093017 - Los Angeles Weekend Edition

September 30-October 3, 2017 Volume 27 - No. 79 • 4 Sections – 32 Pages

DATELINE

USA

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Northeast LA to vote for new assemblymember on Oct. 3 The special election seeks to fill the vacant seat in CA’s Assembly District 51

ON Tuesday, October 3, Angelenos from a handful of communities on the northeast side of Los Angeles will head to the polls to vote for a new representative in the State Assembly.

The special election was announced after former State Assemblymember Jimmy Gomez of Assembly District 51 (AD 51) was elected to the United States Congress in June.

AD 51 comprises an ethnically and culturally diverse electorate, which includes the neighborhoods of Chinatown, Cypress

White House confirms Trump’s travel to Manila in November

by AJPRESS

UNITED States President Donald Trump will visit the Philippines during his upcoming 11-day trip to Asia in November, White House announced on Friday, September 29.

The president, joined by his wife

Melania, will travel through the region from November 3 to 14 that will also include stops in Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, and Hawaii.

According to the White House, Trump will participate in a number of meetings that will demonstrate his “continued commitment to the alliances and partnerships of the United

States in the region.”

The U.S. leader is set to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Vietnam and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in the Philippines, among other events.

During his trip, Trump plans to discuss the importance of a free and

open Indo-Pacific region to America’s prosperity and security. He is also expected to highlight the importance of fair and reciprocal economic ties with America’s trade partners.

White House added that the U.S. leader’s engagements will further “strengthen the international resolve

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Palace Spokesperson Ernesto Abella

Inquirer.net photo

PH denies culture of impunity, tells UN members: ‘We will never accept dictation’

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

U.S. Ambassador Sung Kim with Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana during a meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 26.

Photo from Twitter/@USAmbManila

US reiterates support for PH counterterrorism efforts

THE United States on Tuesday, September 26, expressed its continued support for the Philippines’ counterterrorism efforts, following the successful staging of a joint drill dubbed as “Tempest Wind.”

“The United States will continue to support Philippine counterterrorism efforts and work jointly to address shared threats to the peace and security in the region,” U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim said.

In a press briefing, the U.S. envoy reiterated the strong relationship between Manila and Washington, citing the Tempest Wind as the “latest and very significant example”

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REMEMBERING THE BALANGIGA ENCOUNTER. President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, September 28, led the 116th commemoration of Balangiga Encounter Day, calling those participated in the uprising “real patriots.” The president laid a wreath in the monument of Capt. Valeriano Abanador, the leader of the Samarenos who attacked American soldiers in Balangiga in September 1901. The president said that while the Americans committed misdeeds in the past, including their reprisals against the Filipinos in Balangiga, the incident is already water under the bridge.

THE Philippine government on Friday, September 29 said it is open to accept help from its foreign allies in combating narcotics, corruption and criminality in the country, but not “dictation” on the process.

Palace Spokesperson Ernesto Abella made the statement after 39 member-states of the United Nations (UN) recently expressed

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Malacañang photo by Ace Morandante

Duterte seeks US help against drug trade

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, September 26 urged the United States to work closely with his government against drug smuggling, saying international syndicates are using the Philippines as the transshipment point.

In a speech, Duterte claimed that the socalled Taiwan-based Bamboo triad and Hong Kong-based 14-K triad were using the country as a hub for shipping drugs to other countries, including the U.S. “The Philippines is a transshipment of sha-

bu (crystal meth) to America and it behooves upon America to work closely with the Republic of the Philippines, especially on this serious matter,” Duterte said at the 56th-anniversary celebration of the Philippine Constitution Association.

“We are flooded with drugs and the locals here have been taken in but they participate in the [production] of the selling. And I think they are happy because they are protected,” the president added.

Duterte won the presidential elections last year with curbing narcotics as among his ma-

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Homeland Security to begin collecting immigrants’ social media info Immigration applicants to be subjected to further gov’t surveillance

by KLARIZE

MEDENILLA AJPress

JUST days before the announcement of President Donald Trump’s latest version of the travel ban, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) quietly introduced an amendment to its record regulations that would allow federal officials to collect data from immigrants’ social media history.

The DHS published the new rule in the Federal Register last week that would include “social Beginning October 18, the Department of Homeland Security will begin collecting social media media handles, aliases, associdata from all immigrants entering the United States.

Photo from dhs.gov ated identifiable information,

and search results” as a part of an immigrant’s file. The new rule takes effect on Oct. 18.

Affecting green card holders as well as naturalized citizens, the DHS — along with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) — now has permission to look through immigrants’ posts on their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts, adding to the increased government surveillance of immigrants’ internet activity since the beginning of former President Barack Obama’s administration.

In short, the government will

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Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales

Inquirer.net photo

Ombudsman to Duterte: If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear

by GAEA

KATREENA Philstar.com

CABICO

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman on Friday, September 29 vowed it would continue its probe into President Rodrigo Duterte’s alleged clandestine wealth despite the chief executive’s threat that he would form a commission to investigate the supposed anomalies in the anti-graft agency.

“Sorry, Mr. President but this

office shall not be intimidated,” the Office of Ombudsman said in a statement.

It added: “The president’s announcement that he intends to form a commission to investigate the Ombudsman appears to be a retaliation to our ongoing investigation. We will nonetheless proceed with the probe as mandated by the Constitution.”

On Thursday, September 28, Duterte warned that he would

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A September 30-october 3, 2017 • LA WeeKeND ASIAN JoUrNAL

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

From the Front Page

White House confirms Trump’s...

PAGE A1 t to confront the North Korean threat and ensure the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

Last April, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence announced that Trump would visit the Philippines in November, but the president’s

participation at the Manila summit had been uncertain until recently. “[Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte] invited us, so we’re going to see,” Trump told reporters when asked two weeks ago about the ASEAN summit.

Last May, Trump also invited Duterte to visit the White

Pres. Donald Trump

White House photo

House—a move criticized by some U.S. officials due to the alleged killings and human rights abuses under the latter administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.

Duterte, who has been criticizing Washington for allegedly interfering with the domestic affairs of the Philippines, said he has no plans to ever set foot in U.S. But in a recent speech, the Philippine president said he’s now on friendlier terms with the U.S. During the 116th commemoration of the Balangiga Encounter Day in Eastern Samar on Thursday, September 28, Duterte said the U.S. government has “redeemed themselves a lot.”

“There are so many factors involved but I’d rather be friendly to them now because aside from these episodes of, I said, sad incidents, overall I think the Americans also redeemed themselves a lot,” the president remarked on Thursday, September 28.

Known for his expletive-peppered speeches, Duterte added that he was also advised by the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to “temper [his] language.” n

MESSAGE SENT. More than 16,000 students of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) form the ‘largest human sentence’ – ‘My teacher is my hero’ – on Friday, Sept. 29 to mark National Teachers’ Month. The feat broke the Guinness record previously held by India.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Mike De Juan

PH denies culture of impunity, tells UN...

PAGE A1 t “serious concern” over Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s so-called drug war.

“We will always be happy to accept the help of our foreign friends. But we will never accept dictation on how we are managing our own internal domestic processes,” Abella said.

Iceland, on behalf of 38 other countries, earlier this week criticized the thousands of killings and the “climate of impunity” reportedly linked to the anti-illegal drugs campaign in the Philippines.

During the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia) on Thursday, September 28, Iceland asked the

Duterte seeks US help...

PAGE A1 t

jor campaign promises.

Washington has expressed its support to the Philippine government’s efforts in fighting illegal drugs but has denounced the alleged killings and human rights abuses in the so-called drug war.

Duterte said about 40 percent of barangays in the Philippines are affected by the drug menace, which he called a “disease.”

He reiterated his warning against drug personalities, say-

ing he would not hesitate to kill them if they destroy the future of the country. He clarified, however, that due process will be observed during operations.

“When it comes to this country, I could be the most brutal but I do not lose sight of the Constitution…

I have been a prosecutor, I know what due process means,” Duterte said. “I do not want killing innocent Filipino people.”

Friendlier with the US In a speech on Thursday, Sep-

Philippine government “to take all necessary measures to bring these killings to an end.”

It also requested for the Philippines “to cooperate with the international community to pursue appropriate investigations into these incidents.”

Among the signatory countries include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, and Lithuania.

Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Neth-

erlands, UK, Ukraine, and United States also signed the joint statement.

“We remain particularly concerned about the thousands of killings and the climate of impunity associated with the war on drugs, and note the government’s recent stated commitments to observe the due process in investigating these crimes,” Högni Kristjánsson, the permanent representative of Iceland to the UN, said.

Reacting to the international community’s call, the Philippine government insisted that “there is no culture of impunity” in the country.

Abella assured that the Philip-

tember 28, Duterte said he’s now on friendlier terms with the U.S. During the 116th commemoration of the Balangiga Encounter Day in Eastern Samar, Duterte said the U.S. government has “redeemed themselves a lot.”

Duterte has repeatedly slammed Washington for urging Manila to stop the supposed drug war deaths, accusing the U.S. of interfering in the domestic affairs of the Philippines.

“There are so many factors involved but I’d rather be friendly to them now because aside from

these episodes of, I said, sad incidents, overall I think the Americans also redeemed themselves a lot,” the president remarked.

Known for his expletive-peppered speeches, Duterte added that he was also advised by the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to “temper [his] language.”

“I was under advice that the negotiations are going on, that the government of America is looking for ways how to get out of this problem of the Balangiga bells be-

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FROM THE FRONT PAGE

Northeast LA to vote for new assemblymember...

PAGE A1 t Park, Eagle Rock, Echo Park, Edendale, Glassell Park, Highland Park, Montecito Heights, Silver Lake, El Sereno, Lincoln Heights, Monterey Hills. Parts of East Los Angeles and City Terrace are also housed in AD51.

Demographically, Latino voters dominate AD51 with 57.1 percent of the population, but the district boasts a rich Asian American electorate with 11 percent. Filipino Americans are the largest Asian American group with more than 10,000 living in the district.

Additionally, Fil-Am voters have the power to shift the election since they come out at about 19 percent voter turnout; in comparison, Latino voters only average a 12 percent voter turnout.

There are currently 13 candidates running for the vacant seat. If no one receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates that received the most votes will face off in a run-off election in December.

For voters unfamiliar with the candidates, here’s a list of candidates running for AD 51.

Andrew Aguero, Libertarian A student and construction worker, Aguero’s key campaign issue is lowering taxes. Speaking at a candidates forum in early September, the young candidate said he supports improving public schools and he is against affirmative action. He is the son Peruvian immigrants and is running for AD 51 to combat Establishment politics and “career politicians.”

Dr. Ron Birnbaum, Democrat Dr. Birnbaum is a secondgeneration Argentinean-American who works as a physician in Los Angeles. A staunch supporter of health care reform, Dr. Birnbaum’s key campaign promise is to advocate for single-payer health care. If elected, he vows to support SB-562, the state’s single-payer bill in which the state would cover all healthcare costs, including copays and out-of-pocket expenses. Dr. Birnbaum has been endorsed by the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, CA Nurses Association and State Senator Josh Newman among others.

Wendy Carrillo, Democrat A long-time community advocate based in Boyle Heights, Carrillo is a journalist and former host of “Knowledge is Power” on Power 106. Carrillo is a

Mexican-American immigrant who was formerly undocumented; she considers herself a champion for quality education, affordable health care and workers’ rights. Carrillo has been endorsed by the CA Democratic Legislative Women’s Caucus, Emily’s List and CA Assemblymembers Cristina Garcia, Connie Leyva and Nancy Skinner among others.

Alex De Ocampo, Democrat Second-generation FilipinoAmerican De Ocampo grew up in and around Historic Filipinotown and was a charitable foundation adviser, helping establish youth programs in LA. Vowing to be an active progressive voice in the Assembly, his key issues include providing quality child care, health care, paid family leave and promises to increase job creation. He has been endorsed by U.S. Reps.

Brad Sherman and Kyrsten Sinema, LA City Councilmembers Mitch O’Farrell and Bob Blumenfield, Equality California, Board of Equalization member Fiona Ma and CA Assemblymembers Matt Dababneh and Rob Bonta, among others.

Mike Fong, Democrat Fong, an LA Community College district board trustee, vows to primarily focus on improving the quality of public education and workforce training in the district. He also serves as Director of Policy and Government Relations for the City of LA’s Dept. of Neighborhood Empowerment, where he collaborates with community leaders on policy development and government relations. Fong has been endorsed by U.S. Reps. Judy Chu and Ted Lieu, CA State Treasurer John Chiang and LA City Councilmembers Paul Koretz, Curren Price and David Ryu among others.

Patrick Koppula, no party affiliation In 2016, Koppula served as a Presidential Innovation Fellow for the Obama administration where he worked to ignite voter participation and government innovation. The first generation immigrant promises to focus on quality education, environmental justice, health care for all and affordable housing.

Luis Lopez, Democrat The progressive Lopez served as a board member of Planned Parenthood - LA for 7 years and has devoted his political career to expand access to quality and affordable health care, with a

particular focus on women’s reproductive rights. He also plans to fight for affordable housing and improving the city’s transportation system. Lopez has been endorsed by CA State Controller Betty Yee, LA City Councilmembers Mitch O’Farrell and Paul Koretz, U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, Planned Parenthood - LA and the Sierra Club among others.

Mario Olmos, Democrat Founder of the Your Voice Matters organization, Olmos’s platform solely focuses on ending sexual abuse of children.

Through his organization, he aims to bring awareness to juvenile sexual abuse through an “education first” approach.

Other key issues in his platform include providing access to higher education and uplifting the district’s senior community.

John Prysner, Peace and Freedom Party Prysner is currently a warehouse operations coordinator and the only socialist running in this election. As state assemblymember, he promises to combat rising rents and provide more affordable housing, reducing police brutality and uplifting communities of color.

Gabriel Sandoval, Democrat Boasting a career as a civil rights and education law attorney, the Cypress Park native has worked for former President Barack Obama for the White House Initiative on Educational

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 3, 2017

US reiterates support for PH...

PAGE A1 t

of the two countries’ “close ties.”

Over 1,200 Philippine and U.S. civilians and military officials participated in the bilateral, interagency exercise that ran from September 18 to 26 in Clark Field, Pampanga.

According to Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, the Tempest Wind “focused on an aircraft hijacking and hostage-taking scenario.”

Kim said the exercise “simulated a scenario involving a real commercial airliner filled with over 150 actors who played hostages created a realistic environment to test bilateral, interagency decision-making and tactical response.”

During the simulation, eight Islamic State (IS) terrorists hijacked a passenger plane from Sydney, Australia bound for Honolulu, Hawaii. The aircraft was forced to land in Clark, north of Manila.

In the scenario, commandos neutralized all hijackers after failing to negotiate for about 72 hours.

“Tempest Wind was unique in important ways and went far beyond our normal array of joint exercises. It was a challenging interagency drill for both sides, intended to test and improve the ability of our nations to plan, coordinate, and conduct counterterrorism operations,” the U.S. envoy said.

Ombudsman to Duterte...

PAGE A1 t

investigate the Ombudsman if it would not be fair in handling his case and those of members of the erstwhile ruling Liberal Party.

The president’s threat came after the anti-graft body announced that it was launching a fact-finding probe into the alleged billions of cash flow that the family of the chief executive supposedly transacted.

“You’ll be investigated also. One of these days, kayo ang sigurado kong hahabulin dahil nga yung partiality ninyo,” he said. “Pag hindi ninyo imbestigahan sarili ninyo, ako mag-set up ng commission to investigate you as a president with investigating powers.”

Responding to the controversies of corruption, the agency said it has “always welcomed the efforts help us continue cleanse our ranks.”

The anti-graft office challenged

the president, “If the president has nothing to hide, he has nothing to fear.”

On Wednesday, Carandang was quoted as saying that his office had already received the bank transaction record of the president’s family from 2006 to 2016 from the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

The fact-finding investigation stemmed from a case filed by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV alleging that the first family had hidden wealth.

But AMLC on Thursday denied that it had provided Ombudsman with a report detailing the transaction history of the first family’s bank accounts.

Ombudsman Conchita CarpioMorales has inhibited herself from acting on any case filed against the first family.

Duterte’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, is married to Morales’ nephew, lawyer Manases Carpio. ■

He also noted that the drill “presented an unprecedented opportunity for comprehensive training for both senior leaders and action officers.”

Tempest Wind was held amid clashes between government troops and the pro-IS Maute group in Marawi City, Mindanao.

Since the crisis broke out on May 23, the U.S. has been providing technical assistance to Filipino troopers battling extremists.

Apart from technical assis-

A3

tance, Washington also recently donated P730 million ($15 million) in humanitarian aid for the ongoing relief operations and rehabilitation of the besieged city.

Lorenzana, for his part, expressed confidence that the terrorism in the region will soon be quelled.

“With the help of our friends and allies like the U.S., I am confident that we can nip this problem in the bud before it grows and affects other parts of the country, the region, and the world,” the defense secretary said. (Dana Sioson/AJPress)

A September 30-october 3, 2017 • LA WeeKeND ASIAN JoUrNAL

Dateline USa

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Governor Brown signs bill to move 2020 primary to first Tuesday in March SACRAMENTO – Governor Jerry Brown has approved a plan to move California’s primary election from one of the last, to one of the first in the nation. Senate Bill 568, The Prime Time Primary Act, received bipartisan support in the State Legislature.

The Prime Time Primary Act moves the statewide primary to the first Tuesday after

the first Monday in March for presidential and non-presidential election years.

The California primary has traditionally been held in June, at the tail end of the presidential primary schedule. The late timing dilutes California’s impact and influence in the Presidential Primary nomination process. Last year, only the District of Columbia held

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a primary election after California.

California voters have a unique stake in shaping the national discourse and the selection of presidential nominees. 19.4 million Californians are registered to vote, far exceeding every other state in the nation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Golden State will no longer be relegated to last place in the presidential nominating process,â&#x20AC;? Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Californiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary will officially be in prime time. Candidates will not be able to ignore the largest, most diverse state in the nation as they seek our countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highest office. California has been a leader time and time again on the most important issues facing our countryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;including immigration, education, and the environment. The Prime Time Primary Act will help ensure that issues important to Californians are prioritized by presidential candidates from all political parties.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Governor Brownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature on SB 568 gives all Californians a more powerful voice in presidential primary elections,â&#x20AC;? said the billâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Principal Co-Author, Assembly Speaker pro Tem Kevin Mullin. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Given California is the sixth largest economy in the world, that one out of every eight U.S. voters lives in California, and that we have one of the largest and most diverse populations in America, it is only right that our primary election date makes â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;California Countâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; when choosing our presidential candidates.â&#x20AC;?

In 2008, California moved up its Presidential Primary to February resulting in the highest voter turnout for a primary election since 1980. The goal of Senate Bill 568 is to put Californiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presidential primary election in the top tier of states after Iowa and New Hampshire.

Senate Bill 568 also consolidates the state and presidential primary votes and moves up the primary election to March in non-presidential years to boost voter engagement, reduce costs for local elections and limit voter confusion. n

FIGHTING ILLEGAL DRUGS. Highway patrol Group head Chief Supt. Arnel Escobal (third, left) and Grab Philippines country head Brian Matthew Cu join Grab drivers and policemen during the launch of the Grab Road Safety and Security Training Program in Camp Crame on Tuesday, Sept. 26.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Ruy Martinez

PAGE A2 t

PH denies culture of impunity...

pines is investigating all of the claims. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The truth is: Our justice system does not tolerate any statesponsored extrajudicial killings,â&#x20AC;? the Palace official said.

He added, â&#x20AC;&#x153;All these accusations of extrajudicial killings and circumventing police procedures should be proven in a competent court and if found meritorious should result in appropriate sanctions against the perpetrators. Failing these, such claims are mere hearsay.â&#x20AC;?

Abella also lamented at how some parties â&#x20AC;&#x153;refuse to understand certain aspectsâ&#x20AC;? of the

countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;human rights efforts.â&#x20AC;?

He noted that the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;highest peer review body in the world on all matters of human rights,â&#x20AC;? had unanimously accepted and commended the Outcome Report on the Philippinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Universal Periodic Review (UPR) last May. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[We] showed the whole world our record in the human rights field. Our accomplishments were well recognized,â&#x20AC;? the Palace official added.

Abella also slammed ForumAsia for getting involved. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is unfortunate that Asian

Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia), in their desire to join the discussions on the matter, would rather look at the glass half-empty rather than half-full,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Forum-Asia previously welcomed the joint statement of the 39 countries. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If the situation in the country does not improve, the UN Human Rights Council must pass a resolution at its next session in March, establishing an international, independent investigation into killings associated with the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;war on drugs,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? Forum-Asia executive director John Samuel said. n

Northeast LA to vote for new assemblymember...

PAGE A3 t Excellence for Hispanics and the Office for Civil Rights with the Education Department. If elected, he plans to be a champion for fair wages, environmental protection, quality education and uplifting small businesses.

Sandoval has been endorsed by former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro and former U.S. Ambassador Carlos Moreno among others.

Barbara Torres, Democrat Torres is an advocate for workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; unions. Her campaign stances are unknown as Torres

currently does not have a campaign website or contact info.

Mark Vargas, Democrat Vargasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political career dates back to the administration of former California Governor Gray Davis, with whom he worked as a special assistant, supporting environmental interests in the state. He now works as a social investor in projects in Latin America and the U.S. His key campaign issues include providing quality public education and generating job growth.

David Vela, Democrat A professor at East LA college, Vela has worked with the

State Assembly during former Gov. Gray Davisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s term as Senior Advisor to the Employment Development Department. He currently serves as Senior VP at Lee Andrews Group, a public outreach firm in LA. His progressive platform focuses on economic justice, workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rights, quality education, universal health care and safeguarding the immigrant community. Vela has been endorsed

by LA City Councilmember Gil Cedillo, CA State Senator Ricardo Lara, Equality California and former State Assemblymember Mike Eng among others. (Klarize Medenilla/AJPress)

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Homeland Security to begin...

PAGE A1 t now be able to obtain information on any immigrant through all available digital means.

“This amendment does not represent a new policy,” the DHS said in a statement. “DHS, in its law enforcement and immigration process capacity, has and continues to monitor publicly available social media to protect the homeland. In an effort to be transparent, to comply with existing regulations, and due to updates in the electronic immigration system, DHS decided to update its corresponding Privacy Act system of records.”

According to Buzzfeed News, which first broke the news, the new rule may affect U.S. citizens who interact with immigrants; government officials may be given clearance to look through conversations between U.S. citizens and immigrants who pose a threat.

Although social media is usually reserved for intimate interactions with friends and family, the DHS sees these accounts as possible places that may determine a person’s threat level. Since its announcement, the rule has raised concerns over privacy.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) spoke out against the rule in a statement saying it’s another attempt to demean immigrants’ basic rights.

“This Privacy Act notice makes clear that the government intends to retain the social media information of people who have immigrated to this country, singling out a huge group of people to maintain files on what they say,” ACLU National Political Director Faiz Shakir said in a statement. “This would undoubtedly have a chilling effect on the free speech that’s expressed every day on social media. This collect-it-all approach is ineffective to protect national security and is one more example of the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant agenda.”

As the Asian Journal previously reported, the announcement of the new rule was introduced a few days before Trump announced the latest version of the controversial travel ban, which bans travel from at least eight countries and implements tight security restrictions to those that pose a threat to the U.S. The interest in including social media in the immigration vetting process dates back to the 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino, wherein the two suspects, Tashfeen Malik and her husband Syed Rizwan Farook, exchanged

private online messages expressing commitment to the jihad movement.

Since then, immigration officials and Washington lawmakers grew increasingly concerned over the use of social media by sympathizers of jihadist groups like the Islamic State (IS).

As a part of a bipartisan effort, members of Congress began urging the DHS to adopt new methods in collecting data that could lead to the capture of of potential terrorist threats.

Congressional Democrats called upon the DHS to include social media in its data collection methods following the San Bernardino attacks in hopes to stifle terrorist activity linked to IS. “We believe these checks, focused on possible connections to terrorist activity, should be incorporated into DHS’s vetting process for visa determinations, and that this policy should be implemented as soon as possible,” a group of Democratic senators wrote in a letter.

In early 2017, the DHS inspector general published a report that found that the existing programs that utilize social media when screening immigration applicants lacked “criteria for measuring performance to ensure they meet their objectives.”

The White House approved a new questionnaire in May wherein visa applicants must fill out that requests social media handles and accounts created within the last five years, in addition to reporting 15 years worth of biological information.

The Trump administration has maintained an interest in including social media in the vetting process despite there being no empirical evidence that those methods are reliable, as indicated in USCIS presidential transition records.

“Yesterday at our briefing with [Trump’s] Landing Team, one of the things they mentioned they’d be interested in seeing was guidance that we use regarding social media use and when/how we can use social media,” wrote one White House senior adviser in December.

According to the records, the USCIS asserted that immigration benefits were denied solely on the findings uncovered through social media vetting. Additionally, three refugee pilot programs used to screen social media accounts found that they did not link to any national security concerns, even for applicants that were considered national security threats. n

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano appears on the monitors inside the United Nations media center as he delivers the message of the Republic of the Philippines during the 72nd UN General Assembly in New York City on Saturday, Sept. 23.

Malacañang photo by King Rodriguez

Duterte seeks US help...

PAGE A2 t

cause it remains to be not only the source of irritation but the source of a painful reaction, what really happened to our countrymen,” he said.

In his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July, Duterte asked the Washington to return the bells of Balangiga church in Samar, which were seized by U.S. soldiers as spoils of war in the 1900s.

“I hope the Congress of America will give [U.S.] President [Donald] Trump the authority to return the bell…we will be happy,” Duterte added.

China, Taiwan In a statement, China said it has no information about Chinese syndicates operating in the Philippines.

“We do not know much (about) the syndicates or the drug rings that are operating in the Philippines,” Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua told reporters on the sidelines of the reception celebrating the 68th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China (PROC) held in Makati City.

He then added, “Well, if you have any intelligence or information with regards to illegal activities of the drug traffickers, we certainly share with the Filipino side like what we did in the very beginning. We continue to do so.”

Nevertheless, the ambassador gave assurance that China will not protect its nationals who have committed crimes in the Philippines.

“They need to be punished in accordance to the Filipino law. I think likewise, if any Filipino committed crimes in China, including illegal drug trafficking, they will also be punished in accordance with law,” he said.

He also expressed the Chinese

government’s continuous support to President Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs and drug-related criminal acts.

“We have already begun the inter-agency cooperation: sharing intelligence, providing equipment, and we hope that this kind of cooperation and coordination will be enhanced,” the ambassador added.

Taiwan, meanwhile, denied claims that the country was among the sources of narcotics entering the Philippines.

Citing statistics from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (Teco) noted that “most of the drugs [are] actually manufactured in the Philippines, not overseas.”

Teco also reiterated its support to the Philippines in its anti-drug efforts.

Open to probe Earlier on Wednesday, September 27, Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano met with his counterpart, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and told him that the Philippine government is open to probe into drug war but only if investigators will not “politicize” the process.

“We made it clear that we have nothing to hide and that we are ready to work with experts or observers as long as they are independent and fair,” Cayetano said, according to a statement released by the DFA. “We would welcome experts if they can assure us they would not politicize the investigations because we want to make sure the outcome would be credible,” the foreign secretary added.

During their meeting, Cayetano also clarified that “that contrary to media reports, the Philippines does not have a state policy allowing extrajudicial killings, especially of illegal drug suspects.” n

Dateline USa

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • SEptEmbER 30-OctObER 3, 2017

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Health Net awards $1.5 million to help close insurance gap, improve quality of care and enhance health outcomes 10 recipients are in Northern California, the Central Valley and Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES – Health Net, Inc. (“Health Net”), one of California’s largest health insurance companies, is awarding a combined $1.5 million to 10 health care and community-based organizations across the state to help close the insurance gap, improve the quality and availability of health care and enhance health outcomes in medically underserved communities.

These grants are supported

by Health Net’s Community and Infrastructure Investment Program, created as a result of the Undertakings agreed to

by Health Net and the California Department of Managed Health Care as a condition of the department’s approval of the merger between Centene Corporation and Health Net, Inc. “Increasing the number of insured individuals is an important part of our efforts to transform the health of the communities we serve,” said Steve Sell, president of Health Net of California, Inc. “We are partnering with key health care providers to help them expand their services and capacity for serving patients. By supporting these organizations, we are helping Californians be well and stay well.”

The organizations receiving the grants support a wide range of programs and initiatives that directly address many of the unmet needs of the state’s most underserved communities. Investments in these organizations, through Health Net’s Community & Infrastructure Investment Program, are intended to grow coverage in health insurance programs and help individuals find the care they need.

“Many of the recipients are committed to providing culturally relevant programs, education and services focused on medical, dental and behavioral health care to underserved populations,” said Carol Kim, vice president of Community Investments & Public Affairs for Health Net. “And they are committed to expanding outreach efforts to help individuals enroll and retain Medi-Cal and Covered California coverage and navigate the health care system.”

The recipients Northern California • Ampla Health: $150,000 to facilitate access to healthcare, educate consumers about the importance of good health and help families enroll in and renew their Medi-Cal and Covered California coverage.

• Sacramento Covered:

$150,000 to develop, integrate and implement MediCal and Covered California retention tools, protocols and strategies.

Central Valley • Centro La Familia Advocacy Services: $100,000 to support the Aseguré Su Bienstar (Secure Your Wellbeing) program, which helps increase awareness of the benefits and requirements of Medi-Cal enrollment through education and outreach activities at health fairs, community forums and workshops.

• Community Health Initiative of Kern County: $100,000 to increase enrollment and retention in the Medi-Cal program as part of the “Good Health Starts at Your Medical Home” program that serves largely agricultural communities.

Los Angeles • East Valley Community Health Center: $100,000 to educate individuals on their health plan benefits and how to access healthcare, and to increase access to social service resources.

• Institute for High Quality Care: $500,000 to support safety net healthcare providers statewide by increasing their capacity to apply quality improvement tools and tech-

niques to positively affect their required performance and quality measures, including HEDIS. And to design a program to increase the number of Medi-Cal providers engaging in, and sustaining, quality improvement efforts.

• Maternal & Child Health Access: $100,000 to implement enrollment and retention strategies, primarily for MediCal, and advocate on behalf of Medi-Cal beneficiaries.

• Northeast Valley Health Corporation: $100,000 to implement Medi-Cal and Covered California enrollment and retention strategies and provide education on navigating the healthcare system.

• Southside Coalition of Community Health Centers: $100,000 to educate local residents about enrolling in health coverage for low-income and undocumented adults and children, and provide carecoordination when patients are admitted to or treated in the emergency department at California Hospital Medical Center.

• The Children’s Clinic: $100,000 to increase enrollment and retention, primarily in Medi-Cal, through enhanced in-reach and outreach activities to help improve reenrollment rates. n

A September 30-october 3, 2017 • LA WeeKeND ASIAN JoUrNAL

Dateline USa

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PH eyeing US grant to develop infra in areas facing Philippine Rise Cayetano, US-Philippine

by Ben

O. de Vera Philstar.com

THe Philippine government is looking at pitching projects that will improve infrastructure along the eastern coast of Luzon island for funding under the possible second grant compact from the United States, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said.

Dominguez told reporters recently that the Department of Finance (DOF) was already preparing the pipeline of projects for a potential compact with the U.S. government’s Millennium Challenge Corp.

(MCC).

“We hired a consultant to put already a package of projects because we were saying that the MCC already started a project in the east coast of the Philippines—they have that 200-kilometer road (in Samar island), so I told them, why don’t we do study the possibility of putting good developments in the east coast of Luzon?” Dominguez said, noting of a lack of infrastructure in the coastal area facing the Pacific Ocean.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III

The MCC had noted in a recent report that the first compact that funded the Secondary National Roads Development Project in Samar rehabilitated 222 kilometers of a national road using climate-resilient standards as well as significant

File photo by JOAN BONDOC / Philippine Daily Inquirer

safety enhancements, hence “reduced transportation costs, expanded commerce, and helped to raise the incomes of the island’s people.”

Also, Dominguez said infrastructure development along Luzon’s east coast would ben-

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efit the adjacent “Philippine Rise” (Benham Rise), said to be rich in natural resources.

“We already have a new territory which is the Philippine Rise so we need ports where we can launch our research vessels, which we don’t have now. So might as well start developing that in places like Quezon (province),” Dominguez said.

In an Aug. 16 report, the MCC said the Philippines was among the candidate-countries for compact eligibility for fiscal year 2018.

Aside from the Philippines, the MCC had identified 66 countries belonging to the low-income category, on top of nine lower middle-income countries.

The MCC had said eligible countries were determined based on the following: the country’s demonstrated commitment to just and democratic governance, economic freedom and investments in its people; the opportunity to reduce poverty and generate economic growth in the country; as well as the availability of funds.

To recall, the Washingtonbased MCC in December last year deferred to make a decision with regards a new compact for the Philippines to be spent on programs and projects fostering economic growth as well as slashing poverty.

That time, the MCC said the Philippines was “subject to a further review of concerns around rule of law and civil liberties.”

The deferment was made when Mr. Barack Obama was still US President, who was critical of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.

An MCC scorecard released in November last year nonetheless showed that the Philippines garnered passing scores in 13 out of the 20 indicators, including control of corruption, rule of law and civil liberties—an improvement from the performance in 2015 wherein the country passed in 12 indicators. /jpv n

Society highlight strong bond between PH, US

Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alan Peter S. Cayetano with the leadership and executive officers of the US-Philippines Society on Wednesday, September 27 in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The USPhilippines Society tendered a lunch in honor of visiting Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alan Peter S. Cayetano on Wednesday, September 27 in Washington, D.C. The lunch was hosted by Co-Chair Ambassador John Negroponte (ret.), and attended by a number of Society Directors based in the United States, led by Society President Ambassador John Maisto (ret.).

In a wide-ranging discussion of bilateral and regional issues, Secretary Cayetano provided an overview of the Duterte Administration’s foreign policy priorities and outlined how the Society can work with the Philippine Government in further strengthening PhilippinesUS relations. The Secretary, on the other hand, was assured of the Society’s assistance in ensuring that the administration’s ambitious governance agenda is more fully understood and appreciated among the thought leaders in the United States, particularly in the US capital.

“Through all the shifts of policy and politics over the years, the strong bonds between the peoples of the Philippines and the United States have been a lasting foundation for Philippines-US relations.

I am honored and pleased by the lunch hosted by the US-Philippines Society because it is in such occasions that we get to learn

about and discuss opportunities where we can work together to enhance our mutual interests, shared values, and common aspirations,” the Secretary said after the lunch.

For his part, Ambassador Negroponte said, “Society members were deeply impressed with Secretary Cayetano. Our discussion covered the full range of current issues, emphasizing areas of bilateral cooperation, including enhanced business and investment opportunities.”

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the US-Philippines Society was launched in 2012 with the mission of raising the profile of today’s Philippines through programs on business, governance, culture, shared history, education, health care, immigration, strategic issues, and conflict resolution.

The bi-national Board of Directors includes some 30 private sector and community leaders, and is cochaired by Manuel V. Pangilinan (PH) and Ambassador Negroponte (US). The honorary chairs are Washington Sycip (PH) and Maurice “Hank” Greenberg (US).

The Secretary had earlier hosted a lunch for the Society at his residence in Taguig following their 23 February 2017 visit to a drug rehabilitation center at Camp Bagong Diwa during their Annual Board Meeting in the Philippines. n

Roach says Crawford camp waited for Pacquiao to get old by dinO

Maragay Philstar.com

UNIFIeD super lightweight champion Terence Crawford may have gotten a shot at Manny Pacquiao had his camp aggressively pursued the fight sooner.

That is the belief of Pacquiao’s longtime trainer Freddie Roach, who said that his 38-year-old prized ward is now too old to fight the younger Crawford.

In an interview with Marcos Villegas of FightHub, the bespectacled trainer shared his thoughts about Pacquiao taking on the dangerous 29-year-old Crawford.

“Well that’s a big fight but I also want him to fight Manny Pacquiao...Do we fight at ’40 (super lightweight) or do we fight at ’47 (welterweight)? I’d like to see Manny go down to ‘40 for that fight because Manny has much more firepower at ‘40 than he does at ’47,” Roach explained.

Pacquiao currently campaigns in the welterweight division, while Crawford has unified the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO super lightweight titles. A few years ago, there had been talk about pitting them against each other in a showdown.

But that fight never materialized, and Roach said it might already be too late.

“But it’s been a long time and Manny is 38 years old and he’s like 22 and competition-wise, it’s getting to the point where it’s very difficult to be in with the younger generations,” the multiawarded cornerman continued.

Indeed, Pacquiao’s age showed in his most recent outing wherein he struggled against a much-younger Jeff Horn, losing to the Australian in their July 2 fight in Brisbane, Australia. The Filipino icon appeared to be a shell of his former self as he found difficulty in dealing with

Horn’s rough tactics during their 12-round bout.

With what he saw in Pacquiao that day against Horn, Roach believes his fighter is too old to keep up with a young gun like Crawford, whom he said should’ve pressed harder for a fight with Pacquiao years ago.

“And uh, not to say Manny can’t do it but timing — they kinda waited for us to get old, or older — and I’d rather see Manny fight the rematch with Horn and go on from there,” said Roach.

“And it could be [Crawford] somewhere down the line, it could be any of those guys. But I do have my concerns ‘cause I do have to protect my fighter.”

“I still think it’s my job to put him in the right fights and I would hate to see any of my fighters get hurt. And so I’m very careful about who we choose but usually it’s a good choice.” n

RISING STAR. Filipino rising prospect Romero Duno (15-1-0, 13KOs) won by unanimous decision over veteran Juan Pablo Sanchez (30-14-0, 14KOs) of Huimanguillo, Tabasco, Mexico in their 8-round lightweight bout at The Forum in Inglewood, California Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila) on the undercard of the Jorge Linares vs Luke Campbell WBA world lightweight championship promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.

Judges scores: Rudy Barragan, 78-74; Pat Russell, 78-74; Fernando Villarreal 78-74.

This is Duno’s second victory in the United States after his stunning second round knockout victory over previously unbeaten Christian Gonzalez last March 10 at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles.

Photos by Jhay Oh Otamias

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D ateline PhiliPPines Robredo denies affiliation with Tindig Pilipinas Yolanda funds to be used for Marawi rehab

by Dana

SioSon

AJPress

PhiliPPine Vice President Ma. leonor “leni” Robredo said she is not a member of “Tindig Pilipinas,” a multi-sector coalition that calls for an end to the alleged spate of killings related to President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-illegal drugs campaign.

Robredo made the clarification more than a week after attending a mass organized by the group during the 45th anniversary of martial law declared by former President Ferdinand Marcos on September 21.

Duterte earlier declared the date as the national Day of Protest to pave way for Filipinos’ “call against all excesses and shortcomings of the government” and their “desire to uphold the highest standards of integrity, efficiency, and accountability in government.” “i am not part of Tindig Pilipinas. i was only invited along with those who are part of the fight against martial law before. That mass was important because it

Vice President Leni Robredo Inquirer.net photo

was a commemoration of the long period of struggle,” Robredo clarified.

The vice president noted that groups like Tindig Pilipinas should be “organic and coming from ordinary citizens, without the meddling of politicians.”

“The moment politicians take part in that, it’s as though their intentions are tainted in doubt, and the discussion detracts from the true issue,” said Robredo,

who also chairs the liberal Party (lP) group which took the opposition role in the current administration.

“Politicians like us will only adversely affect movements like this, because our intentions will be in doubt,” she added.

Tindig Pilipinas was launched on September 18. Senators Francis Pangilinan, Antonio Trillanes iV, and Risa hontiveros, and Magdalo party-list Rep. Gray Alejano of the Minority bloc attended the group’s launch.

Former Aquino cabinet members—former spokesperson edwin lacierda, former peace adviser Teresita Deles, and former education secretary Bro. Armin luistro—were also seen at the event.

On Wednesday, September 27, the group asked Duterte to either resign from his post of sign a waiver for his bank accounts amid Trillanes’ allegations that the president had billions-worth deposits.

Duterte previously said he will resign if proven that he has bank transactions amounting to billions of pesos. n

Philstar.com

Viray

MAnilA — Filipinos intending to travel to Taiwan may enter the island state visa-free as part of its government’s effort to promote its new Southbound Policy. in its new policy, the Taiwanese government has relaxed its visa rules from individuals from the 10 member-states of the As-

sociation of Southeast Asian nations and india.

The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is yet to decide whether the visa-free policy for Filipinos will take effect in October or november.

“After we open up the visa-free arrangements, in view of equal mutual benefits, we also hope they will make visa-free arrangements with Taiwan,” hsu Kongyung, the spokesman of Taiwan’s

Taiwan has relaxed its visa rules for citizens of Southeast Asian nations and India.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

reyeS ManilaTimes.net

The rehabilitation of Marawi City will be partly funded by the money allocated for victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda, according to Defense Secretary Delfin lorenzana. lorenzana on Thursday, Sept.

28, said the Budget department allotted Yolanda “savings” for the islamic city’s rehabilitation. he explained that Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno allocated P5 billion of the P7.5 billion fund meant to help victims of Typhoon Yolanda, particularly those in Tacloban City.

“They (Department of Budget and Management) got the P5 billion [from the Yolanda funds]and they allocated it for the meantime in Marawi to support the evacuees and the expenses that we are going to incur,” the Defense chief said in a news conference and media seminar on disaster risk reduction and management in Subic, Zambales.

The P5 billion will be used to build temporary shelters for Marawi refugees and fund relief operations, among other projects. lorenzana said the “real” allocation for the Marawi reconexecutive cabinet, said at a news struction may be released next conference on Thursday, Sep- year.

“What we are doing right now u PAGE A11

Taiwan grants visa-free entry to Filipinos

by Patricia LourDeS

by DemPSey

is clearing the debris to provide a clear way for the residents and we will be having an assessment, a post-conflict assessment then we will finish the master plan for development,” he explained.

“Then next year, once the budget is released in the first quarter, then we will start the reconstruction,” he added.

national Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (nDRRMC) executive Director Ricardo Jalad said the budget to be utilized in Marawi will also be sourced from various agencies who got “quick response fund.”

Jalad said all departments of the government have quick re-

u PAGE A11

A september 30-OctOber 3, 2017 • LA WeeKeND AsIAN JOUrNAL

OpiniOn

Congressional entitlements

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Features

Walk in the streets of Metro Manila and you risk being mugged or having your purse or mobile phone grabbed by a thief on a motorcycle. Take a jeepney ride and you risk losing your earrings to snatchers. There is no safety even in one’s home, which could be raided without warrant and looted by crooked cops in the guise of an anti-narcotics operation — unless your home is located in one of the exclusive gated villages where many lawmakers reside.

Those lawmakers already enjoy an inordinate share of the state’s resources for keeping the public safe, with police bodyguards and security escorts assigned to each member of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

There are over 100 million Filipinos. With a tenth of the population overseas, that’s still over 90 million people protected from lawlessness by only about 100,000 members of the Philippine National Police. That’s an average of one cop per 900 people, while each lawmaker gets at least two cops as security detail.

Not content with this, House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas wants to boost lawmakers’ entitlements with an entirely new police force assigned exclusively to guard not just members of Congress but also their spouses, children and other relatives by blood or marriage up to the second degree.

Fariñas, who recently received flak for telling

traffic cops not to apprehend lawmakers for traffic violations, defended his proposal by saying the US Congress has the same security setup. So where is it written that the Philippine government has to follow everything done in the United States?

How much would it cost to set up a special police force for Congress? That kind of money can go to government hospitals, where patients must wait in line before the crack of dawn to ensure that they will get medical attention. Some hospitals lack running water even for washing hands, and health personnel must bring their own alcohol and toilet paper.

Salaries of public school teachers, although increased in recent years, are still not enough to stop many from seeking jobs overseas even as nannies to get decent pay. Studies have also shown that decent shelters. there are members of the Philippine National PoThere’s a long list of other national priorities lice living below the poverty line and do not have more urgent than feeding the addiction of law-

Editorial

Philstar.com photo

makers to VIP treatment. They should be ashamed of themselves, but shame is a rare commodity in Congress. (Philstar.com)

Bernie Sanders files a bill for universal health care: Right for America?

AS CONGRESS scrambles whether The Fil-Am to repeal Obamacare and what to replace Perspective it with, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a bill in the Senate that attempts to actualize Gel SantoS-ReloS what he has been advocating for: health care is a right for all Americans, and not just a privilege to be accorded to and enjoyed by those who can afford it.

For Sanders, health care is not something that should be treated like a commodity or business dealings that are controlled by the “free market” — as espoused by Republicans — that is driven by market forces with profit as the end game.

Health care is a universal right, and the Sanders prescription to the problem of health care coverage and the escalating cost of care is for government to create a universal health care system that guarantees health care for all.

In his website, Sanders asserts that every other major industrialized nation has done so and that it is unfortunate and a shame that the United States — the most powerful and biggest

economy in the world — cannot guarantee this to its people.

Here are the arguments of Sanders’ legislative proposal that hopes to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, as stated

on his website: The Affordable Care Act was a critically important step towards the goal of universal health care. Thanks to the ACA, more than 17 million Americans have gained health insurance. Millions of low-income Americans have coverage through expanded eligibility for Medicaid that now exists in 31 states.

Young adults can stay on their parents’ health plans until they’re 26. All Americans can benefit from increased protections against lifetime coverage limits and exclusion from coverage because of pre-existing conditions. Bernie was on the U.S. Senate committee that helped write the ACA. But as we move forward, we must build upon the success of the ACA to achieve the goal of universal health care. Twenty-nine million Americans today still do not have health insurance

and millions more are underinsured and cannot afford the high copayments and deductibles charged by private health insurance companies that put profits before people.

The U.S. spends more on health care per person, and as a percentage of gross domestic product, than any other advanced nation in the world, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. But all that money has not made Americans healthier than the rest of the world. Quite simply, in our high-priced health care system that leaves millions overlooked, we spend more yet end up with less.

Other industrialized nations are making the morally principled and financially responsible decision to provide universal health care to all of their people—and they do so while saving money by keeping people healthier. Those who say this goal is unachievable are selling the American people short.

Americans need a health care system that works for patients and providers. We need to focus our federal investments on training the health care providers. We need to ensure a strong health care workforce in all communities now and in the future. We need to

build on the strength of the 50 years of success of the Medicare program. We need a health care system that significantly reduces overhead, administrative costs and complexity. We need a system where all people can get the care they need to maintain and improve their health when they need it regardless of income, age or socioeconomic status. We need a system that works not just for millionaires and billionaires, but for all of us.

Under Bernie’s plan, Americans will benefit from the freedom and security that comes with finally separating health insurance from employment.

That freedom would not only help the American people live happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives, but it would also promote innovation and entrepreneurship in every sector of the economy.

People would be able to start new businesses, stay home with their children or leave jobs they don’t like knowing that they would still have health care coverage for themselves and their families. Employers could be free to focus on running their business rather than spending countless hours figuring out how to provide health insurance to their employees.

Working Americans wouldn’t have to choose between bargaining for higher wages or better health insurance. Parents wouldn’t have to worry about how to provide health insurance to their children. Americans would no longer have to fear losing their health insurance if they lose their job, change employment or go part-time. Seniors and people with serious or chronic illnesses could afford the medications necessary to keep them healthy without worry of financial ruin. Millions of people will no longer have to choose between health care and other necessities like food, heat and shelter, and will have access to services that may have been out of reach, like dental care or long-term care.

Simply put, Bernie’s plan will provide all Americans with the sense of freedom and peace of mind that comes from knowing you always have access to the health care you need.

(To be continued)

*** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column 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

Yellows deploy Carpio-Morales deception trick used vs Corona

Commentary

RiGobeRto D. tiGlao IT is so astonishing that I couldn’t believe that they would try to use this trick again.

The Yellow horde has mobilized the same deception maneuver involving allegations of huge bank accounts which it used to incite outrage against Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2012, this time against President Duterte.

In 2012 during Corona’s impeachment trial, President Aquino’s close ally Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales got the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) executive director Vicente Aquino to give her the confidential bank records of the Chief Justice.

While hers was an investigation supposedly entirely different and unrelated to Corona’s impeachment, she reported her “findings” in the televised impeachment trial, to claim—in dramatic fashion as she waved in the air the AMLC report—that, as the screaming banner headline of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, put it, “CJ keeeping $12 M in 5 banks — Ombudsman.”

That created so much public outrage against Corona, more than sufficient for the 20 senatorjudges—who had been bribed

by President Aquino through the Disbursement Acceleration Plan funds—to use it as an excuse to

vote Corona guilty.

After five months of nearly continuous trial, the dollar accounts had been the only remaining issue against Corona since all the seven other charges against him, even the accusation that he had 45 real estate properties or the preposterous one that he didn’t pay his taxes, were totally debunked.

Bogus claim However, Carpio-Morales’ claim that Corona had $12 million in 82 dollar accounts in five banks was bogus.

The Ombudsman—with the help of one Heidi Mendoza, Aquino’s operator that he placed in the Commission on Audit— added all the transactions in Corona and his family members’ accounts for nine years to come up with her $12 million figure.

To illustrate, they added a time deposit of P100,000 and its withdrawal when it was terminated to claim that Corona had P200,000. Imagine how Corona’s alleged accounts would have been multiplied many times over since he would—as any depositor would—terminate so many time deposits and open so many others in a span of nine years.

My computation based on the records Carpio-Morales released publicly showed that at most, Corona had at its peak a balance of $600,000—an amount which he could very well explain as he was a corporate lawyer before he joined government, and

since the bank transactions that Carpio-Morales ‘revealed’ included those of his landed wife and children.

I was the only writer, in my Philippine Daily Inquirer column (“Colossal Deception on Corona’s assets”, May 17, 2012, PDI), to have pointed out this colossal deception, that I got worried about my sanity. In the very same opinion page, my colleagues there Randy David and Conrado de Quiros praised to high heavens Carpio-Morales for her “expose” with the former’s column titled “Ombudsman’s lantern”, and the latter, “Thank God for Conchita Carpio Morales”. My analysis would be later confirmed, after Aquino’s bribery of the impeachment was exposed, by other writers and even certified public accountants.

Alas, the Yellow Cult had such a tight grip on media in that dark era, that Carpio-Morales got away with this deception, and everyone just forgot about it. She should have been impeached and disbarred as a lawyer for making such grossly wrong accusations against Corona, who had been her friend and colleague for many years.

Evil trick The Yellow-Magdalo gang is now using the same Carpio-Morales’ devious deceptive trick, with the help of the usual antiDuterte media, in its effort to unseat Duterte.

The other day, the Internet

outfit Rappler’s “banner story” in the biggest font that can be used for an Internet website read: ”AMLC’s bank records on Duterte show P1-B flow of money – Ombudsman.” The Inquirer’s headline on Corona in 2012 was “Corona has 82 dollar accounts with $10M– Ombudsman”. (Rappler was the only publication which bannered the report Duterte’s alleged bank records.)

The trick is that while in both cases what is reported are transactions, the public is led to believe that these are the amount of money (“balances” in bank lingo) they are keeping in their banks, which are much, much less than transactions. There is also that old propaganda (and advertising) device of using huge numbers that can easily be remembered: $10 million, P1 billion.

The similarity doesn’t end with the headline words or the huge figures. The P1-billion claim refers to alleged bank transactions for years, as in the scheme against Corona, since Duterte was Davao City mayor, which was for 22 years, and includes those of his wife, his three children, and son-in-law.

Of course this time, it isn’t Ombudsman Carpio-Morales accusing Duterte, or else the vile operation would be so obvious.

This time it is her Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang, who disclosed to media that P1-billion figure. He

claimed it was based on the report of the Deputy Ombudsman for Mindanao Rodolfo Elman.

Carandang Who is Carandang? He appears to be a devotee of the Yellow Cult, together with his cousin, Aquino’s former communication officer Ricky Carandang, who I was told lobbied for his appointment. He was assistant ombudsman when Simeon Marcelo headed the agency.

Marcelo has been the second top Yellow counselor, after Mar Roxas’ campaign manager Avelino (“Nonong”) Cruz.

Carandang left the Ombudsman’s office when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appointed Merceditas Gutierrez to the post, whom President Aquino also pushed out. He rejoined it as consultant to Carpio-Morales when she took over in 2011.

Aquino in 2013 appointed him Overall Deputy Ombudsman, the highest ranking official in the agency after Carpio-Morales, leap-frogging the much-longerserving over 24 other deputy and assistant ombudsmen.

Aquino had to vigorously defend Carandang’s appointment since he had been charged several years back with robbery and extortion, in a case that stemmed from a corruption investigation involving a finance officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippine. The case, however, was dismissed by then Quezon City Chief Prosecutor Donald Lee. Former vice president Je-

jomar Binay also had claimed during the past elections that it was Carandang who headed the Ombudsman’s efforts to pin him down with hidden bank accounts and graft charges against him and his family.

To be sure, the P1 billion in money flow in Duterte and his family’s accounts that Carandang claims is so huge for somebody who was a mayor for 22 years, which if proven, would demonstrate the fact that the president was as corrupt as many — or most — mayors routinely are.

But then, if Carpio-Morales could exaggerate Corona’s money from $600,000 to $12 million, it would be a cinch for the younger Carandang to come up with P1 billion as Duterte’s wealth.

But the Yellow plot is really to force him out of office through public outrage, as the Constitution says he can’t be charged for anything while in office, and the Congress he controls won’t ever impeach him.

But do we really want at this time another political upheaval to remove a president for his alleged sins before he assumed power? Can’t they just wait a few more years, and then charge him for corruption when he leaves office?

Of course, the Yellows’ huge problem at this time is that they don’t have a venue like an impeachment trial covered by nationwide TV, as in Corona’s case. (ManilaTimes.net)

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.

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NV GOES TO ALABANG FAIR. Senator Cynthia A. Villar, chair of the Senate committee on Agriculture and Food, kicks off the opening of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Nueva Ecija Goes to Alabang Fair,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; an annual provincial trade fair sponsored by Nueva Vizcaya Provincial DTI and its government. Aside from leading the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Villar was also the guest speaker in the said occasion, which she says provides a good opportunity for Nueva Vizcaya to introduce and market their products in Metro Manila. She also says this is also a good venue for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and agri-entrepreneurs and farmers and fisherfolks that we should all support.

Senate photo

PDEA confirms monitoring activities of Chinese triads tagged by Duterte

by Ian

nIcolas cIgaral Philstar.com

MANILA â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency on Thursday, Sept. 28, confirmed that it has monitored the activities of two international syndicates that President Rodrigo Duterte said was behind the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country.

On Tuesday, Sept. 26, Duterte said two international syndicates were running the drug trade in Southeast Asia and called for a closer cooperation between Manila and Washington to combat their narcotics problems.

Duterte said the Bamboo triad of Taiwan and 14K of Hong Kong were shipping their drugs to Manila before sending them to the US. Asked if his agency has monitored such activities by the two criminal groups, PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino, in a text message to Philstar.com, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yes, of course.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We support the statement of PRRD,â&#x20AC;? Aquino added, referring to the president by his initials.

Countering Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s claim, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) earlier saidÂ

that Taiwan has been working with the Philippines in its fight against illegal drugs for years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Taiwan had never been the source of illegal drugs entering the country,â&#x20AC;? the TECO said in a statement.

The TECO added that Taiwan will continue to work with Philippine authorities to enhance cooperation and eliminate transnational drug trafficking.

For its part, the Chinese Embassy in Manila admitted that some Chinese nationals might be involved in the illegal drug trade. Nonetheless, it vowed that Beijing would not protect its nationals who are involved in the narcotics trade. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Not blaming any countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Meanwhile, MalacaĂąang also on Thursday clarified that the president was not accusing any country when he claimed that the Philippines now serves as a transshipment of narcotics to the United States because of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bamboo triad.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;He (Duterte) has a TV interview I think. He did say that he was not blaming any particular country, but that there was organized crime that was behindÂ

all this drug traffic. And he did refer to Bamboo triad,â&#x20AC;? presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a press conference. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is speculation as for my part, which I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t normally do. But as per his statements, he has... credible international sources,â&#x20AC;? Abella added.

Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son, Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, and sonin-law, lawyer Mans Carpio, are allegedly involved in the shipment of shabu worth P6.4 shipment from China. The Senate blue ribbon committee is currently looking into the alleged links of the younger Duterte and Carpio with the drug smuggling.

Critics claim that Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s war on drugs has encouraged summary executions and abusive practices. Duterte has denied condoning criminal acts and has promised to â&#x20AC;&#x153;slaughterâ&#x20AC;? policemen involved in extrajudicial killings.

Duterte also challenged the opposition to find a single policeman who could prove that he ordered the killing of innocent civilians. n

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A10 september 30-OctOber 3, 2017 • LA WeeKeND AsIAN JOUrNAL

Dateline PhiliPPines

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Poll: Most Filipinos believe slain drug suspects did not resist arrest percent of Filipinos agreed that the suspects killed under the police’s anti-drug operations did not More than half of Filipinos fight back, while 20 percent said polled believe that many of those they strongly agreed. killed in the police’s anti-drug A quarter of those surveyed operations did not resist arrest, or 25 percent were undecided, according to Social Weather Sta- while the remaining 20 percent tions (SWS). disagreed.

The SWS poll, conducted from Most of the respondents in June 23 to 26, revealed that 54 Metro Manila, 63 percent, believe

by LLanesca

T. PanTi ManilaTimes.net

that the police killed drug suspects even if these did not resist or fought back. Fifty-six percent of those from Luzon shared the same sentiment.

The percentage of those who are convinced that the suspects were killed summarily in the Visayas and Mindanao, on the other hand, are both pegged at 49 percent.

Moreover, 49 percent of Filipinos believe that “many of those killed by the police in the antidrug campaign are not really drug traffickers.”

Unpopular with the poor The survey showed that the Duterte administration’s antidrug campaign does not sit well with the poorest segment, with 58 percent of Class e and 54 percent of Class D believing that the police killed the suspects even if they did not resist. only 40 percent of those in Class A, B and C felt the same way.

Likewise, the SWS survey showed that 50 percent of Filipinos agreed with the statement that some people lie and accuse their enemies as drug users or pushers to have them killed by the police or vigilantes.

“Half of Filipinos agreed with the statement, with a higher rate of agreement in Metro Manila (63 percent), where most of the killings have occurred than the rest of the country. The level of agreement in Mindanao is 51 percent; in Visayas, 42 percent; and in the rest of Luzon, 50 percent,” the SWS survey read.

The poll was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults aged 18 years old and above nationwide, with 300 people surveyed in Metro Manila, Balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, respectively.

The sampling error margin for national percentage is three percent. The sampling error margin for national percentage for Metro Manila, Balance of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao is at six percent.

Presidential Spokesperson ernesto Abella did not agree with the SWS findings, arguing that the SWS poll questions are suspect.

“It seems that the survey contains leading and pointed questions that may have unduly influenced the answers of respondents,” Abella said. n

COURTESY CALL. President Rodrigo Duterte greets British Ambassador to the Philippines Daniel Pruce as he joins United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to the Philippines Richard Graham during a courtesy call on the President at the Malacañang Palace on Wednesday, September 27. During the trade envoy’s courtesy call, the President stressed his desire to further enhance the Philippines’ relationship with UK, particularly on trade and investment.

Malacañang photo by Richard Madelo

16 senators support Pimentel’s leadership

by PaoLo

RomeRo Philstar.com

MANILA — Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III will remain at the helm of the chamber despite attempts of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV to oust him, allies said.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said at least 16 senators are supporting Pimentel.

Trillanes earlier attacked Pimentel for his “passive” leadership in the Senate and efforts to cover up President Duterte’s alleged wrongdoings.

He threatened to campaign for the ouster of Pimentel if he does not do anything to replace Sen. richard Gordon as chairman of the Blue ribbon committee.

“Koko (Pimentel) will stay as SP (Senate President). The majority bloc, all 16 of us, are solidly supporting his Senate leadership,” Lacson said in his official Twitter account.

He said the 13 votes needed to oust Pimentel and elect a new one is “extremely improbable.”

Sen. Joseph Victor ejercito added Pimentel has the support of the majority of the senators.

“No reason for a change in leadership at this time,” ejercito said in his Twitter account.

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri also defended Pimentel and Gordon, whom Trilllanes also wants ousted for allegedly weakening the independence of the Senate by protecting those in power.

Senate President Koko Pimentel

He expressed confidence that Pimentel and Gordon “will survive this attack on their integrity and capability to carry out the mandates of their offices.”

“Their mettle as lawmakers have been tested and as mature politicians, they both display what it takes to face the challenges head on. I have full trust and confidence in them to continue on in their current positions,” Zubiri said.

He said the two senators’ performance withstood “the glare of public scrutiny.”

“They are doing their jobs well and I see no need to replace them,” Zubiri said.

Pimentel said he was “very thankful” for the support of his colleagues.

He was unfazed by Trillanes’ threat, saying “he can go ahead with his plans.”

Philstar.com photo

“This is a free country,” the Senate president said.

Trillanes earlier said Gordon was using the committee “to get leverage from people in power.”

“To me, for as long as Sen. Gordon is there, you will see that the independence of the Senate will be affected. For as long as Sen. Gordon is there at the Blue ribbon committee, I will put the blame and responsibility on Sen. Koko Pimentel,” Trillanes told reporters.

“So if he is not removed, I will really work hard to remove Sen. Koko Pimentel in order to remove Sen. Gordon, Blue ribbon committee chairman,” he added.

Trillanes said he raised the issue a number of times with Pimentel but nothing came out of them. n

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LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • SEptEmbER 30-OctObER 3, 2017

A11

Duterte bares Trillanes offshore accounts Marcos asks SC to junk Robredo supporters’ plea

by Christina

mendez

Philstar.com

MANILA — This time, the bank account details are real.

President Rodrigo Duterte has bared what he said were the real offshore bank accounts of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. In a television interview taped the other day and aired last night, the President said Trillanes received funds from sources abroad, which were being used apparently to destabilize his administration.

Duterte also cited an intelligence report revealing that Trillanes closed his DBS account at the Alexandra branch in Singapore on the eve of the senator’s departure with some members of the media last Sept. 19 to deny the existence of the accounts.

“Based on the analysis, the funds being laundered by Sen. Trillanes and his group may not be for their personal use but rather it’s being used for their cause, and possibly to destabilize government,” Duterte said in a taped interview aired over PTV 4 last night.

President Duterte reveals details on Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV’s alleged offshore accounts, including the names of his co-depositors such as ‘Robert Fong.’

Philstar.com photo

Showing a diagram of the purported bank accounts, Duterte said he got the information from another country that compiled details about the senator’s alleged money-laundering activities.

“Here is the screenshot of the DBS-Alexandria account…termination of Trillanes and where he sent the funds. He terminated it

online on Sept. 8, 2017 past 10 p.m and left for Singapore after that…” Duterte said.

The DBS account had some 200,000 but the chief executive did not mention what currency.

Duterte did not identify the country which provided him Trillanes’ bank details, but claimed it has been vigilant against money laundering activities abroad. “I cannot say what country,” he said.

Based on the diagram, the Trillanes account received amounts from individuals with Chinese-sounding names through fund transfers noted in many instances last year.

Among the names included in the monitoring sheet were Patrick Go, John Gomez and Roberto Wong.

“These people are from outside,” Duterte said.

When Trillanes closed his account, Duterte revealed there were also fund transfers to an account under the name of “Juan Antonio F. Trillanes.”

“Fund transfer withdrawal of $40,000 went to Juan Antonio F. Trillanes,” he added. n

Taiwan grants visa-free entry...

PAGE A7 t

tember 28.

Taiwan’s plan to grant Filipinos visa-free entry was supposed to take effect last June but was deferred due to the need to “complete relevant administrative procedures and inter-agency coordination.”

Nationals from the Philippines, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos who wish to visit Taiwan for tourism or a short visit are advised to apply for free travel authorization certificate, according to the official website of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines.

Those who will apply for a travel authorization certificate to Taiwan must meet the three following conditions: • The applicant’s passport must have remaining validity of at least six months starting from the date of arrival in Taiwan.

• The applicant must possess an onward/return air or ferry ticket.

• The applicant has never been employed as a blue-collar worker in Taiwan.

As additional requirements, one of the following conditions must also be met: • The applicant possesses at least one of the following docu-

ments issued by Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, any of the Schengen countries, the United Kingdom, or the United States.

• The applicant possesses a visa or resident card issued by R.O.C. (Taiwan) over the last 10 years and has had no evidence of past immigration irregularities or violations in Taiwan. However, holders of the R.O.C. (Taiwan) visas bearing a remark of “FL” (foreign labor) or “X” (others) and resident cards with the purpose of “Foreign Labor” are not eligible for a Taiwan Travel Authorization Certificate. n

Yolanda funds to be used for Marawi...

PAGE A7 t

sponse funds meant to be used during disasters.

Lorenzana said the budget of the NDRRMC for next year will be increased to P25 billion. Of this, P10 billion will be used for the rehabilitation of Marawi.

Diokno in July announced that his department has set aside P5 billion for Marawi, where soldiers have been battling Maute Group terrorists for four months.

Not murderers Lorenzana had said that the war in Marawi will be over by the end of September.

The Defense chief gave assurances that state troops will not kill the terrorists who will surrender.

Rep. Mauyag Papandayan Jr. of Lanao del Sur had said some Maute members are willing to surrender as long as they will not be killed by the military.

“Of course, we will not kill people who are surrendering.

Soldiers are not murderers. People who will surrender, we will take them and their fate is up to the courts once we filed appropriate charges against them, but they will not be killed if they surrender,” Lorenzana said.

“So I told him (Papandayan), anytime they (Maute) want to surrender, they can go out, they will not be killed,” he added. n

by Jomar

Canlas ManilaTimes.net

FORMER senator Ferdinand Marcos’ camp has pleaded before the Supreme Court (SC) to stand by its ruling that junked a prayer of the supporters of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo that they be allowed to pay the balance of her counterprotest fee.

Marcos is contesting results of the race for Vice President in the May 2016 elections, which he lost to Robredo by more than 200,000 votes.

In the pleading before the SC, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, Marcos said intervention of the Piso Para kay Leni Movement is against the 2010 rules of the electoral tribunal.

The Marcos camp said the poll protest is clearly a contest between the defeated and the winning candidates and allowing the petitioners to intervene by granting their plea would be “highly unprocedural” and has no legal or factual basis.

“It appears that the only purpose of the movants in intervening

in the case is to provide financial assistance to the protestee in defraying the cash deposit required for the counter-protest,” Marcos stated through his legal counsel George Erwin Garcia.

The group of Robredo led by Museo Pambata chairman Cristina Lim-Yuson has asked the Presidential Electoral Tribunal to allow them to pay the rest of Robredo’s counter-protest fee amounting to P7.4 million.

The SC earlier ordered Robredo to pay the amount of P15.4 million.

Other intervenors in the case are former social welfare secretary Corazon Soliman, former human rights commissioner Paulynn Sicam, former Bases Conversion and Development Authority board director Zorayda Amelia Alonzo, singer Celeste Legaspi-Gallardo and Ateneo de Manila University Press director Karina Bolasco.

“This is a necessary exercise of the right of suffrage considering that VP [Vice President] Leni will be deprived of her victory, we will be deprived of her victory because she is financially disad-

vantaged,” they said.

The intervenors added that they have already raised P7,442.

859.34 from more than 20,000 people as of August 30.

In his protest, Marcos assailed election results in 39,221 clustered precincts—36,465 of which he pays for the conduct of manual count and judicial revision Based on Commission on Elections data, the 39,221 clustered precincts are composed of 132,446 precincts.

Marcos, who lost to Robredo by 263,473 votes, accused her of “massive electoral fraud, anomalies and irregularities” such as pre-shading of ballots, pre-loaded Secure Digital cards, misreading of ballots, malfunctioning VCMs (vote counting machines) and an “abnormally high” unaccounted votes/undervotes for the position of Vice President.

The electoral tribunal has ordered retrieval of all ballot boxes and election paraphernalia in the three pilot provinces of Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental. n

Atio’s parents to meet Duterte on October 4 — Aguirre

by Kristine Joy

Philstar.com

Patag

MANILA — Parents of hazing victim, Horacio “Atio” Castillo III, will meet with President Rodrigo Duterte Wednesday next week, October 4, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said.

In a text message, Aguirre said that Horacio Jr. and Carmina went to the Department of Justice on Thursday, Sept. 28, a day after the agency issued a resolution ordering the release of John Paul Solano, one of the primary suspects in the case.

Aguirre said the parents “wanted to thank the DOJ for the things we are doing to help solve the case.”

Atio, a 22-year-old law student of the University of Santo Tomas, was believed to be a victim of hazing as part of the initiation rites of Aegis Juris Fraternity.

The DOJ, in its 7-page resolution released on Wednesday, stressed that a further probe would be conducted into Solano and 15 other members of Aegis Juris Fraternity who are facing multiple criminal raps filed by the Manila Police District and Atio’s parents.

Solano promised to identify

Atio’s parents, Horacio Jr. and Carmina Castillo, met with Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Thursday, September 28. They asked to meet with President Rodrigo Duterte. DOJ photo

his fraternity brothers who had a hand in the death of Atio in his affidavit that has yet to be submitted to the DOJ. The justice chief also issued an immigration lookout bulletin order against 20 persons of interest in the case, including Ralph Trangia who is being eyed as among the primary suspects in the case.

Trangia, however, reportedly fled to Chicagowith his mother on September 19. Separate criminal raps have been filed against

Trangia’s parents.

Aguirre added that Atio’s parents “want to get an audience with [Duterte], which was granted. They will see the president on Wednesday.”

Atio’s remains were buried on Tuesday, sept. 26, at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City.

The DOJ will start the preliminary investigation on the murder, anti-hazing and robbery raps against Solano and others on October 4. n

A12 SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 3, 2017 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Birdshotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; named Philippine entry to 2018 Academy Awards

by Rosette

Adel

Philstar.com

It is official! Award-winning film â&#x20AC;&#x153;Birdshotâ&#x20AC;? is the Philippinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; entry to the prestigious Academy Awards.

In its Facebook page, the production team of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Birdshotâ&#x20AC;? announced that the film was named as the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official entry to the Foreign Film Category of the 2018 Oscars. the 25-year-old director and writer of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Birdshot,â&#x20AC;? Mikhail Red, and Film Academy of the Philippinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; director general Leo Martinez also confirmed the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official nomination.

According to IndieWire, a news website for film and televi-

sion news, reviews, interviews and global festival coverage, â&#x20AC;&#x153;as many as 90 films could wind up vying for the initial shortlist of nine, and final five nominationsâ&#x20AC;? in the Foreign Film Category for the Oscars. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Birdshotâ&#x20AC;? features newcomer Mary Joy Apostol as Maya, a motherless farm girl who mistakenly kills a protected endangered Philippine Eagle.

It is described as a comingof-age thriller, which features a manhunt for the poacher of the national bird. the acclaimed film previously won Best Asian Future Film Award at the tokyo International Film Festival. Redâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cinemalaya

Fiipino wins Michael Boltonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s singing contest MIndAnAO native Lance Busa bolted into the limelight Wednesday, Sept. 27 when he won Grammy-award winning balladeer Michael Boltonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Asiawide singing contest.

Held in Malaysia and aired over Star World, Busa sang Boltonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;How Am I Supposed to Live Without You,â&#x20AC;? wowing the judges and winning the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bolt Of talentâ&#x20AC;? competition over thailandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mild Sittatikarnvech.

His prize includes a recording deal, as Subaru brand ambassador and the front act of Boltonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Asian dream tour concert, including the Manila leg on november 3 at the Marriott Grand Ballroom.

A finalist in the GMA network boyband reality search, â&#x20AC;&#x153;to the top,â&#x20AC;? the 22-year-old from Butuan City bannered the Philippines as compatriot Hans dimayuga was eliminated among eight

Lance Busa won Michael Boltonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Asia-wide singing contest.

Philstar.com photos

entry â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rekorderâ&#x20AC;? also made it to the category of the same festival.

It also received a production grant from the doha Film Institute. the film garnered the CJ Entertainment Award at the Asian Market at the Busan International Film Festival in 2015 and recently bagged the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipinoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Criticsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Choice Award. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Birdshotâ&#x20AC;? made rounds at almost 20 various festivals in the world. It is scheduled to be screened at the Adelaide Film Fest in Australia this October.

Aside from Apostol it stars John Arcilla, Arnold Reyes and Ku Aquino. the film is produced by â&#x20AC;&#x153;Birdshotâ&#x20AC;? features newcomer Mary Joy Apostol as Maya, a motherless farm girl who mistakenly kills a protected endangered Philippine Eagle.

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Aside from the two Filipinos, two Malaysians, two taiwanese and two thais made up the circle of contenders. days before the finale, Busa posted a smiling photo on Instagram. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do what Kenvin the stunt driver did to this Subaru Forester VX. Catch up on the latest episode of Bolt Of talent on Fox+ and repalys on @starworld_asia channel. Again, thank you for all the support! Means everything to me! PAdAYOn tA UG LABAn PILIPInAS! (Ituloy natin ang laban Pilipinas). #BoltOftalent #michaelbolton #teamphilippines #BOtph #BOtteamLance #bisayangdako.â&#x20AC;? (ManilaTimes. net)

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

Dr. Cristina D. Lopez: Always Performers announced for FPAC 2017 Fil-Am Laker Jordan Clarkson and Black Eyed Peas’ aspiring for excellence Apl.de.Ap among headliners

By Monet

Lu

They say, “experience is the best teacher.” Through it, we learn what makes us strong and what breaks us. It teaches us what to do and what to avoid. It makes us want to dream, live, laugh, fail, and try again. We live and get the most out of every experience so that when we look back, we have stories to tell, wisdom to impart and words to live by.

I had the pleasure of hearing some beautiful words from a beloved friend. She is one whose intelligence and beauty radiate so naturally. We’ve been friends for three years but I’ve admired her forever. She is half Spanish, half Chinese yet her warm and friendly personality makes her a full-blooded “Pinay.” her name is Cristina D. Lopez. Colleagues call her Dr. Lopez. She is also known as Dr. TeeLo (a moniker they coined by combining the syllables of her first and last name – like JLo). I know her as my dear friend, “Tina.” And the words you read below tell of Tina’s incredibly inspiring story.

By the way, if you happen to see her shaping young minds at the UCLA School of Dentistry (Section of Restorative Dentistry), speak to her — you might learn a thing or two. I did.

“I never wished to become a teacher,” was Tina’s exact line when I asked her what she wanted to be when she was young. She initially responded with what she did not want to become. Well, as with the famous line, “Be careful what you wish for ‘coz you might get it,” her case was quite the irony because she actually got what she did NOT wish for. Growing up, she wanted to be a dentist. Being a middle child and the only girl, she was determined — and it paid off — when she graduated Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) at the University of the east (UeRM) in the Philippines. She migrated to Virginia in 1997 and worked in Washington DC as a Dental Assistant for almost 10 years. After eighteen years, Tina now works at the UCLA School of Dentistry as a Lecturer/Clinical Instructor.

Not only did she turn out to be a great teacher, she is actually the only Filipina Instructor in the UCLA School of Dentistry.

“Do not settle for mediocrity.”

Dr. Cristina D. Lopez

you might be wondering how Tina switched from being a Dental Assistant to a Clinical Instructor. She did it by living up to her motto, “never settle for mediocrity.” Back when she was working in Washington DC, she had her eyes on getting her Dental Residency. however, things didn’t go as she hoped so she shifted to a slightly different direction – which meant moving to Los Angeles to start as an Administrative Assistant in UCLA’s Continuing Dental education office. In April 2007, she passed her board exam.

Circumstantial changes did not let Tina settle for anything less.

Instead she pushed forward and continued to pursue her dreams, which led her to discover her love for teaching. She can sum up her experience in two words: “Never Settle.”

“Always aspire for excellence.”

At work, no two days are the same for Tina. everyday is different; there are days when she has to stay late to supervise dental students, days when she sees patients, and days when she facilitates skills course for foreign post-graduate students. There are also weekends throughout the year where she teaches Continuing Dental education courses.

She has been doing all these for more than a decade. And has been in the same industry for the last 23 years. When I asked her what

makes her love her job, she said the sweetest thing: “Teaching is my calling and my passion. I love what I do because I care for the people I train. One of the most rewarding moments I had was when I heard some of them say to themselves while working under my supervision, ‘I want to be like her’.”

Tina always advises her students to strive for excellence in whatever they do. She also added that aside from her self-determination, she gets support and encouragement from her family and from her faith in God. “Teach others by showing.”

This is what Tina considers as an effective way to teach. She says that she herself learns by watching. And there’s no better way to emulate that but to “show and tell.”

To my friend Tina: Thank you for being a great teacher and friend.

May you continue to inspire more people by living and teaching these philosophies.

LOS ANGeLeS – The Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) is only a little over two weeks away. And in the lead-up to the event, organizers have announced the lineup of performers and guests slated to make an appearance at the festival. FilipinoAmerican Laker Jordan Clarkson and Black eyed Peas’ Apl.de.Ap are among the headliners for the festival.

Clarkson, 25, will make his first public appearance at a FilAm community event in LA during FPAC. Clarkson became an overnight sensation for Filipino basketball fans in 2014, when he was acquired by the Los Angeles Lakers via draft night trade from the Washington Wizards.

As a rookie point guard, Clarkson averaged 11.9 points per game, 3.5 assists, and 44.8 percent field goal shooting in 25 minutes of play. he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In the 2015-2016 season, Clarkson earned a spot on the starting lineup for the Lakers as the shooting guard. he played and started in 76 games, alongside Kobe Bryant at small forward, and D’Angelo Russell at point.

FilAm Arts’ interim executive director Tina Salonga-Bulchand expressed her excitement for Clarkson’s first-ever participation in FPAC. “Jordan’s efforts to connect with the Fil-Am community here in LA means a lot to us. We’re really excited to see him at FPAC,” Salonga said.

Apl.de.Ap of the Black eyed Peas will appear alongside R&B singer Jessica Reynoso. Reynoso was part of Apl.de.Ap’s team of vocalists in “The Voice Philip-

pines” Season 1. Reynoso made it through week 4 of the contest, but did not make the cut to continue to week 5. She went on to sign with BMBX, Apl.de.Ap’s Singapore-based content and artist development and brand marketing company.

Richie Traktivist, programming director for FPAC, said that they “very fortunate to have Apl. de.Ap back at FPAC this year.”

The Black eyed Peas frontman has been a mainstay at the festival for the past few years, advocating for his foundation, the Apl.de.Ap Foundation.

Diverse lineup of headliners and acts Aside from Clarkson and Apl. de.Ap, FPAC will also feature other headliners like DJ Virman of the Far east Movement, Kronika of Soulection, Anatalia Villaranda from The Voice Season 12, Bella Fiasco, and Joel Quizon (Disco Manila).

“I am extremely excited about this year’s group of performers because I believe they truly represent this year’s theme of SalinLahi or Bridging Generations,” Richie said.

According to him, the talent ranges from traditional and modern dance, classical and contemporary music, martial arts, and other art forms like stand-up comedy and practical magic. he also said that festival goers should expect musical genres like funky Manila Disco, hip-hop, R&B, Pop, electronic, Reggae, Funk, and OPM. “Our goal is absolutely to have something for everyone, a bridging of generations on stage,” Menchavez said. As the founder of TRAKTIVIST, a platform dedicated

Jordan Clarkson

Jessica Reynoso

*** 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

Town mates and Friends:

Please join us in celebration of our

508/ '*&45" TU '06/%*/( "//*7&34"3: 0' #"4$ JO -"4 7&("4 /&7"%" When: Saturday, October 7, 2017 Where: Gold Coast Hotel and Casino, 400 West Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89103 Prepaid Dinner Buffet ticket only: $65 per person Please make check payable to: Aludiya Lagmay-Ganzon 8119 Mary E Ellen Avenue, North Hollywood, California 91605 - or Priscilla Castaneto-Ruedas 6851 Dale Street Apartment # 16, Buena Park, California 90621

Apl.de.Ap

to promoting Asian Americans artists, Richie said that it was extremely important for him that the festival showcases talent that tends to get left out of heritage celebrations because of the lack of awareness coming from the public and community.

“We have an incredible lineup of dance instructors, producers, emcees, vocalists & musicians who are paving new roads for Filipinx Americans in music,” he said.

Other acts slated to perform include: Ryan Africa, Gingee, Katipunan Poetry Slam, Kayamanan Ng Lahi, NAK, Alfa, Buhay Cali, Samantha Mendoza, Rocky Sandoval, Ranella Ferrer, Malaya Filipino American Dance Arts Pakaraguian Kulintang ensemble, erwin & Jake (harana Men’s Chorus) Culture Shock LA, erik escobar, DreMagix, Shekinah Paguirigan, BIBAK Dance ensemble, Rocksteady Rondalla, PaaMano eskrima, Lyda harlan, Nicco, Featured FPAC DJ Achilles Aurelius.

A special Community Arts Block will also feature the likes of Jeserey Sanchez of ISAtv, Karen Joyce of Tuesday Night Project, Matt Almodiel of Kollaboration, Jeremy Crooks of Our Mic, and Sunday Jump. (By Mico Letargo) The popular festival is the largest and longest-running Filipino cultural celebration in Los Angeles. Organized by culture and arts nonprofit FilAm Arts, FPAC showcases the best of traditional and contemporary Filipino food, music, performances, arts, and crafts.

FPAC is a free event. No admission fee is needed for entry. It will be held on Saturday, October 14, 2017, at echo Park Lake in Los Angeles. For more information, please visit http://bit.ly/ FPAC2017 or call (213) 380-3722.

For sponsorship and vendor opportunities, please email info@ filamarts.org.

Catch FilAm Arts on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/FilAmArtsLA/), Instagram (@filamartsla), and Twitter (@FilAmArts). #FPAC26 #FPAC2017, #filamartsLA, #filamarts

Will Sarah Geronimo go with Matteo Guidicelli to Star Magic Ball?

by Deni

Rose A. BeRnARDo Philstar.com

IN an interview with Philstar. com on Thursday, Sept. 28, during a product launch, actor Matteo Guidicelli said he is excited and looking forward to go to the Star Magic Ball in Makati Shangri-La on Saturday night, Sept. 30.

Set to be styled by Bang Pineda, Matteo will definitely look dapper in an outfit designed by Joseph Aloysius.

But this year, will he come with his girlfriend Sarah Geronimo on his arm? Will they finally grant fans’ wish to see them together on the red carpet?

“No. I think she has prior commitments,” Matteo sadly reported.

In 2014, he told the press in a red carpet interview for the Star Magic Ball that he invited Sarah to be his date, but the singer-actress also had work that time. he said his experience of the

Matteo Guidicelli and Sarah Geronimo

ball would be different if he and Sarah would walk as a couple.

Rumors have it that Sarah has been forbidden to go to the ball because she is not a Star Magic talent and that she and Matteo, fondly called by fans as AshMatt, might steal the spotlight from Star

Philstar.com photos

Magic love teams like KathNiel (Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla). These allegedly are also the same reasons why JaDine (James Reid and Nadine Lustre) are not invited.

“Baka in the future, we’ll see,” Matteo hopingly enthused.

Kim Chiu, Xian Lim launch new albums

Nazario Perlas: Precy Castaneto- Ruedas: Lito Tambo: Ludy Lagmay-Ganzon: Mila Tadina: Josie Dolor Etrata: Mary Ann Arichea–Caunan:

nazario.perlas@yahoo.com pcruedas@yahoo.com lito.tambo@sbcglobal.net lganzon@gmail.com mrtadina@yahoo.com wilpenn@yahoo.com macaunan@ha.ucla.edu

*Discounted Room rates available at Gold Coast Hotel & Casino until September 3, 2017: Code: ABA2017

KA PA M I LyA h e a r t throb Xian Lim is on a roll after his successful concert at The Theatre at Solaire as his latest album under Star Music titled “Key of X” has already amassed sold out album tours a month after it was first introduced.

The singer-actor’s third album came three years after his sophomore album, and for the first time, he ventures into production work as he conceptualized and directed his music video for his carrier single “Getting To Know each Other Too Well.” Miss Universe Philippines 2016 Maxine Medina joined him in the video as his leading lady.

The popular Gerard Kenny revival is currently invading local hit lists, already the #1 MOR chart topper and also soaring in various MyX charts.

Xian’s new album includes the

“Chinito Prince” Xian Lim (left) and “Chinita Princess” Kim Chiu launched their respective albums within days from each other.

ABS CBN photos

OPM classic, “Wala Na Bang Pag- also covered another OPM favoribig,” a composition of Vehnee ite, “honey My Love So Sweet,” Saturno and originally popular- composed by Vingo Regino. ized by the Queen of Soul Jaya. he PAGE B3

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

Health@Heart

What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a disorder that causes muscle aches and pain, tenderness, spasm, and stiffness, along with areas of the tendons and ligaments, and chronic fatigue. These tender points are common around the neck and shoulders, in the front of the knees, elbow, hip joints, chest, low back, thighs and calf (lower leg) muscles. There is an exaggerated nerve excitation and sensitivity all over the body. All symptoms are magnified. There are 10 million people in the United States, and 3 to 6 percent of the global population, have fibromyalgia, 75 to 90 percent of them females.

When was this condition first diagnosed?

The signs and symptoms of what is today known as fibromyalgia was first described in the 1800s. It was thought then as mental illness. The first report of the tender spots all over the body was by a Scottish physician in 1820. It was called fibrositis. The first recognition of fibromyalgia as a disease entity was in 1976, but it was only in 1981 when it was scientifically confirmed and the first diagnosis was made.

What is Primary Fibromyalgia Syndrome (PFS)?

PFS, the typical pattern of this condition is generalized, idiopathic (of unknown cause) fibromyalgia, accompanied by anxiety, fatigue, impaired sleep and irritable bowels, with no evidence of underlying diseases contributing to the symptom complex in among 5 percent of the population in the U.S. PFS afflict healthy young or middle-aged women who are anxious, stressed, tense, and/or depressed. Children and adolescents (usually females) and older adults who have PFS may also have osteoarthritis of the spine.

Men usually have localized fibromyalgia which is related to recreational or occupational strain.

I clearly remember when I was in pre-med, a teenager cousin of mine had pains all over her body and other signs which, today, would be obvious as fibromyalgia. Yet in the mid 1950s, it was an unknown entity, and therefore no medications for it except pain pills. Everyone thought she was malingering or had a psychosomatic ailment.

What causes fibromyalgia?

This is a challenging illness,

Lovi Poe

Max Collins

men should be performed daily and gradually increased. At first, there will be muscle soreness, as could be expected, but the exercise becomes more comfortable as days go.

What is the treatment for fibromyalgia?

The comprehensive management of fibromyalgia includes ruling out or treating diseases causing the symptoms, reassurance from the attending physician that the condition is benign and not hopeless, stretching and aerobic exercises (brisk walking, yoga, swimming, tae boxing), local application of heat and gentle massage, improvement in sleep, low-dose tricyclic antidepressant drugs. If drowsiness is encountered with one drug, an alternative drug may be used.

The three drugs the U.S.-FDA has approved to help treat fibromyalgia are: Pregabalin (was first used to treat seizures and nerve pain linked to diabetes; Duloxetine hydrochloride ( Cymbalta) is an antidepressant that’s also been used to treat diabetic nerve pain; and, Milnacipran (Savella), the first drug designed specifically for fibromyalgia treatment.

It affects brain chemicals linked to pain. Some of the drugs may also aggravate the insomnia.

Aspirin and NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), even opioids, have generally not been found to be of any help.

For severe persistent tenderness, local injection with 1 percent lidocaine (alone or in combination with hydrocortisone) has been effective.

Depression, serious emotional problem, as a result of fibromyalgia may require behavioral modification, group support therapy and/or professional guidance.

What is the prognosis?

Functional prognosis is usually very good with aggressive and comprehensive treatment.

Fundamental in the success of therapy is patient-motivation, involvement and discipline. Armed with these three, the person with fibromyalgia is soon on her way to a more comfortable, happier, more productive and a fulfilling life. *** Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States.

Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

Rhian Ramos

ManilaTimes.net photos

GIRL TALK AND A NEW TV SHOW

Rhian, Max and Lovi on exes and friends SOMETIMES the best friendships are formed among the least expected individuals. For example, a fellow ex-girlfriend of one and the same ex-boyfriend.

Impossible? Not according to the creative team of a new GMA Network original series that follows three beautiful women who form a strong but unlikely alliance after discovering that at different times in their lives, they were romantically linked with the same guy.

The still untitled primetime series promises to overflow with intriguing characters, funny dialogues and interesting plot lines.

Its trio of lead actresses is a powerhouse in itself with Rhian Ramos, Max Collins and Lovi Poe. All gorgeous and talented, they gamely asked the inevitable question whether they ever became friends with their exes’ exes, and if they honestly believed such a friendship would work.

Ramos was first to reply, declaring, “It’s okay to be friends with your ex and it is also okay to be friends with your ex’s ex.

Because based on personal experience, you don’t have to end up together for a relationship to succeed. I’ve learned so much from my past relationships, and that’s why I believe each of them to be worthwhile even if they ended. And yes, I’ve had a friend who was the ex of my ex and she saved me from that person that’s why I’m very close to her.”

Collins, without giving a clue on the name of her ex confessed, “I’m not friends with any of my

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • SEptEmbER 29-OctObER 3, 2017

B

Fibromyalgia: an enigma not only for the patient, but also for the diagnostic prowess of the physician. In some cases, making a definite diagnosis is a dilemma, since the cause is unclear. There are various conditions that have been found to contribute to the causation of fibromyalgia, either alone or in combination, depending on the individual’s genetic make-up or predisposition. Among them are: stress and trauma (as in a vehicle accident), rheumatoid arthritis, or autoimmune diseases, central nervous system problems, and genetics (MTHFR mutation). In some cases, no risk factors are found, the cause never confirmed, and only tentative diagnosis is made from clinical evidence, and the patient is treated empirically.

What are the symptoms?

The onset of the muscle pain, tender spots all over the body and stiffness is gradual and diffuse. The pain may be a deep ache or burning, is worsened by straining and overuse, and may be constant but varies in severity in response to weather changes, stress and activity.

The pain may move around the body. There may be spasms or muscle tightening. Most sufferers feel tired or out of energy, have problem sleeping and a few may have diarrhea/constipation, difficulty swallowing, gas, heartburns and abdominal cramps.

There may be tingling sensation or numbness in various parts of the body. Many patients have super sensitivity to odor, loud noise, bright lights, or even to medicines. Headache and pains in the jaws may also be present.

Sometimes, they have dry eyes or problem focusing on objects that are near, imbalance or dizziness.

Others may have palpitation or shortness of breath. Women with fibromyalgia may have urinary complaints, pelvic pains, painful menstrual periods, or even painful sexual intercourse.

Does any permanent damage result?

No permanent damage to any organ in the body results from fibromyalgia. The condition, while chronic and causing many bothersome symptoms, is not life threatening either. Today, with better understanding of the condition and the availability of the various therapies, including medications, patients are managed more effectively.

Does exercise aggravate fibromyalgia?

No. As a matter of fact, exercise is one of the best therapies for fibromyalgia. Starting with gentle, low-impact, stretching exercises, like walking, bicycling, and aerobics, this physical regi-

PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS

Features

exes. But it’s okay if you are. I’m best friends with the ex of my ex. I asked her before if I could date her ex and she was okay with it. After I broke up with the guy, we instantly became best of friends.”

Meanwhile, Poe said that at the end of the day, she is grateful for all her relationships and to her exes no matter how they ended.

“Actually I’ve tweeted the question, ‘Guys, are you still friends with your ex?’ and I’ve never seen so many replies in my life! A lot of people can relate [to this]and they have different answers and explanations. So I guess this is a way of showing everyone that every woman, whoever you are and whatever you do, once you love someone, it makes a big impact in your life even though you guys didn’t end up together,” Poe shared.

The girls surprisingly had the same answer when asked how many exes they had. Each one said three, and agreed that no one should ever judge a person for the number of exes he or she has had.

“Sometimes people say that if a person has dated so many people, they can’t be good news.

But that’s not true. First of all, you’re going to need people in your life and some people will treat you like a princess and make you fall in love, but then they will break your heart eventually. And it’s not your fault,” Poe emphatically said.

“It’s that whole process of meeting ‘the one.’ So if things didn’t

work out [in my relationships]I don’t care what other people will say. I’ll still move on and find the right guy for me. I don’t care if they’ll judge me because I know it’s not about your reputation but your character—that’s what’s important. After all, it’s you who will have to live with the one you choose, not them, so be happy and find the right person for you.”

Collins, who is now engaged to long-time boyfriend, actor Pancho Magno, said for her part, “Of course, you want your relationship to work out, and if it doesn’t work out, it’s sad but it’s the truth, so move on. Learn to value yourself and if the other person doesn’t value you then he’s not worth it. In moving on, you will realize that you need to love yourself, and eventually, your standards [for choosing the one]will be better and your standards will be higher.”

Ramos, finally added, “I believe that you should be able to date as many people as it takes to find the right one. A lot of them are going to be mistakes but until you finally get the kind of person that you deserve don’t settle. Because sometimes, it’s kind of a double standard because guys don’t get judged by the number of their exes. If it’s a guy with a lot of exes, it’s okay, but if it’s a girl, it will be scandalous.”

Enjoying themselves just with the girl talk, Ramos, Collins and Poe realized they’re going to have great fun on the set, especially with Maryo J. Delos Reyes directing. (ManilaTimes.net)

HER “AMERICAN DREAM” SHATTERED WHEN HER CASE WAS DENIED AND HER TWO ATTORNEYS TOLD HER THE ONLY SOLUTION WAS TO JUST “HIDE.” Mariel (left) was devastated when her adjustment of status was denied after USCIS concluded she was out of status.

Distraught and lost, especially after her first two lawyers’ only advice was to “hide,” Mariel decided to consult with “Attorney-of-Last-Hope” Michael J. Gurfinkel who sought reconsideration and was able to get Mariel her elusive green card in record time. Watch Mariel’s dream come true on a brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy” — on Sunday at 6:15 p.m. (PST) on TFC. (Advertising Supplement)

Find out how ‘Tago-Ng-Tago’ was still eligible for a green card despite a denial, on a brand new episode of Citizen Pinoy!

MARIEL’S childhood dream to come to America came true when she landed on U.S. soil after 9/11. Fortunately, as a nurse, she was petitioned by an employer and was granted Work Authorization right away.

She happily renewed her work authorization for several years until 2005. That year, Mariel’s dreams crashed when USCIS denied her application for green card and would no longer renew her work authorization.

During these desperate times, Mariel was hoping she could count on her previous lawyers to help her. Instead, all they advised was that Mariel should just “hide.”

Mariel was so devastated, she just withdrew from the world, until she consulted with the “attorney-of-last-hope” Michael J. Gurfinkel. She hesitated to go to him at first because of the gossip in the community that he was “expensive”. However,

all that mattered to her and her family was that her case be approved. Mariel and her family realized they were getting value for money, after Atty. Gurfinkel convinced the USCIS to reconsider and approve the case.

Watch how Mariel was able to hold on to her dream on a brand-new episode of “Citizen Pinoy— on Sunday 6:15 pm PST/ EST (9:15 pm EST thru select Cable/Satellite providers).

(Advertising Supplement)

Kim Chiu, Xian Lim launch...

PAGE B2 The chinito singer also included two original songs in this latest compilation: a Kiko Salazar composition and love ballad, “Manhid;” and the light melodic track “Download” composed by fellow singer Dingdong Avanzado.

“Key of X” album is now available in all music stores nationwide and all digital stores worldwide.

Meanwhile, Kapamilya recording artist and actress Kim Chiu celebrates her 11 successful years in the industry with the launch of her new album under Star Music, “Chinita Princess: Touch of Your Love.”

The “Ikaw Lang Ang Iibigin” star has exceeded expectations

when she ventured into making her own kind of music, and now, she is ready to prove her distinctive flair once again in her third album produced by Rox Santos.

Kim’s latest offering has five original tracks, with a bonus minus one track. It is fittingly called “Touch of Your Love” as she explained in a recent “Magandang Buhay” interview. “All my songs here are about different types of love. There’s something on having a crush, on hoping to be adored in return, different touches of love,” she said.

Her carrier single “Okay Na Ako,” composed by Nica del Rosario, has already dominated the

top spot in MOR 101.9 charts for several weeks now.

Other tracks in her album are “’Wag Kang Makulit” composed

by Nica Del Rosario and Hazel Faith, “Ipadarama” by Kiko Salazar, “Katok” by Jack Rufo and Yani Rufo, and “Yun Na, You Na” by Jungee Marcelo.

The female singer already has several chart-topping songs in her portfolio -- “Peng Yu,” “Crazy Love,” “Falling For You,” and “Mr. Right.” “Gwa Ai Di,” her debut album that includes “Crazy Love,” achieved a gold record in 2008, and her hit song “Mr. Right” was cited as the “LSS Song of the Year” in MOR Pinoy Music Award 2016. (Philstar.com)

B september 29-october 3, 2017 • LA WeeKeND AsIAN JoUrNAL

Features

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FEATURES

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 29-OCTOBER 3, 2017

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99 Ranch Market holds Moon Festival event

Join Feeding America’s Hunger Action Month!

DID you know that even in the United States, hunger exists in every state, every city, and every county: according to Feeding America’s estimation there are over 42 million people (that’s 1 in 8 Americans), including 13 million children suffering from food shortage and struggling with hunger!

Try imagining, if your plates, bento boxes no longer have enough food, how would you have energy to complete daily tasks on an empty stomach?

On an empty stomach: - Kids cannot play happily and freely in the parks - Grownups cannot support the daily demanding workload - Seniors’ health condition continues to decline In this bullet-less battle with Hunger, Feeding America, the largest hunger relief organization is taking the lead to help end hunger in America. September is the month of “Hunger Action Month” also known as “HAM”.

This nationwide awareness campaign is designed to mobilize the public to take action on the issue of hunger: But I can ______________ to help end hunger To fill in this blank, 99 Ranch Market takes on its corporate social responsibilities and follows Feeding America’s initiative with practicality: More than half of 99 Ranch Market stores in Southern California and Nevada have activated the partnership with Feeding America by making Food/Grocery donations regularly help those in need. The donation items include, but not limited to: Meat & Seafood, Vegetables, Dairy Products, Grocery Products, and Bakery Products, with average monthly donating weight well over 10,000 pounds.

After the donations are picked up, Feeding America’s partner food banks will distribute the

food to the hands in need in a timely manner.

As individuals, our strength may be limited, but still we can make an impact: - To help end Hunger, I can: type down this article, and raise awareness of “HAM” - To help end Hunger, I can: bring family and friends to the local food bank and serve as volunteers when we have time - To help end Hunger, I can: visit Feeding America’s website to learn more about the issue and find more ways to help www.

FeedingAmerica.org/HuangerActionMonth.

What’s your answer?

Let’s all take actions to help end hunger, and tomorrow will be even better!

99 Ranch Market is committed in its corporate social responsibilities and community outreach.

For further information, please contact our service hotline 1-800600-8292 (Advertising Supplement)

LEADING up to this year’s Moon Festival on October 4, 99 Ranch Market held an event in its Chino Hills store on Saturday, Sept. 23. The Moon Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival is the second grandest festival according to the Chinese lunar calendar, after Chinese New Year.

It is during this time of the year that the moon is at its roundest and brightest, so the ancient Chinese would express their thanks to the moon and celebrate the harvest.

On Saturday, 99 Ranch had a moon cake demonstration, health fair, culinary activities, and cultural performances.

The moon cake is the most special food of the Mid-Autumn Festival. On that day, people sacrifice moon cakes to the moon as an offering and eat them for celebration. Moon cakes come in various flavors according to the region. TO celebrate the Moon Festival, 99 Ranch Market hosted an event to showcase the festival products and community programs on Saturday, Sept.

The moon cakes are round, sym- 23 at its Chino Hills store.

AJPress photos by Mark Xavier Bautista bolizing the reunion of a family, so

it is easy to understand how the eating of moon cakes under the round moon can evoke longing for distant relatives and friends.

Nowadays, people present moon For more information on 99 cakes to relatives and friends to Ranch Market, please visit https:// demonstrate that they wish them www.99ranch.com/.

(Advertising Supplement) a long and happy life.

B6 SEPTEMBER 29-OCTOBER 3, 2017 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL

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COMMUNITY Journal

Your Immigration Solution Devin M. Connoly anD nanCy Miller PResIDeNT Donald Trump has discussed his intention to deport all undocumented immigrants ever since 2015 when he announced that he wanted to be president. And since 2015, his words and proposed actions have terrified not only undocumented immigrants, but also lawful permanent residents and even many U.s. citizens. There are countless people who are scared they will be deported, and many more concerned for beloved friends and family members.

Rather than living in the shadows, both undocumented immigrants and lawful permanent residents (green card holders) need to explore their options on improving their immigration situation. Instead of changing jobs or refusing to go outside, now is exactly the time to speak with an immigration attorney and explore

Solutions do exist for many immigration problems “For undocumented immigrants, even with the rescission of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and more deportations, there are still many ways of obtaining a green card or work authorization in the U.S.”

your options to improving your immigration status in the U.s.

Because despite all the raids by Immigration and Customs enforcement and the discussions about punishing “sanctuary Cities,” there are still plenty of options available.

For undocumented immigrants, even with the rescission of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and more deportations, there are still many ways of obtaining a green card or work authorization in the U.s.

One of the most preferred ways of obtaining a green card right now is through a Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver (I601A). A Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver helps intending

immigrants who are ineligible to apply for adjustment of status either because they entered the U.s. without authorization of because they are not maintaining valid immigration status and are not protected by section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The issue for these foreignborn citizens is that if they immediately leave the U.s., they may not be able to return to the U.s. for 3 or 10 years.

However, a Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver would waive that 3- or 10-year bar. The applicant can submit their request for a waiver before they ever leave the U.s., and they are not necessarily required to leave the U.s.

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Reeves Miller Zhang & Diza’s San Francisco office is moving

Reeves Miller Zhang and Diza would like to notify you that on October 2,2017, our san Francisco Office will be moving to a new location. The new address and contact information are the following: 88 Kearny st., suite 750 san Francisco, CA 94108 Telephone: (415) 568-3777 Fax: (415)568-3799 email: sfinfo@rreeves.com Our Los Angeles, CA and Las vegas, Nv office locations have not changed.

Our office may be new, but everything else about Reeves Miller Zhang and Diza remains the same – a goal of providing superior legal services to the immigrant community. After

nearly 40 years of being devoted exclusively to the practice of U.s. Immigration and Nationality law, our Board-Certified immigration attorneys and dedicated support personnel continue to work tirelessly to provide effective legal representation to individuals and businesses regarding visas, permanent resident status, U.s. citizenship, and relief from deportation.

RMZD is excited about the continued opportunity to assist individuals and businesses in accomplishing their immigration goals. We are passionate about making a difference in the lives of others, and we are confident we will be able to continue doing so into the future. Contact us today for a confidential consultation!

(Advertising Supplement)

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 3, 2017

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C SEPTEMBER 30-ocToBER 3, 2017 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JoURNAL

Community Journal

Warning: Hiring a debt settlement company can make your problems worse Minding Your Finances Atty. rAyMond BulAon Are you thinking of hiring a debt settlement company to help you solve your debt problems?

Before you do, maybe you should read this article as it could save you a lot of money and frustration.

One reason many consumers hire a debt settlement company is that their debt amounts have become simply unaffordable to them and they would like to avoid bankruptcy as much as possible. They see an ad by a debt settlement company on TV, in the newspapers or on the internet and it promises to get them out of debt for “pennies on the dollar.”

These consumers are fed up with the fact that the credit card companies have increased their interest rates to as high as 2830 percent and they realize that with these outrageous rates, they are bound to remain in debt forever. So hiring a debt settlement company looks like an attractive option. Unfortunately, for a lot of people, it becomes their worst nightmare.

FACT: Most people who enroll in a debt settlement program usually get sued by one or more creditors before their debts are

actually settled. As their accounts go to collections, their credit continues to get trashed with the credit bureaus and they continue to get collection calls from their creditors in spite of the fact that they have hired a debt settlement company. And when they do get sued by a creditor, only then do most people realize that the debt settlement company is actually not able to protect them.

This is often in the written agreement that they signed with the debt settlement company but at the time they enrolled in the program, most people didn’t even read or understand what they had signed. They were simply desperate for a quick fix so they signed up in a hurry.

WArNING: When speaking to a debt settlement company, be very careful as there are a lot of companies out there who just want to make money off your misfortune with no real intention of helping you. They will say anything that pleases you so that they can sign you up. Their usual tactic is to set a monthly payment amount to whatever you want. They set the payment very low but extend the time for you to pay, usually over three to five years. For most creditors, this extended period is unrealistic and a lot of them will refuse to work with the debt settlement company and sue you instead.

A lot of debt settlement companies also tell you that once you sign up with them, they will stop

all collections against you. Usually, they ask you to send a “cease and desist” letter to stop all the letters and harassing phone calls. When this happens, this leaves the collector no other way to contact you to collect the debt. So at that point, they will just serve you with a lawsuit and have you appear in court.

As I said last week, there are some legitimate debt settlement companies out there but you need to do your homework.

Check with the Better Business Bureau and find out how long the company has been in business. If the company you are hiring is a law firm, find out from the State Bar if there have been complaints against any of the firm’s attorneys.

In my opinion, debt settlement may be a good option in cases where bankruptcy is not advisable but from what I have seen, these cases are rare. Bankruptcy is often a quicker way to get out of debt and rebuild your credit over a much shorter period of time. For a free office consultation, please call Toll-Free 1-866477-7772. We have offices in Glendale, Cerritos and 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)

How the Irs audits attorneys

Tax Tips

independent contractors?

7. Were Form 1099s issued to independent contractors for payments from a trust account?

8. Were Form 8300s issued Victor Sy, for receipts of cash of $10,000 or cPA, MBA more?

IrS agents are equipped with Unreported Income: Generally, audit techniques unique to attor- attorneys deposit settlement and neys. Here’s insider info on how award proceeds to their trust acIrS instructs its agents to probe counts. Settlement and award into: checks are usually made out to 1. Unreported income, deferral both attorney and client. After of income. depositing the funds to their trust 2. Advanced client costs. accounts, attorneys must distrib3. Bartering. ute the proceeds. However, the at4. Constructive receipts. torney will draw a portion of these 5. Personal service corpora- funds to cover their fees and case tions. costs for fees on a contingency ba6. Worker reclassification sis. IrS tells auditors to determine – were employees misclassified as if fees were included in income at

the proper time. Some attorneys may cash checks or deposit them directly into personal or investment accounts. Inspect endorsements on checks written to the attorney from trust accounts. Pay special attention to all checks that either are cashed or deposited into other accounts.

Deferral of Income: After a case is settled, an attorney may attempt to defer earned income by allowing fees to remain in the trust account until the following year. Once the settlement is received, the attorney’s fee is both determinable and available and therefore should be included in income. Analyze the source of funds remaining in the trust account at

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FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS

( Mt Carmel, Mt Beatitude, Mt.Tabor, Cana, Capernum, Nazareth, Mt. of Olives, Old & New Jerusalem, Bethlehem Qumran, Masada, Jericho )

Dec 3 to 14, 2017

Spiritual Director: Rev. Fr. Alvin Cachola

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Think of getting married after 2 months of entry? Think again

Estate Corner Atty. BriAn Lerner Question: i entered a couple of months ago to the u.s. i want to get married and file my adjustment application. Do you see any problems with that?

Answer: Yes, it will be a problem. On September 1, 2017, the Department of State (DOS) updated the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) with new guidance on the term “misrepresentation” for purposes of determining inadmissibility under INA §212(a)(6), which provides: Any alien who, by fraud or willfully misrepresenting a material fact, seeks to procure (or has sought to procure or has procured) a visa, other documentation, or admission into the United States or other benefit provided under this Act, is inadmissible.

Specifically, it has been substantially revised, the “30/60 Day rule” has been eliminated, and new sections regarding status violations or “inconsistent conduct” within 90 days of entry, and after 90 days of entry have been added. The changes articulated in the FAM can have potentially significant consequences for individuals who apply for adjustment of status or change of status after entering the United States on a nonimmigrant visa or temporary basis.

Question: What activities will trigger the application of the 90-day rule and how has this changed from the 30/60 day rule?

Answer: Though the wording is slightly different, the following actions that are sufficient to trigger the application of the rule: engaging in unauthorized employment; enrolling in

a full course of academic study without authorization and/or the appropriate change of status; A nonimmigrant in a status prohibiting immigrant intent marrying a USC or LPr and taking up residence in the United States; Undertaking any other activity for which a change of status or an adjustment of status would be required, without changing or adjusting status.

Question: At what point does the 90-day rule create a presumption of misrepresentation and how has this changed from the 30/60 day rule?

Answer: Under the new 90day rule, a presumption of willful misrepresentation will be applied to a person who violates his or her nonimmigrant status or engages in conduct inconsistent with that status, as described above, within 90 days

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On honesty and integrity

The Prophetic Voice reVerend rodel G. BAlAGtAS “IF you ask me if I’d die for my Christian faith as St. Lorenzo ruiz did before his torturers, I’ll say I’m not sure,” Deacon Danilo Guinto openly said during his homily to the seminary community on the Feast of St. Lorenzo ruiz and his companions.

“I hope I could,” he added.

His honest and transparent statement struck me and made me think of my faith. Yes, what about me? I told myself. Am I also ready to die for my Christian faith? Like Deacon Guinto, I’d also say, “I hope I could.”

It’s more admirable to be honest about our doubts, fears, and concerns than to put on an act and give the impression to others that we’re strong when we are not. It’s better to be transparent and to be grounded in personal integrity than to be fake in front of people.

The parable in this Sunday’s Gospel (Mt. 21:28-32) is about the virtues of honesty and integrity. It’s a short anecdote about a father who gave orders to his two sons. He came to the first and asked him, “Son, go out and work in the vineyard today. He

said in reply, “I will not,” but afterward changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, “Yes, sir,” but did not go.

Jesus then asked his disciples which of the two sons did his father’s will. They answered, “The first.”

Yes, the first son is honest and had more integrity. He took time to think if he could do the task that his father asked him to do rather than to say yes right away.

He may have had initial fears but then realized that he could do the job. So he came back to his father and did what he asked him to do. The second son immediately agreed to follow his father’s order, but in the end, he did not do it. Was he just trying to impress his father instead of being honest about his lack of time or his incapability?

Honesty and integrity are important Christian virtues. eleonore Stump sheds light on these virtues through frames of words and actions in her Gospel reflection, Glancing Thoughts: “What the No-saying son says is contrary to God’s will. But what he does is in accordance with it.

It is the other way around with the YeS-saying son. The words of the Yes-saying son are obedient to God’s will, but his life is lived in opposition to it.”

We’re tired of people muttering and making promises without action. We’re tired of people not living up to their principles and convictions. And we don’t want to be the same way.

Pope Paul VI also wrote in his Apostolic Letter, Octogesima Adveniens: “It is not enough to recall principles, state intentions, point to crying injustices and utter prophetic denunciations; these words will lack real weight unless they are accomplished for each individual by a livelier awareness of personal responsibility and by efficient action.”

Indeed, may our lips and actions proclaim the words and goodness of Jesus Christ our Lord! May we be Christian men and women of honesty and integrity! *** From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (19912001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.

Havan�, Cub� May 22 to 29, 2018

May 22, 2018 (Tuesday - Day 1) Los Angeles to Havana, Cuba Depart from LAX to Havana, Cuba. Upon arrival in Havana, meet our guide and transfer to the hotel for dinner.

May 23, 2018 (Wednesday - Day 2) Havana, Cuba Our day will begin with mass at the Cathedral of Havana located in the center of Old Havana. After mass, proceed for a city tour of Old Havana with an experienced local tour guide. The tour will take 4 DEC-Day 2 - (Mon) - Arrive at Ben Gurion airport Tel-Aviv/Tiberias place on foot and you will visit all the squares of Old Havana. Take in the astonishing beauty of the After you have finished Immigration, collect Luggage then Meet our guide and driver. Transfer to Tiberias , Dinner /overnight Gai Beach Hotel historical buildings, sculptures, and monuments. After lunch you will have free time to bargain at the 5 DEC-Day 3 - (Tues) Cesarea /Haifa San Jose Craft Market. (Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) 3 DEC-Day 1 - (Sun) LAX/TLV On board meals are served

There was a certain man in Caesarea” Drive north to the sparkling port city of Haifa, viewing Caesarea en route, the city built by Herod. In Haifa, we will ascend Mt. Carmel; home of the two prophets Elijah and Elisha, Visit the Stella Maris Church celebrate Holy Mass in the main Altar, after enjoy the panoramic view of the Mediterranean, continue to Tiberias for dinner and overnight. Gai Beach Hotel (BB,D)

May 24, 2018 (Thursday – Day 3) Havana, Cuba This morning, we will visit the Convent and Church of Our Lady of Bethlehem. This religious complex is the most extensive of those surviving in Old Havana. Here you will attend mass. After mass, you will meet with the 6 DEC-Day 4 - (Wed) - Tiberias/ Cana/ Nazareth Holy Eucharist at the Church of annunciation “And Mary said, Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your nuns and assist with projects of the day. Lunch is included at a local restaurant. In the evening you will assist word” We head to Cana of Galilee, where Our Lord performed the first miracle – changing water into wine at the wedding feast. Here, we’ll a Cuban cultural demonstration. (Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) invite couples to renew their marriage vows. Continue to Nazareth, Celebrate Holy Eucharist at the Church of Annunciation, visit St Joseph workshop. We return to Gai Beach Hotel for our dinner and overnight. (BB/D)

07 Dec-Day 5 - (Thurs) Mt Tabor/Mt Beatitude/Capernum/ Sea of Galilee/Tabgha

We drive to Mount Tabor, celebrate Holy Eucharist at the church of Transfiguration, Visit Mt. of Beatitudes the site of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus preached to the people. enjoy a scenic boat ride across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, home of Our Lord during his ministry. After visiting the Synagogue where he taught, proceed to Tabgha, the site of the miracle of the loaves and fishes. Gai Beach Hotel for our dinner and overnight. (BB/D)

May 25, 2018 (Friday – Day 4) Havana, Cuba You will have mass at the Convent and Church of Our Lady of Bethlehem. After mass, you will continue to assist the nuns. Lunch is included at a local restaurant. This evening in Havana, we will plan an exciting tour of the historical complex of Castillo del and La Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana. If the timing and weather conditions permitted, you will witness the special nightly cannon at the fortress. (Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

08 DEC-Day 6 - (FRI)-Jordan valley/Jericho/Bethany/Jerusalem

May 26, 2018 (Saturday – Day 5) Havana, Cuba Start the morning off with mass at a local church in Havana. After, you will visit the Abel Santamaria School for the blind, located on the grounds of an old military base. The school aims to integrate the children into mainstream schools as soon as the child is ready through an outreach program which continues to support children at their secondary schools. You will spend time meeting the students 09 DEC-Day 7 - (Sat) - Jerusalem (old City) - Via Dolorosa and teachers. Lunch is included at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit Cintio Vitier Community Project Center, where arts Holy Sepulcher Church “And he bearing his cross went forth into a place of a skull, which was called in Hebrew Golgotha” Enter the old city of Jerusalem, Sing a hymn in the Church of St Anne and view the pool of Bethesda. Visit the Chapel of Flagellation, Programs of all types including painting, ceramic and dance hosted. You will learn about this community project and hear from Lithostrotos, where the soldiers played the Game of Kings, and Arch of the “Ecce Homo”. Follow the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) to the the director of the program, Pedro Pulido. End your day with a panoramic drive through Modern Havana riding in old classic cars holiest shrine in Christendom, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, visit Golgotha and the tomb of Our Lord. This afternoon drive to Mount Zion, from the 1950’s. Be sure to have your camera ready for this unique experience. (Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) Drive the Jordan Valley to Jericho, the oldest inhabited city in the world. View the Mount of temptation, where Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert. Visit the ancient ruins of the wall. Drive through Wadi Welt to view St George’s Monastery. Continue to Bethany celebrate Holy Eucharist, and then visit the tomb of Lazarus. Arrive in Mount Scopus; enjoy the first view of Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight at Notre DAME VATICAN HOTEL (BB,D)

to visit the upper room, revered as the site of the last supper. Then survey the Dormition Abbey’s, St. Peter in Gallicantu, where Peter denied Jesus three times. Dinner and overnight at NOTRE DAME Vatican Hotel (BB.D)

10 DEC-Day 8 - (SUN) - Mount of Olives/Gethesemane/Bethlehem/New City

Holy Eucharist celebration at the Church of all nations Main altar Arrive at the Mount of Olives and enjoy the beautiful view of Jerusalem. Visit the Chapel of Ascension, Pater Noster Church and the Dominus Flevit Church”God wept “& walk the Palm Sunday road to the Garden of Gethesemane and the Church of all Nations. This Afternoon drive to Bethlehem, a city whose name the whole world recognizes ,visit the Church of Nativity, the manger, Church of St Catherine, The Grotto of St Jerome, and the shepherds fields. Dinner and overnight at NOTRE DAME VATICAN HOTEL (BB ,D).

May 27, 2018 (Sunday – Day 6) Havana – Las Terrazas – Vinales Valley Start the morning off with mass at a local church in Havana. Then you will be transferred to Las Terrazas for a tour of the community. Visit the neighborhoods, their schools, artists and community projects in the area. You will then continue to Vinales. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel for check in and rest. (Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

May 28, 2018 (Monday – Day 7) Vinales Valley Start the morning off with mass at a local church in Vinales. Then you will have a sightseeing Visit the Western Wall , the only part of the Herodian temple still standing and the most sacred place in the world for Jews. We drive to Dead tour. There is an opportunity to visit a Tobacco Farm and learn how to expertly roll a cigar. You will Sea, the lowest spot on earth. Visit Qumran; see the caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered. Continue to Masada, visit Herod’s also have the chance to visit an interesting site called the Prehistoric Wall and to take a Boat Ride fortress and the Jew’s last stronghold against the Roman. Return to Jerusalem Overnight Notre Dame Vatican Hotel (BB,D) through underground caves known as The Indian Caves. Then visit Finca Agroecolgica El Paraiso 12 DEC-Day10 - (TUE) Jerusalem New City where you will have lunch. After you will visit the gardens with the breath-taking views. Return to the hotel where you will have Return to the new City, Including the Temple Model to see a scale model of Jerusalem as it was during the time of Jesus. Here we will have a dinner. (Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) 11 DEC-Day 9 - ( MON) - Jerusalem/Dead Sea/Qumran/Masada

better understanding between old and New Jerusalem. Next to Ein Karem, birthplace of St John the Baptist, visit the Visitation church where Mary proclaimed her famous “Magnificat Overnight NOTRE DAME VATICAN HOTEL (BB,D)

13 Dec-Day 11 - (WED) Jerusalem/TLV/LAX

Breakfast rest of the morning Free time early PM dinner has to check out from the hotel, around 8:30 PM flight from TLV/ LAX in the 13 Dec flight depart TLV at 1:00 Am Dec 14,2017 ( end of Service )

May 29, 2018 (Tuesday – Day 8) Vinales – Havana – Los Angeles Today, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back home as your trip comes to an end. (Meal: Breakfast)

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Community Journal

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Classified as an exempt or salaried employee? Can I get a green card if I had a previous You may be entitled to back wages marriage petition denied based on fraud?

Allen Buckingham, and three other employees, worked as “Implementation Advisor” or “Client Fulfillment Consultants” for Bank of America, N.A. They were classified as exempt by their employer and paid a fixed monthly salary. They were not paid overtime, regardless of their hours worked, and they were not provided meal or rest breaks. The employees were treated as exempt under California’s administrative exemption because they dealt with the bank’s important corporate clients. They were also allowed to exercise more discretion and judgment than a mere service representative.

However, the employees’ main tasks seem to be account setup, wiring funds, and facilitating their corporate clients’ online banking activities. Buckingham and the other employees sued their employer in a class action alleging failure to pay overtime and premium pay for missed meal and rest breaks.

California employees are exempt from overtime pay only if they fall within very specific exemptions. One of these is the Administrative Exemption. For employees to fall under this exemption, they must be paid the monthly salary equivalent to no less than twice the state minimum wage. More importantly, their primary duties must involve administrative work. What does “administrative work” mean?

Courts have ruled that work is ‘administrative’ when it is ‘directly related’ to management policies or general business op-

Debt Relief

Atty. LAwrenCe yAng

HAvINg literally represented several thousand clients in successful bankruptcy cases in the last 35 years in California, I have distilled the common misconceptions about bankruptcy into the following: 1. Will debtor go to jail for filing bankruptcy?

NO. The debtor will not go to jail for filing bankruptcy provided he or she is an honest debtor. An honest debtor is one who truthfully discloses his/her financial affairs, income and expense, assets and liabilities in his/her bankruptcy petition. An honest debtor does not hide the facts in his/her petition and testimony that materially alter information regarding his/ her financial situation. Suffice it to say that most debtors are honest in bankruptcy so most debtors do not have to worry about going to jail.

Sometimes debtors go to jail because they committed a bankruptcy crime. For example, the debtor declared in his/her bankruptcy petition that he does not own a house. But the truth is that someone is on the title to a house with a large equity that actually belongs to the debtor. The debtor’s name does not appear on the title but the one on the title is merely holding the house in trust for and for the benefit of the debtor who is the true owner. Let’s be more specific. The statement of financial affairs of the petition asks if there is anyone who holds any assets in trust for the debtor.

The debtor answers that there is no such person. However, upon further investigation, it turns out that debtor’s mistress, Ms. Bimbo, lives in a house in Bel Air that debtor paid for in cash two years ago. Ms. Bimbo admits that the

Protecting Employee & Consumer Rights Atty. C. Joe SAyAS, Jr. erations. ‘Directly related’ means being ‘primarily engaged’ in such work, and that the work is “qualitatively administrative.”

“Qualitatively administrative” means the employee’s work duties relate to the administrative operations of a business as distinguished from ‘production’ or ‘sales’ work. Production, sales, and customer service are duties that are not necessarily performed at the level of policy or general operations, and may merely be the day-to-day carrying out of the business’ affairs.

If an employee’s primary duties involve day-to-day tasks that are not directly related to management policies or general business operations, then these employees may simply be engaged in production work, not administrative work. If so, then they should be entitled to overtime pay for work beyond 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week.

Rather than proceed to trial, the parties agreed to settle the case upon payment of $6,600,000 to the class. Nearly 500 former and current bank employees will benefit from the settlement, which is estimated to provide an average of $10,000 to each class member.

“Salaried” employees who work a lot of unpaid overtime hours, and who have doubts that

they are really doing management or administrative tasks, should ask themselves the following questions: 1.

Is my main duty the management of the business or one of its departments?

2. Do I regularly direct the work of two or more employees?

3.

Do I have authority to hire or fire other employees?

4. Do I regularly exercise discretion and independent judgment?

5. Do I earn a monthly salary equivalent to at least twice the state minimum wage for full-time employment?

If there is at least one “no” answer to the above questions, the employee would be smart to consult with a knowledgeable employment attorney to see if she or he is entitled to additional wages and other remedies. Misclassification cheats employees of their rightfully earned wages. Such wage theft should not be allowed to continue without redress. ***

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 or our Facebook page Joe Sayas Law. [C. Joe Sayas, Jr., Esq. is an experienced trial attorney who has successfully recovered wages and other monetary damages for thousands of employees and consumers. He was named Top Labor & Employment Attorney in California by the Daily Journal, consistently

selected as Super Lawyer by the Los Angeles Magazine, and is the recipient of PABA’s Community Champion Award for 2016.]

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Common misconceptions about bankruptcy house she lives in is owned by the debtor because she has no money of her own to buy the house. Ms. Bimbo testifies that the debtor asked her to sign a declaration that she is merely holding title to the house for and on behalf of the debtor who is the true owner of the house. By hiding this transaction, the debtor has committed a bankruptcy crime, therefore he is looking at jail time. Further, the trustee will file an adversary case to get the house into the bankruptcy estate.

Honest and truthful debtors get a fresh start in life without debt and become productive citizens again while keeping most if not all of their assets. This is the purpose of bankruptcy law. Honest debtors can look forward to a new and happy life after filing for bankruptcy. They keep their income, house, cars, retirement accounts and most everything else they own with applicable exemptions. Yet they get rid of all unwanted debt. Many successful people have gone through bankruptcy at one time or another in their lives. Walt Disney filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy twice before his famous mouse became a successful business venture. Henry Ford filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 1903 but pushed on thereafter to become the biggest car manufacturer in America. Milton Hershey who established the chocolate factory with products that world loves to eat so much filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy before his chocolate business became successful. And of course, Pres. Trump is no stranger to bankruptcy. His companies have filed for bankruptcy four times during the nineties. His casinos failed and could not pay hundreds of millions of debt. Even Orange County filed for bankruptcy reorganization not too long ago. And

several Catholic dioceses filed for bankruptcy reorganization to handle the child molestation lawsuits that hit the church with $600-M of liabilities. It was Lucifer’s handiwork, no doubt.

2. Will debtor be able to borrow money again after bankruptcy?

YES. Most car dealers will finance a car purchase right after debtor obtains his discharge. In fact, debtors do get offers to finance car loans even while the bankruptcy is going on. Clients usually bring me flyers mailed to them saying that their pending bankruptcy is no obstacle to buying a car in the dealership. They ask me if that is true or a scam.

I tell them it’s true. The interest rate will be higher than someone with good credit. Some clients ask if they can buy a house after bankruptcy. The normal wait is two years. Two years after discharge you can get a mortgage to buy a house. There are lenders who advertise that bankruptcy is no problem to buying a house.

Of course, again, the interest rate will be higher than someone with good credit.

There are also companies that specialize in providing credit cards to debtors who have just come out of bankruptcy. These normally have a yearly fee and higher interest. Within a couple of months after obtaining a discharge, these offers of new credit cards will start coming into your mailbox. I always suggest clients take these cards, use them, but pay them in full every month, just so they can start rebuilding their credit scores faster YES. Life after bankruptcy is great! No more monthly minimum credit card payments to suck up your disposable income.

You can start saving money again.

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Solutions do exist for many immigration...

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until after the waiver has been approved. This pre-approved waiver avoids lengthy separation of family members since the applicant would hopefully be able to return to the U.S. within a matter of days. Finally, a person may be eligible for a Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver regardless of who filed the petition for them if they can show “extreme hardship” to a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse or parent. Please note there are certain reasons why a person may not be eligible, so it is important to speak with a knowledgeable immigration attorney before submitting a request for this type of waiver.

Another potential option for undocumented immigrants is the “violence Against Women Act” (“vAWA”). This is available to those who have unfortunately been the victim of abuse by a loved one, which sadly, is not uncommon. vAWA is available to men and women and could be a way to obtain a green card for people if they have been victims

of physical or emotional abuse.

It requires the victim to file a self-petition, which may be done without any assistance from the abusive spouse, children or parent. Importantly, since it is a self-petition, it allows the victim to immediately seek both safety and independence from their abuser. The abuser will not be notified about the self-petition.

There are more options as well.

Do you have a child with special needs or who is extremely talented, or a parent that is dependent on you as a caregiver? If so, you may be eligible for work authorization and a green card through Cancellation of Removal for NonPermanent Residents. There are even more options for undocumented immigrants that can be discussed with an immigration attorney.

Finally, permanent residents should seriously consider becoming U.S. citizens. It is true that having a green card is a wonderful thing, but it does not carry with it the rights of U.S. citizenship, such as unlimited travel and the ability to vote. With talk

of travel bans and the never-ending risk of deportation for green card holders who just make one mistake, the rights of U.S. citizenship have potentially never been more valuable.

It is a very uncertain time for immigrants. Nobody knows for sure what laws will be changed or when. Ignoring your problems will not make them go away. Consult an experienced and knowledgeable immigration attorney today about applying for a green card or becoming a U.S. citizen. *** 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) 795-8009 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.

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Dear attorney Tan, I recently married a U.S. Citizen, who is my second husband.

He has filed an immigrant visa petition and green card application for me. My husband recently received from USCIS a Notice of Intent to Deny the petition that he filed on my behalf. The Notice indicated that the immigrant visa petition could not be approved since the USCIS had determined that I previously entered into a fraudulent marriage to get a green card several years ago. My ex-husband previously filed an immigrant petition on my behalf several years ago, which was denied since USCIS determined that I only married him to get a green card. My second husband and I truly love each other. What are my options?

In Love but Out of Status

Dear In Love but Out of Status, Under INA Section 204(c), a person who “attempted or conspired to enter into a marriage” in order to receive permanent resident status in the U.S. is prohibited from obtaining USCIS approval of an immigrant visa petition. Simply stated, Section 204(c) prohibits approval of any immigrant visa petition if there has been a finding of “marriage fraud” in a prior marriagebased petition.

Based on the above law, your case seems at first glance like an “open-and-shut” case in favor of denial. However, you still have hope of getting a green card—a person can apply for and get his immigrant petition approved despite the prior finding of “marriage fraud” under certain circumstances.

You may ask, how is this possible? Isn’t Section 204(c) straightforward? Not quite. The answer lies in the fact that USCIS must independently examine the prior finding of “marriage fraud” in considering the subsequently filed immigrant visa petition. Before invoking the Sec. 204(c) bar to approval of a subsequent visa petition, USCIS must make an independent determination of fraud based upon the record, includ-

AmericAn DreAm Allison Aquino-silvA, Esq ON September 1, 2017, the Department of State (DOS), which regulates the issuance of visas at all United States Embassies around the world, issued a rule change to the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) that could increase the number of individual’s accused of committing misrepresentation in the immigration context.

ing but not limited to any evidence gathered during adjudication of the prior visa petition, but may not parrot or rely on the conclusions made by other adjudicators. USCIS must have “substantial and probative” evidence of “marriage fraud.” Matter of Tawfik, 20 I. & N. Dec. 166, 168.

The determination is to be made by the USCIS district director while adjudicating the subsequent visa petition. Matter of Samsen, 15 I. & N. Dec. 28, 1974 WL 29995 (B.I.A. 1974). The district director should not give conclusive effect to the determinations made in the prior proceedings, but should reach his own independent conclusion based on the evidence actually before him. Matter of F-, 9 I. & N. Dec. 684 (BIA 1962).

Therefore, in cases such as yours in which the USCIS has indicated it intends to deny the subsequent immigrant visa petition due to the prior finding of “marriage fraud,” new evidence can be submitted that demonstrates that the prior finding of “marriage fraud” was incorrect—i.e., evidence that shows that the prior marriage petition was based on a bona fide marriage, or that explains that the prior denial was based on an incomplete or inaccurate assessment of the facts.

In cases in which the subsequent immigrant visa petition has already been denied, this new evidence should be submitted as part of a motion to reconsider. I recommend that you seek an experienced attorney to assist you in properly presenting the law and facts to the USCIS adjudicator to address the Section 204(c) bar.

*** 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.

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Rule change could increase risk of fraud charges This is significant as an allegation of misrepresentation would render an individual ineligible for a visa and/or admission to the United States.

The rule that was changed by the DOS was commonly known as the “30/60 Day Rule”. It has now been changed to a “90-Day Rule.”

Under the new “90-Day Rule,” an individual will be presumed to have committed misrepresenta-

tion, and therefore inadmissible to the US, if any of the following occurs within 90 days of entry to the US: (1) engages in unauthorized employment; (2) enrolls in a course of study without a proper visa; (3) marries a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and takes up residence in the U.S., if the individual is a tourist, student, or other temporary visa holder that does not allow immigrant intent;

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C SEPTEMBER 30-ocToBER 3, 2017 • LA WEEKEND ASIAN JoURNAL

Barrister’s Corner Atty. Kenneth UrsUA reyes Generally, in California, property acquired by a spouse prior to marriage is considered separate property under family code section 770 while those acquired after marriage are considered community assets under family code section 760. How do you characterize real property purchased prior to marriage but with the mortgage principal paid down using community income or funds during the marriage? The community in this situation acquires a pro tanto interest in the ratio that the payments on the purchase price made with community funds bear to the total payments

C

Community Journal

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

Is real estate property purchased prior to marriage considered community property in a divorce? on the purchase price and any appreciation should be apportioned accordingly. Marriage of Moore (1980) 28 C3d 366, 371, 373, 168 Cr 662, 664, 665.

Other expenses associated with the property are not considered in the calculation such as mortgage interest, taxes, and insurance. In essence, the real property would accumulate both a separate property and a community property component by the date of separation. The appropriate remedy in this situation where separate property is subsequently paid with community funds is “apportionment.”

The process of apportioning between the separate and community property component is laid out in the Marriage of Madsen. In that case, the court

alendar of Events

across

determined the ratio or percentage in which the mortgage loan principal was reduced during the marriage and applied that percentage to the appreciation of the real property during the marriage. The community property component would then consist of the reduction in the mortgage loan principal during the marriage plus the portion of appreciation during the marriage applying the ratio discussed above.

In the Marriage of Madsen, the real property was purchased by the husband for $38,300 prior to the marriage. The original mortgage was $30,000. By the time the husband got married, the house was now worth $65,000 while the mortgage has gone down by $7,000. Both the

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 SEPTEMBER 30

PeDRO celebrates its 13th anniversary with a fundraising dinner dance The Philippine Disaster Relief Organization, a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation invites everyone to “A Dinner to Remember” with surprise guests on Saturday, Sept. 30, from 6 p.m. to midnight at the Crystal Ballroom, Quiet Cannon, 909 N. Via San Clemente, Montebello, CA 90640. Free parking; $55 cost and formal attire. Maricar and the 4700 Band will provide musical entertainment with DJ George Cunanan. For more information, contact President Archerie Calunod (714) 655-4285 or PRO Bettie Francisco (323) 828-7648.

SF Assessor Carmen Chu’s free Family Wealth Forum Free one-on-one counseling with experts. Multi-lingual workshops. Exhibitors hall from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at City College (Ocean Campus), 50 Phelan Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94112. To register: http://sfassessor.org/familywealthforum or call (415) 554-7434.

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4th Filipino American International Book Festival in San Francisco Join a weekend of fun literary events, performances and activities for book lovers of all ages! The opening gala will be held on Friday, Oct. 6, while the festival will begin on Saturday, Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Sunday, Oct. 8, it will be from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. It will take place at the San Francisco Main Library at 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco. Admission to the festival is FREE and open to the public. For more information, please visit http://www. filbookfestival.org/.

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A3M Starnight 2017 annual gala in Long Beach, CA In the past 25 years, A3M has given hope and a second chance of life to many patients.

Their journeys have inspired and motivated the organization to continue its mission of increasing and diversifying the Be the Match Registry. A3M is committed to supporting patients from the communities that are underrepresented in the Be the Match Registry. To continue its life-saving work, you are invited to support A3M at its Annual Gala Dinner held on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach (200 South Pine Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802) from 5 to 9 p.m. To purchase tickets, please visit https://www.flipcause.com/secure/ event_step2/MTk3NjI=/13381.

City of Carson’s Filipino-American History Month Kick-Off The City of Carson will kick off this year’s Filipino-American History Month on Saturday, Oct. 7 at the CJMM Community Center at Carson (801 E. Carson St., Carson, CA 980745).

From 8 to 9 a.m., there will be refreshments at the Community Center East Parking Lot. It will be followed by a wreath laying at Dr. Jose P. Rizal’s monument from 9 to 9:15 a.m. From 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. there will be a program at the Carson Dominguez Room. For more information, please call (310) 952-1743.

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Adobo Festival in Los Angeles The 12th Annual Adobo Festival is coming up on Saturday and Sunday, October 7 & 8 at the Silver Lake Medical Center at 1711 W. Temple St. in Los Angeles. The festival starts from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and admission is FREE! For details regarding how to join the Adobo Cook-Off Contest, Kiddie Popstar and for booth vendors, call (650) 290-0542 or ( 650) 290-4457 or log on to www.adobofestivalusa.com.

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Glendale Tech Week Glendale Tech Week offers the best of tech from within Glendale and the Greater LA area.

Attendees will have access to talent, networking, and business opportunities. Passes, schedule of events, and list of speakers available at Glendaletechweek.com.

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26th Annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture in Echo Park Save the date! The 26th annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) hosted by Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture (FilAm ARTS) is back at Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, October 14. Expect a whole day filled with art exhibits, entertainment, and Fil-Am vendors. More details and special guests to be announced. For more information, please visit: http://www.filamarts.org/.

appreciation of $26,700 and the mortgage reduction of $7,000 would be separate property since it occurred prior to marriage.

Marriage of Madsen (1982) 130 Ca3d 426, 181 Cr 910.

During the marriage until the time of trial, the property has appreciated another $117,500 (property now valued at $182,500) while the mortgage has further declined by $9,200 up to the date of separation.

The ratio at which community funds paid down the mortgage ($9,200) during the marriage to the original purchase price ($38,300) amounts to 24.02%.

This percentage of the property

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

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

257 Cr 397.

Since California case law allows the creation of a community interest in real property acquired prior to marriage, one has to consider vehicles to protect themselves if you own property and you are contemplating of getting married.

There are several ways of avoiding the creation of a community interest on your separate real property. One, you can sign a prenuptial agreement.

Two, the parties can execute a postnuptial agreement if the parties are already married. Three, the parties can execute a transmutation agreement with a waiver of any family code section 2640 reimbursement claim. If your divorce case involves complex

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People and Events

La Jolla Art & Wine Festival hosts 9th annual celebration on October 7-8 Event to feature150 artist booths, 30 wineries and breweries, food, and live music

la JOlla, Ca - The la Jolla art & Wine Festival (lJaWF), a free event featuring 150 artist booths, 30 wineries and breweries, food, and live music, will host its ninth annual celebration on Saturday, October 7 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, October 8 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. along la Jolla’s Girard avenue.

The dynamic and innovative selection of artists represents a variety of mediums such as painting, sculpture, jewelry design, fine glass, ceramics, woodwork, mixed media, and photography.

The lJaWF is proud to partner with Winward academy - an online tutoring platform providing personalized aCT, SaT, and math courses to students and life-long learners - will donate 20 percent of its sales during the event to support la Jolla public schools. attendees can visit Winward academy’s booth,

right next to the Silent auction tent, to test their knowledge with sample lessons, take a spin at the trivia wheel, get creative with the #lightBulbMoment inspired photo booth, and win prizes.

“Families attend lJaWF to ignite creativity and inspire the young and young at heart,” shared lJaWF Founder Sherry ahern. “We have it all: art, wine, beer, live music, adoptable dogs, silent auction, family section, gourmet food court. easy free parking and entry. Valet available for a fee. Spend a gorgeous day in la Jolla with friends, family or on your own. We all look forward to this colorful annual event!!”

The Geppetto’s Children’s art Center + lab returns in 2017, offering an expanded selection of exciting attractions for the whole family. From painting a car, to building models, face painting,

and dozens of other activities, the fun is endless and sure to create and inspire budding artists. Get hands-on with interactive art projects, or learn the art and science of fermentation from one of San Diego’s top homebrewers.

Delectable bites have been hand selected to satisfy your cravings to give you the energy to explore the fest. From Greek food to crepes to Maine lobster and everything in between, this is more than your typical festival food, so be prepared to indulge in something delicious at this world class food court! all profits raised benefit underfunded programs such as art, music, science, physical education, technology, and on-site medical care at la Jolla public elementary and middle schools.

For more information visit ljawf. com or call McFarlane Promotions, Inc. at (619) 233-5008. n

Think of getting married after 2 months...

PAGE C2 t of entry. This is significantly different from the prior rule, which allowed for such a presumption only if the status violation or conduct occurred within 30 days of entry. Under the prior rule, if the status violation or conduct occurred more than 30 days but less than 60 days after entry, no presumption of misrepresentation would apply but if the facts gave rise to a “reasonable belief” that the individual misrepresented his or her intent, he or she would be provided the opportunity to present evidence to the contrary.

Question: What if the conduct occurs more than 90 days after

entry into the U.S.? answer: Under the new 90day rule, no presumption of willful misrepresentation arises if the individual violates status or engages in conduct inconsistent with his or her nonimmigrant status more than 90 days after entry into the United States. However, if the facts of the case give rise to a “reasonable belief” that the individual misrepresented the purpose of his or her travel at the time of the visa application or application for admission, rather than providing the opportunity to present evidence to the contrary, the Consular Officer must request an advisory opinion.

It is now easier for officers

Common misconceptions...

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Keep your disposable income for your family and yourself. no more pressure for credit card payments.

Or, become wildly successful as Walt Disney and Milton Hershey!

If they can do it after bankruptcy, you can do it too!

3. Will bankruptcy affect a debtor’s immigration status? nO. Immigration status has nothing to do whatsoever with bankruptcy. It is the debtor’s income that has something to do with immigration status. If you are in the process of getting a green card, what you need to do is show enough income, or if you are short on income, you have to get a relative who is either a permanent resident or citizen who has enough income to vouch for you with an affidavit of support.

If you claim government benefits within a certain period of time after getting your permanent resident status, Uncle Sam will be able to claim these benefits back from your relative who executed the affidavit of support. Of course, if you are asked during the interview if you have filed bankruptcy and you have, you just have to answer truthfully. Bankruptcy is not and has never been a legal ground to deny an immigrant permanent residency.

Deportation defense Under the Trump era, getting deported by ICe is your problem if you do not yet have legal status. Have a contingency plan. Be ready to post bail. Have the money ready for bail. Get the money from your credit card. Make sure you discuss what needs to be done to

to make the fraud charge and harder for clients to get around it. Thus, be sure before you do anything inconsistent with the B2 Visitor Visa status that you seek the advice of an immigration attorney. *** Atty. Brian D. Lerner has been an Immigration Attorney for nearly a quarter of a century. He is married to a Filipina and has helped thousands of Filipino families all over the country. In addition to his offices in Southern California in Long Beach and Carson, he has an office in Quezon City. He is a certified specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Legal Board of Specialization, California State Bar. The initial consultation is free. Call (562) 495-0554 and/or send an e-mail to blerner@californiaimmigration.us.

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defend you from deportation with your lawyer. you might qualify for deportation relief.

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

“IN HIM WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINGS, ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE.” — EPHESIANS 1:7 *** Lawrence Bautista Yang specializes in bankruptcy, business, real estate and civil litigation and has successfully represented more than five thousand clients in California. Please call Angie, Barbara or Jess at (626) 284-1142 for an appointment at 1000 S. Fremont Ave, Mailstop 58, Building A-1 Suite 1125, Alhambra, CA 91803.

Rule change could increase risk...

18th Annual Asian Small Business Expo in Alhambra, CA On Saturday, Oct. 14, the 18th annual Asian Small Business Expo will be held at the Almansor Court Conference Center (700 S. Almansor St., Alhambra, CA 91801), featuring free workshops, exhibitors, networking opportunities, and more! Jonny Hwang, founder of 626 Night Market, is the featured guest speaker with special guest, Jerome Horton, chairman of the California Board of Equalization. It is FREE to attend! The Asian Small Business Expo is the only business-to-business expo that engages the Asian business community and brings this growing economic force into the mainstream to connect and utilize your company and its services. Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with small businesses, market your organization and tap into a network of entrepreneurs, service providers, financial organizations, franchises and governmental and legislative representatives. For more information, please visit http://www.apisbp.org/expo.html.

appreciation during the marriage of $117,500 ($28,223.50) plus the reduction in mortgage balance during the marriage ($9,200) would constitute the community component of the real property. The rest was the husband’s separate property.

The husband in that case was awarded his separate property component of the real property plus one half of the community property component.

The Madsen apportionment method is also applicable to situations where a community real property is later transmuted into one spouse’s separate property through execution of a quit claim by the other spouse but is subsequently paid using community funds. Marriage of Broderick (1989) 209 Ca3d 489,

PAGE C3 t or (4) undertakes any other activity that would require a change or adjustment of status prior to being granted the change or adjustment of status.

Under the previous “30/60 Day rule,” the presumption of misrepresentation applied only if the prohibited conduct occurred within 30 days of entry to the U.S. If it occurred after 30 days but before 60 days of entry, there was no presumption of misrepresentation. If there was a “reasonable belief” that the individual misrepresented his intent, however, then he would be required to present evidence that he did not intend to engage in conduct inconsistent with the temporary visa.

Moreover, under the “30/60 Day rule,” if such conduct occurred after 60 days of entry to the U.S., the conduct alone would not be sufficient for an individual to be found to have committed misrepresentation. Under the new “90-Day rule,” even if the conduct occurs after 90 days of entry, an

individual can still be deemed to have committed misrepresentation if there is a “reasonable belief” that the individual falsely stated the purpose of travel at the time of applying for a visa or when entering the U.S. although the “90-Day rule” specifically applies to the processing of visas by U.S. embassies overseas, individuals applying for adjustment of status before the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) should also be concerned. The USCIS has been using the “30/60 Day rule” as an analytical tool in assessing whether an individual has committed misrepresentation. as such, the USCIS will likely be influenced by the new “90-Day rule” in their review of applications, and may likely release their own parallel guidance to its officers at some point. accordingly, individuals must understand the risks of undertaking any conduct within 90 days of entry to the U.S. that is in violation of their temporary nonimmigrant visa. additionally, even after 90

days, individuals must continue to ensure that they are prepared to discuss their legitimate and valid reasons for why they applied for their temporary nonimmigrant visa and their purpose when entering the U.S. Otherwise, an individual could find themselves faced with a charge of misrepresentation and therefore ineligible to enter the U.S. in the future and/or having their application for a nonimmigrant visa or green card denied. Given the seriousness of a misrepresentation allegation, it is vital that individuals have proper legal counsel intricately familiar with these changes to provide thorough and knowledgeable advice. *** For further information, please schedule an appointment with an attorney at Aquino & Loew, Certified Immigration Law Specialists; (888) 797-1140 or (626) 799-3089; info@ aquinoloew.com. Please also visit Aquino & Loew at www.aquinoloew.com, connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, and read about us on Yelp. Aquino & Loew also handles family law and criminal matters. Providing Personalized Service Nationwide & Abroad Since 1996.

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

PeoPle & events

UCLA Pilipino alumni welcomes new students

THE University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Pilipino Alumni Association (PAA) proudly welcomed new Pilipino UCLA students by hosting an event on Saturday, September 9 at the Cerritos Heritage Park that served as a networking opportunity for students, parents, and alumni.

Students and parents spoke with alumni about what to expect during their first year at UCLA. Alumni offered helpful tips and pledged to continue supporting the next generation of Pilipino Bruins. A phenomenal Pilipino buffet lunch was served for all attendees and students had opportunities to participate in teambuilding exercises with their new peers. PAA Board Members also spoke with attendees about various resources that could be helpful for 1st year UCLA students.

Also in attendance at the event was Mark Pulido, the Mayor Pro

Several organizers of UCLA PAA’s Welcoming Crew: Zodin Del Rosario, UCLA PAA Board Member, Steffi Yutan, past UCLA PAA Chair, and Bobby Rimas, UCLA PAA Public Relations Director

Tem of Cerritos and a UCLA alumnus who previously served as UCLA’s first Pilipino American student body president.

The UCLA Pilipino Alumni Association’s mission is to create an environment for current students, alumni, and community members to network, both socially and professionally, as well

How the Irs audits...

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year-end, particularly if there is a large ending balance.

Advanced Client Costs: Attorneys who take cases on a contingency fee basis commonly advance litigation expenses on behalf of clients and recover the costs out of the settlement or award. These attorneys generally use a cash basis of accounting and may deduct those expenses when paid, and include the recovered costs in income when received. However, this causes a distortion of income since it can take years to resolve these cases. Courts have determined that costs paid on behalf of a client are loans for tax purposes and are not deductible as current costs. The costs are the client’s and not the attorney’s since there is an expectation of reimbursement. However, a bad debt deduction may be taken in the year that any costs are determined to be uncollectible.

Bartering: Auditors are told to verify client subsidiary ledgers that may lead to exchange of legal services for other services that do

not hit the books. For example, an attorney may borrow money from a corporate client and pay it off by performing legal services. The income from legal services is not declared and no income tax is paid on it.

Constructive Receipt: Income earned under the constructive receipt doctrine is an exception to the general rule that cash basis taxpayers must have actual receipt of income to be taxable. Income is constructively received if it’s subject to demand and there are no substantial limitations or conditions on the right to receive it. For example, a criminal defense attorney acting as a public defender bills the county on a monthly basis. At the end of the year, a Form 1099 is issued to the attorney for the income that was actually paid.

To defer income, the attorney may not bill the county for services that have been rendered. In this case, the attorney’s gross income is understated.

Personal Service Corporations.

Attorneys doing business as regular C corporations are classified

Is real estate property purchased...

PAGE C4 t issues of asset distribution, it is best to retain the representation of competent counsel. *** 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.

***

as support initiatives that include scholarships for incoming high school students, undergraduates, and graduate students at UCLA. If you are interested in learning more about UCLA Pilipino Alumni’s various programs, please contact UCLA PAA Chair Mark Reyes at mctreyes90@alumni. ucla.edu. n as Personal Service Corporations (PSC) and are taxed at a higher rate. They do not get to use the lower graduated rates that start at 15 percent and 25 percent; instead, they are taxed at a high flat rate of 35 percent. Check if entity is properly classified as PSC and if taxes are computed at the higher tax bracket. TIP: Elect S status to avoid the high 35 percent rate and enjoy a zero federal rate at the corporate level. Some states including tax breaks as well. For example, California has ridiculously low rate of 1 ½ percent (instead of high rates that apply to C corporations). ***

LA WEEKEND ASIAN JOURNAL • SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 3, 2017

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WE ARE

HIRING Asian Journal Publications is now looking for:

Customer Sales and Service Representative

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.

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(Advertising Supplement) Please note that this article is not legal advice and is not intended as legal advice. The article is intended to provide only general, non-specific legal information. This article is not intended to cover all the issues related to the topic discussed. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. This article does create any attorney client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Kenneth U. Reyes, P.C. This article is not a solicitation.

(Advertising Supplement)

info@asianjournalinc.com

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Immigration Corner Atty. MichAel Gurfinkel, eSQ (Part 2)

In a previous article, a reader, who was scheduled for his visa interview, asked about some of the things which could trigger suspicions or investigations by the Embassy, and how a person could best avoid having his case looked upon with suspicion. This article discusses additional suspicious situations.

If you can avoid these situations and/or can offer proper and truthful explanations, the USCIS or Embassy may be satisfied about your case: 6. A person obtains a green card as “single with no children,” but after obtaining the green card, petitions a spouse and children. If a person, at the time he or she was processed for a visa, claimed to be single with no children, but, after obtaining a green card, makes an “about face” and petitions a spouse and/or children, the Embassy will wonder where this instant family suddenly came from (i.e. a person obtains a green card, claiming he or she is single with no children, but after getting his green card, he or she suddenly has a 15-year-old child being processed for a visa).

In such a case, the USCIS or Embassy will investigate further on the “sudden appearance” of a 15 year old child.

7. A person claims required documents were lost or damaged due to disasters. In some cases, when the USCIS or Embassy asks for documents or pictures, the person claims the documents (such as birth or marriage certificate) or pictures were destroyed by natural disaster, even though the person had never lived, visited or ever been near the place where the alleged volcanic eruption or flood occurred. Or the USCIS or Embassy could be concerned when a person claims important documents or family pictures were destroyed by other types of natural disasters, such as fire, flood, etc.

In one case, the Embassy became suspicious as to whether the spouse of the primary beneficiary was really the true spouse. The Embassy asked for wedding pictures, but the family claimed their family pictures were destroyed by flood. But the Embassy still wanted proof. Ultimately, the family produced a wallet sized photo that showed the “bride,” with a different groom. So, the case was put under investigation, because of suspicions that this was an imposter wife, and the man had “sold” his wife’s visa to another woman.

8. Is the petitioner still alive?

Under immigration law, a petition “dies” with the petitioner. The Embassy may ask for a notarized picture of the parent, holding up a current newspaper in front of

&

Things that could make PH expects more foreign investments your case suspicious

by Mayvelin

U. Caraballo ManilaTimes.net

a U.S. Post Office, Walmart, etc. to establish that the parent is still alive and living in the U.S. at the time of the interview. In addition, under new immigration laws, the petitioner must submit a notarized affidavit of support in all familybased petitions, even if the petitioner is retired or poor, or needs a co-sponsor. Obviously, if the petitioner has died before the affidavit of support was submitted, he could not submit a currently notarized affidavit of support.

9. “Date of marriage” appears on child’s birth certificate, where the parent claims to be “single”.

Some children are born illegitimate. In order to save the child (and/or the parents) from “embarrassment”, sometimes parents put down a fictitious date of marriage on that child’s birth certificate.

However, if the parent is being petitioned as single (such as a single child of an immigrant or U.S. citizen), the date of marriage appearing on their child’s birth certificate could create suspicions by the USCIS or Embassy that the parent is really married. (This is because the marriage of a person being petitioned as “single” would affect their eligibility for a visa. If they are being petitioned by an immigrant parent, the marriage would void the petition, as only U.S. citizen parents can petition married children. However, if they are being petitioned by a U.S. citizen parent, the wait for the priority date to be current would be somewhat longer.)

If you truly are single, and are being petitioned as single, but there is a date of marriage on your child’s birth certificate, you should make sure you can present appropriate evidence and documentation to the USCIS or Embassy to prove you truly are single. Under no circumstance should you “buy” a late-registered or manufactured birth certificate for your child, listing the child as illegitimate.

Instead, you should explain why there is a date of marriage appearing on the child’s birth certificate) rather than submitting fake documents. Giving fake documents to try to conceal information could be grounds for you to be denied a visa, due to “fraud or misrepresentations”.

Please note that having an illegitimate child will not void your petition, so long as you were truly “single” at the time of the interview and before entering the U.S. In conclusion, you should not apply for an immigration benefit if you are not entitled to it and hope to “get away with it”. The USCIS and Embassy investigates suspicious circumstances. If you are not entitled to an immigration benefit, do not waste the time of the USCIS or U.S. Embassy.

However, if you are legitimately entitled to immigration benefits, but your case looks suspicious (al-

Max’s opening store in Tukwila, Washington

by Doris

DUMlao-abaDilla Inquirer.net

MAx’S Group Inc. (MGI)’s legacy Filipino restaurant brand Max’s is expanding its footprint in the U.S. with the opening of a new store in the suburban city of Tukwila in Washington by next year.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Tuesday, September 26 MGI said it had signed a deal with a local partner, JS Restaurant LLC, to build the first Max’s Restaurant in this city.

“This is another exciting moment for us to provide our countrymen based in the United States a genuine taste of home. We are grateful to be in partnership with JS Restaurant LLC to serve our best-in-class products to the community of Tukwila,” MGI president and chief executive officer, Robert Trota said in a press statement.

This marks the sixth overseas store development agreement sealed by MGI for 2017.

D

“We are witnessing the fastest rate of expansion in north America. For this year alone, we opened three new Max’s Restaurant’s across new Jersey, Calgary and San Diego. Moreover, we have another two stores in the pipeline for 2018 to be located in Winnipeg and Tukwila,” added MGI International chief executive officer Peter King.

JS Restaurant LLC is a private company engaged in specialized medical services since 2012. Its principals have been residents of Tukwila for close to two decades. During this span, it has established business networks and alliances which will anchor its initial foray into restaurant operations.

“We are thankful to have been entrusted with a well-loved Filipino brand. We are determined to extend the Max’s Restaurant tradition of excellence in food quality and heartwarming service to our customers in Tukwila,” JS PAGE D2

v Business Quote of the Week

“Business is a game. The minute you think of it any differently it ceases to be fun and immediately begins to control your life and ultimately drives you crazy with wild obsessions and eventually ruins your family life. Keep things in perspective. First family, second friends, and third your business. Practice this and you’ll be much happier for it. And your business will be much happier as well.”

- Josh Hinds, speak and author

though it is truly legitimate), you should consider the assistance of an attorney who can analyze your case and properly gather the necessary documents and make a proper representation in your behalf to the Embassy, so that any questions, concerns, or suspicion will be properly explained. This way, you could possibly avoid delays, investigations, or possible denials of your visa. *** 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)

THE Philippines is looking forward to increased foreign investments in the wake of high-level roadshows promoting opportunities in the country.

“We hope to benefit from the transfers of technology that invariably tracks investment flows,” Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez was quoted as saying by the Finance department during the Philippine Economic Briefing in Tokyo on Tuesday, Sept. 26.

A second briefing will be held this Friday in Shanghai, the Investor Relations Office (IRO) said, with a key message that of the Philippines’ rise as the next Asian economic powerhouse. “[P]otential investors overseas would do well to ride on its (the country’s) growth ride,” the IRO said.

In addition to Dominguez, other officials participating in the roadshow are Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, central bank Governor nestor Espenilla Jr., Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.

“We look forward to an even stronger partnership with the

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez

Japanese people,” Dominguez said in Tokyo, noting that Japan was a major source of industrial investments.

Earlier this year, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged a 1trillion yen ($9 billion) investment and development aid package to the country.

Dominguez said the Philippines’ planned first subway line, made possible through Japanese financing and technical support, would be “a great monument to the friendship” between the two countries.

At the 3rd Philippines-Japan High-Level Meeting of the Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation, meanwhile, officials agreed to fur-

ManilaTimes.net photo

ther streamline approval processes to fast-track the implementation of big-ticket infrastructure projects.

“Investors who will do business in the Philippines are in for profitable times ahead, with the government investing in numerous large-scale infrastructure projects as well as social services, most especially in the countryside, to make the economy truly inclusive and propel the country to uppermiddle income status by 2022,” Dominguez said.

The Tokyo leg of the roadshow was hosted by nomura and the Shanghai briefing will be courtesy of the Bank of China. This followed an August 15 briefing in Singapore that was hosted by Standard Chartered Bank.

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FPACC bi-national business conference set to convene in Arizona LA plays host to trade mission following Arizona business conference

ScottSdale, aZ — the Federation of Philippine american chambers of commerce, Inc. (FPacc) is set to convene the 2017 Bi-National Business conference in Scottsdale, arizona on November 10-12, 2017, with its theme – “Surging Beyond economic Borders.” delegates from established U.S.-based Filipino-american chambers of commerce, their counterparts from the Philippine chamber of commerce and Industry (PccI) and various trade and industry stakeholders from both sides of the Pacific will assemble at the talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, arizona to address contemporary issues affecting international trade and to develop key initiatives vital to the economic lifeblood between the two countries. the biennial business conference features plenary sessions at the main hall, workshops, B2B track, networking opportunities and trade exhibits throughout the three-day event. this year’s hosting organization is the Filipino american Business chamber of commerce of arizona (FaBcca), the home chapter of FPacc National President, arizona industrialist and inter-

national philanthropist, Marie cunning. the main thrust of the 2017 bu si n e s s c o n f e re n c e i s o n breaking-through trade and investment barriers across economic borders to make good on this year’s theme of Surging beyond economic Borders. the conference will also highlight the best channels for trade and investment between the two countries via its B2B track and unlock a wealth of the most promising business opportunities through the trade exhibits. the Binational conference culminates with a gala celebration of international proportions on Saturday night, complete with a ceremonial signing of trade agreements, presentation of dazzling entertainment performances, culinary delights from the talking Stick Resort, dancing and hobnobbing with arizona civic leaders along with a-listers of international business and industry.

Immediately following the Bi-National conference in Scottsdale, arizona, delegates are urged to join the FPacc trade Mission in los angeles on November 14-15, 2017, to intensify the benefits gained from the

Max’s opening store...

PAGE D1 Restaurant managing directorJ oselito Santos.

Max’s Restaurant currently operates a total of 175 stores including 27 franchised branches

overseas. this restaurant brand has been operating since 1945. aside from Max’s, MGI has been bringing other brands like Yellow cab, Pancake House and Sizzlin’ Steak to overseas markets.

arizona conference by immediately connecting participants with businesses and industry stakeholders from both sides of the Pacific. the la trade mission features a two-day event, beginning with a guided tour of the Port of los angeles on day one. the second day shall be held at the los angeles Valley college in North Hollywood, which features a business expo, talks from industry experts and more opportunities for B2B connections throughout the day. this event is hosted through the collaboration of three la area FPacc chamber chapters: the Filipino-american chamber of commerce of Greater los angeles (Facc-Gla), the Filipino-american chamber of commerce of SouthBay los angeles area (Facc-Slaa) and the Filipino-american chamber of commerce - tri-county (Facc-tc).

International trade between the Philippines and the americas can be traced back to the Manila Galleon trade from 1565 to 1816 at the height of Spain’s colonization of the Philippines and Mexico. the Galleon trade connected the Philippines’ port city of Manila with the port city of acapulco, Mexico on the

eastern side of the Pacific. the Spanish Galleon trade represented a major trans-oceanic trade route for two-and-a-half centuries which connected asia, the americas and continental europe.

In the 20th century, the United States has positioned itself as the Philippines’ strongest political ally and trade partner. as of today, the United States also has the largest diaspora of Filipinos with a 2016 census update of 3.5 million people and growing. arizona is proudly called home by more than 65,000 Filipinos, while california leads the nation with over 1.5 million Filipinos.

For more information about the upcoming FPacc 2017 BiNational conference in Scottsdale, arizona, please contact charmel de la cruz, vice president of National conference for FPacc, via e-mail at charmel. dela.cruz@fpacc.net.

For more information on the la trade Mission, please contact Gerry Palon, vice president of Western Region for FPacc, via e-mail at Gerry.Palon@fpacc. net. additional information about both events can be found at http:// www.fpacctradexpo.com.

Joy Murao, the founder and CEO of Practice Aligned Resources, LLC, with Bobby Rimas, the president of the Los Angeles Paralegal Association (LAPA) at the LAPA’s technology mixer on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Filipina CEO Joy Murao keynotes technology mixer in Los Angeles oN Wednesday, September 20, over 100 people attended the los angeles Paralegal association’s (laPa) technology mixer, laPa tecH, at the beautiful centennial Ballroom of the los angeles athletic club in downtown los angeles. the purpose of the mixer was for attendees to network, meet with technology-focused legal service providers, and learn about current and future trends of technology within the legal industry. one of the keynote speakers, Ms. Joy Murao, a Filipina american, is the founder and ceo of Practice aligned Resources, llc, a company that provides ediscovery services and training to the legal community. Murao spoke to the attendees regarding details on how law firms can utilize technology and stay competitive in an ever-changing environment. She is a widelyrecognized leader in the litigation support industry.

“Her grasp of the power of technology coupled with her

dedication to clients allows for the development and implementation of sustainable innovative systems in service to her clients is amazing,” stated laPa President Bobby Rimas.

Murao is a highly sought-after speaker on legal technology, e-discovery, and legal project management. She is the Regional director (Southwest) for Women in e-discovery and an Instructor at Ucla extension’s Paralegal training Program. also speaking at laPa tecH was tamara loveland, litigation Support Specialist at the U.S. department of Justice, regarding technology history and trends, and american civil liberties Union (aclU) attorney ana Mendoza who gave a call to all attendees to possibly join aclU for volunteer opportunities. “due to the success of laPa tecH, laPa plans to have this event on an annual basis and will again invite Ms. Joy Murao as one of its keynote speakers,” said Rimas.

Nestle tackles ‘ocean polluter’ tag in PH MaNIla—Global food and beverage giant Nestle vowed tuesday, September 26 to address allegations by Greenpeace that it was polluting the world’s oceans with cheap plastic packaging for its Philippine products.

In a report released in Manila last week, the environmental group tagged the Philippines as the “third-worst polluter into the world’s oceans” after china and Indonesia.

It blamed this on the use by Western consumer giants including Nestle of cheap disposable plastic to package everything from coffee and chips to shampoo and toothpaste. these low-value and single-use sachets, aimed at poorer consumers, are not recyclable and usually end up in landfill or as litter or marine debris, according to Greenpeace.

“We welcome continued discussions with Greenpeace, including the sharing of any resource or existing research that Greenpeace may provide on more efficient packaging solutions,” said a Nestle statement sent to aFP tuesday.

It said it was working “with stakeholders to improve recycling and recovery rates” and encourage consumers to dispose of waste plastic properly.

Nestle representatives met a Greenpeace campaigner on Friday to discuss its solid waste management.

H o w e v e r, a G re e n p e a c e spokeswoman has told aFP the company’s solutions presented at the meeting were at odds with the movement’s campaign for a complete ban on single-use plastics in favor of refillable containers.

(ManilaTimes.net)

Western consumer giants are polluting oceans by selling products packaged in cheap, disposable plastic to Filipinos, Greenpeace has claimed—naming Nestle, Unilever and Procter & Gamble among the worst offenders.

Philstar.com photo

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Asia-Pacific airlines see passenger volumes rise

by Reicelene Joy ignacio

registered a 5.2 percent increase in passenger traffic to 210 million, Airlines in the Asia Pacific AAPA Director General Andrew region saw a 5.6 percent increase Herdman said.

“During the same period, inin international passenger traffic to 27.8-million in August, an industry ternational air cargo markets saw group said on Wednesday, sep- a robust 10.6 percent increase in freight traffic carried by Asian tember 27.

The Association of Asia Pacific airlines,” Herdman added.

Herdman said the longer term Airlines attributed the increase to a combination of higher leisure outlook for the sector remained demand as well as travel for busi- positive as broad-based expansion in global economic output should ness purposes.

Year to date, Asian airlines help boost passenger and cargo ManilaTimes.net

growth.

“The sustained growth in air traffic demand has clearly been positive for the sector,” he said. “nevertheless, against the backdrop of a challenging operating environment marked by highly competitive air fares and rising costs, Asian carriers are continuing to work hard to improve profitability, with considerable variations in individual airline performance, both globally and within the region,” Herdman said.

ASEAN OKs 20% energy intensity reduction by 2022 by ian

nicolas cigaRal Philstar.com

MAnilA — southeast Asian countries on Thursday, sept. 28 agreed to work to achieve the region’s 20-percent energy intensity reduction target by 2022 through information sharing that would create efficient energy technologies.

The consensus was reached at the end of the 35th AseAn Ministers energy Meeting and Associated Meetings in Manila.

“The energy ministers emphasized the need to foster innovative solutions and encourage countries to continue information sharing, best practices, capacity building, better business models and other alternative and emerg- According to Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, ASEAN’s 20% energy intensity reduction target DOE photo PAGE D5 is based on 2005 levels. Currently, the ASEAN is at 18.3% level, he added.

PH, China set up joint exploration in Palawan field

by Danessa

RiveRa Philstar.com

MAnilA — exploration in an oil and gas prospect offshore northwest Palawan between the Philippines and China is now awaiting the signature of President Duterte, energy secretary Alfonso Cusi said. service contract (sC) 57 in offshore Calamian northwest of Palawan is a joint venture among state-run PnOC exploration Corp.

(PnOC-eC), Mitra energy ltd.

(Mel) – now Jadestone energy inc.

– and China national Offshore Oil Co. (CnOOC), China’s state-owned oil producer.

The Department of energy (DOe) has endorsed sC 57 to President Duterte for signing to start pursuing exploration in the area, Cusi said after the opening ceremony of the 35th AseAn Ministers on energy Meeting (AMeM) yesterday.

“We have already finished the documentation, the contract and we presented it already to the Office of the President. sC 57 is within the

Philippine territory,” he said.

Cusi said the project has been pending since 2008 because of tax inclusion and other issues. sC 57 has been awarded to PnOC-eC by the DOe on sept.

15, 2005 to conduct petroleum exploration and development over a 720,000-hectare area in the Calamian area.

The exploration area lies north of the country’s oil fields such as the Malampaya, nido, Cadlao and Matinloc, and is located within the northwest Palawan block where most of the country’s oil production comes from. in 2006, PnOC-eC entered into a farm-in agreement with CnOOC and Jadestone. CnOOC holds the biggest share at 51 percent, Jadestone with 21 percent and PnOC-eC with the remaining 28 percent.

This was already submitted for approval to Malacañang but was hampered due to the issuance of executive Order (eO) 556 later that year. This has also virtually halted

efforts to reinvigorate the country’s upstream oil industry. sec. 1 of the eO states that there shall be no “farm in” or “farm out” contracts awarded by any government agency, including the Philippine national Oil Co. (PnOC), including the contract for the exploration, development and production of crude oil from the Camago-Malampaya reservoir.

At the same time, sec. 7 states “any and all negotiations or arrangements entered into by any government agency, including the PnOC which violate this executive Order, shall be immediately discontinued or cancelled.”

With the eO, the Petroleum Association of the Philippines (PAP) said there is no stability of contracts with the government and agreements can be canceled just by the issuance of eOs. More recently, PnOC-eC president and CeO Pedro Aquino Jr. said the eO has been a “major stumbling block” of the state-owned firm in the upstream industry.

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DOTr breaks ground on common station

by Ian

Willow Tree, Audie Murphy Ranch’s newest neighborhood, enchants with spacious floorplans and impressive features M E N I F E E , CA — V i b ra n t neighborhoods are coming to life at Audie Murphy Ranch in Menifee, including the newest collection to debut — Willow Tree by RSI Communities. This enchanting neighborhood offers 102 superbly built singlefamily homes that meet the expectations of today’s modern homebuyers. Each beautifully appointed, one- and two-story floorplan is styled with openconcept living spaces; inviting great rooms for entertaining; impressive kitchens with granite countertops and large center islands; private master suites with walk-in closets; first-floor bedrooms for visiting guests; upper-level bonus rooms; and convenient two-car garages.

All designs are enhanced by sought-after features that include a state-of-the-art solar panel system, drought-tolerant front-yard landscaping, programmable irrigation and rearand side-yard fencing. The prime Audie Murphy Ranch setting heightens the appeal even more, enriching the lives of residents with scenic trails, sports fields, lighted tennis courts, swimming pools, a spacious recreation center, playgrounds and more at Ranch House, The Plunge, Spirit Park

and Sports Park.

Willow Tree prices start from the high $300,000s, and those interested are encouraged to visit the neighborhood’s three model homes today. For details on Audie Murphy Ranch’s four other home collections currently selling, visitwww.audiemurphyranch.com.

“Willow Tree’s craftsmanship and distinction exemplify the home opportunities available at Audie Murphy Ranch,”said Mercedes Meserve, Vice President of Marketing for Brookfield Residential Southern California.

“Experience it all for yourself and visit the master-plan’s newest neighborhood today.”

Willow Tree offers three to five bedrooms and up to three baths with designs ranging from approximately 2,260 to 2,714 square feet. Audie Murphy Ranch’s other neighborhoods include the gated Province by Brookfield Residential; The Ridge by Richmond American Homes; Remington by Woodside Homes; and Dakota by Woodside Homes.

The master-planned community of Audie Murphy Ranch is set amidst 1,100 rolling acres of homes, parks and timeless beauty with convenience to local hotspots, including the

Menifee Countryside Market.

Framed by magnificent trees and century-old rock formations, the rugged silhouettes of the San Jacinto and San Bernardino mountains provide a majestic backdrop to this special destination. Developed

by Brookfield Residential, the master-planned community provides a variety of new home neighborhoods for classic family living. Bordering an ecological preserve, Salt Creek is in the center of Audie Murphy Ranch, while miles of meandering trails and paseos link residents to community amenities.

Students enjoy access to Menifee Union and Perris Union High School Districts, plus charter schools. Set near I-15 and I-215, residents are near attractions in San Diego, Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino, and more. For details, visitwww.AudieMurphyRanch. com.

To visit Audie Murphy Ranch, exit the I-15 at Railroad Canyon Rd and travel east. From the 215 Freeway, exit Newport Rd and travel west. Follow the signs to specific neighborhoods. For more information, visitwww. audiemurphyranch.com.

Prices effective date of publication.

nIcolas cIgaral Philstar.com

MANILA — The Department of Transportation on Friday, Sept. 29 led the groundbreaking for a common station to provide seamless transfer of passengers from one railway line to another as well as a convenient walk for platform transfers.

The common station, which is estimated to cost P2.8 billion, will link the LRT-1, which runs from Roosevelt station in Quezon City to Baclaran station in Parañaque, the MRT-3 running from North Avenue station in Quezon City to Taft Avenue station in Pasay, and the MRT-7 currently being built from North Avenue in Quezon City to San Jose del Monte in Bulacan.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade earlier said a joint manifestation has been filed before the Supreme Court to address the temporary restraining order obtained by SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPHI) on the common station.

In his speech during the groundbreaking ceremony, Tugade assured the public that the Duterte administration will finish the project.

“Wag po ninyo ako pasalamatan. Ang unang-unang dapat pasalamatan ay ang mga pribadong kumpanya na kung saan itinabi nila ang kanilang mga interes pang-kumpanya upang makiisa sa bayan,” he said.

In his speech during the groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, September 29, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade assured the public that the Duterte administration will finish the common station project.

DOTr photo

“We celebrate as we groundbreak, but groundbreaking is one thing, finishing the project is another,” he added.

Last January, a memorandum of agreement was signed by Tugade, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar and Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) administrator Reynaldo Berroya with SMPHI, LRT-1 operator Light Rail Manila Corp., San Miguel Corp., which is building MRT-7, and North Triangle Depot Commercial Corp., to end the deadlock spanning nearly eight years for the common station.

The common station covers 13,700 square meters and will

be located between SM North EDSA and Trinoma mall in Quezon City.

The DOTr said the common station is expected to be completed

by April 2019.

Construction of the common station had been put on hold due to legal issues.

In 2014, the SMPHI obtained a TRO from the high court to prevent the then Department of Transportation and Communications from transferring the common station near Trinoma.

The SMPHI had entered into an agreement with the LRTA in 2009 to put up the common station in front of SM North EDSA.

Fitch: New BSP rules to spot lending risks

by Mary

grace Philstar.com

PadIn

MANILA — New measures imposed by the central bank in monitoring property lending and project finance in the country could be instrumental in spotting vulnerabilities in the continuously growing lending sector, according to Fitch Ratings.

In a statement, Fitch said the new guidelines released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas last week to enhance reportorial requirements and strengthen the oversight of the banking system’s real estate and project financing activities could serve as an effective tool in detecting potential risks in these rapidly growing sectors.

“Recent moves to enhance oversight of property lending and project finance in the Philippines could make it easier to spot pockets of excess in these high-growth

sectors,” Fitch said.

According to Fitch, the new ruling targets two sectors that are exposed to potential risks amid strong loan growth.

“Real estate loans, which account for just over 20 percent of total bank lending, have risen by 21 percent on average over the last four years. Meanwhile, project finance is likely to take off as the Duterte administration pushes ahead with its infrastructure investment drive,” Fitch said.

“Greater monitoring of these lending activities has been hampered by limitations in systemwide data, and the new initiatives could help to address this, especially if more information is made available publicly,” it said.

However, Fitch said while the new measures present improvements in the regulation of real estate and project lending, it does not necessarily tighten standards

to curb growth.

“Prudential standards have not been tightened under the new measures and the regulator still faces the challenge of discerning unhealthy risk-taking from productive lending that supports economic growth,” Fitch said.

According to Fitch, sustained and rapid loan growth could create risks to the banking sector and the economy if left unchecked.

“In such a strong growth environment, there is a risk that ‘blind spots’ may develop, where downside risks may not be adequately priced into lending decisions.

Risks could crystallise into losses if, for example, the economy slows or interest rates rise significantly,” it said.

Fitch said it could also raise the pressure on bank’s risk management capability, systems and operations.

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NCC seeks faster reforms to boost competitiveness DTI cites benefits in joining TPP

by Richmond

meRcuRio Philstar.com

MANILA — The National Competitiveness Council (NCC) is looking to speed up reforms seen crucial in boosting the country’s competitiveness, saying there is no room for the Philippines to relax amid a one-notch ascent in ranking in the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index.

“We simply cannot afford to let up in our efforts to improve processes, introduce reforms, and make the country more competitive because other countries are also working hard,” NCC private sector co-chairman Guillermo Luz said.

The latest WEF Global Competitiveness Index showed two countries in ASEAN – Brunei and Vietnam – have overtaken the Philippines to take the fifth and sixth spots in the region, respectively.

NCC private sector co-chairman Guillermo Luz Philstar.com photo

Brunei improved its ranking by 12 spots this year while Indonesia improved by five, putting the Philippines as the seventh most competitive economy out of nine ASEAN countries ranked by the WEF. “This basically illustrates the intensity of the competition in the region, with six countries all improving their performances in the last year,” Luz said.

According to the NCC, the areas

which will contribute to improved competitiveness of the country in the short term are institutions, which refers to governance and bureaucracy improvements, as well as infrastructure and primary education and health.

Over the medium-term, areas such as technological readiness, higher education, innovation and science and technology will play a bigger role in country competitiveness, it said.

“Investments will need to be made in these areas today in order to reap the benefits over the next three to five years,” the NCC said.

The Philippines ranked 56th out of 137 countries in this year’s report, up from its 57th position last year.

The country’s highest position since the WEF started using the current methodology in 2008 was achieved in 2015 when the country registered a ranking of 47th. Its lowest position was 87th in 2009.

Palace seeks swift passage of 2018 budget by catheRine

Valente ManilaTimes.net

MALACAñANG on Thursday, Sept. 28 urged the Senate to hasten the passage of the proposed P3.767 trillion budget for 2018 which is deemed critical in supporting the Duterte administration’s ambitious plans for the country.

“We hope that the Senate can swiftly approve its own version of the proposed bill on the national budget so that our lawmakers can start working to harmonize their versions of the bill when a bicameral conference committee is convened,” Palace spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a news conference.

Duterte submitted the proposed 2018 budget to Congress when he delivered his second State of the Nation Address on July 24.

Next year’s proposed budget is 12.4 percent higher than the P3.35 trillion budget allocated for

this year.

Abella said with the 2018 budget, the government hopes to lay down the foundation for a Matatag, Maginhawa at Panatag na Buhay (stable, prosperous and peaceful life), as anchored on the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022. issued the statement a day after the Senate received House Bill 6215 or the 2018 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) from the House of Representatives.

Sen. Loren Legarda, head of the Senate Committee on Finance, said she is ready to sponsor the budget measure next week if the panel’s subcommittees submit their respective reports this week.

The chamber received on Wednesday the House of Representatives’s version of the budget bill.

“We will conduct marathon sessions so we can finish the budget interpellations of all agencies before session adjourns on Octo-

ASEAN OKs 20% energy intensity...

PAGE D3 ing efficient energy technologies,” Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said.

According to Cusi, ASEAN’s 20-percent energy intensity reduction target is based on 2005 levels.

Currently, the ASEAN is at 18.3 percent level, he added.

Cusi also said ASEAN member states agreed to boost efforts

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to attain the bloc’s aspirational target of 23-percent renewable energy share in the region-wide energy mix by 2025.

“We have a long way to go, so we have devised a Renewable Energy Outlook as guide to narrow the gap on the RE initiatives in the region,” Cusi said.

This week’s ASEAN energy ministers meeting aimed to accelerate the integration of the

ber 12 for a one-month break,” Legarda said.

Senators Panfilo Lacson, Juan Edgardo Angara, Francis Escudero and Joseph Victor Ejercito head the finance panel’s subcommittees.

Legarda said the Senate will be able to approve the budget bill on second and third reading when session resumes in November.

This will be followed by the convening of the bicameral conference committee so that the Senate and the House can reconcile the differences in their respective bills.

“We aim to submit the 2018 budget bill to the President on the second week of December and, hopefully, enacted way ahead before Christmas,” Legarda said.

“This way, agencies would have time to plan the execution of approved projects and programs before the holidays. Hopefully, this would help in the early disbursement of funds and a more efficient obligation,” she added. region’s energy development strategies to assure that energy policies are aligned with the needs of economic growth and sustainability of the environment.

Regional and global executives and professionals also took part in the meetings to connect with their peers for networking opportunities in research, technology and business for adequate energy supply, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and clean technology.

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by Richmond

meRcuRio Philstar.com

MANILA — The Philippines finds the benefits of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) too hard to resist even without the US, citing it as the reason for the country’s recent revival of interest in joining the mega-trade deal.

The country has had a change of hearts recently about joining the deal after deciding to shelve such plan earlier.

“There is interest again as we review the benefits of joining TPP that will open more export markets for the Philippines,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez told The Star.

“It will level the playing field with other countries which are part of it since they would have easier access – lower or zero tariffs – when it enters in the markets of other participating economies,” he added.

Lopez said the Philippines would be at a disadvantage if the country would not be part of it.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) two weeks ago conveyed the country’s intention to join the TPP to Japan, one of the stronger economies part of the now 11-country pact.

The Philippines had earlier shelved its planned membership to the TPP after US President Donald Trump announced the US is backing out of the deal.

Lopez last January said “there is less reason for us to consider it” given that some countries in the

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez

TPP have not even supported it, referring to the US in particular.

President Duterte has also been vocal about his disdain for the TPP, saying earlier that he too would reject the trade agreement.

Lopez said DTI would talk to the President and discuss the potential benefits of joining the TPP, as well as what the country would be missing if it does not join.

The TPP is seen pushing through even with its former leader, the US, opting out.

The deal is now composed of 11 Pacific Rim countries: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and Japan.

Joining the TPP is seen providing more opportunities for the Phil-

Philstar.com photo

ippines that will further strengthen its foothold in the global market with the country’s enterprises, workers, and consumers benefiting from bigger markets and increased foreign investments.

Duterte, however, earlier said the deal would be disadvantageous especially to people taking medicines daily as it would prevent the Philippines from buying cheap medicines from countries like India and Pakistan.

But while the possible inclusion to the TPP may still be considered a bit of a long shot, the Philippines currently has its sights fixed on concluding what is now dubbed as an “ASEAN-led” Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement.

Monsanto defends GM crops

by Glee Jalea ManilaTimes.net

AN international agricultural company urged Filipino farmers on Wednesday, Sept. 27 to further employ biotechnology in food production, citing that the Philippines as the pioneer Southeast Asian country to initiate a biotechnology regulatory system.

Monsanto Company, a publicly traded U.S. multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology firm, said the Philippines ranked 12th worldwide in biotechnology crop commercialization in 2016.

“We believe that there’s no silver bullet for food technology,” said Charina Garrido Ocampo, corporate affairs head of Monsanto Philippines, in a joint media forum on Wednesday.

Genetically modified (GM) or engineered organisms are created when a gene from one species is

transferred to another to resist pests and herbicides, and enhance the plant’s nutritional value.

GM corn commonly known as Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) Corn is one of the agricultural company’s direct-to-consumer products that are highly promoted among farmers across the country.

Ocampo added Bt corn has “zero or less pesticide use” and “better and more uniform quality” compared to ordinary corn.

However, despite its growing appeal to farmers, there are still existing challenges that hinder the adoption of what she calls the “best-performing technology in the industry.”

Monsanto agrees to the idea that not all biotechnology firms guarantee genetically engineered products that are safe and free from toxic contamination.

Also, according to Ocampo, there are existing local bans on GM

crops because of the government’s support for organic farming and anti-biotechnology campaigns.

Despite the ongoing concerns on using high-yielding GM varieties, the Philippines is currently part of the 18 “mega countries” with land area of at least 50,000 hectares devoted to biotech crop cultivation.

“Besides, there is no record that someone got sick because of GM crops,” she said.

Monsanto also addresses the Philippines’ need for continuous education, information, and institutional strengthening at national and local levels, apart from multi-stakeholder partnerships to strengthen the future of biotechnology in the country.

“We all want sustainable crops that are safe. We will continue to coordinate with local government and leading scientists who believe in food security in the country,” Ocampo said.

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