101817 - Los Angeles Midweek Edition

October 18-20, 2017 Volume 27 - No. 84 • 3 Sections - 22 Pages

Pres. Duterte declares liberation of Marawi

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte announced on Tuesday, October 17, the liberation of Marawi City from terrorists.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby declare Marawi City liberated from the terrorist influence that marks the beginning of rehabilitation,” said Duterte in a speech during his visit to the city.

The president made the pronouncement a day after the top leaders of Islamic State (IS)-inspired terrorist A government soldier passes by a house previously occupied by Islamic State (IS) groups behind the war in followers in Marawi, where entire structures (top photo) had been flattened in the Marawi City were killed in a military assault. war to stop IS from setting up a province in the predominantly Muslim City.

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Inquirer.net photo by Jeoffrey Maitem

DATELINE

USA

MARAWI FREED. President Duterte (front left) applauds as he declares Marawi city “liberated” during a ceremony inside the battle area in Marawi on Tuesday, Oct. 16, as Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (in blue) raises a clenched fist. Duterte symbolically declared Marawi “liberated from terrorists’ influence” but the military said the five-month battle against militants loyal to the Islamic State group was not yet over.

Malacañang photo

Tourism Sec. Teo revives ‘Bring AFP: Martial law still needed due to network of terror groups Home A Friend’ program to

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

City of LA commemorates Fil-Am History Month Organization for Fil-Am city employees LAFACE celebrates its 35th anniversary

TO honor the more than 300,000 Filipino Americans who reside in Los Angeles County, the City of LA celebrated October as Filipino-American History Month.

Although October is already recognized as Fil-Am History Month nationwide, the city’s move is to ensure that the Angelenos

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AAPI orgs offer free mental health services to DACA recipients, families

Police officers check evacuees from Marawi at a checkpoint by the entrance of Iligan City in of Mindanao in this May 24 file photo.

Inquirer.net photo

AMIDST a fiesta themed celebration, the general public welcomed the rebirth of the “Bring Home A Friend” to the Philippines (BHAF), aimed to help raise inbound tourism figures and spur more economic activity.

The grand relaunch of BHAF was held at the Newport Mall, Resorts World Manila complete with Higantes dancers, other cultural performers and renowned Original Pilipino Music (OPM) artists.

“Tonight marks an important milestone for all of us in the Department of Tourism as we unveil the most anticipated return of a widely successful incentive travel program which was first launched by former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor in 1994, the Bring Home a Friend,” said DOT Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo. The BHAF is a rewards program which seeks to promote travel to the Philippines by encouraging Filipinos or expatriates in the Philipu PAGE A2 pines to invite friends from abroad with the lure of prizes for both “sponsor” and “invitee”.

By simply following four simple steps: Invite, Accept, Travel and Register, any eligible ‘sponsor’ and ‘invitee’ can join. Program mechanics are available at the www.bringhomeafriend.online.

Ms. Mina Gabor expressed excitement and high esteem that the project she initiated 23 years ago has come back to life. She has high

by DANA SIOSON hopes of its success as the current situation is more enabling now givAJPress en that more prizes are at stake and more importantly, through digital THE country’s top cop has no and social media, activation and promotion is a lot easier. u PAGE A4 qualms with Philippine Vice President Ma. Leonora “Leni” Robredo running as president in the next national elections, but he has one request: she must let President Rodrigo Duterte finish her term first.

In a forum on Monday, October 16, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said RobreMARTIAL law in Mindanao must be retained even after the deaths of terrorist leaders Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

AFP Spokesperson Major General Restituto Padilla Jr. said in a Palace briefing that the military still has to address the what he described as “greater threats” posed by network of terror groups.

PNP chief tells Robredo to set aside presidential ambition, help Duterte first

Services extend to low-income families regardless of health insurance

A COALITION of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations have announced a mental health program designed for beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

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increase inbound tourist traffic

Police Chief Ronald Dela Rosa

Vice Pres. Leni Robredo Inquirer.net photo

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State of emergency declared in response to California Hep. A outbreak

by RAE

ANN VARONA AJPress

GOVERNOR Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency on Friday, October 13, in response to the current hepatitis A outbreak in California. It is said to be the largest person-to-person hepatitis A outbreak in the United States since a vaccine for the viral liver disease was made available in 1996.

As of Tuesday, October 17, San Diego County’s Health and Human Services Agency recorded a total of 19 deaths as

a result of the hepatitis A outbreak.

Brown’s statement ordered that California increase its supply of hepatitis A vaccines to help stop the virus from spreading.

According to the declaration, the federally-funded vaccine supply is insufficient for the state’s needs — several counties have already declared local outbreaks, especially among the homeless communities and illegal drug users.

“The California Department of Public Health shall take all

measures necessary to obtain hepatitis A vaccines and prioritize the vaccination of at-risk individuals in affected locations,” reads the proclamation issued by Brown.

The action will allow California to purchase additional vaccines, and distribute them to the affected areas.

The outbreak traced back to San Diego’s homeless population where clean toilets and handwashing facilities are not easily accessible. The county declared a local public health emergency early September.

Santa Cruz and Los Angeles have since also been experiencing outbreaks, but to lesser extents.

The latest California Department of Public Health (CDPH) update as of October 6, tallies a total of 576 affected by the virus — 490 from San Diego, 71 from Santa Cruz, 8 from Los Angeles, and 7 from other California areas. A total of 386 people have been hospitalized.

Because the hepatitis A virus is typically transmitted through contamination by feces, close Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo announces to the media the official start of the “Bring Home A

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Friend” campaign which will run from October 15, 2017 up to April 15, 2018.

DFA photo

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From the Front Page AFP: Martial law still needed...

“But there is a greater threat here that needs to be addressed and the need for the maintenance of martial law in some parts is really important because of the network, the existence of the network of all these terrorist groups,” Padilla told reporters on Tuesday, October 17.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte imposed martial law and suspended the privilege of writ of habeas corpus in the entire Mindanao on May 23, following the attack of Islamic State (IS)-inspired terrorists in Marawi City, province of Lanao del Sur. The martial law proclamation was initially set to expire in July, but Congress voted to extend it until the end of the year.

“It is something that we need to do in order to address quickly and adequately those threats that are looming in the horizon or in the environment that may result to the harm of innocents like what happened in Marawi,”

Padilla added.

He noted it would be up to the president to decide whether to lift the martial law.

“From the side of the military, although this is a political decision, we will make appropriate recommendations,” the military official said.

He assured that that law-abiding citizens have nothing to fear about military rule.

“What we want to convey to the public and for them to understand is that there will be a consultation,” Padilla explained. “The president will allow the Armed Forces and other security agencies to air their side and to make recommendations, appropriate recommendations.”

To date, the military said there only around 20 to 30 remaining armed men or “strugglers” in Marawi City, which include six to eight foreign terrorists. The number of hostages remained to be at about 20, which includes women and children.

In a statement, House Deputy Speaker and Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro said it may be better to maintain the heavy security measures in Mindanao until the situation stabilizes and rehabilitation efforts can proceed on full throttle.

He advised against the lifting of martial law until “tentacles and smallest level of terrorism have been dismantled and hostilities have been diffused.”

“We should not be too confident and complacent just because the military has declared that hostilities have started cease. We have to hear from the people and local government of Marawi City and Mindanao if they already feel secured,” said Castro.

“You have to nip it from the bud. It is necessary that normal lives of the people of Mindanao are restored and reconstruction of Marawi City goes unhampered by even the smallest threat of terrorism,” he added. n

ECO-FRIENDLY JEEPNEY. Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Chairman Martin Delgra III (at driver’s seat) in a signature pose of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte during the 1st Philippine Auto Parts Expo (Philapex) at the Philippine Trade Training Center in Pasay City.

The PHILAPEX features 16 prototypes from different car makers for the PUV modernization program.

PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan

Pres. Duterte declares liberation...

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In a press briefing on Monday, October 16, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana confirmed the deaths of Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon and Maute group leader Omar Maute.

“We were supposed to go to Marawi today with the president but we were advised by ground commanders not to go because they will conduct the assault this morning,” Lorenzana told reporters.

“So they were able to do it this morning. They were able to get Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute. They were both killed.

In fact, their faces are now splashed in the internet. They were also able to recover 17 hostages,” he added.

According to Lorenzana, the military was able to get a testimony on the whereabouts of Hapilon and Maute from a female hostage who managed to escape from a building where terrorists were holed up.

Maute was reportedly killed with a headshot by snipers.

Hapilon, on the other hand, was hit in his chest. Their will still be subjected to DNA testing, as there will be monetary rewards

for their capture or death, the Defense Secretary noted.

Malacañang had offered a P5 million bounty for each of the Maute brothers, and P10 million for Hapilon. A separate $5 million bounty was also offered by the United States for the Abu Sayyaf leader, who was also the supposed anointed head of IS in Southeast Asia Lorenza said the government may announce the termination of hostilities in Marawi within this week.

“And after that, we’ll find out, we’ll assess the entire Mindanao if there is a but the need to recommend to the president the lifting of martial law,” he added.

The attack in Marawi City on May 23 prompted Duterte to impose martial law and suspend the privilege of writ of habeas corpus in the entire Mindanao later on the same day. The extended martial law is set to expire by the end of the year.

Since the fighting broke out five months ago, the government has lost 162 soldiers and at least 47 civilians. 824 terrorists were also killed.

According to Armed Forces

of the Philippines (AFP) Chief General Eduardo Año, there are still around 30 terrorists resisting the government forces in the area but most are expected to surrender soon, following the death of their leaders.

“They are stragglers. They don’t have leaders anymore, they’re on their own,” Año said.

The military chief likewise remarked that the day of the deaths of Hapilon and Maute “marks the triumph of good over evil.”

In a statement, Malacanang hailed the government troops for the death of the two terrorist leaders, describing it as a “clear victory against terrorism.”

“Bravo Zulu to the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines). We look forward to raising Marawi from the ashes of conflict and building in a new era where people from the farthest reaches of this Republic can share in the boon of progress,” Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said.

“This clear victory against

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Trump to hold bilateral meeting with Duterte in Manila next month

by Patricia Lourdes Philstar.com

Viray

PRESIDENT Donald Trump is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with President Rodrigo Duterte and other leaders as he visits Manila next month.

The Philippines would be one of Trump’s stops as he embarks on his Asian trip from November 3 to 14, the White House said.

The American leader is expected to arrive in Manila on November 12 to attend the special gala celebration dinner for the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The Philippine government earlier said that Trump will receive a “very warm welcome in Manila.”

“President Duterte is looking forward to welcoming president Trump in Manila. Our people are excited to see the first face-to-face meeting between our two leaders,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said in a statement released September 30.

Trump will also attend the 40th anniversary of US-ASEAN relations during the US-ASEAN Summit on November 13.

The U.S. president will also travel to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and Hawaii.

“The President’s travel will underscore his commitment to longstanding United States alliances and partnerships, and reaffirm United States leadership in promoting a free and open Indo-

Pacific region,” the White House said in a statement.

Trump’s will first visit Hawaii to receive a briefing from the U.S. Pacific Command and visit Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial.

On November 5, he will begin his visit to Asia with Japan and participate in bilateral meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Trump will also hold bilateral meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang.

He will participate in the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Danang, Vietnam. n

AAPI orgs offer free mental health services...

PAGE A1 The DACA Mental Health Project comprises of 10 communitybased organizations from the Los Angeles-based Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON) that will provide free professional counseling, case management and family preparedness services for DACA recipients and their families.

The groups that came together to form the DACA Mental Health Project said they provide services in 12 languages to cater to the diverse group of Asian DACA beneficiaries: Bangla, Cantonese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Mandarin, Tagalog, Thai, Urdu, Vietnamese and English.

DACA, which is slowly phasing out after an announcement from the White House last month, has provided work authorization, protection from deportation and other benefits to nearly 800,000 undocumented youth since 2012.

The news shocked the country, especially undocumented youth who, overnight, saw their futures change and career opportunities made possible through DACA stripped.

Maria Strong, a DACA legal expert who has worked with the coalition to tailor the program for undocumented youth, told the Asian Journal that the program is “absolutely necessary” to show that DACA recipients there is strong support in the community.

“Many of these young people don’t know what to do and they feel as if their futures are not guaranteed,” Strong said in a phone

interview on Monday, October 16.

“There’s not a lot going on right now in Washington in the way of an alternative solution [for DACA], so the best we can do is to advocate for these individuals and their families and give them the counseling they need to cope as the fight for undocumented youth goes on.”

Strong added that the project’s distance from the government may ease those who may be wary of sharing sensitive information.

She also pointed out that the Trump administration’s decision to end DACA sends a “resounding message” of unwelcome that has struck a chord for all undocumented youth.

“The message that the White House sent was very loud and clear: you’re not welcome here,” Strong remarked. “Unless Congress comes up with a solution like the DREAM Act of some alternative solution, many clients feel as if the government has turned their back on them. The need for these [mental health] services shouldn’t be necessary, but we’re here to ensure these kids that there is someone here for them and will fight for them.”

The program is designed to cater to a wide range of individuals and families, including those struggling to pay for health services. According to Connie Chung Joe, co-chair of A3PCON, now was the best time to provide these services given the uncertainty that has scared many clients from seeking health.

“We wanted to make it par-

ticularly clear that we would find a way to serve DACA recipients regardless of whatever MediCal qualifications or status, [and] without having to [worry] about getting the government involved,” Chung said.

Asians in the undocumented community make up about 10 percent of the population that’s eligible for DACA, according to a 2014 report from the Migration Policy Institute. Federal immigration data from 2016 saw that the Philippines was among the top 24 countries that boast the highest number of DACA recipients; as of 2016, more than 9,000 Filipinos were currently enrolled in the program, according to a report from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The agencies involved in the program include the Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center (APADRC), Asian Pacific Counseling and Treatment Centers (APCTC), Asian Pacific Family Center of Pacific Clinics, Asian Pacific Intervention Team (APAIT), Chinatown Service Center (CSC), Korean Family Services (KFAM), Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC), Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC), Pacific Asian Counseling Services (PACS), and South Asian Network (SAN).

For more information, visit http://asianpacificpolicyandplanningcouncil.org. The Asian Pacific Counseling and Treatment Centers offer counseling and case management in Tagalog. For more information call, (213) 252-2100.

(By Klarize Medenilla / AJPress)

TROOPERS CAN READ. ‘Star Wars’ storm troopers and other intergalactic creatures join a reading and storytelling session at the Fully Booked store in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. It was a charity event to help poor children.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Russell Palma

City of LA commemorates Fil-Am...

PAGE A1 understand the role that working Filipinos played in LA’s history was essential in contributing to the city’s vibrant cultural fabric.

On Friday, October 13, the city celebrated Fil-Am History Month at a special commemoration at City Hall, honoring the contributions of the rich Fil-Am community in LA. “I am particularly proud to be here today as the representative of Historic Filipinotown, a neighborhood who has been home to Filipinos since 1940s and served as a gateway for many Filipino immigrants of Los Angeles,” said Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell of the 13th District.

The City Council also honored the Los Angeles Filipino Association of City Employees (LAFACE), which celebrated its 35th year in representing Fil-Am civil servants who work for the city. Councilmember Jose Huizar of the 14th District also noted that despite “a lack of leadership in Washington” that promotes “xenophobic culture,” Los Angeles stands above adversity and celebrates cultural diversity.

“Here in the city of LA we don’t just talk about diversity,

we live it every day and it an imperfect thing. We don’t always get it right but we embrace what it represents and that it represents the very best of our humanity so we need to actively seek it out,” Huizar said.

“When days like this, when we as council members have the absolute pleasure to recognize, acknowledge and completely embrace and support the Filipino-American community and all they mean to our great city, when we can stand before these good people and say they bring immeasurable value to our city and to us as Angelenos and as americans, that’s a beautiful thing and that’s what makes Los Angeles so special: it’s because of our diversity.”

Since Filipinos began emigrating to LA and establishing their own network in the city, there has always been a desire to coordinate an association of Filipino city employees. That dream was realized in March 1982 when Larry Rivera, grants management specialist of LA’s Community Development Department, and his office mate Dorothy Orozco Tyndall, executive vice president of the LA City Employees Chicano Association (LACECA), organized LAFACE. They saw the need for an or-

ganized body within the city that provided career resources and advocated for the growing FilAm community in the city. LAFACE also serves as a network for Filipinos who seek career promotions and coordinates with other minority groups to promote equal employment opportunities in the city.

Thirty-five years later, LAFACE now boasts a solid and a growing membership and continues to grow and change.

LAFACE President Rea Lazo of the LA Police Department (LAPD) spoke of the enormous early efforts of LAFACE’s past presidents and leadership who have provided the foundation for the group to thrive.

“As we continue to provide a voice for Filipino Americans in the city since 1982, today we come together to proclaim October as Filipino-American History Month and celebrate LAFACE’s 35-year anniversary,” said Lazo, who served for the Department of General Services for nearly 30 years.

“It is my pleasure to honor our past presidents who are here today who helped shaped Filipino American history in the city through their impressive contributions in their various areas of expertise for our organization.” (By Klarize Medenilla / AJPress)

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PAGE A1 physical contact, or through eating virus contaminated food, the risk of person-to-person transmission is high.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), those affected may experience any of the following symptoms: “fever, malaise, loss of appetite, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal discomfort, dark-coloured urine and jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes).”

The virus is also said to be very hard to kill and can live for months outside of the human body, which is why hand-washing with water and soap is extremely important. Waterless hand sanitizers and most cleaning fluids are not effective, according to the CDPH. Hepatitis A infections are in most cases mild, with an incubation period of around 14-28 days, according to the WHO. Yet while most people may make a full recovery and even develop immunity, hepatitis A infections can be fatal for those that already have liver damage.

Thus, those with hepatitis B

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November 2016.

The department claims that over 95 percent of adults are protected after one dose, and close to 100 percent of adults are protected after the recommended two doses, making the vaccine highly effective.

Local health departments have also been providing handwashing stations and toilet access to further control and prevent the outbreak from getting worse.

More than 100 hand-washing stations have been installed around San Diego, according to ABC News.

County workers have also done street cleaning by powerwashing streets with bleach and chlorine.

“By disinfecting our sidewalks and making additional public restrooms available 24/7, we’re following the direction of county health officials to address the unsanitary conditions that have helped fuel this outbreak,” Craig Gustafson, the county mayor’s senior director of communications told the San Diego UnionTribune in September. n

Tourism Sec. Teo revives ‘Bring Home A Friend’...

PAGE A1 The sponsors were thanked through plaques of appreciation awarded by the Secretary and other DOT officials. Partner sponsors include Megaworld Corporation, Toyota Motor Philippines, Philippine Airlines, Duty Free Philippines, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, Tourism Promotions Board, El Nido Hotel and Resort, JPark Island Resort and Water Park Cebu and Pearl Farm Beach Resort.

Providing entertainment were hosts Randy Santiago and Jimmy Bondoc together with the Sabado Boys, Mitoy Yonting and the Aegis band.

Acclaimed actor Piolo Pascual was tapped to sing the jingle,

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or C, are at higher risk of acute infection and death if infected by hepatitis A. The UCLA Asian Liver Program states that hepatitis B and C related diseases are the leading killers among Asians.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) constitute less than five percent of the total U.S. population, but make up over 50 percent of Americans with chronic hepatitis B. Furthermore, at least onethird of Asian Americans in the U.S. may not know they have chronic hepatitis B infection.

Prevention efforts Experts say vaccinating atrisk populations and making sanitation improvements are the most effective control and prevention measures for person-to-person transmission outbreaks.

Approximately 80,000 vaccine doses have been distributed by the CDPH since the outbreak began last spring — early traces go as far back as

introduced as the newest Tourism Ambassador. He was, however, unable to join last night’s event.

“We are looking at positive reaction from the United States, Japan, Middle East and Hong Kong as these are the places where a lot of Filipino communities are. Eventually, we hope to spur more travel from other areas, the tourism chief said “Bring Home a Friend is our shout-out to the world to come and see the Philippines: a country of diverse cultures, rich traditions, and unrivaled biodiversity,” the Secretary added.

Participating officers from the different tourism industry associations, foreign diplomatic community, congress, support

government agencies and media promised to give their all-out support to the program.

For more information, log on to www.bringhomeafriend. online via DOT’s website www. tourism.gov.ph or visit the Department of Tourism Facebook page and Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube accounts.

Kindly like, follow, and support the official BHAF social media accounts: Facebook: bringhomeafriendPH Twitter: bringhomePH Instagram: bringhomeafriendPH Email: bringhomeafriend@ tourism.gov.ph Hashtag: #BHAF2 #bringhomeafriend n

Pres. Duterte declares liberation...

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PAGE A2 terrorism proves the Duterte administration’s resoluteness in delivering on its promise of peace and prosperity to the people of Mindanao,” he added.

In a separate statement, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella reiterated the government’s vow to rehabilitate Marawi City once the fighting was over.

“Once the fighting stops and the clearing operations end, we will put our efforts and energies on the challenging task of rebuilding and rehabilitating Marawi,” Abella said. n

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Dateline PhiliPPines

Duterte not keen on extending his term

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

PHiliPPiNE President Rodrigo Duterte said he has no plans to remain in power beyond his term despite a recent threat that he would declare a revolutionary government if destabilization plots against him continue. in a speech on Tuesday, October 17, Duterte emphasized that he would only “shame” his family by trying to cling onto power through a revolutionary government.

“Nobody is interested in this government to go beyond my term. i do not intend to perpetuate myself,” the president said.

“Their claims that i would set up a revolutionary government because i would like to cling to power, son of, if possible i would have walked away. it’s just dishonorable,” he added. last week, Duterte warned that he would not hesitate to set up a revolutionary government in order to avert the country from falling into chaos amid the alleged destabilization efforts by his political enemies.

The president accused the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the elite, terrorist

groups, and even the U.S. Central intelligence Agency (CiA), as among the entities allegedly working on his ouster. “’Pag ang destabilization ninyo patagilid na at medyo magulo na (If your destabilization slips into chaos), i will not hesitate to declare a revolutionary government until the end of my term,” he said in a report on state-run PTV News on Friday, October 13.

Referring to the CPP, Duterte added, “i will arrest all of you and we can go to a full-scale war against the Reds.”

Unlike imposing martial law, wherein he is mandated to report to Congress within 60 days upon declaration, Duterte said his hands would not be tied if he declared a revolutionary government instead. in a statement, Palace Spokesperson Ernesto Abella clarified that Duterte’s pronouncement was only an “alternative plan” just in case “anarchy” emerges amid the alleged plan to undermine the present administration.

“He’s (Duterte) not threatening the president’s critics about that.

He’s simply saying that if this happens if it leads to anarchy, this is what the alternative could

happen,” the Palace official said.

Abella added that, “So in other words, he’s simply laying the premise that what could happen.

The president, you have to remember, is, again and again, has access to all kinds of information. And he may have his own reasons for doing so.”

He also pointed out that the president’s ouster claim was not baseless, saying that Duterte “has his own sources.”

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Spokesperson Major General Restituto Padilla denied knowing of any destabilization plan against Duterte but agreed that the president could have sourced his information from other agencies.

“Well, the truth is we only provide some part of what we monitor from our intelligence side.

There are other agencies that monitor other parts of our archipelago, as well as other external stations,” the military official said.

“The information that goes to the president is all-encompassing, as mentioned by Secretary Abella. And we don’t have a hand in the information that the president may initially receive,” Padilla added. n

PNP chief tells Robredo to set aside...

PAGE A1 do should set aside her supposed presidential ambition for now and instead help Duterte “accomplish his plans for the country.”

“Sana tulungan na lang niya ang presidente, anyway, she will have her time, she will have her time pagkatapos nito (I hope she helps the President first, anyway, she will have her time. She will have her time after this),” Dela Rosa said during a forum on World Pandesal Day. “Kung gusto niyang mag-presidente, subukan natin siya. Basta patapusin muna ‘yung buong administration ni presidente (If she wants to be president, we can try. But she has to let the Duterte administration finish its job),” he added.

Allies and supporters of Duterte previously hit Robredo for criticizing some of the administration’s policies, including the anti-illegal drugs campaign that resulted to thousands of alleged summary

killings.

At one point, Robredo hit the PNP for its so-called “palit-ulo” (exchange of head) scheme, wherein she said “the wife, husband or relative in a so-called drug list will be taken if the person himself could not be found.”

Dela Rosa refuted Robredo’s definition, clarifying that “exchange of head” refers to a practice wherein arrested drug pushers can reveal their supplier or higher drug lords in exchange of being charged with a lighter offense.

During this week’s forum, the top cop defended anew the drug war as he maintained that the police force values human life.

“We wage the war on drugs because we value life; if we don’t value life and we value money, we will just receive (bribe) money from the drug lords,” Dela Rosa said.

The PNP has been the center of the controversial drug war, partic-

ularly its heavily-criticized “Oplan Tokhang.”

“What’s the essence of Tokhang?

Knock and plead, katukin ang bahay ng drug personality at pakiusapan na, ‘Please, huminto ka na.

Mag bagong buhay ka.’ Hindi namin binabaril agad ang mga drug personalities (Knock on their door and plead with the drug personality saying ‘Please stop with the drugs and change your life for the better.’ We don’t shoot the drug personalities immediately),” Dela Rosa said.

Just last week, Duterte named the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as the “sole agency” in charge of the government’s war on drugs amid public outrage over alleged police abuses. Under the new order, the PNP’s task in the drug war was now limited to “maintaining police visibility.”

Dela Rosa, however, insisted that this does not mean that “PDEA values life more than the PNP does.” n

SAFE MEAT FOR ALL. National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) Executive Director, Dr. Ernesto S. Gonzalez (left), gets a free taste of meat products sold at the NMIS Meat Fair held in observance of the “Meat Safety Consiousness Week 2017” themed “Mula Katayan Hangang sa Tahanan, Malinis na Karne ang Laan” at the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) compound, Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City on Tuesday, October 17.

PNA photo by Joey O. Razon

CHR ‘hopeful’ PDEA will follow rule of law in drug war operations by aJPress MANilA - The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expressed hope that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) will adhere to the rule of law in carrying out the government’s anti-illegal drugs campaign. in a statement issued Tuesday, October 17, CHR Spokesperson Jacqueline Ann De Guia said the commission is “hopeful that professionalism will govern the PDEA in implementing the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.” The CHR likewise expressed optimism that the campaign against illegal drugs will be carried out with “strict adherence to the rule of law.” in a memorandum dated Tuesday, October 10, President Rodrigo Duterte designated the PDEA

as the “sole agency” to conduct all campaigns and operations against illegal drugs.

Under the new order, Duterte removed anew the Philippine National Police (PNP) from the forefront of the so-called drug war amid public outrage over alleged police abuses and deaths of thousands of suspects.

“The PNP shall, at all times, maintain police visibility, as a deterrent to illegal drug activities leaving to the PDEA, however, the conduct of anti-illegal drug operations as aforestated,” the memorandum read.

The CHR, which has repeatedly criticized the drug war over its alleged human rights violations, expressed approval over the new directive designating PDEA as the campaign’s sole lead agency.

De Guia described the president’s order as an “indication

that the administration is willing to listen to public clamor for the observance of due process in its campaign against illegal drugs.”

She noted that assigning the lead role to PDEA “will allow the PNP to devote more effort to solving and preventing ordinary crimes, including vigilante killings and possible EJKs (Extrajudicial Killings) resulting from police operations.”

The country’s national human rights institution likewise said it expects other law enforcement agencies, such as the PNP and the National Bureau of investigation (NBi), “to recognize the lead role of and coordinate” with PDEA in the campaign.

“We also look forward to a more collaborative relationship with PDEA towards shaping a strategy that is more respectful of life and human dignity,” De Guia added. n

A6 OCTOBER 18-20, 2017 • LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL

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OPINION

Neutralized

FEATURES

THE photographs are grisly. But just to leave no doubt that this time, reports of the deaths were not exaggerated, graphic photos were released showing Abu Sayyaf commander Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute bloodied and dead.

Hapilon, said to be the Southeast Asian leader of the terrorist Islamic State, had a $5-million prize on his head plus another P10-million bounty from the Philippine government. The military was preparing to capture Hapilon when he launched the attack on Marawi back in May together with the brothers Omar and Abdullah Maute. Much of the once bustling city is now in ruins in the wake of the most serious attempt yet to set up an Islamic extremist base in Mindanao.

The siege has had a grievous toll. As of Monday, Oct. 16 over 800 Maute terrorists had been killed in the fighting. So far, the military has lost 162 soldiers, with over 1,700 others wounded, while 47 civilians have died. Although remnants of the Mautes still have about 20 civilian hostages, the neutralization of Hapilon and Omar Maute raises hopes that the fighting will soon be over.

The military counts fewer than 30 Maute members still in Marawi together with a handful of foreign fighters mostly from Indonesia and Malaysia.

Now the challenge is to ensure that the Mautes will

not regroup and launch a similar attack. The group clearly took the government by surprise, depleting the resources of the Armed Forces and keeping the fighting alive for nearly five months now.

Armed Forces officials said that with the deaths, “the terrorists will crumble.” But the whereabouts of Abdullah Maute are unknown, and the group can prove to be like the Abu Sayyaf, which has been decapitated several times but keeps sprouting new heads like a Hydra monster.

For several decades now, the military has pursued a counterterrorism and counterinsurgency strategy that has been summarized as “clear, hold, consolidate and develop.” The clearing of the threat is almost over in Marawi, and the military is holding on to abandoned battlegrounds. The government must now step in to consolidate victories in the fighting and pour resources into rehabilitation and development of the battered city.

If properly implemented at each step, it is a sound strategy that can prevent a repeat of the Marawi siege. (Philstar.com)

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

SWS vs Pulse Asia: Satisfaction rating or job approval rating?

THIS is the fourth time that I am writing Opinion about public opinion polling, so I do not enter the subject cold. I have an idea why the SWS and Pulse Asia surveys differ so much YEN MAKABENTA from each other and why they reached contrasting conclusions about the public’s perception of the Duterte presidency.

In a column published last July (“SWS looks for satisfaction; the world asks about approval”, Manila Times. July 13), I commented that SWS in the Philippines looks for public satisfaction in its opinion research; while in contrast, pollsters in practically all other countries (the US and Europe included) ask about approval of the job performance of their presidents and prime ministers.

Satisfaction not the same as approval I wrote at the time: “Satisfaction is not the same as approval. ‘Satisfaction’ means the fulfillment of a desire. Or reparation for a wrong done. ‘Approval’ means agreement, sanction, favorable opinion, or commendation.

Why does SWS in its surveys ask about satisfaction, instead of approval of job performance, or support for presidential policies?

Why does this Filipino opinion researcher persist in using its satisfaction angle in measuring public opinion on presidential performance, instead of the near universal approval/disapproval method of inquiry which is used by almost all pollsters in advanced countries.

The Philippines is the only country, and Filipinos are the only people in the world who are asked whether they are satisfied or dissatisfied with their president. With this survey angle, the president or any public official is treated like a meal, a dish or a fruit which we consume, or perhaps a person who is in our employ or an object of affection.

I have long wondered why against standard research practice, SWS insists on its idiosyncratic terminology and method.”

Contrasting survey reports My interest at the time was not misplaced, because this week, SWS and its

survey landed in the middle of a national controversy.

In survey research conducted in the same month (September) and reports released within weeks of each other, SWS and Pulse Asia presented the nation a contrasting picture of how the Filipino public views the job performance of President Duterte.

SWS reported that DU30 had suffered a precipitous decline in his satisfaction rating. For good measure, it also found a decline in DU30’s trust rating.

Pulse Asia, in sharp contrast, reported that in its survey, DU30 got an 80 percent approval rating, as 8 out of 10 Filipinos fully approved of what the president was doing in office.

Why did the two surveys differ so sharply? Were they taken from different samples of Filipinos?

SWS survey: the magic of net satisfaction In its survey report released on October 8,SWS reported that “President Rodrigo Duterte’s satisfaction and trust ratings dropped in September.”

The President’s satisfaction rating dropped to 48 percent, 18 points down from his 66 percent rating last June while his trust rating declined to 61 per-

cent from 75 percent in June.

The SWS non-commissioned survey from September 23-27 used face-toface interviews of 1,500 adults aged 18 years old and above nationwide.

Of those surveyed, 600 were from Balance Luzon, while 300 each were from Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao.

In fact, SWS in its report skirted the verdict of its own research. The poll reported that Duterte got 67 percent satisfied in the satisfaction survey, and “73 percent” in the trust poll.

SWS diverted attention from these towards its so-called “net satisfaction rating,” which represents the difference between the number of those satisfied and those dissatisfied. Through this keyhole, SWS found a way to pronounce a decline in Duterte’s rating by contrasting the new poll with the numbers in past surveys. By legerdemain, in short, SWS was able to present a decline in Duterte’s popularity.

What credence should we give this kind of opinion research which runs away from its own findings?

Who commissioned this survey of Duterte’s decline?

Pulse Asia survey: Switch to job ap-

proval In contrast, Pulse Asia’s report on its survey was straightforward. The pollster ran a survey on the public’s approval of Duterte’s job performance.

The survey result was as follows: “President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval rating is down two percentage points in September from that of June 2017, but 80 percent of Filipinos still approve of his work and trust him,” according to the Pulse Asia survey released Friday, October 13.

According to Pulse Asia, Duterte enjoys an 80 percent approval rating, slightly lower than June’s 82 percent.

Eighty percent of Filipinos have “big trust” in him, too, according to the survey.

Duterte’s approval rating was highest among the poorest Filipinos, with Class E rating at 86 percent, Class D at 79 percent, and Class ABC at 75 percent.

Although 80 percent of those surveyed trust Duterte, 14 percent are undecided.

Six percent, meanwhile, said they distrust him.

Duterte got 85 percent trust rating among Class E; 80 percent among Class D; and 74 percent among Class ABC.

u PAGE A7

Threatening a civil war

Opinion

FRANCISCO TATAD THERE are a couple of profoundly sensational things President Rodrigo Duterte threatens to do, and he’s got us on tenterhooks waiting to see what he will finally do. Given his well-known track record, no one knows if he really means what he says, and what truly motivates him. Where crime specialists increasingly find the motive for certain crimes more elusive, we find ourselves at sea trying to divine why DU30 does the things he does and says the things he says while supposedly trying to convert an alleged negative2 percent trust rating to a full 80 percent.

First, he has threatened to cut diplomatic ties with Europe and give the European diplomats in the country 24 hours to pack up and leave. This was a real bolt out of the blue. Our contacts and familiar ties with Europe antedate our contacts and familiar ties with the new world. Europe was the intellectual and cultural homeland of our first patriots; it was there where Jose Rizal wrote the Noli and Fili; where Graciano Lopez Jaena and Marcelo H. del Pilar authored their most trenchant La Solidaridad pieces; where Juan Luna won the gold medal and international recognition for the Spoliarium;

where Spain and the United States drew up (in the December 10, 1898 Treaty of Paris) the territorial boundaries of the new Philippine Republic.

Is Europe the enemy?

Just when and how did Europe become our enemy? As a Filipino, I would like to know; I am sure the Europeans, who must have thought they had a stable working relationship with the Philippines all these years, would also like to know.

If Europe had become our enemy, shouldn’t DU30 order his diplomats and all Filipinos living and working there to come home, and his minions in Congress to declare war? Wouldn’t this be a wonderful way of putting to use the firearms shipment we have just received and will probably be receiving still from China?

Second, DU30 has threatened to install a revolutionary government if he sees the “Yellows,” the “Reds,” or any other group “destabilizing” his dysfunctional government. “Destabilization” does not have a universally agreed definition: DU30 tends to regard mere “dissent” as “dissidence” and therefore “destabilizing.” His attack dogs tend to denounce honest and constructive criticism as “detraction,” which, correctly understood, means exposing somebody’s private fault for no legitimate and sufficient public motive.

Shredding the Constitution first Since a revolutionary government overthrows an existing constitutional order, this means DU30 intends to destroy the Constitution before any other party has the chance to destroy it. Since when has the total destruction of the Constitution become a sitting government’s legitimate response to any party seeking to overthrow that same government? This seems the most novel and absurd of all political theories, but it’s there.

In both instances, something seems terribly amiss. There is no sign that either pronouncement is the product of any deep, coherent or rigorous intellectual exercise. Both appear to be conclusions without any valid premises. In fact, if we have not heard DU30 personally making the threats himself, we could not possibly imagine the President of any fairly literate and civilized country or any President for that matter making such threats without choking in mid-sentence.

But DU30 has made them with the same apparent resolve with which he had threatened to destroy his drug-related targets, which had been quickly destroyed; it would seem foolish for us to ignore them or take any chances. So back to the first question: when and how did Europe become the enemy? Who put DU30 up to it?

European protesters It would seem DU30 was reacting to a group of Westerners, including some European parliamentarians, that demanded that he “stop the killings” and “stop silencing dissent,” after visiting the Philippines under the sponsorship of Progressive Alliance, a private group critical of the killings. Short of proposing economic sanctions, the group suggested that the European Union tighten its terms of trade with the Philippines for human rights reasons.

At the same time, a director of Human Rights Watch suggested that the Philippines be removed from the UN Human Rights Council based in Geneva, which has condemned DU30’s record, and insisted that DU30 allow Agnes Callamard, the UN Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial executions, to investigate the drug killings, without any preconditions or limitations.

DU30 may have been further incensed by one erroneous report, given prominent play in one newspaper, which claimed that a USAID assistant administrator for Europe and Asia was part of the European group. It appears that the individual concerned used to occupy that said position from 2016 to 2017 under the Obama administration, but had since become a private citizen.

President Donald Trump has since named one Margot Ellis

to the position. If DU30 had read the report without being able to fact-check what he was reading, he would have found reason to be beside himself.

Last year, an EU resolution expressed concern over the “extraordinarily high numbers killed during police operations” and urged DU30 “to put an end to the current wave of extra-judicial executions and killings.”

But relations between the Philippines and Europe operate normally, according to an EU diplomat; in fact, the Philippines is negotiating a trade agreement with the EU, which allows 6,200 products to enter the Eurozone duty-free. How then do we react to this unexpected threat to cut off ties with the EU? Pls don’t take us seriously Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella has explained that DU30’s outburst should not be taken seriously; it was the result of misleading information the President had received about the European protesters. He did not know that no European government was involved at all.

Reassuring, or frightening? It means we have a President who can be provoked to extremes by simple newspaper reports.

Anything short of saccharine praise is bound to make him hit the ceiling; if you want to please him you attack those who criticize him, even if you cannot find anything in him worth praising.

This wasn’t the first time

DU30 raged against the EU. In an earlier outburst, he said he was rejecting all loans and grants from the EU because of alleged conditionalities, an allegation denied by European officials. Then as now, the real provocation was the criticism of the drug killings.

According to Abella, there is no plan to expel any European diplomat from the Philippines.

No plan to ask overseas Filipino workers in Europe to come home either. Former Senator Ed Angara, DU30’s special envoy to the EU, can now invite all the EU ambassadors to his beach resort in Baler, Aurora, and reassure them it was all a tantrum.

All should be well until the next tantrum. President Trump and other world leaders should be able to enjoy the warmest Filipino hospitality during the Asean summit in November without any anxieties about DU30’s mercurial temper.

The RG threat What about the threat to establish a revolutionary government?

It isn’t a president’s most responsible statement. DU30 won 38 percent of all the votes in the last election and is now in charge of our constitutional government.

The crooked opinion pollsters have tried and are still trying to make the people believe that DU30 remains popular despite the fear of the majority that they

u PAGE A7

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A

LP tells Duterte: Focus on Marawi rehabilitation instead of destabilization talks

by Audrey

MorAllo Philstar.com

CITy instead of floating the possibility of a revolutionary government, members of the former ruling Liberal Party said on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said that Duterte should focus on the rehabilitation of the Islamic town which has been under siege since May 23 this year instead of “dwelling on baseless destabilization reports.”

The government should work to provide Filipinos with more income and jobs, according to Pan-

gilinan, the president of the LP. “The government’s resources are wasted over fake newsbased destabilization. It would be better if time is spent on something that will help the country, not cause more disruption,” he said.

Vice President Leni Robredo meanwhile urged the country’s leaders to unite and help one another in addressing the problems besetting the nation.

She also expressed worries over accusations that some groups were moving to oust Duterte from office which prompted the president to warn that should things go out

of hand he would declare a revolutionary government.

She also questioned the basis of such destabilization talks and said that these would just lead to division.

“Sana hindi irresponsible iyong pagsasabi. Kasi lalong nagpaparatang nang ganiyan, lalong hindi nagkakasundosundo, lalong gumugulo ang sitwasyon (I just hope that these statements would not be irresponsibly issued. The more accusations like this are released the more the situation becomes chaotic),” she said.

Duterte, during a speech at a federalism summit in Cama-

SWS vs Pulse Asia: Satisfaction rating...

PAGE A6 Approval ratings of top national officials have all dropped, albeit by varying degrees, according to the survey, which was conducted from September 24-30, 2017 through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults.

End of an era Reaction to the surveys was predictable.

The opposition, especially the Liberal Party and the yellow media, lapped up the tale of Duterte’s decline.

Rappler. the yellow website, had a field day analyzing the SWS report. It majestically opined: “Cracks are beginning to show in President Duterte’s image as a ‘populist’ strongman.

“The latest SWS survey seems to signal the end of that era.”

The reply, after Pulse Asia released its survey, was not only ecstatic for the government; it was devastating for SWS and the yellow crowd.

The Daily Tribune in an editorial blasted SWS as having become part of the yellow campaign against President Duterte.

It said: “The campaign will go full throttle using the recent results of survey ratings showing a substantial drop in the ‘net’ ratings of Rody despite showing a clear majority of 73 percent with much trust and 67 percent being satisfied with his performance.

“It seems that pollster Social

Threatening a civil...

PAGE A6 might get killed in his murderous drug war, which has already killed thousands. But for those who see that right is right and wrong is wrong, no amount of fraudulent polling could make DU30 appear acceptable, least of all popular.

So, if the government is failing, it is not because the Constitution, which guarantees the sanctity of human life, the inviolability of the family and marriage, the supremacy of the rule of law and due process, is failing, but because DU30 rejects these human and constitutional values and regards them as antithetical to his desired political, economic and social order. The government is failing not because the Constitution is failing, but because DU30 is failing.

Against the Constitution and the State If DU30 believes the solution to his problems is to abolish the Constitution, then he must be prepared to contend against the people, who are the real authors of the Constitution; against the Church which confirms the moral and spiritual as well as the temporal and eternal values of the people; and against the Armed Forces of the Philippines, whose goal is to secure the sovereignty of the State and the integrity of the national territory, as constitutional protector of the people and the State.

DU30 must be prepared to be declared in rebellion against the Constitution he has sworn to preserve and defend, and for the God-fearing and law-abiding

Weather Stations (SWS) is part of the yellow offensive too as prior to the release of the survey showing a drop in Rody’s net rating it released a series of June reports showing results from a poll on the conduct of Rody’s war on drugs.

“Released on different days in the run-up to the satisfaction and performance poll on Rody were the reports on ‘3 of 5 Filipinos agree that only poor drug pushers are killed’; ‘nearly half of Filipinos mistakenly believe drug use is punishable by death’; and ‘90 percent say it is important that drug suspects be captured alive.’

“The reports were quoting from just one survey which was Filipino people and their loyal armed forces to overthrow his rebellion. This is fraught with unimaginable dangers. It could lead to civil war, a bloody civil war, such as we have not known before, where brother will slay his own brother for nothing. Its first inevitable result would be the collapse of the State, which DU30 would like to control.

And the most horrifying and damnable thing about this begins not when one’s brother’s blood begins to flow in the streets, but when the highest authority of the land decides to foist its prospect upon the people with complete nonchalance and devil-may-care spirit, as though it were a mere parlor game played by drunks at the dockside or some dark alleys.

Mr. President, this is what you are doing to our people right now, in case you haven’t realized it. (ManilaTimes.net)

rines Sur on Tuesday afternoon, reiterated that he had no plans to perpetuate himself in power despite his warning to opposition groups that he would establish a revolutionary government.

Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV lauded the Armed Forces for the deaths of Isnilon Hapilon, the Islamic State-appointed leader in Southeast Asia, and Omar Maute, the remaining leader of the Maute group which led the attack on Marawi City.

Aquino said the deaths of the two meant that the country was safer for all Filipinos and could

lead to the lifting of martial law in Mindanao and enhanced humanitarian and rehabilitation efforts in the Islamic lakeside town of 200,000.

The senator, a member of the Special Committee on Marawi City Rehabilitation, also expressed support for the return to normalcy and prosperity of local residents.

“We will fully support all efforts by the government to bring normalcy back to Marawi City and restore the city from the ravages of the fighting to its full glory,” Aquino said.

Over the weekend, the president opened the possibility of

declaring a revolutionary government should efforts to remove him result in anarchy and as calls for him to sign bank waivers that would open his accounts to investigation continued to mount.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio, a daughter of the president, claimed that the threat of destabilization was as real as the threat of extremism.

However, Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, a member of the opposition bloc in the House, said that Carpio and the president were just imagining in claiming that the supposed moves were in the offing. n

done June 23 to 26. Just two days for a nationwide face to face interviews with respondents survey and with leading questions to boot?

“The Liberal Party of course is up to its task of keeping the domestic pressure on Rody through its attack dogs in the Senate led

by Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th.

“The yellow mob was merely waiting for just the SWS report, the manipulation obviously un-

dertaken in how the report was packaged to highlight the negative despite the still high figures favoring Rody.”

Goodbye to satisfaction Now that Pulse Asia has joined the rest of the world in conducting the straightforward and tested approval survey on job performance, it’s questionable whether SWS will still venture to conduct its satisfaction and net satisfaction surveys.

It will be an even bigger mystery whether the public and the media will ever buy again numbers manufactured by SWS. Personally, I would like to see SWS conduct a survey in the aftermath of the deaths of Hapilon and Maute in Marawi, and the now certain end of the Marawi crisis. If SWS can produce a negative satisfaction rating for DU30, it will truly earn its commission. (ManilaTimes.net)

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BUSINESSJ& COMMUNITY ournal

B

US firm to launch credit-scoring system

by Ma. lisbet

K. esMael

ManilaTimes.net

A SYSTEM that will allow lenders to evaluate an individual’s creditworthiness will soon be available in the Philippines, a U.S.-based analytics company said.

In a statement issued late on Thursday, October 12, FICO announced that it had partnered with Consumer Creditscore Philippines (CCS) for the system which it said would facilitate lending in the country.

“A credit score is a statistical figure that depicts a person’s creditworthiness, the likelihood to pay back a loan. The higher the score, the more financially trustworthy a person is thought to be,” it said.

The company said it calculates a person’s credit standing using his “payment history,

level of indebtedness, length of credit history, new credit, and types of credit used.”

As only 14 percent of the populace have bank accounts, Fico said the partnership with CCS would allow it to establish a new strategy where Filipinos can be assessed using “telco behavior, payment behavior in utility bills (water, electricity), and microfinance (pawn shops),” and even hospital bills.

The company urged Filipinos to “improve, maintain, or

PH can lead Asean integration – Mahathir

u PAGE B3

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed

Foreign telcos mull entry into Philippines by iRis

gonzales Philstar.com

FOREIGN telco players are interested in penetrating the Philippine market, which at present remains dominated by only two – Manuel V. Pangilinan’s PLDT Inc. and Ayala-led Globe Telecom.

Australia’s Telstra Corp. Ltd. and China Telecommunications are among the companies reportedly eyeing the Philippine market, several industry and government sources told The STAR over the weekend.

“Those are among the foreign telco companies interested in the Philippines,” one source said.

It is not yet clear how this can happen but they may tap a local partner and together, be the third player in the industry, or participate in the government’s P77.9-billion National Broad-

Photo by Russell Palma/ Manilatimes.net

by Mayvelin

U. caRaballo ManilaTimes.net

THE Philippines has the capacity to lead the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (Asean) integration effort given its success in uniting a diverse population, a former Malaysian head of state said.

“I think the Philippines has the potential for leading the integration because it had experience with regard to running a country

band Project.

“It could be a different strategy such as the broadband project,” said another source.

Telstra and diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp.

(SMC) earlier explored a possible joint venture to be the third telco player in the Philippines, but the talks bogged down last year.

The Australian giant was reportedly ready to invest $1 billion for the deal but even after announcing the joint venture would not push through, Telstra said at the time it remains committed to providing SMC technical expertise should it pushes through with a plan to be the Philippines’ third player.

Telstra officials have also said the company wants a third of its profits and revenue to come from overseas.

In 2015, Telstra officials

that is very big–over 100 million people of diverse races, tribes, etc. living on islands,” former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed said in a briefing at the sidelines of a Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (Finex) conference in Makati City on Friday, October 13.

Mahathir said the Philippines, as Asean chair for this year, should show how it was keeping the archipelago together.

“This is an opportunity for the Philippines

to exhibit some of your successes in this field — that you can stay as a nation amid the diversity of your population,” he said.

“The tendency now is to break away but if you have the capacity and understanding that you belong to one country, I think you can provide models for other nations.”

Meanwhile, Mahathir said regional integration could be fast-tracked through the use of new technologies, particularly in commu-

u PAGE B3

IATA: Global conditions boosting premium travel ly on markets to, from and within, the key manufacturing region of Asia,” IATA said in its financial monitor of August to September.

“By contrast, premium demand has lagged behind economy in a number of cases, most notably between Europe and the Middle East,” it added.

“All told, premium’s share of total passengers was stable at 5.3 percent during the first seven months of 2017 compared to the same period a year ago. However, premium’s share of revenues rose to 26.3 percent from 26 percent over the same period.”

IATA said that global airline

by Reicelene Joy ignacio ManilaTimes.net

STRONGER global trade conditions are helping support demand for premium class travel, particularly to and from Asia, the International Air Transport Association said.

IATA noted that the premium markets’s share of passenger revenues rose to 26.3 percent in the first seven months of 2017 from 26.0 percent a year ago.

“The stronger global trade backdrop has helped support premium passenger demand growth so far in 2017, particular-

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Business news

BOE member Jerome E. Horton honored at 18th Annual Asian Small Business Expo THE Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program (API SBP) honored Board of Equalization Member Jerome Horton at the 18th Annual Asian Small Business Expo on Saturday, October 14, for his support of Asian business owners and for empowering California entrepreneurs to minimize the burdens of taxation, create jobs, and grow sustainable businesses in California. The award was presented by API SBP president Ron Fong during the expo, which was attended by over 250 entrepreneurs.

“With 37 years of public and tax policy experience, Board Member Horton has been a champion for educating and empowering California businesses to build wealth and maneuver through government red-tape,” Fong said. “We are honored to recognize him for his dedication to improving the lives of others.”

Debt Relief

Atty. lAwrence yAng

HERE are some more misconceptions about bankruptcy that we did not discuss last week: 1. Will I lose my house?

Normally, debtors get to keep their residence as long as their equity in the house does not exceed the applicable homestead exemption. If the equity of the house is within the limits of the homestead exemption, then the house does not become part of the bankruptcy estate that is subject to trustee administration for the benefit of creditors. In other words, there is no risk of losing the house to the trustee in a Chapter 7 case. Real estate values are high now after losing half their values between 2007 and 2009 during the mortgage crisis created by Wall Street greed with their bundle mortgages. If you recall, it was easy to buy a house for a couple of years before the mortgage crisis. You could buy a house with zero down with no income qualification. All you had to do to buy a house then was have a name and social security number. You didn’t even have to be alive. Even if you were buried six feet underground, as long as you had a social security number,

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

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA

Jerome E. Horton

Horton speaks with exhibitors at the Asian Small Business Expo on Saturday, October 14.

Hundreds of business owners, entrepreneurs, and start-up tech companies were provided access to government and private contracts as well as economic development opportunities as they attended workshops on building wealth, access to capital, and growing their businesses. Featured guest speakers Jonny Hwang, founder of 626 Night Market in Arcadia, and Ji Young Derick, Co-Founder and CEO of Miner, a Los Angeles

market research consultancy, spoke on “Growing Your Business Through Networking” and representatives from the Small Business Administration, U.S. Bank, and Well Fargo taught entrepreneurs how to access capital.

The Asian Small Business Expo is the only business-tobusiness Expo that engages the Asian business community and brings this growing economic force into the mainstream. n

Common misconceptions about bankruptcy (This article is part 2 of 2 parts) there was a house of your dreams waiting for you to move into. In fact, a lot of dogs with fake social security numbers were able to buy houses too. I kid you not.

I had many clients back then with minimum wage jobs who were able to buy $1 million mansions. The idea was to keep the house for a few months then sell it for a profit. Since house prices kept on going up, the $1-M mansion that you bought with zero down would be worth $1.2-M in three months. After deducting holding costs of $30,000, there was a cool profit of $170,000 to be made in three months. Practically everyone and their mothers became mini Trumps. Some would buy 10 rental properties with the intention of selling them in a couple of months for a profit of $50,000 each. With ten rentals, you could make $500,000 in six months. Do it twice in a year, and you could be a cash millionaire in one year. I had clients with rentals in Texas, Arizona, Florida, and of course, here in California.

They all became landlords. Then, the bubble exploded and real estate lost more than half their values at their peak.

Well, real estate values are

now back up even surpassing their peak just before the bubble burst. So debtors now have to pay attention to what the current values of their houses are. It’s easy to get an appraisal of the current value of your house. You can go online and have an e-appraisal done in less than two minutes.

The homestead exemptions in California are $75,000 for a single person, $100,000 for a person with a qualifying relative who lives in the house, and $175,000 for seniors who are at least 65, or 55 but who earn less than $35,000 with the spouse. For instance, your house is now worth $500,000 and the balance of your first mortgage is $325,000. You just turned 65 yesterday. Then, your house is exempt because the entire equity of $175K is covered because you are 65.

If you the equity of your house in just in excess of the homestead exemption, the better part of caution requires that you file a Chapter 13, not a 7. Chapter 13 trustees do not have the power to sell debtor houses but Chapter 7 trustees do have that power.

2. What happens to the cars?

There are two systems of ex-

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SOME stories are cautionary tales.

If we approach our own lives with a smidgen of humility, stories do teach and show us the way. I have learned that without humility, one cannot be taught anything of real value.

Without humility, one would have to experience life’s hard lessons first hand. This is choosing to learn by paying the highest tuition when one can learn simply by listening and pondering the wisdom of those who love you and have your best interests at heart.

I am revisiting two stories from 2010. These stories illustrate supremely bloated egos and an overblown sense of personal entitlement.

The story of Amy Bishop, the Alabama ex-professor, who murdered her academic colleagues in cold blood during a departmental meeting, ended with a life sentence.

Once-upon-a-time golf legend, Tiger Woods, after 7 years have passed, seems to be still reeling from the severe aftermath of a self-inflicted reversal of fortune involving sex, hookers and the tangled web one weaves when we deceive with impunity.

It looks like in the postscript to Tiger’s Tale, big, bad karma will have the last say on how the remainder of his life story pans out as he continues to struggle with a bad back and a losing streak.

On February 2010, Amy Bishop, a Harvard-trained neuroscientist killed 3 of her colleagues with a 9 mm gun in cold blood and wounded three others, in a faculty meeting in the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).

Bishop’s rampage may have been motivated by the fact that she was denied tenure and will have to look for work elsewhere by the end of the spring semester of that year. She is married with 4 kids and appears to be the sole family provider. With her action, she decimated half the Biology Department and two of the wounded, were hit in the head.

She went target shooting at the range prior to this.

And who has not heard of Tiger Woods’ blazing fall from grace?

Amy Bishop felt entitled. Tiger Woods himself admitted, “I felt that I had worked hard my entire

Tales of entitlement

“...I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled...” — Tiger Woods

(Part 1 of 2) life and deserved to enjoy all the ing to their street because her temptations around me. I felt I children were lactose intolerant. was entitled…”

Nor did she want her children to Amy Bishop, who was per- play with her neighborhood kids. ceived as brilliant inventor and Students at the UAH petitioned scientist but a social oddball that she be removed from the strongly, obsessively felt entitled classroom since she taught by to be given tenure at UAH. She reading from the textbook, didn’t had a secret, troubled past be- make eye contact and was just ginning with the death of her plain ineffective in a classroom own 18 year old brother whom setting. There are other troubling she shot in the heart 24 years ago incidents in her past life, such as, with a shotgun, a case that was when she punched a woman at ruled accidental in Braintree, the local IHOP all because of a Massachusetts. child booster seat while ranting Well past the statute of limita- profanities, raving and screamtion, that case was never logged ing, “I am Dr. Amy Bishop.” in the national database because In another suspicious incishe was never charged in that dent, she and her husband were incident. In hindsight police offi- among those investigated but cials now believe there was prob- never charged in the unresolved able cause to charge her for what mail bombing case of Professor she did after the incident when Paul Rosenberg of Harvard. It she held a man at gunpoint in appears the professor was giving a nearby dealership demanding her a negative review of her posta get-away car and holding offi- doctoral work. cers in a standoff. There are talks No one could have predicted that because her mother, who that Amy Bishop’s very vocal had some clout, intervened and ranting and internal raging over that there were some slip-ups something she felt entitled to in the chain of command, Bish- would result in tragedy. Her apop was effectively exonerated peal for tenure was denied that and nothing more was heard of October. Sadly, one of her victhis case until now. This impor- tims, the Biology Department tant piece of information could head, Dr. Gopi Podila, a wellhave prevented the university liked academic who immigrated from hiring her in the first place. from India, and who supported Her husband, who appears de- her appeal for tenure and even lusional as she is, paints a pleas- dismissed the students’ petition ant picture of her as a mother against her, was the first perand wife, in stark contrast from son, Amy Bishop shot dead. The those who felt she was aloof and other 2 are Dr. Maria Ragland arrogant in her perceived supe- Davis and Dr. Adriel Johnson, all riority. She herself said she was in their early fifties and by all acarrogant because she is superior. counts, great human beings. She She frequently mentioned Har- fired repeatedly at her friend, Dr. vard in class and that she was a Debra Moriarity despite her pleas cousin of the author John Irving for mercy but the gun jammed who wrote “The Cider House and her friend lived to tell the Rules” and “The World Accord- gruesome details of the carnage. ing to Garp.”

On April 2011, the Alabama Former neighbors in Mas- Madison County District Attorsachusetts sighed in relief and ney Robert Broussard said durheld a pizza party when her ing a court proceeding that he family moved to Alabama. She would seek the death penalty for and her husband had called the Amy Bishop. cops on their neighbors in ex(Conclusion next week…) cess of a dozen times over per*** ceived slights to the point that Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is the cops felt they could not do SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. enough for them. She prevented To send comments, e-mail monette. the ice cream truck from com- m a g l a y a @ a s i a n j o u r n a l i n c . c o m

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Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrsUA reyes IN the absence of a premarital agreement, the general community property presumption under California family code section 760 controls which provides “ ….all property, real or personal, wherever situated, acquired by a married person during the marriage while domiciled in this state is community property.”

Family Code §760.

This becomes a problem if you are the spouse that has the substantially higher income or the one who accumulates the majority of the assets during the marriage. You are called in family law lingo “the in spouse.” The other spouse (or in our lingo also called the “out spouse” gets a half interest on everything accumulated during the marriage even if the asset is under your name alone or it was accumulated solely due to your sweat and hard work. The out spouse, who stayed at home most of the marriage, gets a one half interest on all the accumulations during the marriage under California community property law. For example, if you opened a savings account during the marriage under your name alone for which you religiously and diligently stash away 25% of your earnings during the marriage while your spouse blows away his/her salary during the marriage, your spouse still gets a half interest in the money you saved in your savings account.

Another example would be if you purchase a piece of real property during the marriage under “your name alone” and have your spouse sign a “quit claim” deed, your spouse may still have a claim for a half interest in your real property. Another example would be if you owned a business prior to marriage, but due to your hard work, long hours of labor, and efforts, the business grew exponentially during the marriage, your spouse may still have a claim for an interest in the business.

Signing a premarital agreement may serve as added protection to the future “in spouse” and a hurdle for the future “out spouse” by avoiding or altering the applicability of California community property law to assets 1) already owned by each and 2) to property and income to be acquired or earned during their marriage.

Marriage of Grinius (1985) 166 CA3d 1179, 1186, 212 CR 803, 807 Premarital agreements may validly provide that the earnings and accumulations of each party during marriage will remain that party’s separate property, free of any claims, community property or otherwise, of the other party.

Marriage of Dawley, supra, 17 C3d at 350, 131 CR at 8; Cheney v. City & County of San Francisco Employees Retirement System (1936) 7 C2d 565, 569, 61 P2d 754, 756. Premarital agreements may also serve to preserve a person’s estate for his or her heirs, free of the other party’s inheritance claims. Estate of Wamack

What’s New Arlene Al-os, CPA, MBA BEGINNING January 2018, the IRS will start certification of individuals with delinquent tax debt to the State Department.

How will the IRS certification impacts you?

• Upon receipt of certification.

The State Department will either deny application or revoke current passport or both.

• You are overseas. Limited validity passport for direct return to the US maybe issued by the State Department if you are overseas.

• Serious delinquent tax debt.

IRS tax debt of more than $50,000 inclusive of penalties plus interest for which all administrative remedies has been exhausted, and federal tax lien and levy notices have already been issued. A tax debt is not considered serious if there is: a) installment agreement; b) offer in compromise; c) timely collection due process

Business news

pair” their credit standing if they wanted to secure loans.

“Good credit increases a borrower’s chances of getting a loan or the credit card faster; secured with better, lower interest rates

PAGE C2 t

(1955) 137 CA2d 112, 115, 289 P2d 871, 872.

Pursuant to Family Code §1612(c ),“ Parties to a premarital agreement may contract with respect to all of the following:(1) The rights and obligations of each of the parties in any of the property of either or both of them whenever and wherever acquired or located. (2) The right to buy, sell, use, transfer, exchange, abandon, lease, consume, expend, assign, create a security interest in, mortgage, encumber, dispose of, or otherwise manage and control property.(3) The disposition of property upon separation, marital dissolution, death, or the occurrence or nonoccurrence of any other event.(4) The making of a will, trust, or other arrangement to carry out the provisions of the agreement.(5) The ownership rights in and disposition of the death benefit from a life insurance policy.(6) The choice of law governing the construction of the agreement.(7) Any other matter, including their personal rights and obligations, not in violation of public policy or a statute imposing a criminal penalty.

However, the right of a child to support may not be adversely affected. Family Code §1612(b).

Premarital agreements that are entered into voluntarily by parties who are each represented by independent counsel and aware of the effect of the agreement, a post 1985 premarital waiver of post dissolution support does not offend contemporary public policy and is not per se unenforceable. Fam.C. § 1612(c); Marriage of Pendleton & Fireman (2000) 24 C4th 39, 53–54, 99 CR2d 278, 288–289; Marriage of Facter (2013) 212 CA4th 967, 981, 152 CR3d 79, 90.

Under both the Uniform Premarital Agreement Act and prior law, the spouse claiming the agreement is invalid or not enforceable bears the burden of proof on that allegation. Family Code. § 1615(a); Marriage of Bonds, supra, 24 C4th at 27, 99 CR2d at 269; Marriage of Iverson (1992) 11 CA4th 1495, 1502, 15 CR2d 70, 74–75; However, the UPAA (as amended effective 1/1/02) deems that a premarital agreement was not executed voluntarily unless the court makes five prescribed findings provided for under Family Code. § 1615(c) (1) The party against whom enforcement is sought was represented by independent legal counsel at the time of signing the agreement or after being advised to seek independent legal counsel, expressly waived, in a separate writing, representation by independent legal counsel. (2) The party against whom enforcement is sought had not less than seven calendar days between the time that party was first presented with the agreement and advised to seek independent legal counsel and the time the agreement was signed. (3) The party against whom enforcement is sought, if unrepresented by legal counsel,

was fully informed of the terms and basic effect of the agreement as well as the rights and obligations he or she was giving up by signing the agreement, and was proficient in the language in which the explanation of the party’s rights was conducted and in which the agreement was written. The explanation of the rights and obligations relinquished shall be memorialized in writing and delivered to the party prior to signing the agreement. The unrepresented party shall, on or before the signing of the premarital agreement, execute a document declaring that he or she received the information required by this paragraph and indicating who provided that information.(4) The agreement and the writings executed pursuant to paragraphs(1) and (3) were not executed under duress, fraud, or undue influence, and the parties did not lack capacity to enter into the agreement.(5) Any other factors the court deems relevant. In addition, the parties are required to provide each other with full disclosure of all material financial information.

A premarital agreement may be unenforceable if found to be unconscionable when it was executed and the requisite disclosures were lacking and not waived Additionally, a spousal support provision in a premarital agreement executed under the UPAA, whether before or after January 1, 2002, is not enforceable if found to be unconscionable at the time of enforcement.

Family Code § 1612(c). If you are the higher earning spouse and have assets to protect, it is important to seek the representation of experienced counsel in drafting a premarital agreement to make sure that all statutory requirement are met which increases the likelihood that your premarital agreement will be deemed enforceable when attacked in court in case of a divorce.

*** 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.

*** 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.

(Advertising Supplement)

Delinquent tax debt could mean revocation of your passport? hearing related to the levy; d) innocent spouse relief under IRC § 6015 has been requested and collection is suspended.

• 90-Days hold of application. You will be given 90-days to resolve and enter into payment options with IRS to resolve certification issues by the State Department and will hold your application prior to denial of passport application.

• Be aware of Notice CP 508C. You will receive notice CP 508C upon certification of IRS to the State Department of serious tax debt, by mail.

• Certification reversal CP 508R. The State Department will be notified within 30-days by the IRS to reverse previous certification of serious tax debt once assessed tax debt is no longer serious in 3. above or due to erroneous certification.

• Passport application is denied. You will be notified in writing by the State Department if your passport application is de-

nied or revoked.

• You owe taxes and cannot pay in full. Apply for installment agreement or offer in compromise if you qualify, to reverse the certification and for issuance of passport.

• Disagreement with the tax amount. Call the number provided on notice CP 508C. For proof of payment, mail to the address on the notice. *** Disclaimer: Any accounting, business or tax advice contained in this communication is neither intended as a thorough, in-depth analysis of specific issues, nor a substitute for a formal opinion, nor is it sufficient to avoid taxrelated penalties. *** 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.

(Advertising Supplement)

and terms,” it said.

FICO said the establishment of the system was in line with the goal of expanding financial inclusion in the country.

“When you look at a national inclusion program, and you want

to actually empower and embetter the people, you have to come up with something that is equal to everyone, so everyone pays the same rate based on their risk,” FICO country director Burton Crapps said. n

“For example, business through Internet is growing very fast. Even people in the villages can now market their products throughout the region and throughout the world. Even small businesses suddenly become very big if you learn to

make use of good communication and the Internet,” he added.

Asean member-states are currently pursuing regulatory reforms to further build the Asean Economic Community, which was established in 2015. n

PH can lead Asean integration...

PAGE B1 t

nications.

“New technologies could be a great contributor to integration because, for instance, now you can talk to each other without being separated by space or time,” he said.

B

Do I need a premarital Common misconceptions about... agreement before getting married?

US firm to launch credit-scoring...

PAGE B1 t

LA MIDWEEK ASIAN JOURNAL • OCTOBER 18-20, 2017

emption. You choose one of them. You cannot mix them both.

System one allows $3,050 for the equity of one car while system two allows $5,100 for the equity of any number of cars. Let’s say you have a 2015 Mercedes Benz E 350 with a loan balance of $38,000 while the current value of that car is $35,000. You also have 2015 SUV Land Rover with a loan balance of $45,000.

That SUV is currently valued at $40,000. Will you be able to exempt these two luxury vehicles if you filed for Chapter 7? Of course you can. Why? Because both cars have zero equity. In order to keep these two cars, you have to continue making timely payments even if you filed for bankruptcy and you may have to reaffirm the car loans. Some creditors do not require reaffirmation. Some do.

For creditors who require reaffirmation, even if you are current on the car payment, they have the right to repossess if no reaffirmation was timely filed and approved by the Judge.

3. Can you keep your retirement accounts?

Generally speaking, retirement accounts are exempt up to $1.0M. So most debtors do not have any problem exempting their re-

tirement accounts. Most people do not have $1.0-M of retirement funds. I tested the retirement exemption once a couple of years ago when the client had almost $920,000 of retirement funds.

He was given an early retirement at the age of 55 and he opted for a lump sum retirement of $920,000. His retirement account had ballooned into $920,000 because the stock market was on the rebound from the 2007 market crash. Once the money was paid to him he had 60 days to roll it into an IRA. Since the money was large and was had not yet been rolled into an IRA, I was concerned that the trustee might dispute the status of the funds as not being retirement funds since the $920,000 had not yet become an IRA, although debtor’s intent was to make it an IRA. He was still in the process of looking for a financial advisor.

Fortunately, the trustee did not dispute the applicable exemption that we used to cover the $920,000.

4. Can you continue operating your business?

In Chapter 13, operating a business is absolutely no problem. In Chapter 7, you can continue operating your business if certain conditions are met. If the

business is a sole proprietorship, the debtor must exempt the net worth of the business and must have liability insurance for the business that is enough to satisfy the trustee that the insurance is big enough to cover any potential liability from a third party. If the business is an S or C corporation, LLC or partnership, the debtor must exempt the value of his shares in the corporation, LLC or partnership.

“MAY THE GOD OF HOPE FILL YOU WITH ALL JOY AND PEACE AS YOU TRUST IN HIM, SO THAT YOU MAY OVERFLOW TIH HOPE BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.” ROMANS 15:13 ***

Disclaimer: The foregoing is an expression of opinion and is not meant to be legal advice to any reader. There is no attorneyclient relationship established by this article with the reader. If you want to discuss your situation, you have to set an appointment to consult with the attorney.

The first general consultation is free.

*** 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.

LBC brings holiday cheers to overseas Filipinos as BOC suspends tariff act on balikbayan boxes LBC’s customers abroad who are now busy filling up Balikbayan boxes to send to their loved ones here in the country will now be able to do so without worrying about the rules and regulations imposed by the Bureau of Customs last August 1, 2017 This is after BOC Commissioner Isidro Lapena issued a memorandum last September 28, 2017 suspending the implementation of the Customs Modernization Tariff Act (CMTA) until March 31, 2018.

The CMTA carried with it certain provisions which set parameters for Balikbayan shipments and who was qualified to send them so they can avail of tax exemptions.

Because of the suspension, there is no more need for Overseas Filipinos (OFs) to submit documents like information sheet; a photocopy of the passport; and, invoice or proof of purchase of items to be sent thru the Balikbayan Box. There is also no need to fill up Customs’ forms detailing the gifts to be sent. There is also no more limit to the number of times an OF can send a Balikbayan Box and there is no more cap or maximum amount than each box can carry.

And the better news is, the P150,000 duty and tax-free privelege on the Balikbayan Box remains!

LBC, the largest and leading forwarding com-

pany in the Philippines, welcomed the development saying many Overseas Filipinos are still unaccustomed to the CMTA and that the suspension will give them time to focus, instead, on sending joy and gifts to loved ones this Holiday Season.

ABOUT LBC LBC is the Philippines’ market leader in retail and corporate courier & cargo, money remittance, and logistics services. With a growing network of over 6,400 branches, hubs & warehouses, partners, and agents in over 30 countries, LBC is committed to moving lives, businesses, and communities and delivering smiles around the world.

Listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange through LBC Express Holdings, Inc., LBC aims to deliver value to all of its stakeholders, as it has for over 60 years. Founded in 1945 as a brokerage and air cargo agent, LBC pioneered time-sensitive cargo delivery and 24-hour door-to-door delivery in the Philippines. Today, it is the most trusted logistics brand of the Global Filipino. LBC can move it for you: visit www.LBCexpress.com, or call telephone +632 8585 999 (Metro Manila), 1 800 10 8585 999 (Provincial), +632 9086 522 (Solutions) and follow LBCExpress (Facebook and Twitter). n (Advertising Supplement)

Calendar of Events across

America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS O C TO B E R 2 1

City of Carson’s 8th annual Larry Itliong Day Celebration Join the City of Carson for its 8th annual celebration of Larry Itliong Day on Saturday, Oct. 21 with a parade and program. Assembly time begins at 8 a.m., with the parade from 9 to 9:30 a.m. The program will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. It will be held at Veterans Park at 22400 Moneta Avenue, Carson, CA 90745. Admission is FREE. For more information, please call (310) 952-1743.

NaFFAA to celebrate 20th anniversary in Washington, DC The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) turns 20 years old this year. This October, several events are being planned to celebrate this milestone, which coincides with the national observance of Filipino American History Month. They will culminate with NaFFAA’s 20th Anniversary Gala, to be held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC on Saturday, October 21. With its theme “NaFFAA 2.0: One Voice, Four Million Strong,” NaFFAA will recognize the legacy and accomplishments of the organization over the past 20 years, and highlight its comprehensive vision to unite and amplify the voices of the four million Filipinos living in the United States. “NaFFAA 2.0” represents how NaFFAA is honoring its past while forging a new forward-thinking and balanced approach in uniting, engaging, and empowering diverse Filipino American individuals and community organizations through leadership development, civic engagement, and advocacy. To learn more about NaFFAA or to purchase tickets for the 20th Anniversary Gala, please visit www. naffaa.org.

Mutya ng Lahi in Santa Clarita, CA To celebrate Filipino-American History Month, the Fil-Am Association of SCV, Inc. proudly presents Mutya ng Lahi (Jewel of Ancestry) on Saturday, Oct. 21. It will be held at the Centre at 20880 Centre Pointe Parkway, Santa Clarita, CA 91351 from 6 to 10 p.m. The program will showcase traditional folk dances, songs, national costumes and an exhibition of Philippine Centennial. Tickets for the dinner and show are $35 for adults, $20 for children (4-12), and free for under 3 years. For ticket sales, please contact the following no later than Oct. 13: Emie R. Carrillo at (661) 877-2699, Zeny Justiniano at (661) 294-0181, or Zony Gordon at (661) 312-3422.

O C TO B E R 25

Small business workshop in El Monte, CA New and existing businesses are invited to a Small Business Workshop on Wednesday, Oct. 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at PACE Business Development Center (11100 Valley Blvd. #116, El Monte, CA 91731). Course topics include credit reporting, banking service, organizational types, getting licenses and permits, financing and financial assistance to small businesses. The workshop will be in English. It is FREE but seats are limited so you must RSVP by Monday, Oct. 23. Breakfast and course materials will be provided by Cathay Bank.

There are 3 ways to register: online at www.pacelabdc.org/calendar, email Daniel Ing at ding@pacela.org, or call (213) 989-3209. nesses. The workshop will be in English. It is FREE but seats are limited so you must RSVP by Monday, Oct. 23. Breakfast and course materials will be provided by Cathay Bank. There are 3 ways to register: online at www.pacelabdc. org/calendar, email Daniel Ing at ding@pacela.org, or call (213) 989-3209.

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FACC-GLA’s Halloween Dance Party in Canoga Park, CA FACC-GLA’s Halloween Dance Party in Canoga Park, CA The Filipino American Chamber of Commerce - Greater Los Angeles (FACC - GLA) invites members and guests to its Halloween Dance Party on Friday, October 27 from 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. at the Best Western Canoga Park Hotel. Come in with your scariest attire as there will be special gifts for the best costume attire. Food & drinks will be included. Tickets are limited and entry will only be allowed for those who paid online or through check on or before Tuesday, October 24. Payment can be made through the website www.filamchambergla.org. Strictly NO payment will be accepted at the door.

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

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People and Events Jingle Bell Run returns to Paramount set for state-of the-art Paramount Ranch on Dec. 3 renovations, new learning tools through measure I bond funds

AGOURA HILLS – The 2017 Jingle Bell Run will bring a merry helping of festive holiday cheer to Agoura Hills on Sunday, December 3, 8 a.m. at the Paramount Ranch – Western Town located at 2903 Cornell Road in Agoura Hills.

Jingle Bell Run is the nation’s most jolly holiday-themed 5K run. Participants wear their favorite holiday costumes or ugly Christmas sweaters and tie bells to their shoes creating a chorus of jingles as they run or walk through the course.

Starting and ending in the beautifully decorated Paramount Ranch – Western Town, this year’s Jingle Bell Run will feature a western themed motif complete with Santa, Mrs. Claus’ Kitchen, a kids’ zone and food and fun for everyone. All participants will receive a medal for completing the 5K run/walk. Entry fees start at $25 for kids and $40 for adults.

Register online at www.jbr. org/thousandoaks or call 323-

954-5750.

The 2017 Jingle Bell Run in Agoura Hills will honor 2 locals who are battling arthritis.

Arthritis causes slow and painful deterioration of the body’s bones, ligaments, cartilage and tendons. More than 54 million Americans have arthritis (1 in 4 adults), including over 300,000 children. Arthritis is the #1 cause of disability in the United States.

All Jingle Bell Run proceeds will support the Arthritis Foundation’s mission to conquer and cure arthritis.

Youth Honoree, Even Vega, 5 years old, was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis when he was only 2 years old. As this year’s youth honoree, Evan wants to live a normal life and run and play with his friends.

Adult Honoree, Brandi Abernethy has been battling severe rheumatoid arthritis since she was 15 years old.

The Jingle Bell Run is national-

ly sponsored by AbbVie, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi Genzyme Regeneron and UglyChristmasSweater.com. Locally the event is sponsored by Dole, Amgen, Genentech, West Hills Hospital, Novartis, Gravity Defyer, Janssen and ARC Orthopedics.

About the Arthritis Foundation The Arthritis Foundation (www.Arthritis.org) is the Champion of Yes. Leading the fight for the arthritis community, the Foundation helps conquer everyday battles through life-changing information and resources, access to optimal care, advancements in science and community connections. The Arthritis Foundation’s goal is to chart a winning course, guiding families in developing personalized plans for living a full life – and making each day another stride towards a cure. The Foundation also publishes Arthritis Today, the awardwinning magazine that reaches 4 million readers. n

PARAMOUNT, Calif. – Paramount Unified has launched into its first round of facilities improvements funded by the $106 million Measure I, replacing air conditioning systems and providing students with new technology that has enhanced the District’s learning environment.

Since the city came together to pass Measure I, which funds updates, repairs and modernization of all of the District’s schools, Paramount Unified has been able to upgrade the air conditioning at Roosevelt Elementary and demolish the old portable at Captain Raymond Collins Elementary which will be updated with new ones. This fall, the Paramount High School West Campus has begun a modernization project that will improve class- Paramount Unified has purchased new Google Chromebook laptops for all third-graders, sophomores and students of Leona Jackson rooms and upgrade building structures.

Middle School this fall through funds from the $106 million Measure I. “Measure I is a great collaborative for the city of Paramount that is allowing us to put our young bond, which include: • Improving classrooms and labs for college people in a greater position for success,” Assistant Superintendent Ruben Frutos said. “We will con- preparation • Upgrading school security and electrical systinue to make strides with our infrastructure and tems technology that empower our student achievers.”

• Replacing aging portable buildings Approximately 10 percent of the bond funds are • Upgrading fire doors and smoke alarms allocated to improving technology, and this fall the • Repairing water pipes District has purchased new Chromebook laptops • Repairing deteriorating roofs for all third-graders, sophomores and students of • Replacing outdated portables with permanent Leona Jackson Middle School. The laptops arrive as part of the District’s new tech implementation new classrooms • Upgrading/equipping classrooms with modplan, which aims to provide a personal technology device to every student in grades 3-12 by 2020. ern technology “We have a strong community that is commitMore than 1,200 Paramount High School freshmen received the new Google Chromebooks in ted to our children and that has allowed us to imApril, for a total of more than 4,000 distributed prove the learning environment for our students,” Filipino and Latino communi- since last year.

Paramount Superintendent Dr. Ruth Pérez said. ties in the neighborhood. We Paramount Unified will continue to prioritize “We are grateful to the citizens of Paramount for are encouraging the public the scheduling of projects to be funded by the their continued support.” n to place photographs and/or symbols to honor their ancestors on our community altar, which integrates the Mexican tradition of Dia De Los Muer- PAGE B1 t player in the Philippines so tos and Filipino culture and were quoted as saying the telco that consumers can enjoy bettraditions. was eyeing opportunities in Sin- ter mobile and internet service.

There will also be our spe- gapore, Hong Kong and IndoneSought for comment, meancial guest keynote speaker, sia and cited Philippines as a po- while, Philippine Competition Paul F. Chavez (President of tentially new growth market. The Commission chairperson ArsenCesar Chavez Foundation), company also cited China and io Balisacan said a third player children’s activities, free India as tough but potentially lu- in any industry can be good for Jeepney rides, and of course, crative markets. consumers because it would imgreat food. The festival will the telcos said under the transitoHowever, no official state- prove competition. also include civic engagement ment from Telstra has been is“In general, in any industry, a ry rules of the PCC, the deal “only activities: voter registration sued regarding future plans in third player will boost competi- needed a notice” to the commisand information about work- the Philippines after talks with tion,” Balisacan said, declining to sion and is deemed approved.

However, the PCC maintained er’s issues, immigrant “know SMC bogged down in 2016. comment specifically on the telco China Telecom, meanwhile, industry because of the issue be- that it is only deemed approved if your rights”, and human trafficking. Join us at the 3rd An- has already an established pres- tween PCC and telco players that the notice is sufficient.

The case is pending with the nual Larry Itliong Parade & ence in North America, the US is currently pending in court.

In 2016, at a time when the PCC Supreme Court.

Festival in Historic Filipinotown! and Europe.

Baliscan hopes that there No official statement likewise was still in transitory phase, PLDT To get involved as a sponsor, march in the parade, or become a has been issued by China Tele- and Globe Telecom embarked on would be a decision on the issue volunteer, please contact Monika com regarding any plans to ex- a co-acquisition of the telco as- soon to address the uncertainty.

“Any decision is better than sets of SMC for P69.1 billion.

Vega, festival director, at larry- pand in the Philippines.

The PCC insisted that it should no decision,” Baliscan said, notPresident Duterte said reitliongdayla@gmail.com or (626) cently he wants a third telco be allowed to review the deal but ing that it would clear things. n 379-4881. n

3rd annual Larry Itliong Day Parade & Festival on Oct. 28

THE City of Los Angeles (CD 13 - Mitch O’Farrell), Pilipino Workers Center, Larry Itliong Day Committee, and Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust proudly present: The 3rd ANNUAL LARRY ITLIONG DAY PARADE & FESTIVAL, which will be held in Historic Filipinotown on Saturday, October 28, 2017. The parade, featuring giant puppets (“higantes”), begins at 9 a.m. in front of Unidad Park (1648 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026), and will culminate at the festival in front of St. Columban Catholic Church, at 125 Loma Dr. The event will offer cultural performances, art exhibits, a re-enactment of the Great Delano Grape Strike and The Salubong or El Encuentro — the merger of Filipino American farmworkers with Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta and the fellow Mexican American farmworkers on September

Foreign telcos mull entry into...

16, 1965 — which led to one of the greatest labor movements in America, the formation of the United Farm Workers union.

This year’s theme, Weaving our Communities, highlights the common cultural and historic bonds that unite and strengthen

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West Ranch High School presents the Wildcat Classic

Compliments of O’Connor photography

WEST Ranch High School is proud to present the 9th annual Wildcat Classic, a daylong display of musical artistry.

More than 20 high school bands from the Santa Clarita Valley and around the region will gather for the Southern California School Band and Orchestra (SCSBOA) Marching Band Competition.

The Wildcat Classic is happening Saturday, October 21, 2017 3pm-9pm at Va-

EMPLOYMENT

lencia High School’s football stadium, located at 27801 Dickason Dr. in Valencia. Tickets are $10; parking is free.

Each high school band will compete by division followed by an astounding showcase performance of the threetime state champion West Ranch Band and Colorguard. The day-long event culminates in an awards ceremony with awards presented in each divi-

sion as decided by a panel of SCSBOA judges. The performance schedule will be announced prior to the event.

Vendors will be on site with plenty of delectable food and drink options as well as gifts and apparel for the music enthusiast.

For additional information, please contact West Ranch Music Director Jason Marshall at 661-222-1220x646 or jmarshall@hartdistrict.org.

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

FOR RENT

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

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cover story The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - October 18, 2017

‘Motherland’

A conversation with award-winning Fil-Am documentarian Ramona Diaz on witnessing the miracle of life amidst chaos, reproductive rights in the Philippines

by Klarize Medenilla / aJPress TwenTy-four-year-old Mary Joyce Jaime’s highest level of completed education was 6th grade. She doesn’t work and had her first child at 18 years old. In six years, she had five more pregnancies, one which she miscarried.

She sits in a corner of a bustling, loud maternity ward being questioned by a hospital staffer for her intake. Here, she’s on her sixth pregnancy.

“Tell your husband you don’t want any more children,” the staffer tells Mary Joyce, a seemingly unwarranted piece of advice. “you’re so young. you’re only 24 years old.”

This is an opening scene from the new documentary “Motherland” from FilipinoAmerican filmmaker Ramona Diaz (“Imelda,” “Don’t Stop Believin’”). As previously reported by the Asian Journal, the film opened in Los Angeles on Friday, September 22 for a limited run.

The film explores the goings-on inside Dr. Jose Fabella Hospital, which is purportedly the busiest maternity ward in the world. At the start of the film, we see a nurse marking down the number of mothers and babies in the ward that day — mothers: 151, babies: 115.

The hospital staff work tirelessly to accommodate the large influx of mothers, most of whom live in poverty. The mothers — many of whom are in their late teens and early twenties — are often on their 4th, 5th or 6th birth. The lack of incubators force mothers to perform Kangaroo Mother Care, which entails mothers, and sometimes fathers, having their baby held in their tube tops to provide

insulation. During large influxes, staff are forced to have mothers share beds, sometimes three to one bed.

Because of the Catholic Church’s domination on Philippine culture and society and a lack of sexual education, many of the mothers turn away from contraception like IUDs despite staffers urging them that those options will prevent them from unwanted pregnancy and avert further physical and emotional stress on the mother.

Despite the difficult decisions, however, the mothers are the stars of the film and find solidarity among each other.

They find room in their dreary conditions to laugh and joke, which brings unexpected delight to a film about the drastic state of reproductive health in the Philippines.

Throughout the 90-minute exploration into the daily life of Fabella, perhaps the most significant takeaway is despite difficult conditions the miracle of life and strength of the human spirit still finds a way to shine through.

The film was screened at the coveted Sundance Film Festival in January 2017 where it won the world Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Commanding Vision award. Diaz has screened the film all over the world including new york, Austin, Australia, Germany and Russia.

Diaz had just come back from a film screening in St. Petersburg, Russia when she sat down with the Asian Journal for an interview on the night of the film’s premiere in Santa Monica, California on Friday, September 22.

Filipino-American filmmaker Ramona Diaz

AJ: One notable characteristic of the film was the bonding among the mothers and how easy it was for them to remain in high spirits and laugh despite living the conditions of the ward.

RD: yeah, the sense of community amongst the women was really something. when I first visited that was what surprised me and drew me to the story. I wanted to film the communities of women. I thought the staff was interesting, but the women — the mothers — because of these communiThe Asian Journal: You orig- different. It was a really small ties that formed. They were space so we had a small crew, inally wanted to do a story on which is familiar since I work with quite intimate relationships, yet the 2012 Reproductive Health small crews all the time because the relationships were so fleetBill to research reproductive ing because they know they’ll documentaries I make only call rights in the Philippines as a never see each other again for a small group, but this was whole. Why did you decide to smaller than what I was used to. after the month. That’s what change course and follow the was interesting to me, these It was just me and my [cinemastories in one hospital? fleeting friendships that were tographer] and I chose a female Ramona Diaz: when I was so intense amongst women. I shooter because, even though in the Philippines researching loved that they were funny and there were men going in and the bill, and I was interested in sort of gaudy and very sexual out of the ward, we figured the the social and cultural drama mothers might be more comfort- beings. whenever people film surrounding this issue which I’d women in poverty, they don’t able that way. been reading about here in the film them in sexual ways, but I AJ: Did you find that subU.S. And I thought that’s the wanted to show that they are jects were willing to be filmed film I wanted to make. I also sexual beings; that’s how they and willing to share their stothought the culture was turngot here in the first place, so ries, given that giving birth is ing a corner and tethering its that was my interest and what such an intimate and sensitive ties to the [Catholic] Church drew me to the story. moment? if the bill passed so that was AJ: Why was a story that RD: All these years making interesting me. But when I got sheds light on the state of documentary films — this is my there, it wasn’t as dramatic as reproductive health rights in fourth one — I find there’s a it was in my head. I couldn’t point when the subjects become the Philippines something you wrap my head around the film wanted to explore? until I went to the hospital when invested in the film enough to RD: I’m always interested care about it. Initially, you’re we visited Fabella. when I got always having to explain to them in women’s rights and female there, it was so clear to me that stories, which are very important that was the film. I mean, it’s still what it is you want, like, I don’t stories to tell. It was interestwant them to perform for me the same film with all the same ing to me too because I grew themes, reproductive justice and and I don’t want them to do up in the Philippines, which is a anything extraordinary. It’s just reproductive rights. I just knew very Catholic country and also ordinary and I want them to just intuitively that the film was just the only country in the world live their lives within whatever the hospital. that doesn’t have [a] divorce they do. That’s hard for people AJ: What was filming in law. There are so many things to understand because people such a small space like Fabella about this that makes me think, never think their lives are interlike? What were were some ‘I can’t believe we’re still fighting esting. But we always, always challenges or surprises your made sure to let them know that over bodies of women or what team ran into while filming? women can do.’ It just boggles it’s okay if they didn’t want to RD: Filming was very tough, my mind. So that’s why I’m be filmed, they can say “ayoko you know. we had 14-16 hour interested in it, the constant days every day for six weeks, ex- yan.” But at the same time, conversation that makes you cept for one day when there was some of the women would miss being filmed and would direct us go, ‘Oh, my god, it’s so clear a typhoon. It was tiring because that these things should be the we were following stories as they to them [laughs]. After a while, woman’s choice. no one should they got used to the attention unfolded, and there were so legislate it.’ and they liked it. many stories and every day was

AJ: You’ve made several documentaries about Filipinos and Filipino culture, including the films you’ve done on Arnel Pineda and Imelda Marcos.

Why is it important for you to tell Filipino stories?

RD: I don’t think it’s a conscious thing where I have to tell Filipino-American stories, I think it’s just what I gravitate to naturally because it’s what I know. There’s something universal in the stories I tell, they just happened to be from the Filipino perspective. The way I film is way more observational and I like being in between two cultures.

I’m from the Philippines and, although I’ve lived more years here [in the United States] than there now, there’s something I can always find when I go home, so to speak. So when I’m there I can observe from the outside, but still, understand the nuances of the culture. And, you know, there are just so many unique stories from the Philippines that are so interesting. It’s what I gravitate towards.

AJ: Do you have any words for aspiring Filipino-American documentary filmmakers?

RD: Let me tell you what I always tell emerging filmmakers: It really is a good time to be a filmmaker because the tools of the trade are so easily accessible.

And they’re great tools, you can make anything look fantastic. But it still comes down to what it is you’re trying to say, the story you want to tell.

I think that has to be answered because craft is great but if it’s style over substance, it’s empty. For people of color, and particularly women of color, I think they’re shining a light on the racial disparity in the industry.

So it’s a great time to be in the industry because you can really make a lot of noise and you’ll be standing on big shoulders, women who started on it, like Ava DuVernay. It’s a good time to start claiming your own narrative.

For a lot of years, we haven’t told our own stories, right? Someone else does it. So I think it’s our time to claim our narrative.

Janine Gutierrez evolves as an actress by ricKy lo

acted as “bridge” between Janine and Rayver who frequents Lotlot’s restaurant (which JUST like “moving on” as the most over-used/over-abused specializes in grilled dishes) in Parañaque City where they both adjective by “un-coupling” live. For more than a year now, showbiz sweethearts, “just Janine has been living alone at friends” is likewise resorted to a condo unit (“I really saved up by suspected couples who are for it”) in a quiet neighborhood not (yet) ready or are not sure in Quezon City. Lotlot delivif there’s “something” between ers Janine’s weekly supply of them. dishes, especially sisigwhich is But since Janine Gutierrez her favorite. is one of the very few sincere, Asked in a previous Star honest and transparent denizens interview what her advice of the make-believe world, you (reminder) to Janine was where would believe when she said at boys were concerned, Lotlot a recent media lunch that she and Rayver Cruz are, ehem, “just smiled, “Huwag akong gayahin.” If you recall, Lotlot at friends,” even as she admitted barely 17 was pregnant when that Rayver followed her to Bali she and Ramon “Monching” where she fulfilled her wish to Christopher Gutierrez were marspend her 28th birthday with ried at civil rites in Club Filipino friends there last Oct. 2. and they broke up many years “Close lang kami,” added later.

Janine. “enjoy lang. Masaya Reminded by Funfare about kami, lumalabas-labas ’pag may it, Janine laughed, “Nalamtime we are both busy with our pasan ko na. Di ba 28 na ako?” careers.” recalling that when Mom Lotlot Pressed what the “real had her debut, “I was at the score” was, Janine was evaparty.” Lotlot was heavy with sive. “Ask Rayver na lang,” she Janine when she got married. blushed a bit.

After Janine came Jessica, an It was Janine’s mom, Lotlot Ateneo graduate; Diego, fifth de Leon, who (unwittingly) Philstar.com

year at University of Asia & the Pacific; and Maxine, high school at Poveda, who is embarking on a field trip in Scandinavian countries. Lotlot has found a new love (a foreigner) while Monching has remained fancy-free.

“Sabi ni Papa, kaming magkakapatid na lang daw ang love(s) niya,” said Janine who denied that her dad and former girlfriend Tina Paner have reconciled. (now a single mom, Tina is separated from her Spanish husband.)

The mini presscon was organized by Leo Dominguez who has just added Janine to his growing pool of talents that includes Lovi Poe and Solenn Heussaff. wouldn’t there be any rivalry (professional jealousy) among them? “no,” assured Janine.

“Lovi and Solenn are my idols.

I really admire how they take good care of their body kaya pina-follow ko sila. I am also a super-fan of Sarah (Geronimo).

I am a Popster.”(Sarah is one of Rayver’s exes, the other being Cristine Reyes who is now married to Ali Khatibi by whom she has a child. Popster is how

At 28, Janine Gutierrez can shed her sweet-sugary image and start playing mature (read: ‘somewhat sexy’) roles.

Sarah’s fans are called.)

At the recent Kapamilya Star Magic Ball, Rayver brought Janine along (even if she is a certified Kapuso).Janine’s ex, elmo Magalona, was there with girlfriend Janella Salvador but the exes were at opposite parts of the venue so they didn’t meet...and tried hard to avoid eye contact?

Since she’s now on a new journey with Leo, an independent talent manager, is Janine free to, well, “cross borders” and do projects for the Kapamilya network? Leo is still in

the process of “negotiating” (whatever that means or may lead to).

“I have many things to look forward to,” revealed Janine who has just recorded a song (no title yet, with english and Filipino versions) for RedOne which is the producer of Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez.

“I was nervous,” admitted Janine, adding in jest, “alam kaya nila na hindi ako singer?”

And how did her Lola Pilita (Corrales, Monching’s mom) rate her singing?

“Super proud siya. I’m not a

Philstar.com photo

singer pero para sa kanya, magaling ako. you know my lola, kahit anong gawin ko sobrang proud siya. when my 2017 Petron calendar came out late last year, we were at a family get-together and she proudly distributed copies of the calendar, never mind if medyo sexy ako d’un.”

“I would love to do the same roles that Angelina Jolie is playing,” said Janine, “something like her Lara Croft character in ‘Tomb Raider.’ I can’t be playing sweet roles forever, after all, 28 na ako, di ba?”

‘I am Vin Abrenica, I exist’

by Boy

ABundA

Philstar.com

“i HAVe a name. my name is Vin and i exist.” those were the words of Vin Abrenica spoken with conviction when he guested in “tonight with Boy Abunda” last week. His longing to have an identity of his own, and not just to be known as the brother of Aljur Abrenica, was strongly felt by those who had seen the episode.

Vin admitted that it has not been easy being compared to Aljur all throughout his life, especially now that they are both in showbiz. “it’s normal to me, since i was young or probably, since i was born. We were being compared every day in school (by) teachers, and (by) our uncles and aunts.”

Oftentimes, he would hear comments like, “He’s kinder than you are. You’re not listening as much as your brother.” even other people, Vin shared, that they always find his brother more charming. He recalled how Aljur was able to sell 10 boxes of pizza in no time.

“When we were kids, we used to sell Abrenica Pizza in the market. We were both given 10 boxes of pizza, i was six or seven years old then. So by 5 a.m., we were going around the market to sell and people would say to him ang cute, cute naman ng batang ito kaya yung sa kanya ubos lahat and i still had 10. What’s good, he would help offer and sell my pizza.” the comparison got even worse when Vin joined showbiz years later with Aljur then a household name. “it’s one thing if you’re being compared by the family and it’s another thing when all the articles coming out are about you and your brother, iba ’pag buong mundo na through the internet,” said Vin, who, by the way, is in the cast of the ABSCBn afternoon series Wildflower with maja Salvador in the title role.

Vin said he experienced having sleepless nights when one item described his Kuya Aljur as “magsasaka”(farmer). it puzzled him why until he found out that the magsasaka tag meant bad to

entertainment 3

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - October 18, 2017

How Pilita Corrales manages to still sing high notes at 78

by AllAn

PolicArPio Inquirer.net

Vin Abrenica

him “because while my kuya is magsasaka daw sa tabi ko at ako naman ang kalabaw. Hindi talaga ako nakatulog noon.”

He knew it was harsh. But Vin never gave up. He studied hard and excelled academically. “i wanna prove something because since i was young, you know (there’s comparison). i have a name. my name is Vin and i exist.”

However, Vin stressed that all is well between him and Aljur even while reports came out that the two were not on speaking terms after the former left their house.

“At first i thought pinapaalis n’ya ’ko. He told me that i’ve slowed down. every step ko guided n’ya and i didn’t experience any fall, which is bad. i’m not angry and i just went. it’s not true that we’re not on speaking terms.”

Aljur has always been an inspiration with Vin saying, “i wouldn’t have the guts to be in acting if not for him.” meanwhile, Vin revealed more of himself in Fast talk.

Read on.

Music or movies? “music.”

Lakad? Takbo? “takbo.”

Canton o bihon?

“Canton.”

RetiRement? the word has never crossed Pilita Corrales’ mind in the six decades she has so far spent in the entertainment biz. “maybe 10 years from now—how about that?” she told reporters at a recent press conference for her coming concert, “An evening with Pilita,” whose title is a nod to the popular musical tV show she topbilled from 1965 to 1972.

“As long as there are people who want to listen to me, and as long as the Lord gives me good health, i will ABC-CBN photo continue.”

Pilita, dubbed Asia’s Queen Lily Cruz or Ivy Aguas? of Song, remains active in the “Lily.”

The boat is sinking, who are live-music scene—as she so you going to save first, Joseph prefers. She still goes on conMarco or RK Bagatsing (his costars in Wildflower)? “i’ll drown myself and see the boat sinks hahaha.”

In massage, which do you prefer — soft, moderate or hard?

“Very, very hard.”

Your favorite street game. “tumbang preso.”

Kung pulutan ka, ano ka?

“Sisig.”

Sexiest woman you’ve worked with. “maja.”

What is your weakness? “my family.”

Ano ang mas masakit — mahiwalayan o makipaghiwalay? “mahiwalayan. Hindi pa ako nakipaghiwalay.”

Sino ang mas maganda ang katawan — ikaw o si AJ? “Ako, hahahaha.”

Ilang beses ka na nabasted?

“Wala pa.”

What’s the hardest part of your body? “my head.”

What’s the toughest, saying yes or saying no?

“Saying no.”

Describe Vin in one word. “intense.”

cert tours abroad. And every so often, she makes guest appearances on tV shows, like the GmA 7 sitcom “Hay, Bahay!”

Still, not once did performing feel like a chore for Pilita. “the passion has to be there, always. Because otherwise, you won’t be able to deliver as you should,” she pointed out. “in my case, i’d love to continue singing, so i need to work hard, and learn and memorize songs.”

What excites her most about singing these days is the fact that she’s now able to pull off her old songs in their original key—thanks to her decision to quit smoking. “i used to smoke, but i stopped seven years ago because of a severe vertigo attack that forced me to lie down

without moving for seven days. the thought of having another episode deterred me from smoking again,” she related.

“Yes, smoking makes your voice kind of sexy, but i’d rather have my old key back.”

“An evening with Pilita,” is the casino-resort’s third installment of its “icons series.” it’ll pay tribute to Pilita’s legacy, Continued on Page 4

4

entertainment

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - October 18, 2017

Final curtain call for Chinggoy Alonzo

Pia Wurtzbach back as exclusive ‘Kapamilya’ BefORe joining Binibining Pilipinas, and finally earning the right to wear the Philippine sash on her third try to become the third filipina Miss Universe, Pia Wutzbach was a very hopeful ABS-CBN talent as Pia Romero. famed as the “confidently

beautiful” Miss Universe, Wurtzbach has conquered the world since her big win—in modelling, commercials, endorsements, magazine covers and TV shows, winning hearts of hundreds of millions around the globe.

Now that her reign is over

THe world of theater and showbiz lost another star as thespian actor Chinggoy Alonzo passed away on Sunday, Oct. 15. The Manila Times learned of the sad news from the actor’s close friends and colleagues at The Manila Metropolitan Theater Chorus’ chat group on faceook Meanwhile, in a phone call to the Christ the King’s parish office, a representative confirmed that Alonzo’s family has been in touch with them regarding arrangements for the wake in e. Rodriguez, Quezon City, which they expect to begin on Wednesday, Oct. 18.

The actor enjoyed a stellar career on stage, television and the movies. During the ‘60s, he became a prominent face in the local theater scene not only as an actor but as stage director, playwright and producer as well. Later, he founded his own Pia Wurtzbach Photo from Instagram/@piawurtzbach repertory group, The Company of Players. and evidently allowed by her Alonzo eventually crossed Hollywood management to over to the big and small continue her career on home screens, debuting in the film ground, Wurztbach has officially “Buhay Artista Ngayon” in signed on with ABS-CBN anew, and returns as a “Kapamilya” to be seen by her adoring fans on television.

As such, 2015 Miss Universe will soon be part of several programs as well as movies unJBK, a trio composed of der the Lopez-owned network Joshua Bulot, Bryan del Rosaincluding regular appearance rio, and Kim Lawrenz Ordonio, in the Sunday noontime show is the first filipino boyband that “ASAP.” made it to “The X factor UK.” Asked how she feels about During their room audibeing a Kapamilya again, Wurtzbach shared, “I really trust tions, the judges were all impressed not only with their ABS-CBN because I know that vocals but also with their dedithey’re going to put me in the cation flying all the way from right track.” the Philippines.

Present during the conThe boyband’s cheesy tract signing were ABS-CBN rendition of “I’ll Make Love To officials led by president and You” was well received by the chief executive officer Carlo audience and the judges, espeKatigbak, chief finance officer cially when the high notes were Aldrin Cerrado, finance head hit on spot. for broadcast and news and “Wow, guys! You’ve got a current affairs Cat Lopez, chief great reaction on that song, operating officer of broadcast your vocals are great, I just Cory Vidanes, Star Creatives’ think it’s a no-brainer with head of creatives and director you guys,” said judge Sharon Olive Lamasan, TV production Osbourne after the group’s head Laurenti Dyogi and her manager Jonas Gaffud. (Manila- performance.

Nicole Scherzinger gave Times.net) nothing but praises to the group. “JBK, I’m so proud of you boys, my filipino brothers up there! I’m proud that you flew all the way from the Philippines ‘coz you are not flying back home!”

The crowd then chanted for Simon Cowell to give the group a seat.

Before Simon made a decision, judge Louis Walsh told

talent for more dramas. Besides Anna Karenina, perhaps viewers will best remember him as Don Ramon Altamonte in the GMA series, “Sana Ay Ikaw Na Nga.” He was last seen portraying the role of Senator Pablo Alcantara in the ABS-CBN afternoon drama, “Wildflower.”

Because of his aristocratic features, the character actor often bagged roles as a rich patriarch or as an affluent politician.

In a message to the chat group, The Met’s Ruth Pambid-Avila paid tribute to the respected artist and said, “Sad day for the theater, TV, movie industry where Chinggoy Gil Alonso always stood out as a Chinggoy Alonzo GMA photo true, real, talented, versatile and committed thespian. We 1979, and TV series “Anna will miss you….” Avila worked Karenina” in 1996. as production manager at The Thereafter, he starred in a Met when Alonzo was directing string of movies, most remarkand starring in musicals for the able of which include “Where ‘D’ Girls ‘R’,” “Ikaw Naman ang company.

As of press time a stateIiyak,” and “Moments of Love.” ment has yet to be released by He last appeared in the movie the family regarding Alonzo’s “etiquette for Mistresses” in cause of death. (ManilaTimes.

2015.

Television further tapped his net)

Nicole Scherzinger walks out after Simon Cowell dismisses Filipino boyband

JBK, a trio composed of Joshua Bulot, Bryan del Rosario, and Kim Lawrenz Ordonio.

him that the group absolutely deserve a seat. To which he responded that he made up his mind. “You are not gonna be disappointed, you’re gonna have a seat!”

The trio, who was anxiously waiting for Simon’s decision, curled up in great shock and was almost in tears after hearing what he said. Judges Louis and Nicole were both very happy with them getting a seat. The duo Afro Swagg was asked to give up their seat for JBK. Later on, Simon asked JBK and girl group Lemonade for a sing-off, which was apparent

that Nicole Scherzinger was against.

After the JBK’s performance of “I Can Love You Like That,” originally by the group All-4-One, they received a standing ovation from Nicole, Sharon and Louis. even after the Lemonade’s performance, Louis Walsh kept on telling Simon to pick the boys. “JBK, they have to go through!” he added.

After choosing the girl group Lemonade, the crowd booed Cowell, and Scherzinger stood up from her seat, walked out, and told him not to talk to her. (Philstar.com)

Rock star Teddy Corpuz marries wife in ‘It’s Showtime’

Twitter in the Philippines and worldwide.

The concept earned rave reviews and a standing ovation from all of the “hurados,” including director Rory B. Quintos, who said it was “thematically brilliant,” and Maricel Soriano, Marc Logan, Ina Raymundo, and Janno Gibs, who were moved to tears.

The highly anticipated “Magpasikat Week,” the weeklong, annual talent competition of “It’s Showtime” hosts, kicked off on October 17 with a performance by Billy Crawford, James Reid, and Amy Perez. explosive performances by Team Anne Curtis, Ryan Bang, and Nadine Lustre (Wednesday); Team Vhong Navarro, Joey Marquez, and Mariel Padilla (Thursday); and Team Jhong Hilario and Karylle (friday) are also lined up this week.

Last year, the team of Anne, Amy, and Joey was hailed as ABS-CBN photo the champion. (Philstar.com)

surprised Jasmine, their kids, and the “madlang people” as he bent on one knee and asked his wife, “Will you marry me again?”

Teddy’s ultimate romantic gesture did not end there, as he swore his undying devotion and exchanged “I do’s” with Jasmine. The wedding ceremony sent netizens abuzz and also became a trending topic on

THe team of Vice Ganda, Jugs Jugueta, and Teddy Corpuz left viewers awestruck and broke the internet on Tuesday, Oct. 17 when Teddy proposed to and married his wife Jasmine on national television for their “Magpasikat Week” performance on “It’s Showtime.”

After Jugs and Vice performed a song and a reverse poem about love, Teddy

“It’s Showtime” host Teddy Corpuz with wife Jasmine.

How Pilita Corrales manages...

From Page 3

and look back at her journey, starting from her rise to fame in Melbourne, Australia in the ’50s.

Special guests include Angie dela Cruz and Nikki Ross of the Wing Duo, her children Jackie Lou Blanco and Monching Gutierrez, and granddaughter Janine Gutierrez.

“My first albums were recorded there, and I will definitely sing songs from those. There will be a lot of tidbits about my career in Melbourne,” said the 78-year-old singer.

“I was very popular over there because I had hits, and

could sing in different languages—Tagalog, english, Spanish, Cebuano,” she recalled. “I became a regular in the show, ‘In Melbourne Tonight.’ Gowns were expensive back then.

But since my mom created what I wore, I got to put on a new gown three times a week, which the fans always looked forward to.”

“There’s even a street named after me there!” added the seasoned artist, who’s famous for her rendition of the ballad “Kapantay Ay Langit,” and the way she bends her body backwards as she reaches for a high note.

The Asian Jour nal MDWK MAGAZINE - October 18, 2017

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