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

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December 16-18, 2015

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

Volume 25 - No. 98 • 3 Sections - 22 Pages

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Thousands flee, classes suspended as Nona makes landfall The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGAMANILA – Typhoon Nona (in- SA) raised public storm warning ternational name Melor), which signal No. 3 over Catanduanes, made landfall over Northern Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Samar and Sorsogon on Friday, Albay, Sorsogon, Northern SaDec. 11 dumped rains over the mar, Eastern Samar, Samar, BiliVisayas and parts of Luzon, in- ran and Masbate, including Ticao cluding Metro Manila, on Tues- and Burias Islands. day, Dec. 15 the state weather Signal No. 2 was hoisted over bureau said.

Batangas, Rizal, Laguna, Cavite,

by HeleN

Flores Philstar.com

USA

DATELINE Supreme Court hears historic case on affirmative action

Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro including Lubang Island, the rest of Quezon including Polillo Island, Eastern Samar, Samar and Biliran.

Metro Manila, Bulacan, Bataan, Pampanga, Southern Zambales, Southern Aurora, Coron, Leyte, Northern Cebu including Bantayan and Camotes Islands, Aklan, Capiz, Northern Antique,

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EVACUATED. Evacuees feel comforted by the presence of different Christmas lanterns hanged in classrooms turned evacuation centers at the Cabangan Elementary School in Camalig town while Albay province is bracing for Typhoon Nona. Disaster and local government officials in Bicol have moved to safer areas nearly half a million people as the region, particularly Sorsogon and Albay provinces, brace for the entry of Typhoon ”Nona” (international name: Melor) by early evening Monday, Dec. 14.

Inquirer.net photo by Michael Jaucian

Duterte challenges Roxas to gunfight ‘Simbang Gabi’ kicks Corrales Inquirer.net

FROM ThE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM AcroSS SS AMEric MEricA ricA

Asian Americans will benefit, experts say

ThE nation’s highest court has been debating a landmark case regarding US affirmative action in college admissions.

The Supreme Court appeared sharply divided last week, as conservatives, including Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., believe that using affirmative action in admission decisions is “unneeded and unconstitutional,” reported the Los Angeles Times.

“What unique perspective does a minority student bring to a physics class?” Justice Roberts asked, when a lawyer spoke of the importance of diversity in the classroom. “In the past, when the high court has upheld af affirmative action, it did so with the understanding that it was a ‘temporary’ measure. When do you think your program will be done?”

The Court’s three liberals, led by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, argued in defense of race-

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Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte and Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Mar Roxas. inquirer.net file photos

FORGET the slapping match between two presidential candidates: Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has instead challenged rival Mar Roxas to a duel.

“Let’s shoot it out instead. People might be afraid to die, but what am I afraid of?” Duterte said in Bisaya on Monday, Dec. 14.

But the tough-talking mayor – and lawyer – may yet find himself haled to court for issuing the challenge and violating Article 261 of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines.

According to Article 261, “the penalty of prision correccional in its minimum period (four months and one day to two years and four months) shall be imposed upon any person who

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Envoy reiterates PH’s keen interest to join Trans Pacific Partnership

by Pia lee-Brago Philstar.com

MANILA – The Philippines’ commitment to trade reform and liberalization has shown the country’s readiness to join the United Statesled Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr. said.

In a press briefing at the Philippine embassy in Washington on Thurs-

day, Dec.10, Cuisia cited the business community’s taking cognizance of the vigorous efforts of the Aquino administration to initiate reforms and set the stage for the country’s inclusion in the TPP. “Today, we look back on an eventful year, but we also look back on the great strides taken by the Philippines on the firm belief that good gover-

LAUSD closes schools Over 190 countries adopt historic climate accord in Paris after receiving ‘credible threat’ by agNes

CoNstaNte AJPress

ThE Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) canceled classes on Tuesday, Dec. 15 at its 900 charter and K-12 schools after receiving a “credible threat” of violence.

The threat was sent via email to several school board members on Monday evening, Dec. 14, LAUSD spokeswoman Ellen Morgan said. The email was later traced back to an IP address in Frankfurt, Germany.

The message reportedly targeted students and implied a threat of “explosive devices, assault rifles and machine pistols” to all LAUSD campuses, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said. It also mentioned backpacks and packages left at school campuses, though none of the schools were named.

District officials and police looked into the email on Monday night, prompting LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines to close the schools the next morning. The first message

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off Christmas Season

by Nestor

AFTER 13 days of negotiations on addressing climate change on a global scale, 195 countries on Saturday, Dec. 12, approved a historic, unprecedented climate accord that seeks to address global warming.

Under the accord, known as the Paris Agreement, individual countries have committed to slash emissions and pledged to assist poorer nations to adapt to the damaging effects of a warming planet. It also sets a long-term goal of capping the rise in global temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels, while calling on nations to try to limit that increase to 1.5 degrees C. “This is a tremendous victory for all our citizens,” US Secretary of State John Kerry said during the final session of the summit, according to Mother Jones, a non-profit news outlet. “It’s a victory for all of the planet and for future generations.”

1

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Saturday marked the culmination of more than two decades of international attempts to come to a collective agreement on how to tackle the global problem.

In 2009, discussions in Copenhagen failed, as officials could not agree on a way to level the playing field for wealthy and poor nations. Prior to that, the 1997 Kyoto protocol, which the United States and China did not ratify, also failed. Additionally, it only addressed approximately 14 percent of the world’s carbon emissions.

The Paris Agreement marked a major foreign policy success for US President Barack Obama, who touted the agreement, calling it a “turning point for the world.”

“We came together around the strong agreement the world needed. Together we’ve shown what’s possible when the world stands as one,” he said.

Other commitments made under the deal include a global review of climate progress by 2018, and the reconvening of nations in 2020 to present climate targets that “will

SEAFOOD CITY AD1

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It’s worship, faithful reminded by tiNa

saNtos Inquirer.net

AS ThE nine-day “Simbang Gabi” (dawn Mass) began Wednesday, Dec. 16 to kick-off the Christmas season in the Philippines, the Catholic faithful, especially the youth, are reminded that the traditional novena is for worship—not courtship.

This year’s Simbang Gabi will focus on the Year of the Eucharist and the Family as spiritual preparation for the International Eucharistic Congress to be held in Cebu next month, according to Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

The Jaro (Iloilo) Cathedral Parish, in its newsletter, noted that many young people sometimes tend to playfully congregate with their peers or their “special someone” outside the churches instead of actively participating in the Simbang Gabi, according to a post in the CBCP News.

But couples who attend the dawn Masses must be supported, Villegas said. “(Those) boyfriends-girlfriends who go together for Simbang Gabi must be encouraged. It means they put God as the setting of their friendship,” Villegas said.

Praying for a wish Many people believe the completion of the nine-day dawn Masses would mean the grant-

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

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From the Front Page

Thousands flee, classes suspended…

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Northern Negros Occidental and Northern Iloilo were placed under signal No. 1.

Classes in all levels are suspended today in Cavite, Cainta, Antipolo, Quezon, Laguna, the cities of Batangas and Lipa in Batangas, Albay, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, Masbate, Naga City, Northern Samar and Caibiran, Kawayan and Almeria in Biliran Island.

Classes in pre-school and elementary were suspended in Lucena City, Sorsogon and Catbalogan City.

In Oriental Mindoro, classes are suspended until tomorrow.

PAGASA said Nona was projected to bring heavy to intense rains within its 400-kilometer diameter. It warned the public in areas under signal Nos. 3 and 2 against possible flashfloods and landslides. It also advised the public to brace for possible storm surges that could reach up to four meters (about 13.12 feet).

Rene Paciente, chief of PAGASAY NO TO ILLEGAL DRUGS. Senator Vicente C. Sotto III, the principal author of Comprehensive Dangereous Drugs Act of 2002 (RA 9165), leads an Anti-Drug Abuse Campaign in Pagsanjan, Laguna together with former Laguna Governor Jeorge “ER” Ejercito Estregan (right) SA’s marine meteorological and his wife Pagsanjan Mayor Maita Javier-Ejercito (left with white long sleeve shirt). Laguna is advocating a drug-free province under services section, said Nona is Gov. Ejercito’s leadership.

Senate photo expected to be 110 kilometers south of Manila this afternoon.

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the eye of the typhoon was spotted over Bulusan, Sorsogon, packing Aguinaldo.” mercialized.

PAGE A1 t ing of a wish. Thus, some FilipiThe Masses are usually held at 4 winds of 150 kilometers per hour Puto bumbong (a sticky rice nos have made it a personal mis- delicacy steamed in wooden a.m., thus the name “Misa de Gal- near the center and gustiness of sion not to miss the dawn Masses tubes) and bibingka (rice cake) lo,” or Mass of the Rooster, since up to 185 kph.

It is forecast to move westward so that the petitions and wishes are popular native fare usu- the rooster crows at the break of at 17 kph. they are praying for would be ally sold by vendors outside the dawn. Since the Mass is held while 200-km radius granted. it is still dark, it is also called Simchurches after the dawn Mass.

State weather forecasters said But Villegas said that while “Simbang Gabi was and is and bang Gabi, or night Mass. the typhoon has a 200-kilometer personal wishes may be prayed will be a cherished Catholic traModern schedule for during Simbang Gabi, the dition among Filipinos,” Villegas But for many years now, the Catholic faithful must primarily said. “Filipino piety will outlive all novena Mass has no longer been thank God for being Catholics— commercialism and secularism. strictly held before dawn. The and for being Filipinos.

Not even the martial law curfew Catholic Church has adjusted “Love of God and love of coun- hours or World War II could stop to modern urban schedules and PAGE A1 t try go together,” he said. agreed, as a “pastoral accommo- shall challenge another, or incite it,” Villegas stressed.

Preserving the faith dation,” to hold Simbang Gabi another to give or accept a chalReminder to Catholics “Simbang Gabi is a tradition of The Jaro Cathedral Parish also the night before. lenge to a duel, or shall scoff at or Filipino Catholicism to thank God reminded the faithful that SimOne of only two Christian na- decry another publicly for having that the Philippines is a Catholic bang Gabi is not just a tradition tions in Asia, the Philippines has refused to accept a challenge to country. In addition, thanksgiv- widely celebrated because it has the longest Christmas celebra- fight a duel.” ing is a petition to God to pre- become fashionable. tion in the world.

Slapping match serve the Catholic faith in the Christmas officially begins in the “It is a significant moment not Duterte issued the challenge to country,” Villegas said. only because it strengthens re- Philippines with the start of Sim- Roxas when asked by reporters And while many Filipinos lationships among family mem- bang Gabi and ends on the first about his earlier statement sayequate the tradition with festivi- bers or among friends but also Sunday of January, or the Epipha- ing he would engage Roxas in a ties and the eating of native deli- because it is the time when our ny, which celebrates the visit of the slapping match for allegedly lycacies, like “puto bumbong” and faith is intensified,” it said.

Three Kings to the Infant Jesus. ing about being a graduate of the “bibingka,” Villegas believes it In other countries, Christmas prestigious Wharton School.

Simbang Gabi traditionally has not lost its religious mean- begins on Dec. 16 and ends on starts on Dec. 25 and ends on the The mayor twitted Roxas about ing, despite its being too com- Christmas Eve with the “Misa de Epiphany. n his Wharton studies after the Lib-

‘Simbang Gabi’ kicks off Christmas Season

radius and its effects will be felt in places far from the point of landfall.

Aurelio said Nona is likely to weaken into a storm this afternoon due to its interaction with landmass and the intrusion of the cold northeast monsoon to its circulation.

Nona, with winds of 150 kph and gustiness of up to 185 kph, was forecast to move westward at 17 kph and was expected to make a second landfall in Sorsogon last night.

The 14th tropical cyclone to enter the country this year, Nona is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility on Saturday.

Remain alert Malacañang has called on the public to remain alert even as it gave assurance that concerned government agencies would ensure timely and relevant response in typhoon-affected areas.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the Department of Social Welfare and Development has prepositioned P25,034,400.47 in standby funds while the Department of Health prepared logistical equipment in its field offices.

Lacierda advised the public to follow the Facebook and Twitter accounts of PAGASA for updates on the typhoon.

Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno directed all executive judges in areas covered by storm signal No. 3 or higher to take all necessary measures, including suspension of work.

“Executive judges are directed

to ensure that court records are protected and safeguarded from damage arising from typhoon,” Sereno stated in her directive.

Stranded As of noontime yesterday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said 6,795 passengers were stranded while 75 vessels, 15 motorized boats and 466 rolling cargoes were not allowed to sail due to Nona.

The PCG said 2,226 of the passengers were stranded in Manila; 1,125 in Batangas; 1,772 in Oriental Mindoro; 131 in southern Quezon, 69 passengers in Northern Quezon and 68 in Romblon.

Around 300 passengers were waiting in Albay, 630 in Sorsogon, eight passengers in Catanduanes and 25 in Masbate.

The PCG in Central Visayas said it recorded 413 passengers in Cebu and the PCG in northeastern Luzon said six passengers were stranded in Ormoc.

Over 1,000 passengers were stranded in Albay, Sorsogon, Catanduanes and Masbate.

Evacuees The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 724,839 individuals or 161,014 families were evacuated in Albay, Sorsogon and in Northern Samar.

The bulk of evacuees, more than 589,000 of them, were from Albay.

“The people here are very vulnerable but they are safe,” Albay Gov. Joey Salceda told ABS-CBN News Channel.

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Duterte challenges Roxas to… eral Party standard-bearer branded “a myth” Duterte’s claim about the peace and order situation in Davao City and said that the city was among those with the highest crime rate in the country.

‘Recto-made’ During an ambush interview on Monday night, Duterte maintained that Roxas was not a Wharton graduate, saying that two congressmen, who also attended Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, confirmed this to him.

Duterte also dismissed the documents presented by Roxas to

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prove his being a Wharton alumnus, as “Recto-made,” referring to the avenue near the University Belt in Manila notorious for producing fake school certificates.

On Tuesday, the word war between the two presidential aspirants turned into threats of physical violence after Roxas challenged Duterte to a fistfight instead of a slapping match.

“Do what you want. But why a slapping match? That’s only for women. Let’s have a fistfight,” Roxas told reporters in an ambush interview in Cubao, Quezon City. n

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From the Front Page

LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 16-18, 2015

A

Envoy reiterates PH’s keen interest to…

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nance is good economics. The Philippine economy is in excellent shape, and the future holds much promise,” Cuisia said.

He described how strong macroeconomic fundamentals, prudent public finance management and good governance have significantly improved business environment and competitiveness.

He noted the re-emergence of the industry sector as a strong driver of economic growth.

He also reassured US corporate executives that the downturns in GDP growth and the stock market were reactions to external conditions rather than offshoots of problems within the Philippine economy.

“Our strategic gains in competitiveness and transparency have been validated by independent institutions,” Cuisia told the audience, citing the Index of Economic Freedom of the Heritage Foundation, World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Report, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Scorecard.

The ambassador also reported developments in infrastructure.

He also said laws passed un-

der the administration’s reform agenda have increased the Philippines’ attractiveness to investors and institutionalized the foundations of good governance, fair competition and business transparency.

“These laws ensure that the substance and pace of reforms will be sustainable,” he said.

The embassy, in a statement, said reactions to the economic portion of the briefing were positive and optimistic.

“Over the last five years, the Aquino administration made impressive strides in growing the Philippine economy and improving governance,” said Alexander Feldman, president and CEO of the US-ASEAN Business Council.

“We have seen a steady increase in US business confidence in the Philippines over the past several years,” said John Goyer, a senior director at the US Chamber of Commerce.

In the briefing, Cuisia spoke about the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community, as well as Manila’s hosting of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit recently.

He also discussed President Aquino’s bilateral meetings with US President Barack Obama and

with other US officials, the South China Sea arbitration case and Philippines-US defense cooperation, as well as Aquino’s participation in the climate change conference in Paris.

Cuisia also presented slides on the state of tourism in the Philippines. This year, the Philippines ranks 7th in the WEF Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, jumping 20 places from the 2011 level.

“We look forward to working with the government of the Philippines to continuing to ensure that American business is aware of and takes advantage of the opportunities in the Philippines as the Philippines moves toward eventual accession to TPP,” Feldman said.

The TPP seeks to lower or eliminate trade barriers such as tariffs, establish a common framework for intellectual property, enforce standards for labor and environmental laws and establish an investor-state dispute settlement mechanism.

The Philippines’ entry into TPP is reportedly being hampered by restrictive provisions in the Constitution, including limiting foreign ownership of lands and certain businesses. n

Supreme Court hears historic case on…

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based admissions policies at the University of Texas, which was segregated by law and later opened its doors to minority students in 1950.

The public university has always had a selective admissions system that “sought to increase the minorities, using race and ethnicity as one of many factors in evaluating applicants,” reported NPR. Angered lower courts have ruled that UT could not consider race in any way in its admissions policies, but the university has still implemented it, guaranteeing three-quarters of slots as reserved by law for students who qualify in the top 7 to 10 percent of their high school class.

Abigail Fisher, a white student

who was not accepted to UT in 2008, challenged UT’s “holistic review” policy that combines race/ethnicity and class rank with SAT scores, independently-graded essays, and extracurricular leadership, awards, and skills.

“There were people in my class with lower grades who weren’t in all the activities I was in, and who were being accepted into UT, and the only other difference between us was the color of our skin,” Fisher argued.

Denying her claims, the university said it was neither extracurricular activities nor race, but Fisher’s grades and test scores were “simply too low” to get her in. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reviewed the school’s claims of good faith in its use of

race in admissions, upholding the plan as constitutional by a 71 vote in 2013.

By contrast, Justice Antonin Scalia raised controversy when he questioned whether affirmative action benefits African American students.

“There are those who contend that it does not benefit AfricanAmericans to get them into the University of Texas, where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less-advanced school, a slower-track school where the do well,” he said.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, oftentimes the key swing vote for the Supreme Court, suggested that the case should be sent back to a lower court to give the uni-

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LAUSD closes schools after receiving ‘credible…

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was sent at 6:30am to parents and guardians of the district, but some parents said that they were notified later in the morning, according to various reports.

Some facilities of the district had already opened by 7 am, where some students and staff were already present. Students were asked to go home or remain under an adult’s supervision until a parent or guardian could pick them up. Metro offered students free rides on buses and rail lines until noon.

The district is no stranger to such threats; however, in light

of the mass shootings in San Bernardino earlier this month and the Paris terror attacks in November, Cortines said he was “not going to take the chance with the life of students.”

“There are no secrets,” he told reporters about his decision to close down the nation’s second largest school district. “Somebody has sent information that leads us to pause and make sure that ... our children and our staff [are] safe.”

The district’s roughly 900 charger and K-12 schools were ordered to be searched within the day.

New York’s school system, the largest in the country, received the same anonymous threat on Tuesday, but police brushed it off as a “hoax,” according to Police Commissioner Bill Bratton. “[It would be a] huge disservice to our nation to close down our school system,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said, calling the email “so generic, so outlandish.”

LA Mayor Eric Garcetti stood by the decision to shut down the city’s public schools for the day, despite critics quickly calling it an overreaction.

PAINTING THE TOWN RED. A legally binding agreement to curb global carbon emissions may have already been signed, but the fight for climate justice is far from over for the thousands of environmental activists who painted Paris red in protest of the lack of action against climate change.

Inquirer.net photo by Sara Pacia

Over 190 countries adopt historic climate accord in…

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represent a progression beyond the Party’s then-current” target, Mother Jones reported.

“Countries have united around a historic agreement that marks a turning point in the climate crisis,” said Jennifer Morgan, global director of the climate program at the World Resources Institute, according to Mother Jones. “This is a transformational long-term goal that should really send clear signals into the markets” about the imminent decline of fossil fuel consumption.

After Copenhagen climate summit in 2009, many world leaders thought the United Nations process would no longer be effective in addressing global warming, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations told The New York Times.

But the Paris talks were different because of a shift in the geopolitics of climate change and a change in the perception of global warming as an imminent threat rather than a warning. French diplomacy also contributed to the success of the global meeting, by helping reduce the chances that major points of contention might kill a deal again, according to the Times. Economist Lord Stern said that France brought openness, expertise in diplomacy and mutual respect to the talks, The Guardian reported. He added that they took great care to ensure everyone was listened to and consulted with.

“It was a wonderful surprise

that after the incredible disappointment of Copenhagen, these [countries] could come to an agreement more ambitious than anyone imagined,” said Jim Yong Kim, World Bank president, who has been closely engaged in the talks, according to The New York Times. “This never happens.”

One word almost killed the climate deal In Article 4 of the agreement, a line read that wealthier countries “shall” establish economywide targets for reducing their greenhouse gas pollution. Previous drafts of the document had the world “should” in place of “shall.” While the difference may appear small, the latter term implies legal obligation, while the former does not. If the word remained, the Obama administration could have been obliged to submit the final deal to the Senate for approval, which the GOPdominated chamber would have rejected, according to Politico.

“When I looked at that, I said, ‘We cannot do this and we will not do this,” Kerry told reporters afterward, Politico reported.

“And either it changes or President Obama and the United States will not be able to support this agreement.”

The Philippines signs €1.5-million deal with France Among deals reached in Paris was a grant agreement worth €1.5 million between France and the Philippines, which will take place throughout the next four years. Under the agreement, the

Philippines will build ecosystems and community resilience in the central region of the country, according to Philstar.

Steps toward this goal will begin late this year with a focus on the coastal municipality of Concepcion in Iloilo, which will be jointly managed by Conservation International Philippines and the Biodiversity Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Supported developments include both natural and man-made defenses, such as mangroves, coastal armoring and small levees.

While the targets agreed upon in Paris are not legally binding, Climate Change Commissioner Heherson Alvarez said that the Philippines, which chairs the Climate Vulnerable Forum that called for a 1.5C global cap on temperature, can lead highly vulnerable countries to transition to a zero carbon economy, according to The Manila Times.

Alvarez also said the Philippines can begin to come up with policies to prepare the nation for a low carbon economy with the adoption of the Paris climate agreement, the publication reported.

“A low carbon economy in the long term will mean low energy cost, low cost for the manufacture of goods and services. Philippine products would be competitive and will open up opportunities for jobs and higher productivity,” Alvarez said, according to the Times. n

Thousands flee, classes suspended…

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“This is not a pre-emptive evacuation but a large scale rescue operation… We are doing our best to achieve zero casualty,” Salceda added.

Edgar Posadas, civil defense u PAGE A5 director of Eastern Visayas, said

SEAFOOD CITY AD2

he has received reports that parts of northern Samar are flooded.

The National Food Authority said it has prepositioned 57,368 bags of rice for Albay’s first district, another 80,649 for the second district and 10,222 bags for the third district.

The NDRRMC said 40 domestic flights bound for Manila, Legazpi, Virac, Tacloban, Cebu, Naga and Calbayog were cancelled. (With reports from Delon Porcalla, Alexis Romero, Edu Punay, Evelyn Macairan, Celso Amo, Ricky Bautista and Rudy Santos)

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

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

SEAFOOD CITY ADVERTORIAL FPFC

Dateline USa

Obama: US-led coalition is hitting Islamic State ‘harder than ever’

by Agnes

ConstAnte AJPress

AS countries across the globe continue fighting against the Islamic State (IS), President Barack Obama on Monday, Dec. 14, said the US-led coalition is hitting ISIS “harder than ever.”

“ISIL leaders cannot hide, and our message to them is simple: you are next,” Obama said at the Pentagon on Monday, following a briefing from his national security team.

His announcement comes several days after a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California and nearly a month after multiple coordinated attacks in Paris, a time at which he faces pressure to convince Americans he is taking all measures to keep them safe.

He is also pressured by Democrats and Republicans to pick up the pace and intensity of the campaign against IS. To date, Obama said the United States has dropped about 9,000 bombs; last month, the country

hit more targets than any other month since it began its attacks on the Islam State last year “Our partners on the ground are rooting ISIL out by town, neighborhood by neighborhood, block by block. That is what this campaign is doing,” the president said.

Still, Obama acknowledged that progress needs to continue more quickly.

“This continues to be a difficult fight,” he said. “We recognize that progress needs to keep coming faster.”

The president also noted that there’s a particular problem in urban areas controlled by IS, where militants often use civilians as human shield, USA Today reported.

“Even as we’re relentless we need to be smart, targeting ISIL surgically and with precision,” he said.

The White House said it has experienced more success in escalating the war through air strikes on oil smuggling -- a key

source of revenue for the organization -- and expanding the coalition of 65 countries aiding the effort, rather than using ground troops or “carpet bombing” portions of Syria and Iraq controlled

by IS militants.

Last month, the Pentagon said it would deploy approximately 100 more special operations troops to Iraq as a “specialized expeditionary targeting force” to conduct raids, free hostages, collect intelligence and capture Islamic State leaders in Iraq, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Obama’s meeting at the Pentagon was the first since July 6, at which point he said there was progress in the fight against terrorism, but warned it would be a “long-term campaign,” according to USA Today.

On Thursday, Dec. 17, Obama will visit the National Counterterrorism Center to learn more about its efforts to track terrorism, before he departs for his annual two-week vacation in Hawaii. n

Supreme Court hears historic case on…

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versity an opportunity to present more evidence about the plan. It felt “like we’re just arguing the same case,” he said.

Supporters of affirmative action in higher education are fearful that the court might issue a broad ruling in the case, that would curtail a public university’s ability to consider race in order to produce a more diverse student body, said CNN. The outcome almost certainly turns on Kennedy’s vote. If Kennedy votes with the three liberals, the court will be split 4-4, which would affirm the lower court’s ruling although without a majority opinion.

Justice Kennedy has long agreed that having a diverse student body is sufficiently important to justify consideration of race in admissions, but only if all other race-neutral systems have been tried and failed--such as economic status, NPR reported.

During his career, Kennedy has never voted to uphold a racebased policy, but he has not joined with more conservative justices in a ruling that would flatly forbid affirmative action, said the LA Times.

If the court writes an opinion in Fisher vs. University of Texas, it is not likely to be handed down until the late spring.

Jennifer Lee, a sociologist and professor at UC Irvine, said she hopes that Asian American parents who are against the concept understand that affirmative action represents a “net positive” for their community.

“They think it’s in their self-interest to fight affirmative action,” Lee, author of “The Asian American Achievement Paradox,” told NBC News. “But it is only in a very narrow way, without thinking of their broader life course. We need affirmative action because we don’t have the institutional advantages we think we do.”

She also pointed to data from the 2014 National Asian American Survey that shows the majority of Asian Americans--69 percent of registered voters polled from California--are in support of affirmative action, mainly because at some point, they may need such policies.

“This may come as a surprise because there has been a small, but highly organized, vocal minority who opposes it. What’s important to note is that the sec-

ond generation are more likely to support affirmative action than immigrants, most likely because the former understand how race affects their life chances, even as they attain high levels of education,” Lee continued. “The better question [isn’t self-interest, but] whether Asian Americans are willing to recognize our ethnic and class diversity.”

“Affirmative action policies allow universities to consider the differential starting points while also promoting diversity on campuses,” she added.

A May 2015 study by the Ascend Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering

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LAUSD closes…

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“An abundance of caution is something that…all of us who have children can appreciate,” said Garcetti, adding that “it’s easy for people to jump to conclusions. But decisions need to be made in a matter of minutes.”

The LAUSD has over 650,000 students enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade and about 250,000 in adult education programs, according to its website.

The district comprises about 720 square miles in Los Angeles and smaller Southern California communities.

On Tuesday afternoon, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, said the incident targeting the LAUSD appears to also be a hoax.

“The preliminary assessment is that it was a hoax or something designed to disrupt school districts in large cities. The investigation is ongoing as to where the threat originated from and who was responsible,” Schiff said in a statement.

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) noted that the email message was written by someone who claims to be an “extremist Muslim who has teamed up with local jihadists.”

“We do not know whether these claims are true or a lie,” he said in a written statement. “We do not know whether this email is from a devout Muslim who supports jihadists or perhaps a nonMuslim with a different agenda.”

Police Chief Steven K. Zipperman said schools will remain closed until authorities are “completely satisfied that we have taken every measure to ensure the safety of our students.”

As of press time, officials announced that the district’s schools would re-open on Wednesday, Dec. 16. For more information and updates, individuals may call 213-241-2064, visit lausd. net or laspd.com, or text laspd to 888777. (AJPress)

Metro Silver Line Express Starting December 13, Metro’s new Silver Line Express 950X will make limited stops along the I110 Freeway to provide faster trips to and from San Pedro, Downtown LA and El Monte. You can connect to dozens of destinations, including STAPLES Center, USC and the Battleship USS Iowa. For more information, visit metro.net/silverline.

See something? Say something.

Assaulting a Metro Operator is against the law. If you see any threatening or violent behavior, don’t be silent – report it. Call the Sheriff’s Hotline at 888.950.

SAFE or use the Transit Watch app. Our operators look out for you. Please look out for them.

Help Us Build Metro Bike Share The Metro Bike Share Downtown LA Pilot will launch in Summer 2016 with up to 80 stations and 1,100 bikes. Metro’s Board recently approved a flexible fare structure for the program and Metro is refining plans for Bike Share station locations. Provide your input on proposed station locations by visiting metro. net/bikeshare.

Holiday Eve Free Fares To help you celebrate the holidays safely, all Metro bus and rail lines will provide free service on the nights of Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Specifically, no fare will be charged from 9pm on Thursday, December 24 until 2am Friday, December 25, and starting at 9pm on Thursday, December 31, 2015, until 2am on Friday, January 1, 2016.

metro.net @metrolosangeles losangelesmetro

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OpiniOn

Features

Menacing

DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to stop crime and corruption if elected president of the Philippines in 2016. It seems that he will stop at nothing to get there. The no-nonsense presidential aspirant is on a mean streak lately and has been engaging his rivals in a political mudslinging.

His first target was Sen. Grace Poe, who is currently facing disqualification cases over her residency and citizenship status. Duterte said he was convinced to submit his bid for the presidency because he does not want an American to be the country’s next president.

“The president should be a Filipino,” Duterte said.

Poe’s camp maintained the senator is a naturalborn Filipino and that the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET’s) favorable decision on the senator’s eligibility, rendered justice to Poe and all other foundlings. “In a democracy, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. We respect Mayor Duterte and we respect his opinion. But to reiterate, Senator Poe is a natural-born Filipino. International laws and covenants substantiate this fact,” Poe’s spokesman, Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian said.

However, Poe’s candidacy remains in limbo after the Commission on Election (Comelec’s) First and Second Divisions disqualified her from the presidential race due to citizenship and residency issues. The Supreme Court will review and give the final verdict on the cases.

On Sunday, Dec. 13, Duterte lashed back at the Liberal Party’s standard bearer, former Interior

Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II and accused him falsely of graduating from the prestigious University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

“I would like to ask the presidentiable [Roxas], you claim to have graduated from Wharton School of Economics, that is a myth. You did not graduate from Wharton School of Economics, Mr. Roxas,” Duterte said. Roxas presented his Wharton credentials, but Duterte remained adamant and said they were fabricated.

According to the university’s website, Roxas graduated with a Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School in 1979 and is listed as one the institution’s notable alumni, which also include Donald Trump and Warren Buffett.

The word-war sparked when Roxas claimed that Davao City’s peace and order is a myth. Davao City was recently ranked the fourth safest place in the world by Numbeo.com, and the country’s most child-friendly based on a government ranking.

With neither one backing down on proving their claims, Duterte dared Roxas in a slapping match, while Roxas insisted a fistfight. The heated exchange ended with Duterte challenging Roxas to a gun duel, saying he is not afraid of anything.

Editorial

ManilaTimes.net photo

While recent poll results are in his favor, Duterte should be reminded that there is a multitude of ills in the country that deserve more attention.

Rather than trading barbs with his competition, he should elaborate on his platform instead to engage more voters to cast his name on the ballot next year.

Filipinos have unenthusiastic assessments on the socio-political situation in the country. As spectators to this current political drama, they owe it to themselves to think objectively and look at facts instead of having prejudices and biases.

With the presidency on the line, civic participation is encouraged now more than ever. (AJPress)

Duterte, Trump, Hitler and Nardong Putik “THE success of Donald Trump has Street so defied the conventional wisdom Talk of political punditry that a new genre of analysis has come into being. Call it Trumpology. It con- GreG B. MacaBenta sists of reaching for exotic explanations from surprising sources. For example, Barton Swaim, who wrote ‘The Speechwriter: A Brief Education In Politics,’ hears magic in the Donald’s diction. Think word order.

Think timing.”

Thus did American broadcast journalist Robert Siegel kick off a panel discussion on the mystique of Republican presidential aspirant and real estate mogul, Donald Trump, who currently leads the pack in the process of selecting the official GOP candidate in next year’s US presidential elections.

Participating in the discussion were PR specialist Mark McKinnon, vicechair of Hill & Knowlton; political speech writer Barton Swaim; Scott Adams, the creator and cartoonist of Dilbert; and Rosalind Wiseman, a prominent parenting educator and author.

The opinions came from left field, right field and center field, to use baseball idiom, but they all appear to arrive at the same conclusion: Trump represents the “anger” of American voters.

This has been exacerbated by the recent terrorist attacks, such as the one in Paris, which have made Americans feel vulnerable. The more impressionable are pining for a personification of Dirty Harry who will “make their day” by eliminating the threats to their security. Like a typical used car salesman, Trump has vowed to do that and a whole lot more.

We are witnessing a similar phenomenon in the person of former Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, said to be lead-

ing in the recent public opinions polls among presidential aspirants.

Duterte’s promises are the kind that could come from the mouth of Clint Eastwood as the San Francisco cop who fought crime by being a criminal himself – to the cheers of the movie audience. If elected president, Duterte would give the funeral parlors a windfall by liquidating drug dealers and assorted criminals.

He would literally make the Philippines peaceful by making them rest in peace.

Duterte is foul-mouthed, lacing his public remarks with vulgar invectives.

But that simply marks him as an overaged juvenile. What makes him particularly dangerous is his obsession with extra-judicial killings as a short cut to peace and order.

Like Trump, Duterte is exploiting the frustration of the Filipino people over everything that seems to be going wrong in the country, and the seeming incompetence and cluelessness of the current administration. And like Trump, Duterte has one simple solution.

Get rid of the crooks, the criminals, the incompetents and everyone who gets in the way of Duterte’s vision of a progressive Philippines.

Apparently, Duterte considers the Law an obstacle to achieving peace and order. He may even suggest to the courts that the best way to clear the backlog of cases is to “shoot the suspects dead.”

He hasn’t said it yet but Duterte, as president, may decide to convert the Philippine National Police into the Philippine National Death Squad.

It’s classic used car salesman talk and macho bluster, but even supposedly intelligent Metro Manilans are buying it. Of course, it also helps that the campaign team of Duterte and vicepresidential hopeful, Sen. Alan Peter

Cayetano, has some hotshot communicators and creative minds – with skills that can make black look white and bad sound good.

Duterte’s fans do not seem to care that Duterte’s reputed success as mayor of Davao does not necessarily qualify him to lead a country of over a hundred million people, the majority of whom are wallowing in poverty – and a large percentage of whom may be on the verge of turning to criminality in order to survive (would Duterte liquidate all of them?).

A Duterte fan enumerated on FaceBook what he described as “Ten P—Inang Achievements of Duterte in Davao.” The list consisted of ordinances covering smoking in public places, public intoxication, peace and order, using the karaoke after hours, vendors taking over sidewalks, etc. Aside from the incremental benefits created by these ordinances, nothing was said about job generation, the economy, foreign affairs, national defense, social welfare, health care, education and similar urgent national needs. But this simpleminded Duterte fan appears convinced that his favorite local executive is ready for prime time.

Concerning peace and order, his fans do not seem to realize that Duterte’s promise to summarily liquidate criminals could one day see their own relatives and loved ones – even themselves – at the point of a gun, on mere suspicion.

Duterte has publicly boasted that he personally killed criminal suspects, including setting one on fire – and to hell with due process (it makes you wonder if Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales has been sleeping on the job or has not been reading the postings on social media – otherwise, shouldn’t she go after Duterte with her usual hammer and tongs?).

Now, where do Nardong Putik and

Adolph Hitler come in?

I happen to have written the screenplay of the film about that notorious Cavite bandit for Ramon Revilla. To say that his acting career was washed up at the time would be an understatement.

But Revilla saw a chance to resurrect it by starring in a biopic on Putik.

His gamble hit the jackpot. Nardong Putik, the movie, was the biggest boxoffice hit that year, in spite of opening in the middle of a raging typhoon and floods in Metro Manila. But what followed next will give you an idea of how our people tend to confuse screen heroes with their perception of a real life knight in shining armor.

Encouraged by the box office success of his movie, as well as his subsequent films, Revilla ran for senator. He lost because he made the mistake of using his real name, Jose Bautista, in his Certificate of Candidacy. In the succeeding senatorial election, he ran again, this time as Ramon Revilla. He won. And not only that, he bred a new political dynasty in Cavite, with family members winning provincial posts and his son, Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr., taking his seat in the Senate.

I could have used former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada as an example of the confused perceptions among our people, but the analogy of Nardong Putik, a killer, is more akin to the macho persona that Duterte has donned. Erap is regarded more as a womanizer and, in this department, Duterte’s boast that he has two wives and two girl friends pales in comparison. Erap is smooth. Duterte is crude.

And what about Adolph Hitler? Isn’t comparing Duterte with Hitler like matching the neighborhood basketball team with an NBA franchise?

That may be the case, but the fascination with Duterte is grounded on the same sense of frustration and hopelessness that catapulted Hitler and the Nazi

Party to a position of leadership in Germany.

An online write-up entitled, “Why was Hitler’s Nazi party so appealing to Germans in the 1930’s?”, is very instructive: “The 30s was in the great depression and the monarchy (was) seen to do nothing to alleviate the problems of no money and short food supply. The Nazi party offered nationalisation and work, building the autobahns and other national projects, giving Germans a sense of self achievement by completing such major constructions…The Nazi party preyed on the sense of German pride in their self-achievement, using a charismatic Hitler to tell them how good and how much better than the rest of the world the Germans were. And since the party had done such a great job of ending the depression, then maybe, just maybe, it would be better for the whole world if they too were helped by the Germans, ruling them for their ‘own good.’… Of course this was taken a little too far and the party was ruled by idiots, insane people and complete lunatics and megalomania (sic). In ‘39 when all the trouble started, the people went along for the ride, only to realise very shortly that they were on an unstoppable avalanche to hell.”

And as history tells us, it was hell, not just for six million Jews, but for all of Europe.

On social media, I cited the example of Hitler in an exchange of opinions about Duterte with some friends. Responded one of them, an advertising man, “If Duterte’s Jews are the rich, he’s my dude.”

I wouldn’t describe my friend as irresponsible. I think he is just getting carried away by the Nardong Putik, Trump and Hitler syndrome. I hope he realizes this before it’s too late (or his rich clients hear about it). (gregmacabenta@ hotmail.com)

Long Beach Filipinos support $15 minimum wage and protections against wage theft

WITH over 30,000 Filipinos living in Commentary Long Beach, conversations about raising the minimum wage and wage enforcement in the city are important issues to the Filipino commu- Joanna ConCepCion nity.

Most Filipinos in Long Beach have settled in Westside Long Beach, an area tucked in between the 710 freeway and the bustling Port of Long Beach. Filipinos living in Westside Long Beach largely work low-wage jobs in the health and service industries. Raising the minimum wage would undoubtedly create a positive impact in the Filipino community.

According to data from Long Beach Rising: A City that Works for Everyone by the Economic Roundtable, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour would affect 17,000 Long Beach residents who work in the city.

An increase in wages would help nearly over 6,500 Long Beach workers rise out of poverty by 2020. In addition to providing a living wage for residents working in the city, the minimum wage policy should include earned paid sick days so workers do not have to make the choice between going to work sick or staying home and not getting paid.

Workers should also receive stronger

protection against wage theft, which includes being underpaid and being denied overtime or breaks.

In November 2015, the Filipino Migrant Center surveyed 110 Westside Long Beach residents about raising the minimum wage in Long Beach and their experiences with wage theft. Of the residents surveyed, 96 percent support the raising the minimum wage in Long Beach.

More than half of residents (62 percent) shared experiencing at least one form of wage theft, including being underpaid, denied breaks, and working overtime without pay. Respondents working as caregivers, restaurant servers, and health care workers shared personal experiences with wage theft.

41 percent of residents reported know-

ing someone who has experienced wage theft.

The high percentage of respondents stating they have experienced wage theft is not surprising. Filipino immigrants and migrant workers working low-wage service jobs are some of the most vulnerable to exploitation in the workplace. Long Beach Filipino residents were overwhelmingly supportive of passing a policy to protect workers from wage theft.

As part of the Coalition to End Wage Theft and the Raise the Wage Coalition, the Filipino Migrant Center has been working collaboratively with other community organizations and members in a growing movement to end wage theft and raise the wage in Long Beach. We believe that all workers in Long Beach

deserve better. As a part of a vibrant Filipino community, we must empower workers and uplift communities by passing a policy in Long Beach for a living wage, strong wage enforcement, guaranteed paid sick days, and no exemptions. Our families are depending on it.

Joanna Concepcion is the Executive Director of the Filipino Migrant Center, a non-profit organization based in Long Beach, California that serves Filipinos throughout Southern California and addresses the issues and concerns they face in their daily lives. n *** Joanna Concepcion is the executive director of the Filipino Migrant Center, a non-profit organization based in Long Beach, California that serves Filipinos throughout Southern California and addresses issues and concerns they face in their daily lives.

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Dateline PhiliPPines

Iglesia wins 2 court cases vs critics in US and PH

by Jerome

aning Inquirer.net

THE Iglesia ni Cristo has (INC) won court cases involving two of its critics—an expelled member in the United States and a leader of a rival religious group, Ang Dating Daan.

INC spokesperson Edwil Zabala said a court in Virginia Beach, Virginia sided with the INC in the case filed by an expelled church member, who wanted the weekly offerings she had made as an INC member, returned to her after she was removed from the church.

Zabala said that in a decision handed down last week, Virginia Beach Judge Salvador Iaquinto denied a petition filed by Lilibeth Rose against INC minister Steven Inocencio.

The US judge declared Rose’s testimony “erroneous” after she said in court that her weekly offering “deposits” before her removal should be returned “since the expulsion precludes her from continuing in the weekly offering toward what the INC members refer to as the Annual Thanksgiving Offering.”

Zabala said Iaquinto had reminded Rose that church offerings were made voluntarily and “made to honor God.” The offerings, the court declared, were “also what she would have devoutly agreed to when was still a member of the Church of Christ.”

The judge asked Rose if she would be satisfied if Inocencio gave her what she had already set aside. After she responded “no,” Iaquinto remarked that “it seems like you just want to get back at the church.”

Rose was reported to have been influenced by the Restore the Church movement, a group of former INC members in the United States, which called on INC members to stop making offerings to the church.

The movement campaigned for the filing of a class action suit against the church and its officials, but the plan did not materialize as Rose was the lone plaintiff in the Virginia court case.

Libel conviction In the Philippines, the Court of Appeals upheld with finality its ruling in April that Ang Dating Daan leader Eliseo Soriano could no longer appeal his conviction from the libel case filed against him by the INC. In a three-page decision dated Nov. 24, the appellate court’s former 16th Division denied Soriano’s motion for reconsideration, which sought the reversal of the decision of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court’s denial of the right to appeal his conviction.

On Dec. 16, 2013, the Quezon City court found Soriano guilty of two counts of libel and ordered him to pay P120,000 in fine and moral damages.

The INC, represented by its general evangelist Bienvenido Santiago, sued Soriano for saying on his television show in April 2003 that the INC was “a church that kills, swindles, terror[izes] and steals.”

Since Soriano was abroad during the promulgation of the case, the Quezon City judge denied his right to elevate his case to the Court of Appeals.

The judge cited Section 6, Rule 120 of the 2000 Revised Rules of Criminal Procedure, which states

that a person convicted in absentia must first surrender to the court and explain his absence within 15 days after conviction before he is allowed to appeal.

The Court of Appeals affirmed its finding that the judge did not commit grave abuse of discretion in ruling against Soriano, adding that “a party seeking relief must strictly comply with the rules of procedure or otherwise face the risk of losing the remedies available to him.”

Zabala said INC’s legal victories “only reinforce what we have said from the beginning; that when the facts and the evidence are weighed by a court of law, we have nothing to fear as these charges will be exposed for what they really are: nuisance cases filed in an attempt to besmirch the reputation of the church and our officials.”

“We continue to be vindicated by court and prosecutor rulings here and abroad. Our detractors know they cannot win in a court of law, which is why their only option is to take their baseless and fantastic stories to the media,” he added.

Zabala said the INC continued to receive reports from members and sympathizers that the campaign against the church would continue.

“If the desire of our detractors is to bring the church down and sow disunity within our membership, their baseless tirades are actually doing the exact opposite. We count our legal victories as blessings that strengthen our resolve to defend the church from these planned, sustained and well-funded attacks,” he added. n

Thank you, UST — Sen. Marcos SENATOR Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. thanked the Thomasian community for topping a survey conducted by The Varsitarian, the official student publication of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) which was posted in their webpage last December 13, 2015.

The random sampling survey among the more than 40,000 students was held from Oct. 26 to Dec. 10, 2015, with 1366 respondents from the various faculties and colleges of the university participating.

The students were asked who they would vote for Vice President if the elections were held on the day of the survey.

Sen. Marcos was Number One among all the Vice Presidential candidates garnering 29 percent.

Earlier, Sen. Marcos’ pushed for the granting of full scholarships for students of all State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) to bolster the Iskolar ng Bayan Act of 2015 which only provided grants to top graduates of all public high schools.

Sen. Marcos was also the main proponent of the National Youth Commission during his first stint in the Lower House in the 9th Congress to empower the youth to be more participative in Nation Building.

“Bibigyan ko ng halaga ang pagtitiwalang ito na ipinagkaloob niyo sa akin. Marami pa akong gustong gawin para sa inyong kapakanan at kinabukasan pati na rin sa inyong mga pamilya at sa buong sambayanan,” Marcos concluded. n

GLOBAL CHAMPION FOR RESILIENCE. Senator Loren Legarda poses for a souvenir photo with her colleagues in the Senate led by Senate President Franklin M. Drilon after the Chamber adopted a resolution commending Legarda for her appointment as a Global Champion for Resilience by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). “Senator Legarda remains resolute in appealing to the global community on behalf of nations most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, addressing world leaders and delegates to step up to the responsibility of improving the resilience of communities and averting the climate change,” the resolution stated. In photo are (first row, left to right) Senators Grace Poe, Cynthia Villar and Nancy Binay; (second row) Senators Serge Osmeña, Sonny Trillanes, Koko Pimentel, Tito Sotto, Ralph Recto, Pia Cayetano, Bam Aquino, JV Ejercito and Sonny Angara.

House drops opt-in provision from BBL

by Jess

Diaz Philstar.com

MANILA – The House of Representatives has decided to delete the controversial opt-in provision from the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in a move to lessen opposition to the measure.

“The leadership has agreed to the proposal of our colleagues from Mindanao to scrap this provision,” Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, principal sponsor of the proposed law, told

reporters on Monday, Dec. 14.

“Its deletion will be the first amendment I will present when the period for amendments comes after we finish the remaining interpellations,” he said.

The opt-in provision allows the envisioned new autonomous Bangsamoro region to expand if at least 10 percent of voters in neighboring areas or their municipal councils petition for their inclusion in the regional government.

If there were such petition,

a plebiscite would be called to have it approved by voters.

The planned Bangsamoro entity would replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. It would be composed basically of the five provinces in the ARMM. Congressmen outside the Muslim region fear that they would lose their districts to the Bangsamoro regional government if the opt-in provision were retained in the BBL. (With reports from Paolo Romero and Roel Pareño)

Supreme Court hears historic case on…

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business leadership in the AsianAmerican community, which found that while Asian Americans made up 27.2 percent of professionals at major tech companies Google, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, LinkedIn, and Yahoo, only 13.9 percent of executives were Asian-American, pointing to a lack of representation in leadership positions.

“They make up less than 1 percent of corporate board members and about 2 percent of college presidents. Asian Americans may be facing a ‘bamboo ceiling,’ not unlike the glass ceiling that women face. How to break down that ceiling? Affirmative action, of course.”

In her collaborated research with UCLA professor Min Zhou,

Lee explained that some lowerincome Asian Americans were able to overcome class disadvantages by using what the researchers called “ethnic capital”—the “communal knowledge, practices, and institutions created by better-off peers to help others within their ethnic group. It includes academic enrichment and tutoring programs,” she explained. “Those communities with larger middle classes are in [a] position to leverage their education and financial resources to create it. But other groups like Mexican immigrants remain disadvantaged. Not all groups have access to the same type of ethnic capital. This is why affirmative action matters.”

Across the country, universities are making major efforts to diver-

sify their campuses, whether affirmative action makes it through the Supreme Court or not. In November of this year, Yale University announced it would devote $50 million to retaining and recruiting a diverse faculty, and Brown University said it would spend $100 million.

“The racial tensions that have come to light on campuses across the country, and the students’ non-violent protests show that race continues to matter in the lives of university students, even for those who are on the country’s most elite campuses,” Lee finished. “Students, faculty, and universities have made their positions clear: diversity matters, and insuring diversity is critical for all, not just certain groups.”

(Allyson Escobar/AJPress)

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COMMUNITY Journal

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Business News

Villar Group rides e-vehicle bandwagon US small businesses feeling

by Richmond

S. meRcuRio

Philstar.com

MANILA – The Villar Group has decided to ride the electric vehicle bandwagon as it launches an environment friendly transport system in its P50-billion masterplanned community in southern Metro Manila.

The Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) said the 1,500-hectare Vista City is the latest real estate development to introduce green transport in the country.

“To have a large real estate company such as the Vista Group join the electric vehicle bandwagon is a big boost for the local electric vehicle industry,” EVAP president Rommel Juan said.

Juan said Metro Express Connect Inc., a subsidiary of Vista Land, has launched two electric jeepneys that would ply the C5

Extension Road or the Quirino Avenue, Pulanglupa to Sucat Road route and vice versa.

The route covers four kilometers round trip suitable for the electric jeepneys, Juan said.

The electric jeepneys were made by PhUV Inc., the manufacturer and supplier of other electric jeepney fleets in Makati, Alabang, Muntinlupa and Quezon City.

“We are very happy that a large company like the Vista Land group of the Villars are now supporting electric vehicles to be used in their real estate developments. This goes to show that electric vehicles are now moving into the mainstream of our mass transport system,” Juan said.

According to Juan, the Villar family is supportive of the electric vehicle movement, believing that such vehicles are beneficial

to use in residential and commercial developments because they are environment-friendly and noise free.

Vista City will house numerous office towers, medium-rise condominium buildings, residential communities and commercial centers, making it the flagship project of the real estate firm of the Villar family.

The 1,500-hectare community covers portions of Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, Bacoor in Cavite and San Pedro in Laguna.

“We hope that other major real estate developers will soon follow suit so that our country may enjoy a cleaner and healthier public transport option,” Juan said.

Juan said more than half a dozen electric vehicle initiatives are currently operating in the Philippines at present but more is needed to make its impact in lessening air pollution. n

Report: More OFW households saving, investing remittances – survey

by LawRence

agcaoiLi Philstar.com

MANILA – More Filipino households receiving remittances from their loved ones abroad are saving and investing amid the heightened financial literacy programs being undertaken by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

Results of the Consumer Expectations Survey (CES) for the fourth quarter showed an increase in the number of overseas Filipino workers’ households allocating remittances for savings to 41.4 percent from 38.2 percent in the previous quarter.

Likewise, the number of households which allocated remittances for investments improved to 6.6 percent in the fourth quarter from 6.2 percent in the third quarter.

BSP deputy governor Diwa

less optimistic today — survey

SAN FRANCISCO – After reaching a seven-year high in January, small business owners are feeling less optimistic today than they were a year ago, according to the latest Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index, conducted November 9-13.

In the quarterly small business survey, which measures small business owner optimism, the overall Index score dipped from 59 in August to 54 in November, representing the lowest score since July 2014. It’s also the third quarter in a row that the score has dropped after starting the year at 71.

A major contributor to this year’s decline is a drop in the number of business owners reporting increases in company revenue. This quarter’s score also was driven by a combination of incremental declines in business owner perceptions of their financial situation, capital spending and hiring.

“This has been an unusually slow economic recovery for everyone, and small business owners are certainly feeling that,” said

Mark Vitner, Managing Director and Senior Economist for Wells Fargo Securities. “With the economy growing as slowly as it has been, it’s been difficult for many

business owners to increase their sales, and this has been particularly burdensome for firms who have seen expenses rise, includ-

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Third worldwide: Philippines still Asia’s microfinance leader – EIU best and ranked third in the world, next to Peru’s 90 and Columbia’s 86. India placed fourth with a MANILA – The Philippines score of 71, followed by Pakistan maintained its rank as the mi- with 64, and Chile with 62. crofinance leader in Asia and the Haiti was ranked last with a third best in the world this year, score of 24. according to a survey conducted “The Philippines continues to by the Economist Intelligence achieve considerable local and Unit (EIU). global milestones in its pursuit of The country got a score of 81 financial inclusion, owing to the in the Global Microscope 2015, country’s success in terms of the which assessed the regulatory variety of players, which provides environment for financial inclu- a wide range of financial services sion in 55 countries. and products to the public,” the The country’s score was Asia’s EIU said in the report.

by LawRence

agcaoiLi Philstar.com

Results of the Consumer Expectations Survey (CES) for the fourth quarter showed an increase in the number of overseas Filipino workers’ households allocating remittances for savings to 41.4 percent from 38.2 percent in the previous quarter.

Philstar.com file photo

Guinigundo said financial litera- results of the survey.

“Among others our public incy seminars and lectures being conducted by the BSP are yield- formation campaign focused on ing positive results as seen in the u PAGE B2

The countries were ranked based on 12 indicators including government support; regulatory and supervision capacity; prudential regulation; regulation and supervision of credit portfolios; regulation and supervision of deposit-taking activities; and regulation of insurance targeting low-income populations.

The metrics also included regulation and supervision of branches and agents; requirements for non-regulated lenders; electronic payments; credit re-

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

Business news

US small businesses feeling less…

PAGE B1 t

ing healthcare costs.

He said further: “As a result, many have been reluctant to invest in equipment, expand their operations and hire staff, even as business owners in general have seen gradual improvement in their financial situation and cash flow over the last few years.”

Company revenue is a measure that changed significantly since January. Thirty-nine percent of small business owners reported that their company revenues increased a little or lot in the last 12 months, which is a 10 percentage point drop from the first-quarter survey. Looking ahead, 47 percent of business owners expect their revenues to increase in the next 12 months compared to 55

percent at the start of the year.

Most other Index measures had small declines or saw no improvements in the fourth-quarter survey including: • Financial situation – When asked about their financial situation, 65 percent of small business owners rate it as very or somewhat good, essentially unchanged from a year ago (64 percent) and the same score as the previous three quarters.

• Capital spending – Twentysix percent of small business owners said their company increased the amount of money allocated for capital spending in the past 12 months, essentially unchanged from 27 percent a year ago.

• Hiring trends – Seventeen

percent of business owners increased the number of jobs at their company in the last 12 months, essentially the same as what business owners reported a year ago (18 percent). When asked about hiring plans in the next 12 months, about a quarter (26 percent) said they plan to increase the number of jobs at their company, unchanged from a year ago.

In the November survey, business owners were also asked about their use of credit, including credit cards, lines of credit, and other loans, with 38 percent saying that they have less debt now than they did a year ago, compared to 26 percent when the question was last asked in April 2013. (Inquirer.net)

Third worldwide: Philippines still…

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porting systems; market-conduct rules; and grievance redress and operation of dispute-resolution mechanisms.

The EIU, a unit of global business magazine, The Economist, said the Philippines attained perfect scores in five indicators including government support, regulation and supervisory capacity, deposit taking activities, branches and gents, and dispute resolutions.

It hailed the recently launched National Strategy for Financial Inclusion by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and 13 other

agencies.

“The strategy establishes a framework and action plan for the government and the private sector to take a coordinated and systematic approach to the development of a financial system that is accessible and responsive to the needs of the entire population,” the EIU explained.

Through the BSP’s financial inclusion strategy, EIU said there have been increased opportunities for partnership with the private sector, especially in the area of technological innovation.

“In terms of financial capability, the BSP implements eco-

Report: More OFW… PAGE B1 t

OFWs has been yielding positive results in terms of investments and savings. They are more aware of the need to save and invest in case they decide to come back in the Philippines,” he said.

Guinigundo said the number of households using remittances for savings has increased to 41.4 percent in the fourth quarter, a sharp increase from only 7.2 percent when the CES was launched in the first quarter of 2007.

On the other hand, he added the number of households using remittances for investments rose to 6.6 percent or almost three times the 2.3 percent level when the survey was launched eight years ago.

Rosabel Guerrero, director of the BSP’s Department of Economic Statistics, said the households receiving remittances from

their loved ones abroad have prioritized the purchase of house to save on rentals.

Guerrero said the percentage of OFW households using remittances for the purchase of house increased to 11.9 percent in the fourth quarter from 11.5 percent in the third quarter.

She explained the number of households using remittances to buy motor vehicles declined to 6.4 percent from 7.4 percent amid the heavy traffic being experienced in major thoroughfares.

Guerrero said OFW households continued to prioritize foods and household needs that accounted for 95.9 percent followed by Education with 69.5 percent and medical expenses with 59.7 percent.

Likewise, the survey showed 42.7 percent of the total household respondents use the remit-

nomic and financial-education programs to reach audiences in targeted areas, as well as public information campaigns, financialeducation sessions for Filipinos overseas and their beneficiaries, financial-education exhibitions and financial-empowerment sessions,” EIU said.

In terms of improvement, the EIU said the country needs to undertake market innovations, particularly technology-driven initiatives that will make microfinance more inclusive. Financial education as well as consumer protection initiatives were also highlighted. n tances to pay debt and other financial obligations.

The number of OFW households purchasing appliances and other consumer durables declined to 21.8 percent in the fourth quarter from 23.1 percent in the thid quarter.

The survey was conducted from Oct. 1 to 12 and covered 6,020 households. Of the total respondents, 574 households received remittances from Filipinos working and living abroad.

Latest data from the BSP showed cash sent home by overseas Filipinos went up 4.1 percent to $20.37 billion in the first nine months from $18.41 billion in the same period last year on the back of sustained demand for skilled Filipino manpower overseas.

Cash remittances went up 5.9 percent to $24.35 billion last year from $22.98 billion in 2013 while personal remittances increased by 6.3 percent to $26.97 billion from $25.37 billion. n

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

Debt Relief Atty. LAwrence yAng NO one has anything good to say about the IRS. Tax collectors were much hated even during the time of Jesus two thousand years ago. Jesus was walking along the street when He saw Matthew sitting in his tax collector booth, then Jesus called Matthew to be His disciple. Client had a confirmed Chapter 13 plan since 2013. The plan paid for her 2013 income tax owed of $10K, and $50K arrears in her mortgage. These are the only creditors that she owed. She had a 2nd trust deed of $100K, which was fully forgiven by Bank of America after we filed her motion to avoid the 2nd trust deed.

She had $60K credit card debt which all got discharged in her Chapter 7 case the year before.

This was really an extreme reorganization of her financial affairs that we were doing. Phase 1, she discharged all unsecured debt. Phase 2, was to handle the IRS and the $50K arrears on the mortgage. Things had gone quite well. The $100K second trust deed had completely disappeared in an instant right after we filed the LAM motion. We really did not expect that Bank of America would just forgive the entire 2nd mortgage. Our strategy was to argue that client did not have to pay Bank of America anything as unsecured debt upon approval of the motion to avoid lien because the previous chapter 7 discharge wiped out the promissory note, so there was nothing to pay even as the lien was stripped. I wasn’t sure that the court would buy this argument but it was logical and legally correct.

IRS seeks to dismiss client’s chapter 13

Client with good income wants chapter 7 to discharge $70K credit cards The next step we took was to work on a loan modification for the first mortgage. This worked out really well too. Not only did Nationstar reduce payment by $800 a month, it updated the loan such that there were no more arrears. Therefore, the loan modification cured the $50K arrears.

With the LM in place, client was now completely current on her mortgage. Nationstar wrote a letter to the trustee saying that the LM cured the default and no more payments in the plan to Nationstar were needed!

So, the only debt left unpaid was the IRS of $10K. However, client failed to pay IRS her 2014 tax liability, which was $14K. This created a big problem because non-payment of the 2014 tax liability is a violation of the terms of the confirmed plan.

A violation of the terms of the plan is legal ground to dismiss the case. Thus, the IRS filed a motion to dismiss case. To set things right, we had to oppose the IRS motion to dismiss on the ground that if Nationstar withdrew its prepetition proof of claim which showed a $50K default which no longer exists, the plan could be modified to pay the IRS in full over the rest of the life of the plan. We also filed an objection to the proof of claim of Nationstar because the loan modification wiped out the arrears of $50K. Hopefully, these will all combine to prevent the case from being dismissed.

Second client is 57 years old.

He had a good paying job for 20 years. He cleared $150K a year every year for the last 20 years working 18 hours a day

because he was so dedicated to his work. Although he was paid well, the kind of work he did was very stressful and it affected his mind. He would have nightmares involving what he saw at work. A lot of gore and blood, and he saw the evil that men do. He decided that it was time to start again in life without too much stress. Anyway, he had already qualified for a good pension. He said the money wasn’t worth the stress that he had to go through every day.

The guy was a nervous wreck.

He still owed $70K of credit cards. He owned a house with a reasonable mortgage payment of $1800 and two-car payments total of $1,000. He takes it easy nowadays. Does a little part time work here and there. His wife still works. With his pension and part time income, there’s enough to cover monthly expenses, but there is no money left to make minimum payments of $2K on his $70K credit cards.

These have to go. With his fresh start in life, he will have no more $70K of credit card debt. This is what he wants, and it makes a whole lot of sense.

“Come to Me, all of you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28 *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in bankruptcy, business, real estate and civil litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California.

Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 1000 S. Fremont Ave, Mailstop 58, Building A-1 Suite 1125, Alhambra, CA 91803.

(Advertising Supplement)

Atty. Kenneth UrsUA reyes

Reinstating a deceased petitioner’s family-based petition

IT is very common for beneficiaries of family based petition to wait many years before their petition’s priority date becomes current. This is usually the case with US Citizen parent petitions to adult son or daughter. This is

also common among petition’s between Siblings. What happens when the Petitioner dies? Are all those years of waiting wasted?

Not quite. Normally, the Petition is automatically revoked once the Petitioner dies.

Barrister’s Corner

However, all is not lost by the death of the Petitioner.

The beneficiary has a couple of options depending on whether they are inside the US or outside the US. The beneficiary may either

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Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA (This is a short version of a longer article on logging off and enjoying the moment.) … I AM picking and choosing from the constant flow of messages in my inbox, only this one below. Some are for laughs, others inform while some can make you think harder or even take action.

Pet peeves are those that are pure drivel and chain emails with a punitive clause, like a curse of bad luck, if you fail to forward.

For malevolent messages and all the rest of the junk from scammers promising riches, simplify your cyberlife and HIT DELETE. DO NOT ENGAGE. Sometimes a golden nugget comes through that deserves to be amplified. So simple, it hits you right between the eyes. I searched for the author’s name but like many other pieces flung by anonymous, creative beings in Cyberville, authorship is largely unknown and unclaimed.

To the originator of this metaphor then, whoever you are and wherever you may be, please accept a profound thank you, from

Community Journal

Hot chocolate

“… Live simply. Love generously.

Care deeply. Speak kindly.” the rest of us. Here it is.

THE HOT CHOCOLATE STORY A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups-porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite -- telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: ‘Notice that all the nice looking; expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you’re drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is

just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.

What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate we have.

The happiest people don’t have the best of everything… They just make the best of everything that they have.

Live simply. Love generously.

Care deeply. Speak kindly.

And enjoy your hot chocolate!

But first, LOG OFF. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL! *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com

Reinstating a deceased petitioner’s…

PAGE B2 t

avail of the INA § 204(l) which was signed into law in 2009 if the beneficiary is inside the US at the time the petitioner’s death and continues to reside inside the US. Alternatively, if the beneficiary is outside the US, beneficiary may seek to reinstate the petition based on humanitarian grounds. The DHS (Dept. of Homeland Security) may exercise discretion “for humanitarian reasons” to reinstate the petition and to allow the Affidavit of Support requirements to be satisfied by the qualifying I-864 of a spouse, parent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, grandparent, or grandchild or legal guardian of the beneficiary, as long as the petition was “approved” prior to the Petitioner’s death.

If the beneficiary is inside the US either in legal status or grandfathered by INA §245(i) and the priority date on the pe-

tition is current, the beneficiary may apply for adjustment of status. The beneficiary may also apply for an employment authorization card.

DHS discretion does not mean “guaranteed” approval.

The case will be evaluated on a case by case basis. Some of the factors that the DHS may consider are 1) disruption of an established family unit; 2) hardship to US citizens or lawful permanent residents; 3) beneficiary is elderly or in poor health; 4) beneficiary has had lengthy residence in the US; 4) beneficiary has no home to go to; 5)undue delay by USCIS or consular officer in processing petition and visa; 6) and Beneficiary has strong family ties in the United States.

The beneficiary must be prepared to show proof of the original I-130 that was filed, proof of I-130 approval if approved, a copy of the Petitioner’s death certificate, proof of substitute

sponsor’s relationship to the beneficiary, and meet all the I864 requirements. *** 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 has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kureyeslaw@gmail.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com.

*** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed.

The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation.

(Advertising Supplement)

LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 16-18, 2015

Calendar of Events across

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America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST-EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS D EC E M B E R 1 6 -24

St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church Simbang Gabi 2015 We invite you be a part of our annual celebration of an old-time Filipino Christmas tradition, Simbang Gabi, a project of the Filipino Catholics of Saint Paul the Apostle Ministry.

Simbang Gabi (meaning “Night Mass”) will occur each morning for 9 straight days, starting December 16 to 25, with Mass starting at 5:30am. Everyone is welcome to celebrate the joyful upcoming birth of Jesus Christ! Light breakfast will be provided after each mass at the Maher Hall of St. Paul the Apostle Church (14085 Peyton Dr, Chino Hills, CA 91709). We are currently in need of volunteers to help serve breakfast or assist us in serving at the Mass as ushers or Eucharistic ministers. We gladly accept and encourage individual or group volunteers. Please spread the news and invite your friends to this joyous community gathering. If you are interested in helping please call any of the following; Tara Villavicencio - (909) 2104891, Emily Jiao - (909) 248-8791, or Rick Jiao (909) 248-8790.

D EC E M B E R 1 8

Blessed Hope Christian Church Night of Praise Come celebrate the birth of Christ and praise God with the congregation at our upcoming Christmas Praise Night, on Friday, December 18 at 7:30pm. Our church can be found at 474 North Summit Ave. Pasadena, CA 91103. Please contact Jun Recio (818) 472-5244 for more details.

D EC E M B E R 2 0

JASHS (Binondo) Alumni Christmas Party Jose Abad Santos High School (Binondo) USA Alumni Association will hold its 2015 Christmas Party at 6:00pm on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015, at the Mayflower Seafood Restaurant (679 N. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90012). Please contact Val Abelgas val.abelgas@aol. com for more information.

D EC E M B E R 22

Church of the Good Shepherd Simbang Gabi 2015 The Filipino-American & ethnic parishioners of the Church of the Good Shepherd of Beverly Hills will celebrate “Simbang Gabi 2015” on Tuesday, December 22, at 7:00 pm.

Everyone is invited to come and celebrate the special Advent Mass in the parish, in consonance with the observance of the tradition by the Filipino Ministry of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The theme of this year’s Simbang Gabi is “Jesus our Savior, empower our families to be better stewards of your creation” –translated in Pilipino as “Jesus aming Tagapagligtas, bigyan mo ng kapangyarihan ang aming Pamilya na maging mas mahusay na tagapangalaga ng iyong nilikha.” Most Reverend Bishop Oscar A. Solis, the first Filipino Bishop in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and currently the Head of the San Pedro Pastoral Region, will be the main celebrant, with other priests including Fr. Ed Benioff to concelebrate with the Bishop. Special guests include the Philippine Consul General of Los Angeles, Leo HerreraLim, and his wife, with music from the Philippine Chamber Singers of Los Angeles. A catered and potluck reception follows after the Mass at the Church Hall.

D EC E M B E R 29 -3 0

Pampanga High School Class of ’65 Golden Jubilee Celebration The Class of 1965 of the Pampanga High School will hold “TULA ampong SAYA,” its 50th Anniversary Reunion, this coming December 29-30, in San Fernando Pampanga, Philippines.

All 1965 graduates of the Pampanga High School (PHS), formerly the Jose Abad Santos High School (JASHS), and their spouses are welcome to all scheduled events. Admission is free.

The celebration will begin with BISPERAS on December 29 from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, enjoying fun games, old music, and togetherness at the DIASPORA FARM RESORT in Santa Barbara, Bacolor, Pampanga. On December 30, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, join us for KAPIYESTAN, a provincial fiesta luncheon featuring familiar Kapampangan dishes, at the Mulang Galang orchard in San Antonio, Mexico, Pampanga. The evening of Dec. 30 will conclude with TERAKAN, a gala dinner-dance from 6:30 pm to 12 midnight, at the Fortune Hongkong Seafood Restaurant in the San Fernando, Pampanga. Enjoy a fun evening of dancing to the retro music of Decadas and the mellow songs of folksinger Jerry. Class ‘65ers, please join us in celebrating our 50th Golden Anniversary! Full details on preparations, events and venues can be found on “TULA ampong SAYA,” on Facebook. For donations, interest in the 50th Anniversary Reunion souvenir memory book, highlighting the successes of individual Class ‘65ers and the accomplishments of the PHS Class ’65 Foundation, Inc., please contact the jubilee reunion organizing committee in the Philippines: Joseph Deang (0927-228-8588); Erlie Aquino Estandarte (0929-219-0248); Corazon Cunanan (0939-118-2888; 0926-660-35540); Cecille Morales Bernas (0932-509-2646); and Marcial Morales (0918-915-9095); and Dan Galang 0929-427-9308; 045-966-0764). In the US and Canada, please contact Dan Galang at (510) 487-5551 or at (510) 648-1047.

JA N UA Ry 9

Feast of Santo Niño de Cebu All are cordially invited to the Feast of Santo Niño de Cebu on Saturday, January 9, 2016, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Bellflower, California, organized and sponsored by the Santo Niño de Cebu Association of Southern California, Inc., a non-profit religious organization. The Eucharistic Celebration will be presided by the Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles, His Excellency Bishop Oscar A. Solis at 10:00 am followed by the traditional procession of the image of Santo Niño de Cebu, fiesta lunch and Sinulog presentations. Food and financial donations are welcome, and all donations are tax deductible.

For further information, you may contact the association President, Danny C. Diluvio at (323) 252-4991 or email at: dannydiluvio1@gmail.com.

APRIL - SEPTEMBER 2016

Parathanal of Holy Trinity Parish Piligrimages Fr. Jose Joseph Parathanal of Holy Trinity Parish, San Pedro District, Archdiocese of Los Angeles, invites all to join Fr. Joseph Parathanal’s Pilgrimages to EASTERN EUROPE, OLGUADALUPE/Colonial Mexico, and INDIA. During the journey, pilgrims will pray to God for healing of body, mind and spirit especially for healing of the world from violence, terrorism and climate changes. Trip dates are: Divine Mercy/Infant Jesus of Prague/Austria/Hungary/ Medjugorje (Eastern Europe) April 17- April 30; OLGuadalupe and Colonial Mexico - June 20 - June 27; and Mother Teresa/St. Thomas/St. Alphonsa/St. Euprasia/St. Chavarra (India) - Sept. 15 - Sept. 29, 2016. For more details and pilgrimage information, please contact Bernadette at bcorp1114@hotmail.com or call 323-344-1548 & 323-547-6618.

M Ay 2 0 1 6

PUP/PCC to hold 1st Global Reunion

Attention all graduates of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and the Philippine College of Commerce: join us in our FIRST GLOBAL REUNION being organized by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Alumni Association, USA Inc. scheduled on May 2729, 2016 (Memorial Day Weekend) at the New Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. We promise a weekend of fun-filled activities, of friendship and camaraderie as we reminisce our best memories during our high school and college days. There will be lots of entertainment, singing and dancing and photo opportunities with your classmates and friends.

For more information, please contact any of the following: Loi Herrera at 562-544-8210 or loiherrera@yahoo.com; Monette Santillan-Rivera at 818-970-8317 or Monette_santillan@yahoo. com; Rose Mejia at 323-997-3838 or Rosemariemejia@kw.com; Marissa Sugay-Palanca at 818281-7460 or marispalanca@yahoo.com; Rose Maghari at 661-794-8906 or rmaghari@gmail. com; Sally Mendoza at 323-695-0235 or sally.mendoza616@yahoo.com; Honeylette De Leon at 562-480-5743 orhoney@worldclassfreight.com; Virginia Herbito at virginiaherbito@gmail.com; Connie Acosta at 323-854-5303 orconnieacosta1@att.net; Violeta D. Cristobal at 310-880-5808 or vee@cristobalcpa.com; Jun Mapoy at 323-627-5326 or jcmapoy@yahoo.com.

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 DECEMBER 16-18, 2015 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

Legal Commentary Atty. RomAn P. mosquedA

BY Resolution issued on December 1, 2015, the Second Division of the Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec) ruled that Mary Grace Natividad Sonora Poe-Llamanzares is not a resident of the Philippines for at least ten (10) years immediately preceding the May 9, 2016 elections, as required by Article VII, Section 2 of the Philippines 1987 Constitution to be elected President.

Thus, it denied due course and canceled her Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for President due to false material representations therein. It found that Grace Poe deliberately attempted to mislead or misinform the electorate or hide a fact from them when she supplied the answer “10 years and 11 months” to the question on her period of residence in her COC for President.

This is so because she had stated in her COC for Senator in 2012 that she had been a resident for “6 years and 6 months,” so that her residency period is only 9 years and 6 months by the May 5, 2016 elections.

Moreover, according to Comelec’s Second Division (Commissioners Al Parreno, Arthur Lim, and Sheriff Abas), Grace Poe became a resident only in July 2006, when she applied for dual citizenship, and short of the 10year residency mandate.

Legal principles of prior admission against interest and estoppel are invoked against Grace Poe, who had reportedly admitted error in her 2012 COC for Senator, based on estimates when her husband resigned from his job in the United States, as stated in her Affidavit submitted to the Senate Electoral Tribunal, that dismissed the disqualification complaint against her by a 5-4 vote.

Issue on residency is decided by a preponderance of the evidence: The issue on Grace Poe’s residence is a factual issue to be decided by a preponderance of the evidence on an appeal to the Comelec en banc, consisting of its Chairman and six (6) Commissioners of both its First and Second Divisions, and ultimately to the Philippine Supreme Court.

A distinction between domicile

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Why Grace Poe is a naturalPeople and Events born Philippine citizen and Panda Cares to honor local students at eligible to be president 8th annual holiday carnival celebration

and residence is in order. Article 50 of the Philippine Civil Code defines “domicile” as the place of habitual residence of natural persons. Domicile denotes a fixed permanent residence to which an absent person has the intention of returning (animus revertendi). It is broader than residence which merely denotes a place of abode, whether permanent or temporary.

If the 10-year residence requirement is deemed “domicile,” it is favorable to Grace Poe, who can argue that she may have a residence in California, but her domicile is in the Philippines.

But can she claim domicile in the Philippines before her application for dual citizenship reportedly in July 2006? Yes, because a U.S. citizen can establish domicile abroad. U.S. citizenship, unlike lawful permanent residence status, does not require domicile or residence in the United States.

Factual evidence on intent of returning to the Philippines as domicile should be considered.

On the other hand, if the 10year residence requirement is deemed as the place of abode, did Grace Poe have a residence in the Philippines when she returned in the first half of 2005?

Did she have the intention of returning to that residence to establish domicile?

The case of Imelda RomualdezMarcos vs. COMELEC, 64 SCAD 358, 248 SCRA 300 (1995), would be instructive on this issue because it considered domicile, not residence, as dispositive of election issues on residence, citing the 1928 case of Nuval vs. Guray, 52 Phil. 645, among others.

Issue of natural-born citizen: Article IV, Section 2 of the Philippine 1987 Constitution states that: “Natural-born citizens are those who are citizens of the Philippines from birth without having to perform any act to acquire or perfect their Philippines citizenship.”

This definition of natural-born is not found in the Constitution of the United States, whose Article 11, Section 1 requires the following qualifications to be elected President: natural born citizen, at least 35 years of age and 14 years a resident of the United States.

Indeed, the United States is a jus soli (right of the soil) country, not a jus sanguinis (right of the blood) as the Philippines.

There seems to be no dispute that Grace Poe was born in the Philippines of unknown parents, later on adopted by Susan Roces and Fernando Poe, Jr., and that as a Philippine citizen, she obtained U.S. citizenship by naturalization, and that she re-acquired Philippine citizenship upon taking the oath of allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines, under Section 3 of Republic Act 9225 (approved on August 29, 2003).

If there is still an issue on her Philippine citizenship, under Article IV, Section 1(2) of the Philippine 1987 Constitution, she acquired Philippine citizenship, if her father or mother is a citizen of the Philippines.

But her parents are unknown, and so is she a Philippine citizen? But why was she allowed to reacquire Philippine citizenship in the first place? Under aforesaid Section 3 of Republic Act 9225, “natural-born citizens of the Philippines who have lost their Philippine citizenship by reason of their naturalization as citizens of a foreign country are hereby deemed to have reacquired Philippine citizenship upon taking the oath of allegiance to the Republic.”

Once a natural-born, always a natural-born, under aforesaid Republic Act 9225. So, the Philippine Government has admitted that Grace Poe is a natural-born Philippine citizen by granting her dual U.S and Philippine citizenships. It is estopped from questioning her natural-born status.

Issue on foundling: conventions against statelessness: The 1930 Hague Convention on Certain Questions Relating to the Conflict of Nationality Laws states in Article 14 thereof that: “A child whose parents are both unknown shall have the nationality of the country of birth…. A foundling is, until the contrary is proved, presumed to have been born on the territory of the state in which it was found.”

And Article 15 thereof states that: “where the nationality of a state is not acquired automatically by reason of birth on its terri-

ROSEMEAD, Calif. –Panda Cares, the philanthropic arm of Panda Express and it’s parent company, Panda Restaurant Group, hosted its 8th annual Leader In Me Holiday Carnival on Friday, Dec. 11. Four hundred students from Encinita Elementary School in Rosemead, CA, were recognized at the event for their academic and leadership achievements in The Leader in Me program, a whole school transformation process created by FranklinCovey, that teaches leadership skills at the elementary school level.

The students were welcomed by the Panda Express Panda Bear mascot and enjoyed carnival-themed booths created and staffed by Panda Restaurant Group associates. All attendees were

treated to a delicious Panda Express lunch and receive Panda swag. Toy manufacturer, Mattel Inc., also joined the celebration by donating gifts for the students.

Through Panda Cares, Panda has supported The Leader in Me program in over 550 schools throughout the country. Encinitas Elementary School, sponsored by Panda since 2009 is one of 27 schools sponsored by the company that has earned the prestigious Lighthouse School designation from the program.

“We are proud to bring leadership development to schools nationwide,” said Peggy Cherng, cochairman of Panda Restaurant Group. “Through

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Panda Cares, the philanthropic arm of Panda Express hosted its 8th annual holiday carnival celebration honoring students from Encinitas Elementary School for their academic and leadership achievements in the Leader In Me program.

Photo credit: Panda Express

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PeoPle & events

LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 16-18, 2015

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Why Grace Poe is a natural-born Philippine…

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Panda Cares to honor local students at…

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this program, students have the opportunity to become insightful and confident leaders who will contribute to their communities.”

The Leader in Me program was inspired by Stephen Covey’s book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” that integrates timeless leadership principles with practical character and life skills relevant to today’s challenges. By building

EMPLOYMENT

self-confidence, interpersonal skills, elevating student achievement, and reducing school-wide discipline problems, this program helps children become leaders in their field of interest. Earning Lighthouse School status is the highest level of achievement within the program. There are currently 161 schools in The Leader in Me program that have been designated as Lighthouse Schools, including Encinitas Elementary School. n

EMPLOYMENT

tory, a child born on the territory, of that state of parents having no nationality, or of unknown nationality, may obtain the nationality of the said state.

Moreover, the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, in its Article 1 states that: “A Contracting State shall grant its nationality to a person born in its territory who would otherwise be stateless. Such nationality shall be granted: (a) a birth by opposition of law, or (b) upon on application… by or on behalf of the person concerned, in the manner prescribed by national law.”

Since the Philippines is not a signatory to these two conventions and is not bound as a non-contracting state, and has no foundling statute, is Grace Poe a “stateless” person? No,

because the Philippines and the United States have considered her as citizens of both countries.

Moreover, it can be argued that the rule against statelessness in the aforesaid Conventions, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, and foundling statutes of other states has become customary international law. An ancestry DNA test may resolve any lingering issue on her country’s citizenship.

The framers of the Philippine 1987 Constitution in Article IV, Section 1 (2) and (3) took pains in avoiding statelessness by declaring as citizens those whose mothers are citizens of the Philippines, a carry-over from the 1973 Constitution, and those born before January 17, 1973, of Filipino mothers, who elect Phil-

ippine citizenship upon reaching the age of majority.

Conclusion: Grace Poe is a natural-born Philippine citizen whose domicile in the Philippines complies with the 10-year residency requirement of the Philippine Constitution and customary international law. Any legal doubt should be resolved in favor of the supremacy of the Filipino electorate to decide their President. Vox populi, vox Dei. *** (The Author, Roman P. Mosqueda, has written numerous legal articles on constitutional law and international law, and published two law books on Marriage and Its Dissolution and Products Liability: A Competitive Study, as his doctoral dissertation at The University of Michigan Law School. Visit his website at www.mosquedalaw.com to read his other articles, or contact him at (213) 252-9481 in his Los Angeles law offices.)

Feast of Santo Niño de Cebu Bishop Oscar A. Solis at 10:00 am followed by the

All are cordially invited to the Feast of Santo Niño de Cebu on Saturday, January 9, 2016, from 10am to 5pm at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Bellflower, California, organized and sponsored by the Santo Niño de Cebu Association of Southern California, Inc., a non-profit religious organization.

The Eucharistic Celebration will be presided by the Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles, His Excellency

traditional procession of the image of Santo Niño de Cebu, fiesta lunch and Sinulog presentations.

Food and financial donations are welcome, and all donations are tax deductible. For further information, you may contact the association President, Danny C. Diluvio at (323) 252-4991 or email at: dannydiluvio1@gmail.com. n

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

What’s on a Filipino Table on Christmas Eve?

By AJPress

Kumain ka na ba? (Have you eaten?) in the Philippines, asking this question is tantamount to saying Hi or Hello to somebody.

Filipinos love to eat, and the smart phones and social media have only helped in proving that. if in the past people would gather and pray before a meal, now they transform into foodies searching for that perfect angle of any food served in front of them before taking a snapshot. although times have changed, what can be seen on a Filipino table during noche buena or on Christmas Eve has practically remained the same. after hearing the mass and completing the Simbang Gabi for some, the entire family gathers around the table like the knights of King arthur, all in preparation for a palatable battle.

While dining customs in the Philippines do not usually adhere to the appetizer-entréedessert format of the West, we have organized the following Filipino Christmas foods to fit the menu of our kababayans abroad, particularly those second and third generations of Pinoys who grew up in the united States.

Appetizer • Castañas – These are, simply, roasted chestnuts. The smell of these shelled delicacies is enough to give any Pinoy that

Christmas ham

Christmas feeling associated with the malamig na simoy ng hangin. For some, the essence of eating the castañas is in the peeling, so savor that moment.

• macaroni Salad – a small serving of this chilled pasta delight is enough to tickle those taste buds and ready them for the bigger treats ahead. Just be sure not to consume too much of this as it might ruin your appetite and lose interest in other Christmas cuisines.

• Keso de Bola – Literally, a ball of cheese. This is actually an Edam or a semi-hard cheese that originated in the netherlands. This can be paired with any wine of your choice or eaten together with the Christmas ham.

Entrée • Hamon – The Christmas ham (hamon for most Pinoys) is considered the star and center of the table. Every grocery store is filled with boxes of this cured meat, made in different sizes, shapes, and types. But a typical ham must always, always, have a special sauce poured on top of it.

• Lechon – This roasted pig that usually comes with a red, succulent apple in its mouth is never absent in any special occasion being celebrated by Filipinos, so it’s only natural that this meat be served alongside other “sinful” food served on the Christmas table.

• Relleno – a special dish that is quite hard to prepare, this is a stuffed cuisine usually made with either a fish (a bangus or milkfish) or a chicken.

Put this in any dining experience and automatically it turns any meal into something extra special.

• Paella – This is another meal that is difficult to prepare.

Thanks to the Spanish colonizers, Filipinos learned to cook rice in a special way, what with all the rich ingredients mixed altogether to bring that exquisite blend, not to mention that it connoted wealth for some families.

Dessert • Leche Flan – another Spanish-influenced food, this dessert is more commonly known by outsiders as crème caramel or caramel custard. The heavenly sweetness and awesome creaminess of the leche flan makes one ask for more and more... and more.

• Halaya – a Filipino dessert made of purple yam, many call it as simply ube. Westerners are probably more familiar with the Japanese taro. Well, this is its close relative, and the taste is relatively the same—sweet, creamy, and extremely satisfying.

• Fruit Salad – in the Philippines, a fruit salad is a mix of all-purpose cream, condensed milk, and tropical fruits easily both in tin cans and is usually

Hot chocolate

called fruit cocktail. To make it special, some add coconut meat shreds, nata de coco, kaong, and cherries.

Drinks • Tsokolate – Hot chocolate is a Filipino favorite during Christmas Eve. a local recipe is called tablea, which is Spanish for tablet. it is hard chocolate melted into perfect viscosity and mixed using a tool called batirol, which is believed to bring out the flavor of the cocoa.

• Salabat – This is ginger Bibingka tea, a strong brew that many Filipinos believe can help in soothing any throat malady and improve one’s singing voice. it is usually given free of charge when you buy puto bumbong or bibingka.

Breakfast/Snacks • Puto Bumbong – usually eaten after the Simbang Gabi, this is a deep purple, seasonal rice cake made from galapong or sticky rice. The flour mixture Keso de Bola is placed in a tube of bamboo or bumbong and cooked through steam. it is then served with margarine, sugar, and sesame seeds.

• Bibingka – a close friend of the puto bumbong, this rice cake is yellowish orange in color and is cooked using an improvised oven—two clay pots filled with burning charcoals. a special bibingka is one that is “baked” with cheese and itlog na pula or salted egg.

Polvoron

Fruit salad

Puto bumbong

Photos courtesy of Balikbayan Magazine

Fruit cake

features

Pork Belly Adobo Tacos The Pork Belly Adobo Tacos, is served by Chef King Phojanakong at Tito King’s Kitchen at Jimmy’s 43 in the east Village. It can be served as a merienda while waiting for the Noche Buena or an appetizer. “It’s not traditional but it looks, tastes and feels like Christmas,” Chef King said.

Yield: Serves 4-6 Ingredients • 2 pieces Pork Belly, 1¾”2” thick • 6 Garlic Cloves, crushed • ½ tsp Black Peppercorns, whole • 1 Bay Leaf • ½ cup Vinegar, rice wine • 3 oz. Soy Sauce • ½ cupWater • 6 oz. Rice Vinegar • 1 tablespoon Salt • 3 oz. Sugar • 1 cup Red Onions, thinly sliced • 10 Corn Tortillas, 4-5” • Your favorite salsa, to taste Method 1. Combine all ingredients (pork belly-water) and let stand for at least ½ hour. If necessary,

add more liquids to cover.

2. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and then cover and braise for 1 hour or until tender.

3. Remove from braising liquid and hold.

4. In a pot, combine the vinegar, salt and sugar . heat to dissolve the salt and sugar.

5. Remove from heat, cool slightly and add to onions.

6. For pickup, grill or saute the pork bellies until caramalized and heated through and slice.

7. Brush the tortillas with soybean oil and grill to warm.

8. Assemble the taco with your favorite salsa, pork belly and the pickled red onions.

Pork Belly Adobo Tacos, Pickled Red Onions and “Ginger Scallion Noodles”

Photo courtesy of Chef King Phojanakong at Tito King’s Kitchen

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - December 16, 2015

Bûche de Noêl (Yule Log) using Brazo de Mercedes This holiday make a Filipino inspired Yule Log or Bûche de noêl using Brazo de Mercedes based on a recipe courtesy of Créme Caramel. Decorate with toasted coconut, meringue mushrooms, cranberry/rosemary “holly” and you have a sweet and festive treat for your family to enjoy and admire.

Ingredients • 10 egg whites • 1 Tsp cream of tartar • 1 Cup superfine sugar (process granulated sugar for 5 minutes in a food processor), sifted • Powdered suar • half sheet baking pan (12” x 18”) • Baking spray • Parchment paper Method Preheat oven 350 degrees f 1. Spray baking sheet with oil and line with parchment

2. Beat eggs and cream of tartar at low speed until foam forms, slowly add sugar in and mix until stick peaks form.

3. Spread egg mixture evenly on sheet.

4. Use a fork to score a design on the surface of the egg mixture and place in 350 degree oven – 18-20 minutes, remove and cool.

5. Sprinkle powdered sugar onto the top of the meringue and turn pan upside down onto a clean parchment.

Filling Ingredients • 10 egg yolks, beaten • 14 oz condensed milk • 2 Tsp ube extract • Sauce pot • heat resistant spatula Method 1. Stir all ingredients until combined and boil over medium high heat on the stove,

continue to stir until thick spreadable paste.

2. Cool paste before spreading gently onto meringue.

Gently roll cake using the parchment to help guide and cool in refrigerator for 2 hours.

3. Decorate with toasted coconut, meringue toadstools, and cranberry/rosemary “holly.”

Crème Caramel LA CRèMe Caramel LA is Los Angeles’ neighborhood bakery and sweet shop. With a variety of goods, including French and Filipinoinspired crème caramels, bread puddings, upside-down pies, and savory bites, this is your one-stop bakery for custards and confection desserts.

The co-owner, Fil-Am Kristine de la Cruz, attended California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, where she studied business marketing Kristine de la Cruz and soon realized her passion for the food industry. She began making custard desserts, incorporating her family’s special leche flan recipe as well as Filipino ingredients such as Ube and Buko Pandan.

She along with boyfriend Sean Gilleland started their business in 2010, from humble roots in farmer’s markets, pop-up events, etcetera; and eventually opened their store in Sherman Oaks in 2013. Since then, the success of Crème Caramel LA has been tremendous; with diverse Angelenos, Filipinos, and tourists from every which way coming to visit.

The bakery also helps other food artisans, incorporating locallymade products into some recipes. Crème Caramel LA has been featured all over Southern California, from Coachella to the Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture, and was also recognized by LA Mayor eric Garcetti as an Outstanding Small Business in 2014.

Yule Log or Bûche de Noêl using Brazo de Mercedes.

AJPress photos by Allyson Escobar

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features

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - December 16, 2015

The innkeeper’s untold story

By Monette

AdevA MAglAyA

[The following original story is a work of fiction meant as a Christmas gift to Asian Journal readers and everyone else who loves the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. Its basis is the Nativity Story from the Gospel of Luke.

A Blessed and Merry Christ-

mas to those on whom God’s favor rests!]

Joshua was excited with his new job at the inn. It sure beats having to herd sheep this time of the year when the cold nights chilled his bones on the hillside pasture where he tended his family’s small flock of sheep and cattle. The job fell to his younger brother.

Jacob, the owner of the inn, was his father’s friend. He had asked if Joshua could help him mind the inn for a period of time as he and his wife will be going on a long journey. Jacob liked and trusted Joshua like the son he never had. The young man was a good worker who quickly learned the ropes of the business.

Not long after, Jacob and his wife left for their journey to the town north of the country where they were born many miles away to comply with the Roman emperor Augustus’ decree that everyone be counted for the census. This is to determine the tax that can be collected for the empire’s coffers. Few, if any, dared disobey the Roman conquerors.

The inn was busy. People for miles around were on the move, with many going back to their own hometowns. Joshua guessed that the few other inns in town were also humming with the brisk business brought by overnight travelers in their otherwise sleepy town. He was tired, yet he felt pretty proud of the work he was doing.

Today, just before sundown, he had filled the 12 modestly furnished rooms with tired and hungry travellers. He thought of meeting up with his shepherd friends in the pasture once he had turned over the inn’s affairs to the night attendant. He had heard his friends on night watch talk about an unusually bright star that has been moving slowly in the heavens for many nights now. They said it was a spectacle to behold and he wanted to see it for himself.

The gossip buzzing around Jerusalem was that the soothsayers studying the heavens in King Herod’s palace were cowering in fear. They were loath to face the wrath of the vengeful king if they told him the mean-

ing of the star. The seers felt sure something earth-shaking was going to happen. The time has come for a prophecy foretold in ages past by the prophet Isaiah to be fulfilled. The king to rule all kings from the line of King David was to be born very soon within the kingdom. Micah, another prophet, had foretold that Bethlehem is the place where it will happen.

Though fearful, the soothsayers had to tell Herod. It was no wonder the ruthless king who had ruled Judea for 30 years was in a vicious mood. He brooked no opposition to his reign. He had three sons he named after himself as heirs to the throne to continue his line of succession.

He would remove all threats by all means fair or foul. It was bad enough he had to bow to the superior might of the Roman conquerors who had allowed him to be king in this corner of the empire.

Just as Joshua was about to lock up for the night, a couple came in. The man, visibly tired and leaning on his staff with one hand, was supporting the woman with his other hand. She was heavy with child. The woman looked to be in some pain. Still, Joshua noted there was a stately calm, grace and beauty about her. The man asked Joshua for a room and told him his wife was about to give birth. He said the other inns turned them away because there was no room for them. Alas, the last room has been let and Joshua told him so. The man’s face fell and his shoulders sagged.

Joshua glanced at the woman and his heart was filled with pity. He thought of his own home for them to stay for the night, but it was some distance away and it looked like the woman was about to give birth at any moment. Joshua had seen his own mother when she was heavy with child and he had helped his father deliver some of his brothers himself.

“Maybe, I have something for you. It’s not much, but it would get you through this cold night, at least,” he told them.

“Come with me.”

Joshua gathered some blankets quickly. He gave instructions to the attendant to heat water.

Illustration by James Christer Francisco and Allana Santos

He then gathered food and other provisions. He moved in haste leading the couple to an empty stable a few yards at the back of the inn.

Earlier in the day before the sun was up, he took to clearing the stable himself. He didn’t know why he did it. But now he was glad he did so. He thought the squalid stable with its walls and roof would shield this poor couple from the chilly night as the woman delivered her child.

Joshua gave the man the blankets, the warm water and some extra oil for the lamp to burn through the night. He set up a makeshift table for the bread, fish and wine and lit the lamp in one corner. Joshua helped the man make his wife comfortable. He could see the birth pangs seem to be stronger now. Beads of sweat lined the woman’s brow. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to meet up with his friends tonight. He was needed here for the long night ahead.

Just before he decided to go back to the inn to fetch a few more things, he said to them, “I’m Joshua. Let me know if you need anything else.” The man replied, “I’m Joseph and this is Mary. Thank you, Joshua. You have done more than you can possibly know. The Lord’s light

burns brightly in you.” Mary looked up at Joshua and smiled through her pain. For as long as he lived, Joshua will never forget that smile.

Mary’s child was born that night. Joshua could not remember a night more filled with wonder, mystery and myriad points of light.

He remembered Mary wrapping her child lovingly in swaddling clothes and placing the child in a manger. The child was bathed in light. The entire stable was aglow. A sweet heavenly fragrance wafted through the air. It seemed the heavens were opened, the stars shone brighter and the world stood still that night.

Strains of celestial music can be heard from a choir of angels above the stable. An angel was heard praising God saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Joshua’s shepherd friends came to visit the child. How could they have known? In hushed whispers, his friends said that an angel told them about the good news of great joy.

Heavenly beings guided them to the stable. Filled with awe, their hearts bursting with joy they themselves could not underContinued on Page 6

8th annual Parol Parade in Historic Filipinotown IN the Philippines, one of the signs that Christmas is near is the multi-colored parol in the windows of homes, up in the lampposts of streets or even in commercial establishments. From its simple design in the older days, the star-shaped decor has evolved into many different shapes, sizes and design; as well as the materials it is made out of. Since the parol is a staple of celebrating

the holiday, many Filipinos living all over the world have brought this tradition with them.

Here in Los Angeles, the Historic Filipinotown Neighborhood Council held its 8th annual parol parade on Friday, Dec. 4, featuring an array of parols decorated by community members and local organizations.

AJPress photos

by Andy Tecson

Community members in front of the Filipino American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI)’s parol.

features 5 Ventura Crab N Spice: Finger-lickin’ good Cajun seafood!

‘Tis the season of giving: Alternative gift suggestions for this holiday The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - December 16, 2015

PUT on a plastic bib, and maybe a pair of gloves, because your meal is about to get messy…in the best way possible.

Located in the Telephone Road Plaza, Ventura Crab N Spice goes beyond the average seafood restaurant in Ventura County. With a fresh selection of shrimp, mussels, clams, crawfish, lobster tail, and different varieties of crab, this restaurant serves quality by the pound. Seafood is boiled in seasoned sauces and brought to the table in plastic sacks, where guests are invited to eat with their hands.

With your choice of lemon garlic, coconut, Hawaiian, or the chef’s special Crab N’ Spice flavor, as well as varying spice levels (from original/mild to the superhot “Assassin8”) and add-ons (like corn, sausage and hard-boiled quail egg), Crab N Spice offers variety, the spice of life. Boiled in savory flavors, the pound of shrimp makes the perfect meal that stays true to its Southern roots, while subtly fusing with traditional Asian/Filipino seafood cuisine. Coconut with clams also make a delicious pairing, reminiscent of Filipino Ginataan. And the Dungeness and snow crab legs are served fresh, with juicy flavors in every bite.

“We came up with pineapple and light coconut flavors--the coconut because there is so much interest in coconut water now,” said co-owner Marlon Arsenal.

The restaurant offers many specials and deals, including a $40 CNS Combo that gives your choice 3 pounds of seafood (shrimp, crawfish, clam, or mussel), and includes 2 corn, a half-pound of hot sausage, and quail eggs. There is also a party combo option ($71) for larger groups. Sides include white rice, basketfuls of Cajun/French/ sweet potato fries, chicken wings, onion rings, fried calamari, hush puppies, and tasty garlic noodles. You can even order the fresh oyster. Check out the restaurant’s official website (www.venturacrabnspice.com), Instagram, and Facebook page

By Malou liwanag-Bledsoe AJPress

WE all have to admit that we are all once guilty of recycling gifts. Although it may seem like we have lots of choices, in the end we tend to give the same kind of presents to our family and friends every year. Shopping malls have many things to offer, but with the holiday rush, we might just end up being frustrated with long lines at the counter and crazy crowds who are also trying to do their last minute shopping.

This year, the Asian Journal has a short—but sensible and memorable—list of alternative gifts that you can give to your loved ones.

The gift of knowledge One of the best times to spend the cold nights is to have a cup of hot cocoa, sit on your

for more restaurant deals and discounts.

The Pinoy owners, Marlon Arsenal and Jerrico Reyes, take pride in their family-owned business, which opened its doors this past August. They were inspired by their favorite Vietnamese-owned restaurant in Alhambra, the Boiling Crab, which has a similar eat-withyour-hands approach. “Ventura County needed a seafood restaurant like this, where you eat fresh from the table--almost like kamayan style--and it’s a different (and delicious) experience,” Reyes said.

The owners are already looking to expand to the vacant space next door, to better accommodate throngs of hungry customers in the plaza at lunch and dinnertime.

“There’s no place that has the same concept like Crab N Spice in the Ventura/Oxnard area, so I was super stoked to have found this place…Our food was out and ready within 15 minutes of ordering!” said restaurant reviewer Lene N. on Yelp.

“The customer service was amazing and they go above and beyond; they do their best to accommodate the patrons,” said another reviewer from Oxnard, Youri Y. Crab N Spice’s new winter hours are 3:00 to 10:00 pm on Mondays through Thursdays, and noon to 9:00 pm on Fridays and weekends. Visit @venturacrabnspice, 4732 Telephone Rd #5B Ventura, CA 9300; (805) 535-4363.

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favorite chair and read. Aside from the usual bestsellers you can find in mainstream bookstores, Arkipelago, The Filipino Bookstore recommends the following books: A Taste of the Philippines by Ghillie Basan and Vilma Laus Classic Filipino recipes made easy, with 70 authentic traditional dishes shown step by step in more than 400 beautiful photographs.

(ISBN 978-1-844760949-0, 180 pages, paperback with flap cover, US$19.99) From Our Table to Yours: A Collection of Filipino Heirloom Recipes & Family Memories by Angelo Comsti Treasured recipes handed down from generation to generation.

(ISBN 978-981-4398-56-5, 150 pages, paperback with flap

cover, US$28.00) Four Sparrows: A Tale of Race and Survival in the California Gold Rush

by Daniel C. Roddick In 1850, Tomas travels from the Philippines to strike in rich in the California gold rush as a subconscious way to overcome racial barriers. In his struggle to gain legitimacy he progresses through various stages of racial identity development. He is not alone in this regard. John, an American, has remained in California after the Mexican War to police the camps. Cath has arrived from Ireland to escape her own experience with oppression.

Jungdoo, from China, suppresses a painful past brought on by his own cultural hegemony. All fight for legitimacy in an effort to continue their own way of life, at the risk of not living at all.

Continued on Page 6

6

features

Mango Mix

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - December 16, 2015

The innkeeper’s untold story

From Page 4

stand, they knelt before the child who was to be king.

Later on that night, three foreign men garbed in royal splendor and bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh came to pay the child homage.

They had been travelling from afar, following the bright star hovering about the heavens for many nights leading them to that dusty town called Bethlehem. The men recounted how they had studied scripture and spent much of their lives watching the heavens, waiting for this greatest of prophecies to be fulfilled. The fullness of time had come on that very night in a lowly stable.

Years later in his old age, the memory of that night still stayed with Joshua. He had remained the innkeeper. Joshua met many people who travelled the hill country. He had become privy to many untold stories he kept hidden in his heart. One of the people he met was a man called Luke with whom he had struck a friendship. He was a physician who stayed as a guest quite a few times at the inn. He was different from the others. Thoughtful, gentle and quiet as though on a mission, Luke was always writing on scrolls of parchment in his room.

Joshua was nearing the end of his life. He did not want the memory of that glorious

night to be forgotten when he died. He opened up to Luke. As he recounted the story, Joshua carefully removed himself from the narrative. He meant for his tiny part to be left untold through the ages - it was to be between him and God alone.

The light of that bright night burned in his soul forever.

He could not have known he was one of the few favored to witness the unfolding of the greatest mystery of God’s love for men on earth. ***

From Page 5

(ISBN 979-150851-789-4, 300 pages, paperback, US$21.95) Cool Don’t Live Here No More: A Letter to San Francisco by Tony Robles In Cool Don’t Life Here No More, Tony Robles sings the music of the San Francisco Streets— that rhythmic sound that is being lost and that some pretend never existed. Through honest humility and with crisp magic, Tony gifts us the food and courage of his poetry, a life “tattooed on the tongue”. A pensive, penetrating study of the city that is being washed away but whose “smell ain’t never gonna come out.”

- Benjamin Bac Sierra, Author of Barrio Bushido (ISBN 978-1-943209-071, 180 pages, paperback, US$16.00) Legions of Boom: Filipino American Mobile DJ Crews in the San Francisco Bay Area by Oliver Wang “As a writer and scholar Oliver Wang is relentlessly insightful and compulsively readable. With Legions of Boom he has created something indispensable - a singular document of a forgotten yet influential era in West Coast hi-hop and dance music, a rare and rich account of protean Asian American creativity, and a subtle, poetic work of ethnography.” - Jeff Chang, Author of Who We Be: The Colorization of

America (ISBN 978-0-82235890-9, 220 pages, paperback,US$25.95) To Love as Aswang: Songs, Fragments and Found Objects

by Barbara Jane Reyes The Philippine Aswang is mythic, monstrous creature which has, since colonial times, been associated with female transgression, scapegoating, and social shaming, known in Tagalog as hiya. In the 21st century, and in diaspora, she manages to endure. Barbara Jane Reyes’ To Love As Aswang, the poet and a circle of Filipino American women grapple with what it means to live as a Filipina, or Pinay, in a world that has silenced, dehumanized, and broken the Pinay body. These are poems of Pinay tragedy and perseverance, of reappropriating monstrosity and hiya, sung in polyphony and hissed with forked tongues.

(ISBN 978-0-9763316-8-1, 90 pages, paperback, US$15.95) The Brothers Luna: Madmen or Geniuses by Jules Delgallego Two brothers. One cause. Both willing to die for the freedom of the Philippines from foreign rule. The Brothers Luna is a novel on historical facts intertwined with a compelling story of romance, passion friendship, intrigue, murder and espionage, war and the arts.

(ISBN 978-149-479-126-

by Martin

Jason L. ita-as

“OH the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful.” These lyrics tell us that sometimes a winter wonderland can turn into a harsh environment for both man and beast. But it’s often a lot harder for our fuzzy family members who rely on us most of the time to avoid both dangerous and awkward snow situations.

Here’s a simple checklist for you to make sure your fluffy friends are safe, sound and warm throughout the winter season: Outside habits Unlike the multiple layered Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is clothing options humans have, SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To pets are often left bare naked or send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ with thin yet flexible little outfits.

While it may seem protective asianjournalinc.com enough, their furry little coats can’t do much on their own. Try to keep your pets out of the cold or dress them up with a coat and booties as much as you can 1,420 pages, paperback, because their tiny paw pads and US$21.95) little bodies might not be able to (Arkipelago Books, The handle extreme colds. Try to keep Filipino Bookstore is located them inside your heated home as at 1010 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. For more much as possible to avoid turning your dog or cat into a pet-sicle. information or inquiries, log on Pet rations to www.arkipelagobooks.com or Food is important for any lovcall (415) 553-8185.

The gift of health and food ing household pet, but it can also The holiday is all about food be something to look out for during the time of chill and ice. Avoid of course. However, for those who are want to give more than giving your little ones food that is either frozen or too cold to eat. the usual peppermint bark, This along with not giving them cookies and hot chocolate, why enough to eat can mess up their not consider a basket of natural digestion and can make them feel fruit juices and products? SunTropics have a wide array of fruit to sick or tired during the entire winter. Just remember that pets products that you can choose are also not as active during the from like their Pure Calamansi snowy seasons so try not to overjuice, Mango and Soursop, feed them to avoid making them Coconut Water and dried fruits.

All their products are made with as a “last stand” for decent wagreal fruit puree, and definitely, es and working conditions. The no high fructose syrup is used. manongs by mid-60s had been SunTropics products are availtolling in the farmlands and serable at all 99 Ranch supermarvice industries of the West Coast kets, Seafood City and Costco for over 40 years but have been Northern California branches. prevented from establishing (Sample gift basket cost is $27). families or owning property. The The gift of Fil-Am history Strike, organized by Filipinos Consider giving a piece of Fil-Am history to your family and involved with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee friends this holiday season by (AWOC), was seen as a bold gifting them a DVD copy of the Emmy-nominated documentary, move for economic dignity.

Legendary labor organizer The Delano Manongs: Forgotand farmworker Larry Itliong ten Heroes of the United Farm appealed to Mexican laborer Workers Movement. and leader of the National Farm As told by director Marissa Aroy, the documentary positions Workers Association to join the strike, which they won five years the Great Grape Pickers’ Strike

‘Tis the season of giving: Alternative gift...

Winter tips for furry friends

too fat and lazy. Water is also an important factor, so try to give them enough of it while making sure fleas and other pet-related pests haven’t used their drink dish as a personal swimming pool for the holidays.

Winter care = winter scare While taking care of your home and a few other items is a necessity during this difficult time of ice and snow, some practices can prove annoying or even fatal to your pets. For car owners, antifreeze may accidentally leak into your driveway and look like a harmless little spill on the garage floor. Unfortunately, one lick is enough to poison both large and small dogs or cats. If you use antifreeze solution and your pet acts as if it is “drunk”, be mindful and get him or her checked at your nearest vet. Also, look out for salted driveways. Some salts can be bad against paw pads and can even hurt your little bundles of fluff.

Vehicle anger It’s obvious that vehicles can be a danger to your pets on the road, but sometimes the danger can be a little closer to home: the garage. In the last post we talked about how leaking antifreeze solution can poison your pets, but the inviting warmth of the motor itself can prove dangerous for

pets looking for a hot place to lie on. This is especially the case for cat owners, where the little fluff balls can climb into the motor area without their owner knowing while they unwittingly start the car. To avoid this, check your car every time or try knocking on your car hood to wake them up.

This could result in a grumpy pet, but an annoyed animal is better than a fried one.

Armed with this knowledge, it’s up to you to take care that your precious little animal friends are safe and sound during this cold, wintry time. It might be a little inconvenient to both you and your pet, but keeping them safe until you can enjoy each other’s company on spring or summer is well worth it.

later. That the Filipinos who instigated the years-long action found themselves marginalized from this momentous victory is a sad footnote to this chapter of labor history, one that director Aroy seeks to rectify.

DVD copy is only $25 and can be shipped directly to your gift recipients. To order, log on to http://us2.campaign-archive1. com/?u= b37c4704f1a854fad4a 973a6c&id=39e6c2534c.

The gift of compassion As we gather around the table to give thanks for all our blessings, let us not forget that there are people in other parts of the world whose daily

struggle is finding food to eat.

This season, why not consider donating to a worthy cause whose main goal is to bring Noche Buena dinner packs to poor families in the Philippines?

Cassie Eng has been working with the non-profit Project Pearls since was 6 and has become increasingly involved in more projects since then. This summer she did her second Bag of Dreams Challenge and delivered 600 backpacks filled with school supplies to the kids of Project Pears. Last year she gave out 300 bags to the Badjao kids in Lucena.

Continued on Page 7

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7

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - December 16, 2015

Moonlighting

by Mylah de

leon

“IF you want to civilize a man, begin with his grandmother.”

- Victor Hugo So, one moment you’re just a mother -- and before you can blink and think that you have escaped the ties of children, their troubles and their demands; you feel a little tug, and next moment, you’re past that certain age, and you’re ready for the scrap yard.

Then comes along the grandchildren, handing back your youth in a fancy box and you’re starting all over again. You find yourself bound once more by the needs of your grandchildren and their love.

I thought I had forgotten how to hold a baby, but my arms remember. Gazing into the sweet, innocent face, just above the size of a hug -- the grasping of tiny soft hands, like a kitten in the shelter of your clasp. Those gasps of astonishment and shrieks of pleasure, sighs of delight, lost long time ago after my four girls grew to women, are suddenly back.

Rocking a tiny bundle of joy who is a loving extension of you.

It is called midlife ecstasy, and just like that, it is the evidence of love in its most uncomplicated and trustworthy state.

The moment a baby is born, a grandmother is born too. Suddenly, by no act of yours, you’ve become biologically related to a human being. It really seems quite crazy that your baby should be sitting with a baby, her own, on her lap. And then you realize, all that joy of becoming a mother was simply a prelude to the ela-

The Apostolic mission of a lola tion of becoming a grandmother.

One sweet Sunday, I cradled in my arms a seven pound, 15ounce baby girl named Eliana Milaina, aged 26 hours and four minutes. I wrapped my granddaughter so tightly so that nothing else in this world could get at her.

How I prayed she could stay protected that way. Where there is love, there is usually a little granddaughter nearby.

She is independence parading around in her mother’s shoes, slippers. Alluring in a bandana, dark glasses and yards of beads, who relishes in turning my daily routine topsy turvy with her ardor and curiosity. She is the biggest thrill, she whose laughter is like a concert of little bells, shattering the morning sun, a present joy a promise of the future.

Through the years, I’ve learned that there are 147 different ways to hold a baby, all of them right. Used to asking the questions by my trade, I found myself groping for words, through the years when confronted by questions that defied logic or whose answers required another question. Why is God not married? Did Jesus shave or did he go to a barbershop? Is the sun hot? Do flowers go to sleep?

Why is the sky blue? Does the Easter bunny lay eggs? Which cow gives chocolate milk? How do birds fly? She is amusing and enchanting whether 3-6 or 13, and now even older, she has the power to raise the spirit and expand my universe, with the mere twinkle of her eye.

Together we learned names of plants, every tree, every bird, and insect and oddities. We drew cats and dogs and fathers and mothers and flowers. Her acts of kindness were what my mother

taught me. The eldest had become close a confidante and best friend -- and like grown ups she has started asking questions that can be answered.

But a grandson, is a pint sized bolt of lightning. With such skinny eyes, w a bewitching creature sprinkled with stardust, heaven sent bathed in moonglow. He is purity in dirty sneakers, chivalry on a carousel horse. A quick study in perpetual motion, a magnificent little tyrant I call “Principeto,” the captor who holds the key to her grandmother’s heart.

When I take him for a stroll he stops to talk to a dog or a cat, look at butterflies. When I am away, his mother lets him breathe on the phone, and in totally unexpected language he is able to say he loves me. Last New Year’s Day, he turned 13, in a blast of a birthday party where he gives me a chance to sing, play and dance.

So what is grandmothering all about? It may feel like a second chance to get parenting right but it is not. It is however, another chance to love and nurture a child, a relationship between one heart and another love -- that kind that flows through connected spirits.

The years will go by and my grandchildren will be older.

I will no longer be in demand to baby sit, read fairy tales, ride the merry-go-round, play their favorite piano pieces. Heavens, how I dread that day! But if I am lucky there will be another time, another place, another children.

For someday, I’ll be a great grandmother!

This piece was inspired by my colleague, Prosy AbarquezDelacruz. *** E-mail Mylah at moonlightingmdl@aol.com

‘Tis the season of giving: Alternative gift...

From Page 5

She has opened a fundraising page to be able to donate 167 Noche Buena dinner packs to the families (as part of Project Pearls’ 1000 dinner pack goal).

A minimum of $10 or PhP 500 donation will feed a family of 6–8 with a meal of spaghetti noodles and sauce, canned

meat loaf, bread, champorado (porridge) mix and hot chocolate mix.

Cassie has also been selling Christmas ornaments made by the mothers of Project Pearls to help fund her project. This is a perfect gift for those who want to donate in lieu of presents, which includes a note saying that

a donation has been made in the name of the receiver.

Cassie’s Noche Buena project is trying to raise $10,000 and still has 14 days remaining until the campaign ends on December 31, 2015.

To donate and/or more information, log on to: http:// www.projectpearls.causevox.

8

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - December 16, 2015

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