La weekend edition may 13 16, 2017

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May 13-16, 2017 Volume 27 - No. 39 • 4 Sections – 30 Pages

DOJ to reinvestigate PDAF, DAP scam cases According to Aguirre, the DOJ will form a new task force to probe the multimillion-peso THE Philippine Department of scams. He added, however, that his Justice (DOJ) will conduct new investigations into the Priority office would not adopt the findDevelopment Assistance Fund ings of the panel formed by his (PDAF) and the Disbursement predecessor, former Justice SecAcceleration Program (DAP) retary Leila de Lima, who invescases, Justice Secretary Vitaliano tigated the cases during the preAguirre II announced on Thurs- vious administration of President day, May 11. u PAGE A2 Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

DATELINE

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

City of LA files suit to combat wage theft, protect immigrant rights Home care company sued for allegedly underpaying mostly Filipino caregivers AS a way to tighten up on citywide wage theft, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office has filed a lawsuit against a home care provider for underpaying caregivers and failing to provide overtime pay. The suit goes against Canoga Park-based home care provider Emelyn Nishi, who owns Health Alliance Nurses Corp. and Hand Homecare Provider, Inc. Nishi’s companies have “systematically denied” fair wages to about 200 caregivers, most of whom are Filipino, according to LA City Attorney Mike Feuer. “Stealing wages from hardworking people just trying to make ends meet is reprehensible,” Feuer said at a press conference at City Hall on Wednesday, May 11. “No worker should be forced into poverty because their employer denies them a wage to which the law entitles them.” According to the suit, the caregivers were

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Fil-Am LAPD cop in need of Filipino bone marrow donor

FINDING a bone marrow donor can often be exhausting and challenging. If you’re of Asian descent, it’s particularly more difficult given that the bone marrow registry shortage of Asian donors. That’s the current predicament for Filipino-American Matthew Medina, 40, an officer of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) gang unit who has served for eight years. He was diagnosed on March 30 with aplastic anemia, an autoimmune disease that ceases the production of new blood cells and severely weakens the immune system. The diagnosis came as a huge surprise to the married father of two, given his relatively good health history. He went to the doctor for a petechial rash on his hands and forearms, which he thought was an allergic reaction. When Medina had his rash checked out, doctors discovered that his platelet level was at four; a healthy person’s level is at

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Cayetano bares plan for Dept. of Foreign Affairs by AJPRESS

INCOMING Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano revealed his plans for the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), following President Rodrigo Duterte’s announcement of his appointment. In a press conference on Wednesday, May 10, Cayetano said the department would prioritize the Incoming DFA Sec. Alan Peter Cayetano welfare, protection, and comfort of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Assuring that all the DFA officials would “not have their own agenda or their own foreign policy,” Cayetano said that they would “all work hard together to implement the foreign policy of the Philippines.” He also promised to “keep building bridges” with other countries while maintaining good relationships with allies. “The new bridges, the new friends that the president established and then how do we repair kung meron mang problema sa old allies natin (our relationship with our old allies if we have problems with them),” Cayetano told reporters at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He added that it is the mission of the DFA to follow the president’s policy while “building bridges.” Cayetano also vowed to refrain from using “microphone diplomacy” once he took his post as the new foreign affairs secretary. While clarifying that it is the duty of the government to remain transparent on all of its policies, including foreign policy, Cayetano, however, noted that there are diplomatic issues that should not be publicized. “Minsan kasi ang alam na naman nung iba, ’yung policy. Pero ‘yung stategy ang gustong kwestyunin o gusto pag-usapan. Eh saan ka naman makakakita na

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DUTERTE ATTENDS WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM. Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen welcomes President Rodrigo Duterte at the Sokha Hotel in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia at the opening of the World Economic Forum on ASEAN on Thursday, May 11. Malacañang photo by King Rodriguez

Pres. Duterte pushes for a drug-free community at World Economic Forum by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte emphasized the need of eradicating drug impunity during the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Thursday, May 11, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In his keynote speech, Duterte urged the international leaders to pursue a drug-free community to protect the younger generation from harm brought by narcotics. The Filipino president warned that drugs threaten the Southeast Asian youth’s potentials, which he described as “among the best and are most creative, intelligent, and innovative in the

world.” “We cannot turn a blind eye on the scourge of illegal drugs that threatens our youth and the future of our societies,” Duterte said. He then urged international leaders to “take a committed stand” in dismantling and destroying the “illegal drug apparatus.” “We must reaffirm our commitment to realize a drug-free ASEAN community,” he added. Noting that the ASEAN “is a demographic sweet spot and is likely to post Asia’s fastest economic growth rates in the coming years,” Duterte also encouraged international leaders to invest in human capital, particularly in the young workforce. He went on to say, “The youth is certainly a

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Duterte’s net worth increases by P3 million since becoming president he assumed the presidency. His SALN attributed the increase of his net worth to his PHILIPPINE President Ro- cash on hand or bank—which drigo Duterte’s net worth went rose from P15.31 million in the up by over P3 million during his first half of 2016 to P18.45 milfirst six months in the office, ac- lion by the end of the year. cording to his latest statement of Duterte’s net worth, however, assets, liabilities and net worth is about P1 million less from his (SALN) released by the Office of P28.43 total declared assets. the Ombudsman on Friday, May This is apparently due to his 12. personal loan to Samuel Uy, who In his SALN, Duterte declared is also known to be among his a net worth of P27.43 million top donors during the presidenas of December 2016, which is tial campaign period. higher compared to P24.08 milDuterte’s assets previously lion, as of June of last year when amounted to P25.18 million as of

by AJPRESS

June 2016. His investments, on the other hand, went down to P3 million from P3.9 million during the same timeline. His interests in Honda Cars in General Santos City and Poeng Yue Foundations, Inc. in Davao City were also no longer included his December 2016 SALN. However, an entry for “other personal properties” totaling P1 million—which did not appear in his June declaration—was added. Meanwhile, Duterte’s total

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CELLPHONE SIGNALS BLOCKED ANEW IN MANILA

PH tightens security amid terror alerts by DEMPSEY

REYES ManilaTimes.net

WATCHING QUIAPO. Manila policemen inspect the site of an explosion in Quiapo, Manila on Saturday, May 6 that killed two people. The area is being guarded by hundreds of security personnel as the Philippine National Police maintains a close watch amid reports that the blasts could be the handiwork of terrorists. ManilaTimes.net photo by Rene Dilan

AUTHORITIES have ordered tighter security measures amid warnings of terrorist activity in Palawan issued by the United States (U.S.) and the United Kingdom (UK), even as the alerts were downplayed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP). The U.S. and UK embassies posted a travel advisory on their respective websites Tuesday night, urging their citizens to refrain from visiting Palawan amid the presence of terrorist groups. The embassies cited “credible sources.” Lt. Gen. Raul del Rosario, chief of the AFP

Western Command, said that based on intelligence information, the threat was “not that big,” adding that the U.S. and UK were only being protective of their citizens. In April, a number of countries issued travel warnings covering Bohol and Cebu, which were followed by deadly clashes between the military and Abu Sayyaf bandits in Bohol’s Inabanga town. “There are earlier reports about that… what we did is we heightened our alert. We formed inter-agency task groups because of that,” del Rosario told reporters in Filipino. The “security posture” in the area was intensified after four anti-terrorism meetings with officials of the resort island of Coron in

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