La midweek edition may 3 5, 2017

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ED ITION May 3-5, 2017

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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 27 - No. 36 • 3 Sections - 24 Pages

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Duterte ‘can’t promise’ he’ll accept Trump’s White House invitation

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

WHITE HOUSE CALLING. President Duterte talks to US President Trump on the phone whileacting Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo (right) listens in.

Photo courtesy of Secretary Christopher “Bong” Go

USA

DATELINE Two Fil-Ams elected to Cerritos City Council FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

IN an unprecedented move, the City of Cerritos, California has elected two Filipino Americans to its city council.

On Wednesday, April 26, current Cerritos Councilmember and former Mayor Mark Pulido and newly-elected Frank Aurelio Yokoyama were inducted at a Mayoral Transition ceremony in the Cerritos City Council Chambers as two of the city’s council members.

Pulido, a lifelong Cerritos resident, was reelected for a second term while Yokoyama — who is half Filipino and half Japanese-American — has finally won a seat on the city council after a few unsuccessful past campaigns.

“Thank you, Cerritos voters, for giving me the chance to serve my hometown, to serve you,” Yokoyama, an attorney, remarked at the special meeting. “I will work hard for you, I will do my best for you, thank you.”

Another “homegrown son of Cerritos”, Yokoyama was a member of the Cerritos Planning Commission as well as a real estate broker, a local business owner and a youth basketball and soccer coach.

Pulido praised Yokoyama’s win and regards him as a close friend. In an interview after the

A FILIPINA was fatally shot in the East Bay on Thursday, April 27 by a man she was dating for the past two years, according to police.

Roselyn Policarpio, 47, was walking near the Lindsey Wildlife Experience in Walnut Creek, California around 1:30 p.m. before she was shot four times by Gregory Prokopowicz.

The 38-year-old suspect fled the scene but was found hours later in the city of Martinez sitting in the passenger’s seat of a Mercedes, wherein he barricaded himself. The driver of the vehicle was briefly detained, but was released after being interviewed.

Prokopowicz was arrested on Friday afternoon following a 19-hour standoff with a police SWAT team. He was in the possession of a gun and knives and was high on drugs, various reports said.

Policarpio reportedly had plans to see her 25-year-old son, Don, on Thursday afternoon,

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During a “friendly” phone call on Saturday, April 29‚—after the 30th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit’s closing ceremonies—Trump invited Duterte to the White House and reiterated his commitment to the PH-U.S. alliance.

The American president reportedly extended his invitation to Duterte to discuss the impor-

u PAGE A2

ASEAN’s final statement mum on arbitral ruling, China island-construction THE Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) wrapped up its 30th summit over the weekend by releasing a final statement that failed to mention Manila’s historic arbitral victory against Beijing in the South China Sea. The 25-paged statement issued on Saturday, April 29 by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte as this year’s ASEAN chair was also silent regarding China’s “militarization” in the disputed waters.

In July 2016, the UN-backed arbitral tribunal in The Hague invalidated China’s expansive territorial claim in the sea. It also ruled that Chinese artificial islands along the Spratlys violated the United Nations Con-

vention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

China, for its part, has repeatedly refused to honor the ruling.

Although it did not directly mentioned the ruling, ASEAN, however, seemingly made a vague reference to China’s reclamation and installation of military facilities in the South China Sea as “recent developments in the area.”

The statement said that it “took note of concerns” that leaders have expressed.

It further added, “We reaffirmed the importance of the need to enhance mutual trust and confidence, exercising self-restraint in the conduct of activities, and avoiding

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Vice President Leni Robredo

Philstar.com photo

Critics eye impeachment raps vs Cayetano to lead drug Robredo over UN video message

war defense before UN

by AJPRESS

THE administration of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is set to defend its drug war and human rights record before the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) next week.

The Philippine delegation to the Third Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council will be co-headed by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who is notably among Duterte’s staunchest ally. “[We will be] presenting the human rights report for their [UN’s] 3rd review, which is every three years,” Cayetano told reporters in an interview on Tuesday,

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Filipina murdered in Walnut Creek, Calif.

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte said he’s still unsure if he will accept United States President Donald Trump’s invitation to visit the White House.

In a chance interview on Monday, May 1, Duterte said he’s hesitant to make commitments because he is “tied up” with a

busy schedule.

“I cannot make any definite promise,” Duterte told reporters in Davao City. “I’m supposed to go to Russia, supposed to go to Israel.”

Duterte is scheduled to visit Russia at the end of May to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Information about his Israel trip, meanwhile, has yet to be released.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano

Inquirer.net photo

u PAGE A4

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

CRITICS are seeking an endorsement for their impeachment complaint against Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo.

The group ‘Impeach Leni Movement,’ led by law professor Bruce Rivera, accused Robredo of betraying public trust when she sent a video message criticizing the Philippine government’s war on drugs before the United Nations.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, May 2, Rivera said the group has

submitted its complaint to a certain lawmaker, whom he refused to name, for possible endorsement.

“I don’t want to preempt anything, mahirap kasi (that’s difficult). Personally, alam kong may commitment na, pero sasabihin kong may commitment (Personally, I know there’s a commitment but saying that there’s a commitment), I don’t want to [preempt],” he said.

According to Rivera, certain lawmakers reached out the group when the complaint was still be-

DESPITE ‘50-50’ CHANCE

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Pacquiao throws support behind Lopez confirmation

by MAILA

AGER Inquirer.net

ENVIRONMENT Secretary Gina Lopez’s chances of getting the approval of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) remain hanging in the balance as the body is expected to decide on her fate on Wednesday, May 3.

On Tuesday, the CA committee on environment and natural resources terminated its deliberations on Lopez’s appointment. It will meet again on Wednesday morning to decide whether or not to recommend to the floor her nomination.

“Bukas na madedesiyunan kung

confirm o hindi,” Senator Manny Pacquiao, who presided over the hearing, told reporters.

Asked about Lopez’s chances of getting the CA nod, Pacquiao said: “Fiftyfifty.”

“Merong ayaw, merong gusto. Ibaiba e, hindi natin makuha ‘yung mga comment,” the neophyte senator added.

Pacquiao, a member of the majority bloc in the Senate, though assured that he would vote for the confirmation of the Secretary.

“Partner kami niyan e, paanong hindi? Suportado ko naman siya dahil environment din ako e,” he said.

President Rodrigo Duterte reappointed Lopez after she failed to get the CA’s approval before Congress went on a six-week break on March 15.

During the hearing, Lopez assured the Commission that she would not do anything illegal in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

“I wanna assure the Commission that I’m a law abiding citizen. I will never ever, ever, ever do anything in DENR, which is against the law,” she said.

“My temperament is just passionate but it doesn’t mean that I’m gonna break the law,” the Secretary added. ■ Environment Secretary Gina Lopez

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From the Front Page

Duterte ‘can’t promise’ he’ll accept...

PAGE A1 tance of the two countries’ relationship, which the White House said is “heading in a very positive direction.”

Malacañang also confirmed the invitation in a statement.

“The ambit of the conversation between the two leaders includes the expression of commitment of U.S. President Trump to the PHU.S. alliance and his interest in developing a warm, working relationship with President Duterte,” Philippine Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella disclosed on Sunday, April 30.

Abella said Trump also expressed his “understanding and appreciation of the challenges facing the Philippine president, especially on the matter of dangerous drugs.”

No further details regarding the date of the visit, however, have been released.

According to the White House, the two leaders tackled the ASEAN’s concerns regarding re-

gional security, including the rising tension in Korean Peninsula.

“They also discussed the fact that the Philippine government is fighting very hard to rid its country of drugs, a scourge that affects many countries throughout the world,” the White House said in a statement.

It said Trump is also “looking forward” to the upcoming East Asia Summit and the U.S.ASEAN Summit, which will be held in November in the Philippines.

Asked for more details about his recent phone call with Trump, Duterte, who is also the chairperson of this year’s ASEAN, said he told the U.S. leader about the Philippines and the Southeast Asian region’s concerns over the rising tension in Korean Peninsula.

“It’s the concern of everybody. Not only with us, both the ASEAN guys. The heads of states also expressed their fear of an outbreak of the threat of a

nuclear warhead,” Duterte said.

Tensions have been rising in the area amid fears of North Korea’s further possible missile or nuclear activities, with the U.S. threatening to stage a military attack against Pyongyang over its weapons tests.

While Duterte agreed that the U.S. has a “persuasive power,” he still urged Washington to show restraint in dealing with North Korea.

“I just said, ‘We’re concerned.

I suppose you have your persuasive power. There has to be sense somewhere, Mr. President (Trump). I don’t think you can scare (North Korean Leader) Kim Jong-un with firepower,’” Duterte recalled telling Trump.

Recognizing that China can serve as a mediator between Washington and Pyongyang, the Philippine president added: “Our greatest chance there of getting some dialogue with America and North Korea would be through PAGE A4

SPOUSES ON TOUR. resident Rodrigo Duterte’s partner Cielito ‘Honeylet’ Avanceña (center) poses for a photo with Tran Nguyet Thu of Vietnam, Naly Sisoulith of Laos, Indonesia’s Iriana Widodo, and Thailand’s Naraporn Chan-o-cha before Juan Luna’s “Spoliarium” at the National Museum in Manila.

Malacañang photo

ASEAN’s final statement mum on...

PAGE A1 actions that may further complicate the situation, and pursuing peaceful resolution of disputes, without resorting to the threat or use of force.”

The drop of the arbitral court ruling is apparently expected.

Days before the summit, Duterte said that the topic will not be discussed in the summit since the matter is “only between Manila and Beijing.”

While saying that the ruling is a non-issue at the ASEAN summit, the Philippine president, however, highlighted the importance of finishing a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea. Apart from the Philippines, ASEAN member-countries Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also have competing maritime claims with China.

The 10-member regional bloc, together with Beijing, is expected to finish this year a framework for a COC aimed to address issues concerning the disputed sea.

In its final statement, ASEAN took note of its “improving cooperation [with] China.”

ASEAN also “recognized the long-term benefits that would be

gained from having the South China Sea as a sea of peace, stability and sustainable development.”

Following Tuesday, May 2, China said it welcomed ASEAN’s softer stance on the controversial waters.

Korean Peninsula issue Regarding the issues concerning the rising tension in Korean Peninsula, ASEAN reiterated “full support for the denuclearization” of the area and its call for “concerned parties to explore all avenues for immediate dialogue.”

According to recent reports, the government of North Korea was seeking the support of Southeast Asian nations in its row with the United States.

Tensions have been rising in the area amid fears of Pyongyang’s further possible missile or nuclear tests, with the U.S. and North Korea continuously exchanging heated rhetoric.

For the past few months, Pyongyang has been conducting nuclear tests, alarming its neighboring countries. In a show of force, U.S. has been sending high-level strategic assets to the peninsula.

“We expressed our grave concern over recent developments in the Korean Peninsula, including the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) two nuclear tests in 2016 and subsequent ballistic missile launches,” ASEAN said.

According to the regional bloc, North Korea’s actions “have resulted in an escalation of tensions that can affect peace and stability in the entire region.”

It then urged the DPRK “to immediately comply fully with its obligations arising from all relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and stressed the importance of exercising self-restraint in the interest of maintaining peace, security and stability in the region and the world.”

On other issues In its final remarks, ASEAN expressed satisfaction with the outcomes of the Summits with Dialogue Partners last year.

“We looked forward to commemorating milestone anniversaries of Dialogue Relations with Canada, the EU, India and the United States this year to add PAGE A5

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Duterte ‘can’t promise’ he’ll accept...

PAGE A2 t

the intercession of China.”

Condemn, not invite While Duterte has yet to officially accept Trump’s invitation to visit the White House, international critics have expressed alarm over the reported offer, saying that Washington should instead condemn the Philippine leader’s war against illegal drugs that resulted in thousands of deaths.

“Countries with bilateral ties to the Philippines, particularly the United States, have an obligation to urge accountability for the victims of Duterte’s abusive drug war, rather than offer to roll out the red carpet for official state visits by its mastermind,” Human Rights Watch Deputy Director Phelim Kine said in a statement.

Duterte has been accused of committing “crime[s] against humanity” by different local and international groups, such as the United Nations and Amnesty International, over the alleged spate of summary killings linked in his drug war since assuming the presidency last June The Philippine government, for its part, has repeatedly denied that the over 8,000 deaths are state sanctioned.

Former U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby also criticized the invite, saying that it caused Washington to miss its chance to raise concerns about

the “manner in which Duterte is running his own country.”

“Well, he got a call this weekend from President Trump, which on the face of it isn’t a bad thing. There’s a lot to talk about.

Except the president doesn’t appear to have used this opportunity to raise any concerns about the manner in which Duterte is running his own country, violating the human rights of his own citizens or treating his best ally, the United States,” Kirby wrote in an opinion piece published by CNN. He also argued that giving Duterte the chance of a White House meeting is equal to “denigrat[ing] the rule of law and to spit in the face of the thousands of innocent Filipinos who have suffered under Duterte’s jackboot.”

At the same time, Trump reportedly didn’t inform the U.S. State Department beforehand about the invite, which is likely a breaking of diplomatic protocol. “[I]t is a little unusual that this kind of invitation wouldn’t have been prepared ahead of time as part of his talking points. The reports indicate that it came as a surprise, not only to the State Department but to some people on the National Security Council and the White House as well,” said David Kramer, who served as former assistant sec-

retary of state for human rights during the George W. Bush administration.

Defending Trump’s invitation to Duterte, White House chief of staff Reince Priebus said that the cooperation of the Philippines is greatly needed in countering North Korea.

“There is nothing right now facing this country and facing the region that is a bigger threat than what’s happening in North Korea,” White House chief of staff Reince Priebus told ABC’s “This Week.”

Priebus clarified that reaching out to Duterte “doesn’t mean that human rights don’t matter.”

“But what it does mean is that the issues facing us developing out of North Korea are so serious that we need cooperation at some level with as many partners in the area as we can get to make sure we have our ducks in a row,” the chief of staff explained.

Following the U.S. official’s statement, the United Nations (UN) expressed hope that Trump would remind Duterte his duty of promoting human rights.

“So one hopes the message will be very clear and undiluted from the President of United States to the President of the Philippines,” U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said in a press briefing. n

Cayetano to lead drug war defense...

PAGE A1 May 2.

The senator will be joined by Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra and Undersecretary Severo Catura, head of the presidential human rights committee.

“Well, we’re always ready to defend our country, the president’s intentions, what’s happening in our country,” Cayetano said.

The team is set to defend the Duterte administration on Monday, May 8 in Geneva, Switzerland but according to the senator, they are to leave Manila earlier on Thursday, May 4 to attend “side events.”

Asked about the team’s objective, Cayetano responded: “Tell the truth. Tell the real numbers and tell the facts.”

“We believe after the presentation the wrong facts on the campaign against drugs will be clarified,” Cayetano said.

The UN has repeatedly raised concerns over the alleged spate of summary killings linked with Duterte’s anti-illegal drugs campaign, which has reportedly resulted in the deaths of at least 7,000 Filipinos from both legitimate police operations and vigilante-style or unexplained killings since he took office last June.

Recently, the UN-linked International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) condemned anew the supposed extrajudicial killings in the country, saying that “extrajudicial action, purportedly taken in pursuit of drug control objectives, is fundamentally contrary to the provisions and objectives” of international drug conventions.

The INCB previously called on the Philippine government to put an “immediate stop” to the killings in August last year.

Duterte, in response, has re-

peatedly lambasted the UN for allegedly interfering with the internal affairs of the Philippines.

While Cayetano said they would not deny that there are indeed human rights violations, he maintained, however, that those are not state-sponsored.

“We’re also honest that there are human rights violation[s], but [they are] not state-sponsored.

We have to be careful to communicate to the world what’s really happening but to properly assign blame. Kailan pulis [ang] may kasalanan, kailan pusher ang may kasalanan (When is the police is at fault, when is the pusher at fault),” Cayetano explained.

He further added, “Huwag natin sabihin na walang pagkakamali ang pulis (Let’s not say that the police have not done anything wrong) but let’s not blame everything on the police or uniformed personnel, when it’s the drug lords pulling the strings.” n

LABOR DAY PROTEST. Close to 100,000 people joined the day-long protest nationwide calling for the Duterte administration to implement higher wages and end all forms of contractualization on Labor Day, May 1. Thousands of members of militant and labor groups from different areas in Metro Manila gathered at the Liwasang Bonifacio (formerly Plaza Lawton) in Manila to make a collective call on the government to end labor injustices, especially those suffered by farmers and contractual workers.

Inquirer.net photo by Alexis Corpuz

Critics eye impeachment raps vs Robredo...

PAGE A1 ing formed, who told them “to continue it because that is what they (lawmakers) also wanted.”

“But you have to understand from our end that even if they reached out, we cannot assume that it is an endorsement because they will still have to read the grounds [for impeachment],” Rivera said.

He added, “We are not confident [that we will get an endorsement], we don’t want to be confident because anything can happen. It’s hard to say [who is going to endorse].”

Apart from the violation of public trust, the group also accused Robredo of committing graft and corruption when she allegedly did not list her Meralco assets in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).

Likewise, it accused Robredo of misusing the Home Development Mutual (Pag-IBIG) Fund for a convention in the United States.

“Number one, she misstated several things in her SALN. Number two, there are funds in the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) that were not properly used,” Rivera told reporters.

In response, Robredo’s camp downplayed the impeachment complaint against the vice president, describing it as “baseless.”

“All these charges seem ridiculous and made up because they

are so out of character to how the OVP has been run under the watch of VP Robredo,” Atty.

Barry Gutierrez, Robredo’s legal adviser, told ANC. Defending the vice president, Gutierrez said that Robredo “never actually made any attempt to make any improper use of government funds.”

While Robredo may have traveled to the United States several times after she assumed the office, Gutierrez affirmed that “none of these [trips] were funded by any housing agency, PAG-IBIG or otherwise.”

“They were either official visits paid for from the funds of the Office of the Vice President or if they personal visits, they were paid for by her own account,” Gutierrez added.

He also refuted the accusations that Robredo withheld information from her SALN. “The shares actually belong to the late secretary Jesse Robredo and as far as I know, they were actually declared in the SALN. Actually I was a bit confused when that was mentioned in the public statement made by this group of complainants considering that the SALN very clearly included that as one of the declarations of the vice president,” Gutierrez said.

Despite their seemingly strained relationship over political differences, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte previously

expressed his opposition to any impeachment attempts against Robredo.

Robredo pays protest fee On the same day, Robredo’s camp made its initial P8-million payment for her counter protest against former Senator and defeated vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos.

In its resolution dated March 21, Supreme Court (SC), sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), ordered Robredo to pay P15.44 million for her counter-protest, which is payable in two parts — P8 million for the first tranche and P7.43 million for the second.

Robredo paid the amount after the court rejected her motion to defer payment last week. “’Yung P8 million, hirap na hirap tayo para ibigay (We had difficulty raising P8 million),” Robredo said. “‘Yung P36 million po ng mga Marcos sa isang iglap andiyan na kaagad (But Marcos was able to immediately produce P36 million).”

Marcos deposited P36 million for his initial protest fee earlier on April 17. He has to settle another P30 million on or before July 14.

In June of last year, Marcos filed an electoral protest against Robredo before the court. He accused the vice president of committing massive poll fraud after PAGE A5

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Filipina murdered in Walnut Creek...

PAGE A1 t according to the East Bay Times.

When Don called her cellphone about 10 minutes after the shooting, Prokopowicz answered.

“You’ll never be able to speak to your mom again. I killed her,” the suspect said, as relayed by Don to the news outlet.

Policarpio, who migrated from the Philippines in 2008 with her then-husband, daughter and three sons, was described as having a “gentle and quiet spirit,” according to McAfee’s chief human resources officer, Chatelle Lynch. The Filipina was employed at the software company for a year about six years ago.

She subsequently worked at the American College of Nursing in Concord, California, where she met Prokopowicz, who was a student there. The two entered into a romantic relationship, and family members began to notice behavioral changes in Policarpio.

The couple eventually moved to Anchorage, Alaska in January 2016. However, Policarpio told her children that the relationship turned violent and fled back to

A

LA’s Asian Pacific Heritage Month music festival returns on May 6 Fil-Ams among AAPI artists to perform at 2nd annual IDENTITY LA

by Klarize

Medenilla AJPress

Photo from a GoFundMe page shows Roselyn Policarpio (center) with her four children.

Policarpio was fatally shot on Thursday, April 27 by Gregory Prokopowicz in Walnut Creek, California.

Photo courtesy of the Policarpio family

California in July. According to interviews with family members, Prokopowicz returned to Walnut Creek soon after and Policarpio went back to him.

She had planned to break up with Prokopowicz the day she was murdered, according to her son Don. Policarpio’s family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise

money for her funeral expenses: https://www.gofundme.com/ roselyn-policarpio-funeral. As of this writing, the page has raised nearly half of the $8,000 goal.

“Justice will come soon,” the page says. “The aim of the campaign is to raise funds to give Roselyn the decent and proper last rites she deserves.” (Christina M. Oriel/AJPress)

Two Fil-Ams elected to Cerritos City...

PAGE A1 t

ceremony, Pulido told the Asian Journal that he is once again is looking forward to having another Fil-Am serving on the city council.

“We happen to be Americans of Filipino ancestry who are participating in the American democratic process to provide leadership for our respective communities,” Pulido — who became the city’s first Filipino-American mayor in 2014 — remarked. “That’s really the story here: that [Filipino Americans] are now becoming a part of governing the community, not just being civically engaged.

We’re now responsible for governing and making the important decisions for the betterment of all people in our community.”

Acknowledging the induction of another Fil-Am councilmember, Pulido said he’s “grateful for the opportunity to serve as a role model for Filipino American youth” to encourage them to become more involved in participating in government.

The diverse community of Cerritos is home to more than 49,000 residents, with about 9,000 of them being Filipino residents. Since first being elected

LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • MAy 3-5, 2017

FOR the second year in a row, Los Angeles will be celebrating Asian Pacific Heritage Month with IDENTITY LA, a free outdoor concert that will feature a wide range of internationally-known Asian American musicians.

On Saturday, May 6, the open-to-the-public concert will take place at Grand Park in downtown LA from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The headliners include folk pop group Us the Duo, an LA-based husband and wife duo of Michael and Carissa Alvarado, the latter being Filipina-American. Also headlining is San Francisco-based electronic music artist and producer Giraffage and South Korean R&B artist DEAN. Other fan favorites who hail from the AAPI community include Starro (soulection), Year of the OX, Filipina artist Kronika (soulection), Doctors&Engineers, Tenelle, SAAY and Dj Zo. IDENTITY LA is presented by LA City Councilmember David Ryu of District 4 and International Secret Agents, and was established to

observe the city’s annual celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month.

“This year we hope to make it bigger and better,” Ryu told the Asian Journal.

Ryu said that one of the goals of this festival is to celebrate Asian American talent and artistry in hopes of inspiring aspiring artists. He added that IDENTITY LA is meant to celebrate the Asian American identity and to share it with everyone.

“It’s to show also our pride as being Asian American because we’re not guests in this country. This is our country and we’ve helped build this country. It’s to empower the younger generations,” he said.

Ryu added: “It’s also not to only celebrate amongst ourselves but share our culture with our neighbors who are not Asian American because we draw strength from diversity and it’s only when we learn about each other’s differences that we grow stronger together.”

To RSVP or learn more information about IDENTITY LA, visit www.isatv.com. n

Critics eye impeachment raps vs Robredo...

PAGE A4 t

she won the seat only by a slim margin.

Robredo, however, has vowed to prevent Marcos from returning to power, citing the sufferings of Filipinos under the dictatorship of his father, former President Ferdinand Marcos.

Frank Aurelio Yokoyama

Mark Pulido

AJPress file photo by Ding Carreon

to the Cerritos City Council in 2011, Pulido has become an important figure in the city, which is gradually becoming more and more diverse.

After his first stint on the city council, Pulido served as mayor pro tempore in 2013-2014, mayor in 2014 and was re-elected to the Cerritos City Council in 2015.

Additionally, he was mayor pro tempore in 2017.

“It’s truly a testament to the commitment and persistence of the Filipino-American community who lifted me up every time to have a seat at the table and to be able to voice our community’s concerns,” Pulido expressed.

(Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

“(K)ahit na mahirap, kahit po maraming pagsubok na pinagdaraanan, hindi naman po natin ipapayag na bastabasta kunin na lang sa atin yung boses ng taong bayan (Even if it’s difficult, even if there’s lot challenges, we will not let the voice of the people

to be taken away),” Robredo said.

She further added, “Alam po ninyo, ang laban na ito hindi ito tungkol sa akin. Ang laban na ito ay tungkol sa ating lahat (You know that this fight is not about me. This fight is about all of us).” n

ASEAN’s final statement mum on...

PAGE A2 t

momentum to strengthening the existing partnerships,” it added.

The regional bloc also welcomed the progress made in the realization of ASEAN Roll-on Roll-off (RORO) shipping network, which it said is “among the economic priority deliverables” under the Philippines’ chairmanship.

The launch of its maiden voy-

age, routed between Davao, Philippines and Bitung, Indonesia, occurred on April 30.

“The initiative would enhance the connectivity of archipelagic ASEAN and further facilitate trade and tourism, as well as provide greater impetus to the implementation of multimodal transport in the ASEAN region,” it said.

ASEAN also reaffirmed its commitment to the ASEAN declaration on One ASEAN One Response, which is a collective response to disasters inside and outside of the region.

Likewise, it reaffirmed its commitment to the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity and natural resources in the ASEAN region. (AJPress)

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OPINION

FEATURES

Unified

OVER the weekend, leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) convened in Manila for the 30th ASEAN Summit with the theme “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World.”

The 10-member countries also marked the regional bloc’s 50th anniversary, from starting as a loosely constructed regional association at the height of the Cold War to becoming a stable organization that has overcome a myriad of challenges that have come its way.

Perhaps the biggest prize for ASEAN has been the preservation of peace, stability, prosperity and close relations among its members, including Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. This stable bond has propelled ASEAN’s economic growth and boost its international profile.

As it continues its international organization, ASEAN envisions an integrated, peaceful, stable and resilient community that actively takes a leading role as a regional and global player in advancing political-security cooperation, sustainable economic growth and sociocultural development in its region and in the world.

Under the chairmanship of the Philippines, Pres.

Rodrigo Duterte led this year’s ASEAN Summit wherein he also engaged his fellow leaders in a dialogue to call for a united response against the illegal drug menace, which he said could destroy

their societies as well.

“We must also be resolute in realizing a drug-free ASEAN. The scourge of illegal drugs threatens our gains in community building,” Dutere said in his opening remarks.

Some ASEAN leaders expressed their support for Duterte’s war on drugs. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam said he shares the Philippines’ concerns on the devastating effects of drugs upon society, while Indonesian President Joko Widodo also supported the Philippine president’s resolve.

Duterte also discussed other security threats facing the region including violent extremism, terrorism, piracy and armed robbery which he said were hampering regional growth and development.

Despite these achievements, some political pundits have challenged the organization to grow economically and politically, to have a more dynamic ASEAN Code of Conduct and a facilitation of a deeper and more meaningful dialogue and consultation.

However, in its Manila summit, there was no mention in the chairman’s statement of militarization or China’s vigorous island-building activities in the disputed waters.

China asserts sovereignty on almost the entire South China Sea and has been aggressive over is-

Editorial

ManilaTimes.net photo

sues on the territorial disputes. It has continuously rejected other nations’ claims (including Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei) on the oiland gas-rich waters.

Allies not only by common interests, but by shared values and aspirations among its people,

ASEAN will set precedents for creating solutions to global challenges.

Despite obstacles set by other nations, ASEAN is moving forward to pursue higher goals, ones that will withstand the test of time, and assure regional peace and stability for its people. (AJPress)

The Duterte and Marcos US trips, a case of déjà vu

Street Talk GREG B. MACABENTA PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has been invited by President Donald Trump to the United States. I seem to have seen this scene before. A case of déjà vu.

In September 1982, President Ferdinand Marcos made a state visit to the US, during the incumbency President Ronald Reagan, amid circumstances uncomfortably similar in many ways to that of Duterte’s forthcoming trip.

Marcos had declared martial law ten years earlier, had full control of the government, and was routinely ass-licked by a compliant press. But he could do nothing about the international media that merrily broiled Marcos and the Philippines over hot coals.

Here is what the New York Times wrote about the Marcos visit: “MANILA, Sept. 14— President Ferdinand E. Marcos left tonight for his first official visit in 16 years to the United States, the Philippines’ chief economic partner and military ally….

“Diplomatic and opposition

sources here said they expected that President Reagan might sound out Mr. Marcos on how he could insure a stable political transition from his authoritarian rule (writer’s note: Read that to mean “cut and cut clean.”).

“Shortly before the Philippine leader’s departure, a demonstration against his rule was staged by some 2,000 people - workers, students and religious activists who gathered in front of Manila’s Roman Catholic cathedral in the Old City.

“For three hours, the demonstrators chanted, prayed and otherwise voiced protests, charging that arrests of labor and youth leaders were continuing. Huge red banners branded the visit to the United States as ‘A National Betrayal’ and urged Filipinos to ‘Dismantle the U.S.-Marcos Dictatorship.’’’

And here’s what the same New York Daily wrote about Trump’s invitation to Duterte: “WASHINGTON — President Trump on Saturday invited the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, to the White House, embracing an authoritarian leader who is accused of ordering extrajudicial killings of drug suspects and who crudely

disparaged Mr. Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama...

“In fact, Mr. Duterte’s war on drugs has resulted in the deaths of several thousand people suspected of using or selling narcotics, as well as others who may have had no involvement with drugs. Human rights groups and many Western governments have condemned Mr. Duterte for the bloody campaign.”

With the imposition of martial law, Marcos had dismantled the media, particularly the Manila Times and the media empire of the Lopezes, consisting of the Manila Chronicle, ABS-CBN TV and a network of radio stations across the country.

Is it déjà vu that Duterte has now declared that he will not renew the franchise of ABS-CBN? And doesn’t it seem familiar that the Philippine Daily Inquirer, a daily that Duterte considers antagonistic to him, is currently on his crosshairs?

But, like Marcos, Duterte has no control over the Western media which has also been routinely broiling him over hot coals. The most that Duterte and his apologists could do about a recent New York Times article critical of the government was to label it “a

well-paid hack job for well-heeled clients with shady motives.”

But the current anti-Duterte reportage is benign compared to how the US media—particularly late night TV—will go to town on Duterte once he sets foot on American soil.

In the first place, Duterte’s host, Trump, has become a virtual pin cushion for such late night show hosts as Stephen Colbert, as well as “Saturday Night Live.”

Alec Baldwin’s riotous impersonation of Trump may yet be overshadowed by a Duterte look-alike and curse-alike.

In a demented sense, Duterte may actually relish his international fame—nay, notoriety—but I frankly do not welcome the prospect of the president of the Philippines—and, by extension, the Philippines and the Filipino people—being the butt of jokes on international media.

It’s one thing being portrayed as a human rights violator in the execution of his war on drugs. Pinoys can actually feel a sense of pride in being associated with a local version of Dirty Harry. But to become an international laughing stock is an entirely different thing.

I don’t think any self-respect-

ing Filipino will feel any pride in that. I certainly won’t.

Even Donald Trump, as thickfaced and shameless as he is, bristles at the TV parodies, especially those of Baldwin and Colbert. But there’s nothing Trump can do but to call media “fake” and find comfort in the cheers of his hardcore supporters.

Unless Duterte’s communications specialists and apologists have resigned themselves to just brazening it (lilipas din ang kahihiyan—meaning, shame will pass), they will have to figure out how to, at least, balance or even just partly neutralize the inevitable tar-and-feather ordeal that Duterte will undergo – an ordeal that will rub off on Filipinos around the world.

During the Marcos regime, there was no Facebook and no YouTube to spread the trashing, worldwide in an instant. Duterte’s formidable army of trolls and his loyal supporters may find themselves overwhelmed.

Like Trump, the best that Duterte’s defenders can do is to shore up the spirits of the hardcore. But in those countries where Pinoys proliferate, the mischievous looks that they will get from others, as well as the snick-

ers over private Duterte jokes, will not be funny.

They could attribute the attacks to the “yellows” and label them “a well-paid hack job for well-heeled clients with shady motives,” but that will be like shooting pellets at bazookas.

Did I say this could be a case of déjà vu? Well, it is for me, personally.

I was one of several advertising and PR executives conscripted by the late Greg Cendaña, Marcos’ Minister of Public Information, to act as advance party for the Marcos state visit and to field questions from the US media.

The others were Leni Hontiveros, Joe Santamaria, Oscar Villadolid, Virgilio Pantaleon, Max Edralin, Charlie Agatep, Louie Morales, Greg Garcia, Tom Banguis, Quentin Pastrana and Emil Misa.

It was the bright idea of then Philippine Ambassador to Washington Benjamin “Kokoy” Romualdez to have ad agency and PR men face the Western media, believing that we were more charming than the usual press brigade that accompanied official trips of the president. Romualdez was not necessarily right, but back then, if you were conscript-

u PAGE A7

Despite hostile media, DU30 wins over Trump

Opinion

FRANCISCO TATAD AS far as public perception is concerned, President Rodrigo Duterte scored big when US President Donald Trump called last week to invite him to come to the White House for talks on the future of U.S.-Philippine relations.

He was clearly the big winner.

No timetable was set for the visit, but it could happen before Trump comes to Manila for the East Asia Summit and the US-Asean Leaders Summit in November and after DU30 visits Beijing and Moscow this month. Trump also invited the Prime Ministers of Thailand and Singapore to come, but it’s his invitation to DU30 that has attracted the most reaction in Washington.

The U.S. press was incredulous.

They had been bashing DU30 for his brutal war on drugs, which was reported to have already killed some 8,000 drug suspects, without any documentation. Last December, the New York Times ran several pages of photographs showing 57 victims of this drug war, under the headline, “They Are

Slaughtering Us Like Animals.”

These pictures just won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography for Daniel Berelhulak, a free-lance photographer. After the Mindanao lawyer Jude Josue Sabio filed a 77-page “communication” before the International Criminal Court at The Hague accusing DU30 of killing 9,400 victims from 1988 up to the present, the NY Times suggested in an editorial that DU30 should be stopped, and that the ICC should act swiftly on the complaint.

Bad news turns good Had Trump been listening to the U.S. press, he would have considered DU30 the last person on earth to invite to the White House. He was simply bad news.

But Trump delights in never paying much attention to what the press says about him; in fact, his latest famous act vis-a-vis the Washington press has been to accuse it of fake news and to snub the annual White House correspondents’ dinner, where the U.S. President was the traditional honored guest. Trump must have an extremely important reason for wanting to talk to DU30 before their November meeting for him to risk all negative reactions to it.

The tone of the Times reporting was clearly condemnatory. It described Trump’s invitation as an “embrace” with a “murderous” president, who has killed thousands, and suggested that Trump brace himself not only for “an avalanche of criticism” from human rights groups, but even for some “internal” dissent from within his own government, notably the State Department and the National Security Council. It quoted John Sifton, Asia Advocacy Director of Human Rights Watch, as saying, “By essentially endorsing Duterte’s murderous war on drugs, Trump is now morally complicit in future killings.

Although the traits of his personality likely make it impossible, Trump should be ashamed of himself.”

It also quoted Democratic Senator Christopher Murphy of Connecticut, a member of the Senate foreign relations committee, as saying on Twitter, “We are watching in real time as the American human rights bully pulpit disintegrates into ash.” The report sought to point out that “embracing” DU30 was part of Trump’s policy of getting close to questionable political charac-

ters like President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, whom he had congratulated earlier for winning in a disputed referendum, Egyptian leader Abdel Fattach el-Sisi, who had come to power through a coup, and of course Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Bonded by adversity Clearly, the proposed meeting of the two Presidents will not make either of them any more “acceptable” to the American media than they are right now. But their common attitude towards the American media could be the starting point of a political bonding, which could be most helpful in constructing better security and economic ties between their two countries and, especially, in dealing with China. Closer and stronger ties between the US and China have become indispensable in the face of the troublesome nuclear threat posed by North Korea. After DU30 decided to go easy on China on the South China Sea issue during the just-concluded ASEAN summit, Trump might have seen an opportunity to pursue a more vigorous modus vivendi with Beijing, through DU30’s good offices. This would allow him to continue whatever

initiative he had wanted to pursue during his summit meeting with President Xi Jinping in Florida, which came under the shadow of his missile strike on Syria.

DU30 as diplomat This could create a new role for DU30. Instead of chasing drug suspects and warding off charges of extra-judicial killing wherever he goes, he would now be shoehorned into the hitherto unfamiliar world of big-power diplomacy.

This is probably the break he really needs. It would certainly require a new presidential demeanor and a new presidential discourse; but the just-concluded Asean summit showed that he is capable of making the necessary adjustments, if and whenever needed.

He even managed to dress right during the summit.

In fact, without his apparently being aware of it, he may have already begun his long-intended metamorphosis. He raised some eyebrows among the Asean heads when he decided to squeeze two state visits—one for the Sultan of Brunei and another for the President of Indonesia—into the runup to the summit; but he calmly took it in stride when the Prime

Minister of Singapore skipped the final Asean dinner and official picture-taking before the summit formally ended. Which means he’s learning fast on his feet.

So far, he has said the right things about North Korea. He had sought to caution Trump not to threaten Kim Jong-un with nuclear firepower and risk an unpredictable response. These were among the most reasonable words coming from Asean, and Trump is probably right to exploit the possibility of cementing a deal with China and North Korea through DU30’s good offices. If that is indeed the real plan, it is hoped it finally works out.

The play at sea The US is an old and tested ally, but it may have some catching up to do with DU30 as far as foreign and security relations are concerned. Ever since he announced his economic and military “separation” from Washington during his state visit to China last October, he has taken no concrete steps to implement that separation. The Mutual Defense Treaty, the Visiting Forces Agreement, and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement—the three

u PAGE A7

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A

D ateline PhiliPPines PNP-IAS reveals ‘secret jail’ existed for more than 5 years

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

The so-called “secret jail” that sparked the rage of human rights advocates has been in existence for more than five years, according to the initial investigation conducted by the Philippine National Police-Internal Affairs Service (PNP-IAS).

Last month, a team from the Commission on human Rights (ChR) conducted a surprise jail inspection at the Manila Police District Station (MPD) 1 in Tondo, Manila, which led to the discovery of around 12 men and women allegedly detained illegally in a cell hidden behind a bookshelf.

PNP-IAS said former police officers who were assigned at MPD Station 1 admitted that the “secret jail” has been long used to keep detainees.

It also said a police personnel claimed that the controversial cell was actually used to decongest the crowded police facilities.

According to Chief Superintendent Leo Angelo Leuterio, Deputy Inspector General of the PNPIAS, they are still gathering more information about the cell’s real purpose since they have been encountering contradicting claims.

“Statements ng mga taong previously nandoon tapos wala na doon. Yung mga information na pumapasok sa amin, coming from other people, like retired na mga pulis na dating nandon na nakukunan pa rin namin ng information (We are still gathering statements from people who were previously worked there like retired police officers),” Leuterio said.

Describing the “secret jail” as smelly and hot, Leuterio added that the PNP-IAS observed that the facility is not an ideal place for detainees.

PNP-IAS, however, admitted that most detention facilities are also in similar unhealthy conditions, citing “a tremendous increase in the number of people detained” in connection with the government’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs.

Leuterio also blamed the slow arrival of the court’s commitment orders for the congestion of detention facilities.

Regarding their investigation, the PNP-IAS affirmed that they will remain objective and fair to both parties.

“IAS will never be influenced by

HIDDEN CELL. Detainees huddle in a makeshift detention cell hidden behind a shelf in the Manila Police District’s Drug Enforcement Unit office on Thursday, April 27. Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and MPD officials clashed over the allegedly secret cell at the station in Tondo. The 1987 Constitution, which created the CHR, grants the agency the power to exercise visitorial powers over jails, prisons or detention facilities.

Philstar.com photo by Miguel De Guzman

outside elements. We will remain objective and impartial while trying to hear the sides of the human rights [advocates] o kung sino ang complainant nila (or whoever is their complainant.) And then trying to get the statements sa pulis na na-andun (of the police),” Leuterio said.

According to National Capital Region (NCR) ChR Director Gilbert Boisner, the lock-up cell does not go in line with the international standard for jails.

“Detainees claim the lock-up cell does not have any source of light and ventilation,” he said.

“The two urinals inside do not function, forcing many of them to urinate and [do] bowel movement in plastic bags.”

‘Illegal but necessary’ PNP Chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, on the other hand, admitted that the “secret jail” may be “illegal” but said he understands the cops’ intentions.

In an interview in Camp Aguinaldo, Dela Rosa explained that the cops are only trying to maximize the available space since the regular cells are already highly congested.

“Legally, may pananagutan sila kasi hindi ‘yun talaga authorized but ano ngayon? Isaksak nila ipilit doon hanggang mamatay sa suffocation yung mga nasa presuhan? (Legally, the cops are liable because it was not authorized but so what? Should they let detainees suffocate and die in the detention facilities?),” Dela Rosa argued. he said detainees told him that they were not abused and that the cops were not extorting them, contrary to earlier claims.

The police chief, however, denied that he was condoning his

officers. “hindi ko sila kunukunsinti. Sinasabi ko lang na walang ginawa na masama dahil di nangotong, di nananakit, at di lumagpas reglementary period ‘yung kanilang pagkakakulong so anong masama doon? (I’m not condoning them.

I’m just saying they did nothing wrong because they did not extort, hurt people, nor exceed the reglementary period of detention of a person, so what’s wrong with that?),” he stressed.

Dela Rosa also questioned the timing of the ChR inspection.

“Ano ang motibo niyo sa pag inspect sa panahon ng ASeAN (What is your motive for inspecting during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ summit)?” he asked.

Backing up Dela Rosa, NCR Police Office chief Director Oscar Albayalde said that the police chief “did not say that he tolerates the actions of the station commander.”

“The chief said it’s just a matter of improvising. Maybe the chief of police, during his term, he saw that thing as probably the proper way to improvise. But then again, maybe the intentions were good but the manner was wrong so this will all come out in the investigation,” Albayalde told ANC. Albayalde also noted that it is important to wait for the investigation results of the investigation before jumping to any conclusions.

“There’s no judgment yet that these detainees were really asked for P40,000 to P200,000 in exchange for their liberties and there’s no findings yet that these detainees were really detained there for several days already. We have to wait for the investigation here before we make any judgment,” he added. n

SUNSET CHASER. A child runs after the setting sun along the sands of San Jose, Antique.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Russell Palma

The Duterte and Marcos US trips...

PAGE A6 ed, you could only “cooperate.”

But how to handle the expected barrage of punitive questions that the US media would fire at us?

On our first day in Washington DC, we were herded into a briefing room by the late Rod Reyes, who acted as Western press liaison for Malacañang, and we went through what PR practitioners call “confrontation training.”

Anticipating every possible question from left field, we debated how to properly answer it. I recall that the most difficult question to dodge and parry had to do with then First Lady Imelda Marcos’s

legendary extravagance and profligacy. The mischievous ones in our group actually suggested just throwing Imelda under the bus. even the Philippine embassy staff thought that was funny.

But the best laid plans of mice and communications men were not enough to neutralize the hostile media reportage, made worse by the unbelievable ignorance of the U.S. press about the Philippines.

This brings me back to the subject of Duterte’s visit to the White house. Why not do it in reverse.

Why not have Trump visit Malacañang instead? After all, wasn’t

it Trump who first broached the idea of a visit to the Philippines?

In Manila, Duterte will have the support of his army of trolls and apologists, and he will not be the only one that the media will parody (if they still dare). There’s Leila de Lima, Noynoy Aquino, Pantaleon Alvarez and Antonio Trillanes, to mention a few—and maybe, just maybe, in the Filipino tradition of hospitality and politeness when there are guests, Duterte’s media nemesis, ABS-CBN and Philippine Daily Inquirer, will be on their best behavior. (gregmacabenta@hotmail. com)

Despite hostile media, DU30 wins...

PAGE A6 treaties that define the Philippines’ defense and security ties with the U.S.—all remain undisturbed, and the regular Balikatan joint military exercises also continue. But the rhetoric and the symbolic environment have changed, while Russia and China have tried to develop closer military ties with the Philippines.

Out at sea, the USS Carl Vinson, the U.S. Navy’s third Nimitz-class super carrier, accompanied by Carrier Air Wing Seventeen, Destroyer Squadron 1 and guided missile carrier Bunker hill, represents a superior naval presence in the area. But its coming and going is hardly celebrated by the friendly media. In May 2011, when Carl Vinson visited Manila, it elicited some mild concern after then President B.S. Aquino 3rd, together with most of his senior

Cabinet members and the Armed Forces chief of staff, boarded the aircraft carrier from a U.S. military helicopter before it entered Philippine territorial waters, without the nation knowing anything about it.

This happened after the execution of Osama bin Laden and the U.S Navy buried his body from the deck of Carl Vinson into the Indian Sea. The question some observers raised then had to do with the propriety of the President and his Cabinet members boarding the foreign aircraft carrier while at sea, and its implications to the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Some pointed out that on board a foreign military vessel at sea, the commander of the vessel exercises superior authority over all on board, and that by boarding the vessel, the President of the Philippines placed himself

under the commander’s authority.

The visit of the Russian large anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs in January, and that of the guided missile cruiser Varyag this month both made quite a splash in the friendly media without igniting any controversy. The same with the current visit of the Chinese naval flotilla. The Chinese flotilla was originally scheduled to hold a reception in Manila, but had to cancel and relocate everything to Davao, where it was welcomed by the President’s daughter, Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio.

On board the Tributs, the Varyag and the Chinese flotilla, DU30 posed for photos without anyone raising any question of protocolar propriety. What Malacañang has sought to underscore is DU30’s personal diplomacy. (ManilaTimes.net)

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LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 3-5, 2017

BUSINESSJ& COMMUNITY OURNAL

B1

Credit watchdogs still bullish on PH

by BEN

O. DE VERA Inquirer.net

CREDIT-rating agencies remained “impressed” with the Philippine economy’s solid fundamentals that are seen to attract more foreign direct investment even as they urged the government to ramp up revenues as well as focus on reducing poverty and income inequality, the country’s chief economist said.

“The general sentiment was very positive, suggesting inward investments,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia told the Inquirer last Friday when asked about the economic managers’ meetings with debt watchers, multilateral lenders as well as businessmen on the sidelines of last week’s

spring meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund.

In the case of credit-ratings agencies, “Moody’s and S&P (Fitch was not there) seemed impressed with what we told them about the Philippine economy,” said Pernia, who heads state planning agency National Economic and Development Authority. The Philippines currently enjoys investment-grade credit ratings from the top three global debt watchers.

“What we need to work hard on are expanding our revenue base—thus, the comprehensive tax reform program is a must— and raising our GDP (gross domestic product) per capita,” Pernia said.

The Duterte administra-

u PAGE B4

PH sustains good record in USTR watch list for 4 yrs

ing a clean record since 2014.

It was in 2014 when USTR lifted the country’s name in the THE Philippines was able watch list, after being listed in the to sustain its good record in report for 25 years since 1989.

United States’ intellectual The Special 301 Report is an property rights (IPR) watch annual review of the US on IPR list for four consecutive years. protection and enforcement In its US Trade Representa- among US’ trading partners to tive (USTR) 2017 Special 301 protect the state’s inventors, Report, the Philippines is not creators, brands, manufacturin the Priority Watch List nor ers, and service providers. in the Watch List, maintainu PAGE B4

by PHILIPPINE

NEWS AGENCY

PH escapes potential trade sanctions from US

by RICHMOND

MERCURIO Philstar.com

PRESIDENT Donald Trump, under Executive Order 13786, has ordered the US Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to come out with an Omnibus Report on Significant Trade Deficits that will identify US foreign trading partners with which it had a significant trade deficit in goods in 2016.

In a notice released by the Office of the Federal Register, the Philippines was not included in the list despite the US having a trade deficit in goods with the country last year. Data from the US Census Bureau showed the US trade deficit with the Philippines in 2016 reached $1.78 billion.

US trading partners on the list are Canada, China, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The US will assess the major causes of the trade deficit with the identified countries, including differential tariffs, non-tariff barriers, injurious dumping, injurious government subsidization, intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, denial of worker rights and labor standards, and other factors contributing to the deficit.

The US will also assess whether the trading partner is,“directly or indirectly im-

u PAGE B6

ASEAN aspires to become digital economic bloc

by MAYVELIN

U. CARABALLO ManilaTimes.net

MEMBER-economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) must pursue regulatory reforms on their own digital landscapes first to help the region become a digital economic bloc by 2025, panel speakers at the 14th Asean Leadership Forum said on Friday, April 28.

Experts from the Philippines, Cambodia and Malaysia discussed ways by which Asean

member states may address limitations to becoming a digital economy—an economy equipped for the future with digital computing technologies, such as ecommerce—going forward.

Southeast Asia is still in the infancy stage in terms of e-commerce. The region is currently seen as a highly attractive market for companies involved in global e-commerce.

However, issues such as limited broadband access, limited financial inclusion for large seg-

ments of the population, low level of trust in the security of electronic transactions, and lack of harmonization of regulatory frameworks among member states continue to hinder the development of e-commerce market in the region.

Cielito Habito, professor at the Ateneo de Manila University’s Department of Economics and former socio-economic planning secretary of the Philippines, said better trade facilitation through the use of information and com-

munications technology (ICT) in the region, which involves individual government regulatory reform measures, would ensure growth of small businesses. They, in turn, could promote efforts by the country toward becoming a digital economy.

“For years I see information and communications technology as a possible great equalizer in business, that is for micro, small and medium enterprises to have stronger participation. That is

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B2 MAY 3-5, 2017 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

BUSINESS NEWS

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Debt Relief Atty. LAwrence yAng FIRST client is 45 and single. His gross income last year was $98K, which is good. It reached $98K because of bonus. Without bonus, his gross income is $72K. This year started out for him with nothing to expect by way of bonus. So his last four months gross income was $6K a month, net of $4,500.

His rent is $1500. He lives by himself but claims his 70-year old dad as his dependent. For a household of 2, his gross income is $10K of $72K is $10K over the median income of $62K for California. This fact complicates the means test analysis because a presumption of abuse may arise if there are insufficient IRS allowable deductions.

So, this is what I call a borderline Chapter 7 case. It can be filed as a Chapter 7 case assuming client has enough allowable deductions so that the presumption of abuse does not arise, but if the trustee objects to the reasonableness of deductions taken, then a conversion to Chapter 13 is required. Of course, client prefers a Chapter 7 discharge where he pays nothing to creditors. On the other hand, Chapter 13 would require a partial payment of debt at least.

Client has $60K of credit card and payday loans. Of that amount, $50K is credit card debt and $10K is payday loans. These are both high-interest debt but payday loan interests are sky-high. Once you start using payday loans, you know you’re in a deep hole that you cannot get out of. So it’s really time to get rid of these debts. It’s time to get a fresh start in life without accumulated debt. This is a no brainer. Client pays $2000 a month for minimum monthly interest payments on his unsecured debt from his net income of $4,500. That’s almost half his net income every month! No one should be under the yoke of so much debt. Wise up and get rid of these debts now and be productive again. Even Walt Disney filed for Chapter 7 twice before Mickey and Disneyland became successful. Now his business is multibillion and worldwide.

Shanghai Disney just opened and its so successful that they are expanding the park. There’s Hong Kong Disney and one in Japan too. Before all of this success, Mr. Disney had to file for bankruptcy twice. His second fresh start from Chapter 7 led to business success

LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 3-5, 2017

Clients seek Chapter 7 and Calendar of Events across Chapter 20 bankruptcy relief

beyond imagination! Milton Hershey also filed for Chapter 7 once before Hershey chocolate products became successful. Now, his business is probably the biggest chocolate business in the world. I’m sure you must have brought your family to Disneyland and you must have bought Hershey chocolate products for yourself and children at some time in your life. These businesses were borne from successful fresh starts after Chapter 7 bankruptcy!

President Trump’s businesses filed for bankruptcy 4 times during the nineties. He nuked his business debts with reorganization under bankruptcy law. Argentina filed for sovereign bankruptcy in 2000.

It could not pay back even the interest on its loans and bondholders were left holding the bag. Greece is has been under bankruptcy reorganization for the last 3 years. I was in Athens last year and I could feel the depression of the people there. The city has no vitality because it has too much debt; same thing happening to debtors with too much debt. They have no vitality because their income goes mostly to debt service. They are debt slaves who practically work for nothing because they have lost the ability to save money and cannot be productive. If you are a debt slaves, get rid of your debt ball and chain now with a Chapter 7 discharge.

Who knows, you might become the next Walt Disney, Milton Hershey or Donald Trump. Pick your choice of who you want to be. You can become the next billionaire or the next president of the USA with your fresh start.

Second client is 58. His is going through a divorce. Wife filed for divorce after 10 years of marriage, and now asks for alimony or spousal support. Why 10 years, you might wonder. Well, in California, after 10 years of marriage, if you make less than your spouse, you are legally entitled to ask for spousal support.

So, you see a lot of divorces filed by the spouse making the lesser income once the 10-year qualification has been reached. Your spouse is not as dumb as you think.

Or, you may not be as smart as you think. In this case, client makes about $100K a year in his profession, while his younger wife makes $20K a year. This means that wife can and surely will ask for $1600 spousal support. Now, where did all the love go to? It all went to alimony. So think twice and thrice before you make the big jump. If

you do make the jump, make sure your clock yourself and if you are the higher income spouse, if you think you made a mistake, better end the marriage before you reach your 10 year mark. Otherwise, you will be on the hook for alimony.

Client had a previous Chapter 7 discharge in 2012. He now owes $50K of credit card debt. I guess he used these cards to pay for travelling the globe with his younger wife. Wife is 10 years younger.

Whatever the reasons are, his situation now is he only has one amount of $1600. He can use this to pay alimony or pay the minimum on $50K of credit cards. Either way, it’s not a pretty sight because instead of saving $1600 a month, he’s paying that out to a person who no longer is his wife. Between paying alimony and credit cards, the choice is clear. He has to pay alimony.

Client is however fortunate that the current value of his house does not exceed the balance of his first mortgage. This means that Chapter 13 will allow him to strip the 2nd mortgage of $76K. The $76K was discharge in his 2012 Chapter 7, but the mortgage lien survived.

Although creditor cannot legally collect on the note because it is discharged, the fact that the mortgage survived the discharge leaves creditor with the legal remedy of foreclosure, which it will not do because foreclosure will yield zero for payment of the 2nd mortgage.

Chapter 13 now plus Chapter 7 in 2012, makes this case a Chapter 20. This works only in Riverside.

Fortunately for client, he lives in Riverside. So he loses his wife and has to pay alimony of $1600 but he gets to strip his 2nd mortgage and make a partial payment on his $50K credit cards over 60 months.

As the 2nd mortgage is stripped, client doesn’t have to pay the mortgage because the note has been discharged in Chapter 7 previously.

If you need bankruptcy relief, please call my office for an appointment and I will analyze your case personally.

“Cast all your anxiety on God becauseHecaresforyou.”—1Peter5:7 ***

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.

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33rd annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival The 33rd Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) will be presented April 27 to – May 4 at select cinemas in the Los Angeles area. A key highlight of the annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month activities, the Festival is produced by Visual Communications, the nation’s premier Asian Pacific American media arts center, and enjoys broad support from cinema artists and audiences alike. This year, LAAPFF features over 180 films from both Asian Pacific American and Asian international artists. For over three decades, the festival has presented close to 4,000 films by Asian Pacific American and Asian international talent. A record 45 feature films and 139 shorts from over 750 submissions will be showcased throughout the eight-day fest. For more information on films and venues, please visit: http://festival.vconline.org/.

M AY 4 -1 1

FilAm ARTS and Philippine Expressions Bookshop to host art exhibit in San Pedro, CA The Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture (FilAm ARTS) and Philippine Expressions Bookshop in partnership with the Croatian Cultural Center of Greater Los Angeles proudly present BUKLOD: A Gathering of Filipino and Filipino-American Art and Artists from May 4 to 11. Over 50 works of art by Filipino and Filipino-American artists are featured in this exhibition, which aims to reassert the presence of Filipino-Americans in the Western canon. Although many Filipino-American artists have been recognized in the art world, their cultural heritage is rarely highlighted nor has there been a body of work categorized as Filipino-American masterpieces in the 600 years of the history of painting. The artists of BUKLOD strive to fill that void with works that instill culture, dignity, and imagination to a cultural landscape that seldom acknowledges and habitually denies them their shared humanity. This exhibition gathers contemporary LA-based artists who anchor their work with their heritage and have an active community involvement to further their respective passion projects as artists. The BUKLOD exhibit will be open to the public beginning on May 4 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., coinciding with the San Pedro’s First Thursdays Artwalk. The exhibit will run until Thursday, May 11 at the Croatian Cultural Center (510 W 7th St, San Pedro, CA 90731). The opening Reception will be held on Saturday, May 6 from 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. and will include live performances as well as food and artisan booths.

M AY 4

PABA’s annual installation and awards gala in LA The Philippine American Bar Association (PABA) will hold its 31st Annual Installation and Awards Gala on Thursday, May 4, 2017 in downtown Los Angeles. PABA is the largest local organization of Filipino-American attorneys in the United States. Formed three decades ago, PABA serves the needs of Fil-Am lawyers and law students in Southern California. The Gala is a celebration of the Fil-Am legal community, as well as PABA’s largest fundraiser of the year. The proceeds are used to carry out the group’s mission: strengthening the legal community through mentoring programs, networking events, scholarships for students, and continuing education. The keynote speaker for this year’s Gala is California State Treasurer John Chiang. Jose (Joe) Lauchengco, Jr., will be recognized as the 2017 Trailblazer, and The Honorable Bernie LaForteza, Los Angeles Superior Court, will be the recipient of the 2017 Distinguished Jurist Award. The Gala will be held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90071. Registration along with a A No-Host Cocktail Reception will begin at 6:00 p.m. and the Dinner & Program will commence at 7:00 p.m. Additional ticketing and sponsorship information are provided below. If you would like to purchase individual tickets, advertisements, tables or become an event sponsor, you can also pay online by clicking here: https://www.z2systems.com/np/clients/paba/giftstore. jsp

M AY 5

AMBOY presents Filipino Street Food night in LA AMBOY presents one night of local Filipino chefs on Friday, May 5 who will each showcase their favorite Filipino street food dish. Guests will get to sit through this outdoor dinner and experience a fun representation of Filipino street food. Featured chefs include: Park’s Finest by Chef Johneric Concordia; Chef Sally Camacho, Top Chef Just Desserts Season 2; Unit 120 by Chef Isa Fabro; Annette by Chef Royce Burke; Kalan Kitchen by Chef Kyle Barretto; and AMBOY by Chef Alvin Cailan. It will be held at the second floor of Far East Plaza (727 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012) at 5:30 p.m., 8 p.m., and 10 p.m. It is $48 per guest. To book online, please visit www.universe.com/amboystreetfoodnight or email eatatamboy@gmail.com for any inquiries.

M AY 6

Philippine Consulate Outreach Mission in Carson, CA The Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles will have an outreach mission in Carson, California on Saturday, May 6 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will be held at the Carson Community Center Rm. 107 ABC at 801 E. Carson St., Carson, CA 90746. Services include passport applications (new and renewal), dual citizenship applications, notarization of legal documents, reports of marriage and reports of birth, and overseas voting registration.

Please note that all services are by appointment only; walk-in applications will not be accepted. Please stay tuned for the official notice of online application and scheduling from April 6 to May 5 at www.philippineconsulatela.org. For more information, please contact Riezl Locsin-Pe Benito at (310) 952-1743 or rpebenito@carson.ca.us. This mission is done through the Philippine Consulate General Los Angeles in cooperation with Assemblymember Mike Gipson (64th assembly district), City of Carson Councilmember Elito M. Santarina, Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce—SouthBay Los Angeles Area, Farmers Insurance, Carson Adult Day Health Care Center, Dreams and Visionaries of South Bay, Inc., and the Philippine Independence Day Foundation, Inc.

IDENTITY LA music festival celebrating Asian Pacific Heritage Month in Los Angeles IDENTITY LA, the second annual free outdoor to celebrate Los Angeles’ Asian Pacific Heritage Month and the city’s vibrant Asian Pacific American community, will take place on Saturday, May 6 at Grand Park. Presented by Councilmember David Ryu (CD 4) and International Secret Agents (ISA), IDENTITY LA music festival is a free and open-to-the-public concert featuring live performances by internationally renowned APA artists and entertainers, food trucks and more.

Folk Pop group, Us the Duo, and special guest, producer/electronic music artist Giraffage will fill out the closing part of the concert. The rest of the evening will consist of a mix of hip-hop, R&B, and pop artists of Korean, Filipino, Taiwanese, Japanese, South Asian, and Pacific Islander heritage. These performances from fan-favorites, Starro (soulection), Year of the Ox, Kronika (soulection), Doctors&Engineers, Tenelle, SAAY, and Dj Zo will celebrate APA’s dynamic culture in the heart of Los Angeles. Festival goers will have the exclusive opportunity to listen to these live, back-to-back performances at Grand Park. The festival will run from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. To RSVP and get more information, fans can visit http://isatv. com.

25th Annual Filipino Fiesta in Waikiki, HI The Filipino Community Center, Inc. will be hosting its 25th Annual Filipino Fiesta on Saturday, May 6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Kapiolani Park in Waikiki. This year’s theme marks the 25th year of the annual celebration with the theme, “And the Fun Continues...” The event is free and open to the public! Participation from the local Hawaii and Hawaii-Filipino community from the over 100 Filipino community organizations, U.S. and or Philippine based business owners and/or their representatives are expected. For more information about the Filipino Fiesta, please visit www.filcom.org or call (808) 680-0451.

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

Community Journal

B4 MAY 3-5, 2017 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

How courts determine child custody in California

Barrister’s Corner

ily Code §3004. The court would state specifically the periods of time the child will be under ONE of the most emotional as- the supervision of each parent. pect of a marital dissolution case Legal custody on the other is dealing with Child custody is- hand deals with the right and resues. Sadly enough, this is an sponsibility of a parent to make area where most parents play decisions regarding the health, games with each other trying education, and welfare of the their best to deprive the other parents of their right to maintain relationship with their child. Child custody comes in two parts, 1) physical custody and 2) legal custody. Physical custody may be awarded solely to one parent or jointly. Sole physical child. Family Code §3006. Excustody means that the child will amples would be decisions such reside primarily and under the as where the child shall attend supervision of one parent sub- school, whether the child can ject to visitation from the other travel to another jurisdiction parent upon order of the court. or state, legal decisions involvFamily Code §3007. Joint physi- ing the child. In cases where cal custody on the other hand joint legal custody is ordered means that the child gets to by the court, either parent alone spend frequent and continuing can make decisions concerncontact with both parents. Fam- ing the health, education, and

Atty. Kenneth UrsUA reyes

welfare of the child unless otherwise specified in the order.

In making its determination on child custody issues, the court considers various factors depending on the specific facts of the case. The court usually follows the public policy of ensuring and encouraging the child’s frequent and continuing contact with both parents after the divorce unless it would not be in the best interest of the child. Fam. Code §3011. If the court is inclined to order sole custody to one parent, the consideration boils down to which parent is more likely to allow the child frequent and continuing contact with the noncustodial parent. Family Code §3040(a)(1). A major factor that would tilt the courts decision are incidents or history of child abuse and domestic violence. This can be from the part

“ Child custody comes in two parts, physical and legal custody.”

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Credit watchdogs still bullish...

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tion’s comprehensive tax reform program, with the first package pending in Congress, is aimed at easing the burden on income earners while imposing additional or new taxes on consumption to raise funds for the massive infrastructure buildup over the next six years.

The first package under House Bill No. 4774 contained the proposal to lower personal income taxes, broaden the value-added tax base by cutting down on exemptions, increase excise taxes on petroleum and automobiles as well as reduce the estate and donors’ tax rates.

Specifically, the bill will adjust personal income tax brackets to correct “income bracket creeping;” reduce the maximum personal income tax rate to 25 percent over time, save for the “ultra-rich” who would be slapped a higher 35 percent, and shift to a simpler modified gross system.

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III earlier said comprehensive tax reform was the key link in the grand effort to break out from the cycle of low growth and build a dynamic and inclusive economy for the people.

“The tax reform package will

EMPLOYMENT

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Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA OKAY Jim Croce, that is really sweet. I guarantee most women and some men would swoon over this sentiment.

Here’s the downer. On a more mundane, prosaic and utterly unromantic note, have you had the experience of setting confirmed appointments with people only to find yourself waiting in vain for the person to show up?

I am sure most people have been in this situation. All kinds of dire scenarios come to mind when a simple phone call or text message could have saved time and tamped down feelings of angst or concern about the other person’s silence and absence.

During this era of cellphones and instant communication, there seems to be no excuse for such disrespect. The least you expect is to receive a call or text message just to let you know the person you are waiting for is running late or unable to show up for any reason. It’s common courtesy, something that is sadly not so common these days in this multi-culti hodge-podge society that has too many opposing and resistant elements to allow for integration and assimilation.

BIG SIGH …

The worse part is getting the same kind of treatment from the

Time

“ If I could save time in a bottle, the first thing that I’d like to do is to save every day ‘til eternity passes away just to spend them with you.” - Jim Croce

same person repeatedly. If so, ditch that contact, delete details from your phone and vow to never again let that person waste your time.

A true friend will not do this to you. Perhaps, a casual acquaintance will. But a person who does this repeatedly with no apology is someone who is disrespectful of your time or at the very least, an airhead that constantly misplaces his phone.

More than likely, this is someone you should not allow to waste any more of your precious time.

You can’t bottle time. Once time is lost, it is lost forever. It is like trying to put back toothpaste in its tube. You can try making up for lost time by increasing your speed, multitasking and having too much to juggle in so little time. But right there is your formula for an accident.

Too much stress could lead to a stroke or cardiac arrest. No wonder so many just drop down dead due to the breakneck pace of life in the cities, places where time seems to be in short supply.

It has often been said that time is more than money for time is actually the measure of life.

Time in a bottle

All of us have a finite number of minutes allotted to our individual life spans. If you’re lucky, you get a new lease on life after a near-death experience. But like all leases, it expires as well.

Money lost can still be recovered in some way but once time is wasted, it is gone for good. So chuck off your dealings or associations from time wasters.

These people are up to no good.

Choose the people you want in your immediate orbit wisely and well. Life is just too short.

Oftentimes though, the worst time wasters are not other people but ourselves. How we use our time, and therefore our lives, depends on our value systems, priorities or what we think and feel are important to us or give us joy or pleasure.

The tech gadgets we have were meant to be tools to enhance living but like most time-saving tools, these are double-edged swords. Information is at our fingertips at light speed helping us navigate our way through the day.

The downside —we can be so

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Asean aspires to become...

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support investments in our human capital, upgrading the educational system and providing quality health care. It is a proactive and propoor measure that supports the expansionary fiscal posture of the present administration,” Dominguez said.

“The comprehensive tax reform package is an indispensable component of the Duterte administration’s economic strategy. It is an audacious strategy that seeks to lift our country to upper middle-income status by 2022 and high-income status by 2040,” according to Dominguez, referring to the government’s medium-term development program and long-term vision.

The Philippine Development

Plan 2017-2022, which serves as the Duterte administration’s socioeconomic blueprint, targets 7 to 8 percent GDP growth in the medium term by pursuing the 10-point agenda ultimately aimed at reducing the poverty incidence to 14 percent by 2022 from 21.6 percent in 2015.

The AmBisyon Natin 2040, meanwhile, which had been adopted by the Duterte administration as the long-term vision for the Philippines, is aimed at tripling Filipinos’ per capita income to $11,000 in 24 years’ time by sustaining at least 6.5-percent annual GDP growth alongside the implementation of policies that would make the Philippines a high-income country by 2040.

EMPLOYMENT

because with ICT, it is a lot easier for small businesses to have access to international markets like the 600-million population of Asean.”

He warned, however, “trade facilitation is going to be a challenge because it involves government regulations, customs procedures that each government has to put in place.”

In particular, this has been a challenge in the Philippines, where the role of MSMEs has been relatively smaller compared with its neighbors in the Asean in terms of their contribution to the creation of jobs, output in relation to gross domestic product, and to exports or trade.

Cambodia Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasok sees a major opportunity for Asean as a whole to become a digital economy and

have the potential to be a driver of innovation across the region.

Describing particular constraints in Cambodia to becoming a digital economy, he said, issues and challenges they currently face are inadequate infrastructure for ICT and a lack of financial support for the establishment of e-commerce platforms.

Given such, he urged Asean member-economies to make their e-commerce sector as inclusive as they can be.

“All of us [Asean members] now have e-commerce law, which I call progress, but we have to make sure that activities [in this sector]are fair. I see a lot of activities in the regulatory frameworks region-wise. But on the social side, at least there’s a lot that needs to be done. E-commerce is the catalyst to do things forward,” he said.

EMPLOYMENT

From a developed economy’s perspective, Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed stressed the importance of aligning public policy with the development of a digital economy.

“The challenge in Malaysia is how to get MSMEs to adopt this platform. Digital economy cannot be achieved unless you address the grassroots issues and change your mindset. Make sure that ICT is also being factored in other sectors as well, like education and health care. Improve internet access in the rural areas,” he said.

The 14th Asean Leadeship Forum themed “Advancing Partnerships, Prospering Together in a New World Economy” was held in conjuction with the 30th Asean Summit hosted by the Philippine government. n

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EMPLOYMENT

Community Journal

EMPLOYMENT

LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 3-5, 2017

EMPLOYMENT

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Robredo urges ASEAN business leaders: Include poor in progress

by Julliane love de Jesus Inquirer.net

VICE President Leni Robredo on Friday urged international leaders and businessmen to include the poor in their efforts to bolster the economic progress of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries.

This as the Vice President noted that while the Asean is now moving towards becoming a big economic bloc, most countries in Southeast Asia is still home to many of the poor in the world.

Speaking before international delegates and businessmen, Robredo then hit “politically and economically powerful” public officials for creating institutions in the government that were “extractive, rather than inclusive, so that they could remain in power.” “(T)he problem is that prosperity has not trickled down.

While the number of Asian billionaires is growing, Asean is still home to many of the world’s poor,” Robredo said a speech at a business forum dubbed the “Prosperity for All”

Summit held in the grand ballroom of City of Dreams Manila.

Robredo stressed the importance of addressing poverty, which she said had become her advocacy throughout her career, first before coming up with ways to achieve economic growth.

But she nevertheless lauded the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN BAC) for putting the welfare of the micro- to small- to medium-scale entrepreneurs at the center of the agenda of the summit.

“There is only good that can come out of deepening the conversation on how to create prosperity for all, not just a select few,” she said.

The meeting is a side session at the 30th ASEAN Summit, which started on Wednesday. It was organized by the ASEAN BAC chaired by Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion.

But the Vice President said she believes that “unless progress reaches the farthest, poorest barangays (villages), our job is not yet done.”

As the business leaders craft

inclusive business models, Robredo said that still, the “final scorecard is what happens to the last, the least, and the lost.”

She then said that her office has been spending few days in a week with povertystricken communities in the country because “we are passionate about inclusive growth because to us, the poor should be more than just statistics.”

The Office of the Vice President has been facilitating an anti-poverty program called “Angat Buhay,” linking public and private entities to poor communities to provide support for the latter.

Also present in the summit were Pampanga Representative and former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Senator Bam Aquino, Robredo’s campaign manager in the elections last May, and other economic leaders.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak gave a keynote address to formally open the prosperity forum. IDL. n

New California laws

What’s New

(Part 2)

Arlene Al-os, CPA, MBA EACH year brings hundreds of new laws to Californians and the year 2017 is no exception.

Cell phones while driving AB No. 1785: Any electronic devices including smart phones will be illegal to hold and use while driving. Drivers who want to use their smart phones must have it mounted on the dashboard or vehicle windshield. A fine of $20 for a first offense and $50 for subsequent offense.

Car seats AB No. 53: In 2017, unless he or she weighs more than 40 pounds or 40 inches tall, children younger than two years old are required to sit in rear-facing child passenger safety seats.

That’s a change from the law that only required children under the age of eight to sit in a car seat or booster seat.

Increase in Minimum Wage SB No. 3: In 2017, minimum wage workers will see a slight increase in their paychecks. For businesses with 26 employees or more under SB 3 minimum wage

increased from $10 to $10.50 per hour and will go up to $15 per hour gradually in 2022.

Gun Laws SB No. 1446: Starting July 1, 2017, gun owners will be required to surrender magazines that hold more than 10 rounds or large capacity magazine to a law enforcement agency for destruction. Buyers undergo a background check before buying an ammunition.

Increased Vehicle Registration Fee SB No. 838: Vehicle registration fee has been increased from $43 to $53 starting April 1, 2017.

Clarification on Sexual Assault AB No. 2888: The change came after the controversial sentencing of former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner received a six-month jail sentence. Anyone who sexually assaulted an unconscious person will not be eligible for probation.

Right to Die SB No. 128: Patients who are terminally ill will be allowed to use experimental drugs. The law will also serve as a protection to physicians from

disciplinary action if they recommend any experimental drugs to their patients once other treatment options have been exhausted.

Gender Neutral Restrooms AB No. 1732: Starting March 1, 2017, California single user toilet facilities are required to be identified as all-gender toilet or gender-neutral.

Serving Homeless Students AB No. 1995: Any students who are homeless will be able to use shower facilities at California’s community colleges.

Tenant’s Immigration Status AB No. 291: Landlord are prohibited to disclose tenant’s immigration status and from threatening to report tenants to immigration authorities. *** Al-os & Associates Accountancy Corporation provides accounting and tax services to individuals, corporations, LLCs and business entities. The Firm has a niche in defending taxpayers audited by the IRS and other governmental agencies.

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PH escapes potential...

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posing unequal burdens on, or unfairly discriminating in fact against, the commerce of the United States by law, regulation, or practice and thereby placing the commerce of the United States at an unfair disadvantage.”

“It is good that we are not part of that list. I don’t know what the US will do, probably (impose trade) sanctions,” Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said.

“If US is going to impose cer-

tain remedial measures on what could allegedly be unfair measures that these countries are currently implementing, then in a relative sense, we will be more competitive to the US market visà-vis these countries,” he added.

Rodolfo said the potential imposition of trade sanctions into these countries may force manufacturing investments wanting to export their products to the US to shift to new locations where

no trade sanctions exist such as the Philippines.

“For those countries identified, if ever they will be slapped with trade sanctions companies who are currently investing in them for manufacturing, using it as a base to export to the US, they will transfer. They will go south and that is where they will see us because countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand are also candidates for sanctions,” he said. n

identified in the Watch List category, including Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, Guatemala, Jamaica, Lebanon, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Romania, Switzerland, Turkey, Turkmeni-

stan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

Moreover, the USTR report identified that the Philippines has adopted laws and enforcement practices designed to prevent unauthorized camcoding, to avoid online piracy and broadcast piracy. n

PH sustains good record...

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Twelve countries were under the Priority Watch List this year which include Algeria, Argentina, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine, and Venezuela.

Twenty-five countries were

Vice President Leni Robredo stressed the importance of addressing poverty, which she said had become her advocacy throughout her career, first before coming up with ways to achieve economic growth. Summit held in the grand ballroom of City of Dreams Manila.

ğ įōíľ ÀðıÃæµįPçį ʼn æIJįıÀ ØÃĉÃæîÂ ß ğÃqPç qíß߼æÃıŎįĤÀíĽØ ÕæíŊįPdíĽIJĕ If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, email us the details (title, description, time & date, location, etc.) at info@asianjournalinc.com.

And for consideration in our print calendar, please send submissions at least three weeks before the date of the event.

To be included in our online calendar/ e-newsletter, please allow at least two to three weeks' notice.

The Asian Journal would be delighted to list your event in our Calendar of Events.

Time...

PAGE B4 t tethered, even obsessed with our tech toys for hours at a time that we become unaware of the huge blocks of time we have frittered away just by browsing the fake news of the day. Mea culpa! I am guilty of this myself.

It is just so easy to let the comfort and ease of our tech toys to seduce us into wasting time and thereby do damage to our eyesight and our relationships.

Do a self –check.

Find out how much time we allot per day connecting with friends and the world via social media.

Are you facebooking, linking, twittering, instagraming, gabbing and living in a virtual world long into the night while the real world takes a back seat?

Does your garden need tending?

Does your child need guidance?

Does your marriage need work? Are you overwhelmed by the amount of junk you have to clear away to clear some space at home?

Have you let yourself go that you look like the Unabomber?

Have you neglected some important part of your life because of all this time wasting activities that hog and fritter away the productive hours of your day?

Go cold turkey and cut the cord, if you must.

It is a major cause for concern when people think they are on camera 24/7. People are collecting on their “fifteen min-

utes of fame or shame” posting vignettes of their life on social media hoping to go viral and be famous, at least for 15 minutes.

We seem to live in glass houses these days. In this extremely intrusive world we have today, PRIVACY AND ANONYMITY ARE AS PRECIOUS AS GOLD. You can’t take these to the bank but more than likely, if you are a normal, average person that has no use for be-

I mention this only because our use of time these days have changed dramatically because of technology. Those who are trumpeting the rise and preponderance of robotics in the very near future may very well be predicting a future that bode eerily of machines taking over much of human activities.

Frankly, I am not sure I am all in for this type of progress in robot technology. This could mean a drastic and negative change on the way humans live and how they use their time and spend their lives in the future. There has to be parameters.

With a big sigh of relief, the baby boomer generations, perhaps, be gone by then. The millennials and the generations yet to come will have to deal with the inevitable battle between man and the machines they make.

All that can be said for today or in the future is that IF we as human beings value our life on earth, we must take full charge of how we spend that one God-given, precious and easily wasted resource all humans still living have in various amounts. And that is TIME.

“ Money lost can still be recovered in some way but once time is wasted, it is gone for good. So chuck off your dealings or associations from time wasters. These people are up to no good So chuck off your dealings or associations from time wasters.” ing constantly in the public eye, you will find the PEACE that surpasses all understanding.

A great majority of the technologically wired world today is preoccupied with the SELF and how they project THE IMAGE of themselves to the world.

Even the deranged and unhinged among us depict murder, suicides, rapes and crimes against humanity loading horrifying scenes on the internet with neither shame nor apology.

*** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette. maglaya@asianjournalinc.com

How courts deterimine...

PAGE B4 t of a parent, a parent’s co-habitant, or other person to whom a parent has a relationship with.

The childs amount and nature of contact with the parents is also another factor considered.

Fam. Code §3011(c). Other factors that can be considered are the parent’s use of controlled substance, prior criminal convictions and registration as a sex offender, and existence of restraining order against a parent.

The family code requires that the parties go to mediation and attempt to agree on the custody issue prior to the court hearing the contested case. Family Code §3170(a). If the case is not settled in mediation, it gets decided in court through a con-

tested hearing. At times, the court will order a child custody evaluation if it determines that it would be in the best interest of the child. The court may also appoint a minor’s counsel if it feels it would be in the best interest of the child. Family Code §3150(a). The court retains continuous jurisdiction over issues of child custody and support until the child reaches 18. This means the order may be modified all throughout this period if there has been a change in circumstances. ***

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)

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

LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • MAY 3-5, 2017

B

People and Events

Due to clamor from patrons: Martin Nievera & Lani Misalucha team-up in a scintillating concert anew ‘Masquerade’ on May 13 live at Pechanga Casino

Due to prodding of the majority of patrons, a new round of live concert, expected to tickle the fancy of guests, will be graced by primed singing talents Martin Nievera and Lani Misalucha— in yet another big night at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California on May 13 at 8 p.m. This after a successful concert first-ever held in September 2016.

As “King of Ballad”, Martin Nievera bagged ‘The Box Office Entertainment Awards’ for Best Male Concert Performer of the Year on April 17, 2016, by GMMSF, Inc.

For 33 years now, Nievera has been delighting his audience with not only Original Pinoy Music (OPM) but has interpreted numerous songs made famous by international ly-renowned singers.

In late August, Nievera launched a new album-- “ The Best of Martin Nievera -- Kahapon.... Ngayon“ by Polyeast recording. A Filipino singer, songwriter and actor, Nievera garnered 18 platinum, five double platinum, three triple platinum and one quadruple platinum albums in his entire career.

Back-to-back, Nievera teams-up with ‘Asia’s Nightingale’ herself, Lani Misalucha, the first Asian to headline a main showroom of the Las Vegas strip performing with Hawaii’s Society of Seven at the Jubilee Theater of Bally’s.

Misalucha is a multi-faceted artist, whose rendition of songs varies from pop, rock, jazz, soul rhythm and blues and operatic areas.

In a more renewed and enhanced concert, Nievera and Misalucha will provide a blockbuster performance that is expected to delight patrons and guests at the famed Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California.

The special live concert coincides with the duos US, Canada Concert Tour 2017. Tickets are now on sale Wednesday-Sunday from moon to 8p.m. from $125, $100, $78 and $58, and may also be purchased at the Pechanga Box Office, 877-711-2WIN (2946) or online at www.Pechanga.com or Starmediaentertainment.com.

Shows in the Pechanga Theater offer a comfortable and intimate concert experience. With 1,200 seats in its theater, each show features state-of-the-art and acoustically perfected sound.

Enjoying favorite artists at Pechanga versus other venues proves effortless with free valet and self-parking for guests, complimentary casino/resort shuttles, gourmet and casual dining options on site, plus comfortable chairs and an up-close view from every theater seat.

Pechanga Resort & Casino offers one of the largest and most expansive resort/casino experiences anywhere in the United States.

Voted the Number One Casino in America by readers of USA TODAY and rated a Four Diamond property by AAA since 2002, Pechanga Resort & Casino provides an unparalleled getaway. Offering more than 3,400 of the hottest slots, table games, world-class en-

tertainment, 517 hotel rooms, dining, spa and championship golf at Journey at Pechanga, Pechanga Resort & Casino features a destination that meets and exceeds the needs of its guests and the community.

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The Asian Journal

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cover story The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - May 3, 2017

National Nurses Week: Celebrating Filipino nurses’ contributions to the US

by AJPress THE United States will observe National Nurses Week in the coming week with festivities beginning on Saturday, May 6 through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

Back in the 1980s, the celebration for nurses was only limited to a day on May 6, known as National Nurses Day. But in 1990, the American Nurses Association (ANA) created the week-long observance. By 1994, the organization moved to commemorate the entire week annually as a way to recognize the contributions the 3.1 million registered nurses (RNs) continue to make to American society.

This year, the ANA has designated the week’s theme as “Nursing: the Balance of Mind, Body, and Spirit,” which is meant to encourage nurses to focus on their own physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, personal and professional wellbeing. By taking care of themselves, they, in turn, will be able to provide an extraordinary level of care to others.

Leading up to National Nurses Week, we dedicate this issue of the Asian Journal to Filipino and Filipino-American nurses in the United States, given the sheer number of those who have gravitated toward the

field.

“Nurses are highly valued by patients. After all, in hospitals, nursing homes, managed longterm facilities, and other care centers, the nurses provide most of the medical care and direct, personal and face-to-face provision of care, interventions and bundles of care towards patient recovery and rehabilitation.

Nurses are the ones who spend 90 percent of their time with patients who get to know their nurses much more so than most of the doctors. And, the patients are always very grateful to the nurses,” said Edmund Mercado, a board member of Philippine Nurses Association of New York.

The history of Filipinos migrating to the United States to be trained as nurses stems back to the 1900s. Some stayed in the country, while others returned to the Philippines to put their expertise to practice and set up nursing schools and programs.

“The Philippines has sent nurses to America since it was a U.S. colony in the early 1900s; today, nearly one out of every five Filipino women in the U.S. works as a nurse,” according to a report by Quartz. (In California alone, 20.3 percent of nurses identify as Filipino.)

What draws Filipinos and

Inquirer.net photo

Fil-Am nurse Menchu de Luna Samchez was recognized by then President Barack Obama in 2013 during his State of the Union address in Washington D.C., and sat alongside First Lady Michelle Obama.

Fil-Ams to nursing? Is it because caring for others, especially those who are sick and aging, is innate in Filipino culture?

“Filipino nurses excel in the United States because caring for others — especially our elderly and family — is already a quintessential part of our culture,” shared Kathleen Reyes, a registered nurse in Southern California. “Having a dynamic with our own families that includes extended relatives and our elderly has formed our nursing skills of caring even before we pass our NCLEX. Filipino nurses are important because we do give that unique and deeply authentic [tender loving care].”

For Reyes — as is the case for many Filipino families that have multi-generations of nurses — caring for others “was a family business.”

“My family has a medical background and growing up I witnessed my parents share their stories of working in the hospital. It was always interesting hearing stories about my dad working night shifts and my mom loving her job in the NICU,” she said. “I also grew up seeing my mom develop her residential care facilities and I was able to visit the grandmas and grandpas at the houses.”

Mike A., a dialysis nurse in

California’s Bay Area, added that his inspiration to become a nurse was from “[his] innate desire to help people and care for them in times of sickness.”

For Mercado, his career as a nurse came later in life after being motivated and living among other Filipino in the profession.

“In 2009, I became a nurse — a noble, heroic, and according to some annual polls, the most trustworthy profession in America, more trustworthy than a priest,” he shared.

Overall, Filipino nurses have reputations for being hardworking, hospitable, and compassionate.

“Such is the importance of nurses in the Philippines, as well as in America and all over the world, because without caring, without all the compassion in a largely unaware world, then all is worth nothing,” Mercado said.

Visit any hospital or medical facility in the U.S., and it’s seldom that you will not encounter a Filipino nurse.

“Nurses are the backbone of medical field. They are the first line of defense. Filipino nurses usually are doing the hardest and [most] challenging work in the hospital (i.e., telemetry, ICU, rehab),” nurse Ellen M., 41, said.

Menchu de Luna Sanchez, a Continued on Page 3

Interesting facts about nursing: • THE word “nurse” means many things to many different people. However, AllNurses.com traces the origins of the word back to the 13th century from the Latin “nurtrire,” referring to one who nourishes, and the French “nourrice,” which refers to a wet nurse (or a breast-feeding woman).

During the 16th Century the word “nurse” evolved to describe “a woman who waited upon or tended to the sick”.

Today, Webster Dictionary defines nurses as “a person who is trained to care for sick or injured people and who usually works in a hospital or doctor’s office,” although we know nurses can work in many different health care environments (i.e., nursing homes, health clinics, schools, hospitals, etc.).

• Linda Richards (July 27, 1841 - April 16, 1930) of West Potsdam, New York became the first nurse to earn a nursing diploma in the United States in 1873. The first professionally trained American nurse, she established nursing training programs in the U.S. and Japan, and created the first system for keeping individual medical records for hospitalized patients.

• In October of 1902, Lina Rogers Struthers became the first school nurse in the United States.

• Florence Nightingale, the most famous nurse in modern history, was only a nurse for three years of her life. Florence is considered a pioneer in nursing for her work during the Crimean War, which ranged from 1853 to 1856.

According to the Registered Nursing Association of Ontario, in Canada, Florence was called the “Lady with the Lamp”, tirelessly tending to wounded soldiers in various hospitals during the night. Florence’s compassion, commitment, and patient care is considered a model for the modern nursing profession.

• In the U.S. military, approximately one-third of all nurses are male.

• Only three out of five nurses work in hospitals. Nurses also work in schools, correctional facilities, private companies, home health, nursing homes, government agencies, social assistance agencies, and research labs.

• Researchers at the University of Maryland’s School of Nursing found that 55 percent of 2,103 nurses surveyed were obese. Job stress and the effect of irregular work hours was cited as the cause. Irregular breaks to eat (if any at all) also has to be some sort of contributing factor.

• Nurses may be called the “backbone of health care” in Canada and the U.S., but surprisingly it’s at the risk of their own back health. Data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics finds that nurses report roughly 35,000 back injuries annually.

Nursing back strain stems from diligent, hands on patient care—including pushing and pulling patient beds and wheelchairs, as well as lifting, rolling, bending over, and moving patients frequently.

• The largest demand for licensed practical nurses through 2110 will be in nursing homes. (AJPress)

Inquirer.net photo

features 3 Happy Nurses Week from Dignity Health – Glendale Memorial Hospital Angels of mercy in the medical arena The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - May 3, 2017

MOONLIGHTING

by MYLAH

nurse who has been working at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York for 20 years, said that Filipino nurses remain to be “an integral part of the health care system in the U.S.” “Health care professionals still look for the Filipino nurses to be in their department.

Filipino nurses are hardworking, patient, and always tendering the trademark of Filipinos: ‘tender, loving and caring,’” she shared.

Sanchez, especially, displayed those traits during

The Nicdao Family, the littlest is only two, smile at the nurses who took this “one moment in time” snapshot at the Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center the day their father was discharged.

as they go on about the business of caring and healing. You can only feel respect, awe and love for these extraordinary human beings, whose work is arduous and complex, requiring the exercise of the very highest faculties of the mind, while constantly appealing to the emotion and higher feelings.

One need not be trained in medicine to make cogent and crucial observation about what it is like to be sick and vulnerable, to witness and record the isolation and alienation that comes eventually to all of us. In the end, we are all patients.

At any ICU ward is a kaleidoscope of broken lives as days and nights flowed into one another, the nurses go through their daily toils. Feeling pulses, listening to hearts, lung and abdomen for finite sounds or prowl for complication as they load vitamins and minerals to patients, like pumping fuel into a powerful car, with no steering wheel or tires.

Are there words less painful? For that one who had an aneurysm brain surgery and might never be able to have another conscious thing, or talk or brush his teeth, or go to the bathroom by himself? Nurses have seen this before. Lots of times they knew what is in store for him — for his mother, his family and his children.

The tension permeated this particular ICU, is a peculiar si-

U.S. CASIN ST O BE

PE

NO

NURSING is most certainly a world in itself. Even as the American health care debate rages, these remarkable men and women quietly continue to to realize how vital their services provide the day to day grit from Vice President Patient Care truly are. You make a difference the edge of life. Each practicing Services and Chief Nursing in a variety of specialties includin so many ways to so many Executive Officer, Liza Abcede, ing cardiac care, the ER, intenMBA, BSN, CCRN, shares a note people.” To all nurses – please sive care, obstetric, orthopedic accept our sincere and heartfelt of gratitude, “I salute all nurses surgery that holds the healing appreciation for rising to your for their continued dedication profession together, they would calling to care for our commuto provide the best care for nity. Thanks for doing us proud. rearrange fate. patients and their families. One Their patients came in Happy Nurses Week. needs only to imagine for a moment a world without nurses Advertising Supplement all shapes, sizes, ages and colors —bfrightened, brave, gentle arrogant, demanding, considerate. They were young and old clumsy and adept, while others were subtle, crude stressful conditions that nurses Hurricane Sandy in the fall of under hardened cells (the way endure, the ANA has several 2012. The Filipina nurse was nurses do), patients are human ideas to mark National Nurses part of the transport unit of the beings in pain.

Week so that they may be hospital that helped intensive care nurses carry critically ill pre- rightfully recognized, including Through a daily basis of witmature babies down nine flights encouraging nurses to wear ness and involvement in death, an “RN pin” or holding special of stairs to safety after a water birth and celebration, nurses surge knocked out the hospital’s celebrations to honor nurses in sign up for life. They have a the community for their heroic electrical supply and backup certain quality, an abundance acts, years of service, and comgenerators. of human compassion, a kind mitment to the profession.

For her heroic efforts, she However, for many nurses, a of wisdom born of the heart, was honored by former Presiwhere fulfillment could only simple ‘thank you’ goes a long dent Barack Obama in his 2013 come from the knowledge that way.

State of the Union address, in one had made a positive, if “Helping a nurse get some which we said “we should follow rest and relaxation would be the example” of Sanchez. not a profound difference in a thoughtful gesture. We are Given the long hours and another’s life. on our feet, we are pulled in You see them, with a grateevery direction during our shifts ful heart as they walk on hands, so some time to relax would and do somersaults dealing be appreciated. But really, a with a patients extreme despair, meaningful greeting card or a suffering: life–altering trauma, sweet and simple ‘thank you’ joys, rage and despair; that when you see us is enough,” ordinary people like us experiReyes said. ence only a few times during an Tess Dela Cruz, an RN for over three decades and a curentire lifetime. rent nurse care manager in New Some of them get frusYork, further added, however, trated, if not horrified by what that commemorating nurses the insurance companies and shouldn’t just stop on May 12. hospital corporations are doing “People and communities to the medical world. But this should honor [and] pay tribute isn’t a piece about politics. This to nurses [all] year long. Not only on Nurses Week, but every is simply getting to know more about these medical warriors, Inquirer.net photo day,” she said.

National Nurses Week: Celebrating...

From Page 2

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WORKING as a nurse is much more than a job. It’s a lifelong calling. Like other professions, it requires intensive training and skill. It also requires countless acts of kindness, compassion, and profound heroism on a daily basis.

At Glendale Memorial Hospital, we take great pride in the talent of our nurses who put our healing ministry into practice. That’s why we always look forward to National Nurses Week (May 6-12).

Communication, comfort, and humankindness are infused in our daily routines with patients. Our nurses don’t see our patients as numbers on a chart, but as human beings worthy of the utmost compassion and respect. To us, excellent care doesn’t just depend on the correct diagnosis or treatment, but on our ability to listen, communicate, and make our patients feel like welcome guests.

& AR ES O RT

C

lence, full of unsaid words that type of strain that translate into blind hope for the best, expect the worst when grief is grief.

When tragedy strikes the nurses deal with patients which is only half of the story. Because completing the cast are the walking wounded, otherwise know as the surrounding family members, thriving on blind hope. Where grief as grief. Waiting minute by minute for good news.

I’ve learned as a writer (one learns early in the game), the more one embellishes, the more spellbinding the story is.

But in the final analyses, I learned that nothing sustain a writer’s humdrum routine than the power to recognize the true poetry of life, the poetry of the common place, of the plain toil worn women, that nothing is more wonderful than faith. The one great moving force which we can neither weigh is the balance nor test in the crucible.

My son-in-law made it through a brain aneurysm surgery that kept us holding our breath for 32 days. How do we ever thank Cedars Sinai Medical Center and Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center medical warriors, without mentioning in conscience, those wonderful, remarkable, angels of mercy called nurses. ***

E-mail Mylah at moonlightingmdl@ aol.com

4

features

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - May 3, 2017

One change changes everything AMeRiCAn Career College (ACC) has provided educational opportunities to students in California since 1978. Originally founded as a college of optics, ACC now offers 13 different campus programs for students interested in the allied health professions. Today, ACC enrolls approximately 5,000 students at Southern California campuses located in Los Angeles, Orange County, Ontario, Long Beach and Lynwood.

Additionally, ACC’s Career Services Department assists students and graduates in a broad range of career planning and ad-

vising including: resume writing, interviewing skills and follow-up; developing job opportunities through leads and networking; the full hiring cycle starting with resumes and job applications; and time management skills.

ACC has helped prepare students and graduates in Southern California with career planning, obtaining financial aid assistance, and more. ACC’s healthcare-focused training prepares students to begin their career in: Dental Assisting, Medical Assistant, Optical Technician, Massage Therapy, Medical Billing and Coding, and

Pharmacy Technician, some in as little as 9 months.* ACC also offers programs in Respiratory Therapy, Vocational nursing, Surgical Technology, and more.** Financial Aid is available to those who qualify! Call to learn more. *Program length varies by session and schedule. ACC cannot guarantee employment. **Programs vary by campus. For graduation rates, media debt of graduates completing programs, and other important information, visit: americancareercollege. edu/disclosures (Advertising Supplement)

Grand re-opening of 99 Ranch Market in San Gabriel SAn GABRieL—The leading Asian American Supermarket, 99 Ranch Market, is proud to announce the re-opening of its San Gabriel location. The 99 Ranch Market San Gabriel family will re-open its doors on May 6, 2017 at 8am to its community. This location was renovated to capture freshness, modernstyle, and clean design.

99 Ranch Market is successfully attempting to redesign all older locations to adapt with the current design incorporated by all new 99 Ranch Market locations. Since its original opening in 1991, the San Gabriel store maintains the same drive to provide the community with high quality products at competitive prices and providing customers with superior shopping experiences.

The store is conveniently located in San Gabriel Square at the intersection of Valley

Blvd and Del Mar Ave. Being in such a popular plaza, 99 Ranch Market San Gabriel thrived and continues to be the one-stopshop for all of our customers by providing a selection of over 20,000 products from local and international vendors as well as tasty pastries from BF Bakery and various Asian cuisines from the in-store Asian Gourmet Kitchen. For the grand re-opening weekend, our Asian Gourmet Kitchen offers delicious promotions of Run Bing, also known as steamed spring roll, Marinated Combo, and Steamed Bunfull of pork and vegetables. Alongside these deals, BF Bakery offers a sweet discount on Walnut Raisin Toast, Taro Cake Roll, and Portuguese egg Tart, which can be accompanied with a $0.99 drink of your choice. in addition to these promotions, we have plentiful activi-

ties planned for our customers such as a DJ, Cooking Show, Tuna Show, and a Balloon Artist.

More information regarding these activities can be found on our social media pages and website. On top of that, we have store promotions such as: • By spending $10 on Meat, Produce, and Seafood, get a $1 Off Coupon for your next purchase of Meat, Produce, and Seafood.

• Visit us at our Booth with a same day receipt over $30 or more, Receive A FRee Gift.

• Spend $100 or more, get a Roast Duck for $9.99. Restrictions Apply.

• “Like” us on WeChat, Facebook and/or instagram, Get a FRee Gift.

The address of this store is 140 W Valley Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91776. it is open seven days a week from 8am to 10pm. For Continued on Page 5

Red Concepcion

The list of Filipino performers in “Miss Saigon” just got longer—and, this time, its newly minted cast is paced by theater actor Red Concepcion, who will portray The engineer in the UK tour of Cameron

Continued on Page 5

features 5 West Coast University: Ahead of the curve for over 100 years The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - May 3, 2017

FOR over 100 years, West Coast University has been helping to educate and prepare students for professional careers. Today, WCU is committed to a unique student-centric approach to advanced healthcare education—combining critical thinking with hands-on experience to put our students “ahead of the curve.”

Across our seven modern facilities in Southern California, Texas, and Florida, we offer focused undergraduate degree programs in nursing and dental hygiene, as well as master’s and doctorate programs in nursing, health administration, occupational therapy, physical therapy and pharmacy.

Online or on-campus, we have a single purpose: the advancement of healthcare in the communities we serve, and around the world.

Our range of healthcare programs—from a bachelor’s to a master’s to doctorate level degrees—combined with our technologically advanced facilities are all designed to help you gain the knowledge, experience, and confidence you’ll need to take on critical roles in today’s healthcare environ-

ments. Plus, our online healthcare program environment is designed to support you and keep you connected.

As medical techniques and technology take impressive strides forward, West Coast University is committed to help prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals and leadership through academic excellence, fostering of a student-centric culture and investment in advanced campus facilities.

If you are passionate about helping people, you can earn the degree that makes a difference.

Our campus programs

include: • Bachelor of Science in Nursing • Licensed Vocational Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing • Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene • Master of Science in Occupational Therapy • Doctor of Physical Therapy • Doctor of Pharmacy Our Online Programs Include: • RN to BSN • RN to MSN – Informatics • RN to MSN – Advanced Generalist • RN to MSN – Nurse

educator • RN to MSN – Family Nurse Practitioner • MSN – Informatics • MSN – Advanced Generalist • MSN – Nurse educator • MSN – Family Nurse Practitioner • Post Master’s FNP Certificate • Master of Health Administration • Master of Public Health WCU’s online programs help prepare you to address the needs of the evolving

healthcare system and may be completed in as little as 12-24 months depending on the program you choose.

The online classes are enriched with video content (mobile friendly), audio books, simulations, adaptive quizzing and on-the-go resources to help you stay connected wherever you are.

For more information, please visit www.westcoastuniversity.edu or call 877-4706510.

WCU does not guarantee employment. For gradua-

tion rates, median debt of graduates completing these programs and other important information, visit westcoastuniversity.edu/disclosures.

Financial aid and scholarships available for those who qualify.

Programs vary by campus Technologically Advanced Simulation Center at WCU WCU students provide dental hygiene services to actual patients at the on-site, free Dental Hygiene Clinic in Orange County.

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WCU Dental Hygiene Clinic hosts Sixth Annual Smile Camp WeST Coast University held its sixth annual smile camp this February, which is National Children’s Dental Health month.

At the event, WCU dental hygiene students and instructors provided children with no-cost dental cleanings, fluoride treatments, X-rays and sealants.

April Turner, dental hygiene clinic senior coordinator, said WCU’S Smile Camp is a great way for families to receive services at one time, which can help children not be afraid of the dentist.

“A lot of these children have not been to the dentist before so we try and really help them feel comfortable and let them know what’s going on when they visit the dental office,” Turner said.

Turner said she also enjoys working with the students, who are always passionate when teaching children how to brush, floss and take care of their teeth.

“To see somebody who is so new to this and so excited about helping other people and improving their dental health, that’s very inspiring to me,” she said.

Josefina Burgess brought her son to Smile Camp after hearing about it from a friend. She said the dental hygiene clinic staff was friendly and welcoming. She also appreciated the hygienist’s patience with her 4-year-old son and her attempts to make him laugh.

“I would definitely come back,” Burgess said.

“I was tempted to ask her to clean my teeth.”

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entertainment

Fil-Am Eva Noblezada, ‘Miss Saigon’ nab Tony Award nominations Fil-Brit leads this year’s winners of Binibining Pilipinas

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - May 3, 2017

world.” the newly crowned Miss ManilaTimes.net Universe Philippines’ flowtHE nerve-wracking quesing and insightful reply to her tion-and-answer portion on most challenging question has sunday’s Binibining Pilipinas thus renewed hopes that the coronation night definitely Philippines might just get back found a winner among the 15 its winning streak when her finalists of the highly anticipated turn comes to compete in the pageant this year. international arena. she is Candidate No. 19, Besides Peters (who also Filipino-British lass Rachel won Best in swimsuit, Miss Peters from Camarines sur, Photogenic and the Jag Jeans who was schooled in thailand Denim Queen special Award), and Australia. the 25-year-old the following candidates were beauty and brains is the succes- crowned for the remaining sor of Miss Universe Philippines titles: 2016 Maxine Medina, who had • Candidate No. 15 Maria been criticized for her poor Angelica de Leon, daughter of performance in the Q&A of multi-awarded actors ChristoJanuary’s Miss Universe pageant pher de Leon and sandy Anin Manila. dolong, Binibining Pilipinas-InEuropean Union Ambasternational, Best in Long Gown sador Franz Jessens asked her: and the Binibining Creamsilk “this week, the Philippines special Award [see related hosted AsEAN (Association story on C8]; of southeast Asian Nations) • Candidate No. 22 Chanel summit. If you were invited to Olive thomas, Binibining speak, what would have been Pilipinas-supranational, Miss your message to the leaders?”

Friendship, and Best in National Peters confidently respond- Costume; ed, “I believe that one of the • Candidate No. 39 Elizabiggest problems of our country beth Clenci, Binibining Pilipiis divisiveness—in politics, relinas- Grand International; gion, and culture. I believe it is • Candidate No. 31 Katarina the same across the world and Rodriguez, the Davaoeña who that is something I would like competed in the reality show to address. If we can learn to Asia’s Next top Model, Binibintolerate each other’s differences ing Pilipinas-Intercontinental and respect each other, then and Philippine Airlines ambaswe will be a stronger nation and sador; and by arlo

Custodio

• Candidate No 18 Nelda Ibe, a cadet pilot from tarlac, Binibining Pilipinas-Globe.

• First Runner-Up was Candidate No. 32 Charmaine Elima, while Candidate No. 40 Kristel Guelos was second Runner-Up. Completing the rest of the 15 finalists were sirene sutton, Christagale Borja (Manila Bulletin Reader’s Choice), Maria Camille Manalo, Gabriela Pattricia Ortega, Larah Grace Lacap, Jehza Huelar, and Juliana Kapeundl, whose slot came from the pageant’s online votes.

Also given special awards outside the top 15 was Dane Felisse Marasigan as Miss talent. the coronation night was held at the smart Araneta Coliseum, with a two-hour delayed telecast on ABs-CBN. the announcement of winners went live at 12:30 a.m. after those in the venue were made to watch the Road to the Crown reality show on the annual pageant, hosted by Robi Domingo.

Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach hosted the pageant with actor Xian Lim, and delighted the crowd when she said it was her fifth consecutive year to be in Binibining Pilipinas—the first three as a candidate, the fourth when she passed on her crown, and sunday night’s hosting, her fifth.

By MoMar

G. Visaya

AJPress

It’s awards season on Broadway! the 2017 tony Award nominations were revealed tuesday, May 2 weeks ahead of Broadway’s biggest night, which is set to happen on June 11 at the Radio City Music Hall in New York.

Filipino-American Eva Noblezada nabbed a nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for “Miss saigon.” she is up against Broadway legends and veterans Bette Midler (“Hello, Dolly!”), Patti LuPone (“War Paint”), Christine Ebersole (“War Paint”) and Denee Benton (“Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812”). this is Noblezada’s first tony nomination.

Miss saigon’s other nomination is for Best Revival of a Musical and it is up against “Falsettos” and “Hello, Dolly!” Both the musical and Eva Noblezada also received nominations from the Drama League Awards. the tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical category is a toss-up among

Eva Noblezada in a scene from the London production of “Miss Saigon.”

Photo by Matthew Murphy

“Miss saigon,” did not receive a tony nod but he received a nomination from the Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Musical. the musical also received a nomination from the Outer Critics Circle for Outstanding Revival of a Musical.

Christian Borle (“Falsettos”), Josh Groban (“Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812”), David Hyde Pierce (“Hello, Dolly!”), Andy Karl (“Groundhog Day”) and Ben Platt (“Dear Evan Hansen”).

Jon Jon Briones, who plays the role of the Engineer in

Gerald Anderson, Matteo Guidicelli & Paulo Avelino: Sound advice from newly minted ‘fitspirations’ by iza iGlesias ManilaTimes.net

ABs-CBN stars Gerald Anderson, Matteo Guidicelli and Paulo Avelino are considered three of the most versatile actors in the country today. they have effectively transformed themselves into different characters be it on television or the movies, and are going from strength to strength in their respective careers.

Anderson, who started out in showbiz as “third Big Placer” in the first season of “Pinoy Big Brother: teen Edition” (2006), Winners of the 2017 Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant celebrate on stage following coronation rites at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on proved his acting mettle in the Sunday. From left: Kristel Guelos, second runner-up; Nelda Ibe, Binibining Pilipinas-Globe; Elizabeth Clenci, Binibining Pilipinas-Grand International; Maria acclaimed film “On the Job” Angelica de Leon, Binibining Pilipinas-International; Rachel Peters, Miss Universe Philippines; Olive Thomas, Binibining Pilipinas-Supranational; Katarina Rodriguez, Binibining Pilipinas-Intercontinental; and Charmaine Elima, first runner-up.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Roger Rañada (2013). this was after a string tV series and romantic movies, which honed his skills one after another.

Guidicelli, on the other hand, entered showbiz in earnest, attending drama and performing arts school in the United states to pursue his love for acting, following a decorated stint in the fast lane as a karting racer.

Finally, Avelino, who made a name as “the Prince of teleseryes,” already has a coveted Gawad Urian Best Actor award on his shelf for the indie movie release “sayaw Ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa” (2011).

Undoubtedly equipped with acting chops, the handsome trio agrees that with their fame come many responsibilities.

Gerald Anderson, Paulo Avelino and Matteo Guidicelli

Besides being professional in every project they take, they also have to stay fit and healthy in order to get through their grueling work schedule, and of course, look good, as actors should.

In doing so, Anderson, Guidicelli and Avelino have each earned for themselves the millennial tag of “fitspiration”—that is, an individual who encourages or inspires other people to attain their fitness goals.

Asked how they feel about this particular part of their fame, the three actors confessed at their endorsement launch for Century tuna’s “My Recipe to sexy” campaign that they actually battle with insecurities about their form like everyone else. “there were a lot of times that I’d feel insecure about

my body,” Avelino went first.

“But I what chose to focus on is just to stay healthy because that’s when everything follows.”

Elaborating, he said, “I mean being fit doesn’t really mean you have to have six-pack abs or that you’re ripped. Being fit is being healthy—which also means eating properly and exercise. Doing all that, I boosted my confidence too.” truly embracing their “fitspiration” status, the three actors also took time to blow off the notion that people should double up on getting fit during the summer. For them, the goal of staying healthy and lean should be yearlong.

“I don’t believe in the ‘summer body.’ We only have one body so we should always take care of it, summer or not,” Anderson insisted.

Kim Chiu shares the benefits of duahtlon training

by Mylene

Mendoza-dayrit Philstar.com

FEB. 18 in subic, I ran into Kim Chiu who was so focused on her duathlon training.

Kim has always been a consistent gym goer starting one year after her “PBB teen Edition.” But these past few months, I started noticing her cycling and running activities. she still trains at the gym with fitness couple Boyet and susan trinidad and also runs with them outside the gym. this week, her new ABs-CBN teleserye “Ikaw Lang Ang Iibigin”

started to unfold the story of two triathletes who will strive to reach for their dreams and fight for their true love. this is the most-awaited television reunion of Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson.

Kim Chiu had to prepare well to play the role of an elite athlete. thankfully, she enjoyed the process. “Kim really enjoys training and she is very committed,” says her fitness coach susan trinidad. susan adds, “she is disciplined to train even by herself.

For example, for a recent 21k

run, though she was abroad for work, we constantly messaged each other regarding how to continue her training. In short, her program, designed by Boyet, was remotely supervised.” she joined her first duathlon at the Pilipinas Duathlon series last March 5. she was invited to join by her good friend Jake Cuenca. she only had one month to prepare for the competition, but she pulled through and finished strong. Just recently she finished her first 21k in the NatGeo 2017 run.

Kim Chiu had to prepare well to play her recent role as an elite athlete.

Grand re-opening of 99 Ranch Market...

From Page 4

more information, please contact 99 Ranch Market’s Customer service Hotline at 1-800-600tAWA (8292) or visit our website at www.99ranchmarket.com.

99 Ranch Market

99 Ranch Market was established in 1984, with its first store in Westminster (Little saigon), California. With the support of our loyal customers and hardworking employees, we have grown to become the

largest Asian supermarket chain in the United states, with 40 plus store locations in California, Nevada, texas, Washington state, and soon to come New Jersey and Oregon.

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - May 3, 2017

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The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - May 3, 2017