LA Midweek Edition -- August 26 -- 28, 2015

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August 26-28, 2015 Volume 25 - No. 66 • 3 Sections - 22 Pages

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Filipinos applaud House Foreign Affairs Committee on efforts to combat land grabbing in Southeast Asia

by Allyson

DATELINE

USA

from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS SS AMEric MEricA ricA

Brown signs law making legal status of kids irrelevant in civil suits sAcrA cr meNto - Governor Jerry Brown crA signed into law a bill making the immigration status of a minor irrelevant in civil actions, or lawsuits for damage claims. california has the largest immigrant population in the country, and the signing of the bill proposal confirms the governor’s policy of integration of immigrants. the measure, AB 560, was introduced by Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, a democrat representing district 51, which encompasses much of central and southeast Los Angeles. the bill was in response to a demand for more than 80 children against the Los Angeles Unified school district (LAUsd) for alleged

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Bill to raise gas tax by 12 cents advances in California Senate A cALiforNiA senate committee has approved a measure that would increase the state’s gas tax by 12 cents per gallon as a means of addressing california’s transportation crisis. the new fuel levy, passed on Wednesday, Aug. 19, would be california’s first tax hike since 1994, the san Jose mercury News reported. it would be collected in addition to the state’s current 42 cents-per-gallon tax and an 18.4 cents-per-gallon federal tax. Along with legislation that would raise vehicle registration fees by $35 each year per car, the state would generate $4 billion per year for repairs. fees for all-electric vehicles would also increase $100.

While the senate committee advanced the transportation tax bill in a 9-2 party-line vote, tax and fee hikes require a two-thirds approval in both houses. how democrat and republican state lawmakers decide to work together

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EscobAr

AJPress

the house foreign Affairs subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific gathered at the california state Polytechnic University, Pomona campus on friday, Aug. 21, for a field hearing about property rights, development, and land ownership in southeast Asia. for years, the United states has

sought to help promote security and economic growth in dependent countries like the Philippines and cambodia. many families in the southeast Asia region are denied basic protections under the law, including the right to secure property, raise capital, and participate freely in the economy. on friday, rep. ed royce (r-california), chairman of the house foreign Affairs committee joined with rep.

matt salmon (r-Arizona), chairman of the subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, as well as several Us officials from various agencies and bureaus, in charge of promoting and protecting land development in foreign countries. “We have been working very closely with [the Philippine] government to respond to the devastation of tacloban and to reform the government. how-

ever, at some local government levels, the legacy of marcos still remains,� royce said in his opening statement. “But as we aim to deepen our engagement and transform our aid so that it supports sustainable, market-based economic growth, we must consider whether the underlying conditions exist to realize that growth.� “in countries where citizens are de-

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Balikbayan boxes to undergo inspection

by EvElyn

MAcAirAn Philstar.com

mANiLA - instead of a random physical inspection of balikbayan boxes, the Bureau of customs (Boc) will use X-ray machines to thoroughly examine all shipping containers filled with balikbayan boxes. it would not cause port congestion or delay the release of balikbayan boxes, commissioner Alberto Lina assured the public on tuesday, Aug. 25. “the bureau will follow the President’s directive on balikbayan boxes effective immediately,� he said. “instead of random physical inspections, we will do a mandatory X-ray examination of containers of consolidated shipments and balikbayan boxes at no cost to the sender or of ofW, and ensure the necessary checks, balances and witnesses are present in the event that a physical inspection is made,� he said. some might perceive that a thorough examination of container vans with the use of only 11 X-ray machines might take longer than a spot check of two percent of balikbayan boxes, Lina said. “this would not lead to long queues of balikbayan box- Travelers push their balikbayan boxes at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City. Instead of a random physical

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inspection of balikbayan boxes, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) will use X-ray machines to thoroughly examine all shipping containers filled with balikbayan boxes.

Philstar.com photo by Kriz John Rosales

Pemberton admits to choking Duterte won’t run in 2016 Jennifer Laude, denies killing her by yuji

by AGnEs

constA onst ntE AJPress

Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton

the Us marine charged with the murder of Philippine transgender Jennifer Laude admitted in court to choking Laude in selfdefense but denied killing her. defense lawyer rowena flores said her client, Lance corporal Joseph

Inquirer.net

dAVAo city mayor rodrigo duterte has maintained that he will not run for president in the 2016 elections supposedly because of a “flawed� government setup. in a roundtable interview with inquirer editors, duterte on tuesday, Aug. 25 said he has been touring different parts of the country, particularly mind-

scott Pemberton, told the court in olongapo city on monday, Aug. 24 that Laude was unconscious but still breathing when he left her in the shower of a motel. the defendant and victim met there to have sex after they met in a bar in october last year.

Pemberton told the

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vincEnt GonzAlEs

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Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

Enrile: Senate probe on VP Binay ‘self-destructing’

Senate photo by Joe Arazas

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of a building in makati but it expanded too far away from the resolution. can you justify that?� he said. enrile and Binay are political allies. he ran for senator with Binay as Vice President in 2010 under UNA, now the political party of Binay in his 2016 presidential bid. enrile was then one of the “three kings� of UNA back when it was a political coalition in 2012 between enrile and manila mayor Joseph estrada’s Pwersa ng masang Pilipino (PmP) as well as Binay’s Partido demokratiko PilipinoLakas ng Bayan.

Asked then why he thinks the senate leadership was allowing the subcommittee to

S

seNAte NA NAte minority Leader Juan Ponce enrile criticized on tuesday, Aug. 25, the long running investigation of the senate blue ribbon subcommittee on corruption allegations against Vice President Jejomar Binay, saying it was “self-destructing.â€? “An investigation like that is already losing its steam and value‌i never had that experience. it’s unusual in any country for an investigation to last that long in aid of legislation so it destroys itself,â€? enrile told reporters. “We never had that precedent, and besides it started, if i recall reading from the papers, from a resolution supENRILE’S RETURN. Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile, accompanied by his daughter Katrina, posedly in aid of legislation attends his first plenary session Monday, Aug. 24, after more than a year of absence from the Senate. to determine the overpricing

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LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 26-28, 2015

A

FROM THE FRONT PAGE

Filipinos applaud House Foreign Affairs Committee...

PAGE A1 t nied basic protections under the law, including the right to secure property, those conditions simply do not exist. An outdated and inefficient land administration system has resulted in fraudulent, overlapping and duplicate or even triplicate land titles and widespread land grabbing in the Philippines. The perpetrators are local politicians, foreign investors and well-connected people,” he continued.

Royce also lauded President Benigno Aquino III for “his considerable efforts to reform and clean up politics,” but the damage brought by years of federal corruption has been done.

Over 12 million Filipinos reportedly do not own the rights to their own homes with respect to verifiable land title, calling the desperate need for proper titling to pave the way for wealth and opportunities for families.

“I was glad to see such a strong US humanitarian effort. In the aftermath of natural disasters like this, on top of losing their homes and belongings, victims can also find themselves without a shred of proof to their rights to their property,” Royce said.

Last February, Royce led a bipartisan Congressional delegation to the Philippines, where they observed the widespread destruction done by Typhoon Yolanda.

“On a previous delegation [to the Philippines] I was personally prevented, at gunpoint, from ac-

PAGE A1 t

cessing the property of a constituent by what appeared to be local security forces,” Royce shared to the crowd of hundreds. “In my meeting with President Aquino, I pressed him on the importance of protecting property rights.”

“Filipinos, as well as Cambodians, have great economic potential we should be working to unlock. The question is, what can we do to change land grabbing and put an end to people being pushed off their land?”

Jonathan Stivers, an assistant administrator of the Bureau for Asia with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), talked about the Partnership for Growth program in collaboration with the Philippine government. Stivers acknowledged the “substantial economic progress” in terms of higher growth rates, but also noted distressingly high rates of unemployment, national poverty levels, and severe income inequality that persists in the country.

Protecting land rights is key to promoting growth in many struggling rural and urban communities, he said.

“In rural areas, despite the most recent comprehensive land reform program that transferred ownership rights and titles to a majority of the smallholder farmers, productivity of basic food crops has remained low, and farmers’ incomes have not improved,” Stivers said. “The high cost of property registration and

the fact that seemingly routine registry processes, like correcting clerical mistakes, issuing lost titles and weeding out fraudulent certificates require lengthy court processes, are among the constraints to secure property rights.”

Stivers also pointed out the large backlog of cases, causing major delays and high costs of litigation. For example, 90 percent of the cases (of which 17 percent were land disputes) handled by the Supreme Court in 2012 took more than 20 years to make their way through the system of hearings and high court appeals.

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary James Caruso talked about the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), an independent foreign aid agency that helps to address problems of corruption, and is working on a partnership agreement “compact” with the Philippines.

“In the case of the Philippines, should land rights and tenure emerge as binding constraints to economic growth during development of the compact, MCC will give careful consideration to interventions to address this issue,” Caruso said.

Congresswoman Rep. Judy Chu (D-California) also spoke to the subcommittee, highlighting the importance of land ownership and the rights individuals have to their own homes.

“Too often in the world, weak property rights and land titles

have pushed families--especially women and children, who are most susceptible--away from their homes. Land grabs are often done by force, affecting the poor and marginalized, and creating massive displacement sites and squatting communities,” Chu said.

According to US Foreign Aid, almost $2.7 million in aid has been provided to Cambodia and the Philippines, Chu pointed out.

“Where is this money going?” she asked members of the committee at the hearing. “This is driving our need to act on this urgent matter.”

Filipinos reach out to Ed Royce, House Foreign Affairs Committee Several witnesses and educators who know first-hand the direct impacts land grabbing has on the lives of Filipinos and Cambodians were also present at the hearing.

Faith Bautista, president and CEO of the National Asian American Coalition (NAAC), gave a testimony on behalf of one of the largest pan-Asian American advocacy groups in the US. She talked about the Belisario family, whose 44 properties were illegally seized and transferred to nonlegitimate owners often without documentation. She also made a list of suggestions to improve the system to benefit displaced Filipinos, including providing proper forms, an independent auditor to examine claims, prompt reports

Pemberton admits to choking Laude...

court that when found out a man, not a woman, was giving him oral sex, he pushed Laude away. He was then slapped in return and choked the victim as an act of selfdefense, he told the court.

The marine panicked when he saw Laude unconscious and left, the Associated Press reported.

Pemberton’s lawyers told reporters Laude was still alive when the marine left the hotel, Reuters reported.

“Pemberton told the court he thought Laude just lost consciousness after he strangled her, which he considered an act of self-defense,” Harry Roque, a lawyer for the victim’s family, told reporters,

according to Reuters.

Laude was found dead on Oct. 11, 2014 in the hotel located in Olongapo City, near a former US naval base.

Flores said defense lawyers would present evidence raising the possibility that another individual killed Laude, according to the Associated Press.

She also said her client told the court he felt as though he had been raped, the news agency reported.

Philippine government prosecutors charged Pemberton with murder in December, saying there was “probable cause” he killed the transgender Filipina in an attack “was aggravated

Balikbayan boxes...

PAGE A1 t

es that would need to go through our X-ray machines,” he said.

“Apart from our plan to put additional X-ray machines, we could schedule the X-ray scan of the container vans to 40 containers a day per X-ray machine.”

Each 40-foot container van carries about 400 balikbayan boxes, and about 1,000 container vans of balikbayan boxes arrive every month.

When the Christmas season starts, the volume is expected to double or triple.

The change in procedure in handling balikbayan boxes would mean more work for the BOC, Lina said.

Despite the inspection of balikbayan boxes, the BOC would still be able to check agricultural, rice and other types of arriving cargo, he added.

They are encouraging senders of balikbayan boxes to make a detailed list of their contents and send them to the BOC in advance via electronic mail so they could examine the documents and “preclear” the shipment, Lina said.

“What will happen here is that they really have to do what they are supposed to do, the shippers and the freight forwarders, they have to do their job now,” he said.

“This means they would have to itemize (the contents of the package) and put the invoice and the value of each item.”

The BOC is asking other government agencies like the Armed Forces and the Philippine Coast

Guard (PCG) to lend them drug and explosives-trained dogs to sniff out contraband from the shipment, Lina said.

Another option is to lease the services of canines, he added.

The BOC will also ask freight forwarders to install X-ray machines in their warehouses following the BOC specifications to speed up clearance of balikbayan boxes, Lina said.

They are also looking into acquiring more close circuit television (CCTV) cameras to be installed at the ports, he added.

The public must be vigilant and report erring Customs employees to the BOC, Lina said.

“We enjoin the public to report Customs employees who commit unauthorized physical inspections of balikbayan boxes to submit photos and videos of these acts to helpdesk@customs.gov.ph with the necessary details so we can act on them,” he said.

“We also urge our colleagues in government to prioritize the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) pending in Congress so we can harmonize, modernize and simplify our Customs procedures, superseding policies and procedures that have not been updated as far back as 1957. Under the same Act, it is important to note that we have been pushing for the increase of the de minimis value, or the threshold value for taxable imported goods, from the current P10 in duties, taxes and charges for the benefit of our OFW kababayans.”

by treachery, abuse of superior strength and cruelty,” according to the news agency.

Pemberton’s confession on Monday was considered bittersweet by Virginia Lacsa-Suarez, among lawyers representing Laude.

“The confession itself is a sweet-bitter victory. But justice can only be truly served when the Philippines finally stands on equal footing with the US, when we finally take back our sovereignty, and when Filipinos are treated humanely with dignity and respect especially right inside our very own territory,” she said in a statement.

“We have always been cer-

tain about this – that Pemberton murdered Jennifer. The overwhelming evidence proves this.

Now things are crystal clear with Pemberton’s confession,” Suarez added.

She also said Pemberton’s testimony will be assessed by the court for its final judgment and could be considered an extenuating circumstance, Philstar reported.

If found guilty, Pemberton faces 20 years to life in prison. A verdict is expected next month.

The marine is being held at a US facility at the main army base in Manila. (With reports from Philstar, Reuters and The Associated Press)

Congressional review Sen. Ralph Recto wants to increase the tax-exempt value of the contents of a balikbayan box to $2,000 from the present $500.

He has filed Senate Bill 2913, the proposed Balikbayan Box Law for this purpose.

“But what the OFWs want is not temporary relief but permanent protection against whimsical search and seizures of their padala,” he said.

By raising the tax-exempt ceiling, the “motive and the temptation” to open balikbayan boxes will be removed, Recto said.

“The $2,000 cap per carton will be hard to breach,” he said. “The value of almost all balikbayan boxes does not reach that amount.

The $2,000 limit is a vaccine against the opening (of balikbayan boxes).”

BOC Memorandum Circular No. 7990 fixing a maximum value of $500 per balikbayan box is 25 years old, Recto said.

It has been overtaken by foreign exchange upheavals and inflationary pressures, he added.

After the new tax-exempt limit

has been adjusted to $2,000, the next mandatory revisit of that amount would take place every six years, Recto said.

“We don’t have to wait for a quarter of century again to adjust the ceiling,” he said.

“The intent of this bill is to recognize the Philippine tradition and culture of promoting and preserving strong family ties as represented by a balikbayan box carefully loaded with goodies by our hardworking OFWs,” he said.

The status of parcels mailed through the post office will also be reviewed, Recto said.

The maximum ceiling per box must also be applied on mailed parcels, he added.

House inquiry The House of Representatives will look into the BOC decision to subject balikbayan boxes to stringent examination, including opening some of them.

Resolution No. 2311 of Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo prompted the inquiry. (With Jess Diaz, Aurea Calica, Helen Flores, Chrisina Mendez, Mayen Jaymalin, Ding Cervantes)

SEAFOOD CITY FOOTER AD

Representative Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, talking with Joey Quinto, editor and publisher of the California Journal for Filipino Americans.

AJPress photo by Allyson Escobar

with a specific resolution, and a comprehensive response from the Philippine government regarding the land issue.

Zosimo Laurel Contreras, a litigant in the property dispute, said his family’s property in Tagaytay had been forcibly seized, and implored the committee to work diligently with the Philippine government to help keep their rightfully inherited land.

“We cannot let the land grabbers control us. We cannot continue to feel helpless,” Contreras said. “Where is the justice?

Where is the Rule of Law in our Philippine government? Where is the respect for property owners, and who will protect our rights?”

Joey Quinto, publisher of the California Journal for Filipino Americans, also told his story PAGE A5

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Dateline USa

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Study shows subconscious racial biases in Americans

by Allyson

EscobAr

AJPress

A recent study from the Pew research center suggests that subconscious preferences for different racial groups persist, even among multiracial adults. researchers at Pew say that “most humans display a bias against out-groups—people who are different from them.” they wanted to find out whether biracial adults were less likely to have implicit racial biases because of their multicultural backgrounds. the study’s findings suggest that biracial adults are “simply more divided in their racial preferences.”

Subconscious racial preferences can alter behavior, according to Pew. For instance, a 2007 study conducted by Harvard Medical School found that white doctors with high levels of implicit bias against blacks were less likely to treat black patients. A Swedish researcher found in 2010 that

“implicit bias against Muslims correlated strongly with the way hiring managers decided to interview either Swedes or Arabs for a position.”

“Most of these implicit racial biases are consequence of subtle messages seen in the media, popular culture, that suggest one group is good, and another group is bad--associating one group with crime, another group with accomplishment,” said rich Morin, senior editor at Pew, according to nBc news. the study utilized Implicit Association tests (IAt) to reveal “hidden bias” among whites, blacks, Asian Americans, and biracial black-white and biracial Asian-white adults. the IAt measures how long it takes for a participant to associate positive or negative words with a given term or image.

For example, when someone is prompted with an image of caucasian face, if he selects the word “good” significantly more quickly

Brown signs law making legal...

PAGE A1 abuse by a master of the Miramonte School, a case that generated enormous controversy. the LAUSD’s lawyers wanted to investigate the immigration status of children, arguing that california law permits this to be a factor to consider in the determination of damage payment

terms. the plaintiffs’ attorneys filed motions to exclude children and the research of the immigration status of plaintiffs in such cases. eventually LAUSD’s lawyers withdrew their request. the measure signed by Brown explains that the immigration status of a minor, under any ap-

Bill to raise gas tax by 12 cents...

PAGE A1 to repair california’s deteriorating roads will unfold throughout the next few weeks.

“We don’t want to dump the cost of our horribly maintained infrastructure on the next generation – it will be too late to solve the problem if we delay,” said Sen. Jim Beall (D-campbell), whose transportation tax bill passed the committee in a 9-2 vote.

At an Aug. 19 news conference, california Gov. Jerry Brown urged bipartisan cooperation in tackling the reparation of the state’s transportation infrastructure but did not explicitly say how he wants it to get done.

“My approach to bringing people together is not to prematurely close the door,” Brown said, according to San Jose Mercury news. “I’m not going to put all my cards on the table this morning.

“this is a big challenge. How we’re going to get to the end of it isn’t exactly clear this morning.”

Some GOP lawmakers have indicated they are willing to support the gas tax hike on the condition that revenue is used only for transportation improvements. each year, the federal government spends about $50 billion on transportation projects, but the current gas tax only generates $34 billion annually. the week before the committee approved the transportation bill, business organizations including the california chamber of commerce and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group said any solution should strive to collect a minimum of $6 billion per year through gas and diesel tax hikes, and by boosting license and vehicle registration fees.

President and ceO of the Bay

than when he is prompted with an Asian-American face, he may have an implicit bias in favor of whites.

Pew conducted two experiments: one experiment took whites, blacks, and biracial blackwhite adults, and tested implicit bias among each group in favor of either whites or blacks. the other experiment took, whites, Asian Americans, and biracial Asian-white adults, and tested bias in favor of either whites or Asians.

In the study, more biracial Asian-white adults than monoracial whites had some form of implicit racial bias. Only 22 percent of Asian-white biracials were free of racial preference, whereas 30 percent of whites had no racial preference between whites and Asians. Fewer Asian-white biracials displayed implicit bias when compared to Asians, while only 20 percent of Asian Americans did not exhibit any subconscious PAGE A5 plicable law, is irrelevant to the issues of liability or remedy.

“An undocumented child deserves the same protection as any other child in our state,” said Gomez. “My bill closes an unintended gap in existing law to ensure justice for all children and preventing the degradation of children when they are victims of crimes, regardless of their immigration status.” (New America Media) Area council Jim Wunderman proposed indefinitely extending the quarter-cent sales tax provision of Proposition 30, which was approved to help california’s schools, and directing funds toward transportation needs. revenue from this portion of Proposition 30 would amount to approximately $1.5 billion annually. california is the latest state to consider boosting its gas tax in recent years, as federal transportation funding has become limited.

In addition to transportation legislation, lawmakers in a separate panel on Aug. 19 approved measures aimed at solving california’s health crisis, including raising the legal smoking age to 21, regulating e-cigarettes and permitting counties to put local tobacco taxes on the ballot, Mercury news reported. (Agnes Constante/AJPress with reports from San Jose Mercury News and The Hill)

CRACKED. Photo taken by Mayor Robert Victor Seares Jr. of Dolores, Abra shows a damaged spillway in Barangay Calumbaya. Typhoon Ineng‘s continuous rains have isolated several sitios of the barangay. At right, photo from the Philippine Coast Guard shows personnel with a pawikan, or sea turtle, which they found near Pier 13 of the North Harbor in Manila. The turtle was turned over to the wildlife center in Quezon City.

Philstar.com photo

California lawmakers OK exit exam exemption bill for class of 2015 Gov. Brown expected to sign

by AgnEs

constAntE AJPress

tHe state Senate on Monday, Aug. 24, approved a measure that would allow about 5,000 california high school students that fulfilled graduation requirements this year but did not pass the exit exam to obtain their diplomas.

In a 37-0 vote, the california Senate advanced SB725, following the Assembly’s 77-1 approval last week. the bill now heads to california Gov. Jerry Brown, who is expected to sign it into law. the emergency legislation comes after california education officials cancelled the summer exam this year, having decided it did not align with the new curriculum based on common core standards. As a result, students were left with no way of taking the test.

“Students who’ve been accepted into college should not be prevented from starting class this fall because of a test cancellation they could not control,” said Brown spokeswoman Deborah Hoffman, according to the Los Angeles times.

Many students were required to pass the exam to be accepted into four-year colleges, certain job-training programs and the military.

“We have a high school graduation requirement in place that no one can meet,” said Sen. carol Liu (D-La canada-Flintridge), who sponsored a bill, SB172, that would suspend the exit exam for the classes of 2015 through 2018. the california Senate advanced Liu’s measure, which is now being considered in the Assembly. If signed into law, SB172 would take effect on Jan. 1, which would do nothing for students who would have needed to pass the exit exam in July to start jobtraining programs or join the military this month. Since coming back from the summer session last week, state lawmakers have been looking for a solution for the class of 2015.

“I am grateful to put this snafu behind us so that students get the education they deserve,” said Assemblyman Phil ting (D-San Francisco), who co-authored the bill, according to San Francisco chronicle. “Students

never should have been put in this position.”

SB725 faced opposition from lawmakers, including Senate republican Leader Bob Huff of Diamond Bar, who urged the state to quickly update the exam.

“It’s mind-blowing to me that this even happened,” he said, according to SF Gate. “Without an exit exam, we will return to the days where a diploma shows completion of course work without a guarantee of minimum mathematics and language-arts competency. We can’t let that happen to california students, who deserve better than that from us.”

Assemblyman travis Allen (rHuntington Beach), said california should reinstate the test so students can obtain their diploma the way those before them did.

School board members in Oakland and San Francisco called voting to give diplomas to high school students who met all graduation requirements except for the exit exam unacceptable. the action technically violated california’s education code, according to the chronicle.

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Dateline PhiliPPines

Aquino spokesman denies saying OFW remittances not important protest the pork barrel scam.

Lacierda said such call was also made in the past but turned MANILA - Presidential Spokes- out to be “not effective.” person Edwin Lacierda denied He said another “No Remitthat he downplayed the economic tance Day” is unlikely since it will importance of overseas Filipino directly affect Filipino families workers’ (OFWs) remittances. who benefit from their relatives’ “I have received numerous remittances. texts if I said that the OFW remit“Iyong remittance po ng mga tances do not benefit the econo- OFWs po, hindi po napupunta po my. I never did,” Lacierda said in ‘yan sa ano... napupunta po ‘yan a Facebook post on Sunday, Aug. sa kanilang mga kamag-anak,” 23.

Lacierda said.

“If people would recklessly acThe Palace official said those cuse someone without checking behind the allegations against the facts, then it must be a sorry him are only trying to pit the reflection of one’s state of opin- OFWs against the Aquino adminion writing,” he added. istration.

Lacierda shared a transcript “Please take note that the of his media briefing on Sept. 4, briefing was almost two years 2013 when he allegedly said that ago, and it is being revived OFW remittances are not impor- now. There is obviously a netant to the economy. farious gnome trying to instiDuring the briefing, Lacierda gate the OFWs to be in conwas asked for his reaction re- flict with this government,” he garding the planned “No Remit- said. tance Day” of an OFW group to Lacierda’s colleague, Comby Louis

Bacani Philstar.com

munications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. also defended the spokesman.

“Ang sinabi lang po ni Secretary Lacierda ay ito: ‘Karapatan ng bawat OFW ‘yung pagpapasya kung paano niya ipapadala ‘yung kinita niya,’” Coloma said.

“Walang katotohanan at walang batayan ‘yang mga paratang,” he added.

Criticisms related to OFW concerns were hurled at the administration after the Bureau of Customs went underfire for implementing stricter inspections of OFWs’ balikbayan boxes.

After the BOC drew flak from various sectors, Aquino on Monday night ordered the agency to stop conducting random physical inspections of balikbayan boxes.

Coloma said Aquino took into account the plight of OFWs, refuting claims that the administration neglected the welfare of Filipino migrant workers.

REFUGEES. Children line up for lunch at an evacuation center in Barangay Caraoan in Gonzaga town, Cagayan during the onslaught of Typhoon Ineng last week. Government preparations for the entry of Typhoon Ineng (Goni) in the country was not lacking even as casualties and shortage in supply of relief goods were reported in some affected areas, officials said.

Philstar.com photo by Michael Varcas

Filipinos applaud House Foreign Affairs Committee...

PAGE A3 t

said in a separate interview.

But the Binay camp played down the new expose against the Vice President.

“As in the past 24 hearings, we expect recycled allegations, dubious if not falsified documents, and outright lies in this longest-running farce they call a Senate inquiry,” Joey Salgado, head of the Office of the Vice President’s media, said in a text message.

“Baka nagkita na si Alden at Yaya Dub pero hindi pa tapos ang telenovela nila sa Senado,” Salgado added, referring to the latest popular tandem at a noontime television show. (Inquirer.net)

about his family’s property in Antipolo being locked by a powerful Philippine general, who took full control of the access road and built a home for himself.

In objection of the act, Quinto has reached out to several lawmakers, including President Aquino, members of the Philippine government, the United Nations, Rep. Ted Lieu, Rep. Judy Chu, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee led by Congressman Ed Royce.

“Congressman Royce has been the champion of these issues,” Quinto said. “When he discovered this endemic problem in

our country, he reached out to our community in an effort to end corruption and land issues.

Because members of Congress don’t want to see their billions of dollars in aid going to waste.

When it comes to taxpayers’ money, everyone will pay attention…this affects everybody.”

He continued, “If corruption and land-grabbing continues, there is a major credit risk. The Philippines is maturing loans every month, obtaining a higher interest rate. What we need to do as a community, is to bring out our stories, and get rid of the culture of fear. Filipino-Americans are also Americans, and we won’t

be hurt. We cannot be afraid. We need to rise up and take back our land.”

“It is important for the Filipino community to organize and to be an advocacy group for these issues,” Chu told the Asian Journal.

“There are so many things that can be done--letters to be sent [to MCC] on the conditions placed for a second compact. We need to bring these types of things to members of Congress, and it’s more effective if Filipinos themselves, as well as victims, can bring these issues to Congress to educate them, and then have a plan of action. We need to use whatever leverage we have.”

among whites tested for bias against blacks: 48 percent of whites in the study have a subPAGE A4 cial preference revealed in the en- conscious preference for other tire study was among whites being whites over blacks. 27 percent of racial preference.

The study found a 4 percent tested for bias against Asian Amer- whites tested had no preference margin of difference between the icans, with 50 percent of whites between whites and blacks, and percentage of monoracial Asians tested in the study revealing a 25 percent of whites preferred who favored Asians, and the per- subconscious preference for other blacks.

A higher percentage of biracial centage of monoracial Asians whites over Asians. 30 percent of who favored Whites: 38 percent whites had no implicit bias, and 19 black-white adults and biracial of Asians favored whites over percent of whites had a subcon- Asian-white adults displayed implicit bias in favor of whites, when Asians, while 42 percent of Asians scious preference for Asians.

The second highest level of compared to bias in favor of their favored other Asians over whites.

The highest level of implicit ra- implicit racial preference was respective minority group.

Accounting for background, age, and political beliefs, the study suggests that the frequency and magnitude of racial bias does not significantly differ by age, education level, or political party.

Republicans and Democrats, for example, hold similar levels of implicit bias, the study suggests.

Also contrary to some beliefs that younger generations will no longer be racist, the age of survey respondents had no significant effect on levels of implicit bias.

Although some previous Pew

studies have shown that millennials are more racially tolerant than older generation, the IAT tests imply otherwise.

“Measuring implicit racial bias rather than explicit bias reveals a much higher frequency of prejudice,” wrote Stanford professor Shanto Iyengar, a consultant to the Pew study. “The IAT is useful in detecting views that individuals may be reluctant to divulge to others or even to admit to themselves.”

When asked how to dismantle

these implicit biases, Morin said, “Simply knowing that you hold these biases is an important first step [in dismantling implicit bias]. It makes you think twice when making the hiring decision.

That way, it keeps these biases in check.”

“I do not know if it’s impossible to lose [biases], but it is certainly true from the literature that it’s possible to contain them…we aren’t race-neutral, but maybe we’re moving in that direction.”

Enrile: Senate probe on Binay...

PAGE A1 t proceed with the investigation, Enrile said: “I said it’s self-destructing. Let them proceed because in the long term, they will become irrelevant.”

Enrile, who just returned to the Senate Monday from more than a year of hospital arrest in connection with the pork barrel scam, declined to say whether or not he would participate in the resumption of the hearing on Wednesday.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV,

who initiated the Senate probe against Binay, earlier said that a new anomaly will be exposed at the resumption of the hearing involving the alleged more than P1billion worth of contracts a year in Makati City that were cornered by three companies allegedly owned by the Binays.

Trillanes said at least P400 million of the amount went to the Binays.

“I believe mga at least P400 million. At least ha, pero di ko pa nakikita gaano lahat…,” Trillanes

Study shows subconscious racial...

A AUGUST 26-28, 2015 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

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

OpiniOn

Features

Devalued

THEY are not called modern day heroes for nothing. According to a report by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), about 5,054 OFWs fly out every day in search of greener pastures.

These so-called heroes spend most of their time away from their families and homes to pursue better lives for the ones they love. Some are even compelled to work while enduring unfair and harsh working conditions, including long hours, low pay, and human rights abuses.

Through the remittances they send to their families back home, OFWs find some significance in the hardships they succumb to.

The diversification of OFWs and of the labor market keeps remittance growth at a robust pace every year. The sustained and higher remittances every year result to billions of pesos and help the country achieve Philippine economic development and stability.

The annual outflow of overseas Filipino workers is not only a solution to country’s unemployed workforce, it also helps the government maintain a manageable gross domestic and gross national product (GDP and GNP), a visible major source of gross international reserves and the country’s external debt.

For developing countries, like the Philippines, remittances sent by OFWs are one of the largest sources of external finance. The recent strong flow of remittances helps the country receive credit worthiness and lower its cost of borrowing money in international markets.

In June this year, cash transfers rose by 6.1 percent to $2.18 billion, the highest level since December of last year. This follows the usual trend of remittances inching up as the year progresses before peaking during the December holiday season. This result brought the year-to-date total to $12.08 bil-

lion, higher by 5.6 percent last year.

Aside from remittances, OFWs also send balikbayan boxes to preserve strong ties with their families despite the long distance. The Bureau of Customs (BOC) defines balikbayan boxes as “packages of personal effects and/or ‘pasalubongs’ sent by Filipinos residing or working abroad to their families or relatives in the Philippines to enhance Philippine tradition and culture for the promotion and preservation of strong family ties through love and caring expressed in gift-giving.”

Recently, the BOC has been under fire for implementing a random inspection of balikbayan boxes.

This didn’t sit well for Filipinos worldwide, who instantly criticized the BOC’s bold move and alleged corrupt practices.

In its defense, Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina said that the bureau is only implementing the drastic measure of random inspection of balikbayan boxes to address smuggling. Lina added that the government is losing P50 million a month in revenues due to smuggling carried out through balikbayan boxes.

Pres. Benigno Aquino immediately intervened and put a stop on the protocol and ordered BOC to find alternative ways to clamp down balikbayan boxes that are being used for smuggling.

“We have won the battle but the war is far from over.” This was the statement of Migrante Partylist, following Aquino’s directive to BOC to stop its random inspection of balikbayan boxes.

“We are pleased that the President has spoken on the issue of random inspection of our balikbayan boxes. This is an initial victory for OFWs worldwide.

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

But all the beautiful words cannot hide the fact that the administration has imposed on BOC a P600-million revenue target from balikbayan boxes,” said Connie Bragas-Regalado, Migrante Partylist chairperson.

Regalado also revealed that the P600-million target is “what emboldened the BOC to implement the brazen, sacrilegious inspections of balikbayan boxes.”

“The statement of the Department of Finance (DOF), which oversees the BOC, is totally silent on the P600-million target. If this stays, we have every reason to believe that the ‘seemingly reasonable’ steps are nothing but damage-control aimed at

dousing OFW and national protests,” she added.

Abroad, the quality of Filipino service is in demand. OFWs are treasured by other countries for being hard working, dedicated and loyal. Other notable traits admired by foreign employers are their hospitality and honesty.

However, the same could not be said back home.

Clearly, the protection and promotion of economic rights of OFWs should be given appropriate actions, to develop creative and practical ways to utilize both the OFWs’ financial and human resources. It is time to give back and for the local government to establish a win-win situation for the economy and OFWs. (AJPress)

Kababayans’ reaction to Trump’s immigration policy

The Fil-Am Perspective Gel SantoS-ReloS WHEN I shared through this column what undocumented Filipinos in America may expect from a Trump presidency -- and that Trump should recalibrate his message against undocumented immigrants so he will not be misconstrued as condoning violence against them -- I got different reactions from kababayans from different walks of life.

Here are some of them: Unfortunately, there are people that approved violations of the laws as long as it will be in their favor. Even our Almighty God has laws that we are required to follow. But many violated and ignored both laws. That includes Obama who hates our country.

We will always hear violators complain. The truth is — the pub-

lic became tired and exhausted watching their country destroyed.

Get ready for judgment day. Yes, Filipinos should be concerned if Trump wins. They are the biggest violators and not afraid to try their chances of getting away.

- Marilyn Patacsil We Filipino-Americans should be concerned about [it]. It’s terrifying how some people can excuse the kind of racism that’s being put forth. Trump’s pronouncements surely have reached those who have hate in their hearts. It’s alarming that the same people who say they are pro-life and say they are Christian have no problem saying things against and even threatening their fellow human beings.

- Yong Chavez Am not a fan of Trump but I like the way he opens the debate on ILLEGAL immigrants...

Trump need not to be POLITICALLY correct like most people [in] the media like you… Ille-

gal immigrant ordered freed by feds now suspected of murder in Ohio...Killed in her sleep: Illegal immigrants suspected in Mass. grandma’s death faced deportation...Have you ever reported the “KILLING IN CALIFORNIA by an illegal immigrant”? NO...So let’s be fair…Did you ever mentioned that Obama never mentioned the killings by [an] illegal immigrant in the USA, NO —That’s Obama immigration policy…

Only the “politically correct” media or persons misconstrued all speeches of candidates they don’t agree with, let’s be fair.

- Ehbhong_Tubao The Migrant Heritage Commission, an immigrant rights advocacy group in Washington DC, released this statement: “Thank you, Mr. Trump, for bringing back Immigration once more into the national consciousness and headlines. You have reignited debate on immigration and reenergized both pro-im-

Are you angry enough?

CTalk

Cito Beltran ARE you angry enough about our state of affairs in the Republic of the Philippines?

The thought has begun to surface as millions of Filipinos come to terms with the fact that the SelfRighteous Brotherhood occupying Malacañang are a bunch of incompetent and insensitive dolts who punctuate their failures with off the cuff remarks that only serve to incense the public. Filipinos have been known to be tolerant even of stupidity and mediocrity but the PNoy Misadministration has obviously broken all records as far as achieving nothing is concerned.

The one thing they have managed to be consistent about is to accumulate those who they call “critics,” “haters,” and a vast number of angry Filipinos whose quality of life and productivity have deteriorated due to what many believe is PNoy’s indifference or insulated mindset to the day to day hardship of Filipinos. His big picture notion of making the Philippines a serious regional or global player, his insistence on passing the twisted

version of the BBL, his obsession with out-doing his predecessor, or solidifying his imaginary “Matuwid Na Daan” have cost millions of Filipinos a high price in terms of their quality of life and personal finances.

For many, the formerly moral aspiration for the “Tuwid Na Daan” has crumbled under his form of selective justice, his failure to make his minions account for their non-performance and questionable conduct, and for ignoring the people’s plea for action and service from government. Simply put his much-adored “Tuwid Na Daan” has become nothing more than the Tagalog translation of the proverbial phrase: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Judging from the chaos, congestion and immobility on Metro Manila roads, airport and pier, it would be safe to say that we have found our hell on earth.

And like lost souls in the abyss, all we want now is to be able to bring back the travel time to the traditional 1 to 1.5 hours, it used to take instead of the 3 to 4 hour kidney and bladder busting ride.

All we want is to be able to ride the MRT and LRT without having to get into fights with fellow Filipinos as a way of expressing or re-

leasing our anger at a government and a President whose sole obsession is to insure the continuity of their failed governance.

So now we begin to read posts on social media mildly suggesting or asking: How should we express our anger, our frustration and how can we make this government act?

There are now those suggesting a 3-day strike the same way citizens in Latin American countries have displayed their displeasure. Some suggest tax holidays or boycotts.

One or two suggests giving the PNoy administration a taste of its own medicine by staging EDSA 3 or 4 (depending on who’s counting).

These, Mr. President, are the initial snowflakes for “the winter of our discontent” that may come way before the May elections.

Many of us do not have deep pockets to see us through and clearly people are losing their patience and waking up to the realization that something has to be done, something needs to be done, and history shows that the people ultimately does something about governments that betray and ignore their basic needs. Cory Aquino led one, Gloria Arroyo led the second, Urban poor almost had their very PAGE A7

migrants and anti-immigrant groups. Indeed, Donald Trump has hit on a theme that soundly resonates with voters.

For immigrants and the silent majority who are citizens of this great nation, the issue of immigration brings back that deep paternal and maternal feelings from within of what it means to be an American. At the end of the day, when we examine our core value as an American, whether native or naturalized, we ensconced ourselves to the foundational principle that “America is a Nation of Immigrants.” It was before, still now, and will always be.

Unfortunately, Donald Trump’s proposed immigration policy is so Un-American and racist in its philosophical foundation and orientation.

Even Mr. Trump’s ancestors including his great grandfather of German stock and grandmother of Scottish Origin would have

Commentary

been disqualified on Mr. Trump’s proposed immigration policies.

Mr. Trump’s ancestors including his parents came to America in dire need. And because of harsh economic realities of life, just like millions of Hispanic, Asian and African immigrants, they look at America as a “dreamt of destination”. To look for a better life for their families in the new world.

Mr. Trump’s basic immigration principles to make America great again i.e building a wall at the Mexican and American borders, ending birthright citizenship and mass deportations of the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants and now the seizure of remittance monies of undocumented immigrants will cause irreparable damage not only to USMexico relations but as well as other Latin American countries , Asian and African countries that will be directly impacted by Mr. Trump’s nativist and inhumane immigration policies.

No matter how you look at it, under Mr. Trump’s proposed immigration policies: families will be destroyed, a complete waste of taxpayers money, impractical and unrealistic (building a wall) and the constitutional principle enunciated in the 14th Amendment referring to “birthright citizenship” which has been part of the US Constitution for the last 150 years will be put to naught.

America cannot go back to the decades of historical racism and oppression and resurrect the guiding legal principle in the infamous Dred Scott case decided by the US Supreme Court where black slaves and their descendants were disqualified by their own blood from enjoying the rights of citizenship. We have to remind Mr. Trump, that this is AMERICA, A Nation of Immigrants, and children born here regardless of ancestry are automatically citizens. Mr. Trump’s PAGE A7

His powerful son has done nothing to solve his murder

RiGobeRto tiGlao On Friday, Aug. 21 the 31st anniversary of the assassination of our national martyr, Ninoy Aquino was remembered, and again, photos of his son President Aquino with his sisters praying before the hero’s grave hogged newspapers’ front pages.

Ninoy’s murder on August 21, 1983 was an event that changed the course of Philippine history.

I am still astounded at how its masterminds and conspirators were so daring and precise in their execution of the deed as to kill him in broad daylight. If the killers’ timing was just a few seconds late – or if the journalists with Aquino had been a bit bolder as to insist on following Aquino down the tube – the opposition leader’s killing could have been witnessed and photographed by foreign media who would have told the world about it.

As mysterious, though, as to who were the brains behind the assassination is the fact that Aquino’s now powerful son, Benigno 3rd, has done nothing to uncover who were behind his killing, as well as that

August 21, 1983: After 31 years, murders still unsolved.

of Rolando Galman, allegedly the actual trigger man who put a .357 mm. bullet into his head.

This is despite his four years as the most powerful man in the country that he has been able to remove the Supreme Court Chief Justice, incarcerate the former president on flimsy grounds, and have the entire Congress under his thumb.

Aquino is known to be vengeful against those who have slighted him in the most minor manner.

This trait certainly doesn’t apply to his apparent nonchalance towards his father’s murderers.

Masterminds not idle

In contrast, the masterminds of the assassinations don’t seem to have been idle, and have been determined to forever erase all trails of the evil deed that could lead to them.

In the early morning of May 7 this year,discharged Master Sergeant Pablo Martinez was killed in what initially appeared to be an accident along Roxas Boulevard.

An eyewitness claimed that an SUV Montero driven by one Henry Roque ran over him after he fell from his bicycle which the vehicle bumped. The police initially concluded that it was purely PAGE A7

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Duterte won’t run...

PAGE A1 t

anao, not to bolster a clamored presidential bid but to promote federalism.

“I have never thought of what I would do if I become President because I never intended to be one. Wala akong ambisyon,” Duterte said, calling the Constitution as a “well of corruption.”

“It’s because itong Constitution is really flawed. What will I do there? It’s a flawed setup.

Even if you want to, mahihirapan ka,” he added.

Saying that federalism is a good setup that “will bring about changes,” Duterte maintained that he has been reaching out to Filipinos to “make connections with the locals” if the issue of

federalism will become relevant in the future.

“Itong institution ng presidency, wala ka talagang magagawang tama diyan. One year na nandiyan ka, puro pagnanakaw ang ibabato sa’yo,” he said. “All the idiotic things that a president should not do, you will be doing when you are in office.”

Asked about the timing of his visits few months before the national elections, Duterte cited the timeliness of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which he said was reflective of federalism as well.

Amid public clamor urging him to run for president, Duterte said people should not make him an excuse if they cannot choose from potential presidential can-

Dateline PhiliPPines

didates.

“If you can’t choose between Grace, Mar, and Binay, then don’t make me an excuse. Why me?” he said.

Reacting to reports of talks between Nacionalista Party and PDP-Laban and a possible tandem with Sen. Bongbong Marcos, Duterte said he has never talked about the presidency with anybody.

The Davao mayor added that his popularity in preference polls will not affect his decision not to run in next year’s polls.

“If I become no. 1 tomorrow, it would not mean anything to me,” Duterte said.

“I have to overcome the objections of my family. Dalawa ang asawa ko, dalawa ang ayaw,” he added.

His powerful son has done nothing...

PAGE A6 t

an unfortunate accident. His son Diomedes, also an Air Force sergeant, however, suspected he was murdered.

The latest report I’ve been able to dig up was a Philippine Star news item dated May 19: “Parañaque police investigators confirmed that Roque could no longer be contacted after three witnesses surfaced and claimed they saw his SUV deliberately run over Martinez after he hit the victim’s bike and fell down into the asphalt.”

Who is Martinez? He was convicted as one of the conspirators in Aquino’s assassination and had served nearly 30 years in jail for the crime. Since his release in 2007, and probably because he had become deeply religious, Martinez had been volunteering to disclose the brains of the murder. (An excellent documentary titled “The Assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr.” produced by Kara MagsanocAlikpala, daughter of Philippine Daily Inquirer editor-in-chief Letty Magsanoc, shown on History Channel yesterday and every August 21 since it was produced in 2010, also focused on Martinez and his revelations.)

In 1995, he admitted his role in the plot, and testified that it was Galman who killed Ninoy with a single bullet to the head. He said it was he who escorted Galman to a motel to spend the night before the assassination.

Martinez alleged that former Philippine Constabulary Maj. Romeo Gatan, a businessman named Hermilo Gosuico, former Air Force Col. Romeo Ochoco, and Air Force Capt. Felipe Valerio were in that hotel to tell Galman what he would

do the next day. The other 11 officers and soldiers made up the team that allowed Galman to get close to and shoot Aquino in the head, after which they gunned him down.

Martinez’ earth-shaking testimony, though, was first narrated in a February 2006 article in the U.S. Time magazine and in an oncamera interview in 2007 by ABSCBN’s Julius Babao with him right after his release from prison: “I didn’t hear any direct order from him, but I asked them [the conspirators in the hotel] who was giving them the orders, and they replied, ‘Danding.’“ He was referring to oligarch Eduardo Cojuangco who had controlled until the last few years the giant San Miguel Corp. Martinez’s claims were recorded in a formal deposition and submitted to the Supreme Court, which had been asked to reopen the case.

The Court, though, ruled that it didn’t qualify as “newly found evidence.”

Cojuangco’s denial Mr. Cojuangco has vehemently denied such accusations.

“Valerio is among those who might be able to shed light, but to me, it’s Ochoco whom the government should ask because he was the one who ordered me to bring Galman to the airport,” Martinez said in 2007.

Capt. Valerio was the head of the 10-man team of the Aviation Security Command who collected Aquino from the China Airlines plane to the airport’s tarmac, where the former senator and then Galman were shot dead. Valerio and his immediate superior Air Force Col. Ochoco disappeared right after

Marcos’ fall in 1986.

Valerio was not included among the 16 convicted or the other 18 accused who were acquitted since he could not be arraigned, as he could not be found and arrested.

He was reported to be living in the US. Ochoco, for some reason was also not indicted, and has been reported to be living in Australia.

Aquino or his officials had done absolutely nothing to get in touch with Martinez or with the other 10 officers and soldiers convicted of the crime to convince them that they would be placed under his protection if they told everything they knew about the assassination.

Having given everything the Americans wanted, allowing them to have military forward operating sites here, couldn’t have Aquino asked them for a small favor of looking for Ochoco and Valerio, and extraditing them here to face justice?

One would have thought the martyr’s only son would use all the resources at his command as President not just to seek justice for his father, but also to shed light on what is one of the most ruthless but pivotal killings in our nation’s history.

Aquino hasn’t.

Aquino’s seeming lack of concern over his father’s murder convinces me that either there is something deeply wrong in this person’s psyche, or that there is something terribly embarrassing in the assassination that has been kept so secret that even the victim’s powerful family has refused to uncover its mastermind.

Aquino’s mother Cory also seemed disinterested when she

LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 26-28, 2015

Kababayans’ reaction...

PAGE A6 t

ancestors from Europe benefited from the immigration policies of this country and so should children of Asian, African and Hispanic ancestry born in the United States of America.

To all the Presidential Candidates: Words matter. Political correctness matter. For months that we have been inundated with “Trumpism”, that even “babies”, “kids” born in this country are being branded now as “anchor

babies”, (Most recently, Mr . Jeff Bush unwittingly connected the term application to “Asians”), what we have seen so far is the lack of respect to human dignity and that all of us are bound by the common thread of humanity. We cannot allow these candidates to simply entertain us while at the same time they are fueling bigotry and racism.

We want to hear how our broken immigration system will be fixed. The adoption of Compre-

Are you angry...

A

hensive Immigration Policies that embraced the principles of family unity, economic opportunity, equality and humanity. These are the American core values that even Mr. Trump’s great grandparents and parents fully embraced.” *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFilAmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook. com/Gel.Santos.Relos

own EDSA3, so a fourth one is not all too impossible. * * * The PNoy Misadministration would have us think that the reason for gridlock is progress as evidenced by the various construction projects, roadwork and infrastructures that are being put up.

The PNoy administration is not the first administration or government to put massive infrastructure projects. Marcos, Ramos, and Arroyo had a lot but to their credit the gridlock did not turn EDSA into a parking lot almost everyday of the week even past the truck ban.

Ramos and Arroyo were concerned and sensitive to public displeasure resulting from being stuck in traffic. I know that Gloria Arroyo would call and nag then MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando every time she heard reports of traffic jam or whenever she herself was caught in a traffic jam. Government officials were held responsible and expected to do something, that led to the no-

arrest policy on main roads where the priority was to get vehicles moving as fast as possible. Under the regime of the righteous brotherhood no one is held responsible, they blame each other and when that no longer works with angry people then they say: “Sorry po,” “we beg for your patience and understanding.” That Mr. President does not fix the problem or get the job done.

In terms of vehicle and road use or the lack of it, we the Filipino people are one very oppressed and abused lot. When we buy cars, we pay for everything involved in making the cars, buses etc. We pay the duties and taxes on those products, we pay the duties and taxes on the fuel and other accessories that go into the vehicle and in order to drive or ride said vehicles, we pay for registration, insurance, license, medical exams, air pollution tests and road users tax.

The government collects the duties, taxes and VAT on our vehicles, on the fuel, collect money on the insurance, the LTFRB fran-

chise and then on the road users tax! The Philippine government is the biggest business interest, profiteer and competitor but the worst in terms of investments, product development and customer service or relations. In other words, it is the biggest FREE LOADER that subscribes to UNLI TAX! The so-called PPP or Public Private Partnership projects on infrastructure is the biggest scam of them all where the government actually gets private partners to bid and pay the government a concession fee to build the projects and then pass the bigger bill to Filipino citizens. In effect, the PNoy Misadministration is taxing all of us even the dead and their estates but none of that money goes to major infrastructure that we badly need. After taking as much as 50% or more for income tax and VAT, travel, road users tax etc., the government enters into a conspiracy with developers to make us, the Filipino people, pay for every time we use highways, airports, power etc. So we are paying for everything and still getting nothing! That should make you angry enough! (Philstar. com)

was president in getting to the bottom of her husband’s murder.

However, this was mostly viewed as an understandable, even laudable, above-the-fray stance of the Saint of Democracy.

More cynical observers felt, however, that she was afraid to discover that the mastermind could be Cojuangco, her cousin, or that she even already knew this.

For political stability’s sake An interpretation kind to her claimed that if she had pursued Cojuangco for the crime, the oligarch could have joined and funded the many coup attempts against her rule, and that she chose to sacrifice her personal wish—to avenge her husband—for the sake of the country ‘s political stability.

The son certainly can’t make such justification now for his disinterest in finding out who ordered his father’s murder.

A big lacuna in our nation’s history remains to be filled, as mysterious as why his widow and the son hadn’t lifted a finger to expose who ordered the head of their family killed.

In the case of the also mysterious assassination of another president, the US’s John F. Kennedy, the trail had gone totally cold after nightclub owner Jack Ruby, who killed the alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, died in prison four years later in 1967.

In Ninoy’s case, Martinez had provided enough leads to solve the mystery, and many of the soldiers convicted are still alive and can be persuaded to tell everything they know. They can even be convinced to disclose who reportedly has been generously taking care of their families financially in the 30 years they’ve been in prison.

The crimes’ planners—Col.

Ochoco and Capt. Valerio, Martinez alleged—can still be tracked down. (Businessman Gosuico and Gen. Gatan reportedly had died several years ago by natural causes, although I have been unable to confirm this.)

How can Aquino keep wearing that yellow ribbon on his chest, when he has done nothing to solve the crime it signifies?

How can we be proud of a nation whose two presidents, one the widow and the other the son, had not bothered to bring justice to a hero who had declared that the Filipino is worth dying for?

Or maybe it would be more realistic to hope that Senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.—who aspires to lead this nation—would provide evidence to prove that it wasn’t his father who ordered Aquino’s murder, as most Filipinos believe the Senior did. (ManilaTimes.net)

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A AUGUST 26-28, 2015 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

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COMMUNITY Journal

B

Business News

US stocks losses after Dow Jones plummet Globe embarks on info campaign to protect users vs online crimes by aLLyson

escobar

AJPress

AMERICAN investors were seriously woken up when the Dow Jones industrial average tumbled 1,000 points minutes after the market opened on Monday, Aug. 24 in a worldwide wave of selling following a historic plunge in Chinese stocks.

The industrial average closed with a loss of about 588 points, down about 3.6 percent.

Though the declines eased significantly as the day went on, the market plunge sent a shiver of fear through Americans with retirement accounts or who are saving to buy a home over the bull market.

The average has dropped more than 9 percent in the last week, and has lost about 12 percent from its record high of 18,312.39 set on May 19, putting it in the “correction territory” of a decline of 10 percent or more after opening.

The last market correction was four years ago. Treasuries surged as investors bought less risky assets.

The Dow fell 1,089 points within the first four minutes of trading, as traders dumped their shares. But the “fire sale” was short-lived. A wave buying cut the Dow’s losses by half just five minutes later.

Heightened concern about a slowdown in China had already shaken markets around the world on Friday, driving the US stock market sharply lower. The collapse continued Monday, as China’s main stock index sank 8.5 percent.

The prospect of a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy has left investors unsure of how to measure which companies might be a good investment.

Among the market’s leading stocks, Apple Inc. fell 5.6 percent to $99.88 a share, before recovering with a 1.7 percent gain in midday trading; General Electric Co. was down 4.9 percent at $23.39 before cutting its loss to about 40 cents; and 1.7 percent. Netflix Inc. plummeted 10.8 percent to $93.15 a share, before reversing the trend to gain 3.6 percent to about $107.50.

The US market slide was broad. The 10 sectors in the broader Standard & Poor’s 500 index (a measure of how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of company earnings) headed lower, with energy stocks scoring the biggest decline.

US stocks have been primed for a sell-off for several months, said Jim Paulsen, chief investment strategist and economist for Wells Capital

Management.

“I’ve been of the view since late last year that this market is in a vulnerable position,” Paulsen added. “It’s gone almost straight up for six years.”

Chris Hardt, a financial advisor at Edward Jones, has been telling clients that Monday morning’s pullback is not unusual.

“The market will pull back 10 percent about once a year on average,” he said. “This is a normal thing.”

Stocks have been on a bull run of more for more than six years, after bottoming out in March 2009 in the aftermath of the financial crisis and the Great Recession.

Oil prices, commodities and the currencies of many developing countries also tumbled Monday on concerns that a sharp slowdown in China might hurt economic growth around the globe.

“We’re in a volatile market, and these pullbacks are going to occur for reasons,” said private wealth advisor Michael Kaningher. “The reason today is China. Before, you could insert Greece and talk about the same problems. Right now, the market seems to be doing well, and definitely not on a path to a recession.”

by LoueLLa

D. DesiDerio Philstar.com

MANILA - Globe Telecom Inc. has launched an information drive to enable its customers to better protect themselves from online crimes.

The telco firm said in a statement it recently started the #ProTech101 campaign, an online information drive that seeks to inform netizens of online crimes.

Aside from providing information on online hacks, identity theft and other cyber crimes, the campaign likewise seeks to remind customers to keep their accounts and valuable information safe.

The campaign was launched to increase the awareness of customers on the dangers they may encounter as they are spending more time on the Internet.

“From social media, to online shopping, and now to basic services like health care, the Filipino digital lifestyle has come full circle. Most of our customers have turned to technology to store private information including photos, messages, contacts, and even personal data. With everything now being online and digital, crimes increase where people dwell the most: online,” Anton u PAGE B2 Bonifacio, chief information se-

Globe Telecom Inc. recently started the #ProTech101 campaign, an online information drive that seeks to inform netizens of online crimes.

Philstar.com photo

curity officer at Globe said.

According to Bonifacio, cybercrimes such as hacking, theft and identity fraud are the top online crimes around the world.

“As the leading provider of digital services on mobile devices, we at Globe take the responsibility of educating and protecting our market and users from online security threats, which when addressed with the appropriate tools can be substantially minimized. We want to help them maximize and enjoy their digital experience, without compromising their personal online security,” he said.

The #ProTech101 campaign tackles various issues such as

weak passwords, the dangers of the auto fill feature, online sharing of information and awareness on new software and other factors that make an account unstable and vulnerable to danger.

As technology continues to develop and advance, Globe wants customers to be able to turn to #ProTech101 for safety tips.

As of the first semester, Globe’s core net income reached an all-time high of P8.6 billion this year, up 14 percent from the P7.6 billion a year ago supported by strong service revenues.

The firm’s latest revenue result was driven by the strong performances of the mobile, broadband and fixed line business segments. n

PH economy picks up speed in second quarter, says IMF (GDP) grew slightly faster in the second quarter due to improved spending by the Aquino adminisMANILA - The International tration.

“We would expect the econMonetary Fund (IMF) said the Philippine economy likely picked omy to have picked up slightly up speed in the second quarter in the second quarter from the of the year after slowing down in first quarter level on improving the first quarter on weak global government spending disbursedemand and lack of government ments and bottoming out of the export decline, although manuspending. facturing activity remained weak IMF resident representative IMF resident representative Shanaka Jayanath Peiris said the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) grew slightly faster in the second quarter due to improved spending by the Shanaka Jayanath Peiris said the and may have dragged down Aquino administration.

Philstar.com photo country’s gross domestic product growth,” Peiris said.

by Lawrence

agcaoiLi Philstar.com

The Philippines recorded a 5.2 percent GDP growth in the first quarter of the year from 5.6 percent in the same quarter last year on the back of anemic spending caused by delays in the implementation of much-needed infrastructure projects.

The government is set to announce the country’s GDP growth figure for the second quarter on Thursday.

Last July, the IMF revised downwards the country’s GDP

growth forecast to 6.2 percent based on the July World Economic Outlook (WEO) compared to 6.7 percent based on the April WEO as it lowered its global growth forecast amid the slow US economic recovery.

The IMF releases its WEO report during April and in September or October of every year. An updated WEO is also released every January and July of each year.

u PAGE B4

B AUGUST 26-28, 2015 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

Business news

Mixed-use buildings sprouting in CBDs residential market has more room for growth – CBRE

by Louise

Maureen Philstar.com

siMeon

MANILA - The Philippine residential market is expected to continue to grow in the coming quarters as demand for these developments remains stable, property consultancy services firm CBRE Philippines said.

According to CBRE Philippines, stable consumer confidence would boost sales of residential condominiums.

CBRE cited the consumer confidence survey done by the Bangko Sentral ng PIlipinas (BSP) which showed a healthy buying outlook for big-ticket items in the second quarter.

The consumer price index rose to 30.3 percent in April to June from 28.4 percent in the January to March period.

“Demand for residential houses remains stable as indicated by the results of a government survey. Buying intentions for real estate and motor vehicles for the next year has

grown,” the CBRE said.

As a result, various developers are introducing new residential projects within the central business districts (CBDs) in Makati, Quezon City, and Ortigas to capitalize on the strong demand for these developments.

The CBRE noted in Makati alone, condominium projects showed strong performance, with absorption rate of 84.7 percent in its affordable to luxury projects while high-end projects represent 55 percent of the total bulk of supply in the area with 85.98 percent absorption rate. Mid-priced condominiums, meanwhile, had an absorption rate of 83.34 percent.

“Several existing and upcoming condo units continue to follow the trend of mixeduse residential building with retail podium and office space that can be utilized for BPO (business process outsourcing) services,” the CBRE said.

Meanwhile, Quezon City has

shown signs of improvement in the residential sector where projects are mostly mid-priced and smaller scale compared to other CBDs. Absorption rate is at 72.39 percent.

“Quezon City has seen significant investment into townhouse and condominium projects which are targeted in the city’s commercial areas where there is active market activity and ease of accessibility,” CBRE said.

Apart from this, the Ortigas area has become another potential market for investors and is expected to be an ideal ground for upcoming residential condominium projects.

Despite weakening markets particularly in China and Greece, CBRE remains bullish on the outlook for the residential sector.

“The country’s sound macroeconomic fundamentals and policies drafted by the central bank will enable the Philippines to withstand these shocks,” the CBRE said. n

US stocks losses after Dow Jones...

PAGE B1 t

Benchmark US crude dropped $1.41 (3.5 percent) to $39.03 a barrel in New York. It fell to 87 cents a barrel on Friday. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many US refineries, fell $2.50 to $42.96 a barrel.

However, experts say a big slump in commodity prices could turn out to be a boost for economies worldwide.

“Everyone is getting the equivalent of a massive tax cut,” said Paulsen. “This is more of a stimulative event for the global economy.”

US and foreign stocks again followed a massive sell-off in China amid growing worries about China’s economic slump, and the ripple effect it could have on corporations worldwide that do business with China.

“China’s emerging middle class has taken on huge quantities of private debt in recent years to buy everything from real estate to stocks,” said Cornell Law School professor Robert Hockett, whose expertise is monetary law. “The result

has been a sequence of classic credit-fueled asset price bubbles much like those experienced by the US in the 1920s and early 2000s.

“Now that asset prices have leveled off and reversed, millions of Chinese are faced with the prospect of owing more on their debts than their assets are worth--just like US investors and homeowners before them,” he continued.

Underlying the economic gloom in China is the growing conviction that policymakers and regulators may lack the means to stem the losses in that nation. The country is facing a slowdown in fiscal growth, the banking system is short of cash and investors are pulling money out of the country, experts note.

“There is a lot of fear in the markets,” said Bernard Aw, market strategist at IG. In currency trading, the dollar was at 119.25 yen on Monday, down from 122.05 yen on Friday. The euro rose to $1.1532 from $1.1138. Currencies fell hard in developing economies — particularly

those that rely heavily on the export of commodities and oil, both of which China is a big consumer.

“Today’s stock market drops worldwide afford further evidence that the past decade has been China’s ‘Roaring ‘20s’-and that the chickens are now coming home to roost,” Professor Hockett added.

China’s central bank announced it was cutting its benchmark interest rate to foster more lending, and has pumped more than $23 billion into its financial system to increase liquidity in the market.

On Tuesday, Aug. 25, the Dow average soared about 400 points in early trading as US markets ignored another selloff in China and surged higher, partly reversing a severe drop over the prior three sessions.

The blue-chip Dow Jones index jumped 402.70 points (2.5%) in morning trading, after plunging 8.5% over the last few sessions. All 30 of the component stocks were higher. (With reports from the Los Angeles Times, Associated Press)

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Aggressive infrastructure development a must for new PH government, says report MANILA - The government should not let the elections next year derail ongoing initiatives to upgrade the country’s poor infrastructure which remains a serious threat to the national economy, according to a new report.

Lack of adequate infrastructure is a setback to the country’s growth, and despite the adoption of a more aggressive infrastructure development program, there are concerns that implementation remains slow and that thrusts could change with new leaders on board, according to the paper.

“For an archipelagic nation with high urban population density and heavy reliance on air and water transport, (weak infrastructure network) is a glaring risk to sustainable and inclusive growth,” said the paper, titled “Competitiveness: Sustainable and Inclusive Growth-The Philippines” and published recently by Deloitte.

The report highlighted observations about “the continuing underspending in this critical sector,” adding that among the Asean-5 (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand), the Philippines had historically spent a lower percentage of gross domestic

product (GDP) on infrastructure, which averaged from 1980 to 2009 to just a little over two percent compared to about 5.5 percent among its neighbors.

At the same time, it lauded the current administration’s efforts to increase the budget for infrastructure investment to the equivalent of four percent of GDP, with the aim to increase it to five percent in 2016.

According to news reports, the Aquino government is proposing a P3.002-trillion national budget for next year.

Of this, about P829.6 billion or 27.64 percent will be allocated to economic services, mostly going to transport and communication infrastructure expenditures to realize the five percent GDP target.

It is also proposed that the Department of Public Works and Highways should receive P391.2 billion to complete the pavement of all national arterial and secondary roads.

Among next year’s priorities is the paving of 31,242 kilometers of national roads and making all temporary bridges permanent.

The budget also supports the provision of services by the Light Rail Transits 1 and

2, the Metro Rail Transit, and Philippine National Railways.

However, the paper continued, there are nagging concerns that “improvements aren’t happening fast enough,” citing as example the slow progress in awarding public-private partnership projects in infrastructure development.

The paper underscored the importance of a sustained infrastructure program even with a new administration in place. It noted the role of an efficient infrastructure network in attracting new investors to the country and easing traffic in Metro Manila.

Moreover, infrastructure enhancements will benefit the tourism industry, and connect lagging towns to growth centers and link farms and products to markets. The economy of Mindanao, the country’s poorest region and the one with the lowest road density, is also expected to gain, if lasting peace in the area is achieved.

With so much at stake, the paper said that as the presidential elections approach, it is vital to ensure that the pipeline of critical projects doesn’t come to a complete halt when the leadership changes. n

Renewed US Generalized System of Preferences program seen boosting Philippine exports MANILA - The Philippines expects its exports and competitiveness to the US market to receive a boost from a renewed US Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program.

GSP-eligible exports comprised only 20.37 percent of Philippine total exports to the US in 2012, from previous year’s 16.59 percent.

Roseni Alvero, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) senior trade specialist and Philippine embassy commercial counselor, said most of the products belonging to the top 50 US GSP-eligible exports across the years are imported by big US multinational likely from big manufacturing operations.

“(The GSP) provides continued incentives for foreign investors to locate and expand their business in the Philippines,” she said during the recent DTI and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) briefing on the US GSP. The GSP program also expands its coverage to include more specific types of travel goods.

“Designation or inclusion of new articles such as handbags, luggage, and flat goods will create market opportunity for the Philippine travel good industry,” she added.

Alvero said the program can also provide the possibility of redesignation of GSP-eligible articles from the Philippines

that are currently not receiving GSP duty-free treatment based on competitive need limit (CNL).

She identified these products as dried guavas, mangoes and mangosteens; cane/beet sugar and pure sucrose.

The Philippines is the fifth largest user of US GSP out of 122 total beneficiaries. The program’s top beneficiaries include India, Thailand, Brazil and Indonesia.

US President Barack Obama signed Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 last June 29 which reauthorizes the US GSP program until December 2017. This after the program expired two years on July 31, 2013. (Philstar.com)

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Business news

LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 26-28, 2015

Clients seek Chapter 11 & 13 reorganizations Calendar of Events Client seeks Chapter 11 reorganization to across Debt Relief

save business; senior seeks Chapter 13 reorganization instead of reverse mortgage after two loan modification denials

Atty. LAwrence yAng CLIENT NO. 1 is 58. Divorced and remarried. He has spent the last 20 years building up his business in Los Angeles. He started with importation of construction materials direct from manufacturers in Asia, mainly from China and Taiwan, at cost that were lower, a lot lower than construction materials and products made in the USA. He did not have name brand items but since the manufacturers made exactly the same product for name brands in the USA, he was able to offer the very same product, although with a different label from a name brand, at a big discount when compared to the name brand product. Let’s just say that if you placed a real “Ferrari” side by side with the product he carried, you would not be able to tell the difference.

It would look exactly the same as a “Ferrari” but his product would be called “Ferraro” or “Ferrigo.”

He would sell security padlocks that look exactly the same as a “Yale” padlock but he would call his padlock “Yalu”. You won’t be able to tell the difference between “Yale” and “Yalu,” except that “Yalu” would sell for half the price of “Yale.” Now, if you needed ten padlocks for you dogs, you wouldn’t mind saving 50% on $200 for padlocks that look exactly the same and function exactly the same as “Yale”.

So that was his business which was doing quite well, His annual sales last year was $4.0M with four retail outlets spread across the Southland. His profit margin was not big, but even with a 5% profit on gross sales of $4.0M, that’s a respectable $200,000 of annual profit.

The problem occurred last year when he partnered with one of his foreign suppliers. There was a breach of contract and the foreign supplier ended up with a judgment against client for $1.5 M. Judgment creditor was about to put a lien on his inventory on his four retail outlets and all his bank accounts, and that would have crippled his business badly.

As you probably know, businesses like this, rely a lot on supplier credit. Client owed $1.2M to suppliers, and had another $1.0M of inventory. If judgment creditor froze his cash in bank and inventory, client will not be able to recover. Further, client owned two

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA (PART 1 of 2)

Has the world gone mad?

Have we completely lost our moral compass?

You seriously wonder about the state of the soul of human beings these days. When more people seem to rise in outrage over the killing of a lion rather than on the wholesale murder and sale of baby parts, we probably need to get down on our knees, bow down our heads in shame and do some serious soul searching.

Cecil, a lion in Zimbabwe was killed by an obsessed American hunter for sport. Thousands on twitter and other social networking tools rose up in collective indignation aghast over the death of a lion. Even daft lawmakers are trying to get in on the action.

At about the same time, videos exposing the trade and trafficking of baby body parts from top executives of Planned Parenthood abortion clinics came out on TV and the internet.

These videos didn’t seem to get as much attention and traction worldwide as they should.

Surprised? In a world where far too many people have become too self obsessed, far too distracted or just plain apathetic to be shaken to their roots, we may have indeed lost our way.

Can a direct hit by 7-mile asteroid hurtling through space with earth’s name on it, be far behind?

What will it take to shake us out of our individual and collective complacency? What will it take to be shaken to the core, feel revulsion down to the pit of our stomachs, recoil in horror, feel so agitated, enough to rise in indignation and take action against the systematic and mass murder of human babies AND to top it all, the callous, barbaric sale of their body parts for profit under the pretext and guise of advancing medical research.

I pray I am wrong in my perception of reactions and re-

warehouses that had secured loans of almost a million each that had very little equity.

Since client had a good business going, he needed an emergency Chapter 11 filing to prevent the judgment creditor from garnishing his bank accounts and putting a lien on his inventory. With the Chapter 11 held at bay with the automatic stay, client’s business and cash accounts could not be garnished and his inventory was intact. The problem of course is that all of secured and unsecured creditors are waiting to get paid. Unsecured creditors will not ship new merchandise without an assurance that they will get paid. I found out that the secured creditors were willing to work with client in Chapter 11 so that took care of one problem. However, the unsecured creditors and suppliers had to be reorganized.

Prior to plan confirmation, the bankruptcy court protects client’s business so that no creditor can attach any of the assets of the business. As soon as the filing is done, we proceed to figure out a business plan that will allow the $1.5 M judgment and the $1.2M of unsecured debt to be handled properly and efficiently. Needless to say, unsecured creditors and the judgment creditor will not get 100% dividend because the profit is only $200K a year.

However, Chapter 11 allows client to reorganize and present a feasible Chapter 11 plan to the court for confirmation. Chapter 11 assures client that he can continue doing business as before and not worry about the $1.5M judgment against him and the $1.2M of supplier credit.

CLIENT NO. 2 is 65. Since he and his wife retired last year, they have been relying on $2500 of social security. They have a nice house with equity of $300K. The house is now worth $500K. They have a first mortgage with a balance of $100K but now past due about $20K, and another $100K of home equity loan which is current. It appears they stopped paying their first mortgage following advice of a business that did loan modifications. They were told not to pay the mortgage while the loan modification request was being processed. The problem is that they applied twice, and both times, the loan modification request was denied. The first application took 3 months, and the second application took another

3 months. So today they are 6 months behind on the mortgage.

They ask if they should do a reverse mortgage.

Since I knew their family circumstances, I said reverse mortgage is a bad idea. Clients have a son who is married and an 8 year old grandson. They all live together in clients’ house. Son and daughter in law both work and make a decent living. So it makes sense for them to keep on paying down the mortgage so that eventually the family house will be debt free, or even if its not debt free, maybe by the time they pass on, only the 2nd mortgage of $100K will be left. Their son can have that refinanced and pay maybe $500 to $600 a month of mortgage and still have a great house for client’s son and his family to live in when client has gone to heaven to be with Jesus and Adonai, God the Father.

I mean, compare that with having to pay $1,800 just for rent.

With a $500 mortgage, he gives his family the security of having a family roof over the head that they own that is 2/3 less than rent! That is a wonderful legacy to leave to his son and his family, is it not?

With a reverse mortgage, client does not have to make any mortgage payments now and the first and second mortgage will be paid off. But that reverse mortgage balance is getting bigger and bigger every month until almost all equity is wiped out.

Sure, client and his wife get to stay in the house until they die.

But after they die, the bank sells the house to get paid back on the reverse mortgage. Now, when that happens, client’s son and his family will no longer have a house to live in. And given the high cost of houses in Los Angeles now, his son and family will have to rent at $1,800 probably more by that time, and not have the security of having a roof over their head. What happens if son loses his job? They may even become homeless!

Chapter 13 will allow client to freeze the past due mortgage default of $20K and pay that over 5 years in 60 equal monthly installments. Eventually, he will be current again, and eventually he will just keep on paying the mortgage down so that he can give that security to his son and his family. At the same time, once the plan is confirmed, he can make a third attempt at

u PAGE B4

The murder of babies and the killing of a lion “The most dangerous place for a baby these days is in the mother’s womb.”

—Monette Adeva Maglaya sponses to this horror during our times. If I am, I apologize.

I cannot gauge the intensity of silent moral outrage. No matter the appearances, I do believe that good trumps evil every time. I do believe that there are millions or even billions who are of good heart and believe that such evil is indefensible —an abomination every which way you look at it.

In every Christian home and every church, there are quiet prayer warriors all over the world known only to God, enjoining the intercession of Our Holy Mother Mary in begging God for mercy and to intervene and reverse the course of the downward trajectory of human affairs in our time.

Humans, made in the image and likeness of God, are the crowning glory of God’s creation in this neck of the universe. Those of us who believe in this core Christian doctrine recoil at this grievous offense. Observe the maternal instincts of animals which would do everything in their power to protect their young. Yet, there are animals which eat their young. It is the nature of the beast. Sadly, there are those among us who behave no differently.

The videos show the gruesome, horrifying, callous negotiations and sale of baby body parts. A later video shows PP involved even in the sale of whole baby cadavers, so that eye balls, kidneys, livers, hearts and everything that makes the human body of a baby can be sold intact for a better price and thus improve PP’s bottom line.

An executive is heard saying they even want to improve their abortion procedures to something that is less “crunchy” so that “specimens”, as they so casually call baby body parts,

can be harvested in better condition for a better price in the market.

It is mind blowing that these top executives of the abortion factory discuss prices over lunch while swirling their glass of wine matter-of-factly dickering over prices as though human beings were cattle. Can anything be more ghoulish?

One executive says during negotiation that she wants a Lamborghini.

So move over Herod, Sanger, Mengele, Gosnell et al. You have company. Lots of them …

The depths of hell may be filled to overflowing.

The Center for Medical Progress which produced the explosive videos is a pro-life group.

It has worked undercover for years to expose the wickedness and evil practices of this industry.

Buyers in these videos are actually actors who are exposing the heinous practices of the abortion industry, particularly Planned Parenthood. PP is a politically well-connected, deeply entrenched, well funded national organization receiving over half a billion dollars a year in taxpayer money.

It is sad that a legislative effort to defund the group of taxpayer money has failed just recently due in part to the lack of leadership and true grit among many members of our feckless, inept Congress and Senate who lack the moral and intestinal fortitude to win victories when they have the capacity to do so.

There is simply no excuse. The matter will be up for revote and I sense a change in the direction of the wind.

(To be continued next week) *** 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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UPAAGLA Induction Dinner-Dance All U.P. Graduates, family and friends are invited to attend The Induction Dinner Dance of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Greater Los Angeles (UPAAGLA) on August 29, 2015 at 6pm at the Glendale Embassy Suites (800 Central Ave, Glendale, CA 91203). This event shall benefit the Scholarship Fund of UPAAGLA. Tickets are $75 inclusive of dinner. For ticket and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Arnel Joaquin (213) 880-3305 / arnelj@gmail.com, or Dick Cu (562) 547-0560, or visit www.upaagla.org.

SEPTEMBER 4

National Council of Philippine American & Canadian Accountants 2015 Charity Golf Tournament Where: Penderbrook Golf Club, 3700 Golf Trail Lane, Fairfax, VA 22033 When: September 4, 2015; 8am-2pm Please contact: Jaena Hermosilla Valles 718-275-1422; jvalles@vallesvendiola.com or Bobby Tamayo 703-615-9451; rgtamayo@verizon.net Visit www.ncpacafoundation.com for more details.

Saulog Celebration: A Night of Serenade Cebuanos Engaging in Building Unity, Inc. (CEBU INC.) will be hosting a Saulog Celebration: “A Night of Serenade” on Friday, September 4th, at St. Rebastian Roman Catholic Church (5802 Roosevelt Ave., Woodside, NY 11377). The show will present the Cebu Clergy Performing Artists, and feature: the 2015 NYC Philippines Independence Day Parade Grand Prize Winner - C.E.B.U. INC. Sinulog Dancers. The show will start at 8:00pm on Friday. Please contact CEBU INC. for more details.

SEPTEMBER 4-6

National Council of Philippine American & Canadian Accountants 2015 Convention Where: JW Marriott 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC 20004 When: September 4-6, 2015; from 8am-5pm Please contact: Jaena Hermosilla Valles 718-275-1422; jvalles@vallesvendiola.com or Bobby Tamayo 703-615-9451; rgtamayo@verizon.net Visit www.ncpacafoundation.com for more details.

S E P T E M B E R 4 -7

Ramon Magsaysay/Cubao High School 2015 Reunion in Las Vegas Calling all Cubao High School/Ramon Magsaysay (Cubao) High School graduates and alumni! Come out and join the 2015 Get-Together of our Alma Mater from Friday, September 4 to Monday, September 7 at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas (4000 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89103). A special Dinner/Dance is scheduled on Saturday, September 5. To our Alumni now residing in Canada, the US, and other parts of the world, all are invited to share this special weekend event with their fellow graduates and classmates in Las Vegas, NV. For more information, please call Jay Medina at (310) 967-9517 or Boots Doria at (925) 330-8081.

SEPTEMBER 5

Filipino Association of Leisure World Dinner-Dance The Filipino Association of Leisure World will hold their dinner-dance at the Leisure World Hall on Saturday, September 5th. Music will be provided by The Midnight Motion Band. For further information, please call Ren Villanueva at (323) 854-6209.

SEPTEMBER 5-6

Continuing Professional Education (CPE) for Accountants at the NCPACA Convention Where: JW Marriott 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC 20004 When: September 5-6, 2015; from 8am-5pm, at the National Council of Philippine American & Canadian Accountants (NCPACA) 2015 Convention Please contact: Jaena Hermosilla Valles 718-275-1422; jvalles@vallesvendiola.com or Bobby Tamayo 703-615-9451; rgtamayo@verizon.net Visit www.ncpacafoundation.com for more details.

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 U.S. 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!

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.

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.

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

B AUGUST 26-28, 2015 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

Community Journal

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Seven things you should not do when served with divorce papers by your spouse Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrsUA reyes For most people, being served with divorce papers by your spouse is probably one of the biggest surprises in your life. The spouse in the receiving end of the divorce sometimes are not offered any explanation for the divorce petition by their spouse. You may start getting upset about how this can happen to you and start doing things that are going to be seriously detrimental to your divorce case later on in the proceeding.

Here are seven things you should not do.

Do not confront your spouse and commit domestic violence Many spouse feel very angry and upset upon receiving the divorce papers. You may start blaming your spouse and attacking your spouse. You may even yell, threaten, scream, or even physi-

cally assault your spouse. This type of confrontation is called “domestic violence.” You may be arrested criminally if your spouse calls law enforcement. Your spouse may also file a domestic violence restraining order against you. Either one would compromise your ability to seek custody of your children, child support, and spousal support. It would also affect your credibility as a witness for future proceedings. In addition if you do this in front of the children, this may be looked at as domestic violence and abuse against the children. The incident may be reported to Child Protective Services for investigation.

Do not run to the bank and empty out all your bank accounts or sell assets except for funds necessary retain legal representation in the divorce If you have assets, do not run and empty out your bank accounts with the goal of securing it from your spouse. The divorce petition and summons includes certain automatic temporary restraining orders (ATroS) which prohibits transferring and encumbering as-

sets. You will be in violation of the ATroS if you do this. Your spouse may also make a claim for breach of fiduciary duty against you.

However there are certain exceptions to withdrawing funds such as funds necessary for your living expenses and funds you need to retain an attorney.

Do not cut off your spouse from any insurance policies one of the ATroS prohibits you from removing your spouse from health insurance coverage and other insurance policy. It would be a violation of ATroS to do so. You need to maintain your spouse on all existing insurance until the divorce is finalized or the status of marriage is dissolved in a bifurcated trial.

Do not take off with your child and move out of state or out of the country If the child has been living in this state, California Court has jurisdiction over your child even if you leave California after being served the divorce. Your spouse can get an order from the California court to return the child to California and get sole physical

custody of your child. This can be enforced through law enforcement in other states. In addition, this would also be an ATroS violation. Such a move would seriously undermine your claim for custody of the children.

Do not use your child as a messenger to communicate with your spouse Divorce process is a very difficult process for the children.

Children often blame themselves for the divorce of their parents.

Children sometimes manifest this through their academic performance during the divorce process. Do not involve the children in your divorce case. Using the children to communicate messages to your spouse puts them in a difficult and very stressful situation. This will also affect your claim for custody of your children if you regularly involve your children in your attempt to communicate with your spouse. In addition, you should not say disparaging remarks about the other parent to your children.

Do not stalk your spouse in social medias such as facebook

or tweeter.

Your spouse probably stopped informing you as to what is going on in his/her life at this point. You may be curious if your spouse hooked up with a third party or an old flamer. You may be curious what your spouse are telling your friends and family. Do not stalk your spouse in social media such as facebook. Do not hack into your spouse’s e-mail. This is a crime.

Your spouse can also file a domestic violence restraining order against you for stalking. Most of the evidence obtained illegally is not admissible in court anyways.

If you have been unfriended by your spouse, let it be.

Do not quit your job voluntarily If you think you can dodge child support and spousal support by quitting your job voluntarily, it is not going to happen. Your spouse’s lawyer will argue that there was no legitimate reason for you to leave your employment and may seek the court to impute income on you. Your spouse may seek vocational evaluation for purposes of determining your

earning capacity. In addition, the amount of income you will lose by quitting is substantially more than the money you will owe in child or spousal support. Even if you are successful in dodging the support orders by quitting your job, your spouse can modify them back up the moment you go back to the work force.

If you have been served with divorce papers and are unsure how to react, seek professional help before you dig yourself deeper in the hole. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He is a graduate of Southwestern University Law School in Los Angeles and California State University, San Bernardino School of Business Administration.

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

PH gov’t allays concerns of port congestion on Christmas PH finance chief hits Chinese yuan devaluation MANILA - This coming Christmas season when the volume of imported goods naturally increases, the government assured the public there would be no more congestion at the ports of Manila that slowed down trade last year.

Some big business firms in the country indicated receiving reports of a possible recurrence of the 2014 port congestion starting August or September as shipments start to surge for the holiday season.

Port regulator Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), however, said the two international ports in Manila have reached optimum ideal capacity that makes them ready for the expected increase in activity starting the Christmas and New Year festivities until the national elections next year.

In a statement, the PPA said the Manila South Harbor and Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) are operating even better prior to the pre-port congestion level in February 2014.

PPA general manager Juan Sta. Ana said the two Manila ports are ready to handle the rise in cargo volume in the com-

ing months.

Yard utilization at South Harbor and MICT is now at 55 percent to 59 percent, or about 44,000 to 48,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), according to Sta. Ana. He added port productivity has gone up, resulting in faster turnaround time for cargoes and vessels to and from the port. operations in the Port of Manila was even better with the MICT utilization down to 51 percent.

The easing in the situation at the ports came despite volume in the Port of Manila posting double-digit growth. Port operators have also taken steps to prevent backlogs at the ports.

The MICT engaged 1 Stop of Australia to implement TABS or Terminal Appointment Booking System, which has targeted September for the system’s first run. The pullout of containers had also been stepped up as a result of a collaboration among consignees, the Bureau of Customs (BoC), and the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI). Less storage resulted in more yard space at the ports.

The daytime truck ban en-

forced by the Manila city government in February 2014 to supposedly improve traffic created massive backlogs in the movement of cargoes in the ports.

Sta. Ana said the government, terminal operators and stakeholders have set up measures to prepare the two ports for the coming peak season.

“While we anticipate some glitches, we can easily address it particularly now that we have almost zero vessels waiting at anchorage and the number of cargoes coming out of our gates has been steady,” Sta. Ana said.

In the first four months of 2015, total cargo volume handled by PPA ports reached 66.6 million metric tons (mmt), 6.334 percent higher than the 62.63 mmt posted in the same period last year. Domestic cargoes registered a 6.87 percent hike to 27.75 mmt from 25.97 mmt last year. Foreign cargo inched up 5.97 percent to 38.85 mmt from 36.66 mmt a year ago. Imports rose 7.69 percent to 22.21 mmt from 20.63 mmt in 2014, while exports increased 3.75 percent to 16.63 mmt compared to 16.03 mmt posted in 2014. n

by Ben

O. de Vera Inquirer.net

THE Philippines’ finance chief, Secretary Cesar V. Purisima, on Sunday, Aug. 23 hit China’s recent move to devalue its tightly controlled currency, which dragged regional currencies weaker.

In a statement, the Department of Finance (DoF) noted that the largest devaluation of the Chinese yuan in 20 years resulted into “turbulence” across Asian currency markets. The Philippine peso, for one, dipped to five-year lows against the US dollar during these past two weeks following the yuan devaluation, alongside other currencies in the region.

While the Philippines’ “strong macroeconomic fundamentals and sound economic stewardship” would allow the domestic economy to “navigate the current volatilities and anchor it in safe harbors,” Purisima warned against “using exchange rate to shore up weak growth.”

China devalued the yuan to boost its flagging exports amid weak global demand. A weaker currency stands to benefit China’s export sector, as products become cheaper alongside a weaker yuan.

For Purisima, “[w]e must be mindful of the trade-offs involved in using the exchange rate as a trade tool to boost competitive-

ness,” pointing out that such would bring “unintended consequences.”

“For one, it may trigger competitive devaluations across the region as other currencies adopt similarly interventionist measures to reprice their currencies,” Purisima noted.

Also, “[a]s currencies weaken, debt service requirements increase and imports become more expensive,” the finance chief said.

“The DoF has consistently called for macroprudential measures to protect financial stability.

It warned that gains from devaluation would eventually be weighed

against costs as investors may view the weakening yuan as oneway bet and stoke fears of capital flight, resulting in further weakening of the currency,” he added.

Purisima nonetheless said that China’s recovery “will be beneficial for Asia, including the Philippines.”

“China ranked third among the Philippines’ top destinations of exports with revenues amounting to $3.07 billion for the period of January to June 2015. Chinese economic recovery is expected to improve export performance after exports to China suffered a 31.8 percent decline over the comparable level in 2014. Higher growth prospects in China will contribute to our virtuous cycle as China provides a lift to the economy towards sustained and higher growth,” Purisima said.

But as regional currencies take a hit from the yuan devaluation, the Philippine government will adopt “continued vigilance and pre-emptive actions… to ensure sustained economic stability,” the Finance chief said.

“We continue to be proactive as virtuous cycles quickly spiraling into vicious cycles are the last thing we want to see happen. We continue to advocate for market-determined exchange rates and curbed excess volatility,” he said. n

first letter of no objection.

Under the I-rEAP component, 10 subprojects worth P78.65 million have been approved for funding. Among these are the calamansi marketing and trading project of the Naujan Farmers’ Association in oriental Mindoro which recently received P700,000.00 from the PrDP. Last June, the PrDP also remitted P20 million to the Polo Samahang Nayon Cooperative to jumpstart its cassava granules production and marketing project.

The PrDP is a six-year program implemented by the DA with the World Bank for the creation of an inclusive, value-oriented and climate-resilient agriculture and fisheries sector. It was rolled out in the second semester of 2014.

The total project cost for the PrDP is P27.5 billion, consisting of a P20.5 billion loan from the World Bank, P3.58 billion counterpart funding from the national government, P3.112 billion equity of local government units, and P287 million grant from the Global Environment Facility.

The PrDP builds on the innovations introduced by the Mindanao rural Development Program that was concluded in 2013. It would cover 80 provinces in 16 regions.

Local government units that choose to participate in the project are required to provide counterpart funds of 10 percent of the project cost for production support for commodities and 20 percent of the project cost for infrastructure

projects.

“Together with local governments, the academe, the business sector and other grassroots stakeholders, we have endeavored to develop the right tools to determine the right investments for the development of commodities produced by our farmers and fishers,” Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said.

Modern tools are now being employed by the program to prevent the occurrence of ghost and overlapping projects.

The Expanded-Vulnerability and Suitability Assessment Tool, an online tool, takes account of socio economic indicators to help target interventions under the project.

The Applied Goetagging, on the other hand, is used to validate and monitor progress of sub-projects under the PrDP. Through the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology in smartphones, photographs of proposed and implemented sub-projects can be laid out in Google Earth and be viewed online.

“We have instituted reforms in planning among local government units using scientific and evidencebased tools that ensure development initiatives on agriculture are responsive to the needs of specific localities. Through these reforms, we contribute to the eradication of patronage politics that perpetuates corruption and hampers delivery of services to areas where these are needed most,” Alcala said. n

Economic managers see GDP expanding between seven and eight percent this year.

The Philippines missed its GDP growth target of between 6.5 and 7.5 percent as the economy expanded only 6.1 percent last year from 7.2 percent in 2013.

IMF sees the country’s economic expansion picking up to 6.5 percent instead of 6.3 percent next year on the back of higher spending.

“Growth expected to accelerate further in 2016 to 6.5 as the budget deficit widens to the targeted two percent of GDP and in line

with potential growth,” he said.

The IMF slashed its global growth forecast this year to 3.3 percent instead of 3.5 percent.

This year’s revised forecast was also lower compared to the 3.4 percent global growth registered last year.

It said the crisis and Greece would have marginal effect on the global economy but was mum on whether the stock market meltdown in China would drag down the global economy. The devaluation of the Chinese yuan also emerged as another factor that could hurt global growth. n

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima

World Bank team evaluates progress of Philippine rural development program

by Czeriza

ValenCia Philstar.com

MANILA - A team from the World Bank is reviewing the progress of several projects implemented under the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine rural Development Program (PrDP).

The WB team is headed by PrDP task team leader Samik Sundar Das. officials from WB and DA-PrDP would visit projects in Palawan for the South Luzon cluster, Isabela for the North Luzon cluster, Misamis occidental and Lanao del Norte for the Mindanao cluster, and Bohol for the Visayas cluster.

As of August, P10.96 billion has been approved for funding infrastructure projects under the Infrastructure Development (I-BUILD) component of the program, while P1.62 billion has been allocated for production, processing, and marketing activities of agri-fishery products under the Enterprise Development (I-rEAP) component.

According to the DA, a total of 10 infrastructure projects worth P297.61 million are now being implemented and 50 percent complete, while 33 other infrastructure projects worth P2.02 billion are still below 50 percent in progress.

The agency said 16 infrastructure subprojects worth P616.85 million have been approved for implementation, through the issuance of No-objection Letter 2 and 124 sub-projects amounting to P8 billion have been approved for funding and have been given the

PH economy picks up speed in second...

PAGE B1 t

“The IMF’s GDP forecast for 2015 is 6.2 percent, therefore we expect the economy to gradually pick up through the year from 5.2 percent in the first quarter 2015,” Peiris said.

For the second half, he said the country’s GDP would gain more traction on recovering global demand and higher government expenditures.

“The second half of 2015 is anticipated to be stronger than the first half as global demand recovers and government spending accelerates further,” Peiris said.

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PeoPle & events

LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 26-28, 2015

B

Philippine Medical Association of 2015 FPACC Bi-National Business Conference: Southern California gathering on Sept. 26 Bridging Trans-Pacific Commerce in a Changing World The Philippine Medical Association of Southern California seeks connection and support in moving forward together.

The Officers and Members of the 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, California on September 26, 2015.

A Strategic Planning Session in which Mr. Joe Lumarda Senior Vice President and Investment Counselor for Capital Group Client Services will be the Facilitator. It will be followed by a Medical educational Conference, a Press Conference

Consul General herreraLim will discuss the incidence of measles which was traced back in the Philippines. Medical Mission will also be discussed especially in facilitating the personnel, medicines, and equipments. There will be a Dinner Show & Dance after the Press Conference and the Show will be performed by Tausala Polynesian Dancers. It will be a Luau event wherein all the past presidents of the Auxiliary will be presented after their 35th years of service to the PMASC. The ticket is $70.00 if paid before August 31 and $80.00 after the due date. Anybody interested to attend can call the above number. n

at 6pm in which our first Filipino-American Assemblyman Rob Bonta and the Philippine Consul General Leo herrera 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.

Assembyman Bonta has passed twenty bills through the Legislature, sixteen of which were signed into law by Governor Browan (two of those were signed as part of the Budget Act). he championed access to quality health care for all- goal he further pursued his first two years in the Assemby as a member of the health Committee.

Clients seek Chapter 11 & 13...

PAGE B3 t

loan modification and he may yet succeed but at least, the house is completely protected from foreclosure and their family house is secure with Chapter 13.

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EMPLOYMENT

FPACC celebrates its 19th year anniversary

SAn FRAnCISCO - On november 6 to 8, 2015, the Federation of Philippine American Chambers of Commerce (FPACC) will commemorate and celebrate its 19th year anniversary at the 2015 FPACC Bi-national Business Conference, a.k.a. Federation 2015, which will be held at the Monte Carlo hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, nevada. The organizers of the biennial, bi-national gathering of members from various Filipino American Chamber organizations and business communities in the USA and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) expect to enhance and strengthen the organization’s volunteer work in “Bridging Trans-Pacific Commerce in a Changing World”, which is also the conference’s theme. Federation 2015’s partner and collaborator is FPACC Foundation Inc. while the co-hosts are the Las Vegas Filipino American Chamber of Commerce and the

Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Greater nevada.

Federation 2015 promises an exciting, engaging, and timely general program with moderated business-to-business (B2B) interactions and transactions, idea exchanges, networking, and memorandums of understanding interwoven throughout the 2-1/2 days’ activities. The program opens with the “Women’s entrepreneurial Summit” on Friday, which also includes home-based entrepreneurs, a trade show exhibit that is open to the public for two days, and an evening welcome reception.

The Saturday morning program is dedicated to US-based business and economic matters while the afternoon session is focused on Philippine and international topics of interest, highlighted by a formal evening gala event. FPACC’s biennial election of its officers and board members will also take place during the conference.

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The Sunday morning session is scheduled to showcase the memorandums of understanding among the conference’s binational and domestic business stakeholders and present the incoming board of directors’ strategic plans.

Monte Carlo hotel & Casino is located at 3770 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, nevada. Registration and hotel booking information are found at http://FPACC.net and http:// fpachamber.com/FeD_2015__ Bi-national.html. Register online at http://tinyurl.com/federation2015. As of press time, the “early bird” discounts for registration ends on August 30, 2015. Sponsorships, including media sponsorships, and advertising opportunities are also available at FeDeRATIOn2015@FPACC.net.

For more information, contact Marie Cunning, FPACC President, at Marie.Cunning@FPACC.net or (602) 573-6936. n

B AUGUST 26-28, 2015 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

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The Asian Journal

MDWK Wednesday, August 26, 2015

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cover story The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - August 26, 2015

J. ElainE Marcos: Pursuing comedy after Broadway

by Agnes ConstAnte / AJPress

It’s hardly ever the case that a torn ACL is considered a godsend, but it was for a Filipina-Canadian Broadway actress when it happened several years ago. “[It] forced me not to say yes to any more dance roles,” said J. Elaine Marcos, who recently starred in the AsianAmerican musical “Waterfall” at the Pasadena Playhouse in June.

“I was so grateful that I [tore my ACL] because if not, nothing would’ve pushed me to really focus on what I knew I wanted to [focus on].”

A recent transplant to Los Angeles from New York, Marcos said goodbye to the Empire state after 15 years and eight Broadway roles to pursue film and television. More specifically, her sights are set on becoming a series regular on a

(L-R) Emily Padgett and J. Elaine Marcos.

sitcom.

“I feel like being on a sitcom, being on a tV show, ideally taped in front of a live studio audience, would still give me the same feeling that I get [from] theater. so it’s not just specifically me there. It’s me playing with other people and I feel that’s my thing,” she said.

When she was younger, Marcos described herself as someone who demonstrated a knack for performing arts: she danced frequently, received awards and recognition for her roles in school plays, and participated in student council -- though not for the politics,

time [and wearing suits]. You don’t go dancing in heels and a top hat -- that was not what grown-up behavior is,” she said.

But when she started winning scholarships from dance competitions, she felt like she had to continue down that road.

As she applied to schools for accounting, she also went on to try out for art schools.

Eventually, she wound up attending the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York.

Connecting to Filipino culture through Broadway Originally from Burlington, Ontario, a city in Canada about 57 kilometers (equivalent to approximately 35.4 miles) southwest of toronto, Marcos was born to Filipino parents who relocated from the Philippines in the 1970s. the Filipino population in the area was sparse. Marcos remembers four Filipinos at her high school and admits she did not embrace the culture much until she got older. Additionally, while her parents spoke Filipino, there wasn’t much importance placed on learning the language. so she didn’t.

It was when she was cast as part of the ensemble in “Miss saigon” that Marcos credits connecting to her roots, particularly because a number of people she worked with were Filipino.

“Not only a lot of them were Filipino, but they were my age, working on Broadway doing what we love to do. so Photo by Jim Cox there was that immediate con-

but because doing so enabled her to give speeches in front of the school at assemblies.

Yet even with her artistic tendencies, Marcos’ entrance into theater was unforeseen.

For one thing, nobody in her family is in the showbiz industry. “the idea of performing for a living didn’t make sense. there was no part of me that knew it as a career,” she said.

Marcos already had her future profession in mind and a plan mapped out: she was going to study accounting in college and wear suits. “there was just something about being grown up at the

Photo from Jelainemarcos.com

nection of, ‘We’re adults right now and we’re in a show where we play Vietnamese immigrants, but then we’re also Filipino all working together.’ so it was just an appreciation that we’re very similar,” she said. the one characteristic of the culture that comes to mind for Marcos when she thinks of being Filipino, however, is a big gathering. she still sees the Filipino friends she made from “Miss saigon,” and they’ll often have a potluck whenever they meet. “that’s what we did [during] intermissions in our in between shows. We would always have big potlucks, and for people to bring in familiar foods that I loved, that I can’t cook but they cook it, and the green room in the theatre just smells of Filipino food, it was just kind of amazing... it always was a cool experience to be around Filipinos who are embracing who we are. And that was the first time I realized, ‘I’ve never really thought about it.’ But by doing ‘Miss saigon’ and being surrounded by other Filipinos, it made me appreciate it even

more,” she shared.

While her plan to become an accountant didn’t materialize, Marcos said her parents were “amazingly supportive” of her decision to go into the arts.

“I guess they knew and I knew, if I was going to do this, I was going to do this. there was no, ‘If you don’t make it, you can always go back to school.’ there was more of an,’ OK, you’re doing this. No question.’ We didn’t talk about the doubts. I just took it one step at a time and showed up to New York, went to the school, auditioned and just kept on moving forward,” she said.

From Broadway to comedy Marcos was never a stranger to musicals, seeing them often while she was growing up.

But it was “Miss saigon” that made her realize that people are able to perform for a living. “‘Maybe I shouldn’t be an accountant,’” she recalled thinking, “which I thought I was going to be.”

Landing a role in that musical became a specific goal, and it was one she attained.

Continued on Page 3

features

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - August 26, 2015

2nd Pinoy Music Festival attracts vets, newbies

by AllAn

PolicArPio Inquirer.net

ThAT we were able to pull this off despite our limited time and resources is really fulfilling,” singer-songwriter Noel Cabangon said of the second Pinoy Music Festival, which coincided with the inaugural observance of the Linggo ng Musikang Pilipino from July 25 to 31.

Cabangon, the festival director, described the weeklong musical celebration as “very successful.” “We would’ve loved to have a bigger celebration, but we did the best we could. I hope we do even better next year,” he told the Inquirer.

Through Proclamation No. 933 signed by President Benigno Aquino III in 2014, the last week of July of each year has been declared Linggo ng Musikang Pilipino to develop, promote and foster appreciation for original Filipino music and to revitalize the local music industry.

Tasked to spearhead the advocacy are the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM).

Cabangon is OPM vice president for external affairs.

Throughout the Pinoy Music Festival, various music-related events were held across the metro: mall and school shows, street performances and bar sessions; My OPM Playlist

Cookie Chua, Christian Bautista, Gary Valenciano

exhibit at Bonifacio high Street Ampitheater; and the OPM Music Marathon at the Quezon City Memorial Circle.

“Everything turned out well; a lot of people attended the shows,” said Cabangon, who also heads the Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. “Seeing artists up close on the streets was a surprise for the people.”

The Pinoy Music Festival culminated in a free concert at the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati City. It gathered some of the country’s best acts: OPM president Ogie Alcasid, Dingdong Avanzado, Boboy Garovillo, Jim Paredes, Gary Valenciano, The CompanY, Christian Bautista, Yeng Constantino, Aicelle Santos, 6cyclemind, Thyro Alfaro, Yumi Lacsamana, Bayang Barrios, Cooky Chua, Moonstar88, Myke Salomon and Abra.

Indie bands and performers, including The Slice, Autotelic and Farewell Fairweather, were

given spots to introduce their works. The halili-Cruz Dance Company performed, too.

“It was very heartening because we didn’t have to convince these artists to join us; they were all very willing.

Some, like Quest, even volunteered,” Cabangon said.

The night’s highlights were the numbers of Wolfgang’s Basti Artadi and Lolita Carbon who veered away from their usual to perform mellow songs: the heavy-metal band front man regaled the crowd with “Natutulog ba ang Diyos”; the Asin lead vocalist, “With a Smile.” The show ended with everyone singing the late rapper Francis Magalona’s hit “Kaleidoscope World.”

The key to sustaining progress, Cabangon said, was continuity. “We’ll take a few weeks’ break and then try to think of new projects we can mount until next year’s Linggo ng Musikang Pilipino,” he said.

J. Elaine Marcos: Pursuing comedy...

From Page 2

She also secured roles in seven other Broadway shows, including “The Wedding Singer,” “A Chorus Line” and “Annie.”

During her 7th Broadway show, “Priscilla Queen of the Desert,” Marcos thought: “I’ve made it. And there’s the audience clapping, and I’m thinking, ‘Yeah, I wasn’t going to be an accountant. That’s not what I do. This is what I do.’”

Yet despite her success in the industry, Marcos’ Broadway career was not a smooth ride.

“There were times in between [shows] that I felt, ‘I’m never going to work again, what am I going to do?’ Those times might be only six months, but at that time it always felt scary,” she said.

The challenge then was how she could keep her creative juices flowing during those downtimes.

So she turned to comedy.

In her downtimes, Marcos would continue doing standup or studying improv at different schools as a means of creative fulfillment. Sometimes, after her Broadway shows, she would do stand-up in little black box theaters that had enough seats for only a handful of people.

“After a while, Broadway becomes a job and you’re doing kind of the same thing every day. So even though I’m acting, singing and dancing in front of 1,500 people, I still need a creative outlet, which is kind of crazy. But I still need to create, so I would always realize that I need that to make myself feel alive. That’s just kind of who I am,” she said.

Marcos already has several film credits under her belt, including “Farm Girl in New York,” “Morning Glory” and a short called “Ana Smile.”

Though Marcos wanted to get into film and television, the season for Tony Awards (January to June) coincided with pilot season.

“I really had to think, ‘I actually have to not work in order to book a TV show because If I’m always doing new Broadway musicals I can’t get out of my show. So I have to make sure I’m available.’ So I thought, ‘Well why don’t I really make myself available and move to LA?’” In starting a new life in the City of Angels, Marcos said she has had to invest in developing relationships to create a reputation for herself.

While she is known in New York, the same is not the case in the City of Angels.

“Thankfully, I have a reputation in New York where they know my work already. here, nobody knows me.

Photo from Jelainemarcos.com

“I realized this is where I have to be in order for me to create those relationships and create a reputation [for comedy],” she said.

Pushing through the challenges of being an Asian performer Among ways Marcos has gone on to do this is through her involvement with The Second City in hollywood, an improv training center and comedy club. On July 15 and 22, she and two friends from Broadway (Kevin Yee and Richard Ogawa) performed a comedy-music-sketch they wrote based on their experiences in and perspective of the industry.

The trio’s sketch, “Super Gay Asian Cabaret,” comedically portrays the realities of being an Asian performer through original songs and musical parodies. Among these include singing backup vocals in Broadway and repeatedly recognizing the lead actors and actresses at the end of performances for audience members through hand gestures.

“We write it so it’s twisted in a way and also where people can laugh about it but also question, ‘hm. You’re right.

That’s true that that’s what has happened.’ It’s therapy in a way because it feels good to actually acknowledge, ‘Is that what I’m doing right now?’”

Marcos realizes performing arts is not easy for Asians to break into, but she doesn’t allow the reality to weigh her down.

“Nothing I do I feel like I’m entitled to. I have to always prove it. As much as it’s hard, those moments when I actually am hired because of the talent, they feel like a huge victory,” she said.

One of these wins came for Marcos when she scored the role of Lily St. Regis in “Annie,” despite the fact the character is typically a blonde.

“I remember going in thinking chances were pretty low.

But it was cool because I didn’t feel like she got it because I was Asian, but because I had the talent,” she said.

Even when Asians make it in Broadway, Marcos noted that they may oftentimes play the role of a prostitute. While she has, at times, had to take on that role, she said the experience has never felt as satisfying as showing truly who she is.

“We’re a lot deeper than [the sexy prostitute],” she says of Asians, particularly Filipinos, in the industry.

With Asian Americans underrepresented in mainstream media and the arts, Marcos thinks it is up to the community to figure out how to transform those circumstances.

“That’s where I put it on myself. I’m not blaming anyone else because if I want anything to change, it’s about me writing it. It’s about me changing it and not complaining that other people aren’t doing it,” she said. “It’s more of what can I do to create more opportunities, or even starting the discussion.”

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features

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - August 26, 2015

New York-based Filipino artists Lito David, Ronald Cortez, Edgar Doctor and daughter Amihan, gathered at the Philippine Center last August 8 with renowned Filipino painter Manuel Baldemor to create a piece of art that fused their individual styles into a single canvass titled, “Images of the Homeland.”

6 Pinoy artists share 1 canvas for the first time in New York MANILA - Renowned Filipino artist Manuel Baldemor hosted five of New York City’s most respected Filipino artists during an interaction activity this month to produce a single canvass depicting Filipiniana art.

The Department of Foreign Affairs described the event as done “in the spirit of camaraderie and sharing” and a gathering of like-minded friends, old and new, sharing stories and jokes over coffee and donuts on a fine Saturday morning doing something they enjoyed the most.

The resulting art work, titled “Images of the Homeland,” was unveiled on August 17 at the Philippine Center, where it will be eventually displayed at the Kalayaan Hall.

The workshop was an initiative of Baldemor, who opened an exhibit at the Philippine Center on August 5 titled, “The Art of Manuel D. Baldemor.”

The exhibit brought together New York-based Filipino artists Edgar Doctor, Angelito David, Cesar Delos Santos, Ronald Cortez and Lorina Capitulo.

It was an unprecedented gathering of artists unified in the

task of creating a piece of art that could become their legacy to the Philippine Center New York by reflecting their various talents on a single canvass.

Participating artist Angelito David, president of the Society of Pilipino Artists in America, remarked that this is the first-ever interaction activity of Filipino artists in New York.

The activity was organized with the support of the Philippine Center New York as part of its program to promote Philippine art and strengthen the community of Filipino artists there. (Philstar.com)

Martin Nievera asks: What happened to ASAP?

Martin Nievera

FRoM being a variety show which featured song and dance numbers, “ASAP 20” is now trying its hand on hosting live comedy skits and giving prizes to its audience members.

This change in the format perplexed veteran singer Martin Nievera who posted on his Twitter page on Sunday, Aug. 23: “What has happened to the noon time shows on Sunday ????”

The change in the “ASAP” format seems to be ABS-CBN’s response to GMA 7’s new Sunday noontime show “Sunday

Pinasaya” top billed by Marian Rivera and Ai-ai delas Alas.

Responding to a Twitter user, Nievera said that what he is seeing is not the Asap that he wants.

However, the singer, who has been a permanent member of Asap family, viewed the changes in the show as a means to experiment and try new things.

“Everyone relax pls! Asap has been there for 20 years.

There is always room for experiment & competition. Let the games begin. Fear not all!” he added. (Inquirer.net)

features 5 Beyond business, LBC makes it easy for customers to give back James Reid and Nadine Lustre team-up: It works!

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - August 26, 2015

Poverty, global development, and societal issues. While governments debate these matters and consider what they can do to manage it, there are others who are already taking the first step.

LBC express Inc., for instance, while a private business entity, is already making an effort to alleviate these issues with partnerships with relevant organizations and customers who want to do their part for initiatives.

“We have recently partnered with two important organizations based in Canada—the Philippine Cultural Community Center (PCCC), which is focused on providing support and services to the Filipino communities in Canada; and Answering the Cry of the Poor (ANCoP), which provides community development as well as humanitarian relief,” explains rafael Policarpio, LBC North America’s Area Head.

PCCC is focused on continuous education information, planning and direction, health care and social services, and social integration for migrant Filipinos in Canada, while ANCoP is a global Catholic community present in over 100 countries geared towards poverty alleviation through effective child education and various development programs and values formation.

For the partnership, members of each organization will be given LBC Community Partner Cards, where LBC will donate $2.50 to their specific organization’s cause for every balikbayan box sent though LBC. the initiative, which will begin in August, runs through November this year and is available to all members of the said Canada-based organizations. the intent is simple, the process is uncomplicated, but the end result can move many lives.

“Ultimately, it’s a means by which LBC can give back to the community with the help of our loyal customers, while at the

by Boy

ABundA Philstar.com

same chemistry and versatilpong beses kasi nagawa (yung ity that William Martinez and mga gano’ng eksena).”

Maricel Soriano had during WItH their growing popu“on the Wings of Love,” their heyday. larity, there’s no doubt that with its family-oriented story “they (James and Nadine) James reid and Nadine Lustre and plot thread about overare a very nice loveteam and are clearly one of the top seas Filipino Workers (oFWs), they work very hard. that’s young loveteams in showbiz is deeper and more serious the good thing about today. that fact is not lost on theme-wise than anything either of the two, who are both them. With James, meron pa JaDine has done before. But siya yung sa character niya, very grateful for the breaks so far, and to their credit, the yung suot niya, he practices they’ve been given. two have been able to pull “I always say, what we have his tagalog, yung ganyan. themselves up and raise the is good. It works,” says James, Same with Nadine. they work bar for their performances. who came into showbiz via the hard. Another good thing And no one could be hapabout them, they’re also willABS-CBN reality show “Pinoy pier about how things have Big Brother teen edition” back ing to learn. they’re sweet. turned out than the JaDine in 2010. He had to wait for four I feel that their love team is fans themselves. During a press years before his career took off still evolving, parang nung conference shortly after the panahon ni Martin Nievera and before the recognition he show began airing, Nadine and Pops Fernandez, iba sa currently enjoys. talked about how the fans Rafael Policarpio, LBC North America’s Area Head, with Joseph Franco, PCCC’s Secretary, Treasurer, panahon ngayon. I think ang Nadine, meanwhile, also were reacting to their teamand Spokesperson nakita kong difference ngayon up. “Actually, I am excited, had to wait for her big break kay James at Nadine is yung and now that it’s paid off, kasi marami pong topless may honesty, they know their wants to keep focused on the scenes si James, du’n po sila dreams as a loveteam, they right path. She explains that’s excited,” she laughed, then know what they want, their why neither she nor James immediately clarified what she dreams, the things that they’ve meant. “Hindi, excited po sila wants to mess things up by getting into a relationship right worked for, their feelings kasi alam po nila na mas nagtowards each other, they know level-up po kami dito, mas manow, although their onscreen chemistry is very much evident it. there’s an honesty and a ture po ng konti. Mas excitsincerity between them, and in their scenes in Dreamscape ed po sila sa pag-level-up po entertainment’s “on the Wings it’s nice to work in that kind namin at saka sa stoof environment, they are of Love” and in the two movry din.” both just being posiies they did together, namely “Diary ng Panget” and “talk tive.”

James says that Back and you’re Dead.” the the longer they work two have also become a hot trending topic on social media. together, the more comfortable they’ve Although young and become with each virtually new to mainstream Policarpio with Ricky Cuenca, ANCOP’s President other. showbiz, Nadine is aware of Initially, there businesses, and communities in what her priorities and their same time providing them the was some awkwardthe Philippines and across the kind of service that they depriorities as a loveteam are. ness between them, serve,” ends Hugo Bonilla, LBC globe. Founded in 1945 as a the career comes first. In fact, especially when brokerage and air cargo agent, they’ve both been working so North America’s President. shooting scenes LBC express pioneered timeFor more information on hard that even personal time where they had to sensitive cargo delivery and LBC, please visit http://www. has had to take the backseat. be in love, but that 24-hour door-to-door delivery lbcexpress.com; or call the “We don’t want to complicate in the Philippines. today, it is hotline at (888) 652-2522. things. Whatever is happening has slowly disappeared with every the most admired and trusted LBC express, Inc. is the to us now, we’ve been waitproject that they courier, cargo, and remittance Philippines’ market leader in ing for this for so long. So, we took on. Now, in service of millions of Filipinos, payments, remittance, coudon’t want to have anything “on the Wings of an iconic and global Filipino rier products, mail, parcels between us that can hinder or Love,” it is obvibrand. LBC can move it for you: ruin what we have now.” and, cargo logistics. through ous that their love visit us at www.lbcexpress. a global presence in over 30 even their co-stars have team has peaked at com, or call telephone +632 countries in Asia-Pacific, North noticed the potential of the right time. “We’re 8585 999 (Metro Manila), 1 800 James and Nadine. Cherry Pie America, the Middle east and already used to 10 8585 999 (Provincial), and europe, LBC express’ network Picache, who plays the role of it,” laughs James, to follow LBCexpress (Facebook of 4,400 locations, partners, Jack, the aunt of James’ charwhich Nadine adds, and twitter). and agents is growing steadily, acter Clark in “on the Wings *Advertising Supplement of Love” says the two have the “yes po, marami na rin James Reid and Nadine Lustre and commits to moving lives,

6

entertainment

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - August 26, 2015

Coleen Garcia admits her daring scenes affect Billy

by Joyce Jimenez Philstar.com

MANILA—Coleen Garcia admits that sometimes, boyfriend Billy Crawford gets affected with the sexy scenes she does, such as in her upcoming film “Ex With Benefits.”

There are a number of sexy

scenes that Coleen did with her leading man Derek Ramsay. “‘Yong cute na seloso lang.

Hindi nakakatakot,” she said about Billy, in an interview on Saturday at the press conference for “Ex With benefits.” “Seloso siya na may dahilan, maiintindihan mo.

Kahit naman siguro siya gumawa

Coleen Garcia

ng ganito magseselos din ako, e.”

Coleen has already discussed with Billy the sexy scenes he will be seeing upon watching the film.

Although her boyfriend gets affected, the “It’s Showtime” host makes sure that he will always be assured in their relationship.

“The way we are with each other every day, we give each other enough assurance,” she explained. “So when it comes to work, we understand each other so well. So alam din naman niya na this is something new to me.

He’s just supporting me all the way.”

She also noted, “Impossible naman na hindi siya masasaktan, hindi siya magseselos, but he never lets that get on the way of work. He doesn’t make it a big deal or big problem.”

Coleen is also happy that Derek is her leading man in the film, saying it is the “most daring thing” she has done in a film.

In her first film “#Y,” she portrayed a sexy role highlighted in the dialogue, but this time she has several love scenes with Derek.

“I’m just thankful din na si Derek ang nakaeksena ko, he’s so professional,” she said about her leading man, who happens to be Billy’s friend.

“Those sexy scenes, pinagusapan naming tatlo nila direk Gino [Santos] at Derek,” she added. “We’re collaborative with everything. Kailangan one take lang talaga, todo na talaga para hindi na kami aabot sa take two.

True enough, hindi kami nag-second take.”

Luis Manzano all set to enter politics? by nAthAlie

tomADA Philstar.com

MANILA - Luis Manzano has made it no secret that he’s interested in entering the political arena. Perhaps, among the showbiz people eyeing the 2016 national elections, you can’t accuse him of being coy.

At the moment though, the 34-year-old TV host has not arrived at a decision, but it would have to be made before the deadline of the filing of candidacy in October.

“If I wake up in the morning and I feel that it’s about time to serve, then yes, kaya ko sabihin na handa na ako, which is why it’s taking me a bit too long (to decide). I’m still 50-50,” Luis told The STAR and other reporters when asked how ready he is for a political life.

How is he taking criticism that actors have no place in politics?

Luis readily agreed that some criticisms are legitimate but “I have the best example in my mom that it can work,” referring to Vilma Santos’ successful political career as the first woman mayor and first woman governor in Batangas.

Luis, who is a registered voter in Batangas, said that there are quarters who are not just asking but “pleading” him to consider an elective post (“There’s no position because, who knows, my mom might run again as Mayor

Luis Manzano

of Lipa.”)

His mom, on the other hand, has neither been encouraging or discouraging. “My mom never encouraged, my mom never discouraged, she’s just neutral (to the idea of me entering politics) even before. She’d tell me, whatever you want anak, I’ll be behind you all throughout. No discouragement at all, not even for a second. She just said, ‘Anak, if you run, prepare for it well, study, observe, if you’re not going to run, there are many shows you can possibly host,” said Luis who has a degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management from the De La Salle-College of St. Benilde.

Luis stressed that Gov. Vi has no intention of running for higher office, amidst reports that she’s

being wooed by different camps as a potential vice-president candidate in the 2016 elections.

“I really believe it when she says that she isn’t ready for a higher position. She wants to be more hands-on. I think that’s why she’s loved by the Batangueños.

She didn’t run for mayor so she could run for senator, then run for president. That’s not her style.

She ran for mayor because she wanted to serve as mayor. Same thing when she ran for governor.

She doesn’t want to use her position as some sort of stepping stone.”

Apart from family, his girlfriend Angel will be among the very first ones to know of his decision. “We just talked recently. She asked what are my plans. She’s always been supportive of me.”

If not yet politics-ready, then is he marriage-ready? “I’m very ready, but as an individual, I have things to do, so does Angel. She’s also about to start Darna. Emotionally, we’re getting there. But it would be better if everything’s laid out first, for our future, so that we are more prepared… So wala pa (specific plans regarding marriage).”

When asked which comes first: wedding or politics, he said, “I’m more than sure and I’m willing to bet on it, that if the marriage comes first, sabihin nila ginagamit ko.”

Kind, genuine Ogie Alcasid

by Dolly

Anne cArvAJAl Inquirer.net

If I were asked to name the genuinely nice celebs in the biz, Ogie Alcasid would top my list.

He is kind even when there are no cameras around. Since it’s his natal day this week (Aug. 27), I will pay tribute to my ever-wonderful friend.

Even sans the trappings of success, he has always been a great person. Above and beyond the platinum records, sold-out concerts and hit TV shows/movies, what makes Ogie truly special is his heart of gold.

That his ex-wife Michelle van Eimeren and his present wife Regine Velasquez are good friends says a lot about the kind of man Ogie is. He is indeed a rare breed.

I will spend eternity thanking him for always holding a mini-concert during my parties.

Ogie’s duet with Regine was the highlight of my celebration last year. As an added treat, he brought along two of his wards, Davey Langit and Lara Maigue, to sing as well.

I was so touched when he got me a commemorative Michael Jackson issue of Rolling Stone magazine during one of his trips to the United States. He knows that I’m an MJ diehard.

Ogie never runs out of big and little things to do in the name of friendship. He truly lives up to the title of his signature song “Nandito Ako” because you can count on him no matter what.

Birth anniversary cheers, dearest Ogie! Wish I can have you cloned because the world will be

lovelier if there are more people like you.

Celebs share their memorable moments with Ogie: Ryan Cayabyab If you have seen how good Ogie hosts when he is sober, you should see him after he has had a couple of rounds. He is brilliant.

He is very quick and witty. His adlibs come all the way from Pluto and the audience won’t stop laughing, promise.

Martin Nievera Ogie is one of the dearest people I know. He is sensitive and funny, not to mention out-ofthis world crazy. Just before our concert with Regine and Pops (fernandez) at SM Mall of Asia Arena, he was in perfect crazy form. In the dressing room, he put on a one-man show of adlibs and impromptu singing and dancing. He had us on the floor laughing, almost in tears. Just as swiftly, he turned silent, making us think it really wasn’t him that made us laugh.

Noel Cabangon My most memorable moment with Ogie was when he asked me if I wanted to collaborate with him on a song for President Aquino.

“Bagong Pilipinas” was recorded and performed with other artists for the President’s inauguration.

Dingdong Avanzado Ogie and I go way back… since our La Salle and Kundirana days. He is like a brother to me.

That’s why it’s hard to single out just one memorable moment with him. But if I were to pick a recent one… it would be when he gave my daughter Jayda a professional recording USB microphone for

Ogie Alcasid becomes a more engaging host after “a couple of rounds.”

Christmas. He is not only generous with his time and talent, but he really shares his blessings. Go Tiger!

Cooky Chua Back in the 1990s, I interpreted a song in a contest. Ogie was a member of the board of judges. He was encouraging, kind and generous with his comments about my singing. I also had the time of my life with him and other artists during the OPM fair in Cebu.

Mark Bautista During my concert at the Aliw Theater, Kuya Ogie was my special guest. He wasn’t feeling well but he still entertained the audience. I admire his passion for his craft. He and Ate Reg welcomed me to their home when I asked for help after Typhoon “Sendong” hit my hometown, Cagayan de Oro. Without hesitation, they gave monetary aid to the victims.

Kapuso stars make waves in Cambodia GMA Network stars Mikael Daez and Andrea Torres held a successful sold-out premiere night for their TV mini-series “Blood in Dispute” in Cambodia.

The premiere night at the Legend Cinema was the highlight of the co-production of GMA and CTN, Cambodia’s leading television network, dubbed as the CTN Star Tour and organized by GMA Worldwide Inc. According to CTN, it was the first time that a local Khmer movie had sold out as the pair’s fans flocked to the cinema to see their favorite filipino stars.

The series’ premiere was well-received as Mikael and Andrea impressed the crowd with their performances, along with their Cambodian co-stars Khat Vaihang, Meas Thorn Sreynai and veteran actor Tep Rindaro.

Mikael expressed gratitude for the support from their fans in Cambodia, as well as the effort that was put into organizing the premiere night. “I was really impressed with the way they prepared for the premiere of ‘Blood in Dispute.’ To the producers and the production crew, my sincerest gratitude! And to the fans who supported our movie, our heartfelt appreciation for making the premiere a big success. We hope to bring you more collaboration projects between the Philippines and Cambodia,” he said.

Andrea Torres and Mikael Daez at the premiere night of their first international project, ‘Blood in Dispute,’ were overwhelmed by the reception of their Cambodian fans.

Andrea also conveyed her heartfelt thanks to their Cambodian fans and hopes they enjoy the series. “Thank you very much for the support you have been giving me and Mikael. Cambodia is like a second home because of your love. We’re always happy to visit you and make good movies!

Enjoy Blood in Dispute!” she enthused With the rising demand for GMA content in the Asian region, Mikael and Andrea have gained a sizeable following after the airing of their series “Sana Ay Ikaw Na Nga” on CTN. “Whenever we sell our dramas, we not only promote the content and our filipino culture, but our stars as well.

If the dramas rate well in a particular country, our talents gain recognition internationally.

The very warm reception by local fans during our star tour promos proves that our talents have the potential of making it big outside the domestic market,” explained GMA Worldwide Inc. Vice President Roxanne Barcelona.

Mikael and Andrea had an eventful weekend in Cambodia, which included an interview and a pictorial with CTN for Blood in Dispute, as well as a courtesy call with His Excellency Christian B. Montero, Philippine Ambassador to Cambodia. They also took some time off to experience the local cuisine and meet their fans.

(ManilaTimes.net)

features 7

The perpetual blood sport: bad news the calories of bad news (and it does have calories), it raises your blood pressure into the substance of your own body.

by Mylah I think of the bad news de leon as a huge bird, an albatross with wings of a crow, the face of Hydra, rancid teeth and a wrinkling frown that is sailing I’m not impervious to bad around the world under the news. In my years of crime recover of darkness pleased to porting, I ate tragic, earthy and be the bearer of ill tidings. It shocking news for breakfast, carries a basket of rotten eggs lunch and dinner. I had access and knowing, as the sun comes to people’s emotional pains and up, exactly where to drop them tragedies. With a tourniquet -- on me, for one. in my heart, I watched careers Folks liked to pass the bad derailed and homes fractured, news as soon as possible and but I wrote it with complete un- get it off their hands like a derstanding of wounded souls, hot potato. Bad news burns void of literary sarcasm. them. Now it’s right there on I am not hardened by bad the table. news; on the contrary, I am But there is a basic courtesy angular. With less body fat required for others’ need to now than I did before the Big C wallow mindlessly, just as oth-- and therefore with less capac- ers need to spew catastrophe. ity to absorb, cushion, and turn Otherwise, some bilious green

Moonlighting

bad news gland or bladder inside them will burst and they’ll get peritonitis of the soul if they don’t exhale halitosis of the intellect. Others call this affliction, malignant narcissism.

Is bad news worse with pictures? I think so. Pictures make you look, whether you want to or not. There’s the burned car with a skeletal frame of twisted metal as a charred shadow crouches inside; children massacred; world leaders felled by an assassin’s bullet to end a regime. But what about character assassination, the perpetual blood sport? That which feeds nothing noble among humans? Not even an echo can answer that.

We don’t like bad news, but we need it. We need to know about it in case it comes our way. It conjures up a herd of deer in the meadow with their heads down grazing,

Things to do before studying abroad Mango Mix

by Martin

Jason l. ita-as

GOING abroad to study is one very exciting prospect. A new place, a new environment -- basically a new life.

But while the idea is very alluring, individuals can get nervous if they haven’t left home and supported themselves entirely before. It can help to learn a thing or two before you decide to get on that plane to fly over to your new homeland for the school year. Here’s a list of things to know or do before you say goodbye to home and hello to foreign education: Study the country It is essential that you learn as much as you can about where you will be studying. Knowing a lot about where you will be staying for a couple of years or more will make the transition a little less taxing. For example, the language, the area where you’ll be staying in, the kind of foods

you’ll come across and cultural norms. It may seem like a lot of work before you even arrive, but the earlier you prepare, you are more likely to have an easier time living wherever you’re going. Maybe you’ll even discover a few places that might be beneficial to your school life like a great bookstore or a cafe you can study in. If you’re planning to make your little educational excursion a sightseeing trip at the beginning of your journey, map out how you’re going to visit all of the places you want to see. Having a set idea of where you want to go will

streamline your schedule and give you an idea of how to go about your little tour.

Learn to cook Whether you live on your own or with a few friends or roommates, cooking for yourself is an essential part of life away from home. Learning to cook your own meals can save you a lot of money from always buying food at those trendy restaurants or well-loved bistros. First find out what kind of food you can find in the country you’re going to. If the place you’re going to is a little more secluded than most regions,

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - August 26, 2015

peacefully by a rippling brook.

Then there are wild dogs in the woods. Wolves approaching are the bad news; they snort and paw the ground preparing to horn the enemy, except that these were humans, not carnivores or brutes without souls.

A beautiful day that smells of fruits and flowers means nothing to barbarians. In fact they prefer to invade on beautiful days. It provides more visibility for looting and massacre. But they were long ago, far away and not in our lifetime, perhaps. The barbarians of our genre are those young brainwashed in character, dreaming of 77 virgins welcoming them in paradise.

This is the news that assails the nostrils like an offensive perfume, a slap on the face that scourges the soul.

There was bad news long before we were born, and now we’ll get through it, especially if we get the bad news early. If you got it and understood it, then you’ll have known what to do.

I’ve personally dealt with bad news. Gossip and rumors, I think. Portents, forebodings: birds in flight, like the sparrows, flitting in and out of the barn, bad news are sheep’s entrails. You never know if the news is true until it pounces on top of you or until you reach out in the night and there’s no more breathing. You’re howling in darkness and some creatures can’t discriminate between healthy freedom and sick license… even an echo cannot answer that.

But we’ve faced it head on. I am still alright. We

have no wounds and blood pouring out and we are not scorched. We got through the worst bad news.

Now while everything seems to take longer than it did before, we all want to get on with our lives in spite of the bad news. Sometimes we can’t take too much of it.

Today, the sun is shining, the birds are singing and there’s no reason not to feel pretty good. The bad news comes from so far away -most of them explosions, the oil spills, the genocides and famine. There will be other news later. There always is, but we’ll worry about it when it comes.

And I don’t have to write it anymore! *** E-mail Mylah at moonlightingmdl@ aol.com

you may be looking at limited grocery options. If that’s the case, trying looking online or researching for lessons for local dishes in that area. Don’t forget to list down recipes and looking into the purchase of electric stoves and the bare minimum of utensils you’ll need.

Break the language barrier Most countries have very thick language barriers that can be a pain to get over. Since you’re going to be staying there for a while, taking lessons for the language is a very solid investment. If you’re going to be staying within their shores, you gotta learn how to talk like them -- this makes communicating, learning, riding public transport and a number of other things a little less frustrating. Maybe you will make a friend or two who can help you learn to speak like one of the natives and tour you around if you do. Don’t forget to practice it while you’re there. Learn from experience and don’t shy away from mistakes. These are just some steps to learning and making fond memories.

Only the essentials Staying in another country for a long time may make you want to bring everything from

home but heed this warning: overpacking has a lot of downsides. Aside from the extra cost of luggage at the airport, you could end up cluttering your living quarters or dorm room even before you set foot in it. Pack in advance so that you have time to switch things around until you have everything you need and want to take with you several days before leaving. Pack a certain set of clothes you can mix or match with each other for any occasion, jewelry or accessories you’re sure to wear, all the electronics and their chargers you know you’ll be using.

If you’re sad about leaving all of your favorite things at home, don’t worry. You may find something to replace that hole in your heart with something new when you shop around your new home.

Make some memories No matter how many years you study abroad, you have to realize your time there may be limited. Always remember to pack whatever camera, recording device, video taking technology or even just a smartphone with you wherever you go. Try something new, exciting, or scary that you can only do in that country. You

never know when you’ll be able to visit another country like this again so it would definitely help to remember all of the amazing, fun and even simple things you’ll do in this one. If you want to vividly recall such memories someday, opt for a scrapbookstyle journal or an easy to record video blog. Try taking an educational tour or explore these places all on your own.

There are so many ways you can make this trip into one big chapter of your book of life.

Now that you have a little know-how on what to do, get cracking! Your gateway to a new world of education is waiting. *** 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

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - August 26, 2015

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