of the Constitution that ren- Francisco TaTad ders her ineligible to seek the presidency or the vice presidency or even to remain in the Senate, where she was “elected” in 2013 after making false claims about her citizenship and residency.

She is now facing a disqualification suit before the Senate Electoral Tribunal for making those false claims, and the case is set for oral arguments at the Supreme Court on September 21. She has submitted to the SET some documents in her defense, including two certificates of live birth, in an effort to show that she is a natural-born Filipino, who has resided in the country for six years and six months immediately preceding the election – longer than the two years required of senatorial candidates.

Both certificates are spurious, and tend to support the position of the petitioner rather than that of the defense.

Thus, during the preliminary conference at the Supreme Court last Friday (Sept. 11), petitioner Rizalito David, through counsel Manuelito Luna, adopted the same certificates as part of

his evidence, to the visible chagrin and consternation of the defense.

Justice Antonio Carpio, who chairs the SET, suggested that petitioner drop the residency issue and concentrate on the citizenship issue instead. And David agreed. The conscript media saw this as Round One for Mrs. Llamanzares, but this is rather naive. She has not won any round at all; to the contrary, Carpio’s suggestion may have brought the play closer to “sudden death.”

In a sense, the residency issue is already subsumed in the citizenship issue. Unless the Court declares Mrs. Llamanzares a natural-born citizen, in spite of the Constitution and the circumstances of her birth, which show her to have been stateless at birth, there would be no need to raise the residency or any other issue to oust her from office. Once the Court declares she is not a natural-born citizen – or even a legally naturalized Filipino – it would not matter anymore how long she has been in the country.

The first certificate of live birth, dated Nov. 27, 1968, shows that Mary Grace was born a foundling, and found in the parish church of Jaro, Iloilo on Sept.

3, 1968 at 9:30 am by Edgardo Militar who later put her in the custody of Emil-

iano Militar of Sta Isabel Street, Jaro.

But the typewritten document contains so many handwritten alterations, which render it void and worthless. It identifies the child as Mary Grace Natividad Contreras Militar, without indicating how she got her surname “Contreras Militar,” but this name is bracketed (as if for deletion) and on top of it is written “Sonora Poe.” Its most fatal flaw is a handwritten note of seven short lines on its upper right hand saying the child was “adopted by the spouses Ronald Allan Poe and Jesusa Sonora Poe as per Court Order, Municipal Court, San Juan, Rizal, by Judge Alfredo Gorgonio dated May 13, 1974, under Special Proclamation No. 138.” The order itself is legally questionable because adoption cases normally belong to the jurisdiction of the regional trial court, rather than to the municipal court. But the more important issue is, how did a legal document dated Nov. 27, 1968 manage to take cognizance of an adoption decision, which purportedly took place six years later? This appears to be conclusive proof that the certificate was manufactured on or after May 13, 1974, and is therefore null and void ab initio. It has no legal value; it cannot be the source or proof of any claim that Mrs. Llamanzares was born a Filipino or became a natural-born Filipino after her birth.

One is either a natural-born Filipino or not upon birth; nobody becomes a nat-

ural-born Filipino after birth.

The second certificate of live birth is no less invalid than the first. Dated May 4, 2006, or 38 years after Mrs. Llamanzares was born, it was executed by Mrs. Jesusa Sonora Poe, her adoptive mother, who identifies the child no longer as Mary Grace Natividad Militar but rather as Mary Grace Sonora Poe, allegedly born to herself (Jesusa) and to her husband Ronald Allan Poe in Jaro, Iloilo City on Sept. 3, 1968, several months before they were married on Dec. 25, 1968 in Valenzuela, Bulacan. No medical or legal evidence exists to show that Mrs. Poe ever conceived and delivered a child during her marriage to the famous actor Fernando Poe, Jr. who died on Dec. 13, 2004. All the known facts about Mrs. Llamanzares’ birth, including public statements made by Mrs. Poe and Mrs. Llamanzares herself, contradict this false claim.

And yet in her 2006 petition for “reacquisition” of her non-existent Philippine citizenship, and her certificate of candidacy for the Senate in 2013, Mrs. Llamanzares repeats her false claim that she is a natural-born citizen, born to the spouses Ronald and Jesusa Poe in Jaro, Iloilo on Sept. 3, 1968. And so far she has gotten away with it! How many times must someone tell a brazen lie before he or she is stopped repeating it and profiting from it? Or does Mrs. Llamanzares believe in the Nazi propaganda dictum that a

lie repeated consistently ultimately becomes a truth?

If she has not read the Constitution, Mrs. Llamanzares has enough lawyer friends, beginning with her apparent gray eminence Sen. Francis Escudero, to tell her what the Constitution says.

It says no person may be elected President, Vice President, Senator or Congressman unless he is, among other things, a natural-born citizen of the Philippines – meaning, “a citizen of the Philippines from birth without having to perform any act to acquire or perfect his citizenship.”

The Constitution means exactly what it says, and there is only one way of understanding it – the way the people, who are the real authors of the document, understand it. It is pure conceit for Mrs. Llamanzares’ swaggering financiers and legal supporters to boast that the Constitution could be interpreted any which way they would like to interpret it, and that with their power and money they could make the Court dance to their wicked tune.

This is an obscenity and there is no basis for it. On Aug. 18, 2015, the Supreme Court unseated a popularly elected town mayor in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte for having failed to comply with the requirements of his reacquisition of citizenship, after having been a citizen of the United States. This is the case of Rommel Arnado, a former

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

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Dateline PHiliPPineS

Where has Sen. Grace Poe…

PAGE A6 t

natural-born citizen, who became an American because of naturalization, relinquished his US citizenship, and on July 10, 2008 took an oath of allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines, pursuant to RA 9225, or the Dual Citizenship Law of 2003.

However he used his US passport to travel at least twice to the US after taking his oath of allegiance.

The Court interpreted this use of the US passport as an act of recanting his renunciation of his US citizenship.

Except for the fact that Mrs. Llamanzares was never a natural-born Filipino who became a US citizen after 2003, and therefore not qualified to benefit from the Dual Citizenship Law, the Arnado case is virtually on all fours with that of Mrs. Llamanzares; she continued to use her US passport until 2009 after she took her oath of allegiance to the Philippine government in 2006. But even without going into this, her not being a former naturalborn Filipino disqualifies her from being covered

by RA 9225, and her false claim that she is natural-born renders her “reacquired citizenship” null and void.

The dire implications of this must have dawned on Mrs. Llamanzares and her defense counsel during the preliminary conference that they decided to appeal to popular passion rather than to the law.

She has therefore decided to launch her candidacy, based on her alleged (but unverified) popularity. On Monday, the first full page ad on the Philippine Daily Inquirer, costing at least P400,000, launched the so-called “ALL4GP MOVEMENT” (All for Grace Poe Movement) with the image of

Mrs. Llamanzares standing beside FPJ and the following text: “Kami ay nagbuklod upang ipaglaban ang katuparan ng ating mga pangarap.

Salamat FPJ, sa iyong anak nanatiling buhay ang aming pag-asa para sa bagong umaga!

Ikaw at Ako, anuman ang Lahi, sama-sama para sa Ganap na Pagbabago!”

(We have banded together to fight for the fulfillment of our dreams. Thank you FPJ, in your offspring lives our hope for a new tomorrow.

You and I, whatever our race, all together for real change!”)

The Llamanzares camp is expected to make some announcements today. But the central message is out – you and I, whatever our race, and whatever the Constitution says, should stand together for Grace Poe. All the fortune tellers, fengshui dabblers and soothsayers have been mobilized to predict Mrs. Llamanzares’ unstoppable “victory,” just as about a year ago they started predicting the presidency of Alan Peter Cayetano. Assuming pigs will finally fly, and the whole Court is bought to pronounce Mrs. Llamanzares as a natural-born citizen, this could be the first time the country will have a president with no clear nationality, but with an American husband and American children º an American family.

There was a time within memory when even the most shameless politicians would have hesitated and said, “nakahihiya!” (So shameful!) to attempt anything like this. But all that is gone. In this time of Grace Poe Llamanzares, honor is something you feed to the dogs. (fstatad@gmail.com)

LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 16-18, 2015

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Duterte tells Roxas: Stand on…

PAGE A5 t

he said, was being presented as “white.”

“It is not right, however, when the focus of the scrutiny is just the perceived opponents of the administration Presidential bet, former Secretary Mar Roxas,” Duterte said, adding that “It is not fair to paint Binay, Poe and Duterte black just so Mar would appear white.”

He said if Roxas really wanted to be President, he must stand on what he had done, his record of government service, his competence and his plans for the country.

“Mar cannot stand on our carcasses badly mangled by his PR men just so he could reach his presidential ambitions,” Duterte said.

“I hold the Mar Roxas camp responsible for the actions of this

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II.

PR man,” he added.

Duterte then urged Binay, Poe and Roxas to raise the level of their political campaign to give voters “an accurate picture of who they are and what they could do for the country.”

“Let us not corrupt our peo-

Aquino accepts Kiko…

Inquirer.net file photos

ple’s mind and influence their political decision with lies.

Let us show people who their prospective leaders really are, what their plans are and what future they could offer the future generations of Filipinos,” he said. n

working on an action plan to address the matter.

National Economic and Deover again to Agriculture SecrePAGE A5 t velopment Authority director and the Fertilizer and Pesticide tary Proceso Alcala.

Coloma said the government’s general Arsenio Balisacan had Authority.

Coloma said there was no word preparations for the El Niño phe- been tasked to convene the Food yet as to who would replace Pan- nomenon would not be affected Security Council, which would gilinan or if the agencies under by Pangilinan’s resignation since meet today to discuss the action his supervision would be turned a Cabinet committee had been plan. n

A SEPTEMBER 16-18, 2015 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

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COMMUNITY Journal

Business News

IRS won’t take checks over $100 million starting in 2016

by AgneS

conStAnte AJPress

RULES for taxpayers who owe more than $100 million to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have changed: in 2016, the agency will no longer accept checks with amounts greater than $99,999,999, the Associated Press reported.

For those who owe such amounts, tax payments will have to be sent electronically or in multiple checks with amounts less than $100 million each.

Memos from the IRS and Treasury Department state that checks worth $100 million or more must be processed by hand, which heightens the risk of

errors, fraud and theft. Furthermore, Federal Reserve banks in America are unable to process checks with such amounts.

This change, however, is likely only to affect a miniscule percentage of American taxpayers.

This year, the IRS reported that it accepted 14 checks worth more than $99,999,999.

The agency did not indicate whether these checks were issued by individuals or businesses due to confidentiality laws.

However, the Treasury Department has noted a rise in federal agencies trying to deposit checks worth $100 million or more, according to the AP. In 2012, America’s highest taxpayers took in an average in-

come of about $336 million; their average tax bill was $56 million.

Conservatives have long been critical of President Barack Obama, saying he has repeatedly proposed to increase their taxes.

Now, the new rules make it even more difficult for the wealthy to pay their taxes, they say.

“If Obama gets really mean, he’s going to make them bring in pennies or nickels,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.

Peter Sepp, president of the National Taxpayers Union, said that such an action by the federal government in fear of errors indicates that “it’s time to revise processing procedures and security

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PH ready for ASEAN integration – Domingo

by Richmond

S. meRcuRio

Philstar.com

MANILA – Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Gregory Domingo said the Philippines is now ready to take on the challenges and seize opportunities in the upcoming full integration of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) next year.

Domingo, who is leaving his post next month or by November, will not be DTI chief once AEC takes full effect but has assured the country is well-positioned for the integration.

In a statement, Domingo said the country’s stable economic performance along with the various reforms implemented has put the Philippines in a good position to benefit from the upcoming Asean integration.

“The country is in a sweet spot. We have been experiencing robust economic growth, consistent upward rankings in Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory Domingo with Samuel Lundquist (right), Wharton vice

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dean of external affairs, during the recent Wharton and Penn Alumni Association meeting.

LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 16-18, 2015

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B SEPTEMBER 16-18, 2015 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

Calendar of Events across

Business news

America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST-EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS SEPTEMBER 19

Citizenship Day 2015 The Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association is having a FREE Citizenship Day event on September 19, from 10:00am to 3:00pm, to assist low-income, 18+ immigrants eligible for US citizenship with the full naturalization process. Every case will be reviewed by a legal attorney. Please call us at 407-841-8310 ext. 3123 for an appointment and any questions you may have. Thank You!

Heal the Bay Coastal Cleanup Day Heal the Bay, a volunteer-run nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the health and safety of Southland beaches and waterways, will host the 26th annual Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday, Sept. 19. More than 10,000 Southland residents and volunteers will mobilize from 9am to noon at more than 50 cleanup sites, from Compton to Malibu, to help remove trash along Los Angeles County beaches and inland waterways, parks, creeks, lakes, highways and alleys. Coastal Cleanup Day participants have collected more than 1 million pounds of trash in Los Angeles County since 1990. By removing debris from beaches and inland neighborhoods, volunteers reduce blight, protect marine animals and bolster the regional economy. Join the world’s biggest single-day volunteer event! Attendees will receive hands-on education about the easy steps they can take to local watersheds and neighborhoods clean, and participants will be given a voucher for free sustainable seafood tacos at any Rubio’s restaurant while extensive supplies last. For volunteers, Cancer Treatment Centers of America will be distributing free tubes of sunscreen at all sites, and Heal the Bay will be hosting a number of community-building activities, such as a sand castle-building contest. Heal the Bay seeks volunteers of all ages and physical abilities, and no special equipment or experience is necessary. For registration information and cleanup tips, please visit www.healthebay.org/ccd.

Contact Alys Arenas, (310) 451-1500, x148, aarenas@healthebay.org, or Matthew King, (310) 451-1500, x137; cell: (310) 463-6266 for more details.

PiLiPinO inTER-CLuB OPEn invitational Golf Tournament The 11th annual PILIPINO INTER-CLUB OPEN (PICO) is open to fellow master golfers from the tri-state area. The charity tournament will be held on Saturday, September 19, at Royce Brook Golf Club (201 Hamilton Rd, Hillsborough Township, NJ 08844). It will be a shotgun start @ 1:30 pm. Registration is $120 each player; includes golf cart and food after the game. Come early for registration, refreshments, and mini contests. Come and join the quest for individual and team honors by class. 100% of the proceeds will benefit the Family Center Christian Church, and donations are 100% tax deductible. Sign-up now at http://www. spgolfclub.com/PICO. For more details, please contact Ed Badiola 908-531-7377, or Justil Cruz 973-926-1400.

uBLA: Kaaldawan of the 41st Penafrancia Fiesta 2015 Most Reverend Gerald Eugene Wilkerson, D.D., V.G., former Bishop of the San Fernando Valley Pastoral Region, will preside over a concelebrated High Mass to highlight the Kaaldawan (Feast Day) of the 41st Annual Penafrancia Fiesta on Saturday, September 19, at 10:00am, through the United Bicolandia Los Angeles (UBLA). Bicolanos are inviting all Marian devotees, Filipinos and other Catholics regardless of ethnicity, to join them in the day-long fiesta in honor of their regional patroness, Our Lady of Penafrancia, in the open air of Lincoln Park and Lake: 3529 N. Mission Road, Los Angeles, CA 90031 (corner E. Valley Blvd.) near downtown. There is a solemn Eucharist Mass schedule with music by Saint Anthony Claret Holy Rosary Choir, followed by a kaaldawan celebration including a novena, Fluvial parade of the Holy Virgin, lunch, and cultural entertainment highlighting Bicolano and Filipino culture.

The 8-day novena will start on the afternoon of Friday, September 11 at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Hollywood. The 2015 Penafrancia Fiesta will end on Sunday, September 27, with a fellowship ball at Montery Hill Restaurant (3700 W. Ramona Blvd., Monterey Park, CA 91754) at 5:30pm. For a full schedule, novenas, and more information, please contact UBLA President Lanie Berrei (818) 281-3169.

SEPTEMBER 20

Virgen De Los Remedios 59th Canonical Coronation Anniversary When: Sunday, September 20, (2:30 PM Assembly for procession) Where: Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (555 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012) Contact: Vidal Aguas, aguadelosangeles@aol.com.

S E P T E M B E R 24

Laudato Si (Praise Be To you, O Lord) caring for our common home Laudato Si (Praise Be To You, O Lord!) is Pope Francis’ encyclical on “CARING FOR OUR COMMON HOME” which addresses the grave impact of climate change in world’s communities and ecosystems. On Thursday, September 24, Climate Scientist, Dr. Josh Fisher, from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will explain the scientific foundation of climate change, which is well-aligned with Pope Francis’ letter. The event will take place 7 to 9 PM at Holy Name of Mary Parish in San Dimas (724 E. Bonita Avenue, San Dimas, CA 91773). All are invited, and free refreshments and childcare will be provided. For more information, please contact Charlie Martinez, Director of Pastoral Ministries at charlie@hnmparish.org.

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 -26

CELEBRATE LOCAL with San Diego Restaurant Week!

This September, San Diego Restaurant Week, presented by Lexus Dealerships of San Diego, will CELEBRATE LOCAL... keepin’ it fresh - really fresh. San Diego Restaurant week returns September 20th - September 26th for ONE WEEK ONLY to “Celebrate Local” at all 180+ participating restaurants. Choose from a three-course dinner or two-course lunch deal to satisfy your cravings. NEW THIS YEAR, San Diego Restaurant Week will be partnering with Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank to provide backpacks for children in need within the San Diego community during the ALL FOR KIDS campaign. Ditch the dirty dishes and join over 150,000 fellow diners as we celebrate San Diego’s thriving culinary scene and the homegrown, local businesses that provide us with the produce and products we love! Tickets are not necessary for this delectable week of discounted dining, but reservations are recommended! Visit SanDiegoRestaurantWeek.com for more information, including a list of participating restaurants, or to make your reservations in advance!

S E P T E M B E R 25 -26

2nd Grand Reunion GOT (RETiRED) from Cerveza San Miguel uS CHAPTER Where: Gold Coast Casino & Hotel (4000 Flamingo Rd. Las Vegas, NV 89103) When: Sept. 25 and 26; Grand Reunion Sept. 26 at 7:00 pm For details and information, please contact Renato Umayam at 323-841-3516, Nida Matias at 818-394-9178, Greg Lacondola at 702-334-8068, or Arnold Navarro at 318-779-6254.

S E P T E M B E R 26

Philippine Medical Association Event The Officers and Members of the Philippine Medical Association headed by President Dr. Arnel Joaquin, and Auxiliary President Divinia Encina will be holding a whole day event to be held at the Reef on the Water in Long Beach, CA on September 26. Assemblyman Rob Bonta and the Philippine Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim will participate in the discussion of the law that was passed by the State Legislature regarding full immunization of children before going to school with no exemption. There will be a Dinner Show with performances by the Tausala Polynesian Dancers. It will be a Luau event wherein all the past Presidents of the Auxiliary will be presented after their 35 years of service to the PMASC. The dinner ticket is $70.00 (if paid before August 31) and $80.00 after the due date. For dinner show reservations: please contact Noli R. Zosa, M.D. or Mrs. Nena Zosa at (562) 572- 2481.

O c TO B E R 1 0

LA Builder Lions Club 25th Anniversary The Los Angeles Builder Lions Club will celebrate their 25th Anniversary and Annual Outstanding Parents Night on October 10, 2015 at the Almansor Court banquet hall (700 S Almansor St, Alhambra, CA 91801). Music will be provided by The Midnight Motion Band.

For further questions, please call Lion Bill Menor (323) 465-0613, Lion Yoli Ramo (213) 3051332, chairpersons or Lion Tita James, co-chair at (818) 203-2325.

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

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Foreign groups support bill cutting PH income taxes

by Richmond

S. meRcuRio

Philstar.com

IN a statement Monday, Sept.

14, the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) expressed its support for reducing personal and corporate income taxes in the Philippines as well as raising taxes on consumption in order to maintain enhanced public sector revenue inflows. Philstar.com/File MANILA - Foreign business groups in the Philippines are pressing the government to pass a bill that aims to reduce income taxes, saying it will help make the country more competitive with other economies in the region.

In a statement yesterday, the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) expressed its support for reducing personal and corporate income taxes in the Philippines as well as raising taxes on consumption in order to maintain enhanced public sector revenue inflows.

“There clearly is a pattern to reduce corporate and individual income tax rates in competing Asean economies to make their countries more competitive. The Philippines should not fall behind the regional trend,” JFC said.

According to the foreign business groups, the Philippines at present imposes the second highest personal income tax and the highest corporate income tax among the six Association of Southeast Asian Nation (Asean) member countries.

The JFC said personal income tax in the Philippines currently stands at 32 percent while the country’s corporate income tax is at 30 percent.

In comparison, personal income tax in Thailand is at 35 percent (down from 37 percent

in 2010), Vietnam 35 percent, Indonesia 30 percent, Malaysia 26 percent (to be reduced to 25 percent in 2016), and Singapore 20 percent.

Meanwhile, corporate income tax in Indonesia and Malaysia are 25 percent, Vietnam 22 percent (down from 35 percent in 2010), Thailand 20 percent (reduced from 35 percent in 2010), and Singapore 17 percent.

JFC stressed the country’s current income tax rates were set in 1997 with adjustments not made frequently enough to remedy a growing inequity as more salaried workers are paying the highest tax bracket.

“Contrary to the view of some that reducing corporate and personal tax rates will decrease total revenues and lead to a deficit, JFC believes reducing these rates will increase investment and trade with higher total revenues being realized from lower corporate and personal income taxes,” the groups said.

“Achieving the goal of lower income and higher consumption taxes is a process that will take

a number of years. The current administration has yet to adopt a policy to make comprehensive changes in income and consumption taxes. Its sole major tax reform has been to raise taxes on alcohol, cigarettes, and tobacco,” the groups added.

The JFC further said it is also advocating the raising of consumption taxes in parallel with reducing income taxes.

“However, we recognize that raising taxes can be unpopular and difficult to achieve close to national elections, especially the VAT, which at 12 percent is the highest of the Asean-6,” it added.

The JFC is a coalition composed of the American, Australian-New Zealand, Canadian, European, Japanese and Korean Chambers of Commerce in the Philippines as well as the Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters.

The groups combined represent over 3,000 member companies engaged in over $230 billion worth of trade and some $30 billion worth of investments in the Philippines. n

Aquino: Lower income tax rates will not help Filipinos

by LouiS

Bacani Philstar.com

MANILA – President Benigno Aquino III on Monday, Sept. 14, rejected proposals to lower prevailing income tax rates.

Aquino said decreasing income tax rates will lead to fewer government revenues and will only expand tax collection deficit.

The president feared that this will affect the country’s credit ratings.

“Ang tanong, kapag binawasan natin ‘yung income tax, mababawasan ‘yung revenue, lalaki ‘yung deficit. Iyong paglaki ba ng deficit magiging negative factor kapag ni-rate sa atin o ni-rate tayo nitong mga credit ratings agencies?” Aquino said in an interview with reporters in Iloilo.

Aquino also bucked calls to increase value-added tax (VAT) to compensate for the expected government revenue loss due to income tax rate cuts.

He said higher VAT rates will

President Benigno Aquino III delivers a speech during the Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc. bell ringing ceremony at the PSE Ayala Trading Floor in Ayala Avenue, Makati City on April 14.

Malacañang Photo Bureau

only increase oil prices, transportation fares and power rates.

“So ang tanong, makakabuti ba ‘yung pagbababa ng income tax level sa mga kababayan natin? At ako’y hindi kumbinsido sa ngayon,” Aquino said.

“Parang ang gandang pakinggan, ano, ‘uy, nadagdagan ‘yung

disposable income ko,’ para sa isang bahagi,” he added. “Pero sa kabilang bahagi naman, tataasan naman ‘yung kokoleltahin sa VAT, ‘yung taxes on oil at iba pa. Baka naman ito walang nangyari sa iyo at ang tatamaan nga mas marami doon sa mas kaunti ang kakayahan.” n

What brands are Filipinos buying online?

BRANDS have become an essential consideration in making purchase decisions.

Lazada, the Philippines’ onestop shopping and selling destination is no stranger in understanding consumer behavior towards brands specifically in the online retail space.

In a study conducted by Lazada on which brands Filipinos buy online, Penshoppe, Asus and Cherry Mobile showed strong affinity with online shoppers evidenced by local Google search results as well as search and sales within the Lazada website

and mobile app.

Camera brand Canon and power tool brand Bosch remains to be popular among consumers aged 55 and above. The rest of the findings are illustrated in the infograph as below.

Lazada through its Marketplace Platform, works in partnership with the biggest local and international brands to provide Filipinos with a large assortment of products across electronics and lifestyle categories.

“The number of consumers looking to buy beauty products online is increasing, so partner-

ing with Lazada seemed to be the best way to expand into the online shopping space,” says Khristine Santos, customer development manager of Belo Essentials.

“We regard Lazada as the most trusted e-commerce company in the Philippines and as a consumer brand, consumer trust is very important for us to grow. It allows us to easily track results and we are able to develop a better understanding of our online market,” Santos of Belo Essentials added. (Inquirer.net)

Peso fall unlikely to repeat 1997 Asian financial crisis

by PRinz

P. magtuLiS Philstar.com

MANILA – The peso’s drop is unlikely to pose economic distress to the Philippines similar to that of the 1997 Asian financial crisis as the country has already put its fiscal house in order together with its Southeast Asian counterparts, government officials and analysts said.

National Treasurer Roberto Tan told The Star the Aquino administration is confident it can handle the recent plunge in the peso’s value against the dollar.

The local unit has so far declined five percent against the dollar.

“The depreciation of the peso will increase the peso value of debt. The peso depreciation will also increase the peso value of debt servicing,” Tan said in a text message.

“However…, we are very much capable of managing our foreign debt exposure now,” Tan said.

According to a report by invest-

National Treasurer Roberto Tan told The STAR the Aquino administration is confident it can handle the recent plunge in the peso’s value against the dollar. The local unit has so far declined five percent against the dollar.

Philstar.com/File

ment bank BBVA, government debts accounted for 47.6 percent of gross domestic product, citing it as one of the South East Asian economies with “improved” external standing.

A separate report from the Bu-

reau of Treasury last week put the total value of the national government debt at P5.847 trillion as of July, inching up 0.5 percent from the first semester.

The BBVA said aside from the

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Community Journal

LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 16-18, 2015

Mining memories of Mindoro

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond

“Take care of all your memories, for you cannot relive them.”

Monette AdevA MAglAyA

— Robert Frost

(First of 2 parts)

EVERY place I have ever been to is made significant by the images and thoughts I have of people, places and experiences that still live on in my memory. For Mindoro, it’s memories of my father, this place called Naujan and sizzling hot summer days.

While my father worked as ship captain plying the interisland routes and waterways and later on, the high seas on international assignments, my mother raised a big brood of seven girls and a boy practically all by herself. During school breaks, she would pack the girls off for summer vacation to our grandparents’ home in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro. It was then a half day’s trip from Manila via Batangas City. I was so excited, I thought my heart would burst.

Time can dull memories and I wasn’t ready to let go of the past just yet. Not until I’ve come full circle. I was determined to see this place one more time to rekindle the memories of glorious summers spent as a pintsized kid gamboling about like a frisky, wet puppy, with my sisters and cousins in the beaches of Kanipisan and Aplaya. These were seaside beach towns abutting this tiny town called Naujan. It was the place my father, Manolo, the eldest of a brood of siblings, were born and raised.

Those memories sparkle. They were happy, carefree, innocent, idyllic days of sun, sand, sea and simple pleasures. Lola would instruct Miguel, a trusted farm hand to bring us to the niyugan, or coconut plantation. Miguel would know exactly which trees to climb and with his gulok, (a Tagalog term for a machete), chop off the young nuts which fell to the ground with a thud.

We drank cool, clear coconut juice straight out of its shell and with a teaspoon in one hand, scraped off the sides of the young nut, called malauhog by locals. These are young coconut flesh, resembling the consistency of early stage, transparent phlegm. Alright. Ewwwww. But who cares? When you’re young, unpretentious and really hungry, your grumbling stomach is the boss.

Calapan is the entryway from

the Luzon mainland by air, land and sea to Oriental Mindoro. It enjoys a geographical proximity to the mainland and the shipping routes. It has a small pier in a cove where boats coming from Batangas docked. Calapan provides a bit of excitement that a sleepy town like Naujan couldn’t muster. In recent years, an SM store in town was a definite cause for celebration.

Tio Oscar, my father’s youngest brother, was the town entrepreneur cum inventor who tried his hand at many things. He was short in stature but I remember him as a big kid with a pure sense of fun. He drove around town in an old, rickety opentopped, army surplus World War II vintage weapons carrier which he used for business and leisure. He hauled huge blocks of ice coated with ipa, those rice husks used to prevent the ice from melting for the hot, dusty trip between Calapan and the only restaurant in Naujan, which he and his wife Tia Celia, owned and operated at the time.

During those days, electricity was miserly meted out from 6 in the evening till 6 in the morning — that is, — when the generators were working. The ice would chill Tio Oscar’s stash of soda in a cooler during the day and he would use the rest for the crushed ice for the best halohalo in town.

It was said that his halo-halo was so scrumptiously delicious, it would entice barefoot hordes of Mangyans to come down from the mountains and give themselves the cool treat.

When Tio Oscar’s chores were done, he would then haul all of us, a ragtag band of scrawny, eager-beaver kids, off to the beach.

We would bury our soda stash in the cold wet sand to chill it and rush to the sea and swim with abandon until our fingers and toes were wrinkled, our skin a few shades darker. By then we had worked up a fierce appetite.

Tio Oscar’s hungry horde of kids would then mow down grilled fish either banak or banglis, tulingan, halabos na hipon and steaming rice mixed with raw eggs complimented by choppedup pajo, red eggs and tomatoes.

We built black sand sculptures which killjoy waves promptly crushed and swept back out to sea. We would kibitz and swarm about like pesky flies at the abundant haul of fishermen pulling in their nets bursting with their fresh catch of the day from the sea. Those were beautiful summer days. Life was good.

Those days have ebbed and are gone forever. But pure joy still flows back with remembrance. I wanted to revisit the former site of my grandparent’s old place in the center of town where my father was born in 1912. Vicente Adeva, my Lolo was an insular (meaning island) teacher who received his civil service appointment on July 01, 1907.

One of the sepia photos my brother recovered from the old house was of Lolo who as Provincial Treasurer, and then Secretary posed with provincial officials and the American Governor General, Theodore Roosevelt Jr. The tall strapping American was appointed by President Herbert Hoover in 1932 as Governor General of what was then called the Philippine Islands. Papa was immensely proud of his roots and proud of being a Naujeno even when he lived in the US after retirement.

While living in Glendale, California in his mid-eighties, he always looked forward to dressing to the nines in a tuxedo, and tripping the light fantastic whirling about on the dance floor with my mother or his daughters for the Naujeno Annual Ball in some posh Los Angeles hotel, half a world away from the place he loved. He may have wanted to reconnect with a few remaining old timers, people he had common ties with while growing up. But mostly during his last years, he was simply happy and content being home with my mother.

If he had the chance however, he would have wanted to visit the place where he grew up —just one more time— before sudden death on a dreary and cold winter’s day overtook him.

He was 87 years old.

More than a decade later, I went in his stead. It was some-

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Debt Relief Atty. LAwrence yAng Chapter 11 CLIENT presents himself as an importer & nationwide distributor of electronic items with gross annual sales $5.0M. He has a warehouse in Los Angeles with 15 employees. His business is actually doing well. But due to a business dispute with a major supplier, there is a recent judgment of $2.1M against his business for breach of contract. But for this judgment, his business would not have any major problem. Orders keep rolling in and his warehouse crew is busy shipping out the orders. His suppliers are getting paid, although with a little delay. The suppliers don’t mind that he is a little late. His business has been operating for 7 years. It still turns a respectable profit and sales are increasing.

He just got a nationwide retailer as a customer last month.

He has bank loan of $2.0M for operating capital secured by inventory & receivables. He uses

EMPLOYMENT

Community Journal

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Business with $2.1M judgment against it seeks Chapter 11 relief Senior with $24K debt seeks Chapter 7 relief; Senior protects house with Chapter 13 also direct suppliers’ credit for $1.0M. He is working out a very big order for the nationwide retailer. The $2.1M judgment against the business threw a big monkey wrench into his business operations. Judgment creditor is now threatening to levy the business accounts, inventory and receivables to satisfy the judgment.

Chapter 11 will allow client to prevent the levy on the business accounts, inventory and receivables. Chapter 11 will further allow the business to continue operating without fear of further lawsuits from anyone. It will allow payments to suppliers so that the business can continue operating.

It will give client enough time to devise a feasible plan to continue business. This plan may completely disregard the judgment of $2.1M as if it never existed if the court confirms the plan. Clients’ business will emerge from Chapter 11 as a leaner and more profitable company thus assuring its continued viability.

Chapter 7 Client is 70 and now lives by

himself. All his children live out of state. His wife is much younger so she still works. But she works in the East Coast. She has her own living expenses there and her own debts. She doesn’t have any financial problems because her income is good and she doesn’t really owe too much debt. She’s pretty much living her own life there, and he’s living his own life here in Los Angeles.

He has $24K of credit card debt. He needs to pay a minimum of $750 monthly to keep the cards current. He used the cards to cover the medical expenses of relatives abroad who had no insurance. His younger brother needed a heart by-pass, and the cost abroad was $20K, which is not expensive by US standards.

His problem now is he only has social security of $2K, and a pension of $1K, monthly. His rent is $900 and he still pays for a new car at $500 monthly. He said he couldn’t pay for the car and the cards anymore. At his age, he just doesn’t want the stress of paying for credit cards and a car anymore.

EMPLOYMENT

Chapter 7 will discharge the $24K credit cards and allow him to return the car and have no further liability on it.

Chapter 13 Client is 64. Her house in Irvine is now worth $1.0M. She still owes $500K on the house. She applied for a loan modification of her mortgage through the government sponsored entities. I’m not sure why, but she was told to stop paying her mortgage until the LM application got approved.

The problem is that the first loan modification application she filed was denied after 4 months, and the second loan modification application she filed was denied after 3 months. So, now she is 8 months behind on the mortgage.

Last week, she sent two months of mortgage payments to the lender. The lender returned her check and told her that foreclosure proceedings would start in a week. She desperately wants to save her house because she says aside from the large equity, all her children grew up in that house, so she and her husband want to do everything possible to

save it from foreclosure.

Chapter 13 will stop foreclosure proceedings as soon as the case is filed. Client will then be give 5 years to pay off the 8 months default over 60 equal monthly payments. She also owes $10K to the IRS. The plan will allow her to pay this over the same 60 months without interest or penalty. She wants to keep her 2012 Lexus and lessen the monthly payments. This can also be done because the balance of the car loan can be spread over 60 months thus reducing the car

*** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in bankruptcy, business, real estate and civil litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California.

Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 2841142 for an appointment at 1000 S. Fremont Ave, Mailstop 58, Building A-1 Suite 1125, Alhambra, CA 91803.

(Advertising Supplement)

Mining memories of…

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thing I had planned on doing for some time, as a quiet tribute.

For my part, I wanted to understand how such a place shaped who he is and what moved him to sail the seven seas for 40 years as a ship captain, hauling logs and cars and tons of containers from port to port— from Siberia to South Africa, from Pusan to Peru— bringing with him my

FOR SALE

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payment.

“If you walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.” — John 1:7

mother’s keepsake, a small image of the Nuestra Senora de Antipolo, before the wanderlust gave out and he finally found home. He would have been surprised with the changes in his old hometown. (To be continued) *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com

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LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 16-18, 2015

SEAFOOD CITY ADVERTORIAL FP

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Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrsUA reyes Family Code 760 provides that all property acquired by the spouse during the marriage is community property. That means each spouse has a half interest on any assets that are acquired during the marriage, with certain exceptions, since it is generally characterized as community property. On the same token, Family Code 771(a) provides that earnings and accumulations of a spouse while living “separate and apart” from the other spouse, are the separate property of the spouse. How about the situation where the couple continues to live together due to economic reasons like roommates. Is a couple living “separate and apart” under family code 771(a) when they continue to live together in the same home even though they no longer live their lives like married couple?

The California Supreme Court, in a recent case In re Marriage of Davis, 61 Cal 4th 4th 846 (2015), held that the phrase “living separate and apart” in the California family code refers to a situation in which spouses are living in separate residences and at least one of them has the subjective intent to end the marital relationship, abrogating In re Marriage of Johnson, 134 Cal. App.3d. 148.

Prior to this decision, the date of “separation” occurs only when the parties have come to a part-

Community Journal

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Do you need to be living in separate People and Events residences to be considered ‘separated’ from UCLA Pilipino Alumni your spouse under the California family law? Endowment Surpasses $100,000 ing of the ways with no present intent to resume their marriage and their conduct evidences a complete and final break in the marital relationship. The Court would consider all of the relevant evidence regarding whether the parties’ conduct evidences a complete and final break in the marital relationship. Living in separate residences, although a factor to be considered, was not required for a separation.

In re Marriage of Davis involved husband and wife married in 1993. The couple had 2 children. Couple stopped having sexual relationship in 1999.

Wife moved to another bedroom in the house either in 2001 or 2004. Husband and wife attended children’s activities but used separate cars. On June 1, 2006 wife announced she was “through” with the marriage.

Wife believed couple were acting simply as roommates after 2006.

Wife increased her earnings after this date while husband left his job. Parties continued to live in the marital home and went on vacation together. Wife filed for divorce in 2008. Wife moves out of the marital residence on July1, 2011. Wife alleges date of separation of June 1, 2006. Husband alleges a date of separation of July 1, 2011. The trial court and the court of appeal found June1, 2006 as the date of separation.

The California Supreme Court

reversed the decision holding that living in separate residences “is an indispensable threshold requirement for a finding that spouses are “living separate and apart” for purposes of section 771(a). The interpretation aligns with the common understanding of the words, the statutory history of the provision, and legitimate public policy concerns.

The In re Marriage of Davis decision now requires the parties to be living in separate residences as a prerequisite to a separation.

In IRMO Davis, the California Supreme Court looked into the plain meaning of the statute, the legislative intent and history of the statute, and the case law in interpreting the term “separate and apart.” The California Supreme Court looked into the wording and legislative intent of family code 771(a) by tracing it back to a 145 year old predecessor statute enacted in 1870 “ An Act to Protect the Rights of Married Women in Certain Cases.”

Section 4 of the 1870 act provided a procedure for a wife who was “living separate and apart” from her husband to sell her real property without joining with her husband by stating in a declaration ”her own place of residence that is “separate and apart from her husband” which strongly suggests that the statute was directed at a situation where the spouses had physically separated

ON September 10th, a representative from the UCLA Scholarship Office confirmed that the UCLA Pilipino Alumni Endowment, which supports the UCLA Pilipino Alumni / Lovell Sevilla Scholarship Program, surpassed the $100,000 mark. UCLA Pilipino Alumni Scholarship Director Bobby T. Rimas indicated that “this is a strong indication of our commitment to supporting opportunities for deserving students to receive a worldclass education at UCLA and the strength of our alumni network.

Our collective fundraising efforts paid off. I would like to thank everyone who supported this reAttorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified newed scholarship campaign. I Family Law Specialist. He was President of would especially like to thank Mr. the Philippine American Bar Association. He is Mark Bautista, a UCLA Pilipino a member of both the Family law section and Alumni member who has done Immigration law section of the Los Angeles great work assisting me with County Bar Association. He has extensive spearheading this campaign to CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW take the UCLA Pilipino EndowOFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located ment to the $100,000 mark and at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, beyond. While there is still much CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail work ahead of us, in continuing kureyeslaw@gmail.com or visit our website to increase our endowment, we can take a moment and celebrate at Kenreyeslaw.com. this achievement. There will be a *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is celebratory event in October for not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to achieving this milestone for the provide only general, non-specific legal information. UCLA Pilipino Alumni family.”

This article is not intended to cover all the issues related In November 2014, the UCLA to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply Pilipino Alumni Association to your matter may make the outcome different than Board of Directors decided to rewould be anticipated by you. This article does create name its scholarship program to any attorney client relationship between you and the the UCLA Pilipino Alumni / Lovell Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation.

(Advertising Supplement) Sevilla Scholarship Program.

Ms. Lovell Sevilla, who served as the UCLA Pilipino Alumni Scholarship Director from 1995 through 2000, was instrumental in establishing the UCLA Pilipino Alumni Scholarship Endowment.

In 2010, she was awarded the UCLA Chancellor’s Excellence in Service Award for expanding and the wife in fact had her own residence. The Supreme Court also relied on the holding in the Norviel case which held that living apart physically is an indispensable threshold requirement to separation, whether or not it is sufficient, by itself to establish separation. The date of separation is one of the most litigated issues in a divorce case since it directly affects the characterization and division of community property. This case changes that analysis and may create problems in its practical application to the realities of contemporary families. ***

Mr. Bobby T. Rimas, UCLA Pilipino Alumni Scholarship Director

diversity in the UCLA Honors Programs and in 2011, became the UCLA director of counseling. Ms. Sevilla died in August 2014 at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center after battling acute myeloid leukemia.

The UCLA Pilipino Alumni / Lovell Sevilla Scholarship Program usually culminates in the awarding of scholarships at UCLA Pilipino Alumni’s annual scholarship benefit. To date, the UCLA Pilipino Alumni Association has awarded over 100 scholarships.

The UCLA Pilipino Alumni Association’s mission is to create an environment for current students, alumni, and community members to network, both socially and professionally, as well as raise monies to support UCLA Pilipino Alumni’s initiatives, which include scholarships for incoming high school, undergraduate, and graduate students at UCLA. If you have any inquiries regarding who may apply for UCLA Pilipino Alumni scholarships or would like to contribute towards the UCLA Pilipino Alumni Endowment, please contact UCLA Pilipino Alumni Scholarship Director Bobby T. Rimas at Bobby.

Rimas@alumni.ucla.edu. n

Peso fall unlikely to…

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Philippines, the entire Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) have learned their lesson from the 1997 economic downturn and now have a “visible, but patchy progress” in managing foreign debts.

“Since 1997, the debt roll-over risk as measured by the ratio of debt service (interest payments plus renewal of loans coming to maturity) plus short term debt to foreign exchange reserves, has improved for all economies in Asean, (except) Malaysia,” the BBVA said on its Asia Economic Watch report.

The peso has taken a beating together with other Asian currencies in recent months, following China’s devaluation of the yuan that signaled to the market that the world economy, still recovering from the 2008 financial crisis, is much weaker than estimated.

But unlike in 1997, the BBVA said the peso — much like its regional counterparts — has adopted a managed float that swings through changes in investor sentiments, rather than a dollar peg that is harder to defend in times of distress.

In effect, this has also allowed

governments and companies to borrow abroad without feeling the bite once regional currencies plunge in value.

“That said, at current levels, NPLs (non-performing loans) across banks in Asean are broadly manageable,” BBVA said, pertaining to unpaid debts which impact on banks’ balance sheets.

For Tan, the government’s “liability management exercises” have borne fruit through longer payment terms, lower foreign exchange risks and lower interest payments.

As of July, national government debt is composed of 37 percent foreign and 63 percent local, Treasury data showed. Average debt maturities or payment period also reached 9.8 years.

“We can definitely manage our foreign liabilities this time around,” Tan said.

The BBVA report, written by Le Xia and Sumedh Deorukhkar, agreed with Tan. “We believe that they (Asean) have learned their lessons and subsequent actions across economic and political fronts over the past two decades are encouraging in general,” it said. n

PH ready for ASEAN…

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competitiveness, and successive credit rating upgrades. In fact, last year, the Philippines achieved an average growth rate of 6.3 percent, the highest five-year average during the past 40 years. That’s a very decent number which is probably one of the highest growth rates in this part of the world,” Domingo said.

Domingo said the future is looking bright for the Philippines as initiatives to liberalize the country and contribute to the steady growth of industries have already been put into place.

Among such significant economic reforms which Domingo cited include the amendment of the Banking Act, and enactment of the Competition Law and a cabotage-related law.

“All of these endeavors are in line with our efforts to accelerate trade and investment in the region, all the while creating an enabling environment for businesses to prosper, and ensuring that every Filipino participates and seizes opportunities in the global market,” Domingo said.

The DTI chief said the country’s manufacturing sector in particular has been growing at

an average rate of 8.8 percent annually as a result of the diversification of local products and liberalization.

“While we may have suffered the initial pains of such a move, it still turned out to be beneficial because these restructuring measures improved the competitiveness of our local industries.

Testament to this is our shift from manufacturing garments for lowend brands to highend brands such as Ralph Lauren, Cole Hahn, Coach, and Anne Taylor,” Domingo said.

Based on projections by HSBC and Goldman-Sachs, he said the Philippines is forecast to rank as the 14th largest economy in the world, the fifth largest economy in Asia and the largest economy in the Southeast Asian Region by 2050.

“We are even poised to surpass other Asean countries. We only need to step up our efforts to improve the competitiveness and capability of our various local industries, as we participate in regional and global trade,” Domingo said.

For the Philippines to live up to such high expectations, Domingo said good governance should likewise be sustained. n

IRS won’t take checks…

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rather than inconveniencing or deterring taxpayers,” according to the AP. Among lawmakers, the change was hardly viewed as an inconvenience for taxpayers who owe such amounts.

“It sounds to me like these people could afford to pay electronically,” said. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).

Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) also

expressed little sympathy for these taxpayers.

“I have a lot of envy,” he said.

“I don’t know if I have sympathy for someone who’s required to pay that kind of taxes.”

Although the number of taxpayers who will be impacted by the rules is small, the IRS memo called on officials to disseminate the information “in as many media forms as possible between now and Dec. 31, 2015.” n

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PeoPle & events

‘A Bug’s Light!’ illuminates electrical safety for students With 82 Performances in 40 Cities in SCE’s Service Area ROSEMEAD, Calif. — If child’s play really is a task that’s easily accomplished, “A Bug’s Light!” does its job with generally rave reviews from students and teachers alike.

And that job will continue Tuesday when Sparky the Wonder Bug returns to entertain and teach thousands of elementary students about electrical safety through 82 performances of the live theatre production across Southern California Edison’s (SCE) service territory.

Staged by The National Theatre for Children, the engaging interactive safety learning production teaches students and their families how to stay safe around electricity. Students from 40 elementary schools are scheduled to see the live performance, which runs through Oct. 6 in Bellflower, Long Beach, El Monte, Palm Desert, San Bernardino, Fontana, Santa Barbara, Visalia, Tulare and other cities.

SCE offers the production as part of its public safety outreach efforts.

“A Bug’s Light!” is a wonderful way to educate children early and often about the benefits and hazards of electricity in an entertaining environment,” said Don Neal, SCE’s director of Corporate Environmental, Health and Safety. “SCE wants our customers

to understand electricity can be hazardous and we think this program is vital in that it educates our children and young adults as early as possible.”

In addition to urging students to stay away from downed wires and to call 911 whenever they see them, the production teaches children how electricity is made and used, how to identify hazardous situations inside and outside their homes and generally how to stay safe around electricity.

The production also features a combination of interactive learning techniques, a live assembly performance using professional actors, a classroom curriculum, homework assignments and ac-

tivity books in English and Spanish that students can take home and share with their families.

For more information about electrical safety, visit on.sce. com/stay safe. For more information about the performances: 2015 “A Bug’s Light!” Performance Schedule.

About Southern California Edison An Edison International (NYSE: EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 5 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California. n

LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 16-18, 2015

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cover story The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 16, 2015

Anshu Gupta, India

Sanjiv Chaturvedi, India

Thu Kyaw, Myanmar

Kommaly Chanthavong, Laos

Ligaya Fernando-Amilbangsa, Philippines

The 2015 RAmon mAgsAysAy AwARd:

Creating bold solutions to social problems in Asia

by Malou liwanag-Bledsoe / AJPress

CELEBRATING the greatness of spirit and transformative leadership in Asia, The Ramon Magsaysay Award is the region’s premier prize and highest honor, comparable to the Nobel Prize. The award has been bestowed on over 300 hundred outstanding men, women and organization in the past 50 years, recognizing selfless service to societies, Asia and the world.

This year, the awards theme is “Stoking Fresh Hopes for a Better Asia,” translating to the awardees’ creation of bold solutions to deeply rooted social problems in their respective societies.

Ramon Magsaysay Awards Foundation (RMAF) President Carmencita Abella also said in a previous statement, “It is (also) clear that through their solutions, each of these inspiring leaders is building more hopeful lives among their people – one smart, impassioned, and persistent step at a time.”

She added that, “While their respective social causes and leadership solutions are uniquely their own, there is one thing this year’s Magsaysay laureates all share in common: a greatness of spirit that infuses their crusade for change. All are unafraid to take on large causes. All have refused to give up, despite meager resources, daunting adversity and strong opposition.”

Last Monday, August 31, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the five 2015 Magsaysay awardees joined the community of other Magsaysay laureates who have received Asia’s highest honor.

The awardees Ligaya Fernando-Amilbangsa, Philippines For Ligaya FernandoAmilbangsa, it is important for people to be reminded of the healing power of the arts amidst ethnic and religious wars. While culture is what makes people of various ethnicities, religions and nationalities distinct, it is also what connects them in the awareness of a shared humanity that is enriched by such differences.

Born to a prominent Catholic family, Fernando-Amilbangsa had always loved dance and the arts. After marrying a schoolmate and moving to Sulu, she immersed herself in the rich cultural life of the Muslim South.

In the midst of the region’s secessionist and insurgent conflicts, she turned her love for the arts into a vocation as a cultural researcher, educator, artist and advocate of the indigenous arts of the Southern Philippines, particularly the Sulu Archipelago.

The pangalay (“gift offering,” or “temple of dance” in Sanskrit), is her signature involvement. She has studied, moved to preserve, practice and promote the pre-Islamic dance tradition among the Sa-

mal, Badjao, Jama Mapun and Tausug peoples of the provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

“Safeguarding an artistic tradition like pangalay goes beyond sharing its beauty and versatility through changing times. It is promoting respect for tradition which is vital to national identity and unity,” Fernando-Amilbansa said in her speech during the awarding ceremony. “A fast-changing world with unstoppable growth patterns needs the silent eloquence of an ancient symbol like pangalay or igal residing in moving body to express what it feels than what it sees.

Respecting such symbols can contribute to the greatness of the Filipino nation.”

Fernando-Amilbangsa mainly worked in an individual capacity, and then later on inspired the formation of performing arts groups in Asia, and even outside the region.

Kommaly Chanthavong, Laos In a country ravaged by war and authoritarian rule, Kommaly Chanthavong, lived through it all. Losing her father in the Indochina War, she was a refugee at age 13, walking over 600 kilometers from her village in eastern Laos to Vientiane to escape the bombings during the Vietnam War. However, she persevered— earned a nursing diploma, married and raised a family.

But the Communist takeover of Vientiane put her through the same difficult situation. She had to walk long distances from village to village, buying and selling goods between Laos and Thailand. Still, through these turbulent changes, one thing remained constant—her love for silk weaving, which she learned from her mother at a very young age.

Chanthavong managed to save heirloom pieces of woven silk, which were handed down from her grandmothers. In Vientiane, seeing war-displaced, rural women in desperate need of work, she used her meager saving to buy looms, and started a weaving group of ten women in her home in 1976, calling them the “Phontong Weavers.”

Her valiant efforts helped women earn a living and revive Lao silk weaving—a deeply esteemed tradition fast disappearing because of war. From a group of ten women, a network of Lao artisans came together to become the Phontong

Handicraft Cooperative. In fact, in 1980, the Lao government leased to Chanthavong 42 hectares of land for use as a silk farm. The once barren, landmine littered area has since become the Mulberries Organic Silk Farm, dedicated to the revival of Lao silk production.

“We confidently believe that a good quality of life and lasting security for individuals, families and communities will require the support of the people within Laos,” Chanthavong said and added, “And from those with hearts to help, who will together build a new and bright generation that understands their responsibility for the future of their community.”

Sanjiv Chaturvedi, India Every country has its share of corruption—and India is no stranger to that. Transparency and accountability of the government is crucial, but success depends on ethical public servants and a vigilant public.

Forty-eight-year-old government officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi is an inspirational example.

Coming from a family of civil servants, Chaturvedi joined the Indian Forest Service (IFS as a divisional forest officer in Haryana state, Northern India.

He quickly came face-to-face with the corruption infesting government. A young, idealistic officer, he did not turn away from the irregularities that he saw but resolutely worked to correct them.

Among those he investigated and exposed were cases of malfeasance involving powerful officials. In his six years in the state cadre, he exposed anomalies that included the illegal construction of a canal that threatened the critical Saraswati Wildlife Sanctuary; the use of public funds to develop an herbal park on private land owned by a high official; the underpayment of license fees; and the rigging of government auctions. In a foreignfunded afforestation program, Chaturvedi discovered that 90 percent of the plantations existed only on paper, and that funds had been embezzled through the faked signatures of allegedly participating self-help groups and nonexistent workers. Forty forest officers were suspended as a result of his investigation.

Relentless, he did not waver even when cases involved high officials in state and central governments, well-connected

businessmen, or members of his own staff. At great personal cost, he was harassed, suspended, demoted, hounded and humiliated with false charges, and put “in the freezer.” All these did not stop him.

“Like many other developing countries in Asia, in our country also, corruption is a very serious problem. This is not just about money changing hands but is linked to basic human dignity and the dreams of our young generation in ensuring a fair recruitment system, delivery of public services, and issue of illegal mining and deforestation leading to climate change,” Chaturvedi said. “There is no such effective antidote to this problem as an honest and robust civil services.”

Anshu Gupta, India In India, Anshu Gupta left his job in a well-known firm to devote himself to task of finding a better, more sustainable way of helping the poor and those who been exposed to disasters. His journey began in 1999, when he and his wife contributed 67 pieces of personal clothing for the use of the homeless during winter. This experience drew their attention to the vast quantities of underutilized cloth and other materials lying unused in India’s urban households, while many rural poor die because they do not have enough clothing.

Thus Gupta founded Goonj, a volunteer organization built on the powerful, life-changing lessons he learned: that much more than random disaster relief needed to be done; that better ways of mobilizing public concern and assistance had to be organized; and most importantly, that giving must put at the center the recipient’s rights and dignity rather than the giver’s goodness and satisfaction. For Gupta, extreme poverty is actually a continuing human disaster; hence, giving must have no season. Choosing cloth as an entry point for giving, he has seen its importance for a person’s dignity and survival in a vast country where, aside from disastrous flooding, the winter cold kills many who are underclothed. Gupta’s own epiphany came in meeting a poorly-clad six-year-old girl who grew up with corpses because her father eked out a living picking up abandoned dead bodies and cremating them for a fee.

Goonj is now a movement

working in twenty-one of India’s 29 states, and is much more than a channel for clothing and other recycled articles.

Through its staff, its thousands of volunteers, and numerous partner organizations, Goonj redistributes contributed items, and processes cloth and others to fit the identified needs of recipient groups. Dormant, underutilized cloth—including cloth scraps and loose threads—are used to fabricate essential articles like rugs, blankets, mattresses, and even clean cloth sanitary pads, as a hygienic alternative to the rags that poor girls and women use during their menses. Goonj has branded them “MY Pads,” producing to date over three million sanitary pads that are the cheapest in the world, while raising the taboo subject of menstrual hygiene as an issue of social concern.

“We don’t want to change the world; we are ordinary people, we want to improve first,” said Gupta. “We strongly feel that somewhere, something is wrong because despite a whole lot of us in this room and many similar rooms across the globe with so much intellect, resources, good intentions and hard work, poverty and other troubling issues are not getting resolved. The gap is growing, the issues becoming more complicated.”

Thu Kyaw, Myammar In Myanmar, a process of democratization is underway after decades of isolation, economic stagnation, and social instability due to war and state repression.

In a transition that is complex and uncertain, the building of social cohesion and a strong civil society is crucial to the country’s pursuit of peace and prosperity.

Fifty-five-year-old Thu Kyaw is an exceptional figure in this story. A hugely popular, awardwinning actor in Myanmar who has acted and directed in over two hundred films and scion of a wealthy family in the movie busi-

ness, he is professionally successful and socially privileged. Yet, he lives simply and is a devout Buddhist.

In 2001, with a colleague in the movies, he founded Free Funeral Services Society (FFSS) in Yangon, to help relieve the emotional and financial burden of the poor in properly burying their dead. Such a public service is both essential and unique in a predominantly Buddhist society where the proper funerary rites are crucially important but often beyond reach because of high costs, the lack of state welfare assistance, and the taboos surrounding the handling of the dead.

Starting with just a single hearse, FFSS has grown to become not only a provider of free funeral services but also of a whole complex of social services. F FSS operates almost entirely through private donations and hundreds of volunteers. Its free funeral services cover everything from caskets, a fleet of hearses, mortuary facilities, burial and cremation, and funeral coordinators. To date, FFSS has undertaken over 150,000 free funeral services.

A charity clinic was also opened, manned by 50 volunteer doctors and a full staff, five ambulances and 24-hour medical emergency response service.

It has provided health care to over 143,000 patients since it opened in 2007. FFSS also has a school which offers free vocational training courses, classes for children, review classes for academic qualification exams and a library.

“I have always believed that in movies, we actors or artists represent the true lives of our people – their feeling is my feeling,” Kyaw said. “With this is mind, I have entered the world of noble work.”

For more information on The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, this year’s and past awardees, visit www.rmaf. org.

features

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 16, 2015

The age graCefully Cookbook:The power of fooDTrieNTS To promoTe healTh aND well-beiNg for a Joyful aND SuSTaiNable life by graCe o

From the creator of FoodTrients comes a cookbook to help you fight aging with every bite!

LOS ANGELES—FoodTrients, originated by Grace O, is a unique program supported by current research that positions food as an anti aging strategy. A FoodTrient is her name for the natural anti aging properties of food.

Delicious foods and rejuvenating nutrients combine in Grace O’s The Age GRACEfully Cookbook: The Power of FOODTRIENTS To Promote Health and Well-being for a Joyful and Sustainable Life (Skyhorse Publishing; NOW ON SALE!), a collection of enticing, nourishing recipes that promote health and a joyful, sustainable life. The age-fighting recipes here are crafted based on a foundation of scientific research and many different cultures’ ancient knowledge of medicinal herbs and natural ingredients.

“Looking and feeling younger doesn’t have to

mean a bland diet or painful medical treatments,” Grace O explains. “The most expensive creams and other beauty products will not do nearly as much to enhance your wellbeing and keep you vital as will these delicious recipes.”

There are many books about super foods and supplements, but few provide at-a-glance guides in each recipe detailing key ingredients and how they increase health and longevity. Grace O’s cookbook focuses on five categories of FoodTrients that are essential to healthful living. Each recipe is “color-coded” to show which FoodTrients are contained in a particular recipe: - Antioxidant: Prevents and repairs oxidative damage to cells caused by free radicals - Anti-Inflammatory: Reduces inflammatory process in cells, tissues, and blood

vessels, helping to slow aging and reduce risk of long-term disease - Immunity Boosters: Supports the body’s resistance to infection and strengthens immune vigilance and response - Mind and Beauty: Enhancers that encourage vibrant skin and hair and improve mood and mental agility - Disease-Preventing: Reduces risk factors for common degenerative and age-related diseases The anti-aging benefits of Grace O’s food combinations include healthier skin, shinier hair, protection of cells and arteries, and more energy with which to enjoy life. These sixty-six beautifully illustrated recipes incorporate all the ingredients you need to look and feel younger, not only on the inside but also on the outside. *Advertising Supplement

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This simple, fresh summer salad is perfect for lunches, picnics, or to take to a party.

Simple Curry Cabbage Slaw Ingredients: 1 medium head green cabbage, shredded 1/3 cup coconut flakes (unsweetened) 2 Tbs. lemon juice ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce, tamari or shoyu 3 Tbs. white sesame seeds ½ tsp. ground turmeric ½ tsp. curry powder ½ tsp. ground cumin Instructions: Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl and mix well to coat cabbage evenly. Chill for one hour and serve.

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Among more than 750 banks evaluated, Comerica ranked within the top three percent of banks with “distinctive quality” and “performing at a differentiated level relative to peers.” For Small Business, the Greenwich Excellence Awards are based on more than 15,000 market research interviews with U.S. companies with annual revenues of $1-10 million, and honorees were recognized by their customers as providing superior quality of products, service and coverage. Among more than 750 banks evaluated, Comerica ranked within the top five percent of small business banks with “distinctive quality” and “performing at a differentiated level relative to peers.”

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4

features

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 16, 2015

Robertson Honda’s ‘Hassle Free, One Simple Price’: A fast, smart and simple process to car buying PurchaSing a vehicle has long been associated with back-and-forth negotiating and hidden fees. however, it shouldn’t be a stressful experience, and robertson honda aims to change that by creating a fast, smart and simple process.

Located in north hollywood, robertson honda is defying the stereotypes surrounding vehicle buying with its “hassle Free, One Simple Price” program. When shoppers step into its state-of-theart showroom, they won’t be greeted by the conventional image of a “car salesperson,” but rather a “product specialist” will take care of them and listen to their needs to match them with the right vehicle that fits their budget.

Each vehicle in the lot (and also listed on its website) has a single, definitive price based on availability, demand, color, equipment and inventory age. gone are the days of haggling for a better deal, as the best price will be offered upfront. all of the prices are based on in-market purchase prices and third-party resources like edmunds.com and KBB.com.

additionally, vehicle buying shouldn’t take up too much of a buyer’s valuable time; in record speed, he or she will be driving off in a new car.

For over 40 years, robertson honda has been a renowned honda dealership in the united States. Drawing in loyal and new customers alike from around Southern california and beyond, robertson honda provides a high standard of customer service that doesn’t simply focus on selling cars, but creating lifelong relationships. The “hassle Free, One Simple Price” program further reflects its commitment to listen to what customers want.

“Our new ‘hassle Free, One Simple Price’ program is geared toward the 75 percent of car shoppers in our community who told us that they not only dread the inflated prices at most dealerships, but also the time and pressure involved in negotiating down to the bottom line,” said Mike reyes, general sales manager of robertson honda. “By removing the frustrating back-and-forth and doing a lot of the pricing research for our customers,

we’ve developed a sales process that is fast, fair and simple for anyone who walks through our doors.”

The benefits of robertson honda’s “hassle Free, One Simple Price” program doesn’t just stop once buyers leave the dealership. if unsatisfied with their vehicle within the first two days or 200 miles after a purchase, robertson honda has instituted a 2-Day/200-Mile Exchange Policy. When it comes time to trade in a vehicle down the road, the dealership is also now offering straightforward trade-in pricing based on the autoTrader.com Trade-in Marketplace and Kelley Blue Book fair market value.

When buyers shop at robertson honda, they’ll never again drive off the lot wondering if they could have gotten a better deal. robertson honda is conveniently located at 5841 Lankershim Blvd. in north hollywood, ca. For more information, please call (818) 301-3800 or visit http://www.robertsonhonda.com/ to browse the dealership’s extensive inventory of honda models. *Advertising Supplement

Your kababayans at Robertson Honda: Chris Cabrera, Cesar Sta. Maria, Tanny Santos, Mike Reyes, Joey Viernes, Gil Paden and Louie John Santos

features 5

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 16, 2015

Bay City Seafood Supermarket opens in Artesia There is a new seafood supermarket in town worth checking out. Bay City had its soft Grand Opening just a few weeks ago and the community response to it has been steady and quite encouraging.

It is located in a prime location where Unimart, a Filipino-owned grocery store used to be and where Sea Palace staked its place decades

ago. Bay City has undergone complete renovation and has upgraded its line of equipment to serve the ever-increasing needs of the thriving Asian population in the area.

Bay City promises to be one of the favorite shopping places of many Filipino Americans who live in the upwardly mobile cities of Cerritos, Norwalk, Artesia and Bellflower as well

The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus stands prominently in one part of Bay City. The story is that previous owners of the site have decided to leave the image and the owners of Bay City have chosen to carry on the tradition and keep the image there as it had done so in the past.

as adjoining cities in Orange County. It is a market that carries food products that cater to the tastes and food preferences of Southeast Asians, particularly Filipino Americans.

Filipino food products imported from the Philippines or made right here in the USA constitute 60% of their product offerings and may be found stacked in neat shelves on wide, clean aisles.

Bay City carries a full range of fresh fish, seafood, poultry and meat products that are sure to please the gastronomic yearnings of many FilAms, many of whom enjoy strong family traditions that place food as the center of many parties and gatherings for every occasion in life.

Those of us who have a hankering for live seafood such as those found swimming in huge, aerated tanks in oriental restaurants will find them at Bay City.

Do you have a yearning for talaba or oysters as pulutan for when friends and family gather round for sporting events particularly those where Pacquiao is a contender? Call Bay City and ask for Johans Lin, the General Manager, to find out if they have a fresh shipment. Chances are, they have them. Do you want the best brands of first class long grain, jasmine rice money can buy? They carry several brands.

There’s a nice, new, neat oriental supermarket called Bay City Seafood Supermarket in Artesia worth checking out for your weekly grocery shopping. It carries a wide range of seafood, poultry and meat selections to satisfy the culinary needs of the community.

As islanders, Filipinos have a healthy hankering for fish and all kinds of seafood. Bay City offers a wide variety of fresh and frozen seafood varieties. Huge aerated tanks hold a great selection of live fish for the truly discriminating seafood fanciers.

The new supermarket is owned by Jack K. Word has it that Jack has made his mark as a restaurateur of Thai cuisine and his gastronomic influence can be seen in the Thai fastfood restaurant section found on one side of Bay City. The restaurant

offers delicious, exotic Thai entrees for eat-in or to go at surprisingly affordable prices.

One unique feature of the Bay City is its wide range of goodies in their dessert section that features several dozen varieties of sweets.

So come on over and check out Bay City Seafood Supermarket in Artesia. It is located at 11618 South Street Artesia, CA 90701. Call them at (562) 865 8088. You will be glad you did. *Advertising Supplement

6

features

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 16, 2015

LA 18’s Kababayan Today supports EMPLEO - Pinoy LOS ANGELES – LA 18’s Giselle “G” Töngi of Kababayan Today attended the official launching event of EMPLEO - Pinoy on Tuesday Sept. 8 at the Pilipino Workers Center.

Kababayan Today is now a signatory of the EMPLEO – Pinoy program, which will be a valu-

able resource of education, outreach and a direct connection to assistance for Filipino American workers and employers.

EMPLEO is an acronym for EMPLoyment, Education and Outreach. The Pinoy program is designed after the successful EMPLEO program that was

launched to assist vulnerable workers in the Latino American community back in 2004. As a stakeholder of EMPLEO – Pinoy, Tongi will volunteer her time and effort to provide Filipino American workers culturally-sensitive assistance.

In addition to Kababayan Today, other signatories include Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California, Filipino American Service Groups, Inc., Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance Los Angeles Chapter, Association of Filipino Workers, California Labor Federation Workforce and Economic Development, Catholic Filipino Ministry of Los Angeles, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights Los Angeles, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans, Philippine Consulate,

Moonlighting

LA 18 Community & Public Affairs Manager Cindy J. Lee; LA 18’s Kababayan Today Host and Executive Producer G Töngi; Executive Director of Pilipino Workers Center, Aquilina Soriano; US Department of Labor District Director/ West Covina for the Wage & Hour Division, Daniel Pasquil)

among many others. The U.S. Department of Labor and State of California, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, Occupational Safety and Health, and Workers’ Compensation are also stakeholders of EMPLEO – Pinoy.

The EMPLEO – Pinoy hotline is 877 TULONG-1.

TULONG means “help” in Tagalog.

G Töngi is an award‐winning host, actress, writer and producer. She is the host and executive producer of Kababayan Today, which remains the only Filipino media outlet in Southern California and Hawaii (syndicated on

KIKU‐TV) to engage with the community at large daily.

Kababayan Today with G Töngi airs weekdays at 3:30PM on KSCI‐TV/LA18 in Southern California and 3:30PM on KIKU‐TV in Hawaii. The show is syndicated globally through the TV5 Kapatid partnership. *Advertising Supplement

The fascination with the Bible

love and death, sin and punishment—fascinating revelation de leon of the struggles of the soul of men and women to find the sources of being through its divine teaching.

“It ain’t those parts of the All have some stories in Bible that I can’t understand common with other scriptures, that bother me, it is the parts whenever they are found. that I do understand.” - Mark The Virgin Birth is not Twain unique to Christianity and loses IT is the time I prepare nothing of its importance. myself for worship on Sunday, The story of the great flood by reading beautiful and poetic tells how the Lord smelled the stories from the Bible. sweet savor of Noah’s offerOur knowledge of the Bible ing and pleased with what was was limited to memorizing the in the good man’s heart. He Beatitudes, Psalms and part of vowed to never again curse the the Story of Solomon, which ground of man and destroy all my mother required of me to life on Earth. Then he made memorize. She considered a great arc of lovely colors to those parts of the Bible as the vault the sky, the rainbow, as most beautiful stories, to asa token of the vow between suage my thirst for fulfillment of them. spiritual urgency that inspired David, the singing shepmy youthful soul when I began herd boy, was to be the mighty to read the Bible for myself. king of Israel. From David’s Now, as everyone who has family came the Saviour of read the Bible knows, there Mankind, a baby born from is no better source for story, Bethlehem. Ruth, the Moabite than this collection of verse and woman who believed in the prose, song and lamentation, God of Israel, gave life to an

by Mylah

Mango Mix

Israelite family that led down through the years to Mary, Joseph and gentle Jesus.

A city named Babel where a tower was built, where the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there, the people scattered to the far corners of the earth to form separate nations each with a language of its own. Their pride was a sufficient sin.

The Sermon of the Mount, where the people were astonished at the Word, for He taught them with authority, and not as the old scribes who quoted the old laws: and not strange things as “Love your enemies, Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you. Turn other cheek.”

These ideas that were new to them, unlike the preachings of the Pharisee. The sayings of Jesus truly sounded as though they were the wonder of a merciful and loving God. And there’s a lot more.

The Bible is a decided, whole library of many books, within a single volume, huge

repository of history, law, religion, poetry, philosophy, for information, comfort, inspiration, sheer reading pleasures, with the length of smoothly flowering narratives and complexity of nearly one million words—inspired words of God in a written a written documents. It’s form of literary expression, of marvelous and stirring events is linked to a divine wall and purpose of compelling tales of men and women, caught up in a courageous effort to live good and godly lives. Every spiritual sage, agrees The Bible was written for the heart, the mind and the will. Not written to us, but was written for us. It can enlighten, enable, enrich and encourage us if we let it.

Remember the reaction to the writings on the wall at Belshazzar’s feast? Old fashion, Old Testament—fear took the fun out of the feast. ***

E-mail Mylah at moonlightingmdl@ aol.com

Advantages of big city living

by Martin

Jason l. ita-as

A BIG city is a lot of things: a place to find work, get famous, to disappear in or maybe even a place to find yourself and ponder your purpose in life.

But to a lot of people, the life in a big city is known as home.

City living is preferred by many who enjoy excitement along with the hustle and bustle of people from many different walks of life.

There are a lot of good reasons why living the city life is great.

Here we list a few examples: Easy transportation Transportation is one key element to the convenience of city living. Buses, subways, taxis and any other type of transportation are big parts of living in a metropolitan area. Often learned by trial and error, knowing the fastest and most efficient way of getting from point A to point B in this setting is necessary for everyday life.

With so many different ways to travel, going from place to place is both fun and convenient. Once you’ve memorized how to travel, you can act as a tour guide for friends and family who may visit from out of town.

Fun attractions A city setting is a collection of many kinds of people. As such, a collection of different kinds of businesses and attractions will also be present. There are a lot of things you can find in the city. Sometimes people tend to wander around and try out all of the things they find along the way. When living in a city area, people take note of their places of interest and learn the directions to them over time. Thinking of a place to spend time with the family? Why not go for a ride at the amusement center. Thinking of learning a thing or two? Check out a few museums and some art galleries. Want to relax and get away from your stuffy apartment for a bit? Find a boardwalk or park you can stay in for a little while.

Accessibility to medical care “Health is wealth”. The truth

in that phrase is apparent in a busy place like the city. Long work hours, airborne viruses and unhealthy lifestyles are common in an environment like this and can lead to you getting sick. But worry not because cities are well known to have quality health care available. You can find hospitals, specialty clinics and more within these places, which are both convenient and comforting. Knowing where the nearest medical facility is located can greatly benefit any city dweller and is considered important knowledge. Keeping your body healthy inside and out is essential for keeping up your daily routine and enjoying life.

Shopping and dining A highlight for any person who lives in the city, having access to a multitude of stores and restaurants gives the power of choice to a large collection of people with different tastes and styles. Malls are essentially a library of boutiques and eateries, showcasing a wide variety of places to purchase things -- furniture, clothes, stationery and more under one roof -- while also giving options on what to dine on afterwards (from Japanese sushi to Spanish paella). This makes it easier to find and buy the things you need (like furnishings for your home or simply some new notebooks and pens) and also caters to your unique tastes (like salad bars and tofu snacks for vegetarians).

Finding work Because the city has a lot of different businesses, that means

people also have more chances to try and find work when living in a big city. You’ll be able to find all kinds of establishments that may be open for hiring.

Working students usually find simple work to start off with, like being a barista, call center agent or a shopkeeper. Businesses with specific people in mind (like journalism, management and many other officebased jobs). With a city setting, it’s easy to meet people and make connections that can be beneficial to finding and achieving a future career that suits you. If the traditional work style doesn’t suit you, building up your own personal business is a lot easier when you have a lot of resources and specialists nearby.

The city life is definitely one with a lot of opportunity and excitement. If you’re looking into moving to the city, there will definitely be a few things you’ll learn to enjoy and even love about this crowded place full of lights and people. *** Mango Tours is a provider of quality, affordable and convenient travel services that include low-priced airline tickets, customized Philippine and International Tour Packages, Cruises, Land Transfers, Passport and Visa Concerns. It is the #1 producer of reliable travel services particularly when it comes to Philippine travel arrangements to the Filipino-American community in the US Mango Tours is able to provide its customers with a number of travel options at affordable rates because of its consolidator contracts with over 11 airlines. Book your travel bookings with Mango Tours by calling its 24/7 U.S. toll-free number at 1-866-2-MANILA (1866-2-626452). Visit www.mangotours.com to know more about its latest promos and travel offers.*

*Advertising Supplement

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 16, 2015

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - September 16, 2015

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OXNARD 4833 S.ROSE AVE. OXNARD, CA 93033 (805) 874-4980

NATIONAL CITY 2720 E. PLAZA BLVD. NATIONAL CITY, CA 91950 (619) 475-1025

“WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO TERMINATE THE SALES PROMO WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. WE ALSO RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REPLACE ITEMS WITH PRODUCTS OF APPROXIMATE VALUE. NO RAIN CHECKS. PROMO GOOD WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. NOT VALID WITH ANY OTHER COUPON OR PROMO. PRICES MAY CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. GIVEAWAYS NOT VALID FOR CUSTOMERS WITH DISCOUNT.”

WAS

$27.99 SAVINGS

14%

Kabayan Milagrosa Rice 40lbs