LA Weekend Edition -- December 17 -- 20, 2016

W W W M

Los AngeLes

W E E W K EE N EWD K EE ENKDE N D M I D W E E K

E D I T I OE ND I T I O NI T I O N ED

w w w . a s iwa w nw j o. ua w rs niwaaw nl .j. ca o osu m irannajlo.

EDITION

December 17-20, 2016

wwwww. .a aj ds w ujw n m w ii gawintwja.olae drd iw i iol.t.n ce o i tgaw i it ti ao ln aacj.l o d idgm

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 26 - No. 101 • 4 Sections – 32 Pages

www.ajdigitaledition.com

1210 S. Brand 1210 Blvd.,S. Glendale, CA Brand Blvd., Glendale, 1210 S. 91204 Brand Blvd

Tels: 818.502.0651Tels: • 213.250.9797 • Fax: 818.502.0858 • 213.481.0854 818.502.0651 • 818.502.0651 213.250.9797 Fax: 818.502.0858 Tels: •• 213.250.9797 • Fax:• 8 Also published in: • Orange County/Inland • Northern California •Empire Las Vegas • New York/ New•Jersey Also published in: published • OrangeEmpire County/Inland Empire • Northern California • Las Vegas Jersey Also in: • Orange County/Inland • Northern California •New Las York/ VegasNew • New York/ New Jersey 1210 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91204

Obama signs bill awarding Congressional Gold Medal to Filipino World War II vets Also published in: • Orange County/Inland Empire • Northern California • Las Vegas • New York/ New Jersey

by Eric

anthony LicaS AJPress

PReSIDeNT Barack Obama has signed into law a bill recognizing the sacrifices and contributions of over 260,000 Filipinos and Filipino Americans who fought alongside allied forces during World War II. The legislation approved on Thursday, December 15 awards the Congressional

Gold Medal—the nation’s highest civilian honor—to veterans whose service had been largely dismissed by prior acts of Congress.

“The Filipino veterans of World War II overcame many challenges in their fight for compensation, family reunification, and verification of wartime service,” said Senator Mazie hirono (D-hI), one of the lead sponsors of the legislation, in a statement published on Thursday.

Tels: 818.502.0651 • 213.250.9797 • Fax: 818.502.0858 • 213.481.0854

The Rescission Act of 1946 barred Filipino soldiers from receiving veterans’ benefits awarded by measures enacted by the U.S. government after the end of WWII. It also officially labeled their contributions as inactive service, according to the Filipino American National historical Society.

In 2009, a portion of the federal economic stimulus package gave surviving Filipino veterans a one-time lump sum of

$15,000 for citizens and $9,000 for noncitizens.

“After enduring 75 years of injustice and humiliation, our Filipino World War II veterans regained their honor and dignity,” Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba (Ret.), the chairman of the Filipino Veterans Recognition Project (FilVetReP), said in a statement released on Thursday.

Decades after their service ended,

u PAGE A2

Duterte says no records prove he killed drug suspects

USA

DATELINE Advancing Justice-LA sets motion for affirmative action suit against Harvard FROM The AJPReSS NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

SINCe its introduction in the 1960s, the affirmative action policy has been one of the most divisive racial issues in the United States, especially in college admissions.

Proponents of affirmative action argue that the policy provides opportunities to historically disenfranchised minority groups which were otherwise unavailable. Opponents, however, feel that the law implements racial quotas and focuses solely on race while ignoring personal achievement.

The latter was the rationale behind a lawsuit filed in 2014 against harvard University called the Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) vs. harvard University, which was filed on behalf of one unidentified ChineseAmerican student.

This student allegedly boasted stellar grades and a high GPA but was rejected by harvard, which SFFA alleges, was because the university implements racial quotas. The plaintiffs also cited the low admission rate of Asian Americans -- despite high test scores

u PAGE A4

Amid sign-up surge, Covered California extends enrollment deadline

CALIFORNIANS are signing up in higher numbers than they did last year for health plans sold on the state’s health insurance exchange, despite great uncertainty over the future of Obamacare.

More than 25,000 new consumers chose new Covered California plans in just two days earlier this week, exchange officials said Wednesday.

Because of the last-minute rush, Covered California officials have extended the enrollment deadline for coverage that begins January 1. Consumers now have until midnight on December 17 to choose plans. Coverage purchased after this Saturday’s deadline will start either on February 1 or March 1.

Since open enrollment began on November 1, more than 153,000 new people have signed up for 2017 coverage, compared with 144,000 at this time last year, Covered California officials said. In addition, more than 1.2 million people with existing Covered California plans have renewed their coverage for next year.

President-elect Donald Trump and Repub-

u PAGE A4

President Barack Obama

US troubled by PH president’s claims

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

DAYS after confessing that he had ‘personally’ killed drug suspects when he was still the mayor of Davao City, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said there are no records to support his claims.

“Wala man akong record na sino yung tinamaan, sino yung natumba. Pakicheck na lang sa mga funeraria (There were no records showing who I hit, who

u PAGE A2 MAN OF THE HOUR. President Rodrigo Duterte stands amid a crowd of supporters during his meeting with the Filipino community in Cambodia at Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra Hotel on Tuesday, Dec. 13. In his speeches, President Rodrigo Duterte has repeatedly claimed that there are 4 million drug addicts in the Philippines as he explains the rationale behind the war on drugs.

Malacañang photo by Toto Lozano

Duterte joins World’s Most Powerful People in 2016 list

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

PhILIPPINe President Rodrigo Duterte has been included in the ranks of the World’s Most Powerful People in 2016, as listed by Forbes Magazine.

Published online on Wednesday, December 14, Forbes fea-

tured 74 personalities around the globe based on the following ‘four dimensions of power’: their power over lots of people; the financial resources they control; how powerful they were in multiple spheres; and if they actively used their power.

Duterte ranked 70th, marking his first time to be included in the list.

“The former mayor of Davao City

(Duterte) was elected president of the Philippines in May 2016 on the strength of a campaign that promised the swift execution of drug users and other criminals, and his war on crime has already resulted in the killing of thousands of people,” Forbes wrote.

It also noted Duterte’s previous

u PAGE A3

Balikbayan boxes to be tax-free starting Christmas

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

STARTING Christmas Day, December 25, balikbayan boxes from qualified Filipinos abroad containing personal goods with a value below P150,000 will be exempted from tax.

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Department of Finance (DOF) have signed the Customs Administrative Order (CAO) 05-2016, which serves as the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) or the Republic Act No 10863, covering the law on tax-free balikbayan boxes.

Under the CMTA, the previous P10,000 ($200) tax ceiling was raised to P150,000 ($3,060), allowing Filipinos abroad to send

Beginning this Christmas, December 25, qualified Filipinos abroad will no longer have to pay taxes when they send balikbayan boxes containing personal effects and household goods valued at not Inquirer.net photo more than P150,000.

up to three P150,000-worth of tax-free balikbayan boxes containing personal goods every year.

The guidelines state that Filipinos abroad who can avail tax-free balikbayan boxes include the following: holders of valid passports issued by the Department of Foreign

u PAGE A3

Yasay to US: Friends provide aid without conditions

by Dana

SioSon AJPress

ReSPOND to news that a United States agency withheld a major aid package to the Philippines, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay has appealed to the U.S. government to reconsider its decisions.

According to the Philippine foreign secretary, friends, such as the U.S., should provide help without posing conditions.

“Part of the friendship and assistance

u PAGE A3

A DECEMBER 17-20, 2016 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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

From the Front Page

Obama signs bill awarding Congressional…

PAGE A1 t

fewer than 18,000 Filipino veterans are still alive to personally celebrate the acknowledgment of their sacrifices. “…[T]his recognition is a testament to each and every one of our Filipino WWII veterans who earned and deserve their place amongst our greatest generation,” Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)

said in a statement. “To our Filipino veterans, their families, and all who worked so hard to make today a reality, maraming salamat sa inyong lahat.”

The pair of companion bills submitted to Congress in June of 2015 and eventually signed into law on Thursday was introduced by Hirono in the Senate and Gabbard in the House

of Representatives. The Senate version won unanimous approval on Wednesday, July 13. Its counterpart passed in the House on Wednesday, November 30.

“We welcome this terrific news and extend our appreciation anew to all the advocates and supporters of the bill at the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate,” said Minister Patrick Chuasoto, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, in a statement. “This gold medal is a fitting tribute to our veterans’ sacrifice, courage, and strength. From ordinary civilians to defenders of free nations, these men and women deserve our deepest respect and gratitude.”

Another bill resubmitted to Congress in May, the Filipino Veterans Fairness Act, would officially recognize the active service of those Filipinos who took part in allied military operations.

It would also give them full access to programs and benefits

u PAGE A3

ROYAL WELCOME. Pres. Rodrigo Duterte is welcomed by King Norodom Sihamoni at Cambodia’s Royal Palace on Wednesday, Dec. 14.

The Philippine President was given arrival honors, and the two leaders trooped the line together. Philippine flags flew alongside the Cambodian flag at the palace gardens.

Malacañang photo by Ace Morandante

Duterte says…

PAGE A1 t

I killed. Just check the funeraries please),” President Duterte said in a speech on Friday, December 16, in Singapore.

At the same time, Duterte also noted that the news agencies were not wrong in their reports about his previous ‘admission’ of personally killing drug suspects.

“In the crawler, yung sa TV, yung tumatakbo, sa CNN at BBC since yesterday, it said Duterte admits killing or shooting the criminals. Hindi sila nagkamali, p*t*ng i*a, papatayin ko talaga ang mga g*g* (The news was not wrong, I will really kill them),” Duterte said.

Earlier this week, President Duterte claimed that he had killed drug suspects before, earning him condemnation from different local and international rights groups.

“I know it because—I am not trying to pull my own chair—in Davao I used to do it personally.

Just to show to the [policemen] that if I can do it, why can’t you?”

Duterte said in a speech at Wallace Business Forum on Monday night, December 12, in Malacañang.

u PAGE A3

Welcome Home!

Philippine National Bank has created the Own a Philippine Home Loan program, specifically for you. We’re making it easier than ever to buy a home in the Philippines, while still living abroad. Through the Own a Philippine Home Loan program, you can: • Borrow for a house, townhouse, condominium or lot in the Philippines • Refinance a Philippine home mortgage loan • Make easy mortgage payments from the US • Borrow up to 80% of the selling price (or total bank appraisal value) • Choose flexible term options of 10, 15 or 20 years

Los Angeles Office Hours: M-F 9:00am - 3:00pm Sat 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Call Today!

213-401-1800 Ext. 212 www.pnb.com.ph/losangeles

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

From the Front page

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 17-20, 2016

A

Obama signs bill awarding Congressional…

PAGE A2 t

administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Both Gabbard and Hirono said they would work with FilVetREP to organize Congressional Gold Medal ceremonies.

The signing of this bill comes after a series of actions earlier

this year to give some recognition and benefits to the Filipino veterans.

The California State Board of Education recently approved curriculum changes of the state’s high schools to incorporate more information about Filipinos’ roles in the war in Grade 11 U.S. His-

tory lesson plans.

In the summer, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) rolled out a new family-based immigration program for Filipino WWII veterans and their families called the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program. n

Yasay to US: Friends provide aid without…

PAGE A1 t

on account of our special relationship with the United States, is predicated on this Millennium Corporation Assistance and if they would really like to help us on the basis of our need, they should impose this and give it to us rather, without any conditions,” Yasay said on Friday, December 16.

Earlier this week, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a U.S. poverty reduction agency, said that it has “deferred a vote on the re-selection of the Philippines for compact development, subject to a further review of concerns around rule of law and civil liberties.”

After a $434-million package in 2011, MCC said it has withheld its second aid due to “significant concerns around rule of law and civil liberties.”

The compact, aimed at “reducing poverty through economic growth,” supported reforms and investments to modernize

the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

It has also expanded and improved a community-driven development project, Kalahi-CIDSS; and rehabilitated a secondary national road in the Samar province.

After the completion of the first grant, the new program was supposed to also run for five years and be implemented until 2022 under Duterte’s term.

Over the past few months, the U.S. has criticized Duterte’s bloody crackdown on illegal drugs, which has also earned him condemnation from different local and international rights groups.

Yasay blamed United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard for damaging the Philippines’ image ‘tremendously’ to the international community.

Last August, Callamard lambasted President Rodrigo Duterte for reportedly giving the Filipino people the “license to kill” drug

suspects in the country.

“She must apologize for the arbitrary findings that she has made. She must withdraw the findings immediately and admit in public before the international community because it has unfairly damaged the country that this conclusion that she arrived was not verified at all,” he stressed.

He said that it would have been better if the MCC talked to the Philippine government to resolve its concerns regarding the supposed state-sponsored extrajudicial killings in the country.

“They cannot just simply come up with decisions in the grant or non-grant of this assistance, on the basis of these unverified reports,” he added.

“We would hope that America would try to reconsider this. This has always been our appeal to America. Treat us with mutual respect and treat us a sovereign equal. You cannot just simply that, ‘Oh we know, we would like

u PAGE A5

Duterte says no records prove he killed drug…

PAGE A2 t

Before winning the presidency last May, 71-year-old Duterte served as mayor of Davao city for seven terms (22 years).

“And I’d go around Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around and I would just patrol the streets and looking for trouble also. I was really looking for an encounter so I could kill,” he added.

US: Duterte’s claim ‘troubling’ Meanwhile, the United States has criticized Duterte over his claims of ‘personally’ killing drug suspects.

“Those comments are deeply troubling, and they certainly are at odds with the Philippine government’s stated commitment to due process and rule of law,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in a press briefing.

Earnest also reiterated the

GIFT-GIVING AT CROSSWINDS. The children beam with joy due to the annual Christmas party and gift-giving of Villar SIPAG led by Senator Cynthia Villar and former Senate President Many Villar and their children, (L-R); Vista Land & Lifescapes Pres. & CEO Paolo Villar, DPWH Sec. Mark Villar and wife Diwa Rep. Emmeline Aglipay-Villar with their daughter Emma Therese, and Camille Villar with son Tristan. The children from Tondo, Manila ang Brgy. Iruhin, Tagaytay City, went home with various gifts from Santa Claus aside from raffle prizes from the Christmas party held at Crosswinds, a Swiss luxury sanctuary along the mountainsides of Tagaytay City.

Senate photo

Duterte joins World’s Most Powerful…

PAGE A1 t

announcement that he would “separate” the Philippines from its decades-long ally, the United States, with plans to realign with China.

“Duterte’s tendency to say what he thinks, no matter how raw, also keeps him in the headlines: He’s referred to U.S. President Barack Obama as a ‘son of a whore’ and used homophobic slurs to describe political opponents,” Forbes’ added.

Forbes also mentioned Vice President Leni Robredo’s resignation from Duterte’s cabinet, following the president’s earlier order for her to “desist” from attending any future cabinet meetings.

Meanwhile, topping the list

was Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ranked first for the fourth consecutive year, followed

by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in second place.

‘Very good’ rating Also this week, Duterte also garnered a “very good” net satisfaction rating in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from Dec. 3 to 6.

In the poll, with about 1,500 respondents, Duterte scored a +63 net satisfaction, just one point down compared to the previous survey conducted last September.

According to Malacañang, the survey’s result is a reflection of the public’s “continuous strong support for the president and his administration.”

“(This) will serve as an inspiration for (the president) to redouble his energy to be true to his oath of office and fulfill his promise of getting rid of drugs, crime and corruption in our society,” Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a statement on Wednesday.

Citing the different problems the Philippines is currently facing, Andanar said the president is doing his best to address these problems and is seeking the public’s support.

“But he is doing his best to address all these and hopes that the Filipino people would support him all the way as unity and firm resolve are what we need to move forward as a nation,” he added. n

Balikbayan boxes to be tax-free starting…

PAGE A1 t

Affairs (DFA) and certified by Department of Labor and EmployPresident Rody Duterte ment (DOLE) or Philippine OverUnited States’ concern over the the Philippines.” seas Employment Administration reports of extrajudicial killings in “We continue to believe it’s (POEA) for overseas employment the Philippines. critically important that the gov- purposes regardless of profesAccording to him, the U.S. ernment in the Philippines ob- sion; and non-resident Filipinos “continues to be concerned by serve and even protect the basic who have established permanent the widespread reports of extra- universal human rights that are residency abroad but retained judicial killings by or at the be- central to that democracy and their Filipino citizenship. hest of government authorities in ours,” Earnest added. n Also qualified were resident

Filipino citizens who temporarily stay abroad, which may include holders of student visa, investors’ visa, tourist visa, and similar visas which allow them to establish temporary stay outside the Philippines.

“We value the importance of each balikbayan box. It symbolizes the hardship of our OFWs, and the love of Filipinos abroad for their families here in the

country,” BOC Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon said.

To avail tax-free balikbayan boxes, qualified Filipinos abroad must also met the following requirements: supporting documents composing of a photocopy of a page of his Philippine or foreign passport with his personal information, and an invoice, receipt or equivalent document

u PAGE A4

A DECEMBER 17-20, 2016 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Dateline USa

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

China seizes US underwater drone near PH

by Eric

Anthony LicAs AJPress

OFFICIALS at the Pentagon want China to return an underwater drone that had been conducting research near the Philippines before it was seized by a Chinese warship on Thursday, December 15.

The unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) was one of two deployed by the U.S. Navy to an area roughly 50 nautical miles off of the Philippines’ Subic Bay for scientific purposes, according to sources for Reuters. The civilian crew of a Navy vessel, the USNS Bowditch, were eyewitnesses to the UUV’s theft while they were attempting to retrieve the drone. Personnel on the Bowditch managed to briefly communicate with the chinese warship as it made off with U.S. government property.

“The only thing they said after they were sailing off into the distance was: ‘we are returning to normal operations,’” Pentagon spokesperson Jeff Davis told Reuters on Friday, December 16.

He went on to say that the UUV “ ...is clearly marked as ours and we would like it back. And we would like this not to happen again.”

The $150,000 drone had not violated any maritime laws or otherwise operated in a way that would warrant its confiscation, according to sources for Reuters. It was recording oceanographic data including water

salinity, temperature and clarity for an unclassified Navy survey.

The UUV’s seizure is the latest incident drawing attention to Beijing’s increased military presence and assertion of sovereignty in the South China Sea. Over the past few years, China has constructed several installations on territory claimed by other countries, including the Spratly Islands which lay off of the coast of the Philippines.

In the past, President Xi Jinping had pledged not to militarize those sites, according to the New York Times and other sources.

However, satellite imagery released by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), a U.S. think tank, on Thursday, December 15 suggest that the Chinese military has broken that promise. AMTI photos show what appear to be anti-aircraft guns along with other weapons and equipment placed at facilities in the Spratly Islands and six other locations in the South China Sea. Comments from Chinese officials have alluded to and defended the installation of military hardware in the region. “[The bases] are primarily for defense and self-protection, and this is proper and legitimate,” representatives of the Chinese Defense Ministry wrote in a message responding to the publication of the AMTI’s photos.

“For instance, if someone were at the door of your home, cocky

and swaggering, how could it be that you wouldn’t prepare a slingshot?”

Officials in Beijing have repeatedly expressed resentment toward American air and naval patrols running through contested areas. The excursions are meant to assert the principle of freedom of navigation in the region and are viewed by many as a challenge to Chinese claims of ownership to most of the South China Sea. Philippine military bases had served as a staging-ground for some of these exercises. However, on Monday, December 12, representatives of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said that his government will end that arrangement.

That decision is in line the Duterte administration’s efforts to bolster his country’s economic and diplomatic ties with Beijing.

The Philippines’ pivot toward China has, at times, driven tension into the island nation’s relationship with the U.S. and come at odds with American interests in the South Pacific.

The United States has issued a formal complaint demanding the return of the UUV. Chinese officials have yet to respond as of publication time.

“This move, if accurately reported, is highly escalatory,” Mira Rapp-Hooper, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security’s Asia-Pacific Security program told Reuters on Friday. “It is hard to see how Beijing will justify it legally.” n

CONFLICTING VERSIONS. Bureau of Immigration Deputy Commissioners Al Argosino (l) and Michael Robles (r) shows the P30 million pesos of the P50 million they received from gaming tycoon Jack Lam at the City of Dreams hotel and casino in Parañaque City on Nov. 27 during a press conference in Manila. The two officials allegedly extorted the money from Lam in exchange for the release of illegal Chinese workers.

Inquirer.net photo by Marianne Bermudez

Advancing Justice-LA sets motion for…

PAGE A1 t

-- as a direct effect of affirmative action policy.

However, legal and civil rights organization Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles (Advancing Justice-LA) found a flaw in that reasoning.

“The fundamental problem with that argument is that it only looks at test scores. Admissions policies in the United States -especially elite universities like Harvard that are looking for tomorrow’s leaders -- look beyond test scores and grades,” said Advancing Justice-LA supervising attorney Nicole Ochi, who also debunked the claim of racial quotas, which are unconstitutional.

PAGE A3 t On Tuesday, December 13, Adcovering the goods in the balik- vancing Justice-LA announced in bayan box; and a filled up, signed a press conference that it joined and submitted information sheet, the lawsuit by filing a motion on which will be issued by BOC and behalf of two Asian American will serve as the packing list.

The international forwarder or consolidator should submit the documents through a secure electronic format to a Philippine PAGE A1 t lican leaders in Congress have forwarder or deconsolidator.

The local forwarder or decon- promised to repeal the Affordsolidator should then transmit able Care Act, the health reto the Bureau the documents form law under which Covered through a secure electronic for- California was established. mat before the arrival of the The exchange, like others balikbayan boxes in the Philip- around the U.S., sells health pines and within the prescribed coverage that comes with federal tax subsidies to help peoperiod.

Last May 31, former President ple of modest means pay the Benigno Aquino III signed the premiums.

Republican lawmakers say CMTA, a month before his term they want a repeal bill ready by ended. n

Balikbayan…

and Pacific Islander (AAPI) prospective Harvard students.

The motion calls for a special status known as amici curiae for these two students. Amici curiae allows certain individuals outside the case to become impartial advisers to the case, to provide relevant information and testimony, Choi told the Asian Journal.

“This group of students aren’t a part of either party in the case, but they have a special opportunity to speak before the court on any important issue or submit evidence,” Choi told the Asian Journal before the press conference.

One of the students who joined the lawsuit is 17-year-old Harvard prospective, Jason Fong. The politically-active senior at Redondo Union High School aspires to study ethnic studies and political thought at the university.

To Fong, Asian American underrepresentation is crucial issue about which he’s passionate.

That passion -- along with inspiration of his father, David Fong, who was a beneficiary of affirmative action -- fuelled his desire to contribute something to the lawsuit.

“I really felt there are misconceptions about affirmative action in the Asian American community, and being involved in the lawsuit would be a good platform to kind of correct those misconceptions and speak up,” Fong told the Asian Journal.

Some of those misconceptions that were addressed at the press conference include the idea that affirmative action implements racial quotas. This was suggested by litigator and founder of the SFFA, Edward Blum, who has es-

u PAGE A5

Amid sign-up surge, Covered California extends…

Inauguration Day on January 20, but that timetable may be too ambitious. Still, Obamacare enrollment has been surging in California and nationwide.

Peter Lee, Covered California’s executive director, said he brought his staff together the day after Election Day and told them not to be deterred by the upcoming change in in the White House.

“One of the things I said [is] ‘now’s not the time to be look-

ing for a job; now’s the time to be doing your job.’ And that’s exactly what people at Covered California have been doing,” Lee said at a health symposium in Sacramento on Tuesday, December 13.

This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation. (Pauline Bartolone / California Healthline)

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

Dateline USa

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 17-20, 2016

A

Duterte admits he’s always been rooting for Trump

by LeiLa

B. SaLaverria Inquirer.net

LAST TWO MINUTES. Two young men make Christmas lanterns at Quiapo Central Market in Manila on Thursday, Dec. 15 with Christmas just 10 days away.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Russell Palma

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte disclosed early Saturday, Dec. 10 that he had been rooting for Donald Trump all along in the recently-concluded election in the United States.

Mr. Duterte, dubbed the “Trump of the east,” said he likes the way his western counterpart speaks.

Trump defeated Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton in the hotly contested US presidential election in November.

“Actually, in the liking of my character it was really Trump all along. And you can ask them. Because I like his mouth,” he said in a Davao press briefing when asked who had been his bet in the US elections.

He recalled Trump telling him that they “talk in the same language.”

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte (left) and US President-elect Donald Trump.

“He said so. We talk in the same language and I like your mouth, it’s like mine. I said, ‘Yes, Mr. President. We’re similar,’” he narrated.

“People with the same feathers flock together,” he added.

Mr. Duterte and Trump recently spoke on the phone.

The President earlier played coy when asked who he was rooting for between Trump and Clin-

ton, instead saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin was his “favorite hero.”

He had said then that while he would have liked to answer the question, it could create hostility if he does so.

Mr. Duterte had often been compared to the American President-elect as both have been known for their outrageous statements and fiery rhetoric. n

US approves sale of 2 search radars to PH CPUC approves huge boost in EV charging

clude related equipment, support and training.

However, before it is concludMANILA, Philippines — The ed, the sale as a matter of policy Philippine Navy (PN)’s maritime has to go through and is still subdomain awareness capabilities ject to US Congress’ approval. are getting a much needed push “We thank the US for their with Washington’s approval of generosity,” Lorenzana, who is a proposed foreign military sale accompanying President Duterte to the Philippines of two ship- in his official visit to Singapore, borne air search radars for $25 said in a text message yesterday million. to defense reporters.

Defense Secretary Delfin If the sale materializes, the Lorenzana lauded the US ap- two air search radars will be inproval to sell to the Philippines stalled on two Hamilton-class the AN/SPS-77 Sea Giraffe 3D cutters, three of which have Air Search Radars that also in- been acquired by the Navy from

by Jaime Laude Philstar.com

Yasay to US: Friends provide…

PAGE A3 t

to give this to you but you have toe the line insofar as our policy is concerned,’” Yasay said.

The foreign secretary also stressed that if the decision of withholding the aid is a “ploy,” the Philippine government won’t “bow down to their demands.”

Upon his arrival in the Philippine from his trip to Singapore on Friday, Duterte complained that the U.S. seemingly wanted the Philippines to always follow what it wanted.

“And if we don’t, they would say will not give you aid. Is that how you treat a sovereign nation and an ally?” he asked, stating that the U.S. is treating the Philippines unfairly.

At the same time, Duterte asked the U.S. why it won’t just leave the country if it thinks that the Philippines is a dangerous country due to the reported killings.

“You know, America, you might also be put on notice. Pre-

pare to leave the Philippines.

Prepare for the eventual repeal or the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement,” he warned.

He then added, “Ba-bye (Goodbye) America, and work on the protocols that would eventually move you out from the Philippines.”

On the other hand, Philippine Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez reassured the MCC and other international organizations that the Philippine government, under Duterte, is committed to upholding the rule of law.

“We have received the news about the MCC’s decision. We thank them for the grant that the Philippines received under the first compact as we reassure them and the rest of our development partners that the government continues to vigorously implement initiatives that reinforce the Duterte presidency’s commitment to good governance, peace and order and the rule of law,” Dominguez said. n

Advancing Justice-LA sets…

PAGE A4 t

tablished his career on challenging affirmative action policies in college admissions and employment.

Blum maintained that affirmative action actually provides a disservice to minority students and has made a career trying to eliminate affirmative action policy in college admissions. He argued that race-conscious policy discredits minorities’ personal achievements and institutes racial quotas in admissions.

However, Choi said that Blum’s commitment to eliminating affirmative action policy erases the decades of social progress for more minority representation in the classroom as well as in the workforce. She asserted that Blum -- who is a white man from Texas -- exploits the college rejections of “young Asian American students to further his political agenda.”

“He has made it his career and passion to roll back decades of progress in civil rights and this is just one of many lawsuits that he has filed to achieve what he wants which is a colorblind society,” Choi said.

What this motion sets to do is to bring an Asian American perspective to the suit and to provide testimony from the com-

munity; a feature that makes this suit unique to other affirmative action cases which mostly featured the voices of white women, Choi said.

Currently, the lawsuit is currently in the discovery period as both sides are in the process of requesting and retrieving certain data and documents.

During the press conference, Fong sought to remind the Asian American community of the value and impact of affirmative action and not let one unidentified Chinese American student’s experience cast a shadow on the landmark policy.

“We need to gain some perspective and step back. If we do so, we can see that using affirmative action as a scapegoat for individual students not getting accepted into their dream schools, is not an answer,” Fong asserted.

“None of us are here without help. None of us are here can say that we are only products of our individual efforts. We can’t forget that we are all products of history and social activism.

“We are here because people fought for us to be here. We are here because people took to the streets to fight for immigration and social policy. We are here because of affirmative action.”

(Klarize Medenilla/AJ Press)

1-&"4& 4)08 5)*4 "% 8F DBO EJTDPVOU DPOTVMUBUJPO GFF 0òFS FYQJSFT

1580 W. Artesia Sq. Suite A Gardena, CA 90248

STORE OPEN: Thu-Mon (10:00-7:00), Tue (10:00-4:00), Wed (CLOSED)

Email: dragongod4@gmail.com | www.dragongodusa.com

the United States Coast Guard (USCG), the United States-based Defense Security Cooperation Agency (SCA) said.

“The Philippines seeks to increase its Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) capabilities in order to improve monitoring of its vast territorial seas and exclusive economic zones (EEZ),” the SCA said.

SCA, which delivered the required clarification notifying US Congress of this possible sale on Dec. 12, pointed out that an effective Philippine MDA capability strengthens its self-defense capabilities and supports regional stability and US national interests. n

stations in underserved communities

At least 1,125 of 7,500 new charging stations will be in disadvantaged communities SAN FRANCISCO – The California Public Utilities Commission approved a pilot program that will bring 1,125 electric vehicle charging stations to underserved communities as part of a Pacific Gas and Electric pilot program to deploy a total of 7,500 charging stations in its service area. The company must deploy at least 15 percent of its charging stations in disadvantaged communities with a goal of deploying an additional

five percent of charging stations in disadvantaged communities or other areas with a high concentration of low-income customers.

Advocates for low-income communities hailed the decision as a major step toward making clean transportation options available to all Californians, regardless of income, race, or neighborhood.

“This represents a crucial addition to California’s groundbreaking efforts to make electric ve-

hicles affordable and accessible to communities most impacted by poverty and pollution,” said Greenlining Institute Environmental Equity Legal Counsel Joel Espino, who took part in the negotiations that informed today’s decision. “Low and moderate income Californians want and need clean transportation, and we can only reach our clean air and climate goals if EVs become a

u PAGE A6

A DECEMBER 17-20, 2016 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Dateline USa

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

Pacquiao could fight as late as June 2017, says Arum

by Dino

mArAGAy Philstar.com

TOP Rank Inc. chief Bob Arum said Manny Pacquiao’s ring return could stretch to June next year.

Speaking recently to boxingscene.com’s Keith Idec, Arum also said that Pacquiao plans to fight two times in 2017, like he’s done in the past few years.

“Manny’s next fight could be as late as June. He’s gonna fight twice a year, so if he fights in June and fights in November, that’s OK. And I wanna get away from the cards that are on payper-view that shouldn’t be on pay-per-view,” said the veteran promoter.

Pacquiao typically holds his first fight of the year in April – or March at the earliest and May the latest. But as an incumbent Philippine senator, he promised to make sure his fights will not coincide with Senate sessions.

No opponent has yet been named, but undefeated WBC and WBO super lightweight champion Terence Crawford is in the mix for Pacquiao.

The 29-year-old Crawford boosted his case after he stopped John Molina Jr. over the weekend

Bob Arum with Manny Pacquiao

to retain his titles. He afterwards called Pacquiao out, but said he isn’t desperate for a showdown with the Filipino icon.

But there’s one fight that Arum and Pacquiao will prioritize if ever it becomes a clear option – a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. The retired Mayweather, however, has kept mum about returning to boxing. But the undefeated American stirred talks about another clash with Pacquiao when he showed up at ringside at the latter’s fight with Jessie Vargas in Las Vegas last month.

Arum, for his part, isn’t pinning NO TO CHILD PRISONERS. Members of Child Rights Network hold huge Christmas cards and sing carols outside the House of Representatives too much hope on Mayweather as they join a lobby urging lawmakers not to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to nine. returning ManilaTimes.net photo by Ruy Martinez “I’m not holding my breath.

But obviously, if Floyd decides to come back and wants to fight Manny, that’s the fight we would work on. But there’s no indication that that’s the case,” the Top Rank boss added.

Arum also said in the same report that he will fly to the Philiption health for Riverside Univer- research at the UCLA Center

by AnnA GormAn pines in January next year to sit Kaiser Health News sity Health System. “They need for Health Policy Research, said down with Pacquiao and finalize services from different county she expects the projects to imthings.

RIVERSIDE County plans to departments in 20 different loca- prove care and outcomes as well For now, it is still waiting time connect former inmates with tions … and we don’t talk to each as save money. “There is going for Pacquiao and his fans. n to be some reduction in [emerhealth clinics and social servic- other.” es. Orange County hopes to get Half the funding for the pro- gency department] use if you are homeless residents into hous- gram comes from the federal wrapping these additional servicing — and help them stay there. government, and the other half es around these populations who Placer County is opening a re- will be provided by local entities, are complex and high-need,” she spite center where homeless pa- including counties and hospital said.

More than 14 million CaliforThe march is organized by a tients can go after they leave the systems.

Some county leaders fear nians are covered by Medi-Cal, very diverse group of organiza- hospital.

Those are just some of the pi- President-elect Donald Trump’s including about 5 million who tions spanning the universe of social causes, including: Asian lot projects in a $3 billion experi- plan to dismantle the Afford- have signed up since the AffordAmericans Advancing Justice mental effort officials hope will able Care Act could derail their able Care Act took effect in 2014.

- Los Angeles, CHIRLA, KIWA, improve the health of California’s plans, but they hope nothing will The health reform law allowed COFEM, CLUE, SCOPE, ACCE, most vulnerable populations. change right away. State officials states to expand the number of MiFamilia Vota, Pico California, The effort is a recognition that are urging counties to continue people who were eligible. Many FIRM, KRC, Equality California, improving people’s health will laying the groundwork for their new Medi-Cal beneficiaries went California Environmental Justice take more than just getting them projects, which are expected to years without coverage and had untreated chronic conditions and start next spring or summer.

Alliance, SEIU-USWW, LAANE, insured.

The state has approved plans “We are just moving forward mental health and substance use Planned Parenthood, LA Voice, Full Rights for Immigrants Coali- in 18 counties intended to re- in terms of implementation and disorders.

Insurance coverage is the first tion, Coalition of Latino Evangeli- duce unnecessary emergency not speculating on any changes room visits and hospital stays that might happen,” said Sarah step because it gets them in the cal Pastors, and others.

“The labor movement is going among these groups. In addition Brooks, a deputy director at door, Pourat said. But that must to stand and defend Immigrant to ex-prisoners and the home- the state Department of Health be followed by getting them the workers and their families. We less, they include people who Care Services. “We will see what right services to keep them out of the hospital. The pilot programs will not let Trump hurt our com- have multiple chronic illnesses, comes in the next year.”

Mark Ghaly, a program direc- will allow the state to see what munity,” stated Maria Elena Du- substance abuse problems and mental health disorders. The tor with Los Angeles County’s works and doesn’t work, Pourazo, UNITE HERE president.

Unlike many other states in state is accepting a second round Department of Health Services, rat said. They will be evaluated the nation, California has shown of applications for such projects said he believes the program based their impact on ER visits, is going to stand for at least a inpatient stays and other meastrong leadership in assuring next year.

The effort, known as “whole while. “The question is will we sures of health and housing. immigrant families, and every “It’s a great laboratory,” she Californian, that their elected of- person care,” is part of an agree- have enough time to show what said. “There is not going to be a ficials will fight on their behalf ment between California and the works,” he said.

The key to success will be get- cookie cutter approach throughto protect their constitutional federal government. It gives the rights. In support of this, the state flexibility to try to improve ting various agencies to work out the state.”

The planned projects vary in California legislature introduced the efficiency and quality of care together to identify participants two bills during their inaugural in the state’s Medicaid program and serve them no matter where size, method and goals. Many include housing services, care — known as Medi-Cal — which they are, Brooks said. session this week. n provides health coverage to lowPart of that depends on being management and data sharing. income people. able to share data, which remains For the counties that focus on The projects are designed a challenge for many counties, homeless people, federal money to blend physical care, mental Brooks said. Most counties have cannot be used to pay rent. But tric vehicles, California climate health care and social services multiple electronic health records it can be used for other housing efforts, and low-income commu- for the participants, who are systems that may not interact services such as move-in costs, nities and communities of color, among the neediest and costliest with other government computer financial education and outreach systems. There are also patient to landlords. see Greenlining’s “Electric Ve- in the state.

“We have people coming out privacy concerns.

In Orange County, officials are hicles for All” online toolkit, auRiverside County’s project linking homeless residents to prithored by Espino. For real-world of jail and they are homeless, examples of how the Charge they don’t have food and they aims not only to reduce ER use mary care providers and helping Ahead California Initiative and are diabetic and they are bipolar but also to keep former inmates them find places to live.

“If we are able to get them staother California climate policies and they drink too much alcohol out of jail. They will be screened benefit underserved Californians, and they use heroin,” said Judi upon their release and offered bilized and into stable housing Nightingale, director of popula- help with housing, health insur- … we can improve their overvisit UpliftCA.org. n ance, drug treatment and mental all health,” said Melissa Tober, manager of strategic projects for health services.

Los Angeles County’s project, the Orange County Health Care which will cost $900 million over Agency.

In Placer County, which also five years, is an ambitious effort to improve the health of high- will target homeless residents, risk populations, including the Health and Human Services Dihomeless and recent inmates. rector Jeff Brown said each parThe county plans to target about ticipant will have an intensive 1,000 soon-to-be released in- care plan, which may include mates each month and will use substance abuse treatment, mencommunity health workers to tal health care or peer support. help them get the care and social Brown said the pilot project proservices they need. The county vides the money and flexibility.

But, he said, “There really is also is working to get inmates released with a 30-day supply of no road map for the perfect way to implement this, and without medications.

Ghaly said he believes the proj- that road map or blueprint, it can ect will “stabilize people upon re- be a bit difficult.”

This story was produced by lease so they don’t hit the emergency departments in the volume Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the they are now.”

Nadereh Pourat, director of Kaiser Family Foundation. n

California hopes $3 billion experiment will Improve Health Of Neediest

LA organizations to march for diversity and respect of constitutional rights for all

LOS ANGELES – A coalition of more than 30 human, civil, LGBT, and immigrant rights organizations, labor, faith communities, student groups, and environmentalists is organizing a pro-immigrant, pro-diversity, and pro-California march entitled “California: Fearless, United!” on Sunday, December 18, 2016 at 12 noon in downtown Los Angeles.

The march departs from Pershing Square on W. 5th Street and S. Olive Street and concludes with a rally at Grand Park in front of City Hall.

“Californians are ready to stand up and protect our people from the dangerous and divisive policies of the incoming Trump administration. Our state has always been the guiding light of justice and now more than ever we are united as one,” stated Kevin de León, President pro Tempore of the California State Senate, one of the first statewide elected officials who has committed to attending the march on December 18.

Since the election of Presidentelect Donald J. Trump, incidents

of anti-Muslim hate crimes and anti-immigrant rhetoric have worried millions of families who live and work in the U.S. and are undocumented. Diverse communities throughout the country have come together to show respect and pride in their cultural heritage, denounce the hateful and divisive acts perpetrated against Muslims and immigrants, and remind the country why America remains one of the strongest democracies in the world.

“Our message is one of defiance and unity from one of the largest and most diverse states in the nation. We are telling President-elect Trump that we will move forward and will not allow anyone to takes us backward,” stated Angelica Salas, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) executive director.

Californians will gather December 18 to send a message of unity and pride. December 18, 2016is International Migrants Day as per a United Nations resolution dating back to December 4, 2000.

CPUC approves huge boost in EV charging…

PAGE A5 t

practical alternative in all neighborhoods. Access to EV charging is essential to that effort, and to dispelling the myth that electric cars are just for the wealthy.”

PG&E’s pilot program will boost EV access efforts under the Charge Ahead California Initiative (SB 1275, De León). That measure, co-sponsored by The

Greenlining Institute, put in motion programs aimed at helping low-income drivers get behind the wheel of an EV. PG & E’s service territory is home to two of those programs: a financing assistance pilot in the Bay Area and a scrap-and-replace programin the Central Valley.

For additional background on the connections between elec-

Mayweather not keen on fighting again: My health is more important

01/03/17

FLOYD Mayweather Jr. stressed that keeping his faculties intact is a priority.

That’s why he’s not pressed to end his retirement to score another hefty paycheck, and more importantly, stretch his unbeaten streak to 50 wins.

“I think it’s very valuable that I left boxing in great condition, and I left boxing on my own terms,” Mayweather, currently at the World Boxing Council convention in Florida in the US, said in a boxingscene.com report by Miguel Rivera.

“I did what wanted to do and in one night I got a check for $100 million. But you know what, my health is more important,” added the undefeated American.

Mayweather was referring to the huge payday he got in fighting Manny Pacquiao last year, a match that went down as the richest ever in boxing history.

But since he retired, many pundits believe the lure of more big purses will be hard to resist

for Mayweather, not to mention the chance to go beat heavyweight great Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record.

Speculations of a Mayweather comeback intensified when the retired boxer attended Pacquiao’s recent fight with Jessie Vargas in Las Vegas.

The two superstars will not earn a higher purse fighting anyone else, making a rematch a sound financial move.

Pacquiao has always declared his willingness to engage Mayweather for a second time, eager to redeem himself from a loss to the slick, defense-oriented fighter.

Mayweater, however, doesn’t have the same itch.

“This is a dream come true, the way I handled my career.

For many years my name will be inscribed there in the Guiness Book of Records and that is because I was blessed by my talent, but also with having a great team,” he said. (Dino Maragay/ Philstar.com)

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

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 17-20, 2016

Dateline PhiliPPines

A

Gabriela criticizes Miss Universe tilt for masking PH real issues

and use competitions to publicize the “commercial use of women’s image” in products and services.

Salvador said that women will THE Gabriela National Alliance of Women on Friday, Dec. 16 de- continue to protest against denounced the country’s hosting of ceptive pageants and push for the Miss Universe pageant next real agenda of peace and justice. month, saying it is being used to cover up important issues.

Gabriela called the pageant “an expensive exercise to lull the people and the international audience into a false sense of wellbeing and celebration” amid extrajudicial killings and unfair trade relations faced by the Philippines.

In a statement, Joms Salvador, secretary general of Gabriela, said that it is saddening that the Department of Tourism, a government agency, tapped the privately-run event to package the country as a “lurid tourist destination for cheap, easily exploitable women.”

“Sex tourism with human trafficking is one of the deplorable downstream trades that afflicts poor countries that host international events such as major beauty pageants,” she said.

Gabriela has in the past opposed pageants and other festivals that exploit women as these are “tools to commodify women”

by Ed

PAROL-MAKING WINNERS. Sen. Cynthia A. Villar hands a trophy to Bryan Flores who won tne first prize in the parol making contest during the 11th Parol Festival in Las Pinas City. Flores also got P20,000 cash prize while Alicia Bencio (in red shirt) and a representative of Emeterio Cabasal Jr. (in white blouse) also got P15,000 and P10,000, for the second and third place. The Parol Festival is an annual competition of giant parols made by Las Pineros. Also in the photo are DPWH Sec. Mark Villar and Diwa Partylist Rep. Emmeline AglipayVillar and their daughter.

Senate photo

Yasay demands apology from UN rapporteur for ‘tremendous’ damage to PH by dana

SioSon AJPress

FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. has demanded United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard apologize to the Philippines for her ‘arbitrary’ findings in relation to the alleged rise of extrajudicial killings in the country.

Speaking to reporters in Singapore, Yasay said Callamard’s previous statement has damaged the Philippines’ image ‘tremendously’ to the international community.

“People had jumped into conclusion that extrajudicial killings have been perpetrated in the Philippines, that there is rampant violation and state-sponsored violation of human rights,” Yasay said on Friday, December 16.

Yasay said Callamard announced her findings ‘without even investigating first.’

“She must apologize for the arbitrary findings that she has made. She must withdraw the findings immediately and admit in public before the international community because it has unfairly damaged the country that this conclusion that she arrived was not verified at all,” he stressed.

Last August, Callamard lam-

basted President Rodrigo Duterte for reportedly giving the Filipino people the “license to kill” drug suspects in the country.

This has prompted Duterte to invite her to come to the Philippines and investigate with the following conditions: she should have public debate with Duterte, Duterte should be able to ask Callamard his own questions, and Callamard should take an oath to “confirm her intention to be truthful.”

According to Yasay, the president’s invitation is not for Callamard to verify her findings.

“The invitation was given to the President so that if her coming over will support the conclusion and decision that she already arrived at, the president will be given the opportunity precisely to debate with it and to argue against it,” Yasay explained.

Callamard, however, said in a statement that these conditions set by the Philippines were “inconsistent with the Special Rapporteur Code of Conduct and Terms of Reference for country visits.”

Yasay, on the other hand, maintained that Callamard had to follow the said conditions.

“Ms. Callamard said that she cannot comply with these deci-

sions. So the question of whether or not she could comply with this decision. These conditions are her own decision. If she cannot comply with it, that’s the end of it,” Yasay said.

Despite this, he clarified that the Philippines has not withdrawn its invitation to her. n

MargarEth Barahan Inquirer.net

She also added that women should demand the government focus on the increasing problems of the country, such as joblessness, rising prices of fuel and electricity and rampant killings by Oplans Bayanihan and Tokhang. n

A DECEMBER 17-20, 2016 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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

OpiniOn

Features

Casualties of a brutal war

THE gunmen came knocking before daybreak on Sunday, rousing Domingo Manosca from sleep at his home on Mahogany street in Pasay City. As he stood up, a man peered into the window. Guns were aimed at him and fired. A spray of bullets went through Manosca and hit his five-year-old son Francisco. Manosca, who had surrendered under Oplan Tokhang, died together with the boy.

The case illustrates the great potential for abuse when a nation gets the impression that it’s OK to take a life in the name of the war on drugs. Manosca’s son is not the first child to be killed in this brutal war. And there will likely be more, along with other innocents caught in the crossfire, as anti-narcotics police and vigilantes alike continue their killing spree.

Records of the Philippine National Police show that on average, 30 people have been killed daily all over the country since President Duterte assumed power. Human rights groups count about 5,600 deaths related to the drug war, but the PNP reports 2,102 drug suspects killed by police after allegedly putting up a fight. Another 2,886 killings are classified as DUI or death under investigation.

From July 1 to Dec. 14, the PNP arrested 40,932 suspected drug pushers and users under Oplan Double Barrel, which targets both street pushers and major drug traffickers, while 908,244 surrendered after being visited at home by police under Oplan Tokhang. Like Manosca, a number of those

killed had surrendered under Tokhang.

In previous years, such a grievous death toll would have merited the declaration of a special day for national mourning. There are worse offenders in this country.

Why should penny-ante street pushers deserve the new version of the death penalty while plunderers in government, who bring harm to the citizenry and national development, continue to live, with some even winning elective office? Why is there an ongoing mass extermination of one particular group of suspects?

With killers roaming freely, impunity is mounting and the blood lust can quickly spread beyond the war on illegal drugs. Already there are reports of personal scores being settled in the guise of being part of the drug war. As appalling as the mass deaths is the seeming failure or lack of interest to investigate each drug-linked killing, whether perpetrated by police or by vigilantes. The most tragic casualties are the innocents, like the son of Domingo Manosca. (Philstar.com)

Guest Editorial

Philstar.com photo

The tradition of Simbang Gabi lives on SIMBANG GABI, or dawn mass, heralds the official start of Christmas among Filipinos, kicking off in the wee hours of the morning of December 16, for nine consecutive days.

This dawn mass is also a novena, and completing all nine days has been a “pana-

ta” or offering/ sacrifice as a way of preparing one’s heart for the birthday of Jesus. For some devotees, it is a way of thanking God for the blessings of the year that is about to end, while for others, it is meant to submit to the altar their most ardent prayers seeking God’s miracle.

Also known as “Misa de Agui-

The Fil-Am Perspective Gel SantoS-ReloS

attend are the evening anticipated masses.

Some use the internet to virtually attend the dawn masses in the Philippines, like the live streaming of Simbang Gabi at Quiapo Church. *** 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

Do we really need a gangster as the Philippines’ president?

Annie Nepomuceno: The village of sounds is in her “The truth is, the line between what is uniquely yours and what Rhizomes is given to you by your culture is invisible to you. Don’t worry about it. Your village is inside you. Your work is to go inside and bring out the sounds you like to hear. There is a sense of value Prosy aBarquezinside you that is more powerful Delacruz, J.D. than either your individual self or your cultural self. And there are music practices that can lead you to that sense, and teach you how to hook into it, live inside it, and eventually express it to the assemblage of villages. If you ever enter sound deeply enough, you break open into that world, the soul world where universal music comes from. From that world a shakuhachi flute player plays, and Bulgarian women sing love songs. That village is the same village everyone is from. The gift of sound is that it guides your steps to that place.” —W.A. Mathieu, “The Listening Book”, 1991.

The sounds of music come easily for Annie Nepomuceno. Perhaps when God distributed talents in music, Annie received all mutations of musical expressions: music publisher, music producer, music teacher, musician, music arranger and singer. Can you think of anyone with diverse talents in musicianship, but two – composing and conducting?

Annie was born in Iowa to Norma Roque and Celso Roque, who pursued quantum physics under a Rockefeller scholarship in the University of Iowa, the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and the first environmentalist. Annie was 2 years old when she went to the Philippines and was raised speaking English with Tagalog as a second language.

At an early age, about 8 to 9 years old, Annie had to take piano lessons. Her mom prepared her to audition for a children’s choir. Her dad supported the endeavor by buying her a piano, even if he ended up with just a couple of hundred pesos left in the bank until the next payday.

At UP High School, she would lead the assembly in singing the National Anthem. At UP College of music, she wrote notes in the library, working on David Pomeranz’s music. As luck would have it, Annie wrote music arrangements for him and sang for him — those songs are now included in his album “The Eyes of Christmas.”

I was invited to a rehearsal studio practice, for a concert at the Ford Theater featuring Harana and the Filharmonic, which Annie produced in earlier in 2016. Her sharp ears instantly detected the female singers who were off pitch. “Please take us back to the beginning chords,” she said, before proceeding to sing.

Her equally talented and musically-trained husband Ed — who holds a UP College’s degree in

naldo”, the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines website says these masses came from the original novena Masses in preparation for Christmas in honour of the Annunciation (or Expectation) of the Blessed Virgin Mary wherein Churches in Spain provided food after the Mass to the needy, hence the word “aguinaldo” (gift).

It is hard to find dawn masses in churches here in America, but what kababayans here

music and is also a music arranger, singer, musician, and conductor — plays back the requested chords on his keyboard.

Annie vocalizes the tones and expressions and the female singers follow suit.

Annie’s multi-tasking can be very impressive and to some, disarming, as she can be all these: singer, producer, organizer, newscaster, and marketing the event.

I asked her about her philosophies in producing events, to which she said, “Production has to be organized, to get the best out of people; it is better than the dollars [paid], as it makes them feel needed and important. Usually with practices, if someone is late and does not show up till 5 p.m. when the call time is 3 p.m., it ruins the flow of everything. But, when everyone is on time, everyone wants to align with the group’s direction. If the example is set and there is a program flow, even if someone is not in alignment, they want to be part of that flow and realign herself.”

For the audience, “they must believe they are going to be served something that they cannot get elsewhere.”

As an example, ASAP differs from Ryan Cayabyab’s concerts — both with distinct dynamics.

One relies on bombastic loud sounds and everyone knows ASAP is in town, as it is highly publicized.

For Ryan Cayabyab’s concert, Annie said, “I had to make sure everyone knows about it too, with appropriate attention given to marketing. Even the budget has to reflect that.”

She credits the Ford Amphitheater staff who schooled her on the value of marketing.

“Marketing has to be so ubiquitous that no one can say that they did not hear that the Maestro is in town. I was also more relaxed. The crew was lined up [for the program]. 90 percent was laid out. We practiced. As a musician, you are only as good as the piece you have today. It is not going to be a night of miracles, where singers have to be turned around,” she said.

She visualizes, plans, and writes the script.

Then at practice, the program flow is actualized through intensive practice with everyone.

Consequently, her latest production of Ryan Cayabyab and RC Singers got standing ovations in New Jersey, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Hawaii. Annie credits the Maestro and the professional singers.

I wrote in part, a superlative review of that Ryan Cayabyab’s concert: “RCS Singers added more nostalgia of home, once described by James Baldwin, ‘an irrevocable condition of experiencing a sense of belonging,

u PAGE A9

FOLLOWING the postings and counter-postings on Facebook of Street folks whom I regard as righteous and intelligent, I have frankly be- Talk gun to sense that there is a new standard of right and wrong that has emerged in the Philippines with Rodrigo Duterte’s assumpGreG B. MacaBenta tion of the presidency.

Duterte has been widely criticized, not only by the local political opposition but by world leaders and international media for his bloody war on drugs. Even Senator Panfilo Lacson, who cannot be classified as “yellow” – a pejorative, that once referred mainly to the Aquinos and the Liberal Party but now includes anyone who is seen as anti-Duterte – has just “sounded the alarm… over daily killings in the country” attributed to the campaign against drugs.

Said Lacson on Twitter, “For someone like me who’s not a human rights advocate to get worried about the daily killings, something very wrong must be going on.”

Anyone familiar with the track record of Lacson as a former chief of the Philippine National Police and as an officer of the dreaded Metrocom Intelligence and Security Group (MISG) must take his comments seriously.

And yet, supporters of Duterte, including those whom I have known to be morally and ethically straight, have deftly sidestepped the issue of the killings – now going into the thousands and counting – by pointing out the devastation caused by the drug menace and the dire consequences if Duterte were to be deposed and Vice President Leni Robredo were to assume the presidency.

Wrote one Manila columnist who apparently believes that the Philippines is a narco-state or one under the thumb of drug lords: “So let us call a spade a spade. We are a narco-state, no quibbling there. Those in denial may probably want to embrace the ‘EJK’ argument. I won’t because no state sanctions what is deemed extra-judicial. But I do recognize that there are killings from police operations and that is murder (if there is intent) or homicide. Both crimes are in our Revised Penal Code. If there is a country waging a fight against illegal drugs and has an immaculate slate in terms of the number of persons killed, please let us know. That model can be studied and probably implemented in our country, if only to stress the obvious that there is none.”

One gets the impression that, in the Philippines, there is no other option between the devil and the deep blue sea or between Duterte and Robredo.

As far as this opinion maker is concerned, killings resulting from “police operations” are happening — it is a given — but she considers them the price to be paid in the fight against illegal drugs.

The argument actually sounds reasonable if one

paints a broad portrait of nameless suspects — drug lords, pushers, users — who needed to be “killed dead” like insects in the Flit commercial. But if one were to take the trouble to go through the body count and identify the fatalities, you would realize that each was a human being with families and loved ones grieving over their summary liquidation.

Indeed, it is so easy to generalize and dismiss the fatalities as part of the “just war” — unless, of course, you happen to be a relative or a dear friend of one or a couple of the victims. After all, who bothers about the hundreds liquidated by Rambo in his movies?

Yet the columnist’s acknowledgment that there have been police killings — and some could be considered murder — appears more reasonable than the conclusion drawn by the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights and the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs after a brief inquiry chaired by Senator Dick Gordon.

The report concluded that allegations of “extra-judicial killings” attributed to the Duterte administration and, by extension, to Duterte himself, had no basis in fact. Gordon apparently drew his committee’s conclusion because of the seemingly unreliable testimony and allegations of self-confessed Davao Death Squad member, Edgar Matobato.

This conclusion was drawn after only six Senate hearings, which had ostensibly been stymied by the withdrawal of Matobato from the hearings by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. Apparently, Gordon and his committee members gave no weight to a report by Human Rights Watch in 2009 to the effect that “there were 124 targeted killings in Davao City from 1998 to 2008 alone, during Duterte’s term as mayor.” A 103page report included accounts of people with insider knowledge of the so-called Davao Death Squad, the victims’ families, witnesses, lawyers and local government officials.

But for some fantastic reason, the Gordon committee concluded that there was no such thing as a Davao Death Squad, based on Matobato’s inconsistencies.

I’m sure that Gordon is familiar with the term “due diligence.” That was sorely lacking in the efforts of his committee. Knowing Gordon to be a former Procter & Gamble brand manager and an efficient public official, I can only guess that, after submitting that report, he is embarrassed when he looks at himself in the mirror in the morning.

That kind of sloppy work is not worthy of a person of his caliber.

Apparently, Gordon and his team did not even

u PAGE A9

The views expressed by our Op-Ed contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the predilection of the editorial board and staff of Asian Journal.

ROGER LAGMAY ORIEL Publisher & Chairman of the Board

CORA MACABAGDAL-ORIEL President

ELIZABETH HILARIO SISON Chief Financial Officer Main Office: 1210 S. Brand Boulevard Glendale, CA 91204 Tels: (818) 502-0651 Fax: (818) 502-0858 e-mail: info@asianjournalinc.com http://www.asianjournal.com

Manila Office: 2nd Floor Units D&E, Fort Palm Springs 30th St., Cor 1st Ave, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig Tel.: (632) 856-4921 • Fax: (632) 856-1661 New York: 133-30 32nd Ave., Flushing, NY 11354 Tel.: (212) 655-5426 • Fax (818) 502-0858

Northern California: New Jersey: 1799 Old Bayshore Hwy, Suite 136 449 Hoboken Avenue Burlingame, CA 94010 Tel.: (650) 689-5160 • Fax: (650) 239-9253 Jersey City, New Jersey 07306 Tel: (212) 655.5426 • Fax: (818) 502.0858 Las Vegas Sales Office: 3700 W. Desert Inn Road Las Vegas, NV 89102 Tel.: (702) 792-6678 • Fax: (702) 792-6879

BELLE M. SISON Executive Vice President Los Angeles Asian Journal

MONETTE ADEVA MAGLAYA Senior Vice President Los Angeles Asian Journal

IVY MANALANG Vice President - Marketing Los Angeles Asian Journal

SHARON ANN SAN PEDRO Vice President - Sales Balikbayan Magazine

MOMAR G. VISAYA Executive Editor DANTE SAMBILAY Art Director

DING CARREON Videographer ANDY TECSON Photographer

ADVERTISING AND ADVERTORIAL POLICIES Asian Journal Publications, Inc. (“AJPI”) reserves the right to refuse to publish, in its sole and absolute discretion, any advertising and advertorial material submitted for publication by client. (“Client’s Material”) Submission of an advertisement or advertorial to an AJPI sales representative does not constitute a commitment by AJPI to publish a Client’s Material. AJPI has the option to correctly classify any Client’s Material and to delete objectionable words or phrases.

Client represents and warrants that a Client’s Material does not and will not contain any language or material which is libelous, slanderous or defamatory or invades any rights of privacy or publicity; does not and will not violate or infringe upon, or give rise to any adverse claim with respect to any common law or other right whatsoever (including, without limitation, any copyright, trademark, service mark or contract right) of any person or entity, or violate any other applicable law; and is not the subject of any litigation or claim that might give rise to any litigation.

Publication of a Client’s Material does not constitute an agreement to continue publication.

Client agrees and covenants to indemnify AJPI and its officers against any and all loss, liability, damage, expenses, cost, charges, claims, actions, causes of action, recoveries, judgments, penalties, including outside attorneys’ fees (individually and collectively “Claims”) which AJPI may suffer by reason of (1) Client’s breach of any of the representations, warranties and agreements herein or (2) any Claims by any third party relating in any way to Client’s Material.

AJPI will not be liable for failure to publish any Client’s Material as requested or for more than one incorrect insertion of a Client’s Material. In the event of an error, or omission in printing or publication of a Client’s Material, AJPI shall be limited to an adjustment for the space occupied by the error, with maximum liability being cancellation of the cost of the first incorrect advertisement or republication of the correct advertisement.

Under no circumstances shall Asian Publications, Inc. be liable for consequential damages of any kind.

ASIAN JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS, INC. publishes the Los Angeles Asian Journal, published twice a week; the Orange County and Inland Empire Asian Journal, Northern California Asian Journal, Las Vegas Asian Journal and the New York / New Jersey Asian Journal which are published once a week and distributed to Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange Counties, Northern California, Las Vegas and New York and New Jersey respectively.

Articles published in this paper do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher. Letters to the Editor are welcome.

Letters must contain complete name and return address. The materials, however, are subject to editing and revisions.

Contributions and advertising deadlines are every Mondays and Thursdays. For advertising rates and other informations, please call the L.A. office at (213) 250-9797 or send us an email at info@asianjournalinc.com

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

OpiniOn & Features

Annie Nepomuceno: The village…

PAGE A8 t

safety and fulfillment,’ a longing for the Philippines, as they slowly sang Ang Bayan Ko, enunciating each word slowly, with heartfelt emotion and with the same tempo, ‘To Dream the Impossible Dream.’

“Picture this, the singers now have our hearts in their hands, as they alternately do solos, ensemble, and then, together: ‘And the world will be better for this/That one man, scorned and covered with scars/Still strove with his last ounce of courage/To reach the unreachable star,’ while Celine Fabie sang verses of Ang Bayan Ko, ‘Pilipinas kong minumutya/Pugad ng luha at dalita/Aking adhika/Makita kang Sakdal Laya.’ Her soprano voice lingered, as if a dream unfulfilled and a love unrequited.

“What happens next? The last verse Makita Kang Sakdal Laya (To Witness your True Freedom) converged with To Reach the Unreachable Star, in a haunting soprano voice, which extracted a primal longing, a feeling for our birth country to be truly free, from all vestiges of bondage, to misguided measures of success, to incorrect principles of governance, from an unreachable space of creativity and musicality in music, to now genius manifested, and the crowd leaped to standing ovation, literally, shouting bravos.”

How music called her Annie’s mom took her to extracurricular activities: dance, gymnastics, and choir. Music became a favorite class. She excelled in math and science, but not history.

When her teacher played do re mi fa sol and then randomly changed the sequence, she played the notes with ease, at 7 to 8 years old. “It did not seem complicated. I really believed it was commonplace [referring to her ear for music],” she

Annie Nepomuceno by Wanderlust Creatives white smile

said. Piano lessons were a mainstay as well as choir practice in her childhood.

She hung out at the music teacher’s room and became the music student of the year at UP High School. One day, she could not make it to the rehearsal of the glee club. She thought she had missed

u PAGE A10

Do we really need a gangster…

PAGE A8 t

bother to recall the instances when Duterte boasted, during the presidential campaign, about personally killing some criminals while mayor of Davao City.

Worse yet, Gordon and company have not even taken note of the findings of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after a probe much more thorough than Gordon’s into the killing of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa and a fellow inmate, Raul Yap, inside a jail cell.

Elements of the PNP had justified the shooting of the two because they had allegedly drawn guns at the police officers who were trying to serve a search warrant on them.

In an official statement, the NBI announced, “After conducting an exhaustive investigation of the incidents surrounding the killing of Mayor Espinosa and Yap, the NBI concluded that the testimonies of several witnesses had disputed the claim of an alleged shootout between the CIDG Operatives and Inmates Mayor Espinosa and Raul Yap but a ‘rub out.’’”

In other words — in case Senator Dick Gordon fails to understand the meaning of the NBI findings — the killing of Espinosa and Yap was as “extra-judicial” as a Webster dictionary could possibly define it.

And how can that killing to connected to the President of the Republic of the Philippines? Simple. Duterte has declared his support for the ac-

cused PNP officers and has dismissed the veracity of the NBI findings.

As quoted by the media, Duterte declared in a speech in Mandaluyong City: “I will not allow these guys to go to prison, even if the NBI says it was murder. After all, the NBI is under me, the Department of Justice is under me.”

In typical Duterte-speak (where he routinely contradicts himself), he said, “But to tell you, I do not interfere. They have findings, good. File the case but I won’t leave the policemen implicated in the killing.”

And in a perversion of his oath of office, Duterte, in effect, declared that his loyalty to the country ends where his loyalty to his policemen begins: “Whatever the police say, that’s the truth for me. The NBI said it was murder. The police said, ‘Sir, he fought back.’ I believe the police. Why would I sacrifice the police for that?”

And in his now familiar Duterte bluster (shades of riding a jet-ski to the Spratlys to confront the Chinese), Duterte declared: “As a matter of fact, I’m ready to go to jail for them, no problem.”

It may not be a problem for Rodrigo Duterte, but it certainly is for the people of the Philippines.

That’s the macho language of a gang boss rather than the president of our hapless republic.

Do we really need a gangster for a president? (gregmacabenta@hotmail.com)

Nurturing hard work and passion into real possibilities.

It’s the people who empower and support you. The ones who say, “yes, you can do that”. And inspire you to take the first step. Possible is about achieving your dreams with small accomplishments.

At U.S. Bank, we’re here to support your dreams. We offer competitive products and services that can help you make it possible. Because when you have people who are confident in you, the impossible suddenly becomes, well, possible.

Find your possible at a U.S. Bank branch, call 800.825.BANK (2265), or visit usbank.com/possible

Member FDIC. ©2016 U.S. Bank 160547 11/16 “World’s Most Ethical Companies” and “Ethisphere” names and marks are registered trademarks of Ethisphere LLC.

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 17-20, 2016

A

A10 DECEMBER 17-20, 2016 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Dateline PHiliPPineS

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

Dateline PhiliPPines

Senate concludes slay of Espinosa Sr. was ‘premeditated murder’ by dana

sioson AJPress

WRAPPING up its investigations, the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs has concluded that the slay of alleged drug lord and Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. was a “premeditated murder,” which is the same as the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) previous reports.

Early this December, the NBI also concluded that Espinosa Sr. was slain in a ‘rubout,’ and not in a shootout incident.

“May mga bagong information pa (There is new information) pointing to premeditated murder,” Public Order and Dangerous Drugs committee chairman Senator Ping Lacson disclosed on Wednesday, December 14.

According to the initial police report, Espinosa Sr. was fatally shot inside his cell at the Leyte

Sub-Provincial Jail in Baybay City after allegedly resisting arrest and exchanging shots with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on November 5.

Another inmate, Raul Yap, was also killed during the supposed resistance while the CIDG was serving the warrant.

The NBI, however, said its investigations revealed that both Espinosa and Yap were murdered “defenseless.”

“I intend to hold another hearing if only to get the NBI investigation report. Importante yan eh, kasi mas exhaustive ginawa nila (It is important because their investigation was more exhaustive),” said Lacson.

According to Lacson, the plenary deliberations regarding the committee’s report may resume in January. He said the committee is now drafting its report.

He then added, “So, para maisara namin ang investigation

ng committee on public order, I want to get the investigation report of the NBI and other details na kulang pa sa aming investigation (So, for us to close the investigation of the committee on public order, I want to get the investigation report of the NBI and other details that may be missing from our investigation).”

Lacson also noted that CIDGEastern Visayas chief Supt. Marvin Marcos previously said that the CIDG’s time of entry in Baybay City jail was at 4:30 a.m.

The group, however, called up the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) at 3:39 a.m.

“But the twist is that there was a CCTV (close circuit television) at the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) office that showed time. They really entered the building at 3:05 to 3:06 a.m. but Marcos has a different purpose for saying 4:30

u PAGE A11

CONTRABAND. Around 300 police officers raided eight detention facilities at the 48-hectare compound of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig on Monday, Dec. 12. The raiders seized 100 blue books and ledgers indicating the drug transactions of the inmates, including a bank deposit of P2.5 million and the delivery receipts for orders of 200 to 500 grams of shabu to clients outside the jails, NCRPO chief Director Oscar Albayalde said.

Philstar.com photo by Edd Gumban

PH, Singapore to boost border security

by Christina

Mendez

Philstar.com

why ORGANIC? Organic products meet stringent standards Healthier for you & kids Organic food tastes better Organic farming respects natural resources Avoids pesticides & are artificial-fertilizer-free Non-GMO, no synthetic pesticides, no growth-promoting antibiotics There are many, many more reasons to go Organic. But in short: You’ll leave the world a better place than when you found it

SINGAPORE — President Duterte and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong agreed on Friday, Dec. 16 to further improve border security between the two countries amid threats brought about by terrorism.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said the two leaders discussed issues related to the intensified fight against terrorism and illegal drugs. Drug trafficking is punishable by death under Singaporean laws.

Interviewed on the sidelines of the meeting between the two leaders, Yasay said increasing security of borders was aimed at preventing transnational crime.

“These are basic things that we have to pursue,” Yasay told reporters.

Based on reports, the terror group Islamic State (IS) has been expanding operations in Asia, particularly in Sulu.

Last Tuesday, Duterte said a Singaporean national was leading a terrorist cell in Sulu. The group is also composed of Malaysian and Indonesian nationals with Filipino members.

“You know, in Sulu now, there’s a group there, the extremist, maybe ISIS, which is led by a Singaporean,” President said in a speech before embarking on his state visits to Cambodia and Singapore.

The Philippine military has tagged Sulu as the haven of the Abu Sayyaf extremist group that has been behind the kidnappings of foreigners and Filipinos in the south.

The President has been warning that the ISIS has been out to declare a caliphate in Mindanao.

He noted that while the kidnappings were taking place in the Malacca Strait and the Celebes Sea, suspects would bring their victims to Sulu and hold them hostage for ransom.

“And you’d be surprised that a Singaporean, (from) a nation with a very strict criminal laws… they

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, right, sits with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, at the Istana or presidential palace on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016, in Singapore.

are able to nurture a cell there of terrorists,” the President said.

Stronger Asean Meanwhile, Yasay said the President’s state visit here was timely because he got acquainted with the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) before the Philippines’ chairmanship of the grouping next year.

“This trip was really intended for the President to get to know our Asian leaders,” Yasay said.

Singaporean President Tony Tan Keng Yam led the formal arrival honors for Duterte in his official residence and office in the Istana before they held a bilateral meeting, followed by the Philippine leader’s meeting with Lee. Duterte and his delegation were then invited to a state banquet where they were served cured yellowtail fish, edible flower buds, shallots and cucumber marmalade with balsamic dressing and oscietra caviar.

The main dish included Wagyu tenderloin with Himalayan salt and Chardonnay mustard, charred baby lettuce topped with black truffle oil and Swiss cheese and potato puree.

They were treated with hazelnut crunch, passion fruit jelly and chocolate mousse, coconut and mango ice cream and salted caramel lime macaroon for dessert.

The group was serenaded by the ITE Jazz Ensemble which played a repertoire of Filipino tunes, local favorites and classical tunes.

The Singaporean government will be honoring Duterte here by having a class of orchid named after him, a seeming contradiction to his tough image with his war against corruption and criminality.

It has been a customary practice for Singapore to honor visiting heads of state by naming orchids after them.

Duterte arrived here at past midnight yesterday for a two-day state visit.

The Palace has not released information on the orchid species and its scientific name at press time but the ceremony will be held at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. After this, the President will give a speech before an estimated Filipino crowd of 7,000 at the Singapore Expo at 6 p.m.

Former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was also feted here after a locally bred orchid was named after her during her visit in 2001.

The red orchid called ‘Rattanakosin’ (scientific name Arachnis ishbel) was personally picked by Arroyo and was renamed Aranthera Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in her honor. n

Annie Nepomuceno: The village…

PAGE A9 t

the rehearsal, only to find out they waited for her.

She went to UP College and took up broadcast journalism for a semester. But she mostly hung out at the UP College of Music and was recruited to join the UP Madrigal Singers. When Annie got the music sheets, she rehearsed every night because she enjoyed reading the music. She studied the music in the order from the most difficult first, to the easiest scores last. In three months, she was given a coveted spot in the famous semi-circle that toured Singapore and Korea.

Before the tour, she shifted courses and took up music composition and arranging, learning to take the melody or theme and then writing them in a particular ensemble and style, e.g., ‘Bahay Kubo’ to be sung by three singers, can be arranged into a cha cha or take violin, cello and guitar music and make it a classical new sound.

After the tour, she chose another major, musicology or the science of music but ended up with the same professors.

“The avant-garde movement was active: the music had nothing to do with tonality, but with concept, sound, how it works and how it elicits emotions,” Annie shared. “They would take a chair made of iron and use that as an instrument.”

She continued that some professors were adept in making seemingly “strange” music not built on melody, but on concept.

Annie heard the sounds, but detected no continuity and the flow did not seem to work for her.

During that period, Annie described the music community as divided into two camps: “one was the grassroots musicians who knew how to make the rhythm section work and another camp was the avant-garde, with intellectually plotted sound.”

Mark Pullinger described it as “the score’s ululating vocal line, with its repeated syllable flutters and jagged leaps with ease, colouring high notes differently each time.”

Annie graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Musicology and documented indigenous melodies. Her thesis revealed the “indigenous sounds are both praise and worship, something very hu-

man and sacred, communicating with her soul, communicating her spirituality and her needs. The patterns are not fixed, but based on their emotions, with a melodic theme that is repeating. What she thinks, feels all refers to God.” I still remember a Raul Sunico concert wherein the closing song was “The Prayer.” Annie sang with the Harana Men’s Chorus and her soprano voice carried with such a strength and commanding presence, as the male tenors, about 10 of them. That was a magnificent show of female strength and prowess!

Annie remarked, “You have to make it at par with others,” otherwise the audience would have seen the lack of parity.

She added, “even if there are flaws, the artist should not stop to show the flaws, as the eyes and ears will stick to the flaws. Don’t give it away as not everyone can hear the mistake.”

As to unfulfilled dreams, Annie would like to record more albums and publish progressive educational music, with Philippine themes. Another is to learn how to get funded better for future projects, “Music has impact. It has to be a live performance.

People should go see live performances. Nothing compares to being in the same breathing space as a phenomenal performer.”

Sounds do come easy for Annie, as do big projects, which she effectively produces. You get a sense that she is one positive driving force for center-staged musicians ready to be on top of their game! *** Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D. writes a weekly column for Asian Journal, called “Rhizomes.” She has been writing for AJ Press for 9 years now. She contributes to Balikbayan Magazine. Her training and experiences are in 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, Japan, Mexico and 22 national parks in the US, in pursuit of her love for arts.

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

Dateline PHiliPPineS

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 17-20, 2016

A11

NCR streets now as safe as Davao’s, says PNP anti-illegal drugs chief

by Julliane love

De Jesus

Inquirer.net

CHRISTMAS PARTY. Former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. organized a Christmas meet and greet for his online supporters. In several posts on his Facebook page on Tuesday, Dec. 13, Marcos was shown mingling with his supporters, who called themselves “BBM Online Warriors” (BOW). Marcos also launched a weekly online talk show aimed at highlighting his personal life and political crusade.

During the show’s first episode, he reiterated that the most memorable gifts he received were the humble souvenirs from his supporters during the electoral campaign period.

All Pinoys covered by PhilHealth in 2017 budget

by Paolo

RomeRo Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — The proposed P3.35-trillion national budget for 2017 will provide healthcare assistance to all Filipinos, and free tuition to all students who will enroll in any state university or college in the country, Sen. Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate committee on finance, said an additional P3 billion was allocated to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to ensure coverage for all Filipinos.

“The Department of Health (DOH) said there are some eight million Filipinos still not covered

by PhilHealth. It is our duty, in serving the public, to extend basic healthcare protection to all our people. That is why we pushed for the augmentation of the PhilHealth’s budget so that in 2017, we achieve universal healthcare coverage,” she said.

Legarda said universal healthcare coverage means that any non-member of PhilHealth will automatically be made a member upon availment of healthcare service in a public hospital.

Indigent patients will also not pay for anything in government hospitals under the “No Balance Billing” as mandated under the Amended National Health Insurance Act or Republic Act 10606, which Legarda principally au-

thored.

Apart from the PhilHealth subsidy, the 2017 national budget will also allocate a total of P96.336 billion for DOH, which includes funds for the construction of additional health facilities and drug rehabilitation centers.

Meanwhile, an additional P8 billion was allocated to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to make sure tuition is free in all state universities and colleges (SUCs).

Legarda said while the budget only covers tuition, indigent students may still avail themselves of grants and aid for miscellaneous

fees under various programs.

College students belonging to family-beneficiaries of the conditional cash transfer program are covered by the Expanded Students’ Grants in Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation.

Those who are not part of the conditional cash transfer program can avail themselves of financial assistance for educational purposes under the Student Financial Assistance Programs (StuFAP) both under CHED and SUCs. Under the proposed 2017 General Appropriations Act, there is P5.753-billion funding for StuFAP. n

Senate concludes slay…

PAGE A10 t a.m. instead of the real time,” Lacson said.

“He changed it. So there was really a malevolent reason why he changed the time,” he added.

Lacson also pointed out that the CCTV footage inside the jail had gone missing on the day the CIDG team went inside the Baybay City jail and killed Espinosa.

“Who will benefit from the missing CCTV? Is it not those who will be incriminated? Because that could be put up as a defense by the CIDG team if they release the video,” Lacson said.

According to him, the pre-

liminary investigation on Supt.

Marvin Marcos, would start next week on December 20. “(Justice) Secretary (Vitaliano) Aguirre (II) committed to fasttrack the case without sacrificing due process. They will fast-track the preliminary investigation since the President (Rodrigo Duterte) did not give him any guidance, so he will proceed,” Lacson said.

The NBI earlier recommended that the Department of Justice (DOJ) file multiple murder and perjury cases against 24 police officers allegedly connected to Espinosa’s killing. n

THE streets of Metro Manila are now safe in Davao City – or so says the head of the Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (AIDG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Senior Supt. Albert Ignatius Ferro said the blood drug war of President Rodrigo Duterte proved “effective,” as shown by the significant drop in the incidence of theft and other index crimes.

Without elaborating on current crime statistics to back up his claim, Ferro said the improvement in peace and order in the National Capital Region could be felt by the public, as in the President’s hometown.

Speaking to reporters in Camp Crame on Friday, Dec. 16, Ferro said: “Ikaw, mag-lakad ka dito sa Metro Manila. Dati nakakatakot mag-lakad sa gabi, di ba? Try to walk in the evening or early in the morning. Nakakatakot pa bang mag-lakad dito? Parang nasa Davao lang tayo dito eh.” (“Walk around Metro Ma-

Senior Supt. Albert Ignatius Ferro (right), PNP-AIDG chief, with (from left) PDEA chief Isidro Lapeña and PNP chief Director General Ronald de la Rosa Photo from the PNP Facebook page

nila. It used to be scary walking around at night, right? Try to walk in the evening or early in the morning. Is it still scary to walk around here? It’s just like we’re in Davao.”)

Ferro also downplayed the rising number of drug-related deaths, saying it was a “very small” percentage of the total number of arrests in the ongoing drug war.

“I also want to emphasize na

yung 32,000 arrests, as compared doon sa alleged EJKs (extrajudicial killings), na regular police operations naman, ay napakaliit na percent lang, kung pagbabasehan natin,” he said. (“I also want to emphasize that the 32,000 arrests, as compared with the alleged EJK’s, which were really regular police operations, make up a very small percentage, if we make them a basis.”) n

A12 DECEMBER 17-20, 2016 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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

Have a better holiday with your loved ones.

Send money in minutes1 with the WU® mobile app, at westernunion.com or from an agent location directly to qualifying bank accounts at over 40 banks in the Philippines.

MOBILE | ONLINE | AGENT LOCATION

Date available will be displayed on receipt for international transfers over $15. Service and funds availability depends on certain factors including the service selected, the selection of delayed delivery options, special terms applicable to each service, amount sent, destination country, currency availability, regulatory issues, consumer protection issues, identification requirements, delivery restrictions, agent location hours, and differences in time zones (collectively, "Restrictions"). ** For BPI, first time transactions will be credited to the account within 2 hours. Succeeding transactions will be credited in minutes. Western Union Financial Services Inc., 1

NMLS #906983, IS LICENSED BY THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF BANKING AND FINANCE and licensed as a Money Transmitter by New York State Department of Financial Services. © 2016 Western Union Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

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

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DEcEmbER 17-20, 2016

SHOWBIZ&STYLE

B

Journal

Jennylyn’s new leading man is an international model

by Lhar

Santiago ManilaTimes.net

After months of thorough searching, GMA Network has finally found a leading man for Jennylyn Mercado in the person of international model Gil Cuerva.

Based in Hong Kong, Gil started modeling when he was just 17 years old. He is considered a hot property in the fashion industry in the region, including Singapore The Pinoy Boyband Superstar search ended last Sunday, Dec. 11 and the winners are (from left) Ford Valencia, Joao Constantino, Niel Murillo, and thailand, besides Hong Kong and the Philippines.

Russell Reyes and Tristan Ramirez.

It wasn’t an easy journey for Gil to go from modeling to acting though. the opportunity came when he was about to fly

by Kane erroL Choa to Bangkok from Hong Kong for Philstar.com a two-week stint, which meant a Jennylyn Mercado found her match with international model Gil Cuerva as they star in ‘My tHe search for the “Pinoy BoyLove From The Star.’ PAGE B2 band Superstar� ended on Sunday, Dec. 11 with the judges and the super fans putting together five singing heartthrobs in a group called BoybandPH. Niel Murillo first earned a spot in the group on Saturday, Dec. 10 after earning the highest combined scores.

-/( *VU]LU[PVUHS “Sobrang saya ko po. Nag7\YJOHZL 9LMPUHUJL papasalamat ako sa Panginoon, sa mga hurado at sa mga taong sumusuporta sa akin,� said Niel after his name was called. tion Sandara Park, pop-rock star performance Saturday night, Aga russell reyes, ford Valencia, Yeng Constantino and original said he would not be surprised to tristan ramirez and Joao Con- heartthrob Aga Muhlach. see tristan in the top 5. stancia were named winners on Vice and Yeng cited Joao’s Before facing the superstar the second night of the “Pinoy judges, the aspirants had to woo “X-factor� in connecting with Boyband Superstar: the Grand and impress the female fans with the audiences. While Vice Ganda reveal.� their charisma, personality and pointed out that Joao’s voice each of the five winners re- talent. Once they got a score of sounds ordinary, it is his charm, ceived P1M cash, a Yamaha 75 percent and above, they moved dancing skills and looks that make motorcycle, an exclusive contract to the next round and perform for him deserving to be part of the with ABS-CBN’s talent develop- the judges. boyband. ment arm Star Magic and a reYeng added, “May kapangyariSeven heartthrobs made it to cording contract with ABS-CBN’s the finals. Mark Oblea and tony han ka. there is something about online music hub One Music PH. Labrusca did not make it to the you. You have an X-factor to stay 7YVNYHT Z\IQLJ[ [V JOHUNL ^P[OV\[ WYPVY UV[PJL “Pinoy Boyband Superstar,� a top 5. in this industry.� talent-reality search for the ultithe five members of the newly After the performance of Niel mate Pinoy boyband launched last and russell last Saturday, Yeng formed BoybandPH ended the September with Billy Crawford as said the future holds bright for show by singing their first single host, brought in aspiring singing both of them. She said, “Kayo that is aptly titled We Made It. :Y 3VHU *VUZ\S[HU[ heartthrobs aged 14 and above ang magiging boses ng binubuSandara sang Kiss with the >HSS -PUHUJPHS 0UJ +)( with charm, singing talent and ong boyband. I am proud of you finalists last Saturday, while >PU 7YPTL 3LUKPUN great personality.

Your face Sounds familiar Kids both.�

543:

:V /HY]HYK )S the superstar judges were the judges also commended judge Ogie Alcasid performed box-office superstar Vice Gan- tristan, who was described as the Sumayaw Sumunod the following 3VZ (UNLSLZ *( LTHPS! JHYVS T`^MP'NTHPS JVT da, international K-Pop sensa- dark horse of the group. After his night.

The five singing heartthrobs of BoybandPH

/64, 36(5 $IRECT ,ENDER

*HYVS 4HUHSHUN

*LSS!

Frailties and strength

Moonlighting

by Mylah de

leon

IT is not Christmas fever or holiday blues, but a full spectrum of a human condition of what is to be sick, to be cured, to lose and to triumph. This bronchial curse, you can hear inside the church, meetings or theaters like some coughing symphony that starts on cue.

Some call it the sickness pompous, the spell that hushed the household with desert-like stillness, and felt through its innermost chambers, one in a world unto herself — her own theater.

It is a severe fit of indisposition amounting to a deposition that made me a prisoner of pain and grief these last couple of days.

But the state of sickness is but a magnificent dream to lie in bed, with the daylight curtains drawn to shut out the sun, in a total oblivion of all the works going under it.

One becomes insensible of all the operations of life under it, except the beating of our feeble pulse and the agonizing wait for a phone or doorbell to ring (which most of the time it never does!)

No one ever lays down, without a feeling of disappointment.

Sickness enlarges dimensions of a person, to become her own exclusive object in the regal solitude of the sick bed where caprices are without control over the catalogue

of moans and strong armor of sickness. Wrapped in the callous hide of suffering, sympathy and correct compassion seem to be your only rise; and not to be insulted with soothing fiction.

Then, as you backtrack, you recall that morning sickness, knowing it will be months again before you can see your toes.

Strapped down and delivered into in a place where pain winces off the walls, the obstetrician bearing down like a foreman to this sweating laborer, forcing one life from another, something I’ve signed for at that moment when I would have signed anything. “Give it up!” says one, then adds, “Push!” orders the nurse.

She’s crowning the doctor says — but there’s no one royal but this barefoot peasant, greeting a barefoot infant. In that puzzle of sickness how can anything so beautiful come from so much pain? Never again, I said that time. Until the next time around, as I did FOUR! But the heart will lead and the head will explain, for it is the common pathway, whatever kingdom may come. And what matters finally is how the human spirit is spent: every morning is the day of joy, the morning to rejoice, for it is the beginning.

Yet to be sick is to enjoy monarchal prerogatives. From the bed of sickness, to the elbow chair of healing, the scene of one’s regalities. Hushed are those mysterious sighs, those groans that are so much more awful, not knowing

10% OFF 7(/,% "),,

3EAFOOD 3OUP

&RIED 4ILAPIA

Features

0HAD 4HAI

0HAD # 5

#RAB &RIED 2ICE

from what caverns of vast hidden suffering they preceded.

And into this flat swamp of healing notes reach me — requests, summons, deadlines, something hard. The quibble relieves me for it seemed to link me again to the petty business of life, which I had lost sight of. A gentle call to activity, however trivial, awake once more from the preposterous dream of self absorption and puffy stuff of sickness. The conundrum of sickness that swells contemplation of one’s single suffering, wasted to a span of giant self importance of which I was so periled lately.

Now, I am once again in my natural pretensions. The same old lean woman, a meager figure of your insignificant columnist.

Writing occasional sentences that shimmer on its own, with freedom in expressing whatever narcissistic nonsense that would come. I take pleasure in the show or rapid movements of my pen....as I write with my hand.

Happy Holidays, gentle readers!

Jennylyn’s new leading man...

PAGE B1 big pay check.

“Then my management told me about the audition for ‘My Love From The Star.’ I was told there was no assurance that I would get the part so I was given the choice to still proceed to Bangkok for the two-week shoot, or I go to Manila for the audition. My desire to try acting prevailed,” Gil told Showbuzz in an exclusive interview.

Clearly, he made the right decision.

Apparently, Gil was in high school when he started nurturing his dream of becoming an actor.

He decided to finish school first before plunging into showbiz, and considered the opportunity to audition for “My Love From The Star” as a good sign.

The audition was unlike an ordinary go-see where the talent only has to pose for the camera.

Gil had to do script-reading and acting already, and was even asked to do scenes with Jennylyn.

From the onset, the production team wanted to see who would have that perfect chemistry with the leading lady.

After the audition, Gil went back to Hong Kong to resume his PAGE B3

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

Programming of Kababayan Today, December 19-23, 2016

The Global Kababayan G. TönGi Monday, December 19 - The Asian Journal shares with the Filipino community the top headlines for 2016 that transpired on the months of January to April 2016.

Tuesday, December 20 - We continue with our yearend in review with Asian Journal for the months of May to July of 2016.

Wednesday, December 21

- It’s part three of the Asian Journal’s yearend review. Let us review the top headlines that transpired on the months of August to November.

Mia Mcleod of the Real Estate Buzz shares tips on purchasing or selling your home.

Thursday, December 22 - “The King and I” is in town at the Pantages. Get to know the talented Filipino-American thespians that are part of the production.

Friday, December 23 - Take a

look back at Kababayan Today’s most notable shows of 2016. *** 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.

Paul Jake & Kaye swap ‘I do’s’ in quiet wedding

by Ricky lo Philstar.com

THE groom is Chinese (from a family that runs a business in Cebu City, including rubbing alcohol) and the bride is pure Filipino. Did any “cultural difference” pose a hindrance to the marriage solemnized at the San Pedro Calungsod Chapel in Cebu last Friday, Dec. 9?

“No such problem,” somebody close to the groom’s family told Funfare.

Radiant in a Francis Libiran gown, Kaye Abad (make-up by Denise Go and couple’s hair styled

by Jing Monis) was suppressing quiet tears while walking down the aisle; while Paul Jake Castillo, dapper in an Inno Sotto suit, was flashing a big smile as he calmly (at least, that was how he appeared to be) waited for his bride near the altar.

“Paul Jake’s mother is a Filipina,” added the Castillo family friend, “and besides, Paul Jake grew up in both Chinese and Filipino customs and traditions.” That is, unlike in strict Chinese families, the parents usually practice the Chinese tradition of introducing their children to the children of another Chinese family — they call it kai siao (meaning introduction) after which the courtship would start.

Paul Jake and Kaye had been going steady for two years before he proposed to her on her birthday last May. Unlike showbiz couples, they were low-key, opting to keep their romance under control and allowing the media only a little peep into it. In fact, until their wedding last Friday, Paul Jake and Kaye were mum on details about what may be touted as The Wedding of AJ Year-end.

Ads 80 November 2016_Layout 1 the The event was a mixed of “a

Paul Jake Castillo and Kaye Abad

few tears and a lot of laughter,” a celebration which was possible only if the guests were composed of, according to the Funfare source, “everybody who knew everybody.”

The wedding was kept so quiet, confined to the bride and groom’s family members and close friends, that it was almost a “secret.”

The brief “crying scene” on the aisle was replaced by scenes of fun and laughter during the reception at the Radisson Blu Hotel. Paul Jake didn’t walk into the venue, instead he danced along the way while his friends cheered him right on from both sides of the red carpet.

During their first dance as husband and wife, Kaye refused to let go of the bag she was holding, joking that it contained Paul Jake’s “wealth,” resisting the effort of the guests to take it away from her as laughter filled the ballroom.

“They are the happiest couple I’ve ever seen,” noted Jason Abalos, one of the star guests (also includ11/28/16 1 ing John 2:45 PratsPM andPage his wife Isabel Oli and his sister Camille Prats.)

Kaye danced first with her father and then with Paul Jake’s father, before she danced again with Paul Jake.

A guest said that when Paul Jake kissed Kaye after they exchanged “I do’s,” he did it with so intensely and so passionately that it was as if he didn’t want to let go of Kaye.

“It was the longest after kiss I’ve ever witnessed,” said the guest.

Will Paul Jake let Kaye continue working as soon as they settle down to start their own family?

“Oh yes,” Paul Jake told Funfare two weeks before the wedding.

“That’s the thing she loves to do, so why will I stop her?”

Asked to clear a rumor that Kaye must be “expecting” (thus the “hasty,” quiet wedding), Paul Jake said, “Not true. We will start having a baby after the wedding.”

As they did with their wedding, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Jake Castillo are mum on where their honeymoon will be.

The couple’s families proceeded at the Bohol Beach Club to enjoy quiet time together.

age gracefully

CHERIMOYA: A Holiday Delight

BY GRACE O

A tropical American fruit, cherimoyas are popular in the Southern hemisphere and Spain.

In Britain they’re called custard apples which aptly describes their texture and flavor.

Cherimoyas need to be allowed to ripen until soft before using. The black seeds are poisonous when crushed, so be sure to discard them. Cherimoyas offer vitamin B6—an antioxidant and an antiinflammatory, vitamin C, iron, and riboflavin for cell energy. These small, candy-like balls have a custardy flavor.

Since many people have never tried cherimoyas, I like to serve my mother’s recipe for Cherimoya Circles at parties as a small, dainty delicacy. Through some experimentation, I have modified this recipe to make it healthier, yet still rich and indulgent. Even though cherimoyas are in season in North America from November to May, you can purchase them online from www.melissas.com all year long.

You can smash cherimoyas and use the pulp in smoothies or as a sauce for ice cream, but I love to cut them in half and just eat the flesh with a spoon. If delicious, exotic taste weren’t enough, cherimoyas are also an excellent source of FoodTrients, full of age-defying, health-promoting, healing properties.

Cherimoya Circles Yield 12-24 Circles Ingredients 2 ripe cherimoyas 1/2 cup sweetened, condensed milk 4 egg yolks 2 Tbsp. cornstarch diluted in 4 Tbsp. water 2 Tbsp. butter Demerara sugar crystals for coating

1. Scoop the white flesh out of the green cherimoya rind and discard the large, oval, hard black seeds. Mash the cherimoya pulp. Set aside.

2. Blend the condensed milk with the egg yolks and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until very thick, about 5-7 minutes.

3. Add the mashed cherimoya pulp and cook another 10 minutes, stirring all the while.

4. Add cornstarch slurry and butter and continue cooking another 5 minutes, or until the mixture hangs together like a dough. Remove from heat and cool until comfortable to touch.

5. Roll teaspoons full of cherimoya candy together to form small balls. Dip balls in crystalline sugar to coat.

© 2016 by FoodTrients.com

B december 17-20, 2016 • LA WeeKeNd ASIAN JOUrNAL

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 and longevity. Grace O is a fusion chef and award-winning cookbook author with a mission: to introduce delicious recipes built on a foundation of anti-aging science and her 20 years in the healthcare industry.

Visit FoodTrients.com to learn more. Email us at info@FoodTrients.com

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

Features

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DEcEmbER 17-20, 2016

B

Toilet right beside the entrance hall and/or toilet with no window

By Sean

Shono

THE entrance hall is just like a human face, if you eat bad food, you will get sick, and this applies to the house with stagnated filthy energy, which could become unhealthy.

A toilet without window too, makes the whole house filled with filthy energy.

To cope with the trouble, 1, Place “a natural crystal ball or crystal (pebbles) , and bamboo charcoals� in the bathroom.

2, Hang “a mini Ra Pan(Feng Shui Compass)� on the bathroom door. *Dragon God offers specially treated and Purified Feng Shui items. Ask a Feng Shui master how to use them.

God, a Feng Shui store in Gardena, California. *** Feng Shui master Sean Shono owns Dragon

Health@Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS IN this day and age of health consciousness and the appreciation of the value and role of weight on longevity, interest in weight control and dieting is greater than ever, especially during holiday seasons. This leads to the question as to what controls our appetite.

What triggers hunger and satiety?

The urge to eat (hungry or not) is, to a large extent, controlled by hormones in our body. And these hormones fluctuate depending on how much sleep we get, what types of food we eat and how much calories we take in, and on how much physical activities we indulge in daily. Scientific researchers are focusing on four specific substances they call “fat hormones,� which our own endocrine glands in the body produce. There are hormones that make one eat and there are also hormones that signal the brain to tell the person to stop eating.

These substances control hunger and satiety.

Which is the “hunger hormone�?

The hunger hormone is Ghrelin, which is secreted by our guts (stomach and intestines). When

He is the U.S. Chief of the International Feng Shui Association. For more information, please

call Sean Shono at (310) 787-1891. Dragon God is located at 1580 W. Artesia SQ. Suite A, Gardena, CA 90248.

Appetite regulators its level goes up, we feel hungry and have the urge to eat. The level of Ghrelin goes up when we get less sleep or not enough sleep.

This is the reason why those who are trying to lose weight should get adequate amount (about 8 hours) of sleep. An imbalance meal and stress also elevate the Ghrelin level. Food deprivation obviously increases the Ghrelin level, hence it is better to keep the level of this hormone on an even keel and not fluctuate too much by eating regularly (or even more than 3 times a day) but at a controlled total calorie ceiling, to maintain health and body weight.

So, starving oneself is not a good way to lose weight, since this will lead to a Ghrelin “boomerang� in the latter part of the day.

Which is the “satiety hormone�?

The opposite or counter-hormone, which is called Leptin, signals the brain when to stop eating. It controls the appetite. This “satiety hormone� is produced by fat cells in the body. When a person loses weight, the leptin level in the blood stream also goes down. As a result, there is a “rebound� weight gain. The best strategy in losing and maintaining a desired weight level is to lose in a slow and steady pace, about one to two pounds a week, and not more. In this manner, there will still be an effective level of

leptin in the body to control the urge to eat.

What’s the effect of imbalance meals?

High carbohydrate diet (rice, bread, sugar, pop drinks, ice cream, and other sweets) leads to a faster metabolism of these food items that have high glycemic indices and floods the blood stream with high glucose level. This is why those who eat a lot of these food items (rice is a great culprit!) are feared to have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Personally, much as I loved rice (a 3-meal rice addict), I had decided to give it up following all the convincing scientific evidence today of its link to diabetes.

Could this be the reason why the incidence of diabetes is very high among Asians, especially among Filipinos? The research on this is still in progress.

How about emotional stress?

When one is high on stress and low on energy, the body tries to compensate by producing more cortisol hormone. This substance mobilizes the blood sugar transformation (glycogen into glucose) and increases the blood sugar level to provide energy.

But it makes the person hungry.

And so the person eats more.

The connection between cortisol level and obesity is not a settled question yet. Physical stress, like

.,)*# - '#&% #-"

+PZ[YPI\[LK I`! 7OPSPWWPUL -VVK[YHKL *VYW *VTTLYJL *(

TEL: (323) 727-5107 FAX: (323) 727-1045

A MOTHER’S AND HER ATTORNEY’S PERSISTENCE RESULT IN HER DAUGHTERS FINALLY BEING ISSUED CSPA VISAS BASED ON “EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES� — ON AN ENCORE EPISODE OF “CITIZEN PINOY�! Lolita left her two daughters in the Philippines to seek a better life in the U.S., with the dream that she would eventually have them join her. However, her previous attorney missed the one year “sought to acquire� filing deadline for CSPA eligibility, resulting in the Embassy refusing to issue their immigrant visas.

Leading U.S. immigration attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel was her beacon of hope, as he did not give up in trying to convince the Embassy that the daughters should be entitled to visas, despite missing the one-year deadline. Find out how Atty. Michael J. Gurfinkel was able to prove extraordinary circumstances, have the two “aged-out� daughters be issued visas, and reunite this family on an encore episode of “Citizen Pinoy� – on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 6:15 p.m. (PST) on TFC.

regimented physical exercises daily, is another story. This has a positive effect on our body in more ways than one. While it also raises the cortisol level and increases blood sugar, exercise burns calories and also helps put our body hormones in good balance. As a matter of fact those who do daily exercises have lower risk of developing heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and cancer.

What is Obsetatin?

This is a hormone recently identified by researchers at Stanford. This substance has been shown to slow down the digestive process. While the studies on Obsetatin are still ongoing, it is postulated that this hormone, like the first three above, could be held in check by adequate sleep, balanced diet, physical exercise and minimizing stress.

Are Appetite Suppressants Safe?

Most appetite control pills, juices, solutions and powders on the market are not physiological and unnatural ways to suppress (by force) the appetite for weight control. While they are readily available and very popular, they have potential adverse side effects on the heart, liver, kidneys and brain in the long haul. Some PAGE B3

Jennylyn’s new leading man...

PAGE B2

modeling career.

He told Showbuzz too that life as a model in another country is not easy. “I was living alone so I had to do everything by myself. I cook, I wash the dishes, I do my laundry, I do pretty much everything. I have been used to that kind of life whichever country I go for my work as a model.�

When he learned that he got the part of Mateo Do and needed to undergo an acting workshop with Jen, Gil dropped everything he was doing, canceled a lined-up modelling job and hurried back to Manila.

After the workshop, the story conference was held where he met the other members of the cast, and on Monday morning, Gil reported to his first day of taping.

On the set before his 11 a.m. call time, his first scene was with Jen right away. “I’m kinda nervous because I’m still feeling my way through.

I’m still trying to get familiar [with the job]but I’m embracing everything, including the pressure that comes along with it. I know it’s a

process,� Gil said that day when Showbuzz visited him on the set.

He is thankful that their director, Joyce Bernal, arranged a merienda with him and Jen the day before taping, since it made him more comfortable with the multi-awarded actress. Jen even introduced her son Jazz to him during that meeting. “I just feel that I now know Jen much better. It was really a good experience talking to her—seeing her both as a mom and as an individual.�

Meanwhile, Jen is so impressed with how professional Gil is, telling Showbuzz, “Nakakatuwa siya.

I noticed, even in our workshops, he was so attentive and so willing to learn. He’s like a sponge absorbing everything that he can absorb. He is quiet also, parang nakikiramdam muna. Ako naman, I give him pieces of advice every now and then, kung ano’ng maisip ko, sinasabi ko sa kanya and what’s nice is he listens.�

Jen and Gil are both excited over the project they are doing because they know how big it is.

My Love From The Star was a very successful Korean series not only around Asia.

B december 17-20, 2016 • LA WeeKeNd ASIAN JOUrNAL

By Monet

Lu

While everybody’s feeling jolly and bright, the world of beauty pageants is gearing up for the Miss World 2016 event which will be held on Sunday, December 18 in Washington D.C. it is with pride that i express my support for our candidate Ms. Catriona Gray. This 22-yearold Australian-Filipino model, singer, and blogger has been making us proud since she rose from “candidate number 13” to Miss World Philippines 2016, at the Miss Word Philippines pageant held at The Manila hotel, Philippines on October 2.

Gray won Best in Swimsuit, Best in long Gown, and the Fashion Runway award. i have been hearing great things about our candidate lately as the Miss World organization post updates online. According to numerous reports, the race for best in talent seems to tighten between two contestants: Miss Philippines Catriona Gray and Miss hungary Tímea Gelencsér.

The two are neck-to-neck when it comes to the number of public votes.

Gray’s talent is singing while Miss hungary Tímea Gelencsér’s is an acrobatic show. Both of them are also the Top 2 in the current hot Picks for Miss World 2016 by Missosology. i can’t help but give due credit to her mentor Jonas Gaffud who also trained Janine Tugonon, Shamcey Supsup, Venus Raj, Meagan Young – all of them either won the title or got into the top 5 – and of course, Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach. i hope our candidate would be another one of Gaffud’s “title holders.” it is not at all surprising that Gray captured the hearts of the judges in the talent round because this beautiful lady is into music. According to one article, Gray being “a true native of the birit capital of the world, loves singing and she’s not afraid to belt out an Adele hit. She actually appeared on the the cover of Rogue for their music issue in 2014.”

Gray has a Master Certificate in Music Theory from the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Aside from singing, the Albay, Bicol representative can also play guitar and has a black belt in Choi

Features

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

The world meets Miss Come celebrate the holidays with us at Pechanga Resort & Casino World Philippines 2016 Catriona Gray

Kwang Do. She has been in the entertainment industry for years. having walked the runway (and even performed) in the annual Bench Body fashion show, as well as being a Pond’s girl. She was born in Cairns to an Australian father, ian Gray, and a Filipino mother from Oas, Albay, Normita Ragas Magnayon. in 2007 she was a finalist in the Girlfriend Magazine modelling competition in Australia, subsequently Gray signed with a major modelling agent in Australia that opened doors for her modelling career in Asia. The said competition has discovered a number of top models.

Gray made the decision to move to Manila after finishing high school studies in Australia. Within a few months of arriving in Manila, and still just 18, she was featured as one of Cosmo magazine’s eight sexiest models in the Philippines.

Also featured among the eight sexiest models was Valerie Weigmann, who like Gray is half-Filipino and (also) had just arrived in Manila The girls share the same agent and Valerie represented the Philippines in Miss World 2014 placing in the Top 25 semifinalists.

Gray was also part of Pantene’s

“labels Against Women” commercial. She was one of the women who stood for gender equality.

As most multitalented women, Gray also knows her way around the kitchen. She shares recipes on her blog and snaps photos of her food creations. She also loves – and wears– art. her hasth ag#artbycatrion shows that she’s definitely skilled with a pencil. She recently wore petals as dresses that she designed herself in an editorial titled “Bloom”.

Gray is beautiful both inside and out. even before joining the competition, she has been actively trying to help end poverty through her advocacy project “Paraiso.” The project aims to nurture a “paraiso” for every child – giving a child an education for a chance to aspire and develop their talents. i am definitely impressed with all these amazing things that i’ve been learning about Ms. Gray. if only i can join my f r i e n d s h y d e e A b ra h a n a n d lawrence Aizon, who would actually go to Washington DC to support Gray, i would do so in a heartbeat! But then, i’ve already got several commitments during the holidays. Nonetheless, that won’t keep me from wishing CaPAGE B5

CeleBRATiNG the holidays is made easy at Pechanga Resort & Casino. Just about every day in December, Pechanga Resort & Casino gives guests the opportunity to get a gift for loved ones, or perhaps better yet, for themselves.

Pechanga’s Upcoming Holiday Promotions every Sunday in December, Pechanga Club members can earn and multiply their Club Dollars by playing their favorite slots. in addition, on Sunday, December 11, table games players will have multiple chances to win their share of $30,000 in the hot hands Table Games drawing. Furthermore, on December 6, 13 and 20, Pechanga Club members have the chance to win valuable easyPlay when they earn 1,000 points playing slots between 8 a.m. and midnight. This activates the U-Spin Bonus game.

Players are guaranteed to win $10 to $1,000 in easyPlay. if one earns an additional 3,000 points during the times above, a bonus spin will be activated to win $50 to $5,000 in easyPlay. if Santa did not bring you exactly what you asked for this year, Pechanga gives slot guests the chance to win $100 in easyPlay® every five minutes on Monday, December 26 between 10AM and 8PM. Start 2017 off in the driver’s seat. Guests can earn entries for a brand new Mercedes Benz C300 Coupe and ten $1,000 easy Plays!

Players will receive one automatic drawing entry for every point earned on 12/31/16 and 1/1/17 from 9PM to 2AM on 1/1/17. One lucky person will start the New Year off right with a brand new

luxury ride worth $45,000.

Pechanga announces the new social casino game, Best Bet Casino.

With a multitude of new and exciting additions coming to Pechanga, the Pechanga Tribe and casino management unveils its brand new social casino game, Best Bet Casino. Available on all mobile app platforms, on Facebook and online at BestBetCasino. com, users can play casino slot favorites including Konami’s China Shores, as well as blackjack, bingo, video poker and more for free.

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

Casino in America by readers of USA TODAY and rated a Four Diamond property by AAA since 2002, Pechanga Resort & Casino provides an unparalleled getaway.

Offering more than 3,400 of the hottest slots, table games, worldclass entertainment, 517 hotel rooms, dining, spa and championship golf at Journey at Pechanga, Pechanga Resort & Casino features a destination that meets and exceeds the needs of its guests and the community. Pechanga Resort & Casino is owned and operated by the Pechanga Band of luiseño indians. For more information, call toll free 1-888-PeChANGA or visit www.Pechanga.com.

Follow Pechanga Resort & Casino on Facebook and on Twitter @PechangaCasino.

(Advertising Supplement)

Appetite regulators PAGE B3 serious complications, and even deaths, have been reported from the use of these diet substances.

Since greater calorie intake than output is the cause of increase in body weight, the safest, most natural, strategy is to eat less and burn more calories with physical exercises, making the output of calories (energy) greater than the intake of calories (food). The use of appetite suppressants could be dangerous. Consult with your physician before using any of them. ***

inferred to be superior to, the professional opinion and recommendation of your physician, The main objective of this who knows your total condition column is to educate and in- well and who is your best ally spire people, especially parents, when it comes to your health. whose way of life inevitably *** impacts the health of their chilPhilip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac dren, to live a healthy lifestyle Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and to prevent illnesses and disabili- chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 ties, and achieve a happier and at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he more productive life for them- holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, selves and for their offspring. is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow My articles are general medical of the American College of Surgeons, the information for the public and Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton not intended to be applicable A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is to, or appropriate for, anyone. the chairman of the Filipino United Network – The data, statistics, and per- USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the sonal commentaries presented United States. For more data, visit philipSchua. here are not a substitute for, or com; Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

ARMANI/CASA CAPTURES THE SOUTH EAST ASIAN LUXURY MARKET WITH CENTURY SPIRE PROJECT IN MANILA

[Metro Manila, Philippines] The affluent in Southeast East Asia has had a steady stock of luxury residences to buy into for years. But until recently, it has not encountered one from one of the most esteemed names in luxury furnishings and interior design, Armani/Casa.

The arrival of Century Spire in 2014, as the first luxury mixed-use tower in the region to be designed by the world-leading Italian brand of Mr. Giorgio Armani, has truly been a desired addition to the luxury property market.

The project continues to draw interest from affluent Filipinos and foreign nationals, with the highest concentration in Asia.

“Excitement always surrounds exceptional developments, and especially so if its value is magnified by a design brand that is revered the world over. Through its remarkable interior design for Century Spire, Armani/Casa perfectly captures the Asian market with finer tastes in luxury,” said Mr. Robbie Antonio, Managing Director of Century Properties Group.

The design studio’s projects in Asia include the Maçka Residences in Istanbul and the World Towers in Mumbai.

Manila, Philippines is joining this prestigious collection of Armani/Casa Interior Design Studio creations through the Century Spire project, underscoring the country’s maturity in view of global luxury.

“Developers like Century Properties Group have projected the real estate sector in its full maturity, changing Manila’s urban landscape and helping to make the country a top destination worldwide,” said Mr. Giorgio Armani.

For Century Spire’s residential component, Armani/Casa is responsible for the design of common spaces and amenities, which include the grand lobby, library, swimming pool with juice bar and relaxation area, as well as the spa, gym, and fitness areas. In addition, on request, residential apartments can be delivered with full Armani/Casa interior design, finish and furniture as a special commission.

Complementing the elegance of Armani/Casa’s interior design for Century Spire is the equally arresting tower architecture conceived by the renowned architecture firm Studio Daniel Libeskind. Mr. Giorgio Armani said, “I’m interested in the dialogue between two companies that have different “languages”: that of a rigorous Armani style and the unpredictable style of architecture called “deconstructive”, with shapes that seem to break the rules. I also find it very interesting that this dialogue takes place in an emerging and promising context like the Philippines.”

An artist’s render of the mixed-use development Century Spire, with floors dedicated to Grade A offices

Century Spire Living Area of a 2BR Apartment

Century Spire Fully-upgraded 1BR Apartment

Features

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

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DEcEmbER 17-20, 2016

B

Novuhair, the all-natural Carla Abellana would love to raise a houseful of pets — and kids with Tom Rodriguez solution to hair loss to begin selling in US hotel or clinic. Or maybe even open a grooming center — i would love to have one of my own.”

There is still one more pet that Carla would like to have: a potbellied pig. “i have had a pet chicken, duck, lizard, and even guinea pigs… and rats,” she adds. “i read that pigs are very intelligent animals. i have a house in Tagaytay, which i wouldn’t mind turning into a

By Kathy

Moran Philstar.com

BeGinninG in January, select retailers and salons in the U.S. will offer an over-the-counter, inexpensive and all-natural solution to hair loss from the Philippines that actually works. novuhair, a topical ointment developed by German scientists and distributed by nutraMedica, has been proven safe and effective by the Philippine FDA at rejuvenating thinning scalps and repairing bald spots. The product’s 19 natural ingredients work in synergy to stimulate dormant hair follicles. “i knew my hair was thinning,” renowned showman and novuhair spokesperson, Gary Valenciano, told members of the media via Skype during a press event in Glendale, California on Saturday, December 10. “My dad has some hair, my brother has no hair, so i was kind of preparing myself for it.”

At first, he didn’t think there was anything he could do about his hair loss and had concerns about how it would affect his confidence and career as a performer. Before he started using novuhair, Mr. Pure energy said his stylists would had to find ways to hide what would have been an obvious sign of aging.

Then, only about three months after he began using novuhair, Valenciano’s stylists noticed that his mane had returned to its prior fullness and thickness. He said that after novuhair restored the health of his hair, he felt a boost of confidence as a performer. Valenciano recognizes the product as an important part of his formula for a youthful appearance.

“You look exactly as i remember,” Filipino film star and former

co-performer on the popular variety show ASAP, Anjanette Abayari, told Valenciano while hosting Saturday’s press event.

Over the years she has noticed her hair thinning out and said she was excited to find out how novuhair could improve her mild case of hair loss.

Other treatments involving lasers or surgery can cost thousands of dollars. Hormone-based medications can lead to adverse sexual side effects. Many alternative hair growth products on the market are unproven gimmicks that may or may not work, according to nutraMedica Corporate Sales and Marketing Manager, Raymond Domingo.

“Many product lines have offered me endorsement deal but, after testing them, i turn them all down,” celebrity stylist and novuhair spokesperson, Fanny Serrano, recalled via Skype on Saturday.

He said that his hair began to grow back after less than two months of using the product. He was so impressed with the results that he personally reached out to nutramedica and eventually became a proud supporter of their product.

On Saturday, stylist Marlou Colina said that he regularly brings back bottles of novuhair for clients who demand the product at his salon in Long Beach. He is excited to become one of the first locations in America to officially carry novuhair. in January, shoppers can get their hands on nature’s cure for hair loss at salons and retailers in the U.S. like island Pacific. Pricing details are being finalized for the U.S, market, but it currently retails for P2980 (about $60) a bottle in the Philippines.

WHen we ask Carla Abellana’s boyfriend Tom Rodriguez if we can take a photo of Bubbly the Yorkie with Carla and him, he says, “nakakahiya. Galing ako sa gym.”

“Wash ka nalang ng face,” Carla lovingly tells him. “And then tie your hair, tapos change ka nalang ng T-shirt — that’s fine.”

Carla, actress, TV commercial model, dog lover and animal welfare advocate, shares that Bubbly is Tom’s dog.

“He got her four years ago,” she says. “But Tom always tells me that it is the dog that picks you — not the other way around. So it was Bubbly who chose him.”

Carla grew up with her lola, movie actress Delia Razon (mother of Carla’s mother, Rea Reyes), who was the first animal lover she ever knew — and who taught her about love for animals. There was a time when there were over 20 dogs in the house of her lola,who was a breeder of Fox Terriers.

Starting her love affair with animals early has made Carla adamant that animals should be treated right. it is no wonder that Carla is one of the animal ambassadors of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), where she started out as a volunteer when she was a college student at De La Salle University.

As a celebrity, Carla knows that she can influence her followers and fans. She makes sure she picks the causes she fights for. “i use my influence with the campaigns with dogs,” she says.

Carla Abellana with Bubbly, Sunny the Welsh Corgi and Patches the Jack Russell.

“i use my status and career to influence young people to do good to animals.”

As a child who didn’t grow up watching the movies of her lola or her dad, PJ Abellana, she is grateful for the life she is living now.

“Acting was never part of the plan. i just wanted to work in an office and climb the corporate ladder,” Carla says. When i was younger, i pushed to study hard and get a degree.”

Carla has been in show business for the last seven years, yet she is well aware of the fact that her career won’t last forever. i know that when i have my own family and children, my career might change,” she says. “i always think of a fallback, so when i am not as busy anymore earning as much as i do now, i would like to venture into a different kind of business, like open my own dog

PAGE B4 triona Gray the best of luck.

To Miss World Philippines 2016 Catriona Gray, Good luck and may you conquer the world with you beauty, talent and heart.

We will all be cheering for you. *** Monet Lu is a Marikina-born, award-winning 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

/ 08 0 1 & / 21822 Main St. Carson, CA (beside St. Phelomina)

#ATERING FOR !LL /CCASSIONS s 7EDDINGS s !NNIVERSARIES s "IRTHDAY 0ARTIES s "REAKFAST -EETINGS s "USINESS ,UNCHEONS s #HILDREN S 0ARTIES s 3CHOOL #A s 3CHOOL #ARNIVALS

s &UNDRAISERS s "ANQUETS s (OLIDAY 0ARTIES s /PEN (OUSE 2ECEPTIONS s 0ICNIC 3OCIAL %VENTS s &UNERALS

4QFDJBM 1BDLBHF

4QFDJBM 1VMVUBO

750

$

+Tax

1 Lechon 4 full trays and 1 half tray na Ulam 4 na half trays na Matamis

also Available:

• Kilawing Kambing • Papaitang Kambing • Kalderetang Kambing • Adobong Kambing • Sinampalukang Kambing

21822 Main St. Carson, CA

10125 Rosecrans Ave., Bellflower, CA 90706

17206 Norwalk Blvd., Cerritos, CA 90703

Inside Island Pacific-Cerritos

(beside St. Phelomina)

World meets Miss World...

farm. Who knows, maybe one day i can open my own shelter for all animals.”

Carla also looks forward to raising a family with Tom in the future.

“Hopefully one day soon — just a little bit more savings,” she adds. “Then we will have human kids who will grow up with our dogs and become animal lovers, too.”

(inside Eriel Cafe Cerritos)

(Weekend and Holiday)

Tumawag na para sa catering sa inyong mga handaan!

(562) 405-1946 (562) 866-5570

Tom Rodriguez with his dog Bubby the Yorkie and Carla.

B december 17-20, 2016 • LA WeeKeNd ASIAN JOUrNAL

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

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

COMMUNITY Journal

Your Immigration Solution NaNcy Miller A VERY wise person once said that we look back in order to go forward. Here at RMZD, as we approach the end of 2016, we look back to some of our achievements to inspire us in the coming year. Being able to help our clients out of difficult situations reinforces in each of us why we became lawyers in general and immigration lawyers in particular. If we have not already done so, perhaps next year we will be able to help you. The names of our clients have been changed to protect their privacy.

About a year ago, Mr. Roads’ family was frantic when they reached out to us. He was seeking asylum because of the persecution he had experienced in his home country. However, he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and was mere hours away from being deported.

His travel documents had already been completed by his home country and the flight plan was confirmed. Thanks to our quick action and the strength of our arguments, RMZD was able to halt Mr. Roads’ deportation. His flight plans were cancelled and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers reexamined the case. Shortly thereafter, RMZD secured Mr. Roads’ release from detention and united him with his family here in the United States.

We continue to fight for his cause and look forward to winning his asylum case.

We are especially proud of having been granted a humanitarian reinstatement request.

Andrea and Bob have been living in the San Francisco Bay Area for over a decade. They came to the United States to visit family, but overstayed their visas to care for Andrea’s elderly mother, who suffers from several medical problems. Andrea’s US citizen father had previously filed an immediate relative petition for his daughter, but sadly passed away before the priority date became

As we look back current. Because immigration law specifically states that an approved petition is revoked when the petitioner dies, Andrea and Bob and their families were convinced that they had lost their chance to be able to live lawfully in the United States. They thought they would talk to a lawyer to see if there was any way they could achieve their dream.

Thankfully, they came to us.

With the assistance of our office, however, they were able to utilize an exception to the rule.

We concurrently filed for reinstatement of the approved petition and their respective adjustment applications at the end of August 2016. Andrea’s 100-year old lawful permanent resident mother acted as the substitute sponsor for their affidavits of support. The arguments for reinstatement were successful, and Andrea and Bob received their work authorizations and the reinstated approved petition just in time for the holidays. Andrea and Bob are eagerly waiting for an adjustment interview to be scheduled by the local office. They are confident that by next year at this time, they will be lawful permanent residents and will be on their way to ultimately becoming citizens of this great country.

Rudy walked into our office one sunny day and asked if he was eligible to apply for his green card. He said that his mother was a U.S. citizen and that she filed a petition for him, but he was afraid that he was not eligible since he had entered the U.S. with a Filipino passport with an assumed name. We immediately informed Rudy that he was indeed eligible

to apply for his green card, but that he would need a waiver of his fraudulent entry to the U.S. Unfortunately, Rudy’s mother passed away while his application for a green card was pending.

Rudy was terrified that his application would automatically be denied because his mother was his petitioner and sole qualifying relative for the waiver. However, despite his mother’s death, we are proud to say that Rudy still received his green card shortly after his mother’s death. We were able to show the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service that Rudy remained eligible for his green card because of his residence in the U.S., his mother’s poor health before her passing and her reliance on Rudy. It was a long and stressful process for Rudy but it had a joyous ending. He is no longer afraid of hearing that dreadful knock on the door and he looks forward to being able to apply for US citizenship.

Next week, more stories that made us glad we were able to help! *** Reeves Miller Zhang & Diza is one of the oldest, largest and most experienced immigration firms in the United States with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Manila.

For more Information please call (800) 7958009 or visit www.rreeves.com.

Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com Website: www.rreeves.com. *** The analysis and suggestions offered in this column do not create a lawyer-client relationship and are not a substitute for the personalized representation that is essential to every case.

(Advertising Supplement)

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 17-20, 2016

C

Community Journal

C DECEMBER 17-20, 2016 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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

Can’t plan for the future due to excessive debt

Minding Your Finances Atty. rAyMond BulAon ARE you worried about your future due to having too much debt?

You’ve probably heard the saying, “The failure to plan is a plan to fail”. And yet so many of us don’t realize how we so easily neglect to plan for our financial future.

Ask a few people you know what kind of financial planning they have done for the next 510 years and you’ll be amazed at the responses you will get. “Oh, I can’t worry about that right now. I have enough problems dealing with my current financial situation, let alone think about what my life would be 5-10 years from now.” Or maybe you’ll get something like, “I’ll start saving for the future at the right time. I just can’t start doing that right now.” And then, of course, “the right time” never comes. Before you know it, years have gone by and no preparation has been done.

I think that the reason this happens is exactly what most people will tell you. If you are so wrapped up in your own financial struggle at the moment, you’ve got blinders on that stop you from seeing anything else but your present situation.

According to Maslow, man’s primary need is the need to survive. So long as you’re in survival mode, the only thing in your mind is the goal to work as hard and as many hours as you can so that you can make enough to make ends. And because your ability to survive depends on your ability to produce income that will sustain your needs, you become very vulnerable to anything that threatens that security. Instead of being on the offensive, you are always on the defensive.

Have you ever watched a boxer in the ring with a good defense but has nothing else, no offensive strategy, no counterpunching ability? That means you may always be able to block the punches that life throws at you but you’ll never win the fight. The moment you let your guard down, you’d be down for

the count. And it can happen in a split-second.

What you need to do is to get out of “survival mode” so that you can start taking control of your own future. No one else is looking out for you. Remember, people who succeed in their financial goals are those who make things happen, not those who wait for things to happen.

Once in a while, you have to ask yourself the following questions: Have you set financial goals for yourself and your family for the next 5-10 years? What kind of lifestyle would you like to have then? Where would you like to live? What school would you like to send your children to? How much do you need to have in your bank account before you can start feeling a bit secure? Only you can provide answers to these questions.

If you are currently in “survival mode” and want to get out, do you have an exit plan that can get you back on track? Or are you just rolling the dice on your financial future hoping that “things will change somehow, sometime” for the better? Don’t

10 tips on mortgage debt forgiveness

Tax Tips Victor Sy, cPA, MBA

IF your mortgage loan is forgiven, you end up with income from cancellation of debt. Here are 10 tips to exclude the forgiven debt from your income.

• Cancellation of debt (COD) or debt forgiveness results in taxable income; however, you may be able to exclude the income (meaning you don’t have to pay tax on it) under the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007.

• The limit of debt forgiveness relief on your principal residence is up to $2 million ($1 million for a married person filing a separate return).

• To qualify, the debt must have been used to buy, build or substantially improve your principal residence and be secured by that residence.

• Refinanced debt proceeds used for the purpose of substantially improving your principal residence also qualify for the ex-

clusion.

• You may exclude debt reduced through loan modification, as well as mortgage debt forgiven in a foreclosure.

• Discuss insolvency, bankruptcy, and other tax relief provisions that may help you escape the terrible cancelation of debt income. Remember that COD results in ordinary income (higher tax rates) rather the capital gains tax rates (lower tax rates).

• But proceeds of refinanced debt used for other purposes (travel, purchase a car, or pay off credit card debt) do not qualify for the exclusion. Sorry.

• Debts forgiven on second homes, credit cards, or car loans do not qualify for the tax relief provision. Sorry again.

• If you qualify, you must also fill out Form 982 Reduction of Tax Attributes Due to Discharge of Indebtedness, and attach it to your federal income tax return for the tax year in which the qualified debt was forgiven.

• If your debt is reduced or eliminated you normally re-

ceive a dreaded year-end statement, Form 1099-C, Cancellation of Debt, from your lender.

By law, this form must show the amount of debt forgiven and the fair market value of any property foreclosed. Examine the Form 1099-C carefully. Notify the lender immediately if any of the information shown is incorrect. You should pay particular attention to the amount of debt forgiven in Box 2 as well as the value listed for your home in Box 7. *** 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 Pasadena, California. *** He has 50 years of experience in defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, FTB, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies. He is publishing a book on his expertise - “HOW TO AVOID OR SURVIVE IRS AUDITS.” Our readers may inquire about the book or email tax questions at vicsy@live.com.

(Advertising Supplement)

leave something as important as your future to chance. You need to have a definite plan, a detailed map of where you want to go. See, that “lucky break” you’ve been waiting for may never come. It is time to take matters in your own hands.

Earl Nightingale once said that, “Luck is where preparedness meets opportunity”. Now, it’s your move.

If you have serious debt problems, perhaps you need to find

out what you can do legally to wipe the slate clean and start over. Remember, our federal bankruptcy laws allow you to either eliminate or consolidate your bills when debts become unmanageable.

And while bankruptcy is not the solution to every problem and should only be resorted to when necessary, it has allowed millions of people regain control of their finances and change their lives for the better. For more informa-

tion, call our office at Toll- Free 1-866-477-7772 to schedule a FREE personal consultation. We have offices in Glendale, Cerritos & Valencia. *** None of the information herein is intended to give legal advice for any specific situation. Atty. Ray Bulaon has successfully helped thousands of clients in getting out of debt. For a free attorney evaluation of your situation, please call Ray Bulaon Law Offices at TOLL FREE 1 (866) 477-7772.

(Advertising Supplement)

Starting the new year fresh with a divorce

Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth urSuA reyeS TO many people, the New Year signifies a chance to have a fresh beginning. People dispose of old personal items and clean out the closet in order to make room for the new. The same line of thinking goes with getting rid of the spouse upon realizing over the holidays that your spouse is stuck in his or her old ways which you can neither change nor live with. You decide to take action and file a divorce.

Before you take any action, you need to think about your situation carefully. First, you should decide whether you should you move out of the family residence or not? If you and your spouse are communicating and have some type of respect left with one another, it may be more economical to continue residing in the same household until you resolve the issues in the divorce case. However, if your relationship is heated and riddled with conflict, then someone should to move out.

If your spouse has threatened you, hurt you, or committed domestic violence, you may file a domestic violence temporary restraining order and request the court to order your spouse to move out of the house. In the same application, you may also request for custody, support, and attorney’s fees. If on the other hand you decide to be the one to move out, you should move somewhere close to your spouse if you have children to make it easier for both of you to co-parent with the children.

Second, you should decide whether your spouse is the type

who will disclose all the financial assets or not after you file for divorce. Although the family code (family code 2100 et seq.) imposes a duty to disclose all material facts and information, spouses’ are not always forthcoming in disclosing completely all assets, debts, income and expenses specially after a divorce case is commenced. What sometimes happens is once a divorce case is commenced, assets are either not disclosed, disappears, or documents/ bank statements are not produced even with formal discovery. You should gather and make copies of all financial documents before filing the divorce.

Third, there is an automatic temporary restraining order (ATROS) in place once you file and serve your spouse with the divorce papers. The four standard mutual restraining orders are 1) removing their minor children from the state without the prior written consent of the other party or a court order. family code Section 2040(a)(1) 2) restraint from transferring, encumbering, hypothecating, concealing, or in any way disposing of any property, real or personal, whether community, quasi-community, or separate without the other party’s written consent or court order; fam code 2040(a)(2) 3) restraint from cashing, borrowing against, canceling, transferring, disposing of, or changing the beneficiaries of any insurance or other coverage, including life, health, automobile, and disability held for the benefit of the parties and their child for whom support may be orders.

Fam C 2040(a)(3). 4) restraint from creating a nonprobate transfer or modifying a nonpro-

bate transfer in a manner that affects the disposition of property subject to the transfer without the other party’s written consent or court order. fam c 2040(a)(4).

There are exceptions to the above restrictions. One exception is for property transfers in the usual course of business or for the necessities of life. Examples would be property transfers as part of your usual business operations or to pay for usual household living expenses. Another exception is payment of reasonable attorney’s fees. fam c. 2040(a)(2). If you need to do any transactions that may violate the ATROS, it is best to do it prior to filing and serving the divorce petition provided you do not breach your fiduciary duty to your spouse. If you are thinking of filing a divorce, it is best to consult an experienced family law attorney before taking any action. *** Attorney Kenneth Ursua Reyes is a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was President of the Philippine American Bar Association. He is a member of both the Family law section and Immigration law section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He has extensive CPA experience prior to law practice. LAW OFFICES OF KENNETH REYES, P.C. is located at 3699 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 747, Los Angeles, CA, 90010. Tel. (213) 388-1611 or e-mail kureyeslaw@gmail.com or visit our website at Kenreyeslaw.com. *** Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed.

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

FILIPINO PROGRAMMING

ONLYON LA18 begins Novemeber 22nd

All New “KANO LUVS PINAY”

Ang pinakasikat at kinagigiliwan nating Pelikula

“Ang Turkey man ay Pabo rin” ay nasa TV na !

Sundan ang kilig at kwelang kwento ng Fil-Am couple na sina Cookie at Matthew, as they try to make their love work across continents! Keri kaya ng kanilang pag-ibig ang pagsasanib ng magkaiba nilang mundo?

In short… “will true luv conquers all?”

KANO LUVS PINAYall new on LA18 at 3pm!

Keeping You Connected

NEW ON LA18 !

G Töngi

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

Community Journal

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 17-20, 2016

C

Are part-time employees Rescinding removal/deportation order to entitled to paid sick leave? allow for adjustment of status

Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr. Q: I AM a part-time hourly employee working in retail. I work between 20 to 30 hours a week.

I recently got sick and had to be out for three days. I was told that I was not entitled to paid sick leave because I was a part-time employee. Is this right?

A: No, you are entitled to paid sick leave. In 2014, California enacted the Healthy Workplace Healthy Family Act law, which provides that an employee working in California, on or after July 1, 2015, for 30 or more calendar days within a year is entitled to paid sick leave. This applies to full-time employees, as well as temporary, part-time, and seasonal employees. The law also provides paid sick leave to both non-exempt (hourly) and exempt (salaried) employees. Employees may begin using accrued sick leave on the 90th calendar day of employment.

Employees may use paid sick leave for the diagnosis or treatment of a health condition or for preventive care for themselves or to care for a sick family member, such as a child, parent (including parent-in-law), spouse, registered domestic partner, grandparent, grandchild or sibling. Employees who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking may also avail of paid sick leave for specified purposes.

How do employees earn sick leave? Employees become entitled to one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.

This is the accrual method of earning sick leave. Thus, an employee who works 40 hours per week accrues 1.33 hours per week of paid sick leave. Accrued

(And can employees use their paid sick time to care for family members?)

paid sick leave must carry over to the following year and may be capped at 48 hours (or 6 days).

An employee who is exempt from overtime requirements, and does not have a normal workweek, is deemed to work 40 hours per workweek. The employer may lend paid sick days to an employee before the employee has earned them.

Alternatively, instead of having employees earn the sick leave, employers can provide 24 hours or 3 days of paid sick leave at the beginning of each calendar year, anniversary date or twelve months basis. This is called the up-front method. If this method is used, then the employer will not need to track accrual but will still need to track and display usage of sick leave on the employee’s pay stub. Also, if this method is used, the employer is not required to provide for carry-over of unused sick leave.

How much should employers pay for sick leave? Employers must pay sick leave at the employee’s current hourly rate of pay. For employees who are paid by commission or piece rate, their hourly rate is derived by dividing their total compensation for the previous 90 calendar days by the number of hours worked. Payment for used sick leave should be no later than the payday for the next regular payroll period after the sick leave was taken.

If the need for paid sick leave is foreseeable, the employee should provide reasonable advance notice to the employer.

If the need for paid sick leave is unforeseeable, the employee

should provide notice of the need for the leave as soon as possible.

However, employees should not be denied payment for sick leave simply because the employees failed to provide prior notice for an unforeseen illness or that the employees did not provide details of their condition. Employees also cannot be required to find a replacement to cover their scheduled shift before they can be granted paid sick leave.

Unlike other leave laws, such as the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) or federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), there is no employee size requirement before the paid sick leave law applies to a company. All employers, big and small, must provide paid sick leave to its employees.

The protection to employees is so important that employers cannot retaliate or discriminate against those who use paid sick leave.

Hence, any type of sanction against the employee for availing of paid sick leave, including termination, may be actionable against the employer. *** The Law Offices of C. Joe Sayas, Jr. welcomes inquiries about this topic. All inquiries are confidential and at no-cost. You can contact the office at (818) 291-0088 or visit www. joesayaslaw.com. *** C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. is an experienced trial attorney who has successfully obtained significant recoveries for thousands of employees and consumers. He is named Top Labor & Employment Attorney in California by the Daily Journal, consistently Aselected as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, and is a member of the Million Dollar-Advocates Forum.

(Advertising Supplement)

People and Events

Alpha Phi Omega (Philippines) Alumni of Greater Los Angeles (APOGLA) to induct officers

BETTA Martinez-David, an alumna of Adamson University (Sigma Chapter) who retired as an industrial engineer with Boeing Company, is the newlyelected president of Alpha Phi Omega (Philippines) Alumni of Greater Los Angeles (APOGLA) for 2017. Ms. David, who

also served as vice president in 2015, will succeed Eric Serrano, an alumnus of the University of Santo Tomas (Pi) who was president in 2016.

Ms. David and her team will be sworn in on Dec. 17 at the Double Tree by Hilton on 222 N. Vineyard Ave. in Ontario, California.

This coincides with the fraternity’s 36th-anniversary celebration with the theme “Christmas in the Inland Empire.” The inducting officer and inspirational speaker will be Irma HermosuraAlmazan, president of Alpha Phi Omega Council of North America (ACNA) for 2017-2018.

WE ARE

HIRING Asian Journal Publications is now looking for:

Customer Sales and Service Representative Fax résumé to:

info@asianjournalinc.com

WE have all heard the popular saying, “Timing is everything.” Unfortunately, this saying often adversely applies to those persons who have found an avenue from which to obtain a green card, only to be prohibited from doing so because he/she has a prior removal/deportation order. A typical scenario involves a person who entered the US years ago on a B-2 tourist visa, overstayed, and was ordered removed by the Immigration Court. Fast forward to today, that person who was ordered removed finds true love and marries a US Citizen.

Seemingly close to finally obtaining permanent resident status, he/ she is precluded from doing so because of the prior removal/deportation order. What options does one have in such a case?

A motion to reopen the removal/deportation proceedings and rescind the removal/deportation order can be filed in Immigration Court. If the motion to reopen the proceedings and rescind the removal/deportation order is successful, the alien can pursue whatever relief from removal/deportation that is available to him/her. For the scenario cited in the first paragraph, the relief would be adjustment of status to permanent resident via marriage to a US citizen spouse.

The relief would be presented in Immigration Court, with the Immigration Judge to decide the merits of the adjustment of status application. Alternatively, if an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can be obtained to terminate the proceedings, a decision on the adjustment of status application can be made outside Immigration Court, by the USCIS. Generally, a motion to reopen removal/deportation proceedings must be filed within 90 days of the date of entry of the removal/deportation order. However, several bases upon which a motion to reopen may be filed past 90 days exist, and are discussed below.

Under 8 CFR § 1003.23(b)(4), a motion to reopen can be filed at any time if notice of the proceedings was not received by the person subject to the removal/deportation order, and a removal/deportation order was entered in his absence. Written notice of the time and place of removal proceedings must be given in person to the alien, or shall be given by certified mail to the alien or to the alien’s counsel of record. INA §242B(a)(2)(A). Further, written notice of the proceedings, if provided by certified mail, must be provided at the most recent address reported by the alien. Matter of Grijalva, Interim Decision 3246 (BIA 1995). The requirements for notice of removal/deportation proceedings are strict, and careful analysis of a person’s immigration court file often results in finding evidence that DHS did not comply with required procedure, which can be the basis for reopening the removal/ deportation proceeding.

Further, the Immigration Judge has discretionary authority to reopen or reconsider cases on his or her own motion (“sua sponte”) at any time providing a valid basis can be shown. 8 CFR § 1003.23(b)(1). Careful analysis of not only the immigration court file, but also the specific facts and circumstances of the case is necessary to put forward a valid basis on which the Immigration Judge can rely to reopen the proceedings. Some bases upon which cases I have been able to reopen cases include improper section cited by the DHS attorney in the charging document, insufficient evidence presented by the DHS attorney in proving up the case against the alien, and hardship and humanitarian concerns.

If you have a prior removal/deportation order which is preventing you from adjusting status, it is recommended that you consult with an experienced attorney to ascertain the bases upon which a motion to reopen can be filed. *** 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 Philipp ine 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)

This was announced by outgoing Vice President Rocky Marte (UP-Los Banos-Theta), who is the overall chairman of this year’s December Affair.

Other executive officers to be sworn in include: Jo “Bobet” Peneza (Beta Iota), vice president; Hazel Salas (Kappa Beta), secretary; Troy Agagon, (Gamma Epsilon), treasurer; Casimiro “Beeboy” Mansilla (Sigma), auditor; Paul Languisan (Beta Tau) Sergeant-at-Arms; Dan E. Nino

(Psi) Public Relations Officer; Lito Tarculas (Gamma Sigma) and Edgar Ninofranco (Beta), ACNA Liaison officers).

Supporting the executive officers also to be inducted are Board of Directors Ophel Vita-Amon, chairperson (Alpha); Jimmy Bautista (Alpha Epsilon), Raul David (Sigma), Fely Logarta-Montecillo (Alpha), Beth Ventura (Beta), outgoing President Eric Serrano (Pi) and incoming President Betta Martinez-avid (Sigma).

The area coordinators are Rene Calvario (Alpha), Doms Tunque (Theta), Tony Gomez (Theta), and Christian David (Sigma).

Mike Medina (Nu) was re-appointed as editor and publisher of Tribu Ni Bado, the monthly newsletter of APOGLA. Registration and no-host cocktails will take place between 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. while the buffet dinner will start at 7 p.m. As in past years, attendees will be

u PAGE C4

C DECEMBER 17-20, 2016 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

Debt Relief Atty. LAwrence yAng CLIENT is 52 and married. Her husband filed for Chapter 7 relief for $30K of credit card debts two years ago. At that time, I suggested to her that she should just file a joint Chapter 7 petition with her husband so that she could also get rid of her $35K of credit cards. She said that although she was having a hard time making the payments on the cards, about $1K a month, she wanted to wait and see. She grossed $3K a month and nets $2,500. I told her then that her minimum payment of $1K a month represented 40% of her net income.

To Live With Faith reverend rodeL g. BALAgtAs THERE were a lot of people at the LA Cathedral on Thursday, December 15. The rain did not stop them, mostly our kababayans, from coming to the opening Mass of Simbang Gabi. By the time that representatives of different Filipino organizations and ministries paraded their parols, accompanied by the triumphant voices of choir members from Our Lady of the Angels Region, the church was packed wall to wall.

What a great testimony of faith! The American Church cannot deny and ignore anymore the presence, the gifts, and the leadership that we, Filipinos, bring to the Church. Among those who were present were about 40 Filipino priests serving in different capacities as pastors and leaders of ministries and institutions.

There were also Filipino seminarians who served the Mass.

Our lay people have exercised a strong leadership in organizing the Opening Mass of Simbang Gabi. We, the clergy, owe them our profound gratitude for the success and vibrancy of our Simbang Gabi Masses throughout the archdiocese.

It’s their faith as Catholics that is so inspiring. In response to the question of Bishop Edward Clark during his homily at the cathedral: “What did you go out to see? More than a parade or a

Community Journal

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

Client seeks Chapter 7 relief for $57K credit cards That’s a big chunk of her net income. If she were making a net of $10K a month, then $1k a month would only be 10% of her net.

That would not put too much of a strain on her. But 40% means that for every $1 that she makes 40 cents goes to credit card interest. She’s actually working for the credit card companies. I filed her husband’s case two years ago. Wiping out $30K of credit cards was a big relief for him. His net income was $1,500 and $1K a month credit cards was simply outrageous. More than half of his net income was being used to pay for his cards.

Both client and her husband come to see me. He says he’s pretty happy that he has no credit cards to pay for. It’s been two years and he actually got new

Senior seeks Chapter 7 relief for $100K credit cards

cards, which he doesn’t use. If he uses it, the pays the entire balance when it’s due. He says his credit score is now 610. He bought a new CRV last year and paying $450 a month for it. He said that $450 a month is definitely better for a car payment because you get to use and at the end of the payment term, you own the car.

Whereas with credit cards, you keep paying the minimum but the principal remains the same even after ten years. In his case, he paid $12K a year for ten years and he still owed the same $30K when he filed for Chapter 7 relief two years ago. He could have ended up with four cars of $30K each all four cars fully paid after 5 years. Or he could have just

saved up $120K in his retirement account instead of forking over $120K for ten years of credit card payments yet still owe the very same $30K. He says that wife now wants to file Chapter 7 to get rid of her $57K cards. I said I thought that was only $35K two years ago, wasn’t it, now its $57K so what happened? He says her income went up a bit when her employer was sold to another company so she started to use the cards more.

But then the new owner started to lay off people to downsize. After downsizing, a significant portion of the labor force was shipped out to Mexico because labor costs there were a lot lower. Then recently, her employer started to automate. Last week, wife was laid off. Client has been looking for a new job and has actually had two offers but the net income was $2500. Considering that the minimum payments on her credit greater than John’s. The works cards was almost $1,800, she that the Father gave me to ac- said that she was now convinced complish, these works that I per- that it was time to get rid of the form testify on my behalf that the $57K cards. In her present situaFather has sent me.” (John 5:36) tion, 72% of her net income was The works that Jesus was re- going to be used for minimum ferring to were those we heard in the Gospel last Sunday: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news LOS ANGELES will put its proclaimed to them. (See Mat- mark on New Year’s Eve celebrathew 11:2-11). tions around the world as AngeIt’s certainly the virtue of pa- lenos join together with friends tience that we need to fulfill the and family to share their hopes, challenges of our faith. We must dreams and resolutions for 2017 never give up and be swayed by at the fourth annual Grand Park + pessimism, indifference, fear, The Music Center’s N.Y.E.L.A. and despair. We must continue The West Coast’s flagship New to be like John the Baptist--val- Year’s celebration will feature iant, courageous, and truthful. three stages with live music, May the Simbang Gabi Masses DJs and dancing throughout the inspire us all to be genuine wit- night; large scale inflatable art; nesses of the truth: the person, the teachings, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the PAGE C3 t Messiah! treated to glittering live enter*** From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend tainment.

Other highlights of the affair Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in are the presentation of APO kids 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. who are recipients of scholarAugustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, ship awards and the presentaValinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the tion of the Dr. Librado I. Ureta Worker, Canoga Park (1999-2001). In 2001, Awardee.

Alpha Phi Omegas Internationhe served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his al Service Fraternity was foundappointment as pastor of ImmAaculate Heart ed on Dec. 16, 1925 at Lafayette of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted College in Easton, Pennsylvania 12 years. His term as Associate Director by Dr. Frank Reed Horton. It was of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s established in the Philippines on March 2, 1950 at Far Eastern UniSeminary began in July 2014.

Simbang Gabi masses: Our testimony of faith

tradition?”

I’d say, “Yes, bishop, we witnessed more than the parade of elegant, colorful, and lighted parols; more than the jubilant and nostalgic music of the choir; more than a custom or a tradition. We witnessed what’s deeply rooted in the lives and hearts of Filipino people: a Catholic faith that is alive, persevering, persistent and, yes, as you want us to demonstrate, patient!”

Of course, the Church needs to bring up the challenges of our faith. And I hope that we, Filipinos here in the U.S., in the Philippines, and all over the world, would be courageous to take up these challenges.

Our biggest challenge is to live out our faith more truly and faithfully according to the Gospel of Jesus. Our biggest challenge is to put our faith into action such as honesty, cleanliness, and justice in government and politics; integrity and charity in church life; and fidelity in marriages and other forms of relationship.

Our biggest challenge is to live the life of mercy that the church has preached to us in the past year such as respect for life in all stages; forgiveness to those who have wronged us; jobs, housing and health benefits for all.

We cannot be believing the tenets of our faith and not practicing them. Otherwise, we become false witnesses of our faith.

In the Gospel of John Jesus told the Jews: “But I have testimony

credit card payments. To say that she can’t pay for them is a statement of the obvious.

They had another car payment of $300 for an older model Camry. It had two more years to go. Now I guess the choice is between making the car payments for the new CRV and the Camry and the basic necessities of rent and food, or $1,800 for minimum payments on $57K of credit cards. What would you do?

This is an open and shut case for Chapter 7. You can’t drive your visa or MasterCard.

Next client is a 65. She is a member of the medical profession. She married late and has a 17-year-old daughter who is starting college. Her husband passed away 3 years ago due to a massive stroke. He was also a professional. Their household income 3 years ago was $150K. She still works and nets $7K a month. The problem is her $100K of credit cards, which requires $3K of minimum monthly payments. That’s also 40% of her net income. With a child about to start college, she would have to set aside at least $1K a month college expenses

even if daughter may qualify for student loans. The choice is keeping the cards current and paying for her daughter’s college expenses. The choice is clear. Client decides to get rid of $100K of credit cards with Chapter 7.

Financial stress is relative. For someone who nets $3K a month, even $15K of credit cards is hard to maintain because that person would have to pay $500 a month for minimum payments on $15K just to keep those cards current.

Needless to say, the order of payment priority is food, shelter, transportation etc. It’s about time you seriously consider getting rid of your debts. Your family’s future financial security depends on your getting rid of debt as soon as possible.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present and well proved help in trouble.” — Psalm 46:1 *** 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)

Grand Park + The Music Center in Los Angeles host New Year’s Eve celebration and 3D digital video mapping on City Hall along with an integrated light show to count down to the new year in true L.A. style.

The free family-friendly event, which attracts thousands from all over Southern California and beyond, reinforces Downtown Los Angeles as a destination for a grand-scale New Year’s Eve experience.

Grand Park + The Music Center’s N.Y.E.L.A. takes place from

8:00 p.m. on December 31, 2016 to 1:00 a.m. on New Year’s Day, and will cover 90 acres from The Music Center Plaza to City Hall (Hope Street to Spring Street) and from Temple Street to 2nd Street.

More than 50,000 people are expected to attend. For more information about Grand Park + The Music Center’s N.Y.E.L.A., visit grandparkla.org/nyela or musiccenter.org/nyela. n

Alpha Phi Omega (Philippines) Alumni of… versity by Dr. Librado I. Ureta. In 1980, APOGLA was organized in Los Angeles and became the first alumni association outside of the Philippines. In 1999, it became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the state of California. The fraternity’s cardinal principles are: to develop Friendship, promote Leadership and provide Service to humanity.

Among APOGLA’s service projects are providing scholarship grants to qualified collegebound students of its members, providing manpower to Los An-

geles Marathon, Heal The Bay, Feeding America, Operation Gratitude, and Blood Drive.

The incoming president has released her platform to “embark on growth and development facing the future, implement opportunities relevant to our age and be an inspiration to others and pursue in becoming a model alumni association.”

For reservation, interested parties may contact Bro. Rocky Marte at rsmarte@sbcglobal.net or at (626) 482-3410. (denino1951@ gmail.com) n

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

PeoPle & events

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DECEMBER 17-20, 2016

C

Fil-Am parishioners of Church of the Good Shepherd of Beverly Hills celebrate Simbang Gabi 2016 THE Filipino-American & ethnic parishioners of the Church of the Good Shepherd of Beverly Hills will celebrate “Simbang Gabi 2016” on Monday, December 19 at 7:00 p.m.

“Simbang Gabi” is a Filipino pre-Christmas Mass tradition, which will be held for the fourth time, together with the ethnic parishioners of the parish community. Everyone is invited to come and celebrate the special advent mass in the parish in consonance with the observance of the tradi-

tion by the Filipino Ministry of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

The theme of this year’s Simbang Gabi is “Jesus make us generous dispensers of your divine mercy,” translated in Pilipino as “Hesus gawin mo kaming masaganang daluyan ng iyong banal na awa.”

Most Reverend Bishop Oscar A. Solis, the first Filipino bishop in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and currently the head of the San Pedro Pastoral Region, will be the main celebrant.

The church pastor, Fr. Ed Be-

Calendar of Events across

nioff and other Filipino priests will concelebrate with the bishop.

Philippine Consul General Adelio Angelito Cruz will honor the parishioners with his presence.

The Philippine Chamber Singers of Los Angeles will be the Choir for the festive occasion. A catered, potluck reception follows after the mass at the Church Hall. The Church of the Good Shepherd is located at 505 N. Bedford Drive (corner Santa Monica Blvd.), Beverly Hills, California 90210. n

America

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS! PRE-EVENT AND POST-EVENT GO DEEPER. GO WIDER. LET THE WORLD KNOW. CALL ASIAN JOURNAL: (818) 502-0651 DISPLAY AD SIZES AT SPECIAL RATES FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS D EC E M B E R 1 7

SIPA’s 2nd annual toy drive & distribution in Los Angeles The Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) will have its second annual toy drive and distribution in Los Angeles on Saturday, December 17. The toy drive will be from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.; please bring in an unwrapped toy for children between the ages of 0-15 years old or make a $25 donation to SIPA. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. there will be a toy distribution by the Purist Group, SCPASA & special celebrity guests. Activities include free kids haircuts by celebrity barber JayR Mallari and holiday music by DJ Icy Ice. Light food and drink will be provided. The event is free and open to the public. SIPA is located at 3200 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026.

Simbang Gabi at Christ the King Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles Christ the King Roman Catholic Church will have Simbang Gabi on Saturday, December 17 at 5 p.m. The church is located at 624 N. Rossmore Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90004. For more information, please call (323) 465-7605.

Alpha Phi Omega (Philippines) Alumni of Greater Los Angeles’ anniversary celebration Alpha Phi Omega (Philippines) Alumni of Greater Los Angeles (APOGLA) will have its 36th anniversary celebration with the theme “Christmas in the Inland Empire” on Saturday, December 17. Registration and no-host cocktails will take place between 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. while buffet dinner will start at 7 p.m. During the event, the organization’s new officers will be inducted. The event will be held at the Double Tree by Hilton on 222 N. Vineyard Ave., Ontario, California 91764. To RSVP, please contact Bro. Rocky Marte at rsmarte@ sbcglobal.net or at (626) 482-3410.

D EC E M B E R 1 7-1 8

Consular outreach mission in Miami, Florida The Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., in cooperation with the Philippine Nurses Association of America, Inc. - Central Florida Chapter, the Filipino-American Association of Pensacola, Inc., and the Philippine Honorary Consulate in Miami, is pleased to announce that it will conduct a consular outreach mission in Pensacola on Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Services offered include: Philippine passport applications; legalization of documents (acknowledgment, authentication, etc.); and receipt of reports of birth, marriage and death. No applications for dual citizenship will be accepted at this time, as oaths of allegiance must be administered by the Philippine Consul General or Consul. For an appointment, please email consular@philippineusa.org and copy furnish honcon.miami@gmail.com. The Philippine Honorary Consulate in Miami is located at 12/F 1200 Brickell Ave., Miami, Florida 33131.

D EC E M B E R 1 8 -1 9

Cathedral Chapel of St. Vibiana Parish in Los Angeles hosts Simbang Gabi oin the community on Sunday, December 18 at 5 p.m. and Monday, December 19 at 7 p.m. for Simbang Gabi celebrations. The church is located at 923 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036. For more information, please call (323) 930-5676.

D EC E M B E R 2 0 -2 1

Simbang Gabi at St. Basil’s Church in Los Angeles St. Basil’s Church is hosting Simbang Gabi at on both Tuesday, December 20 and Wednesday, December 21. The church is located at 637 S. Kingsley Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90005. For more information, please call (213) 381-6191.

D EC E M B E R 22-23

Simbang Gabi at St. Brendan Church in Los Angeles Everyone is invited to Simbang Gabi at St. Brendan Church in Los Angeles at 7 p.m. on both Thursday, December 22 and Friday, December 23. The church is located at 310 S. Van Ness Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90020. For more information, please call (323) 936-4656.

D EC E M B E R 3 1

Grand Park + The Music Center in Los Angeles host New Year’s Eve celebration Los Angeles will put its mark on New Year’s Eve celebrations around the world as Angelenos join together with friends and family to share their hopes, dreams and resolutions for 2017 at the fourth annual Grand Park + The Music Center’s N.Y.E.L.A. The West Coast’s flagship New Year’s celebration will feature three stages with live music, DJs and dancing throughout the night; large scale inflatable art; and 3D digital video mapping on City Hall along with an integrated light show to count down to the new year in true L.A. style. The free family-friendly event, which attracts thousands from all over Southern California and beyond, reinforces Downtown Los Angeles as a destination for a grand-scale New Year’s Eve experience. Grand Park + The Music Center’s N.Y.E.L.A. takes place from 8:00 p.m. on December 31, 2016 to 1:00 a.m. on New Year’s Day, and will cover 90 acres from The Music Center Plaza to City Hall (Hope Street to Spring Street) and from Temple Street to 2nd Street. More than 50,000 people are expected to attend. For more information about Grand Park + The Music Center’s N.Y.E.L.A., visit grandparkla.org/nyela or musiccenter. org/nyela.

JA N UA Ry 28 , 2 0 1 7

Historic Filipinotown Scavenger Hunt Explore the cultural gems of HiFi (Historic Filipinotown) by joining the 2nd HiFi Scavenger Hunt Fundraiser on Saturday, January 28 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m! Meet Filipino-specific challenges (from a Balut eating contest to dancing Tinikling to a hip hop beat!). You may find yourself meeting a little-known community hero, tasting a Filipino food challenge or receiving your very own Filipino nickname! You will be having a blast while building your bayanihan spirit by asking your friends and family and even your Facebook fans to donate money to sponsor your Team to take this challenge. You and your team choose your own fundraising goal! Funds raised by this event will go to the programs and services of 2 HiFi community organizations, Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) and Filipino American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI) to provide vital services to families, workers and seniors in our community. Services include free or low-cost citizenship application assistance, human trafficking survivor support, civic engagement, wage theft claims assistance, cultural programs and more! Have fun, Discover Historic Filipinotown win prizes and support your community while doing it! Go to www.pwcsc.org/HiddenHiFi to sign up now. PWC is located at 153 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026.

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

C DECEMBER 17-20, 2016 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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

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

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DEcEmbER 17-20, 2016

MARKETPLACE SHOWROOM

& Immigration Corner

The January 2017 priority dates

The Priority dates for the Philippines are as follows: FAMILY CATEGORY:

Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ

The World Bank now expects the Philippine economy to grow 6.8 percent this year—faster than the 6.4 percent forecast it made in October—largely due to high investor and consumer confidence.

World Bank upgrades PH growth forecasts

by Czeriza

ValenCia Philstar.com

MANILA - The World Bank now expects the Philippine economy to grow 6.8 percent this year—faster than the 6.4 percent forecast it made in October—largely due to high investor and consumer confidence.

Growth projection for 2017 was also raised to 6.9 percent compared to the October forecast of 6.2 percent. In 2018, the domestic economy is expected to expand

seven percent.

The U.S.-led multilateral development institution said the higher-than-expected growth of 7.1 percent in the third quarter, backed by increased investments and strong consumption, continued the robust growth in the first half which was driven by electionrelated spending.

“Recent economic trends illustrate the high confidence among investors and consumers, and provide the foundation for a PAGE D3

Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC), through subsidiary Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd., is divesting its shareholdings in Chow Fun Holdings LLC to focus its resources on building larger businesses.

Jollibee divests stake in US restaurant chain by iris

Gonzales Philstar.com

MANILA - Jollibee Foods Corp.

(JFC), through subsidiary Jollibee Worldwide Pte. Ltd., is divesting its shareholdings in Chow Fun Holdings LLC to focus its resources on building larger businesses.

JWPL has 80.55 percent equity in Chow Fun, the developer and owner of a restaurant concept known as Jinja Bar and Bistro, which has three restaurants in New Mexico, two in Albuquerque and one in Santa Fe. JFC’s divestment of its shareholdings in Chow Fun was in line with its intention to concentrate its resources on building its bigger businesses in the U.S. The local fastfood giant has the following businesses in the United

States: Jollibee 34 stores, Red Ribbon 33 stores and Chowking 16 stores. It also has a 40 percent ownership in Smashburger which has a total of 378 stores.

JFC initially acquired a 12 percent stake in Chow Fun in 2008 then increased its shares to 80.55 percent in early 2011.

In China, JWPL also divested its shareholdings in Guangxi San Pin Wang Food and Beverage Management Co. Ltd. in favor of its partner Guangxi Zong Kai Food Beverage Investment Co. Ltd. At present, JFC operates the largest food service network in the Philippines with a total of 2,565 restaurant outlets as of the end of October, broken down as follows Jollibee 954, Chowking 465, Greenwich 241, Red Ribbon 385, Mang Inasal 453 and Burger King 67.

GMA Network up for sale again by louella

DesiDerio Philstar.com

MANILA - GMA Network Inc. is open to giving up control of the broadcast firm to investors at the right price.

GMA chairman and chief executive officer Felipe Gozon told reporters the company is ready to entertain parties interested to invest in the broadcaster by next year.

He said the company would be willing to allow new investors to be part of the company not just for a minority interest, but even for a controlling stake, depending on the price.

“We are willing to sell all,” he said, stressing the price would be the most important consideration.

GMA is controlled by the Gozon, Jimenez and Duavit families through the combined 79-percent stake in the network.

“We are now old,” Gozon said when asked why the families are willing to let go of control of the company.

He revealed the three families

would want to be able to focus on their other respective businesses.

Should a new investor gain control of GMA, Gozon said he could go back to law practice and work on his other businesses including coco water and virgin oil production, as well as cargo vessel operations.

GMA was earlier in talks with businessman Ramon Ang for the sale of a 34-percent stake in the network, but the parties did not proceed with the transaction.

Discussions held earlier with PLDT Inc. for an investment in the network likewise bogged down.

Given the financial performance and television ratings of GMA, the broadcast firm is considered ripe for investors to come in.

Gozon said GMA is expected to end the year with more than P3.5 billion net income.

While next year’s net profit may not be as high as this year’s, he said GMA is still expected to have around P3 billion worth of net earnings.

“We have a positive outlook (for next year). We’re number one. Our ratings keep going up,” he said.

Business Quote of the Week “Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really: Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, so go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can.

Because remember that’s where you will find success.”

- Thomas J. Watson, former chairman and CEO of International Business Machines (IBM)

EACH month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority date is earlier than the cut-off date listed below.

If your priority date was “current,” but later retrogressed (or “moved backwards” and became unavailable) before your immigrant visa was issued (or before you adjusted status in the U.S.), you would have to wait until it becomes current again.

Beginning last October 2015, the format of the Visa Bulletin changed, in that a new column was added, called the “Application Filing Date.” If a person’s priority date is earlier than the Application Filing Date, they can already file for adjustment of status and work authorization (provided they are otherwise eli-

D

Application Filing Date

Visa Issuance Date

May 1, 2006

October 1, 2005

First Preference

Unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens (over 21 years of age)

Second Preference

(2A) Spouse and minor children November 22, 2015 (below 21 years old) of green card holder

March 22, 2015

(2b) Unmarried sons and daughters (21 years old or older) of green card holder

February 1, 2007

April 8, 2006

Third Preference

married sons and daughters of US citizens.

January 1, 1995

September 1, 1994

Fourth Preference

brothers and sisters of US citizens.

April 1, 1994

June 8, 1993

Second Preference

Advanced Degree (masters)

Current

Current

Third Preference

Professional/Skilled Workers

September 1, 2013

July 22, 2011

Other Workers

Non-Skilled Workers

September 1, 2013

July 22, 2011

LABOR CERTIFICATION:

gible and USCIS indicates on its website it will use the Application Filing Date for that month).

This could allow people to obtain work authorization much sooner than before, where they had to wait for the priority date to be current (in the Visa Issuance Date column) in order to both file for adjustment and be eligible for a green card.

Application Filing Date Visa Issuance Date

*** 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 re-enactments) 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 attorney-client 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)

D december 17-20, 2016 • LA WeeKeNd ASIAN JOUrNAL

Marketplace & ShowrooM

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

Duterte-signed peso bills out next week

by LawrenCe

agCaoiLi Philstar.com

MANILA – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is set to release the initial batch of banknotes bearing the signature of President Duterte starting next week.

BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said the new generation currency (NGC) bills bearing the signature of the country’s new chief executive would be available next week.

“The initial batch of NGC banknotes… is ready for release to the general public. These banknotes shall be issued to authorized agent banks once the approval process is completed,” Tetangco said.

The banknotes will also bear the signature of Tetangco, who is being considered for an unprecedented third term when his term expires in July next year.

Last January, the NGC bills were circulated in the market,

replacing the New Denomination Series (NDS) banknotes launched in 1985.

The NDS banknotes can still be exchanged in banks and BSP offices until December this year before being demonetized in January 2017.

The NGC series, on the other hand, is user-friendly and allows easy identification of each denomination because of the dominant color that uses distinct and primary inks.

The banknotes also have several new and enhanced security features to protect the currency against counterfeiters. These include the big numerals corresponding to the value printed on both sides as well as the intaglioprinted front side of the currency to give an embossed feel and help the visually impaired differentiate each denomination.

Last February, the BSP also issued the new P100 bill, en-

abling consumers to easily distinguish it from the P1,000 banknote.

The issuance of the new P100 bills with stronger mauve or violet color was in response to suggestions from the public to make it easier to distinguish from the P1,000 bills.

The BSP under the new Central Bank Act of 1993 could call in for replacement notes of any series or denomination that are more than five years old and coins that are more than 10 years old.

Tetangco reminded the public that the NDS banknotes would be demonetized starting Jan. 1.

NDS banknotes were no longer acceptable as payment for any transaction since the start of the Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, right, shakes hands with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, before a meeting at the Peace Palace year but could still be exchanged in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, Dec. 14. Duterte is on a state visit to Cambodia, where a meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen will at face value, free of charge, in bring together two Southeast Asian leaders known for their tough-guy approach to governing. authorized agent banks and at the BSP cash department or regional offices and branches until the end of the year.

Cambodia, trying to just take adA student exchange program

by Christina Mendez vantage of the growth prospects is also being worked out to boost Philstar.com in Cambodia,” Lopez said. tourism arrivals in Manila, she He cited, among others, San added.

PHNOM PENH – President Duterte’s state visit is expected to Miguel Corp., Liwayway, Davies Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello environmental impact assessment expand the Philippines’ business Paints and Penshoppe.

III, for his part, said a Memoranhow they intend to treat their presence here where opportuni“We can see Filipino brands dum of Understanding/Agreement stockpile,” she said. ties abound for Filipino products expanding in this part of the world signed between the two countries ECCs of three other mining and services, Trade Secretary and… taking advantage as well would seek to address concerns of companies such as the Ipilan Ramon Lopez said. of the free trade agreement that Filipino workers in Cambodia and Nickel Project, Lupon Mining, This developed as a “very we have within ASEAN,” Lopez vice-versa. and Nickel Deposit Mining were regal” Duterte—as described pointed out.

“I was informed earlier this also cancelled because their ECCs by his foreign affairs chief—enCambodia’s being part of morning that the MOU or MOA lapsed. gaged Cambodia’s King Norodom ASEAN would unlock opportuni- was presented to Secretary Jun The ECC of Century Com- Sihamoni in bilateral talks after ties for growth for the two coun- Yasay because we don’t have munities Corp., a property de- arrival honors at the Royal Palace, tries, he said. a POLO office here,” he said, veloper in Quezon City was also Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto “Filipino companies (are) ex- referring to Philippine Overseas cancelled for not complying with Yasay Jr. said. panding to the Cambodian mar- Labor Office. “But I presume the requirements of a groundwa“There are a couple of Filipino ket. (It is also) our intention to that the reason for that is that PAGE D5 companies already operating in invite them to invest also in the we don’t have much problem Philippines,” he said. about our OFWs here. In fact, Duterte met with officials of the they have more OFWs as far Cambodia business chamber and as ASEAN countries are conwith Filipino businessmen here. cerned.”

The government’s main interests With about 6,000 Filipino proare in the areas of tourism and fessionals working here, Lopez finance. noted that they are highly reIn a press briefing, Tourism garded in this country.

Secretary Wanda Teo said they “We’re proud to say that the are encouraging more tourists Filipinos are more of the profesfrom Cambodia to go to the Phil- sionals, engineers, architects, ippines. teachers, and we’ve been hearAbout 70,000 to 80,000 Fili- ing feedback that they are well pinos toured various places in loved, liked here and in Cambodia Cambodia last year, but tourists because they’re really part of the from Cambodia numbered only human capital development as about 2,000 to 3,000. well as business services that they “We will focus on air connectiv- provide to Cambodian economy,” ity. We would like to have a direct Lopez said. flight from Phnom Penh to the “In that regard also, we conPhilippines because right now we sider that as one export bright don’t have one,” Teo said, adding spot. In other words, providing she hopes to talk with Philippine professional services to CamboAirlines regarding the matter. dian businesses – construction, There are direct Cebu Pacific engineering, architecture,” Lopez flights between Manila and Siem added.

Reap but none to the Cambodian Meanwhile, Yasay said the capital Phnom Penh.

President lived up to expecta“If we have direct flights, I’m tions regarding his diplomatic sure that tourist arrivals of Cam- skills during his meeting with the bodian people to the Philippines Cambodian king. will increase,” she said.

“We had earlier a bilateral “We would also like to invite meeting with His Royal Majesty media people and tour operators and you see the king of Cambodia to come to the Philippines so they is a very cultured person, very inwould know our country and so telligent, very regal, very elegant, they could promote our country,” well respected by the people and I Teo added. was personally amazed by the fact Teo said her agency is also that our President had measured looking at attracting more inves- up to this very important occators in hotels and resorts. sion,” Yasay said.

PH businesses growing in Cambodia

DENR cancels ECCs of 6 mining firms Asia (Mining Corp.) after putting Mt. Hamiguitan (a UNESCO World Heritage site), the PhilipMANILA - The Department pine Eagle and trees in the area, at of Environment and Natural Re- risk. The mining firm operates in sources has cancelled the envi- Sitio Salingcomot, Bgy. Macamronmental compliance certificates bol in Mati City.

Lopez said the mining firm is of six companies that included four mining firms, one housing “sandwiched” between two prodeveloper and one resort devel- tected areas, referring to Mount oper after they reportedly failed Hamiguitan and Pujada Bay. to meet the conditions indicated “Because they don¹t have a place to put their stockpile, species in in their respective ECCs. DENR Secretary Gina Lopez the area are affected. It was also has cancelled the ECC of Austral- not indicated in the company¹s by rhodina

ViLLanueVa Philstar.com

MONEY sent home by overseas Filipinos in October dropped from a year earlier and from September on stiff competition in the supply of seafarers and a strong dollar.

Oct remittances drop as dollar firms up

by MayVeLin

u. CarabaLLo ManilaTimes.net

MONEY sent home by overseas Filipinos in October dropped from a year earlier and from September on stiff competition in the supply of seafarers and a strong dollar, central bank data released on Thursday, Dec. 15 showed.

Personal remittances reached $2.32 billion in October, down 2.8 percent from $2.39 billion a year earlier. It was also down from $2.62 billion in September.

Personal remittances are transfers in cash or in kind, as well as capital transfers between households.

Remittances totaled $24.43 billion in the first 10 months of the year, up 3.9 percent from a year earlier. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) expects remittances to reach $26 billion for the whole of 2016.

Cash remittances coursed through banks totaled $2.09 billion in October, down 3 percent from $2.16 billion in October 2015.

In September, cash remittances totaled $2.38 billion.

“Stiffer competition in the supply of seafarers, particularly from East Asia and Eastern Europe, has contributed to the declining trend

in sea-based remittances,” the BSP explained.

The countries that contributed to the decline in total cash remittances were Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

“The lower US dollar value of remittances in October may also be partly due to the depreciation of major host countries’ currencies vis-a-vis the US dollar, such as the pound sterling and the euro,” it said.

The BSP said remittances from the UK dropped 5.9 percent in October even as the volume of remittances in pound sterling increased by 16.5 percent.

“The cases concerning Italy, Germany, Greece, and the Netherlands, however, are different, as remittances in both US dollar equivalent and original currency recorded declines in October,” it said.

In the 10 months to October, cash remittances reached $22.12 billion, up 4 from $21.26 billion year-on-year, mostly from the United States, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Japan, Qatar, Kuwait, Hong Kong, and Germany.

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

Marketplace & ShowrooM

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DEcEmbER 17-20, 2016 D

Filipino customers guaranteed top service at Hooman Chrysler Hyundai Dodge Jeep Ram

In photo are (from left) PAL executive vice president /treasurer Stewart Lim, PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista, CIAC president and COO Alexander Cauguiran, PALex president Bonifacio Sam and PAL senior vice president for airline operations Ismael Augusto Gozon.

PAL plans new hub in Clark

by LoueLLa

D. DesiDerio Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines – The national carrier, which sees next year as a challenging year, plans to make Clark as one of its hubs as it looks for more routes to serve given aircraft deliveries this year.

“I think 2017 will be more challenging especially for PAL (Philippine Airlines) because we have taken delivery of seven airplanes this year. We have to look for more destinations. We have to mount more flights for us to be able to maximize utilization of these airplanes,” PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista told reporters on Tuesday, Dec. 13.

He said the carrier is hopeful it would be successful at the Clark International Airport so that it could become one of its hubs.

Bautista, along with PAL Express president Bonifacio Sam, PAL executive vice president Stewart Lim and PAL senior vice president for airline operations

Ismael Augusto Gozon, signed yesterday with Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) president and chief excecutive officer Alexander Cauguiran a memorandum of agreement for the carrier’s start of operations at the airport in Pampanga.

Under the agreement, PAL has committed to operate flights at the Clark International Airport. The first phase involves the launch of flights between Clark and Caticlan (Boracay) on Dec. 16.

PAL’s service for the Clark to Caticlan route PR2371 will depart Clark daily at 11:35 a.m. and arrive in Caticlan at 12:50 a.m., while PR2370 will leave Caticlan daily at 10 a.m. and touch down in Clark at 11:15 a.m.

The second phase begins in the first quarter of next year with non-stop flights between Clark and Cebu, Davao and Cagayan as well as flights between Clark and Incheon, South Korea.

PAL will start four times weekly non-stop flights between Clark and Cebu via PR837/PR838 on

Jan. 30 and thrice weekly nonstop flights between Clark and Davao via PR831/PR832, and daily flights between Clark and Incheon, South Korea via PR492/PR493 on Feb.1.

For its part, CIAC will provide PAL specific logistical and ground service support to help ensure smooth operation of flights.

“Signing this agreement solidifies our commitment to help the government develop secondary hubs in order to ease congestion at the Manila terminals. The positive response in terms of passenger bookings for the Clark-Caticlan route proves that we have made the right decision to mount these new flights,” Bautista said.

The government is promoting the Clark International Airport as an alternative to the congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

NAIA’s four terminals handled over 36 million passengers last year, above its annual maximum capacity of 35 million passengers.

World Bank upgrades PH growth...

PAGE D1

more optimistic outlook for the remainder of 2016 and 2017,” said Birgit Hansl, World Bank lead economist for the Philippines, in a statement.

“The economy’s strong performance in October and November, and continued policy commitment to an increase in public infrastructure spending are expected to carry the economy’s growth momentum over to 2017-2018.”

World Bank said growth in capital investment is expected to remain as the country’s primary engine of growth. Despite a likely increase in interest rates in 2017, the country’s monetary policy is seen to remain “supportive of

growth,” resulting in the expansion in credit provision.

It said the government’s commitment to implement large infrastructure projects would to have “significant spillover effects” into consumption growth in 2017.

“Accompanied by robust credit growth to households and healthy remittances, this is expected to fuel consumption”, the World Bank said.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), meanwhile, forecast the domestic economy to expand between 6.5 to seven percent this year. Fourth quarter growth is expected to be at around seven percent.

In 2017, NEDA expects growth

of 6.5 to 7.5 percent and seven to eight percent beyond 2017.

In a briefing yesterday, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and NEDA chief Ernesto Pernia cited as drivers the continued strength in household consumption as well as investments in construction, public infrastructure and durable equipment.

This is seen to be supported by low inflation, low interest rates, improved labor market conditions and steady growth in remittances of overseas Filipino workers.

Government assistance such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program is also seen to provide additional boost to consumer demand.

For many folks, buying a car is often stressful and laborious.

Figuring out finances, picking out the right make and model and deciding on the right dealership are just among the few things to worry about when making one of the most important purchases.

But at Hooman Chrysler Hyundai Dodge Jeep ram, consumers are guaranteed honest service from an unrivaled team of sales consultants and managers.

General Manager Manny Martinez – who describes himself as a “die hard Filipino” -- has been in the automobile industry for decades and understands the importance of customer satisfaction. At Hooman, he and his expert team make that a company priority.

Hooman is dedicated to providing quality service and reasonable prices, regardless of customers’ credit. Working with reliable banks, they are able to approve clients no matter the circumstances: first time buyers with little credit history, customers undergoing bankruptcy, families who have experience home foreclosures and customers with credit issues. Whatever the situation, Hooman is sure to deliver.

Where other dealerships merely claim to cater to those with credit issues, Hooman makes it a prime concern to make sure that credit doesn’t deter anyone from purchasing a car. Moreover, Hyundai and Chrysler, in particular, are able to grant generous rebates, which can help when putting a down payment on an automobile.

Since taking over as GM in September, Martinez has been putting together a special team of Filipino American managers and salespeople to help Filipino clients. Martinez sought to cater to the Filipino community in this way because he knows that trust and loyalty are huge elements in the business of automobiles.

“We love the Filipinos because they deserve to get a new car because they work hard and they are very, very good people.

DXeep DXik`e\q# >\e\iXc DXeX^\i

GXki`Zb Kfc\[f# Lj\[ :Xi I\ekXc =c\\k ;`i\Zkfi

8im`e 8Y\i`ccX# =`c`g`ef ;\gXikd\ek

They are good citizens of this country and they deserve to be assisted even if they have really bad credit,” Martinez said.

Currently on his Tagalogspeaking team are Used Car and rental Fleet Director Patrick Toledo and Sales Consultant Arvin Aberilla who were handpicked for their experience, integrity and their dedication to deliver first-class service to clients.

Serving the Filipino-American community has always been a mission for Martinez, who was a part of the first car dealership to advertise to the Filipino

community in 1995.

“My priority is always the Filipino community since I got into the car business in 1989,” Martinez said. “We’ve always treated Filipinos with a lot of respect, and they’ve always been very loyal.”

Hooman Chrysler Hyundai Dodge Jeep ram is located on 333 Hindry Ave., Inglewood, CA 90301 and are opened Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. To call for more information, call (310) 846-1300.

8[m\ik`j`e^ Jlggc\d\ek

D december 17-20, 2016 • LA WeeKeNd ASIAN JOUrNAL

Marketplace & ShowrooM

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

The increase in tourist arrivals was also driven by growth from top source markets such as China, with an arrival contribution of 53,015, outranking the US, which provided 51,866 arrivals. Japan came fourth with 43,525 arrivals. 20,773 Taiwanese visited the country in September, while 17,584 visitors arrived from Australia.

PH tourist arrivals surge in Sept by raadee

S. SauSa ManilaTimes.net

TOURIST arrivals surged in September, increasing 7.46 percent to 393,589 from the same period a year ago, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said on Wednesday.

According to DOT data, South Korea provided the largest number of visitors during the month, with at least 115,147 visitors or 20.72 percent of the total tourist arrivals.

The increase in tourist arrivals was also driven by growth from top source markets such as China, with an arrival contribution of 53,015, outranking the US, which provided 51,866

arrivals. Japan came fourth with 43,525 arrivals. 20,773 Taiwanese visited the country in September, while 17,584 visitors arrived from Australia.

“We are well underway to achieving our target of six million international visitor arrival by the year’s end, thanks to the support of all stakeholders in the tourism sector,” DOT Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo said.

Meanwhile, visitor receipts from January to September 2016 swelled by 5.76 percent to P178.48 billion ($3.8 million) versus the P168.75 billion earnings for the same period in 2015.

Among the top markets, Canada registered the highest per capita

expenditure. On average, a Canadian visitor spent P76,670.97 during their stay. Visitors from the United Kingdom came second with per capita spending of P47,433.21.

Korea followed with P43,963.64 per capita expenditure.

As of September 2016, the country has welcomed a total of 4,464,992 visitors, 12.08 percent higher than the accumulated 3,983,627 arrivals in the same period last year, making DOT’s sixmillion target arrivals on track.

“The growth in tourism figures can be attributed to massive marketing campaigns of the tourism department to increase awareness about different Philippines destinations,” Teo said.

Fitch: PH banks among region’s best in 2017 by

Lawrence agcaoiLi Philstar.com

MANILA - Fitch Ratings said Philippine banks are expected to stand as among the best in the region on the back of the country’s sound economic fundamentals, healthy system liquidity buffers, and strong regulatory framework.

Fitch assigned a stable outlook for Philippine banks as it noted the ratings are not likely to be upgraded over the near term as five local banks already bagged upgrades this year.

On the other hand, government-run banks Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines were given positive outlooks to mirror the minimum investment grade “BBB-”rating and positive outlook of the Philippines.

Aside from the Philippines, Vietnam also got stable outlooks for its banking systems across emerging markets in

Asia-Pacific.

Fitch said it expects domestic demand to remain strong fuelled by remittance inflows and business process outsourcing revenues as well as favorable demographics.

The debt watcher also noted the plans of the Duterte administration to accelerate infrastructure spending would further boost the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

Fitch said the country’s GDP growth would likely expand 6.6 percent next year, among the highest in Asia.

“The robust economy will continue to drive brisk loan growth, which we forecast in the mid- to high-teens for 2017. We foresee the bulk of this channeled into infrastructure, real estate and other business investment activities, while strong consumer demand will continue to spur household borrowing,” it added.

The debt watcher also expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

(BSP) to stay alert to potential credit and asset bubbles as credit excesses would remain a risk.

Profit growth, Fitch explained, would be underpinned mainly by balance-sheet expansion.

It pointed out the gradual shift in loan mix towards higher-yielding consumer and project finance should help offset competitive pressure on margins, while asset quality should remain broadly stable amid supportive macroeconomic conditions.

Likewise, Fitch said system liquidity remains healthy with the low aggregate loan to deposit ratio of 71 percent as of end-September and the significant pool of funds deposited with the central bank.

“Liquidity conditions should remain comfortable in 2017 as existing liquidity buffers, credit creation and foreign remittance inflows help to cushion against debt and currency market uncertainty,” the rating agency said.

Showroom

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

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DEcEmbER 17-20, 2016 D

Filipino startups lack in ‘scaling up’ SM’s Sy-Coson ‘floored’ by Man of the Year award

by PatRicia LouRdes Philstar.com

ViRay

PANGLAO — Lack of innovation is not the main reason why most startup companies don’t make it big.

During the Ocean Summit in Panglao, Bohol a few weeks ago, broadcast journalist Karen Davila dismissed the notion that the success rate of startup companies is big.

“One percent of startups only succeed,” Davila said.

Davila noted that the founders of successful companies now such as Uber and Airbnb are not from the Philippines.

Unilab Foundation Rhodora Palomar-Fresnedi said that Filipinos are innovative but lack in different aspects.

“We’re not lacking in innovation. We’re lacking in patience, professionalism and scale up in terms of dreaming big and going beyond,” Fresnedi said.

“We don’t really dream big,” Davila agreed.

Fresnedi added that Filipinos tend to be content with what they have. This not entirely good or bad but this is also not the key to building a “mega-billion” company.

“My thought has always been think big, start small, move fast.

We fail on the move fast bit because we become very happy,” Fresnedi said.

Meanwhile, PLDT Disruptive

Business Group Head Benedict Patrick Alcoseba said that Filipinos have great ideas but lack in the sustainability side.

“The challenge we’ve had is not the lack of entrepreneurial spirit but the scaling up part and I try to think why we have not scaled up.

Looking at examples from abroad it’s an ecosystem thing,” Alcoseba said in the same conference.

The ideas are great but there is no place to make it bigger, Alcoseba said.

“Although we are resilient as a people, if these ideas are not nurtured, these ideas are not supported, are not granted a place or platform where it can grow bigger into something that the original owner envisioned for then it dies a natural death. That’s a reality,” Alcoseba said.

Alcoseba also noted that there should be a movement from the government to support venture capital.

“I think we have not really thought about the impact we can make as a people with our ideas if we go beyond 7,107 islands and maybe we should start now.

All of those ideas in a way that they could really, truly change the world from wherever we are,” Fresnedi said.

The Ocean Summit is a bi-annual gathering of the World Economic Forum community in the Philippines, where leaders across sectors connect and discover new ideas.

Young Global Leaders Analisa Belares (CEO & Founder, Womensphere & NewChampions5050), Richard Dacalos (Co-Founder, Upstart the Board Game & SPIN), Sen. Bam Aquino, Winston Damarillo (Head of PLDT Capital / Executive Chairman, Amihan Global) and Karen Davila (Broadcast Journalist, ABS-CBN) wrap up the Ocean 2016 Summit at BE Grand Resort in Panglao, Bohol.

PH auto industry 2020 target in peril with planned tax hike

by Richmond

meRcuRio Philstar.com

MANILA – The implementation of a proposal to raise automobile taxes by 2018 would throw the Philippine automotive industry off the track from clinching its 500,000 sales target by 2020, as

fears of vehicle makers continue to escalate in anticipation of the Duterte administration’s looming tax restructuring program.

“Of course we want to maintain status quo but that may not happen because there is a pronouncement already and it’s part of the PAGE D6

The implementation of a proposal to raise automobile taxes by 2018 would throw the Philippine automotive industry off the track from clinching its 500,000 sales target by 2020, as fears of vehicle makers continue to escalate in anticipation of the Duterte administration’s looming tax restructuring program.

Philstar file photo by Andy Zapata Jr.

DENR cancels ECCs of 6 mining...

PAGE D2

ter survey. The housing project reportedly affected the La Mesa Eco-Watershed, a protected area.

Century reportedly failed to submit an enhanced revised monitoring plan, ground modeling studies to assess water availability and ground water contamination.

Sacobia Sun Valley Resort in Mabalacat, Pampanga and MRLEgerton Gold Philippines also had their permits cancelled.

MRL-Egerton Gold Philippines is engaged in gold mining in Lobo, Batangas, one of the coastal towns straddling the Verde Island Passage. The area encompasses 29,000 hectares of the Lobo town.

Environmentalists said the wastes generated by the mine found their way to Lobo rivers, effectively draining into the VIP. DENR Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Ipat Luna said Egerton

failed to come up with an environmental impact assessment, one of the requirements under the ECC. Show-cause orders were likewise issued to 11 mining companies which include SMTC Chromite Mining and Trading project, consolidation of quarry projects of Mindanao Portland Cement Corp., an iron ore pelletizing plant project, a proposed limestone, pozzolan and associate minerals quarry project, a cement plant and power plant project, Bulalacao Coal Mining project, Iron Ore Mining Corp., a smelting plant project, Wellex Area II Mining project, Barobo Alluvial Gold Mining project, and a veneer manufacturing expansion project.

The companies were given seven days to explain why their ECCs should not be cancelled and why no administrative fine should be imposed on them.

by Richmond

meRcuRio Philstar.com

MANILA – As her father did nearly two decades ago, it is now Teresita Sy-Coson’s turn to take centerstage as she received this year’s “Management Man of the Year” award from the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP).

“I’m honored and floored,” Sy-Coson of the SM Group of Companies said after receiving the award. She said the award was a culmination of years of hard work and diligence learned from her father, mall magnate Henry Sy Sr. Sy-Coson is the 40th personality and second woman to receive the recognition.

In her acceptance speech, SyCoson joked about the use of the term “management man” instead of “management person” in the award.

“Many times in the past, I was dismissed because of my gender and my small stature. But gender is not an issue. It does not matter whether they call it Management Man of the Year or Management Person. I still appreciate the award,” she said, drawing applause and laughter from the audience that included business heavyweights.

“It is still a man’s world in my working years and many times in my career, I had to think like a man in order to work in the business community. I don’t mind being a woman, seeing the situation from a different angle,” Sy-Coson added.

Being the proverbial rose among the thorns in MAP’s Man-

Teresita Sy-Coson, vice chair of SM Investments Corp., receives the 2016 Management Man of the Year award from Management Association of the Philippines president Perry Pe during ceremonies held at The Peninsula, Makati yesterday. Sy-Coson was recognized for steering the SM Group’s retail business to greater heights, for transforming the SM Group’s property business into one of the largest integrated property developers in Southeast Asia and for her valuable contribution in sustaining Banco De Oro’s position as the leading bank in the Philippines.

Also in photo are (from left) Michael Toledo, head of the MVP Group Media Bureau and SVP for public and regulatory affairs of Philex Mining Corp.; Francisco del Rosario, chairman of the MAP MMY search committee; and Edgar Chua, chairman of the MAP MMY judging committee.

agement Man of the Year list of awardees – along with 2010 recipient Lilia de Lima – proves Sy-Coson’s vast influence in the business community and in the country in general.

“She is truly deserving and she is very inspiring. To me, more than anything, it’s the work ethic. Hopefully she inspires not only the entrepreneurs but all the managers,” MAP president Perry Pe said.

“She is very deserving because of her many accomplishments.

She is very low key but very effective. Tessie is someone who is way above the rest in terms of how she manages her company.

The important thing is not only the business, there is also a heart and soul for the business,” Makati

Business Club chairman Ed Chua said.

Sy-Coson said her father challenged and molded her to become the person and leader she is today.

“Unlike the millennials of today who have many choices and many options how to live life, we were trained in the business very early. We started to work when we were teenagers. We’re expected to work on Saturdays, when most of our classmates were often out and having fun. We had fun too – working – because we did not know of any other fun,” she said.

“When we left college, we were expected to continue working in our family business full time and during those times my dad, who was demanding, was always driv-

ing us to work hard and to do our best,” she said.

“While we are not expected to do our best in school, once out of school and into the real world, we were taught to aspire to be the best in anything that we were actively involved in. We have to think creatively, stay disciplined and be productive,” she added.

The Sy family patriarch and founder of the SM Group was hailed as the MAP Management Man of the Year in 1999.

Sy-Coson and her father are the third father-and-daughter/son tandem to get the recognition following Jaime Zobel de Ayala (1987) and Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II (2006), and Ramon del Rosario Sr. (1988) and Ramon del Rosario Jr. (2010).

D december 17-20, 2016 • LA WeeKeNd ASIAN JOUrNAL

Showroom

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

Largest selection of smart choices that DOT seeks private partners for are fun to drive at Subaru of Glendale Manila cruise port development

by Mary

Grace Philstar.com

AssociAtes at subaru of Glendale understand every person’s needs are unique, and work closely with car shoppers to ensure they move painlessly through the process of making one of their most important purchases. their staff pay close attention to the needs of their clients in order to pair them with a car that compliments their lifestyle at a good value. they also offer the largest inventory of vehicles from the carmakers who won the Kelley Blue Book’s awards for best overall brand and most trusted brand for 2016. the Japanese car manufacturer’s reputation and collection of affordable options make its cars an easy pitch for chris Garchitorena, internet sales and Leasing consultant at subaru of Glendale.

C$I 8e[i\n DXi`ccX JXc\j Xe[ C\Xj`e^ :fejlckXek # :_i`j >XiZ_`kfi\eX @ek\ie\k JXc\j Xe[ C\Xj`e^ :fejlcXkXek # Xe[ :_i`jk`Xe DXi`ccX =`eXeZ\ DXeX^\i

“there’s no reason to beat around the bush about certain things; we just give out straight information,” said Garchitorena.

He added that “we don’t charge an arm and a leg for safety.” subaru’s eyesight system — which is available on select models — uses some of the most advanced technology to help many of its vehicles deliver the highest possible scores in front-end crash prevention tests and earn the top safety pick recommendations from the insurance institute for Highway safety (iiHs). All-wheel drive is also standard on every model except the rear-wheeldrive, sport-inspired BR-Z. the dealership ranked second in sales in southern california is also prepared to act as a resource for owners of cars with the market’s highest resale value, according to KBB. Between its full-service maintenance department and network of trusted bodywork mechanics, subaru of Glendale can provide everything needed to ensure their cars’ award winning performance. subarus have a “go anywhere

type of mentality,” according to Garchitorena, a 10-year veteran of the auto industry. He said their excellent handling and superb traction on difficult terrain make them safe and reliable vehicles in all situations, and a good option for people pursuing an active lifestyle.

Andrew Marilla, sales and leasing consultant, also shared his own experience owning a subaru. “i drive one. i own one. i’ve been very happy with the performance, safety and reliability. the best part is that i’ve had two subaru vehicles prior to even working here. We have a stress-free, friendly, no pressure customer service here which is why people love us. so to all our kababayan, ang dito kami para tulungan kayo!” he said.

Fo r m o r e h e l p f i n d i n g the right model for you, visit subaruofGlendale.net. For additional information on their lineup or financing, expert insights, or test drives, call 855-230-1547, or drop in at 1308 s Brand Blvd, Glendale, cA 91204.

8[m\ik`j`e^ Jlggc\d\ek

Padin

MANILA – The Department of Tourism (DOT) is considering tapping the private sector for the construction of an international standard cruise port facility in Manila, which will allow large cruise companies to make stops in the Philippines starting 2019.

In an interview yesterday, Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon said the DOT was eyeing two options for the development of an international cruise port along Manila Bay. “At this point, we are looking at basically two options. One is purely private and the other is through government participation under a joint venture,” Bengzon said.

In the first option, investors have the choice to register their development as a tourism enterprise zone (TEZ) with the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).

This would entitle them to receive support from the government in the form of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives.

“The other option is some kind of joint venture wherein the government might put in some counterpart funds also,” Bengzon added.

The plan to establish a cruise

Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon

port facility in Manila is one of the game plans laid out by the DOT under the National Cruise Tourism Strategy to attract more cruise ships and passengers to make calls to the Philippines.

This port should have the capacity to accommodate mega ships that can carry at least 3,000 passengers and above.

Proponents, particularly developers within the Entertainment City complex, have already expressed interest to build the cruise port along the bay area.

According to Bengzon, next year would be the ideal time to start the construction of the port

so the facility would already be in place when cruise ships start planning new routes and destinations for 2019.

“When you look at the brochures of all the big cruise companies, they’ve already decided where to go in 2017, and to a certain extent, 2018. So what we want is to build a very strong business case for them to include Manila...starting 2019 and beyond,” Bengzon said.

“The coming 2017 is going to be very crucial if we want to start to make that quantum leap in terms of number of cruise passengers and cruise calls,” he added.

Considering this, Bengzon said investors and proponents need to move fast if they are truly interested to push through with the project.

The tourism official said the number of companies that expressed interest to take on the project was proof of the growing potential of cruise tourism in the country.

Under the National Cruise Tourism Strategy, the DOT is targeting to reach half a million cruise passengers by 2022.

This is over seven times the cruise arrivals in 2015, which stood at 69,802. The figure would also contribute about four percent of the DOT’s 12 million tourist arrival target by 2022.

PH auto industry 2020 target in peril...

PAGE D5 10-point agenda. So we will seek a win-win situation. On our side, we will do simulations and we will factor in the different scenarios,” Isuzu Philippines Corp. marketing head Joseph Bautista said.

Bautista said the industry’s sales target of 500,000 units by 2020 would be in peril under the planned excise tax hike.

Should it not be imposed, however, Bautista said the industry could attain the target as early as 2018.

“If it is announced for 2018, there would be a surge in sale next year but there would also be a steep drop in 2018. That is what will likely happen. We saw this happen in Thailand and Indonesia when they changed their tax structure, there was a big drop in sales,” Bautista said.

Aside from Isuzu, other major

industry players and Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. members such as Toyota and Mitsubishi admitted that the higher excise taxes would affect the local automotive industry’s growth track.

“There would be a temporary setback but eventually people need cars. And based on what I see, the economy can sustain its growth,” Bautista said.

The Department of Finance is pushing to lift the minimum tax to five from two percent for vehicles priced P600,000 and below.

Meanwhile, luxury cars worth over P2.1 million will have a fixed tax of 60 percent, which is currently imposed on the excess of that amount.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez has said the government’s goal is to increase taxes by 2018 to lower vehicle sales.

Bautista, however, said it is unfair to blame the worsening traffic situation to the automotive sector when the real problem is the country’s lack of infrastructure.

“Why will you penalize the buyer in Metro Manila? Our vehicle density is only 40 vehicles per 1,000 persons while other countries like Malaysia and Thailand are already 200,” Bautista said.

“The problem is that our roads cannot keep up with the volume of vehicles. For every person that buys a car, he pays at least 20 to 30 percent of tax for our roads to be developed but it is not happening. So for every P1 million vehicle, a consumer paid P320,000 in taxes that would have been used to build roads. So if we sold 100 million units, then we should have a big budget that should have been allocated for infrastructure,” he said.

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

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • DEcEmbER 17-20, 2016 D

EMPLOYMENT

FOR RENT

SERVICES

D december 17-20, 2016 • LA WeeKeNd ASIAN JOUrNAL

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