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LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • JANUARY 6-8, 2016
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API physicians make push for healthcare enrollment Prominent Physicians Group Again Assists in the Effort to Reduce the Number of Uninsured Californians
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California and the National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians have again joined forces to raise awareness of the third open-enrollment period under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians -- a national organization of AsianAmerican, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander physicians who advocate for the health and wellbeing of patients and communities -- partnered with Covered California during open enrollPresident Barack Obama speaks with the attendees following a meeting in the Oval Office on the executive actions he can take to curb gun violence, Jan. 4, 2016. Listening to the President, from left: Neil Eggleston, Counsel to the President; Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates; Eric Nguyen, Associate Counsel to the President; Michael Bosworth, Deputy Counsel to the President; Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett; Attorney General Loretta Lynch; Natalie Quillian, Deputy Assistant to the President (partially hidden behind the Attorney General) and FBI Director James Comey. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
Pres. Obama issues executive order on…
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ous people. We are not inherently more prone to violence--but we are the only advanced country on Earth that sees this kind of mass violence erupt with this kind of frequency,” Obama said tearfully at a press conference, surrounded by families of gun violence victims. “We become numb to it, and start thinking this is normal. And instead of thinking about how to solve the problem, this has become one of our polarized, partisan debates.” The White House announced an executive action package, with multiple separate provisions to address major aspects of gun control policy. One provision would require more gun sellers (including those online or at gun shows) to be licensed, and oblige vendors to conduct extensive
background checks on potential buyers, the Washington Post reported. The initiative is the White House’s attempt to close the gun show “loophole” that allows gun collectors, private vendors and hobbyists to do business without background checks. A recent Harvard University survey of more than 2,000 gun owners found that of those who purchased their most recent firearm, about a third did not undergo a background check. In a statement emailed Monday, Jan. 4, the administration outlined the policy in line with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF): “It doesn’t matter where you conduct your business: from a store, at gun shows or over the Internet. If you’re in the business of selling firearms, you must get a
license and conduct background checks.” With the extensive, thorough background checks, the FBI will also overhaul the current check system to make it effective, efficient with more staff and notifications, and background checks being processed 24/7. “The new guidance is consistent with existing law because it clarifies its original intent,” said Attorney General Loretta Lynch. “The hobbyist exemption in federal law was never meant to cover people regularly devoting significant time and effort to selling firearms just because they were doing so at a gun show.” Obama has said that the strengthened background checks would make the process more secure, not harder for people to purchase guns. He has also criti-
Roxas top ad…
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gest spender showed that the campaign of the LP presidential bet is focused more on grassroots communications and less emphasis on “air war.” He added that it also showed that rivals of the former Interior secretary are more capable of spending big on television ads than the administration candidate who is accused of using government money to fund his campaign. Gutierrez issued the statement before the camp of the Vice
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PH population to hit 142M in…
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population from 2010 to 2045, with an average annual growth at 1.21 percent. As of May 2010, the country’s population was estimated at 92.34 million. Over the 35-year period, the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is projected to have the highest average annual growth rate of 2.12 percent. Caraga at 1.72 percent was ranked second, with Soccsksargen, the Davao Region and the Zamboanga Peninsula following with 1.47 percent, 1.41 percent and 1.37 percent, respectively. Areas in Luzon also expected to post high population growth rates
are the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) with 1.35 percent, Calabarzon with 1.31 percent, Mimaropa with 1.58 percent and Bicol with 1.65 percent. Eastern Visayas, meanwhile, is projected to grow by an annual average of 1.53 percent. The Calabarzon population is expected to be the largest in 2045 at 20.1 million, followed by the National Capital Region (Metro Manila) and Central Luzon with 14.5 million each. Western Visayas and Central Visayas will surpass the 10-million mark, with 10.4 million each in 2045. The CAR will continue to have the smallest population with 2.6 million in year 2045.
“This report presents some of the highlights of the 2010 census-based regional population projections prepared by the Philippine Statistics Authority in collaboration with the InterAgency Working Group on Population Projections headed by Dr. Mercedes Concepcion with members representing the Commission on Population, Department of Education, Department of Health, National Economic and Development Authority, Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute and the University of the Philippines Population Institute,” National Statistician Lisa Grace Bersales said. n
Pacquiao confirms retirement after April…
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be Pacquiao’s final showdown in the ring. “I’m not going to sell it as that because I don’t want everybody to say, ‘Hey, it’s his last fight, come and see it!’ and then it turns out that it’s not his last fight,” he said. “Who the hell knows with these guys? They all change their minds so I’m not selling it as his last fight,” he added. Both Pacquiao and Bradley won one fight each of their two
matches, with Bradley the victor of the first showdown in 2012 in a split decision, and Pacquiao winner in 2014 via unanimous decision. Atlas said he has already studied both fights in preparation for the third. “It’ll be a tough challenge, but we’ll make sure we’re ready for it. We will respect the challenge Pacquiao presents. We will do what we’re supposed to do and be 100 percent prepared. It will be a difficult fight,” he said.
Pacquiao also took the opportunity to refute a previous Philboxing.com report that quoted the Filipino boxer saying he would not retire until he secured a rematch against Mayweather, after his defeat last May. “I never said that. Nobody spoke to me about that,” Pacquiao said, Inquirer reported. Pacquiao’s retirement will follow that of Mayweather, who retired after his fight against twotime welterweight world champion Andre Berto in September. n
McCain blasts White House for lack of…
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Arizona said the US military’s failure to conduct additional patrols last year was “disappointing yet hardly surprising.” He said the President Barack Obama’s administration was “either unable to manage the complexities of interagency national security decision making or simply too risk averse to do what is necessary to safeguard the rulesbased order in the Asia-Pacific.” In October, the Pentagon began conducting patrols within 12 nautical miles of the man-made islands. McCain’s complaints come af-
ter Chinese foreign ministry officials confirmed on Saturday that a test flight by a civilian plane landed on one of the islands, the first time Beijing has used a runway in the area, Reuters reported. The landing was not a surprise, as China has been building runways on the artificial islands for over a year. Washington suspects that the islands may be used as military outposts, while Beijing insists that they will serve primarily a humanitarian purpose. China claims almost all of the South China Sea, through which
ment for the second consecutive year by sending out a letter to more than 3,000 council members that featured ways to get the word out about open enrollment in physicians’ offices and on social media sites. Open enrollment began on Nov. 1, 2015 and ends Jan. 31, 2016. “We are proud to be partnering again with the trusted members of the National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians,” Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee said. “Their voices help us highlight
trillion in trade passes annually. However, there are overlapping claims from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. After the Chinese plane’s landing, Vietnam launched a formal diplomatic protest, while the Philippines said it is planning to do the same. “That’s the fear, that China will be able take control of the South China Sea and it will affect the freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight,” said Philippines Foreign Ministry spokesman Charles Jose. (ManilaTimes.net)
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President presented an updated and inclusive report by Nielsen showing Roxas as the overall top spender on political advertisements. Joey Salgado, spokesman for Binay, said the Nielsen report showing the Vice President as top ad spender only covers 11 months. He added that Nielsen research did not include ads placed by Roxas supporters like the Mar Roxas for President Movement and Mar Roxas School Alumni. The campaign period for candi-
the importance of the open-enrollment period and our shared goal of getting as many Californians health insurance coverage as possible.” An estimated 750,000 uninsured Californians remain eligible to enroll in a health insurance plan through Covered California, and approximately 1.4 million uninsured Californians qualify for Medi-Cal coverage. Cultivating a culture of coverage is also a goal of physicians across California. “We recognize how significant
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dates for national positions such as President, Vice President, senators and party-list representatives will run from February 9, 2016 to May 7, 2016. Under Republic Act 7166 or the Synchronized Elections Law of 1991, candidates for President and Vice President are allowed to spend P10 for every voter, while bets for other posts can spend P3 per voter in the constituency where they have filed their certificates of candidacy.The Commission on Elections earlier urged Congress to increase the campaign spending of candidates, saying the ceiling is no longer realistic. n