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August 22-25, 2015

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

Volume 25 - No. 64 • 4 Sections – 42 Pages

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Enrile out on bail, says his faith in justness of Judiciary vindicated

by Marc Jayson

USA

cayabyab

Inquirer.net

ANAHEIM—Anaheim police say an armed man, Percival Aguilar Agoncillo, 44, was arrested last month in the Esplanade area between Disneyland and California Adventure, after park security found him with a loaded gun and addiPercival Aguilar Agoncillo tional ammunition.

Agoncillo was nabbed shortly after 9 p.m. on July 9, booked, then released on $20,000 bail.

AftEr one year in hospital detention, senator Juan Ponce Enrile is now a free man—for now.

Leaving his detention place in the Philippine National Police (PNP) General Hospital at 5:55pm on thursday, Aug. 20, the 91-year-old senator arrived at the sandiganbayan at 6:30pm to appear for the application of his P1.45 million bail as he faces trial for plunder over the pork barrel scam. “today I’ve been released out of custody. I would like to state for the record that my faith in the probity and justness of our Judiciary has been vindicated,” Enrile said in a brief interview.

“I would go back to my work and have no interest except the interest of our country,” he added.

Clerk of Court third Division Atty. Dennis Pulma signed the release order served on the accused party.

Meanwhile, Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-tang approved the bail application.

Pulma said Enrile’s bail is only for his provisional release as he still faces trial for plunder for his alleged involvement in the scheme of spending his Priority Development Assistance funds (PDAf) to ghost projects for kickbacks.

Enrile’s lawyers paid the P1.45 million bail in 14 bundles of P100,000 cash, each counted with the aid of a machine at the sandiganbayan cashier. the bail was paid after the sandiganbayan issued the produce order instructing the police to bring Enrile to

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DATELINE

froM tHE AJPrEss NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

Filipino with drug history arrested in Disneyland for carrying loaded gun

1210 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91204

FREE MAN. Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile left his detention place in the Philippine National Police (PNP) General Hospital on Thursday, Aug. 20. the 91-year-old senator went to the Sandiganbayan to appear for the application of his P1.45 million bail as he faces trial for plunder over the pork barrel scam.

Inquirer.net photo

4 Supreme Court justices hit Enrile bail Majority decision smacks of ‘selective justice’

by Tarra

QuisMundo Inquirer.net

porary release from a year’s detention while the plunder charges against him are being AssoCIAtE Justice Marvic tried, saying it cast doubt on its Leonen slammed the supreme impartiality and set a dangerCourt’s majority decision al- ous precedent. lowing sen. Juan Ponce Enrile In a dissenting opinion, Leto post bail and secure tem- onen said the bail grant “by the

majority is a special accommodation” for Enrile. “It is based on a ground—humanitarian— never before raised before the sandiganbayan or in the pleadings filed before this court.”

Leonen said the decision was

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‘Superbug’ outbreak Roque: Senate inquiry on VP Binay South China Sea situation very at California hospital ‘unconstitutional, in aid of election’ serious, says US defense chief A HosPItAL in Los Angeles announced Wednesday, August 19 that some of its patients have contracted an antibiotic-resistant “superbug,” which has been linked to a type of medical scope used in the procedure, and has infected dozens of people around the country.

Huntington Memorial Hospital said in a statement that it notified public health authorities, after several of its patients who had procedures using olympus Corp. duodenoscopes were found to have the resistant pseudomonas bacteria. the hospital said it has quarantined the scopes while it investigates whether they may be linked to the infections. the statement made no mention of the to-

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by TeTch

Torres-Tupas Inquirer.net

Senators Antonio Trillanes and Koko Pimentel continue their investigation on the alleged anomalies against Vice President Jejomar Binay (inset) on Thursday, Aug. 20. It marks the first year anniversary of the Senate inquiry on Binay’s alleged anomalies.

Senate photo by Cesar Tomambo

WAsHINGtoN - Us Defense secretary Ashton Carter said the Chinese have created a “very serious situation” in the south China sea and must stop any further militarization, not just temporarily but permanently.

Carter called on all countries with claims to disputed territories in the sea to cease and desist from creating artificial islands to help dial down the tension in the region.

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escobar

AJPress

INtErsECtIoNALIty, privilege, human trafficking, social justice, healthcare, incarceration, prison complex, interracial identity -- these are all terms used regularly in the Dream summer National Program, which has wrapped up nearly three months of immigrant rights work across the country. the Dream summer program, through the Dream resource Center (DrC) at the University of California Los Angeles, concluded its 5th annual fellowship program on

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KaTigbaK Philstar.com

tHE senate inquiry against Vice President Jejomar Binay has become an “institutional hatchet machinery” demeaning the oversight function of the chamber, a law professor said on friday, Aug. 21.

UP Law professor Harry roque said the supreme Court’s intervention should be sought because the probe had become unconstitutional. “the senate investigation

DREAM summer national program provides opportunities for undocumented youth by allyson

by Jose

Madeleine Villanueva Photo by Marcos Nieves/Dream Resource Center

SEAFOOD CITY 1

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter

A AUGUST 22-25, 2015 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Enrile out on bail...

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From the Front Page

amount at P1 million. On top of the P30,000 bail for each of his 15 graft charges, Enrile paid a total amount of P1.45 million.

PAGE A1 t Enrile went to the Supreme Division’s ruling, which denied Court after the Sandiganbayan court for the processing of his his bail plea.

The decision came exactly a Third Division last year denied bail application for plunder case filed against him, ordinarily a week after the SC sided with En- his motion that he be allowed to rile’s request for bill of particulars post bail. non-bailable offense.

In his 70-page petition for cerEnrile posted bail after the Su- in the plunder case stemming preme Court (SC) on Tuesday in a from his alleged involvement in tiorari filed Sept. 4, 2014, Enrile said he should be allowed to vote of 8-4 granted his motion to the pork barrel scam.

The Supreme Court set the bail post bail since the prosecution reverse the Sandiganbayan Third

failed to present strong evidence against him and that the charges “cannot be considered a capital offense.”

At the same time, Enrile said he is not a “flight risk considering that he even voluntarily surrendered to the authorities when the warrant for his arrest was issued by the anti-graft court.

He also cited his advanced age as another reason for the SC to grant his petition.

Enrile is under hospital detention while his chief of staff Atty.

Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes is detained at the female dormitory of Camp Bagong Diwa as they face plunder and 15 counts of graft for their alleged involvement in the purported scheme of pilfering the senator’s Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) to ghost projects for kickbacks.

According to the financial records of principal whistleblower Benhur Luy, Enrile received P172.8 million in kickbacks from Napoles, who referred to Enrile as “Tanda” in the use of codenames for the alleged scam.

The witnesses had also testified that they personally saw Napoles hand over Enrile’s kickbacks to his alleged agent Ruby

Tuason.

State witness Tuason, a socialite and social secretary of former President Joseph Estrada, has said she delivered kickbacks for Enrile from Napoles through Enrile’s chief of staff Reyes over lunch meetings in posh restaurants.

Tuason said Enrile sometimes fetched Reyes and invited them for coffee after these supposed lunch meetings.

Accused mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles is serving life sentence for the serious illegal detention of her former entrusted financial officer Benhur Luy, who turned against her when he was detained by the businesswoman over suspicions he was starting his own scam.

4 SC justices hit...

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“especially tailored” for the 91year-old Senate minority leader, who surrendered in July last year after he was indicted for allegedly pocketing P173 million in kickbacks for allowing the diversion of his pork barrel allocation to ghost projects and fake foundations.

“Not only is this contrary to the rule of law, it also undermines the legitimacy and the stability of our entire judicial system,” Leonen wrote.

“With his solid reputation in both his public and his private lives, his long years of public service, and history’s judgment of him being at stake, he should be granted bail,” said Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin’s ponencia.

“The currently fragile state of Enrile’s health presents another compelling justification for his admission to bail, but which the Sandiganabayan did not recognize,” said the high court in a PAGE A3

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From the Front page

Filipino with drug history arrested...

a felon, possession of drugs while in posession of firearms and possession of ammunition.

PAGE A1 t teo County probation decided to He also is charged with two However, he was rearrested search his residence on July 12. misdemeanors of being unin Northern, when a post-ar- Agents found methamphetamine der the influence of drugs and rest background check found and a loaded Colt .45 in the kitch- possessing a small amount of that the San Francisco resident en, San Mateo County District meth. was on probation in San Mateo Attorney Stephen M. Wagstaffe He remains in custody in San County for carrying a loaded said Wednesday, August 19.

Mateo County in lieu of $150,000 gun.

San Mateo prosecutors bail. An arraignment for the OrAfter learning of Agoncillo’s charged Agoncillo with felo- ange County charges is set for arrest in Orange County, San Ma- ny possession of a firearm by August 27. (Inquirer.net)

‘Superbug’ outbreak...

PAGE A1 t tal number of infected patients or their conditions.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the issue was discovered in June and three patient infections have been reported to health officials.

Drug-resistant bacterial infections around the country have been linked to contamination of the reusable scopes, which are used for a procedure known as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. The fiberoptic scopes are placed down a patient’s throat and used to diagnose and treat gallstones, blockages and cancers of the digestive tract.

“The patients who experienced the bacterial growth were very ill

before they underwent the scope procedure, and the risk of the procedure was explained to each patient and family,” Huntington Memorial’s statement said.

A dozen infections were reported earlier this year at Cedars-Sinai and at UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Medical Centers in Los Angeles, and three patients were proclaimed dead.

The hospitals said the infections occurred even though the devices had been cleaned to the manufacturer’s standards. They have since implemented more stringent disinfection procedures.

Olympus is the market leader for duodenoscopes in the U.S., accounting for about 85 percent of sales, according to the U.S.

4 SC justices hit...

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17-page ruling.

“In our view, his social and political standing and his having immediately surrendered … indicated that the risk of his flight or escape from this jurisdiction is highly unlikely,” they said.

The court’s decision, along with the dissenting opinion, was released on Thursday—two days after the court spokesperson read a one-paragraph news brief stating simply that the magistrates had allowed Enrile to post bail.

The majority decision said that the Sandiganbayan committed grave abuse of discretion in denying Enrile’s motion for bail. It said that the principal purpose of bail is to guarantee the appearance of the accused in the trial.

Does not exist in law In his 29-page dissent, Leonen warned that the decision “will usher in an era of truly selective justice not based on clear legal provisions, but one that is

unpredictable, partial and solely grounded on the presence or absence of human compassion.”

Leonen, along with Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Associate Justices Antonio Carpio and Estela Perlas Bernabe, lost out to the majority vote by eight of their peers on Enrile’s bail plea in an en banc session on Tuesday.

Insisting that Enrile should remain detained, Leonen cited how other detainees old and ill but with less in life languished in the country’s cramped jails.

“For them, there are no special privileges. The application of the law to them is often brute, banal and canonical,” Leonen said.

Leonen pointed out that humanitarian consideration was not even among Enrile’s arguments in seeking his release. It does not even exist in law, he said.

“Bail for humanitarian considerations is neither presently provided in our Rules of Court

Food and Drug Administration.

On Monday, August 17, the FDA posted a warning letter online that said Olympus waited three years to alert regulators to a cluster of 16 infections in patients who underwent procedures using the scope in 2012.

Additionally, FDA inspectors found that the company currently has no standard procedure for promptly reporting serious problems with its devices, which is a requirement for medical device companies.

The company said it was reviewing the FDA’s warning.

The FDA also posted warning letters Monday to two other scope manufacturers citing problems with the testing, design, reporting and quality control of their devices. (Allyson Escobar/AJPress with reports from the Associated Press) nor found in any statute or provision of the Constitution,” he said, adding that the conditions for bail under court rules were “so canonical,” hence clear-cut.

He said it was only right for the antigraft court to deny Enrile bail, which the senator assailed in the Supreme Court.

“The Sandiganbayan should not be faulted for not shedding their neutrality and impartiality.

It is not the duty of an impartial court to find what it deems a better argument for the accused at the expense of the prosecution and the people they represent,” Leonen said.

Suspending rules on evidence “Nowhere in the rules of procedure do we allow the grant of bail based on judicial notice of a doctor’s certification. In doing so, we effectively suspend our rules on evidence by doing away with cross-examination and authentication of Dr. Jose Gonzales’ findings on petitioner’s health,” said Leonen.

Gonzales, director of the Philippine General Ho spital, had PAGE A5

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 22-25, 2015

A

A AUGUST 22-25, 2015 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

From the Front page

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DREAM summer national program provides...

this Week in revieW Us

PAGE A1 t thursday, August 20, with a formal ceremony and reception, held at the Mexican American Legal defense and education Fund in Los Angeles.

“When i first came to terms with my being undocumented, it was around the time the Federal dream Act did not pass in Congress. there was a lot of hopelessness, sense of ‘what happens next?’ for us,” Seth ronquillo, communications coordinator with the drC, told the Asian Journal. through the UCLA Center for Labor research and education, the drC aims to promote the education and leadership of immigrant youth nationwide. Since its founding, the center has emerged as a nationally-known resource for innovative research, education, and policy on immigration issues. in 2011, members of the drC— many of whom are undocumented or affiliated (including friends and family members)—developed a summer leadership program to better serve the growing immigrant community. “dream Summer came about as a response to provide different, better opportunities for undocumented youth to develop as leaders and as young professionals. We often find ourselves with [a] lack of access to higher education and employment opportunities, because of our immigration status. Being pushed out of education systems not because we are incapable, but because of a lack of resources and

Former LAPD captain pleads guilty in jail scandal A retired high-ranking Los Angeles County sheriff’s official pleaded guilty on Wednesday, August 19 to lying under oath.

Former Capt. William “tom” Carey is the latest to fall in a jail scandal that has resulted in several convictions for obstructing a federal investigation and using excessive force. He admitted to a single charge of lying during his testimony at a trial last year of a sheriff’s deputy who faced obstruction charges. Carey and another former Sheriff’s department official, Paul tanaka, were indicted in May on several counts of wrongdoing in which they were accused of taking part in a scheme to thwart a federal investigation into the use of excessive force and corruption in department-operated county jails. Carey is scheduled to be sentenced in January.

policy that would allow undocumented immigrants to go ahead and take these opportunities,” said ronquillo, who interned for dream Summer in 2011 and 2012. over 400 diverse, undocumented youth nationwide have applied for the prestigious program, and 83 applicants from students to fulltime workers were accepted, after filling out a personal statement, background check, and questionnaire expressing their general interest on immigrant issues.

“What we really look for with these accepted interns is the overall desire to grow as social justice leaders, and the desire to work with the immigrant rights community and develop resources and work for justice, especially in educational, health, and labor purpos-

Photo by Marcos Nieves/Dream Resource Center

es,” ronquillo shared. “We want to provide them with many more opportunities. the UCLA Labor Center also sponsors an opening weeklong retreat for participants of the program, where interns from around the country gathered in Los Angeles to talk about social justice, gender/sexuality, racial identity, and current issues involving immigrant rights—issues that directly involve and affect them.

“We’ve forgotten the history and importance of interracial social justice activism,” says dr. donna Nicol, a political science professor at UCLA, during a presentation at the dream Summer opening retreat in June. “i try to make sure that students understand not just gender and sexuality—but how all of these things interact with other parts of your identity, such as race, class, etcetera. We need to be mindful that all of these systems interact.” “you have to be aware,” Nicol continued. “you can’t just sit here and act like you don’t know what’s going on around you.”

After the opening retreat, dream Summer participants are placed locally in respective social justice organizations, labor unions, and healthcare facilities, based on their application and interests. they intern for 10 weeks, helping with the logistics of the organization, planning events that spread awareness to the immigrant community, and other general tasks to gain valuable learning experience on a certain issue.

Some participating local organizations include Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the Filipino Migrant Center, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, and New york drUM - South Asian organizing Center.

“We really hope that through this program, the interns grow as leaders within their own community,” said ronquillo. “A lot of our interns talk about finding a sense of purpose, growing in their interests within social justice, and understanding intersectionality and solidarity. We hope that by the end, that you are able to expand to see the world, to work with other undocumented immigrants and social justice movements beyond immigrant rights, and to build leaders who are social justice conscious.”

Advocating for social justice, immigrant rights two Filipina sisters, Madeleine and Madison Villanueva, opened up to the Asian Journal about growing up in an openly undocumented family, and shared of their recent life-changing experiences with dream Summer.

22-year-old Madeleine didn’t realize she was undocumented until she began applying for her driver’s license and college. “it didn’t hit me until later, when life just kind of hits you and you’re looking for basic opportunities,” Madeleine shared. “i found out certain things i just didn’t qualify for—like getting a driver’s license when i turned 16; that wasn’t possible for me.”

Later in 2012, Madeleine was approved under President Barack obama’s deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (dACA) program, allowing her to move from Pierce College to pursuing her goals of going to university. Last year, she enrolled at UC Berkeley, where she is now studying political economy. “i always had this doubt about the future, and i thought all of my dreams for the future would

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Subway pitchman guilty of teen sex, porn exploitation 37-yeAr-oLd Jared Fogle, the face of Subway, pleaded guilty to child-sex and porn charges. According to documents, Fogle commissioned the executive director of his charity to produce pornography using at least a dozen underage victims, including a 6 year old. He also traveled numerous times to have sex with at least two underage girls using the money from his nonprofit, the Jared Foundation, as well as taking several business trips that coincided with his plans for sex. Fogle will spend at least five years in prison and pay $1.4 million to his victims after a deal with federal prosecutors.

FDA approves ‘pink Viagra,’ drug to improve libido for women For the first time, the US Food and drug Administration has approved a new prescription drug intended to increase sexual desire in women. the FdA’s green light on the drug flibanserin/Addyi, also known as “pink Viagra,” reverses two earlier decisions to reject the medication as a treatment for hypoactive sexual desire disorder. A lobbying campaign had earlier accused the FdA of gender bias for ignoring the sexual needs of women. “this is the biggest breakthrough for women’s sexual health since the pill,” said Sally Greenberg, executive director of the National Consumers League.

New Star Wars-themed lands coming to Disney Parks At the annual d23 expo held August 14-16, quite a few explosive galactic announcements were made. Chairman and Ceo of the Walt disney Company, Bob iger, announced the construction of tWo new state-of-the-art, 14-acre Star Wars lands at both disneyland and disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt disney World. in addition, a new location will be added to the Star tours: the Adventures Continue ride, based off of the upcoming latest movie, the Force Awakens. the popular Space Mountain ride at disneyland will become Hyperspace Mountain, with new Lucas-inspired effects and music. Finally, an all-new interactive artifacts and exhibit, Star Wars Launch Bay, will come to both parks, promising fans an out-of-this-world experience.

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From the Front Page

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 22-25, 2015

South China Sea situation... Roque: Senate inquiry on...

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At a Pentagon news briefing on Thursday, Carter called on all countries concerned to “stop dredging, stop any further militarization, not just stop temporarily, but stop permanently.”

He said other countries are involved in construction activities on land features that they claim “but China is by far and away the one that has done the most especially in the last year…”

Asked how the US military

should deal with the existence of Chinese artificial islands in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea, he reiterated the United States would continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law permits.

Carter said China’s behavior was having the effect of strengthening America’s alliances in the Asia-Pacific area and increasing the number and strength of its partnerships. (With report from Jaime Laude)

4 SC justices hit...

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testified about Enrile’s condition at the Sandiganbayan.

Leonen noted how Enrile’s friends, family and colleagues in the Senate had readily spoken about the senator’s possible immediate return to the legislature upon release, contrary to claims of his frail health.

“The special grant of bail due to medical conditions is unique, extraordinary and exceptional.

To allow petitioner to go about his other duties would be to blatantly flaunt a violation of other provisions of the Constitution and our rules,” Leonen said.

“There is no guidance as to whether this is applicable only to cases involving plunder.

There is no guidance in the majority’s opinion as to whether this is only applicable to the medical conditions or stature or titles of petitioner,” he said.

The majority ruling overturned resolutions the Sandiganbayan Third Division issued in July and August last year denying Enrile’s bail plea.

Enrile and his former chief of staff, Gigi Reyes, are accused of pocketing P173 million in exchange for diverting the Senator’s Priority Development Assistance Fund to bogus nongovernment organizations (NGOs), a scheme allegedly the brainchild of detained businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.

Precarious health In his Sandiganbayan testimony, Dr. Gonzales said Enrile

suffered from chronic hypertension, cardiovascular disease, irregular heartbeat, asthmaCOPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) overlap syndrome, eyesight problems, and historical diagnoses of high blood sugar, high cholesterol, gait or balance disorder, upper gastrointestinal bleeding and an enlarged prostate.

“Indeed, denying him bail despite imperiling his health and life would not serve the true objective of preventive incarceration during the trial,” it said.

The court likewise cited the Philippines’ commitment under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“This national commitment to uphold the fundamental human rights as well as value the worth and dignity of every person has authorized the grant of bail not only to those charged in criminal proceedings, but also to extraditees upon a clear and convincing showing: (1) that the detainee will not be a flight risk or a danger to the community; and (2) that there exist special, humanitarian and compelling circumstances.

The court said Enrile “has demonstrated his utter respect for the legal processes of this country.” It cited how the court granted Enrile’s petition for bail while on trial for rebellion, murder and multiple frustrated murder after the December 1989 coup, “because he was not seen as a flight risk.”

PAGE A1 t against Binay has now become clearly unconstitutional. Rules have not been published and there is no legislative purpose.”

He said “we will file a petition against continuing hearings next week before the Supreme Court as it already is in grave abuse of discretion.”

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The former IBP head believed the agenda of senators pursuing the probe had become obvious The latest exposé against the and that the proceedings providBinays are the alleged “ghost” ed them an avenue to politically senior citizens receiving gifts harass the Vice President.

Joyas stressed that the “propfrom the city.

Former Integrated Bar of the er forum” to bring up and invesPhilippines national president tigate corruption claims against Vicente Joyas said the Senate in- the Binays would be the courts.

Binay earlier filed a P200-milquiry had become “in aid of election” instead of “in aid of legisla- lion damage suit against Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and tion.”

Alan Peter Cayetano, who were leading Senate inquiries on the Binays, as well as Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales and several others over corruption claims hurled against his family.

Joyas said Trillanes and the other senators involved in the Senate probe were obviously using the Binay hearings for “media mileage” since no piece of legislation had come out of the one-year investigation.

DREAM summer national program provides...

fall through, but then I became involved,” she said. “I stopped feeling bad about being undocumented, and instead started doing something about it.”

Pursuing their interests and passion for the community, both Madeleine and her younger sister Madison became involved with ASPIRE-LA, an Asian-American immigrant rights and advocacy group based in LA. “Meeting amazing people through Dream Summer and ASPIRE-LA, people with different backgrounds who truly understand the undocumented experience; it makes you think of your own story and want to change the overall narrative,” said Madison, who interned at the Thai Hall Information Services (2013) and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (2014).

“It was like being thrown into the deep end,” she laughed, recalling her internship experience with Dream Summer. “But through it all, I gained so much valuable insight, like how to work with others and being really involved with the

movement. It’s not scary at all.”

“When I went into the program, it made me realize the importance of advocating for the community.

It’s like, you just have to go for it.”

After participating in Dream Summer, many interns have gone on to pursue their passion of speaking out for immigrant rights.

For instance, Madison, 20, is now a double sociology and Asian American studies major at UC Santa Barbara, where she hopes to chase personal goals of helping others.

The Villanueva sisters, along with their outspoken mom “Tita Maddy,” have worked for years in political advocacy, including support of the recently passed AB 60 (which grants all eligible immigrants driver’s licenses in California regardless of status).

“I feel like there is a lot of stigma, especially in our own Filipino community, that we don’t seek out the help from others that we should. There aren’t many [Asian Americans] that apply for DACA, many who are still living in fear,” added Madeleine. “Overall, the

Asian experience of being undocumented is different; you don’t think ‘undocumented’ when you see an Asian American person.

You think ‘model minority’.”

“But becoming a DACA recipient has opened so many doors for me and my sister, such as the Dream Summer internship program,” she recalled.

This summer, Madeleine interned at the California Labor Federation in their workforce and economic development department, conducting research on LA County Workforce Development Boards and learning about the connections between labor and immigrant rights.

“I was able to participate in an API leadership training called Summer Activist Training and the APALA Convention,” she shared.

“These spaces showed some of the collaborations between labor and immigrant rights groups, their history together and apart, and some of their organizing techniques…my supervisor also challenged me to think things through certain lenses, especially when working with the immigrant/la-

A

bor community. In the end, I became more confident in sharing my own experiences, and learned how to tell my story for different audiences. I would highly recommend this program to anyone interested, and I encourage people to apply for programs that they are not too familiar with.”

The internship program has helped Madeleine step out of her comfort zone, she noted. “[This program] has helped me ground a lot of my own experiences and see where I belong in this larger picture. I also saw that though there has been progress in the last couple of years, there is still a lot of moving forward that needs to be done,” she said.

“Going into Dream Summer, I felt like it was really an amazing opportunity for me to see that there are other things than just feeling hopeless as an undocumented immigrant,” Ronquillo, who also helps the DRC with outreach, added. “There is a lot of power that we have as a people— especially to those individuals who are working and advocating for immigrant rights.”

A AUGUST 22-25, 2015 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Dateline USa

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SIPA, FilAm ARTS executive directors to step down

by Agnes

ConstAnte AJPress

LOS ANGELES - The executive directors of Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) and FilAm ARTS formally announced Wednesday, Aug. 19, that they will be transitioning out of their leadership roles to pursue separate professional and personal goals.

For more than 23 year years, Joel Jacinto has served as head of SIPA, while Jilly Canizares has led FilAm ARTS since its inception more than 15 years ago.

“We bid goodbye in some aspects to these two as they leave their positions, but … it’s not a real goodbye,” said FilAm ARTS founding board member Winston Emano, who moderated a joint press conference held at SIPA’s headquarters in Historic Filipinotown where the announcement was made.

Jacinto, who was recently confirmed as a commissioner on the Los Angeles board of Public Works, has taken an indefinite leave of absence as SIPA’s executive director to serve the greater public in his new role. However, he said he would continue being involved in the organization as an advisor and volunteer.

“This is, for me, all about thanks, because I’m not leaving. This is a transition. How can you leave community? How can you leave something that you’re a part of, that is a part of you?” he said.

Canizares, who was the first and only executive director FilAm ARTS has known, said

she was stepping down to spend more time with her family.

“In terms of my direction, in terms of transitioning, I just feel I just need to take a break,” she said.

Similarly to Jacinto, Canizares said she would not depart FilAm ARTS altogether and will continue to do consulting for the organization, as well as for other communities.

“Like Joel, I’m not leaving because it’s like leaving family. I can’t do that. But it’s more like, I want to allow new leadership … to step up. It’s not easy to run a non-profit in these days,” she said.

New leadership for both organizations has already been determined, with Dorothy Gamoning, who has served as SIPA’s director of operations, taking on the role of the organization’s interim director. The interim leader for FilAm ARTS will be announced next week, Canizares said.

Canizares also announced at Wednesday’s press conference that the 24th annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) is underway and will be held at El Pueblo Historical Monument in Downtown Los Angeles on Nov. 7.

While SIPA does not frequently hold press conferences and is used to just doing its work, Jacinto said the transition of leadership was significant.

“This was important because we had to honor our past and where we’re headed in the future,” he said Despite the transition in leadership, both SIPA and FilAm

Former SIPA Executive Director Joel Jacinto Founding board member of FilAm Arts Winston Emano

ARTS are moving forward with projects lined up for the next few years.

A multi-story, mixed-use affordable housing project with 59 units for seniors at SIPA’s site on Temple Street is currently in the works. The plan incorporates a sari-sari store experience to help welcome and feed visitors of Historic Filipinotown, Jacinto said.

Construction is set to begin in June 2016, at which point SIPA will move to an alternate location. When the project is complete, the organization will move back to its Temple Street location and will be occupy the second floor.

“After we do that, we’re going to figure out where our next big primary goal is,” Jacinto said.

Canizares said the FilAm ARTS board has been discussing for some time the need for a Fili-

pino-American community arts center, something she hopes to see within the next 10 years.

“I feel that there’s a need for more public art in community spaces that are outside of Historical Filipinotown, in the Angeleno community that represents the Filipino-American experience, or to increase the visibility of this community,” she said.

Canizares added she sees FilAm ARTS continuing to push for visibility and equal access for communities of color.

Both outgoing leaders also thanked the board and individuals involved in their respective organizations.

“The staff have been the engine that has enabled us to do all of the work that we have with youth and family and businesses,” Jacinto said.

Canizares thanked the FilAm ARTS board for a number of

Former FilAm ARTS Executive Director Jilly Canizares

reasons, including for helping FPAC push through this year.

“Thank you for staying, for your commitment and dedication to move the festival forward despite my transition. In

AJPress photos by Agnes Constante

spite of everything, you’re committed to raising the resources and to get the festival going, to help the tradition move forward maybe for another 25 years,” she said.

Calif. courts to firms: Misclassfying workers will cost you How the drought affects

SAN FRANCISCO - Two recent legal victories for California workers send a strong message to employers nationwide: Misclassify your employees, and you will face the consequences.

Misclassification is a practice used by some employers to cut costs by declaring their workers to be independent contractors

– ducking their obligations to pay at least the minimum wage and overtime pay, and legally required contributions to unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation funds.

These employers also fail to remit payroll taxes, resulting in huge losses to state treasuries, and the federal Social Security and Medi-

care programs.

The US Department of Labor, which has made combating worker misclassification a major focus of its enforcement efforts, has announced that federal courts have ruled against two San Francisco Bay Area companies.

The courts sided with the companies’ employees after investigations revealed that the companies deliberately misclassified the workers as independent contractors to cheat them out of their wages and other critical workplace benefits.

Courier firm to pay $5 million National Consolidated Couriers Inc., based in San Leandro, California, but with clients across the country, has agreed to a court judgment requiring it to pay $5 million in back wages and damages to more than 600 drivers it misclassified as independent contractors, having cheated them out of minimum wage and overtime pay.

The judgment reveals that, during the course of the Labor Department’s investigation, the employer tried to destroy records showing an employment relationship with its drivers, and had been misclassifying the workers over at least five-year period.

In another major win for workers, a federal judge ruled that drivers for Mountain View-based

Stanford Yellow Taxi Cab, Inc. were also misclassified. On its website, Stanford touts it strong relationships with corporate account holders such as Google and the Four Seasons and Rosewood hotels.

In this case, the department had to file suit to stop Stanford Cab from threatening and intimidating its drivers who were cooperating with investigators, including an instance where Stanford fired a worker just days before trial to discourage his witness testimony.

The court’s decision allows the department to continue with litigation, forcing the company to pay nearly $3 million in back wages and damages to dozens of drivers.

Workplace fraud “Misclassification is workplace fraud, plain and simple,” said US Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. “It hurts workers by denying them a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work, and it also undermines the competitiveness of businesses that are playing by the rules.”

Perez added, “At the Labor Department, through vigilant and vigorous enforcement, we are cracking down on irresponsible employers who game the system and cheat their employees – and that’s what they are: not contractors, but employees.”

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CA life for years to come

by Allyson

esCobAr

AJPress

ACCORDING to a new study, the California drought has some serious effects. If the drought were to continue for two to three years, rural communities and wildlife would suffer most--but urban populations have readied themselves to withstand further restrictions in water deliveries.

The “what if” report from the Public Policy Institute of California released on Thursday, August 20 praises city-centers such as Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana and San Francisco-Sacramento for adapting to the driest four years in state history through the use of recycled water, ground water and mandatory water conservation measures.

The report also coincided with a statement Thursday from Gov. Jerry Brown, who said climate change is worsening the effects of California’s four-year drought.

“New scientific reports now make it crystal clear that climate change is already affecting California and the Southwest in the form of higher tempera-

tures and a more devastating drought,” Brown said. “It’s time for Republicans, foot-dragging corporations and other deniers to wake up and take sensible action before it is too late.”

He referenced a separate report titled “Contribution of anthropogenic warming to California drought during 2012–2014,” which was published in the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Forecasters predict increasing temperatures in the Golden State over the next few decades.

“By the 2060s, more or less permanent drought conditions will set in, with evaporation overpowering short bursts of intense rainfall,” said A. Park Williams, a bioclimatologist at Columbia University’s LamontDoherty Earth Observatory.

“The big cities are the success story in the drought so far. That was not the case in the last big drought, so they’ve learned from that,” said Caitrin Chappelle, associate center director for the Public Policy Institute.

Two decades of investment in indoor conservation and new reservoirs--capturing more

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Dateline USa

World breaks new heat records in July - US scientists

MIAMI, United States - The world broke new heat records in July, marking the hottest month in history and the warmest first seven months of the year since modern record-keeping began in 1880, US authorities said Thursday, Aug. 20.

The findings by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed a troubling trend, as the planet continues to warm due to the burning of fossil fuels, and scientists expect the scorching temperatures to get worse.

“The world is warming. It is continuing to warm. That is being shown time and time again

Calif. courts to firms...

PAGE A6 t

In both the NCCI and Stanford Cab cases, the courts rejected arguments that the drivers were independent contractors in business for themselves as their employers alleged.

Cab company violations In the case of Stanford Cab, the company required drivers to be on the job six days per week for 12hour shifts but did not compensate them for all of those hours. Stanford also did not allow drivers to change their schedules or operate independently by reaching out directly to passengers. Driver also had to abide by a dress code. They were and are employees under every reasonable interpretation of the law.

Wage and Hour Division Administrator Dr. David Weil, who in July issued official guidance to employers about avoiding misclassifying workers, said that his agency takes this matter seriously through education and outreach and a nationwide, data-driven strategic enforcement across all industries.

Typically, the Wage and Hour Division finds misclassification in low-wage industries. And while the misclassification of an employee as an independent contractor is not in and of itself illegal under the laws the department enforces, it typically leads to violations of the minimum wage and overtime provisions under the Fair Labor Standards Act which it does enforce.

In Fiscal Year 2014, Wage and Hour Division investigations resulted in more than $79 million in back wages for more than 109,000

u PAGE A8

in our data,” said Jake Crouch, physical scientist at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.

“Now that we are fairly certain that 2015 will be the warmest year on record, it is time to start looking at what are the impacts of that? What does that mean for people on the ground?” he told reporters.

The month’s average temperature across land and sea surfaces worldwide was 61.86 Fahrenheit

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A man pours water on his face during a hot summer day in Hyderabad, India.

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 22-25, 2015

A

A AUGUST 22-25, 2015 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Dateline USa

Calif. courts to firms: Misclassifying workers...

PAGE A7 t

workers in low-wage industries such as janitorial, food service, construction, day care, hospitality and garment.

Agreements with 25 states The Wage and Hour Division currently has agreements with 25 states to jointly combat misclassification. The partnerships have led to better information sharing and coordinated enforcement to ensure resources are used strategically, effectively and efficiently to protect workers.

“As these court rulings indi-

cate, the tide is turning against those employers who misuse independent contractor status to take advantage of workers,” said Regional Solicitor Janet Herold of the department’s Western Region, who litigated both cases.

“The courts recognize the nature of this problem and stand ready to ensure that justice is served.

America’s workforce deserves no less.”

The Fair Labor Standards Act requires that covered, nonexempt workers be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per

hour for all hours worked, plus one and one-half times their regular rate of pay for all hours worked beyond 40 per week. Employers also must maintain accurate time and payroll records.

Workers and employers can get more information about federal wage laws administered by the Wage and Hour Division by calling the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243).

Workers can also file complaints confidentially. More information is also available online at http:// www.dol.gov/whd. (Inquirer.net)

When scientists looked at temperatures for the year-to-date, (16.61 Celsius), marking the hot- they found land and ocean surtest July ever. faces were 1.53 F (0.85 C) above The previous record for July the 20th century average. was set in 1998.

“This was the highest for Janu“This was also the all-time ary to July in the 1880 to 2015 rehighest monthly temperature in cord, surpassing the previous rethe 1880 to 2015 record,” said cord set in 2010 by 0.16 F (0.09 NOAA in its monthly climate re- C).” port.

Scientists also calculated the “The first seven months of the rate of temperature increase for year (January to July) were also July at an average of 1.17 F (0.65 all-time record warm for the C) per century. globe,” NOAA said.

Large parts of the Earth were

How the drought affects CA life...

PAGE A6 t

storm-water and using treated waste water on golf courses, school grounds, and in cemeteries--created “a more diversified portfolio that left cities more resilient to withstand extended droughts.”

“Metropolitan Water District of Southern California estimated Southern California saves 800,000 acre-feet of water as a result of indoor and outdoor water conservation practiced since the 1990s,” said Brandon Goshi, manager of water policy and strategy.

The report warns that further drought will dry up more wells in much warmer than average, including Africa which saw its sec- rural communities in the central part of the state, where in some ond hottest July on record.

“Record warmth was also ob- cases the ground is sinking due served across much of northern to over-pumping.

In addition, an extended South America, parts of southern drought will drain revenues Europe and central Asia, and the far western United States,” said from water utilities, expected to fall by $600 million by the end of the NOAA report.

Parts of eastern Scandina- 2015. Without reserves, utilities via and western Russia, eastern will have to raise rates high.

More drought years will also and southern Asia and scattered lower yields from hydropower areas in central and northern North America were cooler than plants, a relatively cheap source of electricity. Power utilities will average. (Inquirer.net)

World breaks new heat records in July - US...

PAGE A7 t

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lose $500 million in 2015 but energy losses are being made up through a surge of renewable sources, such as wind and solar.

The biggest impact of continued drought years falls on the state’s rivers and forests, Chappelle said.

Already, the four-year drought combined with higher temperatures due to global warming have sparked 160 wildfires burning in the Western United States, with 100 of those in California. More drought will add to the number and intensity of wildfires, the report said.

“These very hot, large fires permanently damage the ecosystems and the drought creates the circumstances that those fires are more likely to happen,” Chappelle said.

Fire agencies are only focused on suppression and should employ a long-term strategy of forest thinning and better forest management, the report said.

In California’s rivers, more drought years could wipe out at least 18 species of native state fish, including most salmon

runs. Waterbird populations would rapidly decline, the report warned.

“One thing to keep in mind: our ecosystems are not as able to adapt as we are. Streams can’t pump ground water or build a desal plant,” Chappelle said.

While national meteorologists have put the chance of an El Niño bringing storms and flooding to the West Coast at 90 percent, the PPIC report said that part is “not something state water agencies should count on. Even if rainfall amounts increase, another drought could be around the corner.”

“Everything we do now will make it easier for the next time there is a drought,” Chappelle said.

Added Williams, “By knowing how much global warming has contributed to the trend in California drought conditions over the past century, we can reliably predict how the future will play out.”

(With reports from the Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Times)

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 22-25, 2015

Dateline PhiliPPines

A

Iglesia ni Cristo poll: Roxas Overseas voters registration breaches .6-M mark has no chance of winning

by Patricia Lourdes Philstar.com

Viray

MANILA—Majority of the members of Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) believe that Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II does not have a chance of winning the presidency in the 2016 national election.

A survey conducted last week, by INC-owned television station Net 25 showed that 93.3 percent of the respondents believe Roxas will not become the next president.

Meanwhile, only 6.9 percent of the respondents said that the Liberal Party presumptive presidential candidate has a chance of winning.

Candidates of any national

position usually seek the support of the indigenous religious organization during the election season, believing that the church’s block vote would help them win. INC has around two million members.

According to a report from Pilipino Star Ngayon, INC does not seem to favor Roxas despite the endorsement of President Benigno Aquino III. Sen. Grace Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay dominate the latest Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations presidential preference polls while Roxas ranks either third or fourth.

The INC television network has not yet conducted surveys on other possible presidential bets.

TWO months before the deadline, the overseas voters (OV) registration has surpassed the 600,000 mark.

The Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, Aug. 20 said the OV secretariat reported that foreign service posts processed 249,512 new OV registrants from the Middle East and Africa; 123,993 from the Americas; 68,124 from Europe and 91,088 from Asia and the Pacific, while overseas voter registration centers in the Philippines processed

68,106 applications.

Six registration centers were opened at the DFA’s consular offices in Davao, Cebu and San Fernando, Pampanga and DFA satellite offices at Robinsons Galleria, SM Manila and Ali Mall last month, in addition to nine centers processing applications of overseas Filipino workers, immigrants, seafarers and students who are leaving for abroad, but have not yet registered as OVs. Last June, the iREHISTRO on-

line system was also launched, which allows registrants to schedule their personal appearance at the embassy, consulate, mission or mobile and field registration site for biometric registration.

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista lauded the efforts of the DFA and Philippine embassies to increase the number of registered overseas Filipino voters.

“I hope we can look into the possibility of holding these registrations in public areas like malls, public squares and parks, com-

munity centers and other suitable places where the host government allows the conduct of election-related activities,” Bautista said. “At the current pace of registration, the 2016 presidential elections will be the first to have over a million active registered overseas voters. Attaining this goal can definitely be a game changer,” Office of Civilian Security and Consular Concerns Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, concurrent chairman of DFA-OVS, said. (Pia Lee-Brago/ Philstar.com)

Chances of passing BBL dead, says Sen. Marcos by aLLan

nawaL & edwin Fernandez

Senate that senators had already stopped talking about it.

He claimed that the proposed Marcos told reporters here that because the BBL – crafted by the law also “has no chance of passBangsamoro Transition Com- ing in the House of Representamission (BTC) led by the Moro tives.”

“The BBL has (also) no chance Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) – has a very slim chance of passing of passing in the Senate,” he

Inquirer.net

DAVAO CITY - The Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has no more chance of becoming a law, Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said on Thursday, Aug. 20.

added.

Marcos said he was now pushing for the substitute bill, which “is no longer the BBL,” but would also provide autonomy for the Bangsamoro.

He said the substitute bill, the PAGE A12

A10 AUGUST 22-25, 2015 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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OpiniOn

Features

No end to assassinations

A generAtion has grown up with no personal knowledge of living in fear of the state and the impact of the assassination of former senator Benigno Aquino Jr. After 29 years of living in democracy, it is easy to forget those who struggled for it, and the significance of the events that led to the restoration of freedom.

Today the nation marks the 32nd year since Ninoy Aquino was assassinated on the tarmac of what at the time was known as the Manila International Airport. There will be the usual reiterations of commitment to nurture democracy. Most of the commitments are likely to be heartfelt: Filipinos have suffered under authoritarian rule, and there will be no reverting to it.

Alongside the commitments, there should be a stronger resolve to stop political assassinations, especially with the approach of the next general elections. Already, murders linked to political rivalries have been reported in several areas of the country in the past months.

Ninoy Aquino flew back to the Philippines from US exile amid speculative reports that dictator Ferdinand Marcos was dying of lupus. With presidential succession uncertain, Aquino was seen as a strong contender for a new national leadership. Even if Marcos wasn’t dying, Ninoy Aquino believed it was time to end the “long night” of the conjugal dictatorship. His assas-

Guest Editorial

sination was widely believed to be part of a conspiracy to keep a particular clique in power even if Marcos died or became

incapacitated.

To this day, the identity of the person who ordered the assassination of Aquino and statetagged hitman Rolando Galman has not been officially established. But only the elaborate machinery of a despotic regime could have engineered the twin killings.

Aquino’s death awakened Filipinos from apathy, galvanizing the public into a series of mass actions that culminated in the 1986 people power revolt and the collapse of the Marcos regime. But the restoration of democracy did not put an end to political assassinations and blatant human rights violations including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Murder is still wielded as the ultimate weapon against political rivals – as the 2009 massacre in Maguings, like the mastermind in the assassination of indanao showed.

Many perpetrators get away with political kill- Ninoy Aquino. If the nation wants to honor his

Philstar.com photo

memory, a good way to do it is by bringing down the level of political violence. (Philstar.com)

Donald Trump needs to recalibrate his message against undocumented immigrants The Fil-Am Perspective Gel sAntos-relos PICTURE this: A homeless man was sleeping near a train station, then wakes up to two men urinating on him. Not satisfied, these men beat the homeless man with a metal pole repeatedly and walked away laughing.

When apprehended, these men told police they attacked the victim because he was “homeless,”

“Hispanic,” and an “illegal immigrant.”

This is a true story reported

by CNN last Friday and it happened in Boston, Massachusetts.

“Donald Trump was right,” the two men said, according to police, as they beat the man with a metal pipe and then urinated on him. “All these illegals need to be deported.”

But according to the CNN report, the victim is in fact not undocumented, as evidenced by a Social Security number for the man listed in the police report (but blacked out for privacy reasons). Social Security numbers are issued to U.S. citizens and

authorized workers, according to the Social Security Administration website.

The two men were identified by police as Scott Leader, 38, and his brother, Steve Leader, 30. They were reportedly on their way home from a Red Sox game when this incident happened. As CNN reported, they are being held in jail without bond. face a number of assault and battery charges as well as gross lewdness, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office. They would have to go back in court on Sept. 3.

According to Trump — while he hadn’t heard about the Bos-

Reverence for Mother Earth

Rhizomes

Prosy AbArquezDelAcruz, J.D. “This situation has led to a constant schizophrenia, wherein a technocracy which sees no intrinsic value in lesser beings coexists with the other extreme, which sees no special value in human beings. But one cannot prescind [leave out of consideration] from humanity. There can be no renewal of our relationship with nature without a renewal of humanity itself. There can be no ecology without an adequate anthropology. When people become self-centered and self-enclosed, their greed increases. The emptier a person’s heart is, the more he or she needs things to buy, own and consume. it becomes almost impossible to accept the limits imposed by reality. in this horizon, a genuine sense of the common good also disappears.”

– Pope Francis, June 18, 2015.

“We know deep inside us that all beings have value. All people are precious. All of creation has sacred, inherent worth. We must take a stand in defense of the children of all species—including our own. We cannot continue to tug at the web of life without tearing a hole in the very fabric of our earthly existence—and eventually falling through that hole ourselves. – Van Jones, 2008 When Pope Francis announced his encyclical on the environment, our common home, I wanted to shout out all the elements of his document. After all, many of his statements ring truth.

Like how in Chapter 1, the singular focus of serving the business interests and consumerism have made our earth less rich and beautiful. We need not look far to notice that in Los Angeles,

years ago, when there were no air emission controls, frequent gray days from smog were experienced. But now, we are able to see glorious sunsets and sunrises.

Not too long ago, Los Angeles was synonymous with smog, with 200 days out of 365, looking somber gray and with dirty beige horizon. Smog in the 1950s was described as a chemical reaction of sunlight, nitrates, ozone, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds. Smog is especially harmful to children and seniors who in turn develop emphysema, asthma, respiratory diseases, stroke and heart attacks.

But with the Clean Air Act of 1970, including the requirement for cars to get smog checks before renewing car registrations, air pollution woes slowly changed. Larry Pryor of KCET reported that the biggest single factor altering Los Angeles’ air quality was the 1970 federal Clean Air Act, “it was such a huge change in the law, because local controls were erratic and sensitive to industry costs rather than health costs.”

Los Angeles then is Beijing now.

Toxic air pollution in urban cities Dirty air is what Beijing residents are breathing. Good Morning America reported in 2013 that the most toxic air was experienced in two days when Beijing residents purchased 500,000 surgical masks and stayed indoors. Even though the sun was shining, given that the air quality index registered at 755 AQI, the sun could not be seen. As compared to smoggy Bakersfield, its 159 AQI was much less toxic. In just 24 hours, the surgical masks purchased in Beijing had turned into charcoal ash gray.

In 2003, Beijing skies looked like pea soup, limited to fewer days. Students like, Li Yutong, could still play outdoors, “I used to play football outside and go running, but you just can’t do that anymore. School kids seem to get sick more often now – and they’re much fatter because they don’t play outside,” The Guardian reported.

Now, the British School of Beijing has constructed an inflatable dome for students to play sports: running, basketball and more. It also spent £ 3 million to install a hospital-grade air filtration system, with new air curtains, as well as 200 ceiling- mounted air purifiers.

Students are required to stay indoors when the Air Quality Index (AQI) gets up to 200, while 500 is considered maximum doom. When a marathoner was asked how he felt running with AQI 400, he described it as running through a smoldering bonfire.

“Paper face masks have been common here for a long time, but now the heavy-duty kind with purifying canister filters – of the sort you might wear for a day of asbestos removal – are frequently seen on the streets. On bad days, bike lanes are completely deserted, as people stay at home or retreat to the conditioned environments of hermeticallysealed malls. It’s as if the 21million-strong population of the Chinese capital is engaged in a mass city-wide rehearsal for life on an inhospitable planet. Only it’s not a rehearsal: the poisonous atmosphere is already here, “ The Guardian continued.

Bonfires to trash burning to smoke-belching vehicles In 2007, I lived in Tacloban, Leyte for six months. Early in the morning, when I walked

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ton incident — it would “be a shame.” But CNN said he didn’t stop there, and “quickly went to applaud those who echo his views.”

“I will say, the people that are following me are very passionate,” Trump said. “They love this country, they want this country to be great again.”

Trump’s initial reaction was very bothersome, as it might be misconstrued by some people with very strong anti-immigrant sentiments and violent tendencies as a green light to take matters into their own hands, violate the humanity and rights of the undocumented immigrants, and attack them.

Street Talk GreG b. MAcAbentA I AGREE with Ateneo’s Dean Tony la Viña, a legal luminary, that the disqualification case filed with the Senate Electoral Tribunal by losing senatorial candidate Rizalito David against Sen. Grace Poe should be thrown out. Not being a legal expert, I can only react with disapproval over the purported ground for disqualification: her being a foundling, with no information on the citizenship of her biological parents.

Nonetheless, I still have serious doubts about the eligibility of Poe to run for national office – and that includes her candidacy for senator – owing to the circumstances surrounding her claimed “reacquisition” of Philippine citizenship, ostensibly based on RA 9225, the Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act of 2003.

In this regard, a very prominent FilAm community leader - a lawyer who wrote a book on getting a green card, lobbied actively for the passage of the Overseas Absentee Voting Act and RA 9225 and was a spearhead of US Pinoys for Noynoy-Mar (now US Pinoys for Good Governance) – sent me the I following email concerning Poe’s case: “You are right. As a matter of law, she did not perform what all of us dual citizens did to reacquire our Filipino citizenship - go to the ConGen or at the Philippine immigration Office, swear allegiance to the Filipino Flag pay the fée of $50 And get a certificate of being Filipino once more.

“It seems Grace Poe did not do that. She just renounced by her

This could affect our own kababayans, documented -- US citizens, greencard holders included -- or not, as we all do not look “white” at all. We could all suffer and be attacked because of racial profiling.

Donald Trump is the leading presidential candidate for president in the Republican Party.

His platform resonates among many conservatives especially when it comes to immigration, which includes building a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border, revoking citizenship of babies born in the U.S. to undocumented parents and deporting undocumented immigrants.

Under no uncertain terms

must he be deemed as rewarding and reinforcing any discrimination and violence against people, “illegal” or otherwise.

It was a good thing that on Friday, Trump belatedly tweeted: ”Boston incident is terrible.

We need energy and passion, but we must treat each other with respect. I would never condone violence.” *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective. com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.

Relos

Nagging questions about Sen. Grace Poe’s eligibility action of not using her American passport. Why is nobody but you asking those questions?”

Hopefully, someone will question Poe’s eligibility based on something with a clearer and less emotion-packed basis in law than being a foundling. By that means, she will be constrained to prove her legitimate reacquisition of Philippine citizenship and her Philippine residency, in compliance with the Constitution.

Meanwhile, the following nagging questions remain unanswered: 1. Did Poe ever formally become a dual citizen by reacquiring Philippine citizenship while still a US citizen? (She appears to have answered that in the negative but it is best for her to confirm it).

2. Alternatively, upon renunciation of US citizenship, did she formally reacquire Philippine citizenship by taking the Oath of Allegiance to the Philippines and complying with the requirements for reacquisition, as mandated by the Bureau of Immigration and stipulated by the Department of Foreign Affairs?

3. When did her renunciation of US citizenship become effective?

4. Does her claim to have reestablished her domicile in the Philippines even while she was still a US citizen comply with the specific provisions of the Constitution that state: “ARTICLE VI. THE LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT . Section 3. No person shall be a Senator unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines and, on the day of the election, is at least thirty-five years of age, able to read and write, a registered vot-

er, and a resident of the Philippines for not less than two years immediately preceding the day of the election.

“ARTICLE VII. EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT . Section 2. No person may be elected President unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, a registered voter, able to read and write, at least forty years of age on the day of the election, and a resident of the Philippines for at least ten years immediately preceding such election.

“Section 3. There shall be a Vice-President who shall have the same qualifications and term of office and be elected with, and in the same manner, as the President. He may be removed from office in the same manner as the President.”

Poe asserts (based, presumably, on an opinion given in a recent newspaper column by former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban) that the period of her Philippine residency, even while still a US citizen, is in compliance with the provision of the Constitution on the residency of candidates for senator, vicepresident or president.

With due respect to the former Chief Justice, he may not necessarily be correct. The provision clearly stipulates and enumerates, in simple English, what, in effect, is a “package” of qualifications. To assert that each qualification can be taken separately and not in the total context surely deserves a challenge before the Supreme Court.

The residency question is rendered even more confusing with the varying versions of when Poe’s renunciation took effect.

She says she made her renuncia-

u PAGE A11

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OpiniOn & Features

Nagging questions about Sen. Grace Poe’s...

PAGE A10 tion on October 20, 2010 before a Philippine public official. By US law, that was not valid and Poe remained an American citizen. In fact, US records indicate that she ceased becoming an American only in 2012.

In various media interviews, Poe has stated that (a) she never lost her Philippine citizenship based on the provisions of RA 9225; (b) all she had to do was renounce her US citizenship and by that means, she “automatically” reacquired her Philippine citizenship; and (c) she did not have to do anything else such as, presumably, taking the Oath of Allegiance to the Philippines and complying with the requirements of the Bureau of Immigration, which are also stipulated by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

A news report following the attempt of David to file a disqualification case against Poe, quoted her rationale: “’The deliberation

in Congress clearly proves that it was the intention of the law,’ the senator said, stressing that her status before she became a naturalized US citizen was a natural born Filipino, thus, when she repatriated, she is not deemed to have lost her Filipino citizenship.”

In an interview with GMA News, Poe stated: “To revert back to Filipino citizenship, ire-renounce mo lang yung US citizenship mo. Yun lang ang ginawa ko. Yun kasi ang condition ng Dual Citizenship Law. Hindi iyon to reacquire Philippine citizenship kasi it reverts back to that automatically.” (To revert back to Filipino citizenship, you simply renounce your US citizenship. That’s all I did.

That is the condition of the Dual Citizenship Law. You need not reacquire Philippine citizenship because it reverts back to that automatically.)

Again, on May 18, 2015, in a

Reverence for Mother Earth

PAGE A10

around the park, at about 7 am, I would gasp for air. I’d look up and see smoke coming out from backyards of homes, presumably from trash being burnt, which included plastics. The air got so bad that halfway into my walk, the smoke triggered an asthmatic attack. But it was not only me - a lot of residents were coughing and regularly walked with handkerchiefs covering their nose and mouths, as a form of protection from smoke-belching tricycles, idling, waiting for passengers in the town plaza.

In Manila, these smoke-belching tricycles were joined in by trucks and taxis to form an unconscious chorus of pollution.

But in 2010, most of the taxis had switched to liquid petroleum gas. Taxis became the modern day vehicles emitting no noxious fumes.

However, issues of environmental safety became issues of personal health and safety, as Gulf News Philippines reported half of the 40,000 registered taxi drivers converted to liquid petroleum gas, with adverse health effects: “Most of the time my throat feels dry even when I’m not thirsty and I don’t have the desire to eat unlike before,” said Florencio Gatbunton, 43, a taxi driver for 25 years. He had been

driving an LPG powered-cab for the last seven years.

Amado Mariano, 35, also complained of similar symptoms. He has been driving an LPG taxi for five years. “Sometimes I would have a headache, something similar when you have a head cold that would not come out. Sometimes I just want to throw up and vomit for no reason,” he said.

For now, advances in technology have led to E-jeepneys powered by batteries, recharged by electricity, that are now used in Makati and The Fort in the Philippines.

In Los Angeles, “metro buses are now using compressed natural gas (CNG), reducing the need for diesel, and at a fuel cost that’s about 30% of diesel.

2,250 buses are now fueled by Southern California Gas (SCG) in Los Angeles. In 2011, Metro passed its billionth mile on CNGfueled buses and retired its last diesel bus,“ according to SCG’s website.

One morning, I took the Metro bus and I found the ride to be pleasant, clean, comfortable, with a courteous driver, and no noxious emissions. Los Angeles took the steps to be kinder to Mother Nature, made possible

by Metro’s leadership team who decided to be reverent to Mother Nature. We too can follow their

news report, Poe “e xplained that to be able to regain her Filipino citizenship, all she had to do was to renounce her US citizenship as required by Republic Act 9225 or the Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act of 2003.”

In all of these public statements, Poe made no mention of ever taking the Oath of Allegiance to the Philippines to formalize her reacquisition of Philippine citizenship. For perspective, following are the pertinent provisions of RA 9225: “Section 2. Declaration of Policy - It is hereby declared the policy of the State that all Philippine citizens of another country shall be deemed not to have lost their Philippine citizenship under the conditions of this Act. “Section 3. Retention of Philippine Citizenship - Any provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, natural-born citizenship by reason of their naturalization as citizens of a forexample of being considerate to our common home.

“Yet all is not lost. Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start, despite their mental and social conditioning. We are able to take an honest look at ourselves, to acknowledge our deep dissatisfaction, and to embark on new paths to authentic freedom. No system can completely suppress our openness to what is good, true and beautiful, or our Godgiven ability to respond to his grace at work deep in our hearts.

I appeal to everyone throughout the world not to forget this dignity which is ours. No one has the right to take it from us.” – Pope Francis, June 18, 2015. *** Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D. writes a weekly column for Asian Journal, called “Rhizomes.”

She has been writing for Asian Journal Press for 8 years now. She contributes to Balikbayan Magazine. Her training and experiences are in the field of science, food technology, law and community volunteerism for 4 decades.

She holds a B.S. degree from the University of the Philippines, a law degree from Whittier College School of Law in California and a certificate on 21st Century Leadership from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

She has been a participant in NVM Writing Workshops taught by Prof. Peter Bacho for 4 years and Prof. Russell Leong. She has travelled to France, Holland, Belgium and Mexico and 22 national parks in the US, in pursuit of her love for arts.

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 22-25, 2015

eign country are hereby deemed to have re-acquired Philippine citizenship upon taking the following oath of allegiance to the Republic…” (The text of the Oath follows).

Section 2 clearly establishes that automatic retention of Philippine citizenship occurred upon effectivity of RA 9225 – not before. And nowhere in the text of RA 9225 does it say that a renunciation of foreign citizenship “automatically” restores Philippine citizenship. The law, in fact, clearly mandates taking the Oath of Allegiance to effect reacquisition.

Hopefully, the Supreme Court will resolve this matter, if and when a case is filed against Poe on these issues, assuming, of course that she decides to run for president or vice-president. Even before that, David could probably amend his complaint against Poe to include the validity of her “reacquisition” of Philippine citizenship.

Meanwhile, Sen. Grace Poe must consider it a matter of duty and honor to confront this challenge in the spirit of honesty and integrity, which she claims to be her guiding principles. (gregmacabenta@hotmail.com)

A11

CENTER OF CONTROVERSY. Households put up signs saying “No,” referring to this construction site where a government parking building would rise in Banaue, Ifugao province. The municipal government took out a loan to build the facility to address traffic problems created by the influx of tourists who come to see the town’s famous rice terraces. Residents opposing the project say it should be built outside the town.

Inquirer.net photo by Kayzee Bayer

A12 AUGUST 22-25, 2015 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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Estrada: Roxas is ‘most qualified’ for presidency

by Julliane love de Jesus

experience and credentials, being a House representative, a senator, EVEN as former President Jo- and then a cabinet member.

“All of them are qualified, but seph Ejercito-Estrada hints support for Senator Grace Poe as because of his experience as a the “next President,” the Manila congressman, as a cabinet memMayor said Interior Secretary ber and as a senator, (he has) the Manuel “Mar” Roxas II is the advantage,” Estrada told report“most qualified” to be the coun- ers at the memorial mass for the late Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino try’s leader.

Among all the possible candi- Jr. and brother Agapito “Butz” dates in the presidential race, Es- Aquino at La Salle Greenhills trada said Roxas is the “most chapel in San Juan.

“From congress to a member qualified” and has enough advantage to win as president for his of the cabinet, he performed very Inquirer.net

well. He’s one of the best cabinet member I had,” he said.

Estrada and Roxas were seen sharing a light moment after the mass, which was also attended

by President Benigno Aquino III. Roxas said he only exchanged “greetings and well-wishes” with the mayor.

Asked about the details of their brief encounter, Estrada said: “I respect Secretary Roxas very much. I just wished him good luck.”

But this was not enough to assume that Estrada is endorsing Roxas in 2016. He said he hasn’t decided yet whom he will support in the presidential elections.

Sharing his dilemma, Estrada said: “I haven’t decided myself.

All of them are very close to me.

Vice President Binay is my kumpadre. Grace is my inaanak and Mar, I’m very close to him because he was a part of my cabinet before.”

STRONG WINDS. A fisherman secures his boat amid strong waves at a coastal village in Sta. Ana, Cagayan on Friday, Aug. 21. Typhoon Ineng crawled at seven kilometers per hour with 170 kph winds near the province.

Philstar.com photo by Michael Varcas

MILF apprehensive over proposed new name for BBL by alexis

RomeRo Philstar.com

century.

“The legislators failed to realize how strong the effects of symbolism (are) in determining the mindsets and attitudes of people,” the editorial read.

“By using BAR, it continuously reminds the Moros of their martial history as an unconquered people and the BAR as a very reliable weapon in their wars with government forces in early 70s,” it added.

MILF noted that the BAR, which was originally designed

by John Browning for the US Expeditionary Corps, was also used during the Vietnam War.

“The imposed wars from the Spanish period to the advent of the Americans in the 19th cenMANILA - The Moro Islamic tury and onto the declaration of Liberation Front (MILF) has Martial Law in 1972 have comreservations over the change of pelled the Moros to defend and the name of the Bangsamoro arm themselves or perish,” the Basic Law (BBL) to Bangsamoro group said.

Autonomous Region (BAR) in “Consequently, as warriors, the substitute bills filed in Contheir psyche is easier to sway gress. to take the path of war than to In an editorial posted on its embrace the so-called path of website luwaran.com, MILF peace. It is only now under the said rebels and soldiers are Aquino dispensation that they aware that BAR also stands for see the peace process as genuBrowning Automatic Rifle used ine,” it added. by the United States (US) and The BBL will form a new other countries during the 20th Bangsamoro entity with greater economic and political powers.

It will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim and Mindanao (ARMM), which President Aquino called “a failed experiment.”

The measure creating the BBL is now being deliberated in Congress. Critics of the measure, however, are questioning some of its provisions including the nature and the extent of the powers of the Bangsamoro government.

MILF also believes that lawmakers are “overstressing what is obvious” when they renamed the measure BAR to emphasize the autonomous character of Rallyists appealed to Congress to resume deliberations on the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law the entity as part and parcel of and not let the January 25 encounter between policemen and Moro Islamic Liberation Front the Philippine state. rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao stifle the now 18-year government-MILF peace deal.

“They want to erase any hint Philstar.com photo by John Unson

of so-called sub-state status for the Bangsamoro new entity, and finally, any justification for secession. Fear has now become the prime enemy of peace through the BBL,” MILF said.

“Well and good! But they are only overstressing what is obvious. Redundancy is never the best practice in writing and in law-making,” it added.

MILF stressed that its peace negotiators as well as those of the government have seen to it that the BBL does not contain any provision that violate the Constitution.

“The BBL has passed through various discussions including long sessions with constitutional experts like Fr. Joaquin Bernas, former Supreme Court Justice Hilario Davide Jr., and many others to ensure that it is compliant to the Constitution,” it said.

MILF also reiterated that a diluted BBL would not solve the decades-old problem in Mindanao.

“What then is the use of a law passed by Congress only to prolong the miseries and sufferings in Mindanao, because it violated the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro - and the MILF is forced to reject it?” the group said.

Chances of passing BBL dead...

PAGE A9 t Basic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, had been submitted for interpolation but no senator had interpolated it yet.

He said senators had told him they wanted to study the substitute bill before tackling it at the Senate.

Marcos said he was open to possible amendments that his fellow senators would propose once the substitute Bangsamoro bill was discussed.

He said so far, he was told that

the only area where a debate could occur is on the constitutionality of the form of government that would be implemented in the new autonomous region.

“In the findings of Senator Miriam’s committee, she said they found it (a parliamentary form of government) unconstitutional, but I have spoken to many constitutionalists and lawyers and in their opinion, is constitutional.

This would be up for discussion by the senators,” Marcos said.

He said he believes the sub-

stitute proposed law was more inclusive compared to the BBL, which is obviously for the MILF only.

Marcos’ version of the Bangsamoro Basic Law had been assailed by the MILF as it allegedly failed to live up to the provisions of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

Lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, a member of the Technical Working Group of the MILF peace panel, said the version of Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. merely repeated the mistake of Republic Act 9054, more known as the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) law.

Earlier, Mohaqher Iqbal, MILF chief negotiator and chair of the BTC, also rejected the Marcos version saying it practically erased the gains of the 17 years of peace negotiations.

Sinarimbo said the Marcos draft sustained the unacceptable status quo, which the parties expressly agreed was unacceptable, this being the first provision of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB).

Sinarimbo said that the Marcos version in Sec 21 Art V, the exclusive powers of the Bangsamoro, is subject to the Constitutional and national laws. “In reality, there [are] no exclusive powers for the Bangsamoro as it is still subordinated to national laws; no real power sharing,” he said.

Sinarimbo also said that the Marcos BBL took back the powers and prerogative already enjoyed by ARMM and therefore makes it even less than ARMM. He also cited the provision on “Shariah,” that under the ARMM, has jurisdiction over person and family relations, commercial transactions and criminal cases (limited) while under the Marcos version it will only have jurisdiction over person and family relations which is already contained in the Muslim Personal Law issued under the Marcos dictatorship.

Sinarimbo believed the Marcos version will not contribute to resolving the Bangsamoro Question, which actually is the ultimate end of the peace agreement and the resultant BBL. “The Marcos version has also taken out from the (draft) Bangsamoro territory the six municipalities of Lanao del Norte and the 39 villages in North Cotabato,” Sinarimbo said.

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Palace: Aquino will retire, won’t run in 2016

by Louis

Bacani Philstar.com

MANILA - Malacañang assured on Thursday, Aug. 20 that President Benigno Aquino III will not seek the vice presidency next year.

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. maintained that Aquino will not reenter the government after he steps down as president.

“President Aquino has previously stated that he would Pres. Benigno Aquino III like to retire from public office when his term ends at noon of June 30, 2016, and to the best of my knowledge, he has made no comments to the contrary,” Coloma said in a press briefing.

Coloma also said that Aquino has already previously expressed his intention to retire from public office when his term ends.

In a radio interview in August 2014, Aquino said he was looking forward to the day he leaves the presidency, which he will celebrate with two Palace officials.

“Sa July 1 (2016), the day after bumaba tayo sa puwesto, at kakain kami ng masarap talaga, tapos may streamer na nakalagay sa likod namin, ‘Kalayaan,’” the president said.

Earlier this week, administration ally Cavite Representative Elipido Barzaga Jr. suggested that Aquino should be the running mate of Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, the Liberal Party’s standard-bearer.

In a statement, Barzaga said a “Mar-Noy” tandem would be the “dream team” that is capable of winning the polls and of ensuring the continuity of the “Daang Matuwid.”

“The idea of urging the President to be Roxas’ running mate is not far-fetched.

PNoy is well-loved by the people. A Roxas-Aquino tandem is going to be a sure-fire winner. It’s going to be unbeatable,” he said.

Barzaga said there is no legal impediment to Aquino’s vice presidential bid, citing the cases of former Presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who sought lower posts after their presidency.

Philstar.com photo

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A14 AUGUST 22-25, 2015 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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With Duterte on his mind, Cayetano says PCG men: We served as Abu cooks, masseurs no thanks if Liberal Party offers VP post by eveLyn

by LeiLa

B. SaLaverria and GermeLina Lacorte Inquirer.net

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday, Aug. 20 said it would do no good for him to speak with the Liberal Party (LP) at this point about running with its standard-bearer, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, since the party was focused on its pursuit of Sen. Grace Poe. not that he is uninterested but that his party, the nacionalista Party (nP), is still studying its options for 2016 and those may include his running with Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, whose presidential candidacy he virtually endorsed on Monday.

But Cayetano thanked House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., LP vice chair, for pushing him as a possible running mate for Roxas.

But he said he did not think the LP would “two-time,” or would look for a sideline, while wooing Poe to team up with Roxas.

“As far as I know, they’re still focused on Senator Poe. So maybe they should conclude their talks with [her] before we [talk].

In the meantime, we’re exploring possibilities,” Cayetano told reporters at the Senate.

He said what was important to him in seeking a political partner was program and vision. He said his partner should not treat him as just a “trophy.”

“It could be exciting, that’s why I’m personally exploring their personalities,” he said.

Looking at them all Cayetano said he had known Roxas since 1998. He said he had also talked to Duterte three or four times, and found the issues raised by Duterte exciting.

“I’m looking at where I’ll be most effective and where the nP will find a home,” he said.

Cayetano was in Davao City on Monday on Duterte’s invitation for the opening of this year’s Kadayawan festival.

In a talk with Davao reporters, Cayetano said Duterte had an edge over other presidential aspirants because of a clamor from the people for the mayor to run for President.

“Duterte’s case is unique because there’s a genuine clamor for him to run,” Cayetano said, comparing Duterte to Poe and Roxas whose popularity was reflected only on the voter prefer-

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano

ence polls.

Cayetano said, however, that he did not know whom Duterte would pick as running mate if the mayor would run for President.

But Duterte’s political handlers spoke about a possible alliance between the mayor’s PDP-Laban party and the nP, indicating Cayetano would likely be chosen as Duterte’s running mate.

Lito Banayo, Duterte’s political campaigner, said Cayetano’s virtual endorsement of a Duterte run for President had opened up the possibility of a PDP-LabannP alliance.

In Manila on Thursday, Cayetano said he was not sensitive about being considered for second place, as being a second choice in politics was not the same as being second fiddle in a relationship.

There are always circumstances surrounding the choosing of a political partner, and it does not always mean that the first choice is the best for the job, he said.

Cayetano also said it was only natural for parties to gravitate first to those who are topping the polls.

High rating Cayetano rated high in the latest Pulse Asia poll for vice presidential candidates, placing second to Sen. Francis escudero.

Cayetano’s virtual endorsement of Duterte followed the one made by former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr., the chair emeritus of the PDP-Laban.

Pimentel earlier announced the PDP-Laban’s support for Duterte if he would run for President.

“I cannot see anyone who could go against Duterte inside the party,” Pimentel told a local radio station here.

Best choice What’s important is to look for the “best choice,” he added.

As for the possibility that he and fellow nP member Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV may become rivals for the presidency, Cayetano said he was hoping that they would not compete for the same post.

But if it would come to that, he said his relationship with Trillanes was more important than the position. They would remain friends and allies in the fight against corruption, he said.

“I know people will attempt to drive a wedge [between us], but we have to find the wisdom not to allow that,” he said.

Trillanes, who announced early on that he would run for Vice President with or without a running mate and with or without the nP’s support, said everybody had the right to offer himself as an alternative in 2016, and it’s up to the people to decide who was deserving.

“May the best man win,” he said.

Cayetano also said he was still focused on the presidency, but he was not closing his door to the vice presidency.

Trillanes meets Roxas On Thursday, Trillanes said he and Roxas met by chance on Wednesday night and spoke about their plans for 2016.

“We wished each other well,” Trillanes told reporters in an interview.

He said he told Roxas about the decision of his Magdalo partlist group to support Poe if she would run for President. Their discussion was a good one, he said.

“I never had anything against Secretary Mar. As I said, I believe he’s a good person. But our paths would diverge [in] 2016,” he said.

He said he also told Roxas about the process followed by Magdalo in choosing whom to support. It has more than 600 chapter leaders, and majority of them chose Poe, he said.

“That was what came out. We don’t impose,” he said.

Asked if he received an offer to be Roxas’ running mate, Trillanes said “relevant people in the Liberal Party” told him that he was one of the alternatives. He did not hear it from Roxas himself, he said.

macairan and roeL Pareño Philstar.com

Coast Guard officers Rod Pagaling and Gringo Villaruz are interviewed by reporters at the PCG headquarters in Manila on Friday, Aug. 21.

Philstar.com photo by Edd Gumban

MAnILA—Throughout their more than three months in captivity by the Abu Sayyaf, Seaman First Class Rod Allain Pagaling and Seaman Second Class Gringo Villaruz of the Philippine Coast Guard were treated as servants by their captors – cooking for them, carrying their ammunition and even serving as masseurs in the jungles of Sulu.

Unshaven and listless, the two Coast Guard personnel were greeted with loud cheers and applause from the officers and men of the PCG upon their arrival on Friday, Aug. 21 at the PCG headquarters in Manila.

The two managed to escape their captors at the height of a military operation against the terror group last Wednesday, Aug. 19. They had been held captive for 107 days when the chance to escape came.

“While at the ASG camp, the suspects became comfortable with the PCG men and they were treated as strikers and were ordered to do chores such as carrying heavy stuff, massage them and cook for them,” a PCG official said, referring to Pagaling and Villaruz.

Only the wife and the child of Pagaling were able to make it to the PCG headquarters because the commercial plane that was to take Villaruz’s family to Manila was unable to leave the Zamboanga airport due to bad weather.

Judith Pagaling and their threeyear-old daughter Allaina arrived from Cagayan de Oro to welcome her husband.

After talking to him over the phone last Thursday, she knew he was already safe. “I would be able to get more sleep. I am very happy,” she said. She said she sought strength and comfort by praying

the rosary.

Villaruz told the media in a brief interview that there were about 200 ASG men in the camp where they were held.

He said their captors panicked and forgot to secure them when the military began its assault.

“There was a sudden firefight and so we made a run for it. We did not think of anything else except to run until we escaped.

There was chaos because of the firefight and we got separated,” said Villaruz.

The government troops reportedly first found Villaruz at around 7 a.m. the following day and his companion an hour later.

Pagaling reportedly said to himself “bahala na si Lord (everything is up to you Lord)” before making a dash to safety. In his haste to run away from his abductors, he fell off a cliff.

Pagaling said four of the Abu Sayyaf guarding them were killed.

Pagaling and Villaruz said they waited the night out in the nearby dense jungle before they separated and found their way to a nearby village.

According to Pagaling, he was initially hesitant to approach civilians for help as they might be Abu Sayyaf sympathizers.

It was reported that about 20 ASG were killed in the firefight.

A source said that when the two PCG men were taken from Aliguay Island in Dapitan City last May 4, the bandits were in police uniform.

They took their three hostages, including Aliguay Island barangay chairman Roberto Bulagao, and left on two motorboats.

When they were in Siocon, Zamboanga del norte the abductors changed to civilian clothes.

“At this time, they were chanced upon by a Coast Guard craft patrolling the area so the two boats hid in Zamboanga and only continued their travel to Jolo when the PCG craft had already left,” a source said.

They reportedly stayed on an island and when it became dark, they went to Sulu where they were fetched by a jeep that took them to the jungle.

PCG commandant Admiral Rodolfo Isorena thanked the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the local government and Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph emilio Abaya for their help.

Isorena said Pagaling and Villaruz would undergo debriefing by the military, PCG and the Philippine national Police-Anti Kidnapping Group.

They would be given a twoweek vacation and would be reassigned to a different position upon their return.

He said the terrorists at first demanded P100 million for each PCG officer but the amount was later reduced to P3 million and again raised to P10 million.

The first demand was relayed to the family of the hostages. On learning of the kidnapping, the PCG at once created Task Force Sagip.

Isorena said they felt time was running out when Bulagao was beheaded. “It felt like the ASG were sending a message that if we would not give in to their demands then our men would also suffer the same fate,” he said.

Isorena said that in accordance with the government’s no-ransom policy, they pursued negotiations led by the PCG’s Task Force Sagip chief negotiator Commodore Joel Garcia.

He credited Garcia for his interventions that delayed the execution of the two men.

“If you notice there were many deadlines given and the last was Aug. 13, so I feel that the negotiations done by our team were very successful because every time they would give a deadline, the decapitation did not happen,” Isorena said.

“Maybe they made three to four deadlines and nothing happened, so I think successful negotiations, back channeling (worked),” Isorena added.

As a result of this kidnapping incident and since they cannot avoid going to dangerous areas, Isorena said they would review their policies to ensure that a similar incident would not happen again.

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Dateline PHiliPPineS

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 22-25, 2015

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‘Ineng’ leaves 5 dead, batters Baguio

by Julie

M. Aurelio And donA PAzzibugAn Inquirer.net

Volunteers clear the road of trees toppled by Typhoon “Ineng” (international name: Goni) in Barangay Guisad, Baguio City, on Friday, Aug. 21. Stormy weather and heavy rains are still expected in Luzon, including Metro Manila, over the weekend.

Inquirer.net photo by Richard Balong

Five people, including a 10year-old boy, were killed from landslides and floods while hundreds were evacuated as powerful Typhoon “ineng” (international name: Goni) approached the northernmost regions of the country on Friday, Aug. 21. ineng was still at sea Friday afternoon about 100 kilometers east of northern Calayan island, but pounded the northern Luzon provinces with intense rains and maximum sustained winds of 170 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 205 kph as it neared the Batanes group.

The typhoon will continue to bring stormy weather over northern Luzon and heavy rains elsewhere in Luzon, including Metro Manila, over the weekend, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

The eye of ineng will come close to the country’s northernmost islands by Saturday morning, without making landfall, Pagasa said. it is then forecast to pick up speed and change track, veering northeast away from Batanes and toward Japan.

The typhoon will be out of the country’s area of responsibility by Sunday night or Monday morning, but the monsoon rains it has triggered will persist until late next week, said Pagasa weather forecaster Aldczar Aurelio.

According to Aurelio, because of the typhoon’s lingering effects on the prevailing southwest monsoon, Northern and Central Luzon will continue to experience rains until next Thursday or Friday, while the rest of Luzon, including Metro Manila, may expect the

weather to clear by Monday.

Pagasa maintained public storm signal No. 3 over the Batanes group of islands and northern Cagayan, including the Babuyan and Calayan islands; Signal No. 2 over the rest of Cagayan, northern isabela Kalinga, Apayao, Abra and ilocos Norte; and Signal No. 1 over the rest of isabela, ifugao, Mountain Province, Benguet, La Union and ilocos Sur. Markim Cielo, 21, and his brother erwin, 26, were buried by a mudslide that fell on a tent that they had pitched beside the road in Sitio Takayan, Gambang, Benguet, at 4 a.m.Friday, said insp.

Joyce Ann Dayag of the Benguet police.

The police were trying to determine why the brothers decided to set up a tent at the height of the storm.

A landslide in Mt. Province killed a 10-year-old boy and injured his 9-year-old brother, the Associated Press reported, quoting local civil defense official Andrew Alex Uy. in the ilocos region, police said a motorcycle rider died at 11 a.m. yesterday when he was pinned down by a mango tree in Badio village. The man has not been identified.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported that a man died at the height of the typhoon on Thursday in Bacarra, ilocos Norte, but no details were given.

The OCD also reported a missing person in Naguilian, La Union.

Close to a thousand people in flood-prone towns in Batanes and Cagayan province and the Cordillera provinces were moved to shelters, civil defense and social

welfare officials said.

As of Friday, 135 families, or 421 people, from three barangays in Batanes and five barangays in Cagayan are now staying in evacuation centers, authorities said.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it has also prepositioned relief goods to provinces which are under public storm warning signals.

“DSWD disaster teams continue to be on alert to provide resource augmentation and assistance in disaster operations when necessary,” said Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman. in Baguio City, ineng’s winds toppled at least 10 primary electric poles, forcing the Benguet electric Cooperative (Beneco) to shut down power throughout the mountain resort, said Gerardo versoza, Beneco general manager.

The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines said Mt. Province also lost power. except for Kennon Road that was affected by rockslides or was blocked by fallen trees, the Marcos Highway and Naguilian Road were passable, but thick fog in these areas forced traffic in Baguio to slow down, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Landslides also affected the Guisset section of the BenguetNueva vizcaya Road in itogon town, a portion of the Baguio-Buaitogon road, and the road linking the Benguet towns of Bokod, Kabayan and Buguias.

For a six-hour period from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Pagasa recorded the highest rainfall amount in Baguio City (81 millimeters; Laoag City (77mm); Calayan, Cagayan (75 mm); Tanay, Rizal (64mm); Ambuklao, Batangas (53mm); and Aparri, Cagayan (52mm)—all within the moderate to heavy rainfall range. in terms of accumulated rainfall, the highest rainfall amount so far was recorded in Basco, Batanes; Calayan, Cagayan; Aparri, Cagayan; itbayat; and Laoag City, according to Pagasa.

Pagasa said stormy weather with rough to very rough seas will prevail over Batanes, ilocos Norte, isabela, Kalinga, Apayao, Abra and Cagayan, including the Calayan and Babuyan group of islands. it said Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon and visayas will have occasional rains. (With reports from Kimberlie Quitasol, Gabriel Cardinoza and Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon, AFP and AP)

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From I-10, exit Azusa Ave. (Hwy. 39) heading south. Turn right on E. Cameron Ave., right on Lark Ellen Ave., right on Borden Ln. and left on Smith Ln. to the sales center. (626) 699-1251

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Exit left on Via Princessa and turn right on Whites Cyn. (which becomes Plum Cyn.). After approx.

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Plans, pricing, financing, terms, availability and specifications subject to change/prior sale without notice and may vary by neighborhood, lot location and home series. Buyer responsible for all taxes, insurance and other fees. Sq. footage is approximate. HOA applies. Quick move-in homes may require up to approximately 90 days before available for closing. Photos may depict upgraded landscaping/options and display decorator items/furnishings not available for purchase, and may not represent lowest-priced or quick move-in homes. Photo does not depict racial preference. See sales representative for details. KB Home Sales–Southern California Inc. (CA Real Estate License 00242327). SOCAL-24413

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Journal

Obie-winning Mia Katigbak pushes for more Asian faces on the American stage

by Walter

ang

Inquirer.net

WATchIng plays written by non-Asians about non-Asians but played by Asian actors may be normal in the Philippines. For obvious reasons, it’s not too common in the United States.

But the national Asian American Theatre company (naatco) in new York has been doing just that for 25 years now.

Every season, it produces “an American classic with an all-AsianAmerican cast; an adaptation of a Western classic by an Asian-American playwright; and a new work not by, for, or about Asians realized by an all-Asian-American cast,� says co-founder and artistic producing

director Mia Katigbak.

To kick off its silver season, the group recently restaged its 2013 production of clifford Odets’ “Awake and Sing!â€?—a 1935 drama about a lower middle class immigrant Jewish family set in the Bronx during the Depression era. (“Wonderful performances,â€? raved The huffington Post. “These actors‌ bring full value to the words‌ A strong production.â€?)

Katigbak reprised her role as monster matriarch Bessie, for which she had won The Village Voice newspaper’s 59th Obie Award 2014 (theater awards for Off-Broaway and Off-Off Broadway productions) for best performance.

Difficult Katigbak didn’t jump at the chance to form the group when cofounder Richard Eng, also an actor, pitched it to her. She’d already been doing stage work with Pan Asian Repertory Theatre and had seen how difficult it was. “But after Richard agreed that the primary focus of the company would be European and American classics with all-Asian-American casts, I came on board,� she says. “I was increasingly frustrated with the lack of opportunities for acting in the classical canon for trained actors who are Asian-American, like me.�

In a previous interview, KatigPAGE B8

Mia Katigbak with her 2014 Obie forBest Performance for “Awake and Sing!�

In the National Asian American Theatre Company’s “Awake and Sing!�

BNIBINING PILIPINAS USA 2015 WINNERS. On Saturday, Aug. 15, the coronation night of Binibining Pilipinas USA 2015 was held at the Long Beach’s Carpenter Performing Arts Center. From a bevy of beautiful Filipino-Americans five winners were named winners. (L-R) Eriel Uy (3rd Runner Up), Megan Lago Culp (Binibining Pilipinas USA Tourism), Juanne Elisha Aquino (Binibining Pilipinas USA 2015), Heather Prejillana Casignia (1st Runner Up) and Angelica Concepcion Alberto (2nd Runner Up).

BINIBINING PILIPINAS WINNERS WITH THE JUDGES. (First row, L-R) Tia Carrere, Allen Hsiang, Marie Jemma Saranillo, Eliza Chung, Apl. de.ap; Juanne Aquino, Jo Ann Kyle, Fides Herrera-Lim, Larry Potter, Ariella Arida. (Second row, L-R) Marc Anthony Nicolas, Manny Ilagan, Fritz Friedman, Amadeo Leandro.

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B august 22-25, 2015 • La WEEKEND asIaN JOuRNaL

Holistic approach to skin whitening Naked Truth Dr. Vicki Belo HI Dr. Vicki!

I have been a fan of your TV show ever since I saw it 3 years ago! I was even more thrilled when I saw that you have a column so I took the courage to send you an email. Doc, I was born with brown skin as most Filipinos are. However, I noticed that over the years I have developed dark patches on my face and body. Also, my skin got darker. I have tried so many whitening soaps, lotions, creams and still to no avail. Some products have even caused the dark spots to spread! Please help me on how I can get whiter skin.

P.S. More power to your column!

Love, Trish Many Filipinos are born with dark skin. we call it “kayumanggi”.

This skin type is more prone to scarring and hyperpigmentation.

Skin darkening is caused by the overproduction of melanin. Think of it as a huge chunk of rock that accumulates over time in your skin. It can be stubborn and hard to remove.

Prolonged or frequent exposure to the sun’s UV rays, hormonal changes such as pregnancy or use of birth control pills or a result of

an allergic reaction to a substance applied on the skin are among the primary causes of hyperpigmentation. always remember that there is no one-solution-fits-all when it comes to whitening. Though using creams and lotions help in lightening of the skin, it does not totally address the concern. what you need is to get a proper assessment of your skin condition. also, what you have to know is that whitening is a continuous process and must be maintained on a regular basis. at Belo we have developed a skin whitening system that guarantees to lighten skin four tones lighter. we call it the lumina system. It is a unique combination of in-clinic treatments and specially formulated products to help you get a healthy fairer skin. It is our holistic approach to skin whitening. It starts with preventing melanin production, removing melanin on the top layer of the skin and even infusing the body with antioxidants to help maintain the healthy glow. The type, quantity, frequency and combination of products and treatments will vary depending on your skin condition and needs.

Thank you Trish for trusting me with your beauty concern! always remember that you only have one face and one body so make sure that when it comes to your beauty it has to be done right the first time. again I encourage everyone to send your beauty concerns at vicki@belomed. com and let’s all get belofied! love, dr. Belo

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Moonlighting

The school: A gathering of gifts

by Mylah de

leon

THoSe that can, do; those that can’t teach…well, that is so insulting. Teaching is the most exalted position -- that prestige will always be there. Teachers bring some kind of coherence into a relationship with disciplinary modes, so students can think and explore ideas as they evolve and take shape and consider what might have happened.

The school is often described as a “gathering of gifts.” everyone from the teacher, the administrator, the principal, and the student brings a gift to that classroom and school, like a sharing of gifts. The teacher manages but requires extraordinary courage, nurturance, attention, energy, commitment and empathy.

In a sense of orchestration, only a teacher can deliver the child; on the other hand, the student does not come to school as an empty vessel, because he or she brings quite a full history, preoccupations, dreams, hopes and concerns. Then just as the teacher comes with his or her own set of those, they are negotiated every day throughout the year, and changed over time in a rush diversity. on a recent Sunday in Simi Valley, I was invited to a tiny reunion by a group of Batch ‘66 – Philippine Normal University teachers, who

Philippine Normal University (PNU) – 1966 Batch Gatsby-themed reunion in Simi Valley.

gathered from corners of the world -- the US, Canada, Japan, and more.

It was a dubbed a great gatsby red Carpet affair, in the home of their overall coordinator Cely anuran.

It was a day of learning for each of the teachers. In a sparkling conversation that set on nothing but their world, they came up with quotable tidbits. Indeed, a sharing of minds.

I. encouraging children to recognize that they have something to give to school.

II. They need to be praised for individual expression, for the way that they are different from others and not always praised for the way that they are like others.

III. If they do something well,

AJ Ads 49_Layout 1 8/18/15 5:36 PM Page 1

The Teachers (L-R) Cres Salonga (Delano), Cecilia Parrenas (Fresno), Aurel Flir- Shimo (Tokyo), Cely Anuran (Simi Valley), Manuel Abrazado (Los Angeles), Melba Dayao (Dublin), Aurora Almeda (Vallejo), Litz Fernandez (Alberta, Canada), Vicky Pineda (Anaheim), Josie Tandiana (Cerritos).

they want praise for it.

IV. good teachers teach kids about being emphatic, and help them be aware that the group life in school is different from home life as from plays and life outside.

They had exchanges and came up with contentions like, good teachers come in all forms and express themselves very differently. what they have in common is that they regard themselves as thinkers -- all existing in the world of ideas, whether you’re a nursery teacher or a university professor. The currency is an idea, as conveyed through relationships because the teacher not only has knowledge as a thinker, but he or she must communicate it.

The teachers’ collective regret is that they now have entered a phase in our society where educators are more involved for what it will return, rather than what it will make out of them. what makes certain schools good and some teachers memorable is not teaching as an art, or maybe just a craft. It is the interplay of discipline and humor as they manage most of the time

Cely Sagun (Anuran), the host.

to do what is not hoped for, but expected: extraordinary courage, nurturance, attention, energy, commitment, empathy and the sense of orchestration. Call it a craft, skill or gift.

But it is appreciation, respect and dignity, more than the rewards. we all have to develop a more realistic view of the roles that teachers play in everyone’s lives.

age gracefully

Herbed Summer Hummus Is Quick, Easy Treat

One Central is a luxurious 50 and 42-storey twin-tower residential condominium situated in the heart of Makati CBD designed by awardwinning international design firms, The Preben Kent and Gettys Chicago.

Life gets easier with Megaworld International’s exclusive ready-for-occupancy units Reward yourself with Megaworld International’s Home Club: Your key to a lifestyle of privileges

BY GRACE O

No-cook summer recipes should be easy, quick, and healthy. Be ready to entertain any time with this simple crowd-pleasing hummus. Fresh herbs add depth to a classic chickpea blend bursting with flavor from rich tahini paste, fresh lemon juice and zest and savory garlic. Quick to make, you can whip this up in a matter of minutes with your food processor.

Try growing thyme in your own garden this summer; for a quicker start, use seedlings instead of seeds and place growing thyme in full sunlight. Harvest thyme right before it blooms, when the flavor is most intense.

The recipe is a FoodTrients dream and includes anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, immune boosting, disease preventing, and mind and beauty benefits. It also is loaded with fiber, folate, iron, magnesium, protein and vitamin C.

Herbed Summer Hummus Yields about 2 cups ¼ cup olive oil ¼ cup tahini paste ¼ cup lemon juice ½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest 2 garlic cloves 1 ½ Tablespoons fresh thyme, picked off the stem 1 29-oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed ½ teaspoon sea salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend well. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper and additional thyme leaves or stems. Serve with fresh garden veggies or whole grain crackers.

GRACE O – Combining her passion for food and a commitment to promoting a healthy lifestyle, GRACE O has created FoodTrients®, a unique program for optimizing wellness. Grace O is a fusion chef with a mission: to cook up recipes for a long and joyful life that are built on a foundation of anti-aging science and her 15 years in the healthcare industry. Visit FoodTrients.com to learn more. Email us at info@FoodTrients.com © 2015 by FoodTrients.com

Megaworld International offers exclusive and pre-selected ready-for-occupancy (rFo) units to meet your meticulous and sophisticated needs. each unit has the advantage on convenience, security and access to endless possibilities of the live-work-playlearn lifestyle. You need not wait for months or years and get to experience the best rewards in an instant. owning an rFo unit means instant membership to Megaworld International’s Home Club, your key to a lifestyle of privileges. as a member, you will automatically enjoy the following privileges: extensive after-sales services including leasing and resale Management, Turnover and Maintenance Services, and Free Interior design Services. You will also receive free items such as a key kit, a one month’s supply of fine wine, and access to the Megaworld International exclusive client lounge.

Through Megaworld International Home Club, you will experience seamless transactions from the time you plan to buy a ready unit, to designing your living space and turnover, until you plan to re-sell or lease out your condo units.

Worry-free lifestyle privilege Now is high time to take ad-

vantage of venturing on rFo units as it gives guaranteed recurring income because of the solid market for it. Property leased out can really increase your asset and can give rental cash flow to fund your lifestyle and retirement. with the leasing and resale Management Services, selecting and negotiating bank finance options and refurbishment of units in preparation for leasing or resale of the property are done on your behalf.

A “hassle-free” turnover process and maintenance a hassle-free Turnover and Maintenance service awaits you to ensure that everything will be in good condition upon your acceptance of the unit.

To sustain a premium lifestyle experience, you are guaranteed quality control and maintenance of the rFo units even in your absence. Housekeeping personnel are on standby to regularly check the unit and provide a report to you.

Very Personal. Very You. Personalize your units with the free Interior design Services.

Based on your personality, lifestyle and mood preferences, you may conceptualize your unit with the help of a dedicated group of in-house interior designers. You have the option to live in a Mod-

ern, Contemporary, Industrial or Modern Zen-inspired home.

Megaworld International is currently selling rFo units in various Megaworld townships and prime locations such as eastwood legrand Towers 1 & 2 in eastwood City; 115 Upper McKinley in McKinley Hill; Sarasota, Pinecrest and Montecito in Newport City; and greenbelt Madison and one Central in Makati Central Business district.

Megaworld International is the global marketing arm of Megaworld Corporation. It is present in over 40 countries in North america, asia Pacific, europe and Middle east and is poised to expand to more territories, bringing the best real estate choices from the largest developer in the Philippines.

For inquiries, please call: Angelita Contreras Megaworld International VP-North america 1 (818) 913-1188 Los Angeles Office 4515 eagle rock Blvd. Ste. 145a la. Ca. 90041 (818) 518-1680 1-888-860-8168 ext. 1 internationalluxuryproperties@yahoo.com

(Advertising Supplement)

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Features

ENCORE EPISODE ON CITIZEN PINOY! Leading US immigration lawyer Michael J. Gurfinkel continues to answer questions from Kapamilya in Rosemont, Illinois, such as I petitioned my son without legally adopting him. Can he still qualify for a visa? Once I become a US citizen, can I invite my parents and siblings to come to the US as tourists? Get answers to these and more on an encore episode of the information-packed, award-winning public service program—’Citizen Pinoy,’ this Sunday, August 23 at 6:15pm PST/EST (9:15pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

The possibility of living without excess body fat or disease is a reality at The IBODY WHY are people raving about The IBODY? The possibility of living without disease or medication is the reason and the reality. A new breed of medicine is here NOW at the beautiful wellness and aesthetic center in San Marino, California.

You will experience the immediate positive impact to your health and body in just days. The IBODY Weight Loss Program is a uniquely different program designed by the physician owners to get at the root causes of fat storage in your body.

Weight loss is focused on health and body balance rather than diet pills and prepackaged foods. The IBODY program is all about getting rid of your body of toxins that cause your body to retain fat. You will learn how to will put an end to your struggle to lose weight. No matter your ethnicity, the approach helps anyone. Healthy meats, fats, vegetables and fruit exist in every culture. You may still enjoy the foods you like, without worrying about gaining fat while getting rid of disease. For those who are healthy and without weight loss issues, the IBODY helps those that just want to look better and as a result, will prevent disease.

The I BODY strives for everyone to be healthy.

If you have been struggling with diabetes, hypertension, obesity, ongoing weight gain or any

Dr. Roberto Tostado (right), founder of the IBODY, with his wife Teresa Tostado NP.

chronic disease, the IBODY can improve your health significantly and can help reverse your dependence on medication. Focusing on your genetic footprint and the root cause of disease, Dr. Tostado will bring health, longevity and vitality back in your life. Blood and saliva genetic tests play a key role in understanding how your body works in a way that you have never experienced with standard

medical clinics. Tests are covered by most insurances. The new movement in health established at The IBODY over the last decade has proven that you can have a life free of disease and free of endless medications. Imagine living with energy, happiness and a body that you wouldn’t mind showing at the beach! All of these possibilities are realities, health and beauty are one PAGE B8

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Features

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Kababayans and Basketbol The Global Kababayan G. TönGi LAst August 4, I celebrated my first year being on the air as the host and producer of LA18’s ‘Kababayan today.’ I can’t believe it has only been a year! We have made some significant changes to the show and the entire Filipino Block to give Kababayans more Filipino content that is relevant across all generations.

As I am sure you have seen, we have added content direct from our media partners from the Philippines, tV5, the Kapatid Network. We have a drama that has never been aired in Los Angeles called ‘Kidlat’, starring with Derek Ramsey. Also ‘Kababayan today’ has moved earlier to 3:30pm to give way to Aksyon News, now at 4pm every day. And since tV5 now syndicates the PBA or Philippine Basketball Association games on television, tV5 will be bringing in some PBA stars like PBA MVP James Yap, PBA Legend Benjie Paras and basketball teen sensation Kobe Paras here to Los Angeles this weekend!

With the partnership with tV5, LA18 is also happy to collaborate on their events for the Fil-Am community. I have always known that kababayans love basketbol but I have only realized to what extent recently. Did you know that there are so many basketball organizations that cater to Fil-Ams or have been led by Fil-Ams here in southern California?

Here is a list I have put together for your reference if you are looking to get into basketball with your Fil-Am Kababayans!

Hooptown International (www. hooptown-bball.com) Hooptown International has produced players that play in the PBA (Alex Cabagnot - san Miguel, JR Buensuceso - Kia) and various players that have gotten scholarships at many colleges in the us. they will also be hosting its 21st Annual summer Basketball Camp on August 29-30, 2015 at Alemany High school in Mission Hills, California. Please reach out to Coach Jeff Berina at email: hooptownla@ aol.com if interested.

Edge Basketball International (www.edgebasketball.net) Edge Basketball International

was established in 2008 to assist in the development and success of student-athletes on and off the basketball court. their philosophy at Edge Basketball is to focus on teaching the importance of life skills such as leadership, communication, responsibility, teamwork and a strong work ethic. they are committed to the success of each individual by mentorship. through mentorship, each student-athlete must show that they can maintain good grades and balance their commitment in the classroom and on the basketball court. Edge Basketball serves the communities of : West Covina, Covina, Diamond Bar, Walnut, Rowland Heights, Hacienda Heights, Chino Hills, Chino, Rancho, Fontana, glendora and La Verne. Email edge.basketball@yahoo.com for more information.

SoCal Hoops Basketball Academy (www.socalhoops.elev8nation.com/) soCal Hoops Basketball Academy’s (sCHBA) mission is to provide an opportunity for players of all abilities and skill levels in southern California to develop their basketball skills by properly learning the key basketball fundamentals.they are committed to developing student athletes’ individual skills, team play, and basketball IQ through our intense and competitive skills training sessions, player development activities and team programs. sCHBA promotes good sportsmanship and positive relationships among all coaches, referees, parents, players and their families. sCHBA is led by a tandem coaching team of Coach Alvin Castro and Coach Randy Narciso Email alvincastro9@gmail.com if interested.

Pacific Rim Sports (www.pacrimsports.com) Most Fil-Am basketball lovers know Pacific Rim (PacRim) as one of the biggest Fil-Am basketball leagues in southern California.

In 1992, Pacific Rim sports Association (PacRim) began operation in Montebello, California with a basketball league of nine teams. It has since grown to be one of the largest adult basketball leagues in southern California averaging 200 teams per season. League play is composed of two divisions, each consisting six competitive levels, and showcases players of age 18 and over.

What was originally intended for Filipino-American basketball players has grown to include other nationalities. Because of demand, PAGE B8

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Programming of Kababayan Today, Aug. 24-28, 2015 August 24 - Half-Pinays and sisters Yasmin Dar and shaiyanne Dar visit the show and talk about their clothing brand, Dolkii.

Members of the u.P. Alumni of greater Los Angeles Dr. Arnel Joaquin, Jazmin gaite and “Direk” Maning Rivera share how the organization is trying to inculcate the spirit of giving and also aiming for u.P. alumni to be more aware of the organizaton.

August 25 - Panel discussion on preserving Philippine indigenous

culture and communities. the Philippines is home to over 14 million indigenous communities, a majority of whom are located in Mindanao.

We will be discussing the situation of indigenous people in Mindanao with our four guests who work with community-based organizations here in the Philippines and in the us. this is Part two of our panel discussion that aired last Aug. 11, 2015 with guests sister Famita

Benjie Paras

Kobe Paras

somogod, Hiyasmin saturay,Ms. Amirah Ali Lidasan and Vennel Francis Chenfoo.

August 26 - Midweek News updates from Asian Journal.

Health & fitness advocate thea Fernandez starts regular segment, “get Health-thea” to get the heart pumping!

Immigration reform advocate Jose Antonio Vargas talks about his latest project, “#Whitepeople,” a documentary about race and whiteness in America.

August 27 - Mainstream fashion designer and now editor-in chief-of L’Vegue Magazine in Las Vegas, David tupaz, shares his move to Nevada and how he is spearheading the fashion movement in Las Vegas.

August 28 - Alice Dixson and Camilla griggers share their pinsan story on the show! they will share a 10-day detox that kababayans can try in two simple principles: Water and nutrients in, and toxins and waste out.

B august 22-25, 2015 • La WEEKEND asIaN JOuRNaL

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6 beauty bloggers I highly recommend

By Monet

Lu

WORKING in the beauty department for years has earned me the right to call myself a beauty expert. People ask me for advice – and they are usually happy with it; some have learned much under my training and supervision.

I love that I can help other people look nice – even stunning – when necessary. And, if have all the time and energy, I would love to pass on what I know to everyone who needs it. Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of time to do that. And this is why I love that there are amazing beauty bloggers out there who are just as passionate as I am in imparting their wisdom. I’ve been following some of them for some time now and here are 6 beauty bloggers that I highly suggest you follow.

1. La La Mer Who would use plain Greek yogurt as a face mask? I ask the same thing until I was introduced to it by this Los Angeles-based TV host turned lifestyle blogger, Marianna Hewitt. She looks like Kim Kardashian (which would perhaps get you more hooked to her blog). She offers personal makeup and lifestyle tips, and video tutorials on how fans can recreate their favorite celebrity looks. I find her blog interesting and up-to-date with the latest beauty trends. And again: plain Greek yogurt. That just says it all.

2. Michelle Phan From ways on how to use a liquid liner to grooming tips, this beauty you-tuber is definitely worth your subscription. I say that along with her 7 million-plus subscribers. Phan has been at the top of the beauty guru game since the naked-make-up look

surfaced. She began posting tutorials in 2007 and gained followers because of her laidback style and colorful costumes and themes. She came out with her own make up line and a styleguide book. If you want to learn the basic stuff in makeup and some really unique looks, this woman is your best friend. Apparently, 7 million people agree with me.

3. Kathlyn Lights How can I not love Kathlyn Lights? Her take on make up transformation is very refreshing. She is not as seasoned as the other bloggers in this list, but this beauty blogger is the new face to watch out for! Her reviews on makeup brands and products are credible and reliable. I should know, I purchased some products based on her recommendation.

I love that her reviews on both drugstore brands and high end ones are honest and fair. She also featured her morning and night skin care routine, which I think is very helpful.

4. Zoella She is known online as Zoella.

Her name is Zoe Sugg and she is a beauty blogger goddess. Her typical day includes gaining 7.5 million subscribers, making TV apperances, being a digital ambassador for mental health and breaking the record for highest first-week sales of a first-time novelist for her novel. If that is not enough to lure you into her cultic aura, your decision needs some reevaluation. I love Zoe’s bubbly personality and sense of humor. And her makeup techniques are just spot-on. Her quick hairstyle tutorials and makeup routine will definitely make you a fan.

5. The hip chick online Before you think that this list is just for the yuppies, let me introduce you to Kim. This 40something mom is the enchant-

PAGE B7

Michelle Phan

ing “Rapunzel” in real life. Her amazing hair can be the envy of every woman. She feautues tutorials on how to turn your hair into a magnificent “crown of glory.” One online article writes, “She thoroughly demonstrates elementary (but often challenging) techniques like using a round brush, getting perfect beach waves, and maneuvering a curling wand. We were especially impressed by how naturally voluminous she made her mane look at the crown without any teasing.”

6. Pixiewoo They say having too much of everything is bad. I agree. But if you are getting beauty and makeup tips from-not just one-but two sisters--you wouldn’t mind getting too much, right? I cannot get enough of the “pixiwoo” sisters. The sisters/makeup artist behind the pixiwoo channel are just amazing! They have a knack for recreating celebrity makeup

looks which I really love! Imagine looking like Angelina Jolie or Rihanna. These beauty experts know how to keep their followers empowered and entertained at the same time. Even their Basics videos are a must-watch for any beauty beginner (even veterans can learn a thing or two!).

Well, for the love of makeup and skin care, one would get as much help as she possible can. And these amazing beauty bloggers are social media’s gift to mankind. *** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, awardwinning celebrity beauty stylist with his own chain of Monet Salon salons across Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Ultimately, Monet is known as an all-around artiste who produces sold-out fashion and awards shows as well as unforgettable marketing campaigns.

Monet is also the founder of the revolutionary all-natural beauty products such as Enlighten, your solution to discoloration. To contact Monet, please visit www.monetsalon.com or email him at monetsalon@aol.com

The possibility of living without excess body fat...

PAGE B3 in the same at The IBODY. The IBODY has successfully treated thousands of clients on easing the way to burn their body fat. This is not through the endless hours spent at the gym or by eating only greens for weeks. This is a simple approach by going back to basics and eating “real food” with common sense and understanding how your body reacts to the right combination of simple but “power foods”. According to Dr. Roberto Tostado, founder of the IBODY with his wife, Teresa Tostado NP, the path to health and vitality is not complicated. Enjoy your good fats, proteins and vegetables to reverse fat storage to fat burning.

Dr. Tostado says that as everyone is not created the same, losing fat can be complicated by hormonal imbalances, toxins and digestive issues and that is why traditional dieting ultimately fails. The IBODY specifically addresses these factors that promote fat in your body, supporting and educating you throughout the process until

you realize you’ve lost so many pounds and didn’t notice that you need a new wardrobe for being 3 times smaller in size.

Fat is a defense mechanism to protect each of us from toxins and hormonal imbalances so treating the root cause of fat removes fat production. Excessive body fat is one of the major causes for heart disease, diabetes, strokes and cancer.

Teresa Tostado N.P. says that the medical staff at IBODY is experienced in giving you an understanding of how your body works.

By learning how the body responds to certain foods, hormonal levels, liver function and fat metabolism we are able to find a balance towards energy and health.

What’s exciting are the therapies that complement this weight loss. The IBODY has the latest Smartlipo laser body sculpting and bio-identical testosterone therapy to address specific areas of fat that may be stubborn despite the healthy change such as love handles, male breasts and upper

Kababayans and...

arms.

Low testosterone in men and women is prevalent in this modern world where everything processed causes significant hormonal imbalances: decreased sexual function, chronic fatigue, fat accumulation of the belly area and insomnia are common effects. The IBODY restores testosterone levels with plant based testosterone for energy and fat burning without the harmful side effects of synthetic medications.

There are many cases where patients come in to The IBODY with stories of “endless and failed dieting” where being fat and tired has been treated through selfmedication. The way to a lean body is not through endless pills and prescriptions. After helping many clients over the years to understand the root cause of their weight gain, fatigue and cravings Dr. Tostado, Teresa Tostado and the IBODY staff are more inspired than ever by the never-ending success stories. Every patient that has lost fat under the supervision and

support of The IBODY clinic in San Marino not only lost weight while increasing energy but transformed their toxic body into a fat burning healthy lean body. They ultimately transformed their lives.

The IBODY is Dr. Roberto Tostado, double Board Certified in Regenerative, Anti-Aging Medicine and Family Medicine, Fellow in Nutrition and Digestive Medicine ; Teresa Tostado N.P, Board Certified Pediatrics and Diplomat of Regenerative and Anti-aging Medicine , who combined have over forty years of medical experience with their unparalleled passion and proactive approach to health. The dramatic results bring possibility and reality for health, beauty and ultimately joy to many clients.

Call The IBODY now and transform your life today.

Their telephone number is (626) 593-5993. You can check out their website at http:// www. theibody.com The IBODY: 956 Huntington Dr. San Marino CA 91108

PacRim started a youth program.

In 2009, a youth program was developed in Orange County for boys and girls, grades 3 thru 8, beginners to intermediate. The program continues today and includes training, workouts, competition and tournaments. Email don@pacrimsports.com for more details.

Kaba Hoops (www.kabahoops. com) Kaba Hoops is dedicated to using love of basketball to unite Filipino-American youth; to teach the fundamentals of basketball, the importance of good sportsmanship and most of all, the development of life-long friendships amongst our players that will preserve our community for many years to come. They use this platform to emphasize family, community, scholarship, charity and to raise Filipino cultural awareness for the next generation. Kaba Hoops is a non-profit organization that welcomes youth basketball players of Filipino descent, from ages 7 to 18,

from all over Southern California.

Email kabahoops@hotmail.com for details.

If you like basketbol as much as they do, join me & the TV5 Kapatid Network on Sunday, August 23 from 2 to 4 pm at the Cerritos High School Gym in Cerritos, California.

Flying in from Manila, you will get to Meet PBA MVP James Yap, PBA Legend Benjie Paras and basketball teen sensation Kobe Paras with Special Guest Stars for a FREE family afternoon of fun, games and up to $5,000 in cash prizes!

Admission for the event is free.

For more info go to www.LA18.tv. *** Giselle “G” Töngi is the host and producer of Kababayan Today, a daily talk show that features relevant topics for Filipino’s living in America. Her aim is to bridge not only the cultural gap between America & the Philippines but to help with the generational gap between our own people. She is married with two children and is based in Southern California and makes frequent trips in the Pacific Rim to Hawaii and Manila to feature fellow kababayans who are empowering the FilAm community.

Obie-winning Mia Katigbak...

PAGE B1 bak said, “We don’t get to do [these kinds of roles]! If [doing these roles] becomes the foundation of the company, so that we get perceived as technically skilled, then there will have to come a time when people will say, ‘Oh right, we don’t have to just cast them as Asian gangsters and gooks.’

“I wanted to… develop a very large pool of acting talent so that it becomes undeniable that we can do this stuff, and hopefully other people would start casting these folks from our shows.”

As such, the group aims to “more accurately represent onstage the multi- and intercultural dynamics of our society… [and] demonstrate a rich tapestry of cultural difference bound by the American experience.”

Contributions Katigbak says part of the group’s mission is “to increase awareness among non-Asian-Americans about our contributions to American culture,” and also to point out what “Asian” means. “We can go as far east as Japan, as south as Indonesia and all the way west to Turkey.

All that focused work has gained recognition. The group received the 2006 Rosetta LeNoire Award for “increasing diversity and nontraditional casting in American theater,” as well as the 2012-13 Lucille Lortel Award.

And it’s producing results.

“After our production of ‘Falsettoland,’ one of the actors, Christine Toy Johnson, got a recurring role in a soap opera and I don’t think her character was [meant to be] specifically Asian,” said Katigbak.

“Our other alums such as Daniel Dae Kim, C.S. Lee, Joel de la Fuente and Ann Harada have all played roles that are not ethnic-specific.”

Theater in DNA Born and raised in Manila, Katigbak and her parents moved to the US when she was 11.

“I recall wanting to do theater since I was about 5 years old,” she says. “I was surrounded by musicians and dancers in Manila because my mother Adelaida Reyes was a musician and then a music critic [for Philippine Evening News and Manila Daily Bulletin], but theater was always, somehow, in my DNA. There was no ‘Aha!’ moment, I was just always doing it.”

Katigbak has acted extensively with different groups in and outside of New York. She received the New Dramatists’ Charles Bowden Actor Award in 2006.

Her advocacy for Asian- Americans in theater reaches beyond Naatco. She was one of the organizers of the first and second National Asian American Theater Festivals in 2007 and 2009.

Look to the future For its next production this season, the group has commissioned Lloyd Suh to adapt Agatha Christie’s “The Mysterious Affair at Styles.”

“Its working title is ‘Charles Francis Chan’s Most Exotic Oriental Murder Mystery,’” she says.

(Suh’s “American Hwangap” was staged by Tanghalang Pilipino in English and Filipino in Manila in 2010.)

“Our 25th anniversary is a milestone, just for the sheer fact that we have survived that long. I believe we enjoy the fortunate reputation of doing good work, no matter what we do, and that’s a good thing.”

“The anniversary affords me the opportunity to assess what Naatco has accomplished thus far, and it is a good place from which to look to the future. To concoct other strategies for Asian-American representation, visibility and dynamism on the American stage.

To reach other constituencies beyond the usual and to forge more meaningful partnerships with other non-Asian-American theater artists and organizations.”

Gwyneth Dorado could be the next big thing

by Riz

PulumbaRit Inquirer.net

IF there’s something that Gwyneth Dorado lacks, self-confidence isn’t one of them. During the elimination round of Asia’s Got Talent last May, the spunky 10year-old from Pasig City showed nerves of steel as she marched onstage and faced the amused panel of judges. The petite, bedimpled girl, proceeded to sing Katy Perry’s “Roar” as she played a guitar almost as big as her.

Gwyneth, or Gwen, wowed the four judges, and they unanimously sent her to the next round. She even got AGT judge and music producer David Foster to autograph her guitar. Gwen eventually reached the finals together with three other Filipino acts.

She didn’t win the grand prize but she had accomplished what most artists could not in their entire lifetime: to perform on a global stage. Not bad for someone who hadn’t competed before, even in an inter-barangay contest.

People may wonder how Gwen kept her composure despite being watched by millions worldwide.

Even at her age, Gwen has learned to be spiritual. She advised, “Just keep believing. Be-

fore you start, pray for strength.”

YouTube lessons Gwen is one of those kids who learn from lessons through the Internet. Some kids learn how to bake cupcakes by watching tutorials; Gwen learned how to play the guitar by watching YouTube.

“My dad gave me a guitar when I was 8 years old,” she said.

A search led her to a two-yearold video uploaded by her dad. As she read the music on an iPad, she played the guitar and performed a slow version of David Guetta’s “Titanium,” the same song she sang in the finals.

Neither did Gwen have any formal vocal training. Like most Filipinos, she learned how to sing through the videoke. Gwen was 3 or 4 then. “I learned how to play the keyboards around 5- or 6-years-old.”

She also plans to write her own songs soon.

Seeing herself Gwen said that becoming a celebrity is “cool.”

“Some fans ask to have their photos taken with me. I also find it amazing when I see myself on TV. My friends also enjoy seeing

The youngsinger during an “Asia’s Got Talent” performance.

me on TV, too.”

She’s a grade five student who wants to prioritize her studies before embarking on a career. “I’m not yet ready for show biz,” she declared. But when asked if it was OK if someone offered her to star in a movie, her answer was “yes.”

Singing the nat’l anthem Another feather on Gwen’s cap is singing the National Anthem for the president’s final State of the Nation Address. Being the trouper that she is, Gwen sang “Lupang Hinirang” beautifully and respectfully. She sang it in tune, at the right beat and with the correct lyrics.

“This (invitation to sing the national anthem) is in recognition of the mercurial achievement of a young girl, whose singing

ability is adored not only in Asia but worldwide. She truly represents the vast and incredible wealth of talents Filipino youth can offer,” said Artemio Adasa, House of Representatives Deputy Secretary General for Legislative Operations.

So far, everything seems to fall into place for Gwen. What she has achieved at 10 years old, most people can only dream of. With all the accolades and achievements she has garnered, it’s safe to assume she can be a force in Philippine show biz.

But with humility she confessed, “I still don’t know what will come next. But I hope the future would be bright.” That makes it easier to say that Gwyneth Dorado could be the next big thing.

INC’s Felix Manalo bioflick survives obstacles, set for showing

by Ricky lo Philstar.com

LIKE most epic movies, Felix Manalo has undergone birth pains, especially in the acting department and, thank heavens, it has cleared the obstacles and is ready for showing.

As you must have known by

now, “Felix Manalo,” produced

by Viva Films, is a sprawling historical epic that traces the origins and growth of the Iglesia ni Cristo church from its humble beginnings in 1914 to the present. It is framed by the life of its founder, Felix Manalo, from the time of his birth in 1886.

Initially eyed to play the title role was Sen. Bong Revilla who had to back out due to circumstances that the public learned about from the headlines. Taken as replacement was Albert Martinez who, after shooting a few scenes, begged off to take care of his then ailing wife Liezl Martinez (who died last

March).

Final choice is Dennis Trillo whose close-up shown in side view occupies the entire movie ad, with his name alone billed above the title. Like Bong and Albert, Dennis has the credentials to back him. He rose to fame with his multi-awardPAGE B9

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • AUgUSt 22-25, 2015

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Mitsuwa showcases cultural performances to kick off Tohoku food fair TO kick off the Rising Tohoku Food Fair in LA, cultural performances and mascots from the six prefectures of the Northeastern Japan region were showcased on Thursday, Aug. 20, at Mitsuwa Marketplace in Torrance, California.

“Actually, we could do the food fair here by only bringing food, but people cannot enjoy or imagine where the food comes from,” said Haruhiko Miyano, president and CEO of Crooner Bridge Marketing. “The six cities of the Tohoku area have very popular festivals, so we want to bring here and let the American people to feel where is Tohoku, what Tohoku feels like.”

To demonstrate the culture, Japanese performers danced the Sansa from Morioka, Hanagasa (with flower hats) from Yamagata, Suzume (with fans) from Sendai, Da-te Busho-tai from Suzume and Nebuta from Aomori.

Four city-specific mascots were also presented Thursday: Miyagi City’s iconic Musubimaru, who wears a samurai costume and resembles onigiri (rice ball); Fukushima City’s adorable Momorin rabbit, which represents Fukushima momo (peaches) and ringo (apples); Hanagata Beni-Chan, a girl mascot who wears a cherrypatterned kimono and hanagata flower hat with hair resembling safflower; and Nebutan, an adorable boy dressed in the haneto costume worn at Aomori’s worldrenowned Nebuta festival.

Each mascot possesses the essence of each city, Miyano said.

For instance, Musubi-maru is

from an area that is well-known for its rice fields.

Among guests at Thursday’s opening event for the food fair included Torrance City Councilman Geoff Rizzo and Vice Mayor of Aomori City from Tohoku Prefecture Hisaki Kagaya.

The food fair began on Thursday and runs through Sunday, Aug. 23. It celebrates both the cultural diversity of the Tohoku region in Japan and promotes awareness of the ongoing postearthquake recovery from damage suffered during the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.

Mitsuwa Marketplace is the largest Japanese Supermarket chain in the United States with nine branches throughout the country. It is home to a large variety of Japanese groceries, electric appliance, general merchandise, and cosmetics. It also features restaurants that offer exquisite choices of authentic Japanese food. (AJPress) Mitsuwa Marketplace 21515 S Western Ave. Torrance, CA 90501 (310) 782-0335 Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

INC’s Felix Manalo bioflick...

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ed performance in Regal Films’ “Aishite Imasu” as a transvestite during the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines in World War II. More recently he won accolades for his performances in the hit TV bromance “My Husband’s Lover” and the acclaimed indie action-thriller “The Janitor.”

Taking on the role of Felix’s wife Honorata is Bela Padilla who has amply proven her thespic worth in a few films, notably in the 2013 entry “10,000 Hours” which almost won her a Best Dennis Trillo plays the title role in “Felix Manalo.”

Supporting Actress Philstar.com photo (according to an unconfirmed report by mere decimal points). Now cast as one of the lead roles in “Ang Probinsyano “(the TV version of the classic FPJ movie, with Coco Martin in the title role and FPJ widow Susan Roces as his grandmother). Born to a Filipina mother and a British father, Bela (first cousin of Robin Padilla) possesses a natural charisma which is the trademark of the well-known Padilla clan in the industry. She last starred in “Sa Ngalan ng Ama, Ina, at Mga Anak,” which was released in 2014, together with the other Padillas.

Tapped as director (to replace Cesar Montano who was reported to be the original choice) was Joel Lamangan.

AJPress photos by Agnes Constante

B10 august 22-25, 2015 • La WEEKEND asIaN JOuRNaL

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 22-25, 2015

COMMUNITY Journal

USCIS new policy memo expands CSPA

Your Immigration Solution Atty. RobeRt Reeves ben LovemAn & nAncy e. miLLeR ON July 29, 2015, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted a new policy memorandum on its website providing guidance to its officers and to the public regarding the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA). The policy memorandum was previously circulated as a proposed policy and appears to have been finalized on April 15, 2015 (the date on final version of the memo). The new policy clarifies and expands the applicability of the CSPA. The newly finalized policy memorandum will allow many children who were previously determined to be ineligible for CSPA protection a chance to reapply and potentially qualify for permanent residency if certain requirements can be met. The new policy could also spur persons who previously did not apply because of perceived ineligibility to apply for permanent residency.

As many of our readers know, the CSPA was passed by Congress to mitigate the problem of children ‘ageing-out’ as derivatives under their parent’s cases which resulted in familial separation. A child is no longer considered a child for the purpose of qualifying as a derivative beneficiary of a parent’s petition when they reach their twentyfirst birthday. The CSPA provides a mechanism which allows certain children to remain children despite reaching the age of twenty-one.

The implications of the new policy can only be understood if we first take a step back and see how the CSPA operates to protect children from ageing-out. The CSPA allows children to freeze their age and deduct the amount of time the qualifying petition was pending with USCIS from their age but only if they seek to acquire permanent resident status within one year of the availability of the immigrant visa number (also known as the “priority date”). Thus, the key triggering event for CSPA protection is the child taking affirmative action to seek to acquire resident status.

The child must do this within oneyear of a visa becoming available as determined by reference to the monthly Department of State Visa Bulletin.

The newly adopted USCIS policy allows for exceptions to the one-year deadline for seeking to acquire. This means that in some cases persons who have failed to seek to acquire within one-year may remain eligible for CSPA protection. The policy memorandum states that this one-year deadline can be excused if the failure to seek to acquire resident status was not the child’s fault and was the result of extraordinary circumstances.

The policy memorandum instructs USCIS officers to examine cases to determine if CSPA protection applies and to grant CSPA protection if extraordinary circumstances are established and: (1) the circumstances were not created by the individual’s own action or inaction; (2) the circumstances were directly related to the failure to act within the one-year period; and (3)The delay was reasonable under the circumstances.USCIS has not provided an all-encompassing list of qualifying circumstances which would establish eligibility for waiver of the one-year deadline but instead has laid out several examples of circumstances which couldmitigate in favor of USCIS excusing an applicant seeking to acquire residency beyond the one-year deadline. These circumstances include: legal disability, such as mental impairment, serious ill-

ness or mental or physical disability during the one-year period, ineffective assistance of counsel , timely filing rejected by the USCIS, followed by a prompt, corrected filing, and death or serious illness or incapacity of legal representative or immediate family member.

Finally, the new policy allows applicants whose cases were denied based on failure to meet the one-year filing requirement to file a motion to reopen for further consideration of their case. A motion to reopen must usually be filed within 30 days of a decision but USCIS will allow late-filed motions to reopen in this type of case.

The ability to file a late motion to reopen will only apply to persons who had their cases denied between June 8, 2012 through the issuance of new policy. However, applicants who were denied prior to that date can reapply for resident status if they can meet the requirements discussed above.

The CSPA was passed to help ensure family unity. USCIS’s new policy will allow the CSPA to protect even more families as it allows exceptions to the previously rigid one-year rule.

Whether or not a particular case will meet USCIS’s definition of extraordinary circumstances will come down to the particular facts of that case and then, more importantly, how the case is prepared and presented to USCIS. We encourage all persons whose cases might be impacted by this new policy to speak with

u PAGE C2

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C AUGUST 22-25, 2015 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Community Journal

You don’t have to remain stuck in debt forever

Minding Your Finances Atty. RAymond BulAon Life is all about making choices.

The choices we make today determine our future. What will my life be like 3, 5 or 10 years for now?

Will i be financially secure? Will i remain in the same dead-end job or perhaps move somewhere else that makes my time more worthwhile? Will i be able to send my children to college? Will i be able to retire comfortably and enjoy my older years?

These are questions that go through our minds all the time.

Unfortunately, when you’re in debt, it’s not easy to come up with the answers to them. Why? Because being in debt restricts your options most of the time.

When you’re in debt, you’re basically just in “survival mode” all the time- just trying to live paycheck to paycheck. There’s no planning for the future. You barely make it from month to month. Your mind is just filled with money worries

all the time that you can’t even enjoy your time with loved ones when you’re home. At the end of the day, you’re dead tired and just want to go to bed. The cycle repeats itself every single day.

Sounds familiar? Well, i’m telling you that things don’t have to be this way. There is a better way to live. There is a way to take control of your finances again so that you are not just scraping by from month to month. if your debt problems have taken over your life, something needs to changeand the sooner you take action, the sooner you will turn things around.

As a bankruptcy attorney, i understand that NO ONe ever wants to file bankruptcy. it’s always a last resort. But if you’ve done your best on your own and your situation hasn’t changed until now, let me ask you this question: What are you going to do about it? Are you simply going to remain stuck in debt with no way out, wait until your creditors take everything

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Tax Tips

VictoR Sy, cPA, mBA And you’ve worked hard for and have ARlene Al-oS, nothing left for yourself and fam- cPA, mBA ily after all your long years of hard work? is this your only plan? i know this may seem harsh but sometimes, reality is harsh. And if this is your reality staring you in the face, you need to do something about it or hate yourself later. instead of hopelessly trying to pay your debts and not making progress, you may be better off just filing bankruptcy now to start fresh and rebuild your credit sooner than later. if you need help in getting out of debt, i would like to help you. Please call Toll-free 1-866-477-7772 to schedule a free consultation. We have offices in Pasadena, Valencia and Cerritos. ***

THe iRS issued new guidance requiring individuals with an interest in a “specified foreign financial asset” to attach a disclosure statement to your income tax return for any year in which the aggregate value of all such assets exceeds $50,000. Use new form form 8938 (Statement of Specified foreign financial Assets) starting in 2011.

Q. What is a financial account?

A. A “financial account” includes: • Bank, securities, securities derivatives or other financial instruments accounts.

None of the information herein is intended • Savings, demand, checkto give legal advice for any specific situation. ing, deposit or any other account Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped thou- maintained with a financial instisands of clients in getting out of debt. For a free tution. attorney evaluation of your situation, please • Accounts in which the assets call Ray Bulaon Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1 are held in a commingled fund in(866) 477-7772. cluding mutual funds (Advertising Supplement) Q. Is an FBAR required for accounts maintained with financial institutions located in a foreign country if the accounts hold noncash assets, such as gold or silver?

A. Yes. An account with a financial institution that is located in a foreign country is a financial account for fBAR purposes whether the account holds cash or nonmonetary assets.

Q. If you own three foreign financial accounts with maximum account balances of $100,

reaffirmation agreements in bankruptcy

by Atty.

Gwendolyn MAlAyA-SAntoS

THe bankruptcy court issues a pamphlet containing explanation of bankruptcy basics like the reaffirmation agreements. All debtors are required to read the pamphlet and the trust during the 341 hearing will inquire whether the debtor has read the same. This is to ensure that debtor understand the consequence of bankruptcy filing and executing reaffirmation agreements. if you are contemplating of filing bankruptcy or other alternatives, it is advisable to seek the counsel of a bankruptcy lawyer to guide you on the intricacies of filing for such a petition.

Atty. Gwendolyn Malaya-Santos is a member of the State Bar of California and the integrated Bar of the Philippines. To schedule for a free initial in-person consultation, please call Tel. Nos. (213)

PAGE C1 t

284-5984 or (626) 329-8215. Atty.

Santos’ office is located at 3450 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1200-105, Los Angeles, CA 90010. information contained in this article does not, nor is it intended to, constitutes legal advice for any specific situation and does not create a lawyer-client relationship. it likewise does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.

Atty. Gwendolyn Malaya-Santos We are a debt relief agency. We *** help people file for bankruptcy reInformation contained in this article does not, nor lief under the Bankruptcy Code. *** Atty. Gwendolyn Malaya-Santos is a member of the State Bar of California and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. To schedule for a free initial in-person consultation, please call Tel. Nos. (213) 284-5984 or (626) 329-8215. Atty. Santos’ office is located at 3450 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1200-105, Los Angeles, CA 90010.

is it intended to, constitutes legal advice for any specific situation and does not create a lawyer-client relationship. It likewise does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.

We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code.

(Advertising Supplement)

an experienced immigration attorney. *** Atty. Reeves has represented clients in numerous landmark immigration cases that have set new

policies regarding INS action and immigrants’ rights. His offices are located in Pasadena, Irvine, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Makati City.

Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com Website: www.rreeves.com.

$12,000 and $3,000. Do you have to file an FBAR? Do you have to report all three accounts?

A. Yes, because the aggregate value of foreign financial accounts X, Y and Z is $15,100. You must report all three X, Y and Z even though two accounts have values below $10,000.

Q. If you own two foreign financial accounts with account balances of $3,000 and $8,000, do you have to file an FBAR? Which accounts must be reported?

A. All three accounts, even though no single account is over $10,000, because the aggregate value of accounts A, B and C is over $10,000.

Q. Is an FBAR required if the account does not generate interest or dividend income?

A. Yes, you must file fBAR whether or not the foreign account generates any income.

Q. Does the term “other authority over a financial account” mean that a person, who has the power to direct how an account is invested but who cannot make disbursements to the accounts, has to file an FBAR? A. No, an fBAR is not required because the person has no power of disposition of money in the account.

Q. What are the exceptions to the FBAR filing requirement?

A. Accounts in US military banking facilities and an officer or employee of a bank if the officer or employee has no personal financial interest in the account.

Q. Does more than one FBAR form need to be filed for a husband and wife owning a joint account?

A. No, one is enough provided that the names and Social Security numbers of the joint owners are fully disclosed.

Q. How long should account holders retain records of the foreign accounts?

A. Retain your records for a period of five years. *** Sy Al-os 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.

The firm celebrates its 38th anniversary in 2015. *** Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State University with an MBA. Vic worked with SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV - Andersen Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation in 704 Mira Monte Place, Pasadena, CA 91101. He has 50 years of experience in accounting, consulting, and tax work. *** The Firm proudly welcomes Arlene Al-os in 2015. She obtained her bachelors of Science in Accountancy from Mindanao State University and MBA from Ateneo de Manila University. She teaches intermediate accounting at UCLA and was a professor of Economics at Asia Pacific College. She has over 15 years of experience including member firms of KPMG and BDO Seidman accounting firms. *** Our readers may call (626) 744-0200 or email tax questions to info@victorsycpa.com. Please visit our website for about 300 tax tips at www.victorsycpa.

(Advertising Supplement) com.

What restraining orders can do for you Family Law Atty. ethelene F. SAlAS

iN the past couple of weeks, i have discussed two types of restraining orders i.e. a stay-away order and a restraint on personal conduct. Both of these restraining orders are judicial *** The analysis and suggestions offered in this orders (granted by a judge column do not create a lawyer-client relationship or commissioner) preventing and are not a substitute for the personalized a person from doing certain representation that is essential to every case. things to a “protected person.”

(Advertising Supplement) Usually, this means that the person must stay 100 yards away from the protected person and not do certain actions toward the protected person such as molesting, attacking, striking, threatening, sexually assaulting, or otherwise disturbing the peace of the other party and any person under the

USCIS new policy memo...

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) #2 - FbAr financial accounts

care, custody, and control of that party. Because they are judicial orders, a person must go to court in order to obtain these protections.

These orders are there to protect individuals who are scared or frightened of other individuals due to threats made to them.

Often, they do not want the assistance of the judicial system because they think and feel that the law cannot help them.

However, in most cases, the law does work and does protect these same people.

Through the years, i have had many clients who have come to my office crying because their boyfriends, their spouses, or friends have threatened them to the point that they can no longer function properly in society.

They start isolating themselves from their friends and their families. They simply do not know what to do when people they once cared about have threatened them or have started hitting and beating them.

in these types of situations, i would automatically recommend restraining orders to get the protections they obviously need. in many instances, i would go to court that same week for an exparte emergency order.

These emergency orders can be granted by the court within two days because of an immediate danger.

Put simply, the law will not tolerate conduct or actions that will disturb or hurt another person. These protections exist and should be used once someone threatens them. *** Ethelene F. Salas, Esq. is a practicing family law attorney. Ms. Salas is a Filipino-American born in the Philippines, raised in the United States, and speaks Tagalog fluently. The Law Offices of Ethelene F. Salas is located at two locations – the main office at 100 N. Barranca St., Suite 700, West Covina, CA 91791 and affiliated offices at 18000 Studebaker Road, Suite 700, Cerritos, CA 90703. To schedule an appointment with her, please call (626) 858-4646 or visit www.EFS-Law.com.

(Advertising Supplement)

Ac 21: Changing the employer of your employment-based green card application Dear attorney Tan, I have an approved I-140 immigrant petition which was filed by Company a on my behalf. Company a would like to employ me as a bookkeeper. Based on that approved I-140 petition, I filed an application for green card (I-485 adjustment of status) in august 2014. Since that time, my green card application has been pending, as USCIS has requested additional documents in support of my application. recently, another company, Company B, has expressed interest in hiring me for a payroll clerk position. Company B is a more established company based in the Midwest and pays $10,000.00 less but offers much better benefits. Is there a way I can substitute Company B as the employer in my green card application? --P.T. Dear P.T. Under iNA Section 204(j), commonly referred to as AC 21, an approved i-140 employment-based immigrant petition filed by one employer can be used by or “ported” to another employer providing certain requirements are met. first, a green card (i-485 adjustment of status) application must have been filed and must be pending for at least 180 days. Second, the “new” job offered by the second employer must be in the same or similar occupational classification as the job for which the first employer filed the i-140 petition. in your situation, you meet the first requirement in that Darrick V. Tan, Esq. your application for green card (i-485) was filed in August 2014. Your application has been pending for 1 year, which is more than the required 180 days under AC 21. in depth analysis in your case is needed as to whether Company B’s job of “payroll clerk” is considered a “similar occupational classification” to Company A’s job of “bookkeeper,” for which Company A petitioned you. in determining whether one job is similar enough to another job for AC 21 purposes, the USCiS takes into account the totality of the circumstances, including the job duties of both positions, the Standard Occupational Code (SOC) from the approved i-140 and the SOC code for the job offered by the new prospective employer, as well as the offered wages for each position. in your case, analysis would begin with the job duties of each position. The more similarity in job duties between bookkeeper and payroll clerk, the greater the likelihood that USCiS would consider them similar. Also, the SOC code for the 2 jobs would be taken into account. in addition, the wages offered by each employer would be considered. The existence of a big disparity in wages offered by each employer is not by itself a reason to conclude that the jobs are not similar. in your case, the fact that Company B is offering $10,000 less than Company A has to take into account the fact that the Midwest has a lower cost of living, as well as the fact that better benefits are being offered by Company B. if it is considered a “similar occupational classification,” Company B may be substituted in as the employer in your pending green card application, and Company B will not have to start the process from the beginning by filing a labor certification application and by obtaining an approved i-140 petition.

The analysis of whether you can use or “port” your approved i-140 requires additional analysis, and consulting with an experienced attorney is recommended. *** Darrick V. Tan, Esq. is admitted to practice law in California and Nevada. Mr. Tan is a graduate of UCLA and Southwestern University School of Law. He is a member of the Consumers Attorney Association of Los Angeles and is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Philippine American Bar Association.

LAW OFFICES OF DARRICK V. TAN, 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Tel: (323) 639-0277. Email: info@dtanlaw.com.

(Advertising Supplement)

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

Community Journal

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 22-25, 2015

C

Ex-lovers’ quarrel lead to disclosure of private medical information

Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights

Privacy suit filed against doctor and hospital

Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr. NORMA Lozano was a patient at UCLA Medical Center.

According to the Daily Journal, she had been fighting with Dedreck Harris, her ex-boyfriend.

Harris’ current girlfriend, Alexis Price, worked as a medical assistant for Dr. John Edwards, a private doctor who had access to UCLA’s health records. Even though Lozano was not a patient of Dr. Edwards, the latter could access any medical center patient record. Dr. Edwards had given Price his password to view most of UCLA’s 4 million patient files.

Price used Dr. Edwards’ password to access Lozano’s medical records from UCLA and took a cellphone photo of Lozano’s patient records. Price then taunted Lozano by saying that her re-

cords showed that Lozano had a sexually transmitted disease.

Lozano sued UCLA and Dr. Edwards, claiming that the medical center and the doctor violated the state’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, thus violating her privacy rights. Lozano claimed that she suffered significant emotional distress because of UCLA’s negligence.

UCLA asked the court to dismiss the case, stating that it should not be held liable for the intentional misconduct of Dr. Edwards. Dr. Edwards violated UCLA policy prohibiting doctors from sharing their passwords with their assistants. However, the court refused to dismiss the case, saying that the jury will have to decide whether UCLA should be held liable for not installing a better security system that would have prevented mis-

conduct on the part of doctors and their assistants. As of the writing of this column, the trial is still ongoing.

These days, news of various confidential data breaches abound. They are not limited to credit card and bank companies anymore. Any entity that stores the private information of people can be hacked, as Sony Entertainment, Home Depot, and Target have found out.

Various agencies of the government, including the IRS, have also been victimized. Even the so-called “cheaters’ website,” Ashley Madison, had not been immune, when reports surfaced in mid-July that the company was hacked, and names, addresses and phone numbers of 37 million of its users were subsequently downloaded onto the internet.

The injury to consumers

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

Here are seven things you should not do.

Do not confront your spouse and commit domestic violence Many spouse feel very angry and upset upon receiving the divorce papers. You may start blaming your spouse and attacking your spouse. You may even yell, threaten, scream, or even physically assault your spouse. This type of confrontation is called “domestic violence.” You may be arrested criminally if your spouse calls law enforcement. Your spouse may also file a domestic violence restraining order against you. Either one would compromise your ability to seek custody of your children, child support, and spousal support. It would also affect your credibility as a witness for future proceedings. In addition if you do this in front of the children, this may be looked at as domestic violence and abuse against the children. The incident may be reported to Child Protective Services for investigation.

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

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

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

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

Do not take off with your child and move out of state or out of the country If the child has been living in this state, California Court has jurisdiction over your child even if you leave California after being served the divorce. Your spouse can get an order from the California court to return the child to California and get sole physical custody of your child. This can be enforced through law enforcement in other states. In addition, this would also be an ATROS violation. Such a move would seriously undermine your claim for custody of the children.

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

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

Do not stalk your spouse in social medias such as facebook

or tweeter.

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

Most of the evidence obtained illegally is not admissible in court anyways. If you have been unfriended by your spouse, let it be.

Do not quit your job voluntarily If you think you can dodge child support and spousal support by quitting your job voluntarily, it is not going to happen. Your spouse’s lawyer will argue that there was no legitimate reason for you to leave your employment and may seek the court to impute income on you. Your spouse may seek vocational evaluation for purposes of determining your earning capacity. In addition, the amount of income you will lose by quitting is substantially more than the money you will owe in child or spousal support. Even if you are successful in dodging the support orders by quitting your job, your spouse can modify them back up the moment you go back to the work force.

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

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

People and Events

Stonebridge Music Festival on Aug. 22 LA MIRADA—The first Annual Stonebridge Music Festival is set for Saturday, August 22, 2015 at The La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts in La Mirada, California. This highly anticipated entertainment Event will feature Hawaii’s Renaissance Music Man, WILLIE K, a veritable master musician/singer/ukulele virtuoso, playing every style of music from rock to pop to blues to traditional Hawaiian and even opera. He is definitely an Artist’s artist, with a fan base that includes megamusicians like Steve Tyler, Mick Fleetwood and Z-Z Top! Also on the bill for the evening is Corazon de Leon, a stellar group of musicians performing excit-

ing Latin rock in the vein of Carlos Santana. Comprised of twelve tour-level players, these uber-talented men have toured individually with major artists like George Benson, J-Lo, Kenny Loggins, Alicia Keyes, Boz Skaggs, Diana Ross, Phil Collins and more. They receive a well-deserved standing “O” every time they perform together.

For this event, Corazon de Leon will also feature two special guest vocalists. “Little Albert” Maligmat, from Honolulu (formerly with The Society of Seven), is guaranteed to amaze you with his vocal prowess and electric stage presence. And after 11 years in New York City, Brooke Ishibashi, will bring her

charismatic and exuberant personal style to the La Mirada stage for all to enjoy.

Tickets for this event are $60.00 for orchestra and $45.00 for balcony. According to Event Promoter, Gerald Ishibashi of Stonebridge and Foxhole Buddy, Inc., there is also a group ticket discount available. To order tickets and for Event information, call (310) 627-7272 or check out the website www.stonebridgeentertainment.com. Show time is 7:30pm, and all seating is reserved.

The La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts is located at 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada 90638.

CELEBRATE LOCAL in San Diego this Sept.

THIS September, San Diego Restaurant Week, presented

by Lexus Dealerships of San Diego, will CELEBRATE LOCAL... keepin’ it fresh - really fresh.

San Diego Restaurant week returns September 20th - September 26th for ONE WEEK ONLY to “Celebrate Local” at all 180+ participating restaurants.

Choose from a three-course dinner or two-course lunch

deal to satisfy your cravings.

NEW THIS YEAR, San Diego Restaurant Week will be partnering with Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank to provide backpacks for children in need within the San Diego community during the ALL FOR KIDS campaign.

Ditch the dirty dishes and join over 150,000 fellow diners as we celebrate San Diego’s thriving culinary scene

and the homegrown, local businesses that provide us with the produce and products we love!

Tickets are not necessary for this delectable week of discounted dining, but reservations are recommended!

Visit SanDiegoRestaurantWeek.com for more information, including a list of participating restaurants, or to make your reservations in advance! n

from these data breaches have not yet been fully ascertained, although media pundits claim the Ashley Madison hacking has the potential to “ruin lives” and maybe endanger national security. What can consumers do?

The right to privacy is a personal and fundamental right protected by the Constitutions of both California and the United States. All individuals have a right of privacy in information pertaining to them. The state recognizes that the right to privacy is being threatened by the indiscriminate collection, maintenance, and dissemination of personal information and the lack of effective laws and legal remedies.

It further recognizes that the use of computers and other sophisticated information technology has greatly magnified

the potential risk to individual privacy that can occur from the maintenance of personal information. To protect the privacy of individuals, California has found it necessary that the maintenance and dissemination of personal information be subject to strict limits.

One such law requires commercial websites and online services that collect personally identifiable information about individual consumers to conspicuously post its privacy policy on its website. Examples of “personally identifiable information” include first and last name, home or other physical address, an e-mail address, a telephone number, a social security number, or other types of identifiers that permit the physical or online contacting of a specific individual.

For consumers victimized by

privacy violations who suffer damage as a result of an unlawful practice, the law may allow them to obtain monetary damages; restitution of property; punitive damages; court costs and attorney’s fees. *** The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at no-cost. Atty. Sayas’ Law Office is located at 500 N. Brand Blvd. Suite 980, Glendale, CA 91203. You can contact the office at (818) 291-0088 or visit www. joesayaslaw.com. *** C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. is trial attorney who has obtained several million dollar recoveries for his clients against employers and insurance companies. He has been selected as a Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, featured in the cover of Los Angeles Daily Journal’s Verdicts and Settlements, and is a member of the Million Dollar-Advocates Forum.

(Advertising Supplement)

C AUGUST 22-25, 2015 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Community Journal

Clients seek Chapter 11 & 13 reorganizations Debt Relief Atty. LAwrence yAng CLIENT NO. 1 is 58. Divorced and remarried. He has spent the last 20 years building up his business in Los Angeles.

He started with importation of construction materials direct from manufacturers in Asia, mainly from China and Taiwan, at cost that were lower, a lot lower than construction materials and products made in the USA. He did not have name brand items but since the manufacturers made exactly the same product for name brands in the USA, he was able to offer the very same product, although with a different label from a name brand, at a big discount when compared to the name brand product. Let’s just say that if you placed a real “Ferrari” side by side with the product he carried, you would not be able to tell the difference. It would look exactly the same as a “Ferrari” but his product would be called “Ferraro” or “Ferrigo.” He would sell security padlocks that look exactly the same as a “Yale” padlock but he would call his padlock “Yalu”. You won’t be able to tell the difference between “Yale” and “Yalu,” except that “Yalu” would sell for half the price of “Yale.” Now, if you needed ten padlocks for you dogs, you wouldn’t mind saving 50% on $200 for padlocks that look exactly the same and function exactly the same as “Yale”. So that was his business which was doing quite well, His annual sales last year was $4.0M with four retail outlets spread across the Southland. His profit margin was not big, but even with a 5% profit on gross sales of $4.0M, that’s a respectable $200,000 of annual profit. The problem occurred last year when he partnered with one of his foreign suppliers. There was a breach of contract and the foreign supplier ended up with a judgment against client for $1.5 M. Judgment creditor was about to put a lien on his inventory on his four retail outlets and

Client seeks Chapter 11 reorganization to save business; senior seeks Chapter 13 reorganization instead of reverse mortgage after two loan modification denials all his bank accounts, and that would have crippled his business badly. As you probably know, businesses like this, rely a lot on supplier credit.

Client owed $1.2M to suppliers, and had another $1.0M of inventory. If judgment creditor froze his cash in bank and inventory, client will not be able to recover. Further, client owned two warehouses that had secured loans of almost a million each that had very little equity.

Since client had a good business going, he needed an emergency Chapter 11 filing to prevent the judgment creditor from garnishing his bank accounts and putting a lien on his inventory. With the Chapter 11 held at bay with the automatic stay, client’s business and cash accounts could not be garnished and his inventory was intact. The problem of course is that all of secured and unsecured creditors are waiting to get paid.

Unsecured creditors will not ship new merchandise without an assurance that they will get paid. I found out that the secured creditors were willing to work with client in Chapter 11 so that took care of one problem. However, the unsecured creditors and suppliers had to be reorganized.

Prior to plan confirmation, the bankruptcy court protects client’s business so that no creditor can attach any of the assets of the business. As soon as the filing is done, we proceed to figure out a business plan that will allow the $1.5 M judgment and the $1.2M of unsecured debt to be handled properly and efficiently. Needless to say, unsecured creditors and the judgment creditor will not get 100% dividend because the profit is only $200K a year. However, Chapter 11 allows client to reorganize and present a feasible Chapter 11 plan to the court for confirmation. Chapter 11 assures client that he can continue doing business as before and not worry about the $1.5M judgment against him and the $1.2M of supplier credit.

CLIENT NO. 2 is 65. Since

he and his wife retired last year, they have been relying on $2500 of social security.

They have a nice house with equity of $300K. The house is now worth $500K. They have a first mortgage with a balance of $100K but now past due about $20K, and another $100K of home equity loan which is current. It appears they stopped paying their first mortgage following advice of a business that did loan modifications. They were told not to pay the mortgage while the loan modification request was being processed. The problem is that they applied twice, and both times, the loan modification request was denied.

The first application took 3 months, and the second application took another 3 months.

So today they are 6 months behind on the mortgage. They ask if they should do a reverse mortgage.

Since I knew their family circumstances, I said reverse mortgage is a bad idea. Clients have a son who is married and an 8 year old grandson. They all live together in clients’ house. Son and daughter in law both work and make a decent living. So it makes sense for them to keep on paying down the mortgage so that eventually the family house will be debt free, or even if its not debt free, maybe by the time they pass on, only the 2nd mortgage of $100K will be left.

Their son can have that refinanced and pay maybe $500 to $600 a month of mortgage and still have a great house for client’s son and his family to live in when client has gone to heaven to be with Jesus and Adonai, God the Father. I mean, compare that with having to pay $1,800 just for rent.

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

With a reverse mortgage, client does not have to make any mortgage payments now and the first and second mort-

u PAGE C5

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The joy and healing grace of self-surrender

To Live With Faith reverend rodeL g. BALAgtAs “UNCLE, how do I give everything to God? How do I offer my life to Him so he can take over? I just don’t know exactly how to do that.” My sixteen year-old niece surprised me with these questions a few weeks ago. I looked at her tenderly and answered, “Prayer, keep praying, Ann Jillian.”

Ann Jillian has been going to Catholic school since kindergarten. Now that she’s in high school and is involved in youth ministry, I see her having a stronger desire to grow in her faith and in her love for God. Not only is she achieving in academics and sports, she’s also developing a personal and profound relationship with God. And so, I thank God for having a lovely niece, who is so real and humble and not shy about expressing her spiritual struggles and longings. I know that she’ll continue to develop a healthy spiritual life as long as she keeps having these childlike qualities.

It may be hard for her now to comprehend my simple answer to her questions. She needs to know and practice the art of disciplined prayer in order to understand what I said. Because I believe that it’s the fundamental way to submit oneself completely to God so that “he can take over.”

The other day, when I was with her on our trip to Vancouver, I asked her to practice daily

mediation and contemplation before she goes to school. I told her to sit in a room, a garden or a chapel, and spend time alone with God. “Should I bring a bible to read?“ she asked me. “Yes, but the first thing you do is to just sit quietly before God for a few minutes, be conscious of what’s going on in your body, including your breathing. Let go first of your mundane concerns, and allow the spirit of God to envelope you,” I responded. “This is what we call centering prayer.

Then you can read some Psalms or any Scripture text and meditate on a word or a phrase that strikes you, allowing that word or phrase to heal any pain or to take away any anxiety. Do this daily for at least twenty to thirty minutes and you’ll find yourself growing in this act of self-surrender to God.” “But that’s hard to do uncle, especially when I’m so busy with school work,” Ann Jillian remarked. “Believe me,” I answered, “when you become faithful to this discipline of prayer, you’ll experience inner joy and consolation. You’ll be less worried and you may even experience physical healing. God just becomes part of you. You’ll begin to let go of petty things that rob your peace. Yes, you’ll lean on your human pain; that’s just part of the process, but you’ll be opening up yourself to the abundant and healing graces of God. Your prayers gradually become

prayers of worship and praise to God who loves you dearly and unconditionally!”

These conversations with my niece bring to my mind the Gospel that we have this Sunday when the Lord taught his disciples that it is the Spirit that gives life. This is precisely what prayer does to us: the Spirit of God enlivens us and gives us the inner joy that material things or pleasure fail to provide. That’s why Peter rightfully responded to Jesus’ question, “Do you also want to leave?” He said, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

In prayer, in this act of surrendering, we stay with God even to the point of wrestling with him about our human struggles. But as long as we remain with him, he’ll keep us centered on the essential matters of life. He’ll be faithful to his promises of joy and delight, and our lives will open up to the wonders of living in his Spirit! *** From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991.

He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (1999-2001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.

Filipina from South Central LA wins $5,000 scholarship for college found her way to a related scholarship called the APIASF (Asian and Pacific Islander American ScholarWHEN it’s 12:09am and it’s too ship Fund).

Having never heard of APIASF hard to fall asleep, what should a before, Baniaga did some research high school student do?

Earlier this year, the scenario and decided to try her luck. Usis one that played out for 18-year- ing a previously written personal old Krizza Baniaga, a Filipina who statement to fulfill the essay rerecently graduated from Manual quirement for the scholarship, she eventually submitted an applicaArts High School in Los Angeles.

“I should do something with my tion.

Fast forward to several weeks life,” she recalled thinking. “I need later, the college-bound Filipina money for school.”

So she hopped on the Internet was selected as one of 22 recipito browse the Gates Millennium ents of the APIASF scholarship Scholarship website and somehow u PAGE C5 Krizza Baniaga

by Agnes

ConstAnte AJPress

Obituary

Zenaida Barlin Garcia November 23,1937–August 16, 2015

Zenaida Barlin Garcia passed away on Sunday august 16, 2015 at the age of 78. She was born on november 23,1937 in San Fernando, La Union, Philippines and was a long time resident of Carson, California.

Zeny, as she was called and known, was a resident of Carson, California at the time of her passing.

She is survived by her sons and daughters: Susan Barlin, daniel Mark Garcia, Mia (Mercy) Mastroprieto, david Garcia, Joey Garcia, allan Garcia, Grace Garcia, amy Perez, Maryann Garcia and John Garcia; step

sons and daughters Connie Soriano, evelyn San Miguel, Jose Garcia Jr., Jimmy Garcia, Rolando Garcia, erlinda Paredes, delia espique, Gloria Coching and dante Garcia.

Services: Viewing Service: WednesdaySaturday august 19 to 22, 2015 from 3:00 to 8:00pm at Green Hills Memorial Park Interment: Sunday august 23, 2015 at 9:00 aM Green Hills Memorial Park 27501 South Western avenue Rancho Palos Verdes, Ca 90275.

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PeoPle & events

Filipina from South Central LA wins...

PAGE C4 t through the fund’s partnership with Toyota. Baniaga was also among nearly 9,000 individuals who applied for the scholarship and will receive a $5,000 award throughout a two-year period to help pay for college.

Two of the 22 scholarships from Toyota this year were partially funded by Toyota Giving Circles; part of Baniaga’s award was funded by the automaker’s Network of Filipino Toyota Associates (NFTA).

“We are thrilled APIASF and Toyota helped us find and award a scholarship to Krizza. She embodies our collective story of coming from the Philippines and working hard with our family, school and community to make a positive difference,” said NFTA leader Linda Campana. “We are honored to be a part of Krizza’s success story.”

Baniaga will attend UC Merced in the fall to study chemistry, the first step in her roadmap to becoming a pediatrician.

In the past five years, since moving to the United States from the Philippines in 2010, the young Filipina has invested much time and effort in excelling academically. In

addition to attending school on the weekdays, she spent her Saturdays during her high school years taking classes to prepare for the SAT and ACT through the upward bound program at the University of Southern California (USC). She was also involved in extracurricular activities, including debate and softball.

Her efforts carried into her summers, when she would spend five weeks taking classes at USC. By the time she graduated, she had completed 12 college units.

She also finished in the top 9 percent of her class.

Baniaga credits her drive to reach her aspirations to the impoverished life she lived in Ilocos before moving to America.

Back then, her parents worked on farms all day under the sun just so they could afford dinner. At times, the family wouldn’t be able to pay for food, so she would have to request for IOUs at small stores, something she didn’t want to do.

She also remembers students having to drop out of school in their later elementary years to do that kind of work and earn money.

With no financial assistance,

students needed to have their own money to attend school.

“I don’t want my family to be like that. I don’t want my future kids to be like that, not getting an education,” Baniaga said.

In many ways, life has improved for the young Filipina and her family since moving to California.

Her father and mother work as a janitor at a golf club and food server at a Westwood restaurant, respectively. And now, they’re able to afford a typical Filipino breakfast – hotdogs, longanisa, eggs and rice – a meal that was considered a luxury while they were in Ilocos.

“Before, we mostly would have noodles for breakfast because that’s what we could afford,” she said.

Memories of her poorer days have had a long-lasting impact on her life, including when it comes to deciding what to do with leftover breakfast food.

“I feel bad [about throwing] it away. My parents struggled so much just to buy stuff like that. So [I] feed it to my dog,” she said.

Baniaga’s family moved to the United States to “chase the American dream,” which, to them,

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • AUGUST 22-25, 2015

meant attaining a higher education.

Five years after beginning that chase, Baniaga will become the first in her family to attend college.

Just as her earlier life influenced her drive to achieve, it also contributed to her decision to choose to go into the medical field.

On the morning of May 30, 2010, Baniaga’s younger brother was rushed to the hospital. It was her mother’s birthday and

it was 8 a.m. when it happened, she recalls. For an entire week, her then-2-year-old brother was pale, wasn’t eating and vomited a lot. The day he was brought to the hospital, the doctors told her family they were lucky he was brought in when he was. Otherwise, he would have died in less than two hours.

Once she becomes a pediatrician, she hopes to help children like her brother.

But for now, the first step of her

C

11-year journey begins in Merced, where she’s excited to live while she pursues her undergraduate degree.

While at the Northern California UC campus, she also won’t have to take out any loans due to the school’s generous financial aid offer.

And of course, that’s because of the award she received from the APIASF, which she just so happened to stumble upon one sleepless night a few months ago.

Client seeks Chapter 11 reorganization to save business...

PAGE C4 t gage will be paid off. But that reverse mortgage balance is getting bigger and bigger every month until almost all equity is wiped out. Sure, client and his wife get to stay in the house until they die. But after they die, the bank sells the house to get paid back on the reverse mortgage. Now, when that happens, client’s son and his family will no longer have a house to live in. And given the high cost of houses in Los Angeles now, his son and family will have to rent at $1,800 probably more by that time, and not have the security of having a roof over their head.

What happens if son loses his job? They may even become homeless!

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

sure and their family house is secure with Chapter 13.

“JESUS SAID TO (THOMAS), ‘I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME.’ JOHN 14:6. *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in bankruptcy, business, real estate and civil litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 1000 S. Fremont Ave, Mailstop 58, Building A-1 Suite 1125, Alhambra, CA 91803.

(Advertising Supplement)

C AUGUST 22-25, 2015 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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&

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PH, Southeast Asia ‘bright After the love has gone: Terminating your loveless spot’ for tech investments marriage may have immigration advantages

Frontier Ventures managing partner Dmitry Alimov said investors like him were looking BORACAY—The Southeast into startup companies in marAsian region and the Philip- kets where they could see the pines in particular are emerg- biggest possible opportunity ing markets in the global start- for growth.

“Southeast Asia is a region up industry that may be worthy of investments in the future, ac- where we saw reasonable valucording to industry leaders and ation and huge market potenforeign investors during the 3rd tial,” Alimov told Geeks on a Geeks on a Beach conference Beach participants, majority of on Friday, Aug. 21.

PAGE D2 by yuJi

Vincent Gonzales Inquirer.net

Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ DEAR Atty Gurfinkel: Years ago, my US citizen parent petitioned me as a married child (Category F – 3). However, my husband left me for another woman and started a family with her. I want nothing more to do with my husband, and his bruha mistress can have him.

I checked the priority dates for married children, and it is still years before I will be eligible to immigrate to the US under my father’s petition. Is there some way it can be expedited, or are there faster ways to immigrate to the US? Very truly yours, M.W. Dear M.W.: If you are truly “out of love” with your spouse, and there is no chance of reconciliation, you

Panel discussion on investments in Asia during the 3rd Geeks on a Beach.

Inquirer.net photo by Yuji Gonzales

DOLE creates committee on OFW deployment

by Mayen JayMalin

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz has ordered the re-estabMANILA—Anticipating the lishment of the Committee on full integration of the Associa- International Trade Agreement tion of Southeast Asian Nations of the Department of Labor and (ASEAN), the labor department Employment (DOLE) in preparahas set up a special committee tion for the Asean integration.

“Taking into account the imto coordinate policies on the deployment of more Filipino plementation of the Movement of Natural Persons (MNP) and workers abroad. the Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs) in multilateral, regional and bilateral free trade agreements (FTA) entered into by the Philippines, DOLE has reconstituted the committee on international trade agreement,” Baldoz disclosed.

She said the committee would serve as the clearing house and integration of all department concerns related to existing and Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda future international free trade agreements.

Dimapilis-Baldoz Philstar.com

More developers flocking to ‘new wave cities’ – CBRE by louise

Maureen Philstar.com

siMeon

MANILA—Amid demand for real estate, a tightening supply of land in the metro is pushing developers to explore other locations known as “new wave cities,” property consultancy services firm CBRE Philippines said.

Fringes of Metro Manila such as Sta.Rosa, Clark, Cebu, Iloilo and Davao are becoming potential growth areas where various mixed-use projects are being created, the firm said.

According to CBRE, among the factors that help influence the rise of different developments include convenience, accessibility, cost competitiveness, availability of labor and government support.

“Actualizing the potential of new wave cities through strategic utilization of resources in these areas can increase the chances of these areas as the next home of local and foreign

CBRE chairman and chief executive Rick Santos

companies,” CBRE chairman and chief executive Rick Santos said.

On top of these emerging cities is Clark in Pampanga which is strategically located in NorthPAGE D2

Business Quote of the Week “America has the potential for the greatest economic boom and spiritual renewal in our history. But we’re being held back by Washington politics as usual. It’s time we move forward.”

- Steve Forbes, owner of Forbes Business Magazine

As you can see, by terminating the loveless marriage legally, it could result in your priority date already being current in the F-1 category, instead of waiting for years for the F-3 category to be current. may want to consider terminating your marriage by divorce or annulment. After you receive a final court decree terminating your marriage, your visa petition will be reclassified from “married” (F-3) to “unmarried” (F-1). The priority date for the F1 category moves faster than the category for married children of US citizens from the Philippines (F-3), meaning people who are unmarried can immigrate faster than married children.

Some people are in a “dead end” marriage, but stay married even though there’s no hope of reconciliation. As you can see, by terminating the loveless marriage legally, it could result in your priority date already being current in the F-1 category, instead of waiting for years for the F-3 category to be current.

However, I must caution you that there is an immigration doctrine or concept of “sham divorce.” Just like there are sham marriages (where people get married in order to obtain an immigration benefit), there is also the concept of sham divorce (where people get divorced, or terminate their marriage through annulment, solely to be reclassified from F-3 to F1, yet they continue to live and have babies with their “divorced spouse.” A sham divorce is considered fraud.)

However, if the relationship has truly deteriorated and is unsalvageable, you may want to seek the advice of an immigration attorney, who can fully evaluate your case and circumstances, and offer appropriate guidance, in connection with

your immigration situation. *** Michael J. Gurfinkel is licensed, and an active member of the State Bar of California and New York. All immigration services are provided by, or under the supervision of, an active member of the State Bar of California.

Each case is different. The information contained herein including testimonials, “Success Stories,” endorsements and reenactments) is of a general nature, and is not intended to apply to any particular case, and does not constitute a prediction, warranty, guarantee or legal advice regarding the outcome of your legal matter. No attorneyclient relationship is, or shall be, established with any reader.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Call Toll free to schedule a consultation for anywhere in the US: (866)—GURFINKEL Four offices to serve you: LOS ANGELES · SAN FRANCISCO · NEW YORK · PHILIPPINES (Advertising Supplement)

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Coca-Cola pouring in additional $1.2 B in Philippines PH, Southeast Asia ‘bright...

by Richmond

S. meRcuRio

Philstar.com

MANILA—Atlanta-based The Coca-Cola Co. is pouring in billions of dollars anew to the Philippines to continue bolstering its operations in one of its largest markets in the world.

In an interview, Coca-Cola group president for Asia Pacific Atul Singh told The STAR the beverage company, together with its bottling partner for the Philippines Fomento Economico Mexicano S.A.B. de C.V. (Femsa), is investing $1.2 billion up to 2020 to expand its facilities and beef up distribution and operations in the country.

“The money would be invested in more manufacturing lines, in trucks, in equipment, in distribution infrastructure, in marketing, in developing people, and training. So it’s a broad spectrum of investments across the board,” Singh said.

“We have high hopes of our business moving forward in the Philippines. The Philippines is a very important market to us and we have strong plans for it,” he added.

Singh said Coca-Cola has already invested $1.5 billion in the Philippines from 2010 to 2014.

He said the investment enhanced its distribution network and created over 2,000 new jobs for Filipinos.

Likewise, the investment also led to the expansion of the CocaCola Canlubang plant, increase in production of its Misamis Oriental plant, the rehabilitation of its plant in Tacloban, and the

purchase of a manufacturing plant in Davao del Sur from San Miguel Corp.

Singh said Coca-Cola presently has 19 plants in the Philippines and competes in seven different beverage categories locally.

“When you look at Asia Pacific, the Philippines is a very big player for us in the Asean market. It is a strategic market for us in Asia and that ‘s why we have made some substantial investments and we have strong plans for the future to continue to build on our investment. It is a strategically important market and it is a market we would like to continue to invest behind,” he said.

Singh said the amount of investment to be poured in the country by Coca-Cola over the next five years hopes to further support the robust economic growth of the Philippines.

“Typically as we expand the business we will employ more people in the sales field and we will employ more people in the distribution side. But more than just direct employment, what is important also is indirect employment. As we invest and expand our business, there is a big multiplier effect in many other industries like in packaging, people who make the bottles, crowns, the logistics, raw material, all of them expands. That’s the beauty of our system. We look at sustainability for our entire value chain, not just our business,” he said.

Coca-Cola officials were in the country recently for a three-day trip in recognition of the company’s strong commitment of making major investments in the

PAGE D1

Coca-Cola officials were in the country recently for a three-day trip in recognition of the company’s strong commitment of making major investments in the Philippines.

Philippines.

Coca-Cola chairman and chief executive officer Muhtar Kent met with President Aquino to emphasize the valuable role of the Philippine market in helping the company achieve unprecedented growth in recent years.

The beverage company said President Aquino was pleased to learn about its planned investment in the country and commended the firm for its commitment of not only growing its

business but also for implementing programs that advance the economic and social goals.

“We are really proud of our relationship with the Filipino people over the 100 years we’ve been here. It is a country with very happy people and their values go very closely with CocaCola. So clearly, there is a great common values system between the consumer of the Philippines and our brands at Coca-Cola,” Singh said.

whom were delegates from local startups.

Monk’s Hill Ventures managing director Kuo Yi Lim said Southeast Asia’s direction as an emerging market could not go anywhere but up because almost everything was relatively “low and unpenetrated.”

“Southeast Asia is really one bright spot across the global scene. We see exciting, interesting opportunities in the next five years,” he added.

But Lim said the region had yet to reach a certain “point of maturity” before investors could shell out money for local startups with trust and confidence.

“We just have not seen a critical mass of exit yet but we are not saying that it’s not going to happen. Companies across Southeast Asia haven’t reached the point of maturity where acquisitions will start happening,” he said.

Meanwhile, Golden Gate Ventures principal Justin Hall said they usually considered local startups that initiate to reach out to and engage with external markets and foreign investors outside their region.

“A lot of those who jumped into our radar fastest were seen outside the Philippines.

If I see you actively engaging other markets even if you are not there yet, even if you are just testing your market, talking to people outside and actively engaging with investors, then that tells me, this person is taking beyond the Philippines,” he said.

Hall added that foreign investors like him had been looking for startups with “aggressiveness” and ambition to expand.

“We’d like to invest in very aggressive founders. If you are in Southeast Asia, you got to

expand to other markets. There needs to be a rollout. That’s a trait that we are still trying to find in Southeast Asia,” he said.

On promises and rejections Noting that investors wanted to understand the decisionmaking skills of companies, Lim said budding startups should be careful in setting targets and making promises to avoid leaving a bad impression.

“If an entrepreneur sets a target, if they hit that target, most likely we will believe everything that they say after that no matter what. But if you say that you are going to meet the target and you don’t hit it, we will be very much cautious when it comes to believing what you say,” Lim said.

But he said missed targets and other failures can be converted into something positive by proper communication.

“If you actually communicate why it happened and what you learned from it, that’s a plus, you build a credibility with us.

It doesn’t mean that you have to win every single battle,” he added.

Lim also said startups should not be disheartened by investment rejections and failed negotiations as these were necessary in building long-term relationships.

“One rejection is not a rejection forever. It’s a fine balance between building a relationship and getting an outcome from the conversation,” he said.

Hall urged young tech entrepreneurs not to take rejections personally, saying investors themselves get rejected, too.

“Biggest advice is to not take these things personally. Maintain relationships and make something out of it. We know it sucks too so let’s just try to be friendly and work together,” he said.

More developers flocking...

PAGE D1 ern Luzon and is being underscored by CBRE as a vital new wave city and a potential business process outsourcing (BPO) hub.

“CBRE underscores Clark’s potential as a BPO hub because of its accessibility through air, land, and sea, available developable land, government incentives, and a skilled Englishspeaking labor pool,” Santos added.

BPO revenues grew 18 percent in 2014 and is seen to overtake remittances from overseas, Filipino workers while top BPO companies, including Accenture and Convergys, are already expanding into the provinces.

Total BPO office occupancy rate for the five business districts (Makati, Fort Bonifacio, Alabang, Quezon City and Ortigas) is pegged at 97.10 percent for the second quarter of 2015.

Meanwhile, office lease rates in Clark still are lower compared to that of other cities within Metro Manila.

The company is expecting that real estate developments in Clark will draw business investors in the area especially when commercial space becomes available in Global Gateway Logistics City (GGLC) and expansion of SM City Clark is com-

pleted with a total of 144,120 square meters available new office space next year.

Furthemore, anticipated takeup from BPOs is also expected to increase demands in residential and retail sectors, as well as to push infrastructure improvement efforts of the government and other private companies.

“From North to South, the emergence of these cities can simultaneously help boost the attractiveness of the Philippines as an investment destination,” Santos said.

CBRE also remains bullish in Philippine real estate market for the second half of 2015 on the back of strong macroeconomic fundamentals and continued growth and demand across all real estate sectors.

CBRE said demand for office, retail, residential, industrial and most especially in the BPO sector continue to rise alongside infrastructure project implementations and government programs in and out of the metro.

The company added that top developers in the country such as Ayala Land and Megaworld among others experienced double-digit growth for the first semester of the year, signifying higher demand for properties.

PH growth in Q2 picked up pace on gov’t spending

by Paolo

G. montecillo Inquirer.net

Economic growth may have improved slightly in the second quarter of the year although the drag from weak demand for Philippine exports continues to prevent the country from reaching full speed.

Singapore’s DBS Bank said recent improvements in government spending likely provided a lift in output in April to June.

The strongest of the headwinds faced by the economy may have come from weak external demand.

“We had always expected export growth to moderate quite markedly, compared to the previous two years, but the pace of moderation is slightly faster than our earlier forecast,” DBS economist Gundy Cahyadi said in a note to clients.

This comes ahead of next week’s government release of gross domestic product (GDP) data for the second quarter.

DBS expects the number to be around 5.7 percent.

Although faster than the historical average of below 5 percent—as well as the first quarter’s three-year low of 5.2 percent—the projected second quarter performance still falls far short of the level the government prefers.

Following the first quarter’s disappointing result, economic

managers said GDP would have to grow an average of 7.7 percent from April to December if the full-year target of at least 7.5 percent is to be met.

Cahyadi said the slowdown in exports was not unique to the Philippines. China’s recent slowdown and tepid conditions in major markets like the Europe and Japan have dragged down the performance of manufacturers across the region.

Philippine merchandise exports declined by 3.3 percent to $5.3 billion in June 2015 on account of lower revenues from total agro-based and mineral products, the state statistics authority reported this month.

Domestic sources of growth such as consumer spending and private investment remain stable.

The DBS economist said the successful execution of the government’s spending program would determine how much growth can be achieved for the year.

For all of 2015, DBS expects the Philippine economy to grow by 6 percent, accelerating to 6.2 percent the year after.

Public disbursements in June totaled P236.2 billion, expanding by 17 percent compared to June 2014 and 24 percent above program, latest data showed.

“Note that we have been adjusting our GDP growth forecasts for almost all countries in the region, excluding the Philippines for now,” Cahyadi said.

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • AUgUSt 22-25, 2015 D

Buying a new car stress-free: Kababayans at DCH Toyota of Torrance will show you how FILIPINO Loyd Aler landed his first job as a produce and vegetable delivery man.

Then he became a fast food restaurant manager, and then a quality insurance inspector.

His father, Edgar, who used to work in wholesale for food and vegetables, and that inspired him to ultimately pursue a career in sales: today, he works as the Filipino Dept. Manager and Senior Sales Specialist at DCH Toyota of Torrance.

“I really love what I do for living and I enjoy very much not just selling cars, but making new friends, selling great products, and helping people get and drive their dream cars,” he says.

Buying a car is no easy decision.

It requires careful thought and it’s something Aler understands.

Since 2002 he has been selling Toyota vehicles, a brand that has been touted for its safety, retail value and longevity.

In addition to the quality brand he sells, Aler works at an auto dealership owned by a businessman based in Hong Kong.

It was established almost a decade ago and is continually growing: since its inception, it has opened more than 20 DCH dealerships across the United States, with locations in Temecula, Oxnard, Simi Valley, and on the east coast in New York and New Jersey.

The goal of the company is to exceed customers’ expectations and provide exceptional service to ensure the highest satisfaction.

Among ways the dealership demonstrates how much customers

Martinez & Chavez Family all the way from Victorville, Calif., came to see DCH Toyota’ Filipino Sales Dept.

matter is by delivering luxury services including oil changes, loaner cars, shuttles and much much more.

The dealership also boasts a wide selection of new and pre-owned vehicles to meet the broad range of tastes and needs customers have.

Among the customers that visit DCH Toyota of Torrance, Aler says he sees many Filipinos who show interest in a variety of cars, including Highlander, Priuses and Camry models.

Joining Aler in the Filipino Dept. of DCH Toyota of Torrance are Phillip Rivera (Sales & Leasing Consultant), Edgar Relova (Sales & Leasing Consultant) and JP Panganiban (Sales & Leasing

Residents try to move a car submerged on Mother Ignacia Avenue, Quezon City, as the road goes underwater within minutes during a downpour on Wednesday, Aug. 12. Inquirer.net photo

by Edwin Bacasmas

Why Metro floods hard to solve: ‘Water must travel for 7 km’

by Maricar

Brizuela and erika Sauler Inquirer.net

What flood control?

Residents, motorists and commuters are neck-deep in rage and frustration over the recurring flash floods on Metro Manila roads, as experienced once again Wednesday morning when a thunderstorm (not even a typhoon) hit parts of the capital and snarled traffic for hours.

Flood waters rose within minutes, for example, on Mother Ignacia Avenue and Elliptical Road in Quezon City; Magallanes, Pasong Tamo and Buendia in Makati City, among other high-traffic areas.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, which earlier in the year trumpeted news about the completed repairs of flood-control stations and the cleanup of drainage systems and waterways across the capital, offered various explanations for the unabated problem.

‘Catchment area’ “The Magallanes tunnel is a sagging portion and serves as a catchment area of runoff water so it easily gets flooded especially during heavy rains,” said MMDA’s Flood Control and Sewerage Management Office head Emma Quiambao.

The MMDA has proposed a project to improve the drainage system along nearby Pasong Tamo Extension, which also discharges water into the tunnel. “We proposed it for (implementation) next year but Chair Francis Tolentino wants to have it done within this year.

We are still looking for a budget, though.”

As to Mother Ignacia, Quiambao said it is also a low-lying stretch of road but it actually has a box culvert or a structure that allows water to flow underneath. “There is a drainage, but this is from V. Luna crossing East Avenue going to Tanque Creek, which has a lot of informal settlers.”

Water collecting on Mother Ignacia has a long distance to travel before draining out into of the nearest river, she said.

The drainage system on that road runs up to Panay Avenue, crosses Quezon Avenue, then San Francisco Creek, before reaching San Juan River.

“There’s a 7-kilometer stretch where the water stays at a low portion before it is discharged to the main line,” Quiambao said, adding that silt and garbage clogging the drainage further slows down the flow of the water.

Delayed QC project The MMDA official maintained that her agency had conducted estero cleanup activities for that area, but conceded that flooding would recur until the completion of a Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) project on Quezon Avenue where the Mother Ignacia drainage line connects.

For those peeved by the recurring floods on Elliptical Road in Quezon City, the city engineering office said there’s actually a P40-million drainage project designed to solve that problem.

But the project had been delayed because the path of the culvert pipe is still being blocked by the fiber optic cable line of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), said City Engineer Joselito Cabungcal.

PLDT had already made a proposal to raise its cable line and asked the MMDA for a permit to work round-the-clock for 21 straight days to accomplish it, Cabungcal said.

Still no permit But the MMDA has yet to approve the permit because of the heavy traffic in that area. “They want the work to be done only at night, but PLDT wants continuous work because of the sensitive fiber optics,” Cabungcal told the Inquirer Thursday.

In a letter dated Aug. 10 urging Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista to intercede and help expedite the issuance of the permit, Cabungcal said MMDA Traffic Engineering head Neomie Recio had recommended a 24-hour work schedule on weekends and only nighttime work on weekdays.

The Elliptical Road Drainage System project started on Sept.

15 last year and was supposed to be finished on March 14 this year. It involves the installation of a 300-meter pipeline running along the side of the Quezon Memorial Circle from Kalayaan Avenue to a creek on Quezon Avenue.

PLDT’s concrete box is blocking the pipe’s path on the corner of Quezon Avenue and Elliptical Road, Cabungcal said.

The project is already 90percent complete, with just about 30 meters of pipeline left to be installed to connect the system to a creek on Quezon Avenue. Once completed, it is expected to solve the flash floods on Elliptical during heavy rains.

Consultant).

Aler as a manager of DCH’s Filipino department, welcomes and looks forward to serving his fellow kababayans. His overflowing friendly personality, as well as that of Rivera, Relova and Panganiban, make the Filipino sales team approachable and easy to talk to.

Aler says he enjoys his job, although one of the bigger challenges he faces in his job is when interested buyers with poor credit or lower incomes are turned down by the bank. DCH offers special promotions, including low APRs and $0 down payments, but it isn’t always easy to extend these to certain customers.

“But for me, that’s the time I

We welcome all of our kababayans to the DCH Toyota Filipino Sales Dept. Simply call us at toll-free (888) 443-7619. We can always help you get an affordable car you want to drive that will fit your budget through a very smooth, professional, friendly, and straightforward transaction.

Just ask for Loyd, Phillip, Ed or JP. Tawag na kaibigan!

will be more aggressive and shop around for more banks to help them,” he says.

In most cases, Aler is able to pull some strings and find a way to overcome this particular hurdle in the selling process, though interest rates tend to be just a little higher for individuals with credit and income limitations.

“But the important thing is they [have] another chance to get a car loan and that helps build their credit again,” he says.

DCH Toyota of Torrance is conveniently located just off the 110 at: 2909 Pacific Coast Highway, Torrance, CA 90505.

DISCOUNT CONNECTION HOTLINE for Kababayans Phone: (888) 443-7619.

Aleli recently moved from Sacramento and chose DCH Toyota’ Filipino Sales Dept.

DCH Toyota of Torrance is open Mondays through Saturdays from 8:30am to 9pm, and on Sundays, from 10am to 8pm.

(Advertising Supplement)

Special Delivery to Ariosa Family of Cerritos.

They recently received the fourth car they bought from DCH Toyota of Torrance.

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WIN Hyundai: Two giant locations to serve you There’s no better place for kababayans to shop for hyundai vehicles than WIN hyundai in Carson, Calif. established in 2011, the young dealership started with the goal of becoming the premiere hyundai dealership. since then, it has lived up to its aim by consistently ranked among the top five dealers in the district. In 2012, the dealership, which is also equus Certified, was also ranked No. 1 in district sales.

WIN is proud to carry hyundai vehicles. On Wednesday, July 22, J.D. Power and Associates ranked the automaker No. 2 among nonpremium automakers in the 2015 Automotive Performance, execution and Layout (APeAL) study.

“Finishing among the top two non-premium brands in this year’s J.D. Power, the APeAL study shows hyundai takes design, technology, features, and performance seriously across the entire lineup. having the best-selling sonata ranking among the top two in its class is a remarkable accomplishment and we are committed to delivering the highest customer experience possible to our owners,” said Mike O’Brien, vice president of corporate and product planning at hyundai.

WIN hyundai offers a wide selection of quality hyundai vehicles and extends its offerings across the Los Angeles area with its two locations: one in Carson and another in el Monte. On both sites, customers can find new and certified pre-owned vehicles – including the santa Fe, sonata, elantra and Genesis Coupe – to meet a variety of budgets and preferences. Because the Carson and el Monte locations serve just about anyone and everyone in southern California, its experienced sales representatives are prepared and eager to help customers find the cars that best fit their preferences and needs.

When it comes to purchasing a hyundai, WIN specializes in working with all types of credit, good or bad, and has the ability to refinance current loans.

Additionally, although it sells hyundai cars, the dealership services vehicles of all makes and models and currently has an oil change special of $19.95.

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Beyond the highly-praised brand WIN offers southern California residents, it has departments dedicated diverse groups found throughout the Los Angeles region, including Chinese, Korean, hispanic and Filipino communities.

“We want to make the buying process as easy as possible, so we understand communicating in your native language can be important to completely understanding the purchasing and financing of your vehicle,” said Munir Younis, general sales manager of the dealership.

Younis, who is of Middle eastern descent, grew up in the Philippines and can speak Tagalog fluently, just as the Filipino sales representatives at the dealership.

“We have a dedicated team that serves the largest Filipino community in the U.s. We believe in giving back to the community and have participated in multiple sponsorship opportunities with multiple Filipino groups and organizations, including the Philippine Independence Day Foundation,” he said.

Among Filipino members of the WIN hyundai Carson team include long-time car industry veterans Jun Milan and Jay Trinidad.

“WIN is a great dealership and customer service is the best it can be,” Milan said.

Also on the Filipino team is Franklin Magarro, the dealership’s

internet sales manager.

In addition to its on-location offerings, those shopping for hyundai cars can browse WIN’s inventory online with userfriendly filters. Whether you know specifically what make and model you’re looking for, are trying to shop based on a budget, or simply want to browse through what is available, the dealership website makes it easy to shop around from home. Live chat is also available and sales representatives are happy to assist customers via phone.

The small, privately-owned organization, has created multiple jobs for southern California residents through its two branches and is one of the highest tax-revenue generating companies for the Carson and el Monte.

WIN hyundai is also the designated dealership for national hyundai commercials aired on television.WIN Hyundai Carson 2205 e 223rd street Carson, CA 90810 (877) 354-4253 Monday through saturday: 9am to 9pm sunday: 10am to 8pm WIN Hyundai El Monte 3462 N Peck road el Monte, CA 91731 (877) 290-2164 Monday through sunday: 9am to 9pm www.winhyundai.com 8[m\ik`j`e^ Jlggc\d\ek

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Keyes Toyota: Your top car dealership choice in San Fernando Valley For folks living in the San Fernando Valley, it can be quite easy or quite difficult in picking the car dealership where you will buy your next car from. With a whole host of dealerships lining up the valley, customers can easily get lost in the woods, trying to pick out the dealership that’s right for them.

With regards to Toyota cars, one particular dealership comes to mind when it comes to convenience, comfort, excellence, and customer satisfaction: Keyes Toyota.

For over half a century, Keyes Toyota has served the San Fernando Valley, addressing all the automotive needs of Angelenos across 13 car franchises. With dealerships located conveniently near major residential hubs, customers are assured of a supreme buying experience in the pleasant and comfortable show rooms at Keyes dealerships!

With the widest selections of automobiles across Los Angeles, Keyes can help you find the car of your dreams.

Family owned and operated, Keyes dealerships are all committed to providing the most excellent service available to ensure customer satisfaction.

Factory-trained technicians and sales professionals are all ready to address your automotive needs.

At times, prospective buyers may have difficulties in securing approvals for car financing. Thankfully, Keyes Toyota has a number of promos and programs to help first time buyers, new graduates, military veterans, and all other clients facing financial difficulties.

For many Filipinos, Toyotas are really their automobiles of choice for the family. Toyota’s reliable, dependable, and economical cars perfectly suit the needs of the Filipino family.

Pinoys, who prioritize the family’s comfort above everything else, can find the right van or SUV that can comfortably seat five to seven passengers.

According to Keyes Toyota, any car you choose is sure to be a gas saver, perfect for those who value car economy above all else. Aside from that,

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customers can rest easy, knowing that they are covered with Toyota Care.

Factory-trained Toyota technicians will help fulfill your maintenance obligations and help improve your Toyota’s value and performance. Toyota Care will keep track of your maintenance history, and will also deliver timely reminders for your scheduled maintenance. rene Pascual, another sales professional for Keyes Toyota, he personally loves Toyota cars because of their wide variety of car models—from sedans, vans, trucks, pick-ups, and hybrids. In serving the Filipino community, Pascual also finds that having this wide selection of cars gives the Filipino family the chance of finding the right car to match their comfort and budget. Pascual fluently speaks Tagalog, Cebuano, and Ilonggo.

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Popular Toyota models among Pinoys include the Corolla, Camry, Sienna, and the Prius.

However, the Camry is one of the most recommended car for Pinoy buyers. The Camry is loaded with features that Filipinos look for in their cars: spacious seating, up-to-date technology, and overall performance.

The Filipino Keyes Connection of rene Pascual and Sammy Estrella are all committed to excellence and customer satisfaction. With the full support of Keyes General Sales Manager Sam Kassis, Boni, rene and Sammy can ensure that the Pinoy family will get the best deals at Keyes Toyota.

Give them a call today at (800) 575-1153 or better yet visit them at 5855 Van Nuys Blvd. in Van Nuys.

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Drive a car you can depend on at Puente Hills Mitsubishi Puente Hills Mitsubishi is all about putting its customers first. We will do everything we can to learn more about who they are, what they need, and how we can continue to serve them in the future. Our goal is to establish an environment of trust, to let you know what we’re all about here at Puente Hills Mitsubishi.

For 18 years, we’ve dedicated ourselves to providing an exceptional experience to customers across all of our services. We offer a fine selection of new Mitsubishi vehicles at low prices, including favorites like the new Outlander sport.

We also have a wide selection of used Mitsubishi choices that our knowledgeable sales team can help you navigate. Whether you want a new or used car, we can ensure you that neither quality nor price are compromised. to provide you with even more convenience, we also have a strong group of factory-trained service technicians in our service center who are specially-skilled to know the ins and outs of your Mitsubishi. leave oil changes, brake replacements, tire rotations, and any service your car needs up to our trained staff! the professionals in our body shop will also take care of collision and accident repairs. leave the work to us, and you’ll have a healthy and safe Mitsubishi to take home with you on the road!

For our Filipino kababayan, we also have members of our staff who speak fluent tagalog—our sales consultant Alex Jacinto and our Finance Director norm Bustamante , who both encourage the Filipino community to come see our wide selection of new and used Mitsubishis!

Rest assured, when you visit our Puente Hills Mitsubishi dealership, you can expect a hasslefree environment and a seamless, professional execution of all your automotive needs. Come visit us at 17665 Castleton st. in the City of industry, CA, and we’ll be more than happy to serve you!

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