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.com T H E F I L I P I N O –A M E R I C A N C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R

APRIL 20-26, 2017

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Trump likely to attend ASEAN summit in November

by AJPRESS UNITED States President Donald Trump has reportedly indicated that he would come to the Philippines for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in November, a diplomat said on Wednesday, April 19.

According to Malacañang’s chief protocol officer Ambassador Marciano Paynor, Trump made the confirmation during his earlier phone call with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte last year.

“As of now, President Trump, for instance, when President Duterte called him up to

Pres. Donald Trump

USA

DATELINE

FROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

Fil-Ams encouraged to join this year’s Ambassadors’ Tour to PH THE Philippine Consulate General and the Department of Tourism (DOT) in Los Angeles recently announced the 11th Ambassadors’ Tour slated for this July as an opportunity for Filipino Americans and foreign tourists to explore the Philippines.

Formerly the Ambassador, Consuls General and Tourism Directors Tour (ACGTDT), the Ambassadors’ Tour on July 11 to 16 will bring travelers from the U.S. to Manila and Davao, where President Rodrigo Duterte hails from.

“The people who will be returning to the Philippines, rediscovering the country with their spouses and children, are themselves the ambassadors of goodwill,” Consul General Adelio Cruz said of the tour’s name change during his introductory remarks at the launch event on Friday, April 7.

He added that this year’s program will be an experiential, adventure-filled way to reconnect

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congratulate him had already indicated that he was coming in November,” Paynor said.

Paynor is also the director-general for operations of the ASEAN 2017 National Organizing Council.

“So at least verbally he said he was coming,” he added.

During a telephone call in December 2016, Trump reportedly invited Duterte to visit the White House this year. In response to the White House invitation, the Philippine president also invited Trump to attend the 2017 ASEAN Summit, which will be hosted by the Philippines.

For his part, Duterte, however, said he

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, April 19 said he will not accept the University of the Philippines’ (UP) offer to confer an honorary doctorate degree on him.

During a press briefing in Bohol, Duterte said that it has been part of his personal policy to not accept recognitions.

“I simply decline,” he told reporters, adding, “With due respect to the University of the Philippines, I do not accept even when I was mayor. As a matter of personal and official policy, I do not accept awards.”

The UP Board of Regents (BOR), the university’s highest policy-making body, earlier said it plans to offer the president a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, as part of its tradition.

But reports of the award sparked outrage among Duterte’s critics. Many expressed their frustrations through social media, using the viral hashtag #DuterteNotWorthy.

In a Facebook post, the UP Office of the Student Regent expressed its opposition to the planned award.

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ASEAN BRIEFING. President Rodrigo Duterte speaks with Bohol Gov. Edgardo Chatto on Wednesday, April 20, during the security briefing for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Bohol.

Malacañang photo

Duterte tops TIME’s ‘most influential’ poll Marcos pays P36-M for

protest against Robredo

by AJPRESS PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte topped TIME magazine’s annual poll for its list of world’s most influential people.

In the poll, readers were asked who should be included on this year’s TIME 100.

Duterte received 5 percent of the total “yes” votes, consistently leading the survey which started in March and closed on Sunday, April 16.

Following Duterte in the poll

results were Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pope Francis, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. They each all got 3 percent of the total “yes” votes.

In a statement, Malacañang credited the poll results to Duterte’s “national agenda.”

“What makes President Rodrigo R. Duterte so admired by Filipinos and international leaders alike is his national agenda — he

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

FORMER Senator and defeated vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. paid P36 million as part of the first installment required for the proceedings of his election protest against Vice President Leni Robredo.

Marcos paid the Supreme Court (SC), sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), for the cost of retrieval of contested poll materials on Monday, April 17 — the deadline for payment of the first tranche.

“I hope this compliance we have done [with] the

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G7 reiterates call for peaceful resolution of South China Sea dispute

Roach wary of Horn’s punching power

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Pres. Duterte declines honorary degree from UP

Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao AJPress file photo by Robert Macabagdal

FREDDIE Roach respects Jeff Horn’s punching power, that’s why he assured that Manny Pacquiao will be extra careful when they collide this July.

Speaking recently to Steve Kim of boxingscene.com, Roach admitted seeing Horn in action, saying the 29-year-old Australian can pack a punch “Manny is motivated for everybody, he doesn’t take anyone lightly and Horn’s won his last few fights by knockout and he’s supposed to be getting better and a big puncher But I did see one tape on him so far and he’s a little bit wild but

was not sure whether Trump would visit the Philippines.

“Si Trump, I don’t know. But he seems to be very busy,” he said, adding, “If he’s coming, it would be good for the country, for all of us.”

The 31st ASEAN Summit will be held from November 10-14 in Clark Field, Pampanga.

According to Paynor, organizers expect complete attendance from ASEAN member states at the upcoming summit — which include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

by DANA

SIOSON AJPress

(L-R) High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano, France Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Boris Johnson and Japanese Foreign Minister, Fumio Kishida, pose for the family photo at the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the G7 countries in Lucca, Italy, Italy last April 10, 2017. Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized nations are gathering in Lucca for a meeting given urgency by the chemical attack in Syria and the U.S. military response, with participants aiming to pressure Russia to end its support for President Bashar Assad.

Photo by Riccardo Dalle Luche/ANSA

LEADERS of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced democracies reiterated their call for a peaceful settlement on issues concerning the South China Sea. In a joint communique dated April 10-11, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States reiterated their commitment “to maintaining a rules-based maritime order based firmly on international law,” including the United Na-

tions Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“We consider the July 12, 2016 award rendered by the Arbitral Tribunal under the UNCLOS as a useful basis for further efforts to peacefully resolve disputes in the South China Sea,” the joint communique read.

The G7 also urged all parties of disputed features in the South China Sea “to pursue demilitarization” and “to comply with their obligations under international law.”

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From The FronT Page

Trump likely to attend ASEAN...

PAGE A1 He said other country leaders from dialogue partners like Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, and South Korea are also expected to attend.

“Multilateral meetings of this sort, we usually expect 100 percent attendance. And many of the leaders who do not attend do so because they have internal issues and—which prevents them from

coming,� Paynor said.

He further added, “So there will be one or two who may not be able to come but this is because of, let’s say, internal issues with their individual countries.�

Pres. Duterte declines honorary degree...

PAGE A1

“The UP Office of the Student Regent condemns the plan of the UP Administration to confer an honorary Doctor of Laws degree to Pres. Rodrigo Duterte,� it said. “We must not turn a blind eye to the deeds of the current regime by giving it such recognition.�

Citing his controversial campaign against illegal drugs in particular, the UP Office of the Student Regent argued that Duterte does not deserve the honors and should instead be

held accountable for the alleged summary killings. “Honors are not deserved by a president whose regime killed thousands of citizens and leaders of progressive groups under Oplan Tokhang and Oplan Kapayapaan,� the group’s statement stressed. “Honors must not be given to a president that declares all-out war against his people to quell their struggle for just and lasting peace, and reimposes death penalty to legitimize the killing

of the poor.�

This, however, was not the first time members of the UP community opposed the conferment of an honorary degree.

In 2011, then president Benigno Aquino III accepted the same offer but was met with protests.

The university also offered honorary degrees to former Presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo but like HAPPY TO BE HOME. President Rodrigo Duterte and the overseas filipino workers repatriated from Saudi Arabia wave upon their arrival at Duterte, they declined to accept the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

MalacaĂąang photo the recognitions.

Duterte tops TIME’s ‘most influential’ poll

Roach wary of Horn’s punching...

PAGE A1 he does have a little bit of power,�

Pacquiao’s longtime trainer explained.

Indeed, Horn has scored stoppages in his last three fights, forcing Randal Bailey to quit on his stool, and posting TKO wins over Rico Mueller and Ali Funeka all in a busy 2016.

Of Horn’s 16 wins—the Australian is undefeated, with one draw—11 are bouts that have not gone the distance.

But Pacquiao is a completely different animal, and Roach says Horn will have his hands full when he challenges the Filipino icon at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on July 2.

“But I think he’s going to have a tough time with Pacquiao,� the multi-awarded trainer continued.

Roach said that even at 38 years old, Pacquiao is still a fast fighter. “And Manny still does have his speed. He’s not near done, yet,� added Roach. (Dino Maragay/ Philstar.com)

Marcos pays P36-M for protest...

Bongbong Marcos

test against Robredo, which is payable in two tranches. Marcos has to settle another P30 million on or before July 14.

In the same order, Robredo was asked to pay P15.44 for her counter-protest — P8 million for the first tranche and P7.43 million for the second.

Robredo, however, failed to pay the partial payment of P8 million and instead, filed a manifestation earlier in April 12.

According to Romulo Macalintal, Robredo’s lawyer, the vice president’s camp will pay the counter-protest fee only after Marcos has been able to prove that there was indeed election fraud. “Kailangan patunayan muna ni Mr. Marcos na talagang meron po siyang ma-rerecover na mga boto. Kailangan siya muna ang magpa-deposit, siya muna ang magpa-bukas ng mga ba-

tion, the president continues to be a hardworking government worker and faithful servant of the Filipino people,� he further added.

In December last year, Duterte was also included in Forbes Magazine’s Most Powerful People list, ranking 70th.

Likewise, the latest Social Weather Stations survey results show that Duterte still enjoys a “very good� satisfaction rating for the first quarter

of 2017 despite both local and international criticisms against some of his policies, particularly on his controversial war against illegal drugs.

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and Russian President Vladimir Putin lead the reader poll in 2016 and 2015 respectively.

The final TIME 100 list, which would be selected by publication’s editors, is slated to be announced on Thursday, April 20.

G7 reiterates call for peaceful...

PAGE A1 SC order will go a long way of getting the process started,�

Marcos said.

In a chance interview, Marcos said he was able to raise the P36 million through the help of his supporters. “Buti na lang may mga kaibigan ako na nagmagandang loob (It’s a good thing that I have friends who were generous),�

Marcos told reporters.

He added, “Sila ay naniniwala na tama at makatarunguan ang aking protesta kaya naman sila ay nagkaisa at inipon nila ang kanilang maibibigay (They believe that my protest is right and just which is why they united and saved what they could give).�

In June of last year, Marcos filed an electoral protest against Robredo before the SC, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET). He accused the vice president of committing massive poll fraud after she won the seat only by a slim margin. “Mag-iisang taon na mula nung nakaraang halalan hanggang ngayon hindi pa alam ng taong bayan kung sino ba talaga ang nanalo bilang bise president noong nakaraang halalan (It has almost been a year since the last election and until now the public still does not know who won as vice president during the last elections),� he said.

The SC has ordered Marcos a cash payment of P81.46 million to proceed with his election pro-

PAGE A1 has prioritized public interest first and foremost, especially the needs and aspirations of the poor and common people,�

Philippine Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said.

Abella then made note of Duterte’s three-point agenda, citing “prosperity for all, restore trust in government; [and] build a fair and equitable society.� “With or without the distinc-

lota at makita natin kung talagang may basehan ang kanyang protesta (Marcos needs to prove first that he could recover votes.

He should deposit first and open the ballots first so we could see if his protest really has basis),�

Macalintal said. “E bakit kami magde-deposit ng P15-million pero pagkatapos naman pala ay wala naming mangyayari? So iyan ang hinihingi naming sa Korte Suprema (Why would we deposit P15 million if after this, nothing will happen? This is what we are asking to the Supreme Court).�

Following Robredo’s failure to deposit the first installment fee in time, Marcos’ camp said it would seek the dismissal of her counter-protest. “We complied with the ruling of the tribunal and they did not. So I think they missed their chance and we will move for the dismissal of their counter-protest,� Vic Rodriguez, Marcos’ spokesperson, told ANC. He added, “That way, the whole process will be able to run its natural course unimpeded with unnecessary delays being filed by the protestee.�

Rodriguez also accused that the manifestation of Robredo’s camp was just part of the latter’s tactics in delaying the electoral protest.

Under Section 33 (b) of the PET rules, protestants are required to make a cash deposit amounting P500 per contested precinct, “if they require the bringing of the contested ballot boxes and election documents to the Tribunal�.

Marcos questioned 39,221 clustered precincts which are composed of total 132,446 established precincts. Robredo, on the other hand, contested 8,042 clustered precincts equivalent to 31,278 established precincts.

PAGE A1 “We reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions which increase tensions, such as the threat or use of force, largescale land reclamation, building of outposts, as well as their use for military purposes,� the group added.

It also encouraged dialogues based on international law towards early finalization of an effective Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea. China claims most of the South China Sea based on its so-called “nine-dash line� but in July 2016, the Arbitral Tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague ruled that China’s claim of sovereignty over the waters had no legal basis.

It also ruled that China violated

the UNCLOS when it built artificial islands within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. China, however, refused to acknowledge the ruling, maintaining its claim over the disputed areas.

Asked if the Philippines will raise the ruling during the upcoming meeting between the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Robespierre Bolivar said the country will raise it “at the proper time.� “We cannot really commit to any particular date but it will be raised at the proper time and definitely going into negotiations on the framework and eventually the Code of Conduct (in the South

China Sea),� Bolivar said.

He added, “The primary consideration of the delegation of the Philippines is the national interest.�

On Wednesday, April 19, Bolivar confirmed that Acting Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and his ASEAN counterparts will meet with Tillerson in Washington next month. “Lahat po ng (All) ASEAN foreign ministers will meet with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

The meeting is confirmed,� Bolivar said.

Details of the meeting, however, has yet to be finalized, according to him. “Inaayos pa po ‘yung (We are still fixing the) agenda.... exact timing nung (of the) meeting but it’s sometime in early May.�

Consul General Adelio Cruz introduces the 11th annual Ambassadors’ Tour, an immersion trip to Manila and Davao this July, during a presentation at the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles on Friday, April 7.

AJPress photos by Ding Carreon

Michelle Narvaez, area manager of Philippine Airlines.

Fil-Ams encouraged to join this year’s...

PAGE A1

with the Philippines and its cultural offerings.

It is a joint effort by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Tourism and Tourism Promotions Board, the Philippine Foreign Service Posts in the United States, Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Rajah Tours.

Through PAL and Rajah Tours, participants are presented with competitive airfare, hotel and tour packages, ranging around $800 to $1,800.

The first full day of the trip will occur in the Philippines’ capital city, featuring a wreath laying ceremony in Rizal Park, a Filipino cuisine demonstration, and

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Richmond Jimenez, the director of the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) office in Los Angeles, shares details of the upcoming Ambassadors’ Tour.

options to visit various museums or Intramuros.

The group will then proceed to Davao — the “King City of the South� — for five days, where the itinerary includes a city tour and visiting the Philippine Eagle Center Tour and Eden Nature Park. “What better way to showcase Mindanao than to showcase Davao City,� Cruz said.

Added DOT Director Richmond Jimenez, “Davao has been a very good destination in the Philippines. A lot of people tend to go to Boracay or Pangasinan for the Hundred Islands, but Davao on its own has amazing things and activities for you to do.�

The consul general said that the Consulate and DOT are not making any promises that participants will get a chance to meet Duterte. “We are hoping that the president would be there and should he be there, we will exert all our efforts to request that we all be given an audience, even for a few minutes,� he said. “We are not going to use an audience with the president as a bait for those of you who would like to join the tour.�

After the six-day tour, trips to Boracay, Palawan, Cebu-Bohol, Cagayan de Oro-Camiguin, or Dumaguete-Siquijor can be booked as well.

Despite international news reports highlighting security concerns and the World Economic Forum (WEF) lowering the Philippines’ ranking in its recent Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, Jimenez invited those in the U.S. to experience the country for themselves. “We go to back to January wherein we hosted Miss Universe, a big event, and currently the Madrid Fusion Manila that is happening,â€? he told the Asian Journal. “There is a lot of news and yes, we respect the views of the media‌but the Philippines remains a safe destination and this is why we hold trips just like the Ambassadors’ Tour to show people firsthand how is it like in the [country].â€?

To sign up for the Ambassadors’ Tour, the public may visit http://www.philippinetourismusa.com/2017-ambassadorstour/. (Christina M. Oriel/AJPress)

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With war games dropped, US-PH Balikatan shifts focus

RUNWAY MANILA. Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Andrew Tan of Alliance Global Group Inc. and Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade attend the launch of the P1.9-billion Runway Manila, the pedestrian bridge that links the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 with Newport City. The bridge’s walkalators allows a pedestrian to walk from the airport to Newport City in less than 10 minutes.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Roger Rañada

City hosts community forum on Filipino-American history in LA Fil-Ams provide input on citywide survey of community landmarks

by KLARIZE

MEDENILLA

AJPress

THE City of Los Angeles boasts a rich history of Filipinos and their profound impact on Angeleno culture.

Since the immigration influx at the turn of the century, Filipinos began migrating to the U.S., many of them settling in the LA area.

Currently, LA is home to the largest population of Filipinos outside of the Philippines with more than 374,000 Filipinos residing in the LA County, according to the 2010 census.

As a way to record the city’s cultural history, the City of LA Office of Historic Resources (OHR), the Architectural Resources Group (ARG) SurveyLA have begun collecting more information from five of the city’s Asian American communities: ChineseAmerican, Filipino-American, Japanese-American, KoreanAmerican and Thai-American.

With this information, the city’s plan is to establish “historic context” documents that will provide identification of sites that are culturally significant to these Asian groups.

The OHR was awarded a $72,000 Underrepresented Com-

munities Grant from the National Parks Service (NPS) to conduct the wide-ranging project. The city is looking to develop these historic context statements to develop a national register nomination to the NPS. With the help of the FilipinoAmerican community, the city is looking to identify historically significant neighborhoods, commercial areas, residences among other landmarks that are still standing today and had been utilized by the community between 1900 to 1980.

While Historic Filipinotown is the geographically-designated center for Filipinos, the city is looking for historically significant businesses, organizations, trends, activities, movements, and people in all areas of LA, Jan Zatorski, deputy director of the Department of City Planning, said at a community forum for the historic context statement for Fil-Ams. Filipino-Americans of all enterprises — business, religious institutions, community organization and the arts — gathered at the Edendale Branch Library on Saturday, April 8 to learn more about the project, as well as to provide any information for the project organizers and consultants.

Each of these entities must address the following “themes”: civil rights and civil liberties, commercial development, cultural development and institutions, deed restriction and segregation, labor history, religion and spirituality and social clubs and organizations.

Long-time resident of Westlake Ronald Bonilla applauded the city for taking a step toward recognizing the Filipino influence of the city.

“I don’t think many people realize how impactful Filipinos were and are in Los Angeles, and it’s nice to see [the city] make some kind of account of our history here,” Bonilla, 45, told the Asian Journal.

Bonilla is a native Angeleno and second-generation Filipino American. Bonilla worries that the “influx of gentrifiers” in the city will wash away much of the city’s ethnic heritages, but he hopes that this project will help solidify and strengthen the cultural ties.

“I hope that this will bring more recognition and attention to, not just Filipinos here, but to Asian Americans in general,” Bonilla added. “Gentrification is a big problem, but it’s not a problem without a solution.”

MANILA, Philippines — The first US-Philippines Balikatan military exercises under the Duterte administration will focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster response, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said.

The Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces Agreement earlier announced that war games have been dropped from the annual exercises between Filipino and American troops.

“The focus of Balikatan has been shifted to, out of the guidance of the president following receipt of the memos that we got and the guidance of the secretary because it is always definite that we are going to experience so many disasters one after the other every year, we have focused the concept of Balikatan to address our capability together to address humanitarian assistance and disaster response,” AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said in an interview with CNN Philippines’ “The Source” on Tuesday.

The 10-day exercises, which will kick off in May, will also focus on counter-terrorism as the country battles Islamic militants in Mindanao.

Padilla noted that there have been a series of small exercises last year when Duterte took office but the Balikatan exercises this year would be the first one after his suggestion to cancel

the drills.

There will be no more live-fire exercises this year as the joint military exercises will focus on humanitarian and civil assistance.

“There will be a few live-fire (exercises) focused only for small units inside camp. There won’t be live fire outside of any military camp... All of these exercises will be held inside military installations,” Padilla said.

During his visit to Vietnam on September last year, Duterte said that he wanted to the joint military exercises with US forces and called for the withdrawal of American troops.

READ: Duterte: 2016 Philippines-US Balikatan to be the last The president said that he

wants to establish new trade and commercial alliances with China and Russia. He also said that the war games with the US were something that Beijing does not want.

Earlier this year, the president threatened to abrogate the Visiting Forces Agreement if the US military will not stop unloading weapons in the country. US Ambassador Sung Kim was quick to clarify that that Washington is not building any weapons depot in the Philippines.

Duterte has been hostile toward the US following criticism against his anti-drugs campaign.

The president, however, has not made a move that would permanently sever US-Philippines ties despite his rude remarks. (Patricia Lourdes Viray /Philstar.com)

Philippine, Australian and U.S. service members participate in a cooperative health engagement during exercise Balikatan in Cagayancillo, Philippines April 10, 2016. The annual Balikatan exercises between the Philippines and the United States will go ahead in May. This will be the first military exercises between the Duterte administration. U.S. Marine Corps/Jason W. Fudge/Released

Breast cancer rates increasing among Asian Americans

Researchers examined breast cancer incidence rates among seven Asian American ethnic groups in this new study FREMONT, Calif. — In contrast to other U.S. racial/ethnic groups, Asian Americans have experienced steadily increasing breast cancer rates over the past 15 years.

To better understand potential contributors to this increase, researchers at the Cancer Prevention Institute of California (CPIC) examined cancer incidence trends by age and stage among women from seven Asian American ethnic groups in California from 1988 through 2013.

The findings were epublished ahead of print in the April issue of Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.

Although prior research has examined subtype-specific incidence patterns among Asians/ Pacific Islanders as whole, this is the first examination of subtype-specific incidence patterns among Asian American ethnicities and the variation among Asian American ethnic groups.

Asian Americans includes populations from nearly 30 coun-

tries with differing migration patterns, socioeconomic status, health behaviors and culture, all which contribute to differences in disease incidence. In this study, seven major ethnicities were evaluated: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese, South Asians (Asian Indians and Pakistanis), and Southeast Asians (Cambodians, Laotians, Hmong, Thai).

All Asian Americans groups, with the exception of Japanese,

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PH barred from reintroducing death penalty, UN reminds Senate The Philippines is prohibited from reimposing capital punishment because of international treaties signed by the government, a United Nations (UN) body reminded the Senate.

In a letter dated March 27, UN human Rights Committee chair Yuji Iwasawa expressed “grave concern” over the passage of the death penalty bill at the house of Representatives and urged the Senate to “refrain from taking retrogressive measures.”

Iwasawa reminded Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III that the Philippines is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the two Optional Protocols.

Article 6 (2) of the ICCPR bars States from reintroducing death penalty once it is already abolished, whether through amending domestic law or acceding to the Second Optional Protocol.

The same article provides that,

“in those States which have not abolished the death penalty, the sentence of death can only be applied for the most serious crimes.”

“The Committee is currently in session in Geneva. It expresses its grave concern at information it has received about the passage of a bill through the houses of Congress to reintroduce the death penalty, for drug related offenses, in the Philippines. It understands that the Senate will consider this bill soon,” Iwasawa wrote.

“The Committee reminds the State party about denunciations of the Second Optional Protocol, as set out in its General Comment No. 26 on Continuity of Obligations. The Second Optional Protocol excludes the possibility of denunciation by omitting a denunciation clause to guarantee the permanent non –reintroduction of the death penalty by States that have ratified it,” he said.

The UN official added: “On behalf of the Committee, I call on the State Party to take its obligations under the ICCPR and the Second Optional Protocol seriously and refrain from taking measures, which would only undermine human rights progress to date.”

In December last year, UN high Commissioner for human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al hussein also wrote to Pimentel and house Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, both allies of President Rodrigo Duterte. he warned that the Philippines would “violate its obligations under international human rights law if it reintroduced the death penalty.”

“International law does not permit a State that has ratified or acceded to the Second Optional Protocol to denounce it or withdraw from it,” hussein then said.

Senators are divided on the fate of the death penalty bill in the upper chamber, where it is not a priority measure. (Inquirer.net)

FOR A GALLANT SOLDIER. President Rodrigo Duterte salutes before the coffin of 2nd Lt. Estilito Saldua Jr. who died in a clash with Abu Sayyaf rebels in Bohol. The President went to San Jose in Batangas to pay tribute to the soldier on Monday, April 17. Malacañang photo

Paris Agreement takes effect ASEAN ministers to meet with Tillerson in May in the Philippines on Earth Day

by Patricia Lourdes Philstar.com

by Kristian Javier

viray

ACTING Foreign Affairs Secretary enrique Manalo, along with his Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASeAN) counterparts, will head to Washington early May for a meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

The ASeAN-US foreign ministers meeting has been confirmed, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Robespierre Bolivar said Wednesday.

“Lahat po ng ASeAN foreign ministers will meet with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. The meeting is confirmed,” Bolivar said in a televised press conference.

The details of the meeting between ASeAN foreign ministers and Tillerson are yet to be finalized, according to Bolivar.

“Inaayos pa po ‘yung agenda.

In fact ‘yung exact timing nung meeting but it’s sometime in early May,” Bolivar said.

Asked if the Philippines will raise the South China Sea dispute during the ASeAN-US meeting, Bolivar said that the issue will be raised at the proper time.

Bolivar stressed that President Rodrigo Duterte and Manalo have already the clarified the country’s interests with respect

Philstar.com

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson

to the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea. “We cannot really commit to any particular date but it will be raised at the proper time and definitely going into negotiations on the framework and eventually the Code of Conduct (in the South China Sea). The primary consideration of the delegation of the Philippines is the national interest,” Bolivar said.

On the other hand, the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies released a joint communique and called on all concerned parties to put a stop to the militarization

in the South China Sea. The G7 ministers maintained its commitment to a rules-based maritime order based on international law in resolving the maritime dispute.

“We reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions which increase tensions, such as the threat or use of force, largescale land reclamation, building of outposts, as well as their use for military purposes and urge all parties to pursue demilitarization of disputed features and to comply with their obligations under international law,” the G7 ministers said.

The Paris Agreement on climate change will take effect in the Philippines on April 22, earth Day, Sen. Loren Legarda said on Wednesday. earth Day is a worldwide celebration to show support for environmental protection. “earth Day will once again be historic for the Philippines as it will mark the commencement of the Paris Agreement’s legal force and effect in our country,” Legarda said.

On earth Day last year, 175 countries signed the historic agreement to reduce carbon emissions.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Paris Agreement in February for ratification by the Senate. The president had previously rejected the deal and called it “stupid” and “unfair.”

Legarda, Senate committee chair on climate change, said that the entry into force of the agreement will start the Philippines’ journey “towards a resilient and sustainable future.”

“The Paris Agreement is a testament of solidarity and a call for global climate action. It shows that developing nations and developed countries could pursue climate action and uphold climate

Sen. Loren Legarda, said that once the Paris Agreement on Climate Change has taken effect in the Philippines, the country may now participate in the next meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement.

justice together,” Legarda said.

She added that the Philippines must ensure that Filipinos are “climate-engaged” and communities are geared towards sustainability.

Legarda said that with the agreement in effect, the Philippines may now participate in the next meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement and advance its interests.

“We need to exercise governance, oversight, leadership and decision-making in the imple-

mentation of the agreement,” Legarda said.

Identify programs that need funding Legarda said that the Philippines should immediately identify programs that can be funded once the agreement is in effect, since it allows the country to access international climate finance mechanisms.

She added that the government can get support from developed countries to fund adaptation, mitigation, technology development and transfer, and capacity building.

“These could help finance the development and roll out of our early warning systems, comprehensive risk assessment and management tools, and other capacity-building projects and programs that would make our communities more resilient to climate change,” Legarda said.

The senator also said that the creation of local climate change action plans (LCCAP) that will serve as tools for all cities, municipalities, and provinces in the country to access grant-based funding from international climate funds should be fast.

“We must build capacities of local communities to adapt to climate change impacts and eventually contribute to mitigation,” Legarda said.

Breast cancer rates increasing...

PAGE A3 experienced an overall incidence increase. The largest increase was observed among Koreans, South Asians and Southeast Asians. Rates increased for distant stage disease among Filipinas.

Among women over age 50, increases occurred in all Asian American ethnic groups while for women younger than 50 large increases occurred for Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian groups. Although breast cancer incidence rates in Asian American women as a whole were lower than rates for whites, the rates for Japanese and Filipinas under age 50 were comparable to rates for similarly aged white women.

Breast cancer incidence also varies by disease subtype defined by tumor expression of hormone receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (heR2).

Within California, proportionally more breast cancers expressed heR2 in Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Chinese women than in white women.

According to Scarlett Lin Gomez, the lead researcher of the study, “These patterns warrant additional attention to public health prioritization to target disparities in access to care, as well as further research in identifying relevant breast cancer risk factors for specific breast cancer

subtypes. In particular, studies should investigate risk factors, perhaps early-life exposures, underlying the higher rates of breast cancer among young Filipino and Japanese women, with attention to possible genetic susceptibility.”

Increasing trends of late-stage disease, particularly among Filipino, Korean and South Asian women, suggest a need for higher rates of mammography screening in these populations.

Mammography utilization rates in California are slightly lower in Asian American women than in other racial/ethnic groups and among Asian Americans, Korean and South Asian women have the lowest mammography utilization, consistent with their higher rates of later-stage disease.

The disproportionately high rates of some heR2 negative overexpressing subtypes also require better understanding, as this subtype tends to grow more quickly, spread more aggressively, and present more often as high-grade disease than the more common hormone receptors or heR2 negative tumors.

To conduct this study, researchers used data from the population-based California Cancer Registry in a state that is both the largest in the U.S. and has the most substantial population of Asian Americans. Compari-

son data were drawn for whites.

From 1988-2013, researchers identified 45,721 invasive breast cancer cases among Asian Americans.

Other researchers who participated in this study from CPIC are Julie Von Behren, Meg McKinley, Christina A. Clarke, Salma Shariff-Marco, Iona Cheng, Peggy Reynolds and Sally L. Glaser.

This work was supported by the Stanford Cancer Institute and the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, epidemiology and end Results Program under contract hhSN261201000140C awarded to the Cancer Prevention Institute of California.

The Cancer Prevention Institute of California is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing cancer and to reducing its burden where it cannot yet be prevented. We are the only freestanding research institution working solely to prevent cancer using extensive population data. Our researchers study a wide range of cancer risk factors, such as racial/ethnic background, socioeconomic status, age, occupation, gender, genetic predisposition, geographic location, environment and lifestyle to determine how these factors affect frequency, distribution and types of cancers. For more information, visit the CPIC website at www.cpic.org.

SPORTS EXCHANGE PROGRAM. The US Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is sending two coaches and ten student athletes from Sarangani and Maguindanao on a trip to the United States to participate in a Sports Visitor Exchange Program for baseball and softball from April 9 to 20. While in the United States, the group will travel to Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland to attend sports clinics led by local baseball and softball coaches. Participants will attend sessions on leadership and conflict resolution skills with local non-governmental organizations and George Mason University. The group will also have the opportunity to watch a major league baseball game and visit the National Aquarium and National Zoo.

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 20-26, 2017

(702) 792-6678 • http://www.asianjournal.com

Dateline PhiliPPines

A

SC affirms dismissal of PCSO plunder case against Arroyo

by Dana

M. SioSon

AJPress

THE Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday, April 18, has affirmed its July 2016 decision, dismissing the plunder case against former Philippine President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in connection with the alleged misuse of P366-million fund from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

In its summary resolution, the SC said it denied the People’s motion for reconsideration due to the insufficiency of evidence. “The Court DENIED the People’s motion for reconsideration of the Court’s July 19, 2016 decision for lack of merit,� the resolution read, penned by Justice Lucas P. IN A JAM. Vehicles crawl along the Kamuning flyover in Quezon City on Monday, April 17 as the traffic situation in Metro Manila returned to Bersamin. normal after the Holy Week break.

ManilaTimes.net photo by Mike De Juan It added that “any attempt to reconsider the decision would amount to double jeopardy.�

With a vote of 11-4, the SC denied the Office of the Ombudsman’s motion for reconsideration

by EDu Punay Philstar.com in its July 19, 2016 decision, which granted Arroyo demurrer to eviBAGUIO CITY – Sen. Leila de dence and resulted in her acquitLima has asked the Supreme tal.

Court (SC) to order her release Among those who voted to affrom detention almost two months firm Arroyo’s dismissal were Jusafter her arrest for drug trading tices Lucas P. Bersamin, Estela charges.

M. Perlas Bernabe, Mariano C. In a petition filed on Monday, del Castillo, Teresita J. Leonardo De Lima maintained that she is de Castro, Francis H. Jardeleza, a victim of political persecution Samuel R. Martires, Jose Catral for being the most vocal critic of Mendoza, Diosdado M. Peralta, the Duterte administration’s war Bienvenido L. Reyes, Noel G. Tion drugs. jam, and Presbitero J. Velasco Jr. “The petitioner was charged, Those who dissented, on the arrested and continued to be deother hand, were Chief Justice tained for the wrong crime. The Maria Lourdes P. A. Sereno, Segovernment needs to present the Sen. Leila de Lima nior Justice Antonio T. Carpio, dangerous drugs as corpus delicti for their fabricated testimonies gerous Drugs Act. But the OSG and Justices Alfredo Benjamin S. (evidence),� read De Lima’s 64- against the petitioner,� De Lima instead manifested before the high Caguioa Marvic and Mario Victor page pleading filed by her lawyer, said. court that the case against her was F. Leonen. former solicitor general Florin The senator reiterated that the for conspiracy in drug trading.

In a statement, Arroyo’s camp Hilbay. “The government’s unbounded thanked the court for clearing her difference in opinion of the Depart“This case shows a clear pattern ment of Justice (DOJ) and Office opportunism toward the accusa- of plunder case with finality. of persecution, not prosecution,� of the Solicitor General (OSG) on tions against the petitioner can “We thank the SC for putting an it said. the propriety of the charges filed only mean that these charges are end to this case,� Arroyo’s legal De Lima alleged that Solicitor against her before the Muntinlupa fake. The post-filing alteration counsel Laurence Arroyo said.

General Jose Calida made a deal City regional trial court (RTC) was of the charge from illegal drug Atty. Arroyo also took note that with high-value inmate Jaybee proof of “unprecedented state- trading to conspiracy to commit the former president was already Sebastian to testify against her in sponsored lawlessness� in her illegal drug trading was resorted acquitted in July when the SC exchange for his return to the New case, which she said the SC should to because the records and the granted her demurrer to evidence.

Bilibid Prison’s maximum security invalidate. evidence lack the dangerous drugs “That should be the end of the compound.

De Lima pointed out that the traded—the single most important story. The Ombudsman’s filing of “The grant of prison privileges DOJ filed with the RTC cases of object evidence in prosecutions in a motion for reconsideration clearis the candy that is offered to these drug trading under Republic Act violations under Section 5 of the ly placed the former president in convicted criminals, in exchange 9165, the Comprehensive DanPAGE A7 double jeopardy,� he added.

In a separate vote of 10-5, the SC also dismissed the plunder case against former PCSO budget and accounts manager Benigno B. Aguas.

The Sandiganbayan earlier ac-

De Lima to SC: Please release me

quitted former members of the PCSO board of directors Manuel Morato, Raymundo Roquero and Jose Taruc, as well as Commission on Audit (COA) officials Reynaldo Villar and Nilda Plaras.

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april 20-26, 2017 • laS VEGaS aSiaN JOUrNal

OpiniOn

‘Shoot the corrupt’

Features

IT can amuse the audience, and there are people who would love to shoot government workers who demand grease money before doing what they are paid to do. But everyone knows the average person isn’t going to shoot such crooks in government, as President Rodrigo Duterte advised the business community in Qatar last Saturday, April 15.

Addressing the Philippines-Qatar business forum in Doha, the President reiterated his commitment to stamp out corruption. If any employee of the Bureau of Internal Revenue or Bureau of Customs, for example, demanded even P10 in grease money, “shoot him,” the President told the businessmen.

The public would prefer to have the government do the shooting – figuratively, it must be stressed in this season of Tokhang and Double Barrel Reloaded.

The country has tough laws against various forms of corruption including the most serious, plunder.

Anti-money laundering laws also cover graft-related offenses. What is lacking, as is the case in many laws in this country, is proper enforcement.

Stamping out corruption, as the President has promised, also suffers from the weakness of the regulatory environment and institutional structures.

Processes are designed to force the payment of grease money to oil the wheels of government.

Among the biggest hindrances to any attempt to

fight graft are corrupt members of the judiciary. As long as justice is for sale in this country, people can expect to get away with corruption.

This is true especially among those who are accused of large-scale plunder. These individuals typically have amassed sufficient ill-gotten wealth to hire topnotch lawyers who know the judges and justices whose decisions are for sale to the highest bidder. A recent report prepared by the US government also specifically cited the problem of corruption in the Philippine judiciary as a major hindrance to bilateral trade.

President Duterte has no disciplinary supervision over an independent and co-equal branch of government, but he can use his power to appoint or promote members of the judiciary to help clean up the justice sector. Within the executive branch, he must demand results from his officials in drastically cutting red tape and improving procedures in every agency. It will take more than bullets to rid this country of corruption. (Philstar.com)

Guest Editorial

Philstar.com photo

If Duterte can’t be expected to change, perhaps media should PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has accused media, specifically the Philippine Daily Inquirer and ABS-CBN, of being bastos and unfair and, in the process, he sounded just as foul as the objects of his ire.

Perhaps it is too much to expect Duterte to change. But, with due respect to my media colleagues, I believe they – we – can use some frank self-examination and an overhaul.

Duterte isn’t the first head of state to complain about the way some members of the press have used “alternative facts” in their reportage, to echo Donald Trump’s Kellyanne Conway.

To drive home my point, I would like to re-run a piece that I wrote in January 2002, during the incumbency of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, entitled, “The Making of a Masturbated Story”: Vicky Garchitorena, former head of the Presidential Management Staff, in a recent meeting with the Filipino community in San Francisco, conjectured that “as much as 50 percent” of the stories put out in Manila media were distorted or even fabricated.

As a new palace insider with first-hand knowledge of what President Arroyo had said about an issue or how it had been discussed in official circles, she confessed to being often taken aback by the slant given by the media to that issue – stretched or twisted beyond recognition.

In the first of this two-part piece, I referred to that practice as

“masturbating the news,” a term to which I was introduced as a cub reporter back in the mid-50’s.

Perhaps today’s journalists are already using another term but the practice remains.

The constant refrain of government officials and prominent personalities in business and civil society has been that Philippine media have a tendency to “sensationalize” the news, to dramatize or exaggerate situations and even to distort or fabricate stories.

The media have been quick to protest this “generalization,” pointing out, quite rightly, that it unfairly tarnishes those who operate by the strictest standards of the journalistic profession (and it should be assumed that they are still legion).

But it cannot be denied that there are those in media who routinely stretch facts or present stories out of context for a number of reasons, the most benign of which is to grab the attention of readers, viewers and listeners.

It also cannot be denied that there are those in government and the private sector who are just as guilty of misinformation and even outright disinformation.

Or of simply not knowing what to say but saying it anyway.

On my recent visit to Manila, I decided to track the making of a masturbated story.

On Friday, January 18, the Inquirer ran the headline: “US senator says RP next Afghanistan.”

The American official referred to, Sen. Sam Brownback, a mem-

ber of the Senate foreign relations Street committee, never said that. The Talk exact quote, which appeared within the article, read: ‘”It appears GreG B. MacaBenta that the Philippines is going to be the second, the next target, after Afghanistan on the war on terrorism,’ Brownback said during a stop in Wichita. ‘That Abu Sayyaf group is the target.’”

It doesn’t take rocket science to take that statement in proper context.

The United States and its allies, the Philippines included, have vowed to go after terrorists wherever they may be. The Abu Sayyaf has been linked to al-Qaeda and Osama bin Ladin. President Arroyo and President George W. Bush have both agreed that the Abu Sayyaf should be eliminated.

There is some urgency in this for the US because two American citizens are being held hostage.

Thus, to quote Brownback: “That Abu Sayyaf group is the target.”

The trouble is that there has been a great deal of fudging and equivocating – too much masturbating – on the part of the Arroyo government concerning the role that the Americans will play in the campaign against the Abu Sayyaf.

That, coupled with the hypocrisy and piranha mentality of the opposition and the age-old “Yankee go

home” rhetoric of the militants, has created an opportunity for sensationalizing, for creating suspense, conflict and confusion.

This was reflected in the treatment of the Inquirer’s Friday headline which expectedly, set off fireworks which, in turn, made for a perfect follow-up story on Saturday. Its headline the next day blared: “US senator stirs furor for remark on RP.” The subhead read: “No way RP will be next Afghanistan.”

The lead rubbed it in even more: “The statement of a United States senator that the Philippines could be the next Afghanistan has triggered an uproar, with senators seeking a personal briefing from President Macapagal-Arroyo on the presence of US troops and activist groups demanding their immediate pullout.”

The usual quotable notables wasted no time in jumping into the fray, even if out of context.

Sen. Blas Ople “dismissed Brownback’s statement, saying the US senator was ‘speaking from a complete ignorance of Philippine reality.’”

Even a media veteran like Max Soliven couldn’t help getting into the act. In his column in the Sunday, January 20, issue of Philippine Star, the headline snapped: “Too much puffery over an Amer-

Critical of Duterte’s Mideast Lenten visit but silent about Teddy’s ‘blasphemy’ Commentary

antonio contreras LENI Robredo is practically politically dead, and the latest SWS survey has shown this. Her net satisfaction rating shed 11 points.

And you do not have to believe scientific surveys. All you need to do is to look at the angry faces that merrily float on the screen everytime her face shows up.

Teddy Baguilat, her party-mate, in response to her steep decline in net satisfaction ratings, tweeted on Holy Tuesday, April 11, a biblical explanation. “Ika nga sa bible [as the bible said], the prophet (who bears truth) is sometimes not welcome in his hometown. Kaya [this is why]VP Leni’s ratings have gone down.”

Some devout Catholics have criticized the timing of President Duterte’s visit to Muslim-dominated countries, namely the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Qatar, at a time when Filipinos were commemorating the death and resurrection

of Jesus Christ. Some painted the visit as a gross disrespect of our Catholic faith.

Yet, these people have not taken Teddy Baguilat to task for what can be considered as blasphemy, where he likened Leni Robredo to a prophet being persecuted even by her own people. They did not question the timing of Teddy’s tweet, that of all days he has to deify his embattled Vice President three days before Catholics and other Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Christ.

What is problematic is the ease by which people can appropriate religion to provide justification for acts of preferred political personalities, even as religion has been used to diminish or silence the politics of others. And in the Philippines, what is even more discomfiting is the manner by which a secular state such as ours has allowed Roman Catholicism to influence the direction of our political discourse.

It has always been said that the Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia.

This lie has been repeatedly stated over and over again, effectively blindsiding the intent of the Constitution that installed a state that is separate from any religion. It

is a constitution that bars the state from discriminating against people based on faith. Yet, we have seen how our government has privileged Roman Catholicism as the dominant religion. To privilege one is to discriminate against the others, particularly the religious minorities.

In fact, if at all, the state has a duty to protect their rights over the dictates of the Catholic majority.

However, the state fails to protect the rights of the minority when we have laws that are crafted not on the sheer logic of secular demands, but are constrained by religious considerations. There was a time in our history when the writings of Jose Rizal were banned from schools simply because he was seen as a heretic by the Catholic Church.

When a law was proposed requiring the inclusion of a course on Rizal in the curriculum, the Catholic Church opposed it.

The Reproductive Health Law was strongly opposed by the Church on the grounds that it was an affront to the tenets of the faith.

Even the President seemed to have bought into this line of thinking when he declared that he could no longer support same-sex marriages, something which he promised during the campaign, on

the ground that we are a Catholic country.

And the use of religion to discriminate does not favor only the Catholics. Bigamy is a crime, but not for men who are followers of Islam.

One needs to realize that the Philippines is not a theocracy. Its secular nature bars us from privileging any particular religion in the conduct of our civic affairs. The deployment of Roman Catholicism as a principal logic that inhabits our political discourse is a gross violation of the very nature of our state.

What aggravates the use of religion is when it becomes a weapon that can be deployed selectively by partisans, such as when noise is generated to chastise the President’s visit to Islamic states during Lent, even as there is silence when Teddy Baguilat deified Leni Robredo by likening her to a persecuted prophet.

One can condemn this column today as an ill-timed heretic discourse coming just after we have celebrated the resurrection of Christ.

However, belief in the resurrection does not mean closing PAGE A7

ican Senator being a loudmouth, too.”

And then he wrote: “What’s Brownback supposed to have said? That the Philippines would be the next Afghanistan? We know, and this should suffice, that we are as different from war-ravaged, Taliban-humiliated, feudalminded (except in some warlord areas) Afghanistan as apples are from oranges.”

Max is right. The Philippines is not Afghanistan. But Brownback never said it is.

Always feisty, Max (my former boss, incidentally) described Brownback as someone who sounded “like a delegate from Dogpatch high on Kickapoo joy juice.”

Ouch!

In a tabloid that picked up the same story, Roilo Golez called Brownback’s statement “grandstanding” and said that “the latter’s fear is baseless and untrue.

‘It’s only part of speculation.’”

But wasn’t he also “grandstanding” by making an incorrect attribution to Brownback?

The latter never expressed any “fear” about America helping in the campaign against the Abu Sayyaf and, as national security adviser, he knows that the US involvement is not “baseless and untrue” or “only part of speculation.”

The ones who are speculating are the militants and the political opposition who insist that, far from just giving advice and training, US troops will actually go into

combat against the Abu Sayyaf.

And here is where Malacañang has been “massaging the message.” No. Definitely not.

The Americans will just train our soldiers. Although they’ll observe on the frontlines. And they’ll fire back when shot at. But no, they won’t go into combat.

The fuzz explains the comment of Sen. Joker Arroyo, also in the Inquirer, that “the presence of U.S. troops in Basilan and Zamboanga was an implied admission by the AFP that it could not defeat the Abu Sayyaf.”

Malacañang’s retort? Of course we can defeat the Abu Sayyaf ourselves without any US help. But we can use some help. But we really don’t need help. Although we are already being helped.

For those of us who live overseas, it’s disconcerting having to constantly strain to read between the lines when going over the news from Manila.

First, we’re never sure that the source of the news, especially when it is the government, is conveying it truthfully, with no equivocation, and without any material facts being withheld. And then, we’re never sure that the version being communicated in the media is an objective, complete, unvarnished portrayal of the facts.

To put it bluntly, we’re never sure that the news is not being masturbated.

Is it any surprise that the image of our country is so screwed up? (gregmacabenta@hotmail. com)

Why Nevadans need tax reform WHEN it comes to business, government at any level should Letter to the Editor work by a simple principle: help, don’t hurt. But because of an outdated and cumbersome tax code, our federal government today is restraining the potential of businesses in Nevada instead of unleashing it.

Consider the high tax rate that American businesses pay versus their foreign competitors. At 39 percent, the tax burden on U.S.based businesses is nearly twice that of other developed nations.

For some small businesses, including ones the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce represents, the tax rate can be as high as 44 percent.

Added to that burden is the significant time and high cost of complying with a tax code that hasn’t seen meaningful reform in thirty years. The National Taxpayers Union estimates that our unwieldy tax code costs American businesses more than $230 billion annually in productivity. Clearly, something needs to change.

The plan put forward by House Speaker Ryan and House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady goes a long way toward making government work for businesses and not against them. The RyanBrady blueprint modernizes the tax code by cutting the corporate tax rate to 20 percent and reducing the rate for small business to 25 percent, their lowest tax rate in decades. These measures, combined with provisions such as border adjustments, create more level playing conditions for businesses in Nevada and across America.

As Nevada lawmakers consider the best way to help Nevada businesses, we encourage them to give the Ryan-Brady blueprint the attention it deserves.

- Sonny Vinuya, president of the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce

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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MalacaĂąang downplays reduced Pacquiao wants end to tax woes support for adminâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s war on drugs

by Kristian Javier Philstar.com

M a n I La â&#x20AC;&#x201D; P re s i d e n t i a l spokesperson ernesto abella on Wednesday, april 20 said majority of Filipinos are still satisfied with the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s war against illegal drugs despite the dip in ratings. abella noted that satisfaction is still high despite the â&#x20AC;&#x153;negative criticismsâ&#x20AC;? received by the administration locally and abroad. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Filipinos understand and support the campaign against hard drug traffickers and violators,â&#x20AC;? he said. the spokesman also echoed the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vow and said that the drive against illegal drugs would be â&#x20AC;&#x153;relentlessâ&#x20AC;? until the drug apparatus is rendered useless. the latest survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations

Senator Manny Pacquiao wants an end to the litigation of the complaint he filed against the Bureau of Internal revenue (BIr) in connection with the P2.2 billion tax that the latter wants to collect from him.

Pacquiao on Wednesday, april 20 confirmed that he is open to the possibility of settling his tax problem with the BIr and negotiations are ongoing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have always been open to the possibility of amicably settling the tax assessments of the BIr which in my view are without basis,â&#x20AC;?

Pacquiao said in a statement relayed by his media relations officer aquiles Zonio to The Manila Times.

rating in December 2016.

Meanwhile, 10 percent of Filipino adults are undecided. abella said the war on drugs is for the next generation of Filipinos.

He also noted that 70 percent of the Filipinos believe that the administration is serious about solving the problems in extrajudicial killings and cleansing the Philippine national Police of scalawags. the survey showed, however, that 36 percent of respondents Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said said they think the Duterte admajority of Filipinos are still satisfied with the ministration is somewhat serious governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s war on drugs despite the slight in solving extrajudicial killing dip in satisfaction ratings. cases, while 5 percent said the (SWS) from March 25 to 28 government is â&#x20AC;&#x153;somewhat not showed that 78 percent of Fili- serious,â&#x20AC;? and 4 percent said it is pino adults are satisfied with the not serious at all. by llanesCa t. Panti the survey used face-to-face governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s war on drugs while Manilatimes.net interviews with 1,200 adults 12 percent are dissatisfied, yielding a net satisfaction of +66. this nationwide and has a sampling PreSIDent rodrigo Duterte is an 11-point dip from the +77 error of Âą 3 percent. has reappointed environment Secretary regina Lopez and three other Cabinet members who failed to get the nod of the Commission on appointments (Ca).

In a statement, the Palace ancent to 7.5 percent official gross do- China, Peiris said. nonetheless, the Philippines will nounced that Duterte reappointed mestic product (GDP) growth target this year, but lower than the revised be affected should growth in the Lopez on an ad-interim basis 6.9 percent growth recorded last region slow, while the impact from along with Secretaries rafael year. Its 2018 forecast falls below a tightening of US monetary policy Mariano of the Department of the 7 percent to 8 percent target of will depend on the extent to which agrarian reform, Judy taguiwalo it is driven by stronger US growth. of the Department of Social Welthe government. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Protectionist policies in ad- fare and Development and Paulyn Peiris also said higher commodity prices would drive up inflation to vanced economies would have Jean Ubial of the Department of 3.6 percent in 2017 and 3.3 percent an overall negative impact in asia Health. the 25-member Ca panel comin 2018, although still within the including the Philippines but the BSPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s target range of 2 percent to magnitude of impact and chan- posed of senators and members 4 percent for both years. Inflation nels would depend on the specific of the House of representatives policies that are still uncertain,â&#x20AC;? bypassed the Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appointaveraged 1.8 percent in 2016. ment of the four Cabinet members he said.

China spillover â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;manageableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Peiris urged the government due to opposition from several He said the external position of the Philippines would continue to to focus on policies promoting sectors.

But of the four, it was Lopez be comfortable amid ample inter- inclusive growth, such as closing who was the most controversial the gaps in infrastructure and hunational reserves.

Moreover, spillovers from slower man development particularly in because of her order to close mining companies found to have growth in China or higher global fi- poverty-stricken rural areas.

He noted that fiscal policy was violated laws during a mining nancial volatility should be manageable for the Philippines because of already oriented toward social audit that she spearheaded.

She even told rep. ronaldo its strong economic fundamentals, and infrastructure expenditure,

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is my desire to seek an end to the pending litigation because, as a senator, I do not want to maintain a case against the government,â&#x20AC;? he added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was only forced to file a case in order to defend myself from the actions of the BIr which I believe were violative of my rights under the law.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have the utmost trust and respect for Commissioner Caesar Dulay. My only request from the lawyers of both parties is that the discussions be based on the evidence on hand and not on mere perceptions,â&#x20AC;? Pacquiao said.

Pacquiaoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business manager enrico Pineda, who serves as a congressman representing 1-Pacman partylist, said they expect a

positive response from the BIr. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m hoping this issue (tax evasion) will be settled the soonest because everybody knows that Pacquiao is not a tax evader,â&#x20AC;?

Pineda, also the team manager of Mahindra in the Philippine Basketball association, said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He was just singled out by the past administration. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m hoping the issue will end,â&#x20AC;? he added. the BIr filed a P 2.2 billion tax liability case against Pacquiao for not allegedly paying correct taxes in 2008 and 2009. But Pacquiao questioned the tax assessment and in 2013 filed a complaint against the BIr at the Court of tax appeals. (Josef T. Ramos/ManilaTimes.net)

Duterte reappoints Lopez, 3 others

IMF keeps PH 2017 growth outlook

by Mayvelin

U. Caraballo ManilaTimes

tHe International Monetary Fund (IMF) has retained its Philippine growth forecast for 2017 at 6.8 percent, pointing to strong domestic demand, a recovery in exports, and higher public spending as major growth drivers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Growth is projected to remain robust at 6.8 percent in 2017 and 6.9 percent in 2018, led by strong domestic demand and a recovery in exports,â&#x20AC;? Shanaka Jayanath Peiris, IMF resident representative to the Philippines, told reporters by email on tuesday, april 19 after the release of the World economic outlook (Weo) Update report. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Public spending is expected to rise as the fiscal deficit target has been increased to 3 percent of GDP in 2017 and provide a stimulus to economic activity,â&#x20AC;? he added. the IMFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2017 forecast falls ample policy space, and limited financed by additional borrowing within the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 6.5 per- trade and financial linkages with and higher revenue.

Critical of Duterteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mideast Lenten visit but silent...

PAGE A6 democratic spaces or silencing the minority and the dissenters. It is about having a faith that is unassailable even in a plurality of voices. a secular state that celebrates pluralism of beliefs, religious or otherwise, is not a threat to a faith that is cemented by belief in the

resurrection of Christ as savior and Lord. a law that would allow divorce, or for same-sex couples to marry, could not assault the faith that is firmly held by believers deep in their hearts. after all, even persecution by rome did not stop the early Christians from propagating their faith.

But more importantly, this column serves as a litmus test for your politics vis-Ă -vis your faith. If you are uncomfortable with it, it can only mean that you really do not truly understand the freedoms we owe to the fact that the Philippines is a secular state, and not a theocracy. (ManilaTimes.net)

Environment Secretary Regina Lopez

Zamora of San Juan, a member of the panel, that his brother Manny Zamora â&#x20AC;&#x153;killed a mountain.â&#x20AC;?

Lopez ordered the closure of Hinatuan Mining Corp., a subsidiary of nickel asia, as well as 21 other mining companies due to violations of the Mining Law. not a single mining company, however, closed shop because the owners of the 22 companies affected by the closure order appealed Lopezâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision before the office of the President (oP).

Lopez, who has been bypassed twice by the Ca, is also pushing

for a P2 million trust fund per hectare of disturbed land as a result of mining operations. She argued that mining companies should provide for this before removing their ore stockpiles in mining sites. once the Ca rejects an appointee three times, the President will have to replace the appointee. the Ca rejected the appointment of former Foreign affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay because he lied about his acquisition of american citizenship in the 1980s when questioned by the panel.

De Lima to SC: Please release...

PAGE A5 Dangerous Drugs act,â&#x20AC;? De Lima argued.

She added that such confusion in the cases filed against her was a violation of her right to due process and to be informed of the nature and cause of accusations against her under the Bill of rights in the Constitution.

De Lima also rebutted the oSGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

allegations that she violated the hierarchy of courts when she filed a premature petition with the SC despite her pending motion to quash the charges before the lower court. on the issue of jurisdiction, De Lima insisted that the allegations against her should constitute a case for direct bribery under the jurisdiction

of the Sandiganbayanâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;not for drug trading. the SC is set to rule on De Limaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s motion for issuance of a status quo ante order that would result in her release from detention at the Philippine national Police Custodial Center at Camp Crame and nullification of the arrest order issued by Muntinlupa Judge Juanita Guerrero in February.

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Journal Kris Aquino signs contract Dingdong, Marian ready to have Baby No. 2 with LA-based agency by izA iglesiAs ManilaTimes.net

by Arlo

Custodio ManilaTimes.net

Instagram is officially Kris aquino’s medium. In a series of posts, she has kept her fans and followers updated of what’s going on with her Hollywood adventure.

On monday, april 18, the flamboyant tV host—who is definitely one of Philippines’ biggest and most controversial personalities—posted, “I am now being managed by East West artists headquartered in Los angeles … my entertainment career will be under the direct supervision of one of their partners, @ agentchrislee. #newBlessing #newJourney.” she followed it up with a greeting, “good morning Philippines. #grateful #BeBlessed.”

With another text that said, “Work hard in silence. Let your success be the noise,” she furthered, “Obeying the request of @agentchrislee, believing in the wisdom of @nix722, and for the

Kris Aquino with son Bimby, agent Chris Lee, and financial adviser Nicko Falcis.

peaceful hearts of my sisters. #challengeaccepted.” the Queen of all media flew to Los angeles on sunday to sign a contract for a Hollywood project, which she said she could not disclose the details yet as she signed a non-disclosure agreement, but shared she was

excited to read the script with her name watermarked on every page. meanwhile, showbiz website Pep.ph reported that aquino has landed a role in the movie adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s hilarious bestselling novel Crazy rich asians.

Sharon Cuneta’s battle with the bulge continues

by MAridol

rAnoA-BisMArk Philstar.com

Sharon Cuneta

sHarOn Cuneta needs to be congratulated. she lost a whopping 65 pounds in the past year or so, when she vowed to lose weight on her birthday, January 6.

But while she is happy to get compliments for it, the “megastar” admits it is not enough. she needs to lose 20 pounds more to look “underweight” on tV, where she acts as one of four coaches (Lea salonga, Bamboo and sarah geronimo are the others) in aBsCBn’s new singing reality show, “the Voice teens.” “nag-plateau ako. I relaxed for a while and got tired. naumay ako sa diet,” she professes. sharon knows the risks. she admits the feeling of food depriva-

tion can lead to binging and weight gain. all her efforts to control her eating for the past year will be wasted. so, she came up with a plan to lose weight as fast as one to two weeks. that tried-and-tested plan is the Cohen Diet. sharon says the medically driven diet tailor fits your meals according to your health condition. the doctor himself designs the diet for you. and because it worked for her, sharon is thinking of seeing the same doctor again “based on my old prescription.”

Otherwise, she is reversing everything she did when she gained weight. “remember what you did when you gained weight? Just do the opPAGE B4

PHILIPPInE showbiz’ famous couple Dingdong Dantes and marian rivera revealed before the Holy Week break that they are indeed talking about having another child soon. together with their daughter maria Letizia— more popularly known as Baby Zia—Dong-Yan faced the press as a family for the first time at the Johnson & Johnson’s #Dadventures Camp press launch on april 3, and were picture perfect in every way.

“We plan to have our second baby after my upcoming teleserye. that’s our target,” the everbeautiful 32-year-old actress and gma network’s “Primetime Queen” declared. rivera furthered that Zia, who is turning two on november 23, will definitely love to have a sibling. “Of course, she will be excited to have a little brother or sister. Baby Zia likes the kids she meets,” the doting mom added.

Dantes, on the other hand, emphasized that he and his wife are prepared to have another child any time.

“We’re ready if Baby no. 2 happens. It doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl. Whatever god will give us, we’ll be more than happy,” the 36-year-old hunk of a dad beamed. meanwhile, their darling Zia is noticeably comfortable in front of the camera. During the event, the celebrity tyke showed off her wit and adorable ways as she engaged attendees by saying “po” and “opo,” demonstrating parts of the body, and waving and smiling at everybody in the room. “she’s a very happy girl and very sociable. Her mother is a good teacher. she’s also in the stage of exploring so you cannot stop her playfulness.

What’s really important is as parents, we have to be around her all the time so she won’t get hurt,” Dantes shared.

“I want to be a good role model to my child. In everything that we do, I want us to be an example, both her parents—how we love each other, how we deal with others—we want her to be like that,” rivera elaborated.

With more commercials in the pipeline for their beautiful little girl, it was but natural that the Danteses were asked whether they would allow Zia to enter showbiz when she is a little older. Without hesitation the responsible dad said they would neither discourage nor encourage her, but they will make sure to expose her to other options.

“It will still depend on her choice. We’re just here to support and guide her on what she wants to do in life. But it’s important for us also to introduce all other options to her so she’s free to choose. and of course, we want her to focus first on her studies in the future,” Dantes said.

Philippine showbiz’ royal family: Marian, Zia and Dingdong Rivera-Dantes

Back to acting many fans are excited that the power couple are set to return to acting as Prinsipe raquim and reyna minea in gma’s telefantasya Encantadia. they will also have separate soaps to lead and a sitcom they will both star in after their respective projects.

“We will return to Encantadia but we will not work together [in scenes],” confirmed rivera. asked how the projects will affect their parenting schedules, with both very hands on in raising Zia, the Primetime Queen replied, “gma talked to us so we can balance our schedules. We said we don’t want to shoot [our scenes]at the same time. If ever I have taping, Dong should be at home taking care of Zia. and I will do that too if Dong needs to shoot. at least one of us should be with her.” the actress further revealed she still has separation anxiety from Baby Zia even as she returned to showbiz in the latter part of 2016. “now you have seen how my daughter is attached to me, and how I am attached to her. For sure I’ll continue to have a separation anxiety and have a hard time leaving her,” she said. “But then of course I am excited to go back to primetime especially for the characters I will be playing. For my next soap I will have two leading men,” rivera ended without giving other clues about her next project.

EntErtainmEnt

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A remembrance of her Filipino heritage Author Cristie Locsin writes about change and possibilities in “The Value of Equality”

By Malou liwanag-Bledsoe AJPress

WHEN writers make fiction, many would expect that they would go beyond what is expected of them purely because they have more room for imagination. For first time author Cristie Locsin, she had that in mind when she wrote “The Value of Equality” — that, with fiction, she would have freedom to create her own story. However, she did not go very far as she decided to stay close to her Filipino roots.

“The Value of Equality” tells the story of the hacienderos of the Philippines in the late 1960s, when times were turbulent with rebel groups vying for political reformation and new leadership. The first book of a proposed trilogy, it is inspired by the experiences of Locsin’s father and grandfather.

In 1969, the powerful hacienderos in the province of Azusa were known for creating politicians.

Daria Hernandez, a haciendero’s daughter, loved her father’s land and the workers. She paved the way for the ambitious and idealistic Mayor Vasquez to lead the country into a new form of government.

Locsin explained that she chose to write historical fiction because she’s a big fan of alternate history genre. “It’s my imagination’s interpretation of a what-if scenario,” she said.

She also clarified that readers might try to find similarities with the story’s characters and/or storyline. “The farmers and workers are part of the characters in the book. As for the past and current situation [in the Philippines], situation is different,” she said.

“Agrarian reform has ended the

patriarchal or matriarchal root of the landlord and former relations, which erased the sense of family, responsibility and care.”

In spite of the Filipino-inspired and background of the story, Locsin reiterated that her book’s message is universal, as it focuses on the political happenings not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well.

“Don’t let the cover of the book fool you. The theme for my book is universal,” she said and then added, “It is about love and sacrifice. It also dabbles on historical settings with politics on the side.

The backdrop for the novel is a setting and culture that few can remember. It is also a sub-culture to the traditional Filipino culture that is presented in a lot of novels.”

She also talked about change, which seems to be part of the “The Value of Equality.” In the book, the readers may perceive that change happens all the time — whether good or bad. “...It’s [change] a word that seems to have lost its significance and meaning. It is overused in my opinion,” she explained and then continued, “I don’t think things have changed much. History does have the tendency to repeat itself.

A journalist once shared with that change is like billiard balls struck by a poor pool player. The vigor of the stroke seldom coincides with the direction intended.”

With roots from Silay City, Negros Occidental, Locsin holds a journalism degree from California State University-Northridge and hails from a family of writers. Her uncle (her father’s brother), Teodoro Locsin Sr., was a highly respected journalist and publisher of The Philippines

The author with husband Michael, and kids James, Jenella and Jade.

Photo courtesy of Cristie Locsin

Director Mae Cruz-Alviar (left) with Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, stars of her latest work, Star Cinema’s Can’t Help Falling in Love which is said to have grossed more than P30M when it opened nationwide on Black Saturday, April 15.

Direk Mae: Her films reflect growing maturity

by Ricky lo Philstar.com

Free Press Magazine. His son, Teodoro “Teddyboy” Locsin, Jr. is also a well-known journalist and columnist.

As a first time book author and publisher, she admits that there were challenges that she had to hurdle through, one of which is editing. “I have to thank my editing team for their hard work,” she said. “As an author or for me at least, it was difficult to edit my own work. What’s on my mind at times, reflects differently on paper.”

She also has this advice to aspiring writers: “Write your heart out. Write the story you want to tell. Do not allow discouragement and negativity to stop your creativity. After you write your story, be confident and don’t let the money and sales rank be your guide for your success. Everyone is entitled to their interpretation of your story so accept the criticism that can help you improve and let go of all the worthless negativity.” *”The Value of Equality” is available in hardbound, paperback and electronic copy. It is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble in all formats including E-books for Kindle, Nook and Ibooks. For bulk and distribution, please contact Authorhouse (http://bookstore. authorhouse.com/Products/SKU001121174/The-Value-of-Equality. aspx). The novel was also released in the United Kingdom, Europe, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and South Africa, as well as Japan and China. It is not yet available in the Philippines.

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LIKE mostly young actors whom she is directing, Mae CruzAlviar grows more mature with every film. It’s obvious in her latest work, Star Cinema’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love” starring the KathNiel tandem of Kathryn Bernardo (who turned 22 last March 21) and Daniel Padilla (turning 22 on April 26), which reportedly raked in more than P30M when it opened nationwide on Black Saturday, April 15.

Aside from a wedding scene, Kathryn and Daniel claimed that their characters are far more mature than those in their previous films.

“I’ve been doing romantic comedies for years and truthfully, it is quite a challenge to make it different from my previous films,” agrees Mae. “I feel though that this one isn’t as all-out cheesy kilig like “Catch Me I’m in Love” (starring Sarah Geronimo and Gerald Anderson) or as laugh-out-loud comedy as Bride forRent (Kim Chiu and Xian Lim) or as dramatic as Everyday I Love You (Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil).”

The movie’s theme is more mature than that of Crazy Beautiful You, another KathNiel starrer.

“Yes,” adds Mae, “in terms of the balance of comedy, romance and drama. I guess so, except that my actors have also grown since our last project together. I feel that in general, I am growing more mature and it reflects in my films.

I can’t seem to find myself getting cringe-worthy cheesy as before and I find my characters becoming more mature as well.”

Mae describes as “pure joy” working with Kathryn and Daniel.

“I really am so fortunate to work with actors who are collaborators, who are thinking actors, who will give their all to the project, who put their full trust in me and the team. This is not my first time with them and I see how they’ve grown more mature, how they take the craft seriously and how much respect they give to the filmmaking process.”

Fortunately for KathNiel fans, Mae did spice up the movie with kilig moments done according to the age of the actors (and their characters) who are now, so to speak, “legally” mature.

Explains Mae, “It’s not really about having more kilig moments but more about having different, more age appropriate kilig moments. As the saying goes, it’s not quantity but quality we’re after. Given that their last film (Barcelona) was more mature, we really worked on making sure they weren’t acting juvenile anymore.

We had to find the right timpla (amount) of kilig that’s right for their age.”

What comes with age is correcting certain distracting mannerisms. Mae did just that.

“For Kath, she has very distinct hand gestures which I remind her to control. For DJ, he has a certain way of holding Kath’s face that we had to adjust. At the early part of the film, there were moments I would have to remind them that they shouldn’t be affectionate since it wasn’t called for in the story yet.”

What kind of other films does Mae want to direct?

“When I began directing, aside from doing love stories, I wanted to try different kinds of genres like action and horror. When I was training as a director in Pangako Sa Yo (the ABS-CBN teleserye), I did most of the tracking shots in the show, with a lot of action involved.

Because of that, I was interested in doing a movie with a lot of car chases. I also got to try doing horror because of the show Nginig and I enjoyed it very much (except for some nightmares because of certain episodes!). I’ve always been a fan of suspense/mystery stories and was also interested in doing that. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a lot of projects like that then. Ultimately I wanted (and still want!) to do a historical/period love story. That’s a dream project for me. I’d love to do historical films because it has always been my dream. Next, I’d love to try doing a horror film.”

Who are the filmmakers does she look up to and what does she like about their style?

“Oh wow...there’s a LOT. I look up to a lot of filmmakers especially locally. I was fortunate to have worked with a lot of them (even briefly) and have learned from them. The veteran directors Mel Chionglo, Maryo J. Delos Reyes, Marilou Diaz Abaya, Peque Gallaga, Lore Reyes, Jerry Sineneng and Jeffrey Jeturian have been most generous with their wisdom and knowledge and never made me feel like a neophyte. They were very warm, accommodating and even gave very constructive criticism of my work.

“I admire the films of Chito PAGE B4

EntErtainmEnt

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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 20-26, 2017

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KC Concepcion feels hot, successful at 32 Gerald Santos & the challenge of being Thuy have been there for me through ups and downs,” the star shared.

Philstar.com According to her, her secret No matter what people say to being “hot” is eating well and about her, KC Concepcion feels moving a lot.

She also feels she has achieved she is “hot” and “successful” a lot when her social enterprise at 32.

“My birthday wish is really earned its first one-million-peso to be the healthiest, fittest that I sales, so she is very thankful for can be,” the actress and Tv host online shoppers that supported shared in a recent interview with her.

When it comes to her showbiz Philstar.com following her launch career, she said, “Patuloy pa rin as Downy Parfum ambassador.

“Being 30 is a different ball ‘yung inquiries sa’kin. Pero gusto game altogether. I want to show ko lang talaga piliin ng tama ‘yung Filipinas that you can be 30 and gagawin kong next. But I’m conhot and successful and still young tinuing to host. Hosting is my first at heart and still really be motivat- love talaga. I’m still very thankful ed by hard work, passion, and be for endorsements. It just goes to supported by people around you. show that many Filipinas still look I really want to thank people who up to us!” by

KC Concepcion

Deni Rose BeRnaRDo

Gerald Anderson doesn’t mind Bea Alonzo keeping photos with exes by

Deni Rose BeRnaRDo Philstar.com

“A Love to Last” star Bea Alonzo keeps the photos of her exes — and her boyfriend, actor Gerald Anderson, does not mind.

“Part ng buhay ng isang tao ‘yan e, something na ‘di natin mabubura,” he told Philstar.com in a recent interview following his successful finish at the Skechers LA Marathon.

He does not feel jealous, even now that Bea is seen in romantic scenes with actor Ian veneracion in “A Love to Last.”

“Ako naman ‘yung tipo ng tao na ine-enjoy ko ‘yung moment.

Kung anong nangyayari sa buhay ko ngayon, ‘yun ang focus ko, hindi ‘yung past,” added Gerald, who is also working with his exgirlfriend, Kim Chiu, for another ABS-CBN soap opera. He and Kim are even in a sexy magazine cover shoot lately.

He assured that he and Bea have a high level of trust. “Kasi hindi ako nag-dwe-dwell sa past,” he said.

Last Holy Week, Bea and Gerald had a beach vacation in Davao together with their families.

When the actor celebrated his birthday last March 7, Bea’s gift for him was “support and time.”

He also got his wish of “wisdom, strength and motivation.”

Shortly after his birthday, Gerald finished the 42k Los Angeles marathon. Bea was so happy when he crossed the finish line and called him right away to con-

Bea Alonzo and Gerald Anderson

gratulate. Will he be running with Bea in the next marathon?

“She joins runs. Kaya n’ya (mag-marathon). Kaya ng kahit sinong may gusto, basta paghihirapan,” he assured. “It’s one thing I want people to experience, kahit hindi ‘yung 42k, kahit ‘yung mga half-marathon man lang. Kasi ‘yun ang gusto kong maranasan ng mga tao, ‘yung fulfillment.”

Crossing the finish line has its own joy and offers a different feeling altogether that Gerald cannot compare it to the happiness he felt during his birthday, Christmas, or first kiss with Bea. “The fulfillment, the emotions, do not compare with anything…

Kasi alam mo na pinaghirapan mo s’ya, ‘yung emotions at fulfillment na binibigay sa’yo na isang marathon or isang race, iba s’ya.”

He was at the brink of giving up at 20 to 35 kilometers. But what kept him going were cheers from fellow Filipinos saying, “Malapit na!”

“It was very challenging, especially the last part,” he recalled.

“My entire body aches, especially the legs. I saw people fainting along the way…Kasi pinu-push mo sarili mo, pinu-push mo katawan mo to a point na ‘di pa nararating ng katawan mo. That’s why nung kinakabit na ‘yung medal, iba na ‘yung pakiramdam… The cheers really gave me a boost of energy. Inisip ko ‘yung mga taong naghintay sa’kin sa dulo. Inisip ko ‘yung pinaghirapan ko para sa event na ‘to.”

After the marathon, his Skechers shoes are still in good condition and can still be used for several marathons more. He did not use a new pair and even used an old pair, which he plans to auction for charity.

“Kung hindi dahil sa shoes na ginamit ko, for sure, mas mabagal ‘yung oras ko at for sure, mas masakit ‘yung katawan ko…Kung ‘di ‘yun ‘yung suot ko, baka hindi ako nakarating (sa finish line).”

Wives, mistresses face-off in ‘D’ Originals’ by iza igLesias ManilaTimes.net

FILIPINoS love to watch stories with plenty of twists, confrontations and melodramatic scenes.

As such, one topic that often keeps viewers glued to the television and gets them watching movies is infidelity. While this storyline goes against the family-centric Filipino culture, it is a reality that has made “No other Woman,” “A Secret Affair,” “The Mistress,” “The Legal Wife,” “Ang Dalawang Mrs. real,” “My Neighbor’s Wife,” and “My Husband’s Lover” audiencedrawers.

With the beginning of a new season on Tv, GMA Network offers a different spin on the sensitive subject with wives getting even with philandering husbands via sexy drama-comedy series D’originals.

Premiering this afternoon, the show is top-billed by 2016 Cannes Best Actress Jaclyn Jose, featuring LJ reyes, Kim Domingo, Katrina Halili, Jestoni Alarcon, Mark Herras, Meg Imperial, Archie Alemania, and Lovely Abella.

According to series director Adolf Alix Jr., D’originals sets itself apart by showing audiences every side of the characters involved in the story of infidelity, and without turning to heavy drama scenes to show the reality. Humor takes over the scenes, but in a way that will supposedly empower women as well.

“The stereotype is that if one is a mistress, she’s already a bad person. But we want to let people see what they go through when they find themselves entangled in such situations. That’s the twist

that we hope will help people to understand both sides so that the show is not just about the fighting and confrontations,” Alix detailed at the show’s press conference before the Holy Week break.

Jose plays a domestic diva whose prowess in the kitchen is matched only by her rival, Halili.

Alarcon plays the role of a once loyal husband who strays when faced with the excitement of an affair at mid-life. reyes is an entrepreneur who is forced to be the family’s breadwinner when husband Herras chooses to sit it out at home while waiting for his dream job. When his wife becomes too busy for his amorous advances, he finds more than enough comfort in the company of his sister-in-law, Abella.

Domingo, on the other hand, plays a sexy Zumba instructor who has become a veteran in dealing with her husband Alemania’s numerous affairs. However, his latest mistress Imperial is proving to be more destructive than usual.

Jose said she believes D’originals will be a hit what with its lighter

take on marriage woes.

“It is an experimental dramedy (drama comedy) in the afternoon.

This is about women who have husbands, and husbands who have other women. This is an unfortunate reality that happens in the lives of many Filipino people so it needs to be told,” Jose said.

She admitted that she has encountered many mistresses of her past partners in real life. recalling one of them, she related, “I waited for my guy and his mistress outside a building, then I saw him put his arms around her shoulders. So I got out of my car and barged towards them, shouting at them to face me. Shamed, the father of my kids decided to leave both his mistress and me! So I got more mad at the girl and really embarrassed her,” she related in blind item style.

“That’s probably why I don’t have a partner right now!” Jose added jokingly.

Joining the rest of the cast of D’originals are Mikoy Morales, Arny ross, elyson De Dios, and Chlaui Malayao.

Direk Mae: Her films reflect growing...

PAGE B2

roño, how he is such a master of horror films. I also love the visuals, the grit and the intensity of erik Matti’s movies. I look up to Cathy Garcia Molina for her passion and dedication. I know how she works and she gives 110 percent to a project, pure heart and soul. I also look up to my mentor, rory Quintos for her discipline, how she balances work and life, and her wisdom.

“Lastly, I look up to olivia Lamasan, my mentor. I admire her creativity in writing, her passion, her command, her generosity with her knowledge and how she motivates and pushes one to reach his/her full potential.”

Mae took up Masscom major in

Film and visual Communication at UP after finishing grade and high school at Colegio de San Agustin.

“I got into this profession because I’ve always been a fan of movies and Tv shows,” says Mae. “Another reason is that I wanted to have a profession that not too many women are into. In high school, we had a Broadcasting class that exposed us to the media world.

This inspired me to pursue a career in media. During my fourth year in high school, my best friend, Mikee (Cojuangco-Jaworski), invited me to the shoot of her first-ever Swatch Lady commercial. When I got to the set and met direk rowell Santiago, I knew I wanted my life to be on the set as well. I remember

having a moment of clarity that time seeing the lights, the camera, the crew and the production staff abuzz.”

After finishing college, Mae applied at Star Cinema and after a few months, got in as a production assistant for the movie Magic Temple. She moved on to doing script continuity for several projects under Jerry Sineneng and rory Quintos who continued training Mae as her assistant director for several films and Tv shows.

“I moved on to train as director in the show Pangako Sa Yo,” adds Mae. “In 2002, I first directed for the show Maalaala Mo Kaya.

That’s pretty much my journey as a director.”

by Ricky Lo Philstar.com

More than 1,000 showed up for the series of auditions early last year for Miss Saigon in Manila, with the screening committee headed no less by Claude-Michel Schonberg, composer of the long-running musical (now into its 27th year, and also Les Miserables, both produced

by Cameron Mackintosh). The number was trimmed down to less than 100 and then to 30 and finally to only six. one of the six is Gerald Santos, 26, who auditioned mainly, according to him, “to try my luck.”

Gerald (a B.S. Psychology undergraduate from Angelicum) got the biggest surprise of his life when he got an official letter informing him that he is “it,” tapped to play the villain Thuy which has been played by Filipino actors like robert Seña and Jun Jun Briones. The tour will kick off on London’s West end where it will be staged July and August before it proceeds to Wales, Ireland and Scotland.

The champion of the 2006 GMA talent search Pinoy Pop Superstar, Gerald has proven his mettle both as a singer in six concerts, the latest having been a send-off show on Palm Sunday, April 9. Acting-wise, he has played the titular roles in the plays “Sino Ka Ba,” “Jose rizal” (staged by the Gantimpala Theater Foundation) and “Pedro Calungsod” (by Spectrum Creative Works), and in the movie Memory Channel in which he plays a singer suffering from anxiety/panic attacks.

Gerald is advised to leave for London on May 7 in time for the start of the rehearsal on May 15.

When you look back at the audition, what comes to your mind?

“It was my first time to audition for an internationally-acclaimed musical and I told myself that whatever the result, okay lang. The experience was valuable enough.

There were four stages. First, we were asked to sing for one minute, then we were given studies to act out. The most challenging stage for me was the dancing part because, I must admit, dancing is my Waterloo. But thank God, I managed.”

Did you have a specific role in mind when you auditioned? “oh yes, I did pero sekreto lang.

I was really eyeing for the role of Thuy. I was told that my audition song,Kim’s Nightmare, was unconventional; I didn’t know what they meant by that. The song is sung in the scene after Thuy dies and he appears in Kim’s dream,

Gerald Santos got the biggest surprise of his life when he got news of his confirmation as the newest cast member of Miss Saigon which is going on a UK tour in July and August. ‘I dreamed a dream,’ Gerald quoted a line from Les Miz, ‘and my dream did come true.’

telling her that she won’t let her live in peace.”

Didn’t you hesitate about auditioning for the musical, considering the number of aspirants?

“It was during the tour of Pedro Calungsod when I heard about the auditions. Many people, including my friend-movie writers, were encouraging me to audition. They were telling me na bagay daw yung role naThuy sa akin. So I asked them, ‘Who is Thuy?’ I must confess that when Miss Saigon is mentioned, the only name that comes to my mind is Lea Salonga (the original Kim). But I’m familiar of the songs, thanks to Miss Lea.” Have you seen the musical?

“I haven’t. When Miss Saigon was staged in Manila, I was only 10 years old. I’ve seen the musical online but not ‘live.’ I wish that before I leave for UK, I could go to New York to watch it on Broadway (where it opened in March, with rachelle Ann Go reprising her role as Gigi).”

Is there any other Filipino who passed the audition?

“I heard that there’s another Filipino who’s in the cast but I don’t know who he or she is. Dalawa daw kaming Filipino na nakapasok.

Actually, I’m curious who he or she is. I’m also excited to find out who is going to play Kim.” Like the Filipinos cast (including Monique Wilson as Kim; Jun Jun Briones and Robert Seña as Thuy; Isay Alvarez, Jamie Rivera, Ima Castro, Joanna Ampil and Jenine Desiderio as Kim, et al) in the musical, you will be living alone.

Are you ready for that?

“I’ve been to Hawaii but it’s my first time to be in the UK. I’m ready not just for the musical but to live independently. Medyo kinakaba-

han ako ng kaunti but I’m sure that I will get used to it. The tour will start on West end in London for two months, July and August, before it goes to Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The tour will last for one year.”

In an interview with Cameron MacKintosh, he said that if the movie version of Les Miserableswould be a hit (and it was), he might push through with a plan to also produce Miss Saigon’smovie version. You could be tapped to play Thuy in it.

“How I wish! Sana nga! Is it true that the movie version would be directed by Danny Boyle (of Slumdog Millionaire)? But of course, I have to prove my worth first.”

You’re leaving for UK in three weeks. How have you been preparing for the musical?

“My voice training continues, lalo na sa classical music. I will be doing eight shows a week so, wow,matindi. I was advised not to take a day-off until they find my understudy maybe end of August.

I also have to study how to preserve my voice para hindi mapaos.

I would like to undergo an acting workshop with Sir Floy Quintos who was one of the judges for Pinoy Pop Superstar.”

Some of the Filipino talents in Miss Saigon go on to audition (and get cast) in other West end musicals (like rachelle Ann who proceeded to play Fantine in Les Miz, and Junix Inocian who got into other musicals and even starred in a Hollywood movie with Johnny Depp. Inocian died in London two years ago).

“Well, I am keeping my fingers crossed…hoping and praying! But why not? In the meantime, I’m focused on Miss Saigon.”

B april 20-26, 2017 • laS VEGaS aSiaN JOUrNal

EntErtainmEnt

Michael Martinez: From figure skater to heartthrob

by MJ

Marfori ManilaTimes.net

The cool prince of the skating rink is now a certified hottie, and he cannot believe it. Yes, Michael Christian Martinez still finds it odd to know that his fans are growing by the day because of his good looks besides his sport.

This was what the 20-year-old figure skater intimated to In The Know while he was in Manila during the holy Week. Michael took a quick vacation here before training for the Winter Olympics qualifiers in September. his fan base apparently grew after Michael started taking snaps of his downtime and posting his daily grind on social media. he

http://www.asianjournal.com • (702) 792-6678

No goodbye for Willy Cruz

by BaBy

a. Gil

Philstar.com

True to the promise he made in his famous song Never ever Say Goodbye, Willy Cruz never said goodbye. The famous composer was found unconscious in his bed last Monday morning, April 10. And that was it. Willy was gone. An aneurysm deep in his brain rendered him silent throughout the next days, until he breathed his last at 1:30 in the morning of the next Monday, April 17. he was 70 years old.

Michael Martinez Come to think of it though, Willy had no idea his newfound hobby and the challenges that come would not have wanted it otherwise. with it—like ‘a day-in-the-life’ sort I saw him as a shy, sensitive soul, would make waves. “hindi ko siya sinadya. I never of thing. I also feature my dog who preferred to let his music do imagined people would actually Ichiban who I love so much,” the the talking. he was moody but follow me and ask personal ques- young athlete said. very sweet. Of course, being also Michael acknowledged that the erudite man that he was, Willy tions about me. Before, I just had an average of a thousand likes per his maturing physique must have was not above a stinging remark post but now it goes up to eight added to the fan attraction. how- or a ribald joke when the occathousand and more,” Michael ever, he clarified that contrary to sion called for it. he also enjoyed reports that he edits his topless having fun with friends. But most said.

Due to insistent fan demand, Instagram posts, his abs are real. of the time, he was quiet, picking “Training is very hard in figure out notes on the piano or as he the Filipino pride even has his own YouTube page now with the skating! We also have off ice train- was wont to do these past years, handle “MartinezFrost,” where ing six times a week! My core experimenting with the sounds or he video blogs [or vlogs as others is crucial for me to execute my whatever else he could make his say]to a rapidly growing number moves in the rink.” precious computer do. I don’t think By the way, Michael is also he ever trumpeted his discoveries, of followers.

“It started as a hobby because open to acting when his schedule but those were what he would get I wanted people to know about clears up. Wonder who will get most excited about. my sport, which is figure skating first dibs on him?

Willy was born to the music, descended from the Buencamino clan. his great grandfather wrote music for zarzuelas and his great grand uncle was the renowned composer and teacher Francisco Buencamino. Like his cousin internationally famous pianist Cecile Licad, he was trained in piano and classical music from an early age.

But there was a time when he ventured forth into something else, like studying at the Asian Institute of Management and considering a life in the corporate world. This was

Ryan Reynolds, Oprah Winfrey top TIME 100 poll PhILIPPINe President rodrigo Duterte might have won the TIMe 100 poll among politicians, but among entertainment industry personalities, actor ryan reynolds and actress-TV host Oprah Winfrey are at the top of the list.

Although mentioned first in the list, reynolds and Winfrey, however, are not the only ones who got two percent of the votes.

Also garnering two percent are other hollywood celebrities Lady Gaga, Beyonce, J.K. rowling, emma Watson, James Corden, Viola Davis, emma Stone, John Legend and rihanna.

At close one percent are Kanye West, Melissa McCarthy, ruPaul, Kim Kardashian West and Drake.

Though given a zero percent rating, Selena Gomez, Fan Bingbing, Alec Baldwin, ryan Gosling, Ashley Graham, Gigi hadid, Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry, DJ Khaled and Demi Lovato are also on the roster.

The TIMe 100 is the uS-based magazine’s annual list of the most influential people in the world.

EMPLOYMENT

what he did at Vicor Music Corp. head honcho Vic del rosario Jr., appointed him vice president for Artist and repertoire of the domestic labels division in 1974.

Del rosario though admitted that he really hired Willy for the music. Just as he tapped George Canseco for songwriting success a few years before, he saw in Willy a future as a composer on the strength of arrangements the young musician had done for the Ambivalent Crowd. Willy soon found himself more involved with studio work than running the office, arranging and producing hits for Vicor artists like Nora Aunor, Celeste Legaspi, Didith reyes and others. Two years later, he was running his own recording company Jem records.

Just like with what happened at Vicor, Willy did not stay long as president of Jem. he was not created to be a business executive even if the business was music.

But it was at that time that his extraordinary gifts as a songwriter were first recognized. From writing lyrics to foreign melodies for Jem artist hajji Alejandro like Charade by the Bee Gees which became Tag-araw or The Worst That Could happen by The Fifth Dimension that he retooled as Panakip-butas, Willy went into a composing binge that resulted in some of the most beautiful and most enduring Filipino songs of all time.

Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas, Bituing Walang Ningning, Pangarap Na Bituin, Sana’y Maghintay Ang Walang hanggan, himala Ng Pagibig, all popularized in the classic films that starred Sharon Cuneta for Del rosario’s Viva Films. Doon Lang, Kumusta Ka, Love Without Time, Magandang Gabi, Fragments of Forever, Never ever Say Goodbye

We will still be listening to Willy’s songs for ages to come.

by Nonoy Zuñiga; May Minamahal by hajji; Sa Duyan Ng Pag-ibig by Appasionatta; Kahit Na by Zsa Zsa Padilla; Let The Pain remain by Basil Valdez; Init Sa Magdamag by Sharon and Nonoy; Mahawi Man Ang ulap by Sharon and Dulce; Araw-Araw Gabi-Gabi by Didith reyes; Kapag Puso’y Sinugatan by raymond Lauchengco and others.

This list contains only his original songs. Willy was also a talented arranger with a flair for chart appealing results. I treasure many of those works like what he did for Sharon Sings Valera and Si Sharon at Si Canseco. he was also a gifted pianist, very easy and natural on the keys but full of emotion. he could have been like Cecile given the fact that they had the same training as kids, but Willy himself admitted that he lacked the discipline. he moved to his own drummer.

This sometimes made things difficult for him but I am sure it was as he wanted things to be. Like going just like that. No goodbyes. In a way though that is how it is. We will still be listening to his songs for ages to come anyway.

Sharon Cuneta’s battle with the bulge...

Actors Ryan Reynolds (left) and Oprah Winfrey are among the celebrities who topped TIME 100’s 2017 online poll.

It features a number of leading artists, politicians, lawmakers, scientists, and leaders in technology and business. Although TIMe’s editors will choose the final list of honorees, readers can share their choices with as well

through an online poll.

Voting closed at 11:59 p.m. on April 16, and the winner of the reader poll was announced immediately after. This year’s official TIMe 100 list will be revealed on April 20. (Philstar.com)

EMPLOYMENT

PAGE B1 posite if you want to shed pounds,” Sharon says.

She takes small meals and satisfies her sweet tooth now and then by taking a bit of cake. This is a big improvement from the old Sharon who cannot keep her hands off two slices of cake, bread and butter.

“Bread and butter were my downfall,” she admits.

She has since replaced them with cold cuts and controlled her cravings.

“You may undergo lipo(suction).

You may chop off your body fats.

But you can’t maintain your weight if you don’t control your eating. It’s

got to be a lifestyle change,” adds Sharon.

If her reunion movie with exhusband and former love team Gabby Concepcion pushes through, Sharon must discipline herself even more.

She herself pushed for the project because she wants to please fans who long to see their favorite love team on screen again after so many years.

The reunion project can also serve as closure for her and Gabby now that they feel they have “matured.” At the same time, Sharon thinks it could mark a new beginning, which could lead to TV proj-

SERVICES

ects and others.

But Sharon cannot wait forever.

She has a concert tour abroad in June, after the first season of “The Voice Teens” wraps up.

Whether or not the movie pushes through, KC Concepcion, the couple’s daughter, has one wish for mom and dad. She wants them to become friends in the same way former married couple Ogie Alcasid and Michelle Van eimeren enjoy each other’s company when they go on trips with their children.

Sharon wants to grant KC’s wish.

And it seems Gabby, does, too.

Theirs is a happy ending, after all.

Features

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Your Immigration Solution atty. Brittany MilliaSSeau & nanCy Miller During the Obama administration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) enacted a rule that allows the spouses of certain H-1B specialty occupation workers to apply for employment authorization documents (EADs). Prior to the enactment of the rule, the H-4 spouse of an H-1B visa holder could live in the united States, but was not authorized to work.

Thus, numerous highly-skilled and advanced degree individuals, who chose to accompany their spouses to the u.S. were unable to pursue employment opportunities in the u.S. The H-4 EAD rule which went into effect in May 2015, changed the long-standing regulation and allowed H-4 nonim-

Health@Heart PhiliP S. Chua, MD, FaCS, FPCS THE silent killer of the 1970s, high blood pressure, is now replaced by metabolic syndrome, a cluster of three or more risk factors like abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, abnormal lipids, and insulin resistance (pre-diabetes type 2).

The expanding waistlines of Americans (and Filipinos as well) in the past several decades have been alarming, not only from the cosmetic/physical point of view but, more importantly, from their adverse impact on health, morbidity and mortality. it is now obvious that “love handles” can be deadly.

The researchers from Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic university, in an article posted this year in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, stated that “being overweight and obesity contribute to metabolic syndrome, which affects 1 in 3 adults and about 40 percent of adults aged 40 and older…that the risk factors are more than just the sum of their parts.”

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette aDeva Maglaya JOSHuA hurried outside the inn to the courtyard. A stranger summoned him for help. He had a mule tethered to a post. A badly beaten, wounded man who looked half-dead was splayed helplessly face down across the girth of the pack animal.

“What happened?” Joshua asked.

The stranger replied, “i came across this man on a deserted part of the roadway to Jericho. He was stripped naked, unconscious and bloodied all over. He was still alive, but barely. i couldn’t just leave him.”

He paused and pleaded with Joshua, the innkeeper, “Can you help us?”

Joshua sprang to action, “Let’s bring him inside quickly. i can have Luke look him over.”

They carried the man inside and laid him in a bed in one of the rooms. Joshua quickly fetched the man he called Luke. He was a physician who spent much of his time writing.

They hurried to the wounded man’s room. With his deft hands, Luke diagnosed the injured man’s condition and briskly gave instructions to Joshua to prepare warm water, oil, ointment and strips of clothing to bind the man’s wounds.

The man’s breathing was shallow. He opened his swollen eyes slightly seemingly regaining consciousness. The man moaned asking where he was. Then he drifted out once more. Luke felt his pulse. it was weak but steady.

They ministered to him as best as they could. The man drifted in and out of consciousness but the bleeding had stopped. Seeing that there was no more they can do for the man at the moment, the three men left the room. “i am Micah from Samaria,” the man said. “i am Joshua,” the innkeeper replied, “and this is Luke.” Luke gazing at the two men with kind knowing eyes, nodded, acknowledging them both as he went back to his writing.

Micah stayed with the injured man through the night, lying down on a cot on one side of the room for short naps in-between while Luke checked in on the man’s condition from time to time during the night. Joshua made sure there is food for Micah and enough oil for the lamp that burned faintly in one corner of the room. it looked like the man

LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 20-26, 2017

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Spouses of certain H-1B visa holders at risk of losing work authorization migrant spouses of H-1B workers to apply for work authorization if their H-1B spouse is in process of becoming a lawful permanent resident. Specifically, the H-1B holder must be the beneficiary of an approved Form i-140, immigration Petition for Alien Worker, or have been granted H-1B status pursuant to certain sections of the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act of 2000, as amended by the 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act, often referred to as “AC21.”

The H-4 EAD rule was initially aimed at reducing “personal and economic burdens faced by H-1B nonimmigrants and eligible H-4 dependent spouses during the transition from nonimmigrant to LPr status,” as well as “attracting and retaining highly skilled foreign workers and minimizing the disruption to u.S. businesses

resulting from H-1B nonimmigrants who choose not to remain in the united States and pursue LPr status.”

While the H-4 EAD program has provided a much-needed pathway for H-4 visa holders to earn an income, it has also been challenged by certain groups claiming that the rule threatens the jobs of u.S. workers. Shortly after the H-4 EAD rule was announced, an organization of technology workers filed a lawsuit against the federal government arguing that DHS lacked the statutory authority to allow H-4 visa holders to work in the u.S. Further, the plaintiffs argued that the new rule injured its members as they would be forced to compete with both H-1B and H-4 workers for jobs. The case was initially dismissed but plaintiffs appealed the ruling. in February 2017, DHS was granted an additional 60 days to assess the rule and “allow

incoming leadership personnel adequate time to consider the issues.” Earlier this week, after the 60-day abeyance which ended on April 3, DHS then asked the Circuit Court for additional time.

This time, the request for was an additional 180 days to allow DHS time to “reconsider the H-4 rule and whether issuance of a notice of proposed rulemaking relating to it is appropriate.” in its filing, DHS also offered to “update the court every 60 days concerning the Department’s review” and to “inform the Court promptly should it determine new rulemaking is or is not appropriate before 180 days elapse.”

Many H-4 spouses and their family members are now concerned about the future of their work authorization and their ability to earn an income. if the current administration revokes employment authorization for

H-4 spouses, numerous families could be in economic jeopardy.

Families may lose a household income and financial situations could be dramatically changed resulting in economic hardship for many, especially families that have become accustomed to dual family incomes. As of right now, there have been no changes to the H-4 EAD rule, but there is a possibility that DHS could amend the existing rule, publish a new rule, or even terminate the rule.

The challenge to the H-4 EAD rule is a stark reminder of the uncertainty that is present in the immigration system – uncertainty that has recently been heightened due to the new presidential administration. if you believe that you may be eligible for work authorization under the H-4 EAD program, it is best that you speak with an experienced immigration attorney to

The new silent killer Calendar of Events across

Obesity is indeed surpassing tobacco as the preeminent preventable cause of early morbidity and premature deaths in the united States and globally.

The rule of thumb is that optimizing health requires and includes a waistline of less than 40 in men and less than 35 in women, and a healthy lifestyle: diet, exercise, abstinence from tobacco, disciplined alcohol intake, and stress management.

The authors of the study explain “that the visceral fat component of abdominal obesity leads not only to insulin resistance but also to the release of non-esterified free fatty acids from adipose tissues or body fat…the lipids then accumulate in other sites such as the liver and muscles, further predisposing individuals to insulin resistance and dyslipidemia-abnormal amounts of lipids…and adipose tissue may produce various adipokines that may separately impact insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease risk factors.”

Persons with metabolic syndrome are generally without symptoms and are severely underdiagnosed and untreated, but have a 10-year risk of a first heart attack, according to the Framingham risk score of 16 to 18 percent, which puts them in

a higher risk category similar to those who already had a previous heart attack.

Various clinical studies have shown that even with a normal Body Mass index (BMi), individuals with expanding waistlines from visceral fats could still have metabolic syndrome. Those who consume soft drinks of any kind, cola, diet or regular, caffeinated or not, have a higher risk for the development of metabolic syndrome, especially children. indeed, soft drinks are toxic to our body and to our DnA. As i have highlighted in the book, “Let’s Stop ‘Killing’ Our Children,” healthy lifestyle and disease prevention, in order to be fully effective, must start in the womb, and dieting and discipline must begin in the crib to protect the children’s DnA. This preemptive and proactive strategy at the cellular/molecular level will exempt them from having the socalled “expected and normal diseases of aging,” like arthritis, high blood pressure, diabetes T2, heart diseases, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and even cancer. indeed, these are preventable.

The pandemic of obesity, which begins in childhood, has been increasing in the past century, PAGE B7

Something to ponder:

The story of Micah, the good samaritan

“… He opened his swollen eyes slightly seemingly regaining consciousness. The man moaned asking where he was. Then he drifted out once more. …” was going to make it. He said a prayer of thankfulness.

Micah was up early. He had pressing business to attend to.

He looked in on the wounded man. He set aside two silver coins for the man’s care. Micah made a mental note to stop by the inn on his way back. He wanted to cover any other cost.

Sometime during the day, the wounded man opened his eyes and saw he was in a strange room. His body ached all over and his head was spinning. He was hungry and thirsty and was about to call out when Joshua entered the room.

“How are you feeling?” Joshua asked him. He had a tray of warm food and a flask of wine with him.

The man groaned in reply.

Joshua placed the tray of food beside the man. He had great difficulty eating and swallowing but he must have been truly famished. He cleaned up what was on the tray.

Joshua asked as he sat down on a chair, “ So tell me. What happened?”

The man answered, “A band of four robbers sprang up on me while i was traveling on a deserted road on my way to Jericho.

They beat me up so badly and left me for dead. They took all i had, even my clothing.”

The man continued, “Hours had passed when i saw someone, coming up the road. He was garbed like a priest. i shouted for help and he saw me. Alas, he went on the other side of the road and hurried along. no one else came for hours. My heart was sinking. And then, in what seemed to be forever, a Levite came by and saw me but he too could not be bothered and went to the other side of the road and went on his way.”

He paused for a while and said, “i was losing hope. i asked god for mercy to send someone, anyone to help me. The sun was going down and it will soon be cold and dark when i saw someone coming up the road. He was riding in a mule. i managed yet again to shout for help. This time, the man stopped, got off his animal and quickly hurried to

where i lay bleeding. i must have passed out since that was the last time i remembered anything.”

Joshua told him, “The man who brought you here saved you just in time. god heard your prayer. A physician has been treating you.” Joshua looked at him squarely and added, “The man who saved you is named Micah, a Samaritan. He was up all night looking after you. ” Samuel’s swollen eyes grew wide. Joshua noted the man seemed stunned at knowing who had saved him. “i’m the innkeeper. i’m Joshua.

What is yours?” he asked him.

“Sam … Samuel of Jerusalem,” the man stammered. Joshua nodded, stood up and took the tray away. “Well, rest and feel better,” he told him in a quiet voice, headed for the door and left the room.

Joshua thought to himself as he went about his day. in the many years he had been an innkeeper, he knew Jews and Samaritans took great pains to avoid one other. They were like oil and water. They just did not mix. Jews considered Samaritans as halfbreeds, inferior in every way, since they had married pagans and had included pagan rituals in their worship. in the Jewish tradition, they were outcasts, tolerated but not welcome.

Joshua guessed Samaritans probably felt just as resentful toward Jews. They probably regarded Jews as high-handed, arrogant stiffs, rigidly set and unbending in their ways and traditions. So deep was the resentment between them that Samaritans and Jews did not even talk to each other. But now somehow Joshua knew it did not have to be so.

He knew and felt better about this bit of wisdom about who true neighbors are. He refused the two silver coins Micah was giving him. Joshua felt good doing his bit for the wounded man.

Joshua went about his day with a lighter heart. He felt sure god made him an innkeeper to meet people on the crossroads.

Since that glorious night long ago when he witnessed somePAGE B6

discuss eligibility. Additionally, if you think that you may be eligible for another type of immigration benefit, you should consult with a knowledgeable immigration attorney who may review your immigration case history and determine whether you are currently eligible for any immigration benefits, particularly a benefit that may no longer be available in the near future. *** Reeves, Miller, Zhang & Diza Law Corporation’s offices are located in Pasadena, Irvine, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Makati City.

Telephone: (800) 795-8009 E-mail: immigration@rreeves.com Website: www.rreeves.com. *** 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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Fundraising event to benefit the first-ever Filipino American Heritage and Arts Museum in Las Vegas The Filipino American Heritage and Arts Museum (FAHAM) will host “Heritage Celebration - Filipinos Landing in California,” a fundraising event on Friday, April 21, starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Dallas Ballroom of Texas Station Hotel and Casino. Festivities include a buffet dinner, arts exhibits, vendor booths, cultural entertainment a native fashion show, a Philippine history presentation, and dance performances. The cultural entertainment will be provided by the FAHAM Cultural Dance Group, Heart of Polynesia, Gina Kim Korean Dance Group, Filipiniana Dance Company of Las Vegas, Sophia Ramos, Sharon Tanyag, and DJ Mike. Emcees will be Amie and Leo Belmonte. The donation is $50 / person. Attire is formal. FAHAM is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is currently America’s first Filipino American Museum, Archives, Legacy, Culture, Innovation Research Center, and Library Garden founded in Delaware by Mrs. Ditta Camomot, M.Ed., M.A. Its holdings are artifacts, ethological materials, and ecclesiastical, historical, arts and ephemera collections, as well as environmental projects. Texas Station is located at 2101 Texas Star Ln, North Las Vegas, NV 89032. For tickets and more information, please contact Salve Edelman at (702) 418-8968.

Filipino American Chamber of Commerce Tri-County’s ‘maiden’ induction in Alhambra The newly-formed Filipino American Chamber of Commerce Tri-County (Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties) — with the motto “Empowered to Lead, Committed to Serve” — will have an induction of executive officers and board of directors on Friday, April 2, 6 p.m., at Almansor Court (700 South Almanzor St., Alhambra, CA 91801).

FACC Tri-County President Merwynn Montenegro has invited Philippine Consul General Adelio Angelito S. Cruz to induct the officers and give the keynote speech. Councilmember and former West Covina Mayor James Toma will be the inspirational speaker. Boardmember Atty. Abraham Lim serves as Legal Counsel while Noel S.V. Omega and Mary Ann Omega are Chamber Advisers. Cost is $40 with free parking. Business attire is required. For more information, contact Secretary Ed Cansino (909) 263-7297; Asst. Sec. Grace O. Vaughn (951) 261-0601; or 1st VP Elen Yuhico (909) 636-6271, or lvsolis@aol.com.

A p R I L 23

Afternoon of bowling and networking with Fil-Am Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles The Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles (FACC-GLA) proudly presents an “afternoon of bowling fun and networking” on Sunday, April 23 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Matador Bowling Lanes at 9118 Balboa Blvd., Northridge, CA 91325. Enjoy the Sunday afternoon with fun, laughter and meet new friends. Please RSVP to Connie Mapue, secretary of FACC-GLA at (323) 337-7714. Fee for bowlers, $25 / person (FACCGLA members); $30/person for non-members. $15 / person for non bowlers

A p R I L 29

12th annual Sikad ng Bayan bike ride in Anaheim Hills, CA The Sikad ng Bayan (Cycling for the Nation) is an annual bike ride that raises funds to build preschools for less fortunate communities at Gawad Kalinga (GK) villages in the Philippines. It is a non-competitive ride that will be held on Saturday, April 29, where cyclists traverse the Orange and Los Angeles counties. And in true Filipino fashion, this fun ride culminates in a Pinoy-style luncheon where cyclists can get together and know more about Sikad. It will be held at the Yorba Regional Park (7600 E La Palma Ave, Anaheim, CA 92807). For more information or to register please visit www.sikad.org or call Rey D. at (562) 964-1445 or Robbie V. at (949) 351-8344.

ApRIL 30

Filipino Cultural School to host “Sari-Sari Talent Show 2017” in Cerritos, CA Filipino Cultural School (FCS) will host its 2nd annual Sari Sari: Talent Show Fundraiser on Sunday, April 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Josephine’s Cerritos (11305 183rd St, Cerritos, CA 90703). Filipino Cultural School, based in Cerritos, CA and other neighboring cities, is a 501(c)(3) Non Profit Organization geared to the preservation and promotion of the Philippine heritage and culture. FCS has and continues to be open to all. Filipinos and non-Filipinos who are interested in Philippine culture are invited to attend. “Sari-Sari” is a Tagalog word for “variety,” and in this talent show, FCS aims to celebrate the diverse talents of our community members in forms of singing, dancing, spoken words, etc., along with some great Filipino food from the restaurant. Pre-sale tickets are $10 for ages 13 years old and above, and $5 for ages 12 years old and under. Door prices will be $15 for ages 13 years old and above, and still $5 for ages 12 years old and under (ticket prices do not include food). The raised funds for the event will go towards helping cover for the cost of venue, insurance, and materials for the FCS Summer Program. For information on how to purchase a ticket and also sign-up to perform in the show, please visit the website http://filipinoculturalschool.org. For any inquiries, feel free to contact FCS at filipinoculturalschool@gmail.com.

M AY 4

Philippine Consulate Outreach Mission in Carson, CA The Philippine American Bar Association (PABA) will hold its 31st Annual Installation and Awards Gala on Thursday, May 4, 2017 in downtown Los Angeles. PABA is the largest local organization of Filipino-American attorneys in the United States. Formed three decades ago, PABA serves the needs of Fil-Am lawyers and law students in Southern California. The Gala is a celebration of the Fil-Am legal community, as well as PABA’s largest fundraiser of the year. The proceeds are used to carry out the group’s mission: strengthening the legal community through mentoring programs, networking events, scholarships for students, and continuing education. The keynote speaker for this year’s Gala is California State Treasurer John Chiang. Jose (Joe) Lauchengco, Jr., will be recognized as the 2017 Trailblazer, and The Honorable Bernie LaForteza, Los Angeles Superior Court, will be the recipient of the 2017 Distinguished Jurist Award.

The Gala will be held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90071. Registration along with a A No-Host Cocktail Reception will begin at 6:00 p.m. and the Dinner & Program will commence at 7:00 p.m. Additional ticketing and sponsorship information are provided below. If you would like to purchase individual tickets, advertisements, tables or become an event sponsor, you can also pay online by clicking here: https://www.z2systems.com/np/clients/paba/giftstore.jsp

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

Features

B april 20-26, 2017 • laS VEGaS aSiaN JOUrNal

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PROJECT 150 and Junior League of Las Vegas put on 2017 ELEVATE career fair for high school students

FILIPINO Veterans Group volunteers (L-R) Rey Lopez, Wes Peters, Sonny Delos Santos, Maridol Cortez, Valentinza Anquillano, Rose Peters, and Jerry Mathre provided free income tax service to military active duty personnel, veterans and low income community taxpayers. This tax season, our volunteers provided services to more than 600 taxpayers with total IRS accepted of 523. The total refund that came back to the community was $632,477 with average refunds of $1,171.25. The tax season ended on Tuesday 18.

Photos by Raoul Gatchalian

Great American Foodie Fest returns to Sunset Station Casino Showcasing some of the Nation’s best foods seen on Food Network, Cooking Channel & Travel Channel

The GAFoodieFest is coming to #hendersonNevada @SunsetStation on April 27th-30th, 2017!

Featuring several of the nation’s top #FoodTrucks, #FoodVendors #Liveentertainment #CarnivalRides #eatingContests & more!

The Great American Foodie Fest was formerly the Las Vegas Foodie Fest. The event draws 40,000-50,000 Foodies at each event and has been voted ‘Best of Las Vegas event’ by the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s in 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016!

The event has also been ranked as the Top 10 Food Festivals in America by the The Telegraph Travel and Top 15 Food Festivals in the U.S. by Cardsbull.com

The Great American Food Festival is a culmination of the best specialty food vendors & gourmet food trucks from all around the country that have been featured on the Food Network, Cooking Channel and Travel Channel.

Special appearances by Chef Shaun O’Neale Winner of Season 7 MasterChef on Fox as well as Junior Chef Jack Pollock Season 3 Winner of Food Network’s Show Chopped Junior! headlining performance on Saturday, April 29th by Purple Reign, Las Vegas best Prince Tribute Band!

Great American Foodie Fest LLC was founded by Noel Casimiro, Art Casimiro, Oliver Tolentino and

Marc Tolentino.

Their mission was to create an innovative food festival that would encompass the Nation’s best food trucks and food vendors that have been featured on the Food Network, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel and other popular food shows.

After the event’s huge success in Las Vegas, the founding members made a decision to expand the event to other major markets across the U.S. In 2015 the Great American Foodie Fest made its debut in San Diego California and Tempe, Arizona.

For more information about Great American Foodie Fest go to GreatAmericanFoodieFest. com.

ğ įōíľ ÀðıÃæµįPçį ʼn æIJįıÀ ØÃĉÃæîÂ ß ğÃqPç qíß߼æÃıŎįĤÀíĽØ ÕæíŊįPdíĽIJĕ If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, email us the details (title, description, time & date, location, etc.) at info@asianjournalinc.com.

And for consideration in our print calendar, please send submissions at least three weeks before the date of the event.

To be included in our online calendar/ e-newsletter, please allow at least two to three weeks' notice.

The Asian Journal would be delighted to list your event in our Calendar of Events.

LAS VeGAS – Project 150, a charity that helps homeless, displaced and disadvantaged high school students, is holding the 2017 eLeVATe Career and employment Fair in association with the Junior League of Las Vegas, Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly and the Clark County School District.

When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 22.

Where: The Clark County Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Pkwy. high school students will have the chance to meet with employers seeking new hires for parttime and full-time employment.

Interested students will receive assistance with resume writing, mock interviews and dressing for success. Admission to this event is free, however a student ID is required. Organizers encourage students to pre-register by sending their name via email to elevate@ jllv.org. Space is limited.

Visit www.Project150.org or call (702) 721-7150 for more information. employers interested in connecting with local high school students at the career fair can register on the website to participate.

Project 150 Project 150 is a 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization, founded in December 2011 by local businessmen Don Purdue and Patrick Spargur. The two had heard about 150 homeless

high school students at Rancho high School in Las Vegas who were in need of support over the Christmas break. Since that time, Project 150 has expanded and now serves more than 2,500 homeless, displaced and disadvantaged high school students in 51 schools throughout Nevada.

Project 150 provides these students with food, clothing, school supplies, sports equipment, shoes, college and workforce readiness and other needs so they have what they need to continue school and be successful in life. Follow Project 150 on Facebook and Twitter.

Junior League of Las Vegas The Junior League of Las Vegas (JLLV) is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving

the community through effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively education and charitable.

JLLV is focused on positively affecting the metropolitan Las Vegas area through JLLV programs and teaming with agencies throughout Las Vegas to improve the overall level of health, wellness and education in our community. For more information about the JLLV, the community programs we support, and our members, please visit our website, www.jllv.org. The JLLV is part of the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) which consists of 293 Leagues and more than 155,000 members from the USA, Mexico, Canada, and Great Britain. For more information, please go to AJLI’s website, www.ajli.org.

Something to ponder...

PAGE B5

thing rare, precious and mysterious in a childbirth at the stable at the back of the inn that only a few men had ever seen, stories have been unfolding right before his eyes.

People and their stories have been opening up his heart and enriching his soul. Joshua often regaled his wife and children with these stories at the dinner table. he thought that maybe one day when the time is ripe, he could share these stories with as many others who cared to listen. These stories are just too good to keep to one’s self. Maybe he can tell

Luke who can then write about these stories to pass them on to many generations.

Samuel, the wounded man, was in deep thought too. he felt sure the priest and the Levite who had both passed him by were going to help him in his hour of need. They were supposedly men of God. Samuel was a man of some means and had given generously to the temple’s coffers. he even sat with these men in places of honor. Like them, he grew up bound by tradition and despised Samaritans.

And yet, here he is, still alive by an unexpected grace. here he still is because of a surpris-

ing deed of kindness from a man whose tribe people thought, including himself, were good for nothing. he closed his eyes and felt deep shame and remorse.

Samuel knew he could never repay the kindness this Samaritan man Micah had given him. Yet, Samuel now knows in his heart he can look at Samaritans and perhaps, even other groups who worshiped the same God, with fresh eyes and treat them like his own. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com

PeoPle and events

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LAS VEGAS ASIAN JOURNAL • ApRIL 20-26, 2017

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Asian Culture Alliance formally re-opens its doors to the public Six months after its former community center burned down in a devastating fire, the Asian Culture Alliance has reopened the Asian Culture Center in Las Vegas.

The new Center, at 333 South 6th Street, houses many Asian American organizations including those that honor countries such as Laos, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and the Philippines. At the ceremony and ribbon cutting Mayor Carolyn Goodman said, “This is a day that should be celebrated by all Nevadans of all backgrounds.” She added, “Knowing the heritage of people brings a better understanding of the world around us.”

The hosts of the Grand opening celebrations were Media icon Steve Schorr and Asian News Chinese producer Daniel Wang. More than 300 dignitaries, community leaders, local government officials and guests packed the Center. Philip-

AJPress photos by Robert Macabagdal It was also announced at the ceremony that Las Vegas would become a major television hub for the who want to learn about the Asian Asian community around the world. culture. Classes are held in such dis- Last January 21st, the Asian Culciplines as Tai Chi, Stick Exercise, tural Television (ACTV) launched its Chinese Calligraphy, Taekwondo 24/7 channel on FREETV channel and even Sushi making.

30.6 in Las Vegas, in partnership with VasianTV and VegasLifeTV. The network produces original programming from Las Vegas.

Through its very own Social Media Network platform developed by 05Media, Inc., ACTV will be made available to 3 Billion smartphone users around the World. One can download the FREE app at actv.05media.com.

Cavin Fung is the Founder and President of Asian Culture Alliance (ACA), the 3-year old 501C3 nonprofit corporation, which operates the Asian Culture Center. ACTV is a subsidiary of ACA, with Carl Magno as its CEO and partner. Sai Agahi is the President of 05 Media, Inc. For more information, visit F10. Philippine Consul General in Los Angeles Adelio Cruz speaks at the opening of the new Asian com.

Culture Center.

Steve Schorr, publisher and editor of the NOW Report, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, and Cavin Fung of the Asian Culture Alliance.

pine Consul General (Los Angeles) Adelio Cruz graced the occasion.

The Center, besides being home to the various Asian organizations also offers free classes to those

The new silent killer PAGE B5 and the current generation of children and adolescents (who eat more calories and unhealthy foods and who exercise less) will reach middle age with higher morbidity and mortality from metabolic, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and cancer, which may even be worse than their parents’ in spite of the great advances in medical science and technology.

While colon cancer rates have been going down among the elderly (55 and older) since the 1980s, they are increasing among those in their 20s and 30s. This

was the recent alarming finding of a U.S. cancer registry, which reviewed nearly half a million colorrectal cancers diagnosed between 1974 and 2013, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and in the March 1, 2017 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The research shows that for colon cancers, a rate increase of 2.4 percent annually was noted for those in their 20s and 1.0 percent among those in their 30s. For rectal cancers, the yearly increase was even higher, 3.2 percent. In general, the study also found that

there was an increase in the rate among adults in their 40s and early 50s, but not as bad.

This report revealed an alarming retrogression in our battle against colorectal cancers: “that young adults’ colorectal cancer risk is now similar to that of adults born around 1890.”

The investigators pointed out that high obesity rates during the past several decades “may play a role in this generation. Obesity increases the risk for all types of cancers and cardiovascular diseases, like high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and

diabetes.”

Our lifestyles, which includes what and how much food we eat, whether we exercise or not, and all our self-indulgences/abuses, contribute a lot to our state of health. Metabolic syndrome, especially obesity, and red meat and processed meat consumption, all increase the risk for cancer.

Neglecting regular medical/dental check-ups and recommended tests also increase our health risk.

The National Institutes of Health reports “approximately 2/3 of adults between 20 and older are overweight or obese with BMI greater than 25, and nearly 1/3 have BMIs greater than 30…less than 1/3 of them are at a

healthy weight with BMI of 18.5 to 24.9.”

The estimated cost of obesity in the United States is around $190.2 billion a year, almost 21 percent of medical spending, not including the personal expenses of the individuals and the toll on human misery and human life.

Shedding off at least five pounds of our excess weight through disciplined caloric counting and walking exercise for about 20 minutes a day will reduce our risk for metabolic syndrome and cancer by more than 33 percent.

This is a practical and wise strategy we can painlessly do — for free!

Glaringly obvious are the evidence-based roles and impact of

diet, exercise, tobacco, and alcohol on our individual health and longevity. They can’t be any clearer.

To a great extent, our health and our lives are in our hands and what to do with them is our choice. *** 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

B april 20-26, 2017 • laS VEGaS aSiaN JOUrNal

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